The nearly completely useless NME Cool List hit the internet today and while most of the list is predictable (M.I.A. and Lil Wayne are cool? This is entirely new information!), one inclusion/exclusion seemed a bit odd. Most people have likely made up their minds about MGMT at this point–especially since their music has been difficult to avoid in late 2008–and their inclusion in an arbitrary list makes sense. But what made Andrew VanWyngarden the “cool” half?
How could we allow this to happen in America? The Klaxons have been accused of keeping an award won by the Arctic Monkeys at the NME Awards USA last month. The Next Big Things behind “Fluorescent Adolescent” couldn’t make it out to the LA event, so a Klaxon and Mark Ronson ambushed the stage when model Agyness Deyn announced the Monkeys had won Best “International” Album, swiping the trophy and shouting “We’re up for it and we’re having a laugh!” When I ask how could this happen in America, I’m not saying we don’t allow people to jump the stage at award shows. I’m noting that an stateside award ceremony controversy involving Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys, Mark Ronson, and a model named Agyness Deyn obviously breaks the Third Amendment. Throw a Shawn Colvin or a Kanye in that mix, NME, or keep it on your damn island.
Tonight’s Brit Awards didn’t just serve as the latest stop on Amy Winehouse’s during-rehab Rehab Tour: the ceremony also had a segment where Rihanna interpolated “Umbrella” with the Klaxons’ “Golden Skans,” the latest incidence of her formerly ubiquitous hit being smooshed together with a song from a different genre/era. But did melding the track with the “Shattered Dreams” soundalike really work? I’m unsure, although I should note that said uneasiness didn’t really hit me until “Golden Skans”‘ “ooh-ooh-oohs” kicked in–and I’m pretty sure Ri-Ri’s somewhat challenged enunciation didn’t help my overall perception much. For comparison’s sake, the version Rihanna performed with the Time last week at the Grammys is after the jump.
After mixing “Umbrella” up with The Time’s “Jungle Love” at last week’s Grammys, Rihanna is set to perform the umpteenth “live remix” of the song at Wednesday’s Brit Awards. More »
Thumbing their nose at British legends, Canadian upstarts, and America in general, the NME has named the clattering debut from dance-rockers the Klaxons as the best album of the year and the band’s “Golden Skans” as the year’s best single. (But don’t worry, because Radiohead and the Arcade Fire both find their way into the Top 5.) The tabloid’s picks for its 50 favorite albums and 50 favorite songs are after the jump, but first our thoughts on a publication that really liked the nu-rave.
THE GOOD: Les Savy Fav’s Lets Stay Friends, an unexpected comeback from a favorite band that I initially filed away as “pleasantly non-embarassing” but that sounds better with every spin, makes a surprising (but not undeserved) appearance at No. 5.
THE BAD: Even accounting for my age and citizenship, the singles list is something of a foreign language. Totally willing to give it a fair shake, of course, but given the NME‘s blog-shaming track record for mercurial hype and band names like the “Ting Tings,” I feel more comfortable than usual with my cranky suspicions.
THE WHAAAA? “Umbrella” is once again a rock mag’s only cop to radio pop (as defined in the U.S.) or R&B (unless you count Ms. Winehouse). Did everyone just raise the white flag during its reign of terror earlier in the year?
Visa issues–which have affected artists from the Mercury Prize-winning Klaxons to the fantastic Holly Golightly–have seemingly become the No. 1 reason for overseas artists to shelve their tours lately, so the Wall Street Journal took a look at the increasingly difficult process they have to go through to get their paperwork in order. At issue is the P-1 visa, which forces bands who are coming to the U.S. to prove that they have been “internationally recognized” for a “sustained and substantial” time period. Apparently, the perfect storm of increased “homeland security,” the fragmentation of the music industry, and rascally Internet buzz has resulted in the bureaucrats employed by our government to start passing muster on not just the musicians whose visa applications they’re processing, but the Web sites that help transmit news of said artists across the pond:
Nu-rave banner-hoisters Klaxons win the Mercury Prize, the award given to the best British or Irish album of the last 12 months. Yes, really. OK, OK, “Golden Skans” is a pretty good song. But really? Klaxons? Did Natasha Khan run over someone’s bunny with her bike or something? More »
– The Verve is reuniting, with a few catches: Guitarist Simon Tong will not be performing, and on select dates, Richard Ashcroft will be replaced by John Ashcroft. More »
Welcome to On The Shelf, Idolator’s weekly look at new releases hitting store shelves on Tuesday. Things are certainly starting to pick up, as far as noteworthy releases go; in addition to the five albums we’re spotlighting below, this week sees the full-length from Mims, a will.i.am-aided comeback effort by crazy old Macy Gray, and the U.S. debut of the Mercurial British vocalist Mika.
After the jump, we look at new releases from Jennifer Lopez, Klaxons, Redman, and Good Charlotte, as well as the week’s probable No. 1: Now 24.
Last week, the NME ran a 1,300-word, margin-busting review of Myths Of The Near Future, the first album by “new rave” standard-bearers Klaxons. If you’ve ever wondered just how the overheated British bible maintains its status as an innovator in pumping up bands until they’re ready to pop, this Alex Miller write-up–which gave the album a 9 out of 10–is a pretty good primer; not only does it name-drop Damon Albarn, Aleister Crowley, and Buzz Aldrin, it tells both history and trustafarians to fuck off.
After the jump, we pick out the crucial ingredients from the NME‘s cauldron of day-glo hype.
