Pulp – Common People

Beautiful, transcendent show at Mercury Lounge last night. Opening band was The Dig, who were great and are having a record release party at Mercury in early June.

They also played a new song, Popinjay, video is below. I’ve already posted too much TJF so here’s a link to get the song on Amazon.

Photo: Andrew D. Keller

It was an excellent show tonight at the Bell House. I think she noticed that I knew pretty much all the words to all the songs. It was her first show in the US! It was a big excited crowd and a warm welcome.

Update 4/7 Ok so obviously she noticed. From her blog:

I had 2 sold out shows in new york which may have been the most enjoyable experiences of my life.

I think this is a pretty good review of Marina & the Diamonds’ debut album: it notes the Dresden Dolls influence (particularly evident in this song) and makes the following observation:

But it’s her taste for the bleeding obvious which, ultimately, holds her back from greatness. … It’s this kind of route-one thinking which reins in The Family Jewels … the song about being an outsider is called “The Outsider”. The song about being rootless is called “Rootless.” The song about feeling numb is called… OK, you’re ahead of me.

Indeed! (And that’s another similarity with Amanda Palmer.) But there’s something wonderfully, obscenely uncensored about this obviousness. Like the video for her single Hollywood. Because yep! There can be no doubt from the look on her face that she, Marina Diamandis, is indeed obsessed with the mess that is America.

I hope she’s looking forward to her upcoming dates in NYC. We are very much looking forward to seeing her.

Marina & the Diamonds – Are You Satisfied?

Yeah so I’m pretty excited for the May Day Joy Formidable show at the Mercury lounge. Tickets are still available as of now (so get some).

Also if you don’t have the album yet, you can buy it here.

The Joy Formidable – The Last Drop

The Hussy’s (shouldn’t it be the Hussies?) is a six-piece pop/ska band from Glascow. I’m not sure if they have a proper full-length LP, but they do have a number of great singles (Tiger, Napoleon). This song, Sister Mary Jo, is from Necklace.

Some good lyric-writing here too—it tells a funny story without getting too bogged down in it, you know?

Sister Mary Jo, it’s time to let the whole world know
That you’re actually a bloke and you like to drink and smoke
Oh sister Mary Jo are you a gangster on the run?
And if I slipped into your bed will you tell the other nuns?

The Hussy’s – Sister Mary Jo

Update 8/16: An OAP is an old age pensioner. Also the bassline is really intense so turn up the sub!