b-side love: kate nash - habanera

kate nash - habanera [link 2]

cause i'm nice here is a remix for you!
kate nash - foundations (metronomy mix)
[link 2]

[comparisons to lily allen are strictly from uninspired pr hacks, kate nash has more musicality mixed in with her obvious spunk. check out this quirky b-side to her wonderful "foundations" single that kind of reminds me of regina spektor via the "cell block tango" of chicago.]

indie new video thursday: kate nash, the gossip, bloc party, hadouken! pleasure feat brett anderson, duke special

kate nash - caroline's a victim
[she looks like a 60's retro pop act, but for her 1st single, the much buzzed about 19 year old kate nash gets a makeover as her sweet folk renderings gets a rave-punk remix (i actually like this version better). check out her original sound via an xfm acoustic performance recently (thanks to the daily growl). the good news is that everything has been tampered with, here's a lovely fan video of her cute song merry happy posted on her myspace site]

kate nash - merry happy (fan video)


the gossip - jealous girl
[beth ditto and posse are back with a new video! still one of the best voices that i discovered last year, can't wait to see what they're going to do next]


bloc party - i still remember
[updated 1/11: bloc party's US release is a more conventional alternative song than 'the prayer'. i actually like this one more!]


hadouken! - that boy that girl
[oh yes, the rave punk popjustice faves finally release a proper video for their internet hit. i liked it back in november, i still like it now (especially since new beats were added to this single release)]


pleasure feat brett anderson - back to you
[co-written with fred ball (aka pleasure), ex-suede singer brett anderson is going through a bit of a personal renaissance with his upcoming acoustic album and this electronically inclined tune. i dig!]


duke special - free wheel
[i gave a special heads up to duke special back in november and i'm really glad that more singles are being released from his debut album songs from the deep forest. this is one of my favorites with a beautiful animated video to boot!]

NEW KATE NASH!: kate nash - i hate seagulls

kate nash - i hate seagulls
[lovely acoustic stream of consciousness track from nash!]

kate nash - mouthwash (video premiere)

kate nash - mouthwash [link 2]
[it's her 2nd release!!!! but on to some news. with the massive success of kate's single foundations (which i was clearly a big fan of), kate nash is now ready to bring her brand of anti-folk to the US. according to nme, geffen will release the foundations EP (via digital outlets) which will not only feature the song and video, but also b-sides 'caroline's a victim', 'habanera' and 'navy taxi'.

for those of you in the NYC area, kate will also be doing two showcases. so check the girl out at the following venues below.

September 24th Brooklyn, NY Luna
September 25th New York, NY Joe’s Pub

guess where you'll see me on the 24th?]

songs we like: kano feat kate nash - me and my mic

kano feat kate nash - me and my mic [link 2]
[kano (aka kane brett robinson) is a semi-pro british footballer who spun off into the uk rap scene back in 2004. though his debut album home sweet home sold a respectable number of copies, kano delved back into the underground scene honing his craft and only releasing mixtapes sold at gigs. in september, kano returns with a bang with his new album london town. featuring a slew of collaborations including craig david (see video below) and damon albarn (gorillaz/blur) we bring you the most likely 2nd single in which current uk IT girl kate nash does the vocal honors. personally, i love how she just kind of bops around during this live performance. oh kate!]


kano feat craig david - this is the girl (acoustic) [link 2]
[damn, that craig david sure did bulk up! personally, i think the studio version isn't as good as this acoustic version. isn't filtering a wonderful thing?]

XMAS MIX 2013: kate nash - i hate you this christmas

kate nash - i hate you this christmas
[UPDATE: now with a brand spanking new video!] the rocked out indie gal kate nash releases an EP of christmas tunes and it's definitely not a collection of xmas cheer. feel like an antithesis to the holiday spirit, this is your anthem!

indie video saturday: kate nash, fujiya and miyagi, motocade

kate nash - foundations
[is she this years lily allen? singer songwriter kate nash definitely has the looks, bitch-slap attitude and catchy tracks to make her buzz worthy of the myspace set. i'm game.]


fujiya & miyagi - ankle injuries
[videos with dominos rock! songs that repeat the bands name over and over again as a bridge is hot! i have no need to be sold on this.]


motocade - my friends
[it's rare that i get access to acts before they get signed to a label, but this new zealand indie quartet have been getting some props on some other blogs and i thought i'd check them out. and guess what, i really dig them! if you like what you see/hear, go to their myspace page to read up about these boys and also some more free downloads.]

WONGIE CUTE SONG OF THE WEEK: kate nash - kiss that grrrl

kate nash - kiss that grrrl
[a surprisingly emotionally anxious song masquerading as a cute poppy ditty! good ol kate nash once again proves she's a smart sassy songwriter. love it!]

WONGIE HAPPY SONG OF THE WEEK: kate nash - do wah doo

kate nash - do wah doo
[nothing like a bit of cute to make your day go by faster! kate nash returns with the 1st single off her sophomore album 'i just love you more', produced by bernard butler (suede, duffy). it's a catchy retro pop song with enough horns to blast you into happy land! yaaay!]

album leak: kate nash - made of bricks

it's been an amazing week with new albums by sia, m.i.a. and now kate nash all making it in my inbox!

the 20 year old singer songwriter (who has garnered her own music genre of "chavtronica") has moved from buzz act to being a full fledged chart sensation in the uk as her much loved "foundations" single has been stuck at #2 in the top 10 for what seems like eons (since june 26th to be exact). so much so, her label has moved up the release of kate's debut album made of bricks to next week!

we've been loving kate for quite some time now, so i'm kind of finished with superlatives, but my bud xolondon came up with a really nice review of the album here.

as for the album, the track listings are as follows:
1. Play
2. Foundations [link 2]
3. Mouthwash
4. Dickhead
5. Birds [link 2]
6. We Get On
7. Mariella
8. Shit Song
9. Pumpkin Soup
10. Skeleton Soup
11. Nicest Thing
12. Merry Happy/Little Red [link 2]

if you like what you hear, make sure you get the album made of bricks next week!

acoustic party: kate nash - foundations (acoustic version)

kate nash - foundations (acoustic version) [link 2]
[since it's my bday and i'm off to LA for a few days for work, i leave you a lovely acoustic version of one of my favorite songs of the year. i can't wait for kate to cross the pond and perform for us yanks already!]

wongie top songs of 2007: #5 kate nash - foundations

kate nash - foundations [link 2]
[the best description of a dysfunctional relationship was also one of the catchiest songs of the year. who knew that it could all come from a 20 year old pixie hipster? finding her audience via the power of myspace and blogs, kate stayed at the UK #2 singles spot for 5 weeks, making it one of the biggest hits of 2007. yeah the power of blogs!]

HAPPY RECORD STORE DAY 2013: jack white / pulp vs soulwax / nick drake / rodriguez / manchester orchestra feat grouplove / willy mason & brendan benson / the shangri-las / notorious b.i.g. / kate nash / mgmt

every 3rd saturday in april, independent record stores, artists and fans gather to pick up limited edition/one off pressings of new or rare recordings on vinyl. throw in live performances and cool parties, you have a fun day of music that is celebrated internationally. if you're in one of the cities listed, go and pick up the 7"/12"/albums being re-issued or released on record store day 2013 will ya? here are my highlights that are out today:


jack white (record store day ambassador) - record store day 2013
jack white explains how vinyl records are done... well kinda...


pulp vs soulwax - after you



nick drake - riverman



rodriguez - i wonder



manchester orchestra feat grouplove - make it to me



willy mason and brendan benson - waiter at the station



the shangri-las - remember (walking in the sand)



notorious b.i.g. - big poppa



kate nash - free my p*ssy



mgmt - alien days (cassingle preview)


mgmt - alien days

new video monday: taken by trees, tim mcgraw & faith hill, the concretes, jack penate, guru feat common

taken by trees - lost and found [link 2]
[fans of victoria bergsman (aka ex-concretes lead singer and the female voice behind "young ones" with peter bjorn & john) will be pleased to find that she's created this side project to tap into her mellow chanteuse side. it definitely works! the debut album open field is out now.]


tim mcgraw & faith hill - i need you [link 2]
[scoff at me all you want, but i've been in love with this song ever since i've seen the husband and wife perform this at fashion rocks last year. now as an official single, my cheeseball sentimental side still got a bit choked up when i saw this. oh well, you can deal!]


the concretes - oh boy [link 2]
[when lead singer victoria bergsman announced that she was leaving the swedish indie pop band last year, people wondered if the concretes would be able to continue. well, their current album hey trouble proves that life does go on just fine... definitely my favorite track off their album! thanks to ifmv for the tip!]


jack penate - torn on the platform [link 2]
[i've been seeing jack penate's name thrown around with wongie favorite kate nash and it turns out that this boy is just as quirky and individualistic as his labelmate.]


guru feat common - state of clarity
[gosh, i still remember the 1st jazzmatazz back in 1993! well, guru is back again with a whole new collaborative effort that features damien marley, caron wheeler, bobby valentino and even dionne farris. go and get jazzmatazz vol 4 now.]

best of 2007: fave acts so far (1/2 year report)

this has been an amazing music year so far with new stuff coming at me daily (much that i've shared back to you). but amoung the batch, a few acts have filtered through and kept on returning to my personal playlists.

since it feels like such a slow week, i figured now is probably the best time to re-introduce some of the artist highlights of 2007 from january to june (in no particular order):

[for friends and fans of wongie, you probably know the class of 2007 (so far) pretty well. but for the rest of you, hopefully you can discover some gems from the list below. also you may have noticed that wongie faves mika, amy winehouse, gossip and lily allen aren't here (since they were loved in 06, i kind of took them out of the lineup just cause i'm a stickler like that!)]

tracey thorn - raise the roof
siobhan donaghy - ghosts
just jack - i talk to much
loney, dear - saturday waits
peter bjorn & john - young folks
feist - my moon my man (boys noize remix)
rufus wainwright - sansoucci
rihanna - rehab
glen hansard & marketa irglova (ONCE the soundtrack) - falling slowly
lil mama - lip gloss (absorb the lip gloss mash up remix)
kate nash - foundations
mia - boyz
cherry ghost - 4am
sara bareilles - love song
a fine frenzy - almost lover
roisin murphy - overpowered

WONGIE DISCOVERY: the good natured - your body is a machine

the good natured - your body is a machine
[from the guardian:
"Good Natured is about right: she sounds like what she is, a nice Home Counties girl, and although her voice keeps drifting towards mockney, you can hear the posh, plummy tones beneath. She's a techno Dido, a Lily Allen who's given in to depression, or a Kate Nash who wants to prove herself with serious clubbers. Rose has the pounding piano of a rave tune, but this is for playing after the lights have come on and the party is over."

like what you hear? the great folks over at nme have offered this as a free mp3!]

merry xmas from wongies music world

for one week only, here is the xmas mix that i've made for all my friends this year. and since you've been so good to me in 06, i'm allowing you to grab this album for the next 7 days.

don't say i'm not in the giving spirit!

under the compilation name of 'pop pop', this vol contains some of my favorite xmas tunes ever mixed in with some brand new ones! enjoy

pop pop xmas 2006 (xmas in pop pop) [alt link]
1. Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Power Of Love
2. Ron Sexsmith – Maybe This Is Christmas
3. Sufjan Stevens – That Was The Worst Christmas Ever
4. Belle and Sebastian – O Come, O Come Emmanuel
5. Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas
6. Barenaked Ladies feat Sarah McLachlan – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
7. The Puppini Sisters – Jingle Bells
8. Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You
9. John Legend feat The Stephens Family – It Don’t Have To Change
10. Wham – Last Christmas
11. John and Yoko and the Plastic One Band with the Harlem Community Choir – Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
12. Sufjan Stevens – O Holy Night
13. The Pogues feat Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York
14. Declan O’Rourke feat Nina Kinert – Christmas Wine
15. Leigh Nash – Wishing For This
16. Travis – The River
17. Kate Bush – Home For Christmas
18. The Carpenters – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
19. Low – Little Drummer Boy
20. Enya – Amid The Falling Snow
21. Abba – Happy New Year