No intro, no caveats, these are my choices from the last ten.  Let’s Go!

Aijuswanaseing (2000) – Musiq Soulchild

OK, so he p*ssed me off when his played the Jazz Cafe in 2008… still I cannot deny the sheer greatness of this neo-soul masterpiece.

The Blueprint (2001) – Jay-Z

Jigga’s second best album was still shades ahead of the majority of hip-hop then, still is now and will be for sometime (even if Em did kick his ass on Renegade).

College Dropout (2004) – Kanye West

Every rapper talks about ‘changing the game,’ Kanye actually did it with this record.

Eyes Open (2006) – Snow Patrol

I know this one may be wrong, however I loved this album and still now – somethings I cannot explain, like how this remains in constant rotation year-on-year.

Floetic (2002) – Floetry

Why on earth some of the best British talent has to go stateside to get a hearing I’ll never know, all I do know is I am glad Floetry did – neo-sublime.

For Emma, Forever Ago (2008) – Bon Iver

This is an album written by a broken man, and you probably won’t get it until you too are broken in pieces – only then does it all make sense.  Breathtaking.

Frank (2003) – Amy Winehouse

Honest song-writing, and cheeky beats made for a quintessentially British soul album that was just good music, pure and simple.

The Great Unwanted (2007) – Lucky Soul

I cannot explain what makes me love this album as much as I do; its carefree nature, the retro sounds… I don’t know.  All I do know is it’s f***ing awesome!

Half These Songs Are About You (2005) – Nizlopi

This album reinvented folk music, giving it life and energy and taking into the next millennium – a unique interpretation on a time old genre.

In Search Of… (2002) – N*E*R*D

Most ‘experimental’ hip-hop albums fail.  This on the other hand was a monumental success and confirmed The Neptunes one of the great production teams of our time.

The Magnificent (2002) – DJ Jazzy Jeff

The best example of what happens when hip-hop and soul music fuse as one.  Essential listening, as any record boasting Jill Scott, Eric Roberson, J-Live, Shawn Stockman, to name a few, should be.

Original Pirate Material (2002) – The Streets

This was the album to capture the feelings and tell the stories of an entire lost generation of urban dwellers.  The quasi-spoken word flow made it all even more relevant.

Our Time Is Coming (2001) – Masters At Work

A soulful house masterpiece and it captured everything these great producers stand for, from Latin beats to uber-chilled melodic vocals (and a moving outtro).

Raised By Wolves EP (2005) – Voxtrot

Rasised by Wolves is a simply amazing EP. Period.  It gave this band somewhat of a indie-cult status and should have been heard by so many more people.

Silent Alarm (2005) – Bloc Party

If it we not for this album I would not even be listening to Indie music.  Aggressive, bold, exciting, with a rare ability to transcend genre.

Sincere (2000) – MJ Cole

When UK Garage was at its height and the music-snobs were saying it lacked ‘merit’ MJ Cole turned around, put two fingers up and dropped a slice of genius on them.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) – Outkast

This was the album to give Outkast the wholesale acclaim they deserved.  In essence two solo albums, they complemented each other perfectly; Big Boi’s bravado vs. Andre 3000’s psycadelic heartache.

A Tale of Two Cities (2006) – Mr Hudson & the Library

One of the hidden treasures of my record collection and it always surprises me how good this album is.  It shouldn’t be this good… but it really is no matter how much I try to pretend it isn’t.

The Tipping Point (2004) – The Roots

I cannot find fault in this album.  While not the cult classic of The Tipping Fault it is an exceptional piece of Hip Hop; strong beats, stronger lyrics – Black Thought, Top 10 all time?

The Vault 1.5 (2004) – Eric Roberson

Potentially my favourite album of all time – neo-soul at its most intoxicating.  If you don’t own this already, but it now… it will change your life!

Viva La Hova (2008) – Mick Boogie and Terry Urban

Critics went crazy Grey Album while the Hip-Hop community was fairly lukewarm on it.  This album, mixing Jay-Z with Coldplay is everything the Grey Album was and 25x more.

Who Is Jill Scott? (2000) – Jill Scott

This album sparked a genre of music and one of the best expressions of neo-soul to date.  Warm and tender, like a loving embrace on a cold winter’s night.

Word of Mouf (2001) – Ludacris

Most artists suffer from the sophomore album curse, however Luda’s 2^nd album is still his best work to date; obnoxious, chauvinistic, rude and all with his tongue firmly imprinted in his cheek.  Rap the way it should be.

X&Y (2005) – Coldplay

Yes, Parachutes was a subtly beautiful album, and Rush of Blood… sold truck loads, however it was while listening to X&Y that goosebumps on my cheeks.

…Left (2007) – Eric Roberson

I tried my hardest to not put two Roberson albums on this list… however The Vault 1.5 and …Left are amongst my all time favourites.  …Left took Roberson’s sound in a more R&B direction and was  sensational (buy this one too!).

Soulside Funk

Ps. Braveheart Party! No great album can include a song that bad.  Period.  This should not even be a discussion.

Some stats…

just wait till you hear her sing...

There’s a beautiful voice, belonging to an equally beautiful singer/songwriter that’s starting a fire.  Her YouTube videos have accumulated over 320 000 hits, she’s creating a stir busking on the streets of Leeds, and we’ve featured before on Hectique Boutique. Its only the beginning though. This is Hannah Trigwell and she’s the spark! We managed to track the lady down for an interview….Check it:

Q: Hannah your music is beautiful. The songs evoke images of delicate sunshine on a winters day …where does this all this awesome come from?

Oh its completely inborn… Haha no I don’t know, I love writing and making music. When I first started learning how to play guitar I used to make up simple riffs and the lyrics just flowed out with whatever melody I had made. One of the first songs I completed was based around a really simple finger picking tune which sounded a bit like raindrops, the song ended up being called Waterfall… it all fitted together quite well. Most of what I write about is driven by intense emotion, so I try my best to get however I feel about the situation across to whoever’s listening.

Q: Are you a trained musician? Did you grow up in a musical home?

No, not at all haha. I’m self-taught in guitar and singing. Teaching myself guitar was once of the most drawn-out frustrating things I have ever done, but it has more than paid off. When I was young I started off on the dreaded recorder and then moved onto the flute but quickly got bored of the classical stuff. [for those of you who have been spared the um unique pleasure of the recorder please enjoy this video - hectique]

Q: How long have you been singing and writing songs?

I loved singing from a young age but only started performing alone about 2 years ago. I’ve been writing songs for about 4 years now, I’m much improved from when I first started but I am still learning new tricks everyday.

Q: Was there a moment when you were “this is it, this is what i want to do with my life”?

When I was younger I wanted to be a paleontologist, teacher, and then for a very long time I wanted to be a dentist. I never really considered music as a career until recently. I would absolutely love to be able to pursue a career in music but I think a lot of it rests with luck, being in the right place at the right time, that sort of thing. Making music is something I can throw myself into completely; it’s what I’m most passionate about.

Q: It shows! Your songs carry an ocean of emotion… so I gotta ask underneath who is Hannah Trigwell?

…When I figure that out, I’ll write a song about it and let you know.

Q: Ha ha, fair enough…. I do wanna know this though…. despite a voice that makes one a lil teary eyed and such, you’re busking in Leeds and playing a couple of gigs too… Why given your obvious talent have you chosen this route rather than X factor and the like?

As much as living the dream and being thrust immediately into the limelight doing what I love appeals, I just don’t think it would be a good idea for me. I’d much rather build up a local fanbase (of actual fans) then go from there. I love busking, you get immediate feedback and it’s brilliant for getting the public’s reaction to your own songs.

Q: Keeping it real is always respected at the Boutique! Which musicians inspire you? What are you listening to right now?

Missy Higgins, Tegan and Sara, Paramore, David Gray, Coldplay, Adele, Nizlopi… the list is endless Right now I can’t stop listening to Andy Mckee- For My Father, that guy is a genius, its completely instrumental but I think all of his stuff is just beautiful.

Q: What else makes you write?

Anything driven by emotion can make me want to sit down with a guitar and start writing. It could be something which has happened to me or something that I see in everyday life. I’d be reading something and a line could grab my attention, for being clever or just beautiful but simple, and so I’d write something around that idea.

Q: Whats next for Hannah Trigwell? When will we have an album or E.P.?

An EP under Hear Me Roar Management is in the works to be finished before Christmas. I keep writing new material though so we are just deciding which songs will make it. I’m also gigging around Leeds, catch up with me on Facebook or Youtube for updates!

Q: There you have it y’all, Christmas pressies sorted! Thanks for your time Hannah. Mad love to ya!

The one billionth purchase from Apple’s online music service iTunes was Coldplay’s “Speed of Sound”. It is the perfect song to illustrate how fast music is currently moving, with the help of the Internet.

iTunes alone is regularly used by around 14% of active internet users. Music downloads have quickly overtaken CD sales. In the US, 618.9 million albums were sold in 2005, down from 762.8 million in 2001. Downloads have become so popular that they have become instrumental in deciding the number one in the British singles charts. The trade association said download sales had already topped 23 million this year, a 400% increase on last year and now accounting for about 70% of weekly singles sales.

This fast moving medium has also allowed new bands to get their music to a wider audience and, therefore, to get a record deal faster than if they had simply sent off demos to every record company under the sun, gigged at every run-down village hall and prayed every night. One band to benefit from this is Arctic Monkeys, who were virtual unknowns a few years ago. They blasted onto the music scene with “I bet you look good on the dancefloor” from their album “Whatever people say I am that’s what I’m not”, and they even managed to crack the US top 30.

Sandi Thom has also harnessed the power of the internet to advance her career. She started out by performing for free using a webcam to broadcast live on the internet from her Tooting flat.

At the time her audience was reputed to have reached 250 000, enough to fill Wembly Stadium three times over: “We thought: ‘Surely there must be a way you can gig and not leave the house?” said Ms Thom.

One band that probably wouldn’t have been given a second glance by record companies is Nizlopi. A double bass and guitar folk combo, their ballad about the drive home from school in a JCB digger was serious competition for the Christmas number one in 2005. In the end, they missed out on the top spot because of the hype surrounding that year’s latest manufactured idol, Shayne Ward, a man so famous that most people can’t remember who he is. The same can be said of Gareth Gates, Michelle McManus and Steve Brookstein, all of whom have faded into relative obscurity following their success in TV talent contests and the subsequent number 1.

Exhibit A, M’lud. TV. It was instrumental in the death of the longevity of the modern band. Once the life expectancy could be around 30 or more years. Now thanks to the voting public that life span is considerably shorter, a few years if you are very lucky.

The internet and manufactured singers have ensured that the modern music lover is quite fickle, liking what they are told is cool by those who control what song it released, and by whom. It is too early to tell if all those who have made their name on the Internet will suffer the same fate, although is has to be said that Nizlopi have not been heard of since the JCB Song.

Yet there are still artists out there doing thing the old fashioned way. KT Tunstall has made her way in the music world with just her acoustic guitar and the trusty effects pedal she calls “Wee Bastard”. Kate ‘KT’ Tunstall was getting used to disappointment. The dreams she had dreamt since the age of 16, of making a living from her music, of having people like her songs, were not exactly bearing fruit.  She was 30 before she got her big break (a geriatric in music terms), with her debut album Eye to the Telescope becoming the biggest-selling album by a female artist in Britain as well as gaining widespread critical acclaim.

KT also picked up several accolades including a Brit award for Best British Female Solo Artist and fulfilled her dreams with a Mercury Music prize nomination: “I used to lust over a Mercury nomination as a busker on the dole.”. Before that she had been reduced to touring with her trusty guitar, doing every gig going, living the life of a penniless musician.

The Arctic Monkeys may have had swift success, but they will lack the intense feeling of personal satisfaction that Ms Tunstall must have gained by doing the groundwork by herself. She found her fans instead of letting the fans find her.

Time will tell who lasts longer but it may be premature to simply assume that the old ways will be killed off by the internet.

Click here to read the story on the new website

Lists are funny things.

Lists, to men, are like catnip to cats. We can’t resist them. It doesn’t matter what it is, we’ll create a list for it. It’s our anally retentive side coming into play; we like to know everything has its place. Most men I think can name their favourite albums, movies (and perhaps girlfriends) in a specific order since we’ve had every waking day to think about it.

When we forget to take the rubbish out, or wash up, it’s probably because we’re making a mental list of something (boring household chores perhaps…)

Lists are also endlessly used in television.

No doubt you will have sat through the Top 100 Singles of All Time, Your Favourite Films Ever or Top 100 Celebrity Sex Scandals – all the cheapest of TV formats and laziest of concepts, which is why they usually end up on satellite channels you’d rarely watch otherwise. They bring out the same D- and C-list celebrities (who’d turn up to the opening of a Coke can) to sit in front of a brightly-coloured animated backdrop – similar in style to a Lava Lamp – and then talk about an event/film/album/song/person the producer had reminded them about a few minutes earlier was such an important part in their life. The better celebrities may retell an amusing anecdote; most will resort to just laughing about nothing (the more they laugh, the more we’ll notice their smug faces while we’re drifting off to sleep) and talking bullshit.

“Oh yeah – haha – this one time my brother and me were – haha – were listening to this Queen song and doing that thing they do in Wayne’s World – haha – and – haha – my brother hit his head on the window of the car! Haha (remember me from that obscure show five years ago?… No?…I was great, honest…)“

However – and the producers of these shows know it – there’s something strangely addictive about them. Even if you get the most irritating celebrity most of all; stitching all the segments together with a witty thing to say before and after each advert break.

One of the worst example of this was probably David Gest (winner of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!) presenting the 100 Best Michael Jackson Songs (or something). It was an old show, repeated especially for the death of MJ. The embarrassing links provided by Mr. Gest reached their apex when he announced something along the lines of “You’ll live forever, Michael – you’re the best!”. David? I’m Embarrassed, Get Me Out Of Here!

Blogs also use this format. It’s a sure-fire way of getting people looking at your blog – people love lists remember!

So, all this being said, for the sake of both selfish amusement and the irony of my last paragraph, I’m going to resort to a list myself.

This list is (as you will have noticed from the title) regarding The Ten Best Music Videos in the World… Ever! (The title inspired by all those compilation albums from the late ’90s – in fact, they’re probably still churning them out).

The reason I’m picking music videos is that, by chance, I was watching MTV and between the irritatingly inane shows they put on, and the endless Rihanna videos, something interesting (and refreshingly pleasant on the ears) came on. Something with a wonderful hand drawn style featuring a superhero fighting squirrels and things to reach the princess in distress. The video is number one on my list (which is actually not in any particular order) and it inspired this little blog entry, so blame it for any boredom caused for this post.

It’s worth saying that I’ve been a fan of music videos ever since I got MTV2 a long time ago (in the good old days before it turned into the channel for Shit American Rock), so I know my Michel Gondry from my Chris Cunningham. There are many, many wonderful music videos around (and really, the top ten directors would have been more appropriate since so many are consistently fantastic) but leave any comments if you think I’ve missed out something really amazing.

1. Coldplay “Strawberry Swing” directed by Shynola. View on YouTube
This the first Coldplay video I’ve loved. The others have been okay, but either linked to a damn durge of a song (The Scientist) or just a bit too odd for their own good (Don’t Panic). The basic concept is that Chris Martin is a superhero on a background drawn, with chalk, on a pavement. Obviously this kind of effect could have been achieved in a computer but it seems Shynola actually hand-drew the damn thing with Chris Martin balancing/laying/hand-standing for each frame – I imagine having to wait for the artists to finish each drawing. To someone lacking patience like myself (I love animation but really, it’s boring as hell doing it frame by frame – see this fantastic Fast Show sketch) this makes Chris Martin an absolute star in my books (as if the rest of the world didn’t already consider himself one).

As for the song itself, I didn’t actually think much of it when I first listened to the album (to the point where, on seeing the video, I wondered whether it was even on an album) but now, I listen to it on an almost daily basis.

Users on YouTube obviously love it as well… “this is the most coolest video i have ever seen” is one of the more insightful comments.

It’s a rare but wonderful thing when a music video makes you like a song even more – or even to notice it at all. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it makes for a great experience. You’re able to listen to the song at any time and, even if the lyrics don’t connect specifically with you or if they are too abstract in the song to relate to anything, being reminded of the video makes it much more visual. It’s like a soundtrack album to a movie but in reverse, I’ve listened to The Shawshank Redemption soundtrack countless times, and it always evokes memories of the film (which is my favourite by the way – I’m sure I’ll do a ten ten movies as well some time…)

The talented artists behind this video are called Shynola who created the wonderful animations for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (one of the better things about the film) along with countless other videos – their best listed below, check ‘em out as they say in the States.

• Blur “Good Song” – Drawings by my favourite cartoonist, David Shrigley, animated – again, making an otherwise fairly pedestrian song come to life in what I think is the funniest music video I’ve ever seen, although I appreciate it’s not to everyone’s taste. View on YouTube

• UNKLE “Eye for an Eye” – An amazing video about cute little things running around their happy place being duped into drinking from giant nipples by an evil race of wasp things that then assimilate them all and take over their land. A thinly veiled political comment about the way the West come in, guns blazing, promising a better life and leave having destroyed everything. Well, I think that’s what it’s about anyway. It’s an amazing song and I bought the album because of this, which is lucky because it was, in my view, the best album of that year. View on YouTube

• Junior Senior “Move Your Feet” – I’m of the Commodore 64 generation, so anything with pixel graphics gets my vote, and it doesn’t get any better than this. It’s a crazy song (let’s face it – gay as cheese) and sounds like Terence and Philip from South Park singing, but it fits the video perfectly. As before, I bought the album after this, which is why I refuse to put this video in the overall Top Ten; the album is beyond terrible. View on YouTube

2. Radiohead “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” directed by Jonathan Glazer. View on YouTube
In those good old days on MTV2 that I spoke about with tear-filled nostalgic eyes earlier, this video was one of the most shown – with good reason. It’s a great song for a start. I’m not a massive Radiohead fan (I think they’re vastly overrated) but this one is tortured, weird and has a great tune.

The video ticks several boxes for me:

It’s in black and white (almost everything looks better in black and white); it has bits that are slowed down; bits that speed up; jumping nuns; locusts flying in slow motion; evil dogs; Thom Yorke looking weird; band member, Jonny Greenwood looking like a woman (many women would kill for his figure); glass smashing and someone falling over on their chair.

It’s put together with so much style that you can forgive them for what I imagine amounts to just a ‘brainstorming’ session where they thought “would would look cool slowed down in black and white”.

I’m sure there are many more videos considered better than this but this just sticks with me far more than most, I think due to its haunting nature and probably just that it’s, in my opinion, Radiohead’s best song.

The director is top of his class with a string of fantastic videos to his name. He also directed the wonderful film, Sexy Beast, which, if you haven’t seen, needs to be watched as soon as you can; Ben Kingsley should have gotten an Oscar for it. If that wasn’t enough, he’s the man behind the Guinness ad with the horses in the sea, the Sony Bravia ad with the exploding towerblocks of paint and the Levi’s ad with the emaciated boy and girl jumping through walls in order to reach space (apparently the most expensive advert ever at the time).

Other great videos by Jonathan Glazer:

• Jamiroquai “Virtual Insanity” – The irritatingly popular Jay Kay prances about with his stupid hat while the furniture moves around. Very cleverly done (albeit quite simple when you know how) and an example of a really good pop video, which is quite a rarity. View on YouTube

• UNKLE “Rabbit in Your Headlights” – A scruffy man walking down a tunnel, mumbling to himself, getting hit by cars. I’ve no idea what he’s thinking about (I read that he’s trying to work out the meaning of life) but the ending is spectacular. View on YouTube

3. Bjork “All is Full of Love” directed by Chris Cunningham. View on YouTube
This is one of the first videos (I think) released as a DVD single and it was the perfect video for the format. It’s stark and fascinating (like Bjork herself I suppose) and manages to be beautifully classy, despite the ridiculous premise (two robots, both with Bjork’s face, ‘get jiggy with it’ whilst robot arms prod them and cover them with something suspiciously milky and white).

The director, Chris Cunningham, has a something of a midas touch giving all his work a strange, sometimes scary, stylish as hell look that must be damn difficult to do.

In an ideal world, he’d direct an Alien film. Maybe one day…

Two of his other videos for you to look at (do a Google search for his others – they’re all great):

• Madonna “Frozen” – I think it’s Madonna’s best video. Not much happens, she’s a bit goth, she’s in the desert, there’s a black dog… but it’s a great song and it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling seeing Madonna grown-up, sensible, and not jumping around in a leotard telling people they’re ‘motherfuckers’ and pretending to be twenty again. View on YouTube

• Aphex Twin “Windowlicker” – One of life’s great annoyances for me (proving I don’t have too many) is that music as God-awful as Aphex Twin gets to have a decent video to go with it. This video is wonderfully stylish, funny, strange, freaky and deserves mention because it highlights the ridiculous conventions set in rap videos where some idiots ogle girls in bikinis. This video is the antithesis of The Thong Song. View on YouTube

4. A-Ha “Take on Me” directed by Steve Barron View on YouTube
Given my love of animation and ’80s music, it’s no big surprise that this is in my list and I think most people of my age remember this video very vividly (even down to the “Nice Cold Ice Cold Milk” poster in the cafe that haunted my youth in the school canteen).

Looking back, the video is extremely cheesy but the animation is so well done it’s easy to forgive it. I also wish they’d resisted the temptation to shoehorn the rest of the band into the video using crappy footage of them playing their instruments against a suitably ‘comic book’ style background. (The same problems haunt videos these days as well – it’s so much better when a band’s ego-driven demand to feature in the video doesn’t get in the way).

The director was very successful during this period, working on loads of other memorable videos but none were really as innovative as Take on Me.

5. The BPA “Toe Jam” directed by Keith Schofield View on YouTube
The BPA (or Brighton Port Authority) is a Fat Boy Slim (aka Norman Cook) project and this, the first release, comes with a fantastically inventive video.

To explain it would ruin the joke of it, so just watch and smile…

6. The White Stripes “Fell in Love with a Girl” directed by Michel Gondry View on YouTube
When I was young (here he goes again with nostalgia) I loved Lego and animated little things with it as well. I imagine the director, Michel Gondry, did the same when he was growing up since this video (like most of his actually) has a whimsical quality.

It’s a video comprised solely of animated Lego blocks. People swimming, the band singing and playing their instruments, running – everything damn difficult to animate anyway, especially in Lego.

Michel Gondry has a knack for doing really complex things (‘high concept’ should be his middle name), as his other videos prove even further. He’s now mainly doing feature films (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind being one) which is a shame as I think his ideas suit a short running time much better.

More of his videos:

• Kylie Minogue “Come Into My World” – Kylie must have gotten dizzy making this video; several versions of her walk around several times in a circle. I have no idea how he co-ordinated a shoot like this but it’s wonderfully done. View on YouTube

• Massive Attack “Protection” – A great video with the camera moving into different windows of a big house. It doesn’t sound exciting and, well, it isn’t really, but it’s a great video. View on YouTube

• Bjork “Bachelorette” – Difficult to describe, this video starts with a story being told and then a theatre production based on that story played out within it. Just watch it, it’s fantastic. View on YouTube

7. Blur “Coffee & TV” directed by Hammer & Tongs View on YouTube
Like Shynola, Hammer & Tongs are another group of talented chaps that have worked on many videos and they all (well, the ones I’ve seen) tend to have a humourous slant which defines their style.

Coffee & TV is the tale of a little milk carton that goes off on a little quest to find a missing person. It’s the kind of video that appeals to everyone; it’s funny, cute and there’s even a bit of emotion in there as well for the kind of people that cry over spilt milk.

They’re now doing feature films as well. Their first, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was good, but flawed. Their latest – Son of Rambow – is supposed to be very good but I’ve not seen it yet unfortunately.

Hammer & Tongs have worked on many great videos, but two of my other favourites are below:

• REM “Imitation of Life” – Worth watching for Michael Stipe’s interesting dance moves as well as the technical cleverness involved. It’s a piece of camcorder footage that keeps running forward, then backwards for twenty seconds at a time – we zoom into parts of the video to see details. A tough one to explain, but worth watching, and it’s a nice little tune! View on Spike (I couldn’t find a version on YouTube with audio)

• Fatboy Slim “Right Here, Right Now” – Evolution squeezed into 3:30 minutes with a great social comment at the end. Well, I think it’s meant like that anyway, or it’s just that they wanted to end with the guy from the album cover. View on YouTube

8. David Bowie “Ashes to Ashes” directed by David Mallet View on YouTube
It makes no bloody sense at all, but it’s an example of a really inventive video when music videos were still very ‘new’ (it was back in 1983 – MTV had only been around a couple of years at that point. It was also was less shit than now). I think it was the most expensive video ever at the time due to its use of the fancy video effects (things we can all do on an iPhone these days with the correct app).

Director, David Mallet, directed loads of rock videos (specialising on Queen and AC/DC, strangely) but this is, I think, his most famous.

Of all these videos, it’s probably the one you’ll disagree with the most. “It looks crap”, mate, “You’re getting nostalgic and losing your sense of style.” But, there’s just something about it that I love. I’m not a big David Bowie fan particularly, but there’s something wonderful about him walking down the beach dressed like an idiot with an old woman wagging her finger at him (and telling him not to trust Major Tom).

9. Michael Jackson “Thriller” directed by John Landis View on YouTube
I include this video a little reluctantly as every damn list of “best music videos ever” has this in it, but it really has to be. I’m not a fan of musicals (I turned Chicago off after the DVD menu) but there’s something mesmerising about a really great piece of choreography.

There’s also the fact that this music video was an ‘event’. I was too young to remember it at the time but enough people have told me how they stayed up late to watch it to make me think that perhaps it was more of a big deal than we can appreciate these days. The Internet has ruined things a bit really… we don’t have ‘events’ any more, do we?

Anyway, the director’s other films include American Werewolf in London (that qualified him to make Thriller really), Trading Places and Coming to America so that makes him damn good in my book.

10. Massive Attack “Teardrop” directed by Walter Stern View on YouTube
God knows how a video comprised entirely of a foetus singing can be so good, but it really is.

The director is another fairly prolific one, working on videos for Prodigy, David Bowie, Madonna and INXS as well as another two for Massive Attack.

Another of his videos:

• Verve “Bitter Sweet Symphony” A riff on Massive Attack’s video for Unfinished Sympathy, this was the video that, thanks to Richard Ashcroft walking down the road like an arrogant bastard, helped launch Verve into the public eye when we already had arrogant bastards, Oasis. View on YouTube

So, that’s it.

You’ll have noticed that I’ve cheated a little bit by including other videos from some of the directors (making the list far more than just ten) but I don’t care, it’s my list, I can do what I want with it.

There are, however, some other videos I’ve not mentioned that I feel I should for various reasons – those are listed below. Have a look at all of them if you find the time!

Leftfield “Swords” View on YouTube
Summary: A bunch of people in cars, singing along to a chilled out track. I find it mesmerising.

Fatboy Slim “Weapon of Choice” View on YouTube
It’s Christopher Walken. Dancing. Nothing more needs to be said.

Supermen Lovers “Starlight” View on YouTube
Traditionally, 3D animation tends to be quite slick but here the animator has gone at great lengths to make the characters as ugly as possible. It’s a great little story and strangely emotional at the end!

Elbow “One Day Like This” View on YouTube
I’m including this partly because the song is wonderful but also because I think the video is so strange. It doesn’t match the lyrics at all but just focuses on one guy finding joy doing a mundane job. Beautiful.

Nizlopi “JCB” View on YouTube
A wonderfully nostalgic little song with a video to match.

Super Furry Animals “It’s Not the End of the World?” View on YouTube
Another great piece of 3D animation.

Pet Shop Boys “I’m With Stupid” View on YouTube
I’ve never been a fan of the Pet Shop Boys’ videos, but this one is great since it’s the guys from Little Britain doing a terrible (yet accurate) impression of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe.

Peter Gabriel “Sledgehammer” View on YouTube
Most ‘top video’ lists include this at a high position because it was groundbreaking (and it marked the arrival of Aardman Animation – the makers of Wallace and Gromit). It is a very clever video, and perhaps the Coldplay video I mentioned at the beginning of the list wouldn’t have existed were it not for this. Oh, and it’s about shagging, but you knew that…

Definitely not on any of my lists:

Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” Don’t View on YouTube
Just plain awful.

I hope you liked this list and feel free to write a comment challenging me on any of my picks. I’m sure I’ve left out some great videos, so tell me and I’ll be happy to rethink any of the ones above if you prove that I’m wrong in some way.

When I was little, my Dad would take me on road trips. He’d fold down the back seat of our family’s silver Ford Capri and I’d make a nest in the back from sleeping bags, Tintins, and several boxes of Smarties. Then we’d drive for hours and I’d try to convince him to find a hotel with a pool.

My favourite was when we’d get to the Okanagan Valley, buy cherries from a little shack on the highway, eat them, and then hurl the pits out the open sun roof. Speeding into the mountains, throwing seeds into the sky…

This is one of my favourite songs ever, and it reminds me of that. Happy Father’s Day.

This song–genuine, sweet and fun–makes me pine oh so good and wish my name was Helen. Just another track on my Happy 4Eva play list of the mind.

Again, the vid leaves much to be desired, but it best exemplifies the awesomeness that is the song. And I had to lol @ the dude’s comment below, querying if the waves were moving.

* Catchy
* Fun
* Makes you want to skip through forests and meadows and such
* Lyrics aren’t an abomination
* Not a guilty pleasure
* Good first kiss background music

I know that this song isn’t very old and that most of you haven’t forgot it but I don’t care I still think that it deserved a spot in my “Blast From The Past” archive. This was such a simple song that the world fell in love with. Its still as good listening to it today! Nizlopi singing “JCB Song”

According to Wikipedia:

“JCB Song” is Nizlopi’s most successful song, reaching number one in the UK on its second release. The song was written about Luke’s troubles with dyslexia at school and his escape to accompany his dad at work, and was released as a single in June 2005, reaching number 160 in the UK Singles Chart. The single was then re-released in the UK on 12 December 2005, reaching number one the following week on 18 December 2005, selling more than twice the number than the closest contender, Westlife. Dermot O’Leary gave the track extensive airplay on his BBC Radio 2 show. Some bookmakers put it in the running for the honour of Christmas number one but it was beaten by the winner of the second series of the UK version of The X Factor, Shayne Ward’s debut single “That’s My Goal“. The video has received widespread airplay, mainly on music TV channel VH1. It is an animated video, made by Laith Bahrani (a.k.a. ‘Monkeehub’), who also animated an unofficial video for an acoustic version of “Creep” by Radiohead. In 2007 Nizlopi received an Impala Platinum award recognising sales of over 500,000 copies of “JCB Song” across Europe.

Nizlopi

Check Out Nizlopi’s MySpace HERE

En agosto del 67 te sacaste esta foto, despues de 21 anhos me tuviste a mi,

y despues de 19 anhos te perdi.

Fuiste el que me inculcaste a amar la musica,  “La Voz del 73″  (el american idol paraguayo de la epoca), fuiste un orgullo para mi, y para toda tu familia y lo seguis siendo a travez de nuestros pensamientos.

Happy birthday dad, o como vos lo habrias dicho “chin chulin chin chu liin”

1. The Streets – Never Went To Church

Cause I forgot you left me behind to remind me of you

2. Michael Buble – Everything

It’s you, it’s you, You make me sing.

3. Looper – Back To The Tree House

4. Nizlopi – JCB Song

My dad’s probably had a bloody hard day
But he’s been good fun and bubblin and jokin’ away

5. Frank Sinatra – My Way

Regrets, I’ve had a few;
but then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
and saw it through without exemption.
I planned each charted course;
each careful step along the byway,
more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

La mujer barbuda

Der Rolling Stone gibt in seiner aktuellen Ausgabe die 50 besten Alben des Jahres bekannt. Und natürlich will auch ich meine Meinung kundtun. Ganz subjektiv. Hier die 50 besten (entdeckten) Alben des Jahres gewählt von Huleeta :

1. Vetusta Morla: Un Día En El Mundo
2. Vicentico: Los Pájaros
3. Ray LaMontagne: Gossip In The Grain
4. John Mayer: Where The Light Is: John Mayer Live In Los Angeles
5. Coldplay: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
6. Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago
7. Lykke Li: Youth Novels
8. Beth Hart: 37 Days
9. honeyhoney: First Rodeo
10. Udo Lindenberg: Stark Wie Zwei
11. Ra Ra Riot: The Rhumb Line
12. Wolf Parade: At Mount Zoomer
13. The Verve: Forth
14. Gisbert zu Knyphausen: Gisbert zu Knyphausen
15. Els Pets: Com Anar Al Cel I Tornar
16. Conor Oberst: Conor Oberst
17. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: Cardinology
18. Fito & Fitipaldis: Vivo… Para Contarlo
19. The Zutons: You Can Do Anything
20. Robyn: The Album
21. Clueso: So Sehr Dabei
22. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
23. Great Lake Swimmers: Ongiara
24. Nena Daconte: He Perdido Los Zapatos
25. Antònia Font: Coser I Cantar
26. Iron & Wine: The Shepherd’s Dog
27. Joe Purdy: Take My Blanket And Go
28. Anna Leong: Terrorarium
29. Adele: 19
30. J Minus: Sun & Moon
31. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
32. Lenny Kravitz: It’s Time For A Love Revolution
33. Lori Meyers: Ya Lo Sabes
34. Travis: Ode To J. Smith
35. Antony & The Johnsons: Another World
36. Javiera Mena: Esquemas Juveniles
37. Kimya Dawson: Alphabutt
38. Noah And The Whale: Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down
39. Saul Williams: The Inevitable Rise & Liberation Of Niggy Tardust
40. Mogwai: The Hawk Is Howling
41. William Fitzsimmons: Goodnight
42. Brian Auger: Get Auger-Nized!
43. Nizlopi: Make It Happen
44. Xiu Xiu: Women As Lovers
45. The Ditty Bops: Summer Rains
46. Jay-Jay Johanson: The Long Term Physical Effects
47. Richie Havens: Nobody Left To Crown
48. Dr. Dog: We All Belong
49. John Butler Trio: Grand National
50. Bella: No One Will Know

That, my dear friends,

is what qualifies you

to be a man in your community

Capable of loving and able to be loved…

Capable of loving

and able to be loved…

Capable of loving

and able

to be

loved

-Alastair McIntosh

The conclusion of Nizlopi’s “Homage to Young Men”. This song is written and sang by Alastair McIntosh, who is a Scottist writer and activist. He is not a member of the band. I thought this song is great and I am a big fan of Nizlopi’s music.

Homage To Young Men – Nizlopi

Platz 10: Richie Havens mit “Going Back To My Roots”. “I’m talkin’ ’bout the roots in the man.”
Krankheitsbedingt von Halsschmerzen, Husten und Kopfweh geplagt habe ich den gestrigen Abend vor dem Fernseher verbracht. Nach endlos scheinendem Dauer-Zappen bin ich schließlich mal wieder bei ARTE gelandet. Und das genau zur richtigen Zeit, denn nach langer Pause wurde gestern endlich wieder One Shot Not mit Manu Katché und Alice Tumler gesendet, was mich doch gleich auch an Richie Havens Auftritt im Mai erinnert hat.

Platz 9: Piers Faccini mit “If I”. “Fall down, kneel, cry, zell my heart, I won’t deny. Fall down, kneel, cry, alright, testify!”
Piers Faccini war gestern bei One Shot Not mit dabei. Zuvor hatte ich noch nie etwas von ihm gehört. Aber dann kam er auf die Bühne, rotkarierter Pete-Doherty-Gedächtnishut, moosgrünes Jackett, blutrote Gitarre. Etwas schüchtern hat er gewirrkt, der bebärtigte, hagere Mann. Und dann hat er angefangen zu spielen. Ich hab für kurze Zeit sogar meine Halschmerzen vergessen.

Platz 8: Hellogoodbye mit “Here In Your Arms”. “Hello, I’ve missed you quite terribly.”
Dito.

Platz 7: Nizlopi mit “Girls”. “Old from the need, old from the love, old from the greed.”
Siehe auch Ear Candy Report #22.

Platz 6: Robbie Williams mit “Mr. Bojangles”. “And after 20 years he still grieves.”
Wo zum Teufel ist Robbie Williams abgeblieben???

Platz 5: Jack Black und Will Ferrell mit “Get Off The Stage – Oscar Song”. “Look at Catherine Zeta-Jones, she’s snorring!”
Sehr amüsant. Immer wieder.

Platz 4: Rosemary Clooney mit “Keep It Gay”. “Let it sing like a nightingale in May, keep it gay, keep it free or you’ll frighten it away.”
Warum die große Diskussion um gleichgeschlechtliche Eheschließung auf beiden Seiten des Ozeans? Liebe ist Liebe!

Platz 3: Tracy Chapman mit “The Promise”. “I always hold a place for you in my heart.”
Tracy Chapman kommt mit neuer Single und neuem Album. Etwas gedulden muss man sich allerdings noch. Die Zeit kann man nutzen, um die alten Platten nochmals rauszukramen und wie ich zum Beispiel “The Promise” zu lauschen, einem der schönsten Lieder überhaupt.

Platz 2: Jamie Lidell mit “Little Bit Of Feel Good”. “Your sweet alchemy turned trouble to gold.”
Letztens auch geträumt von perlenbeketteten Einhörnern. Note to self: Alkohol ab sofort in Maßen.

Platz 1: The Kooks mit “Sway”. “Be whoever you have to be, I won’t judge you.”
I fucking love this song!

Unerklärbare Rastlosigkeit führte mich vor kurzem mal wieder zum Plattenhändler meines Vertrauens. Eigentlich wollte ich nichts kaufen, schließlich war ich einmal mehr sehr, sehr knapp bei Kasse, nichtsdestotrotz zogen mich die bunt gefüllten Regale an wie Blitzlichtgewitter Paris Hilton. Am Restpostenregal blieb ich schließlich hängen. Reduzierte Restposten-CDs, aussortierte Mängelexemplare, in der hintersten Ecke, fast schon lieblos ihrem Schicksal überlassen. Interessiert überflog ich die Plattencover, von Metal bis Hip Hop, von ABBA bis Rex Gildo alles dabei. Da ich wie gesagt eigentlich kein Geld ausgeben wollte (is klar…), aber nicht einfach so mit leeren Händen aus dem Laden spazieren wollte, schnappte ich mir beherzt die billigste reduzierteste CD mit dem ansprechendsten Cover und sprintete zur Kasse.

Im Nachhinein sollte sich meine Wahl als Glücksgriff herausstellen. Welche CD ich gekauft habe wollt ihr wissen? “Half These Songs Are About You”, das Debütalbum von 2004 der londoner Band Nizlopi. Wer José González und Bon Iver mag, wird Nizlopi lieben!

Nizlopi – Girls

It doesn’t matter if you were born a boy or a girl, the relationship one shares with the father is very special. These relationships and the feelings around them are so complex and often difficult to put into words, which is probably why you see them show up in art all the time. Just recently I saw two videos that dealt with just this topic and both are pearls. One is an 8 minute animation done with watercolors which shows the relationship between a father and his daughter. The other is a son and it’s music video, also an animation, which deals with the relationship between a father and his son. Both deal with the topic with such tenderness and beauty that they really touched my heart and I made me want to share them. Give yourself the joy of seeing these treasures and give your father the joy of hearing how special he is to you. Dad, I admire and love you with all my heart (Happy Birthday! April 18, 2008).

Father and Daughter by Michael Dudok de Wit
For more information about him see his filmography on IMDB. His webpage is currently under construction, but on youtube you can see many of his animations.

The JBC Song by Nizlopi
Nizlopi is a a duo from the UK with a great acoustic sound and a carefree and unprotentious view on life. Visit their website www.nizlopi.com or their www.myspace.com/nizlopi.

Thank you to two great friends who are constantly inspiring me with beautiful treasures, Catherine and Anna.

No importa si uno es nacio niño o niña, la relación que uno tiene con su padre es muy especial. Esas relaciones y sentimientos tan complejos de decribir o poner en palabras se ven comunmente reflejados en el arte. Hace poco vi dos videos que tratan justamente ese tema y ambos son perlas. Una es una pelicula animada hecha con acuarelas de 8 minutos y trata la relación entre una hija y su padre. La otra es una canción y su video musical, también animada, que trata la relación entre un hijo y su padre. Ambos tratan el tema con tanta belleza y ternura que me revolvieron el corazón y los quiero compartir. Dense el gusto de verlas y denle el gusto a vuestros padre de hacerles saber lo especial que son para vosotros. Papá, te admiro y amo con todo mi corazón (¡Feliz cumpleaños! abril 18, 2008).

Padre e Hija de Michael Dudok de Wit
Para mas información sobre el visiten su filmografia en IMDB. Su página web esta por el momento bajo construcción, pero en youtube se pueden ver muchas de sus animaciones.

La canción del JCB (tractor) del grupo Nizlopi
Nizlopi es un duo Ingles que tiene un sonido acustico fabuloso y una visión descomplicada y hermosa de la vida. Visiten su pagina www.nizlopi.com o su pagina www.myspace.com/nizlopi.

Gracias a dos amigas que constantemente me inspiran con esta clase de tesoros, Anna y Catherine!

As I was browsing through some files on my our hard drive, I was playing some new songs on Dan’s playlist. I chanced upon an album that had a collection of songs by different artists in the UK (I believe). There’s this song called JCB by Nizlopi that I found so simple yet so profound. It talks about a the singer’s (Luke) troubles with dyslexia at school and his escape to accompany his dad at work. It reminds me of the uncomplicated life when I was still a kid and some adventures with my pop together with my brothers.

We actually had our own version back in my hometown in Davao. Only my pop used a 10-wheeler truck to drive us one Sunday evening as we were going to church. We had quite a stare from churchgoers who were there after participating in the Mass ceremony. I only realized how awkward it would’ve been if we’d have done it again; but because of our innocent eyes, it didn’t really matter as it looked so cool riding a big truck compared to some 4-wheeled cars around us.

More information here.

Play the song

Nizlopi – JCB

šis gabals diezgan labi atspoguļo to, kā es jūtos un ko domāju pēdējā laikā, pie tam šo divu džeku ar nosaukumu nizlopi mūzika mani fascinē jau diezgan sen. enjoy

Eu tinha escrito um texto bastante longo, com um quê de indignação, a relatar cenas do meu curso que não funcionam bem e a possibilidade de continuar “oficialmente” fora do processo de Bolonha para o ano que vem, apesar de ter horários e cargas de trabalhos semelhantes aos cursos que já estão abrangidos….Porém, para bem do leitor, decidi resumir esse texto, que vos devia interessar quase tanto como artigos de legislação acerca de espaçamentos mínimos nas intalações sanitárias de estaleiros, nisto:
Já que uma boa parte do pessoal do meu curso não está muito preocupado com os problemas que se verificam, quem quiser ajudar numa greve, está aqui feito o convite, eu vou anunciar o dia e local certo assim que souber! Não se preocupem em saber qual é o meu curso, basta aparecer lá, gritar um pouco e fazer um ar indignado, acho que são esses os principais requisitos para um grevista mediano!

Segundo assunto, música! Quando o inglês Jammie Cullum, trouxe o seu Jazz com toques de Pop a Portugal, trouxe consigo uma banda compatriota, que “abriu” o seu concerto. Não é de Jammie Cullum que vou falar, apesar do valor que tem e de eu ter vindo a gostar cada vez mais dele (e acho que o sentimento é mútuo), mas sim da banda, ou melhor, do duo que o antecedeu. O nome é Nizlopi, e chamou-me à atenção quando uma amiga minha que esteve no concerto me contou que os 2 artistas utilizavam basicamente guitarra, baixo e beatbox, para além das vozes! Dei por mim a pesquisar por eles e ,quando ouvi a música ExtraOrdinary, fiquei muito impressionado! Guitarra acompanhada de Beatbox fica sempre bem, e quando tem letras que parece que saíram directamente do coração do vocalista, mesmo que este não tenha grande voz (que não é o caso), estou convencido! Depois disto, prestei atenção ao álbum deles, Half These Songs Are About You, e não foi preciso ouvir duas vezes para saber que a boa vibração e a paixão com que Luke Concannon canta é contagiante! Coloquei aqui o vídeo da música JCB que vale a pena “gastar” uns minutos para ouvir a música e ver a originalidade do vídeo! Quem quiser ouvir mais, basta escrever “Nizlopi Extraordinary” no tube do costume.

3º assunto, música: Amanhã, dia 22, os persistentes, os “sempr’os memos 3”, a Tríade Nuclear, Mind Da Gap, vêm à fnac Braga! Para quem segue com admiração o caminho destes 3 gajos é uma boa chance para matar saudades de um concerto à mdg! Este é daqueles grupos que pode ser definido como clássico, e então estão no pleno direito de comemorar o seu best of, Matéria Prima! Portanto, dia 22 há que marcar lugar no escasso espaço que há na fnac, e esperar que cantem a “Todos Gordos”, hehe! Quem quiser saber mais sobre novo álbum, clique sobre a imagem

Carbono