the bounce is back

This made me laugh out loud a couple of days ago - lil missy from spizzazzz on Pharrell Williams' recent slight loss of cool:

"pharrell is always going on about how he wants a lovely girlfriend who is a teacher or something like that, but he's forever on the cover of a magazine with his head right by an ass or some tits."

So true. I also can't help but think that The Face is a year behind with their "Pharrell = Man of the Year" thing, but then they've been a year behind for a while, right?

On the subject of 'Change Clothes': a couple of people have expressed surprise that I don't rate it as one of the better tracks on The Black Album, and the only answer that I can really give is that it seems a little less impressive in that context. By which I mean, obviously it's a great tune. Obviously. It's so flossy, so poppy, there's such a lightness of touch there. It's like a sequel to 'Frontin', it's an ode to the finer things in life, and it has a great moment where Jay-Z appears to chastise other rappers for not wearing a suit often enough.

But on the album, it slots in between 'Encore' (which has grown on me so much - "it's so motherfuckin' soulful!") and 'Dirt Off Your Shoulder', probably the best two tracks on the first half of the record, and feels almost like a time-out, a pause so you can catch your breath between moments of genius...

...Except I think I may have just talked myself out of that opinion, because isn't thinking something's inferior because it's just a simple, breezy pop song rather than a, ahem, ground-breaking work of artistic genius - isn't that a bit, you know (whisper it) rockist?

there was a time when parents thought 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' was raunchy

Outkast's taste in music ...is somehow slightly less exciting than I hoped. And that's not just because I think if Andre 3000 is going to pick an indie rock band to champion, he could do a lot better than The Hives. But yeah: Big Boi likes funk and classic hip-hop, Andre likes Prince, songs about sex and guitar bands. Where are the surprises? Even Dre's choice of song by The Smiths is a bit disappointing, if only because it implies he may be inspired to record more ultra-gloomy, sickly sentimental songs like 'She's Alive' (the only actively bad track on either disc of the Best Album Of The Year).

It does make me think about what album I'd get each of the Outkast boys for Christmas, though.

For Dre: 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields - because even though I fear that it might inspire him to make a triple album, I think he couldn't help but dig the playful approach to genre, all the different voices, the tinkling away on the piano... and above all, the fact that it's a LOVE album. I actually think it's a crying shame if he doesn't own this already.

For Big Boi: assuming he has The Black Album (signed "Sir Lucius, we did it again! Shout out to public housing, love Young Hov!"), then it has to be Kish Kash. One superb maximalist mash-up filled with insane tunes that make you need to dance and strut, for the maker of another.

Feel free to comment with your own suggestions...

Oh, and music writers, stop referring to Big Boi as in any way "standard". Tsk.

there is no pain, you are receding

In the Redmobile coming back from a party in Southampton on a Sunday afternoon, hungover but happy, we happen to have Radio 1 on between CDs, and suddenly the typically chirpy and annoying DJ is talking about Scissor Sisters. Specifically, she's talking about 'Comfortably Numb', which gets an official release as a single in the UK in January. This is great news, as is the fact that their debut album will be out in Feb (although I can't help feeling it's a shame that it's now going to be self-titled, when the rumour was that it would be called Filthy & Gorgeous, a frankly brilliant title which someone else should steal if the band have no plans for it). If you visit the Sisters’ website, you should also check out the video for previous single ‘Laura’ – one of those rare occasions when a band look satisfyingly equivalent to the way they sound, if that makes any sense.

But going back to Sunday on the M3 and the sudden strange new context of this band being discussed on prime time national pop radio – apparently the DJ has played it before, and is inviting listeners to submit their opinions. Now, I know I probably shouldn't enjoy the fact that a lot of deeply borecore people phone, text or email Radio 1 to say how much they hate the song, or that the ones who dislike it the most appear to be those who are big fans of the original. But I do enjoy this, I really do. My own feelings about Pink Floyd are probably quite easy to guess (no prog, please), and I can think of no higher recommendation for the Scissor Sisters than the fact that ‘Comfortably Numb’ winds up a whole bunch of Floyd lovers (and while I try not to use the term ‘rockist’, my experience is that it was practically invented for fans of that band).

Yeah, okay, so I guess even though I can’t think of a higher recommendation, I ought to actually talk about the song. It's pretty much exactly a year since I first heard it, courtesy of the It Came From The Sea boys (yr so kool). Funnily enough, I was happy and hungover then as well (although a word to the wise: never go out clubbing in Brighton with the intention of getting up in time to commute to your flat in London, change clothes and then make it across town to work by 9am - it is folly). Hearing those opening guitar chords was incredibly exciting – it’s like ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ or something! Then that lone voice calling out “hello”, slightly unreal and space-age; then the handclaps (irresistible in the way that handclaps always are on record, cf. ‘Deceptacon’ by Le Tigre and ‘Chicks And Dicks’ by Junior Senior and are there handclaps on ‘Hey Ya’? – I think there are…). ‘Comfortably Numb’ completely wrong-foots you so that you don’t quite realise it’s actually a disco anthem until you’re already on the dancefloor. Plus, as with ‘Electrobix’, there’s a permeating sense of sadness here too – dancing out of desperation… It’s beautiful.

There was going to be a whole other section here about how the excitement and anxiety you feel when an up-and-coming band you're into starts getting mainstream attention, but it would be kind of boring and stating the obvious. Let's just say that anyone who refers to this as a novelty record will feel my wrath.

Hey, I want a sudden increase in readers too! 'Yeah' (Stupid Version) by LCD Soundsystem, LCD Soundsystem's 'Yeah', the DFA, James Murphy, 'Yeah'! Nine minutes long! An answer record to !!!, surely? Sounds like Josh Wink! Yeah yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah!

Spot the odd one out (this is side 1 of a mixtape, obviously):

1. Tomoyasu Hotei - 'Battle Without Honour Or Humanity'
2. Johnny Cash - 'The Man Comes Around'
3. Noreaga - 'Grimey'
4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 'Black Tongue'
5. The Raveonettes - 'Let's Rave On'
6. The Detroit Cobras - 'My Baby Loves The Secret Agent'
7. Beyonce featuring Big Boi & Sleepy Brown - 'Hip Hop Star'
8. Outkast - 'Unhappy'
9. The RZA featuring Masta Killa - 'Grits'
10. Basement Jaxx featuring Dizzee Rascal - 'Lucky Star'
11. !!! - 'Me & Giuliani Down By The Schoolyard (A True Story)'