Single Premiere - Ke$ha's duet with Alice Cooper is here and it's ....not terrible

"Look at this old guy I just met...he says his name is Ke$ha.  That's a stupid name."

Ok so here's the thing.  When we heard that Ke$ha was going to be rolling around in a musical mudpit with uber-rocker Alice Cooper we were all *eyeroll*/"oh dear"/"what the hell has this world come to, can't we just have another Kylie album already?". And understandably so.  It sounds terrible, no?

But a snippet (does half the song still count as a snippet?!) of the track has appeared and it is SHOCKINGLY NOT HORRIFIC.  It's nothing spectacular, but it's not a world away from what "a hit" sounds like these days (which is either a good or bad thing depending on whether you're under the age of 15 or not).  As well as the two artists mesh together, it's absolutely clear that this collaboration was the result of some clever marketing, though, and not any organic development of musical rapport - but that's pretty par for the course these days.  You know, because Rihanna, Britney and Nikki are SUCH GOOD FRIENDS.

Getting Ke$ha on his new track may seem like quite a coup for Mr. Cooper:  Ke$ha is coming off her top 10 U.S. hit 'Blow,' while Alice is coming off...well, beta-blockers, probably.  But while on the surface it might seem like Ke$ha's slumming it with a has-been, one can never underestimate the importance of converting 50-year-old tattoo artists into fans.

In any case, whatever marketing deals are behind this duet, we're certainly not hating it. It has a beat and you can dance to it and we're in a recession for chrissake, we can't be picky.

Video Premiere: OK Go and friends rock out The Muppet Theme

Furries ftw

THERE IS ONE THING IN THIS WORLD THAT CAN MAKE ANYTHING BETTER AND THAT IS THE MUPPETS.

Here's OK Go's new video. 

WITH THE F*CKING MUPPETS.

Video premiere: Marina and the Diamonds get 'Radioactive' and put a donk on it

"I'm the girl your mom warned you about"

Marina Lambrini Diamandis, our favorite Greek pop goddess (better known by her stage name Marina and the Diamonds) has been knocking around for a couple years now.  She's super popular on "the blogs" and everything - which we suppose is the noughties equivalent of being "big on the coffee shop scene" in the 90's - but has never quite gained traction in the mainstream even though she is AMAZING.


It almost happened ("it" in this case being "WILD AND SPECTACULAR SUCCESS") when her single 'Hollywood' very nearly managed a top 10 spot in the UK.  But alas, it was not to be and it eventually petered out at a frustrating #12.  In the US she's fared even worse, relegated to Pitchfork articles and being mentioned by hipsters over PBR at the flannel swatch shop or wherever it is they hang out.  

Sadface.


But (expectant drumroll) all that may be about to change (choir singing), as her new video has just premiered and it is....surprising.  She always had a mainstream vibe, but her new jam takes it to a whole different level.  It's not a world away from what Britney and Rihanna and, well, everyone else, are putting out at the moment, just infused with a healthy dose of character.  And that character is what is going to make or break her - do people want to hear a unique voice along with their slick dance-pop?  Or do they prefer the anyone-could-have-sung-this-autotuned-mess status quo?


ONLY TIME WILL TELL.

Chromeo and Beyonce's sister prove you don't have to break the bank to make an ACTUALLY AMAZING video - watch now!

A nice picture of a good band.

Chromeo have been knocking around for a while, kind of like a penny in the drier.  You know it's there, the neighbors know it's there, but no one can really be bothered to hunt it down or pay any attention to it.  But now there's a very very good reason to take some notice, as the band - with Solange Knowles in tow - just put out one of the best videos we've seen in a long time.

The clip for "When Night Falls" is funny, sexy, batshit insane, and apparently made for about the same cost as a 2008 mid-sized sedan.  Oh, and also AMAZING.

It's all about how music is awesome and can GET YOU PREGNANT somehow, which, though we're not quite sure about the exact science behind it, seems totally possible. We'll stop the description there, cause we don't want to ruin the delightful surprise, but let us just say that we'd be happy to have a little Chromeo inside us.

Jessie J is a 'Domino' listen to the single premiere now!

Nothing rhymes with "purple."

Bob-hairdo spokeswoman Jessie J is a busy-ass girl.  In between getting her hair angled and shopping for shoulderpads, she is currently peddling current single 'Who's Laughing Now' over in the UK.  But somehow she's also gearing up to launch her US track 'Domino' which is intended to launch her into the American pop stratosphere.  The song will also be a single over in the UK, but its release will probably be delayed a bit if 'Who's' is a success.

The whole thing might work too - 'Domino' is a corker of a jam in the vein of Katy Perry but less shouty, and - somehow - with even more of a pop edge.  The verses are refreshingly straightforward, and the chorus is hands-in-the-air at a party singalong anthemic. It was produced by Dr. Luke, who is behind some of Britney and Kelly Clarkson's biggest hits, but whose biggest achievement clearly is Paris Hilton's spectacular (citation needed) debut album. 

The good doctor certainly works his charms here - 'Domino' is all smooth and sleek with a remix-ready bass bump - and we have a feeling that over in the States Ms. J is about to be VERY BIG INDEED.

Also Paris really needs to put out another album.  Just sayin.



YESSSSSSSSSSSS, etc.

Natalia Kills is going to 'Kill My Boyfriend' - listen now!

This is what the cover of a very good album looks like

Natalia Kills is like Gaga back when she had fun doing what she does.  Which is exactly why we love her.  Also she's British, and if Girls Aloud and Sophie Ellis Bextor have taught us anything it's that when it comes to pop, BRITISH IS ALWAYS BETTER. 

She's been putzing around her homeland for a good few months, building up quite a buzz, and now has her sights set on the US market.  While her debut LP 'Perfectionist' is already out in a few European territories, the BIG MOMENT comes today when it's released in the US and UK, with a few new tracks to boot.  Amazing new tracks.  Like this one:

Natalia Kills - Kill My Boyfriend [Preview] by CherrytreeRecords

It is called 'Kill My Boyfriend' and is about killing Natalia's boyfriend.  And it is VERY GOOD.  Here are three examples of why:

1.  It is happy and jolly but about KILLING SOMEONE
2.  There's a part that just repeats "kill, kill, kill" over again
3.  It was written with Junior Caldera, who has done some very good things for some other very good people, but either hasn't killed anyone or is VERY GOOD at it because he hasn't been caught.

And that's that.

The album's out TODAY in the US. 

Video Premiere: Anjulie is a 'Brand New Bitch'

If you eat enough hair you can clog your intestines and die.  Look it up.

Ok here's the thing.  We had this entire article prepared about how we had no idea Anjulie existed and how everything we knew about her came from Wikipedia (which really is not a lot - seriously, Anjulie's people, get on that.).  Then we realized we actually wrote about her back in January 2010, when she had a new song called 'Headphones' out and was gearing up to be "the next big thing" and then we felt a little sad because OBVIOUSLY THAT DID NOT GO WELL.

Well now she's back and hopefully more memorable - if only for the title of her new single, 'Brand New Bitch.'  It's a dance song but also a pop song, and includes a lot of SHOCKING LYRICS in the form of swear words that are not shocking in the least.  It also has a video that looks like it is from 2004.  Which kind of says something about the whole project.

Back in 2004, a video featuring a girl saying swears while some backup dancers in ridiculous hats flail around might have been diverting.  But this is 2011 and A LOT HAS HAPPENED in the last 7 years (we don't want to say Gaga ruined everything, but for most female pop artists Gaga ruined everything).  So while 'Bitch' is a nice little track and the video isn't terrible, it's gonna take a bit more to break Anjulie into the big leagues.

Here's hoping she gets the chance, though, cause the girl has promise.  And hopefully it's sooner rather than later, lest we forget all about her again.




"Adequate"

Nicola Roberts has a 'Lucky Day' all over New York City - watch the premiere now!

"one does like a lovely hat."

We've come to the sad realization that Nicola Roberts will never be the HUGE ALL-CONQUERING POP STAR she deserves to be.  We reached this conclusion after a lot of thought (read: alcohol) one night, just as London was becoming engulfed in anarchy and a few days after we heard 'Lucky Day' for the first time.

It's not that people don't like Nicola.  In fact, it's not that people won't buy her records.  It's just that she's a "grown up" pop star.  She'll no doubt be lauded with praise by "the critics" and such - as she should be - and all the bougie types will say "my, isn't she so much better than Cheryl Cole," but all that praise will probably end in a long string of mid-tier chart hits while some autotuned ringtone avatar rules the pop scene. 

It's the same thing that happened to such brilliant pop divas as Lykke Li and Roisin Murphy.  And while Nicola CLEARLY has the more normal name of the bunch, her music is no more appealing to the kids who are out terrorizing half the UK right now.  And it's those kids who buy things off the iTunes these days.

So - and we're talking directly to Nicola now, because she totally reads this site (citation needed):  When 'Lucky Day' winds up barely scraping the top 20 and you're crying into your Nutella jar, take some consolation in this:  It's not that you suck.  It's just that no hooligan on this earth wants to torch a Nando's at 1am while blaring 'Lucky Day' out of his Droid.