From time to time, I come across songs that instantly remind me of an experience or memorable time of my life. These are some of the songs that shaped my life and continue to influence my taste in music today. They still deserve some shine, so here's a new series for MLH: shapers.
// Donna Lewis - I Love You Always Forever //
Donna Lewis was one of my first celebrity crushes ever. When this song came out in 1996, I was but 12 years old and just starting to figure out what crushes were. When I look back at this video now, my adult brain picks out her slightly hooked nose, awful dance moves, and eerie red eye shadow. The beautiful thing is, I knew nothing about women and had no preferences or dislikes back then. I found her irresistable. When I saw her wearing that beige blazer with no shirt underneath.... I swear that was love as I knew it.
My little-boy crush aside, the song was hugely popular for a reason. It was catchy, singable, and a wholesome call for lovers to love. "I Love You Always Forever" roosted on the Billboard charts for 12 weeks, becoming one of the most-played songs of the 1990s. If it weren't for the Macarena, she would've been #1. Still, second place behind one of the decade's most infectious party tracks isn't too shabby.
Thank you, Donna Lewis. You were a gem.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
| going back |
Montreal's Arcade Fire have enjoyed great success with the release of their latest album, The Suburbs. The group's third studio album scorched up the Billboard Top 200 in its first week, knocking Eminem's The Recovery from the top spot. Although Em's taken the throne back since, Arcade Fire are still in the Top 10 mix.
The group is now aiming at doing a little trend-setting. After broadcasting their recent gig at MSG live over YouTube, they continue to embrace the internet age with the web experience based on their next single, "We Used to Wait." An amalgamation of HTML5, Google Chrome and Google Maps, the interactive video focuses on taking the user back to the place of their childhood (literally). Once on the page, a simple text field asks the user to enter the address of their childhood home. From there, the show begins.
The experience can be a powerful one, especially if you haven't visited your old home in many years. It was something else watching it all unfold. Even if you aren't wowed by it, you'll agree that it's unique and cutting-edge. The interactive portion of the video plays out brilliantly and I found myself gawking at my screen. I won't spot that bit, but I will say that it's pretty damn cool.
The only potential drawback is that the site must be launched in Google Chrome. I was always looking for a reason to install Chrome, so I finally made the leap (btw Chrome does load pages faster than Firefox!) All in all, it's pretty cool. Oh, and the song is amazing too.
Click here or the image above to visit the video page.
Monday, August 30, 2010
| alors, c'est complet |
// Stromae f. Kanye West & Gilbere Forte - Alors On Danse (Complete Mix) //
Massive song to end the summer! The only problem was that it wasn't complete. Now it is, courtesy of yours truly! =)
There are a couple of completed copies floating around the net already, but I don't care because I was already half-way done my own when I saw them. Besides, my version's better b/c I put Kanye shouts at the encore section 8)
// DL //
| bad, real bad: sexpenders |
Here's Ace Hood trying to stay relevant by releasing a video for his freestyle over Robin Thicke's "It's In the Morning." The original? Classy, and very sexy. Ace Hood's ghetto-vision remake? Not classy, and kind of gay. There are so many peculiar things going on here, I don't even know where to start. What's up with those suspenders? Why is Ace so.... intimate with this chick? It's so un-street of him.
If the song is called "Sex in the Morning," why isn't he showing any interest with actually having sex with her? He either just lays there or raps at her! I love it when he checks his watch @ 0:45. Like he has a hot career to get to after this girl finishes degrading herself for his amusement. What he should've called it is "Lapdance in the Morning" or "Dry Hump in the Morning." And speaking of which, what guy do you know could take a lappy like that and not pitch tent? Oh I get it, maybe he's saying he gets so much primo ass, he doesn't even half-chub for crazy hot booty-bounce time in the morning. Must be nice.
I'm going to turn this video off and return to planet Earth where shit like this only happens never.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
| the next hey ya? |
// Cee-Lo - Fuck You! //
Now THAT'S a catchy tune! This is right up there with some of the best angry-yet-happy songs of all time. An instant attention-getter through and through - I can't think of the last time I've heard the phrase "Fuck You!" said so perfectly. Maybe you don't care, but that shit is hilarious to me. Seriously, it makes me smile. And I think that's kind of what Cee-Lo was shooting for: ugly break-ups suck, and hating your ex just might be the only fun you can take from it. So there it is: an anthem for the scorned!
After being released last weekend, the song has gone massively viral and is the talk of the blogosphere. 2.4 million YouTube views in less than a week will get you lots of internet chatter. Congratulations, Mr. Green (and also kudos to Bruno Mars for co-writing). I don't think he could've asked for a better way to introduce his next album, aptly titled "The Lady Killer."
| praise the originals |
Download: Here
Mixed by DJ Big Jacks. Props to him for helping us remember where today's music is rooted. Listening to this was humbling, in a way. I'd like to be able to say that I knew all the originals in the mix, but I'd be lying. It was like MTV Diaries for me: "You think you know, but you have no idea." Fantastic listen - highly recommended.
Courtesy: kevinnottingham.com
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
| the single life: issue seven |
// Kanye West f. Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz - Power RMX //
For the second singles post in a row, Kanye leads the pack. I gotta say, the original Power was good but not great, in my opinion. A remix is supposed to improve upon the original, and this one does just that. Jay was nice, but GAHD DAYUM I can't remember Yeezy ever spazzing out like this. I lost my shit when I made it to the Snap section. Just crazy.
// DL //
Please do yourself a favour and listen to this song on something nice. The looped bass drop on this track is mesmerizing. A melancholy Lupe Fiasco shines on this sombre, piano-laden affair and reminds us why he's the uncrowned prince of hip-hop. Food & Liquor II coming later this year.
// DL //
I've been a fan of Lloyd for a long time. His last album under-performed, which I thought was weird because it was really good. Still I don't think he's far from being where Trey Songz is now. Young Goldie's got range and this song is a fine example that he's got unique vocal power to boot. I hope for big things from him on King of Hearts, due out Valentine's Day 2011.
// DL //
I think he's singing to... himself? I have zero radar for artsy things, so the single-person dialogue is sort of lost on me. Oh well, he could sing about eating babies and I'm pretty sure people would still dig it. Speaking of mind-numbing bass drops, this one's got a good one.
// DL //
I know I've done a lot of praising of the dude lately, but my appreciation seems to grow daily. The crazy thing is some of his lines don't even rhyme and it still works for him somehow. Am I the only one who wishes Kanye would've ended his verse with "Am-ne-surrrrr"?
// DL //
Feasting on the explosive popularity of her latest album, Body Talk Pt. 1, Swedish pop supernova Robyn is keeping her hot streak alive with the imminent release of Body Talk Pt. 2. "Criminal Intent" is a chest-thumping single sure to get bodies moving on the dancefloor.
// DL //
Psych/glam rockers Of Montreal are a fixture on any decent indie pop playlist. Totally eccentric and somewhat creepy, the outfit from Athens, Georgia are always good if you're searching for something dreamy (if not trippy). I love the line: "You look like a playground to me.
// DL //
I was waiting for the video to drop so I could rip a version w/o that stupid "K-west dot com" DJ tag in it. Is Hudson rethinking his strategy after his major label debut blew chunks last year? If this is any indication, dubstep might be a good look for him. This collabo with Caspa is mighty.
// DL //
Saturday, August 14, 2010
| rosewood continues |
//Kanye West & Friends - This is Rosewood //
Kanye's really ramping it up these days. Pushing the upscale designer suit look (which he describes as the "Rosewood Movement"), Yeezy joined with friends and G.O.O.D. collaborators for a not-so-secret show at The Box in NYC this past Thursday. The crowd was treated to a mix of classics and new material.
Point of interest: 'Ye forgot the lyrics to Good Life, but was able to joke it off and moved into a role call of the G.O.O.D. Music roster. Most notably, he included Pusha T (of The Clipse), confirming the rapper's speculated jump to the G.O.O.D. camp. That's a really solid team they've got going there. It was nice to see Kanye up on stage with John Legend again, too. Check the vid below!
Courtesy of: the.LIFE Files
Thursday, August 12, 2010
| the single life: issue seven |
// Kanye West f. Beyonce & Charlie Wilson - See Me Now //
Yeezy appeared on the Angie Martinez show earlier today to do a little press and also premier a track from his yet-to-be-renamed 5th album. You may recognize some of the lyrics from one of the acapella joints he did during his Facebook tour. Lovin this dose of classic Kanye. Note: Still waiting for the CDQ...
// DL //
// Lil' Wayne f. Drake - Right Above It //This may not be a top shelf effort, but it's more than good enough for a mixtape. There's certainly no lack of snappy punch lines, which we can expect from Weezy and Drake. I don't know what it is, but there's something almost uplifting about this joint. They're definitely on...
// DL //
// Andre 3000 - I Do //I almost feel like I shouldn't have to write anything whenever I post something by Andre 3000... but that would be pretty lazy of me. Sounding every bit of the urban music everyman he's known as, Three Stacks gets whimsical over a soulful M16 beat. Short, but worth it.
// DL //
Sampling heavily from Michael Jackson's "I Wanna Be Where You Are", the "Teach Me How to Dougie" hitmakers are back to take a run at being two-hit wonders. Their use of the early-MJ classic is a little too heavy for my liking, but they've got good taste - if you're gonna backpack off a legend, MJ is a good place to start.
// DL //
Recently storming the charts in their native New Zealand, The Naked & Famous' hit single is now tearing up the music blogosphere. With a sound not unlike Passion Pit, this electro-pop quintet could be ones to watch (esp. if they keep turning out stuff like "Young Blood").
// DL //
Manhattan-based Penguin Prison's impressive remix work has gotten him plenty of buzz as of late, and it looks like he's ready to unleash his original work on the world. It's reported that he's putting the finishing touches on his debut album, but he took some time to lace us with this nicely mellowed-out version of Passion Pit's "Little Secrets".
// DL //
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
| cold war, real beauty |
In this, her latest video from her smash album, Monae turns back the clock and gives a nod to Sinead O'Connor's iconic video for "Nothing Compares 2 U". The bare-bones presentation is nothing like what I had imagined the video would be. Still, there are elements of the video that will immediately stop you in your tracks and beg you to watch. By the second verse, I was convinced that I was indeed watching a real person. I may not know her "cold war" is, but it doesn't really matter; I'll be damned if those aren't real tears.
After watching this video four times, I still don't quite know what I'm looking at. There's a mysterious, raw beauty that I just can't seem to resist.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
| real maejor |
// Bei Maejor //
// ǝpısdn uʍop (uSd) //Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Introducing Bei Major: the 23 year-old rapper/singer/songwriter/producer. Despite his age, his songwriting credits date as far back as 2004. He's worked with Bun B., Ne-Yo, Chrisette Michelle, Trey Songz, Letoya, Monica, and now notables such as Keri Hilson and Drake.
Released today, ǝpısdn uʍop (Upside Down) serves to announce his arrival before his first full-length offering comes out later this year. The mixtape has pleasantly high production values and the songs on it are very approachable. It doesn't take long to see that the music targets a younger crowd, but I can still dig it. His lyrics seem to have more of a youthful innocence rather than douchey immaturity to them.
There's some smart music-making happening here. Take "All Night" for example: Maejor rides the uber popularity of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing", looping the song's opening piano riff. The riff is instantly recognizable and invites you to listen to how he handles a legitimate rock 'n roll classic. This is a really risky move. Normally I'd hate on such blatant swaggerjacking (come on, Glee re-made the song cool first), but he actually pulls it off. It's a little early to say he's a jack of all trades, but he's in good shape if this is any indication of things to come.
Summary: You've already heard stuff like it, but that doesn't mean it's not worth getting your hands on. This dude is pretty slick, and it looks like he's going to be on the airwaves and in your earbuds for a good while. It may be just pop, but Bei Maejor is right up there with the best of them.
// DL //
| whoa whoa whoa |
I had to watch it 3 times just to look at everything once. I can't tell if this is wack as hell, or I'm just too uncultured to understand what I'm supposed to be seeing... It's like his blog threw up and they got it on camera. Maybe?
Unique, to say the least.
Unique, to say the least.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
| sneak peek: you ain't no dj |
Slowly becoming one of my favourites off Sir Lucious... behind the scenes at the video shoot.
Video courtesy: Maurice Garland
Video courtesy: Maurice Garland
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
| not really crazy for this |
// Best Coast //
// Crazy For You //Rating: 3 out of 5
On the strength of a string of singles released over the past half year or so, LA-based indie-pop trio Best Coast aims to make a splash with their debut album, Crazy For You. Unfortunately for us, the record quickly takes on a "heard one, heard em all" feel and fails to deliver the breezy, atmospheric surfer fest one might've expected. The overall sameness from one track to the next holds Crazy For You in first gear.
Lead vocalist Bethany Cosentino recently enjoyed some pre-release shine as she joined Kid CuDi and Rostam Batmanglij (of Vampire Weekend) for Converse's "Three Artists, One Song" campaign. By the end of the year, "All Summer" will likely rank as one of the top crossover hits of 2010. Though most of the cred goes to Cudi, the clarity of Cosentino's vocals on the chorus round out the song beautifully. By comparison, it's a bit of a letdown that whatever magic she brought to that promo didn't translate as well to this album.
A vast majority of the songs find Cosentino pining over something (love, lost love, a boy, etc). She's always got the same tone and delivery, and it begins to grate on the listener after a while. The backing guitars are pedestrian at best, leaving the onus on the lyrics and Cosentino's vocal chops to save the show. Unfortunately, they don't. Out of the 12 songs featured on the album, I would only be able to distinguish maybe 3 or 4 from the rest. There's nothing wrong with being repetitive (eg: the xx's debut last year), but there's a deal breaker when the "thing" being trotted out for each song (in this case, Cosentino's voice) overstays its welcome half-way through the album.
While some reviews have praised Best Coast for their surfy, everyman, lo-fi sound, I can't seem to get past how redundant it all is. Yes, I like how everything they do is veiled in this dreamy haze. Musically, is it anything worth raving over? No. Vocally, is Cosentino a game-changer? No. She sounds like any other chick who took the spot when someone asked to her sing in their band.
Summary: Like any semi-successful album, Crazy For You has a few highlights. Where it falters is when the listener realizes that all the unsuccessful tracks sound like half-baked attempts at what they meant to accomplish. The highlights, then, end up looking nothing more than the ones that got over the "meh" hump. The end result is that you only kinda care about the ones you like... and "kinda" isn't saying much, is it?
// Torrent DL //
| the single life: issue six |
// KiD CuDi - Mojo So Dope // *HOT!*
I've always liked Cudi, but this is probably the first time I felt comforted by the sound of his voice. It never really occured to me how much I dig that grizzly monotone of his. Props to Cudi's longtime production mate, Emile. Keep this one on repeat, kids...
// DL //
// Yelawolf f. Gucci Mane - Wanna Party //
I'll be the first to admit, sometimes I'm just late to the party. Such is the case when it comes to Alabama-based rapper Yelawolf. I finally got on board after hearing him on Big Boi's "Ain't No DJ". Now guesting on tracks with some of rap's biggest acts, Yela is now focused on getting in with his idol: Eminem. Look for his debut, Trunk Muzik, dropping this year.
// DL //
// T.I. f. Lil' Wayne - Yeah //
Off T.I.'s recently-released Fuck A Mixtape. It's always nice to hear Weezy without the autotune. He does it well, but I'll take his original sound over that any day. There's a throwback quality to this track, and I love it. Two kings doin their thing..
// DL //
I have no idea what a "Hot Toddy" is, but this collabo is unstoppable. Also consider that Ester Dean's vocals are just a reference for Ciara, who's to fill the female part on the final release. HUGE track for the clubs but still a solid choice for a house party. Welcome back, Ursh.
// DL //
// Nelly - Tippin' in the Club (Clean) //
Vintage! Love him or hate him, the guy can still make a hit record. It's very unlikely he'll ever drum up another "Dilemma", but he's in good shape if his next album, Nelly 5.0, sounds more or less like this. Kind of a lame-duck album title, but you know it'll sell just fine.
// DL //
// Natalia Kills - Zombie (Kleerup Remix) //
As we continue in the era of electro-pop, it looks like we can expect to see many more newcomers like Natalia Kills taking their shot at stardom. The protege of BEP's will.i.am, the brunette stunner's single, "Zombie" recently got a little love from Kleerup. Which is better: the original or the remix?
// DL //
// KiD CuDi f. Kanye West - Erase Me //
A nod to Weezer? I'm not crazy about this song, but it showcases how dynamic Cudi is. Right now, he's the best at changing gears and never losing stride. Kanye's just alright on this one.
// DL //
// Jens Lekman - The End of the World is Bigger Than Love //
I was wild about Lekman's 2007 album, Night Falls Over Kortedala. The Swedish singer's "The Opposite of Hallelujah" is a classic, in my opinion. Here is the lead single from his yet-to-be-release album.
// DL //
// Ludacris - How Low (DJ Philistine Shine On Remix) //
I yawned over Battle of the Sexes, but this remix from smalltime DJ Philistine puts an interesting spin on the lead single "How Low". It's basically a mashup with a remix of Sunloverz' "Shine On". Not a bad idea to throw this on a party playlist.
// DL //
// J. Cole - Problems //
The promising young member of Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, J. Cole has been hard at work releasing street singles and prepping his first studio album, Cole World. Lyrically, he's consistently solid, and I like how addresses some real issues in this song. J. Cole is definitely one to keep an eye on.
// DL //
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