Swine Flu Hits the Music Scene
It was really only a matter of time until swine flu got “hip”. The dreaded H1N1 virus has recently been spreading across the world even faster as of late, what with the cold rolling in and the immune systems dropping like flies, and with this recent popularity among the kids of today, it’s really no wonder that some of our beloved musicians wanted in on some of this new big thing.
And in on it, they have gotten. Just in this past week, Sweedish indie-man Jens Lekman, the entirety of the band Kasabian, and Marilyn Manson have all contracted the disease. Supposedly Kasabian all got the virus from their singer, Tom Meighan, who fell ill shortly after a gig the group played in Japan. Once Tom’s symptoms grew worse during a stay in Australia, he was taken to a hospital where he was diagnosed with the dreaded flu. After all of this, the entire band was as well forced to stay quarantined inside of their Sydney hotel until everything blew over, which caused the canceling of every Australian gig they were scheduled to play. Though they are completely healed now, sad day indeed.
Perhaps the funniest response to the entire issue, however, was Marilyn Manson’s, which he posted on his Facebook page:
“I know everyone will suggest that fucking a pig is how this disease was obtained. However, the doctor said my past choices in women have in no way contributed to me acquiring this mysterious sickness. Unfortunately, I am going to survive.”
Conversely, swine flu has actually created some musicians as well. Mike Adams, from the public health forum NaturalNews.com recently created a video in protest of the controversial vaccine for swine flu, which can be seen below:
The xx
As far as I can tell, I’ve never come across a band as laid-back-yet-precise as The xx. The London group, which formed in 2005, just recently released their first album, appropriately titled “xx,” in August this year and have gained a decent amount of ground since then. It’s made up of four 20-year-olds, evenly split along the gender line, who keeps things very minimal but really in all the right ways. Most songs will feature computerized beats and very clean guitars, with a warm, low bassline that all come together to make for a great listen when relaxation or, interestingly, focus is needed.
This will most certainly be a band to look for in the future. Not only does their sound come across extremely well on “xx”, but the album was also produced entirely by the foursome, so where this talent goes in the coming years will be very intriguing. Check out the music video for the second single, “Crystallized,” from their new album below:
Thanks for reading everyone!
Feel free to let me know what you think about the new look :)
