ChordStrike

'Stylo' Steals, Eddy Alleges

It’s that time again: time for another plagiarism claim!

The newest protest comes from 80s reggae star Eddy Grant about the first single from the new Gorillaz album Plastic Beach. Grant has consulted his lawyers alleging that there are “substantive similarities” between the current Gorillaz single “Stylo” and Grant’s 1983 track “Time Warp.”

In an email to the British music magazine NME, he explained “My song sits almost note to note with their release and is a blatant rip off. ‘Time Warp’ is a very popular song and has been a staple of the DJ scene for many years and I feel total disrespect from Gorillaz and their management company, especially as they are an established act.” Neither Gorillaz nor their label E.M.I. have commented on the situation as of yet, but the argument has already spilled into the public domain with fans of each artist taking a side in the debate.

Still, there is something of a silver lining: Coldplay fans across the globe are breathing a sigh of relief that plagiarism lawyers currently have other artists to concern them.

As is now customary, a helpful Youtube user has uploaded both tracks back to back so we can compare:

And while we're here, if you haven't seen the official Bruce Willis-starring video for "Stylo" yet, we suggest you head over to YouTube to see it, cos it's really cool.

Do you think Eddy has a case? Or do you think it's just a coincidence?

--Hazel @ SoundUnwound

SoundUnwound's editorial team write about the latest big music news and quirky stories which catch the eye. We also post a selection of these news stories on Chordstrike; for much, much more, visit SoundUnwound.com, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon. Follow us at twitter.com/soundunwound.

LOST: All the Songs*, All in One Place

Looking for the perfect soundtrack to your Dharma party? Need something to spin for your final-season soirée? Now you can have all the songs featured in *Seasons 1-5 of Lost with just one click.

The producers of Lost have some pretty diverse tastes, and the 71 songs included here include cuts by Patsy Cline, Perry Como, Petula Clark, the Pixies, and Puccini, just to name a few.

So check it out. Sample tracks 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42, or download the whole MP3 playlist in one click. (We'll update the playlist with the songs from Season 6 after the finale on May 23.)

     --Jason Kirk

Best Music Video Ever?: OK Go, "This Too Shall Pass"

I'm totally addicted to OK Go's brilliant video for "This Too Shall Pass." Every time I watch it, I discover a handful of new reasons to love it. Perhaps the most satisfying part of this video is the sheer number of times that the on-screen action coincides with the rhythms of the song, but let me not color your experience too much. Just watch it:

     --Jason Kirk

The Stimulus Package: Best Album Art of 2010... So Far

Leave it to Rhymesayers to lead the charge in putting off the obsolescence of physical music. Last year, we made a bit of adoring noise about the very cool packaging of P.O.S.'s Never Better (in additional to naming it one of the Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2009, So Far and the 49th Best Album of the Year.. So Far), but this year, whoever's running design over at Rhymesayers has absolutely outdone her- or himself.

Freeway & Jake One's The Stimulus Package is a marvel. The music itself is definitely worth a listen if you're into hip-hop, but the design is a straight-up object lesson in concept art for music. That plastic card you see in the video below? It's got a code to download the whole album's instrumentals for free.

Back to school, designers:

     --Jason Kirk