Saturday Night Spiritual Guidance
Maybe Parallax View has just been spending too much time recently listening to dark, serious rock music, but it doesn't seem like 2004 has exactly been a vintage year to date for R&B/hiphop. Perhaps a hot new face/voice is needed on the scene, so welcome to Estelle, whose 1980 (Year That God Made Me) gets the nod for Parallax View Single Of The Week. The song features the feisty young British rapper waxing wittily about her tough but colourful upbringing set against a bold and brassy production, giving it the feel of a timeless summer hit. Estelle, then: reassuringly expansive.
Meanwhile, it's been several long months since I first heard tracks from Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spektor on Jon Kennedy's Xfm show, but finally the record has been given a proper UK release by Shoplifter Records so it can be awarded PV Album Of The Week. Combining Russian kookiness with New York attitude, Spektor provides the missing link between Vanessa Carlton and Scout Niblett with her quasi-classical folk music shot through with a semi-improvised feel. Stand out tracks include Poor Little Rich Boy and Chemo Limo, but really it's all good, and definitely worth an investigation if you have a healthy passion for female singer-songwriters.
Can also recommend The Rapture Is Live And Well In New York City on DVD. I've never been a big one for live music DVDs but now I have a TV with decent sound, it's a more appealing concept. The big difference with this one is that it's filmed in a relatively small arena (Bowery Ballroom Club in NY) so it has the sweaty, intimate feel of the best kind of indie gig. It's also a big advantage that The Rapture are one of the best live acts du jour, and this show was filmed just a few weeks before I saw them deliver an outstanding performance in Birmingham. You also get the promo videos for House Of Jealous Lovers; Sister Saviour and Love Is All in addition to the 50-minute show, but it's quality not quantity that's the biggest selling factor of this disc.
Oh, and Sacha Distel RIP. Presumably something heavier than a raindrop fell on his head this time around. The Gallic crooner was 71.
Maybe Parallax View has just been spending too much time recently listening to dark, serious rock music, but it doesn't seem like 2004 has exactly been a vintage year to date for R&B/hiphop. Perhaps a hot new face/voice is needed on the scene, so welcome to Estelle, whose 1980 (Year That God Made Me) gets the nod for Parallax View Single Of The Week. The song features the feisty young British rapper waxing wittily about her tough but colourful upbringing set against a bold and brassy production, giving it the feel of a timeless summer hit. Estelle, then: reassuringly expansive.
Meanwhile, it's been several long months since I first heard tracks from Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spektor on Jon Kennedy's Xfm show, but finally the record has been given a proper UK release by Shoplifter Records so it can be awarded PV Album Of The Week. Combining Russian kookiness with New York attitude, Spektor provides the missing link between Vanessa Carlton and Scout Niblett with her quasi-classical folk music shot through with a semi-improvised feel. Stand out tracks include Poor Little Rich Boy and Chemo Limo, but really it's all good, and definitely worth an investigation if you have a healthy passion for female singer-songwriters.
Can also recommend The Rapture Is Live And Well In New York City on DVD. I've never been a big one for live music DVDs but now I have a TV with decent sound, it's a more appealing concept. The big difference with this one is that it's filmed in a relatively small arena (Bowery Ballroom Club in NY) so it has the sweaty, intimate feel of the best kind of indie gig. It's also a big advantage that The Rapture are one of the best live acts du jour, and this show was filmed just a few weeks before I saw them deliver an outstanding performance in Birmingham. You also get the promo videos for House Of Jealous Lovers; Sister Saviour and Love Is All in addition to the 50-minute show, but it's quality not quantity that's the biggest selling factor of this disc.
Oh, and Sacha Distel RIP. Presumably something heavier than a raindrop fell on his head this time around. The Gallic crooner was 71.
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