Last time focused on blurring the truth. This week we're after songs that are lost in the allure
A warm hello to each and every one of you. What a week. I think we can safely say that, looking at the size and quality of responses, popular music does deception with incredible style. All those freaks and outsiders finally getting the chance to stand up and point the finger, right the wrongs, try to make amends for every half-arsed lie that's been pushed down their throat? That's a mighty powerful tool for anyone to have at their disposal.
In the two lists there is deception at personal, familial, societal, governmental, religious and supernatural levels. However, in a lot â€' but not all of them â€' there's a sense that this deceit, these lies, actually work for the people concerned. They keep the wheels moving, keep the show on the road. Do we really want to be deceived?
A-list: The Who â€' It's Not True; the Carpenters â€' This Masquerade; David Bowie â€' God Knows I'm Good; Dead Kennedys â€' Religious Vomit; the Louvin Brothers â€' Satan Lied to Me; the MC5 â€' The American Ruse; Immortal Technique â€' Bin Laden; the Unthanks â€' Sexy Sadie; Hello Saferide â€' Long Lost Penpal; Mary Gauthier â€' I Drink.
And as for the B ...
Okkerville River â€' Pop Lie
The 'Ville tackle one of the grandest illusions of all â€' the emotional attachments...
Last time was all about losing your footing. This week we're after songs with something to hide
Greetings to you all. Big week, this week â€' falling provoked a huge outpouring of ideas and, has, in turn, put me in front of a couple of people I'd never even heard of before. It's a big hello then to Hank Locklin and Al Hibbler â€' thanks for those two. And, frankly, for all the others â€' any week that sees me spending time agonising over whether to go for Gil Scott-Heron or Serge Gainsbourg is, in all honesty, a week well spent.
So we have in the two lists: falling in love, falling out of love, falling through space, falling off a cliff, falling out of a window, falling over drunk and many others. But can you tell where?
A-list: The Versatiles â€' Teardrops Falling; Tom Waits â€' Tango Til They're Sore; Al Hibbler â€' The Blues Came Falling Down; Patsy Cline â€' I Fall to Pieces; Jesus and Mary Chain â€' You Trip Me Up; Sigur Ros â€' Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa; Mos Def â€' Pistola; Julee Cruise â€' Falling; Kings of Convenience â€' Free Fallin' (Live); Grant McLennan â€' Fingers.
And as for the B:
One Dove â€' Fallen
Properly pie-eyed, long-haired, leather-trousered, post acid-house, emoto-thon from never-were Glaswegian heroes. The true sound of the early 90s.
Donald Byrd â€' (Fallin' Like) Dominoes
A bassline that looked to the future and saw...
The troubled diva recently gave a car-crash concert in Australia. She should stop performing until she can deliver something worthy of her name
Whitney Houston has a problem. In fact, she seems to have a lot of problems. According to reports from Monday night's concert in Brisbane, Australia the singer was breathless, shambolic and out of control. The 46-year old â€' whose drug problems during her marriage to fellow musician Bobby Brown have been well-documented â€' struggled throughout her comeback show, much to fans' fury. One woman commented that Houston "can't sing, couldn't perform and was the worst act we've ever seen", sentiments echoed by many others. "She couldn't entertain a dead rat," was another comment.
Houston has a history of this kind of behaviour. When I reviewed her concert for the Guardian in 1999 she could barely sing, was hardly ever on stage and when she was, she missed notes and fell over. Still, that was when she was having "personal problems". This time, her tour manager defended her, asking fans to support the troubled diva in "difficult times".
"[She] is now up on stage, warts and all, presenting herself like an open book for the world to see and they want to ridicule Whitney. If they expected to hear the Whitney of 20 years ago, go buy a CD. If they want to see a true professional artist give 100%, well come along and enjoy the ride of an amazing talent, on...
Hello podders, and welcome to your latest edition of Music Weekly. We begin this week's show with a look at the new Gil Scott-Heron album, I'm New Here, through the eyes of XL boss Richard Russell. Russell is largely responsible for getting GSH back in the studio after a lengthy absence from the world of music, and he spoke to Rosie Swash about working with his hero and trying to push musical boundaries.
Alexis Petridis is joined by Tim Jonze and Rosie for Singles Club, in which the panel cast their ears over new music by Perfume Genius, Kindness and The Boy Who Trapped the Sun. The latter caused the panel to remember two long-forgotten pseudo-genres: the New Acoustic Movement (or NAM) and skunk-rock. Do let us know of any other spurious trends you recall below.
Finally, there's a double helping of new music this week; LA's Hebrew-singing Afro-poppers Fool's Gold bring their bawdy brood to the studio for some live music, and we have a live track from Swedish electro-pop band Miike Snow.
That's all for this week, your next instalment of Music Weekly will be on Wednesday so the panel can dissect the Brit awards from the night before. As always, you can friend us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or subscribe to the show on iTunes by searching for "Guardian Music Weekly".
Your chance to hear the stunning new Gil Scott-Heron album before anybody else
Not since Johnny Cash bumped into Rick Rubin have we been so excited about a comeback record. In what will surely be regarded as one of the year's best albums, Gil Scott-Heron's I'm New Here is a project that's been four years in the making â€' ever since XL boss Richard Russell tracked him down at Rikers Island prison and offered to produce a new LP.
The result is an album that touches on many genres, from hip-hop and gospel to dubstep and blues. Above all, though, is the unmistakable sound of Gil Scott-Heron. His is a voice that suits age, be that on the feral blues of New York Is Killing Me or the redemptive, folk-flavoured title track (a cover of a Smog song, indie fans).
The guardian.co.uk/music team have fallen in love with I'm New Here. But we'd like to know what you make of the record, too, which is why we teamed up with XL to bring you this exclusive widget. Feel free to let us know what you think. Rosie Swash spoke to XL boss Richard Russell recently, and will be popping on to the comments section to impart her wisdom from time to time.
'Me And The Devil' follows the release of Scott-Heron's new album![]()