“Nobody’s Business” – Rihanna & Chris Brown
Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for (or hoping would never happen)…the reunion of Rihanna and Chris Brown! RiRi and Brown’s new duet is definitely going to cause a stir as they sing about their undying love for each other and the fact that their relationship is nobody’s business but their own. The track samples Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and as much as I hate the thought of Rihanna reuniting with Brown, the track is pretty darn catchy. Listen for yourself. Rihanna’s new album Unapologetic is out now.
“Wild” – Beach House
Baltimore indie duo Beach House have a new video out, and *warning* this one’s a downer. So if you’re feeling unusually sad today, I would suggest holding off on watching the new video for “Wild,” off their latest album Bloom. The video features dark imagery with a young man indulging in all sorts of drugs and such, essentially losing control of his life in one big mess. It goes perfectly with the swelling vocals and gloomy guitars that Beach House is known for and could be the perfect track to study to.
“The Prodigy” – Smack My Bitch Up (Major Lazer remix)
Electronic group The Prodigy released “Smack My Bitch Up” 16 years ago, but I will admit it’s still a relevant song in my iTunes library. So imagine my excitement when I learned Major Lazer remixed the high-energy track. The song is already heavily laden with synth and hard beats, but Major Lazer added some more buzzing synthesizers, and sped up the bridge to keep the whole track’s tempo up. Next month, The Prodigy will reissue their best selling album “The Fat of the Land,” with a bonus remixes EP, which will feature Major Lazer’s track.
“Blue” – R.E.M. Read more…
In andPOP’s new Monday column, Azra Kassam will compile a weekly dose of pop culture to help get you through a rough week. It’s your weekly prescription.
Gotye’s new video for “Easy Way Out”
Director Darcy Prendergast said his goal with Gotye’s music video for his second single was to have the “viewer’s cerebral cortex sliding down the computer screen.” His combination of real-life and stop-motion animation definitely achieves this.
The Shins perform “Simple Song” on Saturday Night Live
Last Saturday, The Shins performed their new single “Simple Song” on SNL. During the past five years the band completely reshuffled, with James Mercer as the only original returning band member. Still, the group performed tightly with a fresh, euphoric sound. Their new album Port of Morrow will be released Mar. 20 and if the rest of the album is anything like “Simple Song,” it’s sure to be a good one.
Beach House drops “Myth”
If the previous songs are too upbeat for you, try Beach House’s “Myth” on for size. Their sophomore album Bloom will be released May 15 and judging from the first single “Myth,” the band stays true to their wistful sound. With soft drums, an acoustic guitar and a rolling piano line, “Myth” will take you on a swirling adventure.
Beach Fossils release video for Shallow
Boys will be boys…while making sweet music and showing off their fun lives as musicians. Brooklyn band Beach Fossils’ homemade music video for “Shallow” will make you want to attempt parkour with them, write obscenities on mirrors, and indulge in their foolish antics on tour. Oh, and the song rocks too. [ChartAttack]
The Walkmen cover U2
Remember U2? Indie rockers The Walkmen certainly do, and they created a charming medley of U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love),” “With or Without You,” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” Apparently, the band was fooling around after a long day, and they spontaneously came up with this medley as their producer secretly recorded it. The result is an obviously rough track, but shows off their creativity and inadvertently makes U2 relevant again. Listen to it at their website. [ChartAttack]
Silly Beach House, didn’t your mamas ever tell you that imitation is the highest form of flattery? They did and you’re still angry? Fair enough.
Here’s the sitch. Alternative pop duo Beach House released an album called “Teen Dream” in November, 2009. And it’s just been found out that pop singer Katy Perry is set to release a new album this August. What’s it called, you ask? “Teenage Dream.”
Granted Beach House does not technically own the name “Teen Dream,” but come on. This is a little much.
Yesterday (May 10) Beach House Tweeted (@BeachHouse2010): “Can’t believe this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Dream, and not in a good way, guess we have to write a song called ‘i kiss a girl,’” referring to Perry’s scandal-smash song “I Kissed A Girl.”
The Wikipedia page they link to is one that describes Perry’s new album in all its copy-cat glory.
We’re not telling you whose side to be on, but we will say that Beach House’s “Teen Dream” was absolute musical magic and that they are awesome. But no really, it’s up to you.
