Merely mentioning the name Pink Floyd conjures an entire musical landscape of synthesizers, psychedelic rock, experimentation, and philosophical lyrics. To this day, forty-four years after the band was founded, many peoples' favorite music is simply defined as "Pink Floyd", and there you have it. Multitudinous bands have taken their inspiration from Pink Floyd, and at least one has even taken its name from an album, Obscured By Clouds, whose album Psycheclectic I recently heard. Using "psycheclectic" as a portmanteau of "psychedelic" and "eclectic" very much describes the album itself. Like the old fable of the blind men describing an elephant by only its trunk, legs, or tail, taken at different points, the album would at different times in different songs be described as everything from classic rock to feedback experimentation to folk to perhaps even Celtic in its epic descriptions of landscape and emotional impact. Each track of the concept album stands on its own, setting aside convention for more of a "playlist" style of songs. With that said, they are also all tied together by the opening song, "Soft Cheeked and Worried." It flows from stark acoustic guitar emulating the barren desert with splashes of piano and moves to electric guitar playing just on the edge of feedback. Experimentation with feedback is tricky: good feedback is good, but back feedback is very, very bad. I once walked out of a concert because of the feedback noise of someone with a guitar trying to be cool and failing miserably. Obscured by Clouds holds back on the noise and instead masterfully rides the warbling wails of feedback. The rest of the album follows suit in its own style. "Zoë Zoloft" works as an homage to Syd Barrett in a "song about a girl, a sitar, and modern pharmakinetics", creating the "sonic imagery of the splintered spokes of a broken and wobbling wheel." Feedback strikes again in the friendly-sounding song "Cast Close the Gate." More mellow, almost to the point of an ode, "Love's Love" calls up images of love personified "with a Floydishly acoustic accompaniment." From there, the songs "Faiths' Soul", "Consider this a Message", "Hot Little Box", and "The Drip Feed" take their own turns, some more like typical rock and others far more experimental. In all, I'd be slow to say that it's just a reincarnation of Pink Floyd. Instead, the album takes great inspiration from Pink Floyd, but really stands with its own persona. Like kids in a tree house emulating their heroes, Obscured By Clouds takes what they heard and learned from Pink Floyd and adapted it to their own play. And the thing is, these kids rock.

Like freeze dried prophets walking out across the pollution-hardened Thames, the British duo of Dan Le Sac (DJ, effects - aka Dan Stephens) and Scroobious Pip (words - aka David Meads) want to tell us that we've lost our way. Aware of the challenge of raising cerebral matters with a dumbed down audience, it's an impassioned message that they're prepared to cloak - in a move Trojans will be familiar with - in the disguise of clattering Brit-hop. Instead of a sandwich board in a rat-infested strip mall, their 2007 debut single "Thou Shalt Not Kill" recontemporised Moses' original precepts, creating a street pulpit from which to set out the laws according to their own nu-hippy belief systems; the cockney enclave of Stanford-Le-Hope became their Mount Sinai. With Stephens railing machine gun like against the vagaries of modern urban life in Britian - excruciating open mic nights, disposable micro music "scenes", preposterous soap-celebrity idolisation - all in a pronounced Essex twang, it was a record which had humour, social commentary, and balls aplenty, and became that rarest of things in the hype age; a bona fide word-of-mouth success. With a similar one hit wonder feeling to the equally bitchy viral hit "LDN Is A Victim" - itself an acid-tongued skit of East London's scenester ethics, pot-shotting discriminately at the likes of Lily Allen, The Klaxons, and Kate Nash - notions of career longevity for the duo however seemed like another act's problem. Not so. Stephens and Meads wasted little time in releasing a follow up, the only slightly less coruscating "The Beat That My heart Skipped" and, impressively undeterred by its failure to repeat their chart success, the duo then set out on a nationwide tour, along with various UK festival appearances. Further surprises were to come by way of their debut album, Angles; whilst Stephens' charachteristic estuary delivery and bone dry humour remained a constant, musically it wandered far and wide, intriguingly extending its canon to draw upon elements of folk ("Development") and electronica ("Waiting For The Beat to Kick In") as well as more recognisably energetic hip hop infusions. It was a creative arc that few had attempted since the Gorillaz's eponymous debut in 2001 and an undoubted statement that our conscisences would continue to be mercilessly pricked for some time to come.page 1 | 2

I owe Mary J. Blige an apology. Why? When she first hit the music scene with “Real Love” in 1992, I initially dismissed her as another one hit wonder, just a dance/hip hop artist who would quickly fade from the charts. Boy, was I wrong. With every album, her voice has grown stronger, wiser, and more heartbreaking as she fearlessly chronicles her personal struggles with drugs, romance, and depression. Her most recent album, Growing Pains, has cemented her status as a modern, streetwise Aretha Franklin. Her major breakthrough, both critically and commercially, was 2002's No More Drama, a fiery collection of everything from personal struggles (exemplified by the emotional title track) and celebration (“A Family Affair”). But it was Mary, her previous album, that convinced me of her true talents. Strangely, Mary has received little acclaim or notice since its 1999 release; even Blige herself glossed over it when reciting her triumphs in The Breakthrough's “MJB Da MVP.” Mary deserves acclaim for its exquisite production and Blige's powerful vocals. Back in the late '90s, Lauryn Hill was at the peak of her powers, and contributed two tracks to Mary, most notably “All That I Can Say,” the dreamy first single off the album. The beat is unusual, but Blige effortlessly rides the tempo while crooning shamelessly romantic lyrics: “Loving you is wonderful/Something like a miracle/ Rest assured I feel the same way you do.” She adds sensuality to the mix with “Sexy,” which subtly samples Michael Jackson's Off the Wall track “Can't Help It.” Despite the superfluous rap in the middle, the song lets Blige confidently flaunt her sexuality while maintaining the romantic strain from “All That I Can Say.” She further displays her range in “I'm in Love,” a Burt Bacharach-tinged song with horns and an overall retro vibe. As with every album, Blige includes confessional songs highlighting her own life struggles. “Deep Inside” describes her mission to balance her personal and private lives, keeping her true friends and finding a real romantic relationship. She is accompanied by none other than Elton John, who plays the chords from “Bennie and the Jets” over a heavier beat. Having John play the song live adds more punch to the track, rather than just sampling the original recording. While I'm unsure if she actually lived through the experience, she certainly makes “Your Child” sound personal. In one of her best performances, Blige alternates between anger, sorrow, and resignation as she narrates the story of a doomed love affair. A woman appears at her doorstep holding an infant, announcing that Blige's current boyfriend is the father. Subsequently she confronts the boyfriend, announcing that their relationship is over. Typically this type of ballad demonizes the “other woman” — in fact, Blige tells the boyfriend that his girlfriend “wasn't disrespectful/In fact she's 100% sure.” She then informs the man that their relationship is over, angrily asking him “How could you deny your own flesh and blood?”page 1 | 2

The Hard Sell is a fairly apt title for a DJ release. There's a misconception about the craft, because the term "DJ" is often confusingly used in various settings. The guys scratching in the background at a hip hop show are called DJs. The hosts on the radio are called DJs. The guys keeping an eye on their iPod playlists at wedding receptions are called DJs. DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist are called DJs. The Hard Sell at the Hollywood Bowl offers almost as much education as it does entertainment of the art form. The set begins with a tongue-in-cheek, '50s style educational film about what it is they'll actually be doing. What that is consists of playing, manipulating, montaging, mashing up, and obscuring crates full of 45-rpm records in order to create their own unique set. Two DJs, eight turntables, boxes of 45s spanning five decades of music, creating something in between new creation and music history lesson. The music selection for this particular show consists of a dizzying spread of popular music, songs, and styles from throughout the 45-rpm era. Everything from '50s bubblegum pop to '80s hip hop, '70s disco to '90s trip-hop, '60s psychedelia to movie themes to smooth jazz to punk rock to… whatever else was ever pressed onto a 45. The first half of the show comprises the bulk of the time (roughly two-thirds), and also contains the most interesting content. Musically, it is all over the place, but retains a very melodic and populist approach. Popular forms of radio fare from the '50s on up through the '90s are presented - although the weight is given to earlier decades - and then mangled and reprocessed with a slew of other samples and effects. This is the party half of the show, and although it does dip down into slower sections at times, it's just flat out fun. The selection of tracks is great, and even those who might not guess that they would be into a DJ show would most likely be grooving along and dancing around the entire time. It literally contains something for everyone. The second half is not only shorter, but a bit weaker. It's a little more experimental, and that doesn't always work. Although it shows their ability to mine and recompile, convincingly, some disparate sources, it almost comes off as a proof of concept of what can be done as opposed to what should be done (to serve a crowd). It's certainly not bad, but it does lose the party vibe that was built so steadily over the first half. And the dueling mobile DJs at the end just brings the whole set to an abrubt and odd close. Mostly the entire concert is quite entertaining, but it does fade a bit there at the end.page 1 | 2

Elvis Presley performed before a worldwide television audience of over one billion people on January 14, 1973. The soundtrack from this performance, Aloha From Hawaii, was released on February 4, 1973. It reached number one on both the pop and country charts selling close to five million copies in the United States alone, and almost twelve million worldwide. Oddly the concert was not broadcast on American television until April of that year. In many ways this concert and the subsequent soundtrack album release would be Elvis’ last grand hurrah. There would still be excellent songs and good live performances but a deterioration would begin to set in which would continue for the next four years. He looked good, performed, well and sang superbly. He surrounded himself with his usual crack band, a full orchestra and two backup groups of singers. The resulting album remains one of the great live documents in music history. The first section of the album presents Elvis at his best. The usual introduction of “Also Sprach Zarathustra” leads into “See See Rider” and an energetic and rocking “Burning Love.” He would always begin his concerts in like fashion in order to ramp up the energy of the audience and the response here is immediate. It was then Elvis’ custom of slowing a concert down and here we find a cover of George Harrison’s “Something.” He follows with “You Gave Me A Mountain” which remains one of the best live performances ever recorded by him. The vocal and passion still send chills up the spine 35 years later. “Steamroller Blues” was originally a simple song by James Taylor. Elvis would release it as a single and interprets it from a blues/rock perspective. This song was a classic example of how he could transform songs and make them into his own unique creations. Elvis continued his trend of giving short shrift to his classic fifties hits. “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Hound Dog” both clock in under a minute. He sounds disinterested on “Love Me” and “A Big Hunk Of Love.” He is on more solid ground with the country hits, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Hank Williams and “Welcome To My World” by Jim Reeves. He just had the knack of taking these classic country songs and updating them with his wonderful pop voice. He made them accessible to both pop and country fans. His continued to present "American Trilogy" as a highlight of any live performance. This song was a medley of “Dixie/Battle Hymn Of The Republic/All My Trails.” Elvis always treated this song as a gospel type performance. It is also a song of patriotism and it finds Elvis completely invested. The original release of Aloha From Hawaii contained 22 songs and was only Elvis’ second two disc album. It remains one of the essential releases by Elvis Presley and no serious music collection should be without a copy.  

Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Black Eyed Peas, Chris Brown, Fergie, Lil Wayne, Mariah Carey, Rihanna and a host of other hot artists are slated to perform at the fifth anniversary of ‘Fashion Rocks’ at Radio City Music Hall this fall.The two-hour special, which is set to air on CBS on September 9, will celebrate the relationship between fashion and music. All proceeds benefit the charitable organization Stand Up To Cancer. “‘Fashion Rocks’ uniquely celebrates the intersection of two of the most sexy cultural paradigms, fashion and music,” Richard Beckman, president of Conde Nast Media Group, said in a statement. Award-winning producer and director Don Mischer will lead the production.”In just five years, ‘Fashion Rocks’ has become one of the most exciting multi-media events of the year,” Beckman noted. To find more information about ‘Fashion Rocks,’ log onto www.fashionrockslive.com.

The debut album by Wensday is aptly titled Torch Rock. Wensday uses her strong, throaty vocals to create a sound that blends classic torch chanteuses with hard-stomping rock n’ roll girls. Alice Cooper describes her as “the other girl next door,” which is just about the best compliment a girl could get. Wensday’s background is varied: singing since age 13, Wensday graduated from NYU with a drama degree and worked as a body piercer, vocal coach, teacher, and director at a children’s theatre. Hopefully not all at the same time. Her earliest musical influences were jazz, which figure heavily on Torch Rock. Other musical styles that have had an impact on Wensday include opera, punk, and Goth. The opening track, “Arizona Man,” is sultry, bluesy, with a bare hint of country. They are definitely opening with a strong track. “Seventh Level” starts slow and sexy, almost like a tango, before picking up into a piano-bar power ballad. “Only Women Bleed” is a cover of an Alice Cooper song. “Pirate Love” is whimsical, a modern take on the pirate shanty, with the feel of traditional folk music – complete with accordion. “Predatory Gentleman” is almost pure 1940s jazz, an ode from exotic dancers to their clients. I can almost see the music video, with a group of sultry burlesque dancers on stage – Wensday at the lead – slapping away wayward hands and pushing punters back into their seats with a stilettoed foot. “My Fantasy Life” is probably the weakest song on the disc, something that is more akin to generic pop than anything else on the album. Wensday’s voice is phenomenal: rich, throaty, soulful, strong. It's the kind of voice that sounds so good it almost sounds fake. She has a raw talent that you don’t see enough of these days. Plus, she’s hot. Wensday is officially on my must-have list.

Bow Wow drives the same car during his leisure time as Bruce Wayne does. “They call me ‘Lamborghini Moss,’ ” the young superstar laughed as he cruised down the street in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. He was being driven, by the way, on his way to the studio to work on his upcoming album, Pedigree. Now on LP number seven, Bow has taken full creative control — a duty once left to Jermaine Dupri. (Take a look back at Bow’s career trajectory in the MTV Newsroom blog.) “He’s my father,” Bow Wow explained of their musical bond. The two have butted heads over creative direction while working on Bow’s past few projects. “He’s the dude when you in the crib and have your arguments, you move out the crib. … But me and Jermaine Dupri are back tight again. We hanging out every day. I’m putting him on this song Swizz Beatz did for me called ‘Big Bank Take Little Bank.’ I’m trying to throw him on there right now. Y’all gonna see JD on the album even if he just gets on there and says, ‘Y’all know what this is!’ He’s gonna be a part of it even if I have to drag him.” In the fall, Bow is joining yet another family: HBO’s “Entourage” crew. “I’m playing a character named Charlie who is an up-and-coming comedian, which is different for me, because I’m not really a comedian. But I can be a clown when I want to,” he said. “I’m actually E’s new client, and I signed on to their agency. I’m having fun this year. A lot of opportunities are being thrown my way.” Bow, whose cameo got extended while shooting, will be shown telling jokes. “The dope thing about it, I’ve never liked to mix my acting stuff with the music,” he said. “I’ve always been like that forever. Now, being that acting is my first [love] and I still love music with a passion, I wanted to find a way for me not to be stressed out and have fun with it. I wanted to bring the acting side to my music. When you see Bow Wow the musician, you see Bow Wow the actor. You’ll be like, ‘He’s an entertaining little dude right here.’ ” The actor and rapper said he also hopes to be a director someday. He’s getting quite good on the editing side, at least. “That’s my new hobby on my MacBook: editing,” he said. “Editing on my computer, I found out that’s my first hobby. I edit all my videos [for my video blog], put effects on it. I’ve gotten better. The ‘Marco Polo’ video, I directed it. I’ve been doing [videos] for so long, I know how it’s supposed to be shot, how it’s supposed to be done.” “Marco Polo” features Soulja Boy Tell’em and is the first single from Bow’s Pedigree, which comes out later this year.

John Graham has been easing in and out of the shadows for the last fifteen years, employing a myriad of alter-egos as cover and unleashing one gut-busting project after another on the global dance music scene. Whether he was Tilt, Skanna, Stoneproof, or Space Manoeuvres, this mofo was it. Assuming another doppelganger of sorts, Graham is dropping the debut album for Quivver on an unsuspecting public. Long associated with progressive house, Graham takes the listener down various roads with Dirty Nails and Vapour Trails and isn’t afraid of taking the scenic route. The beats, synth pulses, noise, and bass are top-notch on each of the 10 blazing-hot tracks found here. It’s clear that Quivver is paying careful, oft-obsessive attention to what he’s doing. Take “Surin” for a start. This track pulses in perfect 4/4 prog-house time, sure, but it’s the nomadic bursts of sound and the in-and-out cascades of synth that really pull this one away from a normal dance track. Vocals, drums, bass, and a stunning winding piece of music meet one another for a euphoric experience on the dazzling “Chasin’ a Feeling,” one of the album’s better tracks. Again, it’s Quivver’s jovial consideration for getting things just right that makes this one steam. In case you’re curious, those dope vocals are from Graham himself. No shortcuts here. No lazy shit anywhere. With Dirty Nails and Vapour Trails, Quivver’s into everything with his heart and soul. The beauty of this record is that it isn’t simply just an assemblage of blasting caps and “club bangers” for the Euro-crowd of strobe-worshippers. It is, in all reality, a very compelling piece of music that fits carefully into several genres in the often-divisive world of electro-pop. “I've always listened to and have been influenced by a lot of different stuff and I think it's sad that the scene is so divided these days. It's like there's a new genre every other week and people jump on that bandwagon until the next one comes along and forget where they came from. I also wanted the album to be something people could really listen to and that would still be relevant in a few years so I didn't want to do a bunch of 4 to the floor bangin' club tracks - that's what mix comps are for,” Graham says. Dirty Nails and Vapour Trails achieves Graham’s vision for a pertinent, snappy record. It is insistent, courageous, intrepid, stunning, elegant, and even primitive at times. A true musical journey, this is a bloody good one.

The final acts for V Festival’s Sessions Stage have been announced. Carbon/Silicon, The Dodos and Team Waterpolo will perform at both legs of the festival on the Chelmsford and Stafford sites. Iglu And Hartley, Infadels, Attic Lights, Das Pop and Sparkadia will also perform over the two-day event (August 16 to 17). The bands playing include: Carbon/Silicon Infadels Sugarush Beat Company Bryn Christopher Attic Lights Team Waterpolo One Eskimo Lost Boys The Midway State Julian Velard The New York Fund Gary Go The Dodos Iglu And Hartley Das Pop Sparkadia The Rushes Animal Kingdom The Troubadors Arno Carstens The Hazey Janes Sons Of Albion