Francis Lung
Bad Hair Day
Back in his Wu Lyf days, we were barely allowed a glimpse of Francis Lung, the band’s press shots resembling a teargas attack on The Masked Singer
. These days, though, he’s so laid bare we can even see his frazzled roots. Verse courtesy of Elliott Smith, chorus basically Queen playing Teenage Fanclub’s The Concept, this makes hangovers sound heroic.
Dua Lipa
We’re Good
Are you the “sleeping” in your relationship? Or are you – be honest now – the “cocaine”? For such is the level of incompatibility our Dua cites as she breaks up with some schmuck on this sumptuous slice of pop tropicália, having presumably rejected a selection of other metaphor-based dumpings: “You’re the Morrissey to my lamb shank,” say. Or: “I’m competently managed public funds. You’re Chris Grayling.”
UKNY for December 20
Rita Houston with Burt Bacharach in 2005 (photo by Rita Houston) and Chilly Gonzales (photo by Anka, PR)
by
12.20.20 9:35am
Back in the late spring of 2013, I got up the nerve to schedule an appointment with Rita Houston, my boss, to pitch the idea for a show that focused on emerging British and international artists, which spun out of a giddy love of UK music since I was a kid. London is my spiritual home, and I dreamed of having an hour to support musicians and bands that weren t getting much (if any) U.S. airplay.
Much to my joy, gratitude, and disbelief, Rita said yes. And that pitch became UKNY which launched the first weekend of July 2013 as a limited summer series, but then, magically and generously, Rita said, Run with it. I am beyond thankful to Rita for taking a chance on a nascent idea that became a quirky little British show that celebrates its eighth anniversary next summer.