princess against the classes

“I Don’t Need Anyone“, Kylie Minogue (with the Manic Street Preachers). Why don’t the Manics write songs like this for themselves? Fools. I was working for a somewhat indie-centric music magazine when Impossible Princess / Kylie Minogue came out, and we ran our review of the album under the headline “KYLIE IS GOD”. Fuck their stupid indie death threats (oh yes). In hindsight the album isn’t actually that good, but perfect pop gems like this remain suspended in time. As for the mystery of the Manics (yeah, they’re a masochistic guilty pleasure), next time a song of theirs is annoying you with its pomposity, just close your eyes, imagine it’s a Queen song and smile. All better.

yes can do

I am totally in love with Hall & Oates’ “Kiss On My List” and “Private Eyes“. Okay, so I made this reappraisal based on a recent vogue amongst the type of people who wear very expensive ripped denim, but fuck, they’re right for once: Hall & Oates peddle a version of white rock’n’soul that’s actually good. Well, at least sometimes. I’m a sucker any old shifting set of endlessly chiming chords on a keyboard. I’m a chiming keyboard slut. And the middle-eight in “Private Eyes” is one of the best middle-eights, uh, ever, turning the song inside out for a moment, like the best ones do. With these songs, H&O manage to make good on The Beach Boys’ somewhat yelpy and claustrophobic attempts at rock-pop in the ’70s, which never seemed to gel. We have the technology. We can rebuild. When he strains for the notes in whiteboy soul mode, Daryl Hall channels a slicker version of Carl Wilson’s “choirboy-gone-gruff-troubador” act, and it works. Thankyou Lord. And thankyou, Flux.