Gwen & BeMusic Productions

Gwen StefaniWhat You Waiting For (remix)

Gwen Stefani's latest single, What You Waiting For sounds like a clock to me; a carefully constructed mechanism where everything has been carefully slotted into place to make a bouncy Europop song. This Jacques Lu Cont remix is what happens when the mechanism begins to wind down; the quartz crystal jumps to a different beat than the Universal Time of the original. Large swathes of Electronic's Getting Away With It seem to be pasted over the melody, which is no bad thing either.

Gwen Stefani and Bernard SumnerThe Real Thing (iTunes link)

This is from her new album as well, and sounds as New Order-y as something very New Order indeed. Not just because Bernard supplies backing vocals, or the sound of the synths that sound as if they've come straight from the Haçienda; even the lyrics sound familiar, with the oft-repeating Barney trick of rhyming 'away' with 'stay' (No-one ever said he was the best lyricist in the world). Oh, and Peter Hook plays the bass. So if you are in any doubt about whether I'm writing a load of rubbish (er… — Ed.), go to 2:40, and listen as the vocals drop away to reveal Hook beneath, if you haven't noticed it already. Oooh, there's a new New Order album out next year. Can you tell I'm excited?

currently playing: Beth Orton — She Cries Your Name