A Plethora of Pop

Shakira-She Wolf
The beloved Shakira has returned with a funky, disco jam, She Wolf, and here is the video in all its body rolling glory. The video is pretty crazy. I particularly enjoy when Shakira dances in the red sparkly cave in her oddly cut black jumpsuit. Also, the whole thing with her in the cage is fantastic, vampy, and slinky. A good comeback video.

Shakira - New Music - More Music Videos

Sugababes-Get Sexy
Okay, this is a really good Sugababes video. It's really visually appealing. Heidi (the blond one) doing her bit in a room with mirrors and green lights all over creates a very cool effect. Amelle (short hair) vamping it up in a cage. The wall graffitied pink and blue with variations on Get Sexy written. The girls dancing with glitter falling, and the girls chained together by their wrists doing herky jerky movements. It brings another aspect to the song. I still don't think it's their best single, but the video makes it better. Well done, Sugas.

Girls Can't Catch-Keep Your Head Up
Yet another British gal group to herald the arrival of. Ignore the slightly odd name and listen to their catchy electro-pop debut single. The verses are sung deliciously fast. The guitar riffs grind. All and all, a group to keep an eye on. The single was released today. Good luck in the UK charts, girls. Also, I love the concept of the video. Very random.

Madonna-Celebration
Madonna's new dancey single off her Greatest Hits collection is a good summer song. The best part is when she just talks over the beat. It's awesome. Very Confessions on a Dancefloor circa 2005.

Ashley Tisdale-Erase and Rewind
Okay, for some reason a part of me is drawn to Ashley Tisdale. She's not a very good actress and her music isn't that good either, but I thought I might find at least one gem on her new album and I did. Erase and Rewind is not original, her voice is nasal, the song is pop Slice and Bake, and it almost has a sheen to it. That being said: it's a lot of giddy fun. Best parts: "I don't wanna sound desperate but I am" and near the end of the song when everything drops out and Tiz just sings "I don't wanna feel like this, I don't want to" then she proceeds to go up the note scale singing 'Yeah ah ah ah ay" and everything comes crashing back in. I really like it.

Kelly Clarkson-Already Gone
Kels Clarkson's new single is a beautiful, sad ballad. The best lyric is "We were always meant to say goodbye". From the master of piano, drum, synth ballads: Ryan Tedder. Really pretty.

Demi Lovato-Here We Go Again
Demi Lovato is somewhat more legitimate than the Tiz. Demi knows how to rock, and she throws herself into her songs with abandon. I like some of the songs on her new CD which debuted at number 1 by the way. This is the first single Here We Go Again and even though the opening guitar part sounds like the theme song of a nineties sitcom, I still really enjoy the song. She just belts the heck out of it.

Little Boots-Remedy
Little Boots new video is not that interesting sad to say. She needs to move around more, but the song is a wild beast. The chorus is a colossal behemoth. An irresistible tune.

No, You Just Can't Stop

One of my new fave Brits, Pixie Lott, released the video for her upcoming second single, Boys and Girls, the other day. I like this song better than her debut single, the #1 UK hit Mama Do. It features that signature old school sound (horns, Amy Winehouse/Duffy-esque) that has become a part of modern British music in the past couple years, but miraculously it works. The song is super fun and just about having a good time. The song has been changed a little since the first time I heard it. The trumpet has become a prominent part of the verses. The chorus is fantastic and pretty irresistible. The video features fun choreography, cool outfits, and lots of hip kids (who I now want to hang out with) having a good old time. You really want to bust a move when you hear this song. I hope this song does well. It's very likeable.

P.S. I love her sassy entrance in the beginning and her relationship with the boy in the white chilling against the wall.

Luv It

Booty Luv-Say It
A British dance-pop duo called, yes, Booty Luv will be releasing their sassy beast of a new single on August 31st. The chorus is insanely catchy and the whole song is irresistible (very girl power!). See the video below. My favorite gal is the one with the short hair. She is sexysassyfierce. Swagger song!

Je Suis Une Dolly

Britain is bursting with girl groups at the moment, a wonderful thing in my opinion, and these gals are the best of the bunch. They are the Dolly Rockers, and they are loads of fun. Sophie, Lucie, and Brooke are loud, raunchy, and super cheeky. They wear ridiculously awesome outfits and sing sassy and distinctly British ditties. Their first official single is called Gold Digger, and it is a bouncing, jaunty number about you guessed it a gold digger. A great choice for a debut single. It's quite wonderful, and the video just premiered today. It's very similar to their first video for the amusing Je Suis Une Dolly meaning it involves dancing around in public places and wreaking general havoc. In the Gold Digger video they disrupt an office throwing paper all over, play with a beach volleyball on a tennis court in over-the-top tennis garb, and dance in a shop window display. It's all very fun. (Click on the outtakes that come up at the end of the video for some good laughs). Gold Digger will be out August 31st in the UK. Another fantastic song by them is the surprisingly affecting How Did I End Up With U? which has Katy Perry's Hot N Cold drums and echoes of 3OH!3's Don't Trust Me after the chorus. The song starts very softly then roars into the chorus with the Dollys asking "How did I end up with you? Why did I ever see a perfect 10? Why do I have a thing for married men?" It is magnificent. Champaigne Shirley is another corker by the gals that features a rip-roaring chorus. The lyrics are biting, the chorus catchy, catchy, catchy. I posted one of the gals How-To Videos below. It's pretty funny. They are so wonderfully cheeky. Lucie, the one usually in the middle in the videos with the red and black dress, is my favorite Dolly at the moment (you always have to have a favorite member with girl groups), but Brooke is hilariously vulgar and raunchy. Check them out!

Gold Digger (first single)



One of their How To videos:


How Did I End Up With U?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX-rXL4YDCU&feature=PlayList&p=94D6B78C1DDACB6E&index=8

Champaigne Shirley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl3K02z33rM&feature=PlayList&p=94D6B78C1DDACB6E&index=6

Je Suis Une Dolly

http://www.myspace.com/thedollyrockers

Music Update!

-Kings of Leon have shot to the number 2 position on the US iTunes chart with the anthemic Use Somebody. Took long enough. Congrats, boys!

-Good Girls Go Bad, the collaboration between Cobra Starship and Gossip Gal Leighton Meester is rising in the chart, standing at number 5 on iTunes. Very exciting!

-Across the pond, JLS are still topping the UK iTunes with their debut Beat Again and Kanye West's new protege (even though he's been around in England for awhile) Mr Hudson's newest single, Supernova, featuring Mr. West is at the number 2 position. Very impressive debut for that song!

All around congratulations are in order.

New Music!

Kesha-Tick Tock
The young gal who sang on Flo Rida's unavoidable Right Round is forging her own career and with a song like Tick Tock I see lots of potential. Now first of all, this song has about 80 different titles: P Diddy, Dolla, Tick Tock, but I'm going with Tick Tock. I love it. I hope she releases it and it becomes huge because it is very "now" but not in a repetitive way. She seems to have quite the vibrant personality too. This is a gleaming example of a pop single filled with sass and a super fun chorus. Great start.


JLS-Beat Again
This song is the current number 1 in the UK. JLS are a boy band who came in second place in the most recent season of X-Factor in the UK. This is a wonderful debut single for the guys. It is hugely catchy and the beat is delectable. Also, the guys are super good at dancing. I love their very literal choreography. This is a good sign for boy bands in the UK. Congrats, guys!


Crystal Fighters-Xtatic Truth
I found this band through the website for music magazine NME. They are based in London, but the members of the group are quite international. One of the singers in the band had a grandfather who wrote an opera named Crystal Fighters which this singer found in Basque land. They use this found material for their songs. All very odd and interesting. This is their new song, Xtatic Truth that mixes modern electronic elements with a string instrument plucking along while singers coo in the background. It's quite the melange and it's delightful and exciting. I'm really looking forward to what these guys do next.


Mika-We Are Golden
He has returned!! The man with the curly hair and falsetto is back with his bright, colorful pop songs. I loved a lot of his songs from his 2007 debut Life in Cartoon Motion. He premiered his new single, We Are Golden, due for release in September in the UK last Friday on a UK radio show. It's super sunny and fun with a shouty, chanting, irresistible chorus. It's quite fantastic and theatrical. "Running around again, running for money" and "Teenage dreams in a teenage circus" are some choice lyrics from the song. This is a joyous return for Mika and I can't wait to hear the album also titled We are Golden.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Review

The newest Harry Potter movie is like a visit with old friends. I've grown up with these characters, books, and movies. When I saw the new little Hogwarts students early in the movie I thought "Aw how cute." Harry and the gang were them not long ago and so in a way was I and others my age. This sixth movie in the series is an improvement on the previous film: 2007's Order of the Phoenix. In fact, this sixth film, is second place in my list of Potter adaptations : 2005's immensely entertaining Goblet of Fire being number 1. The new installment is funny and full of teen drama. Wizards and witches are just like us after all. They just want to be loved. We are even led to believe that Harry might get some action from a train station diner waitress in one of the first scenes, but then Dumbledore shows up and that whole possibility fades away. You see, Dumbledore wants Harry to get in good standing with the new potions professor, Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) who has information about Voldemort that Dumbledore wants. And Voldemort's Death Eaters are on the prowl, wreaking havoc wherever they go. That being said, I don't think I've ever laughed out loud during a Potter movie as I did during this one. Harry is even funny albeit after taking a luck potion. There's a sequence where Slughorn has some of his star pupils over for dinner where they proceed to eat huge desserts. It's all very funny. Scenes of this nature are nice contrasts to the darker moments. Not every second of every day at Hogwarts is dark and life-threatening. Creepy flashbacks to Voldemort's or Tom Riddle's childhood days and teen years at Hogwarts are eerie as is a voyage Harry and Dumbledore take into a cave. Not a lot of huge things happen minus the death of a huge character at the end, but I didn't really mind. These characters are so interesting and watchable. The gang have really grown into their parts. There are slow patches , but overall it's very entertaining especially due to the magnificent, mostly spot-on casting. Rupert Grint is amusing as the suddenly hotshot Ron (possibly his best performance as Ron yet), and Emma Watson is her usual smart, sassy self but with more of a vulnerable side this time around. Evanna Lynch is hilarious and the definition of spacey and trippy as Luna Lovegood. Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe was spot-on when he compared her to Anna Faris. The two actresses deliver their lines similarly as if in a mist of otherwordliness. Whenever she was in a scene I knew it would be good (just watch for the lion mask). Helena Bonham Carter is insane, vulgar, primal, and somewhat sexual in her portrayal of Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's Death Eaters. Maggie Smith is the shiz (what else is new?) as McGonagall, taking names and getting stuff done. Jim Broadbent (Bridget's dad in Bridget Jones' Diary among many other roles) is funny as Slughorn. He gives Slughorn these great facial expressions. Alan Rickman continues to show why he was born to play Snape as he glides and whispers his way through the movie. Daniel Radcliffe is good as Harry, likeable and somewhat awkward. His scene with Grint where they talk about girls and their skin is a great example of awkward hilarity. Overall, a strong summer movie filled with wonderful performances and striking images and shots (thanks to cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel). I've seen it twice already in the span of three days, and the funny parts are still funny. Always a good sign.

New Videos!

Lily Allen revealed her new video for her next single, 22, the other day. 22 is one of the best songs on her very strong new album. It's about aging and how society puts pressure on women. This is reflected by the video taking place in a cool women's restroom where we see women putting on makeup and staring into a mirror as they sing along to the chorus. It's a simple, but effective video. Lily looks fantastic with her black bob and dramatic dress. I love the interlude where it's just her and a man dancing in the bathroom. Well done, Lily.



Mr. Calvin Harris released the video for his next single, the irresistible Ready for the Weekend. The video has cool, bright colors, but it's pretty dull. The song is euphoric though and I love the piano during the verses and the beast of a chorus.



Beyonce also released a new video for her next single, Sweet Dreams. The video features her now-common dance routines which are still quite fantastic and sassy. This video features some nice outfits including a kooky golden robot get-up.

A Double Feature

Since Tuesday was such a rainy and yucky day, I stayed in and watched two movies but the great Spanish director, Pedro Almodovar. The first one I watched was Talk to Her, his 2002 film that won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It's the story of two men (Benigno and Marco) and the women they love (Alicia and Lydia) who are both in comas. The two men become close friends as they care for their loved ones. Benigno is a nurse who works in the hospital where the women are staying and Marco is a journalist. The friendship that blooms between the two men is beautiful and very touching. The movie is very sad and moving particularly the ending. Almodovar throws in some twists, but the viewer never is turned off by them or taken out of the story because we have already become so invested in these characters and their stories. There is an interlude where Benigno describes to Alicia a silent movie he saw about a female scientist and the male lover who shrinks when he drinks her new diet drug. It's a bizarre, funny, and transfixing black and white vignette that mirrors what's to come in the movie. A very memorable Shrinking Man. The other Almodovar movie I watched was 2004's seductive and grim Bad Education. Now this film is utterly fantastic. It's comedy, color, drama, sex, and controversy all rolled into one odd movie. It stars Gael Garcia Bernal as three characters: a tranny named Zahara and two brothers, Ignacio and Juan. The story begins when movie director, Enrique (Fele Martinez) is visited by his Catholic school lover, Ignacio who presents to him a story based on their childhood. Enrique starts to read it later that night, and it all comes back in flashbacks or so we think. It turns out Ignacio was sexually abused by one of the priests at the boys' Catholic school which leads to more flashbacks until everything is flipped on its head and we get the real story. The movie is fascinating, and Almodovar handles all the plot technicalities with skill and grace. Gael Garcia Bernal is wonderful in all the roles he plays especially as Zahara, the tranny. Overall, a wonderful movie. Highly Recommended.

Just Shut Up and Watch Me Walk

Sugababes premiered their new single, Get Sexy, Tuesday on BBC Radio 1. It's not their best single, and it's their least subtle. Sugababes have always had subtler songs than their fellow Brit girl group counterparts, Girls Aloud. They were sexy, sassy dance numbers (Push the Button, Hole in the Head, Red Dress) but they weren't in your face pop smorgasbords. This song is in your face though and very modern. I like the verses and bridge with its churning beat more than the somewhat loud chorus. It has tinges of Pitbull's I Know You Want Me and it incorporates the synths present in many popular songs nowadays. It's flirty, danceable fun, and I think it's a grower. It doesn't scream "Sugababes" though. The lyrics are priceless and fierce especially the terrific line: "Just shut up and watch me walk". The part around 2:24 is quite cheeky and sassy. This is a complete 180 from their underrated last album, Catfights and Spotlights, which had a retro-feel to it. I guess they needed to recreate themselves. The song will be released for download in August with the new album coming in the fall I assume. Get Sexy will be the Sugas first release in the US since their signing to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. Very exciting!

Get Sexy

Big, big news!

Sugababes new single, Get Sexy, will be played for the first time on BBC Radio 1 tomorrow afternoon at 4:50PM. The single will be officially released on August 31st. Here's what their website has to say:

"New tunes, new style, new hair cuts and new attitude. GET ready to see SEXY!
The babes return with the first single from their 7th studio album this summer. GET SEXY is a slamming dance anthem that sees the girls hooking up with a host of big name producers following their stint in L.A. and the new single shows a new direction for the babes but still with that unmistakable Sugababes sound.
Hear it first on Scott Mills Radio 1 show this Tuesday 7th July."

This is so exciting!

Here's what the pop lovers at Popjustice have to say about the song:

"A new Sugababes single is always a reason to get excited and their new track, 'Get Sexy', is a big, fearsome explosion of a pop record. At first listen it sounds quite aggressive and adventurous which, in a post-'Bonkers'-at-Number-One, post-'Boom Boom Pow'-at-Number-One world, it's really not; pop changes its sound as the years go by and if they're clever so do pop groups. Sonically this is just what the Sugababes needed after the wet Wednesday of their last album campaign - a campaign which despite an album we loved seemed to chime so badly with fans that the band looked like they were on the brink of something not very good at all.

After all that we'd kind of wanted the band to take a year off for 2009 but with one major British girl group notable by absence from this autumn's release schedules it makes sense for Sugababes to storm ahead. Followers of the band's - particularly Keisha's - Twitter pages will have a fair idea already of what's to come from the new album and fans received a surprise this weekend when a clip of 'Get Sexy' leaked online ahead of its Radio One debut tomorrow.

Well, the clip was a very early demo; the clip that leaked gives you a general feel for things but one major change is that while some of the male vocals remain (in the verses' call-and-response portions) the girls now sing the song's a massive bridge, whose lyrics are now based on Right Said Fred's 'I'm Too Sexy': "cos I'm too sexy in this club, too sexy in this club, so sexy it hurts". There's also a fantastic middle eight built around a playful chant of "if I had a dime (dime) for every single time (time) these boys stop and stare, I'd be a billionaire".

It's a confusing listen - to these ears the verses are terrible and trite while everything else in the song is just totally brilliant and exciting. The ups and downs are frustrating;..."

I remember having similar excitement last summer when the first single from Catfights and Spotlights, Girls, premiered. I'm ready for this Sugas!

Supernova

British singer Mr. Hudson who collaborated with Kanye West on his album 808's & Heartbreak (most notably on the fantastic song Paranoid) will be coming out with his second album Straight No Chaser which should be released Oct. 5. Kanye West co-produced with Hudson on the album. The second single off the album is Supernova feat. Mr. West himself. It is a wonderful slice of modern pop complete with Bleeding Love/Paranoid-esque drums. I adore the chorus and how it just soars. The Auto-Tune effect surprisingly works very well here. The melding of the modern auto-tune and the tribal drums is very successful, and this is a great showcase for Mr. Hudson.

Loving You Like It Was the First Time

Another British rapper Tinchy Stryder has a new single out in August as well. It's called Never Leave You and it features Amelle Berrabah of the Sugababes and her cool haircut. It's a sweet, very catchy song. The whole song reminds me of the part in Live Your Life by T.I. when Rihanna sings her solo. The synths meld with piano creating a pleasant ditty with a very catchy and addictive chorus.



Also according to Sugababes member Keisha's Twitter post today, the gals new single from their new album will be played for the first time next week on BBC Radio 1. I'm so excited! I hope it's one of their RedOne collaborations.

Let's Go on Holiday

British rapper Dizzee Rascal's new single Holiday produced by dance music lover Calvin Harris and featuring Chrome will be out soon. It was premiered yesterday on BBC Radio 1. It is a perfect summer song. There is massive bouncy synth backing somewhat reminiscent of Harris' number 1 from earlier this year, I'm Not Alone. Then around the 3:00 minute mark the whole thing just goes bonkers with crazy, throw-your-hands-in-the-air synth. It sounds big and it's fun. Dizzee and Calvin are well-matched as evidenced in last summer's number 1 Dance Wiv Me. Harris is a fantastic producer. Get your freak on!

XOXO

Lots of Gossip Girl and Leighton news today:

The cast were back in New York on Monday to start filming the third season! Here are some photos of the gang looking wonderful as usual.

Apparently, Hilary Duff will be joining the cast in October. She will be playing a Hollywood actress who comes to New York for the regular university lifestyle. She ends up being roommates at NYU with Vanessa. This should be very interesting. Joanna Garcia of the cancelled Privileged will also show up for a few episodes this season to play Nate's girlfriend. This all sounds promising and Blair and Georgina will be roommates!!

Now in music world, the music video for Leighton and Cobra Starship's single Good Girls Go Bad arrived the other day. It's a decent video, nothing new. The lead singer of Cobra Starship does a little too much hand movement for me. It looks like he's going to come through my computer screen. Leighton is all fierceness though. I love the shot at the end where you see the lead singer on the ground looking up at Leighton's orange high heels as she walks by. The end is great.