She's Changed

Aussie singer-songwriter Sia Furler has been a firm favourite of mine ever since I first stumbled upon 'Destiny', a gorgeous track by English ambient pop-makers Zero 7 that featured her vocals.

She's since garnered a cult following in her own right, thanks to a clutch of beautiful, heart-wrenching ballads like 'Soon We'll Be Found' and 'Breathe Me' (which soundtracked the rather excellent final sequence of HBO's 'Six Feet Under.)

In between penning songs for Christina Aguilera's forthcoming record, she's currently recording her own fourth studio album, 'We Are Born'. She recently leaked a new track through her Twitter, entitled 'You've Changed' and, frankly, the title couldn't be more fitting.

A funky dance-number that features an almighty guitar riff and sing-along chorus, it's certainly something of a departure from her typical output:



Seemingly, the track is in fact a re-working of a track she recorded with Detroit DJ Lauren Flax over a year ago:



I can't quite decide which version of the track I prefer but I'm curious to see if this apparent radical change of musical direction carries through to the rest of her new album.

Roles Revisited

I really love the feature in the current issue of Empire Magazine that shows Hollywood actors and actresses revisiting some of their most famous roles:

Mel Gibson - Braveheart

Keira Knightley & James McAvoy - Atonement

Ben Stiller - Zoolander

Anthony Hopkins & Jodie Foster - Silence of the Lambs

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint - Harry Potter

More here.

[Via Karen Howley]

Cosmic Competition: Win A Deluxe Edition of 'Lungs'

It's been a remarkable twelve months for Florence & The Machine, who've triumphantly delivered on the hype that surrounded their music this time last year, earning rave reviews for debut album 'Lungs' and amassing a considerable fanbase along the way.

Florence Welch and her bandmates have proved particularly popular on these shores (thanks in no small part to THAT advert) and won over Irish festival crowds with breath-taking performances at both Oxegen and Electric Picnic earlier this year.

And so, it's somewhat fitting that the band should cap off the year with a sold-out show in Dublin's Olympia Theatre this Monday, December 7th. They could easily have packed out The O2 several times over but the more intimate surround of The Olympia should serve as an infinitely more atmospheric setting for the band's incredible live show.

If you weren't among the lucky few to nab tickets before they sold out in minutes, fret not, because Universal have kindly given me a 4-disc deluxe edition of 'Lungs' (that may potentially even be signed by Florence) to give away, which should help to ease your pain. Even if you're already a proud owner of the album, it should serve as a fantastic Christmas present.

To be in with a chance of winning, please click here and enter your details.

[Image: Shamil Tanna]