oscillations.
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Post by oscillations. on Feb 3, 2009 23:55:46 GMT -5
Every hyped-up "smart pop" album gets one of these outrageous reviews these days. Franz, Girls Aloud, Lily. It's almost always from an outlet no one actually reads.
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Adz
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Post by Adz on Feb 5, 2009 0:05:03 GMT -5
LILY Allen may have joined the stable of angry young rock chicks, but these days that means writing a song with one hand, doing a Google search with the other. Lily Allen Googles herself. Daily.
‘‘I have a Google blog alert on myself, and a Google news alert,'' she says. ‘‘I'm serious. I read it all. I check it every day to see what's going on. Also if there's anyone to sue, I'll forward it to my lawyer.''
Things have changed in Lilyworld. When her debut album Alright, Still was released in 2006, she was a 20-year-old with a big mouth to match her big hits who didn't care what anyone said about her.
Then came the fame (also the subject of her latest hit The Fear).
Fame messed with Allen's head. Big time. In a sea of beige popstars who say nothing, Allen was world famous, outspoken and outgoing - a media dream.
She would regularly take to her blog, venting on her weight, love life and contemporaries. Her off-the-cuff comments to fans became news stories that infuriated her haters - Lily slags Madonna, Lily wantsto lose weight, Lily's sick of the limelight,etc.
Allen and Amy Winehouse-hunting became a game for British paparazzi.
‘‘People ask me how I deal with it and I just don't,'' Allen says of the paparazzi. ‘‘It's just there. It's just part of my life. It's like the fact I have brown hair. That's what it's like to be me. Except I can dye my hair pink.''
Though Allen never took partying to Winehouse depths, she has been snapped from every angle over the past three years - from zoom lens while swimming on holiday to being upskirted by photographers working, quite literally, in the gutter.
There have been nip slips, a string of boyfriends and no let up when Allen had a miscarriage in January last year - making the first picture of her distress with then boyfriend Ed Simons, of the Chemical Brothers, worth a fortune.
In the lead-up to second album It's Not Me, It's You, Lily is still all over the newspapers and gossip magazines - except this time at least she has something to sell.
And it means her Google alert is going off the Richter scale and Allen's online seeing what's being said about her.
‘‘It's probably quite unhealthy but who wouldn't?,'' Allen says. ‘‘If you walked into a room and everyone went quiet you'd want to know what they're talking about, wouldn't you? I want to know what people are saying about me. Whether that's healthy or not, I don't know.
‘‘I do get annoyed - there was a story in the past few days that claimed I'd said a guy I was vaguely seeing once was bad in bed. I've never said that in my life. That really annoys me but I don't know how to retaliate. I'm not going to do a blog and say, ‘Actually he was really brilliant in bed' because it's no one's business.''
Indeed, once a chance for her to vent, the blogs have stopped altogether.
‘‘It got boring,'' Allen says. ‘‘I haven't done a blog for ages. It's boring when people just pick stuff up and write about it. People get hurt, people get upset.''
Welcome to the new Lily, a media victim who has learnt from being burnt.
The only person she's slagging off now - at least on record - is herself.
As in when she says her first album now makes her cringe.
‘‘When I listen to it now it makes me nauseous,'' Allen says. ‘‘Smile's OK, LDN's OK but Everything's Just Wonderful - I hate that song so much. It's so juvenile, I'm not going to enjoy singing that.''
She's even watering down her attack on George W. Bush.
New song F--- You is an obvious lyrical bomb on George W. Bush, with its barbs about racism, homophobia and walking in his father's footsteps. The song was originally called GWB - Guess Who Batman.
‘‘It was about George Bush when I was writing it, but it's become broader than that,'' Allen claims. ‘‘I think everyone knows people like that ... it's more directed at that certain type of person.''
At times Allen recalls Robbie Williams with her low self-esteem and high level of fame - often a dangerous combination - and she admits to regularly seeing a therapist.
It's little wonder. So far this year a throwaway line about how drugs don't necessarily kill everyone who uses them when asked about the song Everyone's At It (a look at the use of chemicals - legal and otherwise) was seized on as if Allen had sanctioned piping heroin and cocaine into the water system.
The latest is a supposed lesbian tryst with US twin sisters.
‘‘I don't find what I'm saying sensational - if I did I wouldn't say it,'' Allen says.
‘‘Someone said to me, ‘Have you ever kissed a girl?' I said, ‘Actually yes, I had this one night in San Diego'. I didn't realise that would end up being ‘My lesbian gay romp' on the cover of Gay Times. It isn't that fascinating, it was just a casual bit of information.''
Her cyber enemy Perez Hilton - who she describes as a ‘‘bully'' - posts her out-of-context comments globally in seconds, provoking people to believe she's courting controversy rather than just doing interviews.
‘‘It's never intentional,'' Allen says. ‘‘I think it's cynical if people think I walk into a room and go, ‘What is the most attention-seeking, headline-grabbing thing I could say to get myself more press?' I have to do press, contractually. Do you think I want to do interviews? No. I have to do them. I happen to be not very clever about knowing what is going to be sensational or not.''
Things have changed so much in Allentown that a minder from her UK record company sat in on this phone interview unannounced.
When the subject of Katy Perry - who called herself ‘‘a fatter version of Amy Winehouse and a skinnier version of Lily Allen'' - is raised, the minder bluntly steps in to shoo off the question, despite the singer being happy to answer it.
‘‘She said something malicious and nasty and I just said something back,'' Allen says.
‘‘Which is perfectly fair. I don't really have a view on her. I'm not really into her music.''
Allen also claimed Perry was signed as a safer version of herself, and questioned her songwriting skills.
‘‘She writes her own songs but with Cathy Dennis, who happens to be one of the best top-line songwriters in the world. She's very lucky to have her onside.''
Who do you think's better, Katy Perry or Lily Allen? Let us know in the poll below.
Allen has cut out the songwriter-for-hire merry-go-round on It's Not Me, It's You. The album was written wholly by Allen and Greg Kurstin, who when he isn't in The Bird and the Bee co-wrote songs for Kylie (Wow), Britney and Ladyhawke right through to Sia and Peaches.
Allen was happy with the consistency of one songwriting partner - for various reasons.
‘‘Because I'm somewhat famous in the UK, I was scared of going into a studio situation with someone who had these preconceived notions of what I was and what I was about. I knew Greg from before, it made sense to make the whole album with him.''
It wasn't as easy as that. Kurstin and Allen wrote six songs in a creative burst, then he had to tour with The Bird and the Bee.
Allen was happy to wait for his return, but EMI had other ideas.
‘‘The record company wanted me to have an album,'' Allen says, ‘‘so they wanted me to try Mark Ronson, try Bjorn from Peter, Bjorn and John, try Gonzales, try Damon Albarn.''
The sessions came to nothing - the most noteworthy thing came when Allen accidentally flashed Albarn.
‘‘As great as all those people were, I just knew in my heart of hearts I was just waiting for Greg to get back off tour.''
The album finished, Allen's now ready to tour again - out of financial necessity.
This month Allen revealed she makes no money from album sales, but rather through touring and sync deals - her music being used on ads, movies or TV shows.
Despite being sober since September (she denies it was after her drunken award show gig with Elton John made headlines), Allen says hitting the road has seen her hitting the bottle.
‘‘I did stop, but I've started again now I'm going on tour. I find it quite difficult to get on stage without a drink. It's not like I felt I had a drinking problem and I had to stop, I just got f---ing sick of people saying I was drunk all the time. Just because I happen to have a drink in my hand doesn't mean I'm drunk, which is something that happens to women in show business.''
Though she's savaged the former president on this album, the new president was given a copy of Alright, Still by British Conservative Party leader David Cameron as part of a gift bag of British music that also included the Smiths, Radiohead and Gorillaz.
‘‘Obama was given my first record, but whether it's in his possession still I don't know,'' Allen says. ‘‘I'd like to think they're dancing around the White House to it.''
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Post by Bl@hBl@hBl@h on Feb 5, 2009 0:38:19 GMT -5
"Back To The Start" is the best song IMO.
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vinyl
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Post by vinyl on Feb 5, 2009 14:23:02 GMT -5
Lily Allen to sell new album for a very low price
Lily Allen has announced that she will sell her forthcoming album, 'It's Not Me, It's You', for a very low price for the first week of its release.
The singer has joined forces with MySpace Music and Amazon.com to sell the new CD for $3.99, down from the usual album price of $10-$20.
Her sophomore album is due out in the US on Tuesday (February 10) and will be available for that price until February 16, reports the Associated Press.
The strategy is reminiscent of the one Radiohead used in 2007 when they allowed listeners to choose how much to pay to download their new album 'In Rainbows'.
Meanwhile, the first single from the album, 'Everyone's At It', and other new tracks are currently streaming from Allen's MySpace page.
--By our Los Angeles staff. NME
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Post by busyboy on Feb 5, 2009 14:27:55 GMT -5
Lucy bastards Americans... ![](http://yoursmiles.org/ssmile/fun/s0270.gif) ;)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2009 11:03:52 GMT -5
Finally got round to listening to the album (thanks Alex lol).
It's not as good as Alright, Still (obviously), it kind of trails off after "Chinese" and I'm not a big fan of "Never Gonna Happen" or "I Could Say". It's still a great album, though. My current favourites are "Everyone's At It", "Back To The Start" and "Who'd Have Known".
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hidizzyguy
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Post by hidizzyguy on Feb 6, 2009 12:09:05 GMT -5
So yesterday, I put Alright, Still just to kinda refresh my memory. Other than the singles, and maybe Littlest Things (I'm not sure if this was single) Alright, Still was very juvenile and have a very "debut album" feel to it. She shows so much maturity in this album - and I'm glad that she went easy on the hooks. Her voice is also more pleasant all throughout the album. I really love the line... "and today you accidentally...... called me baby."
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Post by K. on Feb 6, 2009 12:26:23 GMT -5
This album is less pop-friendly than the last one, IMO.
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hidizzyguy
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Post by hidizzyguy on Feb 6, 2009 13:01:17 GMT -5
This album is less pop-friendly than the last one, IMO. and I think that's why I like it more. I feel the same way about Franz's new album.
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Post by busyboy on Feb 6, 2009 13:46:34 GMT -5
Definitely, it's less immediate than Alright, Still.
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Active Aggressive
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Post by Active Aggressive on Feb 7, 2009 9:47:21 GMT -5
I'm sure I will like it then. I like when artists evolve or change.
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Active Aggressive
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Post by Active Aggressive on Feb 7, 2009 10:02:31 GMT -5
Wow. This CD is AMAZING.
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jord
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Post by jord on Feb 7, 2009 10:59:43 GMT -5
I'm sure I will like it then. I like when artists evolve or change. I would say it's more of a progression than anything. Not too different from Alright, Still but a bit more mature.
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Callmeatomic
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Post by Callmeatomic on Feb 7, 2009 19:02:35 GMT -5
Back to the Start or Everyone's at it for the next single!
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🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾
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Post by 🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾 on Feb 7, 2009 23:35:16 GMT -5
Billboard review:
It's Not Me, It's You lily allen Release Date: October , Feb. Producer(s): Greg Kurstin Label/Catalog Number: Capitol
The one-time wild child of U.K. electro-pop, Lily Allen is currently spending her nights a little differently from how she did during the era documented on "Alright, Still," her hit 2006 debut. "You'll make me beans on toast and a nice cup of tea," she sings of one dream date on "Chinese." "Then we'll get Chinese and watch TV." Yet thanks to Allen's still-sharp lyrical wit and an exceedingly crafty production job by Greg Kurstin, "It's Not Me, It's You" is hardly the grown-up buzz-kill it might have been. In fact, Allen is probably better (and funnier) detailing her disdain for the party scene than she was describing her love of it. Who could resist a tune about God ("Him") in which "suicidal" rhymes with "Creedence Clearwater Revival"?—Mikael Wood
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**βécky**™
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a little flippant
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Post by **βécky**™ on Feb 8, 2009 16:37:38 GMT -5
Per DigitalSpy:
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Post by galvanize on Feb 8, 2009 16:39:00 GMT -5
Lily Allen & OPRAH. :o :o :o I'd literally pay to see those two try to have a conversation about anything. ![:dead:](http://ruadventures.com/forum/Smileys/animated/smiley_resurrect_grave.gif)
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Mic Technique
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Post by Mic Technique on Feb 8, 2009 16:45:33 GMT -5
Back to the Start or Everyone's at it for the next single!
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Post by busyboy on Feb 8, 2009 16:47:44 GMT -5
That it's how it's done. Take notes, Robyn and Kylie.
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sam998899
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Post by sam998899 on Feb 9, 2009 13:24:10 GMT -5
I preorded the album and it was here when I got back from school!
When you buy it it, it lets you remix the WHOLE album!!! It gives you the parts to all the tracks!!!!!
YES YES YES!
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hidizzyguy
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Post by hidizzyguy on Feb 9, 2009 13:29:12 GMT -5
Lily on Oprah does sound like a hot mess.... but, I think she has enough sense to know to behave herself. She obviously cares about her success here if she's even choosing to do Oprah.
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ashley
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Post by ashley on Feb 9, 2009 13:33:55 GMT -5
I preorded the album and it was here when I got back from school! When you buy it it, it lets you remix the WHOLE album!!! It gives you the parts to all the tracks!!!!! YES YES YES! Buy it from where? iTunes or physically? Explain more please...
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sam998899
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Post by sam998899 on Feb 9, 2009 16:39:48 GMT -5
I got it from Play.com, so its the physical release!
Love her vocalsss =D
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SHOOTER
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Post by SHOOTER on Feb 10, 2009 4:12:55 GMT -5
I preorded the album and it was here when I got back from school! When you buy it it, it lets you remix the WHOLE album!!! It gives you the parts to all the tracks!!!!! YES YES YES! If I'm not mistaken, didn't Alright, Still do the same thing? At least a couple of the tracks, right?
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Post by busyboy on Feb 10, 2009 7:23:45 GMT -5
#1 in UK midweeks. Obviously... ;) ![:d](http://images.proboards.com/cheesy.gif)
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sam998899
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Post by sam998899 on Feb 10, 2009 14:42:45 GMT -5
I preorded the album and it was here when I got back from school! When you buy it it, it lets you remix the WHOLE album!!! It gives you the parts to all the tracks!!!!! YES YES YES! If I'm not mistaken, didn't Alright, Still do the same thing? At least a couple of the tracks, right? Smile, Knock Em Out and LDN, but you had to buy them from U-myx.com.
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MyLastView
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Post by MyLastView on Feb 10, 2009 16:36:27 GMT -5
Fantastic album. "I Could Say" is my favorite - beautiful track. I also really like "22", "Back to the Start", "F**k You", "Who'd Have Known" and "Him".
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Callmeatomic
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Post by Callmeatomic on Feb 10, 2009 17:17:13 GMT -5
Her tour stop in Toronto was moved to a much larger venue due to big ticket sales. I didn't expect it, so yay!
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sam998899
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Post by sam998899 on Feb 10, 2009 17:27:08 GMT -5
According to people on her forum NOT FAIR is the second single!
Woooo!
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**βécky**™
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Post by **βécky**™ on Feb 10, 2009 19:35:51 GMT -5
Just bought it.
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