My feelings on current pop were enquired after in the forum. What follows is the first of my answers…

I haven’t kept much in touch with the charts just recently (I’m proud to say I flagged that Chris Brown trojan before the story broke, but the piece was never used, so my scoop lay empty, as it were…) Similarly, I more recently scorned Fructis Bleek beyond repair, as you’ll know if you subscribe to the Plan B emailer.

But that’s not why I’m writing. Camille is why I’m writing.

‘Money Note’, above, is a brilliant piece of buffoonery fondly satirising moneyed diva culture (“I want it to sound like silver / I want it to sound like gold / I just want to beat Mariah…”) in search of “F Sharp 7″.

She’s more than just a sketch artiste, though - the album this song belongs to (Music Hole) is itself a texture-rich human swatch of guiding concepts, adventures-in-arrangement, emotional impasto and - through it all - just the most - the most - charming playfulness. I know I sound like an advert, but at least it’s composed with conviction, right?

This second video is part one of a documentary she made to introduce the new record. In conversation, she manages to be both pretentious and earthy, a sublime combo the French could teach us a lot about. Also: a demonstration of body percs (that’s what the title of this entry refers to) and the technical differences in singing French and English. Her joke in answer to the ‘influences’ question is so perfectly delivered that I’ve watched it repeatedly, falling further each time. Le swoon. Part two.

Posted on Monday, August 25th, 2008by kicking_k