Another EP with one killer track, two so-so ones, and a polite misfire. That’s still pretty darned good as far as I’m concerned. The best track is Birthday with an eighties groove featuring a perfect contrast between the robotic drums of the verse and pulsing guitars of the chorus. It’s hook city, from the “tick tock” intro to the vocal melody, reminding me of Coldplay, Wilson Phillips, Dido simultaneously.
I’m a long admitted sucker for spacey-pop and women’s vocals, and my new personal sugar high is The Bird And The Bee. I was embarrassingly pulled in from left field via a Mac-themed viral video set to the aggressively hooky electro-pop masterpiece Again & Again, and it was soon game over after some short sample listens through iTunes.
Elvis Costello’s latest disc is hasty and inconsiderate. The song titles and album art look tossed off, the twelve tracks were recorded in a week and mixed a week later. The distribution method was haphazard — it was released on vinyl first and then as a download, and CD last. The album’s title refers to Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen noodles, hinting at a quick snack as opposed to a nourishing, slow-cooked meal.
One cool thing about blogging is finding neat stuff I wouldn’t have on my own. I had just read about electronica musician The Polish Ambassador on Tunequest, when the Ambassador himself contacted me, wondering I’d like to review his new CD, Diplomatic Immunity. Naturally, I said yes.
If you haven’t heard of France Gall, the original sixties “ye-ye” singing sensation, I suggest checking out her album Baby Pop first. If you like that collection, Les Sucettes is similar. These songs didn’t hook me as quickly, but they’re still in that same, girly-girl French pop vein.