Recentemente estava pensando como em certos girl groups, de diversas épocas, há sempre uma “ovelha negra”; normalmente a primeira garota a sair da banda, tenta carreira solo com algo totalmente diferente do que fazia antes, é aclamada pela crítica e ignorada pelo público, normalmente sendo consideradas “flops” comerciais, devido ao fracasso de vendas dos singles ou álbuns. Então decidi fazer uma lista de ex-integrantes de girl groups que considero “underrated”, que fazem um trabalho digno de reconhecimento e aclamado, mas que acaba passando batido pelo público. Aí vai:

5º lugar: Emma Bunton

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A “Baby Spice” era a mais novinha do girl group mais famoso das últimas duas décadas, Spice Girls, mas também era a mais interessante, musicalmente falando. Emma Bunton não conseguiu lá grande êxito comercial, mas de todas as ex-spice, é a que mais se destaca em carreira solo (embora Geri Halliwell tenha sido a mais bem sucedida comercialmente), graças ao seu segundo álbum, “Free Me“, de 2004. Com influências de soul, 60’s, rock, world music e até mesmo bossa nova, o álbum é bastante diversificado e interessante, melhor que qualquer álbum de suas ex-colegas.

Free Me (2004)

4º lugar: Florence Ballard

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Um dos primeiros girl groups da história da música, The Supremes eram as estrelas supremas (infame, risos.) da gravadora Motown nos anos 60. Florence Ballard fez parte da formação clássica do grupo, ao lado de Mary Wilson e Diana Ross, essa última a mais bem sucedida do trio. Dona de uma voz tão forte quanto seu temperamento, Florence tinha uma certa rivalidade com Diana, já que todos os holofotes e méritos que o grupo recebiam eram direcionados a ela; esse e outros fatores causaram diversas brigas e culminaram na saída de Florence. Após sua saída do grupo, ela gravou um álbum solo, que acabou sendo engavetado pela gravadora após o fracasso comercial de seus singles. Florence Ballard faleceu em 1976, aos 32 anos, e seu álbum solo (que diga-se de passagem é muito bom) foi lançado somente em 2002 (sob o título de “The Supreme Florence Ballard“), 26 anos após sua morte. ):

The Impossible Dream (Fanvideo – 1968)

3º lugar: Rachel Stevens

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O S Club 7 não era exatamente um girl group, já que possuía três homens e quatro mulheres em sua formação, mas considerando que apesar disso ele é considerado um por muita gente, resolvi colocar a Rachel na lista, porque ela merece. Após o fim do S Club, em 2003, Rachel Stevens lançou seu primeiro álbum solo, Funky Dory. Apesar de alguns singles legais, o álbum não empolgou tanto, apesar das boas vendas. Porém, no ano seguinte, o álbum foi relançado com o single inédito de Rachel, Some Girls: a faixa fez diferença, e que diferença! Como na mesma época Rachel estava trabalhando em um novo álbum, Some Girls criou várias expectativas, e quando o álbum, Come and Get It, finalmente foi lançado, não decepcionou: uma verdadeira obra-prima da música pop, fugindo da maioria dos clichês do gênero e mesmo assim mantendo a sonoridade agradável e viciante; exatamente como um bom pop deve ser. Porém, o álbum foi um fracasso comercial e Rachel não gravou nada inédito desde então. ):

I Will Be There (Fanvideo – 2005)

2º lugar: Siobhan Fahey

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Siobhan Fahey era integrante do girl group Bananarama nos anos 80, famoso por hits como Venus e Robert De Niro is Waiting. Elas também participaram da primeira versão do single de caridade Do They Know It’s Christmas?, organizado pelos músicos Bob Geldof e Midge Ure.

Mas falemos sobre Siobhan. Em 1988, decepcionada com a direção que o grupo estava tomando, ela deixou o Bananarama e criou um projeto musical solo, chamado Shakespear’s Sister (o erro na grafia é intencional). Com o tempo, a cantora Marcella Detroit se juntou ao projeto, formando assim uma dupla. O projeto foi bastante aclamado e mostrou um lado mais introvertido e sofisticado de Siobhan, com suas composições maduras e figurino que pode ser descrito como “dark” e “glam“. O primeiro álbum, Sacred Heart, de 1988, não foi bem sucedido comercialmente, apesar do sucesso entre a crítica. Mas o segundo álbum, Hormonally Yours, de 1992 (o título referenciava o fato de que ambas estavam grávidas na época das gravações), foi um sucesso ainda maior, obtendo grande êxito comercial, e até emplacando um hit #1 no Reino Unido, a balada Stay. Porém, desentendimentos entre Marcella e Siobhan acabaram desfazendo a parceria. Marcella seguiu carreira solo e Siobhan prosseguiu com o nome Shakespear’s Sister por algum tempo, mas após o fracasso comercial do single “I Can Drive“, ela abandonou a gravadora e entrou em uma longa batalha judicial para conseguir lançar seu terceiro álbum, conseguindo lançá-lo independentemente somente oito anos depois. Apesar disso, ela lançou alguns singles sob o nome de Siobhan Fahey; um deles, Bitter Pill, destacou-se por ter ganhado um cover parcial de outro girl group, Pussycat Dolls, em 2005, sob o nome de Hot Stuff (I Want You Back). A propósito, a original é bem melhor!

Recentemente, Siobhan Fahey finalmente lançou um álbum novo, Songs From the Red Room, utilizando o nome Shakespear’s Sister pela primeira vez em cinco anos.

Stay (1992)

Bitter Pill (2005)

1º lugar: Siobhán Donaghy

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E o primeiro lugar também é de uma Siobhan! Mais precisamente, de uma Siobhán, apesar dela não utilizar o acento em seus lançamentos artísticos. Siobhán Donaghy fazia parte do girl group britânico de maior sucesso da atualidade, Sugababes, e foi uma das três garotas originais a fazer parte do grupo. Atualmente nenhuma delas ainda faz parte das Sugababes, o que não faz sentido algum, mas isso é outra história.

Siobhán foi a primeira a sair do grupo, alegando querer seguir carreira de modelo; mas após algum tempo, admitiu que saiu do grupo devido ao bullying constante de sua colega Keisha Buchanan, que a humilhava e excluía constantemente. Pouco tempo depois, em 2003, ela lançou seu primeiro álbum solo, Revolution in Me. Com influências de trip-hop, rock alternativo e o bom e velho pop, destacou-se por ser um álbum bastante variado e agradável. Porém, o álbum não era exatamente acessível, a promoção fraquíssima de sua gravadora na época não ajudou e Revolution in Me acabou sendo um fracasso comercial. Quatro anos depois, em uma nova gravadora e trabalhando com outros produtores, ela lançou uma verdadeira obra-prima: Ghosts, com influências de Shakespear’s Sister, Kate Bush e música experimental. Obviamente, o resultado final é ainda menos comercial que seu antecessor. Apesar de ter vendido mais que Revolution in Me, não atingiu as expectativas de venda da gravadora, que rompeu o contrato com Siobhán. Pouco tempo depois, ela anunciou que não faria mais música enquanto o mercado musical continuar tão injusto quanto é hoje. Felizmente, em entrevista recente, ela alegou que só estava dando um tempo, e que já está escrevendo novas músicas para seu terceiro álbum solo. Torceremos para que ele obtenha o grande êxito comercial que Siobhán merece!

Overrated (2003)

Don’t Give It Up (2007)

Encerro a lista por aqui. Espero que tenham gostado das recomendações e apreciem essas pérolas musicais injustiçadas. Até a próxima!

Cheryl Cole has claimed that it would be “interesting” if the original lineup of the Sugababes got back together.

Reports last week suggested that Mutya Buena is keen to re-form the girl group with Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy.

Cole also said that she was “sad” to hear that Buchanan had quit the band, says Angry Ape.

“I’ve always loved the Sugababes – since they started. It’s strange now because the original three members could get back together… that could be interesting.”

She added: “As a brand, they are fantastic and as long as their music continues, I think they will.”

Source

Cheryl Cole says it “could be interesting”, if the original line-up of the Sugababes got back together.

Reports last week suggested Mutya Buena was keen to reform the girl-group with the other two original members Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy.

Speaking about Keisha recently quitting the band, Cheryl said she found the news “sad”.

“I’ve always loved the Sugababes – since they started. It’s strange now because the original three members could get back together… that could be interesting.”

Cheryl also said the new Sugababes had a good future, adding: “As a brand, they are fantastic and as long as their music continues, I think they will.”

Cold also revealed she would snog Dannii Minogue and hopes to start her own clothing line.

Source

A Ex-Sugababe MUTYA BUENA passou horas no telephone tentanto convencer suas antigas amigas de band para voltarem ao grupo original.

Com a nova formação do grupo lançando novo album no próximo mês, Mutya se encontrou com KEISHA BUCHANAN e SIOBHAN DONAGHY, para dar a formação original uma nova chance.

Ela acredita que pode fazer um grande sucesso com uma nova “roupagem”, um novo nome e novas musicas.

Keisha, Siobhan e Mutya, formaram o Sugababes em 1998. Em 2001, Heidi substituiu Siobhan, Amelle no lugar de Mutya em 2005 e recentemente Jade se juntou ao grupo, quando Keisha saiu no mês passado.

Ao contrario do que sempre foi dito, as 3 continuam bem amigas. Mutya brincou em recente entrevista à TV: “Não sobrou nenhuma Sugababe do original, deveríamos voltar novamente.”

Desde então, ela passou a melhorar essa idéia.

Um dos amigos de Siobhan disse: “Ela se encontrou com Mutya pela primeira vez em anos durante o verão e elas se deram muito bem.”

“Agora Mutya está convencida que a versão original da banda pode ser grande novamente.

Bom…Notícia vinda do “The Sun”…dá pra acreditar?!?!!?

I was in London, appropriately enough, when I saw the news that the revolving door that is the Sugababes has made its latest rotation. Out: Keisha Buchanan, the last of the founding members. In: Jade Ewen, best known for almost knocking out her backing violinist as she warbled her way to fifth place in the Moscow Eurovision. Sugababes have always been part of the London popverse, with their most successful songs and videos anchored in the part-grit-part-glamour of the city.

Sugababes’ origins story goes that Buchanan and Mutya Buena, schoolfriends in Kingsbury, north west London, were introduced to Siobhan Donaghy when they were 13 and she (Donaghy) was 14. Even after Donaghy’s and later Buena’s departure and the recruitment of Liverpudlian Heidi Range and Amelle Berrabah (born in Aldershot, Hampshire), Sugababes used London as their landscape. When it wasn’t the sweaty, subterranean clubs of the promos for lead singles Freak Like Me, Hole in the Head and Girls, it was the grey-hued, gherkin-punctuated skyline that formed the backdrop for the harsh regret of About You Now, posted above. While Girls Aloud were all Northern girls, Sugababes had a London edge. Sadly, Ewen’s Londoner status is the only thing about her that fits with the franchise.

It’s too late to get precious about the purity of Sugababes as a band; much as I love Range’s elegance, vocal and otherwise, Donaghy-era Sugababes was something unexpectedly special: unaffected, sulky, teenage, soulful, controlled. Donaghy went onto infuse her two woefully underrated solo albums, Revolution in Me (2003) and Ghosts (2007), with a tuneful, truthful, offbeat air. Born of her clinical depression, they are overwhelmingly sad, lonely songs, not without wit (see Man Without Friends, 12 Bar Acid Blues). Sugababes, meanwhile, metamorphasised into a hit machine. They were at their best when they were party girls (Round Round, Push the Button), but live performances of slowies like Stronger showcased both Range’s steely blankness and the newfound depth to Buena’s maturing voice. Xenomania producer Brian Higgins once called it Dustyesque.

Even when Buena gave way to Berrabah, a husky but tonally poorer soundalike, it was probably Buchanan who was the weakest singer of the trio: dextrous but not distinctive. That’s not the same as disposable. The tragedy of this latest reshuffle is not so much that they’ve sacrificed Buchanan to the cold winds of a solo career, but that they’ve replaced her with the wrong person. Ewen is just too tall and too naff for Sugababes.

Too naff for Sugababes! Yes. Ewen’s big exposure up to now has been the weekly patronage inflicted upon her by Andrew Lloyd-Webber on Saturday night telly. Her Eurovision song, It’s My Time, co-written by sludgy, yucky lyricist-for-hire Diane Warren (also responsible for Sugababes’ ballad-bore Too Lost in You), was awful. This is brand contamination. If Sugababes’ next record, Sweet 7, is any good, Ewen might overcome this cheddary past, but she can’t solve the problem of her height. She towers over Range and Berrabah, disrupting the unity of their image, but more critically, her legginess helps transform Sugababes into what they never were and never should be: Pussycat Doll clones, all sex, no song.

The barking, brash mess that is Get Sexy, the last song to feature Buchanan, is just the beginning. Gone is the fully clothed innocence of the early days, the effortless trashpop fun of the second incarnation and the classy Motown pastiches of the third era. In comes anonymous, Americanised robo-singing and videos stuffed with cages, collars and leather halternecks: arresting, but for all the wrong reasons. Sugababes have swiftly moved from being an accessible girl group for girls to lad mag also-rans with by-the-numbers product to shift. The moody girls next door have become soft porn sycophants. Given her earlier propensity for reticence when it came to bumping-and-grinding for the cameras, it really can’t be long before Range becomes the first “new babe” to become the latest “old babe”.

Diese Woche ging diese Meldung durch die Klatschpresse „Sugababe Amelle Berrebah feared ‘kidnapped’“ und jetzt auf einmal verlässt Keisha Buchanan die Band „Sugababes“.  Was ist denn da bloß wieder los?

Foto: blythemaniaco

Amelle tauchte zu Presseterminen und einem Gig in der letzten Woche nicht auf. Niemand konnte sie erreichen und sogar eine Vermisstenmeldung wurde bei der Londoner Polizei aufgegeben. Nachdem sich nach ein paar Tagen herausstellte, wurde Amelle nicht gekidnapped, sondern hatte sich in ihrer Wohnung in London verschanzt, weil sie sich von Bandkollegin Keisha gemobbt fühlte. Mein Gott, das sind vielleicht wieder Geschichten. Da die „Sugababes“ schon seit längerem keinen richtigen Hit mehr landen konnten, suchten sie wohl so den Weg in die Schlagzeilen.

Jetzt heißt es auf einmal, Keisha verlässt die Band. Sie ließ über Twitter die Fans wissen, wie traurig sie darüber ist, aber es sei Zeit für sie etwas Neues zu beginnen und zwar solo. Sie ist also „gegangen worden“. Anscheinend hat die etwas dominante und zickige Keisha viel Unruhe in die Band gebracht und so musste sie gehen.

Die „Sugababes“ haben in den letzten Jahren oft die Konstellation gewechselt – einige gingen, neue kamen, sie gingen, die alten kamen wieder, usw.. Der Eurovision-Star Jade Ewen soll nun Keisha ersetzen und das Spiel wird wohl ewig so weiter gehen. Die Frage ist nur, ob die Zeit der „Sugababes“, egal mit welchen Mitgliederinnen, nicht schon längst vorbei ist und anstatt immer neue Sängerinnen anzuheuern, vielleicht doch einfach die ganze Girlband aufgelöst werden sollte?!

Nur wenige popkulturelle Neuigkeiten schaffen es, Lady Gaga und ihre “Skandale” zu übertrumpfen. Kanye hat es probiert, aber es hat nur ein paar Tage gehalten. Dann waren sich alle einig, dass er doof und Taylor süß sei und man ist dazu übergegangen, weitere Kostüme der Lady zu beurteilen.

Doch dann passierte etwas, was uns allen den Atem stocken ließ: Die Sugababes besetzen sich mal wieder neu. Der zweite Gedanke: Ach so. Es ist ja nicht so, als ob das zum ersten Mal in der Geschichte von Englands einst glaubwürdigster Girlband passiert. Nun ja, wenn wir ehrlich sind, macht diese job rotation die Sugababes fast ein bisschen aus. Doch nun haben sie doch irgendwie den Vogel abgeschossen. In der Band ist kein einziges Gründungsmitglied mehr. Faktisch ist sie also gar keine richtige Band mehr, sondern nur noch ein Kollektiv von Akteuren mit unterschiedlicher Laufzeit. Wunderbar!

Dies ermöglicht wiederum den Ursprungsmitgliedern Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena und Keisha Buchanan sich theoretisch erneut zu vereinen und quasi Sugababes 2.0 zu gründen. Wobei hierbei vermutlich das Problem besteht, dass sie sich einen anderen Namen suchen müssen. Hier ein paar Vorschläge:

• Three Girls who used to be in a band called Sugababes
• Saccharinbabes
• O.G. Babes
• We write Pop History!

Fantastisch! Wie im echten Leben! Die “Sugababes” sind nun vermutlich die erste Band auf diesem Planeten, die einmal generalüberholt wurde. Das haben sogar all diese Kollektive aus den Castingshows nicht geschafft, wenn ich mich nicht irre. Aber nun gut. Die O.G. Sugas waren ja auch nicht wirklich gecastet. Sie haben ja schon immer ein bisschen was Eigenes am Laufen gehabt, aber wer weiß? Vielleicht wird es bald ein Trend, alle Mitglieder einer Band auszutauschen und das entstehende neue Gefüge unter gleichem Namen performen zu lassen. Der Bandname als Dachmarke. Eine wundervolle Art des Recyclings! Merchandise muss nicht umgeändert werden, die Domain der Website bleibt erhalten und man muss sich auch keine neue Buchstabenfolge merken. Macht euch darauf gefasst, dass demnächst sämtliche Helden/ Hassobjekte unserer Jugend wieder auferstehen – mit anderen Mitgliedern, aber was soll’s? Never change a winning team! Fans von N’Sync, Five, US5, The Kelly Family und natürlich Queensberry – haltet euch bereit!

R.I.P. The real Sugababes…

the world of pop music today reeled in shock over news that lone remaining founding member keisha buchanan would be departing from the sugababes after 11 years of ushering brilliant pop music into the world at large. sugababes, a trio consisting originally of mutya buena, keisha buchanan, and siobhan donaghy now seems to have abandoned any semblance of credibility and will be the equivalent of the british menudo. lame. here is a taste of the sugababes early in their career with pop classic “overload.” brilliant. actually, click here to watch it as embedding videos is clearly the biggest threat to the music industry ever.

anyway, siobhan left the group before promotion for the first album had fully wrapped up and subsequently former atomic kitten member heidi range was brought in to shore up the ranks. this became sugababes 2.0 and perhaps the most successful and memorable of the line-ups. returning initially with the killer freak like me, and subsequently with hits including hole in the head, in the middle (i always liked this video), and absolute stormer “push the button” which also has an amazing video that i managed to pull off youtube, below.

so, this is now during promotion for their fourth album “taller in more ways” and mid-way through, mutya decides to leave the babes at which time amelle berrabah is drafted into the ranks. this leaves a lot of fans screaming ‘the end is nigh’ but the babes go on to release a successful singles collection and later their fifth studio album “change” is preceded by what can only be described as an instant pop masterpiece, about you now. ok, so then last year the girls put out a bit of a clunker – album, “catfights and spotlights” – but this year they were supposed to be back and better than ever.

quick sidenote here, i don’t think i have properly conveyed up to this point the incredible success the sugababes achieved in the uk music scene during a time when pop music was not particularly cool or popular. during the 2.0 heydays, the sugababes carried an innate credibility and were able to buck the downward trend in pop music becoming the biggest girl band of the early millennium with girls aloud, at the time, a distant second. having jettisoned two members (below) into the flotsam and jetsam of the pop ocean, sugababes 3.0 were, until just the other day, poised for a big comeback.

so all this brings me to the point of this entire post. it was announced today that keisha buchanan has been ousted from the group that she started as a 13-year old girl to make way for some eurovision tart named jade ewen. it’s quite the sordid tale of intrigue and backstabbing with keisha stating as recently as friday that any rumours of disquiet among the band were false, only to have the record company come out today with the replacement news. then later keisha stated that it was not her choice to leave the band. it’s both a salacious and saddening pop tale to be honest and with respect to the new lineup popjustice put it best – as is so often the case – with the following:

Sorry Heidi, sorry Amelle, sorry Jade – you make a brilliant trio but Sugababes as a band is now dead. Pick a new name or spend the rest of your time in this band as a total laughing stock.

also, popjustice had set up a sugababes memory book which now just features a video link and the following, at which i couldn’t stop laughing earlier as it’s a total TRUTH!:

This was a little guestbook for people to share their Sugababes memories and messages but somewhat inevitably the usual bunch of cunts ruined it with a predictable string of spam and libel. Sorry.

the last shred of credibility was today ripped from the formerly quite brilliant sugababes and for that reason it is a sad day in the pop universe.

RIP sugababes.

In a shocking new twist, it is confirmed that Keisha Buchanan has left the Sugababes and has been replaced by Jade Ewen. Here’s an official statement from the Sugababe’s website:

Sugababes Statement

Monday 21st September

The current line-up of the Sugababes has disbanded.

Heidi Range and Amelle Berrabah will continue as the Sugababes and

will be joined by new member Jade Ewen. They release their album

‘Sweet 7’ on November 23rd through Island Records.

Keisha Buchanan will continue to record for Island Records as a solo artist.

Keisha addressed her departure from the group via Twitter:

Dear Friends I’m sad to say that I am no longer apart of the Sugababes.

I’ve had a great time and have achieved more then I ever thought I would.

Although it was not my choice to leave, it’s time to enter a new chapter in my life
I have nothing but positive things to say about the girls and I wish them the best of luck.

I would like to state that there were no arguments, bullying or anything of the sort that lead to this.

Sometimes a break down in communication and lack of trust can result in many different things.

I would also like to point out that I have always supported the girls and they have also supported me.

Remember my drunk pictures out with Amelle, supporting her on her success with Tinchy Stryder… Oh the shame… But what a fun night we had

Now I’m going to take some time to focus on me. I’ve been in this band for 11 years and I have achieved so much.

I have a great family and friends who are behind me 100% and at the age of 24, I’m now going out into this world on my own…

Although im nervous… I’m still very excited on what lies ahead.

I want to thank the Sugababes fans and my fans for all your support and all who have never judged me, but excepted me for who I am…The feisty, funny, professional, fearless, motor mouth… lol

This is not the end… but the beginning!!!!

Thank you always… Keisha xxx

… Diese Praline von Neuigkeit ist so klein, dass sie eigentlich keinen eigenen Blogeintrag verdient. Die dadurch verursachte Freude ist allerdings so groß, dass sie einen eigenen Blog verdient hätte! Siobhán Donaghy, ihres Zeichens eine der interessantesten Solokünstlerinnen seit Jahren (und ja, sie war mal bei den Sugababes…), verkündet in einem Interview, dass sie sich aufgemacht hat, an neuem Material zu arbeiten.

In Adjektiven: Großartig! Bezaubernd! Wunderbar! Exzellent!

Wow, I’ve left this place empty for quite awhile.

Anyway,

Underground pop chanteuse Siobhan Donaghy resurfaces from pop obscurity after her bout of failure with her second album.
In this insightful interview with PonyStep, she discusses the perennial topic on her long and illustrious music career in the ever-changing pop landscape, and also the possibility that she might be in the process of making new material.

Ghosts, her second album was overlooked and under-marketed, resulting in her being thrown unceremoniously into pop limbo. What is more interesting about this interview are the photos. The striking concept of it, kinda like a innocent Bridgette Bardot-boudoir-esque type of feel to it. Which sets across the fact that Siobhan is still a vulnerable creature in the pop landscape, but with a naughty side as she so daringly poses in lingerie by D&G.

http://www.ponystep.com/music/article/SiobhanDonaghyTheonethatgotaway_380.aspx

simply lush.

indiemind

Some old, some new and some kinda old/kinda new.

Lost: Susanna and the Magical Orchestra

Oh Susanna! Blessed with a powerful voice so understated and so utterly, utterly melancholy. After Nouvelle Vague did their gimmicky samba schtick to Love Will Tear Us Apart, it took these Norwegians to restore the song’s profound bleakness [YouTube]. That cover joined many other supersad covers on Melody Mountain (their version of Kiss’ Crazy Crazy Nights has to heard to be believed). And now they are back with 3, an album of (mostly) originals. And it’s surperb. Susanna’s spectral, but strong, voice is surrounded by sparse, moody electronics. It may be beautiful, but this is not dinner party music.

Brrrr, is it autumn?

Here’s Lost.

Purchase 3 on iTunes.

Medevac: Siobhan Donaghy

“At this point in time I have no further plans to undertake another record of my own. Ultimately, the true nature of the business side of the music industry is enough to keep me away. Nonetheless, if I find myself in the future bursting with ideas and experiences I feel the need to share through music, I will be back,” Donaghy stated in an interview with We7 in January 2009. What a shame. Back in 2001, when she left Sugababes, would anyone really have expected a popstrel like here to eventually release a lush piece of grown up pop like this.

Listen to Medevac (2007)

Purchase Ghosts on iTunes.

Sweet Gospel Music: Prefab Sprout

I’ve been utterly spoiled this year with releases from my favourite acts. The Pets, Mew, Empire Of The Sun… Probably no chance that the Blue Nile or Scritti will crank one out before Christmas, but rivalling both of those in the not-exactly-prolific stakes is Paddy McAloon. He says he’s constantly writing but isn’t much cop at the releasing part. How nice for him, the artiste, but we want to hear these amazing-sounding things you’re doing, damn you! Get a PayPal account and shove them online yourself, man!

Anyway, he’s a genius and he has revisted tracks he demoed in 1992 (!) but then got distracted and put them aside. He’s got someone in to tart them up a bit and are they not glorious. The album is a triumph.

I felt a bit conflicted about sharing an mp3 of the Sprouts. I would hate to think that I would detract from their income, but, you know what, anyone who loves the Sprouts already has this album. I’ve bought it twice (couldn’t wait for the CD I had pre-ordered so I downloaded it from iTunes!). This is mostly aimed at people who don’t know Prefab Sprout, or think that they were just novelty hitmakers (The King of Rock N Roll, UK No 7, 1988 [YouTube]). Listen to this and you’ll get a flavour of the sheer richness of lyric, voice, melody. Get the 38 Carat Collection which has all the ‘hits’ and important tracks and is dirt cheap. Go get now.

Listen to Sweet Gospel Music

Purchase Let’s Change The World With Music on iTunes.

Ich glaube, ich habe zu  niemandem so eine Hass-Liebe-Beziehung wie zum Internet. Ich meine, es ist toll! So viele Informationen! So viel Vergnügen! So viel Spam! Und man kann schreiben!

Dennoch gibt es auch eine Menge Dinge, die mich stören, zum Beispiel übertriebene Selbstdarstellung, Werbebanner mit Ton, Werbebanner, die autonom denken, alles andere, was autonom denkt.

Und natürlich: Internetabkürzungen. Über Abkürzungen im Allgemeinen habe ich mich ja schon an anderer Stelle geäußert, aber diese Abkürzis, über die ich nun referieren werde, setzen dem Ganzen die Krone auf, weil sie sind einfach nur unnötig!

Letztens war ich auf der Suche nach Informationen  zu Gesichtspflegeprodukten. Ich landete dabei in diversen Beautyforen, wo die Leute nichts Besseres zu tun haben, als ihren Senf zu uninteressanten Eseleien dazu zu geben. Dabei bin über folgende Abkürzis gestolpert:

• NK
• MU

Ich brauchte eine Weile, bis ich das dechiffriert hatte! Naturkosmetik und Make-Up. Schöööööön! Meine Freunde, es spricht nichts dagegen, Wörter abzukürzen, die so lang sind, dass man, während man sie ausspricht, gut und gerne drei Pfannkuchen backen kann, a b e r bei Naturkosmetik und Make-Up handelt es sich um so kurze Wörter, dass es einfach nur etwas kurzgedacht wirkt, wenn man sie abkürzt. Die zwei Verrecker kann man gerade noch aussprechen und ausschreiben sowieso, denn wenn man keine Zeit zum Schreiben hat, dann soll man es gleich lassen.

Aber damit hört das ja nicht auf. Ich erinnerte mich in diesem Moment daran, dass solche Abkürzungen überall im World Wide Web zu finden sind – und zwar meistens dort, wo viele Wissende zusammenkommen. Ein Beispiel gefällig? Internetforen von MusikerInnen. Dort sind abgekürzte Alben- und Songtitel ein toller Zeitvertreib und haben den positiven Nebeneffekt, dass dumme Leute, die nicht im Forum angemeldet sind, sondern nur mitlesen, sich wie Primaten am Kopf kratzen und “Häh?” schreien.

Ich meine: Muss das sein? Das Ding mit Abkürzungen ist ja, dass sie in irgendeiner Weise verständlich sein müssen, damit man sie irgendwie entziffern kann. Hier eine handvoll Beispiele:

• RIM (Revolution in me)
• DGU (Don’t give up)
• SYS (So you say)
• EGTS (Everybody got their something)

Das ist ungelogen chinesisch für Anfänger, so gut die Alben auch sind. Aber trotzdem: Freunde! Selbst ich muss jedes Mal nachdenken, was mit solchen Verbrechen gemeint ist! Da drängt sich mir eine wichtige Frage auf, was Fans machen, wenn die Künstler sich weigern, ihre Song- und Albentitel in mehr als ein Wort zu packen… Hm. Vielleicht hat sich Ghost von der elfengleichen Siobhan Donaghy deshalb so schlecht verkauft…

No, no, it’s not a reinvention. It’s called “Here, R&B, pass me your balls, for I wish to fondle them.” It’s called “Here, Timbaland, I know we couldn’t afford you, but we have nonetheless decided to honour you.” It’s called: “Hey, you’re a sexy-looking singles chart. You wanna have a good time, honey?”

So there we are. The Saturdays have disappeared into a noisy but unloved cupboard marked ‘R&B’, and now Sugababes (one of whom, let me remind you, is from Liverpool) appear to have crawled inside as well. You may well wonder if anything remotely identifiable as ‘British’ remains of them at all.

Well, there is one little thing. The lyric:

Cause I’m too sexy in this club
Too sexy in this club
So sexy it hurts

Sound familiar?

An aside: Who wants to be ’so sexy it hurts’? THAT’S TOO SEXY.

Siobhán Donaghy nació el 14 de junio del 1984 en Londres, Reino Unido. Es una cantante de pop y compositora. Desde septiembre de 2000 hasta el 2001 fue miembro del grupo Sugababes, reemplazada luego por la cantante Heidi Range. Después de su salida del grupo, Siobhan publicó un álbum en solitario en el año 2003.

Después de grabar un segundo disco sin una discográfica, se rumoreó que la cantante estaba hablando con Parlophone Records UK (EMI). Estos rumores fueron confirmados por ella misma, quién reveló en su Myspace su nuevo álbum, Ghosts.

(extracto de wikipedia)

Personalmente, Yo opino que Ghosts es un disco MUY bueno, y aunque comercialmente no le fue bien, tiene  sonidos super experimentales y la voz de Siobhan se hace bastante agradable a medida que uno va escuchando el disco, disfrutando de las diferentes sensaciones y ambientes que provocan las canciones, algunas con momentos de dramatismo muy copado. Disfrutenlo.

Siobhan’s tape

Ok, the blog entry I was planning to write has been put on hold because today the Sugababes’ new single premiered on radio.  It’s called “Get Sexy” and it is very good.  It is the best thing they have released since Amelle joined the group, because it brings back the Sugababes sound of urban club pop as present on their previous songs “Freak Like Me”, “Blue”, “Whatever Makes You Happy”, “Gotta Be You” and “Future Shokk!”.  So to the people who are saying the Sugababes have sold out and are simply copying “Boom Boom Pow”, you are very 2000 and late because the Sugababes were doing this kind of music much prior to releasing Avril-lite pop such as “About You Now” (although the piano-led ballad version on Catfights and Spotlights went a long way to redeeming that song for me).

When Mutya left the group, I was very curious to see how the Sugababes would continue since, up to that point it had seemed like Mutya was the main creative energy in the group, and her attitude and swagger modified Keisha’s pop sensibilities into something much more angular.  Replaced by Amelle, it would seem that I had been correct – her voice just didn’t have that Sugababes blend (whereas when Heidi replaced Siobhan, her voice was a stellar compliment to the group – if you don’t believe me, go and listen to “Breathe Easy (Acoustic Jam)” and any live version of “Stronger”) and seemed harsh and grating.  Out went the streetwise edge, in came the high pop polish that remained for the Change album; IMO, the group’s creative nadir.  By Catfights and Spotlights, Amelle’s voice seemed to complement the others’ more and the mix of brass-led pop and R&B tracks such as “Side Chick” and “Can We Call A Truce” evoked 60s Motown as interpreted by Shola Ama.  An improvement, but still not enough for me to consider the Sugababes back in my good books.  Meanwhile, Mutya Buena dropped a fantastic solo album which underperformed and she was promptly dropped from her label.  As ever, my taste and that of the British public are very divergent.

So “Get Sexy” is not a particularly deep song; “My Love Is Pink” was hardly a lyrical revelation.  But “Get Sexy” is a song that embodies fun, attitude and club-ready flirting, and it is a song that you can act sexy to.  It has multiple hooks (one of which riffs of that classic Right Said Fred song), and Heidi’s voice in the second verse is the sexiest part of the whole thing.  I doubt very much that the Sugababes aimed to ape the Black Eyed Peas, but I don’t care if they did, because it’s better than choosing to ape Girls Aloud or the Saturdays, which is apparently what people expected.  And if the Sugababes are still defying expectations and releasing fantastic music such as this, then I might just begin following them again with renewed interest.

Oh, after all that, you might want to listen to the song.  Here you are - enjoy!

You can also stream it below:

Siobhán (pronounced Shi-von) is the first to leave the Sugababes, after only one album released, and I’m thankful she did, otherwise we wouldn’t have had the two brilliant albums of hers, especially her second, Ghosts. This is a B-Side to the album’s lead single “Don’t Give It Up”, I think it’s a beautiful song, with beautiful meaningful lyrics. It’s not for everyone, and it takes time to grow on you.

Givin’ In - Siobhán Donaghy [Download]

i’m all about moodswings these days. i think it’s the stop-start nature of spring that keeps bumping my mood back and forth between elated and lackadaisical. to be honest, i’m sick of it. am hoping this weekend i can finally get rid of the winter blues and move into spring time… is there a colour for happiness? hmm… i’m hoping to be orange for spring. i would say green but i think i’ve overdone green a little, and also it makes me think of queasiness, which would not help my mood in any way, shape or form. so, orange for spring.

i actually think not having an ipod is also having an adverse effect on my mood these days. that sounds kind of weird but having to listen to music that is not brand new is sort of driving me crazy. i think music might be my zoloft – really need to get that sorted out. was listening to siobhan donaghy thismorning on repeat and have just put in the sugababes change album. pretty fantastic in general – especially the former – but new music really perks me up. must acquire a new ipod asap. also, people continue to stare when i break out the discman. i kind of want to get a big sticker on it that says: ‘IT’S A FUCKING DISCMAN.’ would quite enjoy that. except might get told off by mothers of small children. whatever, those kids would be getting an education. in both useful swear words and technology history.

i don’t usualy get into the celeb reality shows, partly as i don’t usually know who the ‘celebs’ are. the last celeb bb scraped the barrel but ended up the most controversial yet.

i kind of hope standby contestant tony mortimer gets a go.

ben adams

was apparently in a band called A1. i don’t remember them at all. i didn’t remember the band ziggy from the last bb was supposedly in around the same time either. clearly i wasn’t paying attention.

mutya buena

not sure she needed to do this, she just needs to do more work with people like groove armada. or get all the sugababes back together as a fivesome.  it’s also a bit of a risk, can see her being at the very least on the fringes of any controversy.

terry christian

he’s 48! who knew. far less annoying than i remember on ‘the word’. not that he ever came remotely near honk voiced, self-deluded oxygen thief dani behr. her comeback has been thankfully squashed. did she forget how much everyone hates her?

coolio

is so far following samuel l jackson’s tried and tested ‘i heart the uk’ route. worst behaviour so far has been to fart in bed. is a serial reality show contestant and also has recently hosted an online cooking show, the fabulously titled ‘cookin’ with coolio’.

michelle heaton

fresh from her divorce from andy scott-lee. since the split she’s been linked to matt di angelo, ziggy lichman and liam mcgough from 2007 bb. who i’m sure aren’t rubbing their hands together at the thought of revealing all to a few quality publications whilst she’s in the house. silly girl.

latoya jackson

has released 11 albums. of which i have heard precisely none. i wonder what it was about jermaine’s experience two years ago, exactly, that made her want to participate??

ulrika jonsson

clearly there to ensure that the glamour model isn’t the biggest slapper in the house, which would have been too easy. old leather face saggy boobs wants us to believe that she’s only 41. considering she was a grown woman when i was about 5, i don’t think this is possible…call me stupid…

tina malone

aka the mouthy mum from shameless. who has allegedly undergone a bit of a makeover and wants to show it off. um…

lucy pinder

oh zzzz….another glamour model who thinks she has something to say by virtue of the fact that she’s a brunette and therfore can’t be classed as dumb. think again. oh sorry, you can’t.

tommy sheridan

is famous for campaigning against the poll tax about 20 years ago. if he plans to start a council tax revolution from behind those four walls i am so in.

verne troyer

it’s of course perfectly safe to put a midget in the bb house, what with the show’s history of caring, politically correct celebutard contestants. smh although watching him drink drive his way around the house is amusing to say the least.

Some of you may remember red-haired girl from Sugababes’ first album ‘Overload’ or at least from the single of the same title. Few months ago I was going from one youtube video to another and I ended up watching Siobhán Donaghy. I can say one thing for sure – she’s got really good voice. However, her songs vary in quality…

I’m going to show you the one that is quite strange, but in a positive way. ‘Ghosts’ has a truly hypnotic vibe with lots of tiny sounds, drifting synths and vocals played backwards. Unique, unless you are familiar with Cocteau Twins.

I am pretty sure, that many of you will find yourselves listening to the song several times. Unwinding, isn’t it?

Here’s the clip – an amateur one, but whoever made the video could definitely feel the track’s climate.

These songs are all absolutely gorgeous.
That’s really how I’m going to describe them.
A lot of piano and such.

002 battlefield shockoflove.wordpress.com.rar [110.70MiB]

mozella, susie suh, julia (anne), lily holbrook, stacy clark, siobhan donaghy, regina spektor, fiona apple, emilie simon, natalie walker, holly brook, kaki king, jenny owen youngs, brooke fraser, tracy bonham, sufjan stevens, elisa, landon pigg, mandy moore, meiko, sara bareilles, st. vincent

Comprehension is a word that sometimes takes time to comprehend. I have not busted out in words in the longest the time! The last I checked I did it on the 6th of September, and I could not even manage a full post but a post of only 3 lines. How pathetic!

Now the September 13th has arrived and boy oh boy do I have lots to tell. Okay not really, but you get my drift. Music wise, I’ve got Micky Green. Who way before Lykke Li came onto the scene with her brand of quirky stripped down pop, had debuted her first album called White T-shirt.

She hails from the land down under but is now residing in Paris. The Parisians have taken on a liking to her and its good that her model looks have helped her blend into the whole Parisian market. She looks and sounds like a perfect French chanteuse with an amazing video for her two singles Oh! and Shoulda

Two songs have this perfect pop quality to it. Shoulda is a sorta light disco, bob-your-head, quirky pop track. The laconic way the video goes from Micky in normal surroundings to digital world fits the song perfectly. Oh! on the other hand sounds like a song straight out of a Feist album but in a lower-key voice. Its finger snaps throughout the song makes it such a catchy tune that you can’t stop thinking about it even after the songs ends.

Shoulda

Oh!

But sadly, her album, White T-shirt is somewhat of a letdown bar this two tracks. It has this sort of bland quality to it that makes it a little bit disappointing. Nonetheless, she might just blow us away with her second record (if she’s making one) and take the record world by storm! I’m optimistic that way.

And I am sad to report that despite taking a stab once again at a second solo album, our dear Siobhan Donaghy has been dropped from Parlophone Records (after she signed a five-album deal with them). This news comes in as turmoil tumbles about within Parlophone and big brother EMI records. Fan favourites like Siobhan and Roisin Murphy are currently in a sort of a rut, dropped or be dropped. Hopefully Siobhan continues making music because it would be a terrible loss if she doesn’t.

Rumors has it that indie labels are courting her. Which is a good sign that she can still make music. I’d rather her be on a indie label than a big one.

Don’t Give It Up – one of the best songs of ‘07 for me.

Three videos and a whole lotta words! I’m proud of myself. Hehehehe…

Desktop wallpaper featuring Former Sugababe Siobhan Donaghy

…. wallspawn