Goodness have we needed to find some solace somewhere, this year of all years. Here are a handful of music and accompanying videos, that have amused or provided joy to the soul, with ocassional dashes of hope and gleefilled optimism.
From its opening through to its ending this video is a gift, that just keeps on giving. Olya Polyakov, once the camera is placed upon her, as the stage fan starts wildly blowing her hair, is well and truly on. Preening at you, with 'come hither' alluring eye contact, and a shameless deploying of flirty stage charisma. Dressing like she's escaped from a low budget Sci Fi epic, she is heavily buttressed. When allowed full reign, her operatic timbre completely inhabits her. She looks for all the world like she's having an explosive orgasm right in front of you.
The TV presenter grooving in the bright blue armchair can't help but oggle every morsel of her performance. As The Army of Lovers mouth Liberte, Egalite, Maternite without a hint of irony. Its a song that is sheer nonsense on stilts, built out of a sequence of words that rhyme yet mean nothing - But - I Love it - bliss, sheer bliss. I begin every day by watching this.
Now I was never much of a Spice Girls fan. In a sense they were not designed for me, but for pubescent teenage girls. As a social phenomena they signified much more than the music, which is fortunate because the music was pretty consistently dreck. Apart from this one beam of delight, taken by the Whoniverse and handed over to Neil Patrick Harris to camp up for a Dr Who special. One of the TV highlights of the year. Both sinister and scintillating - enjoy.
It has to be said this has been Kylie's year. The breakout summer hit of 2023, Padam Padam had classic dance floor filler written over its numerous song hooks. And once they get their highly polished red nails into you, well there is no rescuing you. Yet another career renaissance, how many more can this woman have?
This was the first warm up track for a soon to be released album, but way back in mid summer. The album, we are still waiting for, but one gets the sense from what they have released so far, that Yard Act and their record company know they've come up with a goodun. The Trenchcoat Museum is full of the usual Yard Act mischievous satire and broad range of characters, with a truly addictive groove going on for good measure. Worth eight minutes of anyone's time.
One might have been tempted to write James Blake off many times in his career. His recent albums having been patchy, with only a few great tracks amongst a lot of thin gruel. But with the album Playing Robots Into Heaven he produced one of his best. Loaded is just one highlight, a melancholic song that is yearning for some form of transcendent love but - where are my wings? They're loading. Beautifully wrought, with a ticking clock like rhythm beneath it, the fateful fall of a discordant descending glissando of synths, brings it all to a crashing end. Classic.
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