Singles (The Long Blondes album)

"Singles" is a compilation album released by the Sheffield band The Long Blondes on October 8, 2008 via Angular Records. The 12-track album collates all of the songs from the band's singles prior to their signing to Rough Trade Records in April 2006, released by various independent record labels. The compilation was released on the same day that the band broke up, with the album's inlay breaking the news of their decision to split.

"Singles" was named the 25th best album of 2008 by Artrocker magazine.

Background

The compilation features the previously unreleased song "Peterborough" and an alternate version of "Separated By Motorways". This version of "Separated By Motorways" differs from the single release, with the group opting to include Alan Smyth's demo version instead. The compilation also features rare information, pictures and early interviews with the band.

"New Idols" and "Long Blonde" were originally released by Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation on bubblegum pink vinyl as a double A-side. The latter was also featured on a split 7" with The Boyfriends on Filthy Little Angels (which also featured "Autonomy Boy"). These were followed by two singles on Angular Records; "Giddy Stratospheres" (backed by "Polly" and "Darts") and "Appropriation (By Any Other Name)" (backed by "My Heart Is Out of Bounds" and "Lust in the Movies"). "Giddy Stratospheres" was also released in the US on 12" by What's Your Rupture?, featuring the three tracks included on the UK version, plus '"Autonomy Boy". The band's final release before signing to Rough Trade was "Separated By Motorways", which came out on Paul Epworth's Good & Evil Records backed by "Big Infatuation".

Singles: Flirt Up Your Life

Singles: Flirt Up Your Life is a video game developed by Rotobee and published by German company Deep Silver in 2003.

It is very similar to The Sims in that the player is responsible for characters who have to be taken care of, such as by ordering them to eat, sleep, go to work, etc.

The game is available for sale via download from the company's website, with payment required to continue playing after the one-hour time limit expires.

The CD-ROM version sold in the USA censors any nudity throughout the game.

Comparison to earlier games

Singles was largely panned by critics for being a rip-off of The Sims and the way it offered little challenge, with the player required to simply follow a routine of making the characters progress from making small talk through to professing love then running off to bed together via the simple interaction menus. The 'needs' are also considered fairly inconsequential, with the characters never starving to death even when their 'hunger' need has dropped to zero.

Singles (Despina Vandi album)

Singles is a compilation album by the popular Greek singer Despina Vandi, containing her most successful singles under the EMI Music Greece label (with whom she was signed from her debut in 1994 until 2000). The compilation includes singles taken from the albums Gela Mou (1994), Esena Perimeno (1996), Deka Entoles (1997), and Profities (1999). It also included tracks from the singles "Spania" (1997) and "Ipofero" (2001). The CD was also released in Germany and other European countries.

Track listing

Release history

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

References

External links

Closer

Closer or Closers may refer to:

Print media

Film, television and theater

Film

Television

Theater

Sports and games

Music

Closer (band)

Closer is an acoustic indie pop band from The Netherlands. Its band members are Roel Kessels as guitarist and lead vocalist, and Thomas van Geelen as cello player and backing vocalist. The band was formed in September 2006 by Kessels who had been performing as a singer/songwriter under the same artistic name.

History

Closer started out as a dream of singer/songwriter Roel Kessels. Inspired by many great artists like Damien Rice and Elliott Smith he already wrote and recorded songs on his own. This filled him with much satisfaction, but he also felt there was something missing. After seeing the movie Closer (film), with Damien Rice's song 'The Blower's Daughter' accompanying the ending, he got inspired to enhance his music with bowed strings.

A couple of years later he met Thomas on the train. Thomas played the cello, and it wouldn't be long before they started playing together and planned their first gig.

Closer is now Roel Kessels as guitarist and lead vocalist, and Thomas van Geelen on the cello, singing an occasional second. They had their first gig together with Lotte, who plays the violin. Lotte still plays with them every now and then, but most of the time you'll find them playing by twos. They started performing at small venues in Tilburg and Breda, and even on some small festivals in Breda (Troubadourfestival and Bluesfestival). In 2007 Closer won the Amsterdam Student Festival (Amsterdamsstudentenfestival.nl).

Closer (Ne-Yo song)

"Closer" is a song by American R&B singer Ne-Yo. The song was written and produced by Ne-Yo and Stargate. It was released as the lead single from Ne-Yo's third studio album Year of the Gentleman (2008).

"Closer" reached number one in the UK, scoring Ne-Yo his second UK number one, following 2006's "So Sick". "Closer" became the fifteenth biggest selling single in the UK in 2008 according to BBC Radio 1's chart of the year. The song and its music video were used in a commercial for Overstock.com in early 2008. The commercial was also used as promotional tool for Year of the Gentleman.

Background

"Closer" marked a musical departure for Ne-Yo, taking on a dance-pop style over the more rhythmic and urban sound his songs usually possess. In the song, Ne-Yo sings of having an urging attraction to a woman he sees, having the desire to "come closer" to her. His attraction to her becomes stronger, and almost hypnotic, as he sings "And I just can't pull myself away, under a spell I can't break/I just can't stop." The song was featured in episodes of The CW shows Gossip Girl and 90210.