Vote For Motown!

Forget Obama Vs McCain, here's the vote you can't miss: the Motown 50 vote!

As a celebration of Motown's 50th anniversary, Universal (the label's current owner) has enabled a voting page for the label's best tracks ever. Voters choose their top 5 songs, and the winners will be included in the Motown 50 celebration album. All the great artists are there: Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson, the Supremes... I can't say I grew up listening to them (more likely, my parents did), but these songs are all classics to me, they've helped shape my musical taste. As a matter of fact, I'm considering a Motown update to the blog playlist.
I've already cast my vote:
1) The Tracks of My Tears - Smokey Robinson
2) Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross
3) ABC - The Jackson 5
4) Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
5) You Can't Hurry Love - The Supremes
I enclose a link to the page:
http://www.universalmusiconline.com/motown-50-vote/

Marvin Gaye seeks inspiration during a recording session

More MGMT covers!

Clearly, MGMT have made quite an impression on Britpop artits! I found two more covers of their songs while searching for the previous video on YouTube.
The first is a live cover of 'Time to Pretend' by the Kaiser Chiefs.



The second one is the Kooks singing 'Kids'. (This one isn't really a video, just a recording playing over some pics.)

Unpretentious

I've been hooked on MGMT ever since I discovered them last spring. In case you've never heard of them, they're a two-guy band from Brooklyn known for songs such as 'Kids', 'Time to Pretend' or 'Electric Feel'. (Incidentally, the latter was featured in John Galliano's Summer '08 collection for Dior). This is a version of 'Time to Pretend' by Little Boots. I found it on a music blog, and I think it gives the song a softer, more naive edge. Enjoy!

They'll Always Have Carmensita

This is the video for 'Carmensita', a Devendra Banhart song that features in his 'Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon' album. As you can see, it's a kind of Bollywood short starring Natalie Portman.

The news is that Devendra and Natalie were together and have just split, which will probably boost the video's viewcount, and diminish Devendra's appearances on PerezHilton. Anyway, if you like this song, you should try Little Yellow Spider and At The Hop, also by DB. Enjoy!

Danced Up In Blue

La Casa Azul is the best that can happen to you on a dull Friday night, or a gray Monday morning, or a workout you cannot bring yourself to complete.
This retro-futuristic (and oxymoron-challenging) band from Barcelona is all about Guille Milikyway, the brains, singing and song-writing behind the project. Androids Virginia, Clara, Sergio, David and Oscar, who appear solely on videoclips or onstage projection screens, would be the rest of the band.
LCA have achieved the perfect mix between clean, catchy pop melodies and funny lyrics descriptive of everyday life situations. Milkyway sings about being dumped for someone cooler, eating cookies or clubbing, to a beat reminiscent of the sounds of the Beach Boys, Abba and J-Pop bands. The songs are instant mood busters you can't stop singing and dancing to.
Really, this has been one of my best recent discoveries. I hope you'll like it too. I'm enclosing some videos of my favourite songs. Enjoy!