This girl is Lykke Li. She’s an indie singer from Sweden. Don’t ask me how to pronounce her name.
There isn’t much info that I could dig from my favourite Wikipedia, it seems like she’s still quite a well-kept secret from the virtual indie masses (for now). I haven’t heard too many of her songs yet (only “Little Bit”, “I’m Good, I’m Gone”, and “Tonight”), so it’s premature for me to compare her to other existing female indie artistes. From my early observations, her voice is breathy like Annie, with a bit of Robyn-like attitude. Her musical style isn’t completely electronic or pop like both aforementioned artistes. It possessed more of an indie Feist-like feel to it, but being Swedish, also had elements of Peter, Bjorn and John (Bjorn produces her album) as well as tinges of The Knife.

All I wish to share is that she sounds terrific live, as I discovered while browsing for ‘Later with Jools Holland’ videos on youtube.

If you have time on your hands, I suggest watching all three versions of her first single, “Little Bit” in the order I gave you.

There is something about the Jools Holland version that is so astounding. I suspect that it is due to their ability to use the simplest of musical instruments (hand claps, foot taps, toy piano both as melody and percussion, finger cymbals, tambourine) to create a stripped down yet mind-blowing performance. Minimal, lo-fi, yet groundbreaking- quintessentially Swedish. The street performance is slightly similar, only in a more open and therefore louder setting. Finally, try listening to the album version which I feel sounds so contrasting to the acoustic versions that it lends a markedly different mood to the song. I also linked to a website containing her mp3 downloads for good measure, in case anyone got hooked to the song (like me).

Little Bit
_live on ‘Later with Jools Holland [video]
_performing on the street in Närkesgatan, Södermalm i Stockholm. [video]
_official music video [video]
_unofficial artiste profile with mp3 [link]

But wait, there’s more! If you decided that you like her music and wanna check out her second single, “I’m Good, I’m Gone”, here are the links to her the song performed again in three different settings. Sorry, no mp3 links for this one (personally didn’t feel compelled to look up the mp3).

The first version is some sort of a collaborative effort between Swedish musicians for this acoustic version. This video is directed by Ted Malmros who directed the famed P,B&J “Young Folks” music video. This version is actually quite synergistic with all the different elements contributed by each artiste gelling coherently.
The second version is done in the toilet(!) with amazingly good results. A very original take, unusual is the usual, as again you see them utilizing unorthodox items as musical instruments: spoon, ceramic sink, water faucet, soap dispenser, and finally the flush(!).
The final version is the official video. No weird percussions this time, but a very well made video nonetheless.

I’m Good, I’m Gone
_acoustic version feat. Robyn, Shout Out Louds, Concretes, Laakso [video]
_bathroom version from soundvenue [video]
_original version [video]

Here’s hoping that she will achieve wider success. While I sadly doubt her songs would make it here, I still hope she gets heard in the US, Europe and maybe Japan. Meanwhile, we Malaysians have to contend to listening to US-based commercial pop female artistes on the radio, some of whom only need 5 musical notes to create a hit song (hint: She was recently in Malaysia).

Don’t you just love it when you discover something new?
A little coffee shop that serves fantastic char kuay teow that only you know about, perhaps?
What about a bar packed with sweet 20-somethings with great music but no cover charge?
In the same vein, I just made a rewarding discovery over the weekend. It’s the musical misfits who call themselves by many names (just like God, or the Devil) : 2 Many DJ’s/Soulwax/Flying Dewaele Brothers/Samantha Fu/Kawazaki. I refer to them as Soulwax because that is the moniker by which I was acquainted with.

I do not want to introduce their music any further without first introducing the aforementioned interesting piece of mashup. Imagine: Nirvana’s “Smells like teen spirit” on one side, Destiny’s Child’s “Bootylicious” on the other. Head on collision. Would never work rite? Try giving the song a listen, then reconsider.

To listen:
1.Visit this website.
2.Click on the heading that says “JUKEBOX”.
3.Scroll through the leftmost column that says “Audio” until you reach ‘Soulwax Mashups’.
4.Click on the song title “Smells like Booty (Nirvana vs Destiny’s Child)”.

After listening to that explosive track, you’d probably reckon that these fellas spend their musical career ripping off other people’s music and call it their own. If you did, then you are right in a sense. But mind you, they do it with a can of whoop-ass.
Soulwax is an electro-alternative band, and by the looks of their discography, they did tonnes of covers, remixes and mashups of other bands songs. They are also musicians in their own right who create fantastic music of their own as well.
I like the way their bad(-ass?) electric guitar riffs and thumping bass and driving rhythms seem to give a midas touch in pushing the energy levels of the original song through the roof. They remake many songs that were originally tame indie or pop standards with a mean rock ‘n roll twist, which is what I like.

If you don’t believe me, browse the jukebox and check out some other tracks they did. Some notable ones that I had time to hear were:

1. The Gossip’s “Standing in The Way Of Control” (Soulwax Nite Version)
2. The Clash vs Basement Jaxx mashup “Magnificient Romeo”
3. Kyluss Minogue “Can’t get you out of my head”
4. Sugababes “Round Round”

I am certain you’d be, at least, tapping your feet to either of them songs. Provided, you are a fan of indie/electronica/indie-electro/dance music. My earlier exposure to indie-electro music had resulted in me abandoning this subgenre in favour of their separate genres (indie and electronica), concluding this subgenre as a dull, unimaginative offshoot that would be hard-pressed to bring the house down. Discovering such fresh sounds now however, prompts me to reconsider my position on this type of music. Thank you, Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1, for featuring them in 2005, and re-featuring them in 2007. You always know how to cheer up a disappointed music fan.

KL clubbing event managers, bring them in and I’ll kiss your shoes. I got enough of the lame stuff I’ve been fed with lately.

I got news from a blog I visited that there is going to be a music festival called Sunburst 2008 in KL this March. Check out their website here.

According to the website, the international acts confirmed are band Incubus, soul star John Legend, jazz greats Incognito, the real hip hop kings The Roots, and Indonesia’s jazz man Tompi and band Gigi.
From the local music scene are Pop Shuvit, Joe Flizzoq, Gerhana Ska Cinta, Atilia, Estranged, Tempered Mental, Hujan, Meet Uncle Hussain, Y2K, One Buck Short, Reza Salleh, Search, Bittersweet and Najwa.
It is also said that the re-formed Smashing Pumpkins might make an appearance. But I am also hoping for a talented guitarist/singer Raul Midon to confirm his attendance to this festival. The combination of his soulful voice and guitar playing skills are nuts.

Price is not too bad with the early bird discount, and I am quite keen on going. G*d*amn, I have been deprived of some good live music ever since I was thrown to the East, and that’s one small but sweet lineup international musicians that they’ve got. Acts I am looking forward to seeing the most are John Legend and The Roots. I haven’t been listening to Incubus or stuff like that for some time now, but it would be good to finally see them live. On the local front, I would like to see the much talked about Reza Salleh and Meet Uncle Hussain.

Personally, I think it is great that this festival is organized. There is definitely a dearth in terms of live acts performing in Malaysia, when compared with other Asian countries like Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. You may argue that there were many artistes who came in conjunction with our 50th year celebrations e.g Gwen Stefani, Muse, MCR but I was veering more towards the non-pop side of things, say jazz festivals and rock festivals. In the UK during the summer, the whole country becomes a musical playground with summer fests like the infamous Glastonbury, T in the Park, Party in the Park and Download Fest take place. These festivals last for a few days, and it is akin to a non-stop concert with tonnes of bands playing back to back. Nevertheless, this festival is definitely one step closer to making Kuala Lumpur “a “must go” destination in the South East Asian region by utilising a globally attractive commodity: MUSIC”, as quoted by the event organisers.

Right now, I can’t help but compare the Sunburst festival to another festival happening at about the same time in Singapore- The Mosaic Music Festival. Call it a Malaysian inferiority complex, but I guess it’s deeply ingrained in every Malaysian to see who is better- the bigger cousin or the richer cousin. But for first impressions, try visiting ‘their’ website and compare it with ‘ours’. I am not trying to draw any conclusions, because ‘our’ festival is still a baby compared to ‘theirs’- a toddler. And to be fair the Malaysian organisers must have put in a lot of effort in getting those guys to even step foot in our beloved capital.
Next, try checking out their line-up. For 2008, it’s a TEN-day festival with 70 artistes including Earth Wind & Fire, Soil and Pimp Sessions, Mum, Fujiya&Miyagi, Harry Connick Jr. In addition are Singaporean, Malaysian (including Reza Salleh, Ferns) AND Thai musicians. Covers nine genres.
Previous years have had Duke Ellington Orchestra, Jose Gonzalez, Yo La Tengo, Kings of Convenience, Montreux Jazz. The names I dropped here are those that are more commonly recognized internationally.

At present, the Sunburst festival is a 12-hour musical assault, featuring easily recognizable and commercially viable musicians from the country and overseas. I ponder, though, if the day would come when KL would play host to a 7-day music festival that features every type of musician: the commercial headliners, the alternative superstars, the indie scenesters from whatever the country, and the local and regional heroes. That’s because that is what it takes to make KL “a “must go” destination in the South East Asian region by utilising a globally attractive commodity: MUSIC”.

Music is like any other cultural element that makes up a great city. A city like New York has an exceptional live music and underground music scene from which countless talents are discovered. Tokyo is internationally recognized as one of the world’s shopping mecca. While some districts like Ginza thrive on their architectural megastructures housing various luxury brands, there is also a copious amount of street fashion subcultures fuelled by countless smaller brands. It is probably this healthy mix of the recognisable and the unique that synergize Tokyo into becoming the shopping paradise it is now.

That said, I am looking forward to the best outcome from this event and am very thankful that it’s going to happen. Whatever it is, I hope I can make it, and if I do, I hope it would be good. And lastly may the event have the staying power and not suffer the same fate as Rentak Asia.

I was having a not-so-good day at work today, but I came across this video that cheered me up.
But first do you remember the girl pictured below?

Yup, that’s Robyn from the late 1990’s. The good old years when I was still a pimply school kid. The music world was so different back then, what I would consider the dark ages. Pop music was unashamedly saccharine sweet with boybands and girl bands popping out of no where, just like my pimples. Backstreet Boys, N Sync, Britney and Christina were the order of the day. No one listened to hip hop, and Linkin Park was only just reintroducing rock back into mainstream radio (although it has once again mysteriously evaporated out of the radio)

Now Robyn was discovered at a tender age of 13 and subsequently got a single released, the ubiquitously aired radio hit, “Show me love”. The song’s melody and lyrics were sweet, her voice was sweet, so were her innocent looks- what more could a screaming teeny bopper fangirl want? Thus Robyn joined the ranks of other international pop stars who rode on the wave of dull formulaic love songs, often accompanied by cheesy dance moves performed in synchrony by a group of people. Unfortunately, she isn’t the only sweet pop star in the metaphorical candy shop, so she eventually fell out of favour.

Fast forward about 8-9 years to the mid-noughties (2000’s). The pop scene is now quite different. Boybands have thankfully been swept off the face of the earth, although the odd attempts of comeback singles done by groups Backstreet Boys and Take That threaten to revert universal pop tastes back to the 1990’s. Female singers can’t even make a living without even displaying the slightest bit of attitude, case in point Gwen Stefani, Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse. This is the perfect time for the second coming of Robyn. And so she grew up into this-

It seems like her years in the music industry has morphed her into a pop star of the next level. Check out her image, her song titles, her lyrics- it looks like she left her 20th century pop sensibilities where it belonged, in the 20th century. In her quest to hold her own, she set up her own record label, Konichiwa Records and created a sound that was uniquely hers. Her pop music is strikingly modern and futuristic, through collaborations with visionary Swedish producers like the Knife and Klas Ahlund (the Swedish have a notorious reputation for being unforgivingly forward-looking in terms of creating pop music).

Some Malaysians would have had a taster of her music, via the single “Konichiwa Bitches” that was released early last year but only receiving Malaysian airplay early THIS year with an obviously tampered title, “Konichiwa B****es”. It has to be said, a known fact notwithstanding, that censorship takes the fun out of everything. While the song’s original refrain goes “Konichiwa, bitches!“, the censored version that goes “Konichiwa……” packs absolutely no punch at all.

Anyway, here’s the video that I wanted to share. It’s the remix version of another fantastic song by Robyn, called ‘Be Mine!’. The video of the original song is in itself already an amusing watch, what with Robyn clad in post-modern stylings paired up with a pre-pubescent kid of African descent as her date. But the video for the remix version is also excellent, in addition to being a great stress reliever! You may be yawning around the first two minutes as they only show people doing things in slow motion, but be patient and enjoy the song. It’s in the middle of the song where you see each a boxing glove approaching in slow motion and eventually punching them in the face, rendering them almost unrecognisable, that’s where it’s at!
I just love how unsuspecting they were behaving before that, only to have their cheeks meeting an inevitable kapow!
If only the video makers punched the daylights out of celebrities, politicians or models instead of average joes and janes. It would be significantly more self-gratifying to see a bunch of people we love to hate being sucker punched, because I ended up feeling slightly sympathetic to the unsuspecting victims of the vid!

So, if you are having a bad day and someone pissed you off, just imagine THEIR face as one of those in the video, getting punched slowly by YOU. It worked for me

‘Mistaken for Strangers‘ by The National

You have to do it running but you do everything that they ask you to
cause you don’t mind seeing yourself in a picture
as long as you look faraway, as long as you look removed
showered and blue-blazered, fill yourself with quarters
showered and blue-blazered, fill yourself with quarters

You get mistaken for strangers by your own friends
when you pass them at night under the silvery, silvery citibank lights
arm in arm in arm and eyes and eyes glazing under
oh you wouldn’t want an angel watching over
surprise, surprise they wouldn’t wannna watch
another uninnocent, elegant fall into the unmagnificent lives of adults

This is one of my favourite tracks from the CD I just bought which is Boxer by The National.
The song sounds magnificient even before you delved into the lyrics. But the droning and slightly cynical voice of the band’s frontman is enough to pique your curiosity on the message he was trying to convey. It turns out fortunately to be a message that I could relate to.

The National is a band made up of members who were also professionals with day jobs ( in New York, according to wikipedia). This makes their lyrics more relevant to the average you and I twenty/thirty-something professionals who listen to music, as compared to listening to nu-rave upstarts like The Klaxons. The lyrics of this song particularly struck me, being someone who entered the workforce about a year ago. I see friends who turn generic and lifeless inside the rat race. It is a pity that many are of the opinion that to gain maturity is to lose their zest for life and their own identity.
Does getting a grasp of the real world require total abandonment of your own principles and ideals?
Is success merely skin deep, and more of a superficial parade of your affluence through clothing, cars and whatnot?
I was told otherwise, but I look around and my observations have swayed my judgement.

The National, as I said, is a band whose image always comes across as regular guys like you and me. Being of a more mature age, their songs also laments the perils of adulthood such as the loss of innocence, marriage, painful relationships and so on.
Listening to their songs, I hope that 10 years from now, I can still see a glimmer of youth, once abundant, in my friends from school and university. Conversely, I am worse at gauging myself than others on how much I have “turned adult”. Some may say that I have changed, but then again I find myself still trying to hold on to what I had and still have. It remains to be seen if that’s a good thing or otherwise. Until that moment comes when I have to throw them away, I will still be hanging on to it.

Phew. I thought I suffocated from all the cobwebs surrounding this blog. *coughs*

Anyway, I know I haven’t been blogging lately.
Maybe it’s because
a) I have lost the spirit to blog eversince being a member of the workforce
b)There isn’t really anything happening to my personal life
c)Nothing interesting happens where I stay
d)I can’t blog about politics.

Sometimes it seems that when you start working, it seems trivial to continue blogging anymore. I know how untrue that is, considering most of the bloggers out there also work. But my case is different since I blog about such trivial things like trends and music. Friends may come up to me and wonder aloud, “Shouldn’t you be spending your time earning your first million now?” Sheesh.

One year on as a working professional has made me realise how so many of us lose our groove when we start working. Evidently for some engulfed in their work, there isn’t any time to even think about leisure. I see how so many people of the workforce lead such generic lives (especially those in KL), that it’s rather pathetic. Don’t trust me? Try going to Mambo Jambo on Wednesday in Zouk. All look same.
Who can blame them right? It’s not as if they’ve got jobs where they can leave at 5.30pm and thus have ample time to pursue more pleasurable activities.

Me, I spend my evenings in front of my trusty notebook. With literally nothing to do in this rustic little town, I try and engulf myself in whatever snippets of culture I get on the internet. The internet is my best friend as they point to the right directions for must-see movies, must-listen bands and must-wear clothing items. And yet again I can hear my detractors asking if I am satisfied returning from work at 5pm. (Yes I am, thank you.)

Meanwhile, I have also been following Malaysian news from non-mainstream websites.
(Who reads “Si Bintang” anymore, right?)
I tend to keep that to the bare minimum, as the headlines alone are enough to anger me. I have to make sure I don’t get hypertension by the time I am 40.
These few days, I have been reading more of what has been posted on the net. Granted, so much is happening around the country lately that if you are not aware of it, you ARE some ignorant fool who only reads “Si Bintang”.
Most of all these news only gets me disgusted, confused and most of all disappointed. Some times I feel compelled to blog about it, but I know others would do a better job at it. Furthermore, I am not allowed to.

So, enjoy this music video! I hope you like it, I think it’s very unique
Title: “End of Summer”
Singer: Moriyama Naotaro

First it was the global IKEA invasion, then it was Swedish meatballs (the type you eat). Then came their cool denim ( Cheap Monday, Nudie, Acne). It seems like on the global scale, Sweden may not be voluminous in its influence, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up in quality. The Swedes seem to have emerged in the forefront as purveyors of a high design aesthetic.

Now it’s the music. An article I read mentions how the Swedish are constantly coming up with new musical styles, where it is common for the avant garde to be incorporated into mainstream music. Thus explains Jose Gonzales and The Knife. Now check this new indie singer out, El Perro Del Mar. Beautiful music accompanied by an even more beautiful video. The song has got such sweet music and vocals. Its verse conjures up a smoky feeling of yesteryear brought about by groups like the Supremes, while its chorus morphs slightly into something more Joni Mitchell. Whatever it is, it’s good. The songs make the listener traverse through various permutations of calm as it progresses from intro to the verse, then chorus, then finally easing down towards the coda with its muted guitars. Hope you enjoy it.

Note to self: Must visit Stockholm.

While doing my bi-weekly music hunting just now, I chanced upon this wicked jazz band again, Japan’s Soil and ‘Pimp’ Sessions. Their take on jazz is one that is unconventional and modern, what some music punters define as “death jazz”. From the music I am hearing, I guess this translates to avant garde, progressive, energetic and explosive. Which also means that I got blown away by these guys’ music, and got goosebumps over and over again. Six guys, a trumpeter and saxophonist lead the way with their adventurous brassy endeavours, either on their own or together, with their unique solos and crazy hooks . A keyboardist infuses whatever rhythms needed to suit their ever-changing flavour of music. A crazy ass drummer and double-bassist (it’s old school pimpin’) to provide the grooves, and an “agitator” who doesn’t really do much other than to bring all of them together (he’s probably the ‘Pimp’ of the band).

I heard about these guys months ago on website of BBC Radio 1 DJ extraodinaire Gilles Peterson of the weekly radio show Worldwide. Constantly hunting for fresh sounds, this fella is on the forefront of introducing new music from his eclectic collection of funk, nu-soul, hip hop, house, and jazz to the British masses. Some other artistes that he helped promote on his side of the Atlantic were Common and John Legend. This guy was probably instrumental in bringing them to within the earshot of the Brits , to the extent that they even won the ‘John Peel Play More Jazz’ award at Gilles’ Worldwide Awards last year.

Once again, I am beating myself up because I gave up not one, but TWO chances to see them performing live. The first time was during Glasgow’s grassroots music festival last year, the Triptych Festival, which I had to miss cause I was busy with my coursework. The second time I missed them was quite unforgivable. I was down in Camden, London with a couple of friends when I noticed a sign that said that they were playing a gig, right there and then. Stingy me couldn’t part with twenty quid, plus I don’t think my friends who were with me would join me to the club where they were playing. So I missed them. AGAIN.

Seeing the video below which I discovered only made me even more sore than I couldn’t catch them live. No studio or live recording can beat the energy and spontaneity of listening to jazz live.
Being a person who dwells in his thick cumulus cloud of regret, I will watch this video as self- punishment until I get over it. I will then move on by listening to this live recording of their gig in Paris not long ago. Ahh, the pain and regret of musical chances I have missed.

If you like what you hear: Check out their mySpace page where you get a sample of their music.

My first encounter with Italian music was a fairly unlikely one, it came from the stereo playing in one of the souvenir shops in Venice. It was the first time I heard music of that sort, but I really liked what I heard. It sounded pop, but it was at the same time sweet sounding yet not over-the-top. The vocals were melodious conveyed in a heartfelt manner that only a latin language like Spanish or Italian was able to. Needless to say, their songs would come across as soppy ballads(especially after I did a Google on the lyrics of the songs). However, tired of the music I have been fed with lately, pop music from the Mediterranean seemed fresh to the ears. I would assume that songs by the Italian artists I am listening to now are considered commonplace pop over there, but for someone who originates from a different continent, it makes for a pretty good listen. As is seems, overplayed and overused pop styles in one part of the world could seem interesting for someone who is tired of the overplayed overused pop styles in his own backyard.

Rather impressed with what I am hearing, I got to experience more of this sort of music from the stuff I hear on the streets or on the radio stations. Somehow song were able to capture the mood of the quaint, ‘la dolce vita’(the sweet life) surroundings of the Mediterranean world. I reckon that these songs may well be a mental depiction of my memories of the place, so much so that it left an impression on me. But I digress. Anyway, I got on witchhunt of the virtual sort, looking for the closest thing possible that could provoke the same reaction as the one I had the time I heard the music in that souvenir shop. I know, I could have just asked the greying shopkeeper who the singer of the songs were. Oh well. And I don’t speak Italian(not yet).

My search for the music wasn’t a fruitless task, as Youtube and Last.fm did point me to the direction of artists such as Gigi D’alessio and Eros Ramazzotti. Gigi D’alessio’s songs were as close that I could get that particular sound I was looking for, something that would be a good reminder of my one and only summer holiday. So anyone who’s looking for easy listening music, then do give these two a listen. Gigi D’alessio has very good vocals (click here if you don’t believe me), and he writes his own songs. Eros Ramazzotti veers more towards the slow rock ballads (something apparently characteristic of Italian pop). Both of them do great melodies.

Gigi D’alessio in Quanti Amori (2004) Eros Ramazzotti

During my search I also found this fella called Vittorio Grigolo, a new kid on the pop-opera block. Apparently this guy was handpicked by Simon Cowell to be a member of the opera boyband, Il Divo, but he declined the offer and went solo. After listening to Vittorio’s debut album, In the Hands of Love, and comparing it to Il Divo, I am pretty certain Vittorio Grigolo made the right choice as I felt his album deserved more plays than Il Divo’s (’Mama’, Il Divo? I mean, seriously?). He sings in Italian, English and Spanish, and most tracks in the album are pretty good. Being an opera crossover album, the songs aren’t full-blown opera, which makes the songs rather accessible to my opera-sensitive ears. Some critics have christened him as Il Pavarrottino (”Little Pavarrotti”) due to being invited to sing with the opera giant. Some have also likened him to Andrea Bocelli, but I’d think his songs have more appeal than Andrea Bocelli’s, whose concert I once watched seemed slightly dull.

Vittorio Grigolo’s In the Hands of Love (2006)

The songs on the album do grow on the listener as I have learnt, which is the reason why this album would demand repeated listens. Two songs come to mind which fit this description, “Listen to the Bell” and “Roma Sogna”. They might unravel a different facet every time people listen to them. The first single of this album is a cover of Keane’s “Bedshaped”, done a la classical. Another track on this album is ‘Il Mio Miracolo’. Nothing too noteworthy in my opinion, but he also did a duet of the same song bi-lingually with Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. Yup, a duet between an opera singer and a leader of a burlesque girl group. However, after listening to the duet, which showcased the vocal prowess of this lead Pussycat, you’d be wondering what in the name of music she is doing singing songs about loose buttons and people looking at her *beep*. Oh well, it’s most definitely the money. Plus she’s hot so who cares. But the said song would be able to expose her talents and get people to take her more seriously (unless she doesn’t take herself seriously and continue to sing frivolous songs about her booty).

Lately I have also been checking out this really pretty singer who sings just as well as she looks. It is Anna Tatangelo, an angel with a really sensuous voice. And so bellissimo! Just take a look at the pic above. Heard her in a few duets with Gigi D’alessio whom I was talking about earlier. See her here in action. Like Gigi, she is a winner of the San Remo Music festival, an annual Italian song festival. She sounded really good in the duets, haven’t got hold of her solo album yet, but hope it doesn’t disappoint.

Found this song a few days ago while music hunting on the internet, although this song isn’t exactly new (apparently it is the b-side track for Scissor Sister’s 2004 single, “Mary”). These glam dance rockers made the popular 2004 Franz Ferdinand single as their own, restyling it with a lounge-y feel that a 1980’s Elton John would have approved. I am a fan of Franz Ferdinand’s original version of the song, but this one makes for an enjoyable listen too, what with a twangy country guitar plucking replacing the electric guitar at the song’s signature riff. Below is the link to the mp3 of the live recording of the Scissor Sister’s lounge sessions in London’s BBC Radio One back in 2004.

Scissor Sisters- “Take Me Out” (Radio 1 Live Lounge)
Click here for the mp3

Thanks RadioRitmono for the fantastic links.