To be underwhelmed by The Fratellis was an easy task to accomplish; their catchy but lifeless pop melodies, senses-dulling guitar hooks, and lyrics such as “I was good, she was hot/Stealing everything she got,” didn’t do them any favours outside of the British mainstream. When I woke up today (Friday), I finally got round to sorting through a selection of promos I’ve been sent recently. Incredibly unprofessionally, I proceeded to listen to them in order of best cover art, and Codeine Velvet Club‘s cover for ‘Vanity Kills’, struck me straight away.

The second thing that struck me was the name; Codeine Velvet Club. Whenever I hear ‘velvet’, one of my first connotations is with the Velvet Underground, and the prefixing ‘Codeine’ linked me, straight away to the 60s recreational popularity of cough medicine abuse on stage; when codeine was still an active and more prominent ingredient. The only song that graces the promo here is ‘Vanity Kills’, a catchy and effortlessly smooth, pop classic that breathes cabaret and jazz, as much any high society gal of the 60s could have mustered.

My surprise here comes from the partnering of the vocals; the boy hooks come from Jon Lawler (frontman of the aforementioned, Fratellis), while female credit lies with the jazz princess Lou Hickey. Her creative spark for a wonderful jazz melody and signature groove, is truly awakened by Lawler’s ability to craft masterful pop music.

It would have been a huge shame if Vanity Kills was the only track they penned together; here we have a collaboration that brings out the best that each songwriter could achieve, a pastiche that far outstretches anything that either have accomplished in the past. A brilliant partnership has been formed here, and its one draped in a glamour, romantic seediness, and undoubtable, sexual oompf that frankly is missing from today’s pop music. Codeine Velvet Club are one of the most exciting new groups in Britain, and more so than anyone else of recent years, provide the most refreshing, nostalgic, throwback to the 60s girl/boy pop we’ve seen.

Vanity Kills

Danielle Maree Originals
recently designed and created these
Swarovski Crystal Guitar Earrings.

Price $22 | Available for Sale

Handmade with Love, and named after the Beatles song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.  Featuring silver metal guitars embellished in Swarovski crystals.  Light beautifully reflects on these!  Comes in a variety of colors including clear as pictured.  Wrapped with a bow and gift box.  If you have any questions about this item, please feel free to send a message!  Also,  we are now accepting wholesale orders! ♥

KURT VONNEGUT
November 11, 1922 ~*~ April 11, 2007

Everything was beautiful
and nothing hurt

Today marks Kurt Vonngeut’s 87th birthday. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Kurt spent his life throughout times as a chemistry student at Cornell University, as a soldier in World War II, and then as an archeology student at the University of Chicago. However, his true passion was his gift of writing and creating novels of satire, black comedy and science fiction.

See: Playboy Interview 1992 with Kurt and Joseph Heller

[MP3] Music Go Music :: Warm In the Shadows
[Fred Falke Remix]

Sweden’s Air France created and shared their own dreamy remix of St. Etienne‘s “Spring”.  Please take a listen to the track below and watch the video in high-res over at  Sincerely Yours.

[MP3] St. Etienne :: Spring [Air France Remix]

[Photo Credit :: AnnaDriel]

This cover of Nick Cave and Anita Lane’s 1986 song about hotel sex with strangers (at least that’s what I think it’s about) will appear on a three-disc deluxe edition of Fever Ray’s eponymous debut, out November 24 on Mute.
-Vanity Fair-

[MP3] Fever Ray :: Stranger Than Kindness

A few hours ago, I watched a 2007 American indie film called In Search of a Midnight Kiss. It is a black-and-white romance set in L.A., and shares many similarities with Woody Allen’s masterpiece Manhattan. In Manhattan, Allen uses Gershwin’s bold music to paint his beloved city, but In Search of a Midnight Kiss uses soft music as a reminder of the quiter, more innocent strangers who walk the streets of a place generally thought of as containing unemployed actors. There is one song that really stood out, and I had never heard of it before, but I tracked it down as soon as the film was finished. It is called ‘My Good Deed’, and is by Shearwater, otherwise known as a side-project for Okkervil River.

There is a certain scene when the two protagonists run out of a house together, running away from her violent ex-boyfriend, and they are laughing. Instead of being terrified, they have fun, and then they stop, before he says that they should continue just in case. But really, he’s just having fun and wants to elongate the moment. And then this song starts playing, and it fits the moment perfectly, from its first few lines:

i tried to save a girl i truly loved
and didn’t quite know how to help her

I am endlessly fascinated by films that portray romances between two people who end up together just because ‘it happens’ and they have nothing else to do, and this film somehow managed to be honest about that situation, yet romanticising it at the same time. And I think it’s mainly down to the combination of the black-and-white direction and a soundtrack of acoustic tragedy.

LISTEN: My Good Deed by Shearwater
FROM THE FILM: In Search of a Midnight Kiss

Directed by Allison Schulnik,
below is the official video for Grizzly Bear‘s Ready, Able
from their 2009 release Veckatimest.   Enjoy!

Welcome to the official soundtrack to Music Is Art’s Best Albums of Fall 2009. This is a 15 song, eclectic collection that combines pop-friendly, r&b, smooth jazz tones to electronic space music and indie rock dreams. Listen to these samples of the preferred new releases of September and October. If something should be added below to the list, please comment or leave a recommendation. Enjoy!

BEST ALBUMS OF FALL September and October 2009

Artist | THE XX Album | THE XX Record Label | XL RECORDINGS Release Date | OCTOBER 6, 2009 Listen | CRYSTALLIZED

Artist | DM STITH Album | THANKSGIVING MOON EP Record Label | ASTHMATIC KITTY Release Date | OCTOBER 13, 2009 Listen | PIGS (ft Jefferson Street Band)

Artist | EL PERRO DEL MAR Album | LOVE IS NOT POP Record Label | CONTROL GROUP Release Date | OCTOBER 20, 2009 Listen | CHANGE OF HEART

Artist |  ESPERS Album |  III Record Label |  DRAG CITY Release Date |  OCTOBER 20, 2009 Listen |  CAROLINE

Artist |  FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE Album |  LUNGS Record Label |  UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC Release Date |  OCTOBER 20, 2009 Listen |  RABBIT HEART (RAISE IT UP)

Artist |  ATLAS SOUND Album |  LOGOS Record Label |  KRANKY Release Date |  OCTOBER 20, 2009 Listen |  WALKABOUT (FT NOAH LENNOX)

Artist |  BARZIN Album |  NOTES TO AN ABSENT LOVER Record Label |  MONOTREME Release Date |  OCTOBER 27, 2009 Listen |  NOBODY TOLD ME

Artist | ALEC OUNSWORTH Album |  MO’ BEAUTY Record Label | ANTI Release Date |  OCTOBER 20, 2009 Listen |  HOLY, HOLY, HOLY MOSES (SONG FOR NEW ORLEANS)

Artist |  FUCK BUTTONS Album |  TAROT SPORT Record Label |  ATP RECORDINGS Release Date |  OCTOBER 6, 2009 Listen |  THE LISBON MARU

Artist |  FANFARLO Album |  RESERVOIR Record Label |  ATLANTIC Release Date |  OCTOBER 13, 2009 Listen |  I’M A PILOT

Artist | TWILIGHT :: NEW MOON Album |  ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK Record Label |  ATLANTIC Release Date |  OCTOBER 16, 2009 Listen |  THOM YORKE – HEARING DAMAGE

Artist |  TEMPER TRAP Album |  CONDITIONS Record Label |  GLASS NOTE Release Date |  OCTOBER 13, 2009 Listen |  SWEET DISPOSITION

Artist |  MONSTERS OF FOLK Album |  CONOR OBERST/YIM YAMES/ M. WARD/MIKE MOGIS Record Label |  SHANGRI-LA Release Date |  SEPTEMBER 22, 2009 Listen |  SAY PLEASE

Artist |  MUSE Album |   THE RESISTANCE Record Label |  WARNER BROS Release Date |  SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 Listen |  UPRISING

Artist |  JAY-Z Album |  THE BLUEPRINT 3 Record Label |  ROC NATION Release Date |  SEPTEMBER 8, 2009 Listen |  RUN THIS TOWN

::DOWNLOAD ALL (.ZIP)::

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This is the official video for The XX‘s remix of Florence and the Machine‘s’ You’ve Got the Love.  Such a magical reendition.