A Monday mixed bag of musical bits and bobs
1. Ah, the Proclaimers. During my teen years they soundtracked the annual nine-hour drive to my granny's house in Clydebank for our summer 'holiday'. This involved myself, my three fighting siblings and our two travel sick terriers Hector and Jock squeezed onto the back seat of a small car. Everytime 'I'm Gonna Be' (500 miles) came on the CD player there was a three-minute respite of sing-along bonhomie. This morning I've been engrossed by a mini- Proclaimers 'zine that came with the promo of their excellent new album 'Life with You' (released on 3 September on W14/Universal).The 'zine plays up to their status as national treasures; there's an interview with superfan Matt Lucas, a fashion section with punters sporting their trademark heavy specs, and my favourite bit, a puzzle page with a 'spot the difference' feature.
2. Watford punks Gallows are one of the most exciting live acts around. They're currently getting up the nose of Stateside roadies on their 41-date Warped tour where their frenetic live shows always result in trashed gear. Photographer Jessica Morris, who snaps the band at every opportunity, has been travelling with them and amassed a brilliant portfolio of shots, regularly posted on her MySpace. Check them out here.
3. Soulja Boy, a 17-year-old rapper from Atlanta who's signed to Interscope records, is hotter than Tabasco in the States right now. His underground anthem 'Crank That (Soulja Boy)' has broken into the Billboard chart, and kicked off a massive new dance craze - even Beyonce has been spotted doing the jig. Brush up on the steps here before this massive tune hits our shores.
4. St Vincent, aka precocious 24-year-old Annie Clark, is a highly talented musician from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who has been playing second fiddle to such songwriting heroes as Sufjan Stevens. Now she's taking centre stage - and displaying her mastery of a wide variety of instruments - on her brilliant debut, 'Marry Me' (Beggars, 3 September). Her music has the dramatic sweep of a Regina Spektor or Fiona Apple record, notably on the dark and louche 'Paris is Burning', but you sense she has a wider scope and a sharper wit than either of the aforementioned. There's a wonderful burlesque feel to the album and Clark's lyrics are evocative, complex and often funny, in a warped kind of way. 'Let's do what Mary and Joseph did,' she purrs to a prospective husband on the title track, 'without the kid.'
