The battle of the unexpected remixes

Listening to: Radio 1

Most of you will hopefully be familiar with the first single from the forthcoming Foos' album, Rope. It took a while to grow on me, but I'm loving it now.

Some of you will also be familiar with the remix of this single done by a certain Mr Joel Zimmerman, a.k.a. deadmau5. An electro-house remix of a rock song? Surely that's not gonna work? On the contrary (in my opinion at least) - I think it works very well. Here, see for yourself:

Now if that wasn't enough, the amaaaaaaaazing Chase & Status were in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge today with Delilah, and guess what they covered? If you can't guess, go to the top of this post and start reading again :P. But yes, again...a dubstep remix of a rock song? With female vocals? Surely a no-no? Well have a listen:

So what do you think? Personally, I love all three. I think the remixes are faithful to the original without being carbon copies, and they're also faithful to the genres of their respective artists. And I love Delilah's voice.

Die hard Foo Fighters fans might be offended that someone has dared to touch the work of their darlings, but I think it should be taken as a compliment. Especially when the remixes are this good.

British rock, you say?

Listening to: Radio 1

Nothing much to blog about these days, so I'm just gonna share more new British music. Not quirky indie for a change...more 'rock' I guess.

Free - Twin Atlantic

The Waiting Room - We Are The Ocean

Higher and Higher - The Blackout

Interestingly, Twin Atlantic's first EP was produced by Romesh Dodangoda, who also produced The Blackout's first album/EP...and We Are The Ocean have apparently supported The Blackout on tour. Howzzat, fact fans?

Enjoy!

Remembering the remixes

Listening to: Radio 1

It's Sunday...and in my world, that means 'flashback'. A little known fact (or is it?) is that while growing up, my idol was the one and only Mariah Carey. Before she went bat shit anyway. I wanted to be as beautiful and as talented as her. Ah well, one can dream.

Aaanyway, instead of giving you the usual 'single' versions of some of my preferred Mariah tracks, I figured I'd give you the remixes...the ones you may not have heard before.

Dreamlover - Club Joint Mix (not sure if this is an official mix, but I ♥ it)

Fantasy - Bad Boy Remix ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard

Always Be My Baby - Mr. Dupri Mix ft. Da Brat and Xscape

Honey - So So Def Remix ft. Da Brat and Jermaine Dupri

The '90s were cool, yo. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I wish I was this cool

Listening to: Radio 1

That's one of my tags on tumblr. I mean is it too much to ask to be effortlessly cool? I wanna be one of those people that rolls out of bed looking awesome. Haha wishful thinking indeed.

Aaanyway, here are a few songs that make me wish I was cool. It's been a while since a music post so...

Get Away - Yuck

I dunno why, but this reminds me of Smashing Pumpkins

Whirring - The Joy Formidable

Yay, yet another cool Welsh band!

Undertow - Warpaint

Random fact: This video was apparently directed by the girl who came in 40 Days and 40 Nights

If You Wanna - The Vaccines

"What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?" is such a cool album title!

Brick by Brick - Arctic Monkeys

Anyone else feel like they've been transported back to the '60s?

I'm really looking forward to the next Monkeys single. Is "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" an amazing title or what?!

Hope you like this stuff. If you know of any similar music that I may not have come across, feel free to suggest!

Aural Ambrosia

Listening to: Radio 1

I've heard this a billion times, and it still gets me.

If that doesn't move you...I don't know what will.

Heather Morris is a goddess

Listening to: 'Me Against The Music' by Glee Cast [Glee: Season 2]

So I know I'm a bit late, but I just caught up on last week's episode of Glee - Britney/Brittany. As I said on twitter...OMLG* that was amazing. Heather Morris' body moves in mysterious ways (if you don't believe me, check out this low quality LSFW youtube vid of I'm a Slave 4 U from that episode). I mean I know she's a professional dancer and all, but I've got so used to her being 'Brittany' that I forget that she's got more in her box of tricks than just comedy.

My favourite performance of the episode was Brittany's duet with Santana, and luckily I managed to find a high quality video of it. Just look.at.her.move.

I think every house should have a Brittany. She can sing, she can dance...and when you're sad, she'll cheer you up with lines like -

"I was pretty sure Dr. Pepper was a dentist."
"Are you a cat?"
"Finn can fly?"

What more could you possibly want?


*What?! You don't say Oh My Lady Gaga? OMLG!

Wish Lists

Listening to: Radio 1

At time of publishing this post...

DVDs

• Sherlock
  Current Price: £8.93
  Target Price: < £5


• (500) Days of Summer
  Current Price: £4.79
  Target Price: < £3


• Glee: Season 1 Box Set
  Current Price: £27.93
  Target Price: < £20


• Inbetweeners: Complete Box Set (Series 1, 2, 3)
  Current Price: £26.93
  Target Price: < £10


• Emma (2009 BBC version)
  Current Price: £10.49
  Target Price: < £5


• Mean Girls
  Current Price: £3.49
  Target Price: < £3

CDs/mp3 Albums

• Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons
  Current Price: £3.99
  Target Price: < £3


• The Hits Collection: Volume 1 - Jay Z
  Current Price: £6.49
  Target Price: < £5


• XX - The XX
  Current Price: £3.99
  Target Price: < £3


• Catching a Tiger - Lissie
  Current Price: £3
  Target Price: < £3

Amazon mage salli kanawaaaaa*!!! And in addition to those 'target prices', I'm only willing to spend £10 per month on music/movies.

I need a job dammit.

*is eating my money

Merry Christmas

Listening to: nothing

I'm still in thesis hell, so apologies to anyone who's contacted me and not got a response. I appreciate all your good wishes and I promise I'll reply when I'm done.

As an apology, please accept this video from my future husband Plan B -

Merry Christmas everybody! Stay warm and stay safe, people.

Yet another filler post

Listening to: Radio 1

In the spirit of just posting random youtube videos until I submit my thesis, I randomly remembered this video today, and was surprised to find that I haven't shared it on here before.

Behold the king of cover versions that is Brett Domino.

It's December

Listening to: Radio 1

...which means it's officially OK to share the best Christmas song ever made.

Back when she was normal and awesome. Oh god how I loved her.

Chris Moyles played it on Radio 1 and I danced around my room like a right loony...15 minutes later, I'm still short of breath. And that's how it's done, boys and girls.

You are my medicine

Listening to: Radio 1

Quick mini post 'cos I'm in the middle of a productive day. I'll blog about the Gorillaz gig later, but for now, treat your ears to 3 minutes and 14 seconds of pure awesome.

When I'm down and I feel like giving up

Listening to: Radio 1

There are two songs that I can't get enough of right now. And as per usual, they're completely different.

Whip My Hair - Willow Smith

OK let's forget the artist for a minute, and focus on the song. It is a CHOON! The hook is catchy as hell...and if the beat doesn't get you bouncing, I dunno what will. I can't embed her music video, so here's her performance on Ellen.

Now let's go back to the artist. She's ten, and the daughter of Will Smith a.k.a. the nicest, coolest guy in the universe. Child stars like her worry me a bit...I'm concerned that she might turn into the next LiLo/Britney/Demi Lovato etc. etc...but her parents seem pretty grounded, so hopefully that'll work in her favour. *fingers crossed*

Your Song - Ellie Goulding

When I heard Fearne Cotton mention that there was a cover of Elton John's 'Your Song', I died a little inside. It's one of my favourite songs and a cover that didn't show due respect would be a disaster in my books. Thankfully, Ellie Goulding doesn't disappoint. Obviously it helps that the track was produced by one of the guys from Mumford & Sons, but I think Ellie's voice really shines here. Her album is good, but sometimes the electronic production eclipses her unique tone, which is a shame. In this track, however, it's laid bare for all to appreciate. John Lewis have struck gold by making this the soundtrack to their Christmas TV ad, and although I think the iTunes release is a bit premature, I'm hoping this'll be a contender for xmas #1.

In other news, I've had 3 1/2hrs' sleep, I'm currently in the lab, and I'm off to London in the evening to see Gorillaz at the O₂! Oh the rockstar life I lead.

Stressbuster!

Listening to: 'The Heart Never Lies' by McFly [McFly: Greatest Hits]

I've been so stressed lately. Like a sumo wrestler is sitting on my shoulders. I've been trying to find quick fix stress relievers, but I haven't had much luck...until this evening. I was walking back from the lab (I left my bike at home today 'cos it was so windy) and listening to some music, when the following song came on. I pretty much sang along out loud and skipped all the way home. And now I'm feeling all energised. Not necessarily motivated, but I'll take what I can get :D

Anyway, here it is:

"There's nothing on Earth that can save us, when I fell in love with Uranus" :D

And since seeing them on the Chris Moyles Show Access All Areas Tour (which I'll blog about in more detail soon) yesterday, I am properly in love with McFly. Specifically Harry.

L-R: Tom, Dougie, Danny, Harry

Ladies (and gents), if you'd like to see more *ahem* revealing pics from their Attitude shoot, click here (they're totally NSFW, in case it wasn't obvious from the above pic). You're welcome.

Guiltless pleasure

Listening to: 'Love You More' by JLS [BBC Children In Need]

In all honesty, if I could call anything a 'guilty pleasure', it'd be this song. I mean seriously, the lyrics are truly atrocious.

"...Day three was the same as day two..."

Really, Oritsé? Was that the best you could do? And I thought Craig David was bad *shakes head in disbelief*

But yeah, cheesy lines aside, JLS' newest offering is perfect. Soaring melody? Check. Beautiful vocals? Check. Marvin Humes a.k.a. Mr Sex-on-Legs? Mmm check. AAAND...it's the official single for this year's BBC Children In Need, so all proceeds are to charity! Everyone *awwww* in unison, please? Thank you.

Anyway, enough chatter from ol' sarcypants here. Here's the video. Don't you just love the return of the quintessential 90s boy band? The Wanted ain't got nothing on these guys.

And to all the haters, I shall give you a Cowell-esque reply:

Now excuse me while I return to my spot in front of the mirror. Clenched fists, outstretched arms and pointy fingers, here I come!

Sexy Rock/Pop/Punk

Listening to: Radio 1

OK so I may be a little late to the party, but I am LOVING this track by Sleigh Bells! As a group they're like a rougher Ting Tings, which isn't a bad thing by any means. As a song, I can hear elements of Cage the Elephant...also not a bad thing. I think what does it for me is the heavy beat. The beat is similar to the dubstep bass in that slow, pulsating way that makes your head bob up and down of its own accord.

Anyway here it is - 'Infinity Guitars' by Sleigh Bells. Enjoy!

Marry me Strickland...again!

Listening to: 'This Love (Will Be Your Downfall)' by Ellie Goulding [Lights]

You may recall that I've proposed to Mr Banks before. You may also recall that I got myself a ticket to his gig at the Cambridge Corn Exchange a while back. When I booked the ticket, I thought that by now I'd be living in London with some new letters at the end of my name, searching for jobs. I'm still here, though, rocking the 'PseudoRandom is an epic fail' vibe...so all I had to do was walk around the back of my department to the concert venue.

After some initial hassle with seetickets (seriously, Ticketmaster is so much better), I made my way into the hall. I'll admit it was a bit weird...not because I was alone or 'cos I had literally just walked out of my lab...but 'cos I'd only been to the Corn Exchange twice before, and one of those visits was for the university-wide Health and Safety briefing *groan*. Can someone say 'major buzz kill'?

But back to the gig. The support act was Clare Maguire. I'd heard her single Ain't Nobody (check out the amazing Breakage remix too), so I was looking forward to her set. I have to say her other songs weren't as memorable (maybe I need a few more listens) but OH MY GOD her voice. So powerful, so rich, so...oh I dunno. It just grabbed my insides and didn't let go until the end of each song. And I could definitely sense that she was channelling Florence with the flowing dress and the wavy hands, which is definitely not a bad thing (although I'm not sure what the writhing on the floor bit was about).

Clare Maguire and her cape-y dress

Anyhoo, her set finished at around 8.30 and then by about 10 past 9, the lights went back down. Everyone thought it would be Plan B himself, but it wasn't. Instead, it was the absolutely fabulous FaithSFX. WOW. Anyone who can beatbox tracks by Chris Brown, Lil' Wayne and Tinie Tempah, and then freestyle with helicopter and explosion noises and Arnie impersonations gets my vote. He kept the crowd entertained for a good few minutes, and then introduced Plan B and the band.

FaithSFX beatboxing his way to my heart

The brilliant band

Now the problem with this 'review' is that I've only just got to the main act, and I've already run out of superlatives. I shall have to resort to OMGWTFBBQ...'cos there really isn't any other way to express how 'out of this world' Plan B's set was. 10 out of the 13 album tracks, including a reggae version of Prayin'; an unreleased track; a revamped version one of the more popular tracks from his first album, Charmaine; a complete reworking of Paolo Nutini's Coming Up Easy...and a phenomenal soul medley with stuff like Tracks of My Tears, My Girl and Stand By Me. It doesn't stop there though, 'cos half way through Stand By Me, FaithSFX came back on stage and the set went into dubstep mode. I had never heard Stand By Me or Ain't No Sunshine done in a dubstep style, but now I wanna hear them again. The soul medley was followed by a dubstep remix of Seal's Kiss From a Rose, and then Eminem's Forgot About Dre. As predicted, he finished with Stay Too Long...and while the crowd was moshing away in the pit, Plan B and FaithSFX were having their own moshing session on stage...while still performing, mind you! The atmosphere was incredible.

*hubba hubba*

So yes, I have now fallen even more in love with Plan B, if that was at all possible. As I announced on twitter soon afterwards, that was officially the best gig I have ever been to. And to top it all off, Plan B retweeted me! Oh don't look at me like that...how many famous people have retweeted your tweets, eh? :P

I found a love electric

Listening to: 'Stylo (Labrinth SNES Remix)' by Gorillaz ft. Bobby Womack, Mos Def and Tinie Tempah [On Melancholy Hill]

I happened to visit last.fm today, and I noticed my 'top artists' list for the past twelve months. I figured I'd share it here.

Cool huh? What caught me by surprise is that despite only getting the album yesterday, Tinie Tempah's already #10...shows you how much I've been listening to Pass Out since it came out in March! The album is amazing, BTW. Heavy beats, catchy melodic choruses and oh so quotable rhymes...what more could you want?

Somewhat related, you should totally check out the SNES remix of Gorillaz' Stylo, done by Labrinth (and featuring Tinie Tempah). It is HEAVY.

In other news, I still haven't got my Plan B tix. The gig's next week! WTF Seetickets...sort it out.

Aaanyway, back to work.

Put your hands up in the air!

Listening to: Radio 1

Continuing with my Tinie Tempah obsession, and adding that to my love for repetitive beats...I give you Miami 2 Ibiza - I dare you to resist hitting the 'Replay' button (unless of course you don't like Electro House, in which case...*meh*)

Warning: NSFW

And I thought they couldn't beat One.

Hand over your money, your phone and your Pokémon cards

Listening to: 'Written in the Stars' by Tinie Tempah ft. Eric Turner [Disc-Overy]

Nah, the title isn't relevant...I was just listening to Plan B's 'Kidz' on the way home.

I cleaned my keyboard. Not just a wipe down like normal...a proper 'unscrew the back and take all the keys out' job. Oh. My. God. I have never seen so much dirt. Ewwwwwwwww. Exactly how many eyelashes am I supposed to have?

Anyway it's clean now. Smells quite lemony too. Some of the keys are a bit stiff - only the ones with springs though...maybe I put the springs back the wrong way or something. I might investigate before going to bed tonight. The spacebar is definitely dodgy.

In other news, I think I'm just a little bit in love with Tinie Tempah. He's sooooo nice! And his speaking voice *swoon*. And his body *drool*. And he likes Michael Bublé...have you ever heard of a rapper admitting that they like the Bublé? So cool. I love the new video. I know he's just jumping around on a rooftop, but still... #suchasuckerfortheswaggeryo. If only he'd lift his trousers up a bit and get rid of that earring, he'd be perfect.

Oh oh oh and remember the fit drummer of Bombay Bicycle Club that I was going on about? Turns out my mother did ballet with his aunt or something. I don't care that it was almost half a century ago, I'm using that as my claim to fame. You heard it here first.

OK I should get back to work. When will this ennnnnnnnnd?! *sigh*

Post-PhD To-Do List

Listening to: 'Let The Sun Shine' by Labrinth [-]

Yes I've already begun. So far, I have...

• Buy the Glee: Season 1 DVD
• Get a TV (and a TV License)
• Watch Glee: Season 2 (it starts in the UK in Jan)
• Learn to drive
• Learn to play guitar

Oh and there's also that other one...

• Get a job

:-|

In the meantime, I shall get on with my thesis while listening to this awesome choon. Hate Simon Cowell all you want, but I for one am thankful that he signed Labrinth on as not just a producer.