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Well where to start, I guess some thoughts on this week's MTV Music Video Awards:
1. The host was horrible, she shouldn't be allowed on TV let alone have her own talk show.
2. Pity most of the performances where lip-synched with a snippet of live microphone here and there.
3. Florence and the Machine were okay, I guess I just don't really like the song (at least she appeared to sing live).
4. I thought Curt Smith from Tears For Fears had the best Tweet about the show, it read:
"VMA's psych 101 - interesting that Taylor Swift wrote a forgiving song about @KanyeWest and @KanyeWest wrote a song about @KanyeWest also :)"

Really looking forward to the new Human League album. The title of the ninth studio album and new single from synthpop legends will be revealed on Monday September 20th.

Just came across a cool synthpop band out of the U.K. called Tenek. The duo has just released a new cd titled "On The Wire" and I'm really enjoying it and featured three songs from the album on my radio show this week.

I've been a big fan of Starsmith and a lot of the remixes he has done, and his song "Love In Two" was pretty good. I have to say his new single "Give Me A Break" just isn't that great, and if that is the direction he's going in I likely won't be buying his debut cd, pity.

Alphaville are back with a new single "I Die For You Today" and an album titled "Catching Rays On Giant" due out October 22nd.
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a-ha have announced only three concert dates (Update: extra gigs in L.A. and New York have been added, up to five now) for North America in May as part of their 'Ending On A High Note' tour, and they are in New York and Los Angeles. To say this is a big disappointment is a major understatement, still hoping they manage to add some Canadian gigs to the list. I bought a ticket to one of the New York shows and will plan a road trip to see them if that is the only option.

Speaking of a-ha, band member Magne Furuholmen has teamed up to form a group called Apparatjik with Coldplay's bassist Guy Berryman and singer/guitarist Jonas Bjerre from the band Mew. They have just released their debut cd called "We Are Here", I look forward to hearing what it is like.

Lo-Fi-Fnk have leaked a song of their forthcoming album, the song is called "Marchin' In" and it is available to download from their blog. The song is good, a bit mellow, but it is great knowing that we are getting closer to the album finally being released, 4 years after the amazing 'Boylife' cd.

Nik Kershaw just released a cool solo acoustic album called "No Frills" on Monday. You can order it here from his new nicely redesigned website (and they accept PayPal which is great).

Loving the new Two Door Cinema Club album 'Tourist History'. Favourite tracks are the previously leaked demo track "Something Good Can Work', 'Come Back Home', 'Do You Want It All' and 'This Is The Life'. Check them out if you are a fan of a band like 'Upper Room'.

U.K. band Captain are on a bit of a hiatus (after their second album 'Distraction' ended up not getting officially released by EMI) but a couple of months ago started a new mailing list (sign up here) to try and gauge fan support. When you sign up you also get a free download of an unreleased Captain song called "Back In The Knife Drawer". This track was part of sessions they did in Oxford prior to the recording of 'Distraction'.

Teitur has finished writing his next album and plans to record it in March, hopefully it will get released over the summer.

The Human League have signed with Wall Of Sound Records, hopefully their new cd will be out this year.

I just found the Facebook page of Viv who ran the Thompson Twins Fan Club 'Teefax' back in the day, may try and get in touch to see what she has been up to, hope she is doing well.
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According to reports Sheffield's The Human League have begun recording their follow-up to the excellent and under-rated 'Secrets' album released back in 2001. The band have been playing live shows pretty consistently in recent years, but news of a new studio recording is always a good thing. "All that is currently known about the new Human League recording sessions in Sheffield is that Philip has been writing songs with drummer Rob Barton who has been playing live with The League since 2004. Philip has also revealed that the new tracks may have an electro glam rock feel them."

And news that Prefab Sprout plan to release their new album, tentatively-titled 'Let's Change The World With Music - The Blueprint', in February 2009. This would be their first new studio album release since 2001's 'The Gunman And Other Stories'.

Wondering whatever happened to Ferras? Reading some of his recent MySpace blogs it appears that he is busy writing the follow up to his debut cd 'Aliens & Rainbows' in LA where he just downsized from a house to an apartment. Sounds like he may also be caught up in all the changes going on with EMI (and that may also account for some of the lack of success and promotion of the Aliens cd). He certainly didn't have the break through that I and other bloggers predicted but it doesn't sound like he has any plans to stop writing/recording and performing so hopefully a new album will see the light of day in 2009, good luck Ferras!

Do you remember the Paul McCartney recommended rock band 'Steadman' who released a good self titled cd back in 2003? It appears that a couple of members have formed a new band called London To Tokyo and you can listen to their new song 'Feel Better' on their Myspace site that shows a lot of promise for a decent album to eventually get released.
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