little bit

after the pop diversion of Cheryl Cole, perhaps i should swing the focus back round to a more standard blog filler and play a little catch up with my contemporaries.

i tend to sidestep a lot of the hype acts so beloved by the blogosphere, but these couple of tracks that have surfaced recently were just too good to overlook and since both are available to download for free i thought it would be wrong to deny you these absolute gems

first up is the return of Lykke Li, which is already getting plenty of people excited.

i really don't think i need to be pushing Lykke Li onto anybody, since her 2008 debut album Youth Novels, she has been steadily gaining more and more recognition which has seen her slowly saturating, even cropping up in places as diverse and wide reaching as Drake's 2009 mixtape So Far Gone and The Twlight Saga's soundtrack for New Moon.

but for those that may have slept on Lykke, it's time to wake up, when i first heard her on the radio i found her voice and the music to be so refreshing and irristable and i would urge anyone to dig up Youth Novels and find out what you've missed out on so far.

back in the present day tho, Lykke is prepping for an upcoming album with the free release of Get Some, which is also accompanied by a quite superb b-side (remember them?) and they are both yours in exchange for a little info and your email address, which is a fair deal in my opinion.

somewhat disturbingly, the comeback track kicks in with intro sounding like a knock off of Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse's version of Valerie, and also features a refrain resembling a KT Tunstall hook, yet neither of these music coincidences could tarnish the track, as it broodingly beats an almost tribal rythm and the song sways with a commanding, sultry darkness

Lykke Li - Get Some download available via www.lykkeli.com

also making a welcome is the force of nature known as Marina Gasolina, formerly of one of my new favourite bands from back in the day, Bonde Do Role.  the crazy energy exerted by the brazilian trio (in their original line-up) and their onstage antics meant that no two Bonde live shows would ever be the same, and i only hope that solo performances won't have lost the unpredictable edge that the group dynamic delivered

but until she has the chance to prove herself live, we have a download of her debut solo single courtesy of Notion magazine and Sainted PR, which is a well crafted slice of electonic wonkiness tooled up with Spaghetti Western-esque twangs that works for Marina perfectly, while also carving her own clear identity that should see her avoid being merely lumped in lazily with M.I.A, Santigold and Amanda Blanc, and if this is the standard to be expected from future output then it should easily see Marina surpass her achievements with Bonde Do Role.

Marina Gasolina - Leone

credit where it's due:

Marina Gasolina's debut solo effort was brought to my attention by Faded Glamour



fridge freezer

i seem to be in danger of losing my girlfriend's interest in my blog due to the heavy dosage of large music articles that have sprung up over the past couple of weeks, i do try to keep the blog fairly general but i had noticed myself that my pieces for the Advertiser had started to dominate recently

and i'm guessing that she probably wasn't too thrilled with the comics related posts that went up earlier this week either (edit: she wasn't)

ok, i've got another music review that i was thinking of posting up tomorrow but for now let me try and find something slightly random to fill the gaps

hmmmmmmmm.....

how about a japanese advert for noodles featuring robocop?

stay tuned for the beach workout and the robocop dental hygene kit that may or may not have anything to do with noodles... all i know is i want one for my bathroom!



is that enough random ish to keep you happy?

why don't we try this as well?

a twilight 'manillow'




oh god, the sight of this thing actually makes me feel a little bit ill... it's horrible!

urgh, check out the other images from the listing, she really seems to be getting cosy, with not one, but two of them ?!

and it has sold out!!?

if me and the girlfriend are getting a place together i'm all for the robocop addition to the bathroom but there is no way i am having one of those creepy 'manillow' things in the 'painted french furniture with pink walls' ideal bedroom she is dreaming up