I have to say I’m not convinced. This graphs reveals the speed of favourites per hour, and subsequent blog posts. But does this add anything to the popular chart itself?
It’s a given that those appearing on this list will have a greater volume of ‘loves’ in recent days, as they become higher profile. All it takes is a few key posts from some of the better-known blogs on Hype’s roster, and the chart runs away with itself. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy almost.
I can’t say I’m that interested, and I wonder if many other users will either. There’s nothing by way of an explanation on the Hype blog yet either, but maybe the team see this as a positive in a way that’s much less obvious to an outsider.
For the second time in a week, my attention has been grabbed (meerkat-style) by the music playing in a television advert. For years I’ve thought that ads created for a European audience have some of most appropriate and top quality soundtracks of any in the world, so it’s not a new thing. But as the amount of time I spend watching the TV declines, it’s not as regular an occurrence.
It’s often an electro beat that makes my ears prick (Smart’s choice of Stomax’s Midnight Mutations for its latest ‘fortwo’ model originally inspired me to write this), but sometimes it’s the riff of a dirty hip hop bassline that puts butterflies in my stomach.
Link:
Other times it will be a heartfelt piece of instrumental that mirrors so exquisitely the emotive storyline of a show. In fact, it was the gut-wrenching piano solo – Nuvole Bianche by Ludovico Einaudi – from one of the This is England 86′ trailers that sparked the conversation again tonight.
My earliest recollection of an ad truly creating a branded ‘hit’ was Levi’s project with Mr Oizo/Flat Eric, but this is something different. This is about discovery. I actually find that I’ll wander off down strange paths and new playlists (case in point, the This is England 86′ soundtrack is BLINDING and I was reunited with Fatlip’s Today’s Your Day)
Can I always remember the brand that got me there in the first place? God no (I had to go looking for the Smart ad above, and it took a while). But I remember the visuals and the music. Maybe that’s just because my mind is wired like that, but just maybe there’s an untapped opportunity to tie the two together in a smarter way, like Levi’s achieved in a way few have been able to replicate.
In the meantime, I urge you to listen to the tunes above. The Fatlip track in particular makes for a great accompliament to a run in the sunshine.
This is 16-year-old Cher Lloyd’s X Factor audition. I like her very much.
For a change, Cowell might have just have uncovered a real bit of talent here.
She’s cute, original (chosing to sing the Keri Hilson version of Soulja Boy’s Turn My Swag On) and seems naturally nervous yet not phased by the concept of the show.
I just hope that the X Factor machine, the publicity and the sudden interest in such a young girl’s life doesn’t become too much for her.
Watch out for Cole and Imbruglia, whose faces say a thousand words. Namely, ‘I’m consumed by jealousy’. Priceless.
I have a huge amount of respect for anyone who can be fluid with their musical career. Though decade-long stints in a band, maintaining a certain level of quality throughout is tough (I’m looking at you Jagger), taking part in multiple projects AND STILL producing great music is in my opinion even harder.
I’ve been a fan of Haines largely through her work with Metric, but her solo albums (under Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton) and contributions to Broken Social Scene – which also features Feist, another talented Canadian – are worth checking out. She’s also appeared on tracks with MSTRKRFT, Stars, Delerium and even Tiesto.
The track Help I’m Alive shows off her voice to full effect. It’s delicate and in parts sickly-sweet – identical to that of Inara George from The Bird and the Bee – but when paired with an earworm of an electric guitar riff, the two compliment each other more than you’d imagine. Gold Guns Girls (probably Metric’s best known song) pushes this even further and shows clear influence from Garbage’s Shirley Manson, as well as a hint of Chrissie Hynde.
Some of Metric’s tracks are a little ‘emo’ for my liking (a yet-to-be released track called Eclipse is due to appear on the next Twilight soundtrack for instance), but when the stars align – it’s beautiful. Black Sheep is the type of song that makes becoming a rockstar seem achievable to a young girl (which I believe is in no small part the reason that Edgar Wright chose it as the soundtrack for Envy Adams’ band The Clash at Demonhead in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World).
All this without even taking note of how smack-me-in-the-face cool she is. I actually think I might have to swap out Alison ‘all my songs sound the same and have done for the past three years’ Goldfrapp for Haines in my dream ‘Come Dine With Me’ line-up. This currently includes girls I can drink red wine with and play Stevie Nicks REALLY LOUDLY (Karen-O, Florence, Roisin Murphy, Alice Russell and Drew Barrymore).
What do we think of this then?
