U2 Breathe Live on French tv

So U2 have been all over the place and today is the day, the release of their new album....woooohooo!! Anyways, all their tv appearances etc...have focused on the new single 'Get On Your Boots' but on French tv they also played Breathe which is a great song and probably better than the first single. This song is amazing and I think it gives a better overall picture of what to expect from the new album than 'Get On Your Boots'. I am just thoroughly impressed and I think their live performances will improve especially once they go out on tour and see what works and doesn't.


See ya guys!!

U2.com > News > Countdown to No Line

U2.com > News > Countdown to No Line

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Will be out of action for a while

Hey all.
All my blogging plans have been put on hold for the next few days as I'm switching Internet servers and they are not sure when it will be up and running. It could be up to 3 days which is a pain in the butt but it's something I can't help. I might be online via other people's Internet so it is possible that I will be in contact with you all...who knows!

Although, this gives me a chance to get it together and have a few reviews ready to go as soon as I'm back online permanently.

Depeche Mode @ ECHO Awards

This is Depeche Mode's new single 'Wrong' live at the ECHO Awards in Berlin. I hope you all enjoy.


Also, I haven't forgotten that I am supposed to be reviewing albums. This week I am going to look at Lily Allen's 'It's Not Me, It's You'. I keep getting distracted by real life so I have not had a lot of time to listen carefully to her album.

U2 @ ECHO Awards

The band have been doing the rounds promoting the new single and album. Here they are in Germany opening the ECHO Awards. This is all becoming very repetitive but the performance is getting better and better.


Loz

U2 @ Brit Awards

I thought I would link all of you to U2's performance at the Brit Awards.
The band opened the show in a similar fashion to their performance at the Grammys. This was better than the Grammys in terms of sound quality and Bono's voice sounded better particularly. So here it is...


Also, the band's album was leaked by Universal Australia online. The website was selling the whole album for a few hrs. Even though it was only there for a little while the damage had already been done as it is now appearing on file sharing and YouTube etc... In all honesty I can't deny that I haven't heard a few songs too but I won't review it until I do my usual listening ritual when I get a new record (this applies to most of the albums I buy). If you're curious this involves...
#1 listening to the whole album straight through without anything
#2 Going through each song again and jot a few notes (less is more)
#3 Go away for a while (a day or so) and listen again
#4 Finalise review!
Cheers guys!

81st Academy Awards: Best Score and Best Song

So it's almost Oscar time again and instead of focusing on the usual who will win best film/actor/actress I'm going to look at Best Music (Score) and Best Music (Song).
This year the nominees for these categories are...
BEST MUSIC (SCORE)

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Defiance
• Milk
• Slumdog Millionaire
• WALL-E

BEST MUSIC (SONG)

• "Down to Earth" (WALL-E)- Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman & Lyrics by Peter Gabriel
• "Jai Ho" (Slumdog Millionaire)- Music by A.R. Rahman & Lyrics by Gulzar
• "O Saya" (Slumdog Millionaire)- Music by A.R. Rahman & Lyrics by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam (M.I.A.)

Ok...so Music Score is always hard to tell as it all depends on how successful the actual film is. I can't really predict this one but honestly I think it's between The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire. I hope it will be Slumdog just because it is a really good film and I don't think Hollywood truly get what Bollywood means to Indians (I've spent some time there so I have first hand experience). Hollywood see it as just for fun...you know ridiculous dancing and singing that come out of nowhere and take the place of the action or kissing scene. It sometimes is pretty funny but for Indians these films are about escapism as everyday life is often difficult and they want to be brought into a fantastical world that takes them away from real life problems. India is a country of contradictions with unprecedented growth and a growing middle class whilst much of the country is the poorest of the poor and they don't want to see real-life drama. Ok..I'll stop ranting I just feel really passionate about India and it holds a very special place to me personally. Anyways, Slumdog Millionaire is not a Bollywood film, however A.R. Rahman has scored various Indian films and the music in Slumdog definitely has a Bollywood feel to it.

Best Song is probably easier to predict and is probably the most exciting thing during the Oscars live show. It is great to have the 3 hr+ show broken up with live performances by the nominees. I'm always super excited for this award as award after award is boring. I also often think a song makes a movie e.g. Closer with Damien Rice's 'The Blower's Daughter' and then I become obsessed with it forever. It is also important to note that this year is weird because only 3 songs are nominated rather than the usual 5. I would prefer 5 and I am sure there are 2 more excellent songs such as the 'The Wrestler' by Bruce Springsteen for the movie of the same name which, by the way, won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes. This would probably have won the Oscar too as its the type of song that I think the Academy would vote for.

Peter Gabriel will not be performing at the show because he has to shorten the song to fit in with running order of the Oscar live telecast. I think the performance has to be 60 or so seconds which is the dumbest idea ever. They are going to ruin the songs by doing this as shortening it means the removal of vital parts of the song (like a verse or something) which ruins the whole point of a particular song. So Peter Gabriel GOOD FOR YOU!!! This will not be played in his favour and I think it will go to well, one of the Slumdog Millionaire songs. I do think it will be "Jai Ho" as it's the song at the end with the Bollywood dance and I think it is a really cute way to finish the movie. I do like "O Saya" just for M.I.A. and you all know my love for her but I don't see people voting for it.

Here are the 3 nominated songs so you can all make up your own mind on which one will win.

"Jai Ho"

"O Saya"

"Down to Earth"


Well that is it for today folks!

Behind the Scenes: Depeche Mode

Hey fellow music lovers...
After telling you about Depeche Mode's new album here is some footage of the band in the studio so you can all see what direction they are taking. There might be more clips so subscribe to Depeche Mode's YouTube page or visit their official website to get updates as they come.

YouTube - Depeche Mode - In The Studio (2008) - Web Clip #1
YouTube - Depeche Mode - In The Studio (2008) - Web Clip #2
YouTube - Depeche Mode - In The Studio (2008) - Web Clip #3
YouTube - Depeche Mode - In The Studio (2008) - Web Clip #4
YouTube - Depeche Mode - In The Studio (2008) - Web Clip #5
YouTube - Depeche Mode - In The Studio (2008) - Web Clip #6
YouTube - Depeche Mode - In The Studio (2008) - Web Clip #7
YouTube - Depeche Mode - In The Studio (2008) - Web Clip #8
YouTube - Depeche Mode - In The Studio (2008) - Web Clip #9

U2 & David Letterman's Late Night Surprise!

U2 & David Letterman's Late Night Surprise!

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2009 Album Releases: DEPECHE MODE - SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE

Depeche Mode's new album 'Sounds of the Universe' will be released April 20 2009. The first single will be Wrong. The album cover is below which is a bit underwhelming but I am hoping for a dark and mysterious sound.

Here is the tracklisting:

1. In Chains

2. Hole To Feed

3. Wrong

4. Fragile Tension

5. Little Soul

6. In Sympathy
7. Peace
8. Come Back

9. Spacewalker
10. Perfect

11. Miles Away/The Truth Is
12. Jezebel

13. Corrupt

We Preview Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News

We Preview Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown - News Story Music, Celebrity, Artist News MTV News

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2009 Album Releases: GREEN DAY - 21st CENTURY BREAKDOWN

Hey all,
The follow up to Green Day's hugely successful American Idiot is 21st Century Breakdown. It will be released in May 2009. This is good news as they kind of fell off the face of the earth for a while with limited news on what they were doing. It will be produced by Butch Vig who did Nirvana's Nevermind and is the drummer from Garbage which makes me curious about the sound. Will it be a concept album like American Idiot, yet commercial, or will it based more in the punk roots of their past e.g. 'Insomniac' & 'Dookie'? I am now even more excited than I thought I would be about this record and it is all because of Butch. I hope it is innovative and filled with awesomness!!!! Also, here is the cover art for all those that are interested.
What do you think and what do you expect from this record?

I will post a few articles that give details about songs from those that have heard some of it.
Edit: It will have 16 tracks and is broken into 3 Acts.

Loz

Valentine's Day Playlist

So we all know Valentine's Day is coming up so what better thing to do for that special person than make them a special playlist (mixtape) along with you know the usual roses and choccies. If you put a lot of thought into it you could have an awesome gift. I have listed a few love-themed songs that maybe a good starting point but remember to put in the artists or songs he/she likes because if there is one thing I learnt from High Fidelity is that you have to compromise even if you don't like it including in your music taste.
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Music Playlist at MixPod.com

If you can't be bothered going through the songs here is a list of what I put anyways
1. High and Dry- Radiohead
2. The Promise- Tracy Chapman
3. Wonderful Tonight- Eric Clapton
4. Something- The Beatles
5. Sexual Healing- Marvin Gaye
6. Wild Horses- The Rolling Stones
7. Our House- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
8. Such Great Heights- The Postal Service
9. All I Want Is You- U2
10. Take on Me- A-ha

By the way please offer your suggestions for great Valentine's Day songs. Loz

Grammys 2009

Just a quick wrap up of the Grammys 2009. I usually don't pay attention to the awards itself as they don't always represent the best of music but I do tend to dig the performances. However, I am impressed that Adele, (my girl) M.I.A., Duffy, Radiohead and Death Cab for Cutie got noms.

Best Performances:
Sugarland (honestly don't know much about them but they actually sounded quite good might go check out their album) and Adele...wooohooo!!!
M.I.A with a bunch of rappers incl. Jay-Z and Kanye West. I would of preferred if she just sang Paper Planes on her own but nevertheless, still awesome especially since she was so pregnant.
U2- Ok, it rates because its the first live performance I've heard of Get On Your Boots and it was AWESOME but I have to say that the sound was not good at all and that goes for all performances. I don't know what it is with award shows but the sound always comes out a bit distorted and its not the artist's fault
Coldplay- Decent performance but even better song!
Paul McCartney- DUH! I don't even have to justify this with anything. He performed 'I Saw Her Standing There' with Dave Grohl on drums which RAWKED ON!!!

AND THE WINNER IS...

RADIOHEAD- Fricking awesome! I just think that this band is totally innovative and don't give a shit about the mainstream which in many ways is not to their benefit but they just keep doing what they want...love it! I adored them with the USC Marching band and I think that they should be doing more mainstream things like the Grammys so everyone else can see what we see...how truly great they are.

Awards
Adele winning Best New Artist. I didn't care who got it as long as it wasn't the Jonas Bros but I do prefer Adele over Duffy.
Radiohead winning Best Alternative album. They should have won album of the year but if I were to choose from artists that were not nominated I would have gone for Fleet Foxes.
Coldplay- winning a few big ones including SOTY. They are stepping out of U2's shadow which can only be a good thing. They should really thank Brian Eno though as he reinvented their sound.

Dissapointed that Death Cab for Cutie didn't win Best Rock song they deserved it. Also, would have liked Estelle and Kanye West to have won SOTY though Coldplay was a decent pick by the Academy. ROTY should have gone to M.I.A but they're not going to honour something that unique.

Ok thats it for now!!

Loz

2009 Album Reviews: KAISER CHIEFS - OFF WITH THEIR HEADS

Well I have to say this is a good record, not their best but still better than many others released today. I admit I was a bit sceptical when I heard that it was going to be produced by Mark Ronson. I am impressed with Mark Ronson's work particularly with Amy Winehouse and I did enjoy his covers record, 'Version' but I felt that his touch would ruin the Chiefs' rock sound. I was wrong! It is also important to note there are cameos by Lily Allen and New Young Pony Club in terms of backing vocals.

The album goes beyond their first two albums but people will be disappointed that it does not offer anything new. They still keep their basic sound and its easy to recognise them when they are played on the radio. There are those catchy songs which will no doubt be singles and hit the top of the British charts. However, it is still much better than Keane's most recent album 'Perfect Symmetry'.

The opening of the album is 'Spanish Metal' with a rocking song. It is the typical Chiefs but it has something extra like a weird synthesizer in there. I don't think this quite matches 'Everyday I Love You Less and Less' as an opener but its decent and I am not sure I hear Mark Ronson yet....hmmmm....interesting indeed.

'Never Miss A Beat' is the best song and its the first single. I did see the video before I listened to the song and I was not to keen but once I heard it without any images to distract me I found myself obsessed with it for a week. It was my most played on my Ipod but that has now gone to XR2 by M.I.A.

All the songs are worthwhile and once you hear 'Tomato in the Rain' you know why this band is successful. Its heartfelt and I can't wait to hear it live!!!!! Yay for the V Festival. "Yes....I do, know about you...."

The closing song, 'Remember You're a Girl' is a typical ballad and I believe it's very cliche to end a rock album with a ballad. This is not a bad song but the tracklisting could be rearranged and end with 'Always Happen Like That' (Lily Allen on backing vocals), maybe.

I see this as an album that gets better over time as each song can make you shrug your shoulders in indifference but it does get under your skin. Give it another listen!

GET ON YOUR BOOTS VIDEO

I have head varying news on the video for Get on Your Boots but I did find this online. I don't know if its official even though it says it is. I would recommend U2.com for further details on when the real thing will be released.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ7zKeYhU_8

Single Reviews: GET ON YOUR BOOTS-U2

I am sorry for the delay but real life gets in the way and I was unable to spend enough time to get all the things I wanted to do done. I will be better I promise!



The U2 juggernaut rolls on with their first single off No Line on the Horizon. This is what I've been waiting for in terms of a first single off of a new album. I have to be honest I was disappointed with 'Vertigo' which is catchy and good live but limited in terms of creativity and pushing the boundaries of rock & roll. I felt that U2 were trying to hard to get a hit single but this is a return to the U2 I fell in love with. There is something Achtung Baby about it and as I read other reviews people are on the fence about it as it sounds a bit different from 'Vertigo' or 'Beautiful Day' (which I love by the way).

Lets begin with the sound....fast paced with a good riff from The Edge. It isn't what I call an initially captivating song but it does grow on you. I think this song shows how versatile a drummer Larry is and I see comparisons with this and the Larry of 'The Fly' and 'Even Better Than the Real Thing'.

Bono's lyrics once again are mysterious but I find it comforting to not know exactly what he is talking about. I love this particular part of the song...

Hey sexy boots...
Get on your boots, yeah
Not right now
Bossy boots
You don’t know how beautiful
You don’t know how beautiful you are
You don’t know, and you don’t get it, do you?
You don’t know how
beautiful you are ....

I think Bono in recent years has been trying to find the middle ground in his growing political activist role with his 'day job' as the lead singer of a rock band. I admire his work outside music and his and the band's political work draws me to them even more as their music has meaning and are often about world events and certain points in time.

This song is a return for me and I am hoping the album is as controversial as 'Get on Your Boots' is with long time fans. I think it will reinvigorate rock music as many bands I love and adore release something that is innovative to only repeat it in their future albums e.g. Coldplay 'X&Y'. U2 strive for something bigger and have always suprised with their sound. I adore Pop and Zooropa because of their non-conformist sound and many people do not get it. I admit I was sightly unhappy with their previous two albums in terms of sound as they are in many ways a pair of albums and I think Bono himself has acknowledged this in the past. But the future is looking good.

I am now officially excited about them returning to the forefront of the music scene. The band will be on various tv shows promoting the record and I think it is confirmed they will play at the Grammys. However, I do acknowledge that this will probably not be a commercial success and will not hit #1 on the singles charts. Below is the link to the song on U2's official website so you can all listen to it for free.

http://goyb.u2.com/

Loz