There's lots of internet buzz today about Rihanna's fifth studio album, Loud, dropping on us November 16th! Hell, I'm definitely excited about it. The Ronald McDonald wiggedLove the Way You Lie girl has been busy recording her second video for What's My Name.Who's That Chick was the dance driven song that everyone had hopped would be on her latest creation, and we have confirmation that it will be. Though the video so obviously inspired by my childhood favorites, Punky Brewster and Rainbow Brite,will not be the official video for the track, fans are eager to see more from Princess RiRi.
Steering away from the darker side of Rihanna (Rated R), the new album will contain 11 tracks, many of which are said to be club bangers. Loud also has Rihanna embracing her ethnicity, giving us some Island Flavor. One of the songs on the new album is Man Down, a dance anthem that begins with some serious sirens. Nicki Minaj will be featured on a track titled Raining Men, Cheers samples Avril Lavigne's I'm With You. California King (Bed) and S&M explore the more sexy side of Rihanna and her much anticipated second single What's My Name will also be on the album.
Chromeo seems to be the band that most people are determined to talk smack about. Comparisons are often made to 80’s uptempo R&B acts best left in the 80’s, but their music invariably grows on you, and before you know it, you're singing along and making babiesto their disco-inspired, electro-funk beats. The latest release and 3rd album from the duo, Business Casual, had my shoulders a-shimmying and my booty a-shaking from start to finish.
Go ahead and try not to sing along to the chorus in songs like I’m not contagious. I dare you! You can’t resist catchy hooks like, I'm not contagious, but I got the kinda love that knocks you down! I for one can empathize with these words. Just ask any of my exes…or parole officers.
Check out the lead single Night by Night (below) and tracks like Hot Mess and Don’t Turn the Lights On before making up your mind. As an album, it can be montonous at times, but the tracks stand up well on their own. The most pop-like cuts are definitely The Right Type and When the Night Falls which features vocals from Solange Knowles (aka basement baby). Did Beyonce approve this collaboration? She looks sweet, but she'll cut a bitch.
I've had this album on heavy rotation since it's release, and I can tell you that the cardio from all the dancing has done me a whole world of good. I've got an ab now! So to all of those Chromeo haters, I have one thing to say, Bitch Please!
PS: If you like Chromeo, check out Calvin Harrisafter the jump. He's more accessible and just as dancey.
Ever wondered what music would sound like if Daft Punk mated with Darren Hayes, with a side of 80's inspired Trip Hop? Well wonder no more. Lectrolips has answered that very question with their EP Exempt From Classification. UK Leo & Ant are a singing/songwriting duo who's demos on MySpace began to draw attention from various music blogs. Just this week they've released there EP available for a free download. It's a brilliant twist of heavy synths from the 80's with the fresh beats of today. It's 100% calorie free and 110% delicious.
Love Has Lied and Ordinary Conversation are my favorites & on replay right now! Listen to them both below.
Click here to download and share their latest brillance. No seriously, share it with your friends. They want you to spread it like peanut butter.
About to start touring with Pixie Lott in November, Alex Gardner just released his second single a few days ago. This cute, Scottish pop singer is no stranger for supporting well known acts on their tours. He's already spent a fair amount of time supporting his idol Paolo Nutini,bleeding heartLeona Lewis, played on the same bill as Mika and is finishing touring with Scouting For Girls. With looks like that of a younger Elvis, the lyrical skills similar to George Michael, fuzed with electro-pop, Alex may be the answer to our need for a new male pop star. This 18 year old may be just the answer to our musical prayers.
Click here for a free acoustic version of There Goes My Heart. His debut album is slated for an unknown 2010 release date.
Last week, the girls dominated our New Music Tuesday. 180 degree flip, this week the men dominate. Must be something in the change of seasons. Here's what we're playing on repeat from today's new releases.
Probably one of the most under-appreciated modern electro-rock pop groups in my library, Dragonette needs to break out in a big way. To be real, their skank anthem I Get Around should have enjoyed ubiquity on the dancefloor but unfortunately, atleast in my neck of the woods, nada. Dragonette is fronted by a model, write tons of songs about sex, made a song called Jesus Doesn't Love Me Anymore, genderbend and experiment with alternative sexuality's in their videos and have even toured with New Order. There is literally NOTHING not to love about this band. Check them out.
Sometimes in the world, you can't always get what you want, this lady knows what I'm talkin about! Anyway, the point is life isn't fair. On the flip-side of that, sometimes you get exactly what you want! I nearly lost my shit when I first listened to Blue Sky Black Death, a San Francisco-based electronic/instrumental duo (Kingston and Young God). I've had their newest release Third Party for about a week now, and they are already an installation in my permanent rotation.
Granted, I don't quite understand the lyrics to the fullest extent - Your common cold is my Trojan horse to feed - (?!) (From Carl Sagan, Track 1). Don't try Googling that btw, you'll just be annoyed at how the internet can't keep up with your underground interest in music. Why are you so behind Google?!?! WHY!!?
::ahem::
Back to BSBD. Blue Sky Black Death's unique sound is like if you take the bizarreness out of Bjork's calmer songs, and mixed it with relaxing smooth melodies of Animal Collective. Mix that in with occasional eery vocals and ponderous lyrics (some songs are solely instrumental, and sometimes we don't know what the instrument is to begin with). The band's history is almost exclusively abstract hip-hop, but this album is a synth-pop dream.
BSBD is signed to Fake Four Inc., so back off blood-sucking record labels trying to steal someone else's candy, just ask this maniac. No, don't he's a psycho, in a Joaquin Phoenix sort of way. So give them a listen. Below is my personal favorite Institution (Track 5), and the music video & free download for Carl Sagan (Track 1).
John Stamos (that's right, Uncle Jesse) and Britney Spears, all wrapped into one episode of Glee? Me oh my. This is gonna be good. Check out a clip for next week's Glee & preview some of the songs below!
Former singer of English Garage Girl-Group Mis-Teeq and victim of Javine Hylton's skank rampage of husband-taking, Alesha Dixon has released her new single Drummer Boy. Alesha has a pretty unique voice and has worked with some great producers so hopefully we will see continued success with her new song. The only problem I foresee for her is that the title Drummer Boy sounds like it should be a Christmas song and it's not at all. Her older discography is worth a look too, especially her singles Breathe Slow, Lipstick and Knock Down.
TGIF. I've been waiting for this day to come! And why not start Friday off in a get down and party sort of way with the sultry and sexy Kaci Battaglia. Kaci will be doing a Q&A with the Wonks here soon and we couldn't be more thrilled! Her debut album Bring It On dropped this week and we can't get enough! Body Shots moves from 66 to 57 @ Top 40 Radio. Expect a song or two on our weekend playlist, posted later this afternoon.
Listen to the entire Bring It On album here (valid til 9/26!).
Yes! We have been waiting for this all week and finally, Katelyn has unleashed her cover of Rihanna's Only Girl (In the World) cover. Now don't get ahead of yourself... this isn't a sweet, slow ballad like Carmen's version... the two aren't even comparable. KC shows us her personality (she's a funny girl) and her great voice with this a capella version. It's nice to hear her belt some notes out for a change. And I gotta admit, I love the sweet dance moves. She also edited the video herself! Show her your support by following her on Twitter and Facebook.
Directly from the mouth of Colin Munroe: Bulletproof Monster, the second installment in The Revox Suite , was a challenging experiment. The acapella of Nicki Minaj's verse from "Monster" is in a vault somewhere so I was forced to use it with Kanye's beat underneath, which made adding new vocals tricky. I also had to digitally alter La Roux's "Bulletproof" melody to make it fit the "Monster" beat. Add my revox to that and it feels like I've created a musical Frankenstein. Fitting, I think. Enjoy this Bulletproof Monster.
Though even Christina Aguilera herself has put Bionic behind her, we still love this album. Recently, a new remix of the Sia penned You Lost Me surfaced on Sound Cloud. It's available for download below. (click on the down arrow on the side of the Sound Cloud gadget) Christina Aguilera / You Lost Me (Yinon Yahel Remix) by hardcandymusic
I can't live without music in general therefore there are so many albums that I would classify as ones I Can't Live Without. One that immediately comes to mind would have to be Fumbling Towards Ecstasy by Sarah McLachlan. This is the quintessential, melancholy, rainy day album. However to me, it defines a period in my life where I struggled with the fact that I was painfully shy and introverted. This was the first album that I ever bought that effected me profoundly on such a deep level.
I remember when I first heard the song Possession on the radio- I couldn't believe how pure and honest her voice was. Beyond Possession, the whole album really spoke to me. There was one song in particular on that album titled Elsewhere that was the definition of my life. There is a verse, The quiet child awaits that day when she can break free of the mold that clings like desperation. That quiet child was (and still is for the most part) ME. I can recall sitting in my room for hours with that album playing on my Aiwa Boomboxand trying to learn every song on my flute. I wanted to be able to sing like her, with the tonality that she had and the ease of which she could switch from a chest voice to a falsetto....I still wish I could sing like that....but I thought that if I couldn't do that, I would sing through my flute.
As embarrassing as this all is, I really feel it was the first album that shaped my current taste in music. To this day, when I put on that album, I completely become that same person that I was....sitting in my room, in my McLachlan-esque world. Oh, and if you want to hear some insane vocal range, listen to Fear below....amazing!
Wow. I am actually kinda speechless by this preview that has leaked for Ke$ha's latest single Animal. I've always loved the song and she's looking surprisingly beautiful in it. Whatdyathink?
Cheryl Cole released the video for her new single, Promise This. She looks great and the song is super catchy, hopefully ensuring another chart topper for the English singer. Promise This is the opening shot in the upcoming chart battle between Cheryl and fellow Girls AloudNadine Coyle. Both Cheryl and Nadine drop their new solo albums (Messy Little Raindrops for Cheryl and Insatiable for Nadine) on November 1st. It's on!
Fresh off debuting Don't Ever Leave Me on the radio via KWIN out of Sacramento, the always amazing Carmen Reecedropped another cover on us. This time, she's covered Rihanna's chart climbing Only Girl (In the World). Carmen really knows how to take a dance song, slow it down and turn it into an emotional ballad. Vote for Carmen's recent radio single debut to stay on the radio here. And buy Love In Stereohere.
How can it be bad if we both feel good? That's right sir, you tell it. I love a good constant beat that drives a great song. Alex Kemp keeps the beat going with the his new EP Rat D'hotel - Part II - Rat Hears Love Through Thin Walls. Kemp moved from New York to Rhode Island to for the band Small Factory back in '91, then later on in his career formed the bands Godrays and Assassins.
It's really refreshing to see such thoughtful lyrics that come from the heart. Don't close your eyes, don't hide within..... don't build the bomb that blows us away (Song: Better Yet). All I'm saying is that radioactive-acid-fueled-garbage-pop songs can be catchy as SHIT, but it's hard to appreciate them when you randomly sing/blurt out In the morning buy me eggs completely out of any sort of breakfast context. And I don't mess around with breakfast.
I always manage to get off topic. I never seem to be able to focus. My two favorite songs are Better Yet and Heart Goes Boom. They both have similar key elements that keep it interesting, yet they present different characteristics that display Kemp's diversity and range, while simultaneously distinguishing and defining his own unique sound.
Though this album was released in 2005, the EngineersHome was revitalized on the HBO hit series Big Love opening scene this year. Season 5 premieres sometime in 2011.
Introducing Common Grackle! The bold and adventurous Canadian duo Gregory Pepper and Factor! Common Grackle adds in sounds from different categories, such indie rock and hip-hop, creating their own unique sound that avoids being cornered by the word genre. They are under the Fake Four Inc.Record label currently.
The Great Depression, Common Grackle's newest release, has put a face to what I imagine indie music to be today. Their sound ranges from something I'd listen to while gazing at clouds at (All The Pawns, Track 4), to something I'd listen to while sitting back drinking beers with friends (Magic Beans Featuring Ceschi, Track 10).
The slow-to-medium pace of the beat, and the sarcastic tone of the lyrics --Never gonna Twitter about it! -- give the songs an addictive quality. Not as addicting as Dance Dance Revolution or heroine (if you're into that sort of lame thing), but enough that you'll fill up a good amount of you're day blasting them from your Honda Eclipse or Razor scooter.
Here's my favorite track All The Pawns and the video for their album-title track The Great Depression (and a Free Download) again featuring the talented Ceschi.
The same way if you leave the daddy hamster in the cage after the kids are born, it eats them and turns it into something else! Time for a new cage! Except in the case, the results are AMAZING. Here's The Postal Service regurgitating Phil Collins'Against All Odds after eating ever delicious bite of it.
By now, you should all be familiar with this 22 year old beauty from London, Carmen Reece. She's been Wonk Pop's Flavor of the Month for September and her first album Love In Stereo just dropped on iTunes last Thursday. The Indie artist (who's album was produced by the legendary Mark Feist) is not only beautiful, but she's a one of a kind singer-songwriter about to explode on the Pop scene. With a voice that is unlike any other and songs that blend pop, dance & adult contemporary sounds, this is the birth of a superstar.
To be speaking to Carmen the day her album was released, made me feel like a giddy school girl who just got asked to the prom. My heart started to race as Mark connected Carmen and I over my cell phone. I had to remind myself to breath. Immediately, Carmen's mature demeanor and thoughtful question of "Are you feeling better?" made me feel as though I was talking to an old friend, someone I had known for years. This woman knows just how important it is to connect with her fans on a personal level, (nearly 28,000 on Facebook & growing) as it is to connect to her own music. Read on (after the jump) to learn more about this rising pop star. Carmen Reece - Love In Stereo by Wonky Pop
You may have been wondering who was that half-pink half-brown haired girl in the Alex Gaudino's I'm In Love video we posted a few weeks back. Her name is Maxine Ashleyand she's recently covered Alicia Key's Unthinkable (I'm Ready) with a fellow named WillSmooth. You can download her cover here. Happy Sunday!
Here's something to chew on for your Saturday. Somewhere, Kelly Clarkson is queuing up all her bitter memories and transmogrifying them into Max Martinassisted pop miracles. For the interim, listen to Norwegian survivor of the M2M disaster and fellow Max Martin devotee, Marion Raven. With her new album Nevermore arriving in November, Marion has dropped a new single, Flesh and Bone, and it's kind of a gear change. For whatever reason, it reminds me Fefe Dobson's new song Ghost, but way more pissed off and with way more lank, Alanis Morisette style hair. It's a good bet that you won't hear her album anywhere in the U.S. but will nonetheless be amazing. Don't sweat it though, it is sure to be available on Legalsounds.com
Taio Cruz'sRokstarris one of Wonky Pop's best albums of2010and this song is definitely a great addition to the airwaves. Taio includesKe$haon his new single,Dirty Picture. The dance-driven hit is featured on his second studio album, which was released in the US in June. Taio admitted that he wrote the song withLady Gagain mind, but producerDr. Lukeencouraged him to collaborate with Ke$ha. "She hadn't doneTiK ToK or anything like that at that point," Cruz states. "But I just thought she sounded really cool. A very unique-sounding voice."
For theUKrelease of Ke$ha's Animal, an alternate version of the song, entitledDirty Picture Pt. 2is included, where Ke$ha replaces Cruz on the first verse (see below). The official remix featuresFabolousand will be on the American versionRokstarras a bonus track. A clean version of the song also exists where references toSend a dirty picture is replaced withWon't you take a picture and Ke$ha's lineTake a dirty picture is replaced withTake a, take a p-picture. It was physically released on May 3, 2010 in the UK. The song will be released to U.S. mainstream radio next Tuesday.DigitalSpygave the song 3 out of 5 stars, saying that Ke$ha had "enough gusto for the pair of them."
9/30/2010
Wonky Pop
