This Week In Music: 9th June 2022
A weekly update on all things music, advertising, and technology coming straight to you from Anthony Vanger at MassiveMusic. #TWIM
ARTIST OF THE WEEK: FRED AGAIN
Fred John Philip Gibson, known professionally as Fred Again, is a British singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and remixer. Fred is known for the range of artists he has worked with including?Swedish House Mafia,?BTS,?Baxter Dury,?Stormzy,?Ed Sheeran,?Burna Boy,?Headie One,?Halsey, Eminem,?Octavian,?The xx,?Underworld,?Brian Eno?and?Stefflon Don, but he also has managed to put out some very tasty originals. His whole ethos is that he does not need a professional recording space to create world-class music. Instead he makes music wherever he is: perched on a bench, inside a train, he does not care, so long as he has some headphones and his trusty laptop. The results are spellbinding and on this video you can really witness the alchemy. This could be my song of the summer.
@fredagain
#fredagain #swedishhousemafia #baxterdury #stormzy #edsheeran #burnaboy #headieone #halsey #eminem #octavian #thexx #underworld #brianeno #stefflondon
AD OF THE WEEK:MCDONALDS LOVING IT ROYAL JUBILEE
This was a no-brainer. Watching the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra hit a 3 second version of the now iconic "I'm Loving It" sonic logo causes a rush of blood to the head. What first surprises is the sheer power a relatively small group of players can make. The second thing is how recognisable and potent this sonic logo has become. From its inauspicious beginnings as a licensed track by Justin Timberlake on a single campaign, to the decision by someone at McD's to use a portion of it as its tag line in all commercials, this nugget of sound might have done more to elevate the positioning of this fast-food behemoth than any aspect of its marketing arsenal.
KATE BUSH EARNS FIRST EVER US TOP 10 HIT WITH RUNNING UP THAT HILL
Kate Bush has earned her first-ever US Top 10 hit with Running Up That Hill, 37 years after it was released.
The song is a key plot point in the new series of Netflix’s supernatural drama?Stranger Things and has exploded in popularity since the show debuted on 27 May. It is now at No 8 in the US and reached the same position in the UK singles chart last Friday.
Running Up That Hill reached No 30 in the US when it was first released in 1985, her highest chart placing there until now.
It is currently the second-most played song globally on Spotify and Apple Music, behind Harry Styles’s As It Was and Future’s Wait For U respectively.
In the UK charts’ midweek sales update on Sunday, it had risen to No 2 behind Styles to put it in strong contention for the No 1 spot this Friday.
In a statement on her website, Bush said the song’s resurgence is “really exciting”, adding that it “is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show – I love it too!”
Aside from Christmas songs which go back into the charts each year, it’s rare for an old song to re-enter the US Top 10. The last time was Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody reaching No 2 in 1992 after it was included in Wayne’s World, though Fleetwood Mac grazed the Top 10 with Dreams in 2020 after it was used on a viral TikTok video.
MADONNA CASTS OZARK’S JULIA GARNER TO PLAY HER IN BIOPIC
Madonna is to cast Julia Garner in the lead role of her own biopic, which she is herself directing, it has been reported.
According to Variety , Ozark star Garner was offered the role after an extensive audition process, with?contenders reportedly?including Florence Pugh, Euphoria’s Alexa Demie and Odessa Young.
Madonna’s plan to direct her own biopic from?a script?co-written by Young Adult’s Diablo Cody?was announced in 2020. In a statement at the time, Madonna said: “I want to convey the incredible journey that life has taken me on as an artist, a musician, a dancer – a human being, trying to make her way in this world … There are so many untold and inspiring stories and who better to tell it than me. It’s essential to share the rollercoaster ride of my life with my voice and vision.”
The biopic would mark Madonna’s third feature film as director, after the London-set comedy-drama Filth and Wisdom from 2008 and the Wallis Simpson/Edward VIII biopic W.E., which was released in 2012. Neither film attracted particularly complimentary reviews, with the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw?describing Filth and Wisdom?as “a nightmare of crass and fatuous stereotypes” and?W.E. as?“one long humourless and necrophiliac swoon at the Windsors’ supposed tragi-romantic glamour”.
IKEA SHARE DETAILS OF UPCOMING SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA COLLABORATION
Swedish home decor brand IKEA has teamed up with?Swedish House Mafia?on a new line of products.
The new?collaboration ?sees the Swedish trio and furniture retailer come together to rework the iconic blue FRAKTA bag, which has been recreated into three new products.
Launching this autumn, the collaborative project brings music-related home furnishings to fans designed for listening, producing, and performing.
The first three products have now been revealed, while the further collection will be unveiled at Milan Fashion Week on June 9 as part of IKEA Festival.
Each product now revealed has been made with music production and playing in mind, with a bag for storing cables and small equipment, a laptop bag, and a vinyl carrier bag.
More than 20 furniture pieces and ‘smart home furnishing solutions’ will be revealed over the coming weeks. Find out more about the collection?here .
Written by?Anthony Vanger
Additional research and reporting by?Adam "Badger" Woolf
Visit TWIM's?Official Website