Ebony Bones

Ebony Bones is like the British version of Kate Ritche.

Reason One: She starred on UK soap series Family Affairs from 1988 until 2005 and was the youngest and longest standing cast member.

Reason Two: When the lid tightly closed on their acting careers, both picked up microphones. Ritchie is the voice that wakes commercial radio lovers each weekday morning, and Miss Bones (known also by her actual/boring name - Ebony Thomas) reinvented herself as an all-singing, all-dancing, all-song-arranging super star diva.



Her debut single We Know All About You (Zshare) was released in November in the UK and she is currently touching up her full length release with a little help from Richard X (Sugababes) and Future Cut (Kate Nash.) In an interview with The Guardian, Bones said the record is designed for "the iPod generation", every track completely different stylistically. I'm still waiting on confirmation of album release dates (she's probably too busy preparing for Glastonbury round two to concern herself with album release dates) and if you have any idea I'd love to know!

The disco sound of We Know... is a little old, but the cowbell intro gets me every time! Plus, if she's right in saying every track on the record will have a different sound, then I wont judge the book by its cover.

Plus, she's so fucking cool! Check her myspace pics - beautiful and well-costumed!

sorry i was too busy peaking

our favourite new girlfriend is mc gaff-e. she's following the sun's rays and leaving for a mammoth 5 month trip to europa next week. during this time, amongst general debauchery, spandex-wearing, riot-causing and face painting, she'll be performing at a little known festival called glastonbury.

send her bon voyage messages on her myspace or in person tonight at fun club (fringe bar) or this saturday night at club 77.

here's the video of 'peak for a weak'- live at playground weekender.

ro sham bo mixtape

i wish i knew how to spell an airhorn sound.

anyway here it is... the highly anticipated debut of mc zao zo zey.

music

jew gots ta be kiddin me

So at the moment we’re learning a routine to ‘Creator’ by Santogold (pronounce Sant to rhyme with aunt or can’t, not to rhyme with ant like santa. I learnt the hard way) in dance class, and it reminded me of something that happened a few weeks back.

We were at a dinner party when a friend started telling us the incredulous story of her hairdresser who didn’t know what Jews were. “That's humourous,” we all that thought and our ears perked up. As she continued, it became more and more apparent that this hairdresser guy was legit in his ignorance. He asked our friend questions about the holocaust and Hitler with a deadpan expression on his face. She told him about the concentration camps and his response was “OH MY GOD! That’s soooo sad!!!” (when really he was thinking “Why would I be interested in other cultures? I'm only in my 20’s babe!”).

So we all ‘just had a discuss’ for a few minutes and were blown away that a grown Australian man could have absolutely no idea who a Jewish person was.

At this point another friend said "I know it’s just so weird. I was talking to someone today and they didn't know who Santogold was!"

Santogold- Creator

QUICK BETTER MOVE TO ENGLAND

We have heaps of fish and shit in Australia too.

butter for your bun

3 super quick links of stuff I thought was super cool today

Record Review of the day
Dusted Magazine
Of all the Starlett reviews, I think this sums it up the best

New Band of the Day
Minitel Rose
A French mixture of High Places and Gameboy/Gamegirl and I love it

With thanks to The Fader blog for the heads up, check out the video for their single Magic Powder It truly is magic!

Song of the Day
'Kiss with a Fist' by Florence and the Machine, thanks to the Forkcast

it upSET herrrrrrr

Arrested Porn Stars -

one of my favourite parts of entertainment news shows are the "news" stories they have. you know the bizarre, fascinating or downright wrong reports on "non-celebs". the anorexic twins, the guy with the longest nails in the world, the cat lady... the hard-hitting stuff basically.

check out the dramz that went down on this flight. at first i was like "awwwww a 'i'm so drink, i can't thunk right now' moment!" but on closer inspection, i don't think these girls do much thunking at any time.

The Rapture

I don't care about Grand Theft Auto IV.

It was released April 29 and I didn't care then either.

When I was younger I searched for Carmen, sleighed dragons in Zelda and raced Super Mario cars, and didn't blow things up and steal people's shit. Toto, Cansas seems a long way away...

But it seems I've found myself in a little predicament. Question: Is it OK to hate a game, but ADORE the sound track?



'No Sex For Ben' is a previously unreleased Rapture B-side produced by Timbaland and features at some point in the video game (I wouldn't know exactly where obvs, perhaps in between the killin, stealin and bashin?)



No Sex For Ben (zshare)

I've been holding on to this for a while. I hadn't wanted to post it because I was waiting to see it if would eventually become available in Australia, but looks like it wont.

(Dear The Rapture,
If you'd like me to remove the file, just shoot me an email and Ill do it.
Love, Michaella)

Until then, enjoy!

PS. Do you think the song is about this guy?

Fly Away

Its Monday. Feeling blue? Here's something bluesy, but I promise it'll put a big ol smile on your face.

As Flying Lotus, Californian producer Stephen Ellison makes songs so slick and so cool they sparkle like the waves at Bondi on a 28 degree January afternoon.

Ellison isn't so new to the scene, he debuted with his L.P 1983 on Plug Research in 2006 and since he signed with Warp, released an EP last year and is about to issue his full-length Warp debut Los Angeles (out June 10)


Two Mondayitis-curing oldies:

Tea Leaf Dancers (zshare)

Dancefloor Stalker (zshare)




Find more ar flying-lotus.com or warprecords.com

this is a tribute- part deux

brand new photos of mr marc jacobs from 'interview' magazine. it's a tribute issue to andy warhol who would have turned 80 this year.

this is a tribute

"…to express yourself as you are, without any intentional, fancy way of adjusting yourself, is the most important thing."-shunryu suzuki



this is from one of my favourite editorials ever. it's called 'dans la peau de john galliano' (translated: in john galliano's skin). you MUST go here and check out the whole set. it was published in french vogue in january 2007 and was fashion photographer peter lindbergh's tip of the hat to galliano. it features gemma ward clone, sasha pivovarova as the leading lady/man and i think every photo is just stunning and so evocative.

also have just have a read of lindbergh's essay on creativity.

"i wanna be with someone in a mgmt position"

i don't normally post about my crushes but.... andrew vanwyngarden...



work it!

oh helllllllll no....

i had a feeling scarlett johannson's musical debut was going to be bad. and it is. how anti-climactic.

oh no they di'nt....

new kids on the block are back! check out this medley they performed. it's so shit! i love it.

aussie, aussie, aussie

i'm really excited by all the attention that the above acts are getting at home and overseas. cut copy, midnight juggernauts and the presets are without a doubt three of my favourite acts of the past year and i'm really proud that they're all homegrown. we've seen them rise to the success they are achieving now through years of writing, recording, touring and maturing as musicians as opposed to a breakout hit or an ipod commercial. cut copy and the presets have both cracked the number one spot on the album charts with their tasty sophomore efforts, 'in ghost colours' and 'apocalypso' respectively. chaos!

anyway they all also like remixing each others songs which i thought would be some fun stuff to download.

i think below is everyone "doing" everyone... but i'm not sure... never was great at maths. number+ logic=headache.

cutters take on presets

juggers take on cutters

presets take on juggers

cutters take on juggers

juggers take on presets

*update: ok there's no presets take on juggers

killar queenz

Last post I was talking about how happy I was that chicks had a really strong presence in the independent music scene at the moment, and then realised I'd never posted about Killar Queenz

These girls are UH MAY ZING!


(with Dizzee Rascal at the MTV Australia awards)

If their remix/cover of Sweaty Wet Dirty Damp by Gameboy/Gamegirl doesn't win you over - your heart must be made of stone or somethin! Listen at their mspace, and also tune to 'Takin Ova' (its just saaaaaa gooood!)

The first time I saw them live was when they supported South Rakkas Crew at Oxford Art Factory earlier this year. In my opinion they put on a much better than the headline act and was 100% sold on them when they jumped up on stage for an impromptu battle the following week during a Cool Kids gig at the same venue.

They've signed to Grindin' so keep your eyes peeled for their debut release, and in the meantime check them supporting Bonde Do Role (Version 2.0) at The Forum, June 6.

Marina and the Diamonds

I cant tell if I like Marina and the Diamonds or not...

Have a listen to her tunes at her myspace and see what you think.

I don't usually enjoy overly dramatic, pantomimic, Kate Bush'esque vocals... but there is something that keeps me from pressing pause.

I'm not as enamoured with her as I am Lykke Li, Kria Brekkan, Florence and The Machine or Tickley Feather, but I do think its great to see women with a strong vocal presence making mre of an impact on the blog world.

and a side note... she actually looks like an English Lykke!



See!!

dets?

PS!!!!!!!!!!

Mad Decent says the Cuizi 'Pour Les Filles #3' is due out today or tomorrow? Anyone? Anyone?

If you head there you can download the latest single which features ex Bonde Do Role MC Marina.

Here's one from a while ago
Cuizinier 'lettre' f feat. spankrock pase rock (zshare)

the good, and the bad

This is bullshit. Loved her in the movies, the album sounded like a cinematic Sitek soundscape project and could have done without her growls and grumbles

Luckily the new Ratatat is great! If you've not heard it yet, listen (ZShare) and then buy the 7" here.



The baroque-synth sound reminds me of Coppola's Marie Antoinette, which I adored! The record is out July 8. I'm pretty excited about it - their sound is predictable, but always on point. And sometimes its nice to know what you're getting before it drops

new beginnings

Apologies for being a little quiet lately... I've been watching Gossip Girl, downloading Season 2 of Ugly Betty, listening to Teyana Taylor and generally being all SASSY POP. Finally though, news came through which was enough to pull me out of my indulged rich-NY-teen-fantasy

1. James Pants is releasing his debut album next week through Stones Throw (last year's Pants remix of 'gotta get rid of rick' by Baron Zen BLEW MY MIND and was so disco and so pop and so catchy and so listenable - I am amazed that I can still listen to it without tiring of the opening drum sequence before the snare beat drops. BEAUTiful! I think I may have already posted this last year, but its so good it deserves a second run 'Kash' James Pants (ZShare)

2. I watched this again

3. I received confirmation I'm interviewing Snowman and Tricky within 24 hours of each other this week (LOVE being a journalist) Pitchfork's Snowman Lanweay props last year were so wonderfully accurate and I really hope big things happen for them when they relocate to Europe following a national tour through may. And Tricky... well... I have no idea where to even start with that!

Good things happen in three, right?

XOXO G.G (I'm up to Georgina's return - and OMG, if it isn't Buffy's little sister!)

ummm WHY?

From umbrella-ella-ella-ella to boom-boom-boom-boom CHING... if it gets her the money, right?

and that's one giant leap for.....

the glow in the dark tour........ april 22, nokia theater, L.A.

i was REALLY REALLY excited about being able to see kanye perform his new tour. i'd heard all the hype and i wanted to see it and experience it myself. it sounded out of control. both nights in LA were sold out and the crowd was definitely buzzed. he began with 'good morning' as he "woke up" on the deserty stage with the sunrise background beaming across the arena.

kanye said next to nothing to the crowd for the whole show, instead spending the breaks in music (which were few and far between) talking to his spaceship "jane". the entire show played out like a narrative with kanye on a mission to find a new source of inspiration in the universe. he unexpectedly finds himself on an unknown planet where the spaceship crashes.

the show was miles away from the set that he played at good vibes a mere two months earlier- gone were the back-up singers, the band, the costume changes. the 'glow in the dark' is a one-man show in the most complete sense. there is NOBODY on stage but kanye. lupe joins him briefly for 'touch the sky' but that's all. his clothes aren't even flashy or a focal point by any means, instead he goes for a back to the future-esque michael j.fox look with a top, jeans, sneakers and swirtshirt tied around his waist- further adding to the 'lost in space' theme.

'flashing lights' was great- a true spine-tingle moment when he sang "she don't believe in shooting stars, but she believes in shoes and cars" and i released i was in LA, the ultimate city of flashing lights and dreams of stardom.

the stage was decorated to resemble a barren moon-like surface with changes for each song from the lighting to the addition of clouds, to even real fire?!?! (i swear it was real, i know what the fake stuff looks like and it wasn't fake)

he simultaneously poked fun at his well-publicized ego, "i promise to stop talking shit and spazzing out at award shows" and reminded everybody that he would make no apologies for it (jane to west)- "but you're the biggest star in the universe."

there wasn't a dry eye in sight for 'hey mama' and it was immediately followed by journey's 'don't stop believing' blaring across the auditorium, as if it was a message from his mum to him. 'stronger' was probably the highlight of the set. the vibe in the room was electric and there wasn't a single person in their seats.

one of the things that really struck about the show was just how much stamina kanye displayed. he honestly BARELY stopped bouncing around the stage for the entire set. i'd heard that right before he went on stage for this tour, he would do 30 minutes of cardio with trainer and if you saw the show you would understand why- it would be so physically gruelling, even for the fittest person.

every single aspect of the whole night was so meticulously crafted- from the set list to the lights to the staging to the storyline to the dialogue. you could see why kanye was all-consumed by this tour- to the point of obsession. he gave it his all and then some. it was a visual spectacular.

and on the way out, everyone even gets a kanye book! containing his all-important life lessons- "GET USED TO GETTING USED" etc.

OH! KANYE!

Kanye West- Flashing Light (Diplo Remix)

* p.s. obviously no photos were taken at the show because it was strictly prohibited and STRICTLY enforced. i saw at least 6 people get kicked out. it was so cruel! at least give them a warning first!

coachella round-up

so i just got back from coachella. here are observations from my trip to L.A. and the desert...... (flash-back)



- coachella is the best and most beautiful festival in the world. period.

- the national are SO good. jack johnson is so boring.

- diplo killed it.

- i was the only one out of my friends who didn't know who sharon jones and the dap kings were but they were really great. a true perfomer.

- black lips set their guitars on fire.

- the coachella "beam" lights were the coolest idea!

- santogold was one of the stand-out's from the whole weekend. loved every minute of it. her two dancers are way sexy too.

- spankrock didn't perform because naem was sick so amanda blank filled in with 5 minutes notice.

- cut copy are really big in america.



-M.I.A. made her own dress and it didn't fall apart. she also killed it and i've never seen a tent packed that much. why she wasn't playing the main stage is anyone's guess.

- cold war kids new stuff is sounding really great and they pulled a huge crowd on the main stage despite the IMMENSE desert heat on saturday afternoon.

- MGMT = no comment.

- was i the only one that enjoyed kraftwerk?

- the verve/ portishead- hearing the classic's was good but live show was pretty dull.



-no matter where you are, you'll always run into people from home. there was also a whole group of people with australian flags singing "aussie, aussie, aussie" all weekend.

- hot chip, chromeo, justice... tick, tick, tick.

- simian mobile disco had everybody dancing.

- roger waters was epic.



-models love a good festival.

-prince was the best thing ever.

-always remember what parking lot you parked in so you don't spend 3 hours looking for your car.



-there's not actually any fashion in the 'fashion district'.

- mexican food is so good. but it's best not to overdo it.



-the church of scientology is everywhere you look. this was the view from the smoking section of the club cinespace. talk about brainwashing.

- don't believe the hype. forget hotel roosevelt. the only place to go if you want to "celeb spot" is the supermarket 'Ralph's'.



-girls dress kinda skanky.

- don't ask someone in compton where hollywood is... "hollywood????!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!"

-going to a tv show taping is BORING. making an excuse that you need to go to the bathroom and then trying to escape won't work because you have to "sign out" and walk through security.



-get a rental car. people in LA don't know how to deal with pedestrians. on the first day there, i was crossing the road at a stoplight and a car literally just kept rolling towards me, as if it didn't know what was happening and why there was a human on the road.

-H&M is overrated. forever 21 is where it's at. Oh and target too.



-them jeans is really really tall. and i'm kinda short.

-i love silverlake.



-there are lots of sneaker stores.

-the hills is the most addictive show on television but i DON'T KNOW WHY! they don't even talk. they just stare at each other and move their necks.

now this is a music video

"what should i do today....?"

Charles Fuller, 21, has ben arrested in Florida after attempting to pass a $360 billion check, which he claims was given to him by his girlfriend’s mother to start a record business.

The personal check was not made out to Mr. Fuller and when the bank contacted the check owner, the woman said she (insert drum roll here) "did not write a check for $360 billion".

record yourself

"one or more persons obscuring or augmenting any part of their body or bodies with record sleeve(s) causing an illusion".... the web-site says it all really.

I HATE ANIMALS

WELL DONE

NO DAY LIKE TODAY!

...to wake this baby up.

Seriously, chicks who write?
That shit is so RARE.



Perhaps you could download this xxxchange hidden Lily Allen mix (even though she's dead to me), to celebrate.

zshare "Smile" (XXXChange and Darko remix)

teenagersineurope

some of my nearest and dearest teenagersintokyo head to europe next week for their first *internationalz* tour, taking in the UK, france and deutschland.

say bon voyage this thursday april 10 at the hoey and congratulate them on their signing to backyard recordings.

it may/ may not go like this......

*cue chimes in the background*

person: hey! that's so exciting about you guys going overseas!!
sam: yeah. topshop.
person 2: have you packed yet?
linda: i just wish we were going to italy.
person 3: are you working on any new stuff at the moment?
sophie: yeah my new collection's out next summer.
person 4: that guy just spilt his glass of beer on you babe!
miska: are glass candy here?
person 5: you're way sexy when you play drums!
rudy: ha.

here's their new video for 'very vampyr', p.s.

SAY NO TO DRUGS

no big deal

100% MEGA DANCE!!!!!!!

there will be so much of this going on this friday april 4 at arq.



and also so much of this... the tough alliance (the name on everyone's lips right now), flosstradamus, munk, jaxxxxi, hoodrat, doom, dangerous and double nolan.

not to mention nick sweeney on rollerskates.

wtf? sick party.

summer heights high

One of Perez's favorite shows 'Summer Heights High' is set to air internationally this year, finding a home at BBC3 in the U.K. and on the HBO network (home to any TV show you're watching on DVD right now) in America. I wonder if the 'Jonah-quoting' will take off.... if it doesn't rest assured that the equivalents (à la 'The Office') will follow shortly for both countries.

Plus if the show is half as successful as it was here, he can release the heinous Mr G single in those countries too and make lots of trillions of dollaz.

*FUN FACT*- Chriss Lilley went to Barker College! So did movestiller Anna Lunoe! Sick party.

happy hump day

men who look like old lesbians

leonardo dog

that's all.

something music- related?

this is my favourite song right now... followed closely by the krames remix of shoulder lean (except that part in the middle with the female vocals)

vampire weekend

the lost boys is back motherfuckers!!!!!!!

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

MADNESS

this song is mad. and the video is even crazier.

modern chameleon

Spot the figures! Dutch artist, Desiree Palmen, has created chameleons in the urban jungle with her amazing photographs.

At first you think, 'Wow! That's amazing' but the impact was soon lost, as I found myself questioning 'So what? Photoshop? Big deal.'

But that's not the case. Palmen makes the cotton suits and then paints them by hand for hours. First she takes photographs of the scene then, back in the studio, she meticulously transfers the detail on to the suit with acrylic paints. The match of colour, texture, light and hue is extraordinarily accurate.



It's great to see this being achieved through traditional methods. With hours of time, energy and attention to detail.

There is also meaning behind her work and she asks the viewer to consider what it means to let the government control our daily lives, "When we are controlled we hand over our individual responsibilities to the state. I wanted to make a suit for the non-criminal citizen whose house is being watched 24 hours by street surveillance cameras. I'm also responding to a wish to disappear."