The Black Plague

Holy Sh*t, Saturday Comes After Friday!?

First, there was the Jonas Brothers, then Bieber Fever and now - the Black Plague. Admittedly, this Black Plague won’t kill almost half the population of Europe, but I’m sure that percentage will be left dead on the inside by it.

So what day does come after Friday, which seat should we take if multiple options present themselves, and just how far can the utter stupidity of some people stretch itself? All of these are valid questions, and all are legitimately answered in thirteen year-old Rebecca Black’s debut single, Friday.

I literally can’t describe the song or the video, and I don’t particularly want to, at risk of being charged with assisted suicide. In fact, the only way I can put it is, imagine if Rainman had a pen, his own recording company and a calendar, then dumb it down a bit.

The main issue I take with the video stems down to three things. Firstly, where the fuck did the bus go? Secondly, how did a group of thirteen year-olds get access to a car? And Thirdly, surely there's something just a little bit amiss with a middle-aged stereotypical bloated version of Usher heading to the same party as said thirteen year-olds.

The YouTube phenomenon has sparked more criticism than praise and will definitely leave you in a state of confusion. Like Lost, Rebecca Black’s debut single will leave you with more questions than answers, but, sadly, unlike Lost, she isn’t trapped on an island for all eternity.

I think whether you like it or not, Rebecca Black is here to stay along with Justin Bieber, Willow Smith and all the other little antichrists. So, unless you can fart out Alphabetti Spaghetti to make better lyrics than Black’s (which you probably can), I'd get used to it.

Sorry it's such a short post this week guys! I've been seriously busy, and for that reason, there won't be a usual second post tomorrow, but normal service will resume next week! Keep up the views too, your support has been amazing, and the blog couldn't have progressed at all without you!

Weeky Roundup - Paul the Octopus, Benjamin Francis Leftwich & charlieissocoollike

Here is just a brief flavour of my past week: what I've been reading, what I've been watching and what I've been listening to. I hope you all enjoy the links and your weekend itself.

My Artist of the Week - Benjamin Francis Leftwich.
For the past few years, the genre of acoustic music has undergone somewhat of a revival and has thrived under the messiah-esque influence of such artists as Damien Rice, Joshua Radin and Newton Faulkner to name but a few. But the artist that I want to talk to you about today brings a new vibe to the genre, a vibe with clear intentions to abolish the somewhat depression-enducing stigma that has become synonymous with most things acoustic.

The artist that I refer to is Benjamin Francis Leftwich. Leftwich's sound could be most appropriately described as a refreshingly optimistic blend of lyrics that sprout roots from the very beginning of each song before immediately flourishing with an ever-increasing allure that makes the Yorkshire-born songwriter so effortless to listen to. Each line that Leftwich recites is tied to the next by a vocal delivery that befittingly carries a delicate conviction that only he has yet been able to pull off with such success. This troubadour is surely destined for success as long as he continues to bear the same enchanting, ethereal aura in his music as he has so far. To me, he is a must for any fans of Joshua Radin, Damien Rice, Jose Gonzalez and even Jazon Mraz.

Here's the link to my pick of his songs: Atlas Hands - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyue2N1XZ0M&playnext=1&list=PL6ECDF5856A1EE64C&index=68

My Story of the Week - Paul the Octopus Becomes Larger Than Life.
As some of you may know, earlier this week, football World Cup prediction sensation Paul the octopus  had a memorial built in honour of his unrivalled achievements. By unrivalled achievements I mean he would swim over to one of two boxes bearing the flags of two opposing nations prior to a World Cup match to attempt to retrieve a mussel contained within each box. Seemingly whichever box the octopus chose to approach first - before dry-humping it senseless - was chosen as the cephalopod's 'prediction', and throughout the World Cup every prediction that he made was proven to be correct. The one major flaw to this whole process was the fact that on most occasions Paul opted for the box on the right side of the tank, which also coincidentally represented the more favoured team to win each match.

Now, I have no problem with pointless memorials but this tops the lot. Don't get me wrong; I love Paul the octopus, but it's the kind of undeserved credit that makes you think maybe Jeremy Kyle deserves a knighthood for his services in the field of supplying prospective McDonald's staff with free advertising on television. I also think that if you're going to produce a monument at least don't make a six foot replica of an octopus shooting a giant football out of its own fart box. I've come to the conclusion that the monument either looks like that, or a deleted scene from Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus. Anyway, regardless of my opinion, the monument has been erected and Paul the octopus will presumably stand the test of time. Surely this marks a dawn to a new era in which future monuments will be erected for our generation's most talented, such as a ten foot tall Cillit Bang bottle in honour of Barry Scott oustanding services to advertising.

Here's the link to the photo of the monument and the story itself - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110120/ap_on_sp_ot/eu_germany_octopus_oracle

My Video of the Week - The Alex and Charlie Pilot.
Last but not least here's my video of the week. I'm going to keep it short and sweet but any fans of YouTube celebrities Charlie McDonnell, Alex Day or simply YouTube 'vloggers' in general will love this video. He's a personal favourite of mine and I'd say he's definitely worth a look.

So yeah, here's that link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7DML3VDlTA

Anyway guys, that's your lot from me for this week. I'm also contemplating whether to continue with the two blog posts a week or whether to simply revert to one which I can just put more time and effort into. So I need your opinion, to offer it to me simply vote in the poll on the right-hand side of your screen. Thanks.

The Past Week in Links - Alcoholic Birds, Funeral Party & Rémi Gaillard.

As the working week draws to a close I thought I'd keep you guys filled in about gems from across the interwebs - YouTube specifically - and the world in general that have kept me occupied for the past 5 days. So I hope you all enjoy them.

My Band of the Week - Funeral Party.
Hailing from the city of Whittier in California, my selection for band of the week are what can only be described as an eccentric almagamation of alternative/indie rock/dance punk/any other genre you can think of, Funeral Party. This band seem to tick all the right boxes when it comes to embodying an abundance of all the qualities that modern-day music has seemingly become bereft of. The first time I had the chance to hear the highly energetic quintet was live at Reading Festival 2010 at the Festival Republic Stage. In little over half an hour they managed to win-over what was a somewhat subdued crowd at the start of the show with their own, seemingly patented, clusterfuck of craziness. With their debut album scheduled to be available on iTunes from the 24th of this month, Funeral Party seem set to be one of the hottest bands of 2011 and I honestly can't recommend this band highly enough to anyone who's open to embracing a new, raw, crisp sound.

Link to their debut single NYC Moves to the Sound of LA - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1ZR9R9LVeQ

My Story of the Week - Binge Drinking Birds.
As some of you may of heard, during the beginning of 2011 there were reports of masses of birds unfathomably plunging to the ground and perishing throughout the globe. Now, whilst many scientists have rather predictably identified numerous, conflicting reasons for the vast carnage, the head of the veterinary authority in the city of Constanta, Romania discovered a more peculiar cause. Romeu Lazar found that "tests on five birds showed gizzards full of grape marc which caused their death," which is a by-product formed from the production of wine. So in summary, the birds were off their faces, and as a consequence must have thought themselves to be indestructible. It's not that I don't find this story tragic, but it does kind make me wonder as to whether a new special edition of Angry Birds may become available on the iTunes App Store soon. Also, when I think of an intoxicated entity hitting the deck I can't help but think of a boozy, loudmouth faceplant onto the curb as they come out of a club on a Friday night out. Now it's not that I shouldn't be mature enough to look at that with a straight face at my age, but I think it's an event that always verges on the point of being piss-pants-hilarious to anyone that happens to be there.

Anyway, here's the link to that rather crazy story - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41037289/ns/world_news-europe/

Video of the Week - Top 10 Sports (Rémi GAILLARD).
If you've ever been an active user of YouTube for more than a few months, you will fully understand that it's almost nigh on impossible to escape the charistmatic yet cringeworthy charm of a Rémi Gaillard video. Now the YouTube phenomenon's back with his latest hit that had me accidentally spraying deodrant into my mouth then consequently pulling a face like I'd been shot in the buttock and laughing, all whilst getting ready on a Tuesday morning. His latest creation may only be a compilation of former glories, but its humour still has the same fresh allure as it always has, plus it's almost as funny as birds getting pissed. Definitely worth a look.

Top 10 Sports (Rémi GAILLARD) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kga0eKfeeTE

So guys, those are my best webgems of the week; I hope you all enjoy them half as much as I did. My next blog post will be up by next Thursday, and I hope you all stick with me and keep on reading.