Song Of The Day: Maroon 5- "One More Night"

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.

Song Of The Day: Neon Trees- "Everybody Talks"

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.

Song Of The Day: Calvin Harris ft. Ne-Yo- "Let's Go"

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.

Song Of The Day: Alex Clare- "Too Close"

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.

Song Of The Day: LoveRance feat. 50 Cent- "Up"

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.

Summer Country Songs

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!

Song Of The Day: Usher- "Scream"

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.

Song Of The Day: Havana Brown ft. Pitbull- "We Run The Night"

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.

Return Of Song Of The Day: Katy Perry- "Wide Awake"

 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!)

10 New (And Not-So-New) Dance Jams You Need To Hear Right Now

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.