Article Series

Song Of The Day: Dappy – No Regrets

Posted on by Paul in Everything, Song of the Day | 1 Comment

It was nearly one year ago that I wrote of my fascination with the nearly unknown (to me) world of British popstars and especially my obsession at the time with the bizarro Brit version of Black Eyed Peas known as N Dubz.  You may recall that at the time I casually mentioned how I was planning on doing everything in my power to promote them.  Well … that never happened.  In fact, other than listening to “Girls” over and over for a brief while, I generally kind of forgot about them myself.  Then Ricky made mention of them in his post on Taio Cruz’ cover of “Little Lion Man,” which prompted me to seek out this track, the latest single from N Dubz ringleader Dappy (yes, he really does call himself Dappy and no, I’m not really sure what a “Dappy” is exactly) and his first outing as a solo artist.  Yes, it appears that N Dubz have more or less broken up and I can’t help but think it was my fault for not doing everything in my power to hype them up.  So I’m sorry about that.  Or you’re welcome, depending on how you feel about Dappy and co.  Personally, I’m not quite sure how I feel about them. 

Anyways, this song is ok I guess.  It’s a passable piece of hip hop pop with a few clever lyrical bits here and there.  I dig the “Call me Gallagher ‘cos I’m so shameless” line, especially when coupled with a briefly sung snippet of Oasis’ “Whatever,” although I’m not really too sure about the line “I’m a changed man now/Chris Brown” – it’s cool to compare yourself favourably to Chris Brown now?  Ugh.  More importantly, if you can, you should check out “Being N Dubz,” the reality TV series starring Dappy and his bandmates Fazer and Tulisa.  It’s ridiculous and entertaining.

Cover of the Day: Taio Cruz – Little Lion Man (Mumford & Sons)

Posted on by Ricky in Covers, Song of the Day | 3 Comments

This cover sees two worlds collide as hip hop dance floor sensation Taio Cruz covers nostalgic folk farmy revivalists Mumford & Sons. The song covered is “Little Lion Man” and as you would expect, Taio puts his own touches on it which includes a rousing string section to replace the banjo hee haw explosion that is the song’s (and the band’s) signature moment.

The cover is a part of BBC’s Ongoing Live Lounge series which sees a host of disposable pop artists covering songs by artists slightly more popular then them. Other artists on this years compilation include Panic Manual favorites Pixie Lott and N-Dubz. I know this doesn’t exactly pass as glowing endorsement but have a listen anyway, it’s a good cover.

Halloween Appropriate Song of the Day: Summer Camp – Down

Posted on by Ricky in Song of the Day | Leave a comment

If you frequent the internet like I frequent the internet, you will know that gif’s are very very popular. I even know someone who runs a gif site.

Given that popularity, it was a surprise that it took English duo Summer Camp to come up with the creative idea of using gif’s for a music video. The music video, featuring a boat load of looping gif’s from a supposed Halloween themed party, is for the song “Down.” The track is off their upcoming record Welcome To Condale, out on November 8th. Featuring a shameless ’90s guitar riff and nostalgic yearning from both Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey, Down seems like a perfect sound track for those imaginary trips back to the shopping mall times of your youth. Check it out.

Down by Summer Camp

Song of the Rainy Day: The John Steel Singers – Overpass

Posted on by Ricky in Song of the Day | Leave a comment

I’m all about counter programming. On rainy days, I like to play tracks that don’t necessarily remind of me of gloomy times, but instead, tracks that remind me of how wonderful it is to be in the summer light.

Enter the John Steel Singers. A six piece band from Australia, the land that is forever dry and rain free, the John Steel Singers sound pretty much what their band name would suggest – fun, joyous harmonic tracks with a sprinkle of horns.

This track, called Overpass comes from their debut record Tangalooma and has a playful beat, ska-ish horns and a sound that reminds you of your days in college. It’s a great anecdote for the dim dark realities of fall in Canada. Check it out.

“Overpass” – The John Steel Singers by PlanetaryOnlinePR