Diverse Pleasures

It has been an absolute age since I got my arse into gear and did a trawl through some of the newer music that has caught my ear. I am just so unenamoured of the World of Pop these days - I tend to spend more time wallowing in the nostalgia-fest that is BBC Radio 2 (on weekends in particular), or else classical stations such as Radio 3 or Classic FM are my preferred aural backdrop.

That aside, let us clear the decks once again for a mini-showcase of recent choons by some eternal favourites, some welcome surprises, a few classy numbers, and inevitably some cheese...

Two great musical icons joined forces at the turn of the year, the legendary Giorgio Moroder (one of the more surprising comebacks of recent years) and Our Princess of Pop Kylie Minogue. The result is rather fab:

Giorgio Moroder feat Kylie Minogue - Right Here, Right Now

Speaking of comebacks, around the Festering Season (yes, it has been that long since my last round-up) a particularly welcome gift was the return of a long-lost fave band of mine, The Beautiful South! Well, not entirely. Only two of them, in fact - lead singers Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott. However, their song Real Hope (an excoriating critique of "reality TV" talent contest/karaoke shows such as X-Factor, The Voice et al) is a true return to glory, and I love it:

Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott - Real Hope

Nothing else in music (or indeed music news) is ever quite as big as Madonna releasing/promoting a new album. Of course, the whole universe knows by now that the pop-tastic Living For Love is the first single from Queen Madge's Rebel Heart. However, there is a huge cavalcade of remixes of the track out there to choose from, as well. I've waded through them to the best of my ability (so you don't have to) and, in my opinion, the utterly marvellous Offer Nissim has probably done the best job:

Madonna - Living for Love (Offer Nissim Living For Drama Remix)

Our houseboys (and one-time Madge collaborators) from Kazaky are (also) completely unstoppable. Despite being apparently now reduced to a threesome - oo-er - they seem to release a new single and video every few months! Their latest brilliant production is the (as ever) sex-fantastic What You Gonna Do:

Kazaky - What You Gonna Do

Taking a break from dance numbers, here's a sweet one - a good song with a powerful message about tolerance, it's Kadie Elder and the faboo First Time He Kissed a Boy:

Kadie Elder - First Time He Kissed a Boy

I have said it before, and I will say it again... Marc Almond is a God. He has a brand new album out this week, The Velvet Trail, and from it here is the sublime (song and video) Life In My Own Way. I adore this:

Marc Almond - Life In My Own Way

One I missed completely from last year - and many thanks again to the lovely Henry at Barbarella's Galaxy for digging it out recently - is the mysterious Kovacs and My Love. Her voice is a thing of beauty...

Kovacs - My Love

As ever, we go from the sublime to the ridiculous. With a song for everyone who's sick of mobile phones, here's a combo of fierce drag queens from the "Crucible of Civilisation" Italy and the "Land of Tackiness" that is Spain, RIIING! by Lacroix & La Prohibida. Muy bien!

Lacroix & La Prohibida - RIIING!

With it's hilarious "home-made" video and analogue synths, the new one from Eurotix takes me right back to the end of the 70s/early 80s. This kind of thing was de rigeur on TV back then. It's rather an excellent effort for all that - it's When You Are In My Dreams:

Eurotix - When You Are In My Dreams

Quite possibly the only video any of us have seen lately that features naked dancing "Princess Leias" over a sumptuous ethereal soundtrack, here's Tropea by Kaleida. It is gorgeous:



STOP PRESS: If the above embed code doesn't work - visit the VK video site

Oh, and by the way: "I'm the kinda person you don't wanna fuck with!" Not necessarily my words - they are those of the charmingly-named Death Team [theirs is a genuinely inspired piss-take of a website, by the way!]) and their choon Fucking Bitches in the Hood. I think I will be singing this in my head whenever I head to the office from now on...

Death Team - Fucking Bitches in the Hood

And finally, in case that was a "fuck" too far, here - by complete contrast - is a jolly little divertissement that most definitely is not "new" (it was recorded almost four years ago), but new to me - and "right up our street"... I take constant delight at discovering musical oddities from the four corners of the earth, but this one really made me sit up and take notice. Dave Brubeck as you never heard him before - it's the Sachal Jazz Ensemble and their sitar-heavy version of Take Five!

Sachal Jazz Ensemble - Take Five

As always, dear reader, enjoy - and let me know what you think.