Sky Ferreira: As If EP

It's hardly a secret that I'm a big supporter of L.A. singer Sky Ferreira. Thanks to her poster-girl looks, wry sense of humour and distinctive voice, she earned the backing of some of the world's best producers and seemed destined for success.

However, after a disorientating string of releases that bore little or no resemblance to one another, her debut album was 'postponed' indefinitely from its January release date and the outlook began to look a bit grim.

Thankfully, it seems Team Ferreira went back to the drawing board for a change of tack. The result is the succinct but spellbinding As If EP.

Opening track Sex Rules, written by Billy 'Like A Virgin' Steinberg, sounds like a 21st century update of Vanity 6's Nasty Girl, with Sky crooning about the merits of carnal knowledge over a backdrop of skittery electro flourishes.



Traces, a dub-influenced piano ballad (yes, really) co-written by Neon Hitch, has been doing the rounds for quite a while in demo form but sounds much better in high quality and is probably the track that best showcases Ferreira's voice.

Haters Anonymous, immaculately produced by the inimitable Bloodshy & Avant, is a tongue-in-cheek attack on anonymous bloggers and internet 'haters'. An anthem for the Rebecca Blacks of the world, if you will.

99 Tears is a glitchy electropop number, written by Lily Allen collaborator Greg Kurstin, that echoes the vengeful ex-girlfriend sentiments of Allen's Smile.

108, another Bloodshy & Avant production, is an elegant robopop ballad in the vein of Sky's signature hit, One. Underpinned by cascading synths, colourful lyrics like "My secret lover is 108 / I know it sounds insane, it’s really ok / He's got a face that'll haunt you for a billion decades” are imbued with a quiet sadness thanks to Sky's deliciously deadpan delivery.

Sky Ferreira - 108



Lord knows I'm prone to over-excitement, but I genuinely think As If is on par with the best pop releases in recent years (Robyn's 2005 self-titled album springs to mind).

It's out today. Invest.

Raising It Up: Florence and the Machine @ The Olympia

Further to her inclusion in the BBC's 'Sound of 2010' list, Welsh songstress Ellie Goulding has just been awarded the Critics' Choice Brit Award, having been deemed the musical act most likely to 'make it big' in 2010.

I'm a devoted fan of Ellie's music but even I'll concede that she'll have her work cut out for her in order to match the achievements of the previous recipient - Florence and the Machine.

It's hard to believe that it's only been twelve months since flame-haired singer Florence Welch first permeated the public consciousness . Seeing her so at ease playing to a sold-out crowd in Dublin's Olympia Theatre, you'd swear she had been entertaining the masses all her life.

The stage in The Olympia has been doused in flowers for the occasion and a neon floral pattern serves as a backdrop. Barefoot and clad in a full-length black dress with big, dramatic sleeves, Florence emerges and quickly launches into her set, comprising mostly of songs from her debut album 'Lungs', which State recently ranked among their best records of the decade.

When she croons the opening lines of 'My Boy Builds Coffins' and her powerful vocal soars above the excited chatter of the audience, Florence illustrates why the title of her album couldn't be more fitting.

After greeting the audience in a soft-spoken voice that is somewhat at odds with her almighty singing voice, she has everybody busting a move to big singles 'Kiss With a Fist' and 'Drumming Song'. The big cheer that was reserved for 'Cosmic Love' at Oxegen (in the wake of the 02 ads) isn't as deafening tonight. Over time, it seems, people have realised that 'Lungs' is an album filled with potential favourites.



At one point in the night, Florence comments that she likes to write songs that are quiet one moment and really loud the next. In a live setting, she handles the transitions perfectly, one minute gently serenading us before thrashing about the stage and shrieking like a banshee.

The set is perfectly paced and builds towards a beautiful moment where, tottering barefoot atop one of the speakers during 'Dog Days Are Over', Florence implores us to sit down on the floor before making us jump up just as the climax of the song kicks in.

Credit must also go to Florence's bandmates ('The Machine') who don't miss a beat, the harpist being a particularly crucial component in the dynamic. The technical side of things seems equally well handled, and some dazzling light programming really helps to enhance the bewitching performance .

For her encore, Florence is joined onstage by writing partner Isabella Summers and even a fluff-up during relatively unknown song 'Falling' can't upset the momentum. The night is capped off with a rousing performance of 'You've Got The Love', which sees Florence take to the balconies and, for a moment, you could be forgiven for thinking she's about to take flight.

The talk of 'tips for 2010' is likely to continue for the next few weeks. As for 2009? Lady Gaga may have hogged more headlines, La Roux may have had more radio rotations and Susan Boyle may have sold more albums, but there's no denying who this year belongs to: Flo and her Mo.

[Image: Lucia Orlandi]

The Whole 9 Yards?

These days, it seems every animated film released raises the bar in terms of visual effects. Classic titles like ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘The Lion King’, although fine movies, look decidedly dated when compared with the stunning CGI animation on offer in Shane Acker’s latest feature, 9.

The kind of rapid advances in technology that have paved the way for 9’s incredible graphics are, as it happens, somewhat central to the film’s premise. Set in a reality where super-intelligent machines have turned against and over-powered their human creators, the story warns against the perils of “mankind’s relentless pursuit of technology”.

When doll-like creature 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) awakens in this post-apocalyptic world, he’s unsure of how or why he has come to be there. However, it's not long before he discovers he's not alone and finds himself caught up in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the menacing machines and restore life to the planet.

9 certainly presents some interesting ideas but its clumsy resolution leaves too many questions unanswered and it’s difficult to shake the notion that the ground-breaking visuals came at the cost of a plot almost as hollow as the barren landscapes the film depicts.

Verdict: Visually stunning but the plot is considerably less impressive. Maybe check out ‘Up’ instead, if you haven't already.

Turn Me On With Your Electric Feel...

Knowing that I would most likely be flat broke by the time September rolled around, I got my ticket for Electric Picnic way back in March. I experienced the Picnic for the first time last year and was determined to make it back this year, no matter how circumstances conspired to have me stranded in Dublin.

Unfortunately, because of work, by the time I down to Stradbally and set up for the weekend, I'd managed to miss Lykke Li, The Temper Trap and a few others. There was nobody else I particularly wanted to see, so I spent most of Friday just wandering around and getting my bearings for the weekend.

On Saturday, I kicked things off with The xx. The London four-piece's debut album has already nestled itself among my favourites of this year but I was doubtful of their ability to cut it live after hearing reports that they 'lacked presence' on stage.

While its true that the band essentially stood still for the entirety of the set and banter was kept to a minimum, I really didn't think this detracted from their performance. If anything, cracking jokes and leaping around the stage would have jarred with the tone of their music. The chemistry between vocalists Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim was just as apparent as on record and, even if on a superficial level there wasn't much to see, I couldn't pry my eyes from the stage.

Next up was Marina and the Diamonds, who, you may have noticed, I've been ferociously championing on this site. I've forced my obsession with this woman upon everyone and anyone over the past few months so, if she'd failed to deliver, I might have had some explaining to do.

Thankfully a stonking performance from Marina got me off the hook and helped her to win over a number of new fans. Prowling the stage in an outfit she repeatedly warned us could lead to 'camel toe', La Diamond performed a number of tracks likely to feature on her forthcoming debut album, including 'Obsessions', 'I Am Not a Robot' and 'Mowgli's Road'. She seemed a little surprised by the crowd's enthusiasm and promised us 'Emeralds' she'd be back in November for a couple of gigs.

The cancellations of Bat for Lashes an ESG led to a re-shuffle in my Saturday evening schedule but I managed to find some worthy substitutes. I'd be lying if I said my memories of The Whitest Boy Alive and 2 Many DJ's weren't a tad hazy but I remember enjoying both sets.

Klaxons, meanwhile, offered a glimpse of an intriguing change of musical direction. There was a drastic difference between new tracks and the songs from their Mercury-winning debut and they seem to have ditched the 'nu-rave' clothing and glowsticks, even if their hardcore fans at the front didn't seem as willing to let go...

Irish act Villagers kicked off my Sunday morning in a wonderful fashion. Conor O' Brien's new vehicle have been the subject of much hype since emerging last year and it's completely justified. Backed my some fantastic musicians, Conor's soaring voice filled the Crawdaddy tent and lifted spirits during one of the soggiest periods of the weekend.

Next on my hitlist were Simian Mobile Disco, who had the misfortune of preceding Florence and the Machine in the Electric Arena. The duo tried to keep things interesting with some emphatic knob-twiddling and an impressive light show but the set never quite seemed to take off. The fact that the front few rows were made up of hardcore Flo fans, eager to get a good spot, probably didn't help their case.

Having been blown away by Florence and the Machine at Oxegen, my expectations for their set this time around were fairly high. If anything, they raised their game even higher. Flame-haired singer Florence Welsh seems to be growing in confidence at a ferocious rate and she wears it well. Her movement was mesmerising, the set-list was spot on and her vocal delivery was nothing short of roof-raising. I honestly can't remember seeing an audience left so stunned by a performance.

I solved the dilemma of choosing between Royksopp and Passion Pit by catching half of each of their gigs. In some respects, this might have been a mistake because I wound up some distance away from the stage on both occasions. That said, both bands delivered strong sets. Royksopp expertly tailored their material for a live setting and used a combination of clever visuals and props (including a life-sized robot for 'The Girl and The Robot') to elevate their performance.

Passion Pit, meanwhile, overcame technical glitches to deliver a set that was, by all accounts, a drastic improvement on previous gigs they've played on these shores. Singles 'Sleephead' and 'The Reeling' induced mild hysteria in the crowd and Michael Angelekos's bizarre falsetto was fascinating to behold.

The last performance of the weekend I caught was Basement Jaxx, whose hit-heavy back-catalogue helped them provide a cheesy but highly danceable big finish. Their set may not have been one of the memorable of the weekend but at least they were one of the few acts to avoid being swallowed by the Main Stage.

I've heard a few gripes about this year's Picnic being less fun as previous years but, honestly, I think maybe the mucky conditions impeded some people's enjoyment of the weekend. In terms of this year's line-up, the organisers certainly can not be faulted and you can bet your smelly wellies I'll be back for more of the same next year.

[All images: Heineken Music]