Whilst casually browsing for a Gwen Stefani picture to pin onto my Gwen Stefani picture of the week board in my bathroom, I came across the horrific discovery that You Tube has pulled the band's new video for their Looking
Hot single.
Let me just take a second to get this straight; people have
complained about the band’s cowboy and indian themed video because…? Because it
was too chic? Too cool? No, because of… DUM DUM DUM (dramatic theme music)...
...RACISM
Seriously?
Now don’t get me wrong, I am against all racism, but in
what fucked up, "politically correct" world does this count as racism? Firstly,
Ska originated as a form of music bringing together sounds from different cultures and secondly,
how on Earth could anybody take this video as any sort of accurate portrayal of
history?
Lighten up, world. Aren’t there enough horrors we all have to face, without taking away Gwen in this dress?
Racist? Braids are racist, scientists have recently discovered
The band eventually had no choice but to pull their video from all
official platforms, saying: “As a multi-racial band our foundation is built
upon both diversity and consideration for other cultures. Our intention
with our new video was never to offend, hurt or trivialize Native American
people, their culture or their history.”
The statement continued: “Although we consulted
with Native American friends and Native American studies experts at the
University of California, we realize now that we have offended people. This is
of great concern to us and we are removing the video immediately.”
“The music that inspired us when we started the band, and the
community of friends, family, and fans that surrounds us was built upon respect,
unity and inclusiveness. We sincerely apologize to the Native American
community and anyone else offended by this video,” continued the band.
The statement concluded, “Being hurtful to anyone is simply not
who we are.”
On the upside I found my Gwen Stefani picture of the week.
Anyway, this being Harsh&Repellent I’ve posted the video for
you all to see and judge for yourselves. Read Harsh&Repellent's review of their new album Push And Shove
Gwen was created by a group of harajuku girls chanting around a blow up sex doll
Gwen is an immortal goddess that never ages, that is for certain.
And what’s more, she continues to rock out more effortlessly than any other
aging songtress I can think of (Madonna). I just had to say that because I
think she needs to hear it as much possible so the pressure to keep that way is
always so tight that she’ll never disappoint us by ageing/dying.
Embarking on her solo career was probably utterly instrumental to
the release of Settle Down, even though it’s been six years since Gwen’s last
album The Sweet Escape and almost a
thousand years (eleven) since No Doubt released Rock Steady, which was the soundtrack to a super weird time in my
life.
Push And
Shove is really the love child of No Doubt and Gwen Steffani’s solo
career persona (a sex doll brought to life my chanting harajuku girls). In the
album’s cooking pot you have some awesome ska tracks (Push And Shove) with a
few dreamy ballads (Dreaming The Same Dream), mix in some catchy 80s nostalgia
(One More Summer), add a pinch of a potential club hit (Looking Hot) and what
you have is damn good comeback cookies that can hold its own against the band’s
earlier baked goods. (I went for a baking theme and I will damned well see it
through.)
To clarify: when I say that Gwen’s solo career was instrumental to
the album’s creation, I mean that had Gwen not gone down the solo career road,
No Doubt would not have released Push And
Shove, and the world would have suffered.
How do I know this? Do I have some sort of alternate dimension
machine that allows me to travel to other universes where I discovered a world
where What You Waiting For? never existed
and as a result Gwen didn’t rebirth her own appetite for creating music, so No
Doubt didn’t get back together, this album didn’t exist and I never used Push And Shove as music-inspiration to
totally blast my biceps while working out, giving me the extra confidence to
ask out the guy I’ve been secretly following home from work and therefore fall
into a pit of depression and end up killing myself with eighty bottles of
aspirin while having a foamy seizure to the lulling sighs of Don’t Speak?
No. It’s just a hunch.
What is certain, however, is that I didn’t know how much I needed
them to make this album until I realised that it’s now autumn and we’re all
verging on the brink of plunging into SAD. Gwen and the boys have saved us all
from an autumn of taking shit too seriously. Thank you Gwen, I love you. Sorry
I’ve been taking too much Xanax and have had to construct a “safe zone” under
my desk.
I’m going to break the album down for ya’ll pro and con style to
make digestion easy.
Pro – Settle Down: This song is the epitome of No Doubt’s style
and their deep roots in ska. As well as their first single off the new album it
also reminded me that I’m painfully single and need to settle down.
Pro – Looking Hot: Solo Stefani plus playfully feminine vocals
that hark back to their super early stuff like Trapped In A Box make this track a fav. Play as you’re doing coke ready for a night out.
Pro – Stefani singing “stare at my ragamuffin”.
Con – Sparkle: With a bass that resembles the Strangler’s Peaches to set up an ultimately
anti-climax of a chorus, this track doesn’t deliver what I want from it. I play
it up until the chorus, then I turn it off.
Pro – One More Summer: Even catchier than an Essex lad with STIs.
Con – Undone: To me this track is filler. Not just filler, but
boring filler. If the album were a sandwich, then this track would be spam.
Pro – Push And Shove: Totally deserving of the album title. Major
Lazer adds some serious weight to the entire album by featuring on this track.
No Doubt at their very best, mixing ska, pop and rock in a perfect
chocolate-chipped blend that raises my serotonin levels enough to rock out even
though summer is dead.
Pro – That we live in this version of reality where the album
exists and I haven’t aspirined myself to death.
