spot the fictional character...

Happy Halloween one and all!
Here we have a (cameraphone) snap of Marina and Little Boots getting down with their character of choice for halloween, and here are some topical (not tropical) tracks we'll be spinning over the weekend

The Sonics - The Witch (MP3)


Prince - Batdance (MP3)


Death In Vegas - Aisha (MP3)

An afternoon game of spot the MC

My brain has melted.
Just in case you were trying to put names to faces, check out the credits on the site here.

a welcome return...

Well alright, we're happy to announce the return of Plan B, with a track that you may not have been expecting.
This is taken from the forthcoming album and produced by Paul Epworth, it's a soulful indicator of the sound of the record. That won't be out until next year but for now, head over to Zane Lowe here who made Stay Too Long one of those Hottest Track in the World things.
We know he has a new one everyday (man, he is so enthusiastic) but reckon this is his proper favourite.

How not to write a creative brief

This is one of the best things I've seen in a very long time:



Mick knows what time it is:



I on the other hand have been here more times than I would like:

Golden Girl

We popped along to see our own Little Boots on tour in Brighton yesterday, and in support was the charming Ellie Goulding. We've been waiting for her first single to drop for a while, and here it is.



Released on Neon Gold (a fine label which was also home to the first two Marina singles), Under The Sheets ain't half bad. You can grab a download over at their site.

10 silver spoons coming after me...

Marina's Mowgli's Road will be out proper on 16th November...

What do you do when the whole world thinks you're a bit of a wally...

...Call up Spike Jonze to make a short film showing what a wally you've been, blame it on a leftover gremlin from Where The Wild Things Are and then murder it, in the process absolving yourself from breaking Taylor Swift's simple heart.
I still think he's a wally.

"Catch it in my hand I won't say a word..."

Lalala, new Earthquake video...



And here some remixes for your ears:

Earthquake - Dekker & Johan remix - MP3


Earthquake - Clap Mike's Amour remix - MP3


Earthquake - Stonemasons remix - MP3

off the subject (#1 of an occasional series)

Man Men is quite possibly the best TV in the past 10 years.
This is one of the better homages we've seen



"it's been an emotional journey, thank you sycophants"

Bright Young Things #6 - Housse De Racket

Housse De Racket are two Parisians, Victor and Pierre, who have an unhealthy obsession synths, heartbreak and tennis. HDR may sing in French but don't hold it against as they weave sonic tales which transcend the language barrier.

They're headed off on tour with Does It Offend You Yeah at the end of this month and then our chums over at 50 Bones records are going to release their debut UK single - a double A side of Synthétiseur and the glorious Sur Le Papier.
As a treat for your eyes, here is the future-tastic new video for Synthétiseur


And it wouldn't be a Thursday if we didn't offer you a remix for your MP3 player
Housse De Racket - Synthétiseur (Van She remix) - MP3

Plan B isn't dead...

...Despite what this video depicts. This is the title song to Sir Michael Caine's new movie, Harry Brown (trailer of which you can see here) which features Ben in the supporting role. Hollywood beckons.

Credibility is so passé

I was privy to a conversation this morning about a band planning on shooting their video in a squat populated by a band most definitely not signed to a major label, but infinitely more credible.
It reminded me of this scene from the excellent Dig! about the friendship/war between the Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols.



And just becuase it's a gem, here's the LaChapelle directed video for Last Junkie On Earth


Dandy Warhols - Last Junkie On Earth - MP3

Ears checking #16 (Oct '09)

EARS CHECKING #16 - October(Spotify)

1. Stricken City - Pull The House Down
2. Girls - Lust For Life
3. Spoon - Tweekers
4. Late Of The Pier - Space and the Woods
5. Spandau Ballet - To Cut A Long Story Short
6. Boots - Earthquake
7. Chromeo - Fancyfootwerk (Russ Chimes remix)
8. 33HZ & Teki Latex - Paris, Texas (In Flagranti mix)
9. Hudson Mowhake - Trace
10. Gold Panda - Back Home
11. Lykke Li - Good I'm Gone (Metronomy remix)
12. Fools Gold - Suprise Hotel
13. Andrew WK - Party Hard

EARS CHECKING #16 - October(Spotify)

Cuckoo! We're behind the scenes at Marina's video shoot...

So those of you following Marina and the Diamonds on twitter will know that Marina spent last night on a sleeper train from Glasgow (where she's mid-NME tour), which was eventful for almost getting in a scrap, and I quote;
"If the drunk guy opposite me kicks my foot one more time i am literally going to knock his fat head off!!!!!!!!"

Having calmed down, here's some sneaky pics from the shoot WHICH IS STILL HAPPENEING (so so modern)








Oh, and did I mention the new single is Mowgli's Road, which you can have a listen to here

our new signing

(maybe)