Ahoy! It is the Guillemots' latest single

Better than: The new Coldplay single
Worse than: The old Guillemots single

Guillemots - Falling Out Of Reach

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That Coldplay single "in full"

Worried about listening to Coldplay's new single, Violet Hill, at work?
Have no fear, for here it is in text form:

0:00 - 0:41 Here is some pleasant ambience noise which will take the running time over the crucial three minute mark.
0:42 - 0:46 Chris Martin's vocals have got "slapback" reverb on them, just like the Beatles used to use.
0:46 - 0:50 He sounds more like Liam Gallagher on All Around The World, though.
0:50 - 0:52 "There was snow," exclaims Chris. "White snow" What other type is there, you buffoon?
1:00 - 1:05 This bass line is actually very funky
1:18 - 1:23 THE CHORUS "If you love it, won't you let me know?" That's all you're getting, by the way. One solitary line.
1:46 - 1:48 The word bible is rhymed with rifle. Controversial!
2:14 - 2:16 Is the record stuck?
2:17 - 2:48 No, it is not. And here is a guitar "solo" (the same riff repeated over and over again for 30 seconds)
3:09-3:49 Piano coda. Chris does his trademark singing-like-a-wounded-animal "schtick". Then it stops.

All in all, it is rather good. Goddamn them.

Get your free copy on the Coldplay interwebshop.

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Best Ting Tings video ever!

The Ting Tings' videos have, up until now, been cheap and charming affairs - stressing the band's indie credibility while retaining all the shiny fluorescent conventions of the traditional pop promo.

Now, Apple have got behind the band and chosen their album track Shut Up And Let Me Go to soundtrack the latest iPod advert in the US. The result is a Ting Tings video with a budget in excess of £2.50, which conveys all the energy and vibrancy of the band's shouty lady pop.

I have to say that the 30-second clip raises my expectation for their debut album, We Started Nothing, which is due out on 18th May (download) / 19th May (variety of plastic disc options). It sounds very much like the New Young Pony Club... Yum, yum.

Ting Tings - iPod advert


Here's what Katie has to say about the advert on the band's MySpace page:

Its really exciting, we love the ipod adverts, they look great. Its really funny how we got it...we played south by south west in Austin ,Texas and I fainted onstage. We had another gig an hour later and we almost pulled out of it because I was so ill. We managed to play three songs and by the last one I was shaky again but apple loved it. We so nearly didn't play that gig. So glad we did now ( :

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Batman returns?

How many ways are there to make a Batman movie?

Fans of Christopher Nolan's bleak, shadowy Batman Returns would like to think that his "re-imagining" of the franchise has saved it from the camp, comic book excesses of the Joel Schumacher era.

But The Dark Knight, Nolan's hotly-anticipated sequel, deals with the same villain as Burton's first movie - The Joker. Can he really deviate that much from the template that gothic auteur Tim Burton laid down?

The answer, according to this superb mash-up from College Humor.com, is "not much".

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New Rihanna video

For some reason (*cough* cash *cough*) Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad album is getting a US re-release with a smattering of bonus tracks.

One of them, which is set to be a single, has been recorded with Ne-Yo, a man I would call tedious if we could stay awake long enough to typ.... Sorry, must have dropped off there.

It is called Take A Bow (yes, like the Madonna song) and as much thought has gone into the video as went into the title, lyrics and melody.

Here it is. I recommend using industrial strength steel springs to keep your eyes open.

Rihanna - Take A Bow

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Listen to the Ladytron album

Over on Myspace, goth electropop outfit Ladytron are streaming their new album, Velocifero, which isn't due out 'til June, in its entirety.

If you like the sound of teutonic ice queens ululating over the dark pulse of damaged synths, you will like this.

You could also buy some Kohl eyeliner and avoid the sun, but that's really up to you.

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