20-year-old Dublin songstress Kate Nash’s debut album “Made of Bricks” will finally be unleashed upon the States tomorrow after over a year of critical acclaim overseas, and I cannot find the words to adequately describe the many reasons why this is an album you should most certainly own. Nash’s British accent and quirky song-writing style have drawn comparisons to other artists from across the ocean, most notably Lily Allen, but any similarities end at the accent. Simply put, Nash is what everyone will be saying Lily Allen “could have been” three years from now.
Need some evidence? Check out the video of Nash’s performance of her #1 single “Foundations” from Jool Holland’s Hootenanny New Years’ Eve show below, as well as a download of the wickedly tart “Dickhead” and a link to her Myspace profile to hear more.
Be on the lookout for more “Give a listen to…” entries on a semi-regular basis here at the blog, spotlighting upcoming artists that deserve your attention.
As I’m sure you are all aware, Britney Spears has started out 2008 as the focus of much controversy, due to a chaos-filled child-handoff with K-Fed last Wednesday evening that culminated in Spears being wrestled into the back of an ambulance to spend two nights under observation at LA’s Cedar-Sinai Medical Center. Having tested negative for illegal drugs and alcohol, Spears checked herself out of the hospital on Saturday. No one seems to know at this point what caused the complete breakdown of the teen-star-turned-trailer-mama-slut, with hypotheses ranging from People Magazine’s Britney’s Bipolar Theory to the well-known Selfish Diva Theory.
When it comes down to it, I honestly couldn’t care one way or another about what “caused” Spears’ apparent meltdown. What really concerns me about the whole situation is rarely being discussed in any of the zillions of articles that have sprang up across the Internet on the incident: How the hell are those damn kids supposed to have any shot at this point to become well-adjusted adults at any point in the future? Brit-Brit has completely fucked these kids over, and even though her custody has been completely taken away, the damage has already been done. Not letting Spears see her children is likely going to cause them more harm than good, though it could be the lesser of two evils, given that it would allow for the kids to be distanced from the traveling tabloid military that have been hounding Spears for years.
I enjoy celebrity gossip as much as the next gay boy, but enough is enough. Hollywood wannabes: Give this girl some space and let her sort this stuff out — she is clearly on the brink of sheer insanity.
In other news, Brit-Brit popped up in an unexpected place, at the sold-out Dresden Dolls concert at the Vic Theatre that I was lucky enough to attend on Saturday night. Prior to the fantastic show, which included a number of new songs in addition to fabulous standards (‘Coin-Operated Boy’, ‘Missed Me’, ‘Girl Anachronism’) all performed with unbridled panache, a troupe of interpretive dancers took to the stage to perform a three-minute dance telling the story of Romeo and Juliet. Nothing too groundbreaking, I suppose — except that they were both lesbians. And performed to ‘Toxic.’ Check out the video below.
The show was just one of many highlights from a fantastic weekend adventure in Chicago. Sylvia and I started Saturday on Michigan Avenue, so that I could stock up on underoos from H&M, and before long, we made it up to Lakeview, the site of the night’s show and the center of Boystown. Even though I had one too many vodka tonics at Roscoe’s, the night taken as a whole was incredible, and I’m looking forward to my August move now more than ever. Sunday morning, we traveled up the Red Line for brunch at an adorable restaurant in Andersonville, where I ate the best crepe EVER — filled with caramelized onions and feta cheese.
Regina Spektor recently recorded a cute little ditty wishing everyone a happy new year — “My Dear Acquaintance,” originally offered for free to customers on the Apple store, though it appears to now cost $0.99. At any rate, the song purrs sweetness, and through her lyrics, I’d like to wish all of you a fantastic 2008, filled with glamour, beauty, love and glitter. Click here to preview or download the track.
My dear acquaintance, it’s so good to know you
For strength of your hand
That is loving and giving
And a happy new year
With love overflowing
With joy in our hearts
For the blessed new year
Raise your glass and we’ll have a cheer
For us all who are gathered here
And a happy new year to all that is living
To all that is gentle, kind, and forgiving
Raise your glass and we’ll have a cheer
My dear acquaintance, a happy new year
