M.A.U. - Toboggan

"Works better when sedated"

This track by Danish/Portuguese band M.A.U. (Man and Unable) (?!) showed up in my inbox and I was struck by how closely it resembles one of my favorite bands, Scissor Sisters, back when they were in demo form. Anyone who's heard the genius SS track Electrobix will certainly appreciate Toboggan. It's even got a female refrain towards the middle for that Ana Matronic touch. Towards the end, the track evolves into an instrumental electro-dance symphony of sorts. It's really pretty cool for a band I've certainly never heard of before. This track is the first from their upcoming third album. Yep, they have two older releases... I'll have to do some digging because this is very promising.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Listen to more here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Linda Sundblad - To All My Girls

"If you know the moves, yeah yeah"

Ok guys, so I'm not dead, despite the unplanned two day absence. I actually killed my back somehow (mysteriously) and couldn't stand, let alone type up a blog for nearly two days. Good times.
Anyway, I'm better now and back with a song covered on the fabulous Poster Girl earlier today. Like Miss PPG, I am a huge fan of Linda Sundblad's debut album and have eagerly awaited the next one. Now the launch single has been released and, though slightly denser in sound than I was expecting, it does not disappoint. Almost better than the schizo-melody of To All My Girls, though, is the unglamorous (but entertaining as hell) retro music video. The dancing alone is pretty crazy. Because of this (and because I don't have an mp3 yet), I'm linking to the video rather than the song. Sundblad looks remarkably un-popstarish (the outfits and styling do her no favors) but the attitude is 100% there. And I'm psyched that she didn't go rocky with this single. In fact, it's even more electronic than her previous releases.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Janet Jackson - Make Me

"We're gonna have a good time"

What else is there to say about the VMAs that hasn't been covered already? Performance wise, it was by far the best in recent memory, though still not up to its past glory. Gaga was brilliant, as expected. Beyonce was better than I thought she'd be (both creatively and personally), and Kanye made yet another case for why he is the biggest shithead in entertainment right now. I wish he and his overrated music would just go away. The real highlight for me, though, was the MJ tribute, featuring one of my favorite performers of all time... Janet Jackson. Words can't describe how much I adore her, and she didn't disappoint (though I wish there had been more of her). Better yet, after the show was over, she posted this new song (single?) on her website. Make Me is poppier than anything she's done for years, with a wicked electro/disco beat and a chorus that riffs on her brother's classic Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough. I'm not sure if this will be released to radio, but if it's any indication of the direction for the next album, I am totally psyched.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)