Friday I'm In Love - 26/7/13

Friday I'm In Love is a weekly feature.

Includes highlights of what I loved over the past week.

Week = Friday to Friday.

May include things of a non-musical variety.

"Falling In Love" by 2NE1

I tend to watch Korean television every so often and the best time to tune in is when the channel plays a block of K-Pop videos.  K-Pop videos are almost guaranteed to be more spectacular in every sense when compared to your average American pop video.  2NE1's latest video for "Falling In Love" has actually been out for a few weeks, but I'm still hooked on the song.  It's amazing.  I just wish Spotify would add it to their library so I could play it on repeat.

Pre-"Licensed To Ill" Beastie Boys

I'm not the biggest expert on anything Beastie Boys related, but as I was browsing tumblr the other day, I learned that the Beastie Boys used to play hardcore punk before their rap-rock career took off.  Naturally, I had to take a listen.  It proved to be highly enjoyable.  If you're interested in checking it out, their early material has been collected on the '94 compilation album, Some Old Bullshit.

The new self-titled album from Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros

This album release seemed to come out of nowhere.  The date had been announced long ago and there was a pre-release stream, but I still almost managed to let it slip by.  I guess that means I'm falling behind on my music calendar.  Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros have always been consistent through each of their records and this self-titled album reminds me of their debut wonder.  There's also a somewhat hard to describe new sound that the band seems to be dabbling in.  I highly recommend you go check it out.  If only one could join the always growing line-up of The Magnetic Zeros for just a day.

David Bowie - Valentine's Day

Can the return of David Bowie get any better?  I mean, The Next Day was more than anyone could've ever asked for, but now he continues to create a steady stream of music videos and vinyl releases.  The most recent to get this treatment would be "Valentine's Day".  The video to go along with single number four is a change of pace.  Sadly, there are no appearances by Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, or Tilda Swinton this time.  Directed by Indrani and Markus Klinko, we have a much more immediate video focused only on Bowie.  Excuse me while I go wait and weep for a tour announcement.

The "Valentine's Day" picture disc will feature the instrumental bonus track "Plan" on the b-side.  Look for it on August 19, via ISO/Columbia.

Goldfrapp - Drew

It's been a few years since Goldfrapp's 2010 retro synth-pop album, Head First.  Alison Goldfrapp has been less than generous while discussing that record, even going so far to say "I didn’t like the last album very much.  I’m not very proud of that one."  While some may agree with her, I find it to be quite enjoyable every now and then.  It can be a bit overwhelming in the ABBA sense if you're not in the mood for it, but there really are some great moments.

This September, the duo will release the follow-up to Head First.  Tales Of Us is shaping up to be a highly anticipated return to form.  I say that because they've just released a video for the record's lead single "Drew" and it sounds like signature Goldfrapp, sans 80's revival tunes.  The video was directed by Lisa Gunning and features Alison in a black and white clip. There's a bit of nudity, but it's handled in a classy way.  The song is actually alarmingly beautiful and we can only hope that the full album is equally stunning.  Check out the video and look for Tales Of Us on September 9, via Mute Records.

Pre-Order: Goldfrapp - "Tales Of Us"

Lorde - The Love Club / Tennis Court

Last week, I finally sat down and searched "Lorde" on Youtube.  Prior to this search, I had no knowledge of who or what Lorde was.  It was simply a name that had been floating around my Twitter stream at an above average rate.  The first results that I watched were the music video for "Royals", followed by the "Tennis Court" video.  A few days have gone by since I watched those videos and now I can't stop listening to Lorde.

It turns out that Lorde is the stage name of Ella Yelich-O'Connor.  She's from New Zealand and happens to be sixteen years old.  I have to say it was pretty shocking to discover that she's so young.  Age aside, her first release was an EP called The Love Club.  It was posted online last year and saw an official release just a few months ago.  The lead single "Royals" went to number one in New Zealand and her next single "Tennis Court" followed the same pattern.

I find it amazing that, as a new artist, she's managed to find such a distinct sound.  Lorde is creating music with a mature production style while still capturing something youthful.  She might be sixteen, but the songs sound like someone who takes their art seriously.  You know what I mean?

To wrap things up, Lorde is a stunning discovery and I'm so glad that I took the time to check out her music.  You should definitely give her a listen and maybe even download an album or two, if you feel like it.  Just don't be surprised when Lorde becomes the next big thing to take over the US.