The Minogue sisters bring high fashion to Sound Relief
Sound Relief was a noble idea and raised A LOT of money for victims of the Victorian bushfires but did it really have to be so fucking boring? The only real highlight (well, apart from Olivia Newton-John teaming up with Barry Gibb for a lovely cover of "Islands In The Stream") was Kylie's homecoming for the Melbourne concert. For a while there it looked like the pint-sized diva wouldn't be able to make it, which would have been an absolute PR nightmare. Worse still, the organisers would have been forced to employ Dannii and there's no way she could have handled all that work! Not that Kylie actually performed as such. Rather, she signed on for hosting duties and did a pretty good job of keeping the crowd awake despite the mind numbing boredom and torrential rain. My favourite moment was her impromptu rendition of our unofficial national anthem - Peter Allen's "I Still Call Australia Home". I really, really hate that song but it was great to see Kylie just sing into a microphone without the distraction of backing dancers or an elaborate costume. She sounded great but those flood lights did not do her (or anyone else) any favours. Poor Kylie looked like an extra from Underworld 3: Rise Of The Lycans! Love the jacket though. Check out Kylie's patriotic performance below.
While on the topic of Kylie, I can't pass up the opportunity to comment on "Inverse" - her new fragrance for men. On the universal scale of gayness, I'm probably somewhere between Liberace and Richard Simmons but even I would draw the line at this shit! Actually, that's a lie. I'll probably buy "Inverse" for sheer comedic value when it's being sold on Ebay for 99 cents a case but even then I would have to be under the influence of hard drugs. On the brightside, owning a bottle of this piss will save you coming out to family and friends. It's the aromatic equivalent of walking around with a T-shirt that says "I love dick". At least the commerical (below) is a classy affair. For a moment I thought they were using old footage from "Better The Devil You Know". Kylie has exactly the same hair and looks just as lovely. Hiring her own boyfriend as the male model was another nice touch. I assume Andrés is on some kind of retainer, so at least she's getting something for her money. I just wish there was some kind of explanation for the scent's intriguing name. Does it refer to the inverse relationship between your sex appeal and the amount of Kylie cologne you use?
The first thing that went through my head when I woke up this morning, well the second after how on earth am I going to piss with this hard on?, was the overwhelming compulsion to play some Olivia Newton-John. I'd like to think that other people are haunted by gay icons in their sleep but I suspect this kind of shit only happens to me. As usual, my first inclination was to give 1978's "Totally Hot" a spin (probably my favourite album of all time) but I decided to go with an 80s theme instead - starting with "Xanadu" and working my way through her 80s discography all the way to "The Rumour" (I like to pretend that "Warm And Tender" never happened). Almost four hours later my thirst for ONJ was finally quenched but I haven't been able to get one song out of my mind.
1983's "Twist Of Fate" is something of a forgotten classic largely due to the fact that it had the misfortune of featuring on the "Two Of A Kind" soundtrack. That film was supposed to revive Olivia's movie career in the aftermath of "Xanadu" but it turned out to be an even bigger box office flop despite her much anticipated screen reunion with John Travolta. I'll write more about "Two Of A Kind" and its poorly neglected soundtrack another time (the latter really is quite amazing) but it's suffice to say that the project's only saving grace was the success of "Twist Of Fate". Written by Peter Beckett and Steve Kipner (the man behind "Physical", "Heart Attack" and "I Need Love"), the track became Olivia's 15th and final US top 10 hit. No surprise really given the insanely catchy chorus and perky melody. However, much of the credit must go to producer David Foster, who surrounds Livvy's lovely voice with layered synthesizers, driving percussion and crunchy guitars. Olivia thrives on the new edgy sound and brings an unexpected aggression to her vocal delivery. The song is very much of its time but given the current synth revival, "Twist Of Fate" still sounds astoundingly fresh. 80s pop music doesn't get much better.
Make sure you check out the wonderful video clip (below) in which Olivia dubiously teams black leather gloves with a pearl necklace while singing on some kind of floating pontoon. If only "Two Of A Kind" were half as entertaining! There is also plenty of footage from the film which mercifully saves you from sitting through it. As a final bonus, a very fine looking John Travolta (mullet and all) makes a cameo towards the end. Watching this gem, I can't help but hope that Olivia gives up on her new age chanting and makes a completely age inappropriate pop album. As Kylie once sang, it's never too late to change your mind!
My infatuation with UK diva Bat For Lashes continues unabated with the unveiling of her latest video. In an earlier post, I declared "Daniel" the best song I've heard thus far in 2009. It's dark, intense beauty still has me completely mesmerised. I was hoping for an equally brilliant film clip and Natasha (her real name) has well and truly delivered. In an age where music videos are a dying art form (check out Britney's latest stinking turd over at Chart Rigger as exhibit A), "Daniel" bucks the trend with its disconcerting imagery and fairytale theme.
The premise couldn't be more simple (or cost effective). Basically, it's a modern day re-enactment of Little Red Riding Hood. Only instead of a big, bad wolf, Natasha is menaced by a group of black balloon wearing dancers! It sounds ridiculous but the costumes freak me out and the overall effect is startling. I particularly love, and am also slightly terrified by, the scene where the balloon men ride on the top of Natasha's car. It's beautiful and disturbing in equal measure. Most importantly, the clip perfectly fits the music. At first I thought the scary elements took away from the song's dreaminess but the more I think about it, "Daniel" is the musical equivalent of a fairytale - sinister and menacing, yet magical and ultimately uplifting. By the way, am I the only one who sees parallels with Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video? The premise more so than the execution. Whatever the director's inspiration, the final result is undeniably spectacular.
Raffaella Carrà can probably bend steel with the sheer power of her fabulousness. One nod of that beautiful blond bob and the Eiffel tower would melt to the ground like an ice cream on a hot summer's day. There's just no way to adequately convey the depth of Raffaella's brilliance without spending hours watching her amazing clips on youtube but I'll do my very best. In my opinion, the Italian diva is the ultimate showgirl - the epitome of all things camp, flamboyant and glamorous. Her ability to belt out a tune, while performing complicated dance routines in costumes that would paralyse most drag queens, is simply unparalleled. If you mixed Kylie's DNA with Cher's and then threw in a little Amanda Lear for good measure, you still wouldn't come close to replicating La Carrà.
I'm ashamed to admit that I knew very little about Raffaella until I visited Spain last year. Despite being a superstar in her native Italy and most of the Spanish speaking world, La Carrà remains an underground gay icon in Australia. It's our loss. I don't know how I survived all those years without her! Anyway, back to Spain. On one of my all too frequent visits to FNAC, I came across a Raffaella CD and asked my friends about her. They insisted she would be right up my alley and they were right. It was love at first listen. After that I spent many an hour digging through second hand music stores to satisfy my Carrà addiction but I only became a true disciple after seeing a documentary about her life when I was shacked up with some loser in Jaén. The footage was magical. Seeing Raffaella in action gave me a whole new appreciation for her amazing gift.
Since returning home, I've spent a lot of time researching Raffaella's career but it hasn't been easy. It's almost impossible to find her studio albums (I've had to make do with about 15 different "Best Of" compilations) and the information about her online is almost exclusively in Italian or Spanish. From what I have been able to ascertain, La Carrà entered the entertainment industry way back in the 1950s as a nine year old. She appeared in several Italian films before trying her luck in Hollywood in the mid-60s. Tinseltown obviously couldn't cope with Raffaella's fabulousness because she returned home a couple of years later. It turned out to be a fortuitous move because things really exploded for her in the early 70s. Raffaella finally found her niche hosting variety TV shows - a medium that allowed her to showcase her singing, dancing and acting abilities. In true Carrà style, she revolutionised proceedings with extravagant sets and sexy costumes. The diva even drew criticism from the Vatican for exposing her navel on national TV! How times have changed.
The 70s were very kind to Raffaella. She scored her first big hit in 1970 with "Tuca Tuca" (it even had an accompanying dance - kind of like the Macarena but less shit) and followed that up with many others, the most notable being "Chissà se Va", "Tanti Auguri", "Rumore" and "I Thank You Life". In the later part of the decade, La Carrà embraced a more modern style (namely disco) and really hit her stride. 1977's fabulous "A Far L'Amore" was translated into English as "Do It, Do It Again" and became a top 10 hit in the UK in 1978. Unfortunately, lightning didn't strike twice and Raffaella turned her focus to the Spanish market, which was much more receptive to her unique talent. Confusingly, Raffaella then re-released many of her Italian hits in Spanish. "Fiesta", "Lucas", "Soy Negra", "Male" and "California" are some of her better known tracks from this period.
Having conquered Spain, La Carrà set her sights on South America and moved to Argentina in 1979 at the height of the Dirty War. It's hard to imagine Raffaella as the puppet of a right wing military dictatorship but that's exactly what appears to have happened! She became a regular entertainer on Argentine television and her popularity spread across most of South America. She even starred in her own movie musical (1980's "Bárbara"), a film I would desperately love to see. I find the whole situation incredibly fascinating. It must have been very controversial but Raffaella seems to have emerged from her Argentine exile completely unscathed. I wonder if she has ever expressed regrets for associating with such a corrupt regime. There's next to no information written about the topic in English, so I'm hoping a Spanish or Italian fan will fill me in on the details.
Raffaella packed her bags and returned to Italy in 1982, picking up exactly where she left off - by hosting extremely popular variety programs and churning out fabulous pop hits. While La Carrà's 1970s musical output is generally considered to be her best by fans, most of my favourite songs were released in the mid-80s. I'm obsessed with tracks like "Dolce Far Niente", "Amigo", "Bolero" and "Stupida Gelosia". I love the synthesizers and upbeat pop melodies. The hits kept coming well into the late 1980s. Raffaella channelled the Stock Aitken Waterman sound on her 1988 album, which produced catchy Eurodance tracks like "1,2,3,4 Dancing" and "Chicos, Chicos". By that stage, Raffaella was well into her mid-40s but still kicked up her heels like a diva half her age. Check out her amazing duet with Donna Summer (above). I love how Raffaella totally steals Donna's thunder, making her American guest look like a novice in comparison. The bitter look on Donna's face says it all!
The 90s signalled the end of Raffaella's career as a chart force but she remains a regular on European television and continues to release a new compilation album every couple of years. Kind of like Tina Turner, only more shameless. Last year Raffaella started hosting her very own talk show in Italy, which I'm told is a great success. Now in her mid-60s, La Carrà can look back on an amazing career that spans over half a century. She is in a league of her own, a true living legend.
For a bit of fun, I've listed my ten favourite Carrà classics. As you can see - I really, really love her 80s material!
1. Dolce Far Niente (1984)
I think the title literally means "It's Nice Doing Nothing". I couldn't agree more! This track is just so camp and synth-tastic. The production is pure 80s magic, while the chorus will have you coming back for more. I think "Dolce Far Niente" was used in one of Raffaella's TV shows if the amazing clip (above) is any indication. The part where she dances with the boy in the orange lycra shorts is just surreal!
2. Amigo (1984)
"Amigo" was also released in Italian but I'm more familiar with the fabulous Spanish version. This is another dose of high camp 80s pop - complete with barking dogs! A trashtastic delight.
3. Fuerte, Fuerte, Fuerte (1978)
This gorgeous ballad is a Spanish version of an Italian hit but they're both equally superb and perfectly showcase the loveliness of La Carrà's voice.
4. Fatalità (1983)
Raffaella jumps on the Italo disco bandwagon with truly spectacular results. "Fatalità" is a soaring slice of 80s dance music that boasts some truly sublime production.
5. A Far L'Amore
Raffaella's biggest international hit is a winning disco anthem. I prefer the Italian version to the English re-make ("Do It, Do It Again") and the Spanish version ("En El Amor Todo Es Empezar").
6. 1,2,3,4 Dancing (1988)
This 80s gem is so Stock Aitken Waterman it hurts. It wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Kylie or Sinitta album, which is a very good thing indeed! The video is stunning. I can't believe La Carrà was in her mid-40s! Check it out above.
7. I Thank You Life (1977)
This adorable ballad could just be the campest thing ever captured on record. What a diva moment!
8. Chicos, Chicos (1988)
Ok, forget what I said about "I Thank You Life", this Hi-NRG treat takes things to a whole new level of camp. I seriously need to track down these amazing 80s albums.
9. Soñando Contigo
"Soñando Contigo" or "Dreaming Of You" is a sleek disco triumph. I love the brass and the strings. This is a classy affair all around.
10. Bolero (1984)
Welcome to 80s synthesizer heaven! "Bolero" is one of Raffaella's best English pop hits. It's hard to believe this didn't take off internationally. It captures the zeitgeist of 1984 so perfectly. Check it out above.
It's time for some of the amazing Asian pop music I keep threatening to write about but never quite seem to get around to. Sitting at the top of my much neglected "To Do" list is Perfume - Japan's hottest girlband. These three lovely ladies hail from Hiroshima, where they experienced some local success before packing their bags and heading for Tokyo to crack the big time. After a couple of misfires, Perfume finally hit the top 10 in late 2007 and their popularity has snowballed ever since. In July last year, they took things to another level by becoming the first "techno-pop" act (I guess we'd describe it as electro-pop) to score a #1 hit in Japan with the fabulous "Love The World". As much as I love that song and I love it A LOT, the follow-up is even better.
"Dream Fighter" is a truly spectacular pop tune. Released late last year in Japan (where it peaked at #2), the track is a rambling five and a half minute epic that keeps you hooked from the first kooky beat to the last. The girls sound amazing but much of the credit has to go to Yasutaka Nakata - the man in charge of Ami Suzuki's stunning "Dolce" and "Supreme Show" albums. His production is exquisite. I love the layers of sound, the quirky sound effects and the surprising flourishes of 70s space disco. Yasutaka's ability to avoid the coldness and sterility that commonly pervades electronic pop music is startling. "Dream Fighter" is deep, lush and catchy to the point of being ridiculous. I've been walking around singing the chorus for weeks and I can't speak a word of Japanese! It's only a matter of time before a western pop star comes along and hires this guy. I just hope it's someone worthy. Like a Minogue.
Make sure you check out the "Dream Fighter" video (below). It's a great example of a really simple concept executed brilliantly. The costumes, direction and special effects are all spot on. Then there's the loopy choreography. The girls from Perfume are almost as famous for their intricate dance routines as they are for their music and this clip demonstrates why.
Sorry for the lack of updates. Things will return to normal after all the Mardi Gras madness is out of the way. I'm trying to chillax in preparation for tonight and thought I'd do a quick round up of the new-ish music I've been obsessing over lately. The first track is probably the best thing I've heard in 2009 thus far. Chances are, you've already heard of England's much hyped Bat For Lashes (real name, Natasha Khan). To be honest, I purposely ignored her 2006 debut album - putting her in the same trying WAY too hard basket as Róisín Murphy and Lykke Li. I won't be making that mistake again. BFL's new single "Daniel" is one of the most extraordinarily beautiful pop songs I've ever heard. It's a hauntingly poetic lullaby soaked in gorgeous 80s synths and ominous strings. Natasha says she was listening to a lot of Fleetwood Mac when she recorded the track and it's hard to overlook the influence of "Tango In The Night". There will be the inevitable comparisons with Ladyhawke but as much as I love the Kiwi diva, there's nothing on her brilliant album that matches the greatness of "Daniel". Give the song a listen here and then download it from Australian iTunes. Believe me, you'll want this on your Ipod. Bat For Lashes second album, "Two Suns", is released on the 6th of April.
Another song that is really floating my boat this month comes from Japanese superstar Utada. The plucky diva hasn't let the dismal failure of her last English language album (2004's underrated "Exodus") stop her from trying again. This time around Utada has roped in the hottest producers in urban music to crack the American market. Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream feature on the soon to be released album "This Is The One", while Norwegian production house Stargate (best known for their work with Rihanna and Beyoncé) contributes the first single "Come Back To Me".
I was underwhelmed when the song first leaked a couple of months ago but it has really grown on me. Utada's voice sounds amazing and the production is crisp and typically slick. The video has just been released (above) and it's pretty good. I don't know why they've dressed Utada like a 45 year old desperate housewife but the guy is really sexy and it's suitably moody. However, make sure you check out the insanely HOT Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel remix here. Going with this version in Australia and the UK would be very wise indeed.
The next essential pop track for March comes from Canadian electro duo Woodhands. "Dancer" was an underground hit for them last year but it's only just been released in Australia this week and I highly recommend downloading the poptastic DJ Rexford remix from iTunes. I like the original version but this fluffy little edit is adorable. The synths are dreamy, the perky female guest vocalist is cute without being too painful and the crazy sound effects really crack me up. I haven't heard anything this vocoder-tastic since the glory days of Cher in the late 90s! Unfortunately, you'll have to take my word on this one because it's not on youtube or streaming on their Myspace. I'm going to have to hunt down their album even though I sneakingly suspect that there's nothing this irreverent and fun on it.
Ok, calm down. I know Evermore is the last local act you would ever expect to see on Pop Trash Addicts but I can't help it if I'm completely hypnotised their latest single. "Hey Boys And Girls (Truth Of The World Pt. 2)" - I wonder what happened to part one! - is the best example of a rock band discovering synths since The Killers became bearable on their latest album. In fact, this wouldn't sound out of place on "Day & Age". I love the mix of guitars, synths and hand claps. Throw in a sing-a-long chorus and some very retro "woahs" and you have one of the highlights of early 2009. Check out the classy video here. Annoyingly, they use the radio edit in the clip. Check out the five and a half minute album version for full effect.
Last but most certainly not least is my very own theme song! Well, not quite but I like to pretend that "Pop Trash" by Detox Cute & The Beauty Junkies shares some kind of cosmic connection with my blog. In any case, this gorgeous little tune sums up my entire musical philosophy its opening line - "only pop music can save us now". Amen to that! I love everything about this track. The chorus is utterly infectious and the gloriously irreverent lyrics are the perfect antidote to the pretentious rubbish currently polluting the radio. Imagine The Carpenters singing an Adam Ant tribute album to get some idea of what these Brighton based pop revolutionaries sound like. Make sure you check out the video (below). With any luck, bigger and better things lie just around the corner for this fabulous duo.
I wish I never got out of bed today. From the moment I woke up, everything that could go wrong did go wrong - until about 5 minutes ago when something miraculous happened. I was moping around, drowning my sorrows and generally feeling sorry for myself when La Toya's amazing duet with Cerrone popped up on my iPod shuffle. It was as if I had been touched by an extremely fabulous angel. Through the power of her stunning 1986 flop, Goddess Toy reached out to me in my hour of need and made everything seem alright. This post is written in her honour.
There isn't a lot of information about "Oops, Oh No!", which is surprising given the high profile of Toy Toy's duet partner. Cerrone is a living legend, having been one of the most influential musicians of the entire disco movement - bagging 5 Grammy Awards and selling over 30 million records. I guess La Toya was hoping Cerrone's Midas touch would rub off on her but in true Toy fashion, it didn't. The single was released hot on the heels of her 4th album, "Imagination", and suffered a similar fate, failing to chart anywhere. It's a shame because "Oops, Oh No!" is an absolute gem. From the opening pan pipe sound effects (on the LP Version at least), the track unfolds as a weird and wonderful slice of experimental pop music circa 1986. Synths collide with urban beats against a dazzling electronic back drop to create a burst of instant happiness. The lyrics are really secondary to the music but the chorus is very cute and I love the way that Toy's voice completely overshadows Cerrone's. However, my favourite bit is the toygasmic scream at the two minute mark. Bliss! Confusingly, the edits are all radically different but my favourite is the LP Version and that's the mix I have streaming:
Oops, Oh No!
"Oops, Oh No!" was given a second chance at life five years after its initial release when the song was re-issued in Holland - without Cerrone's vocals! In fact, the Dutch version basically bins the entire song apart from the chorus, which is roughly placed over a fairly uninspiring house track. Amazingly, it became one of Toy's only hits - climbing all the way to #30 on the Dutch club charts! I vastly prefer the original but this has some nice moments including a classy piano solo. Words can't adequately express how much I miss La Toya. May she return from reality TV hell to further enrich our lives with her own unique brand of musical genius in the not too distant future.
