Wednesday, January 18, 2012

SOPA

I try not to stray from talking music here, but this needs to be addressed. It somewhat goes hand-in-hand. I'm not claiming to be an expert here, everything I say is what I've taken away in my comprehension of what I have read. Basically, by passing this bill, liberty on the internet is toast. This act will give the entertainment industry the power to wipe out sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, etc simply for posting a link to a video that was illegally uploaded (such as a lyric video on YouTube made by RainbowsStarsandCrayons2001). That being said, all the aforementioned websites won't last a DAY. Heck, I'm a goner. I'm sure all those videos I uploaded in the Top 100 post were not all properly uploaded. My EGMAplatinum account on YouTube will be done for for using songs even though it's under the Fair Use Act of 1973.

Speak now! This must be stopped or this will no longer be the land of the free (not that it really was to start with, but that's a whole different argument.) Let your voice be heard! Google, Wikipedia and many other sites are participating in a blackout today. Sign google's petition against SOPA here: https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

last.fm

I have finally decided to check out last.fm and made an account. Send me a friends request if you want. My username is sm3ltz on there. Now that I downloaded the scrobbler thing, I like it a lot, gives all the music I listen to some meaning!

Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Jessie J - Domino

Jessie J may take a minute for people to like. In fact, she did for me. However, I gave her several listens and ended up really liking her. I love what she stands for and I love that she isn't afraid to be unique. She's getting it alright where GaGa took "individuality" wrong. She has had one mildly successful hit in the US with "Price Tag." Despite other incredible singles such as "Who You Are," she has yet to have another smash....but the time is upon us. Her new single "Domino" has been making airplay gains something fierce. I hope this song smashes its way to #1 on Billboard for her.

The track is so much fun. I find myself listening to it 2 or 3 times in a row when I put it on. I adore the lines "I can't taste potential like a cloud of smoke in the air, now I'm breathin' like I'm runnin' cause you're taking me there, don't you know, you spin me outta control." Check it out. It was definitely one of the best songs I have heard in some time! It can definitely bring some competition to Rihanna's reign at the top of the charts, though Katy or Bruno will snatch it before then. Overall, the song by itself is a 5/5.

The music video is unique, I love the direction and production of it. Some of her outfits were a bit awkward, but, hey, it's Jessie J. I absolutely dig the green background in the video. The video gets a 5/5 as well! Get it Jessie! Check out the video below:

Lana Del Rey - Born to Die

Okay, there is massive hype for Lana Del Rey's upcoming album on Twitter. Being the music buff I am, I figured I better check her out and see a new pop star was about to emerge. You know, I hate being left out of stuff. I listened to the "Lana Del Rey - EP" that was uploaded to iTunes this week and was only impressed by one track, and impressed is almost an overstatement.

The track is quite monotone but a little catchy regardless. The self-proclaimed "gangster Nancy Sinatra" seems, to me, to be Interscope's attempt at popping out another Adele. This track is just so monotone that I can't even focus on the words for the whole song, rather I lose focus after about a minute and listen to the music. Many will disagree with me and that's their right, however, I give "Born to Die" a 2/5. I'm not hyped for this record, but I will give it a listen and possibly a full review once it is out. The video was visually stunning, except the graphic ending. It helped me comprehend the lyrics better, but I tuned in and out still.

If you aren't in on the hype, as I wasn't, check out the track below:

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Tweaked: Natalia Kills - Kill My Boyfriend

Natalia Kills burst onto the scene last year with her debut album, Perfectionist. Though the album did not take off in the United States, I found love in several of the songs. Once it finally saw its US release, it included the new track "Kill My Boyfriend." The track is fun and quite catchy, despite it's grim content. I hailed Natalia as the beginning to be the next Lady GaGa. In the video for "Kill My Boyfriend," which she just released, she seems to channel some of the "The Fame" era GaGa, the era that GaGa herself needs to start over again. One notable similarity I saw was the sunglasses in the video. I am not implying that Kills is a GaGa knock-off in anyway. They both are vastly different.

"Kill My Boyfriend" is upbeat, which makes it instantly loveable. It gets stuck in your head and you can't help but chant "kill, kill, kill!" with her. If you haven't checked it out yet, you're missing out. It lands among her best beside "Wonderland" and "Acid Annie." The song itself earns a 4/5.



The video takes a unique twist, at least in my opinion. For one, it seems to replace blood with milk. Is this a hint that the boyfriend she killed was lactose intolerant? Just kidding! However, the neat idea, as it came across to me, was that she made it seem like she was schizophrenic by having herself in the driver seat and the passenger side of the car, as well as several other scenes where she appears more than once in the frame. The video was good. Do I think it could have been better? Definitely. As it stands, the video receives a 3/5. Check it out below:

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Nicki Minaj - Roman in Moscow/Stupid Hoe

While people were worried Nicki was re-releasing Pink Friday due to the similarity in album titles, Nicki began bombing us relatively quickly with buzz singles for Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which, as Nicki confirmed on Twitter, will be a brand new LP. It's surprising that the album drops February 13th, yet the official first single Va Va Voom has yet to be released, though it was rumored that it would be January 3rd...but that was yesterday...

The first buzz single she dropped was Roman in Moscow. It's intense, it's nuts, it's Roman on crack. On my first listen, I was not impressed at all. It was stupid as hell. It took several listens and then I could get into the fun of the song. Her intensity is incredible and despite chanting "Roman, yo what the f**k" a million times, the flow in some of the verses is phenomenal. She also lets it out that she had no one left to impress when she says "Ain't no muthaf**kin' bridge, b**ch, ain't no muthaf**kin' third muthaf**kin' verse." I determined this track had to be the intro to the album, rather than an official single. I knew it would bomb, in the bad sense, on radio. Later, I found out it was just a buzz single and I was incredibly relieved. Finally, after a million jam sessions in my car, I can sit and give this song 3/5. The edited performance of the song on New Years was slightly hilarious because it took out every other word! The studio version and the New Years performance are below:

Not more than a few weeks after Roman in Moscow started snatching wigs, Nicki, or should I say Roman, unexpectedly launched Stupid Hoe on us. I was concerned with the amount of comedy and insanity Nicki was placing on these singles. It made me nervous for the rest of the album. Nonetheless, I could not deny that they were fun. Stupid Hoe reminds us all of THAT one girl we know....or in some of our cases, a lot of girls we know! This song can also be taken as another Lil Kim diss. Either way, it's a bundle of fun, but too silly to be taken seriously. And her garbled shouting at the end sends listeners running for Tylenol. However, I still love her and enjoy this track. Once again, thankful it was not the first official single! Overall, 3/5 again. Check it out below:

With that out of the way, where-oh-where is Va Va Voom....I need it in my life. Hopefully, we find out soon...I need her or Xtina's new singles...now!