I hope everyone is enjoying Passover; whether you are observing it by not eating bread, or enjoying it by poking fun at your Jewish comrades who are not eating bread.
Amidst the holiday hysteria I’ll keep this post relatively short. The Gossip came out with their newest single Pop Goes The World, off of their most recent album Music For Men. The song is fun, lively, and proper fit to the Gossip’s musical catalog. If you need to stay awake while on the treadmill or in the office, I suggest blasting this tune (with headphones on of course). The video is just a shot of color, drama and energy. Beth Ditto is indisputably the epitome of glam.
Also the Gossip will be performing with Lilith Fair, so everyone should also check that out!
Happy friggin’ Friday! Couldn’t have come sooner, I think.
Any who, I’d like to tip my hat to Rihanna this week…her latest single Rude Boy topped the Billboard chart at #1, making her the first female in the US to have six singles landing the top spot since 2000. Overall, I really dig Ri’s newest album, Rated R. I think it’s a great improvement and departure from her previous body of work, which was mostly generic sounding stuff straight out of the pop factory.
Ah yes, but between the Chris Brown fiasco and legal troubles with her personal trainer, Rihanna is well acquainted with controversy. The last question being over the originality of the music video for Rude Boy.
Rude Boy is a stand out amongst Ri’s others, complete with colorful collages of eye-popping graphics and animal prints. Also, the men she seems to be wooing look like they were cast straight from the shuffleboard deck of a cruise ship. If you somehow get bored just watch the singer frantically pretend to know how to play the drums; it’s a joy for all of the senses.
Nonetheless, there have been murmurings that Rihanna’s video may have borrowed a bit too much from MIA, an artist known for her gritty and over the top graphic art.
Here’s MIA’s video for the single Boyz…
No matter the similarities, last time I checked there was no set trademark on a style of expression… but I’ll leave it up to you to decide.
The second order of business came to me during midterms week. You know, midterms week? That time of year when I sit rigidly in my little booth at the library, drooling at the wall and listening to blatantly bad music to stay conscious? And I’m talking really bad music folks, old school too. Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, N’sync and many others I’m too embarrassed to mention.
Most recently the artist Ke$ha joined the ranks on my delightfully bad music play list. Her album Animal was all the buzz this year, as her single Tik Tok penetrated clubs and mini-malls everywhere.
As I engaged in my self-deprecation of cramming and musical enjoyment, I managed to shed some of my Ke$ha related shame. Sure, lyrics such as “I dont really care where you live at, just turn around boy and let me hit that” probably don’t make much of a contribution to the greater culture.
But what I like about Ke$ha is that she’s honest about who she is, and what kind of music she puts out. She isn’t trying to be something she’s not and she puts forth no false advertising over the dubious quality of her work. The equivalent of sugary junk food, her songs are meant for pure, albeit trashy, fun. Nevertheless, too much junk food can be bad for your diet, so Maybe Ke$ha should be just played at the club or gym–not on the car radio when my mother is present.
So is Ke$ha all in good fun, or a real step down for the music industry?
Sorry, I know I’ve been a really atrocious blogger…
Not to get too specific, but technology has been the bane of my existence for the past couple of months or so…
Anyhow something very exciting happened last night! E news, the authority on all things vital, premiered the latest Lady Gaga music video, Telephone. The vid is roughly 9 minutes long, and I’ve seen it three times already, sufficiently investing a half hour’s worth thus far in all things Gaga.
Telephone takes off where Gaga’s older single, Papparazzi, leaves off, except this time even trippier, and most likely, with a bigger Hollywood budget. She enters the bowels of an all women’s prison, celebrating her admittance with gritty scowling and too perfect to be unrehearsed choreography. She’s not there for long though, after she is bailed out byher trusty friend Beyonce. Can you imagine if Beyonce bailed you out of jail?
Hey Beyonce could you do me a solid? It's a funny story...
In addition to mega stars Beyonce and Lady Gaga, the video features another celebrity cameo. The…um…Wagon from Quinton Tarentino’s Kill Bill! The car was a great asset to the mini-movie. Afterall, Kill Bill is about the vengeance of a peeved off Uma Thurman, and from I’ve inferred, Telephone is pretty much about killing off dudes that are mean to ladies.
The costumes in Telephone act as a third character to Gaga and Beyonce’s starring roles. The level of visual excitement is so high you’re liable to blow out your retinas. Gaga dawns everything from sunglasses made of steaming cigarettes, a bodysuit made of caution tape, and a headdress made out of, you guessed it, a telephone. This music video follows within the footsteps of all great, somewhat lengthy productions (insert Michael Jackson reference here). Sure the plot maybe a little loopy and frenzied, but in the Haus of Gaga, what else would you expect? The one thing I didn’t appreciate were all the blatant product placements. Okay Virgin mobile and special Lady Gaga headphones, we get it! Nevertheless, witty one liners and hidden details (like the appearance of Lady Gaga’s actual self, Stefani Germanotta) make this video a must watch. Telephone is a product of art and entertainment, a manifestation of all things kitschy, wild and pop.
The next artist on our best lyricists countdown is Ani Difranco. A beacon in both the folk and alternative scene, Difranco rose to public consciousness in Buffalo, New York, in the early 1990’s. She boldly started her own record label Righteous Babe in 1989, and ever since has remained a trailblazer, redefining the image of the modern woman. Difranco’s lyrics are reputably potent with soul and are true expressions of emotion and heartache.
Difranco has managed to release 20 albums within her career, and in this time, proved herself to be a feminist icon. She has historically turned down lucrative record contracts and the spotlight of mainstream media, valuing the artistic freedom inherent within her own label. Such integrity and craft is unfortunately a rarity in this day and age.
While fishing around through her massive catalogue, one song of Difranco’s seemed to stand out. It was the Not a Pretty Girl, released back in 2002 (Difranco has since produced music more recently as well). The opening lyrics are biting yet funny at the same time:
I am not a pretty girl
that is not what I do
I ain’t no damsel in distess
and I don’t need to be rescued
so put me down punk
maybe you’d prefer a maiden fair
isn’t there a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere
The song is pretty unconventional in the sense that she seems to “talk” out the lyrics. Nonetheless, it is beaming with experience and a collective pain. She comes off jaded, dismissive of society’s popular approach towards women.
With a career based on manic touring and a college following, Difranco continues to be an unstoppable force.
I’m currently enjoying the last week of my winter break, just before I get thrown back head first into the brutal, biting tundra of Bingahmton University. So before my fingertips decay at the Mr. Frost’s unforgiving mercy, I think a new post is in order. This morning I was channel flipping and came across an amazing new single by the likes of British singer Corrinne Baily Rae. The melody was simple but intoxicating, gentle, bluesy and warm. And so like any good music enthusiast would do, I listened to the song I’d DoIt All Again on a loop. Rae’s newest album The Sea will be released in 2010, and I suggest you all check it out.
The Music Court 