The new Megadeth video - a re-recording of "A Tout Le Monde" featuring Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia.
A new start for mankind in "28 Weeks Later" - or, as the saying goes, is it?
Brilliantly edited "episode" of Seinfeld that builds around Michael Richard's recent troubles.
The excellent "Whalebone" from Savoy
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This week on the flash music player ... Strange collection this week with more pop than usual although there is still some room for classic rock. Seventies impersonator Lenny Kravitz joins real-life seventies rocketeers Led Zep in battling the evil pop machinations of Kylie Minogue, The Lightning Seeds and those charming young lads from East Sussex, Keane.
Let Love Rule - Lenny Kravitz
I can't remember where it all went wrong for Lenny Kravitz but he used to be a hugely relative fashion and music icon a little over ten years ago. The psychedelic-funk of "Let Love Rule" was a minor chart hit in 1989 but it laid the foundation for massive hit singles like "It Ain't Over Till It's Over", "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and "Fly Away". The latter was his last chart contribution in 1999 but I wonder if perhaps his musical strength went when he had the dreds chopped.
See the video
Lessons in Love - Level 42
You have to look back to 1994 to see when Level 42 last troubled the charts ("Love in a Peaceful World") although one might say they outstayed their natural lifespan given that their best material started to dry up in 1987. A loyal fan base have kept them recording and touring and of course they left us with a decent back catalogue, one of which is their biggest UK hit "Lessons in Love" (#3) from 1986.
See the video
In the End - Linkin Park
This is about the only Linkin Park song I can listen to more than once without getting uberly-bored. "In the End" manages to stay this side of the grating hip-hop/sampling fixation that the band have, creating a sort of post-post-grunge sound, if you know what I mean. I saw them support Metallica in Dublin back in 2003 and they were totally out of place, hardly appreciated by 20,000 Metalheads who saw them as nothing more than a rap-metal boy band. However, in fairness to them, they came across as being very appreciative to be there and won the crowd over to the point where they avoided having bottles tossed at their heads.
See the video
Change - The Lightning Seeds
One of the most prolific UK pop/rock bands of the 90s, The Lightning Seeds cranked out 13 Top 30 hits in a decade which reached a pinnacle with the 1996 #1 football anthem "Three Lions" with British comedians Frank Skinner and David Baddiel. They then reached #1 again when the song was re-written for the 1998 World Cup and reached #16 in 2002 when it was re-issued again. And, uh, they reached #9 in 2006 when it was re-issued yet again. Apparently they've sold all the original CDs now so we won't be getting another version. Possibly. "Change" is one of their groovy pop hits that reached #13 in 1995.
See a crappy live version
Fairytale Sandcastles - Lifehouse
"Hanging by a Moment" was the hit that catapulted Lifehouse to international fame for a brief time in 2001. Their double-platinum debut album "No Name Face" reached #6 but "Stanley Cimbfall" and "Lifehouse", despite reaching the Billboard Top 10, fell quickly off the chart. "Fairytale Sandcastles" was a catchy non-album track featured on their "Hanging by a Moment" single.
Paper in Fire - John Mellencamp
You might know him better as John Cougar or John Cougar Mellencamp. These days he's plane old John Mellencamp, the rock n' roll singer responsible for "Jack and Diane", "Hurts so Good" and "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.". Although never a big name in the UK and Europe he was well known for his 80s chart hits and some radio success with the likes of "Cherry Bomb", "Check it Out" and my personal favourite, the country-rock of "Paper in Fire".
See the video
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
Alright so I don't really care for Led Zeppelin very much - although I do think they are better than Linkin Park. Considered one of the first heavy metal bands, their influence has touched dozens of top acts over the years and with 300 million albums sold, my opinion of them is not going to matter very much. But I certainly admire their musical vision. They did not believe in releasing singles (only one single was released in the UK: an edited version of "Whole Lotta Love") and they did very few TV performances as they preferred their fans to see them live. "Immigrant Song" was released against their wishes in the US and reached #16.
Everybody's Changing - Keane
I would best describe Keane's "Hopes and Fears" album as a pleasant listen (unlike their darker and heavier follow-up) - however it is not something that gets the blood flowing. "Everybody's Changing" was the first track I heard that made me prick up my ears; Tom Chaplin's impassioned vocals particularly impressive. Keane have almost mirrored one of their peers, a-ha, in finding success with a lighter album before moving in to the darker music that they feel more at home with. It will be interesting to see if they make the same mistake as the Norwegians and try to "pop" things up for their next release.
See a live performance
Other Side of the World - KT Tunstall
You know, I bought in to this whole KT Tunstall thing at the start. My friend Pam sent me the link for the above video and I thought it was terrific. My girlfriend at the time was already in to her so I bought the album and stuck it on repeat for a few days. By the end of the week I had gone through the emotions: this is cool, love it, um that one is a bit forgettable, kinda bored with that bit now... Eventually it became an album I could easily do without. However this song is neato and probably the best track on the album.
See the video
Can't Get You Out of My Head - Kylie Minogue
It's no secret that I'm a Kylie-ite as my 2005 and 2006 Kylie calendars will attest to. Her music career has been divided in to three distinct parts: the bubblegum pop of the late 80s/early 90s ("I Should be So Lucky", "Locomotion"), the post-Hutchence indie period ("Confide in Me", "Some Kind of Bliss") and the incredible disco-chic comeback ("Spinning Around", "In Your Eyes"). I liked bits of each period and was surprisingly hung up on this song during my "disco days" in 2001. I could even be found on the dancefloor sometimes!
See a live version
TOP FRIENDS: Those of you with new pics have the pleasure...
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Reading at the moment
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