Radio Express Notes For
Radioplay Euro Express Edition #841 of 2009 Aug 28
1. THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT - Wishing Well
Taking their name from a section in American postmodern fiction master Don DeLillo's
masterpiece "White Noise", Los Angeles modern rockers The Airborne Toxic Event run the
gamut from slowly swirling shoegaze, Ian Curtis impressions, and stately strummed guitars to
tightly wound Strokes-ian pop and thumping disco-rock. Their self titled debut disc executes the
above styles efficiently in service of revealing the depth of their good taste. "Wishing Well" is
the collection's lead track.
2. BANANARAMA - Love Comes
It's always the 1980s somewhere on the planet, so as long as Wonderbra technology succeeds in
aiding Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin against the forces of gravity, there will be a
Bananarama. After years spent touring the pleats-and-shoulder-pads circuit with ABC, Rick
Astley, et. al., the Rama gals inked a deal with Fascination Records, a Polydor imprint launched
in '06 by former TOTP Magazine editor Peter Loraine. "Love Comes" and the accompanying
"Viva" album will be the first major-label releases in 16 years for the punk-era girlgroup (whose
first single, "Aie A Mwana", was produced by Sex Pistol Paul Cook!)
3. DAVID GUETTA FEAT. AKON - Sexy Chick
The rare dance album that spotlights its vocalists as well as its beats, every one of the vocal
collabs on French superstar DJ David Guetta's new "One Love" is marked by an arresting hook.
Notable among the guests who leave a stamp is Chris Willis, longtime vocal collaborator with
whom Guetta has shared no less than seven Top 10s in Europe; recent Grammy-winner Estelle;
various Black Eyed Peas; and "Sexy Bitch" Akon, who lends his Auto Tune to this beachy
summer track.
4. DEPECHE MODE - Perfect
"Sounds Of The Universe" is UK synth-pop pioneers Depeche Mode's 12th studio album, but it's
only the second they've released since the dance-rock style they helped invent caught fire among
crate-digging hipsters half their age. On 2005's noisy "Playing The Angel", front-perv Dave
Gahan and his bandmates seemed eager to prove that they were still as edgy as heirs Interpol and
The Rapture. "Perfect" reaches way back to "Speak & Spell", thanks to an opening keyboard line
that immediately recalls the song "Puppets". But it's a launching point for the current band's
sound rather than a simple exercise in retrospection.
5. FOREMOST POETS - Moonraker
Foremost Poets, aka funk-master Johnny Dangerous, has been reshaping dance into poetic
motion through ethereal acoustic interpretations and the spoken word since his 1990 single
"Reasons To Be Dismal". In addition to collaborating with artists such as SWV, Missy Elliot and
Erykah Badu in the '90s, JD has dropped some of the wickedest white label remixes of classic
Rick James, Marvin Gaye and Enya. Johnny's striking voice is the trademark on "Moonraker",
reciting rhythmic verse over a hypnotic beat.
6. FRANK TURNER - Thunder Road
"The three things you need in life to be content", explains punk poet Frank Turner of the title for
his second LP, "Love Ire & Song". "Love, righteous anger, and a guitar [and] some Gram
Parsons tunes." The former singer for UK hardcore outfit Million Dead, Turner didn't want to
stop when his band did, but he also "didn't want the hassle of putting a band together". So Frank
hit the road with only his acoustic guitar, and the singer-songwriter's passionate compositions
took on a new dimension. Turner's new collection, "Poetry Of The Deed", is due in September.
In the meantime, enjoy his riveting cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road", the b-side of
last year's 7-inch "Reasons Not To Be An Idiot".
7. JESSE MCCARTNEY FEAT. T-PAIN - Body Language
Pop singer and actor Jesse McCartney was a child-performer dynamo, singing on Broadway and
landing an acting gig on US soap opera "All My Children" before joining his first boyband at 12.
Teen-poppers Dream Street scored a Platinum album with their self-titled debut before spinning
off the solo careers of Chris Trousdale and McCartney, who started contributing music to
children's films. After collaborating with in-demand producers like Sean Garrett and The Clutch,
Jesse co-wrote Leona Lewis' mega-hit "Bleeding Love" with Ryan Tedder. T-Pain boosts
McCartney up to the big-people table on "Body Language".
8. JON ALLEN - Down By The River
The UK is home to quite a few rootsy folk-pop singers who take their cues straight from the
classic-rock songbook--Jameses Morrison and Blunt, Paolo Nutini, etc. Another is Jon Allen, a
hot new singer-songwriter whose take on the '70s Topanga Canyon sound is so reverently sincere
that one wants to take a copy of Allen's debut album, "Dead Man's Suit", up to him and remind
the young man that Neil, Bob, Joni and the CSN gents aren't, y'know, actually dead yet. "Down
By The River" is not the Neil Young tune, but its title is no accident, either.
9. KERY JAMES - Je Représente
Labeled "the rapper repented through Islam" by the French media, the Guadeloupe-born Kery
James takes that perception seriously. "Numerous young Muslims are tempted to be intolerant or
extremist," he says. "If I can open their eyes, it is a good thing for them." The Idéal J member
actually gave up rapping for a period after street violence and the hip-hop lifestyle claimed the
life of his close friend before turning to Islam for refuge at the turn of the millennium. Ever
since, Kery has tried to use the African and Arabic musical influence of solo tracks like "Je
Représente" to address social problems and promote unity.
10. LADY GAGA - Paparazzi
"I've always been Gaga," says the self-created sexbot nobody calls Stefani Germanotta anymore.
"It's just that all the years of being in a Catholic environment suppressed my eccentricities."
Eccentricities like wearing dresses made of bubbles, hanging out with Marilyn Manson, and
taking various personas of her idols Andy Warhol, David Bowie, and Madonna and stripping
them of irony. "Once I was free, I found that all the things I suppressed were the things my art
and music friends thought were so lovely about me." Here Lady Gaga poses for the "Paparazzi".
11. LIL SCRAPPY FEAT. LUDACRIS - Addicted To Money
Crunk practitioner Lil Scrappy was born Darryl Richards in the ATL. Discovered by BME
Recordings and Lil Jon, Scrap built his rep throughout the Southeast US before breaking
nationally in 2003 with the hit "Head Bussa". A split EP with fellow BME artists Trillville
followed in February '04, spinning off the single "No Problem". Crunk was never the same.
"Addicted To Money", off the upcoming "The Gristle", features fellow ATLlien Ludacris.
12. MS. DYNAMITE - Bad Gyal
Niomi McLean-Daley grew up in North London listening to reggae before turning to hip-hop at
age 12. Even though she wanted to become a social worker when she grew up, her passion for
music won out. After starting out in a pirate radio station called RAW FM, Ms. Dynamite met
Richard Forbes (aka Sticky) in a West End club, and the pair began working on her debut single,
"Boo!". In '02, Ms. Dynamite became the first black female artist to win a Mercury Music Prize,
her debut album "A Little Deeper" beating favorites The Streets, The Coral and David Bowie.
"Bad Gyal" is her first single since '05.
13. OWL CITY - Fireflies
Despite being a devoted Christian, Owl City's Adam Young does not consider his music
Christian in genre, though he does say his faith is "his main inspiration" for it. Regardless,
Young breaks away from the crunky 2000's by making his records "happy and G-rated, not
depressing, manic or obscene." OC started out making music in his parents' basement as a means
to fill insomnia-related free time. Indeed, "Fireflies" is specifically about being sleep-challenged.
14. THE PRODIGY - Jericho
Back in the day, The Prodigy gave electronic music a persona in the form of frontman Keith
Flint--an obnoxious cyberthug who provided an amusing alternative to the knob-twiddling nerd.
On their first album with Flint since 1997, it's like no time has passed. "Invaders Must Die" is all
pummeling, vacuous rave noise--useful mainly for thrash dancing and scaring neighbours. The
re-issue of "Jericho", the third single from Liam Howlett and Co. released way back in 1992,
only reinforces the perception that The Prodigy have travelled back to the future.
15. SHARON CORR - It's Not A Dream
Best known as the violinist for Irish sibling chart-toppers The Corrs, Sharon took up the
instrument after her sister Caroline, for whom their parents intended it, lost interest (eventually
taking up the drums). Sharon excelled at the violin, of course, and "It's Not A Dream" is her first
solo single, tipping an upcoming album. Corrs trivia: Sharon is the second tallest Corr, after
brother Jim; she's married to a Belfast barrister; her middle name is Helga.
16. SUB FOCUS - Rock It
Nick Douwma is better known by his stage name Sub Focus, a fast-rising drum'n'bass
producer/DJ who became one of the style's leading practitioners within two years of his
recording debut. From Liverpool, the self-taught producer began making music on his PC at 13
and attained his know-how mostly from software manuals. One of his demos eventually made its
way to Ram, one of the UK's premier drum'n'bass labels, for whom he recorded the 12-inch
"Down The Drain/Hot Line" in '03. This August he cracked the UK Top 40 for the first time with
"Rock It".
17. SUNRISE AVENUE - Not Again
"It's what The Beatles did, and what Bon Jovi and Foo Fighters have done for years", says singer
Samu Haber of his Finnish rock band Sunrise Avenue. "It isn't about today's trends; it's music
that will work just as well today, tomorrow, in 10 years' time." Finns (and Germans) agree,
because Sunrise Ave's debut album, "On The Way To Wonderland", spun off no fewer than
seven singles on the way to grabbing Gold in Finland and four trophies at the NRJ Radio
Awards, including Best Album and Best New Artist. The "Popgasm"-ic "Not Again" is off their
follow-up LP.
18. WOLFMOTHER - New Moon Rising
The original Black Sabbath featuring Ozzy Osbourne has been back together for 10 years and
found itself unable to knock out one album. Which is a shame for Geezer Butler's grandchildren,
because Australian fuzz-mongerers Wolfmother slapped a painting by that guy who did the
Molly Hatchet covers onto a debut collection that proved--to the tune of 5x Platinum--there's still
a huge audience for gloriously stupid mystical riff-rock about white unicorns and forest gnomes.
Following it up was surprisingly difficult, however, so afro-ed singer-guitarist Andrew Stockdale
ditched the trio's rhythm section and started afresh. "New Moon Rising" picks up where
Wolfmother left off four years ago.
1. 2RAUMWOHNUNG - Wir Werden Sehen
The German pop duo 2raumwohnung formed when former Neonbabies singer Inga Humpe and
musician Tommi Eckart collaborated on the song "Wir Trafen Uns In Einem Garten" for an
advertisement for East German cigarette-maker Cabinet. When the track cracked the German
Pop charts, a full-length followed. The pair's knack for commercial compositions was again
tapped for "2 Von Millionen Von Sternen", used in the '00-'01 HypoVereinsbank campaign to
roll out the beloved Euro intra-continental currency. "Wir Werden Sehen" is merely selling
2raumwohnung.
2. BÉNABAR - Pas Du Tout
With a concurrent career in cinema both behind the camera and as an actor, observational singersongwriter Bénabar (b. Bruno Nicolini) could be compared to Vincent Delerm and others
similarly influenced by the likes of Georges Brassens, Renaud Séchan, Jacques Higelin and Tom
Waits. His songs describe day-to-day events with humour and tender cynicism, with an emphasis
on lyrics linked to the specific culture of the modern "guinguette", populated by Franco-bobos.
After taking three years off from music to act, Bénabar returned to the charts last year with the
collection "Infrequentable", which includes "Pas Du Tout ".
3. BEVERLEY KNIGHT - Beautiful Night
Born to Jamaican parents in Wolverhampton, Beverley Knight grew up in a strict Pentecostal
environment and sang in her church choir through her adolescence. Raised on a steady diet of
gospel music--and forbidden to listen to its secular counterpart--Beverly nevertheless discovered
crossover legends Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, who informed Knight's third LP, 2002's
"Who I Am", her commercial breakthrough and a Mercury Prize nominee. "Beautiful Night" is
the first single on Beverly's own label, Hurricane Records.
4. BIG ALI - Neon Music 2009
Regarded by many as one of the best party MC's in the world, Big Ali calls himself the "TransAtlantic Champion". Living up to his reputation, the rotund rapper throws parties in places as
far-flung as China, Africa and Beirut--heck, big daddy's the official host of the annual P. Diddy
bash in St. Tropez. "Neon Music" shows why. People the big lug would like to meet: "The
people who robbed my house and stole my 'Only Built For Cuban Linx' album signed by Rae
himself... and maybe Christina Milian and Beyonce when they drunk and horny."
5. BILLIE THE VISION AND THE DANCERS - Summercat
Mälmo's Billie The Vision And The Dancers is a seven-member ensemble who plays tuneful,
chipper, folksy pop music with sentimental lyrics. The multi-racial, multi-gender collective
revolves around singer-songwriter Lars Lindquist, a statuesque transvestite who convened the
group in 2004 to record his tunes. The world was introduced to their particular brand of twee-pop
with the self-released "I Was So Unpopular In School And Now They're Giving Me This
Beautiful Bicycle", which included "Summercat". This summer the song resurfaced in a Spanish
ad campaign for Estrella Damm beer.
6. BK - Revolution
BK is the working name of UK house producer Ben Keen. His "Revolution" single became one
of the few hard-house records to receive regular airplay on daytime Radio 1 and, between 1995
and 2005, BK produced over 100 12-inch singles for others. Despite a number of minor hits on
UK charts since 2000, he has yet to break the Top 40. But once a house floorfiller always one, so
BK hoists the flag of his biggest single one more time.
7. BLOC PARTY - One More Chance
Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke claims that ambition for third album "Intimacy" was to make
something as stylised as R&B or electronica, with the rawness of the band's post-punk debut
album, "Silent Alarm". And while recently Okereke has hinted that the band misses their old
guitar-based sound, leftover creative energy from the experimental, electronic "Intimacy"
sessions clearly fuels non-album single "One More Chance".
8. COLLECTIF MÉTISSÉ - Laisse-Toi Aller Bébé
Comprising several major players in the French club scene (including Willie William, DJ Fou,
and a revolving cast) Collectif Métissé came together under the auspices of a simple purpose: to
create a summer club anthem that puts the sand in your bikini all 365 days of the year. They hit
the nail on the head with "Laisse-Toi Aller Bébé", which the group has been touring with all
summer long. The track is pretty much inseparable from its flossin' video--shot in the Moroccan
seaside resort Agadir--so download it from your favorite video outlet and play it next time the
seasons rain on your parade.
9. FUZZY LOGIK FEAT. EGYPT - In The Morning
UK funky is a style of modern electronic dance music heavily influenced by various styles of
house and beyond, including broken beat, soca and afrobeat. It mixes traditional UKG beats, bass
loops and synths with contemporary R&B-style vocals, underpinned by the constant rhythm of
bongos and other Latin percussion. Fuzzy Logik is an example of the genre, even though "In The
Morning" is a more conventional track.
10. IN CASE OF FIRE - Parallels
"We're just a rock band that writes about things that are important to us," says Northern Irish trio
In Case Of Fire's drummer Colin Robinson. Social issues, child abuse and war are among the
main topics the band tackles on their debut album "Align The Planets", along with personal
problems like the death of Colin and his brother Steven's (guitar/vocals) father. "Parallels" is the
latest song pulled from the album, which has been compared to Muse and even The Mars Volta
for its use of atypical time signatures.
11. INCUBUS - Let's Go Crazy
"Monuments & Melodies" alludes to the hits and highlights contained on the Incubus
retrospective, a double-disc set that's separated into a CD of singles and one of rarities. The first
disc runs through all but two of the Billboard hits from Brandon Boyd's alternative rockers. Disc
2 is devoted primarily to B-sides and stray non-LP tracks, including this peculiar cover of
Prince's "Let's Go Crazy"--which sounds like they got the riff wrong but decided they preferred it
that way!
12. JAY DEL ALMA - Mi Corazón
Born the son of a diplomat family in Brazil, Jay Del Alma's time growing up in Perú and
Paraguay helped him absorb the many elements of different Latin American cultures. In Puerto
Rico Jay became acquainted with Rico Caliente, with whom he formed the Latin hip-hop duo
Pachanga. The act had two huge hits in Germany a few years ago in "Loco" and "Close To You".
But Del Alma always had an even poppier side in mind for a solo career, and his new summer
hit, "Mi Corazón", proves that pop has no borders. Germany, this one's for you.
13. THE JUAN MACLEAN - Happy House
Six Finger Satellite was an American synth-based post-punk band from the '90s who was way
ahead of its time. Their soundman was James Murphy--better known today as LCD Soundsystem
and whose influential DFA Records took its name from "death from above", which is what the
group called their live audio set-up. John MacLean was their guitarist, and after the band broke
up he left the music business to become a school teacher. Once Murphy established DFA, he
encouraged MacLean to start playing again, which he does under his electronic-music sobriquet
The Juan MacLean. "Happy House" is off his second DFA album, "The Future Will Come".
14. PALOMA FAITH - Stone Cold Sober
"My vocal style suits the subject matter of my album," says English singer and actress Paloma
Faith. "I've thrown my heart at many a wrong man in my time, I can't tell you. I'm the queen of
tragedy. Melancholy informs everything I do." That album, "Do You Want The Truth Or
Something Beautiful?", is due in September. Also look for Faith in the upcoming Terry Gilliam
fantasy film "The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus".
15. PEARL JAM - The Fixer
"You really hear something about Eddie's personality in the lyric," says guitarist Stone Gossard
of Vedder's singing on new single "The Fixer". "You get a view that a lot of people don't--which
is sort of optimistic and playful." "Backspacer" is Pearl Jam's first album with longtime producer
Brendan O'Brien since 1998's "Yield". "In the past, Brendan would say, 'It's a great song, but I
think you should do it in a different key,' and we'd say no," Vedder reveals. "But now that we've
heard Bruce [Springsteen] has listened to his suggestions, I think we will too."
16. PEREZA - Violento amor
Pereza was formed in '01 by a relatively unknown bunch who nonetheless lived for their music.
It wasn't so long ago that Rubén (ex-Buenas Noches Rose), Leiva (ex-Malahierba), and drummer
Tuli even brought along a journalist to cities where they gigged to help drum up business for
their '70s-rock sound. Nowadays they can get people like former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor to
stop by and plug in, like they did for 2007's "Aproximaciones" LP. "Violento Amor" is from the
Spanish rockers' upcoming "Aviones".
17. PETER ANDRE - Behind Closed Doors
In 1992, canned ham Peter Andre defied the odds by becoming a pop star in Australia when the
last thing the country was looking for was a singing, dancing, muscle-flexing, white R&B hero.
In '95 he achieved the near-impossible again by repeating the feat across Europe. Most recently
Andre's mug has been all over ITV2's "Katie & Peter" reality show, which documented Andre's
life with model Katie Price, his wife. The show just concluded its "Stateside" season in a country
that doesn't know they exist yet somehow broke up their marriage. Peter Andre's life is anything
but "Behind Closed Doors".
18. SAMUELE BERSANI - Ferragosto
Samuele Bersani has become known as among the finest of Italy's new breed of songwriter.
Having spent time writing for established artists like Lucio Dalla, Bersani began his solo career
with the 1991 record "C'Hanno Preso Tuto", which spawned the major hit "Chicco E Spillo".
Commissions from better-known singers continued to come in, and while accepting some of
them--notably Fiorella Mannoia's "Crazy Boy" and Dalla's later hit "Canzone Bersani"--Samuele
preferred to focus on his own singing career. "Ferragosto" is his latest.
19. SCOOTER - J'adore Hardcore
German techno group Scooter was formed in 1994 by H.P. Baxxter and Rick Jordan, who
together with producer Jens Thele previously joined forces as remix team The Loop. Scooter has
remained durably successful over the years as a charting club act. They even shocked Europe in
the spring of '08 when "Jumping All Over The World", the first record they'd released in the UK
in five years, bumped Madonna's "Hard Candy" from the top spot. "J'adore Hardcore" is
Scooter's latest single, and they hope you enjoy the video--Baxxter nearly lost his life in a carbomb explosion while shooting it in Majorca!
by Mark Emge