29 April 2010 That's OMG as in "oh my gosh" and not "oh my God", just in case you were worried about Usher and Will.i.am blaspheming against their creator - conservative Christian corporate America. Jesus wept. No such considerations of offence against taste or intelligence, of course. 'OMG' tends more towards Will.i.am's dumbed-down EDM inanity … Continue reading Usher ft. Will.i.am – ‘OMG’ →

22 April 2010 In a world where Ben & Jerry's had an ice-cream called Black and Tan, and Kia once named a prototype car the Provo, it's clear that international creative agencies don't have little ol' Ireland on their market research to-do list. Still, I like to amuse myself by thinking that at least one … Continue reading Glee Cast – ‘Gives You Hell’ →

4 March 2010 Boyzone's 2010 return to the Irish number one spot came in sad circumstances. Stephen Gately had died in October 2009, so 'Gave It All Away'—written by Mika—was the remaining group members' tribute to him. As the track had been recorded in 2008 it still features his lead vocals, so to hear him … Continue reading Boyzone – ‘Gave It All Away’ →

11 February 2010 The '10s was the decade when Haiti replaced Angola in our comfortable, condescending worldview as the most woe-begotten place on Earth. Years of brutal repression under the Duvaliers and their Tonton Macoute, coupled with huge external debt, had left the country politically and economically precarious, so Haiti was particularly ill-equipped for the … Continue reading Helping Haiti – ‘Everybody Hurts’ →

4 February 2010 2009 had been a febrile year for The X Factor in the UK, but it provided a thrilling TV moment when John and Edward (to use their competition name) showed the correct amount of disrespect to Queen by their performance of 'Under Pressure' mashed up with its protégé 'Ice Ice Baby'. Sure, … Continue reading Jedward ft. Vanilla Ice – ‘Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)’ →

21 January 2010 I haven't heard 'Fireflies' by Owl City since its heyday: top of the US charts, no less, plus here Ireland's first new number one single of the '10s. Even then, so dreadful was the merest random snippet that I spent any inadvertent overhearings with my head in a half-wince, half-cringe. However, that's … Continue reading Owl City – ‘Fireflies’ →