Photo: Florence + The Machines

Blurb from YAMS:

A few months back, “Kiss with a Fist” [video below] by Florence and the Machine was posted here as Video of the Moment and dedicated to my lover. Today, whilst web browsing I came across a great mix by that I needed to share with you. Please take the time out to get into Florence and the Machine!

Blurb from YAMS:

Ze! we need more dialogue from you next time. You have a cute voice!

Although we wish there was more dialogue from Ze! cause her [talking] voice is cute, we really enjoyed this video. Our favourite looks are of Ze! in her red bra and when she wore the pink tutu. We love your choice, honey. We would have chosen the man with the Ze! thunderbolt, too! (Sticks tongue out)

About Boys I Like:

July 30th 2010, Brussels – Malaysian electropop singer Ze! premieres new music video “Boys I Like” simultaneously in 5 different cities around the globe at midnight tonight.

“Boys I Like” was shot in Hollywood last April by a team of new and upcoming film directors collectively known as Schlub Films. Ze! met director Eugene Lee back in 2008 when she was participating in an Asian Talent Show called, Sutasi in which Lee was a host. The two decided to work together on this music video when Ze! visited LA, stayed in Lee’s apartment and met his friendly group of actor-friends.

“Working with the Schlubs was a lot of fun,” says Ze!. “They’re a hyperactive bunch with an eternity of ideas. They’ve done a few really good short films but it was their first time producing a music video, which was maybe what made the process even more exciting.”

“Hanging out with Eugene’s friends was a great experience as it gave me an insight as to what life is really like as actors. The annoying thing is they’re all amazing actors which only made me feel like a goofball on set. They were at least nice enough not to laugh at me.”

‘Boys I Like’ is written by ZE! and producer Ruben Debusschere; a track taken off of ZE!’s new electro-pop album I Am Glam and was the first single released in 2007 along with 3 remixes. I Am Glam is distributed worldwide by Believe Digital and now available for download via all major digital music stores including iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Napster, Nokia Music Store and more.

GrumCake

Blurb from YAMS:

Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Grum since watching the music video for “Can’t Shake This Feeling” (see below). “Heartbeart” filled with big-beat synths, (all that other music jargon that I cannot make my own) and good-time head nods has to be my favourite on my Grum playlist. It sounds like a new wave [La] “Macarena” that you want to chronically-vogue-to and-end-your-routine-with-a-running-man-split! I also hear he is a Scotsman. (winks) For more about Grum, click here.

MP3: “Heartbeats” by Grum

About Grum

The best artists in the world start from the ground up. You see a tiny review, you hear about them from your friends, then you see something in the street. A flyer, sticker, poster, something; connections are made.

That was fine when there was a record store on every High Street. When an artist connected, picking up their record was as simple as buying a loaf of bread. The internet has completely changed all that. It might be far easier to get hold of your new favourite single but some of the connections have been lost. Who even knows what most single covers look like? Who remembers the flyer when they’re browsing the blogs?

Grum, the UK’s most important new dance producer is the first artist to change all that, revolutionising the way the public interact with music.

The artwork is a pioneering design, developed by David Ross, the artistic and creative brains behind Mylo’s ‘Destroy Rock N Roll’ poster and artwork campaigns. For Grum he has incorporated a unique 2-D Barcode into the artwork, which when photographed by your mobile phone (using the appropriate application) takes you directly to the music where you can hear great quality streamed versions of the track, with an option to buy there and then. A fully interactive experience for fans to get the music they want, when they want it. See the poster on the street or an advert in a mag, snap the logo, and get direct to the music. There’s already massive interest with mobile phone providers and software programmers to develop this idea, but Grum got there first. The revolution starts here!

Follow GrungeCake on Twitter, fan us on Facebook, and subscribe to our feed!

Blurb from YAMS:

My brother Fulvio, founder and CEO of ReddArmy presented his new music video to me and immediately I fell in love with the fun visuals. Though, the lyrics aren’t in English, I am sure the melody will keep you interested and watching. We are already singing the hook over here. Hahahah. Click for more Madrac.

Follow GrungeCake on Twitter, fan us on Facebook, and subscribe to our feed!
MP3: Solo Lei by Madrac (feat. Smania Uagliuns) by Madrac

About Madrac:

A four man combo dealing with funk, hip hop, electronics somewhere between Outkast, Daft Punk, and some unsuspectable rockish attitude for an electronic band.

Madrac has made two albums in Furlan, a local minoritarian language, which had very good reviews on a national basis despite the uncomprehensible language. Were the first ReddArmy band to be aired on national TV.

‘Having been closed in the studio from 2007 to now for “that difficult third album”, named “L’esercito del sole” (the army of the sun), possibly the biggest effort in the whole ReddArmy, and will feature some (yet undisclosed) major italian artists and two international artists from the caribbean seas.

Founded by ReddKaa, ReddArmy’s founder and CEO, they include MattiaC, a keyboard player that sounds like a solo guitarist, Kappah, which deals with twisted electronics and wonky beats as his “twin brother” Railster does, and young rock singer Zanna, that substituted ReddKaa on vocals.

Follow GrungeCake on Twitter, fan us on Facebook, and subscribe to our feed!

Blurb from YAMS:

In many ways, [aesthetically] Sia reminds me of Cornelia, Robyn, and Björk. She is an Australian soulful jazz-styled pop singer and songwriter and [vocally] exciting — every time! I wanted to listen to Sia’s album on Spotify to make this post more of an album review, but I was unsuccessful. For now, I bring you “Clap Your Hands” from her latest album, “We Are Born” and a personal favourite, “Buttons” by Sia from her album, “Some People Have Real Problems“. Enjoy. For the fashion junkies, feed your stomachs by reading Elle‘s article on her wardrobe.

MP3: “Clap Your Hands” by Sia

MP3: “Buttons” by Sia

Photo: siamusic.net

About We Are Born:

Sia released her fifth studio album titled We Are Born on June 18, 2010. The first single from the album is to be “Clap Your Hands“. A first track from this album, “You’ve Changed“, was premiered on music blog, Sheena Beaston, on November 18, 2009. “You’ve Changed” was originally co-written and released in 2008 by American DJ/producer Lauren Flax which was then re-recorded for Sia’s 2010 album, We Are Born.

Sia performed some new material (“You’ve Changed“, “The Co-Dependent” and “Clap Your Hands“) during her 2009/2010 tours, from “We Are Born“. “The Co-Dependent” was originally noted in 2008 to be part of a future ‘Animated Pop Project‘ called “The H-Crusaders“.

Her cover of The Church song “Under the Milky Way” was used in a Lincoln MKT car commercial, and on January 26, 2010, was released to the iTunes store.

“You’ve Changed” has become Sia’s highest charting single in Australia to date, and her first top 50 release, peaking at #31 and was played in the television show The Vampire Diaries. Her three other charting singles are “Buttons” (#67 in April 2009), “Soon We’ll Be Found” (#87 in May 2009) and “Taken for Granted” (#100 in March 2002). “You’ve Changed” also placed 72nd in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2009, even only being available since December 2009, followed shortly after by “Buttons” (CSS Remix) in 50th place.

“Femme Fatale” by Aloe Blacc

Blurb from YAMS:

The second single from Aloe Blacc’s forthcoming Good Things is a 7-inch of “Femme Fatale”, Aloe Blacc & Truth+Soul’s take on the Velvet Underground classic. The instrumental is on the flip side of this heavy 7-inch slab of vinyl.

MP3: “Femme Fatale” by Aloe Blacc

About Aloe Blacc:

“My purpose for music is positive social change,” says Orange County, California native Aloe Blacc. “Even if the music itself does not explicitly express anything that may signify positive social change, the product of the music will.” He is speaking in general terms regarding his career, but more specifically about the circumstances surrounding his upcoming album, Good Things, co-written by the versatile vocalist and songwriter in conjunction with the in-house production team at Truth & Soul Records.

Good Things marks a shift in methodology from personal to political for Aloe, who refers to the project as his report on present conditions—joblessness, homeless, the misappropriation of wealth, pillaging of resources, and a universal lack of compassion from the capitalism at-large under which we all function, but some struggle to survive. Song titles such as “You Make Me Smile” and “Miss Fortune,” coupled with airy, ethereal production from Truth & Soul’s Leon Michels and Jeff Silverman mask a foreboding undercurrent in which Aloe crafts lyrics both thoughtful and thought-provoking. Nowhere is this more evident than on lead single, “I Need a Dollar”—commissioned by HBO as the theme music for the series How to Make It in America—because ultimately, that is how to make it in America.

The first-generation American offspring of Panamanian parents, Aloe has become what writer and activist Amiri Baraka (nee Leroi Jones) once said of John Coltrane. He is a singular “scope of feeling…a more fixed traveler” who has found cohesion in art and life. The path from his 2006 debut, the multi-genre Shine Through, to Good Things is akin to the maturation of Marvin Gaye between That’s the Way Love Is and the What’s Going On masterwork that followed. Aloe has never purported to be any heir to Gaye, but musically, Good Things and What’s Going On are companion pieces as both albums establish a character for the artists that sets them apart from the sea of performers making very vivid and discernible—yet normative and conformist—statements about who they are and what they do. Good Things is a definitive declaration that places Aloe directly in the framework of modern soul.

At the heart of this musical character is a recession-age Robin Hood, whose goal is to sell and profit from his wares with hope of freeing the less fortunate from the capitalist system that serves as both their oppressor and his motivation. A 2001 graduate of the University of Southern California, Aloe credits a myriad of influences—transcendentalist scholars Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, French existentialism, Oprah Winfrey, Tavis Smiley, Cornel West—with leading him from the inner streams of consciousness he possessed as an MC early in his career, to a more disciplined approach to songwriting, and now, the desire to affect change and induce compassion by way of his own success. It is his grand scheme, which, not coincidentally, is also the name of his backing band (The Grand Scheme). The key is compromise and understanding the power of popular art. Aloe is willing to put the gloves on and engage in the marketplace. Good things lie ahead. – Ronnie Reese

Name for the 'Drum' Album

Blurb from YAMS:

Name. I have known Name for quite some time. Online friend turned one of my favourite musicians ever, Name manages to sound like disco and dance music from the 80s and dress the part — his lyrics are catchy, meaningful, and he will earn awards in the near future. I can feel it! Kindly visit this link to listen and click the banner to buy his album, Drum: Thanks. Photos: Sebastian Ludvigsen

MP3: “Alphabet Love” by Name

MP3: “Latest Fad” by Name

GrungeCake: If love were a colour, what would it be?

Name: Love always changes shades of colour. Red, blue, green or maybe peachy keen are the most viable ones to me. Red is an exciting, sometimes dangerous one. Blue is the all to often sad one. Green is the sometimes jealous one. Peachy keen is the rare one. Too good to be true almost!

GrungeCake: How did you come up with the chorus for Alphabet Love?

Name: A simple melody often calls for a simple chorus. The whole late 50′s/early 60′s vibe of the song had me free associating love in the most sweet and naive way.

GrungeCake: According to my handy dandy, Wikipedia, Love is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection. The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure (“I loved that meal”) to intense interpersonal attraction (“I love my girlfriend”). This diversity of meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states. If you had to define what love is, using half of the Norwegian alphabet, what would be your definition?

Name: Haha. This is getting too time consuming! Our alphabet is basically the same as the english one except we add the letters ÆØÅ after yours is over. Maybe those three letters were specifically designed for a task such as this? Any who, I’m way too lazy for this!

GrungeCake: To read the full interview, click here to buy the magazine.

The Wisdom of Courtney Love

Blurb from YAMS:

Other than the nostalgic images and videos from the 90s, the idea of who Courtney Love really is as an individual escapes me. I just watched this short clip below on Courtney and I cannot wait for the premiere. In the video below, Courtney discusses her pain, her anger, her fame, her band Hole, heroin usage, pregnancy, her critics, Trent Reznor, and Rohypnol. I love her voice. Watch the 2-hour episode with me on Monday, June 21, 2010 8pm via the Live Video button on our new toolbar. This interview will air via VH1.

[showtime]

Beth Ditto

Blurb from YAMS:

I have a love for photography with Beth Ditto in it — especially the photo work done for Pop — hence, the photograph taken by Steven Klein and overseen by Katie Grand on the GrungeCake homepage and all sister sites. In short, size matters… I wonder if Ditto and Gaga get along.

About Beth Ditto:

A resident of Portland, Oregon, she is a close friend of Scissor Sisters lead singer Ana Matronic, and considers her favorite song to be “Oh Bondage, Up Yours” by X-Ray Spex. She courted mild controversy in 2006 when, during an interview for NME magazine, she claimed to have eaten squirrels as a child, saying that “people in Arkansas just do – they’d think you were a freak if you ate squid there!”

Ditto is known for her noticeable stage dances and her unique and revealing image. She classes herself as a punk, and thus does not wear deodorant or shave under her armpits, having once remarked that “I think punks usually smell”. She has been lauded for her support of positive body image, despite comments from doctors that she may be causing harm to public health by normalising obesity. She also formerly contributed an advice column on body image to The Guardian newspaper.

In February 2009, she was featured in London as the cover model for the premiere of Love magazine with prominent public advertising. On July 9, 2009, Beth’s fashion collection for the UK retailer Evans was released for sale, both online, and in selected stores across the UK.

Ditto on the premiere cover of London’s Love Magazine. She has been an outspoken advocate for large women being body-positive and has been regularly photographed as an editorial model. Ditto, who is lesbian, is well known for her outspoken support of both LGBT and feminist causes.

Stills from 'Pillows'

A few days ago, Accidental Seabirds was in my office and I had the pleasure of picking his brains. Kindly watch Accidental Seabird’s music video below and leave a comment of critique.

Words by Accidental Seabirds: The video for “Pillows” was made by VAMP group from Philadelphia. They’re new, but they’re really good at what they do and they’re fun to work with. They wanted me to choose the location for the shoot. I chose a desolate boardwalk for the set, because [to me] it metaphorically represents what the song is about. Sort of.

The song has a few ideas within, but the central theme is substance abuse and addiction. It’s based on a dear friend of mine who nearly destroyed himself. Too many people, especially young people, very carelessly use drugs these days because they’re unaware of the dangers or they don’t realize how serious drug abuse can become. Shit is real, kids are dying, and we need to address these issues because young folks obviously don’t listen to their parents or any figure of authority for that matter. It’s not cool to be hooked on pills or whatever and it’s not cool for parents to bury their children.

Anyway, the boardwalk is supposed to be this place of entertainment and escape from daily life but when no one else is there the fun seems really phony and you’re left with stray cats, seagulls, and the bottom of the ocean calling your name.

MP3: “Audio Interview” with Accidental Seabirds

Accidental Seabirds is the moniker of the Brooklyn based musician Jesse Herdman. Jesse has composed three unofficially released albums since 2002. His fourth album “The Snow and the Full Moon” will be officially released August 2010.