You're still there

It's a new(ish) Giusy Ferreri song.She's gone all moody since the likes of Novembre,and is smashing expensive things up with an indestructible guitar and shouting at her boyfriend within close proximity,yet still managing to look completely fabulous throughout.Splendido.



Oh yes,it's called Stai fermo lì and it's the third single from the album- Gaetana.

Be yourself no matter what they say

So there's a new video out for La Voix eh?



I'm loving the black and white,and the fact it's shot in Germany.But it is a little bit odd isn't it? Maybe they should have used this one...

Anyway- and this is true- last night I was thinking how cool it would be if there was a German version of CP's Hero.Schlager is an originally German invention after all.So I was surprised and pleased to find that there is indeed such a thing as a deutsche Version...



Wow,that video...

I might have loved you but you're gone all the same

Continuing my education in French pop (and after reading about him over on PPG),I bought Christophe Willem's album Inventaire today.€7,99 in Virgin,that's probably the best price anyone's paid for a CD in France ever.Anyway,I haven't listened to it all yet,but I do love this song Jacques a Dit (Simon Says).It's rather lovely.And I adore Christophe's voice...

Christophe Willem - Jacques à dit
Uploaded by espritjeune

New album out next Thursday I believe.I look forward to it.

For a few minutes we're the reality

About 3000 years after the event,I remembered that the Bundesvision Song Contest has been and gone.I think I might have mentioned it before,but it's a mini version of ESC where all the German states take part.It was Stefan Raab's idea (remember him?) and it's basically a really good way of finding new German music.There aren't ESC type rules as such- singles can be entered,and have been by lots of famous German bands.Revolverheld sang Freunde Bleiben for Bremen in 2006,Culcha Candela represented Berlin in 2008,the same year that Sportfreunde Stiller represented Bavaria (I didn't know that's where they're from...) etc etc.Last year's contest though,was won by the state of Brandenburg.Subway to Sally's song Auf Kiel (unfortunately nothing to do with the second best city in Germany) beat Thuringia's Clueso by 1 point.

Anyway.This year,Berlin won with quite frankly a pants song with a weird video.Schwarz zu Blau is by Peter Fox and beat the second place song by 30-odd points.And what was that song that came second I hear you ask? :) Well,none other than my favourite band of the moment- Polarkreis 18 (for Saxony)with The Colour of Snow.One of the rules (probably the only one) of Bundesvision is that the lyrics have to be at least 50% in German,so this version is a bit different to the album version.Because it's such a British style of music,it sounds a bit weird auf Deutsch,but it's still very good.



Other songs of note- well,I haven't listened to them all,but I did of course listen to (and love) Schleswig-Holstein's entry, Bis Auf Letzte Nacht (Until last night) by Ruben Cossani.



And then there's our neighbours Niedersachsen.Their song was Du Fehlst Mir (I miss you) by Fotos.It's like,you know,so indie.

I think of you and traces we leave behind

I'm completely loving the new Kleerup song,having found out about it on the brilliant Popjustice.But it's true,the video is very sad :(



Actually that's three sad songs in a row that I've posted now.Let's remedy this...



There.Now I feel thoroughly cheered up :)

I just want you to know...

As I was saying to Keira the other day,I'm a sucker for big romantic ballads.Måns's A Stanger Saved My Life being the most recent example.But I just found this song by one of my favourite singer-songwriters Philipp Poisel,and although it's not really a big ballad,it's quite intense and is one of the most bloody heartbreaking songs I've heard in a long time.



Just an excuse for me to translate German again,here's what most of it means :)

Keep me hidden where you won't find me but will still miss me
I haven't spoken to you for weeks yet I'm forever wondering where you are

I just want you to know that I still love you
And that in the end,there's no one else who can complete me
No one else who can move me like you


I'm interested as to why this isn't on the album.It would fit perfectly on there.

Cross my heart and hope to die,I'm not drunk and I'm not high

It's always exciting hearing songs in places you least expect they'll be played.So today in H&M at the Forum des Halles,I was very pleasantly surprised to hear this...



Teitur being played in a clothes shop in Paris? Madness.I heard Catherine the Waitress on Radio 4 a while ago too.Well,on the World Service after 3am.They have this music show on there and they did a (pretty unremarkable) interview with Teitur and he did a lovely lovely version of Andvekur,from the equally lovely Faroese album Káta Hornið.

The video I posted there was from a gig in Slagelse in Denmark,a few days after I saw him in Esbjerg.I remember him playing Catherine the Waitress in Esbjerg,because it was during that that I had an...interesting shall we say,chat with his support act.

Anyway.A few years ago,Teitur was on tour with KT Tunstall.In the UK too which,of course,I somehow missed.But apparantly a few weeks ago they were here in Paris (why don't I ever know about these things?!) recording for the France 2 programme Taratata.Their duet of Nothing Compares To You was aired last Friday on said channel France 2.AND I MISSED IT!But never mind,there's always youtube.