I’m not gonna lie, us wigglers haven’t been posting at all. In ages.

But the thing is, we’ve all had so much work to do that we’ve not had time to write for you guys.

However now, it’s the summer holidays. I don’t know about Sophie or Matt, but I have a lot more time on my hands now just to write for the Daily Wiggle.

So let’s start with a nice Music Monday, shall we?

Song #1: The Boy Does Nothing – Alesha Dixon: If you’re from the States, you’ll probably definitely not have heard of Alesha Dixon. (Probably definitely? Does that make sense?) Anyway, Alesha started out as a member of girl band Mis-Teeq in 1999, but now she’s a fully-fledged, British female solo star. She also went on to win series 5 of UK show Dancing With The Stars and is now a judge on the series. Go lady!

This song is cheesy pop at it’s best. Somehow though, it’s not your average Spice Girls 1990s cheesy pop. The ‘noughties’ appear to have brought along a different type of cheese with it. And this is the definition of 21st century cheese. It’s actually pretty good too. Normally the sort of thing I would despise, but Alesha just about pulls it off, in my opinion.

Song #2: Everyone You Know – Now, Now Every Children: From Minneapolis, USA, this 5 piece list their influences, quitehumorously, as “Monday”, “Dad Denim” and “Cat Movies.” Odd? Yeah, but this band are pretty odd themselves. They have also been the support act for Paramore on their tour around North America, so I’m guessing they’re pretty good and probably on the way to success.

This song actually sounds like something off the Skins soundtrack. I don’t know why, maybe it’s the child-like female vocals or the upbeat depression it carries with it, I can just see it being in an episode of Skins. Not something I’ve actually listened to a lot, but it’s easy on the ears and it’s not bad at all. If you’re a fan of 6 Day Riot or Sky Larkin, chances are you’ll adore this song.

Song #3: Stuck In The Middle With You – Bob Dylan: I’m pretty sure, well almost 100% sure, that the majority of you knowBob Dylan’s music, or at least of Mr. Dylan. Well, this artist is now at the ripe old age of 69 years old, but his musical history goes to show he continues to be successful. I mean, how many artists can say they have 34 albums in their belt, not including compilations?

I only actually have this song in my iTunes because we used it for a drama piece one time, so I don’t really listen to it. But it’s definitely a classic. Not my cup of tea really – it’s far too upbeat folk for me. Comparable to this song today would be songs from bands such as Scouting for Girls and The Hoosiers; neither of which I am particularly fond of. So, although it’s a classic, I’m not a massive fan.

Song #4: Lover’s Requiem – I Am Ghost: I’ve known of this band for as long as I can remember, but I don’t really recall any oftheir songs. In fact, I don’t even remember downloading this. Anyway, they’ve been together for 6 years (since 2004) and come from California, USA. They have 3 studio albums to their name, which isn’t bad for a band so young. Their music comes under genres such as screamo and emo. Google it if you don’t know what I mean.

This song again isn’t something I’d normally listen to. However, if you’d have asked me 4 years ago, I’d have probably loved them. If you’re a fan of From First To Last or Hawthorne Heights, you’ll probably love them. The electric guitar particularly shines in this track and the haunting vocals during the screaming parts of the song are extremely well executed.

Song #5: Into My Arms – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: This band have actually been together since 1983, and have 14 studioalbums recorded on their discography. Pretty impressive. Their music is often based on biblical stories and refers to the bible, but don’t be mistaken into thinking their music is Christian or gospel. It’s actually gorgeous, acoustic tracks that make you think.

This song is definitely my favourite of the Bad Seeds’. The chorus is so simple yet so memorable, which proves simplicity can often equal perfection. The piano is heartbreakingly beautiful too, and Nick Cave’s vocal accompanies it with gusto. If you don’t recognize this song by its title, you’ll probably have heard it before if you listen to it again – it’s often used as the soundtrack to movies and television shows to set a particularly sad scene. An amazing song.

Top Track This Week: Into My Arms – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.

Yeah, we’ve been away a little bit too long. It seems exams have taken over.

I do have 2 exams left myself, but Music Monday is supposed to be weekly and I’ve actually bombarded you with dusty, old history articles instead of hip (is that word still cool?) music shizzle. Ma nizzle. I’m attempting to up my street cred now, after that 60s hippie vocab outburst.

Proceeding now.

Song #1: I Won’t Say (I’m In Love) – Susan Egan: Who, you ask? Well, this quality piece of tunage is actually from Disney’s Hercules soundtrack. Musical theatre super-nerds will know that Ms. Egan is a Broadway superstar. She’s already starred in Cabaret, Beauty and the Beast and Thoroughly Modern Millie – an awesome track record, if you ask me. But what about this song?

Well, the fact that Egan’s super thoroughly trained pipes are so perfect make this song a little bit perfect from the start. In the background though, Susan is accompanied by a 3 piece gospel choir, which bulks up the vocal slightly. Everyone knows Disney songs are always catchy anyway, so that’s not really a factor. Fun, cheesy pop-style song.

Song #2: Open House – Bombay Bicycle Club: Ah, the Bicycle Club. You dedicated, eagle-eyed readers might have seen thisband mentioned before on The Daily Wiggle. Again, if you know me you’ll know I’m always advocating British music, so these cheeky Londoners are right up my alley. They’ve only actually had one album and have another on the way, but I’m expecting big things from these guys.

Chances are, if you’ve heard any of this band before, this will be the song you’ve heard. It’s catchy, fun and definitely good enough for release. The minimalism that this track harbours is actually what makes it so great. It’s not minimalistic in a Coldplay, slash my wrists because of the painful silence kind of way, it’s just typical, British indie that somehow manages to be slightly different from the rest.

Song #3: Six Feet Under The Stars – All Time Low: I never actually listen to All Time Low. Like, ever. In fact, I only have 3 of their songs and I’m pretty sure I only downloaded them because an ex told me they were good. Apparently though, they are pretty successful. They’ve have 4 studio albums since 2005 and have toured with bands such as Fall Out Boy and Metro Station.

Now in my head, they’re a little boring. And when I listen to this song, my head proves to be correct. I think my heart is to blame too: I don’t really even want to like them, so I am sort of making it difficult. It’s not that this song sounds like a train-wreck or anything, but when I listen to it, it makes me want to skip it. To be honest, it feels like they’re nothing more than a Cute Is What We Aim For wannabe. Over it.

Song #4: Breathe On Me – Britney Spears: This is the second time Britney has appeared on Music Monday. Seeing as about 5million of the tracks on my iPod are by Britney or feature Britney, this probably won’t be the last time you’ll see her. This track is from her comeback ‘In The Zone’ album, which showed us a more grown up, mature side of Britters. Even though it was released prior to her breakdown.

What can I say about this song? It is a song that is obviously about sex and Britney does nothing to hide it. With a pounding bass in the background and Ms. Spears’ groans of pleasure in the foreground, this is definitely a song Britney performs to encourage all the horny couples out there to have sex. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you gained a half erection when listening to it. Just sayin’.

Song #5: Ironic – Alanis Morissette: Oh, Alanis. Everyone knows Alanis, don’t they? Well, in case you don’t, she has 7 studioalbums and has an extensive list of TV and movie credits, including Dogma and Sex & the City. In my opinion, Jagged Little Pill is the best album she’s released, and this track is actually from that album.

You’ll have definitely heard this song. I have no idea where, but in general, every person I know has heard this song and knows a good proportion of the words to it. It speaks a lot of words about the irony in life, such as “a no-smoking sign on your cigarette break” and “a death row pardon two minutes too late”. Can you just imagine?! Yeah, Alanis captures the idea of irony here in a fabulously musical fashion. Full marks.

Top Track This Week: Open House – Bombay Bicycle Club.

Well actually, I planned on concentrating on exams, but ended up sitting on Twitter and watching videos of Glee and Lady GaGa on Tumblr all day.

Fail much?

So I felt it was only right to post a Music Monday this week. Here goes nothin’…

Song #1: Bohemian Like You – The Dandy Warhols: Chances are, you’ll have heard this song on a TV show or an advert of some sort. From Portland, Oregon, this alt-rock/indie band have 9 albums to their name. And this track is possibly their most well known. Their band page claims they were influenced by The Velvet Underground, the Beach Boys and the Beatles.

I actually really like this song. It’s catchy and has dryly humorous comedic lyrics. The guitar is possibly one of the most memorable from modern indie songs and is a real party tune – everyone will know it. And because everyone knows it, it will get everyone dancing. I recommend.

Song #2: The Way I Am – Ingrid Michaelson: I’ve been a fan of Ingrid Michaelson ever since I heard her song ‘Keep Breathing’ on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Her songs are always fuelled by emotion and feeling and this is no exception. Ingrid is also apparently the genius behind Cheryl Cole’s ‘Parachute’, so she is pretty amazing already.

With a softly spoken voice, this tune is really relaxing without being boring. As I’ve just explained to a friend, this song makes me want to kiss people. A lot. So that’s gotta be a good thing, right? Plus, I always say that if you can create a music video in your head whilst listening to a song, it must be a pretty good one. This is a perfect example of this.

Song #3: Supernova – Mr. Hudson: I’m pretty sure a lot of people in the UK have heard of Mr. Hudson, as his album reached arelatively high position in our chart last year, but I’m not so sure you guys in the US are familiar with him. Mr. Hudson is actually British, and is supporting Jay-Z on his UK show this year. So from that fact, you can tell he’s gonna be pretty good.

I have a not so fond memory of this song: once, after a night filled with drinking and dancing (and slight vomit), an alarm was put on a friend’s phone so we would all wake up for school the next day. I know what you’re thinking: drinking on a school night is so Skins. (Now try and tell me Skins is unrealistic…) But anyway, that’s how we roll. And the phone alarm just happened to be this song. And it was so loud. OH, the hangover. Still, a good tune when you’re sober. (Or, you know, still drunk.)

Song #4: Bone Chaos in the Castle – Kaki King: How do I begin to describe Kaki King? She’s a very alternative artist and to like her, I’d say you have to be truly appreciative of music or a lesbian. Don’t ask me why, but lesbians seem to love her! She’s had 8 albums/EPs and each of them have been reasonably successful.

This is one of the Kaki King songs that actually contain no lyrics. Instead, she presents us with a strong piece of music that is, again, indescribable. It’s actually close to sounding a little bit like music from a shopping channel, but it contains far too much acoustic guitar for that. But I have to like this song, as many of the notes and beats that you hear come from rhythmical tapping of body of the guitar in between strumming. Amazing to watch. YouTube it.

Song #5: If We Ever Meet Again – Timbaland feat. Katy Perry: I don’t know why, but I’m not usually into RnB. I’m sureTimbaland doesn’t need any introduction to all you teeny boppers. He’s only actually had 3 other solo albums, but his hits include ‘Give It To Me’ and ‘The Way I Are’, which I’m sure you’ve heard of too.

Anyway, like I said, I’m not usually into RnB. This is probably because it’s quite mainstream, but then again, so is Lady GaGa and I love her! It might be that this song contains Katy Perry, who I am quite a fan of after ‘Thinking of You’, but I think that’s just one thing that contributes towards my love of this song. It’s catchy and less cliché than your average pop song, which makes me want to listen to it more than other bands such as ‘N-Dubz’ and others in the same category. Top notch, Timbaland.

Top Track This Week: If We Ever Meet Again – Timbaland feat. Katy Perry.

Like, for instance, some loser in a newspaper will say ‘TAKE THAT WERE AMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHZING!’ so you’ll buy tickets. However, once you see the show, you’re actually like ‘wait, why did I buy tickets for this crap? OH WAIT, that stupid fucking newspaper told me to.’

That’s why, although I always knew it would be brilliant, I didn’t expect a lot when going to see Lady GaGa this week.

But I promise you now that anything I say in this review is not over-exaggerated whatsoever. You’ll see why I’ve said that in asecond…

Okay, where to start?! Well actually, the support act before GaGa was ‘Semi Precious Weapons’; a New York City based band with a transvestite frontman. Sounds weird, right? They were actually freakin’ amazing.

The look was particularly awesome, but the songs were catchy and often funny. For example, one contained the lyric ‘I can’t pay the rent, but I’m fucking gorgeous.’ LOVE IT, SISTAH.

After a brief 15 minute wait that actually seemed like an hour, the lights suddenly went out. A white screen covered the front of the stage, as videos of the Lady herself were projected onto it in all her glory. When the video finished… THERE WAS GAGA’S SILHOUETTE. GaGa was actually behind that screen.

And then came the squealing…

I don’t know how to describe it, but it seems like her general presence was so over-whelming that the excitement immediately kicked in. Seriously, she didn’t even have to do anything but stand there and the crowds went crazy.

She kicked it off with the rave-esque ‘Dance in the Dark’, which was perfect to get the party started. The set was amazing too: the first one we saw was a set of stairs with gigantic syringes being used as the bannister. Also on stage was a rusty, old car (which contained a piano under the bonnet, of course) and several sexy ass dancers.

The set changed continuously throughout the show, from big, moving ‘trees’ to a metallic subway line, and there was often a display of neon words such as ‘implants’, ’sedation’ and ‘dentistry’ filling up the walls.

Changing just as much as the set was GaGa’s outfit. Among the list was a mexican looking sombrero costume, a leather bikini and of course the firecracker crotch. Sounds mental and it was. Which is was it was so astounding.

I also expected her to be quite distant. As in, I didn’t think she’d speak to the audience much. However, I was pleasantly surprised. When she began to play her piano (which was set light, obviously), she told us a story about her sick Grandpa. Then, she sang the first verse of the exceptional ballad ‘Speechless’. In between each verse, she’d stop, just to tell us all how much she loves us. And the best thing is: we all believed her. She screamed ‘PAWS UP!’, to which everyone put their hands up in the air in a claw-like fashion and swayed along.

My personal favourite performances included ‘Teeth’, ‘Monster’ (in which GaGa had her heart ripped out and bloodied by a sexy leather-clad dancer) and ‘Alejandro’. The latter saw GaGa jump into a fountain of bloody water as the angel statue on the top of the fountain set on fire.

Fire again? Must be a love of GaGa’s.

I feel like there are literally no words that can describe this concert. In between songs, Lady GaGa gave her inspirational words of wisdom to her ‘Little Monsters’, in which she told them all to be themselves, no matter what and to be who they want to be and not who others want you to be. Chants of ‘GAGA! GAGA! GAGA!’ resounded throughout the arena, as GaGa blew a kiss to the fans she loves and the fans caught the air kiss to return the feeling.

So, like I said, I hate it when people big up things by saying they’re amazing when actually… they’re really not.

But this is different: if you choose to buy any tickets to a live show this year, attempt to get your hands on a Lady GaGa Monster Ball ticket. She is perfect, seriously. And after a showing like that, she is definitely now one of my idols.

SHOW ME YOUR TEETH.

As in “I Don’t Like Mondays” said the Boomtown Rats. What a tune, by the way.

But we love Mondays here at the Wiggle. Mainly because we love music. And music = Monday!

Song #1: Bittersweet – Sick of Sarah: Sick of Sarah are actually a relatively unknown band. I only actually heard of them because their song ‘Not Listening’ was used as the theme tune to a TV show on LOGO in the States. They’ve actually been compared to Heart, which is an accomplishment for any band. As an added bonus, every one of these girls is hot. Yeah, I said it.

This track isn’t actually my favourite Sick of Sarah track, but it’s still great. (If you listen to their music, make sure to check out ‘Not Listening’ and ‘Mr. Incredible’.) I love the vocals from front-woman Abisha Uhl – they’re unique and you can instantly recognize her voice when you’re listening. This band also seem to make every one of their songs distinctly catchy; something I enjoy immensely when listening to new music like this.

Song #2: Icky Thump – The White Stripes: I know pretty much everyone in the UK (not counting Matt) has heard of the White Stripes. And seeing as they’re from Michigan, I’d infer that they were pretty famous in the States too. But don’t quote me on that. They’ve actually had 6 studio albums and a staggering 26 singles, which is pretty good going, obviously.

This track is actually one of their later releases: it was released in 2007, with their latest release being in 2008. I’m guessing they haven’t split up, because the band are brother and sister, so I’m thinking they’re just having a little break. This track is possibly one of their most famous, however, even if you can’t remember how it goes from the title alone. When you listen, you’ll know it straight away. This is definitely one of my famous White Stripes songs and I fully recommend downloading this one.

Song #3: High Times (feat. Turbo Fruits) – Landon Pigg: Now here is one band I definitely know nothing about. In fact, after researching him, the internet tells me Landon Pigg isn’t a band at all, but rather a singer-songwriter. I actually only have this track because I downloaded the Whip It! soundtrack not long back, but apparently, Pigg became famous after good old Grey’s Anatomy featured one of his songs. Lovely.

I wouldn’t say this song was outstanding, but it is quite fun for an indie song. I also found out whilst researching that Landon actually starred in the movie this song featured in, which is really quite cool. I wouldn’t recommend this song if you were on a tight budget – there are hundreds of other songs I would download before this one. But if you enjoy easy-listening and happy tunes, this song should be high on your list of downloads.

Song #4: Famous Last Words – My Chemical Romance: I am quite embarrassed to say that My Chemical Romance were the first band I saw live. Actually no, I’m not embarrassed. In comparison to my friends’ first live bands, (Steps, Hear’say and Spice Girls), My Chemical Romance are pretty cool band to have seen live first. This track comes from their 3rd album The Black Parade. The album is generally not as good as their 2nd album in my opinion, but it’s good nevertheless.

This was always actually one of my favourite songs off this album, and is actually one of only 3 tracks from this particular album that have defied deletion from my iTunes list. I love the passion of this song and the video especially shows the fire in Gerard Way’s love for music. Literally. In all seriousness, I would recommend this song definitely. Especially if you were on of those loser-ish emo kids back in the day.

Song #5: There’s A Class For This – Cute Is What We Aim For: Ah, Cute Is What We Aim For. This band actually define my early teenage years. There’s no surprise when listening to their songs that they’re signed by the same label that signed Paramore, ‘Fueled By Ramen.’ They’ve not actually released an album since 2008, which may be why we haven’t heard from them in so long.

This track was actually CIWWAF’s first ever single release and it’s really catchy and typical of the era. I’d label them as a sort of post-Blink 182 band, which is a good thing. This song is actually really fun, happy and generally a good song to listen to to cheer you up when you’re down. Modern (ish) indie pop rock at it’s best.

Top Track This Week: Icky Thump – The White Stripes.

• Monday originally got it’s name from the Moon.
• Heart attacks happen 20% more often on a Monday than on any other day of the week.
• Monday is the most common day for teenage suicide attempts in Oregon, USA.

Basically, Monday is pretty depressing. Except for the fact that www.thedailywiggle.com writes an astonishingly beautiful article for you on this day. Lovely.

Song #1: Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want – She & Him: For those of you who don’t know, She & Him are a band, made up from actress Zooey Deschanel and her mate, Matthew Ward. The band have 2 albums to their name, which are simply titled ‘Volume 1′ and ‘Volume 2′. This track didn’t actually come from any of those albums, but it did feature on the (500) Days Of Summer soundtrack – a movie in which Deschanel also starred.

The beauty of She & Him is the way in which they stay extremely simple: the guitars, the piano and the lyrics are so minimalistic, yet they somehow portray beauty within them. Many of their songs have a sound of the 70s, which is only a good thing in my opinion. (The 1970s were obviously the best of the decades.) This track in particular does this so well that I actually feel like a rock & rolling 70s hippy while I listen to it. It is a depressingly beautiful song.

Song #2: 7 Things – Miley Cyrus: Vomit, vomit, vomit. Those are 3 words that come to mind when I think of Miley. Somehow, at the age of 17, Miley already has 3 studio albums, probably all advocated only by the teeny bop, wannabe Lizzie McGuire generation. Whatever, I could list a whole bunch of things that are better than Miley. These include Harry Potter, Tina Fey and, of course, your Mother.

That being said, there’s something about this song that I can’t help but like. SHOCK HORROR! I know, I bet you never thought I’d admit to liking a Cyrus song. I simply enjoy the chorus to this song. The only other song of hers that I like is ‘Party in the USA’, and that’s only because it makes me feel good. I’d actually recommend this song, but definitely not because she has an amazing voice. In fact, I’d probably recommend it more because it sounds nothing like the cringe-worthy song Miley Cyrus previously released ‘The Climb’. Those 2 words give me incredibly awful nightmares.

Song #3: Swim – Jack’s Mannequin: Let’s see what we know about Jack’s Mannequin then shall we? Apparently, no member ofthis band are actually called ‘Jack’, which I found quite amusing. They’re categorised under ‘piano rock’ and ‘alternative rock’. They released 2 studio albums. They’re pretty much an uninteresting band.

I actually have 10 JM songs in my playlist, but I’ve not really listened to them a whole lot because they simply don’t interest me. I’m not saying they’re an awful band; their songs are really quite lovely to listen to and pleasant on the ear, but they’re just really unexciting. Not much happens in their music and they’re not different to any other band, if you ask me. Buy this if you like laid back rock, but if you want something more exciting, go for someone like The Distillers or The Arctic Monkeys.

Song #4: And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going - Jennifer Hudson: If you haven’t heard of Jennifer Hudson, you pretty much suck. Judging by this performance, you could call her the Aretha Franklin of today. This song was actually written for the movieDream Girls, which also starred R&B star Beyonce Knowles. I’m pretty sure this song also appeared on Hudson’s debut album, but I thought I’d mention Dream Girls, because it’s amazing.

Jennifer Hudson is possibly one of the most naturally gifted singers of our time. She also has a successful career in acting too: aside Dream Girls, she also appeared in Sex & The City: The Movie, in which she also performed extremely well. The story behind this song is what makes it beautiful and hundreds of people have sung it since, but none of them have actually triumphed whilst doing so in comparison to J. Hud. A simply perfect vocal.

Song #5: Under The Weather – Feeder: Something I didn’t actually know until very recently was that Feeder originated in Wales. I think that’s pretty cool, because they actually rock pretty hard. With 8 studio albums and another on the way, Feeder have a pretty impressive track record, and this track is from their 3rd album, Echo Park. Apparently Feeder are also one of the most successful UK acts between 1952 and 2006. I wouldn’t disagree there.

You’ll probably have heard this song from somewhere before, because I’m pretty sure it appears on several coming of age teen movie soundtracks. This is the sort of rock song you need to play really loud to appreciate fully and it’s definitely a song you should play at a party, because it’ll get everyone jumping up and down.

Top Track This Week: Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want – She & Him.

Anyway, I felt writing a review of the brand new Kate Nash album was enough to tide you over for another week.

On with today’s 5 random tracks.

Song #1: It’s My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry – Glasvegas: I’m sure many people in the UK have heard of Glasvegas. They’re often played on national radio and have played at both the NME Awards and Radio 1’s Big Weekend. They’re also Scottish, which is enough to think they’re a good band.

I have to admit, I’ve not listened to this track much. This is also the only Glasvegas track I have on my iTunes. So it really was luck of the draw that they were the first random tune to come up when I hit the ‘play’ button. I always thought Glasvegas were quite a rocky, happy sounding band, but this song is completely different, as you can probably tell from the title of it. After listening to this song thoroughly, my favourite thing about it is that you can still hear the lead singer’s Scottish accent when he sings. I wouldn’t recommend buying it though; it’s far too emo and without the memorable sound of Death Cab For Cutie.

Song #2: Send Me You – The Butchies: Yes, this band are as gay as their band name makes them sound. (You’ll have to excuse the amount of homosexuality in my playlist by the way. Saying that, there are still way more heterosexual artists on my iTunes than gays.) This band from North Carolina have an incredibly happy sound and they played with the Indigo Girls, so they must be pretty good.

This track is actually really fun and definitely fits the rock/pop genre at its best. It has dancey, pop guitar strumming and a definite fun bass drum in the background. If I had to pick different bands to compare this band to, I’d call them a mix of Sick of Sarah and Sleater-Kinney, so if you like any of those bands, you’ll probably like this track. It also featured on the second season of drama The L Word. I’m sure they wouldn’t have chosen this track if it sucked.

Song #3: LOL – Little Jackie: I actually only purchased this track on iTunes because it was a free single of the week. Apparently, Little Jackie’s album reached number 13 in the UK charts, but I never actually heard any of her music. Except for this track. And again, I only heard this one because it was free. Apparently this band aren’t super famous or anything, so maybe that’s why I never heard of them. Interestingly, they’ve never had any success in their home country, the USA.

I guess this song is okay. Not what I’d usually opt to listen to, but it’s cool if you’re heavily into hip hop or something. Little Jackie actually sounds a lot like a majorly stripped down version of Lil Mama, who is unsurprisingly more successful than this band. I’m not saying this song is horrible, it’s just not my cup of tea and it’s the chilled out version of hip hop. I’m much more into heavier stuff, i.e. Lil Mama, if I listen to this genre.

Song #4: Arrow – Tegan & Sara: This isn’t the first time Tegan & Sara have been mentioned on the Daily Wiggle. However, this song is possibly the only one to have been mentioned off their newest release, Sainthood. The album was already nominated for a Juno Award this year and made number 4 in the Canadian charts. It also reached number 21 in the US Billboard Charts, which is pretty good going for a little indie band like this one.

I wouldn’t say this was my favourite Tegan & Sara song, (that award goes to ‘Knife Going In’ or ‘Wrists’), but nevertheless, it’s still a strong, indie pop song. The drums in particular are a highlight of this track, but I don’t like how the tune just ends with little warning. Still, a good song and I’d recommend buying the track, if not the whole album.

Song #5: Love Machine – Girls Aloud: Anyone who knows me well will know I’m really not a cool person. And this is evidence of that statement. I actually have Girls Aloud’s Greatest Hits album, which makes me actually drop off the end of the ‘uncool’ meter. For anyone unfamiliar with this band, the girls have actually had 6 studio albums, not including the great hits. And with Cheryl Cole (or Tweedy?) being part of their line up, no wonder they’re so popular.

This track actually brings back good memories of karaoke. That’s right, out of all the classics I could have chosen, I went with the cheesy pop song instead. With a fun set of lyrics and the beat to match, this tune will simply have you dancing from start to finish. Also, I praise Girls Aloud for having released this track and whilst they make it cheesy, it’s not so cheesy you start spouting cream cheese out of your ears and want to die. *cough* Miley Cyrus.

Top Track This Week: Send Me You – The Butchies.

Even more baffling: if you did get stuck on a desert island, why would you know in advance that you were going to be stuck and there and have time to plan what you’d take?

If you followed that, I’m impressed.

Still, I don’t understand, but I guess it’s a fun question to think about anyway. So I decided if I happened to already know that I was going to be stranded soon, I’d take my iPod with me. (Let’s assume it has limited battery.) And these are the top 20 songs I’d want to listen to over and over until I saved myself or was saved.

These songs aren’t necessarily my favourite songs of all time, they’re just the ones I find most appropriate for a desert island vacation and are in no order.

1) Little Green – Joni Mitchell: I’m such a huge fan of Joni and this song is one of my favourites of hers. (Other include ‘River’, ‘A Case of You’ and ‘Carey’). It would be so relaxing to listen to if I were on a desert island.

2) Horchata – Vampire Weekend: Why wouldn’t I have this song on a desert island? It’s so summery sounding and I don’t tire of it at all. It reminds me of The Little Mermaid.

3) Wrists – Tegan & Sara: I have to have something a little bit gay to tide me over, even if this is the most cliché band I could have chosen. And this is possibly my favourite T&S song, alongside ‘Knife Going In’.

4) New Romantic – Laura Marling: Laura is super, super British, so I’d have this to remind me of home, because I love Britain a little too much. Plus, it’d be good to have something a little bit sad for when I get upset. And this song is my favourite out of all of her songs.

5) Summer – Jose Vanders: I’d have to have Jose there. Simply because she is one of my favourite people in the world. ‘Summer’ fits so well, because it’s bouncy and cute to sing along to.

6) White Blank Page – Mumford & Sons: See, Mumford being my favourite band right now, I’d feel the need to include on them on my list. It was a close call between this song and ‘Liar’, but this was the first Mumford & Sons song I heard, which is why I chose it.

7) Sleepy Head – Passion Pit: I’d have to have a little bit of electronic alternative goodness to dance around to at night. I love how abstract and seemingly random this song is, which would exactly describe the situation I was in.

8.) Brianstorm – Arctic Monkeys: Again, I’d have this purely because it’s British. The Arctic Monkeys are the epitome of British indie music and I appreciate them a fair amount. This tune is one of my faves too. Next to ‘When The Sun Goes Down’.

9) I Know What I Am – Band of Skulls: I have no idea why, but this band excites me no end. This is the sort of rock pop tune that makes you want to dance around naked on your own with your headphones in. Which is exactly what I’d do if I were trapped on a desert island. If it was hot, of course.

10) Surfing USA – The Beach Boys: Duhhhhh. If I’m anywhere near the sea, I need to get in the sea. And surfing would be top of my list if I had nothing else to do. Provided there weren’t sharks. Or jellyfish. Or crabs.

11) The Mating Game – BitterSweet: Well, I’m going to be honest here. If there was a hot lady around and I was super, super horny, this would be the song that was playing. Everyone needs a little bit of sex music, right?

12) A Promise – Broken Records: This is a super sad song, but I’ve always wanted to choreograph a contemporary dance to it. So I’m guessing if I were on a desert island, I’d have a bit of time to kill. This means it would be the perfect time to do such an activity. Fun!

13) Alice Practice – Crystal Castles: Again for party purposes. If I planned this trip, there’d be plenty of alcohol, so there’d need to be at least one night where we can just get off our tits and dance like losers.

14) Sweet Disposition – Temper Trap: Simply because this is the perfect song to sunbathe to. Again, if I planned to be stranded on a desert island, I’d make sure it was a hot one. This is calming and extremely interesting to listen to. Perfect.

15) Remember December – Demi Lovato: Everyone needs a little bit of cheesy pop to listen to when they’re bored. And Demi Lovato is just about the only kid from the Disney channel that I can stand. Mostly because she’s gorgeous, but whatever.

16) Zombies! – Designer Drugs: Again, a party tune. It makes your ears buzz. Literally. If you turn it up loud enough, it makes your ear drums vibrate and actually hurts your ears. Anyone who knows me knows I enjoy pain, which is why I love it.

17) Said The People – Dinosaur Jr.: I’ve always loved this song, but it’d be lovely to listen to whilst reflecting on my life back home if I were stranded somewhere. Plus, it’s 7 minutes 42 seconds long, meaning it’d give me more play time. Genius, I am.

18) What He Don’t Know – Heart: Okay, so maybe Tegan & Sara wasn’t enough gay for me to last over a week on a desert island. Heart are classic and perfect. Why wouldn’t I want them on the iPod?

19) Paris – Kate Nash: Gotta have a bit of modern Nash on the playlist to keep me going. This song makes me happy and makes me think of summer whole-heartedly. In fact, I can’t wait for the sun over here in Britain just so I can listen to this!

20) Him – Lily Allen: Again, I just feel like I need a bit of Lily there. This track is typically British, fun and has a retro feel to it. Love it. Seriousssssss.

Okay, that’s my playlist.

Honestly, there are lot more I wish I could include. In fact, I could probably make up a playlist of songs only from pre-1990.

What would be on your desert island list?

]]> http://www.thedailywiggle.com/2010/20-songs-to-have-with-you-on-a-desert-island/feed/ 2 http://www.thedailywiggle.com/2010/brand-new-music-kate-nash-my-best-friend-is-you/ http://www.thedailywiggle.com/2010/brand-new-music-kate-nash-my-best-friend-is-you/#comments Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:40:01 +0000 Lauren http://www.thedailywiggle.com/?p=1376 Remember when we reviewed Ellie Goulding’s ‘Lights’ on the day it was released? Well now, I’m going to review Kate Nash’s new album ‘My Best Friend Is You’ the day after it came out.

Don’t say we don’t spoil you.

If you’re thinking ‘but it’s not Monday!’ don’t worry. I know this. But music reviews aren’t exclusive to Monday, so I thought I’d just slap in a lovely album release for you all.

I actually saw Ms. Nash play live back in 2008 and she was really quite good. Her first album, ‘Made of Bricks’, was also awarded a respectable 4 stars HERE (click!) at the Daily Wiggle, so let’s see if this matches up in greatness, shall we?

Track #1: Paris – Ahh what a way to kick off a fresh start. Nash’s first album was definitely raw. It was great, don’t get me wrong, but it was raw. With little more than an acoustic guitar, a piano and a little bit of synth, her first album was quite basic. But this song already shows that Nash is on a bigger budget this time round, with trumpets, strings and of course, her trademark London accent. It’s all very home grown. But still fabulous.

Track #2: Kiss That Grrrl – For some reason, the first thing I thought of when listening to this was ‘the Beach Boys’. Maybe it’s the drums and the beachy feel to the guitar to the intro. Anyway, Kate’s signature lyrics are back with this track. They did lack a little in the first song, but this one reminds me a bit of ‘Mariella’ from the debut in some parts.

Track #3: Don’t You Want To Share The Guilt? – Not sure if I hear a ukulele here, but if I do, I’m in love with it from the intro. Ukuleles make every song worth listening to. I’d even listen to a bit of the Cheeky Girls if they stuck a little bit of uke in there. I like the quirkiness Kate uses to start this song with; the first two words of this tune are ‘Barbecue’ and ‘food’. Something I love with all my heart. To top it off, the rant Nash has at the end of this one is epic. Simply epic.

Track #4: I Just Love You More – When I first hit the ‘play’ button on track 4, it sounded nothing like a Kate Nash track. This one sounds rocky and edgy – 2 words I would never use to describe this songstress. But it seems that Nash’s new sound is apparent, especially in this one.  I love the little squeals she does in this one. Don’t listen to it if you’re not weird in the slightest, because it’ll probably freak you out.

Track #5: Do-Wah-Doo – I’ll have to admit I wasn’t a huge fan of this first single when I first heard it, but it’s definitely a grower. This one has a heavy guitar and the chorus actually makes me super happy. It wouldn’t be out of place if it was used as the soundtrack to an episode of Skins and makes me want to dance quite a lot. You’ll be singing ‘bum-bi-dum-bi-dum-bi-dum-bum’ repeatedly for ages after listening.

Track #6: Take Me To A Higher Plane – This kicks off with some super jolly violins that make the track seem randomly Irish. Don’t even know why. I like it anyway! The lyrics are actually pretty dark, but the happiness of the music that accompanies it turns the whole table around, giving it a great air of juxtaposition. Possibly my favourite track so far…

Track #7: I’ve Got A Secret – I really don’t understand the opening of this song but I guess it’s the quirkiness Kate is going for. Again, this track is much more edgy than anything on her previous album with its rockstar electric guitar, which isn’t a bad thing, but I’m not sure if I like this new Kate as much as I like the old Kate yet.

Track #8: Mansion Song – Finally, a song that ends in ’song’. Last time round, we had ‘Skeleton Song’ and ‘Shit Song’, so I was hoping we’d get a ’song’ this time too. This starts again with a rant from Kate Nash. But I love it, for some reason. The rant continues for a good 1 minute and 35 seconds and it says something about modern culture, telling a story on the way. The song afterwards is jumpy, fun and it makes you chant the lyrics immediately. Love it.

Track #9: Early Christmas Present – Christmas? In April? Let’s see what randomness Kate has come up with here… Not the strongest song by a mile, but it’s still cute and fun like the rest of the album. I don’t think this is a song that I’ll really remember out of all of them, but it’s not bad anyway.

Track #10: Later On – Drums! I love a Nash song that has drums in it. Simply because it’s so rare. I think this is where the album seems to get a little repetitive, but as I listen to the songs more, they’ll probably be easier to differentiate between the tracks. This song is nice and all but… not my favourite. I wonder if there’ll be any small, slow songs like ‘The Nicest Thing’ from the old album any time soon… A little variation would be nice.

Track #11: Pickpocket – I actually heard this in 2008 live when I saw Kate at Nottingham. (England). I don’t remember much about it but I can’t remember thinking it was pretty cute. I love the introduction of tinkling keys and this track definitely sounds much more like vintage Nash. Her vocals actually sound pretty dreamy with a raspy quality that I’ve not noticed before in this song and I think I like it. Lovely song.

Track #12: You Were So Far Away – What’s this I hear? A slow song? Well, ask and you shall receive. I actually thought the start of the track (before Kate started singing) was a Mumford & Sons track. I don’t know why, I guess the guitar just sounded a little like their song ‘The Cave’. This isn’t as sweet and meaningful as ‘The Nicest Thing’ – it’s actually got a pretty dark story behind it. This song actually leaves Kate’s vocal nowhere to hide, as the editing team have made sure that her voice is the main feature here, overshadowing the background guitar. It’s interesting and unlike anything I’ve heard before.

Track #13: I Hate Seagulls – This song is a long list about things Kate (probably personally) hates. I enjoy this, because most of these things I hate too. Feels like you can really relate to her, which is definitely a good thing and something you can’t really get in other songs by other artists. You know these songs are based on something that has happened to Nash personally, which is really great. It’s not all negative though, as Kate begins to warble sweetly about her special ‘friend’ of hers. It’s quite pretty and I’m glad she’s decided to include 2 slow songs this time through.

On the whole, I’m not convinced yet that I prefer this new age Kate Nash to the vintage, extremely British Kate I remember, but with a few more listens, I think that I could really warm to this album. I recommend it.

Top 3 Tracks:

Take Me To A Higher Plane

Pickpocket

I Hate Seagulls

]]> http://www.thedailywiggle.com/2010/brand-new-music-kate-nash-my-best-friend-is-you/feed/ 4 http://www.thedailywiggle.com/2010/music-monday-in-which-we-delete-a-particularly-bad-song/ http://www.thedailywiggle.com/2010/music-monday-in-which-we-delete-a-particularly-bad-song/#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:45:04 +0000 Lauren http://www.thedailywiggle.com/?p=1360 Oh look, it’s Monday again! Don’t the weeks fly by?

What happened this week? Well, a volcano erupted in Iceland, meaning that shit loads of European flights got cancelled. My favourite thing that happened this week? Nick Clegg became the hero of the Liberal Democrats and made David Cameron look ugly, old-fashioned and an all round dick.

Damn, I’ve sworn twice already…

But I’m not here to talk politics. Onto the music.

Song #1: Cry Me A River – The Cliks: I don’t actually know how this song came to exist on my iPod. I don’t even know who ‘The Cliks’ are, but apparently they can’t spell. Time for some research… Vancouver based, often compared to Bowie and The White Stripes and apparently they’re all gays. Hmm. Sounds fabulous if you ask me. Listening to the track, I’d agree with the White Stripes comparison. Which is definitely a good thing.

Yes, this song is a cover of the Justin Timberlake classic ‘Cry Me A River’. I actually like the original, but this one is just as good. It sounds almost like an entirely different song though. The band plays electric guitar, bass and a hefty drum beat that is definitely not as falsely manufactured as Timbo’s version. Great stuff. (Oh, p.s. I’m scrapping the whole ‘you can buy it HERE!’ shizzle. If you really want to listen/download, you’d get your lazy ass to type the band name in a search engine and find it yourself.)

Song #2: Son of a Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield: How do I even start to describe Dusty? No, not the bin, I mean Springfield. No, not the place where the Simpsons live… You know who I mean. Some say Ms. S was the goddess of soul. The GodMother. SOUL SISTAH. Catch my drift? Well whoever it was, they weren’t wrong. Can you believe this track was released in 1968? Me neither. Still sounds fresh as ever.

Many people have tried to cover this song, but no one really comes close to the way Dusty performs it. Her voice is suitably husky, the music is typically retro and the tune is still as catchy as ever. It actually makes me wish I was old. They don’t make music like this any more (with the exception of soul gems Paloma Faith and Paolo Nutini) but I wish they did. We need a few more popstrels like her and less of the slutty, wannabe generation.

Song #3: Constant Knot – City & Colour: This band is actually fronted by Dallas Green, the main man behind hardcore screamo band Alexisonfire. However, this band could not be more different from his original. This time round, Green goes for a more acoustic, folky version of Alexisonfire, with beautiful acoustic guitar strumming and a perfect raspy voice. However, I’m not sure I like this band as much.

I really want to like them, because this is usually the sort of music I listen to, but I just find them slightly bland sometimes. This song is pretty enough with a stunning vocal, but it’s not as good as some of their other tracks. (For example, ‘Save Your Scissors’ and ‘Confessions’.) You’ll like this if you like easy listening, laid back tracks, but I don’t find this band overly excited. A nice listen anyway.

Song #4: International Hustler – Freeway: I wasn’t aware that this was on my iTunes. Delete, delete, DELETEEEEE!!!!! (As you can see, I don’t recommend this song.)

Song #5: Spotlight – Jennifer Hudson: Ah, the Hudmeister. I love everything she’s ever done and everything she will do forevermore. You’ll probably remember her from Dream Girls or the Sex & the City movie, or if you’re a hardcore fan, you’ll know that Hudson was actually a contestant on the third season of American Idol which was won by Fantasia. (Fantasia does not feature anywhere in my iTunes, if you were wondering.)

I personally am a huge fan of J.Hud. She’s amazingly talented and I often compare her to Mercedes from Glee. Which is always a good thing. This song is the perfect R&B track, with pretty good lyrics (for an R&B song) and a catchy chorus. Catchy songs are generally winners in my book. With a few notable exceptions, such as ‘Babycakes‘ by 3 of a Kind and ‘Never Forget‘ by Take That. I’d definitely buy this if I were a fan of Aretha Franklin or Destiny’s Child.

Top Track This Week: Son of a Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield.

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