Lopez Blogs

I'm flying back! Have you missed me? Here is the alternative musical tributes to the festive season. Still to come - best of Christmas tv and movies, comedy christmas and more new tunes :) Is the Coldplay one any good?! See you tomorrow!!

An Alternative Christmas View #2

• Matt Dusk ~ White Christmas: Before Mans charmed the pants off me with his swinging Christmas album, Matt Dusk was there with his finger clicking goodness and all round good guy charm. His version of White Christmas is one of those timeless tunes that sounds good whatever trends are dominating the charts and the dramatic horns, lolloping piano and elegant strings are just the icing on this very delicious cake. Plus how delightful does Matt look? Yummers.
• Barenaked Ladies ~ Elf's Lament: Love this song - it's basically a tongue in cheek look at what would happen if the elves of santa's workshop had a union to oversee their probably quite disgraceful working conditions. This song actually inspired a short story that i gave to my neices and nephews one year about Santa actually being a crook who stole all toys all the year round like some sort of festive Robin Hood. The link is to a more live version of this song but it doesn't lose any of it's endearing charm or humour...
• Blues Traveler ~ Christmas: I'm not a massive fan of Blues Traveler but after hearing this song several years ago on one of those A Very Special Christmas compilations, I've been a smitten little kitten with the tune ever since. It's got a tremendously earnest vocal and just shines with it's tambourine bells and lovely message. I love an optimistic tune to make you feel a bit thoughtful but also a bit more hopeful...
• Rockapella ~ It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas/Glowbug: It's not a mash up before you rob this Glee :) What it is is a flawlessly harmonised acapella tribute to the glowbugs that light the sky intertwined with the classic Grinch song. Fun to try and match the harmonies as you sing along and one of the most feelgood songs on this list :)
• Lenka ~ All My Bells Are Ringing: Tribute to the girl groups of the 60s with all the "oo ba ba" and swoony whoas set to a handclapping, bell chiming tune where little Lenka offers her love to her beau in a dreamily romantic festive tune. Rebecca would do an amazing version of this on the X-Factor. Jus' saying...

Top 21 songs of the week:

21 ~ McFly, Shine A Light
20 ~ Shayne Ward, Gotta Be Somebody
19 ~ JLS, Love You More
18 ~ P!nk, Raise Your Glass
17 ~ Deborah Gibson, I Love You
16 ~ A1, In Love & I Hate It
15 ~ Bjorn Johan Muri, Nobody Knows (NE)
14 ~ Erik Hassle, Standing Where You Left Me (NE)
13 ~ Gabriella Cilmi, Defender
12 ~ Joe McElderry, Someone Wake Me Up
11 ~ Andrea Lewis ft Simon Curtis, Talk To Me
10 ~ Eric Saade, Break of Dawn
09 ~ Darin, Drowning
08 ~ EMD, What Is Love
07 ~ Kylie, Better Than Today
06 ~ Le Kid, We Should Go Home Together
05 ~ Take That, The Flood
04 ~ Tove Styrke, Standing Where You Left Me
03 ~ Gravitonas, You Break Me Up
02 ~ Daniel Boys, To Make You Feel My Love (VID)
01 ~ Elouise, You'll Never Walk Alone (3 weeks)

back properly! Tomorrow! With part one of a massive x factor weekend :)

My ear may well explode in the next however many minutes it takes to write this. So if an unattractive goo spaffs across your screen then you will know what has happened. Do not be alarmed. Repeat, do not be alarmed. Anyway, I was going to do a post a day as I am off work this week. This has almost happened. Frankly, even when I have time, I'm not a post a day person. 3 times a week seems to be my limit. Sometimes 4 if the mood takes me (ask Darren)! Anyhoo, I've put together a brief overview of some essential albums that have really brightened up my week off and helped me plow forward with some serious novel writing/book revisions. Merci beaucoup incredible artists :)

Gabriella Cilmi ~ Ten: I had absolutely no interest in the debut album of young Gabriella. That annoying (but probably fairly good) Sweet About Me seemed to be popping up everywhere and got right on my wick. Luckily her new album is a bit of a reinvention as an amazing disco diva - she channels the kids from fame, Donna Summer and solo Girl Aloud (but not in a ghastly Cheryl Tweedy sort of way). Lead single On A Mission is an incredible slice of pop that is a refreshing slice of chewing gum aceness; Hearts Don't Lie is the second single Xenomania track that sounds a bit like Mini Viva but is still quite good in that do-xeno-even-try-anymore sort of way; Superhot screams of single potential and will be one of the most criminally ignored singles of the year a la Beware of The Dog/I Said Never Again and Boys (dodgy lyrics aside) is entirely charming. For more thorough reviews check out AlienHits and Fabtasticmusic.

Goldfrapp ~ Head First: Another act I've never paid attention to is the chameleon like charms of Alison and her troupe. Each album they have released changes sounds from the last release and this is - like Gabriella - is a sumptuous disco dance extravaganza that channels string laden disco sound of Oliva Newton John, Abba and even ELO on some points. First single Rocket soars as it should, comes close to Kim Carnes territory and has a fun melody that positively fizzes. The electro-tinged synths continue throughout the album and there is rarely a miss here - Believer is brilliantly retro but in a way where the band seem to embrace the 80s rather than are inspired by it. It's rather marvelous to be won over by such a highly thought of, smart band because it gives me a full back catalogue to explore (much like when I swooned for St Etienne) - but for now, I'm suckered in by brilliance such as Hunt (so lovely, dark and breathy), I Wanna Life (out and out pop that Girls Can't Catch & the current girl group pretenders wish they could make) and the creatively bonkers Alive. All quite engrossing. For more thorough reviews check out AlienHits (again!), ADH and Chartrigger's interview!

Barenaked Ladies ~ All In Good Time: I've been a long time fan of BNL since all the counsellors at camp in Rochester were obsessed with The Old Apartment back in 1996. They've had ups and downs since then, most recently a bit of a line up change that seems to have shaped their latest album into something that has moments of brilliance but is tempered by some really disappointing tunes. Their last album proper (ie not the live or kids album) Barenaked Ladies Are Me/Men had sterling moments of lyrical creativity and great melodies. Some of that is replicated here in the coldplay-lite but totally engaging You Run Away ~ a totally melancholy sounding (band) break up song that could carry someone through to the final of American Idol if sung well. There's a genuine sadness in the delivery of the song that elevates it and it's a shame that it hasn't done better (perhaps it's a grower). Tracks like Summertime and Another Heartbreak are great straightforward pop tracks that deserve to be singles - great choruses with that 70s friendly ELO/Supertramp vibe that has been so popular with Take That and The Feeling of late (the latter has an exquisite Abba-esque middle 8 that is to die for). What's missing is some of the more quirky stuff the band are famous for - they come close with 4 Seconds, a cabaret romp that almost delights and is well worth the listen. The rest of the album - well it's not bad, but it doesn't sparkle and these four songs are definitely the highlights and way superior to the rest...

The Candle Thieves ~ Sunshine & Other Misfortunes: There is something entirely mesmerising about Scott and Glock's music. It's engaging, uplifting, welcoming and warm - cleverly written, wonderfully presented and touching on themes of love, loss and life that everyone can relate to. Debut single The Sunshine Song is practically Pushing Daisies the pop song - a cheerful, bright song on the surface with a peppy melody yet laced with undertones of sadness at the downside of love. We're All Gonna Die (Have Fun) is a delightfully effervescent tune that dazzles from start to finish and deserves to brighten up the charts when released on the 29th. The use of instruments throughout the album is carefully thought out and utterly rewarding because of this - whether it's the heavenly piano solo in the charming Bright Lights, or lilting casio on my fave album song My Love Will Clap It's Hands For You (best song title of the year so far). And the boys are capable of switching from the more jaunty tunes such as My Little Room to the more pensive Lonely Lonely Lonely. Definitely one of the most likeable and instant albums I've heard this year - it's my mission to see them live before they go too stratospheric. Next stop Birmingham please boys (the Bullring is lovely!)...

There's no denying that when I choose a pop act to adore, I tend to follow them through good times and bad. Hence 22 years after I bought Out Of The Blue, I'm still trotting after Deborah Gibson like a lost puppy dog. Sure, she hasn't done an album of original material since 2001's epic MYOB (though there was a broadway album, 2 demo albums and numerous one off tracks) but I live in hope that she will achieve an immense pop comeback a la Tina Turner. To tide me over, there is a video of her surfaced on youtube duetting with Jaron (from Evan and Jaron - those catchy ditty makers from late last century) on the Dawson's Creek-esque smash Crazy About This Girl. I just love to see her pound those keyboard keys and make pop sound so effortless. Plus, I quite like that Jaron calls her "my dear". For a more uptodate Deborah sound check out this website for a clip of a new (?) single by her called Cougar. It's very Britney via The Saturdays with a hint of Lady Cuckoo. Despite the autotuning in the verses, that I'm not a fan of, it's still got undeniably Deb moments ("give momma some sugar!") that make me want to hear more AND make it sound like a new top 40 smash. Yes I'm still that dedicated... Now before I get onto the chart of change (my top 21 always undergoes a bit of a revamp in January), here are some new songs I'm belatedly getting into...

• Ke$ha ~ TikTok: Oh I am so very late on this, but I haven't been able to escape it on Larry Flick lately, or while I was in vegas and I'm enjoying it quite a lot in this snowy weather. The album isn't quite a slam dunk but it's a lot of fun and I can see why D'Luv has luvved writing about her so much :)
• Adam Lambert ~ For Your Entertainment: Once again blame Larry for this one too (it's a lovefest!) - he has tirelessly promoted this album and got me into another American Idol when I swore I was only concentrating on XFactor. Plus Nick's enthusiasm didn't hurt either!
• Owl City ~ Fireflies: I thought actually that this would make one of those lovely surprise Christmas number ones like Mad World or that one about the JCB. It's not even out in the UK yet, but it's entirely cute, singable and lovely. And has already won over the rest of the world!
• Eva Simons ~ I Want To Make Love To The World: The title of it makes me think of that crazy actor from The Piano when he made his unforgettable oscar speech. The song makes me want to get up, dance, boogy, grab the one I love and shimmy. It's so much more than the addictive Silly Boy :)
• Barenaked Ladies ~ You Run Away: Thank heavens John reminded me they were still around. BNL (like Dashboard Confessional and Indigo Girls) are one of those groups I absolutely adore but don't blog about as much as I should. I have always thought they do quite brilliant ballads, but this is one of their more anthemic ones and I am already far more in love with it than I should be. Constant repeat. Lovely piano, lovely vocal, great layered harmonies, crescendos. EPIC.

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 ~ Mans Zelmerlow, A Stranger Saved My Life
20 ~ Simon Curtis, Delusional
19 ~ Whitney Houston, I Look To You
18 ~ Natalie Imbruglia, Scars
17 ~ Nerina Pallot, When Did I Become Such A Bitch?
16 ~ Alcazar, Thank You
15 ~ JLS, Close To You
14 ~ Leona Lewis, Stop Crying Your Heart Out
13 ~ Industry, My Mistake
12 ~ Pet Shop Boys, It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas
11 ~ Blake Lewis, I Left My Baby For You
10 ~ Dangerous Muse, I Want It All (NE/VID)
09 ~ Alphabeat, Hole In My Heart
08 ~ The Saturdays, Ego
07 ~ Alexandra Burke, Broken Heels
06 ~ Robbie Williams, You Know Me
05 ~ Agnes, Love Love Love
04 ~ RyanDan, Can't Help Falling In Love
03 ~ Ryan Ferrada, Room 501 (NE)
02 ~ Barenaked Ladies, You Run Away (NE)
01 ~ Simon Curtis, Diablo (2 weeks)

Blimey. The shop's ain't half busy. I've been barged, poked, prodded, rudely moved aside, felt up, molested, sneezed on (ew. What happened to catch it, bin it, kill it?!), boob-bashed, growled at, hissed at, talked about on a phone loudly, cock-blocked and eye-stuck (by an errant baby's podgy fingers)! All while standing innocently in HMV fingering Gavin and Stacey (series 3 out already on dvd before it's even finished on tv)...(this was almost as bad as my festive "people" experiences from a few years back!) Anyway, back to the safety of armchair shopping, my gaze fell upon the quite exquisite looking Harry Potter Ultimate Collector Editions for films one and two. Only out in the states so far, but I'm there Christmas Day and have "multi regional" capabilities. I'm ever so excited about this development. Nearly as excited as Hogwarts opening at Universal next year. Oh how I adore Christmas cashing in when it's things I like (I note that as predicted last year, Mamma Mia is now out in a 2 disc edition)... On with the post!

CHRISTMAS FUTURE:

God bless Kylie Minogue. She really is quite smashing isn't she? Sure, everyone and his dog (including me) had an opinion on what should have been on X, what should have been a single from X and how it would have been more massive - but that's only because people care and just adore her. And fresh from her triumphant US tour (ooo that was a bit press releasy wasn't it!), she has quickly put together a live download package of every single blooming song she performed. And if that wasn't glorious enough, there are 3 new Steve Anderson studio versions of some her funkiest numbers - including Speakerphone 2009, (stream here). It's been wonderfully reswizzled and sounds ultra modern, seductive and sleek. Not only does it sound like it would work wonderfully as a live set piece, it works as a stomping dance number which is bound to get my annual festive bash pumping a week on Saturday :) Plus, I'm absolutely dying to hear Steve's new production of Light Years - from one of my favourite albums of the millenium... You can stream the album on Kylie's youtube from Sunday 12th and buy it from the 14th. Oh and if you are feeling particularly rich, there is a paperback version of the glorious coffee table tome Kylie by William Baker out now (£85!!!!). It's all so Gossip Girl Wealth Level Secret Santa Tastic!

CHRISTMAS PRESENT:

Talking of Gossip Girl (you might think I just throw these posts together randomly and often I do. Just sometimes I'm able to segue quite nicely and make it look planned), Leighton Meester aka ice queen of Manhatten Blair Waldorf has released quite a surprisingly rich and enjoyable version of Christmsa (Baby Please Come Home). I really like the tone of Leighton's voice on the song and the arrangement works really well for her. Surely there must be an opportunity for an all musical gossip girl where she sings this to Chuck "I look like i'd be absolutely filthy in the sack" Bass. That would please me very much indeed. Actually it's such a beloved Christmas fave, that I was worried that she would piss all over it, but no it's come out quite lovely. Phew.

CHRISTMAS PAST:

My god, how often have I written about the Barenaked Ladies singing the simply fantastic Elf's Lament (with Michael Buble)? The answer is every year since 2006, so apologies if you have been reading this blog since then, but you are going to have to put up with it once more. You know what Gregory Maguire did with Wicked - where he totally spun the world of Oz on it's head? Well that is what the Ladies have done in this song - taken our deeply ingrained image of happy little elves beavering (titter) away for the good of the world and given it an "up the union" type slant. Maybe working conditions aren't so great. Maybe the pay isn't as wonderful as it should be. Maybe the job satisfaction is minimal. It's all addressed here, with some grand harmonies, a kicking chorus and an infinitely catchy hook. And despite it being a good old moan (albeit with a slight wink), it certainly is one of the perkiest and upbeat (musically) Christmas songs of recent years. Quite simply marvelous.

CHRISTMAS MOVIE:

Well it's not a Christmas movie at all, but it does have a rather brilliant festive break in the middle of it. Mean Girls is one of those ace films I can watch almost anytime over and over again and be utterly entertained. The clip above alone is worth your time if you haven't seen it before - Lindsay, Claudia Party of 5, the dead one from Veronica Mars and uh, another one basically do a really slutty version of Jingle Bell Rock. In two mins they cram in so many comedy moments - the desperate to be young mom choreographing the whoreathon, the parents faces at the moment of ass slappage, the kicking of the cd player into the jock boyfriend's face - all leading to a lovely heartwarming singalong. Altogether now... "what a bright time, it's the right time..." No? Boo you whores :)

I was inspired to write this post today when a rather "kid" like thing happened to me on the way to work. There I was jamming away to the extended version of You Win Again by the BeeGees on my mp3 player, when I arrived at the office and pulled the ear phones out of my ears. One of the bloody little rubber end pieces of the ear phone remained in my ear!! Rather than maturely assessing the situation, i totally freaked out, dancing around like I had ants in my pants until Amanda my work buddy removed it with tweezers (which despite my distress I made her run under a hot tap for a while). I just hate foreign bodies in me! I think it's remnants of having cancer all those years ago!! Anyway, with thanks to my icky experience lets do it for the kids...

I'm always a little surprised by how often i forget how much i love Barenaked Ladies (these ones, not these NSFW ones. Oh lord!) They quietly plod along with occassional mainstream success, but never failing to churn out a jangly little pop tune, witty ode or sweeping folk tune type ballad. When singing of love, they can be quite insightful and mature, but mainly they are gleefully youthful in their punny pop tunes. Which is why making an album "that children will like" was probably a very good idea indeed. It's not their first foray into the world of children's entertainment - in 2002, they had a song called La La La La Lemon on a "For The Kids" compilation cd. Now they have gone about 23 steps further and released "Snacktime" - a joyous celebration of all things kid. What the album does incredibly well is breathe life into the mundane things they sing about whether it be hungry number 7, snack food at a party, or raisins (the shrivelled grapes, not Murphy). And although it's a kid themed album, they still have kept their pop sensibilities, their sense of humour and knack for creating ridiculously catchy tunes. I just find this whole album incredibly charming and frothy, so instead of rave on about it all day here are a few of the highlights...

• On the song "Ninjas" it is learnt that 'ninjas are deadly and silent/they're also incredibly violent/they speak Japanese and do whatever they please/and sometimes they vacation in Ireland" Brilliant! Lovely harmonic tone to the chorus too...
• "Popcorn" is a sneaky little song that would probably work incredibly well in a young kids music class. It's actually a voice exercise song disguised as a lesson about onomatopoeias. Sneaky and amazing...
• "Food Party" is a talky jam (not literally) about the foods being guests at a party. Spicy is loud and obnoxious, Chocolate is smooth and lounge lizardy and the best of all is Orange Peel who is incredibly bitter. As you would be...
• "Raisins" is a lot like the rap bit in One Week- a pretty nonsensical jumbled stream of consciousness that has you trying to keep up with the lyrics after just one listen. Now if only I could summon fish to the dish, I hope you like the chalet swiss, etc...
• There is a rather ace bit in the middle of the title track where a bunch of celebrities describe their favourite snack foods (janeane garofolo, sarah mclachlan, gordon lightfoot, the bands kids) and it's very cute indeed.
• Crazy ABCs is bloody hilarious. That's all i can say without giving away the genius of it...

If you are looking for an alternative to BNL then you might do worse than to check out the mighty They Might Be Giants kids album Here Come The 123s. No "7 ate 9" jokes here, but an incredibly canny marketing move that retains their aging fan base as well as winning over a new generation (and all those people who saw their song on Pushing Daisies!!). They not only teach the kids the essential things like numbers, but they do it in a variety of quirky pop styles all of which are quite lovely. Check out High Five, which sees the giants go a little bit disco and a little bit B52s. One Everything is slightly weird but the more you listen to it, the more it makes sense. And that's the thing here - if you are looking for the slightly off kilter sound TMBG are well known for, you'll find it here, but you'll also find the precise meaning of zero and what exactly infinity is. Overall, i give the edge to BNL but i may very well be biased because I do love those crazy canucks so...

Related kids stuff:

• Moxy Fruvous actually created the best kid song ever back in the 90s called The Kids Song. Download it legally for free here
• Download Barenaked Ladies "789" legally for free here

Related barenaked ladies stuff:

• Is it me or does The Ting Tings current UK number one "That's Not My Name" sound eerily familiar to parts of BNL tune "Grade 9"???

that is all.