THE COLLECTOR'S GUIDE - Heroic Music

Music player on the wall, who’s the bravest of them all?
Christine Arnefors selects the songs that will save you

SAMIM – HEATER
It may seem like a work for Sisyphus to add some exoticism to the nanomalistic Berlin music style, but with a track that sounds like something you would dance to at a Middle Eastern traditional wedding, the Swiss-Iranian Samim sure heated us up. ‘Heater’ is a fun foretaste of the album Flow, which will be out on Get Physical in September.
» www.myspace.com/samim23  

RODION – FISICO
Our new Italian idol Rodion from Rome outclasses the rest with his heroic harmonies and gallant good looks. Discover the flawless ‘Fisico’ or the full-length record newly out on Gomma records.
» www.myspace.com/r0d10n  

WITNESS (1 HOPE) – ROOTS MANUVA
From the suitably titled album Run Come Save Me, this song ‘Witness’ is surely what your modern superhero would sound like when he was in the mood to do some showing off. “Witness the fitness, the Cruffiton liveth, one hope one quest!” he spits. The hilarious video to this song saw Roots go back to his old primary school and beat the kids on sports day – we guess he didn’t have those superpowers when he was younger. Mr Manuva can come and save us any time.
» www.rootsmanuva.co.uk  

DRAMA SOCIETY FEAT. TURNER – CRYING HERO (TIGA REMIX)
The Cure made a statement with their ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ in 1986. Luckily 20 years later the climate has changed and even heroes are now allowed to show feelings. With a touch of Tiga, ‘Crying Hero’ conquered lists and compilations with its dark essence and haunting vocals, and left us crying for more.
» www.myspace.com/dramasociety  

MAPEI – VIDEO VIXENS
The human superpowers are called talents in everyday speech. Female rapper Mapei has plenty of them and her music is dancehall hip hop moving between Lauryn Hill and Peaches. Listen and feel the powers emerge.
» www.myspace.com/mapei  

HERO SOUNDTRACK
The actors in the film Hero created by Zhang Yimou in 2002 could best be described as fusions between Arnold Schwarzenegger and a ballerina. The magnetising story of intrigues and love affairs in ancient China is accompanied by feather-light music from the Academy Award winning composer Tan Dun.
» www.tandunonline.com  

LAURIE ANDERSON – O SUPERMAN
Spooky, eerie and apart, ‘O Superman’ is originally a cover from an aria from the Frenchman Massenet’s opera Le Cid. The song rose to number 2 in the UK in 1981, was covered and sampled until it got dusted off this summer into a disco hit by Booka Shade and M.A.N.D.Y. We stand before a piece of BIG musical history. www.laurieanderson.com
» www.laurieanderson.com  

ITALOBOYZ – VIKTOR CASANOVA
A track named after the women’s hero Casanova charmed its way into our hearts and to a release on Claude vonStroke’s new label Mothership. Judge for yourself if it’s because of their talent or maybe only these Italian Londoners’ persuasive deep brown eyes…
» www.myspace.com/italoboyz  

SUPERMAYER – SAVE THE WORLD
Artists and their egos… With a title like that, Kompakt boss Michael Mayer and Superpitcher – Supermayer – have a lot to prove. Leaving the safe path of techno, the album will explore all from indie pop to lounge and is released on 17 September on Kompakt.
» www.kompakt-net.com  

BONNIE TYLER – HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO
Poor Bonnie chopped some nodules on her vocal chords, and against the doctor’s orders she couldn‘t keep her mouth shut and ended up with a raspy, coarse voice. What could have been the end of her musical career turned out to be nothing but the beginning, and Bonnie became one of the signature voices of the Eighties.
» www.bonnietyler.com