Category — Music News

Not only did indie rock band fun. cover Gotye’s widely-successful single Somebody I Used To Know, but they also invited fellow label mate, Hayley Williams of Paramore to help them out with Kimbra’s vocals! Over Skype, apparently.

The trio were in London as part of BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge segment where artists would usually perform one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format. fun. performed an acoustic rendition of their own similarly successful single, We Are Young before collaborating with Hayley (who was in L.A.) for their cover segment.

The incredible thing about fun. (and Paramore) is that there really isn’t much difference between their live performances and their pre-recorded studio versions. Despite the unplugged, acoustic setting, Nate Ruess’ clear and ringing vocals are still maintained and he is able to hit his high notes with ease. Sure fun.’s cover might not possess the eerily haunting sound of Gotye’s original, but with only an acoustic guitar and a keyboard, they really did a splendid job.

Take a listen to fun.’s cover of Somebody I Used To Know below!

With lyrics like “Big hair, nice rack/High heels, sweet a**…boy, you’re such a pretty lady!” Ke$ha’s ode to all drag queens out there is a sure way to win them over.

While still in the studio working with rock band, The Flaming Lips, Ke$ha managed to record Pretty Lady, a little ditty meant to pay tribute to drag queens and celebrate their fabulosity! The song was actually leaked without the consent of Ke$ha’s record label.

Pretty Lady is bass heavy and features real life drag queen superstars, Lady Lloyd and Detox, who do a little witty banter midway through the song amidst growls by Ke$ha.

Overall the song is fun and is something you’d expect from Ke$ha. Although she has not confirmed if the song will be featured in her upcoming album, she has confirmed that for her album, she will feature a collaboration with rock star Iggy Pop!

Take a listen to Pretty Lady below!

As soon as they revealed their next album release date, No Doubt was quick to post the first in a series of in-studio webisodes which featured a short preview of the track Push & Shove.

Scheduled to be released on September 25^th, the new record will be No Doubt’s first in over a decade. Push & Shove is a collaboration with Major Lazer and Jamaican artist Busy Signal whose vocals are featured in the track.

The webisode shows drummer Adrianne Young laying down the drum tracks while lead singer Gwen Stefani croons the chorus. The track is reminiscent of previous No Doubt single, Underneath It All with its catchy beats albeit with a little more pace due to more heartfelt lyrics. With lines such as “You push and shove, I take the bait. It’s a risky business, gonna play it anyway,” Gwen still possesses her signature piercing vocals at the ripe age of 42 and will definitely shine in the new album.

No Doubt’s website also states that Push & Shove “is the only collaboration of its kind,” hinting that Major Lazer aren’t the only producers, which leads me to believe that we can expect a wide range of sounds to come.

Take a look at No Doubt’s first studio webisode below!

It’s not enough to have only one multi-million-dollar job these days, which is why tennis champ, Serena Williams, is adding “rapper” to her resume.

How many of you are actually surprised? Come on, isn’t it obvious there’s a hip-hopper in her somewhere? It was just a matter of when she was gonna let it out.

In the track, which leaked on Friday, Serena raps rather cliché lines like “I can see these haters through my Gucci glasses”. Plus she even name drops her sister in “swag out of this world, you can call me Venus.” Bragging about her material possessions, using the most overused word in 2011, “swag” AND name-dropping? Complete formula for a successful rap track, no?

The hip-hop/rap genre was never really my cup of tea (or more appropriately, a glass of gin, since we’re on the topic of rappers) but I’m finding myself replaying the minute-long clip over and over. Maybe it’s the beat, maybe it’s the narcissistic lyrics, I can’t be sure. But one thing I know is that I’m all ears for whatever Serena Williams has to offer in the music department. And if she’s gonna go back to the studio, coming up with a proper rapper name would be apt. S-Willz, perhaps?

What do you reckon? Should Serena do some smashing in the studio?

Just in time for the release of his fourth album, Shooting Stars out May 15th, Owl City gave us all a treat with the release of his single, Gold!

It seems like Owl City has left his synth-pop days behind and went in a different direction musically. Gold does not have the signature synth work that we’re used to from Owl City. His first single, Dementia (that featured Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus!), off his forthcoming album did not feature any synth work either.

Although Owl City has changed musically, his charm and knack for writing saccharine sweet lyrics still remain! With lyrics like ‘I don’t even need the stars in the night, I have found my treasure. All I need is you by my side, so shine forever’, Owl City still managed to croon his way into my heart (hehe!).  Still, I do hope he goes back to his old musical style which I absolutely adore.

Take a listen to Gold below!

Justin Bieber sure is working on his new image!

He’s got an immaculately coiffed hairdo, developed a husky voice and to add on to the list, a mature, family-man side. And to prove he is a grown man, he has channeled all that newfound maturity into a tribute song of sorts for momma Pattie Malette. Just in time for Mother’s Day too!

Turn To You is an ode to Pattie, from the struggles she had in her transit from a regular teenage girl to a mom, to bringing Justin up without a father figure around. Justin recalls the time his mother had to juggle two jobs to keep a roof over their heads, but still successfully built a close bond with him.

I guess Turn To You is proof that there’s still some hope left for pop music after all. I’m digging the simple jangly guitar sound, because it doesn’t steal the listeners’ attentions from the story behind the lyrics.

Proceeds from the sales of the single will be channeled to Bethesda Centre in Justin’s hometown in Ontario, Canada. This women’s shelter was where Pattie turned to for aid during her pregnancy. Apparently, the shelter is in danger of closing down if they don’t raise enough funds, so Beliebers, you know what to do!

Take a listen to the tear-jerking (it’s possible!) track here!

American r apper B.o.B has teamed up with rock band, O.A.R to produce, Champions, a song for the upcoming Olympics taking place in London this year.

Inspired by the rigorous training and challenges faced by Team USA for the games, B.o.B has said that this song is meant to motivate the athletes to do their best at the games. “I think the song is very synonymous with challenges that many people face in life even beyond the field, beyond the court and beyond the sports”, he had said. In a bid to spread the positive message to every one else, the song is available for download for free.

O.A.R had initially written the song before being approached to do a song for the Olympics. Seeing that the song suited the Olympics’ theme, O.A.R then approached B.o.B to remaster the track and give it a twist.

The song will be part of battery brand Duracell’s campaign, Rely On Cooper To Go For Gold. With the Olympics not far away, the song is a perfect fit to kick off the countdown to the games’ opening ceremony.

Check out the inspirational song below!

Nelly Furtado has unveiled the new video for her latest single, Big Hoops (Bigger The Better). The song shows off a more hip-hop direction for the singer, moving away from the pop sounds of her previous album, Loose.

The music video shows the singer strutting down the streets of downtown L.A. in some really dangerous-looking high stilts, before eventually transforming into some sort of a huge ass godzilla-sized figure, towering over the skyscrapers in LA. Other scenes include a man performing tricks with a collection of hula hoops, while Furtado walks past random strangers along the streets who stare at her in disbelief as she struts in the above-mentioned stilts.

Nelly Furtado has come a loooong way since her indie-sounding song I’m Like A Bird. While Big Hoops (Bigger The Better) may not be as catch as Maneater, I really think that the song suits her voice and her entire vibe. Her straight-sounding voice complements the beat of the song and I especially like the last breakdown of the song. The video is also such a visual treat and definitely something different.

Watch the music video for Big Hoops (Bigger The Better) below:

Rapper Kanye West teams up with filmmaker Ruth Hogben and photographer Nick Knight (the duo previously got behind the camera to direct Lady Gaga’s Born This Way) for the music video to Lost In The World.

Lost In The World comes from Kanye’s 2010 award-winning album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and features Bon Iver during the introduction.

Continuing his obsession with strobe lights, the black and white video starts out with a warning about the usage of the strobe lights followed by a visual that could induce photo epilepsy.

As Kanye starts to rap on a mirrored platform that reflects the dark sky above him, a group of models express their pain through dance in sheer fabrics. Aesthetically, the video is intriguing and appealing. The video strongly features the influences of the directors as well.

With this video, Kanye sets the bar high for every other artist out there. Love him or hate him, we all have to admit, the mad genius delivers time and time again whether through his solo work or work with Jay-Z on Watch The Throne.

Watch the video for Lost In The World below!

Reunited Ben Folds Five are at work on a new album – their first in over a decade – and have decided to release a new, unmastered track, Do It Anyway, on Facebook. Along with the song, Folds posted a lengthy message talking about how the band is not on a label and will not embark on an exhaustive promotional campaign to support their forthcoming new record. A snippet of his message reads, “I realize that it’s a luxury for us to promote only to fans. We’ve had the help of labels for years which gave us a leg up. The years of traditional promotion, soul draining as they might have been, affords us that luxury now.”

Do It Anyway starts of with a fierce driving piano instrumentation, further supported by a running bass line. It is such a classic Ben Folds piano-based song, and that is what I love about BFF – their ability to stick to their original roots despite the number of years they have been playing music together. Although the track is only an unmastered sampling of the full song, it is the first time any new BFF material has been released in years and fans were more than happy to accept whatever new music the band offers them.

The upcoming record is slated to be released sometime in September.

Listen to Do It Anyway below: