Here we go:
First up — M.I.A. is nominated for an Oscar! She’s nominated (under her full name, Maya Arulpragasam) for a collaboration with A.R. Rahman on the “Slumdog Millionaire” soundtrack. I’d love if this track won, but the statuette will probably go to the song from “WALL-E” (then again, I could be surprised — “Hard Out Here For a Pimp” won in 2005). A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam – “O Saya.”
Here’s a new Lily Allen track, introduced to me by . Love the lyrics on this (a bit of NSFW language, by the way). Not many folks do satire in song these days. Lily Allen – “The Fear.”
Forgive me — this song has been worming its way through my brain over the past week. It’s the psychedelic theme tune to an early-70s UK kid’s show, “Ace of Wands”, about a stage magician who uses genuine supernatural powers in his strange adventures. In finest UK kid-show tradition, the program was genuinely creepy at times. Check this youtube video of the opening credits, with a prominently-featured pentacle (yet another reason why you’d never have seen this show in the US). Here’s the full-length version of the very trippy (and extremely catchy) theme: Andrew Bown – “Tarot (theme from ‘Ace of Wands’)”
Lookbook is an unsigned Minneapolis duo — Grant Cutler (instrumentation) and Maggie Morrison (vocals). The vibe (especially on this particular track) is very Twin Peaks-y Julee Cruise. The band releases their own music, which you can get via the band’s myspace page, or via iTunes Music Store. Lookbook – “Believe The Hype.”
Lastly, U2 has released the first single from their forthcoming album No Line On The Horizon. I still wait (in vain, I know) for a return to the raw emotive power of their 80s output, but this is still pretty good. U2 – “Get On Your Boots.”
Enjoy.