thatjohntalbot - Tumblr blog

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If the kids are united… (at Walthamstow, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpnhZKXD0SF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Happy birthday this week to our terrific boy Silas. Unbelievable you’re four already. Amazing party thrown by @lavellathon too https://www.instagram.com/p/CpYdsjvDgIB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Christmas Day 2022

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Just remember who’s in charge (at Walthamstow, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmrtVHmrCiN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Christmas at Kew 2022

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#eastruntonbeach and #cromer north Norfolk on a warm November day (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck3g9HhDgd5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Ahead of the herd (at Green Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQnqeOGH89i/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Last bank holiday as a trio (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CObES3XHWPY/?igshid=ddb2f9od7381

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Oh, inverted world (at Walthamstow, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKY5UxmHhMp/?igshid=1df7kzj4agpg5

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Deep seeded urban decay... (at Walthamstow Blackhorse Road) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKUJtr1nJ9t/?igshid=bw4908lovigg

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I’m 40 today, unemployed and living in lockdown. Plus I cut my own hair. But my smile is real. Cheers @lavellathon for making it a special day already https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ0XahTH1kk/?igshid=3z5cpfhwj0ye

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It is cliche to say it’s been a rough-rider of a year, but good music still found a way through.  But it’s cliche because it’s true.

Listen on Spotify: https://thatjohntalbot.com/2WC0ss8

Listen on Qobuz (Hi Res) https://thatjohntalbot.com/3nEjqKl

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How’d it get big? Dua Lipa - Shortlist Magazine - Jan 2018

Every notice how a song is suddenly everywhere?  Like it’s always been on, but you’ve only just noticed it?  Chances are in 2017 this song for you was New Rules by Dua Lipa.  Whether you realised it in a Brooklyn Uber or while peeling your feet off a Vodka Revolution dance floor, Lipa’s lessons for resisting a shitty boyfriend have been ubiquitous since last summer.  Don’t let it’s surprise success make you think it happened by accident, however.  The signs were always there, and here’s why it got big.

UK singer Duo Lipa is a heady combo if timeless female soul vocal and Day-Glo makeover, all delivered through Instagram-friendly styling.  Her look and sound has had her earmarked for global success since the release of debut single New Love back in 2015; a zeitgeisty, tropical mix of dancehall and Winehouse-esque R&B that last year’s New Rules took to a whole new stratosphere.

First of all, there’s the fact that New Rules is based on a conversation.  Lots of successful pop songs are structured around one.  The singer gets someone to speak to, plus a load of teen-friendly emotions to expurge.  That’s why country songs tend to be answer-machine chats packed with regret, while pop leans to call-and-response technique.  Lipa reboots this classic approach with the twist that the chat is with herself.  The target is predictable though - a no-good ex.

There’s also a goofy numbers bit you can shout along to.  Numbers for lyrics is a shortcut to superstardom; just ask Lou Bega.  It means even the drunkest account manager can sassily waggle one finger, then another, in place of recognisable dance moves.  You just need to know how to count to three, because that’s how many Lipa has before the chorus kicks in.

But wait… there is no chorus.  It descends into nothing but samples, beats and bleeps.  A brave choice?  Well, no.  Choruses have been falling out of fashion for years thanks to dance music’s influence on pop.  Hitmakers have abandoned tradition in favour of something known as the ‘pop-drop’.  Billion-streaming juggernaut Closer by The Chainsmokers has one, so does Justin Beiber’s Sorry - and New Rules has one, too

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Last Asturias pictures I promise with @lavellathon (at Asturias) https://www.instagram.com/p/B212v_7nRo-/?igshid=quizrot4w7tf

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A week in Asturias with @lavellathon and Baby T (just out of shot) in Oviedo & Gijón (at El Valle, Oviedo) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2JEyLZnj1N/?igshid=1rxqb3ctcdc0n