Shoot From The Hip by Sophie Ellis Bextor

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Opinions please. I think it's very good, lots of fine hooks, and an unusually high number of really clever lyrics, plus a song that does go back to the days of theaudience and their wonderfully over-titled pop wonders.

"The Walls Keep Saying Your Name" is also (shock) a rather good sad ballad!

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)

dunno about the album, but the single makes me yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn!

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Ok. Back to "The Walls Keep Saying Your Name". It's not really a ballad, it's too beat-y and fast to properly be a ballad, but it's slow and you couldn't even do a desultory dance to it, so by default it's as close as SEB gets.

Extra good bit: on "I Won't Change You", she sings about all the things she might change, but says "But I'll still change my underwear". It's good. As is "Party In My Head" which has a solid, cute, rhyming quadruplet involving Mister Ed.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 14:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought the single was bit rub at first and then it stealthily snuck up and became one of my favourite things of the year. In the video I think she has the same-dress-in-lots-of-different-colours idea that Kylie did in Hand In Your Heart vid; also she walks around a lot, and stops, and then walks around a bit more, like Kylie did in that video.

I have only heard the album once, not really properly. I don't really expect it to be very great, much as Read My Lips wasn't very great, but I do expect it to be deep-mined for wonderful standalone singles.

― Alex in Doncaster (Alex in Doncaster), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Read My Lips actually is better than I remembered it. I quite like almost all of it, except for "Leave The Others Alone" and "Everything Falls Into Place", the former being boring, joyless and hookless, and the latter being a rough approximation of what The Human League would sound like circa 2001, except shit.

There aren't any standalone singles as good as "Murder", "Get Over You" or even the usually-forgotten "Move This Mountain", but it's pretty good overall.

(i.e. better than Three)

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 14:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Hah. Poor dear sweet Three is becoming a bit of a benchmark for vague-disappointingness. I'm sure I'll warm to it soon enough...

Why did she never release Lover? why why why? she crazé. What's the Bernard Butler one like on the new album?

― Alex in Doncaster (Alex in Doncaster), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 14:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I think the Bernard butler is the audience-like "I Am Not Good At Not Getting What I Want".

It's very good, one of the best. It's not dissimilar to "If You Can't Do It When You're Young..." really, except without the loud bit at the end.

The non-release of "Lover" is indeed criminal - I think it was supposed to be but got shelved when the album got repackaged and the new tracks got put out instead.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Is very good. Some expendable bits, lyrics occasionally crummy and stilted (see: I Won't Dance With You), but the second half of the album brings it all together stunningly. Love It Is Love, I Am Not Good At Not Getting What I Want, and especially You Get Yours are all exceptional.

Currently one of four things in rotation in my head, alongside The Dirtbombs and Camera Obscura's new albums, and the mighty (MIGHTY) 'Laura' by Scissor Sisters. Which everyone needs, now.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Least appropriate album title though...

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 16:38 (twenty-one years ago)

More extra good bits: wobbly synth chorus on "Another Day", especially the bit where you think "ah! key change coming". The lovably daft bit about the guests at the party in "Party In My Head", the way "Love It Is Love" sounds like it could have fit perfectly in the middle of the first Madonna album, the scratchy violin/piano combo at the start of "Walls", and basically the entirety of "You Get Yours" which is a bit like a toughened-up version of "I Believe" off Read My Lips, and all the better for it.

― edward o (edwardo), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:21 (twenty-one years ago)

its got a real dirty synth /thing going on./ reminds me of goldfrap but less about compression

― Savin All My Love 4 u (Savin 4ll my (heart) 4u), Thursday, 30 October 2003 02:34 (twenty-one years ago)

oh no thats just the first track.. Making Music. and You Get Yours.

― Savin All My Love 4 u (Savin 4ll my (heart) 4u), Thursday, 30 October 2003 02:51 (twenty-one years ago)

there is no such thing as a sophie ellis bextor, you are making it up.

― scott seward, Thursday, 30 October 2003 04:19 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.auburn.wednet.edu/everydaymath/images/rhombus.jpg

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 30 October 2003 04:22 (twenty-one years ago)

aha, that explains it. at first, i thought it might be baby spice's real name or something, but i knew it must be some sort of geometric construct.

― scott seward, Thursday, 30 October 2003 04:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm looking foward to Baby Spice's album if all of it sounds like "Maybe". (except it won't, it will all sound like "Free Me" and will be extremely shitty.)

― edward o (edwardo), Thursday, 30 October 2003 04:31 (twenty-one years ago)

i hesitate to ask what "Free Me" is, but i suspect it has something to do with this mythical sophie person.wait, is she married to andrew lloyd webber? or andrew ridgley? or prince andrew? i demand proof of her existence!

― scott seward, Thursday, 30 October 2003 04:36 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.widemedia.com/fashionuk/news/2001/10/30/sophie.jpg

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 30 October 2003 04:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Yikes!! does Madonna know about her? does she invite her over to the castle? she's kinda scary. and she's a real person? not just a simulation? i'm guessing a cross between Jonatha Brook & Sarah Brightman. now bear in mind, i've never heard either of them.

― scott seward, Thursday, 30 October 2003 04:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw her on TOTP last week and she has the most soulless, unemotional and machine-like voice I've ever heard coming out of a human being - Ralf Hutter should just roll over and die (I neither approve or disapprove of this by the way). Maybe this ties in with the "is she a simulation" comment above - except I've seen her out drinking before and she's definitely flesh and blood and, well, pretty cute too it must be admitted.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 30 October 2003 10:56 (twenty-one years ago)

So is Alex James all over this album, or am I misinformed?

I had to conceded that "Mixed Up World" or whatever it's called actually grew on me. (In a way that her new blonde locks just didn't.)

― kate (kate), Thursday, 30 October 2003 11:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh yeah - ditch the blonde look pronto Soph

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 30 October 2003 11:04 (twenty-one years ago)

i think 'Mixed Up World' may be the growiest growth in the history of growthiness

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 30 October 2003 12:45 (twenty-one years ago)

The video really irritated me, though. She should have traded dancers with Emma Bunton and then everything would have been fine.

Or else had Alex James in a RAF pilot outfit. (Regardless of whether he played on the song or not.)

― kate (kate), Thursday, 30 October 2003 12:47 (twenty-one years ago)

three weeks pass...

The second half of this album really is excellent! In fact I like most of the songs except that something about "I Won't Change You" makes me want to dislike the album itself (even though on its own it's not too objectionable). Like, the idea of the abum annoys me, but then I listen to it and am surprised by how much I like a lot of it. "Love It Is Love" is almost tribal house!

Search: "You Get Yours", "The Walls Keep Saying Your Name", "I Am Not Good At Getting What I Want".

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 24 November 2003 05:00 (twenty-one years ago)

The "I Won't Change You" clip is really great. Sophie's speed dating, except she keeps changing her outfits so she can speed-date the same guy over and over. Sadly, her brief tenure as a really big pop star who can make top 5 hits seems to be over, even though there's lots of good stuff on the album - though there does seem to be concensus on this thread as to what the best songs are, the whole thing is really very consistent.

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 24 November 2003 05:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not really feeling "Nowhere Without You". It feels like Sophie's idea of a credible downbeat indie-ish number. Which is ironic maybe because you'd expect "I Am Not Good At What Getting What I Want" to suffer the same fate but that's great!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 24 November 2003 05:45 (twenty-one years ago)

it's a VAST improvement on the debut. and i'm really feeling "Nowhere Without You". it'd make a great choice for the third single, though she'd first need a killer second single in the vein of "Murder On The Dancefloor"/"Get Over You", and as much as i like most of the album, i don't hear any killer second singles - only a handful of "Music Gets The Best Of Me"s. Which is good enough for me, but probably not for Ms Bextor's bank account.

also: the blonde hair looks well in the video, but suits her terribly when she's making pouty faces in the booklet.

― Mind Taker, Monday, 24 November 2003 11:35 (twenty-one years ago)

She got some publicity because she was putting out "I Won't Change You" on the same day Victoria Beckham is putting out her (actually not that bad) single, and already some media latched onto it.

I think Sophie moved hers forward two weeks, and it's going to get totally buried, probably missing the top 10. Such a shame. Hopefully she'll go with "Walls Keep Saying Your Name" or "You Get Yours" next, perhaps a double A-side. Double A-sides are good. Having said that, it'd be wonderful if she just said "fuck the chart" and put out "I Am Not Good..." and laugh as it missed the top 20...

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 24 November 2003 12:20 (twenty-one years ago)

In the 'I am bemused' corner, I read yesterday on the XTC website that one A. Partridge is cowriting a B-side with Sophie for a single.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 24 November 2003 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes! A "You Get Yours/Walls Keep Saying Your Name" double A-side would be an inspired move!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 26 November 2003 00:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Shoot Sophie Ellis-Bextor in the hip? Murder on the dancefloor indeed...

― steve, Wednesday, 26 November 2003 00:04 (twenty-one years ago)

more "the walls keep saying your name" praise. & you can totally dance to it!

― etc, Friday, 5 December 2003 10:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I am amazed this thread doesn't have that picture Popbitch keep linking to.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Friday, 5 December 2003 10:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Off you go then (missed it myself)

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Friday, 5 December 2003 11:20 (twenty-one years ago)

more "the walls keep saying your name" praise. & you can totally dance to it!

Using your lower body? I think not! It's a hand dance sort of thing. Maybe given that she's pregnant, she'll do a video where you don't see anything below the waist and she'll be FORCED to hand dance!

― edward o (edwardo), Friday, 5 December 2003 11:44 (twenty-one years ago)

yr hands are for the drums

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Friday, 5 December 2003 11:46 (twenty-one years ago)

She's always been giving XTC props, even back when she was in theaudience, as I recall, so I got a kick out of the fact that she collaborated with Andy Partridge. Still haven't seen said B-side about, yet.

― Schwingung (Damian), Friday, 5 December 2003 12:56 (twenty-one years ago)

...and she also called Robbie Williams a slut. The fact that some of her stuff is great is just a bonus.

― Schwingung (Damian), Friday, 5 December 2003 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

revive because i have been listening to murder on the dancefloor obsessively. we need more music like this in the world.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Saturday, 17 September 2005 06:36 (nineteen years ago)

christ yes. what's she up to lately?

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Saturday, 17 September 2005 18:19 (nineteen years ago)

That track with Busface was the last anyone heard of her...

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 17 September 2005 18:21 (nineteen years ago)

boffing one of her band and looking after the resulting sprog, one presumes.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Saturday, 17 September 2005 18:22 (nineteen years ago)

Apparently the album's due in the spring, and is more "acoustic". Because that's a good idea.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 17 September 2005 18:23 (nineteen years ago)

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Shoot From The Hip by Sophie Ellis Bextor - thoughts?