Musique nouvelle

It's raining, so any thought of doing more pottering in the garden has gone out of the window (not that my aching back would have permitted me to do anything much more strenuous than a bit of light dead-heading...). Time, instead, for a selection of "newer" choons that have caught my ear of late!

First up, let's get this one out of the way - this bizarre-yet-bland number is the UK entry for this year's Eurovision Song Contest. I feel the thundering sound of "Nil Points" looming in my ears, again:

Sam Ryder - Space Man [United Kingdom entry, Eurovision 2022]

This next one brought a wry smile to my face; as several formerly fresh-faced performers from the 1980s team up to celebrate/commiserate the passing of four decades since their heyday:

New Kids On The Block (ft. Salt-N-Pepa, Rick Astley, En Vogue) - Bring Back The Time

Speaking about formerly world-dominating artists trying to recreate past glories...

Madonna Vs Sickick - Frozen [Fireboy DML Remix]

This cracker of a choon has been played a lot on Radio 2 lately, and with very good reason. It's a proper "earworm" - I think this young lady may go far:

Sister Cookie feat. Spencer Evoy - Ain't No Good (But It's Good Enough for Me)

From the sublime to the..? Professional weirdos Superorganism plus a man dancing in his skimpies? Why not:

Superorganism feat. CHAI & Pi Ja Ma - Teenager

We need a moment of calm after that - how about a bit of soothing Satie?

Alexandre Tharaud, Juliette Noureddine - Je te veux [Erik Satie]

Let's finish on a high, shall we? Not actually "new" at all, but new to moi, so that's all that matters - let's go to a carnival!

The Souljazz Orchestra - Courage

As ever, dear reader, let me know your thoughts...

If you give it a chance, it can make you dance

The fuchsias, dahlia, ipomoea, asarina and salvias are in their element in autumn, despite the weather.

It's been a bit of a bleak and stormy weekend here at Dolores Delargo Towers, and the sun has only just peeped out under the gloom (in time to set again)...

To top it all, today is the Autumnal Equinox, and the balance between day and night tips over from here on in. Darkness is looming.

Regardless, ever the forward-planning gardener, I've been busy ripping out tattered and distinctly "spent" annuals from their pots and potting-up violas and bulbs for Spring in their place.

And, to add to the uplifting mood... some new videos by treasured artists.

First up, the Grattan catalogue-inspired vid for Cher's almighty Abba tribute:

Cher – SOS

The ever-wonderful Miss Murphy gets down and dirty at the discotheque:

Róisín Murphy – Plaything

And finally, the lovely Rick's latest is a regular fixture on the playlist at Radio 2. And also, in my head...

Rick Astley – Beautiful Life

Enjoy!

And did those feet...

We've been having a bit of a "recovery day" here at Dolores Delargo Towers, after the excesses of yesterday's Proms in the Park celebrations - and what a fab event it was, too!

OK, we could have done without the rain, the "amateur orchestras", Tim Minchin and the precocious brats from the cast of his musical Matilda, School of Rock The Musical and, for that matter, The Feeling (who weren't bad, just not "our type of music"), but the rest was excellent.



What a joy to sing along in a torrential downpour to Rick Astley - like this lot did (whoever they are):

BBC Proms in the Park 2016 - Rick Astley

Only in Britain...

After the break, ABC brought back happy memories of that golden era of the early 80s:

ABC - Poison Arrow - BBC Proms in the Park 2016

Despite not performing our fave Under the Bridge, the re-formed All Saints were in fine voice:

All Saints - Never Ever - BBC Proms in the Park 2016

And speaking of voices... even at 82, Frankie Valli's still got it!

Frankie Valli - BBC Proms in the Park 2016

The "pop bit" dispensed with, it was time to go over live to the Royal Albert Hall ["Hello Hyde Park" Hello, Hall!"] for the grandest of grand finales, with the massed talents of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Sakari Oramo, and the star of the show, Peru's finest [hence the costume!], tenor Juan Diego Flórez:

Rule, Britannia...

Juan Diego Flórez - Rule, Britannia - BBC Last Night of the Proms 2016

...Land of Hope and Glory...

Land of Hope and Glory - BBC Last Night of the Proms 2016

...and [in its centenary year] Jerusalem:

Jerusalem - BBC Last Night of the Proms 2016

And, with God Save The Queen, Auld Lang Syne and the fireworks, that was it for another year (and another summer, sob)...



Utterly unforgettable!

We know the game and we're gonna play it

OK - we may all be a bit (ahem) long in the tooth to move like the charming wet young man above, but we are heading off - in what is forecast to be horrid stormy weather - to sit in Hyde Park for seven hours today for our traditional Summer Season-closer, Proms in the Park!

It will be worth it, however. As well as the traditional all-singing, all-cheering, flag-waving finale (Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia, Jerusalem et al), on the bill are Michael Ball, The Feeling, Tim Minchin, Alfie Boe, All Saints, ABC, Sir James Galway, tenor Juan Diego Flórez, the BBC Concert Orchestra, and headliners Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons(!)...

...and the legendary Rick Astley!

He's "never gonna give up", so why should we?

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up

Wish us luck...

Astleymania

I was reading today about a nerdy phenomenon that has caught on in hyperspace. Originating with students in America (which could explain loads about their education system), the recipient clicks on a link that purports to be something else - a comedy clip, joke or new online game perhaps - and what they get is a video of Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up.

Dubbed "Rick-rolling", it has brought seven million viewers to dear old Rick’s YouTube video, and I assume it is meant to force the unsuspecting victim to have this infectious classic locked into their brain for the rest of the day:

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up

It works...