Helen Nianias muses art, the student stereotype and our supposed intellectuality...
To choose the high life, the low life, or somewhere respectable in between? Helen Nianias pontificates.
Music blogs! The home of music and opinion on the internet - a global force for people's listening tastes and something we dip our toes into every Wednesday. This week it's the sublime and the ridiculous (although not necessarily in that order) with Pop Justice and Music Is Art.
Music! Blog! An very old word and a fairly new one. What happens when old meets new? Find out in our weekly look at two of the internet's receptacles for music and opinion.<br />
First up on our (very) mini-tour of Western-Europe is the French La New Shit, which I came across when searching for new Rex The Dog remixes (after enjoying their sublime take on The Sounds' Tony The Beat). Here I discovered a banging version of The Prodigy's Girls, and a little look around showed that there was much more on offer.
There is a regular remix post, much like Palms Out Sounds, that is fairly hip-hop and dance flavoured, and some nice spotlights on French artists. There is the usual role-call of Baltimore-based American hip-hop, but this is fine when punctuated by the French offerings, and no problem at all if you don't regularly check the American b-more pushing sites such as the aforementioned Palms Out.
Google Translation Highlight: Two small remix quickly quickly while I drink sparkling wine in Nissan glass. Initially, a SebastiAn old man. Inébranlable that one. One does not weary oneself any.
Profound.
Next, we're speeding over the tundra like an out of control Eurostar heading for Sweden's self-proclaimed "Biggest Music Blog", We Say Disco. Quite how these Swedes measures size in the mystical world of the web is not made clear, maybe it is the widest ranging, or has the longest list of subscribers. Aside from a Swedish LFA course and a hastily-penned email I don't think we're going to be able to find out.
The site is terribly pretty, just check out the nice collage of the Beatles, Jim Morrison and a dog at the top of the page. Unless the dog is a Swedish superstar, this rather sets the tone for the site. British and American artists fill the neatly arranged menu, including up-coming stars like Good Shoes and The Rumblestrips from this side of the Atlantic, and Emily Haines (ok, technically she's Canadian) and Boy In Static from America.
Fortunately there is the odd incursion from a Swedish artist, if you haven't heard Loney, Dear yet, a website in his native language might be a good way in to his haunting, falsetto-laced brand of folktronica. European bands from the music blogger's favourites list also make an appearance, Björk and Justice being the most notable. All in all this is a well rounded blog that could easily be the biggest Swedish indie music blogging has to offer.
Unfortunately the Google translator doesn't extend to Swedish (lets face it, I didn't even know it was a proper language), so we will have to settle for Rick OM's comments on the Cribs in his pure, unadulterated home language: Grymt! The Cribs FTW! Och gud vad fint vi har fått det här nu!
Indeed.
