I’m starting to think the whole ’80s retro thing has run its course. We’ve seen plenty of it in recent memory, and now Katy Perry’s latest single “Last Friday Night” is the latest attempt to pull at your nostalgic side — while referencing, of course, to the ABC sitcom block…
Bless my lucky stars! Lady Antebellum is back on the charts! In the fall, they’ll be releasing an album with the ominous title, Own The Night, which makes them sound like they’re vampires or a street gang wearing 19th century dresses with huge skirts. I do declare: They must have…
It looks like Jason Derulo is revving up for the release of a new album. Not only that, but, fun fact: He’s from Miami and looks like a skinny LeBron James. Oh, joy…
So. Lady Gaga’s anticipated Born This Way came out earlier this week. After giving it a listen, I’d say its like a roller coaster — one that has Gaga’s roaring head from the cover on the bumper. It’s thrilling in some turns, nauseating in others and it gives listeners a…
After a year away from music, Mrs. Shawn Carter is now looking to get back on the spotlight. Tracks from the 2008 release I Am… Sasha Fierce endured for a while. With “Video Phone,” she pushed the gadget industry to include video phone functionality, which the iPhone eventually did. “Single…
In the last quarter, we’ve seen a handful of British artists arrive at the top of American charts. We’ve had Adele, with her soul sound that draws in people over 30. Ellie Goulding, too, with her hipster-approved Swedish bicycle. Rapper Tinie Tempah, meanwhile, has doled out some Yeezy-tier productions. Now…
Listen: I know I’m probably not the demographic Dublin band The Script has in mind for their songs — pretty much all of which appears to be targeted toward women who seek out media aimed at making them cry. In other words: These guys are like the Nicholas Sparks of…
I’ve never really considered Bruno Mars’ music to be especially industrious. I just imagine that, one morning, some music-industry toady stuck a bunch of magnetic letters on a fridge, spelled out Jason Mraz, shuffled all the letters around and got the name “Bruno Mars.” The whole idea behind Bruno seems…
Last week, a new Lady Gaga track called “Judas” premiered. And, with it, she released a new, tacky cover image for her upcoming album (see it after the jump).This week, Lady also pulled a “faux ga” of sorts with Weird Al. The story goes like this: Gaga’s manager snubbed his…
Without a doubt, all of the depression- and suicide-related songs released in recent memory have meant well. Unfortunately, the singer-as-motivational-speaker thing is a but impulsive and contrived. Has been for some time, too: The late-’80s film Heathers even lampooned the trope with a hokey anti-suicide track called “Teenage Suicide (Don’t…
The last time we saw the Black Eyed Peas, they were offering up the sensory violation that composed their performance at the Super Bowl halftime show a couple of months ago. Their massive lights so bounced off the snow, I could see it from Denton.Yet another example of the Peas…
I tell ya, Chris Brown’s pattern of emotional breakdowns makes for some good drama. It’s kinda like watching a show about cakes — I don’t really care about the cakes, I just want to see them fall over. Cakes and celebrities are similar in that way.Anyway, Brown’s been complaining lately…
I didn’t think I’d have to review another Ke$ha track this year. I kinda thought the industry and fans would be done with her by now. When I saw a new track “Blow” on the charts back in February, I didn’t want to hasten the day. Then, it finally hit…
Here’s the thing about Katy Perry: She tries write songs that are thematically diverse, which is nice. Unfortunately, very few of these themes pay off into complete ideas. Take, for instance, her latest single, “E.T. (Futuristic Lover),” which features one Kanye West and tries for a dark, mysterious theme, replete,…
I’ve been thinking for a while, trying to pin down what I like and loathe about Eminem’s writing. I think I finally got it…
It’s good to see that the love of my life, Rihanna, is still on the charts. At the tail end of last year, she showed up in a tame duet with Drake in “What’s My Name” then ended the year appearing in the impressive Kanye track “All Of the Lights.”…
For every good idea that Lady Gaga has, she also has a bad one. Bad enough, even, to make you reconsider how good the original idea was in the first place.This even applies to her image. Hey, I’m all for creating fantastical characters — they’re inseparable with popular music culture,…
Have you ever met any music fans who tell you they only listen to British music? The ones who think British music is superior to North American music? Yeah, they must be pretentious bastards viewing the greener grass on the other side. Yet, in listening to both versions of Taio…
As a man, I don’t think I’ll ever get the appeal of the group Train. Before I heard “Drops of Jupiter” all those years ago, the name Train brought to mind the show Soul Train, suggesting a funk and soul character. Now, every time I hear that name, I always…
Y’know, the East Asian-American group Far East Movement had a pretty good hit last year in “Like A G6.” It was probably the only electronic-sounding pop song of last year that I wouldn’t be ashamed to mix. In fact, the track was so good, I can even overlook their making…
Man, just seeing the name Avril Lavigne on the charts again takes me back to my teenage years. Back then, I loathed her singles “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi” for their obvious pretense toward skater punks. Seems little has changed…
After a quiet 2010 consisting of an appearance in a Glee episode dedicated to her, Britney Spears is wasting no time getting back in the spotlight in 2011. And her first release/leak of this year is a jambalaya of dated electronic sounds hidden behind a chipmunk/Cajun Britney Spears.The song’s called…
