December newsbits

Poptimal review of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’: “Duncan even brought his turntables and deftly switches the mood to accompany the sudden, exhilaratingly emotional sight of Dee and her newborn being wheeled towards the motley crew. As Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” echoes throughout the otherwise soundless scene, the camera sweetly, hilariously, pans across the faces of all the men. With the exception of Cricket and his ubiquitous homemade crack pipe (which he lights up in plain sight inside a hospital), the sequence begins to enter sticky sentimental territory until Carmen the tranny and her gigantic husband suddenly enter the frame” … Bob Stanley in the Guardian on how to write a Christmas hit: “Santa, Come Up To See Me might be a predictable Mae West festive title but the song is anything but. Over a folk-rock backing, the ageing Mae breaks into an eerie prediction of Kate Bush’s December Will Be Magic Again, before subsiding into double entendres” … The Daily Mash: “Gay US army tank commander, Nathan Muir, said: “It’s a common misperception that homosexual soldiers like myself will be singing along to uplifting dance anthems or the Sound of Music soundtrack while piloting our engines of death. “While my in-tank ipod does include a smattering of Sinitta, Dr Alban and the 80s disco track Menergy by Sylvester, it’s far from just superficial dance pop. I mean, there’s loads of early Kate Bush on there too, like The Sensual World. “I really appreciate how its ethereal vibe and sparkling arrangements help me to focus as I’m leading my squadron through a battle-scarred city where danger lurks around every corner” … Music Week: A surprise new buyer has emerged as a leading candidate to acquire EMI’s catalogue with BMG revealing it now wants to become a player in recorded music. The source adds much of Bowie’s catalogue is “crying out” for the repackaging treatment and very little has been done with the works of other long-term EMI stars such as Kate Bush.  … Mike Ragogna interviewing Laurie Anderson in the Huffington Post: “You, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, David Byrne… there are certain established artists whose works seem very fresh no matter which era they were created or played in” … SF Weekly Blogs: The Top 6 Weirdest Actor Cameos in Music Videos: Donald Sutherland in Kate Bush’s “Cloudbusting” “Here’s an attempt to summarize the level of insanity contained within this clip: Kate Bush puts on the worst wig ever made and pretends to be a child, while she and Don (her “dad,” presumably) alter the weather using a huge machine made of gigantic French horns” … Washington City Paper: Painted Face – “Undreamt” (self-released): This song makes me think of The Labyrinth, mostly because it’s an acknowledged tribute to Kate Bush, who, for some reason, makes me think of The Labrynth … Charlotte Martin interviewed on Artist Direct: “The foundational things that shaped me as an artist were Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love, Peter Gabriel’s Security, The Cure’s Disintegration, and The Cocteau Twins’ Heaven or Las Vegas” … Daily Breeze 30th December: “Well-known indie band Nada Surf is here just so fans will know not to ignore its album of cover versions, “If I Had a Hi-Fi” (Mardev), which is as delightful as anything the band has ever done. Songs from disparate artists from Depeche Mode to the Go-Betweens, Dwight Twilley and Kate Bush are rendered in lush settings with acres of strummed acoustic and jangly electric guitars, lovely vocals and string arrangements that will have listeners continually saying, “Ah! Good choice!”