Happy New Year?

Not for Syria. Watch the movie. All of it.

Coexist with British Xx

Once again the Britons tell the world who belongs on the rock throne, with the Xx. This album, coexist, came out 2012 but in my not humble opinion it sounds pretty much like the old stuff. Take note that it did make it to the no 1 on the Swiss album charts, which is never a good sign. The songs sound very similar, but perhaps this is enough for the fan base? Apparently, Jamie Smith and lesbian co-singer Romy Madley Croft are running on momentum alone. Would have liked more change, but there are some unique tracks to devour. Try Try for a while with nice sounds in it. Then, Swept away, got some kick ass drums in it if you get past the intro. None of their original tracks comes close to the Brazilian remixer Edu Imbernon's remake of Crystalised. Then there is also their remix of You Got The Love which brings home the touchdown pretty sweet indeed. Other than that? Let's wait for their next album.

The Viking Raveonettes Observator

Danish noise-rockers The Raveonettes are out with their 2012 album Observator. This has got to be one of the best albums of 2012, especially if you like The Cure. In addition, the members have really cool names like Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo. I mean Foo! I could mention every track on the album, OK? Maybe I will too... Be sure to check out the track Young and Cold, this year's best noise track FoShiZzl3. Then, the Curesque Observations is sure to get you going. Even more Cureish, is She owns the street. Magical. Winter time noise is brought in in Sinking with the Sun. All good stuff, just get the album!

Orwell 1984

If you are interested on how to start your own tyranny, I highly recommend 1984 as your blue-print with all the essentials. Eric Arthur Blair, more commonly known as Georgie-George Orwell, died five years after his Brits won the 2nd World War. Shortly before he died he predicted how the politics of the world would look like in 1984 and even though he was a few decades off, I think we all can agree that he was on the spot. G-man unveils the successful tyrannies of the future, split in the three parts Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia (Newspeak). Each part separated from the other and in constant war in order to keep national moral, stall technological progress and always be wakeful for what is today known as the 'threat'. All rhetoric and no freedom except for the chosen few. Fake leaders and fake enemies of fake states. Georgie himself? He wrote in 1946's Why I Write: "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism, as I understand it." Indeed, this and Animal Farm confirms it. In addition, it's a love story and other saucy stuff.

Road to Serfdom is paved with socialism

All planners and socialists - take a look here! Already in 1944, Friedrich August von Hayek (not related to Selma) had ideas on why central planning by a few albeit intelligent visionaries would still fail, and why these themselves would despite their intelligence are lured to a failing entity. If such a book was read in the manner it was written - composed and humble - then we might actually have a discussion of actual politics some day in the future. And, above all, it might also be productive. Yeah, sound nuts. Friedrich served in the 1st World War and then wanted to avoid being cannon fodder for Austrian-Hungarians on the Italian battlefield. He later studied in London and would during the 2nd World War further develop his liberal ideas, after the Adolf's Austrian Anschluss. In 1974, he shared the Nobel Economics Prize with Swedish socialist Gunnar Myrdal despite being Mr Free Market and Gold-Standard. Drop the remote for a second and take a look into this book and find out what real men read about while you are busy figuring out whether or not to call that girl that you do not remember what looked like who already, by the by, met someone else.

Gonzo on Langstrasse

Finally, I have located a place in Zürich where one can go out on a Saturday and find more women than men. It is on the infamous but actually lukewarm Langstrasse, more precisely number 135. It will cost you, say, fifteen franks to get in there on the weekend, but if you like old and new rock music and desperate chicks of all ages and little competition, the I would avoid Techno/House and go for Rock/Roll. Try it out!

Little Wayne's forth dedication

Yet another unnecessary album by Young Moolah Lil' Wayne, the former greatest rapper alive, now earns money by remaking other peeps music and making the songs famous. Some interesting fashionable Secret Society slang in Mercy with magical Nicki Minaj and a beat in the background that go pow-pow-pow yo and apparently Nicki was voting for Mitt Romney. As if there was a difference anyways. If you like originals, check out Kanye's Mercy right here with some other random folk. Most songs start fine and then lose it by the end, like Wish You Would. Still, I admit that Weezy has gotten better since the last albums, some funny lyrics are back, still far away from his Da Drought 3 days though. Interesting appearance in Get Smoked by Lil Mouse who is only 13 years old, meaning ripe for the entertainment industry to eventfully be destroyed for ever, a perfect role model in other words. Enjoy it!

Drake and taking care... naw...

Aubrey or "Drake" as a few people call him is famous for some reason. I had issues figuring out why, initially I thought it could partly be due to his superhumanly square hairline but after a few hours of research it was evident that he has a large music fan base. The latest album from last year includes talking in a microphone in a manner that would rap sound like acapella Pavarotti style, I mean some times it does not even rhyme and there is barely any confidence in his voice. Over My Dead Body has nice piano by Chantal Kreviazuk with Aubrey talking a lot in the background sometimes. An impressive Lil' Wayne rip off is Headlines, suggesting that he perhaps should try making moolah on impersonations instead, but why hate, why not congratulate? A decent track is title track Take Care featuring Rihanna that Drake once smashed a glass bottle in the face of Chris Brown for, as explained here by pterodactyl Deidre Behar. Muffle funk Marvins Room also sounded good, up until Drake started talking because he felt like it. Rick Ro$$ appears in Lord Knows with an oldschool beat to it. And random talking about Christmas in August. Know what I mean? Actually, most tracks on this album deserve mentioning. Perhaps it was not so bad? Who knows, who knows...

The Strokes and The Angles

After listening to Last Night for the five-hundredth time, I googled The Strokes and found out that in 2011, the album Angles had come out. For some reason, it had hit first place in Australia and on some bill boards of USA. Perhaps Under Cover of Darkness contributed to the largely random compilation of the muffled vocals of Spanish/Danish Julian Casablancas and squealing guitar riffs of Gibraltarian/Argentinian Albert Hammond Jr. Another example is Taken For a Fool - messy lyrics and schizoid melodies gives the impression if imagination and originality. Personally, I liked the track Two Kinds of Happiness that sounds like something from a time long ago by a band long forgotten.

Muse's's 2nd Law (of what?)

Teignmouth's anti-Illuminati-mega-lung-insider Matthew Bellamy has dropped the epic-climactic rock phase and dived into pseudo-dubstepping through his songs - see Follow Me and Unsustainable.
Also, a phase of making songs like Queen - see Survival and Madness (confer to I Want to Break Free)
If you still want your old Muse, don't worry, just click Big Freeze or my favourite by farthest far Supremacy - do not miss that one.

Songs sounding not so much like any particular artist? Would be Panic Station and ominous Isolated System.

Predictions include fusing helium 3 in song Explorers at 3:05, as our last hope. Do it!

Animal Collective's new album Centipede Hz

Essentially noise.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeahs erroneous Master EP

Yeah Yeah Yeahs self-titled album which erroneously is called Master EP for obvious reasons (unless you are blind). This group of NYC rockers apparently do "art punk" music, which is avant garde (who knew). Only five tracks on this bad boy from 2001 by the Pollack-Korean Karen Lee Orzolek and her band of maniacs. Check out Art Star but probably turn down the volume a little because there is a surprise in the song, however, it may become your favourite rock song afterwards like with me. Otherwise; Bang! and Miles Away where there definitely is a Regina Spektor in the making of Karen. Many ask themselves what happened to their sound. I do as well. Please come back.

Electroshock Therapy

Download the whole album with just five tracks right here and see if you like it as much as I did. Best song is by no doubt Psychadelicacy that goes on for ever and does not stop, which is very good.             The remaining four tracks does also foretell that we may hear more from them in the future when they have become more mainstream and perhaps even make a song with Kid Cudi. The UK boys Tom Lockett, Nick Simpson, Dan Lockett and Tom Thorley are notoriously difficult to track down but keep eyes open for gigs in your immediate vicinity.

If you are a MGMT/Foster The People/Empire of the Sun fan to pump this stuff into your ears and make it happen yo. You feel me?

Band of Mirage Rock Horses

So happy to see there is a band producing great music in album after album after album, like these Seattle rocker boys. Same ol some ol; creepy lyrics that cut straight to the core and funny rhymes. A psychedelic twist of all that is country music. Recommended heavily is Ego Nightmare, which is not on YouTube yet! Don't miss it - it is evidently an iTunes Bonus track. YouTube does have Heartbreak on the 101 which is good news for all'y'all looking for blues and stuff. Everything's Gonna Be Undone is off the hook too, in fact, so far off the hook - it can barely be discerned from there. There are also a few hidden Bonus tracks that you might miss if you actually buy the album - check out; the title track Mirage Rock, Irmo Bats (not on YT!), Bock, Relly's Dream and Catalina (not found!). Anyhow, get it!

Battle born killers

After lead singer Brandon Flowers solo-phase, finally the four Las Vegas campers have gotten together again to make an album. The title track Battle Born being a typical epical apical Killers tune, should be mandatory for all non-zombies to leak into their ear pipes. A personal favourite is The Way It Was - has so many good things in it, from beginning to end. First released was Runaways which has a nice 80's touché to it, indeed, and can be played in any occasion you can imagine.

Actually, among most tracks you'll find something that works. I can go an recommending the whole album - but instead I'll finish off with the sad song Here with Me, which in my head reflected the modern society issues/tribulations/trials while still sounding like it was made decades before I was even born. Good stuff guys. Was worried there for a while after Brannie went off on a Lone Ranger trip.

Tremaine "Trey" Aldon Neverson's chapter V (five?)

Took me five albums to come across this young man - a proverbial R Kelly sans the dubious rhythmic golden showering of minors - just check out Dive in. Must say that the R'n'B scene has been dried out a little, so this be a fresh of breath air, to spoonerize a little. Top tracks to blast into your cochlea for subsequent excitation of the auditory cortex include Heart Attack (explicit version is better - always!), Bad decisions and finally, the OK track, 2 Reasons with TI who still remains famous despite lack of music in which he is more than a side-kick. Check it out, food!

Bloc Party number Four

The London Boys of Bloc Party are out with the fourth album since a month, it is called "Four" to commemorate this as well. The lame album cover is depicted to the right, but since it is a cool gang of guys, I have also plastered them below. The album, like most of their songs, does have an emo vibe to it. It can get melancholic at times, but still the sounds remains different from others. Listen to the country-sound Coliseum, quintessential Real Talk, the heartbreakie Day Four (live) I could not find the non-live track so..., and Leaf Skeleton with a cool intro and finally I will mention the totally rocked-out We are not good people. Somewhere in this heap of Briton tunes you should find something that tickles your fancy, I say, I say.

Bismillah!

We've all seen the, to put it in mild terms, provocative Innocence of Muslims video stirring up riots by design Muammar G-style all over the Middle East and North Africa, but how does one react when one's prophet is insulted? Don't ask me - you would just be making things worse by asking me, for sure. But let's ask Nouman Ali Khan, the CEO and also founder of Bayyinah - an Islamic educational institution in USA. He has uploaded a video below which could give some fresh perspectives on how to do your thing as best you can. So, keep it real and stay outta fire. Big up yourselves.

Dillard and his wild ones

Thirty-two year old Tramar Dillard, also known as Flo Rida from Florida came out July third this summer with Wild Ones, a name that supposedly comes from the high expectations of Mr Dillard regarding the album success. And he was right. We have all heard Whistle (in fact, I think I hear it right now...) and Good Feeling (with an Etta James (RIP) voice sample made famous by Avicii's Levels) that Mr Rida later decided to commemorate her memory with because he is a nice guy like that. Further tracks not dedicated to dead people are Run with Stefan Kendal Gordy of LMFAO, a track offically written by Faheem Rasheed Najm, also known as T-Pain for some reason, as well but he later got dropped from the track. If you cannot live without him on it, check out the Run To You version instead that is illegal on YouTube. Perfect jogging musak.

Lovestrong Perri

Last year in May already, once again out of my knowledge, a twenty-six year old female person recorded the results of air pressed passed vocal cords and an array of instruments into what became Christina Judith Perri's Lovestrong album that made it all the way to position 62 on the Polish Album Chart. If we, say, compare her work to the air forced out of contemporary female persons like Lana Del Rey, this album has lesser sass but much better music, in my fumble opinion. The skin-crawling Jar of Hearts (not to be confused with Jar of Farts by Maleaha) should show you what I mean, but take a look at Bang Bang Bang which is a funky tune, or, or, or Bluebird which is a sad song that Regina Spektor might as well have sung (a compliment for sure) or the dancy-dance Mine. She's got talent for sure, will be fun to follow her battles with Florence, Lana and Regina for the throne!

Them codes, Them keys (only for cuties)

The Washington rockers with the coolest name ever thought of - Death Cab For Cutie, wow - came out with an album titled Codes and Keys already last year which escaped my acute sense of perception. After listening to it a few times while cutting mouse brains for mere scientific purposes (and fetiche) I can say that the quasi-Christian rocker boys actually grew on me. Tracks to pay attention to are the eire Monday Morning, the Band of Horsesque Codes and Keys and the tempo-tempo Home is a Fire. Good stuff actually, the rest is mostly acceptable. Good to finally have a band that sounds good with vocals that you can actually understand - every syllable in fact - coming out of the throat of Ben Gibbard.

Sjung med Laleh Pourkarim

Ravishing Iranian Swede Laleh - famous for her kick-ass song Invisible - is back,  (since January this year) with the album Sjung - a word impossible for any angloglot to pronounce correctly and means Sing in the imperative form in Swedish. In my "humble" (a different word for irrelevant) opinion, it sounds like she got influenced heavily by MGMT and their lyrics of children and youth. But there is definitely a Björky and Spektoresque touch to her sound as well. Cannot say anything popped out, the tracks are essentially on a steady level. Although, Samuel is clearly a proof of her talent. The rest, I shall leave in your hands and ears to experience.