The month in pop: JANUARY

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Haven't had one of these for a while!

[Poll #1343375]

As ever, the definition of 'new' is fully open to interpretation. If it's new to you, that counts! Expanding your answer in the comments is warmly encouraged.

Comments

[koganbot]

So, another track for my singles list. Shystie streams some interesting stuff on her MySpace.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Shystie's great, and I' v happy that she's making a comeback - she was meant to be the "female Dizzee" back in 04, when grime first broke (and failed to break). I still like her album from then, Diamond In The Dirt, but am pretty much alone in this. Key old tracks: 'Step Bac' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnbb_av62TU), her debut official single, and the quite incredible 'Murderation' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-wVrSqejAs), a truly horrible diss of Lady Fury which just tears her up from the inside out. It's some of the most pure NASTINESS I've ever heard committed to record.

(Lady Fury was also great back in the day! Can't find any of her stuff on the internet but her best tracks were 'Gash' ("I don't give head but/I give headbutts/A punch in the gut for calling me a slut") and the vampiric 'Merk Dem' ("Don't think you're way too ruff/I'll snatch your heart and drink your blood"). Yeah, kinda easy to see why that one never crossed over.)

(PS - the 'Sing For Me' on Shystie's myspazz is a response to Ghetto's 'Sing For Me', another song I keep meaning to post here - one of the best grime beats of late, and an A+ video:

[koganbot]

Amazing. Her mouthing his words - not just singing FOR him but singing him, period, or his voice creating hers - and the metaphors doubling over and arguing with each either: "even though she don't wanna be in the industry," like, which industry? (Also, w/ her mouthing the words, she can handle three girls alone, implying that she don't necessarily need a man.)

[koganbot]

I remember Shystie back on Run The Road getting decisively overshadowed by No Lay and Lady Sovereign, maybe 'cause her style was lighter, but also 'cause the song chosen was a remix that put most of the spotlight on the guy rapper. So starting today she's fundamentally new to me.