Song Of The Day: Train- "Drive By"

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.

"Set Fire To The Rain" Hits #1 On iTunes Top 200!

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!

Song Of The Day: Lana Del Rey- "Born To Die"

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!

Song Of The Day: Drake feat. Lil Wayne- "The Motto"

I didn't think much of this song, since it's fairly forgettable, and sounds just like every other Drake or Lil Wayne song we've heard the last few years.  But the video redeems it all for me.  It's a tribute to fallen Bay Area rap legend Mac Dre, and it features multiple shots with my favorite rapper E-40.  Seeing these guys in a big-time trendy rap video makes me so happy.  E-40 is 44 now, and Mac Dre was never a well-known commodity, so hopefully this gets people interested in Bay Area rap again ahead of E-40's upcoming triple release in March.  Even if this song is almost laughably uninspired.

Friday Throwback Jam Of The Day: This Link

Want a Friday Throwback Jam?  How 'bout six?  Check 'em out here, in my newest column for cherryontop.com.  This may seem like a cop-out, but trust me, six jams are better than one!

Song Of The Day: Flo Rida feat. Sia- "Wild Ones"

Pretty much just a typical Flo Rida song, but the chorus sung by Sia will get stuck in your head for days upon days.  Trust me, I know from experience.  You may not like this song, but you will wind up listening to it more than a lot of songs you genuinely enjoy.  Sorry.

Song Of The Day: Jason Mraz- "I Won't Give Up"

Happy 2012!  The last time we heard from Jason Mraz, he was breaking us out of our winter doldrums with a healthy dose of ukelele in "I'm Yours."  Now, in the dead of winter, he's decided to break out the old acoustic guitar and give us a similar type of tune.  "I Won't Give Up" starts about as simply as a song can start (just a voice and a couple guitar plucks), then begins to pick up as Mraz adds more and more emotion to his vocals.  The result is a more powerful, but less positive and less catchy song than his previous midwinter smash "I'm Yours."  However, if the early sales are any indication, this will be hitting the same spots on the chart as that did, so clearly the man knows what he's doing.

By the way, how 'bout this "lyric video," huh?  Dunno if I've ever seen a supposed lyric video as detailed and plot-laden as this one.  It's hard to read the lyrics when you're trying to follow the story!  I wonder if they'll even bother making as music video after putting so much effort into the lyric video.