Filed under: News of Note | Tags: No Age, Animal Collective, Lady GaGa, Moby, Oasis, Bradford Cox, Phish, All Tomorrow's Parties, Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher, Bruce Springstein, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Liam Gallagher: "Oasis is no longer"
Rolling Stone reports on the official demise of Britpop icons Oasis. While reports in August were made of an apparently physical altercation between the Liam and Noel Gallagher backstage after a show, it wasn’t until Liam said in an interview with Times U.K. that, “Oasis is no longer. I think we all know that. So that’s done,” Liam said. “Without a doubt. And it’s a shame but that’s life. We had a good run at it.” [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: The 20.1: An Essential Guide to Britpop]
Lady Gaga has released cover art and more details about her upcoming album The Fame Monster. This new release will compile her debut album and eight unreleased tracks. “Originally [my label] only wanted me to put out three songs and now it’s much more than that. It’s a new album’s worth of material,” said the singer-songwriter. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" Video]
Rolling Stone speculates on the possible outcome of Phish’s “musical costuming” for this upcoming Halloween, when they’ll be playing another artist’s album in its entirety. Many who’ve been following the campaign on the group’s Festival 8 page suspect that they might try their hand at Bruce Springsteen’s classic Born to Run. We think it’s plausible, seeing as Phish headlined this year’s Bonnaroo with the Boss, performing a few of his originals onstage. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: The Boss Turns 60]
Moby will reportedly be donating all of the proceeds from three of his October tour dates to the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence. Perhaps he still feels guilty from his oh-so-public feud with the docile Eminem. Regardless, the funds will definitely be put to good use, seeing as Governor Schwarzenegger has voted to eliminate state funding of domestic abuse shelters as a stipulation of a budget cut introduced this July. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Moby's "Shot in the Back of the Head" Video]
Stereogum shows us how to best spend $125 at New York’s recent indie festival, All Tomorrow’s Parties. While there are plenty of awesome (and thrillingly unethical) ways to blow away your hard-earned cash at the Festival (vegan food is far from cheap these days), the Gum coaxed a few bands to take their cash and have a good time with it. Watch Animal Collective, No Age, Bradford Cox and Boredoms‘ Boadrum 9 drummers Zach Hill, Hisham Bharoocha, Aaron Moore, and Jeremy Hymen drop some coin at ATP. Hilarity ensues.
– Lorna Oppedisano and John Luposello
Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: Epic Records, fire burning, Lady GaGa, RedOne, Sean Kingston, Tomorrow
Sean Kingston's latest struggles to define itself as more than a playlist
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Sean Kingston’s “Fire Burning” MP3
WE GIVE IT: 12/20 Watts
Over the last two years, Epic artist Sean Kingston has gone from an unsigned MySpace sensation to a Billboard Hot 100 mainstay. His music has always represented a fusion of reggae influence with mainstream production techniques. After a successful debut with a number of top ten charting singles, Kingston looks to strike again with his sophomore effort, Tomorrow.
If you own a radio or a television, you have most likely heard Tomorrow’s lead single, “Fire Burning.” It has blown up in the last few months, being overplayed by top 40 stations and used in various television spots. Produced by RedOne (see Lady Gaga), this track employs all the elements of a radio hit in 2009: a melodic, chant-like chorus, striking synthesizer lines, and dance drums. It is a fun, likable track that functions as an excellent lead for an album. (more…)
Filed under: News of Note, Uncategorized | Tags: Jay Leno, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lady GaGa, Phil Selway, Pitchfork, Radiohad, Rihanna, Thom Yorke, Vampire Weekend, VMAs, Wilco
Kanye talks to Jay Leno the day after the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
PREVIEW: Watch Kanye’s interview with Jay Leno and Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye’s performance of “Run This Town.”
After the Kanye West publicity stunt/VMA debacle Sunday night, the rapper sat down with Jay Leno on Monday and publicly apologized, Pitchfork reports. After giving a heartfelt apology, and shedding some tears when Leno asked West what his late mother would have thought of his disrespectful act, he performed “Run This Town” with Jay-Z and Rihanna. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage:20 Watts Reviews Jay-Z's "Run This Town"]
In other Kanye news, SPIN.COM reported that he and Lady Gaga would join forces and hit the road together this winter. The entire tour will comprise of 34 stops and it starts November 11 in Pheonix, AZ and will end on January 24 in Dallas, TX. The nearest Syracuse date is Buffalo, NY on December 20. If you saw Gaga’s VMA performance you know that this will literally be the craziest winter tour. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Lady Gaga's New Music Video/Short Film]
According to Pitchfork, Vampire Weekend has announced details regarding their second full-length album. The album entitled Contra, will be released January 12, 2010 and the tracklist is currently available on the band’s website. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews Discovery's The LP]
NME.COM reports that Radiohead drummer Phil Selway will release a solo album. Selway will sing on the album and be joined by Wilco members Glenn Kotche and Pat Sanzone, solo-artist Lisa Germano and bass player Sebastian Steinberg. The albums release date is unknown at this point.
NME.COM also reports that Radiohead’s frontman, Thom Yorke, is set to perform “The Reckoner” after a showing of the new climate change film “The Age of Stupid.” The performance will occur via satellite transmission from a mysterious undisclosed location. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Radiohead Leak Track? "These Are My Twisted Words", Radiohead Wrote A Song That Would Suit A Funeral? No Way!!]
- 20 Watts Staff
Filed under: Releases of the Week | Tags: Datarock, Daylight, Interpol, Joy Division, Just Dance, Lady GaGa, Matt and Kim, Molly Ringwald, Talking Heads, The Cure
Datarock's latest full-length Red fails to impress
PREVIEW: Download Datarock’s “In the Red” MP3
WE GIVE IT: 9/20 Watts
The problem with revival music is that not all bands can pull off the same styles as well their forebears. With bands like Interpol getting compared to Joy Division, what else is there for an obscure band to do? Enter Datarock — lampooners of post-punk.
They came onto the greater dance-funk scene in 2004 with their doubly self-titled debut Datarock Datarock, which was drenched in adolescent sensibilities (including puns off “Uranus”) and as many ‘70s and ‘80s throwbacks as your parents’ cassette collection. Five years later, they’re back with a sophomore effort called Red.
From first listen, you know that this duo lays down exciting instrumentals that could be wonderful to dance to — if you were too drunk to realize what they were saying. The album’s lyrics are largely nonsensical, and not in the way of Matt and Kim’s “Daylight.” (more…)
Filed under: Editor Picks, Emerging Artists | Tags: Wale, Asher Roth, Drake, Lady GaGa, Talib Kweli, Common, Dr. Dre, Yael Naim, Back to the Feature, Wiz Khalifa, BKS, Mark Ronson
"New Soul" stands out on Back to the Feature
PREVIEW: Download Wale’s “New Soul” MP3
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Emerging Artists: Wale, New Wale Single Chillin’ f. Lady GaGa
Surprisingly, my favorite song off Wale’s star-studded Back to the Feature mixtape is not one produced by Mark Ronson and doesn’t even feature Talib Kweli, or Lady Gaga.
“New Soul” comes last on the mixtape, and there’s no better impression he could leave his audience with. Of all the hip-hop freshmen Wale gives a shout out to on “New Soul” — Asher Roth, Wiz Khalifa, Drizzy Drake — Wale is undoubtedly the most promising. As the BKS-produced beat samples Yael Naim’s hit “New Soul,” Wale brilliantly knocks all of hip-hop’s new souls and set himself apart. He recognizes the current Drake craze, and dismisses it by rapping, “Slow and steady wins this race / F*ck leading.” It’s almost comical that releasing a mixtape every year since 2005, like Wale, is considered “slow and steady” nowadays.
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Charles Hamilton, Drake, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lady GaGa, M.I.A., Mr. Hudson, Rye Rye
Drake is one of three new pop artists with big breakthrough potential
The music industry flushes talent in and out faster than you can say “cash money.”
It seemed only yesterday that Kanye and Lady Gaga blew up and started ruling pop music, and now new artists are crashing onto the scene with fresh sounds and links to big names like Jay-Z, Kanye and M.I.A.
Don’t blink, because pop’s next generation is already in the making.
1) Drake
The cat’s already out of the bag on this kid, but he’s just breaking out onto the mainstream scene. Drake, a.k.a. Jimmy from Degrassi, is set to become the next big emcee, and he’s got the right company to support him. He’s had Jay-Z and Kanye work with him in the studio and it shows. Drake’s hit single “Best I Ever Had” is rocketing up the charts, and he just signed onto Lil’ Wayne’s label “Cash Money”.
2) Rye Rye
The first artist to sign to M.I.A.’s N.E.E.T. label, Rye Rye is essentially a grungier, faster-paced version of M.I.A. — with the chops and talent to eclipse Santigold as the best in American indie rap. Her debut album was supposed to drop in March, but has been postponed for unknown reasons; her new single, “Bang” was just released this week. Be sure to check her out at the upcoming All Points West Festival.
3) Mr. Hudson
He’s not as young as Drake and Rye Rye, but his lyrics and Sting-like appearance were good enough for Kanye West. West pulled Hudson from the U.K. after the two hit it off in a Hawaii studio project. Check out his new single “Supernova.” It’s not hip-hop, but with his auto-tune flows and Coldplay-like lyrics, Mr. Hudson could become a household name.
–Jett Wells, Editor-in-Chief
Filed under: Features, Mix Fix | Tags: 3Oh!3, Dan Black, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, La Roux, Lady GaGa, Passion Pit, Santigold, St. Vincent, Steve Aoki
Jay-Z and Steve Aoki? We think it would work!
I grew up hating remixes.
That’s because I heard a lot of bad ones in the day, and loved the original songs so much, newer versions just couldn’t compare. My ears were young and unkempt. These days I’m always on the prowl for a great remix. The beauty of music blogs these days is that remixes can be cut and taped together and posted online so fast, remixes of the same song explode in waves within the same week. The parameters of music-making have totally revolutionized. There’s still tons of crap out there, like everything else, but after studying the better remix DJs and bands for a few months, I’ve compiled a few fantasy remixes I’d like to hear some day.
1) “D.O.A.” by Jay-Z (remix by Steve Aoki, featuring Lady Gaga + Santigold)
Once I heard Aoki’s remix of N.A.S.A.’s “Gifted,” I was sold. The man has a knack for giving songs an extra gear. He’s more a house-techno remix DJ, but he’s careful and meticulous. I love Jay-Z’s “D.O.A.,” and it’s only a matter of time till someone remixes the new jam. I think it’d be awesome to speed up the song with backup raps and harmonies by Lady Gaga and Santigold. Gaga is too talented to be a consistent back-up vocalist, but Santigold isn’t quite big enough, and adds so much to each song she sings along to anyway. She’s fantastic in Jay-Z’s “Brooklyn Go Hard.” She’s adds soul and jazzy rhythm. It’s usually a lock the remix will be at least decent if she’s apart of it. As for Gaga, she’s a hit-maker and can turn any song into something hot. She made Wale’s “Chillin’” so much better.
2) “I’m not your Toy” by La Roux (remix by Dan Black, featuring Kid CuDi)
I love La Roux, and I love Dan Black. Just since La Roux has electronic rhythm and catchy pop harmonies, Dan Black makes sense here. They’re both really synth-pop heavy. Also, to contrast La Roux and her feminine voice, Kid Cudi could add some much needed hip-hop flavor. He did really well in the remix of 3OH!3’s “Don’t Trust Me.”
3) “The Strangers” by St. Vincent (remix by Passion Pit)
I always thought St. Vincent had some serious remix potential, and yet I have yet to see one. She’s got an awkward folksy voice, but also plays around with interesting sound-mixing. I could see her voice in some awesome synth-smashing. Thus, Passion Pit could mix an awesome song with St. Vincent lyrics. Although Passion Pit has the reputation of going over board with their remixes—-if they did it right, they could turn “The Strangers” or “Actor Out of Work” into club scene hit.
–Jett Wells
Filed under: Editor Picks, Features | Tags: Dirty Projectors, Discovery, Lady GaGa, Matt + Kim, Passion Pit
Dirty Projectors
Upbeat, feel-good summer music is in, and moody power chords are out of style like baggy pants. It’s time to feel great and dance with smiles. That’s why it’s time to countdown the pop tunes everyone’s going to be dancing to this summer.
This list includes a dab of mainstream pop with a mix of fun upbeat indie-pop.
1) “Little Secrets” by Passion Pit
-Passion Pit going to explode after their big back-to-back concert sets at the Bowery on the 19th and 20th. “Moth Wings” gets more attention on their MySpace, but “Little Secrets” has unmatchable energy. This song kicks ass.
2) “Stillness is the Move” by Dirty Projectors
-These guys are getting a ton of buzz with their new album Bitte Orca, and it’s well deserved. They’re hard-working musicians with a really quaint sound that still jams hard. Indie hipsters will frolick to these guys for a while.
3) “Orange Shirt” by Discovery
-I swear this is my last endorsement of Wes’ Discovery, but I really like their sound. It’s experimental and new-wave like Passion Pit but still harnaces Ra Ra Riot’s warm feeling.
4) “Paparazzi” by Lady GaGa
-I know I previously bashed GaGa’s latest single, but after listening to it a few more times, it’s got me hooked. I’m such a pop junkie. Lady GaGa’s music is so over-played, but she’s a hit-maker. I can’t argue with it. [Sorry, Caitlin]. I still stand by my remark that her other songs are better, though. I think I’ve watched too many music videos here at MTV.
5) “Daylight” Matt + Kim
-That damn Bacardi commercial has got me hooked to Matt + Kim’s quirky and addictive smash hit. If I were drunk, I’d just play this song all night and host a dance party. Sound good to you all?
–Jett Wells, Reviews Editor
Perez Hilton was the first to post the new video for UK single, “Paparazzi,” and was completely gaga for it. [sorry, I had to].
Personally, I only like the first few minutes of Lady Gaga making out with some random guy. It’s pretty hot, but after that, it’s just dramatic bullshit about the sorrows of being a celebrity. God, who cares? Like you’re the first celebrity to hate the paparazzi? I’m tired of this load of crap.
Overall however, the video has interesting art and cutting, but it’s too long to watch the whole thing. As for the song, it’s the worst pop song by Lady Gaga, but perhaps her most personal one. It passes the stress test, but only because Lady Gaga deserved a little time to show off her BS music no one cares about.
–Jett Wells, Reviews Editor
It’s common knowledge that 90 percent of the time a DJ tries remixing a Top 40 hit, it stinks. Despite this, remixing continues. Granted, there have been some decent remixes this year so far, but it’s interesting how certain songs get more remix attention than others. Sometimes it goes too far and comes in waves. Here’s the list of songs that get remixed way too many times.
1) “Zero” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
This isn’t even the best song on It’s Blitz!, and yet it was remixed at least five times. For a stretch of two weeks this year, a new remix popped up. Not surprisingly, all of the remixes licked balls.
2) “1901″ by Phoenix
This song got the same treatment from DJs and various bands that “Zero” did, except for some reason, the remixes were way better. Nonetheless, there’s no reason to remix a song more than once.
3) “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga
This song has had some decent remixes too, especially with the one that has Queen Latifah rapping in it. Fortunately, the basic structure of this song isn’t usually tampered with like the others–most of the time the remixes only included new supporting singers.
Don’t get me wrong, I love remixes, but only when they’re done right–which means touching as little as possible. Mixers and DJs can’t help themselves, because they’re arrogant and think they can revamp any song into a totally new hot track.
Moral of this analysis: Don’t remix one song too much. It only makes us like the originals more.
–Jett Wells, Reviews Editor
