Dancing With Ghosts

To copy a post I made months back in which I hoped things would perk up in March, the world of music is going through a dark patch, and annoyingly it's still not shifting. The shroud of Blunt, as I'm going to name it, has taken over the album charts for Mother's Day. A quick glance at the album charts is just plain offensive to people who give a flying fuck about music. How have albums been handed to Journey South (a duo so unoriginal they name themselves after directions) and Andy Abraham (a man so rubbish that he used to collect it) when the mighty (classic) 'Misbehaving' by Rosie Ribbons remains unreleased I ask you!?!!? Russel Watson? Jack Johnson? Beverley Knight's 'greatest' 'hits'? Seriously, why the fuck should people keep making good music if people insist on buying rubbish like this. It almost makes me wish we were all still raving about Arctic Monkeys...

The Modern seemed our one slavation. They make it into the top 20 and 'they' (the Blunt buyers) have to go and sabotage it. Speaking of which, does anyone want a Modern single? I've got loads...

The world of indie, usually the last resort for guilty pleasures, isn't pulling out any gems. Only We Are Scientists, The Kooks and Lorraine are giving us anything remotely squee-able. Meanwhile The Raconteurs and Dirty Pretty Things trade off past glories.

Depressing really, as I started the year talking about Frank Popp Ensemble, and it all started to look up...

But! All is not lost! Two records in just as many months have taken me well and truly by storm, shaking by ass to frequencies off the scale. These records are Orson 'No Tomorrow', which is the perfect blend of pop-cool, indie-scream-along-ability and both indie and pop-danceability, and Rihanna's 'SOS (Rescue Me)' which is trying so hard and so destined to fail it's no wonder we're in such a sorry state. I mean using a 'Tainted Love' sample on a hip-pop songtress is a masterstroke. And it sounds SOOO good. It makes me wanted to burst with excitement.

Plus, rubbishness of the current gives you an excuse to hit the sales and buy some stuff from a few years back. I'm currently spinning N*E*R*D - In Search Of, Amerie - Touch and the brilliant Lene - Play With Me (which features 'Scream', officially one of the greatest pop songs ever written). You can play what you like, but that's my poison.

Also: if your life is lacking indie-pop fantasticness/proof that people are trying, check out Men, Women & Children (I recommend 'Dance In My Blood') and Paper Faces (I recommend 'Disco Boy').

Go to it!