New Musick Monday

The tired edition.

Oh dear oh dear. Sun burnt of face and smelly of pits we have returned just in time to bring you a decidedly truncated version of everyone's favourite weekly guide to what's 'hot' and what's 'not' in the world of music. Last week wasn't exactly a corker in terms of sales with V.V. Brown's album entering at number 30 and the Arctic Monkeys single plummeting about twenty places.

There aren't really any albums out this week that make us think "we should really tell our loyal readers about these works of art". So, there's just this...

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'Box N Locks' by Mpho



We thought this had already been released but it hasn't, hence it's appearance here. Mpho is from London, she's got oodles of 'spunk' and 'Box N Locks' is a very good summery pop single about 'real issues' (black musicians feeling pigeon-holed by mainstream media and record labels). If you don't believe that politics has a place in pop then you could always pretend it's a song about key cutting and general masonry.

New Musick Monday

So, how well did we do last week then? Let's start with the bad news shall we? V.V. Brown's ridiculously catchy 'Shark In The Water' drowned (boom, boom, tish), wallowing at a lowly number 38. Given the fact the chart was littered with Michael Jackson releases and the lack of airplay from Radio 1 you could be forgiven for thinking it was an alright result. We'll have to wait and see how patient her label will be. On the album chart, however, Lungs by Florence & The Machine breathed new life (boom, boom, tish...tish) into her burgeoning career by crashing in at number 2. It also recorded the biggest first week sales for any debut album in 2009. Musick is literally keeping these artists afloat and will accept all forms of remuneration.

WARNING: It's a pretty slow week for new albums and though we enjoyed both of the following, they're what you might call 'patchy' yet 'promising'.

BUY THIS, BURN IT, KEEP THE RECEIPT, TAKE IT BACK

Travelling Like The Light by V.V. Brown



We're being unfair of course. There are some genuinely brilliant moments on this debut album, it's just that most of them are during the three singles she's already released. None of the album tracks - aside from the excellent Game Over - really come close to the immediate appeal of Leave!, Crying Blood or Shark In The Water, and as an album it lacks the depth of something like Amy Winehouse's Back To Black, which mined a similar retro-soul sound. BUT what it does have is personality, energy and a very talented young woman calling the shots. Amen to that.

BORROW THIS THEN LISTEN TO IT TWICE AND LOSE IT

Welcome To The Walk Alone by The Rumble Strips



How amazing is that front cover? That little dog is one double-hard Jack Russell. But we're not here to talk about dogs, we're here to talk about music and thankfully music is something The Rumble Strips have learnt to do much better then last time (2007's Girls and Weather album was as nondescript as that title suggests). Produced by Mark Ronson (you're cringing aren't you?), it contains a handful of well above average singalongs including recent single 'Not The Only Person', which is probably the only single written about knife crime that positively encourages a repeat performance due to the unseemly nature of female intervention. Sweet.

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'Crying Lightning' by Arctic Monkeys



To be honest, it's all a bit of a struggle this week. If it's a struggle for us then we're assuming it's a struggle for you, so apologies. This single was mentioned the other day, it's very good and gets better the more you listen to it. It actually came out to download last week and is already at number 12 in the charts so it's all a bit pointless. Still, it's Tuesday tomorrow...

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.

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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).

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'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.