Imogen Heap- First Train Home | Link 2

Imogen Heap’s production values have always been absolutely pristine, and this is very much the same. Remember “Hide & Seek”? Of course you do- well, “First Train Home” uses the same vocal layering affect, albeit more as one of many tricks rather than the vocoder effects that made “Hide & Seek” such an essential, popular hit. “First Train Home” is already confirmed as the opening track and first single for her latest album, Ellipse, due out on August 25th.

I had never considered the possibility. I took him for granted. This news, that the King Of Pop, Michael Jackson, passed away on Thursday is absolutely crushing, a blow that makes me sick to my stomach. I have been considering the best way to remember him for the last few days, yet nothing that I can say or do will change the fact that we have lost a true pioneer. Most things have already been said, so in this tribute I’ve tried to express how I feel and also to collate some of the speculation, alongside musical memories (see the end of the post). I’ll be posting a true musical tribute soon.

Michael Jackson collapsed at his California residence at around noon Pacific time on Thursday, June 25th. His personal doctor attempted to resuscitate him at the scene, before an ambulance arrived and took him to UCLA Medical Centre. Jackson was prounounced dead at 2.26 PM, from a suspected cardiac arrest. Michael was just short of his 51st Birthday.

However, a recording of the 911 call and a video of the ambulance’s departure point towards the possibility that there was never any hope for Michael. The urgency which you might expect was not there- the ambulance making multiple attempts to reverse out of the drive and no mention being made in the 911 call made that this was Michael Jackson’s residence. There have been reports that the ambulance team wanted to pronounce Michael dead at his house, but his personal doctor would not allow them to make ‘the call’.

An autopsy was performed on Saturday, with results pointing to no foul-play in the death- the Jackson family have already suggested they will request a second autopsy, and toxicology results from the first may take weeks to arrive. Michael’s personal cardiologist (Dr. Conrad Murray) was believed to be ‘on the run’ but has since co-operated with the investigation. It was initially believed that he administered a fatal dose of painkillers (Demerol, specifically) to Michael prior to his death, but was earlier told he was ‘free to go’.

Lisa Marie Presley’s (his first wife) outpouring also supports this fact- Michael purportedly said, in reference to the circumstances of her father’s (Elvis Presley) death “I am afraid that I am going to end up like him”. Michael’s supposed addiction started through back pain, and some say it was a vice that he was unable to beat.

This is the most affecting news for a long, long time. In the modern era, the effects are uncharted. Twitter closed down and Google went into self-defence mode as the number of queries for the term “michael jackson” rocketed beyond what was programmed into the systems. MTV devoted their entire network to Michael for 48 hours- fitting, considering all his work on the crossover video hits, including “Thriller” and “Bad”. And already, numerous artists have recorded tribute songs (see below).

Jackson’s comeback at the O2 arena was scheduled to begin on July 13th, mere weeks away. Many were hoping for a triumphant return, and on these terms, Michael will never get that chance to finally put the questions to rest. AEG (the tour promoters/organisers) stand to lose a lot of money, and the situation regarding the refund of tickets is starting to be released. I was one of the lucky few with a ticket to see him at the O2. On September 21st, I would have seen his ‘This Is It’ tour in London. It is a bizarre twist of fate- I have always held seeing him perform live as one of my musical targets in life, alongside many modern fans.

What of the man? His appearance and personal life polarised opinion and was the precursor to the modern paparazzi culture, but no one can argue that Michael made unmatched contributions to the world of music, raising the level of performance and recorded music.

His well-charted relationship with plastic surgery and health fads (hyperbaric chambers and masks- the latter an ‘illusion’) tarnished his image, alongside the tempestuous allegations of child-molestation. He was cleared of all charges, but never looked the same man. Those who know him well regularly comment on his health, and he was said to be in good shape for the O2 residency, having danced and sung in rehearsal on Wednesday night.

His character had it’s flaws, largely due to his highly unusual childhood. He was, however, a person with the best intentions at heart, clearly shown through his endless contributions to charities and people less fortunate. His talent was unquestionable, blessed with a pure voice and the Midas touch. His choreography is just as relevant today, and he raised the level of musical performance, directly influencing all those who produce music today. I share the opinion that someone like Michael Jackson only comes along once- he is simply untouchable.

Personally, I have many ‘musical moments’ with MJ’s albums. I remember searching endlessly for a live version of “Scream” on Youtube, finally finding one of the only performances on the History tour when he went it alone, without the backing track. And it is truly, truly impressive, one of his best performances to date (see below). “Thriller” soundtracked my mid-teens, exploring all the music that I had missed due to my age. I found “Money”, a real gem, on History. There are so many potential singles, spanning across his career, that never got the attention they deserved.

I really hope his family release the remaining material, including his as-yet unreleased album and video recordings of his rehearsals for the O2 performances. The ‘Dangerous’ tour tapes can be found on Youtube (”Beat It” below), and are the best display of his performing talent and character. For the latter part of his career, Michael mimed in many of his performances, but in the tapes he sings and dances, even adding in the sound effects and guitar solos when the sound team miss the cues. It is a special reminder of his talents, to see him with his guard down, having fun on stage, the place where he was ‘most comfortable’.

There are promising signs for the future- a catalog of 100 unreleased songs was kept for Michael’s children, but the debt which he accumulated will probably force their sale. Jackson has purportedly racked up $400 million of debts, but his death may be the only thing that can change the tide- industry analysts are already predicting 1 billion record sales (a huge increase from his charted 750 million) which should clear his estate of all outstanding costs. The back-catalogues are linked to his children’s trust funds, so the creditors won’t be able to touch it.

I am sure there are still a few more twists and turns to his story- I’ll be keeping the site up to date with any further developments. This is tragic, but I hope we always remember Michael the performer, the badass, the pioneer. He was taken before his time. Rest in peace, the King Of Pop. We will never forget you.

The Game ft. Chris Brown, Diddy, Polow Da Don, Mario Winans, Usher, Boyz II Men- Better On The Other Side (Tribute to MJ) Link 2 Link 3

Don Diablo- Song for MJ (Remember the time) Link 2 Link 3

Michael Jackson- Billie Jean (Home Demo from 1981) Link 2 Link 3

NB- Apologies- slow site and very little content over the last week. Working out the server-side problems, and should have some cool site improvements coming your way in the next few weeks. Thanks. W

Does the guy ever sleep? I’d appreciate any inside info on his work arrangements, as Lil’ Wayne must be spending the majority of his waking hours in the recording booth. See above for a collated list of his achievments. In 2009 alone, we can look forward to ‘Rebirth’, a huge pile of mixtapes and ‘Tha Carter IV’- apparently near completion. That doesn’t even include a number of demos (’Yes’, ‘Red Rum’ etc) and the musical crime that will be T-Wayne. He’s also studying for a degree, has 2 kids, a record label and a number of other endeavours. The guy is just incredibly busy! Whilst it’s essentially impossible to keep up, enjoy some of the best new material with Wayne attached:

Lil’ Wayne- Kobe Bryant (Link 2) (Link 3)

I’m late on this one, but it’s hard to resist the allure of this tribute to Kobe Bryant. It’s really great that Wayne was willing to step in- it’s obvious that Kobe needed an ego boost right now- I mean, professional basketball players must really struggle with confidence, what with all the millions they earn and the fans’ adulation. Someone should explore the possibility of this being a joint venture- if Wayne starts appearing in executive boxes at Lakers games, a deal has been done!

Still, this is a well thought out dedication, and Kobe must be beaming. The production is deceptively simple, a hi-hat, basic synth line and not much else. The real genius is in the recordings “He’s the best player in the game… he will shoot from the perimeter, he will get all in your mug, he will do whatever it takes. He is the most complete basketball player in the game today, ball or not… he has an assassin’s mentality.”

Drake ft. Lil’ Wayne & Young Jeezy- I’m Goin In (Link 2) (Link 3)

This track has been flying around for months, with numerous tags. A lot of material is leaking early, with incorrect tags and DJ call-outs. See- ‘Revolver’ and ‘The Leak’. This is said to be the final version that will appear on the now formalised collaborative album between Wayne and a number of different artists on Young Money, his record label.

It’s really, really impressive. Drake has been taking tips from Wayne (Rolling Stone interview), and his lyricism has come an incredibly long way since the early mixtapes. Another collaboration is expected for his album ‘Thank Me Later’, out in late 2009 as well as unconfirmed releases with Jay-Z and Mary Jay Blige. 2009 is a huge year for this guy.

Young Money Feat. Lil Wayne, Drake, Jae Millz, Gutta & Mack Maine- Every Girl (Link 2) (Link 3)

Wayne is still able to mix it with anyone- in ‘Every Girl’ we are treated to a traditional rap ballad. He still loves the old Auto-Tune, and it definitely gives this a 90’s vibe. Summer tune, all the way, although I wonder how he will react to Jay’s first cut from ‘The Blueprint III’? It’s a fairly by-numbers affair called ‘D.O.A. (Death Of Autotune)’, but a nice teaser for the highly anticipated album:

Jay-Z – D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune) (Link 2) (Link 3)

That concludes this very brief rap rundown- time has been really short this week, service will be back to normal from the weekend.

Stag & Dagger is held across 20 venues in East London, with admission to each venue covered by a single wristband. The overall ticket costs £15, with around 120 bands playing across the venues, including Michachu & The Shapes, Cold War Kids, Lovefoxxx, Wild Beasts and White Denim. We took some photos as well, be sure to click through to see them at full size…

We started with Maps at The Legion. The queues were fairly small for most venues, but once inside, the band had already started and a sizeable crowd had built up. There were a number of pissed-off punters loitering outside after being told, no wristband, no entry, as Stag & Dagger had essentially taken over the whole area (making it easy to quickly move between venues)…

I’ve seen Maps before, and it seems as if things haven’t moved too far from the original formula of two guys, a girl and some mixing boards. The real star is, of course, James Chapman, who writes all the music and only brought in back-up for his live shows. His debut album ‘We Can Create’ was released in 2007 and consequently Mercury Award nominated. The density of the live sound calls out Animal Collective and friends, except all the noises are generated on mixing boards. The new direction is a departure- have a listen to ‘Here We Go (Dub)’, which was released on 11th May, and is the first offering from his follow up ‘Turning The Mind’, out this summer.

Maps- Let Go Of The Fear (Dub) (Link 2) (Link 3)

We moved over to Bar Music Hall for arguably the biggest draw of the night (barring White Denim and Cold War Kids). The Temper Trap were, simply, incredible! They’re still at the stage where they carry all their equipment themselves and set up the stage, which was interesting. Lead singer Dougy even sat around drinking pints before and after the gig… we couldn’t pluck up the guts to interview him, but who knows what the future may hold!

Michael: This is the second time that I’ve seen Aussie imports The Temper Trap. The first time, the venue they played in was so small that you could hardly move without bumping into a PR company cameraman, and their sound felt like it was being boxed in.

The Temper Trap- Love Lost (BBC Introducing Session) (Link 2) (Link 3)

This time is different – Stag & Dagger festival is in full swing, Shoreditch has its party hat on, and the spacious rafters of Bar Music Hall suggest that they, and their music, might be given room to breath. The band shuffle on stage awkwardly, and what strikes is how little they seem like a band at all: visually they are disparate, with little of the “Last Gang in Town” look about them. This is Shoreditch, after all, and so it’s perhaps inevitable that the crowd look marginally more colourful than the band.

Once they start playing, the visual comparisons cease to matter. TTT open with a clattering slab of noise rock, and as their set flexes it becomes rapidly obvious that this is a very special, unusually polished band: they absolutely reek of The Big Time, and Sweet Disposition, with its shimmering sheet of U2 guitar and falsetto vocals, suggests that they have prepared carefully for their big audition. Lead singer Dougy pours genuine helpings of soul into every song that he touches, and mid-set belter Down River is nothing short of thunderous, aided and abetted by all the band members clubbing in on vocals.

If this all sounds a little stadium-by-numbers, there’s enough sharp edges under the anthems to suggest that these boys can offer more surprises along with the exhilarating variety of their songs: their closer, the pulsing electro-rock of Science of Fear, screams to a halt with a minute of feedback that suggests they have a little more about them than your average band whose only ambition is to shift units.

Catch them whilst they’re still playing venues with roofs.

Will: Stag & Dagger was well worth attending- the line-up was great, although we could have hoped for some more established acts, and also for less clashes (The Temper Trap and Cold War Kids, extremely difficult to choose between!). What 2010 will bring, who knows, but we will be lining up once again, for this is one of the best bar/pub festival passes money can buy. Roll on the festival season..

So today Spotify released a demo of the mobile app that they’ve been working on in private: ever since the programme came into existence it’s only been a matter of time before they did this.

So what does this mean for music listeners? Most frequently, it’s been argued that it’s the end of the iPhone (the demo, very tellingly, uses a Google Android).  However, it’s not quite that cut-and-dried: at the moment, Spotify offers a far from comprehensive selection of music (case in point, they offer all of Pavement’s albums bar Slanted and Enchanted), which needs to change before world domination can ensue.

Secondly, this misses out one of the key loves of music aficionados everywhere, being the first to get onto a new band/record.  Even if Spotify has got the record labels onside with advertising revenues replacing royalties, it’s unlikely that they’ll ever stream records before they’re released, which means that people will still want MP3 format players to listen to ripped  and leaked records on.

Thirdly, I don’t envisage that this will change the way that I listen to music: most of the records I own are still on CD, and I think that although many music fans have made the jump from hard formats to MP3, they might baulk at never owning a record ever again: it sounds stupid, but every music obssessive knows that part of the fun of having a collection lies in people being able to see how good your taste is, something that a Spotify world would remove.

Let’s throw open the floor: what does Spotify mobile mean for Coldcut readers?