Michael Jackson

Yesterday’s news is something you’ll remember for your the rest of your life – where you were, what you were doing when you heard the words, who told you…as a great legend and inspiration passed on.

There are really no words to encompass Michael Jackson’s career and impact he had on the music industry – from his renowned Thriller – the best-selling album of all time (with approx 28 Milllion copies in the US alone, and about 100 million world wide) to breaking the racial boundaries with music videos on MTV and, of course, the infamous moonwalking .

So today, I leave you with all the glory that is Michael Jackson:

Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance

This stop-motion video is so refreshing. Who says you need a movie to make a stunning music video? You have to check it out.

Band of Skulls

The Band of Skulls are hitting NXNE this weekend in Toronto and I can’t wait! Reminiscent of the White Stripes with heavy guitars and drums, their sound is pure rock and roll… Reigning from SouthHampton UK, this three piece band was picked up and pushed heavily by iTunes in early April with their debut album “Baby Darling Doll Face Honey” (which was also recently released on cd) You can join in on the listening party for free at their website here: http://www.bandofskulls.com/listen/

Love it, don’t you? Such a strong influence of 70s, mixed with 90s garage and alternate rock. From the dreamy, acoustic tracks like “Honest” to the raw rock and back and forth vocal battles of singers Emma and Russell in their single “I Know What I Am”. This cd just leaves me more than satisfied.

I Know What I Am


Also cool to note that singer Emma Richardson is not only a talented musician, but an artist as well and pulled pieces from her exhibit “Meat Me at the Butchers” to use as their cover art .

White Rabbits

This video was dropped a little over a month and a half ago, but since I’m new to this whole ‘my own blog’ thang I’m still catching up on some of my favs in the past little while. Thus leading me to the White Rabbits. This sextuplet followed up to their debut album, Fort Night, with their sophomore album, Its Frightening, on May 19th and its is all about leading with the beat – reflected in their album cover which is a mis-mash of a drummer and a pianist and especially evident in their latest single Percussion Gun…. This video and this track is sick. The drummers remind me of Animal from the muppets in this video – crazy, wild and just giving it on the drums.

I’m also loving Lionesse with its eerie piano and They Done Wrong/We Done Wrong.

Their entire album can be streamed off their myspace: www.myspace.com/whiterabbits

Or check out Percussion Gun here:

White Rabbits

This video was dropped a little over a month and a half ago, but since I’m new to this whole ‘my own blog’ thang I’m still catching up on some of my favs from the past little while. Thus leading me to the White Rabbits. This sextuplet followed up to their debut album, Fort Night, with their sophomore album, Its Frightening, on May 19th and it is all about leading with the beat – reflected in their album cover which is a mis-mash of a drummer and a pianist and especially evident in their latest single Percussion Gun…. This video and this track are sick. The drummers remind me of Animal from the muppets in this video – crazy, wild and just giving it on the drums.

I’m also loving Lionesse with its eerie piano and They Done Wrong/We Done Wrong.

Their entire album can be streamed off their myspace: www.myspace.com/whiterabbits

Or check out Percussion Gun here:

Lauryn Hill

In Lauryn Hill news today, she cancelled all her European tour dates due to ‘her health’ aka she’s rumored to be a lunatic. Honestly doesn’t surprise me at the rate she’s been falling off the deep end lately, with showing up 2 hours late to concerts, her clown makeup and barely audible singing …but odd enough, even all this doesn’t taint my love for Lauryn. Starting out with the Fugees The Score in Feb ’96, Lauryn, along side Wycelf and Pras solidified themselves as hip-hop gold. For me though, it was her Miseducation of…cd that pushed her over the edge and made her royalty. It was one of the first cds I truly became obsessed with (to the point that my player wasn’t able to read it I played it so much). This cd got 10 nods at the Grammys in ’99, making Lauryn most nominated female of all time.
Then - BAM! She fell and she fell hard. It would have been respectful if she had taken time off to focus on her family, but it simply wasn’t the case and the controversy around her started getting out of hand – not only was she butting heads with Wyclef, but she was in a huff with the Vatican over her outburst during her live televised performance…but you all know that story….blah blah blah…For now though, lets put that aside and remember her in all her glory.

Little Boots

So, speaking of synthesizer....New to the Brit electropop scene, Little Boots, released her debut album, Hands, yesterday. I haven't had a chance to catch the full thing but from what I've heard and seen, its going to be worth investing in.

Recently getting kick ass reviews from SXSW and winning BBC Sound of 2009 (Adele won in 2008),its crazy to think that the small chanteuse started out not too long ago by posting YouTube videos of herself. Unlike other pop princesses like Lady Gaga, shes got a crazy mixed musical background as a classical pianist and a club dj.

Proof of her skills, check out one of those youtube videos that made her famous: A cover of Kid Cudi's Day N Nite





Her album tunes have a mix of synthesizer, stylophone, electo-beats, piano and her utlra special Tenori-On (a Japanese electrical instrument)

So plug in those earbuds and hit the play on her first single that was released at the end of April:

Kings of Leon - Notion.

KOL KOL KOL! Nothing needs to be said about how incredible these guys are, but at the same time not enough can be said. Even though Only By the Night was the cd that put KOL on the mainstream map in North America and lead them to arena-touring fame, it hasn’t left my cd player since I got it. (yes I still have cd player) and I was definitely so excited when I heard their latest single was ‘Notion’. The Followill brothers (and cousin) didn’t let me down with this video and in fact, left me wanted to be that brick wall that Caleb is singing to.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The YYYs just dropped the video for their second single, Heads Will Roll, from their latest LP Its Blitz and its sure to get you up on the d-floor shaking it like you have so many times for their first single, Zero… Seriously though, Karen O is possibly the coolest as they come and if she can’t get you up dancing when she tells you to “dance till your dead” then you are boring. I know they’ve been getting a lot of criticism for their layering of synthesizer on this album, but to me this is synthesizer done right.


I’m loving the video, everything from the Queen of Hearts-esque costume that Karen O is sporting, which I believe is in reference to the lyrics “Off with their heads”, the light up keyboard right off the top, to the cut open bodies with the glitter insides (seriously, I wish I was made of glitter) but for me it was the Michael Jackson-esque werewolf that really put the cherry on the cake.

Check it out.