WONGIE BALLAD OF THE WEEK: birdy - words

birdy - words
as the official 3rd single off her album 'beautiful lies', i have to admit that i haven't been as vocal about these releases as i've been of birdy's work in the past. call it a case of good music that just falls by the wayside of 'sexier' releases, but every time i hear tracks from this album i think to myself 'i must talk about it', then forget. well... forget no more as the latest track is a gorgeous ballad (co-written by aussie conrad sewell) that showcases the 20 year old's maturing confidence in her vocal styles. i gotta say, i've been playing this a few times already!

but don't think I haven't been listening to birdy, for those following my carmix 2016, you'll be well versed in these lovely remixes of birdy tracks below (which i've been listening to more than the originals)

birdy - wild horses (matrix & futurebound remix)

birdy - keeping your head up (jonas blue remix)

birdy - wild horses (sam feldt remix)

VIDEO PREMIERE: sam smith - writing's on the wall (james bond 007 spectre theme song)

sam smith - writing's on the wall (james bond 007 spectre theme song)
just a few weeks shy of it's highly anticipated release, sam smith offers up his theme song (co-produced by jimmy napes and disclosure) for james bond spectre. instantly #1 in the UK charts, this is a surprisingly subtle (even with those strings) single for 007's long standing tradition of drama theme songs. can't wait to see the film!!!

WONGIE INDIE POP SONG OF THE WEEK: josef salvat - till i found you

josef salvat - till i found you
aussie singer josef salvat is slowly turning into 2015's debut solo male singer making epic dramatic pop for the masses. it's hella wonderful (with solid videos to match) and definitely on our radar!

WONGIE VIDEO OF THE WEEK: sia - elastic heart (feat shia lebeouf & maddie ziegler)

sia - elastic heart (feat shia lebeouf & maddie ziegler)
reuniting the same team behind her massive video 'chandelier', sia once again works with aussie director daniel askill, choreographer ryan heffington, muse maddie ziegler and this time bringing in a certain dancer/actor named shia lebeouf into the mix. representing the two states of sia, it's definitely the most entertaining dance number i've seen in awhile (plus shia is all sorts of hot).

WONGIE DRAMA BALLAD OF THE WEEK: nicole scherzinger - run

nicole scherzinger - run
i'm just gonna flat out say it. i'm not a fan of nicole's music. she just doesn't have enough of a musical personality to get a foothold in the current state of pop. but something compelled me to press play for her latest single and was i floored with the result. surprisingly sparse in it's instrumentation, but completely raw in it's message, this is some serious drama balladry that i haven't heard in awhile. i didn't think nicole had it in her, but damn this calls for my respect. press play, hear what i'm talking about, maybe even shed a dramatic tear.

WONGIE SOUL SONG OF THE WEEK: marsha ambrosius - run

marsha ambrosius - run
there's something so wonderfully theatrical about this song (and that's not a bad thing AT ALL!), plus there's that voice! former floetry member marsha has an epic song here and it's all sorts of amazing!!!

WONGIE COUNTRY BALLAD SONG OF THE WEEK: hunter hayes - invisible

hunter hayes - invisible
after making it's worldwide debut at the grammy's, country singer/songwriter hunter hayes offered up his anti-bullying anthem as a 1st single from his upcoming sophomore release (which he's still recording!) but a song this good just needed to be put out there to be loved.

POP GAL: lea michele - cannonball / louder (audio premiere)

lea michele - cannonball
working with sia, this first official single from lea's upcoming debut 'louder', acts like a mantra for personal empowerment that'll please her fans everywhere. the album is slowly sounding like a solid modern AC ballad friendly collection. lets hope there's room for some broadway-esque number too!

want to hear the audio premiere of her dance pop possible 2nd single?

lea michele - louder

WONGIE DRAMA BALLAD SONG OF THE WEEK: gabrielle aplin - salvation

gabrielle aplin - salvation
this is a long ways away from the girlie folkie we were introduced to earlier this year. the song just builds into epic proportions with our gabrielle doing her best contemporary dance routine. it's all very 80's kate bush/so you think you can dance, which are my two fave things in the world. brill!

NEW MUSIC FRIDAYS: birdy - all you never say

birdy - all you never say
welcome to your drama ballad of the weekend. there's something so strangely timeless and adult about this song (especially since it's sung by a 17 year old), but it just lingers around like a sad cloud that you don't mind being under. le sad sigh... btw, if you love this track, you can get it free by signing up here!

WONGIE DRAMA SONG OF THE WEEK: vv brown - the apple

vv brown - the apple
UPDATE: a day after my audio posting of this awesome song, vv goes and offers up a video to match! hence the repost! enjoy!

oh my goodness what is this total fabulous overhaul by vv brown? i was worried that the sassy soul gal was heading down a meh path since i wasn't feeling her mood piece 1st single 'samson' enough, but THIS track produced by pascal gabriel (ladyhawke, miss kitten) offers up some serious grace jones servings with a side of dramatics (swirling with bleeps and bass) as it's foundation. NOW i'm excited about the upcoming album!

WONGIE CINEMATIC SONG OF THE WEEK: goldfrapp - drew

goldfrapp - drew
this is just so ripe for a movie! taken from their upcoming album 'tales of us', each track on the album takes on a different character study with "drew" being the first to garner a mini film. it's just beautiful!

WEEKEND SOUNDTRACK: david lynch & lykke li - i'm waiting here

david lynch & lykke li - i'm waiting here
offering up a sad 50's doo wop vibe, the pairing of david lynch and lykke li is actually perfect. setting up his upcoming album 'the big dream', it's dramatic without the fireworks, but with a side of gin instead.

WONGIE BALLAD OF THE WEEK: kleerup feat loreen - requiem solution

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kleerup feat loreen - requiem solution
collaborating with last years eurovision winner loreen, kleerup brings us yet another hypnotic electronic ballad that will no doubt cement itself on our playlists for the coming months. though, i'm hoping that a more epic remix will be coming soon, this version will do just nicely thank you!

like the song? check out this stripped down, string heavy live performance at the swedish grammy awards last week


kleerup feat loreen - requiem solution (live @ swedish grammy's 2013)

AUDIO PREMIERE!: adele - skyfall

adele - skyfall
adele takes a crack at the bond theme song and comes up with a highly overproduced decent number that ranks right in the middle of the best theme songs of bond history. shame cause adele has the ability to take it over the top but instead went the safe route.

VIDEO PREMIERE: lana del rey - national anthem

lana del rey - national anthem
[this will forever be known as the video where lana and rapper a$ap rocky play variations of jfk and marilyn/jackie o. too bad the song is not one of my faves... but the anthony mandler video sure is captivating]