gyptian - nah let go
[the man who was responsible for the biggest reggae track of this year, returns with a new catchy simmer down summer single that just begs for some intimate body movement on the dancefloor. if i went dancing these days, i'd love to hear this at the end of the night.]
mark ronson feat spank rock and kyle falconer - the bike song
[oh my gosh, just how amazing and retro summery genius is this song directed by warren fu? i can't wait to hear mark's album already!!!!]
savage skulls & douster feat robyn - bad gal
[with robyn's body talk 2 coming tomorrow, a last minute bonus track has been added to give the collection a serious kick, and boy, what a sweet kick it is! on the flip side, this hot production is the brainchild of tropical house djs savage skulls and hugo douster. they too have an EP 'get rich or high trying' coming out tomorrow featuring this track and some kicking remixes to boot. all is awesome in the music world!]
i don't know whats been going on with me this past week, but i've spent more than my fair share of time online checking out the girl acts of the kpop (aka korean pop) world. much has to do with the fact that kpop is easily the most influential sound of asia at the moment, fusing very popular music with korean cute meets sassy attitude (at worst it'll only be a PG-13 type performance). plus the fact that the songs are actually pretty catchy and i'm the first to admit my love for a good pop tune. if you're game, check out the following 10 acts that are making waves over yonder in kpop land and tell me you're not humming some of their pop crack by the end of the video!
1. miss a - bad girl good girl
[my favorite of the batch also consists of 2 chinese gals in the foursome. hailing from the jyp family (one of the biggest music labels in korea), it's their mix of great dancing and edgier than most approach that works for me. love this song!]
2. sistar - chronos soul
[their name is supposed to be an amalgamation of sister and star. oh boy..... luckily this song is a wonderful catchy sentimental pop mid tempo ballad that can stand up to the best of western poppery.
3. boa - hurricane venus
[nicknamed the 'queen of kpop' boa is returning to her korean roots after a long run releasing albums in japan and in the US. i'm kind of tripping over the fact that joseph kahn directed this video... cause it's kind of 'meh']
4. snsd (aka girls generation) - genie
[why it takes 9 girls to be in a girl band is beyond me, but these girls are definitely mega popular (their single gee was the #1 selling single of 2009) and have spun their success with variations of the group including a junior members division and also a 'darker edgier' version called black girls generation (kind of dig this one more). their latest incarnation is as SNSD, a japanese version of their korean setup. looks like the group translates very well since their debut performance in tokyo garnered 20,000 kpop fans. as i said, they are big.]
5. secret - madonna
[pulling a bit of a beyonce 'work it out' vibe here. these girls are barely a year out.]
6. narsha feat sunny hill - mamma mia
[ex-brown eyed girl member gone solo, narsha has the distinction of being a tv host and therefore much more quick witted and sassy than her pop peers. she's also kind of raunchy cause she sure is making out with the boy in this video!]
7. nine muses - no playboy
[hm... snsd are 9 gals, this new act also consists of 9 girls... similarity? hell yes!]
8. gp basic - game
[in kpop it takes 6 teens to sing autotune! the youngest of the bunch, these girls are also the most street of them all. heck they use the word 'negro' in the song! what the f?!]
9. chocolate - what to do
[the most girly of the batch, this new act features members from china, korea and the US. the song is also the most summery pop of the current list which makes them different by default]
10. free star - diss
[my least favorite of the batch. the whole song is an autotune mess but weirdly their intro video showcases something more. not sure about the future of this one.]
jazmine sullivan feat mary j blige & swizz beatz - holding you down (remix)
[oh my god, just when i was lamenting the lack of solid r&b these days, a sweet remix shows up featuring the amazing jazmine sullivan tearing it up with mary j blige (who i swear hasn't done something this nice and raw in ages). the pair sound genius together and well... this remix makes me jam hard!]
robyn - hyperballad (bjork cover @ polar music prize)
[as a recipient of the polar music prize this year, bjork traveled to stockholm to receive the award and also got to hear my gal robyn do a beautiful rendition of her song 'hyperballad'. whether bjork likes this version is unclear, as she remains extremely still throughout the performance. i liked it!]
check out the polar music prize announcement of bjork below:
arcade fire - we used to wait (wongie's childhood home video)
[want your music videos to be more interactive? well arcade fire and director chris milk have come up with a genius interactive page in which you can leave a message to a younger you at your childhood home. tapping into my obvious sentimentality, i got a bit emotional playing with this! hopefully you will have fun with it too. check out my version of the music video on the link above. and if you want to make your own version based on your childhood street, go to the wilderness downtown and go crazy! have fun!]
groove armada feat will young - history
[oooh it's a street dance battle in the studio! thank you directors dawson bros for shooting showcasing your love of street dance!]
taylor swift - mine
[oh taylor, no matter how much i try to avoid you, you end up pulling me in with your catchy songwriting and surprising creeping up on you lyrics. argh! i'm hooked!]
robbie williams and gary barlow - shame
[i know the personal lyrics speak of the history between these two men, but the video REALLY plays up their brokeback mountain-esque relationship. if they wanted people to talk about it, well, they got their wish! perhaps the take that reunion later in the year will have ALL the boys semi nude in a group hug!]
labrinth - let the sun shine
[nothing like a piece of utterly catchy pop music make your morning all better! labrinth (aka timothy mckenzie) is a singer/songwriter with two #1 hits under his belt thanks to his collaborations with UK rapper tinie tempah... it's definitely now his turn!]
UPDATE: check out this video that perfectly uses labrinth's music! though it says it's the official video, i think it's more viral than the official.
ceelo green - f**k you
[i had to hold off on posting this until today just to give katy b a day to bask in the title of 'song of the month'. but this track by cee-lo is just too amazing to hold back! so instantly catchy and brilliant, this could be a contender for song of the year. oh yes, i've gone and said it!]
cee-lo green - no one's gonna love you (band of horses cover)
[and just to prove how brilliant ceelo actually is, he goes and does a complete 180 and offers up a heartbreaking rendition of the band of horses now classic tune. throw in the fact that this skinny video is like a mini movie and you've got my vote for video of the month too. damn! this guy can do no wrong!]
katy b - katy on a mission
[these days, if you want one act to represent the UK funky scene, it seems that this Brit school graduate is on everyone's lips. working with some of the biggest UK home grown producers/djs around, katy b is geared to be THE biggest 'UK funky' crossover act of the year! this benga produced track is at once stank dirty dubstep meets sweet r&b, which is probably the best way to describe UK funky if you've never heard the sound before. i've been hogging this track for awhile and now i share it to you... oh how i love this tune!]
katy b - louder
[as part of the double A release, check out katy b's AMAZING other track, this time produced by zinc. definitely more soulful, this song just makes me want to get lost in it's grooves. oh boy, i'm obsessed!]
BONUS:
magnetic man feat katy b - perfect stranger
[more katy b, this time working with the collaborative of magnetic man. after listening to this live dubstep, is it me, or has the 90's revival come back again?]
swedish house mafia feat pharrell - one
[what happens when you get 3 of the biggest dj's in the world (axwell, sebastian ingrosso and steve angello) combining their talents to form a 'superDJ group' called swedish house mafia? you quickly produce one of the biggest dance smashes of the year (with pharrell no less) and just sit back and watch the club world go bonkers.
what do you do for a 2nd act, you get the talent of hot UK rapper tinie tempah and continue with the same vibe and produce what radio 1 dj zane lowe calls the hottest record in the world this week. holy shizz things are going well for this side project!]
sugarland - stuck on you
[the 1st release from their upcoming album 'the incredible machine', jennifer and kristian offer a bit of humor at the expense of tv show, chuck's 'ryan mcpartlin'. i used to secretly love them, but now i heart them openly (plus the song is so catchy)!]
janelle monae - cold war
[wow, not only can janelle make a one shot close up video interesting, but when she lets her emotions take over, janelle's tears brings the video up a notch to beautiful raw places (AND she lip syncs perfectly!) we heart janelle, and so should you!]
UPDATE: check out the remix of her 1st single, 'tightrope'... and it's SWEEEEEEET!!!
alexandra burke feat laza morgan - start without you
[i thought this was a bit of a silly song when i first heard it awhile back, but now i can't stop humming along to this. of course i have a soft spot for good ol ms burke, and the gaggle of boys probably helps too!]
UPDATE:
as an added bonus, check out her live performance on alan carr's chatty man over the weekend!
herbie hancock feat john legend & pink - don't give up (peter gabriel cover)
[a beautiful rendition of the peter gabriel classic! just still and amazing, so press play and soak it all in.]
a description of the imagine project:
"Herbie Hancock's Imagine Project is an unprecedented international recording and film project featuring collaborations between music legend Herbie Hancock and a dozen superstars from every region of the planet. It utilizes the universal language of music to express its central themes of peace and global responsibility."
check out the epk of the imagine project in which herbie hancock traveled around the world to work with an array of artists as diverse as the chieftains, dave matthews and juanes!
vv brown - shark in the water (degrassi version)
[as part of the launch of the new season of degrassi high, teennick hooked up with vv and shot a beautiful promo video featuring plot lines of the buzzy new season (transgender teen yo!). i might just check this show out after all these years!]
the naked & famous - young blood
[may i present to you a nice addition to happy song of the summer! taken off their upcoming debut album 'passive me, aggressive you', these new zealanders are causing quite a ruckus on the blog front with their indie pop power sound. this has been on steady repeat since i've heard it, and you should be doing the same!]
kids of 88 - downtown
[the party down new zealand duo of kids of 88 return with a catchy anthem that just begs you to jump up and down and dance silly. pogo like it's 1988 yo!]
[from myspace:
Gypsy & the Cat are 21-year-olds Xavier Bacash & Lionel Towers who only a year ago began making music in a garage in Melbourne. Their Myspace enticed the love from Australian radio station Triple J who playlisted a demo of the track ‘Jona Vark’. Interest followed, including support from Mark Ronson on his East Village radio show and a mention on Neon Gold’s key blog.
Respected London indie label Young & Lost, responsible for the debut singles from the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club and Noah & The Whale amongst others, were quick to secure the release of the band’s debut single which will be released it in two formats; a strictly limited (300 copies) 7” vinyl and unlimited digital download.
After producing and recording their album in their Melbourne home studio, Gypsy & the Cat have now moved to London and are mixing their debut album with David Fridmann (of Mercury Rev fame and producer of MGMT, Flaming Lips, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to name a few) and Rich Costey (Producer of amongst others, Muse, Mew, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas).]
birds of tokyo - plans
[even though this perth band has already released 3 albums, it seems that their current self titled album is the one that is crossing over into the mainstream (one newspaper claimed that they have taken over powderfinger as THE rock band of australia at the moment!). if the rest of their album sounds as good as this, i wouldn't be surprised if they manage to extend their popularity to UK or US shores soon.]
broken social scene - all to all
[what a lush song made all the better with a line of slap happy hipsters later morphed into glitter confetti kissing fools. brilliant!]
scissor sisters - any which way
[the band flying through glass, dancing go go boys with animal head masks, projectile sushi, can this video by director ace norton be any more awesome?]
cajmere - perculator 2010
[OMG was the original released 18 years ago?! the insanity that it caused back in the day still remains the same! cajmere (aka green velvet) really created an awesome classic which seems to have also created a silly dance step in the process! it's time for the perculator indeed! brilliant!]
the cribs - housewife
[even though johnny marr is not officially with the band, he definitely is a part of this release. recorded after a binge of creative spark, the band have decided to release this song just as a single (with no album in sight) with the possibility of more one off singles to come!]
hey marseilles - rio
[though the band claim to be a folk act, this seattle based collective is definitely more than that. just listen to this wonderful tune (made npr's song of the day) as they add layers upon layers of instrumentation and catchy percussions. it's a music festival wrapped up in a song, if you ask me!]
samuel - i heart NY
[nothing like a young collective that fuses hip hop over pop songs and then shoot their whole video in my backyard (literally within a 10 block radius of my doorstep) to get my attention. as you can guess samuel is the lead singer and his collaboration with the knocks is the fruit of catchy songs like this one. i dig!]
restless people - days of our lives
[what a lovely uplifting hi energy basic instrumentational dance track that just keeps layering musical fun stuff on top of each other! just makes you want to dance the hipster right out of you!]
M.I.A. - xxxo
[we've been hyping this track for so long that it feels a bit like an oldie but goodie at this point. M.I.A. FINALLY releases a video for her catchy single. maybe it's all the lo-fi graphics and layering techniques that caused this hype williams video to take so long to come out. hopefully they'll release the jay z remix video soon!]
M.I.A. - illygirl
[i would call this more of a random filler video]
i am kloot - proof
[nominated for the 2010 mercury prize for album of the year, i am kloot seem to finally be getting the kind of critical acclaim that they deserve. their album 'sky at night' has the kind of maturity that showcases a band at their best. their latest single 'proof' is actually a redo of an unreleased 2006 track (and live favorite). it also features the amazing christopher eccleston (doctor who) in a one shot. love this!]
i am kloot - northern skies
[i've been listening to this song on constant repeat for the past month. something about the storied voice of johnny bramwell and the wistful continued journey of the lyrics. it's just damn near perfect if you ask me!]
jonsi - animal arithmetic
[oh my gosh, you just want to turn this song up and just run through fields with your hands up or jump up and down with fireworks going on behind you. pure joyous fun!]
margaret cho feat andrew bird - i'm sorry
[comedian margaret cho decided to embark on a pet project to make a funny but also musically good album. the end result, 'cho dependant' features the likes of fiona apple (in the lovely 'hey big dog' (which you can hear here), tegan and sara, patty griffin, rachel yamagata and loads more. the first release is this murder song featuring andrew bird. kind of makes you think twice about she & him doesn't it?]
[australian indie band cloud control have not only released a highly successful debut album, but have just signed on to Infectious, the UK label that brought temper trap to the masses. i have a feeling we'll be hearing alot more of this act in the coming months and well, you can boast to your friends where you may have heard it first... ahem, here! check out their latest singles below!]
far east movement - don't f**king tell me what to drink (robyn reflip)
[currently touring with kelis and robyn on the all hearts tour, far east movement, aka FM, spent an evening reflipping the robyn live showstopper 'don't f**king tell me what to do' into their own libatious version. throwing in some hot footage of the tour (including some wonderful robyn shots), the guys also got the swedish songstress to contribute some choice lines. it's just silly viral fun and i LOVE it!]
katy perry - teenage dreams
[what a sensual ode to love with a HOT boxer! the song is pure pop perfection, but this video is currently on repeat! btw, if you can't see the video, check out this link]
