Sunday, 21 March 2010
Chameleons
When I first heard about Adam heading to Boy George's party, my first thought was WTF? I hadn't heard much about Boy George in recent years apart from tabloid stories about his seriously bizarre (and somewhat hilarious) offence of imprisoning a gigolo and threatening him with sex toys. He hasn't had the best publicity of late but I think Adam would have found it really interesting to meet one of his visual muses and to talk about their shared experience of being heavily influenced by David Bowie.
After some pondering, it seems to make more sense that Adam was there for networking. Most of us remember Boy George for his Culture Club days but he also achieved considerable success as a big-name club DJ, only he was less visible. He did a series of best-selling house remix albums for Ministry of Sound, perhaps the biggest global dance music franchise. I'm not sure whether he still has much clout with that scene, but turning Adam's songs into club remixes and getting them spun along with his dancier numbers could acquire him quite a following. I hope Adam will be marketed more as an electropop-dance artist over here because I don't believe his straight-up rock will do particularly well. Having a club hit before the TV promo circuit reveals his AI connection would certainly be to his advantage for sustaining commercial success. It's prevalent because of the backlash against reality shows' stranglehold over the charts, as demonstrated by our Christmas campaign against the X-Factor winner. The current timescales for Adam's single and album releases rule this out, but maybe it's something to consider further down the line. But what do I know? I don't follow Boy George or the pop charts, but sometimes it's fun to just speculate.
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Welcome to the UK, Adam's Musical Home!
This is a post mainly aimed at my international friends to tell you a little bit about the UK through my eyes and ears. It's by no means definitive and does contain some affectionate stereotypes. Many people equate the UK with England, but it is made up of more than one country. There is Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales who each have their own self-governing political systems. There is a fair amount of piss-taking between them. For example, Scots are branded as drunks who live off deep-fried Mars bars, the Welsh as singers with a penchant for bestiality with sheep. There is also a North-South divide in England. Southerners are ponces, Merseysiders are small-time crooks, those in the West Country are country bumpkin farmers and Geordie girls are famed for dressing like slappers (easy women) in little more than skimpy underwear, even in the depths of winter. It's all part of our banter.
The majority of musical influences Adam has cited are British, so I see this visit as a return to his musical home. I hope he's taking the opportunity to delve into the music scene while he's here and find even more inspiration. I'm more of a gigger/clubber so I'm not particularly knowledgable about British pop music and rarely follow the British pop charts. I do know that the singles chart is extremely fickle with songs often entering at the top spot before dropping away rapidly. The album chart provides a much better indicator of what's popular. Both of these charts are released every Sunday afternoon and can be found here: 1.Official singles chart 2.Official album chart
We have plenty of local radio stations but the channels with most listeners are the nationwide radio channels provided by state broadcaster BBC. The music channels with the biggest audiences are BBC Radio 2 (adult contemporary), BBC Radio 1 (pop), and Heart FM (adult contemporary).
Pop acts receiving a lot of media coverage at the moment include Florence and the Machine, JLS, Cheryl Cole, Ellie Goulding and Pixie Lott. The closest we have to male artists who would be in direct competion with Adam are Mika in terms of sound, and Robbie Williams in terms of showmanship.
EDIT: I've had some additional thoughts since posting and discussing this with some of you so I'm jotting them down. According to my unknowledgeable opinion, the songs I think that have most potential to take off are the electropoppy ones like FYE, Fever, IIHY and DTRH. I don't think straight-up rock such as WWFM can cut it, unless he's already established or it's boosted by use in film or TV. If Adam can get DJs to play his music and remixes in clubs, it will help to earn him cred before he does his TV promo and music snobs realise he's an AI alumnus. His music doesn't get released until late April so for most people here, he's still a relative unknown. It'll be interesting to see how he's marketed as a celebrity here. So far we only really have the NOTW article and the SuBo misquote, which have painted him out to be an edgy and outspoken rebel. Although the references to drug use may have put many off, attitudes here are quite liberal when it comes its recreational use. Celebrities + drugs = eyeroll.
The TV slots where music acts do their usual promotional performances are on shows such X-Factor, Britain's Got Talent, Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing On Ice. It's also common to have performances on chat shows like Jonathan Ross, Graham Norton and Alan Carr. There are music programmes such as T4, 4Music and Jools Holland that show live studio sets, concerts, or highlight specific artists. Artists also get exposure through quiz shows such as the music-oriented Never Mind the Buzzcocks. I'd love to see the exchange of smut between Adam and Norton and Carr, an acoustic set on Jools Holland and Adam headlining a festival on T4. Another wish would be for him to do the intros round on Buzzcocks, where contestants use their voices to reacreate the instrumentals of songs but aren't allowed to sing them. One thing I'd love even more though, is for Adam to make an appearance on Doctor Who as a singing rockstar alien with a fabulously freaky costume.
The British tabloid press is vicious, intrusive and thrives on sensationalist scandal but we know to read it with a huge dose of cynicism. Here's a brief summary of our print media:
Trashiest papers: The News of the World, The People, The Daily Star.
Informative papers: The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph.
Most popular papers: The Sun, Daily Mail, The Mirror, Metro.
Popular music magazines: NME, Q, Kerrang!, Mojo, Mixmag.
Popular celebrity gossip magazines: OK, Hello!, Heat, Closer, Now.
Popular men's magazines: FHM, GQ, Maxim, Nuts, Zoo.
The country is multicultural with London being the hub. I tend to think of it as a mini world in a city because of the number of nationalities represented. I think Adam would enjoy shopping for OTT rocker accessories in Camden with all its fashion-bold goths and punks. We are a nation of binge-drinkers and drink to get drunk with bars being the venue of choice rather than pubs or clubs. I'm partial to heading to Shoreditch's bars to check out the fashion of arty and new-media types, often ending up at quirky venues for after-parties. And I think Adam might like to take a trip to Soho to check out the abundant prettiness and friendly atmosphere amongst the many gay bars. But he should smooch carefully because tabloid kiss-and-tells are quite lucrative with careers having been built around them. Homophobia is fairly uncommon though the word 'gay' is still used as a mildly derogatory insult. Brighton is our gay capital and same-sex civil partnerships were made legal in 2005. We have plenty of public figures who are openly gay, ranging from politicians to TV personalities to musicians, so Adam's orientation should be a complete non-issue.
Well I hope this is a useful introduction to get you started as you come over here to follow Adam's visit. Please feel free to ask questions and make yourselves at home while I make you a cup of tea!
The majority of musical influences Adam has cited are British, so I see this visit as a return to his musical home. I hope he's taking the opportunity to delve into the music scene while he's here and find even more inspiration. I'm more of a gigger/clubber so I'm not particularly knowledgable about British pop music and rarely follow the British pop charts. I do know that the singles chart is extremely fickle with songs often entering at the top spot before dropping away rapidly. The album chart provides a much better indicator of what's popular. Both of these charts are released every Sunday afternoon and can be found here: 1.Official singles chart 2.Official album chartWe have plenty of local radio stations but the channels with most listeners are the nationwide radio channels provided by state broadcaster BBC. The music channels with the biggest audiences are BBC Radio 2 (adult contemporary), BBC Radio 1 (pop), and Heart FM (adult contemporary).
Pop acts receiving a lot of media coverage at the moment include Florence and the Machine, JLS, Cheryl Cole, Ellie Goulding and Pixie Lott. The closest we have to male artists who would be in direct competion with Adam are Mika in terms of sound, and Robbie Williams in terms of showmanship.
EDIT: I've had some additional thoughts since posting and discussing this with some of you so I'm jotting them down. According to my unknowledgeable opinion, the songs I think that have most potential to take off are the electropoppy ones like FYE, Fever, IIHY and DTRH. I don't think straight-up rock such as WWFM can cut it, unless he's already established or it's boosted by use in film or TV. If Adam can get DJs to play his music and remixes in clubs, it will help to earn him cred before he does his TV promo and music snobs realise he's an AI alumnus. His music doesn't get released until late April so for most people here, he's still a relative unknown. It'll be interesting to see how he's marketed as a celebrity here. So far we only really have the NOTW article and the SuBo misquote, which have painted him out to be an edgy and outspoken rebel. Although the references to drug use may have put many off, attitudes here are quite liberal when it comes its recreational use. Celebrities + drugs = eyeroll.
The TV slots where music acts do their usual promotional performances are on shows such X-Factor, Britain's Got Talent, Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing On Ice. It's also common to have performances on chat shows like Jonathan Ross, Graham Norton and Alan Carr. There are music programmes such as T4, 4Music and Jools Holland that show live studio sets, concerts, or highlight specific artists. Artists also get exposure through quiz shows such as the music-oriented Never Mind the Buzzcocks. I'd love to see the exchange of smut between Adam and Norton and Carr, an acoustic set on Jools Holland and Adam headlining a festival on T4. Another wish would be for him to do the intros round on Buzzcocks, where contestants use their voices to reacreate the instrumentals of songs but aren't allowed to sing them. One thing I'd love even more though, is for Adam to make an appearance on Doctor Who as a singing rockstar alien with a fabulously freaky costume.
The British tabloid press is vicious, intrusive and thrives on sensationalist scandal but we know to read it with a huge dose of cynicism. Here's a brief summary of our print media:
Trashiest papers: The News of the World, The People, The Daily Star.
Informative papers: The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph.
Most popular papers: The Sun, Daily Mail, The Mirror, Metro.
Popular music magazines: NME, Q, Kerrang!, Mojo, Mixmag.
Popular celebrity gossip magazines: OK, Hello!, Heat, Closer, Now.
Popular men's magazines: FHM, GQ, Maxim, Nuts, Zoo.
Well I hope this is a useful introduction to get you started as you come over here to follow Adam's visit. Please feel free to ask questions and make yourselves at home while I make you a cup of tea!
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Sprung Open
As so much has happened since the Fantasy Springs concert, I thought I'd make a separate post. This was the first live performance of Broken Open and came as a very pleasant surprise as I was expecting A Loaded Smile. I wonder if time was running a little short because the band started so soon after the last song and before the audience had time to settle down. Adam looks like he wasn't quite ready either, bottle in hand and unable to steal a sip of water before his cue to start singing. You'd never be able to tell from just listening. The outfit, though fabulous, wasn't the most practical as things seemed to get caught in it very easily. I thought getting tangled and restricting his freedom of movement was one of the reasons why he kept playing with his peacock feather hair extension during some of the other songs.
When Adam's voice sails in, it's sweet and soothes the audience into a swift silence. The atmosphere the acoustic arrangement creates is similar to the studio version where the quivery ethereal quality of his vocals sends you floating away from your real-life troubles. His outstretched arms enhance the feeling of being wrapped in the softest of comfort blankets as you are warmed by the reassuring voice of a close confidant.
Keep your eyes open at the end when he flashes a broad smile and finally gets that sip of water.
For this video, I decided to do more fading effects than usual to try to enhance the gentle floaty feel of the song. The double Adam fading in and out is meant to evoke the feeling of reassurance that there's someone always with you in spirit to help you through tough times and to coax you into healing.
DOWNLOAD Broken Open (Acoustic) - mp3 12.0MB
DOWNLOAD Broken Open (Acoustic) - iPod compatible mp4 60.7MB
Update 19/03/10: DOWNLOAD Broken Open (Acoustic) - HD mp4 76.6MB - Slightly different edit with added fine tuning.
Update 27/03/10: DOWNLOAD Broken Open (Acoustic) - HD mp4 v1 81.7MB - Better sound than version above.
When Adam's voice sails in, it's sweet and soothes the audience into a swift silence. The atmosphere the acoustic arrangement creates is similar to the studio version where the quivery ethereal quality of his vocals sends you floating away from your real-life troubles. His outstretched arms enhance the feeling of being wrapped in the softest of comfort blankets as you are warmed by the reassuring voice of a close confidant.
Keep your eyes open at the end when he flashes a broad smile and finally gets that sip of water.
For this video, I decided to do more fading effects than usual to try to enhance the gentle floaty feel of the song. The double Adam fading in and out is meant to evoke the feeling of reassurance that there's someone always with you in spirit to help you through tough times and to coax you into healing.
DOWNLOAD Broken Open (Acoustic) - mp3 12.0MB
DOWNLOAD Broken Open (Acoustic) - iPod compatible mp4 60.7MB
Update 19/03/10: DOWNLOAD Broken Open (Acoustic) - HD mp4 76.6MB - Slightly different edit with added fine tuning.
Update 27/03/10: DOWNLOAD Broken Open (Acoustic) - HD mp4 v1 81.7MB - Better sound than version above.
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Glamajuku Hits Japan
I'd been very excited about Adam's visit to fashion-forward Japan, where there is no top to OTT and fanaticism is taken to a whole new level. It must have been quite an experience to have received such an enthusiastic welcome from the thousand dedicated fans who lined up to greet him at Narita. There could be little that's more validating than that and I'm so happy Adam is getting the appreciation he deserves overseas.
Sometimes I wonder what type of creative performances we would have seen from Adam if the AI audience were Japanese. We have been provided with a good glimpse though, and it's a joy to see him so at ease with really letting loose in expressing himself.
His first show on this trip for those few lucky fans was in Club Eleven in Roppongi. Decked out as a dazzling spiky glitterbomb with those now infamously flattering leggings (sans codpiece), he really rocked the joint in a couple of choreographed numbers. I love the setting and think that concerts are so much better when moshing rather than sitting. The atmosphere seems electric, with the videos capturing the feel of the small sweaty underground club of the FYE music video. Except I think these videos do it better because it's less staged and much more authentic. I wasn't keen on the dancers on SYTYCD in Australia, but I think the routines here work much better because Adam is an integral part and the dancers complement rather than do battle with him. Here's the set embedded as a playlist (use the arrows to choose the song) :
This is Adam's first live televised performance of FYE (below, second video in playlist) since the AMAs and there have been some notable changes. The vocal is much improved but the start is still a tiny bit shaky. I think this is because the verses are a little low for him so it's difficult to sing sustained notes with the same clarity and power as the chorus. As with the Roppongi rendition, it's been shortened and I notice that he's been sliding up to the high notes rather than jumping which makes it easier to find the right pitch, and pretty much pitch-perfect he is. He shows off some very slick new dance moves and the routine as a whole is made of win.
And the look! Wow! It appears that he really went with his 'More is more' mantra with make-up that truly is a work of art. There appear to be influences from Japanese kabuki theatre with the eye make-up, enhanced by the rhinestones and thick eyebrows. I think he looks like a cute anime sprite. The fiery colours are quite a departure from the cool colours I'm used to. Those along with the fur, spikes and claws complete a leonine look. Rawr!
Sometimes I wonder what type of creative performances we would have seen from Adam if the AI audience were Japanese. We have been provided with a good glimpse though, and it's a joy to see him so at ease with really letting loose in expressing himself.His first show on this trip for those few lucky fans was in Club Eleven in Roppongi. Decked out as a dazzling spiky glitterbomb with those now infamously flattering leggings (sans codpiece), he really rocked the joint in a couple of choreographed numbers. I love the setting and think that concerts are so much better when moshing rather than sitting. The atmosphere seems electric, with the videos capturing the feel of the small sweaty underground club of the FYE music video. Except I think these videos do it better because it's less staged and much more authentic. I wasn't keen on the dancers on SYTYCD in Australia, but I think the routines here work much better because Adam is an integral part and the dancers complement rather than do battle with him. Here's the set embedded as a playlist (use the arrows to choose the song) :
This is Adam's first live televised performance of FYE (below, second video in playlist) since the AMAs and there have been some notable changes. The vocal is much improved but the start is still a tiny bit shaky. I think this is because the verses are a little low for him so it's difficult to sing sustained notes with the same clarity and power as the chorus. As with the Roppongi rendition, it's been shortened and I notice that he's been sliding up to the high notes rather than jumping which makes it easier to find the right pitch, and pretty much pitch-perfect he is. He shows off some very slick new dance moves and the routine as a whole is made of win.
And the look! Wow! It appears that he really went with his 'More is more' mantra with make-up that truly is a work of art. There appear to be influences from Japanese kabuki theatre with the eye make-up, enhanced by the rhinestones and thick eyebrows. I think he looks like a cute anime sprite. The fiery colours are quite a departure from the cool colours I'm used to. Those along with the fur, spikes and claws complete a leonine look. Rawr!
Roaring in Singapore
OK this is very late but I thought I'd post anyway, just for completeness. The trip started off with a horde of people waiting to greet Adam at the airport who he unfortunately and inadvertently bypassed. There are plenty of videos showing the huge crowds who lined up just to get a glimpse of Adam come rain or shine. One of the things I noticed first was the slightly different demographic of the fans, being younger than their US counterparts. There are some great interviews that came out of this trip.
Here is an embedded playlist of Adam's acoustic set, use the arrows to select the song.
The highlights of this set for me are Sleepwalker with the elaborate riffs, MW and DTRH. I love the upbeat arrangement of MW with that last note being nothing short of astounding. DTRH is full of infectious energy with Longineu's dreads flying about and Adam himself succumbing to the music by getting up and shakin' it. There is something very Michael Jackson about his outfit, from the black sequinned jacket to the white gloves.
Here is an embedded playlist of Adam's acoustic set, use the arrows to select the song.
The highlights of this set for me are Sleepwalker with the elaborate riffs, MW and DTRH. I love the upbeat arrangement of MW with that last note being nothing short of astounding. DTRH is full of infectious energy with Longineu's dreads flying about and Adam himself succumbing to the music by getting up and shakin' it. There is something very Michael Jackson about his outfit, from the black sequinned jacket to the white gloves.
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Adam Unplugged
Updated 14/03/10 to include Take 40 WWFM
Is anyone else having trouble keeping up with this media blitz? I feel like I'm under a huge pile, continuously trying to scramble my way to the top. Australia gave us plenty of unique and humorous interviews as well as some stunning performances. We've also had the release of the VH1 acoustic set which has been a pain to hunt down to watch if you're not in the US. Here are all the recent performances collected together and grouped by song for your convenience:
Music Again - VH1 Unplugged
The arrangement is bright and the keys are tinkly. Although it's an interesting change, I prefer the electric guitar solo. The biggest noticeable difference about this rendition is the missing jump into falsetto. It's very difficult to get it perfect and since this taping was right after the Rock My Town concert, it was probably better to leave it out. I think it works better anyway with the acoustic set.
Music Again - Nova FM
When I watch this video, I find a strange fascination with the way the fine tip of Adam's nose moves when he sings during the close-ups. Also I can see what Adam meant when he described Longineu as being in his own world.
Mad World - VH1 Unplugged
What I like most about this version is Adam's choice to revert to the high 'Very very', something I've missed and haven't heard him sing since Top 8 night on AI.
Mad World - Marble Bar, Sydney
This is a peculiar upbeat arrangement based on the original Tears for Fears version and sets a very different mood. With energy bubbling out of him, watching those animated hand gestures and Adam's raised knees as he hits those highs is almost like watching him in fast-forward.
Whataya Want From Me? - VH1 Unplugged
This rendition comes with a nice change during 'It's me, I'm a freak' and plenty of variations in the timing. My favourite part is the beautifully smooth falsetto of 'So-o just don't give up'.
Whataya Want From Me? - Nova FM I
Whataya Want From Me? - Nova FM II
In this performance, Adam's voice sounds slightly huskier than usual and he holds back on the high parts. It's also one of the rare performances where we get to see him sing in a studio without audience interaction so his eyes are closed throughout the whole song.
Whataya Want From Me? - Take 40
Adam sounds a little hoarse here too but I love the bridge.
Broken Open - VH1 Unplugged
This is a rousing performance with breathtaking vocals. I love how he used his voice over the instrumental break.
Down The Rabbit Hole - VH1 Unplugged
After the softness of the previous songs in this unplugged set, the dynamic change giving us a rougher tone makes for a pleasant contrast. This is one of my favourite tracks, hectic but such fun and performed very theatrically.
Sleepwalker - Nova FM
This is a stunning acoustic debut where Adam's voice is full of that resonant rock grit which I'm particularly fond of. There is so much I love about these vocals, including the way he belts out 'But you don't wan't me' working in the vibrato, the final 'Eyes wide shut' and his crazy riffing.
Is anyone else having trouble keeping up with this media blitz? I feel like I'm under a huge pile, continuously trying to scramble my way to the top. Australia gave us plenty of unique and humorous interviews as well as some stunning performances. We've also had the release of the VH1 acoustic set which has been a pain to hunt down to watch if you're not in the US. Here are all the recent performances collected together and grouped by song for your convenience:
Music Again - VH1 Unplugged
The arrangement is bright and the keys are tinkly. Although it's an interesting change, I prefer the electric guitar solo. The biggest noticeable difference about this rendition is the missing jump into falsetto. It's very difficult to get it perfect and since this taping was right after the Rock My Town concert, it was probably better to leave it out. I think it works better anyway with the acoustic set.
Music Again - Nova FM
When I watch this video, I find a strange fascination with the way the fine tip of Adam's nose moves when he sings during the close-ups. Also I can see what Adam meant when he described Longineu as being in his own world.
Mad World - VH1 Unplugged
What I like most about this version is Adam's choice to revert to the high 'Very very', something I've missed and haven't heard him sing since Top 8 night on AI.
Mad World - Marble Bar, Sydney
This is a peculiar upbeat arrangement based on the original Tears for Fears version and sets a very different mood. With energy bubbling out of him, watching those animated hand gestures and Adam's raised knees as he hits those highs is almost like watching him in fast-forward.
Whataya Want From Me? - VH1 Unplugged
This rendition comes with a nice change during 'It's me, I'm a freak' and plenty of variations in the timing. My favourite part is the beautifully smooth falsetto of 'So-o just don't give up'.
Whataya Want From Me? - Nova FM I
Whataya Want From Me? - Nova FM II
In this performance, Adam's voice sounds slightly huskier than usual and he holds back on the high parts. It's also one of the rare performances where we get to see him sing in a studio without audience interaction so his eyes are closed throughout the whole song.
Whataya Want From Me? - Take 40
Adam sounds a little hoarse here too but I love the bridge.
Broken Open - VH1 Unplugged
This is a rousing performance with breathtaking vocals. I love how he used his voice over the instrumental break.
Down The Rabbit Hole - VH1 Unplugged
After the softness of the previous songs in this unplugged set, the dynamic change giving us a rougher tone makes for a pleasant contrast. This is one of my favourite tracks, hectic but such fun and performed very theatrically.
Sleepwalker - Nova FM
This is a stunning acoustic debut where Adam's voice is full of that resonant rock grit which I'm particularly fond of. There is so much I love about these vocals, including the way he belts out 'But you don't wan't me' working in the vibrato, the final 'Eyes wide shut' and his crazy riffing.
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