Bump It

New Erykah Badu out this week.  The whole album is filled with strong tracks but the standout is "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long" which uses a sample from Paul McCartney and Wings' soft rock classic "Arrow Through Me".  She got her sample clearance using Twitter and her connection to Stella McCartney.  The analog girl in a digital world days are officially over.

The single shot video for "Window Seat" is of her making a slow and revealing and inexplicable pilgrimage to the grassy knoll in Dallas.  Crazy.  More, please.

The Stones Made It Good To Be Alone

The album cover for Tattoo You by Rolling Stones is one of my all-time favorites.  The red background, the font, the proportion of image to negative space - all perfect.  The whole package, actually.  The green back cover, the strange horse high heel and gray/white eye-crossing graphic inner sleeve (they also used both images for the "Start Me Up" sleeve).  The artist who put it all together is Peter Corriston, who also did Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti.  

I'm not wild about some of the tracks on the first, "rock", side but damn if "Start Me Up" doesn't still do exactly that.  The second, "ballad", side, however, is one of the most consistently rewarding Stones moments.  "Heaven", with Jagger on guitar, Keith Richards nowhere to be found, is the best of the lot.

EYE CANDY

Here in three month old 2010 there's a 12" single cover to rank with the best.  Glass Candy have already used the image above on their MySpace page for a couple of years and sold a messy t-shirt with it but it more perfectly suits the 12" format.  They've even used some great colors for the text on the back.  Nicely done by the ace team over at Italians Do It Better.  And, music not forgotten, the remixed "Feeling Without Touching" is a Saturday night thrill too.

Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night

The best Saturday night bar/club/party right now is the Loft Party at Market Hotel in Bushwick.  It's a club that serves drinks from a table that looks like the one your mother sold bundt cake at during elementary school bake sales.

One Chip To Save Us All

2010 is off to a strong start with the release of Hot Chip's One Life Stand.  On the fantastic title track little Alexis Taylor sounds like the sweetest boy in school.

Hot Chip amazes.  They balance a retro sound with modern elements in a natural way, have melodies that sound emotionally honest, and everything's effortlessly arranged.  The Warning's "Look After Me" is a beautiful 21st Century version of Hall and Oates' classic "One on One".

Missing the sadly defunct Beta Band is a little easier because Hot Chip is in the world.

UK heroes The Vinyl Factory has an insane deluxe edition that will be dancing in my dreams.