After all that “backing boy musicians are angry because female lead gets all the attention” drama that nearly split the group apart (a brush-up on No Doubt’s history should have really been a requisite project for these kids) and a detour into the dark and vampiry on the Evanescence-esque Twlight single “Decode”, how refreshing what is to hear Paramore kick off their upcoming junior set brand new eyes with “Ignorance”, a return to the irresistably peppy/ catchy pop-rock formula that made them the breakout act of 2007.
Yeah, it might not sport an immediately cherishable, greater-than-great hook of a “Misery Business” or “Crushcrushcrush”, but you can’t deny the sugary addictiveness of all it’s guitar thrash, heavy bass chug and rapid fire drum work nor the charismatic force known as Hayley Williams snarl-wailing her heart out atop it all.
Last week, the band entered the Live Lounge studios for a two-song live gig and, as they’ve proven with acoustic readings of a lot of their previous material, Paramore made “Ignorance” sound just as good, if not better. With the urgent intensity of the original’s thunderous rawk rage nicely re-imagined through some quickly-flitting acoustic guitar pickings and Williams commiting a more restrained vocal performance heightened by hoarsened peaks, the song manages to grasp an even stronger emotional wallop, as if the inter-band strife documented in the razor sharp lyrics is a currently festering issue rather than a tribulation of the past.
Catch the performances of both “Ignorance” and, yes, yet another amazing female-led cover of Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” below.
While we won’t be as quick to jump on the increasingly tiresome (and oh-so-premature) “next Amy Winehouse” hype-tags that critics have been so eager to plant on England-born newcomer Pixie Lott, we will admit to being slightly won over by the 18-year-old’s beyond-her-age vocal talent, and judging by the chart-topping success of her catchy debut single, “Mama Do (Uh Oh Uh Oh)”, it seems we’re not alone in that position.
Yet another dose of the handclap-aided, retro-soul-tinged pop we’ve heard close to a million times in recent years by various other instantly acclaimed chanteuses, “Mama Do” adheres so closely to the overly-familiar formula without trying anything new, it’ll likely end up much-forgotten in the long run.
But, for the moment, we can’t get enough of the old-soul seasonings Lott weaves into the song’s teenybop drama, whether she’s stressing over her on-again/ off-again boyfriend or bristling with fear over how her parents might react once they find out she’s been sneaking out of the house late at night to cavort around the town with him (not to mention those breathily tossed “uh-oh”‘s sprinkled all over the number that threaten to hold your brain hostage long after the song’s faded away).
If that’s not enough to justify making room for Pixie on your iPods next to the Adele’s and Amy’s though, peep the wearied diva polish she expertly slathers all over acoustic renditions of “Mama Do” and Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” below, then get back to us on whether you think she’s worthwhile or not.
Pixie’s debut, Turn It Up, drops in the UK in September.
The beloved Lykke Li covers a 2007 seven-minute-plus Kings of Leon album track about a “renegade” couple who hit the highway in hopes of getting out of the grasp of a disapproving mama not too keen about them having offspring…said cover is then flipped into this amazing, but confusing to describe, mash-up/ remix-thing which melds Li’s vocals with Caleb’s over new production handled by Santogold producer John “Rodeo” Hill, is released as a KOL B-side, and becomes an instant blog-sation…then, that remix is reconfigured yet again by Phoenix team Death To The Throne, who strip it of any Followill involvement, and throw it atop a slamming, electro-dance under-thump?
Boy does the music industry work in strange ways these days.
While it’s true that Kings of Leon’s continued distancing from their stellar, Southern rock-rooted beginnings for stadium-catering pop/ rock polish is a bit disappointing, it’s still hard to deny the epic, one-two punch of Only By The Night singles “Sex On Fire” and “Use Somebody”; especially the latter, a yearning plea for romantic companionship set afire by a blazing wall of raaawwkk bombast and singer Caleb Followill’s piercing yowls.
On this breathtaking live cover from BBC’s Live Lounge, eccentric English chanteuse Bat For Lashes (née Natasha Khan) digs even deeper into “Use Somebody”‘s emotional core, ridding it of Leon’s guitar and drum fireworks show for a gloomy, organ-and tambourine-based backdrop that beautifully compliments the song’s late-night longing lyrical visual.
Yet another masterful performance from the much-acclaimed songstress (her recently dropped Two Suns is a must-have!!).
Mixing a hipster East Coast coolness with the rootsiness of Southern rock performed with a bluesy growl, the brotherly-and-a-cousin quartet Kings of Leon have gotten UK audiences and critics all in a tizzy over their two previous album. Their third disc, Because of the Times, will be preceded by the single, “On Call”.
Perhaps inspired by being an opening act for rock icons U2, Bob Dylan and Pearl Jam, the Followill Brothers have made an attempt at expanding their sound a bit on Times. For “On Call”, the band take what is essentially a chorus and extend it into a three-and-a-half minute rock curioso promising to raise eyebrows by being more artsy and polished than we’ve heard from them in the past.
More of an instrumental force, lead singer Caleb Followill’s signature purr is there but it’s not the main focus here as his fellow bandmates dominate, coloring a prog rock leaning jam that will leave you mystified whether you agree with it’s vibe or not. A simple bass line sets itself as “On Call”‘s main hook as an atmospheric intro and guitar-enhanced final third bookend the strange listen. Caleb’s distressing repeated lines of devotion barely register as a complete song, more like an album interlude, but it’s monotony adds to the song’s hypnotic flair.
For the song’s obvious efforts to attempt something new, it’s results are both underwhelming yet still inviting. It’s like a prelude to an album that promises to be daring and different without giving too much away. Most likely, it won’t do much to build upon their indie status in the States, but it’ll be interesting to see how their more active fanbase overseas react to this odd overhaul in sound.
As nice as it is to get free music, think of how much better your soul would feel if you purchased it the old-fashioned way.
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(MP3 posts are for promotional and/ or previewing purposes only; if any artist or their representation wish to have the links removed, contact me and I will happily comply!)
After all that “backing boy musicians are angry because female lead gets all the attention” drama that nearly split the group apart (a brush-up on No Doubt’s history should have really been a requisite project for these kids) and a detour into the dark and vampiry on the Evanescence-esque Twlight single “Decode”, how refreshing what is to hear Paramore kick off their upcoming junior set brand new eyes with “Ignorance”, a return to the irresistably peppy/ catchy pop-rock formula that made them the breakout act of 2007.
While we won’t be as quick to jump on the increasingly tiresome (and oh-so-premature) “next Amy Winehouse” hype-tags that critics have been so eager to plant on England-born newcomer 
Now correct us if we get any of this wrong: 
While it’s true that Kings of Leon’s continued distancing from their stellar, Southern rock-rooted beginnings for stadium-catering pop/ rock polish is a bit disappointing, it’s still hard to deny the epic, one-two punch of 
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