New Jesca Hoop Single/Video: “Ode To Banksy”

By Less Lee Moore

The third single from Jesca Hoop‘s amazing The House That Jack Built album (review), is out now and there’s a video to go with it.

“I’ve been a fan of Banksy for ages,” explains Jesca. “This song is a splatter of inspirations that I have gathered from his pieces round the world. There are four or five specific pieces that inform the lyrics. I named the song ‘Ode To Banksy’ because, as a huge fan, I much prefer to keep the mystery of his identity alive . . . and while I was writing the song there were big press blasts to reveal his identity . . . which I ignored. I’ll keep him masked, thank you! This song is like pop art itself . . . for art’s sake. I am also a big a fan of Bobbie Gentry and her song ‘Ode to Billy Joe’ is a long time favorite of mine . . . the thought of the death of a great intrigue gave me a good excuse to write my own Ode.”

“Ode To Banksy”—with its catchy chorus and insistent guitar riffs—is another perfect example of the beautifully diverse talents of Ms. Hoop. If you haven’t yet heard The House That Jack Built, I highly recommend it.

Jesca Hoop will be supporting I Am Kloot on their February tour of the UK.

Tour Dates:
Feb. 12 – GLASGOW, Oran Mor
Feb. 13 – LEEDS, Irish Centre
Feb. 14 – MANCHESTER, The Ritz
Feb. 15 – MANCHESTER, The Ritz
Feb. 18 – NOTTINGHAM, Albert Hall
Feb. 19 – LONDON, Barbican
Feb. 21 – BRIGHTON, St Bartholomew’s Church
Feb. 22 – CAMBRIDGE, Junction
Feb. 23 – BRISTOL, Trinity
Feb. 24 – COVENTRY, Warwick Arts Centre

Best Of 2012: Less Lee Moore

Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander

2012 was the year of the woman. Women dominated the best of music, film, and TV.

The most significant figure for me in 2012 was Lisbeth Salander, the Steig Larsson-created character of the Millennium trilogy of novels, who also appears in the original Swedish film series and David Fincher’s newest film incarnation. Critics and fans may fight over who was better, Noomi Rapace or Rooney Mara, but both were outstanding at portraying my personal favorite female character of the last couple of decades. (Ms. Rapace had the added distinction of playing the more than worthy successor to Ellen Ripley when she inhabited the role of Dr. Elizabeth Shaw in Ridley Scott’s misunderstood but brilliant Prometheus.)

(more…)

Jesca Hoop, The House That Jack Built

By Less Lee Moore

It’s hard to believe The House That Jack Built is Jesca Hoop‘s third proper album. Her last full-length (the excellent Hunting My Dress, reviewed here) came out three years ago, so the artistic growth she demonstrates here is nothing short of astonishing. The mostly acoustic, low-key 2011 EP Snowglobe only hints at the magnificent song craft displayed on The House That Jack Built. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I first heard it and I want to listen to it over and over again.

(more…)

Assemblog: June 8, 2012

Screencap from Miami Vice Fashion

New this week on Popshifter: a SpaceX celebration mix; reviews of The dB’s Falling Off The Sky, Jherek Bishoff’s Composed; John Singer Sergeant from John Dufilho; and a new band to watch: Sad Baby Wolf.

(more…)

Jesca Hoop, Hunting My Dress

By Less Lee Moore

The title song of singer/songwriter Jesca Hoop’s second album, Hunting My Dress, might sound odd, until you listen to the song and consider the lyrics. Rather than describing a woman’s article of clothing, she seems to mean instead the search for a guise, or perhaps a disguise. With all the various personas that she inhabits on this album, it is quite a fitting term.
(more…)