They Are Them HOOPS

HOOPS are from our hometown, and I like to represent our own. It helps that the all-girl trio are wickedly talented; they put out the best mixes, throw the best parties and are just such nice people that you want to hang with them all night/day. Comprised of equal parts Anna Lunoe, Bad Ezzy and Nina Lasvegas, HOOPS are as much individuals as they are a team. When you see all three of them up on the decks it's pretty mind-blowing, especially given the plethora of token she-js popping up all acorss this fair city who don't even know how to beat-match. They've made it their mission to be the best, and for Anna at least (scratch that, all of them), it's a full-time career.

What I love about HOOPS is their innate sense of humour. Djs take themselves WAY too fucking seriously at the moment, what with InTheMix50 and Armin van Whatever doing his 20,00 hour non-stop trance sets. So when you go on Nina's Myspace and she's got "Put some Akon on, bro?" you know you're in good hands. These ladies are entertainers in the true sense of the word, and their cheekiness extends over into the musical menagerie they offer up whenever they hit the decks. I've seen them all do their thing separately, Lunoe hitting the decks at festivals, Vegas at Ting Tings rooftop gigs for Triple J (where she works) and Ezzy smashing up the Cross. But like Captain Planet's Planeteers, with their powers combined, HOOPS are unstoppable. These girls get new joints from M.I.A and Rye Rye first, because they know them. They've racked up more frequent flyer miles across this country than most of us will in a lifetime. Our followers in the States have probably seen them rocking club gigs over there, too. Most importantly, you can never, ever EVER put on a HOOPS mix and be sad. It's just not possible.

I can post on HOOPS on One A Day today, because they recently put out a set of collect-em-all, 5 Minute Mini-mixes. So you're about to get three songs from three artists, which may have twenty thousand songs within each one. Talk about good value! They're each so different from the last, and a great way to see all three heads of the multi-talented, HOOPS beast.

Anna Lunoe Minimix

Anna Lunoe (Check Out Her Mixtapes!) Myspace

Bad Ezzy Minimix

Bad Ezzy Myspace

Nina Las Vegas Minimix

Nina Las Vegas Myspace

Download the mixes and other funtastic gear from theHOOPS Internets page.

Jamie Cullum - Don't Stop The Music

Yes, the great Leprechaun of Essex has delivered once again! Jamie Cullum - whose Twentysomething was pretty much the soundtrack to my 2003 - has covered the covered and come up trumps for the umpteenth time. After his take on the Jay-Z/Pharrell collabo 'Frontin' turned out better, infinitely more funky then the original, Cullum decided to turn the scope a little higher and aim for the pop stratosphere, taking on the recently candid and hugely successful Rihanna who, in turn, ripped off the recently candid and hugely successful Michael Jackson (the instantly recognizable 'ma ma se ma ma sa ma ma coo sa' of 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin''). Bold move indeed. But while short in stature, Cullum is most definitely a heavyweight of the modern jazz world - one of only a handful of mainstream successful jazz acts this decade.

Somehow, Cullum manages to sex even the most sultry songs up. Might explain how he bagged Sophie Dahl as a fiancée. Needless to say, as this track permeated the OAD homestead, flogged full-throttle, who-even-knew-Logitech-made-speakers-that-went-that-loud? by brother Z so that you couldn't really escape it even in the most distant recesses of the ranch, it brought with it feelings not only of nostalgia (for the simpler, more naive 2003 me, particularly) but moreover, a renewed appreciation of Cullum's wealth of musical talent. The man knows how to pick a song, how to cover a song and (going on a performance at our local Westfield [of all the perverse locations for a concert!], he knows how to play a song too. That concert had Cullum bounding all over the stage, jumping up on his piano bench and thumping away at the keys with such abandon that even the most strident shoppers couldn't help hovering outside Borders for a looksy.

That reckless disregard for the strictures of performance, of pop music and of shopping-mall decorum comes across clearly in this track. Whilst he doesn't have the luxury of the couple of hours that his shows - never following a set-list - usually run over, what Cullum does have in the genre he's playing for is the ability to experiment, the ability to interrogate a little the codes and conventions of regular pop music. As a result, what we end up with is something, almost inexorably, far superior to Rihanna's original version of the track. It's not that Rihanna didn't give us her all (her original is undoubtedly one of the pop songs of last year), it's just that Cullum has so much more to work with, so much more potential to explore and thankfully, has been granted some of this breathing room on his third (and final) album for Universal, the forthcoming (9 Nov) 'The Pursuit'. 'Don't Stop The Music' is nothing out of the ordinary for Cullum fans but serves as a welcome reminder of is cross-genre prowess. For the uninitiated, this is what that archaic thing they call 'jazz' has become in 2009. Dig.

Jamie Cullum - Don't Stop The Music

The Verses - 'Forever More'

See the one on the left? When I was twelve, she was totally going to be my girlfriend one day...

It takes a lot to warm the cockles of this cynical music writer's heart. Britney Spears' new single didn't do it. John Mayer playing in a Chapel didn't, either. But I reckon having two members of my all-time teenage favourite band, Killing Heidi, bouncing back onto the scene after an extended hiatus just about takes the cake. The Ella Hooper-fronted riot-grrl-meets-rock hybrid was one of the biggest success stories of the early '00s in Australia, when the band were just teenagers. Kind of like me. Reflector, Killing Heidi's multi-platinum selling debut, was the first record I bought. With someone else's money, no less. It was kind of like, in retrospect, our answer to SClub7 and all that jazz. Here was a bunch of extremely talented and impressionable kids, scrubbed up and packaged for the masses by a Svengali manager. The band lost momentum and never managed to attain the same level of success as with their debut. I'm still 100% into it. It might make me look like a total loser. But what were you listening to - The Monkees?

The Verses are about to go on tour through the country with the mighty Fleetwood Mac; sans cocaine apparently. Which is a shame, because growing up so young, one wonders how much rockstar decadence Ella and Jesse Hooper actually got to experience. I think they were collecting pointy statuettes before they could collect beers from the bar. The standout on 'Forever More', naturally, is Ella's voice, which is still great. Even in this more mellow, classic rock setting, Hooper's (or should that be Hoopers', given that Jesse was always a star at harmonies?) full range and serious chops serve her well. But she does sound older. Or maybe that's just the nasty vocal cyst the poor girl had to have taken out during the peak of her powers in 2001. Which kind of means that I'm getting older, or that I have a cyst in my brain. Yeah, it sounded funnier before the fingers hit the keyboard.

I have faith in this band if only because I think Killing Heidi could have become something far bigger than it was, and was plagued by a series of setbacks beyond their control. I vividly remember Ella Hooper as my first real rock-girl crush (even beating Sarah McLeod of the Superjesus), but more importantly, as the not-yet-a-woman whose unbelievable melodies helped make sense of a very confusing transition into highschool. Killing Heidi is also the band which marked the beginning and end of one of my closest friendships. It was probably the last great bromance I ever had. In fact, I think I bonded with about 15 different people over various parts of Reflector. Now that the Hoopers are back, maybe someone will come to gigs with me more often.

So, having grown up in the spotlight, the brother-sister Hooper duo from Violet Town obviously realised that the only people who still buy records these days are adults. Thus, they've fashioned a neat slice of adult-contemporary that doesn't bore you to tears but is hook-y and pleasant enough for the whole family to enjoy. Put it on right after you look through holiday snaps with Slipknot playing. Unless you're the kind of family where the Papa Bear spends more money on Deep Purple remasters from iTunes than on his own children. In which case, did you hear that Fleetwood Mac are coming?

The Verses - 'Forever More'


It's hard to pick my favourite song when I love them all. But here's one that definitely didn't make the radio. It's a miniature fireball, spurred on by that sweet slice of teenage angst that comes in the bridge. "Fuck you...you suck" has never sounded so awesome.

Killing Heidi - 'Leaving Me Alone'


Verse-Space

Ke$ha - TiK ToK

It is a rare occurrence here at One A Day for us to post on something so blatantly mainstream, so flagrantly pop, so unashamedly bubblegum as this, the debut single from Los Angeles' Kesha Sebert. It's anyone's guess why she's adopted a dollar sign instead of an 'S' for her stage name but I'd suggest it could well serve to foreshadow the big bucks that'll be rolling in her way on the release of her debut early in 2K10 if this first track is anything to go by. It is not uncommon for Top 40 hits to get lodged in the musical memory given how fixated today's commercial radio station's are with flogging so many palpably dead horses. The gym is basically the only environment in which I get exposed to this material ((un)fortunate as that may be) and for some reason, [V] has programmed a preponderance of this chick over the last few days.

On the way to sushi on Tuesday night, I remarked to my friend N how 'I love this song!' when Kesha inexorably invaded the airwaves of whatever we were listening to. Almost immediately I realized my folly, exposing my pseudo-absolute-loser adoration of a pop song ostensibly built for girls getting geed up for a night on the town; read 'pedicure on our toes, tying on all our clothes' et al, and sort of tried to change the subject before N realized what I'd said and got to questioning my sexuality/sanity. Almost as surprising as the words that had just slipped out of my mouth were those that next filled the space, this time in N's tone; 'Yeah, me too!' What relief! What sheer elation! He even reached for the volume dial to turn that ish up! Validation in its most craved form and testament to Ke$ha's ability to traverse demographics in her commercial appeal. The girl's got something going for her.

Whether this ode to being drunk and partying like a mother, engineered by super-producer Dr Luke (who was behind the desk on my last favourite pop song and largely responsible for a slew of hits from Avril to Britney, Mos Def to Santana) and featuring a banging (did I say banging!) cameo from the obviously time-starved Diddy, is a one-off or is really what Ke$ha is about will define how she progresses in the pop world. For the moment, I couldn't really care less if she makes it big or flops hard. What matters most is that she had the sense to pen this insanely catchy tune, make intertextual referencing cool in a way it hasn't been since Illy, keep the autotuning to acceptable levels and keep her clothes on for the majority of the clip. Style, integrity and flair. She's alright to love.

Ke$ha - TiK ToK


$ on MySpace.

Marry Me, Paloma Faith...

[HAPPY 400th BIRTHDAY TO US!]

So I saw Paloma Faith, she of the many talents, play at an intimate venue last night. It was quite spectacular. Not only did the girl come out with gigantic helium balloons tied around her lace-gloved wrist (which she kept on for the entire show), but her voice was simply stunning. There were record label people there who have been hearing her stuff for months, and they were gasping. Faith really is something special. Half Spanish and half British, Faith's really done it all; a magician's assistant, trained contemporary dancer, St Martin's alumni with an master's in theatre direction, a performer in burlesque shows, and an actress. It's these elements which are so directly absorbed into herv live performance; Paloma on stage is kind of like seeing a 1920s jazz den invaded by Lauren Baccall. With her ruby-red lips, arching dance moves and deep eyes, Paloma is equal parts spectacle and spectacular. It helps that she has a fucking awesome voice.

With Duffy and the blue-eyed soul gang flying the flag for Britain, it's nice to see a performer who still knows how to rock out. In fact, Paloma requests in her Hackney accent "I want everybody in the front row to mosh. Please mosh...." It's adorable. She's adorable. Her songs, a mixture of burlesque, jazz, soul and show tune are catchy, but more importantly, well written. You can see it as her tight-as-all-hell backing band, dressed to the nines in matching faux tuxedos, have fun with the material. Moreover, that extraordinary voice, matched with her commanding presence ensures that Paloma is one to watch. And you will be, she appears in the new Terry Gilliam film The Imagination of Dr Parnassus. You know, the one all the Aussies are going to see because Our Heath is in there for about 3 minutes.

Everyone's probably heard 'Stone Cold Sober' already, so I'm going to feature her new single, 'New York.' She introduced this last night with Frank Sinatra's classic of the same name, before cheekily announcing, "I wrote this." Come back soon Ms Faith. With your tattoos, wicked voice and red silk dresses, we'd be glad to have you.

Paloma Faith - 'New York'


Ah, let's have another. It's just too good to refuse. Here's her swing number, 'Upside Down'...

Paloma Faith - 'Upside Down'


Paloma on Bandit.Fm

Wale - 90210

It was always going to happen. Attention Deficit, debut LP effort from Washington's finest Wale (not whale, wah-lay), originally due for release September 22, pushed back to October 20 and then again to November 10 in order to allow for touring commitments alongside Jay-Z and N.E.R.D, has leaked. But unlike Lupe who spazzed all over the internets when lead single 'Shining Down' leaked off his forthcoming 'Lasers', Wale seems to have taken this one in his stride. Aside from a minor 'the-world-as-I-know-it-is-coming-to-an-end' moment on his Twitter page, the one man to tame Lady Gaga (how normal she looks and how well-behaves she is in 'Chillin'. No blood smeared across her torso or anything!) obviously believes in the strength of his production enough not to worry too much.

And so he should. On the couple (couple) of cuts I've heard off the album (gonna wait til Nov 10 to get me a) a legitimate physical copy or b) something with bit quality to do justice to one of this year's most promising new acts), I have been thoroughly impressed. Not only were J and I initially concerned with the apparent lyrical depthlessness of 'Chillin' - especially reflecting on the banging 'Mixtape About Nothing' - but as that single gained more and more mainstream momentum, I worried that perhaps Wale had sacrificed his cutting-edge social commentary for mass appeal. It's the curse of the mixtape-successful artist. They assume that the mixtape was mixtape-worthy but to step up into the big league of albums, all stops have to be pulled out - from production gimmicks to catchy choruses - in order to sell. Wale was just so good on his couple of mixtapes that the prospect of sell-out was frightening.

Turns out there was no need for panic. On 90210, Wale (with producer-buddy Mark Ronson in tow) breaches the topics of celebrity, bulimia, fleeting sexual-encounters and the hollowness of the reality-TV dream with such ease that he dwarfs Ronson's pseudo-juvenile beat with ease. That said, the song holds its own on the strength of the Washingtonian's lyrics and the eventually insanely catchy key riff. It's not that we haven't heard these sordid tales of try-hard stardom before. Lily Allen, Kanye West, Pink and Eminem alike have grappled with the topic countless times. What is immediately appealing about Wale's version of failed celebrity is the unflagging honesty, the candid literalness of his lyrics. Taboo means nothing to this rap up-and-comer. As a result, we get a track bursting with reality, covering all manner of avaricious subjects going down in the world's most famous postcode. Reason to be excited.

Wale - 90210

Pixies and Eskimo Joe say 'Hey'...

The fact that I haven't written about this song yet is criminal. It kind of makes sense, given that we've been straying far more towards the hip-hop end of the spectrum here at One A Day lately. But today after seeing my article decimated on Page 3 of the newspaper, I flicked through the entertainment classifieds and noticed that Pixies had sold out three shows in my town alone. To put this into perspective, not only are this band on a semi-indefinite hiatus, but they're also pretty old and pretty far away from ever recording anything a seminal as 1989's Doolittle ever again. Nas, who we saw last night, while still being an OG, is still writing records and still making headlines, having burst onto the scene about two years after Pixies. Nas sold out a 2000 capacity venue, these guys are set to blitz three times a 5000 capacity venue. What's the point of this comparative literature? Somtimes, all the slick beats and motherfucker mentality can get me a little too enamoured with hip hop. But I was born a rock boy and that's where I'll ultimately stay. At least until Greg C comes after me for referencing him in my Brother Ali post on Friday.

If you want a history of Pixies, go and read Wikipedia, or like, 20 issues of SPIN magazine or something. If you honestly don't know who this band are and you know how to read and write then there's very little we can do to help you. You might like to start with a band called Nirvana, sidestep a crazy-ass lady called Courtney and continue along your trajectory until you reach Animal Collective, or Them Crooked Vultures or one of Jack White's 50 gabllillon bands (yep, I just made that word up. Wanna fight about it?) Let's just settle for this; Pixies are weird. The people who like Pixies, not just the ones who pretend to be excited everytime Richard Branson pays them to get back together, are similarly weird. It's understandable, Frank Black/Black Francis/White Man's Buddah is up there with the most brilliantly erratic lyricists of all time.

'Hey' is the sexiest unsexy song ever. The bass line is so simple, yet powerfully evocative. Black's voice alternates between crooning and barking, with all these references to "whores in my head" and various other stuff that you probably can't ask your parents to turn up on the radio during that long interstate trip to your holiday beach house/log cabin. Everything about this song screams 'surf rock nightmare'. It's like Quentin Tarantino had directorial duties over the album, every second of this song I can just see Uma Thurman dancing sexily and then snorting a line of heroin by accident. It's that kind of awesome. Someone else who thinks so is Eskimo Joe lead singer Kav, who not only picks Pixies as his subject of choice every time he goes on a music quiz show, but also did a cover of this track for Triple J's hilariously titled Like A Version. I think he did a pretty good job of it, and besides, his voice has that similarly rough texture that means that he does well with the Frank Black material. But then, I love the Eskies, so I'm probably biased. Or maybe it's just them whores in my head...

Pixies - 'Hey'


Eskimo Joe - 'Hey'


Pixies fly here
Meet an Eskimo called Joe here