The most supple woman on the planet

I dropped into the Jools Holland studios to see Shakira (or Shakira Shakira, to give her full name) perform three tracks from her new album and one oldie-but-goodie.

I swear that the woman is genetically related to Elastigirl from The Incredibles. She is stretchy beyond belief. Watch the bit in She-Wolf where she sings the bridge while executing a perfect crab bend - around 0:58 into the video. It's not normal.

Shakira - She Wolf (live)

The best bit about Jools Holland is watching how the stars off-duty. Before the show, there was a huge kerfuffle over Shakira's necklace, which appeared to be caught in her hair. This demanded an instant jewellery swap, leading to the not-a-joke query "How many people does it take to change Shakira's necklace?"

The answer is three: One to hold the spare chain, one to lift up Shakira's hair, and one to operate the clasp. Plus Shakira, obviously.

Shakira - Hips Don't Lie (live)

On Friday's extended edition of the show, you'll get to see two more tracks from She-Wolf - Why Wait and Gypsy, which both have a big Middle Eastern influence. The latter has another moment of lyrical genius from the daft-as-a-brush department.

I'm a gypsy
Are you coming with me?
I might steal your clothes
And wear them if they fit me

I guess all that bending must restrict the flow of blood to the brain.

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Warning: This post may result in you listening to a Miley Cyrus song uncritically

Here's something I never thought I'd be writing - the new Miley Cyrus single is almost tolerable.

I mean, you have to let a lot of things slide: The auto-tuned vocals; the way it shamelessy name-checks Jay-Z in an attempt to pretend Miley has what people call "The Cool"; the video's unmistakable debt to (urgh) Grease; the false laughter in the final chorus; and the lyric about how the world's highest-earning teenager ($26m last year) is really just a loveable country bumpkin who's totally out-of-place amid all the fake tits and bouffant hairdos of Hollywood.

And yet... AND YET! You would have to be a stone-hearted grouchy sourpuss to hate it. The whole thing is so breezy and effortless, even though it's clearly the product of eight years' sweat, tears and potion-mixing in a top secret pop laboratory. Listen to that slinky guitar lick. Note the expert deployment of the handclap machinery. Bask in the glory of the chorus's amazing "zrrrp-wrrp" noise.

Also, the tune is pretty catchy.

Inevitably, the song will remain a guilty pleasure for most pop fans because of the inescapable fact that it is performed by Miley frickin' Cyrus, with her annoying perky voice and stupid gormless permagrin. But the fact is, if this was by Kylie, the "popular" music press would have collectively wet their knickers by now.

Miley Cyrus - Party in the USA

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...?!#!??...

If it weren't for the X-rated lyrics, this would be a perfect soundtrack to the "winner's montage" on X Factor or American Idol. In many ways, it would still be a great candidate - given the obvious metaphorical implications about X Factor and the music industry. I'm not going to spell it out for you. Just watch.



Not safe for work, clearly.

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Veronicas discuss their next album

The Veronica's excellent single 4Ever is finally released in the UK today. It's a bargain 59p on iTunes and Amazon, but if you need an added incentive, Lisa has promised on her Twitter feed that anyone who buys £10-worth of the song will be entered into a prize draw to win "a necklace made out of Hickeys, from jessica, lisa and all 3 members of the band! Thats right... a NECKLACE OF HICKEYS!"

If that doesn't send the record to number one, I don't know what will.

Anyway, I caught up with the Origliasso twins last week to talk about this record, their upcoming album, and the one after that, too. Here's what they had to say.

Your last single, Untouched, was two years old. 4Ever is four years old. Are you going back in time?

Jessica: We are absolutely going back in time, you are absolutely correct.

It's the song that the record company picked for the next single, so we’re excited about that. It shows the longevity of the music, I guess.

Tell me about the album.

Jessica: Hook Me Up is out October 12th. It's got electro undertones with a pop rock influence.

Lisa: It is a more personal record to us, lyrically. We write about life, our life experiences, our feelings and thoughts and situations we’ve been in and out of.

It sounds so much like other electro-pop records that have come out in the last 12 months - Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, for example. But when you recorded it three years ago, that wasn't the dominant sound...

Lisa: It wasn’t. That’s the thing. It was so new that people were freaking out. Record label people. We were being told that radio was too scared to play it but we were thinking: "Good! That's the whole point. We don’t want to sound like anyone else."

What other artists were you listening to at the time?

Lisa: The Sounds, Under The Influence of Giants, Shiny Toy Guns, CSS, Sneaky Sound System - bands that were kind of big but not on the mian charts.

They're all quite cool, tastemaker bands. Would you like to be seen as a more credible act?

Jessica: Absolutely. Our third record, which we’re writing this year, is going to show even more of that side of us. It's going to be a lot more grown up and we’re going to take time to really experiment and discover a more specific sound.

You hinted that you've clashed with the record label in the past. Will that be a problem if you change direction again?

Jessica: We're going to be able to obtain even more creative control this time. It's just one of those things about being signed to a major record label – you start off having to compromise a fair amount of control.

Lisa: And there’s a big learning process. As songwriters, as artists. You become smarter businesswomen, and how the industry works and marketing. We’re only becoming aware of how much people judge you on your image before they even hear your music. So you become very – you wise up pretty quickly to the way it works.

Speaking of image, you're constantly putting up pictures of yourselves on Twitter. Most girls of your age hate looking at themselves - so how come you're so confident?

Lisa: On Twitter, we have nearly 100,000 followers who are primarily fans. So they’re our biggest supporters and they’re people we want to keep in the know about what’s going on with us. In the past, we haven’t always been in control of what’s being put out there. Now that we have the opportunity, it is nice to be able to put out things that we are proud of – and things that are fun.

Unlike a lot of people, you’re clearly writing those posts yourself and you’re being honest. Sometimes too honest.

Jessica: Yeah. Sometimes gets us in trouble a little bit. We’re not going to change.

The Veronicas - 4Ever


The Veronicas - 4Ever (Radio One Live Lounge)


4Ever is out now. Hook Me Up follows on 12th October. The other bits of our interview (aka 'the good bits') will appear on the BBC News website at some point in the next couple of weeks...

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"Cities aflame in the summer time"

Today's essay question:

1) First, watch this amazing performance by The Temptations.

Temptations - Ball Of Confusion


2) Now watch the new video from "hot" British boyband JLS.

JLS - Everybody In Love


3) Using what you have seen as a reference, describe the similarities and differences between JLS and The Temptations. You may wish to consider topics such as the social relevance of the lyrics, style of music, choreography and haircuts.

4) Describe in no more than 400 words why JLS should be allowed to continue releasing records.

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Journalism in action

Popjustice posted a link to this two-week-old Nerina Pallot video on Twitter this morning.
I had a look at the video. It is a good video. I like this video.

Nerina Pallot - Real Late Starter (8 bit remix)


After those four enjoyable minutes, I clicked on a link that took me to the video of the original version of the song. I liked that one, too.

Nerina Pallot - Real Late Starter

I think this post has been "a win" - not just for blogging, but for music in general.

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