Kylie. I Was Gonna Cancel (2014).

The best song on Kylie's new album is probably "I Was Gonna Cancel," by "The Best Dressed Man in the World," Pharrell.  It almost makes me want to forgive him for being a part of the "Blurred Lines" debacle of last year.  I said, "almost."  

It's similar in form to his current smash hit, "Happy."  The formula is, "I got four chords that sound dope together, so let's run them into the ground."  Luckily, you don't get tired of hearing those four chords over and over because, well, they actually do sound as great as he thinks they do.  Apparently, Pharrell wrote this as Kylie was having an attack of anxiety about the session and thought she might have to cancel.

Lyric videos have grown up; this one is pretty spectacular:


Here's the Dance Off version of "IWGC," with Kylie, her dancers, and what appears to be a random assortment of just plain folk.  It's cute.


And just to be complete, here's the final, Official video.  Someone said this may be the cheapest (as in, least expensive) video that Kylie has ever made.  That's probably true, but I think she intentionally went for the simplistic look of white blouse, jeans, and her hair down because (like Bowie) she never does anything that's not well thought out.  (Not sure about the high-waisted jeans here, but I know that's a current trend, so there you go:)

Favorite Music of 2012

2012 was a great year for intelligent, musically adept pop music. I didn’t even post a list of favorites for 2011, I just listened to Broadcast, and The Focus Group, all year. Although Psychic Life from Julie Campbell and Jah Wobble definitely caught my attention towards the end of 2011, as did Cinderella's Eyes by Nicola Roberts. 

Here’s what I most loved in 2012, in no particular order, (Happy New Year!): 

Jessie Ware - Devotion. 

Coming pretty much out of nowhere, this album was deep and absorbing, an instant classic.  

Icona Pop - Iconic ep. 

These two Swedish girls are former music students and it shows in their songcraft - musically literate but with a punky edge. I love them to pieces.  

Ultraista. 

It’s almost impossible to create a new genre of music, and Ultraista may not have done that exactly, but they sound like nothing else out there.
 
Kylie - Timebomb. 

After 25 years in the business, she may be at the top of her game. This single is simply genius.
  

Saint Etienne - Words and Music. 

My favorite band created this album to celebrate how we make meaning from music and how it affects us at different times of our lives. Probably their slickest album yet, but it’s gorgeously arranged and recorded.
  

Little Boots - Headphones. 

Little Boots hasn’t released a full length album in over 3 years. This single will have to do for now, but it’s very promising.
  

Johnny Marr -The Messenger. 

Johnny has finally decided to do a solo debut. From the sounds of this preview single, it will be a timeless, age defying classic.

Kylie. Anti-Tour.

I had kind of thought that Kylie as "Aphrodite" was a tad too much.  I'm all for kitsch and ridiculous glamour, but we already know Kylie is divine, so making her into a Greek goddess was a bit redundant for me.  Now she's doing the Anti-Tour, a "B sides and Rarities" thing, very rock 'n' roll.  This seems like the right move for her now.  She's ditched the costume changes and elaborate scenarios for a pair of cutoff's and a Marilyn T-shirt.  I have to say, I think I prefer Kylie just standing in front of a band, being herself.

Here she is doing Cherry Bomb, from the Wow ep, which is totally worth obtaining: