Well, we’ve arrived at the end of 2012, which means it’s
time to look back on the year that was in pop music, and attempt to count down
the best of the hit music that graced our radios, iPods, and whatever strange
newfangled music-listening methods the kids are using these days.It was a big year for Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Flo Rida, and Ke$ha, and we were introduced to sensations like One Direction, PSY, and Carly Rae, but you won’t find any of them on
this year’s list, because, frankly, their music annoyed me, and it’s MY list and I get to make the rules.So, without further ado, here’s my
definitive list of the best of the year’s biggest hits:
I want to like this so much. I really do. It could be so catchy, and some people will probably think it is. But to me it feels just a little too gimmicky and spare. I kept waiting for the full Maroon 5 wall of sound to engulf me, but it never came. I love Maroon 5, and I hope their new album (dropping next Tuesday!) will live up to the last one, because Hands All Over was fantastic, one of the best albums of the year. But I'm starting to lose a little hope in Overexposed, because the first two singles have not lived up the last album, or any first two singles of any major Maroon 5 album this far. So my most-anticipated release of the year has now been downgraded from "Can't wait to listen to the whole thing" to "I hope I can sit through the whole thing." Not a huge downgrade, but a very disappointing one. But I'll come back to this song again in a day or two, and maybe it will have grown on me.
I have no idea what I just watched, and I have even less of an idea how it relates to the theme of the song, but nonetheless, Neon Trees has come up with a worthy follow-up to their last big hit, "Animal." In fact, this song may be even better. But as for the video, I guess it's just one of those "concept" videos. And it's a decent idea; I mean, where else are you gonna see a hot chick turn into a zombie and then go right back to serving fries? And I definitely think I saw some celebrities in this video, but I'm way too lazy to go and do the research and find out who they were. Sound off in the comments if you're smarter than me and know who they were! Just kidding, I know nobody will ever read/comment on this.
Sorry about the lack of post yesterday, I recently started working 1.5 jobs so I'm a bit overworked at the moment. But here's one of the biggest jams from the last few months to tide you over till tomorrow. Maybe I'll even throw in a bonus song this weekend to make up for it, if I'm feeling up to it...anyway, this sounds exactly like what you'd expect from a Calvin Harris beat; it's very similar to his chart-topping production on Rihanna's "We Found Love" and he's obviously hoping he's found a sound that will work for him in the long run here. This one never really took off like that one did, but it's still a damn catchy song and everyone knows it, plus it's got an inspirational video, so all in all it's a solid effort from the Scottish beat-maker. I hope to continue to hear more from him in the near future, and I'm sure I will.
Alex Clare, straight outta London (Golders Green represent!), scored a huge opportunity when "Too Close" was chosen as the soundtrack to Microsoft's new Internet Explorer ad campaign. That sprung the song into the public consciousness, and it's been sitting on the cusp of breaking into the important part of the charts for a while now. This is a totally different sound than most of what's out there right now, a mix of heartfelt singer-songwriter stuff and an electro/dubstep chorus. If the bass kicked just a little bit harder on the chorus I would be totally all about this track; as it is, I think it's good but just a bit lacking. Still, it's very distinguishable, which is quite an achievement in itself. Video's a bit boring, though.
I had no idea these guys were from the Bay Area. Now that I know that, I'm a much bigger fan of the song. Yay area represent! Never been there, but I still feel like I can rep it cause I was such a fan back in the day. I'm posting the official video, which is clean, because I feel like most viewers can fill in the blanks. And I think it's funnier with the edits, personally. And this way we can watch the video, which shows the highlights of a party at which I would definitely feel very uncomfortable and out of place. But that's rap videos for you.
Well, we're fully into June, which means it's unofficially but totally officially summer, and with that comes the inevitable rise of the summer country songs. I took a listen through some of the top hits on iTunes and decided to share my opinions on the most memorable selections. Here are some songs you can expect to hear on country radio this summer:
Luke Bryan- "Drunk On You":
This right here is why I love country videos- they actually tell a story. I don't know the first thing about Luke Bryan, but I'll be damned if I wasn't rooting for his girl to show up at the end of the video, even if her appearance was completely and totally inevitable. The song is neither here nor there, nothing I can get excited about, but the video makes it enjoyable.
Little Big Town- "Pontoon":
True story: I had no idea what a "pontoon" was until I watched this video. And simultaneously looked it up on Wikipedia. But whatever. It sure looks like a fun time!
Carrie Underwood- "Good Girl":
Say what you want about Carrie Underwood, but you can't deny she's the most vocally talented of any American Idol winner, and possibly of any female singer in pop or country music these days. Her voice is so powerful, and has so much character, and she can perform vocal tricks that are more advanced than just about anything else out there these days. Listening to her songs is enjoyable mostly for that fact, and "Good Girl" is no exception. Seriously, try singing along. You won't be able to do it. That's when you realize how much better some of these contest-winners really are than you.
Eli Young Band- "Even If It Breaks Your Heart":
Last year's winners of my Best Country Song award (with "Crazy Girl") are back at it again this summer, with a track almost (if not quite) as good. This one's about loving music and following your dreams, so it's got a more uplifting and all-encompassing message than one about loving a crazy girl (although we've all been there too, I suppose, haven't we?)
Gloriana- "Kissed You Good Night":
I do love me some country duets, although this one doesn't quite match up to some of last year's standouts like "Don't You Wanna Stay" or "Remind Me." Still, nothing beats a good ol' boy and girl professing their love to each other.
Jason Aldean- "Fly Over States":
I also love a nice ode to places a Yank like me has never been to, exotic places like Oklahoma, Kansas, and Amarillo, TX. Little chance I'll ever spend much time in any of these "flyover states" but now I feel like I understand their cultural values just as well as if I'd lived there once! Thanks, Jason.
Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw- "Feel Like A Rock Star":
Here's a summer country party song if I ever heard one. Perfect for the back of the pickup truck tailgate or the arena concert inside. Wow, with blurbs like that I should work in Marketing for one of these guys...
Florida Georgia Line- "Cruise":
Had to dig a little deeper to find this one, but the hyper-geographic band name Florida Georgia Line leapt out at me, and the song backed it up with a sufficiently anthemic chorus and overall sound. This could be the surprise country summer anthem of 2012. You heard it here first, folks!
Did you like "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love?" At least, until it was ruined for all time? (Sorry, I had to post that link.) Well, you're in luck, 'cause Usher's made a pretty similar jam here with "Scream." It's a little darker, a little sparer, and it lacks the obligatory Pitbull verse (somebody in Pitbull's camp is gonna get fired for that), but otherwise the comparisons are easy to make. It should get bodies moving on the dance floor, or at the very least, fists pumping in the car. Also, Usher's album comes out on Tuesday, so get ready for a whole lot more of him this summer.
Damn, I really think Pitbull has a clause in his contract that, for the years 2010-2013, he has to be in at least 12.5% of the Top 40 of any given week. I mean, there's no other way to explain his constant (mediocre) contributions to such a staggering proportion of new songs. Seriously- since 2010 (in other words, the last 30 months), Pitbull has either released or appeared in 15 Top 100 singles, with a couple more probably on the way either this week or next. That's absurd. Here, he gets on a single by Australian pop star Havana Brown, which has been out since last year (I first heard it over the summer) but has now been re-released for the US market, which apparently means it is required to now feature a verse from Pitbull. So here it is, "We Run The Night." Not a bad song at all, by the way. Pretty inane, but what else did you expect? Good party-starter. Go get 'em, Pit.
Finally, time to get back into the daily swing of things. Katy Perry recently issued a re-release of her record-setting album Teenage Dream (this one is subtitled "The Complete Confection"), and "Wide Awake" is one of the bonus tracks, and it has been released as a single as well. Gotta say, this one's pretty boring, as Katy Perry songs go. This album has to be on its last legs at this point, right? Probably time for Katy to take a deep breath, go relax on a Caribbean island somewhere, get into a couple new relationships to use as songwriting material, and come back in 18-24 months ready to record a new album. She's got to be just absolutely worn out after all these singles, and all this endless promotion of the same album. But, you should expect to hear "Wide Awake" a good amount on the radio this summer. And, this is a great lyric video- it shows the complete progression of Teenage Dream over the last year and a half, all via Facebook Timeline (see? It can be used for something!)
As you might have heard, dance music is quite big over in the UK. So, I was more than able to continue scouting for the best new music, and I was even able to visit a couple of London's most famous clubs, like Fabric (dubstep/drum+bass mayhem) and Ministry of Sound (where I got to see Kaskade spinning some epic bangers). I also had the pleasure of visiting Barcelona, where I went to three beachfront nightclubs and heard all sorts of Eurojams. These are not necessarily those songs. However, this is the best collection of dance music I could cobble together, so enjoy!
Gotye- “Somebody That I Used To Know (Tiesto Remix)”:
A song so spare, yet so popular, as "Somebody That I Used To Know" was obviously going to be a major target for a souped-up remix, and Tiesto has delivered the most massive one so far.
Nadia
Ali, Starkillers, Alex Kenji & Alesso vs Coldplay- “Fix You Pressure”:
SHM played this in their set at Madison Square Garden back in the fall, but it took a lot longer for me to remember it and find it online. What a fantastic concept for a mashup- although it's really just "Pressure," then "Fix You," then "Pressure" again. Either way, major jam.
John
de Sohn- “Long Time (feat. Andreas Moe)”:
This is just a basic pop-dance track, but it's insanely catchy and it feels big, so it gets inclusion on my "best-of" list.
Martin
Solveig- “The Night Out (Madeon Remix)”:
This is just a straight-up party starter. No two ways about it. Madeon is awesome, and everyone should check out some of his other stuff as well.
Lana
Del Rey- “Born To Die (Gemini Remix)”:
One of the times I went to Fabric, Gemini happened to be playing (completely by chance) which got me really psyched because I had actually heard his song "Blue" before and really liked it. He closed his set with that, but right before it, he laid down this cover of Lana Del Rey's haunting track, and it immediately became one of my new favorites.
Nero- “Must Be The Feeling (Flux Pavilion and Nero Remix)”:
This is literally the wildest dubstep jam I've heard this year. No, it's not "filthy" in terms of just being unfiltered noise. It actually has structure and melody, so it's probably not "hardcore" enough for some, but it's perfect for me. It gets me amped every time, even as I'm listening to it RIGHT NOW! A must-have. Turn up the bass and go crazy.
M-3ox- “Beating Of My Heart (feat. Heidrun) (Matisse & Sadko
Remix)”:
This is one of those only-in-EDM mega-collaborations where you've never heard of anyone involved and it's impossible to keep everyone straight, but ultimately it doesn't matter because the one song they've produced together is too good to ignore. I think I've finally figured out what type of house music I like, too- songs with a powerful melody and a huge sound. Notice the common trend in these last four tracks...
Antillas- “Damaged (feat. Fiora)”:
This song has an insanely long intro...you could make a case that the "beat doesn't drop" until almost 2/3 of the way through. But that would be impatient, because the journey to get there is a great one. Sure, it's a long song, but every part of it is worth listening to.
Keane- “Silenced By The Night (Alesso Remix)”:
This is the current #1 song on Beatport, and for good reason. Almost no song sounds more huge, and is more of a guarantee to get people moving at a huge festival than this one. Except for, maybe, "Levels" and...
Ivan
Gough & Feenixpawl (ft. Georgi Kay)- “In My Mind (Axwell Mix)”:
Biggest house hit of the year so far, hands down. Massive, massive track. Kaskade played it at Ministry and it was amazing. I heard it a couple times watching the YouTube feed of Ultra, and I'm sure it'll be pretty ubiquitous at any festival this summer. Get used to it, people.
I may have been overseas for the last few months, but
keeping a tab on the biggest hits in the States turned out to be as easy as
ever, thanks to the era we live in, where the more YouTube views a video has,
the bigger a hit it must be.
Airplay means less than it ever has, so by looking at various charts and
by just reading what people are saying, I feel pretty confident saying that
these here are THE ten biggest hits that have bubbled up in the last four
months, that I haven’t already reviewed in some other capacity.
10. Katy Perry- "Part of Me":
If you’ve ever read
the blog, you’re probably aware that we have a more-than-healthy respect for
the accomplishments of Katy Perry’s album Teenage Dream. With the re-release of the album,
complete with two new singles (“Part Of Me” and “Wide Awake”), she has the
very, very outside chance to collect seven, or even eight, #1’s from one mega
album. I could get into specifics
about why it wouldn’t really count since the album is a re-release, but the
important thing to take away is simply that Katy Perry has had the greatest
year and a half from any one album in the history of music charts. And as for this video, I really like it-
it has an actual story, and an inspiring one at that. If she keeps this up, she’ll be on top of the game for a
long time.
9. Chris Brown- "Turn Up the Music":
Yep, Chris
Brown’s still as prolific as ever releasing singles almost weekly, it
seems. Most of them are completely
uninteresting, and America apparently agrees, since they’ve gained very little
traction. One notable exception is
this club banger, which, despite its letdown of a beatdrop, is still a pretty
good song all-around, and managed to crack Billboard’s Top 10, probably on the
strength of a historic remix with Rihanna, of all people. Lots of controversy around that, which
I’m not even gonna try to touch with a 10-foot pole. But if you don’t think all of that drama is 100% being
orchestrated by industry people behind the scenes, well...you’re just
incredibly naïve.
8. Nicki Minaj- "Starships":
This is just a light,
cheery, radio-friendly summer song...which is funny since it comes from noted
bad girl Nicki Minaj. Not that it
doesn’t have its fair share of cursing, but the general tone is more carefree
than we’re used to hearing from her.
Seems like she’s found the path to a successful career- pop songs for
the mainstream fame, and mixtapes to keep her old fans satiated. Nice strategy.
7. The Wanted- "Glad You Came":
Finally, we get to
a breakout new band. The Wanted, a
boy band from the British Isles, are burning up the charts (and the ladies’
hearts) here in the States this year, but what I find mor einteresting is the
type of music they’re making to win so many fans. They’re a boy band, which means they basically just make pop
music. But unlike previous boy
bands like *N’SYNC or the Backstreet Boys, they’re (in keeping with modern pop
music trends) making music that can be played without hesitation in a dance
club. As far as I’m aware, they’re
the first successful boy band to play what can unequivocally be called
dance-pop. This is an interesting
development that we’ll have to keep an eye on.
6. Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa- "Payphone":
Maroon
5 had the song of last summer with “Moves Like Jagger” and they’re clearly
trying to defend their title this year with this one. Unfortunately, “Payphone” isn’t nearly as catchy, and it
suffers from an ill-advised appearance by Wiz Khalifa, who takes the song
off-tone and off-message with his boastful verse. But overall, it’s still a higher-quality song than most of
its competition this summer, and it heralds an impending new album from Maroon
5, which can only be a good thing.
5. Justin Bieber- "Boyfriend":
My God, the kid has
grown up. The rapping, I can do
without. But everything else- the
singing, the beat, the video, I’m not gonna lie...Justin Bieber is legit. This song is a jam. Not quite good enough to put in my
iTunes library, but good enough to turn up when I hear it on the radio. And if he can actually drive that well
in real life, well, let’s just say he can probably get away from that screaming mob of girls a little more easily than last time.
4. One Direction- "What Makes You Beautiful":
These guys are the single hottest thing going right now. They emerged as the third-place winners
on The X Factor (the British version), and have gone on to become America’s
first-place heartthrobs. Their
sound and message skew much younger than their boy-band counterparts The
Wanted, which makes them a bit more family-friendly. What do I think of One Direction? Well, since I’m not a ten-year-old girl, or her family, I
find them more than a little bit corny.
But hey, I’m not the target audience here.
3. Fun featuring Janelle Monáe- "We Are Young":
The
last couple of years have seen an astonishing rise in indie-pop bands finding massive mainstream
success. Last year it was Foster
The People with their hit “Pumped Up Kicks,” and this year, Fun has broken
through and reached the top of the charts as well. The key moment in this song’s rise?Being performed on “Glee.” Funny how in this era of everything
being available 24/7 on the Internet, and with seemingly ways to reach a mass
audience, it still often takes an appearance on a popular TV show for a song to
become a hit.
2. Gotye featuring Kimbra- "Somebody That I Used to
Know":
Speaking of “Pumped Up Kicks,” how much does this song remind you
of it? Quiet, understated song by
a previously under-the-radar artist that somehow catches the popular
consciousness and winds up topping the charts? I suppose the only explanation for its success is how
different it sounds than everything else on the radio out there. And it’s fun to cover- it’s been the
beneficiary of some fantastic covers lately, although not nearly as many as the#1 song on the list...
1. Carly Rae Jepsen- "Call Me Maybe":
Sigh. Everyone loves “Call Me Maybe,” from
preteen girls, to college baseball players, to other celebrities. Who am I to complain? But there are really just so many
questions about this song. Since
when does Justin Bieber get to decide who else is gonna be a star? Since when do 26-year-old women make
music that makes it seem as if they were 13-year-girls? And why are all the biggest hits so far
this summer so damn clean-scrubbed and innocent? That last question’s not a complaint, it’s more of a
cultural curiousity. If almost none
of the ten culturally significant songs on this list would be rated anything
worse than PG-13, does that mean we’re renouncing today’s hyper-sexualized
society in favor returning to the innocence of yesteryear? Or is it just a coincidence, a mere
teen-pop-heavy blip on the radar?
What, you want answers? Hah. I’m not
here to answer the difficult questions, or research them, or anything time-consuming
like that. I ask the questions
around here! Someone else can
answer them!
Welcome back to CMN, everyone!Yes, I spent the last four months in London, and no, I didn’t
update the blog even once.Sad face. But,
that doesn’t mean I wasn’t keeping my eyes peeled and my ear to the ground,
making sure I had my finger on the pulse of pop music (how ‘bout that for use
of cliches).Only during these
last four months, I could reasonably claim expertise on the music scenes of two
different countries (although they’re remarkably similar these days).So, here are 10 jams that have been hot
only in the UK the last few months.
DJ Fresh feat. Rita Ora- “Hot Right Now”:
DJ Fresh is one of
the few drum+bass/electronic acts to find massive pop success in the UK, and
this song is a great example of why.Featuring up-and-coming singer Rita Ora, “Hot Right Now” will almost
definitely get you moving if you’re hearing it on a good sound system.But, it’ll almost definitely never
cross over, because mainstream America is not at all ready for this sound on
the radio.Right?
DJ Fresh feat. Sian Evans- “Louder”:
Here’s another hit from
DJ Fresh, and this one will absolutely shred your speakers if you’re not
careful.But, it still manages to
keep things fairly safe and mainstream, meaning it was a big-time club jam in
London this spring.But be careful
when the tempo picks up at the end, or you’ll be left completely out of rhythm.
Tinchy Stryder feat. Pixie Lott- “Bright Lights”:
There are
a lot of UK-based rappers trying to make their way to the big-time (aka the US)
right now, and I think I’ve managed to include most of them in this
rundown.Tinchy Stryder is one of
the titans of the British rap scene, as shown by his ability to land one of the
hottest British singers, Pixie Lott, to sing the hook on this particularly
catchy midtempo track.But, again,
with no American presence on the track, it will likely be contained to the
British Isles for eternity.Could
do worse, I suppose.
Cover Drive- “Twilight”:
To be fair, this one was a hit much
earlier in the year, and Cover Drive is Barbadian, not British.But this song topped all the charts in
the UK, and nobody over here in the States has ever heard of Cover Drive, so
why be particular?It’s good
enough for me.
Rizzle Kicks- “Mama Do The Hump”:
Another song that was big
earlier in the year, but it was so inescapable that it left a mark on the
entire time I was in London.These
guys have a fun vibe and clever rhymes, and the beat is produced by Fatboy
Slim, so how much more can you really ask for?
Labrinth feat. Tinie Tempah- “Earthquake”:
This one may have
gotten some playtime in the US, I’m not really sure.It’s such a great pump-up jam that I wouldn’t be surprised
if it was well-known worldwide.And
it’s got Tinie Tempah, another of the British rappers who’s huge over there but
has only gained a little bit of traction across the pond.To be honest, he doesn’t do a whole lot
here; the song really belongs to its producer, Labrinth.But it will fire you up, I think.
Olly Murs- “Dance With Me Tonight”:
Olly Murs was a contestant
on The X Factor (The original, British version) where he placed second and
became a heartthrob nationwide.He
followed that up with a series of cheery pop power ballads, particularly this
one, which features a lovable video, filmed mostly in London, that probably
made teenage British girls’ hearts melt.But, for whatever reason, Olly hasn’t been able to ride the
British-teen-idol wave over to the US just yet.
Taio Cruz- “Troublemaker”:
This song has been around for
over a year (it was originally called “Believe In Me Now” and was never
officially released) but it has only recently hit the charts.The video is almost impossibly stupid
(standing still while two cars crash into the wall next to you?What point does that prove exactly?)
but the song remains a top-notch club jam that, given Taio’s popularity in the
States, will probably cross the Atlantic at some point.
Tulisa- “Young”:
Unless you read gossip magazines, you’ve
probably never heard of Tulisa Contostavlos, but she’s basically been the hottest
tabloid/entertainment story in the UK this spring.Basically, she was part of a fairly successful pop group
from London called N-Dubz, but she decided to break off and start a solo career
last year.Well, that just so
happened to coincide with the leak of a sex tape starring her and her
ex-boyfriend, and just like here in the US, it proved to be a path to
superstardom, as well as lots of supposed shame and embarrassment.Now, she’s an X Factor judge, and she
has a #1 single of her own in “Young,” which starts by saying “Forgive me for
what I have done, ‘cause I’m young.”Somebody’s been taking pages out of Kim Kardashian’s playbook...
Emeli Sande- “Next To Me”:
R&B crooner Emeli Sande has
risen to stardom in the UK with a shockingly old-school skill set: she can sing
and play piano.She’s sort of like
a British Alicia Keys, but she’s a little more edgy, or at least her hair
is.The voice is undeniable
though, especially as she sails into the chorus on “Next To Me.” If you like
uplifting R&B, you’ll absolutely like this song.
So there you have ten of the biggest UK-only hits I
discovered this spring.There are
more, but those are perhaps the best, or at least most accurate of what was
really hot in the streets these past few months.But I didn’t turn a blind eye to US music, either- stay
tuned over the next couple days for the 10 Most Important Songs To Come Out
Over The Last Four Months, and the 10 New (Or Sort-Of New)Dance Jams You Have
To Hear Right Now!
In honor of CMN moving to London, UK for the next four months (which means get prepared for even fewer posts and even more remarkable lack of effort), today's song of the day is none other than Estelle's "American Boy." Here's hoping my American charm can rub off on the lovely ladies of Great Britain, just like Kanye's did for Estelle. They may not like my baggy jeans, but hey, they like what's underneath them...
This was basically the first time the Houston rap scene hit the mainstream, and it was never hotter than right around that time...especially once "Ridin' Dirty" hit #1. But this song was definitely the biggest jam when it came out. Just an all-around classic music video...everything I look for in a rap video essentially.
New jam from Tyga, who's somehow burning up the charts with his other single "Rack City." This one's not as good as that one, but it has some nice moments, I suppose. It definitely won't be as much of a strip-club jam though.
YouTube cover sensations Karmin have hit the big time, and now they have their own Vevo channel, and a hit single to boot. Let's get one thing clear: this girl can flat-out sing. She may have had access to all the studio production tricks this time around, but we already knew she could sing because she's proved it countless times in their previous videos. And, as she proved in their most well-known cover (of "Look At Me Now"), she can do the fast-rapping thing shockingly well. All in all, this song is unlikely to knock anyone's socks off, but it's catchy, it features great vocals (although I'm unsure what role the guy plays at this point), and Karmin came up through the Internet, which is something I, as a fellow online content producer, can always appreciate. How high can they climb? We'll just have to wait and see.
All right, since last month the Dance Jams feature got pushed aside due to other obligations, this month I owe it to everyone to not just double up on the last two months, but go above and beyond, and give you way too much music to even listen to in one sitting. Every song on here is pure gold, so you're gonna have to make time for all of them at some point. Seriously, the Dance Jams may be the best part of the blog at this point, so let me make clear that you NEED TO HEAR THESE SONGS! Some of them are older than others, but I'm guessing there are at least a few you haven't heard before. No writeups for these, though, because that would just take forever.
Props go to Energy 98, Beatport, and the YouTube livestream of the Swedish House Mafia show, among others.
Avicii & Nicky Romero- "Fuck School":
Within Temptation- "Sinead (Clashback Remix)":
Serge Devant feat. Coyle Girelli- "On Your Own":
The Potbelleez- "From The Music":
Flux Pavilion- "I Can't Stop":
Chuckie ft. Gregor Salto- "What Happens In Vegas":
Adrian Lux- "Teenage Crime (Axwell Remix)":
Swedish House Mafia- "Leave The World Behind":
Coldplay- "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall (Swedish House Mafia Remix)":
Dubba Jonny- "UKF Dubstep Tutorial":
Axwell- "Watch The Sunrise (Dirty South Remix)":
No video on youTube for some reason- Click This Link!
Freestylers feat. Belle Humble- "Cracks (Flux Pavilion Remix)":
Tim Mason- "Anima":
Basto- "Again And Again":
Calvin Harris- "Feel So Close":
Tom Hangs feat. Shermanology- "Blessed (Avicii Remix)":
I gotta be honest, when I was watching the Orange Bowl and Train came on to do the halftime show, I was confused, because I had absolutely no idea they were about to release any new material. Then, just a few days later, they came out with this gem and I felt stupid. I was disappointed in myself, because I consider myself a Train fan, and I thought I would be more up to speed on such issues. But in the scheme of things it doesn't really matter, because this is yet another perfect pop song from a band that seems to make nothing but. The lyric video is pretty funny as well, especially the part where they illustrate "my love for you went viral" with a picture of the "I Like Turtles" kid.
Hooray for Adele! Or, as iTunes calls her, ADELE! If you read my Top 30 Songs Of 2011 list, you know that "Set Fire" came in at #3.
Obviously, this means
I'm super psyched about this, since it's pretty rare that a song I like
this much gets this popular. In fact, if any song out there deserves
to be #1, it's this one, so this is big news at Consider Me Named. I
guess it's celebration time!
This is currently the free song of the week on iTunes, so if you like it, go get it! Or you could just get it for free online like most people...
Anyway, I can't decide how I feel about this song, video, or artist. The song is a little slow, but her voice is undeniable. The video is melodramatic, but it's sufficiently emotional and captivating that my attention didn't sway one bit while I watched it, even though not a whole lot was happening. In fact, that's how I feel about the song too- it holds my attention even though there's not a lot going on. Which I guess is the mark of successful artistry.
As for the artist herself, Lana Del Rey has been considered the "next big thing" in the indie-pop scene for a while now. However, it's unclear to me how much of her image has been constructed by her and how much of it has been constructed for her by industry people. In other words, if this is successful artistry, I don't know whether I should be giving her the credit or if I should be giving it to somebody else. Either way, I guess I give this song a hesitant thumbs-up. So, uh, go buy it!
