A kung fu fighter in a disco

All the advance word on the new Paul Wellar album seems to be "OMG he has rediscovered his crazy experimental side my mind is blown".

Can this be true or is "experimental" here code for "there's a sitar and some backwards taping on it"?

(I am not really expecting anyone on Poptimists to know this)

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I think he might be saying that in an effort to drum up a new audience for his Glasto slot now it's full of Ver Kidz who will be face down in some mud in the Dance Area West instead of watching him on the Pyramint?

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carsmilesteve.livejournal.com

well, according to the reviews there is FUZZ and NOIZE and POSSIBLE JAZZ and all sorts. i must admit i'm not entirely convinced myself...

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boyofbadgers.livejournal.com

Is there MOUSTACHE?

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carsmilesteve.livejournal.com

i don't *think* so, Petridis review in graun concentrated mainly on "dudes, it's just like when the first style council alBUM came out!!!!"

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boyofbadgers.livejournal.com

Oh. So it will be a load of t0ss like nearly everything else he's done, then?

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jeff-worrell.livejournal.com

I think I have heard one side of this single. Experimental is not the first word that comes to mind. It's a bit harder-edged than his Wild Wood / Stanley Road material maybe...

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koganbot

Reminds me of the Rumour, actually. But not as good. But not awful, either.

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The Mint Royale is in the charts because a loveable tyke (actually, can you be an l.t. at 14?) won BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT by doing a dance routine to it on Saturday night.

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I have no idea whether the Mint Royale version is any good - I didn't even know it existed until now - but regardless, my tick is being withheld because I really hate the entire concept of programmes like that...so shlocky and sentimental and kind of morbid, ultimately.

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I love the idea of anything goes talent shows but rarely the reality of them.

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They just seem to confuse 'talent' and 'novelty', it's all about dog-standing-on-hind-legs party tricks, and there tends to be some iffy class stuffz going on most of the time too ("L@@K a WORKING CLASS person singing OPERA").

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Performing dogzors are hardly a novelty! They're a strain in British entertainment culture going back to pagan times probably. It still doesn't make me like them more though.

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jauntyalan.livejournal.com

i like it. but then i would. and did the first time. charts be bein odd

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Stop a) talking about irrelevant-to-life Paul Weller (I mean who cares, seriously) and b) ticking those boring indie yelpers Vampire Weekend (they're TERRIBLE ffs) and FOCUS, people. FOCUS on the real star of the show this week ie CHRIS BROWN.

Here (http://youtube.com/watch?v=X2IExa2A198) is the video for 'Forever'. It is a brilliant 'The Way I Are' knock-off, it trumps all those weak-ass Europop hits you lot seem to like several times over, and Chris's dancing skillz are as great as ever.

I really couldn't face any of the others though I'll just reiterate my utter hatred of the Ting Tings. Worst band ever.

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jauntyalan.livejournal.com

the chris brown is better than you make it sound! (sadly it reminds me of Darren Hayes! i am an idiot)

i ticked all except bad man weller, and vampire nob-ends more like.

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it's like Darren Hayes but properly good! no bluster, no one trying too hard, it's just so relaxed in itself. I'm so pleased Chris Brown's become a proper huge pop star here as well.

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koganbot

Ack! My second consecutive DON'T LIKE ANY, though with several on the border line, both the Ting Tings and Weller ripe for reevaluation if I ever decide that the any-goodness-at-all that resides somewhere other than the lead vocals merits a tick.

Chris Brown "Forever": This is beautiful at the start and I'm captivated by the way the melody circles around the beat. (The phrase "The melody circles around the beat" is probably meaningless. In any event, I don't know what I'm trying to say.) But his voice is not reaching me much beyond being a part of the "texture," and song and texture are unexpectedly lacking in fizz and character. TICK NEVER, NOT FOREVER.

Paul Weller "Have You Made Up Your Mind": This is pub-rock reggae, its clumsy force reminding me of Graham Parker & The Rumour in its clumsy force. And this isn't a bad song, but the voice isn't finding itself, either. MADE UP MY MIND NOT TO TICK.

Mint Royale "Singin' In The Rain": Regular backbeat, moods in the foreground, but two different moods at once, as if we're tuned to two different moody radio stations. Anyway, this can't decide if it's to be forceful or dreamy, but even if you took away one you wouldn't get the other. RAINING, NOT TICKING.

The Ting Tings "Shut Up And Let Me Go": My ambivalence continues: Great great dance rhythm from early '80s NYC. So the question here is whether I can stomach the vocals. Yes, I've admitted she's got something, but her silliness is too placid and coy to commit to its own pleasure. This is a prime indie pop sin, so I may be underrating this owing to my distaste for its social commitments. Maybe in a month I'll reevaluate all Ting Tings and decide then whether to tick 'em. SHUT UP AND LET ME AVOID TICKING.

Go Audio "Made Up Stories": Emo goes guitar wave. This is laughable and pitiful but not terrible. But not tickable either. TICKLESS STORIES.

Vampire Weekend "Oxford Comma": Cutesy and blippy; speeds up in the middle and that's irritating too. Clever. Distant. Irritating. I don't get it. TICKLESS COMA.

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The UK charts are kind of shit at the moment, yeah.

HOPE springs eternal in the 40-75 recesses, though, with Kat DeLuna, Flo Rida and Jesse McCartney poised to join us imminently...

There's something really boy-bandy about the chorus melody on 'Forever'; I love the rounds of "forever, forever, forever" especially, though they're not quite as blissful as the "forever"s on Mariah's 'OOC'. Also, 'forever' is a really hard word to type.

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Have you heard Fergie's Sex & The City theme song, Labels Or Love (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQUqeV7vC7c)? She actually uses the SATC theme in it. It's kind of awful.

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Ha I wouldn't have recognised the SATC theme tune. Only heard it once and haven't really decided what I think, amused that it charted lower than the (boring) India.Arie track from the SATC soundtrack.

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There is a Europop match ending soon you've not voted in BTW (ignore me if this is intentional!) You might prefer those choices! Or not.

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koganbot

I definitely intend to vote but got rather distracted last week (as you know). When's the deadline?

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Yes I can imagine!

The deadline is pretty much now, or in the next hour or so - it's a shortened deadline due to late arrival of tracks.

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koganbot

I'd better get cracking then. I have strange feelings about a group that calls itself "Love Of Lesbians." A third of the way into Fifth Galaxy Orchestra's "A Russian Spy In Shanghai" I decided it was an unpretentious update. Then I decided it was very pretentious. I also don't think this'll make a difference as to how I evaluate it.

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koganbot

Freaky Trigger won't load.

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It's loading for me, but agonisingly slowly.

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koganbot

Yeah, I finally got it loaded and got my votes in. I hope they were in time.

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If you can vote, it's on time: we have to close the polls manually I believe.

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jauntyalan.livejournal.com

;_;

wish i knew why this was. WP2.5, here we go

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koganbot

By the way, I'm reading the comments now. That Alyson woman has been consistently ace. I'm glad France made it through.

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lockedintheatti.livejournal.com

Yes, it was good to see her go through, now that I'm out I can admit that on every occasion I would have voted for my oponent if I hadn't been manager.

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koganbot

Well, you drew strong competition, esp. your first two matches, and managed to pull ties against them all. 3rei sud est was extremely unlucky to run against Italy's strongest entry (and still managed more votes). That was my second-favorite match of the group round, after Austria vs. Croatia.

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piratemoggy.livejournal.com

DON'T LIKE ANY. Actually I do quite like the Mint Royale, it had the video with the breakdancing robot that was quite good but it's a re-entry and I'm hungover so NO.

I might tick the Chris Brown or the Go: Audio were I not in my Hungover Monday Hours O' Misanthropy.

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Hold on, not that I like them, but why is this Ting Tings track doing so badly compared to hits #1 and #2?

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This one is doing better than hit #2 - that peaked at 33 last week and 'Shut Up...' is at 29 without even a video to go with it.

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OH you mean *on poptimists*.

Dunno mate! I like it!

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jeff-worrell.livejournal.com

Finally heard this. It's pretty good. Belated tick.

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