Robbie Williams

So in honor of my next DJ party, and since I haven't come across too much new stuff I really love, I figure I should take the easy route and give you some Robbie Williams.

Yes, I know he's cheesy. Yes I know he's like the modern day Elton John. But I can say that if you see him perform live, you totally understand why he's a superstar. Very few bands/singers/acts nowadays can actualy claim to have starpower, and Robbie Williams is one of those few. The man has commanding stage presence. And the things he says and gets away with are just hilarious. He's like Benny Hill mixed with the Spice Girls. And what so wrong with that??

So he has another rcord out, Rudebox, and I am sure most of you haven't even heard anything from his last few records at all anyway. But this one is a bit of the usual. He usually has a bit of filler, and a few experimental tracks (be it hip hop or techno or whatnot) and then one or two funny poppy gems. So I'll give you two in this case, one funny and one wannabe hip hop track. Both good fun though; they get a 7.

LINKS FIXED
Robbie Williams- Rudebox
Robbie Williams- Good Doctor

Yes I know that he's in rehab now, and that perhaps "Good Doctor" is a poor choice, but I figure that if he has a sense of humor about it, so we should too.

Bloc Party

I cannot claim to be a Bloc Party fan. I understand why people like them. I see what they are, but I just can't get into them. Their first record borrowed from Gang of Four a lot, enough for me to dub their live show "Gang of Bore." And I love Gang of Four, but yet I have no love for BP.

Well, they are back and boy are the kids happy to see them. Surprisingly, their sound this time out has softened and may even be "radio friendly." In place of GoF it sounds like they are reaching for more for New Order this time out. Which again, I totally see that people might like this. But the lyrics seem a bit less obtuse this time, in a bad way, and the sense of urgency is gone and has been replaced by what seems to me to be a bit of self loathing. No personal beef meant; it just doesn't do it for me.

But the single is catchy and you should expect to see it during lots of prime time dramas this year. I give it a 6 mainly for its catchiness.

Bloc Party- I Still Remember

The Cooper Temple Clause (again)

OK so I have posted about these guys recently, but the record finaly came out in the UK and so I can share more with you. Actually the real reason is that I bought the import vinyl last week, and lo and behold, I am thanked in the liner notes! This is my first ever mention in liner notes, so I am pretty excited about it. Just thought I'd share.

Now the new Cooper Temple Clause record, Make this Your Own, is a bit different from their first two releases, as I had mentioned before. But the more I listen to it, the more I realize that this is basically a whole new sound for this band. It is going to take some getting used to as they have different members singing (besides Ben) and the instrumentation and recording all move in completely new directions. But I also think that their past style was a bit much for most people to "get." So maybe they will finally find the audience they deserve.

Here's the latest UK single. Some folks love it because it is somewhat Placebo sounding. See what you think. I give it a 7.5.

The Cooper Temple Clause- Waiting Game