Dominique Dillon de Byington. Unusual name, intriguing début release.

Dillon – ‘Tip Tapping’ from the album ‘This Silence Kills’

www.dillon-music.com

I highly recommend jumping over to her website and listening to the album on her Music page…

Anna Aaron – ‘Sea Monsters’ from the album ‘Dogs In Spirit’

www.annaaaron.com

MySpace

Call me a nerd about music, that’s fine;)
And this does cross the line about NotPop in it’s purest meaning, but this was for a special person in my life.
An interesting project to do, a disc of all the number one UK singles since 1971 on this persons December Birthday. (Thankfully not too many Xmas hit singles)
This process verified why I set this website up…

I did add a few tracks to the MP3 CD, in a folder called ‘Antidote to X Factor’
Interesting to see the progress of Pop, Non?

I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing – New Seekers 1971
Long Haired Lover From Liverpool – Little Jimmy Osmond 1972
You Won’t Find Another Fool Like Me – New Seekers 1973
Down Down – Status Quo 1974
Mamma Mia – Abba 1975
Don’t Cry For Me Argentina – Julie Covington 1976
Up Town Top Ranking – Althea & Donna 1977
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick – Ian Dury 1978
Walking On The Moon – The Police 1979
Imagine – John Lennon 1980 (released in 1971, but only charted in 1980)
Don’t You Want Me – The Human League 1981
Going Underground – The Jam 1982
Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood 1983
The Power of Love – Frankie Goes To Hollywood 1984
West End Girls – Pet Shop Boys 1985
Reet Petite – Jackie Wilson 1986
Always On My Mind – Pet Shop Boys 1987
Especially For You – Kylie Minogue/Jason Donovan 1988 (I like Kylie, but this duet sucks – He really cannot sing)
Let’s Party – Jive Bunny 1989 (Obviously delete this)
Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice 1990 (Hi-jacked by Halifax, how sad is that…)
The Fly – U2 1991 (Bonos Fly sun shade range have netted more money than his music. I made that up, but probably true).
I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston 1992
Twist and Shout – Chaka Demus 1993
Cotton Eye Joe – Rednex 1994 (This is sampling at it worst)
Earth Song – Michael Jackson 1995 (Shame about his meds, not – OK, Thriller was outstanding)
Breathe – Prodigy 1996
Too Much – Spice Girls 1997
Chocolate Salty Balls – Chef 1998
Westlife – I Have A Dream 1999 (Uter shit, end of)
Stan – Eminem 2000
Somethin’ Stupid – Robbie Williams 2001
Sound Of The Underground – Girls Aloud 2002
Changes – Kelly & Ozzy 2003
Vertigo – U2 2004
Stickwitu – The Pussycat 2005
Run – Leona Lewis 2006
What A Wonderful World – Katie Melua & Eva Cassidy 2007
A Moment Like This – Leona Lewis 2008
Killing In The Name – Rage Against the Machine 2009
When We Collide – Matt Cardle 2010
Wishing On A Star – X Factor 2011

Sóley Stefánsdóttir’s solo debut is just devine.
Puts me in mind of Stina Nordenstam’s delicious debut ‘Memories of a Color’ with a sprinkling of CoCoRosie’s debut ‘Noah’s Ark’.

Sóley – ‘Smashed Birds’ from the album ‘I’ll Drown’

For distributors go to Moor Music.
If you are in the UK, Boomkat have MP3, FLAC and CD versions.

MySpace

I five stared their debut Fossils and Other Phantoms last year. Now they have borrowed John Parish and his dirty production sound and moved up a level.

Peggy Sue – ‘All We’ll Keep’ from the album ‘Acrobats’

http://peggywho.com/

Wikipedia

I have dipped in and out of her first and second albums for a while, but the recent release of her forth album made me revisit the live third album. It really shows the range of her, almost, pop style with her wilder side.
You can listen to the whole gig/album over here at The Hi-Fi Live website.

Kate Miller-Heidke ‘Politics In Space’ (live) from the album ‘Curiouser’

Kate Miller-Heidke ‘God’s Gift to Women’ (live) from the album ‘Curiouser’

www.katemillerheidke.com

MySpace

Wikipedia

Finally now available all over the world…
You can listen to snippets of all the tracks from the album over on her website.

Katie Herzig – ‘Free My Mind’ from the album ‘The Waking Sleep’

www.katieherzig.com

MySpace

Wikipedia

Following on from yesterdays post, time to revisit NV.
Reading the playlist on this their first album, in fact any of their releases, may have you squirming.
Prepare to be seduced by their skilful blending of 80′s New Wave/Lounge/Bossa Nova.
Any band that has the balls to start an album with a cover version of Love Will Tear Us Apart, and makes it work has my respect.

Nouvelle Vague – ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ (live) from the debut album ‘Nouvelle Vague’
You can hear the album version over on their website.

www.nouvellesvagues.com

Wikipedia

Phoebe rocks out again on her 2nd solo release. She fronted Nouvelle Vague for a while, who I haven’t done a post on yet… shocking.

Phoebe Killdeer & The Short Straws – ‘Innerquake/Angel’s Breath’ (live) from the album ‘Innerquake’

www.phoebekilldeer.com

MySpace

“Net neutrality means that the Internet has no gatekeeper. It encompasses all the issues related to the circulation of information on the Internet, such as free speech, access to knowledge, copyright or innovation. Thanks to this principle, everyone retain the freedom to access and produce the information they want.

But this funding principle of the Internet is now under threat, as some telecom operators and content industries want to develop business-models based on the prioritization of certain information flows by taking control of the network. Also, governments threaten Net neutrality by seeking to implement filtering techniques in order to re-establish the kind of control they used to have on traditional and unidirectional media.”

Get informed here:
http://www.laquadrature.net/en

Grab some whiskey and enjoy this stompingly good album.
Have a read of ‘An Open Letter To The RIAA’ on their website… Great stuff. Also on their blog two MP3′s from the album including the awesome track Church On Sunday.

May McDonough & Company – ‘Riverside’ (live) from the album ‘Spilt Milk’
(Note: this track has been mislabeled on YouTube, it really is Riverside).

www.maymcdonoughandcompany.com

A dreamy release from this Italian duo. Francesca Amati (voice and guitar) and Glauco Salvo (guitar and banjo).

Comaneci – Live gig

MySpace

I needed a good laugh musically over the last couple of weeks,
and this provided it.

They have more music out, but I am still rolling around to this 2008 stuff :)

Garfunkel and Oates – ‘Pregnant Women are Smug’ form the album ‘Music Songs’

www.garfunkelandoates.com

Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet release an album that is bigger than the sum of them both.
Solid upbeat Americana.

www.whitehorsemusic.ca

Wikipedia

Her second album out today for digital download on her website.
Yet another performer embracing the ukulele.
The wonderful BoingBoing have put together a ukulele list with Lisa as the main video here…

Lisa Hannigan – ‘Knots’ (live) from the album ‘Passenger’

www.lisahannigan.ie

MySpace

Wikipedia