Albums Of The Year: 2010

It’s that time of year when lists of the top albums of 2010 start to pop up everywhere, largely consisting of the same albums. I’m not hoping to compete with these, just adding in my 10 cents of the albums I’ve enjoyed this year.


10. We Are The Ocean - Cutting Our Teeth

The scene is not dead! Well not quite. From my mid teens I have been a big fan the aggression and ferocity of British screamo/hardcore/rock bands. Some are indeed terrible, some are very generic, and only a couple have stayed in my most played into my early twenties, We Are The Ocean being one of them. An easy comparison can be made between WATO and Alexisonfire, the fantastic melodic voices competing with the harsh screams from either band give the music a fresh and ever changing sound. Cutting Our Teeth is a great debut album from a band that have worked hard to build a big fanbase across the country.
 
9. Lissie - Catching A Tiger

This tiny blonde songstress from Illinois is a force to be reckoned with. She is far from the pretty, made-up females that populate the charts these days, she likes to play her guitar and sing her heart out. Full stop. This album is a great progression to her EP Why You Runnin’?, and songs that she won’t lose that signature American-rooted sound for anyone. A girl with a great voice, and a great sound.

Favourite Track - When I’m Alone


8. Bonobo - Black Sands

This is not a great start, it’s difficult to describe this album. But what I can say about it is that it instantly captured my ears with it’s beautiful whirling melodies, basslines and synth riffs. It takes it time to unfold, but is far from a slow-starting record. This album is immensely complex with so many sounds and noises going on, yet it all fits together perfectly. Beautiful stuff.

Favourite Track - Eyesdown

7. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

This is one of the albums that was sitting in the top 3 places in many Top 10 lists this year, and rightfully so, it’s a great album. But for me I think sitting in eighth place is about right for me. It’s a fantastic album that takes me back to the time of my childhood when I would run about in the woods, ride around on my bike with mates and just generally enjoying the freedom of childhood, yet it’s not an album I can listen to over and over for some reason.

Favourite Track - Month Of May


6. Bombay Bicycle Club - Flaws

This was probably my most anticipated album of 2010 for some time as I kept hearing live tracks being leaked and our appetites whetted prior to it’s release. And it’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not perfect. And it’s a shame because it’s so very close. There is not one track that I don’t love, or at least like a lot, but together as an album it doesn’t quite fit. The pace of the tracklisting is a bit all over the place, and I think with a little more care and thought, it could have been something even greater.

Favourite Track - Jewel

5. Funeral Party - Funeral Party

In a year that for me has been filled with much hip-hop and indie, it’s nice to get back to just a simple bit of rock n roll. Funeral Party a band from LA bring that messy, energetic, and riff-lead guitar based music that we all love to hear. It’s easy to image watching this band in a dingy basement with sweat and JD flying everywhere as everyone moshes and generally rocks out. It’s an old school, carefree sound that is missing in todays music. It’s an album that’s designed to be turned up loud. Super loud.

Favourite Track - New York City Moves To The Sound Of LA

4. Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History

This is where bands should take a step back and learn how to write a debut album. This is how it’s done. Tourist History never fails to tire on me with it’s energetic, in your face indie pop riffs and beats. It’s truly something special. It’s clear that the boys from Northern Ireland have poured everything into this album, it’s carefully constructed yet it produces a far from careful sound. A deserved triumph.

Favourite Track - Cigarettes In The Theatre

3. Yeasayer - Odd Blood

It’s difficult to put the sound of Yeasayer into words. I’m a little stumped here. It’s as indie as it is psychedelic as it is inviting as it is mystifying. It’s an encapturing album that draws you in with some wonderful noise and wonderful sounds. Erm, that’ll do.

Favourite Track - ONE

2. Shad - TSOL

Shad has without doubt been my artist of 2011. From the instant that I heard the track Yaa I Get It, I loved Shad. I loved the variety of beats he raps to, his ever so clever wordplay, his conscious approach to rap, life and culture. This guy needs to get more recognition. He’s a true talent, with a dedicated fanbase. TSOL is his third album and each album gets better and better, at an unbelievably high standard. You need to pay attention to this guy.

Favourite Track - Yaa I Get It



1. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Wow. The game has been changed people. If you haven’t listened to this album yet, I’m sorry, but you’re an idiot. This was the most hyped album (mainly by Kanye himself) of the year, and unbelievably it lived upto the hype. 2010 was Kanye West’s year. He joined Twitter to much notority, he released a free track every friday int he form of G.O.O.D Fridays for 15 weeks, he even released a Christmas song. But all of this is shadowed by this album. Despite hearing various versions of most of the tracks on the album, no one could an predicted this album. The production is second to none, the lyricals are another level of genius in places, there’s sounds and beats in there that have never been heard before. I could go on about this album forever, but for your sakes I won’t. This is the album that modern day hip-hop and rap will be measured against. Wow. The game has been changed people.

Favourite Track - Lost In The World


Honorable Mentions:

Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon 2
J-Cole - Friday Night Lights (Mixtape)
Eminem - Recovery
Foals - Total Life Forever

Music Monday 33: Christmas Special.

I know it's not a Monday, and I've posted this week, but it's Christmas. There are no rules. So here's a few of my favourite Christmas songs of the past few weeks, some have already featured on here, some haven't. I won't go on about them this week, just enjoy some Christmas joy.

Lissie - 2000 Miles (The Pretenders cover)



Kanye West - Christmas In Harlem



The Maccabees - Walking In The Air (Aled Jones cover)



Coldplay - Christmas Lights




Merry Christmas everyone. Thanks for checking out my blog every day/week/month, it really does mean a lot. I hope you all get what you asked for.

Snoop Clause.

I wish every story was told by Snoop Dogg. End of.

Music Tuesday 32.

Don't work in retail at Christmas guys. Seriously. Don't do it. But hopefully this will be my last year doing so and I will have some nice shiny new advertising job next year. Hopefully. So apologises for this weeks being a day late, but it's now here, so listen up!

Kanye West - Christmas In Harlem (ft. CyHi Da Prynce & Teyana Taylor)



In a year that has belonged to Kanye, whether it's his free music giveaways, his twitter rants, his short movie or his near flawless album, it only feels right that he should bring out a Christmas song. And what a Christmas song. Kanye manages to combine that Christmas jingle-jingle feeling along with that Harlem hood vibe, not an easy recipe, but unsurprisingly Kanye pulls it off. A seriously good way to end a seriously good year for Yezzy.

City And Colour - At The Bird's Foot



There are some artists that I expect nothing less than perfection from, Dallas Green is most definitely one of them. This track, part of a compilation album to raise money for the oil spill victims of the Gulf Coast, is wonderfully deep, passionate and somewhat dark, perfect for the record. This live version shows Dallas' incredible live talent, one of the many reasons his Royal Albert Hall gig sold out within minutes. Give the CD a listen too, featuring Phoenix, Passion Pit, Damien Rice and more.

Brother - New Year's Day



I went to see these guys in a crazily intimate show the other night, and wow. Despite only playing about 6 or 7 songs, they were all absolute belters, New Year's Day being their newest song. I can't recommend this band highly enough, they come with self-assurance yet they are full of passion and energy amounting to some seriously impressive songs. They are among my predictions for 2011, Brit-pop is back.

Out Like A Lion - A Better Place



Supporting Brother were another hot 2011 band, Out Like A Loin. Sounding quite Foals-y with the energy and riffs of Two Door Cinema Club, it's clear that these guys have got something about them. They've clearly taken a great deal of time constructing their songs and working on their live shows. Excellent stuff, give these guys a listen.

Shad: A Rapper From Canada

For those regular readers of my blog, you'll probably be more than aware of Shad. Describing himself as the biggest thing out of Canada since Pamela's double Ds, he truly is a man that needs to be listened to appreciated to by all. He's intelligent, self and culturally aware and has some very sharp wordplay. You need to know about Shad.

He recently came over to the UK and Europe to play a few shows. Below is a short video with some live show and interview clips, worth checking out, listen to his songs and listen to the man himself. Shad: enjoy.

Sanzer: High Five? Maybe Not.

Here's 3 great print ads from hand sanitizer Sanzer. It's simple (yes I like simple, so what?!) and very well executed, the perfect combination. I think you'll agree it's disgusting, makes you shiver and makes you rethink, I don't think they could have hoped for much more than that.

ADVRTSNG.

TVN: The channel that has shorter advert breaks than most. Here's the campaign they brought out in the summer and their latest. Pretty simple to say the least.

Summer:

Current:

SMPL.

New Strait Times: A New Perspective

I LOVE these adverts for Malaysian newspaper, New Strait Times. It takes a second to get your head around it, but it's worth it. I initally thought it was just the case of portraying that they send reporters to the incidents, but the tagline "Gain a deeper perspective with New Strait Times" adapts and adds to the mean of the image. Wonderful.

Johnnie Walking: Keep Walking, No Matter What.

Now I don't think that is greatest ad, but it's still very much worth a watch. The inspiring story of Marc Herremans, the Belgian triathlete who became 6th at the Ironman in 2001, the toughest triathlon competition in the world. But the prospect of furthering his dreams fell apart in 2002 when during bike training he fell and broke his back.
Like many people, you would expect him to give up his dreams, but in 2006 he was the first man that finished the Ironman in a wheelchair. Now he performs in a commercial of the whiskey brand with the inspiring tagline; “When your reality changes, your dreams don’t have to”.



I think they just about get away with using the line "Keep Walking". Just.

Music Monday 31.

Here weeeeeee goooooooooooooo!!!!

Marty - Break Free



I stumbled across New Jersey MC Marty this week, and I'm very good I did. Break Free, his first real video (and a lovely shot video, if I may add), sees Marty rhyming over RJD2's amazing Smoke and Mirrors. Marty appears to be one of those effortlessly talented performers. His raps at first appear laidback and almost lazy, but you quickly learn to appreciate the speed and accuracy of his rapping. Love it.

Marty - Flawless



Yeah it's Marty again. SO WHAT? I couldn't decide between these songs, both totally different, both totally amazing. Another track off the debut, yes debut, mixtape "The 25th Hour: Hut One".

The Maccabees - Walking In The Air



With a lot of my recent listening turning towards hip hop and rap, mainly thanks to Kanye, Jay Z, Cudi etc, it's nice to go back to one of my favourite indie bands. This cover, put together by Seat of all people, is genius. Orlando's somewhat haunting voice takes over Aled Jones' track to produce a epicly eerie version of Walking In The Air. Now this would be a lovely Christmas number one, just saying.

Theophilus London - Oops



Want to get the world's attention Theophilus London? Well get Linsday Lohan to shot a drugged up porno, cover Tweet & Missy Elliot and stick it on Youtube. BOOM!

The XX - You've Got The Love (Theophilus London Remix)



Oh hey Theo again, what do you want to do now? Get The XX's cover of Florence and The Machine's You Got The Love and then remix? Ok. Wow, look how well that turned out. His input makes this song sound even more fresh and relevant than it already did.

THEM THANGS.

Here's a photo blog I think you should check out. THEM THANGS. It's full of truly wonderful, weird, cool, freaky, sexy stuff. For example.

Told you.

Words: From One Thing To Another

This is a lovely video on words. And things. And how things can be similar but totally different.

(That was probably the worst explanation ever, but watch it, it's cool.)

Bernie Ecclestone: 'Ard As Nails.

This is great little piece of opportunistic advertising. The execution could have been done better I think, it still looks very "watch advert-y", but the line "See what people will do for a Hublot" is simple yet succinct. Fair play to Bernie for not only letting Hublot use the idea and photo, but for actually coming up with the idea for the ad. I'm sure he got a free (£200,000) watch for it. To replace his free (£200,000) watch.

Jeff Staple: Good To Great.

Good enough is not good enough.

Jay Chiat

I love videos like these. Listening to people who have truly forged their way into culture and industry on their own steam, their own creativity and their own sheer hardwork is always interesting and inspiring stuff. It's always great to hear from a Saatchi brother, Calvin Klein or other great successes, yet it's those that are doing it right now, shaping culture and pushing boundaries as we sit and do nothing, that is most crucial and interesting.

Jeff Ng (or Jeff Staple) is a creative director and founder of Staple Design. He runs a creative space called Reed Space in New York. Reed Space was opened in 2002, and it is probably the brightest and most pioneering project run by Jeff Staple. Reed Space is a lifestyle boutique (an operating art gallery and store) in Downtown Manhattan.

So have a look, but most importantly have a listen, to this 2 part video by the people over at Brand RMX and R+I Creative who created this wonderful video, which I also highly recommend.

Music Monday 30.

I'm excited about this week's post. It appears that my music taste is increasingly being taken over by hip-hop. I'm not complaining though.

The Bullits Ft. Lucy Lui and Jay Electronica



The Bullits is a one man show by Jeymes Samuel (mixed by Oliver Wright in Miloco Studio's MusikBox), who is, and will be, joined by a load of people from Jay Elec to Lucy Lui to Tori Amos. It's shaping up to be one hell of a show. I literally can't stop listening to this song. The beats, the hooks, Lucy's voice. And then comes in JAY ELECTRONICA. Not that we should be surprised, but this man steals the show. Can't wait for more stuff from him and The Bullits, but this will more than do for now.

Shad & City and Colour - Live Forever



I've been waiting for this song for AGES. After seeing Dallas casually mention that he was collaborating with one of my favourite artists of the year, I was searching on an almost daily basis for the track. And then it came. It's not the greatest sound quality, it's got a phone ringing over the end and Dallas pretty much only sings the chorus. But none of that matters. Dallas' voice is beautiful as usual and Shad is presenting our ears with some of his best rhythms. Hopefully this combination of Canadians will increase Shad's fanbase to a wider audience, because he deserves it like no other.

Cadence Weapon ft Shad - Baby I'm Yours



Oh, it's Shad again. This track needs little explanation. It's got some old-school, summer hip-hop flavours, some genius wordplay (as expected). Canada is quickly becoming the source of all things musically great.

The Streets - Going Through Hell



Back to the UK. And what artist represents the UK more than The Streets? Ok, the last album was a bit of a dud, but for the genius that was Original Pirate Material (closely followed by A Grand Don't Come For Free and The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living), I'm sure we can let Mike Skinner off. This track is set to be off "Computers and Blues", the last ever Streets album. Sad stuff. But if this track is anything to go by, Skinner is going out with a bang.

Simples.

Couple of painfully simple ads. Always the best.

Advertising: That Would Be Cool To Do Everyday.

This short film entitled "Diversity in Advertising", goes far beyond the subject of diversity. And indeed advertising. Important people from important agencies quickly step in to say, of course we need black/white/yellow/Christian/Jewish/Muslim/Male/Females in advertising, but it's diversity of ideas, interests and minds that is more important. For an industries that creates ideas, different inspirations and ways of thinking is everything. EVERYTHING.


EVERYTHING. Got it?
Give it a watch, listen to some wise, intelligent and wholly creative souls talk about the industry and people within, things that can be applied far beyond the reach of the industry. It makes me excited in my man-parts and reinvigorate my want to be a part of the ad world.




That would be cool to do everyday.

Sigur Ros: Heima

This documentary is quite old and I'm sure that many of you have seen it before, but for those of you that haven't, I can't recommend it highly enough. Super epic and gorgeous music producing Iceland band, Sigur Ros, took a tour of their homeland with a series of free gigs for the locals. It's full of great live performances, stunning scenery and cinematography and just the general quaintness of Iceland. Seriously go watch, here's the trailer:

Music Monday 29.

Bit of a little update this week, but still packed with some noises worth listening to.

Kanye West & Jay-Z Ft La Roux - That's My Bitch



As we get closer to the (still far off) release of Watch The Throne from this two giants of world, I'm sure we start to hear a few leaks, intended or not. The first is That's My Bitch, and wow. Such a massive song. Beasty beat, nasty lyrics with a whole lot of attitude. Hopefully this album lives upto the hype, between Jay and Kanye, I'm sure they can pull of something pretty darn special.

Bon Iver - Skinny Love (Das Kaptial Rerub)



I'm not entirely sure what a 'rerub' entails, but I'm liking the sound of it. Such a simple edit of the gorgeous original. The minimalistic drums and the relative amount of space in this record are almost The XX like, and that is by no means a bad thing. With this drum beat behind the track, it almost seems as if we're waiting for someone to start rapping over the top. Might be a bit much, but I'm just saying...

Of Oceans - In Love, Not Limbo



Another absolutely stunning track. The gorgeous sounded and equally lovely named track, again shows us our a simple drum beat and not much else can be a winning formula. Simply blooming lovely!

Land Rover: A Tool.

Simplicity. It's amazing how often this is a winning ingredient in advertising.

Lonely Island X Rokk Vodka

There's not much to explain here. The guys that provided much of the soundtrack to my second year of uni, combined with a hot women, produced a piss-take advert, oh and it's for vodka. Pretty much a winning combo.

An Idea.

Ideas don’t come from watching television

Ideas sometimes come from listening to a lecture

Ideas often come while reading a book

Good ideas come from bad ideas, but only if there are enough of them

Ideas hate conference rooms, particularly conference rooms where there is a history of criticism, personal attacks or boredom

Ideas occur when dissimilar universes collide

Ideas often strive to meet expectations. If people expect them to appear, they do

Ideas fear experts, but they adore beginner’s mind. A little awareness is a good thing

Ideas come in spurts, until you get frightened. Willie Nelson wrote three of his biggest hits in one week

Ideas come from trouble

Ideas come from our ego, and they do their best when they’re generous and selfless

Ideas come from nature

Sometimes ideas come from fear (usually in movies) but often they come from confidence

Useful ideas come from being awake, alert enough to actually notice

Though sometimes ideas sneak in when we’re asleep and too numb to be afraid

Ideas come out of the corner of the eye, or in the shower, when we’re not trying

Mediocre ideas enjoy copying what happens to be working right this minute

Bigger ideas leapfrog the mediocre ones

Ideas don’t need a passport, and often cross borders (of all kinds) with impunity

An idea must come from somewhere, because if it merely stays where it is and doesn’t join us here, it’s hidden. And hidden ideas don’t ship, have no influence, no intersection with the market. They die, alone

Via Seth Godin.

A Calvin Klein Christmas.

This Christmas, Calvin Klein's window displays will be put together by Cuban American installation artist Anthony Goicolea. They are far from your typical Christmas window display, no tinsel, no reindeer not even a snowman. How unchristmassy you might be thinking. But no, they still contain a whole lot of Crimbo spirit in them, just no in the traditional sense. What is more Goicolea has created a lovely short video to go with his displays. Enjoy.

Ikea: Delivering Homes.

I've got a lot of time for this advert. But maybe that's the problem. It's undoubtibly clever, it makes the reader work a little, but rewards them for doing so. However I can only think that it's a bit too clever. Ads these days quite often need to be instant, not always, but very often. Having what appears to be a front room and the Ikea logo, is not going to stop people in their tracks, they're just going to think "oh furniture and Ikea, great.". Nevertheless taking the well known phrase "free home delivery" to such a level, is smart.

Flamingos Being A Flamingo.

This picture is just ridiculous. Photographer Bobby Haas managed to capture just one picture in this crazy moment when a flock of flamingos arranged themselves in a shape of a...flamingo. Madness.

Windows Phone 7 Really? Yes Really.

For all the great things that Windows has achieved in the (many) past years, advertising greatness is not one of them. Which shows the importance, impact and quality of their product (don't worry I'm a Mac-boy really). The Windows Vista adverts are seriously painful. As in I actually went to the hospital once after seeing one.

This ad for the new Windows Phone 7 is smart. It doesn't try too hard, it's relatable, it's funny, it's pretty much what advertising should be. It's far from the greatest ad of all time, don't get me wrong, but it's very much the right direction for Windows.

Music Monday 28.

Ok so I've got quite a few songs this week so I'm gonna keep the chit chat short. And the fact that I'm being dragged out the door to go Christmas shopping doesn't help.

Ellie Goulding - Your Song



If you've been on my blog this week or anywhere near a TV this week you must have seen the new John Lewis advert. This Elton John cover, by Ellie Goulding is just pretty blooming lovely to be honest. It was going to be my tip for Christmas number one, but as it's already in the charts, I don't know if it can last. Especially when X Factor starts cranking them out, but still a lovely rendition.

Jay Electronica ft Jay Z - The Dream - Shiny Suit Theory



No sooner had Jay Z announced that Jay Elec had signed to Roc Nation, Jay Elec had produced The Announcement (see last week's MM), and no soon had we heard that, we heard this collaboration with the label's master, Jay Z himself. Unsurprisingly it's pretty up there. Simple horn section accompanied by some great word-play from the two Jays. Nice.

Eminem Ft Dr Dre - I Need A Doctor



This is simply a great introduction from Eminem to signal the comeback of Dre, hopefully an album we'll get to hear somewhen soon. Scroll down for Dre's first single.

Dr Dre Ft Snoop Dogg & Akon - Kush



Here's Dre's first single back proper. It's good, but no amazing in my opinion. But then any song that features Akon is never going to register high in my estimations. But surely it's a good sign of things to come.

Tinashe - Pieces Of Paper



You may of heard of this guy. If not, I'm sure you will. He appears to be pretty much king of producing lovely songs usually simply via his mouth and guitar. He does have some songs with higher level of productions, which are also worth checking out. Give his Youtube and Myspace a look and you won't be disappointed, lovely stuff.

Pogo - Wishery



Yeah I don't know anything about this song, it maybe old, maybe new. But I do know it's good, really good.

Atmosphere - The Best Day



I've used the word lovely too much today. But this is a lovely bit of hip-hop, the pop-iest hip hop you can get. Some simply piano, old-school vibes and feel good lyrics. Really nice stuff.

The Facebook Book

This advert is based on the simple yet obvious insight (most great insights are) that Facebook has loads of our lovely memories on it, yet we forget about them as they get replaced with pointless statuses and Farmville. Bouygues Telecom came up with the idea of making a book of Facebook, all your favourite memories via statuses, photos and comments. Nice little idea.

Suck On This Avatar.

These two videos are created by Alex Roman, a man clearly a huge amount of time, but with an even huger amount of talent. These videos are stunning and beautiful. They are also 100% CGI. I'm still not sure if I believe it, but I've read that it's true. The first is an ad for kitchen sinks or something. The second is just epic. Just enjoy (and shut your jaw).

N.B HD and fullscreen is a must.






Incredible yeah?

Red Bull: Way Back Home ft Danny MacAskill

Following the Youtube success of Inspired Bicycles, Red Bull took Danny MacAskill back to his hometown of the Isle of Skye. It features him tricking over all different parts from city centers to desolate locations, all beautifully captured:



This video is pretty stunning. The locations, quality of filming and pretty tidy tricks from Danny all add up to something special. I've got a lot of time for branded documentaries, it's a great idea for a brand to attach themselves to usually a culturally significant person and it provides audiences with something of real interest to watch and share. Being the village boy that I am, I'm also a fan of seeing people going back to their roots as a completely different person, yet deep down still the same. It's nice.

The Way Music Was.

I already accept how hypocritical this post is, but I will continue nevertheless. Being 21 I, just, about grew up in the time when if you wanted to find out about a band, you went on their Myspace, or found songs on Youtube. I haven't paid for a song in years thanks to the wonders of torrents and previously Limewire. Yet I think it's fair to say that this has all contributed to me becoming a bigger music fan and becoming aware of more new music than I ever did before. I still go to gigs and festivals regularly, I still love to find new artists and bands, get hold of favourite bands' new albums. I'm still a music fan.

This all leads me to a series of ads for the Kent Folk Music Festival. They encourage the reader to go back to a time before Myspace and Youtube, when people would find out about new bands at a record store or at a gig. I do really like the ads and it's a nice notion to go back to the 'proper' way of listening to music I suppose. However as I said I know of more bands and new music because of Myspace etc. than I would have 10 years ago maybe. Yes hardly anyone pays for music these days, but music is art to most extents, not a commercial commodity. Or is it? It's a difficult and relevant arguement. And an arguement that comes from all different angles and ages so it's impossible to sum it up. But I will leave you with the fact that I like music and I like these ads. Simple.

Music Monday 27.

Every week I make a list of songs I hear that have the possibility of going into a Music Monday update. This morning I had to shift through quite a few to get it down to the usual three or four. Those that missed the cut include N.E.R.D, Jessie J and Black Cards, so if you've had enough of this post at any point, go check them out if you haven't already heard them.

Michael Jackson - Breaking News



This is it. It's not his best. It's quite weird. But it is some new Michael Jackson and therefore demands to have a good deal of attention paid to it. It almost feels like this post-humanous song is literally coming from beyond the grave. He sings of his obituary, how the media wouldn't leave him alone and would destroy him, all in the third person. How much input MJ had in this before his death, how much is his family/friends and how much is simply his record label wanting some more dollar, who knows. But we all miss MJ, so give it a listen.

Dom Kennedy - Locals Only



Before you appreciate this gorgeous tune and the lyrics, just take a second to appreciate the quality of filming of this video. The next three songs are all about some of the new big names in hip-hop, you may have heard of them, you may not of, but listen up. (I'm not claiming to be on the forefront of underground hip-hop by the way, I'm a white guy living in Bath. End of.) From what I know Dom Kennedy has been on the underground and the underbelly of mainstream for a while, and with these gorgeous piano loops and clever lyrics, it's clear he deserves to be up there. And surely he will be.

J Cole Ft Drake - In The Morning



Drake is already making his way into hip-hop superstardom and J Cole is not far behind, now part of Roc Nation. This song is lazy, I don't think that Drake could 'rap' any slower, but it works, the way Cudi works.

Jay Electronica - The Announcement



This week Jay Z officially announced that Jay Electronica is the latest signee on Rac Nation. Rightly or wrongly for Jay Electronica, this decision can only make him huge. His huge mixtapes, Exhibits A, B and C have drawn him a huge fan base, both in terms of fans and fellow artists, so it seems that this signing was only a matter of him. Excited to see what his produces.

VW: Tough And Beautiful.

Tough and Beautiful. From the experience of working on a campaign for my portfolio where a brand attempts to embody opposites is difficult. It seems to always be more of one thing than the other. And if it's not, it's a cliche. And cliches in advertising and pointless. And used far too often.

This advert for VW Polo stars two of the world’s best Tango dancers, Gasper Godoy, Argentinean Tango World Champion, and partner Manuella Rossi, the world number two. The stunning chroegraphy is enhanced by filmography, it's gritty, powerful and strong stuff, exactly what VW were aiming for.

Bath Night Time.

Just to make it clear I am not claiming to be a great photographer, I've got plenty of friends that are, but I still like to take some. Here's a few.

John Lewis: Christmas Part 2

Last year, the nation was given goosebumps by the John Lewis Christmas advert featuring the gorgeous Guns N Roses cover by Take By Trees. And in the summer we were presented with another beautiful ad featuring Fyfe Dangerfield. Now it's the turn of Ellie Goulding cover Elton John, with great style and grace. Excellent song choice and goosebump inducing ads seem to be John Lewis' thing, and I see no reason why they should stop. Just keep it fresh please.

Energizer: Say the same, differently.

Sometimes it's difficult not to state the obvious with a product. It has one purpose or one USP, and those no point avoiding it. With batteries it's all about lasting longer. As it is with most things. I think it's fair to say that we all got bored of the bloody Duracell bunny. Seriously bored.

The main difference between this Energizer campaign with that of Duracell's is that it's focusing on the benefit not the function. What does a battery lasting longer mean to people? More time with toys. Less time for kids to get distracted. Less time for kids to muck about. Another one of those "why didn't I think of that?" ideas. Great execution too.

And my personal favourite (imagine the horror on Mum's faces):

Playstation Makes Advertising Child's Play

This is one of those ideas that you think to yourself, "how have I or no one else come up with this before?". It's stunningly simple and stunningly effective.

Game On.

I'm not going to sit here and claim I'm the biggest gaming fan. I don't even have a console at the moment since my PS3 broke and I have no funds for a new one. But I do like them. And what I've noticed recently is the quality of the adverts being produced for launches of new games. With the gazillions they make and the quality of technical and animation ability available to them, you would expect something special.

What I like the most of these 4 adverts is the use of music. These games are all essential shoot em up, high violence and blood-thirsty, music choice? Heavy metal? No. Black Angels, Tinie Tempah, The Rolling Stones instead. I love the pace and level of appreciation that these songs bring to the adverts, showing that they are quality games, not all bang, bang, blood, blood. Well, kind of.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops



Assassin's Creed Brotherhood



Fable 3



Halo: Reach

It's Christmas. It's Coca-Cola time.

"I hate advertising", "advertising doesn't affect me". Yeah bullshit. These are the sort of statements I hear from friends when talking about advertising. Bullshit. Sure, I hate a lot of it, and a lot of it washes straight over me, but that's because, by definition, it's not good. The Coca-Cola Christmas adverts are probably one of the most influential and culturally significant adverts ever made. "You know it's Christmas time when you see the Coke advert". That's huge. Santa is red because of Coca-Cola for crying out loud! That's now even more huge!

Here's the latest Christmas ad from Coca-Cola, and after the huge build up I've given it, I'm undecided. It's not bad by any means, but I think it's really difficult to make Christmas modern and still nice and Christmas-sy. But it's a very good effort. I'm sure I will come to like it, purely because it's Christmas. It's Coca-Cola time.

Be Inspired.

Be inspired. It's an amazing thing to be inspired and something that we should be searching for on a daily basis. Sometimes we search and find it. Sometimes it sneaks up on us and grabs us by the balls. Whether it be a line from a song, a line from a film, a picture, some art, a street performance, a sentence from a friend's conversation, a sentence from a stranger's conversation, whatever it is, it affects us. This Jim Jarmusch quote proves that nothing is original and that everything comes from something. Even the most unique and original idea that you can think of does not belong to one person. Andy Warhol, Michael Jackson, Jay Z, Steve Jobs, Einstein, none of these people can claim to have come up with an idea by themselves. Everything they have ever done will have been inspired by something or someone in some way or another. Picasso himself said "all art is theft" and historian Will Durant wrote, "nothing is new except arrangement". It's what you do and create with that inspiration that counts. 1% inspiration, 99% persperation.

Inspiration can change our opinion, force us to do something, drive us towards action. Feeling inspired makes you feel like you can achieve all and change the way your world and the outside world works.

This short film produced by French creative agency R+I explains where and who influence can come from, how it effects others and shapes culture.

Music Monday 26.

Cee Lo Green - It's Ok



The last time we show such a wonderful lyric video was indeed from Cee Lo, and it was it huge track Fuck You. Therefore, pay attention. This song brings some gorgeous motown and soulful vibes with Mr Green's ever incredible voice. This man knows how to make a catchy tune.

Brother - Time Machine



This band have seem to come from nowhere with some great indie pop tunes that can't be denied. All we know is that they are from Slough (no always a good thing) and that they are a mixture of members from Kill The Arcade and Wolf Am I. This is a totally different sound from previous projects, and after their incredible first single Darling Buds of May, it's clear these boys knew their way around. Big fan.

J Cole - Who Dat?



I strongly suggest you start to pay attention to this man. Featured on Kanye's amazing Last Call, touted by Jay-Z as the next star on The Blueprint 3, already having big tunes Simba and Lights Please under his belt, this man is looking like the future. The shame with this new song is that the repetitive shouts of "Who Dat?" covers up the clever word play and lyrical ability of this guy. So, I repeat, pay attention.

Kanye West ft Kid Cudi & Raekwon - Gorgeous



Hopefully soon Dark Twisted Fantasy will leak or get released so our ball ache can cease as we get teased every week by Kanye. This is the first track on his short film Runaway, and it stood out to me instantly. Simple beat, Cudi's voice and Kanye's wordplay is at his best on this track. Listen up.

Skoda: Mean and Clever

It is often the norm that when a company produces a hugely successful and popular advert it will cling on to it for dear life and beat it until it's dead (see Compare The Meerkat). It takes real creatively and intelligence to take a fantastic idea and develop it, make it something completely new yet familiar to the original idea. Skoda have done this. Following up their hugely successful Cake campaign, Skoda are introducing their Fabia vRS, produced in a much darker factory setting. (Check the metal remake of the song too, nice.)

Take A Walk: New York Fashion Week

Here's just a lovely little video of lovely looking people wearing lovely looking clothes from New York Fashion Week.

Music Monday 25.

I've resisted putting in any of the new Kanye songs that emerged in the epic Runaway this week, but seriously give it watch, it'll be pleasurable for your eyes and ears.

Frank Turner - I Still Believe



Mr Turner has been providing us with some lovely acoustic rock and roll for many years and over many albums now, without huge recognition. I somehow think that with the recent successes of Mumford and Sons and Bombay Bicycle Club, it might finally be his time. He does not change the recipe with this new song, and why should he?

Dels - Trumpalump



Even if you're not a fan of the great beats, catchy rhythms and intricate beats of Dels, then just shut up, watch his videos and appreciate. The video for this song wasn't done in post-production, it was all about paint. Even thing was painted. Watch it. And then watch the making of.

Blame Ft Fudaguy and Camilla - Star



I first heard this at work and, unlike most songs that get on your nerves when you're working in a shop, it hasn't managed to get on my nerves, which must mean I like it. There's a few different versions knocking around of this song, some with Fudaguy, some with out, different speeds, arrangements etc. but this is my favourite.

T-Mobile: Improv Pros

T-Mobile have followed up their wonderful flash mob at Liverpool Street station and the a bit rubbish mass sing alongs with some more lovely improv in a if-it-aint-broke-dont-fix-it style. This time they decided to welcome back passengers at Heathrow Airport in an accapella style. Despite this just simply being a cool idea, I think it was a great idea to use an airport, what's the first thing you do when you land? Turn your phone on. Smart.



Although this is a great idea and well executed, I think they might have seen it somewhere before:



I think the French did it better. For once.

Madbury Club A/W Lookbook: Mad Props.

For a while now I've been following the online magazine/blog/content produced by Phillip Annand, under the title The Madbury Club. It's hard to define the site and it's content. Some posts are just a few wonderful images, some have crisp words upon them, some are of parties you wish you were at, some are of adventures you wish you had been on. There's music, fashion, stories, recommendations and then some. But all in all it's just very lovely. A lot of lovely images and lovely words.

Here's a short film that captured the filming of their A/W lookbook, found here, to give you a little insight into what it's all about.



Go check it out, you won't regret it.

Boysen: Don't Paint Animals

Below are some incredible print ads from a Phillippese paint company Boysen. These adverts do not just include amazing execution to create stunning visuals, they also come with a message. Boysen is the only paint accredited with Responsible Care, the global voluntary initiative to improve a product's safety and environmental performance, which is nice. Sometimes incredible visuals lose messages of a campaign or a company, but this manages to include both, well done.