Duffy - Bringing The '60s Back

Close your eyes while listening to one of Duffy’s songs, and you wouldn’t be classed as mad if you thought you’d been transported back into the 60s. I’m not old enough to appreciate the decade when Twiggy was part of the Swinging Sixties transformation of London, or when every woman was going around in a psychedelic dress that wouldn’t look out of place on a Barbie doll, but I can just imagine one of Duffy’s songs being played on a Sunday afternoon with a good ol’ cup of British tea.
Not only can she sing, Duffy is also playing a big part in the 21st century music revolution. While some are obsessed with ‘Ne-yo’ and ‘Lil' Wayne’ – whoever they are - others’ are finding Duffy’s music to be just as interesting to listen to if not more. And whereas some seem to find enjoyment in listening to rappers who sound like they’ve had their vocal chords re-arranged – which I don’t doubt they have - Duffy is coming onto the music scene with a fresh 60s vibe which doesn’t make you want to turn the radio off and shove the whole thing out the window. And who would’ve thought that the youth of today could ever find anything relating to the ‘60s even remotely ‘cool’? Well, if Duffy’s helping that trend then I’m all for it.

Coldplay's ‘Viva La Vida': A Flop

As a big Coldplay fan – I’m talking really big here – I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of their new album, ‘Viva La Viva’. You could compare my anticipation to that of a child coming home from school wanting to see a present that his parents’ had promised him for weeks.

Shortly before the album’s release on June the 12th, the strangely addictive ‘Violet Hill’ was available for download - for free - on their official website. ‘Oh great’, I thought. ‘It’s so bad they’re flogging it off for the grand price of…nothing’. However, I was pleasantly surprised. And just moments before, I’d given up on any hope of it being even a slightly decent tune. So, when I pressed the play button on my computer, I felt almost a sigh of relief when it finally dawned on me that they’d been able to churn out yet another horribly good track. That, though, was the free download. The sheer horror and disgust was still yet to come. Who would’ve thought that my opinion of one of my favourite bands could change in a matter of weeks? Not me. I was sure that Coldplay’s ability to convey the strangest of emotions through song would last until the end of time, but it appears I was wrong. 'Viva La Viva' is quiet possibly the biggest pile of nonsense to hit the music world in a long time. In fact, I wouldn’t put it past Chris Martin himself to publicly announce that the songs will be involved in the next Eurovision Song Contest. Monotonous tones, strange lyrics and a whole host of vocal tragedies make 'Viva La Viva' the largest musical letdown of 2008. My loyalty to this band has, sadly and unfortunately, been lost to this latest disaster from a band I thought would give the charts yet another reason to be thankful that there are still talented home-bred musicians in this country.
How sad it is that a free download gives more musical delight than an album that was classed, before release, to be the biggest hit of the year.