“Scenic Cold” (Katy Perry x Beirut) – Rostam
My favourite mashups are the ones you would never expect. Jay-Z and Linkin Park, Gotye and Avicii, and now pop princess Katy Perry and indie folk band Beirut. Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, who occasionally produces his own projects on the side under the name ROSTAM, mashed Katy Perry’s “Hot n’ Cold” and Beirut’s “Scenic World” together, which (as weird as the two choices are,) blends perfectly together.
“Here With Me” – The Killers
Will we ever get tired of The Killers foraying deeper into the world of darker imagery and eerie videos? NO. So here is their new video, directed by non other than Mr. Tim Burton himself! Strap yourselves in, ladies and gentlemen, you’re in for a ride. Pretty much, a young boy falls in love with a beautiful actress (played with Winona Ryder), steals a lifesize doll of her, takes the doll places with him as his girlfriend, and then in the end the doll becomes real and the boy and Winona eat dinner together with their heads on fire. Classic Tim Burton.
“When I was Your Man” – Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars takes some tips from the likes of Adele and Taylor Swift in his new single “When I Was Your Man,” singing about a past relationship gone wrong. Over a piano, Mars’ smooth vocals carry the track as he sings earnestly about the mess he made of a relationship and the woman he let get away. Mars actually tweeted about how nervous he was before releasing the track so we can assume the song reflects on real life experiences. If you like ballads, this one will tug at your heart strings for sure. Bruno Mars’ new album Unorthodox Jukebox drops tomorrow.
“G.O.O.D. Morning” – 2 Chainz
2 Chainz is living the G.O.O.D. life in his new track “G.O.O.D. Morning,” and the man has clearly reached a high point in his career. We watch him traipse around Paris spending obscene amounts of money at designer stores like Louis Vitton and Versace, get photographed by paparazzi (‘please, no pictures!’), rap for a wild crowd, and get recognized everywhere he goes. Oh, and what better way to start his great day than a little wake and bake? In other exciting 2 Chainz news, look out for an upcoming collab with Korean rapper Psy, produced by Diplo!
There’s no shame in taking singing lessons even when you’re a professional singer.
Because in the case of The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, that’s exactly what he did before hitting the studio to record the band’s new album.
“It seemed like the right thing to do,” he said in a recent interview. “I wanted to be better, get better and it’s just helped me. … (My voice teacher) knows what my ambitions are and he knows there’s a certain style and something I’ve already got going on. We’re just trying to fine-tune a few things.”
But even though the 31-year-old singer wanted to learn some techniques, it’s not like The Killers will be drastically changing their sound by adding in some opera.
Flowers, who was heavily influenced by icons Ziggy Stardust and Hunky Dory growing up, just insists that he wanted to mature as a vocalist.
However, those worried about changes in the core sounds of the band’s earlier singles shouldn’t fret.
Noting that the band is still all about fun, Flowers said, “We try to take a little bit of Las Vegas with us everywhere we go.”
Good for him. There seems to be some sort of stigma in artists who don’t want to admit that they’ve taken singing lessons to improve their techniques.
Singing is a job and it can always be fine-tuned. There’s no shame in wanting to improve!
“Neptune” — Azealia Banks
Our favourite up and coming Princess of Hip Hop, Azealia Banks, is at it again, this time releasing a new track “Neptune,” off her underwater-themed mixtape Fantasea. “Neptune,” featuring English rapper/songwriter Shystie, is a charming track that mixes Banks’ Caribbean influences with R&B, her laidback, sultry vocals, with Shystie’s feisty rhymes. All accompanied by a whimsical beat and production that makes the whole jam sound like it was recorded underwater. Check out Fantasea for 19 new Banks tracks.
“It’s Only Life” — The Shins
The Shin’s second single off their newest album Port of Morrow comes in the form of a post-apocalyptic music video. “It’s Only Life” is a slower ballad about overcoming inner demons and troubled times, and The Shins knocked it out of the park with this unconventional video. We see a young boy and his dog being the last survivors in the area, taking advantage of their lonely surroundings, while Mercer slowly gets dragged away by a group of creatures that look like a way scarier version of the monster from M. Night Shymalan’s The Village. The song is sublime and the metaphoric video works perfectly.
“Runaways” — The Killers Read more…
The Killers’ Tommy Marth was found dead at his Las Vegas home on Monday and his death has been ruled a suicide, according to reports.
The Killers released a statement on Tuesday saying: “Last night we lost our friend Thomas Marth. Our prayers are with his family. There’s a light missing in Las Vegas tonight. Travel well, Tommy.”
A tweet was also sent out from the band’s official Twitter account earlier this week announcing his passing: ”there’s a light missing in Las Vegas tonight.”
Marth, who was 33, played saxophone on two Killer albums, Sam’s Town and Day & Age and also toured with the band in 2008 and 2009.
“I’m just trying to make sense of things right now and help some people who aren’t doing very well,” local musician Ryan Pardey told Las Vegas Weekly. “He was one of the most talented people in our community and one of my closest friends since we were 18.”
Alternative rock band The Killers are to go on hiatus following their show in Melbourne, Australia on Feb. 21, reports CHARTattack.com.
“I’m not sure if people are aware of it, but these are probably our last shows for a while,” guitarist Dave Keuning told the Associated Press. “Unless some surprise thing comes up… we’re having a break.”
“We haven’t had a break in quite a while,” he continued. “It’s just been touring and making records on and on and on.”
“There hasn’t been much time where we haven’t been either touring or taking time to make another record.”
The break should give all band members some time to do other things. For singer/keyboardist Brandon Flowers, that probably means more time with his two sons. Keuning also has a young son.
Move aside, guitar, there’s a new Hero taking over the video game world: the turntable.
Video game creator Activision has released the much-anticipated massive set list for the DJ Hero video game, which comes out on Oct. 27, according to CHARTattack.
The game features 93 exclusive mixes by some of the industry’s top DJs, including Cut Chemist, DJ Shadow, and the late DJ AM. On the game these DJs slice up songs by artists such as Daft Punk, The Killers, Jay-Z, Public Enemies, and the Beastie Boys.
DJ Hero aims to expand on the technology used in video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The game will use a turntable controller to help immerse players into DJ culture. It will give aspiring DJs the chance to learn DJ techniques including sampling, crossfading, and scratching.
To celebrate their 50th Anniversary, Island Records is teaming up with andPOP.com to give you a chance to win a pair of tickets to the annual Lollapalooza festival in Grant Park, Chicago and a $100 gas card to help get you there!
If a weekend full of live music with mega-stars The Killers, Beasties Boys and Tool (to name a few) wasn’t quite enough then you’re in luck because Island Records is also hooking up the Grand Prize winner with the entire Killers’ catalog, as well as albums from Noisettes, Airborne Toxic Event, and Ida Maria.
The prizing isn’t over yet… Island Records is also giving away custom Zippo lighters and music download cards with the top 50 Island songs from the past 50 years to 25 runners up!
Some of the world’s biggest artists have teamed up with Cuban band Rhythms Del Mundo for a benefit album that puts a Latin twist on well-known songs.
The Killers, Amy Winehouse, Fall Out Boy, Jack Johnson, KT Tunstall, Keane, Cat Power, Kaiser Chiefs, OneRepublic and the Rolling Stones are among the acts featured on “Rhythms Del Mundo Classics,” which is set for release July 13.
The album aims to raise awareness and funds for climate crisis projects and natural disaster relief through the U.K.-based charity Artists Project Earth.
The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, The Yeah Yeahs Yeahs and Amy Winehouse are among the acts slated to perform at this year’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, organizers announced Friday.
The event’s tenth installment will run from April 17 to 19 in Indio, Calif.
Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, who will headline opening night, released this statement: “I have heard that Coachella is one of the greatest festivals in the world. I’m really excited to get out there and rock!”
Others on the bill include Morrissey, The Cure, Silversun Pickups, The Ting Tings, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, The Crystal Method, We Are Scientists and Lupe Fiasco.
Canadians are also well-represented, with K’naan, Crystal Castles, Billy Talent, MSTRKRFT, Fucked Up, Junior Boys and revered songwriter Leonard Cohen in the lineup.
Tickets for the festival are now available through Ticketmaster.
For more details, check out the official Coachella website here.
The Killers plan to put out an entire album of covers as their next release.
The band told Q magazine that each member of the four-piece will choose three tracks to cover for the album, which would be the followup to last year’s “Day & Age.”
Drummer Ronnie Vannucci already has his eye on reinventing songs by Tom Waits, Genesis and Rod Stewart.
The Killers have previously done renditions of such tunes as Joy Division’s “Shadowplay” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
Vannucci also revealed the band will work on the tracks while touring by using a new set of on-the-road recording equipment.
The band played Toronto’s Air Canada Centre on Friday and will return to Canada for a handful of dates in April:
April 23 Victoria, BC @ Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
April 24 Vancouver, BC @ Thunderbird Arena (University Of British Columbia)
April 26 Calgary, AB @ Pengrowth Saddledome
April 27 Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
Several of the world’s top music acts are helping to launch the digital music magazine RED(WIRE), an extension of the activist organization (RED) that was co-founded by Bono.
U2, Coldplay, the Killers, the Dixie Chicks and John Legend are among those contributing exclusive songs to the initiative
Proceeds from subscriptions will benefit HIV-infected people in Africa. Appropriately enough, the magazine will kick off on Dec. 1, the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day.
Subscribers will pay $5 a month for a new issue of RED(WIRE) every Wednesday. Besides an exclusive song from a major artist, each issue will include a spotlight track from a lesser-known musician, a non-music feature that may include video or photography, and an update on how their donations are being used.
Among the featured tracks are Legend’s take on Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” and the Killers’ collaboration with Elton John and the Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant on the Christmas song “Joseph, Better You Than Me.”
Subscribers can also send two free issues to friends, with the promise of a reward if they join RED(WIRE).
“Artists are already saying, ‘I want to give you a track for those people who brought friends in,’” (RED)WIRE founder Don MacKinnon told Billboard. “That’s the biggest idea: using social networking to actually change the world in a unique way.”
Just three of the 54 albums nominated for this year’s Shortlist Music Prize are by Canadian artists, reports ChartAttack.com.
The award is handed out for the best album released in the U.S. between January and November of last year that sold less than 500,000 copies domestically. Albums from 48 different labels and nine countries were nominated by Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, Ronnie Vannucci of The Killers and four radio personalities.
Lucky Canucks Feist, Arcade Fire and Stars will duke it out against the likes of Bjork, Justice, M.I.A., The Hives and Wilco. Previous winners include Sufjan Stevens, Damien Rice and N*E*R*D.
Brandon Flowers just can’t seem to shut up. This time, the Killers’ frontman has lashed out at Green Day in yet another complaint about another band.
Flowers told UK magazine The Word that he was offended by Green Day’s apparent anti-Americanism, having filmed their DVD “Bullet In A Bible” in the UK.
“You have Green Day and ‘American Idiot’. Where do they film their DVD? In England,” Flowers was quoted as saying. “A bunch of kids screaming ‘I don’t want to be an American idiot’ I saw it as a very negative thing towards Americans. It really lit a fire in me.”
Flowers continued: “You have the right to say what you want to say and what you want to write about, and I’m sure they meant it in the same way that Bruce Springsteen meant ‘Born In The USA’ and it was taken wrongly, but I was really offended when I saw them do that.”
To take it abroad, Flowers said, allowed the meaning of the song to be misconstrued.
“I just thought it was really cheap,” he said. “To go to a place like England or Germany and sing that song – those kids aren’t taking it the same way that he meant it. And he [Billie Joe Armstrong] knew it.”
In Flowers’ opinion, the Killers’ latest effort, “Sam’s Town” paints America in a better light.
“People need to see that, really, there are the nicest people in the world here!” he said. “I don’t know if our album makes you realise that. But I hope it’s from a more positive place.”
The Killers are on the cover of The Word’s latest issue, on newsstands now.
The sophomore effort from Las Vegas band The Killers has finally been given a street date.
The as-yet-untitled record is set for North American release through Island Def Jam on October 3, according to Billboard. It will come out a day earlier in the UK.
The album’s first single, “When You Were Young,” will officially hit airwaves on September 18, but will likely make the rounds (along with the rest of the album) much earlier than that.
A track list for the record hasn’t been announced yet, but songs that will likely find their way on to the finished product include “Read My Mind,” “Bones,” and “Uncle Johnny Did Cocaine.” The disc, produced by Flood and Alan Moulder, was recorded in Vegas
The record follows the band’s debut album, “Hot Fuss,” which has sold more than 3 million copies in the US to date.
Braden Merrick, former manager of rock act The Killers, has filed a federal lawsuit against the band and their lawyer for an alleged breach of contract.
Merrick is seeking $16 million in the suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas. He says he was fired last May, once the Killers had found success.
“As soon as he made them superstars they decided to stop paying him,” said Merrick’s lawyer, Howard King. King told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Merrick is “entitled to a percentage of their income for his services as a manager and a producer.”
He added that Merrick’s contract with the band was to have run through 2007. The two sides were in talks for a settlement before the lawsuit was filed, which Killers’ lawyer Robert Reynolds said surprised both him and the band members.
“The only statement the band would like to make at this time is that the claims alleged by Mr. Merrick are absolutely meritless and we intend to defend this action vigorously,” Reynolds said.
The Grammy-nominated Killers formed in 2002 and their debut album “Hot Fuss” has sold more than 6 million copies.
The Killers sure know how to squeeze every last penny out of their multi-platinum debut record, Hot Fuss. The album, which sold 2.6 million copies in the United States since its release in 2004, has already been reissued in an expanded edition. Now, the band is set to offer a limited edition box set of individual seven-inch vinyl singles for every track on the record. Only 5,000 copies of the package will be released worldwide.
Each single will include a rare B-side, many of which were previously unreleased. The box set will be available just in time for the Christmas season ? it?s expected to reach music store shelves on Nov. 22.
The Killers are currently at work on their second album, which they plan to unveil next year.
The track listing for the box set is as follows:
“Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” / “Somebody Told Me” (Josh Harris remix)
“Mr. Brightside” / “Under the Gun”
“Smile Like You Mean It” / “Show You How”
“Somebody Told Me” / “The Ballad of Michael Valentine”
“All These Things That I’ve Done” / “Why Don’t You Find Out for Yourself”
“Andy, You’re a Star” / “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town”
“On Top” / “Mr. Brightside” (Thin White Duke remix)
“Change Your Mind” / “Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll”
“Believe Me Natalie” / “Smile Like You Mean It” (acoustic)
“Midnight Show” / “Who Let You Go”
“Everything Will Be Alright” / “Get Trashed”
Hear that? That’s the sound of a million female hearts breaking. Brandon Flowers, the gorgeous lead singer of popular rock group the Killers, has married his long-time girlfriend Tana Munblowsky, an Urban Outfitters retail manager in the band’s hometown of Las Vegas.
Flowers, with his suave style and trademark black eyeliner, has been setting hearts aflutter since the Killers burst onto the scene just two years ago. But fans will now have to settle for Mr. Brightside as a married man.
A spokesperson for the band?s record label, Island Records, announced yesterday that Flowers tied the knot last Tuesday in “a small, intimate wedding” in Hawaii. His bandmates were all present and “helped the couple celebrate” afterward. The surprise wedding was a low-key event; some sources report that even Elton John was denied an invite in order to keep the ceremony as top-secret as possible.
The couple?s honeymoon will be a short one. The band is due to go back out on the road on August 9 with a show in St. Paul, Minn. They?ve also just been added as performers at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, to be held in Miami, Fla. on August 28.
