The BRITS; best bits, shit bits

So, in case you didn't already know (and if you're part of the very small group of international readers, why would you?) the BRIT awards are taking place in a giant shed in London tonight. We've always had a love/hate relationship with these awards and will of course be tuning in, even if it's just to see if the Susan Boyle cameo materialises (we're banking on her dropping from the ceiling caked in fake blood during Lady GaGa's set, but it will more than likely be a duet on Robbie's 'Angels').

To get us in the mood, let's look at some of the performances that have summed up the awards in one way or another.

THE GOOD



Great pop song, cheeky 'mash-up' with another great song and an entrance on a GIANT CD! Hello!



Usually the pairing of two 'superstars' results in things like The Ting Tings and Estelle attempting to muster some stage presence, but this was small scale, bruised and strangely hypnotizing.



These things are all about superstars and you don't get much bigger or better than Beyoncé. She can even make cars levitate!

THE BAD



Dog shit song, dog shit band.



Like being locked in a room with a playschool teacher and his slightly alternative reading assistant.



She emerges from a giant vagina...

THE UGLY



We weren't ready for the Second Coming Michael.

Let's Beyonest.

We've always had a slight issue with Beyoncé. Not because we don't like her, it's just that we want the best from her. If pop is a school - with Peter Andre cleaning the loos - then Beyoncé is the head girl, the one with all the ability, the one that everyone loves to hate and aims to be like. It's always been a slight disappointment to us that she's never previously been able to match the peak of 'Crazy In Love', her first solo single proper, and everything since then has been left lying limp in its wake. 'Deja Vu' was mildly diverting at first, 'Irreplaceable' is alright, 'Naughty Girl' has some appeal, but it wasn't until 'Single Ladies' and then 'Sweet Dreams' that we thought, "yes, Beyonce, this is you living up to your promise, well done. Now, where's your Geography homework?".



One thing that no-one can deny is that on stage Beyoncé is just about the most exciting thing to watch since, well, Michael Jackson. That is some accolade coming from us, believe it. You want truck loads of energy? Check. You want a sassiness that borders arrogance but keeps it in check? Er, check. You want a voice that sounds like honey, mixed with butter and a shot of vodka? What!? Check. Award shows just aren't the same without Beyoncé strolling in, shedding some clothes (she's not compromising her Christianity though) and putting on a show that makes Lady GaGa look like Stacey Solomon.

This is enough proof surely?



That look at the end that says, "yeah, you knows it. Can't no-one mess with the Beyoncé". We imagine she does refer to herself in the third person too: "Jay-Z, can you please get Beyoncé a biscuit? Yes, a wagon wheel would be fine for Beyoncé".

Death defying

Michael Jackson's not been long gone and already there's a desperate Greatest Hits cash-in featuring some songs everyone's already got, one 'new' one and a poem (!?), but now comes the news that this years X Factor finalists have recorded a cover of Jackson's 1995 number 1, 'You Are Not Alone'.

Read about it here.

Rumour has it that Michael Jackson's song wasn't the first choice for the cover. No, initially it was going to be 'No Matter What' by Boyzone. As in, Boyzone, who recently suffered the death of Stephen Gately. Is it appropriate to 'cash-in' on the work of two dead people when you're trying to raise money for a hospital?

This isn't very good :-(

That's all.

Home is where the heart is

As the dust begins to settle following the death of Michael Jackson, it's time to reflect on his career and what he's achieved. No, wait, sorry, I read that wrong, it's actually time to make ambulance chasing documentaries and release tribute singles. Like us, you probably sat open-mouthed during the memorial service last week. Some of it was genuinely moving, some of it slightly odd (John Mayer!?!), but in general it wasn't really weird enough. This was MICHAEL JACKSON, where were all the aged stars? Where was Diana Ross? Where was Bubbles? Yeah, yeah, he's too old now and too violent, but still, it's what MJ would have wanted.

What we should have witnessed was this lost gem performed live by La Toya Jackson. 'He's My Brother' isn't a new song, but is lyrically so perfect it would surely have brought the house down. "Bad or Thriller, he's still the man in the mirror"; "He's not bad"; "On stage he's electric, when he dances it's just like magic"; "When I'm alone and I need him, he's with me like lightning".



There's some kind of genius at work there.

Unfortunately, it's not the official Jackson family tribute single. Oh no, that honour lies with 'Home' a song La Toya first composed for her 2002 Startin' Over album. Yep, it's not a new song either, but, hey, the sentiment fits right?



The single is out on 28 July.

New Musick Monday

There's very little need to rake over the trauma of the results of this week's chart positions. As has been widely reported both here and elsewhere, Michael Jackson's 'Man In The Mirror' was beaten to the number 1 spot by a track called 'Evacuate The Dancefloor' by Cascada. Investigations are currently underway and the chart police hope to have some answers soon. For the time being, all we ask is for your patience during these traumatic times. Elsewhere, La Roux's debut album shifted around 60,000 copies to enter at number 2, cementing her place at the top of the 'fingers-crossed-at-least-one-of-these-new-for-2009-acts-sells-some-records' league.

BUY THIS

Lungs by Florence & The Machine



We're going to be honest right here and say we had huge reservations about Florence & The Machine. 'Kiss With A Fist' felt a bit too studied and mannered, whilst the image and the interviews created a kind of caricature of 'kooky'. Luckily, we're usually very wrong about most things, and Lungs is a fantastic debut that gets better with repeated listens. From the lush, harp-drenched 'Rabbit Heart' to the vein-popping emotion of 'Girl With One Eye' to the pure pop of 'Hurricane Drunk', it's an album that will surprise, enthrall and annoy in equal measure. Plus, she's brilliant live.

BOGLE ALL THE WAY TO THE SHOP AND STEAL A COPY

Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do by Major Lazer



For those not familiar with the concept behind Major Lazer, allow us to enlighten. Major Lazer is a one-armed Jamaican commando who battles the forces of darkness in a zombie war, whilst also running a night club. Said night club specialises in fusing dancehall with electro, or reggae with surf guitars, R&B with house, etc, etc. It's an intoxicating listen. In reality, the album is the work of producers Diplo and Switch, who have previously worked with acts like M.I.A, Santigold, Spank Rock and Tricky. Unlike the recently released N.A.S.A album (another producer-lead enterprise complete with starry line-up), Major Lazer have created an album that doesn't take itself too seriously. It also features some beats Missy would giver her left arm for (soz Missy. Call me yeah, we need to talk about that money you owe me).

DOWNLOAD THIS

'Shark In The Water' by V.V. Brown



Sometimes a simple, summery pop song is all it takes. 'Shark In The Water' is V.V. Brown's third single, and is the kind of three minutes that make you think, "wow, this would sound brilliant on the radio". Unfortunately, most radio stations seem to disagree, which given the bilge they do play is frankly astonishing. Brown has recently ranted at this mystery via Twitter, which at 140 characters only, somewhat inhibits her disbelief. Then again, "what the fuck" is only thirteen characters long and seems to sum it up.

What about the elephants?

The death of Michael Jackson seems to have brought out the worst in some people. Not only do we have to endure rolling news coverage in which Jean from Tescos gets asked what she thought were the reasons behind his alleged addiction to prescription drugs, but there's also the tabloid headlines ('Jackson buried without his brain' was the low point of today's coverage). What about the music, man? Well, thankfully Jackson's hits are still taking up a fair amount of space in the UK top 75. Unfortunately, the great British public chose to buy the new single by Cascada as opposed to 'Man In The Mirror', preventing Jackson from having a posthumous number 1, for now at least.

But, what does this magnum opus sound like I hear you cry? Surely, it's some kind of pop classic to deny 'Man In The Mirror'? Well, it's not, it's this:



It's Lady GaGa for people who find the real thing that bit too complex. Cheers guys.

To make matter worse, one of Vampire Weekend and some other dude have joined 'forces' as Discovery. It's basically a way of creating modern-day R&B but in an ironic, too-clever-by-half kind of way. You probably won't understand it to be honest. Anyway, they've covered the Jackson 5 classic, 'I Want You Back'.



It's too early for Jackson to be turning in his grave, surely?

New Musick Monday

After a week of chart hiatus, we're back with a bang this week. OK, picking La Roux and Florence & The Machine was never what you'd descirbe as a risk, but still, you've got to be in it to win it. La Roux's 'Bulletproof' soared in at no.1 whilst her raven-haired counterpart just missed the top ten, at no.12. Even the Gossip album made the top twenty, more evidence if any were needed of Musick's almost Shamanistic promotional qualities.

BUY THIS

La Roux by La Roux



In a way, despite it's title, pop music is meant to be divisive. Lots of people hate Madonna or Kylie or the Sugababes and will write numerous vitriolic forum posts to prove it. That's good, no-one wants to please everyone all the time, surely? La Roux front woman Elly Jackson seems to have got up plenty of noses on her way to being a bona fide pop star, and this debut album is packed full of potential singles, meaning she's not going away any time soon. 'In For The Kill', Bulletproof' and 'Quicksand' are all deft eighties-saturated gems, whilst 'I'm Not Your Toy', 'Fascination' and 'Colourless Colour' show there's more to the duo then just a falsetto and some cheap synths.

BORROW THIS FROM JAKE

Wilco (The Album) by Wilco



Wilco are often called the "American Radiohead". Well, they were probably called it once and then that was referred to by another journalist, which was then picked up by another and so the lie is perpetuated. Wilco aren't Radiohead, they're Wilco, do you see? Anyway, this is their new album and it features a camel on the cover, wearing a party hat. This alone is reason enough to be interested, but luckily it also contains some pretty amazing music. All in all, it's better then their last one which was pretty dull, but not as good as their best one which is A Ghost Is Born.

DOWNLOAD THIS

'Man In The Mirror' by Michael Jackson



For reasons unknown to us at least, this has become the front runner to reach number 1 following Michael Jackson's untimely death. Given the ubiquity of 'Billie Jean', 'Thriller' et al, perhaps a song that didn't reach the top twenty on its initial release but somehow seems to sum Jackson up - the allusions to changing the world and your appearance - has made it stand out. Whatever the reason, 'Man In The Mirror' is an epic song, all slow-burn build-up, finger clicks, choirs and that pained, soulful voice. In general, we've been surprised at how well the Bad album stands the test of time. Well done Michael.

He'll be missing you

The best way to remember Michael Jackson is of course through the music he left behind. In fact, we spent most of this afternoon watching his videos on TMF, the channel dedicating most of their output to his music. We didn't remember 'Dirty Diana' being so amazing, but there you are.

Some people, however, prefer to create new music as a way of remembering, and P Diddy is no stranger to this concept of course. He's joined together with Chris Brown, The Game and Boyz II Men to create 'Better On The Other Side':



It manages to avoid being too mawkish, which is something given Diddy's involvement. The chorus is nice. Listen to 'Dirty Diana' instead though.

Michael Jackson, 1958 - 2009

There will be masses of tributes and editorials about the death of Michael Jackson of course, and rightly so. This is a music blog so we won't give credence to the freakshow his life had become more recently - the tabloid life eventually suffocating the musical one - but instead focus on what will go down in history as a backcatalogue of work to rival anyone. From the unbridled disco joy of Off The Wall to the worldwide phenomenon that is Thriller to the solipsistic, sprawling HIStory album, each release renewed your faith in the genius of Michael Jackson (Invincible, not so much, but even that had 'You Rock My World'). The majority of my childhood was spent watching copious amounts of video footage of him performing, or his amazing music videos, just absorbing the spectacle and feeding off the excitement he was able to generate. It seemed like he'd live forever despite his frailty. He was music, he was the pop star of a generation and it's weird that he's gone.

There are too many moments to reflect on, but here are some songs, performances and enduring memories of a man who was a childhood hero.