Today's Pick

It's been in my collection for years and my estimation of it does nothing other than continually increase. "Calenture" is Australian indie band The Triffids' masterpiece. The depth of the songwriting and its observations, and the overall pace of the album all indicate that their lead vocalist David McComb, was an intense artist of the most elite caliber. Formed in Perth, Western Australia in the late 70s, The Triffids achieved some international success in the 1980s, notably in Britain.
The dictionary definition of "Calenture" is, once you have listened to the album a few times, a fairly good description of the major themes running through it. Like all The Triffids' albums, "Calenture" is not an easy album to appreciate, that may be because the production is more polished, for the depth and intricacy of the late McComb's lyrics have hardly changed at all. Indeed, if calenture the delirium is all about the effect of heat on the senses, then "Calenture" the album is all about the effect of passion on reason.
Thematically "Calenture" follows on from "Born Sandy Devotional" by being concerned with, in McComb's words, unrequited love. It would be a relaxed affair, completely low-fi, and maybe "not suitable for the likes of Virgin." Its lyrical tone is one of euphoric fantasy and delusion tempered with the deflationary confrontation of a lonely reality - tenderness and compassion wed bitterness and resentment. An ineffable sadness runs throughout this album as the singer's spiritual faith in human love remains unfulfilled.
The Triffids were never labeled as a Christian band, but there's an undeniably spiritual feel to several of the songs on their most opulent and ambitious album, "Calenture." Moreover, McComb spews his words with the fiery passion of a backwoods preacher. The striking images in "Calenture" illustrate the predicaments of each song's characters. This mixing of the dark and the light side of love and relationships features elsewhere and is a hallmark of the lyrical depth and subtlety of this album. The Triffids remain one of Australia's best-loved, post-punk groups.

Jessie J has unveiled the video for her most recent single, "Domino." The new track, produced by Dr Luke who put a funky dance beat to it, was originally released in August, but is being re-released as the second US single, following "Price Tag" featuring B.o.B., from the 23-year-old's debut studio album, "Who You Are." She performed the song at this year's MTV Video Music Awards and then again on The X Factor USA as she attempted to boost her profile across the Pond.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Jessie J said: "There'll be a lot more pain in the lyrics on my next album. For the seven years before I signed my record deal I was in a bad place and I was scared that I couldn't get out of it. That's why I wrote such upbeat music, as a way of trying to escape how I felt. Now that I am happier, I won't be afraid to explore my pain. But in a good way; it'll be me saying that it's OK not to feel OK. Not every song needs a happy ending."
"Domino" has received very positive reviews from the critics, who praised the sound and tone of Jessie J's performance but likened the track as too similar to Katy Perry, however "Domino" is catchy enough to potentially become her biggest American hit. Jessie J is known for her quirky style, and her latest video is no exception as the 23-year-old dances around in front of 70s-inspired moving wallpaper in different scenes and changes her outfit several times throughout the vibrant clip.
The 'Who You Are' singer is as eye-catching as ever, and seems to be having a blast in the Norwegian director Ray Kay filmed promo, which kicks off with Jessie dressed in a black feathered ensemble in front of moving wallpaper. Considered a style chameleon, Jessie J made sure that the video was bright, bold and colorful and shows off her bubbly personality in a variety of what seems to be a wardrobe of flashy outfits, with some even matching the wallpaper. Jessie J attempts to rival Lagy Gaga and Madonna for costume changes as she attempts to crack the US.

The Fray are apparently still kicking around the music industry with their new music video for "Heartbeat," the first single off of the American Piano-Rock band's upcoming third album, "Scars And Stories," finds us revisiting familiar The Fray tearjerker territory. Though it's cleverly hidden beneath the sweeping sounds of orchestral drums and rock guitars, "Heartbeat" is driven by a gorgeous piano melody. Lead vocalist Isaac Slade's voice is in top form, and he demonstrates his massive range while singing about the best way to love someone.
It's been a tough couple of years for The Fray die-hards. The Colorado foursome hasn't put out a new record since the alt-rock troupe matured into deeper emotional territory on their Grammy-nominated 2009 self-titled sophomore album. Despite some obvious similarities to past works, "Heartbeat" is serious kind of heavy lyric with a big, upbeat energy and he capitalized on that energy with a bit more rock-driven, a catchy chorus, a nice mixture of Slade's melodic falsetto and quirky lower range, and a driving beat to back up the power chords.
Slade penned the song with guitarist Joe King. It was inspired by the singer's experiences whilst traveling in Africa about the awful carnage and the remarkable way in which the survivors are recovering. He explained: "That song came out of a period of my life when I was trying hard to be open to whatever came my way. I traveled through South Africa and Rwanda with a buddy, and at first it was really hard to stay open in the face of so much pain and heartache. But then I ended up meeting so many cool and inspiring people, and all these ideas for lyrics and melodies just started rushing in."
Shot on the beach at Los Angeles, the Justin Francis-directed beach themed video features the boys in the band ride out to the water and carry their gear down to the shore during a care-free night on the beach and performing bonfire-side for a crowd of crunchy-chic ladies and dudes while scary-huge waves crash in the background. The original concept was to shoot the clip with a sunny beach look but when a fog rolled in, it looked like the filming would have to be aborted for the day. Francis says he aimed to capture the spirit of a group of people "enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime evening together."

'The Voice' winner Javier Colon is giving fans an early holiday gift with the premiere of his debut music video for "As Long As We Got Love," the debut single off of the newly released third studio album,"Come Through for You." The reality competition star teamed up with Natasha Bedingfield for the video duet, and now you can watch the super-sweet fruits of their collaborative labor!
The soft-focus production finds 33-year-old R&B/Pop singer hooking up with Bedingfield. Colon penned the track with former Evanescence member David Hodges, who also co-wrote his winner's song on The Voice, "Stitch By Stitch." The song describes the journey that love can take after two people meet. Bedingfield told Artist Direct what spoke to her about the song: "It's quite a realistic and relatable love story, and that's what spoke to me about the song. When you know someone for a while so well, it's easy to take them for granted. Life can be hard at times and full of responsibilities, but having love in the midst of all of that is what helps us get through it all, having each other helps us know what life's about."
Bedingfield and Colon recorded their vocals separately though they did meet up later for the video. She told Artist Direct: "Due to our schedules and where we both live, it wasn't possible to be in the studio at the same time and in the same place! We had met before this, but we met again on the set for filming the video. It's always fun being around Javier and how he just bursts into song! We sang his songs, my songs and even some Disney [Laughs]."
Colon strums his guitar while belting out the uplifting lyrics and harmonizing with the lovely Bedingfield. "I've been a fan of hers for a long time, to have her on the song is an amazing feat to be able to get her on there. She's a co-writer on the song, too," Colon told AOL Music of his experience working with Bedingfield. The video follows a handsome young couple as they start a family together and Colonn and Bedingfield narrate the love story.

American Idol runner up David Archuleta has premiered the new video for "Wait" exclusively on Channel [V]HD on Christmas Day. Produced by [V] Entertainment, the video was shot in Hong Kong at the beginning of November during his trip to Hong Kong. The track is one of the bonus tracks featured on the 21-year-old musician's Asian Tour Edition of his newest album, "The Other Side of Down."
With Archuleta's recent announcement that he will be taking a break from the music scene for two years as he goes on a Church of Latter Day Saints mission, fans have been trying to take in as much of Archuleta as they possibly can before he leaves. "I've chosen to serve a full-time mission," the 20-year-old musician said during a concert in Salt Lake City. "It's not because someone told me I was supposed to do it and not because I no longer want to do music anymore. It's because it's what I feel I need to do next in my life."
The Miami native just wrapped up his 'My Kind of Christmas' tour and tweeted of a bit of a trouble getting back home for the holidays, "No place like home for the holidays!" He later wished his devotees around the world a happy holiday, "Merry Christmas Eve! And Merry Christmas to those on the other end of the world!! May everyone have a great Holiday Weekend!" Fans of the former 'American Idol' tuned in to watch him perform two Christmas carols, 'Silent Night' and 'The First Noel' on 'Fox and Friends' special that aired on Christmas day.
Archuleta puts his head in his hands as he grieves the loss of a close friend in his new video for "Wait." The runner-up of "American Idol" season 7 is seen staring off into the distance while standing in the middle of the streets. "Even though you're gone I can hear your heart/ It's calling out my name like a flash in the dark," he pours his heart out. Still a bit shocked that he's going to be a full-time missionary. This would have been a promising start to a huge career in Asia.

Looks like those "100" kisses finally wore off. Backstreet Boy Howie D looked pretty perky in his debut solo clip a few weeks ago while watching that lady dance all sassy-like around his house. Not so much now with the premiere of his video for "Lie To Me," the second single off of the singer's debut solo album, "Back To Me," is a sweepingly fanciful song about heartbreak and loss.
"Lie To Me," is a slower track that closely resembles some of Backstreet's more classic pop ballads. "At the time [I was putting the album together]," Howie D tells Entertainment Weekly, "I was really in this positive place in life, had lots of energy, between Backstreet-New Kids and my family. So a lot of the album is dance and up-tempo [music]. But there's definitely also the crooner ballads that people would know me for."
The Cazhhmere-directed visual was put together in Toronto, and features Canadian pop-rock quartet Neverest and tells the story of Howie D as he is reeling from a break-up as he's about to shoot his music video. Howie D goes the devastation route in his new clip, looking pained and forlorn while gushing to the camera and really showing us the meaning of being lonely. "Nobody told me we were too young/Nobody told me we couldn't love," he sadly croons during the devastation ballad's crushing chorus.
The black and white clip shows Howie D trying his best to stay busy on a set, responding to a lengthy text message breakup? with a broad statement resembling something of an invitation to chat. But talking is easier said than done, as he still gets distracted by instruments, inviting performance spaces and his compulsion to give artistic notes to any surrounding crew members, so he'll settle for singing his way out of this one. Old dogs.

For a lot of people Coca-Cola's holiday campaigns are the first official sign Christmas is really coming. Since 1920, the company has been making a stand with its family and cheerful Christmas advertising campaigns. This year, Coca-Cola continues to focus on music as it launches a new holiday tune "Shake Up Christmas," which was initially popularized by Train, and it was specially re-recorded by Natasha Bedingfield for Coca Cola's 2011 global holiday campaign.
Bedingfield is putting her unique spin on the holiday anthem "Shake Up Christmas", not just through her inspiring vocals, but through her amazing flair for languages. Bedingfield has recorded the song in a remarkable six languages to reflect the truly global tradition of coming together at this special time of year, a key message of the Coca-Cola holiday campaign. The funny thing is it's a lot easier to sing in the language than it is to speak," Bedingfield tells Billboard.
"I feel like Christmas has so many layers to it, and this campaign speaks to me personally, since my career often takes me out on the road, which makes me cherish those precious moments with friends and family that much more," Bedingfield says. "It's the most incredible time where we hang out with our family, but has those moments where it gets messy. I like that the campaign talks about the highs and lows of that season, what family means and how complicated and incredible that is. You can't have one without the other. A lot of our best memories happen at Christmas time."
Bedingfield is an essential part of the campaign. Her voice and image are already worldwide recognized, making it a lot easier for Coca-Cola to send its holiday message. According to a press release from Coca-Cola, "Natasha Bedingfield is putting her unique spin on the holiday anthem Shake Up Christmas." The 30-year-old spreads holiday cheers in a music video for her festive song "Shake Up Christmas." The 'Pocketful of Sunshine' hitmaker has a blast jamming the festive song with her band on the balcony of her hotel in an acoustic set overlooking the city, and also showcasing it on stage.

Continuing her proud tradition of killer music videos, Rihanna returns to lighthearted fare with an early Christmas present for her fans - premiering the video for her latest single "You Da One" online Friday. The 23-year-old Barbadian songstress goes beyond the typical pop video parameters by paying homage to the legendary 1971 Stanley Kubrick film "A Clockwork Orange."
Released as the second single from her sixth studio album "Talk That Talk," "You Da One" is a mid-tempo pop and electropop song with elements of other musical genres, including dancehall and reggae, and it has simple lyrics talking about a comfortable relationship. The song starts in traditional Rihanna territory with building on a slow, skanking rhythm, expands with a starbursty chorus, then contracts nearly as quickly on a knotty, ratcheting middle, and also features a dubstep bridge before the final chorus.
This island-flavored tune finds Rihanna singing of good loving, and the Bajan singer told Ryan Seacrest that its message of the power of love is what attracted her to the tune. "This is one of those records, it becomes very addictive," she said on his KIIS FM radio show. "To me, it's very infectious: the more you listen to it, the more you want to listen to it. It had a reggae vibe, but it's a sweet little love letter. I love the record. It's kind of dirty, I love it."
The video was directed by Melina Matsoukas, and filmed on November in Northern Ireland. Mostly shot in black and white, the clip is a cut-up of styles and influences, with partly a photo shoot and a lyric video as lyrics are stamped across the screen and Rihanna's body. As the only person shown traipsing around a film, Rihanna gyrates her way through the 3:28 song and exudes sexuality, whether she's touching her bowler hat, strutting toward the camera with a pimp cane or draping herself over a giant ball. The result is simple, psychedelic, and totally brilliant.

After capturing the hearts of the nation as the first ever girl band to reach the final of the competition two weeks ago, Little Mix have released the music video for their debut single "Cannonball." The stunning and emotive track and their X Factor winner's single is a cover of Irish folk singer Damien Rice's song. The video itself takes an emotional look back at the X Factor journey from the moment they were put together to their victorious win, but many have noted the lack of any new footage whatsoever.
Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson and Leigh-Anne Pinnock all entered The X Factor this year as solo artists. They were given a second chance at the final stage of boot camp when the judges decided to form a new girl group, and Little Mix was born. During the last four months Little Mix have enchanted audiences with their inventive performances and smooth harmonies. Mentored by N-Dubz's Tulisa Contostavlos their renditions of modern classics have helped them ensnare the imagination of millions.
Robert Copsey of Digital Spy Blog gave the song a positive review, stating: "Naturally the production has been given the deluxe valet, swapping the raw acoustics of the original for a Casio keyboard piano riff, fist-clenching strings and the inevitable key change. But credit where it's due, they've played around with it enough to distance themselves from the original."
The music video for "Cannonball" depicts their best moments throughout The X Factor, and their performance of the single. While fans can see the traditional black and white montage of the girls' journey from boot camp to their victory earlier this month, in between there is only footage of Little Mix performing the song at Wembley Arena during the grand final. Still, the ladies conceptually present quite the compelling package for the Pop-Urban landscape over here. A fact which’ll no doubt unravel itself once they launch "properly" post the show's hype.

For the music video for "Titanium," the first of three promotional singles and the fourth single off of his fifth album "Nothing But The Beat," David Guetta takes a dip into the cinematic and recruits "Super 8" star Ryan Lee for another supernatural tale. The single features vocals by Australian pop singer-songwriter Sia Furler. The most intriguing hook-up on the album, "Titanium" sees Guetta giving the Aussie songstress some long overdue commercial appeal, while Sia's vocals bring a quirky twist.
"Titanium" is a strong, light and corrosion-resistant metallic element. "Titanium" alloys are used in aircraft, armor plating, missiles, naval ships and spacecraft. clever writing from Sia. "Titanium" is an emotional near-ballad which draws from the genres of pop, house and urban-dance. The song's lyrics are about inner strength. Sia's vocals on "Titanium" received comparisons to those by Fergie and the song was also musically compared to Coldplay's work. Critics were positive towards the song and noted it as one of the standout tracks from "Nothing but the Beat."
Guetta once explained: "That song is interesting because it's different from anything else on the album. All of the guests on the album are from pop and R&B, and 'Titanium' is a little bit like a UFO flying over it all because Sia is a more of an indie artist. I think she's the only white girl on the record [Laughs]. I fell in love with the song. At first, she wrote that song and demoed it. She wanted to give it to another artist, but I felt her voice is so incredible and the song is so emotional that I really wanted her to stay on it. The song also uses some acoustic elements which is very different from what I usually do. I think it makes it very interesting."
The video features a high schooler (played by Lee) running for his life after accidentally exposing his hidden power at his school. As the Sia-assisted single revs up, Lee's character slowly makes his way through a deserted, totally destroyed school hallway, eyeing a teacher who's stricken with fear. Soon the viewer realizes that the boy is the cause of the damage, and the one to be afraid of the little man can move objects with his mind. The clip ends with a showdown in the woods between Lee and SWAT team, and after Sia sings, "Shoot me down/But I won't fall/I am titanium," the kid blows his enemies away.

Earlier this year, the post-dubstep British crooner James Blake unveiled his self-titled debut album beloved by listeners, with delicate tastes and aesthetic sensibilities, and maybe read interviews in which he talked about the evolution of dubstep and pointed out the anti-testosterone current running through his music. But now, there is a clip to compliment the emotional roller coaster that this delicate piano ballad takes us on.
But 2011 is not over, and Monday, Blake released a striking music video that accompanies his beautiful rendition of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You." His version first got attention back in February, when he covered it for the BBC, but this take is all cleaned up and very crisp sounding. Mitchell recorded "A Case of You" in 1971 from her album "Blue," during her early folk period, and it is one of her most well-known songs. Gathering a life of its own, the track gained critical acclaim and was added to the Blake's recent EP "Enough Thunder," as well.
Known for producing warped, woozy bass-led bouts of electronic introspection, Blake's debut album demonstrated a different side to his output. Covering Feist, the producer had a clear love for songwriting in a classic sense. Nothing makes it quite as comforting to wallow in our romantic woes around the holidays quite like Mitchell. The 23-year-old Blake has a similar knack for making sad songs we love, just in a more robot-who-can-feel kind of way.
Shot in London last week, it was directed by film-maker Seb Edwards, and featuring actress Rebecca Hall. The camera follows a young woman around her flat, seemingly documenting one side of a claustrophobic and turbulent relationship, and looks alternately sad and happy, and everything in between. The video features a first-person view from a lover's perspective, watching a relationship through a graceful fast-forward as cast in a one-bedroom apartment. It really makes us think about past lovers, just in time for the holidays.

Mary J. Blige is looking for love in all the wrong places. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul has released the music video for her latest (flop) single, the Drake-assisted "Mr. Wrong," taken from Blige's 10th solo studio album, "My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1)," out November 21. Although the album version featured the Young Money​ signed Canadian rapper Drake, but he doesn't appear on this version used for the official video or make an appearance.
You could say this is Blige's second life. Her first, candidly chronicled on her confessions-of-a-wreck album "My Life," was an early glimpse into one of the biggest singing superstars in the world, who not only went public with her pain but eventually overcame it. The new album is 17 years later, after releasing 9 other studio albums, taking home just as many Grammys and becoming, as she now calls herself, "the living proof." That's also the title of a song on her latest album, originally recorded for film "The Help," that nabbed her a Golden Globe nomination this year.
Blige breaks down how women can spot the Mr. Wrong in their own lives. Co-produced by Jim Jonsin and Rico Love, the midtempo cut "Mr. Wrong" will serve as the follow-up to the lead single "25/8." "It's an extremely soulful song that expresses the true level of love that a woman can have for a man who simply is no good for her," Love tells Rap-Up.com. "I wrote it because in many ways I am Mr. Wrong." The video's glamour treatment suits the mellow and dramatic mood of the song.
The Diane Martel-directed video shows a performance mixed with highlighted moments that amplify Blige, and it's basically Blige glowing again in the dark with neon lights effects, and sensual choreographies. The clip begins with a music box opening up, but instead of a tiny rotating ballerina, something out of the ordinary for Blige besides her usual two step, we see the soul queen holding onto a stripper pole. Amidst disco balls and smoke, the R&B icon poses and dances in a variety of throwback looks, harkening her 'My Life' era. Take a trip down memory lane with scenes of her looking fierce, fly, and divaish.

It's only fitting that singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins' ethereal "Hotel Plaster" has an other-worldly music video. From the album "Mondo Amore," the lush ballad track with the longing chorus is paired with scenes reminiscent of a tripped out, Alice in Wonderland-like forest tea party, and as Atkins shares, this was her ideal treatment for the song.
The New Jersey-based artist is a folk/blues-rooted singer-songwriter and has had more than her share of experience performing with just her guitar, voice and songs. The 33-year-old burst on the scene in 2007 with the critically acclaimed "Neptune City." Four years later, with a new band, The Black Sea, and a new label, she returns with a stirring sophomore record "Mondo Amore," which is dark but it's never overdone or forced, and has a mostly melancholy feel. With "Mondo Amore," Atkins has really shown her strength as both a singer and songwriter. Her powerhouse vocals and meaningful lyrics help give this album lasting appeal.
"Hotel Plaster" is chamber pop at its best, where Atkins talks about her long term relationship falling apart because she's on the road pursuing her career. "The video for 'Hotel Plaster' is about hearing the call to pursue an authentic life, and allowing the aspects of yourself that have lain dormant to come back to life. It's a response to what the song is about, as opposed to a moving illustration of the lyrics," Atkins says. "Also, it was a great excuse to throw a tripped-out tea party in the woods."
Atkins is sultry and seductive while she takes a different approach to "Hotel Plaster," crooning beautifully to a lover somewhere far away. The great thing about Atkins' voice is that she uses it very appropriately. While she can clearly wail powerfully, she knows how to scale back and display other facets of her vocals. Because of this, when she does unleash and show off her range, it makes it all the more impressive.

Drew Seeley has released the music video via Teen.com for his second single "How A Heart Breaks" off of Seeley's recently released third and final EP album, "The Resolution – Act 3," chatted about his day to day routines. Seeley was born in Ontario, Canada, and has been acting since he was 10, until he was about pre-teen age moved to Florida, and then to California. "This album is the reason I moved to California six years ago," he said.
The Glory Daze actor and musician is a prolific performer in the Disney Channel stable of young talent, Seeley appeared on a number of spin-off albums from Disney's films and television shows, as well as being the "singing voice" for Zac Efron's character, Troy, in the hit television movie High School Musical. He has also acted in other television series such as Dawson's Creek, Guiding Light, and numerous other Disney Channel programs.
Seeley's voice is so wonderful and it doesn't surprise us that this song is just as wonderful as everything else he's put out! "I wanted to get one more music video out to you before the holidays, so here it is! It's track 10 off my album, 'The Resolution.' We tried to make a video true to the song, hope you all like it! Have you been in a situation like I am in this video? What would YOU do? Do I get what I deserve? Thanks for the love, happy holidays! Cheers, D."
"The video is about me falling back in love with my ex-girlfriend while having a current girlfriend," the 29-year-old Canadian uber-talented shared. "Worked with some AMAZING directors/producers/actors and a really great crew last week in Vancouver (THANK YOU to all of you who were involved!) Video for 'How a Heart Breaks' is in the can, and I can't wait to share it with you guys!"

Much buzzed-about newcomer Lana Del Rey has unveiled a controversial new music video for her second single, "Born To Die," the moody title track to American Indie-Pop singer-songwriter's forthcoming full-length debut album, will be released in January. The much-hyped singer described the song as a "homage to true love and a tribute to living life on the wild side."
The retro fabulous singer, a Lake Placid, N.Y. native whose real name is Elizabeth Grant, and her stage name is a combination of the late old Hollywood actress Lana Turner and the Ford Del Rey. The 25-year-old bewitchingly pouty indie-ballad goddess whose debut single "Video Games" garnered her a crazy amount of internet ink this summer, and true to polarizing form, the new clip, charting a volatile relationship between stunning Del Rey and a heavily tattooed man, is already got people worked up.
The Woodkid-directed video for the beautifully dour tune features Del Rey sharing a topless kiss in front of an American flag with her on-screen lover and revealing a profile of her right breast while gazing ever-so-sultrily at the camera. A pale-skinned, red-lipped Del Rey, wearing a flower crown and sitting on a throne in a French gothic cathedral between two tigers, and engaging in various displays of affection in and around the car that eventually leads to an explosive car accident that leaves Del Rey bloody, lifeless and splattered corpse in front of a burning background before going back to the opening shot.
As an artist, she's really no worse than any number of singer/songwriters decent drowsy voice, tasteful arrangements as a controversy magnet, she's near-perfect. The lavish promo is all very shadowy and very moody, where Del Rey looks more Ann-Margret than ever. In a Facebook post, Del Rey says "I hope you like it – this isn't the time or the way that I wanted to show you the video but I'm in Beijing with not access to social media, and the video's been leaked from Russia so someone is posting this for me."

We The Kings just changed the game. No, literally! the four-piece powerpop band's new interactive music video "Say You Like Me" just made it impossible for regular old music videos to ever be cool again. The song comes as the Florida natives second single from their third album "Sunshine State of Mind," that was released back in July. A gang of bad guys has kidnapped the girl! It's up to We The Kings and you to rescue her!
Pop punk quartet are bringing a reggae twist to their cheerful new love song "Say You Like Me." The tune starts off slow, with lead vocalist Travis Clark's vocals and simple guitar picking as the lone elements. During the intro, Clark sweetly sings to the shy, nice girl that has completely captivated him. The turn soon picks up into a catchy blend of reggae, pop and rock. The pre-chorus might just be the catchiest part of the entire track, as Clark's effortless, roll-off-the-tongue vocals are paired with the light-hearted fusion of beating drums and a longing, melodic guitar.
We The Kings spent a week in Israel's Tel Aviv filming the video's green-screen footage and dreaming of the finished product. It creates an alternate reality where band members become video game avatars that fans can control. For once in your life you can actually have power over a famous musician! Adding yet another level of customization, fans can pick their band member, and in either easy, medium or hard mode, while trying to save the heroine from the bad guys. The music will end if your character dies.
"We've grown up in the world of gaming," Clark told Billboard.com. "It's one of those ideas that you think, right off the bat, 'It's going to be impossible.' We ended up making this music video that honestly believe might change the music video world forever." We The Kings' new video could be a real game-changer. The video combines music and gaming and allows viewers to take control of the band members to save their love interest from a kidnapping. To reach the end, they must play through sequences in the style of video games ranging from "Mortal Kombat" to "Wii Sports." Have fun!

Kelly Clarkson has premiered the video for her latest "Stronger" album anthem, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)." The title track and the second single from Clarkson's fifth studio album fits in with many of the powerhouse singer's previous empowerment-themed, Miss Independent tunes. We hear the songstress confidently tell her former beau. The clip sees Clarkson rocking out with her band and her devotees showing off their best dance moves in a flash mob.
The song was inspired by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche quotation, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Clarkson said the inspiring dance anthem reminded her of one of her own all-time favorites. "That'll be the one [that's] kinda like 'Since U Be Gone,' [with] people jumping up and down to [it], and it's just kind of really inspiring, so I can't wait to perform that one." The song's lyrics mainly explores the themes of empowerment, and the best of all is "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," is a throbbing glitter-disco tribute to believing that it really does get better.
The follow-up to lead single "Mr. Know It All," is just as powerful and uplifting as any of Clarkson's smash hits, and the visuals for the new single definitely do the song justice! The 29-year-old stages a global flash mob in the Shane Drake-directed video, using footage submitted by her fans! The original 'American Idol' encouraged fans to be a part of the experience when she posted an instructional dance video with the choreography to be featured in the new visuals and encouraged her fans to submit their own interpretation of the routine.
Like some of her previous videos, the clip is half Clarkson on a stage, full attitude with the microphone, sassily walking around singing her story. The other half explains how she's been wronged: In this case, the story is essentially a giant "It Gets Better/Can't Hold Us Down" dance-off the world over. Everybody is getting stronger all over the place and whether it's an exercise class, the beach, or Times Square, it's the perfect place to let loose and move on. It's "Since U Been Gone" round two. Clarksons got your back.

Carishma has premiered the debut music video for the track "Glow In The Dark," the first single off of her upcoming debut album. It's 21-year-old up-and-coming American pop chanteuse of Indian descent, Carishma, who's making all the right moves to get into the spotlight! Carishma's no stranger to the spotlight.
Produced by Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins, the dance/pop song about the sparks that fly between a boy and a girl, makes quite a statement and sets the stage for some slaying. "Glow In The Dark," mixes old-school Britney bubble gum with a dreamy guitar riff and sexy, hypnotic beat that perfectly matches Carishma's dance goddess-y persona. It's a simple song about having a strong love and passion for somebody. I love the beat, and her voice is sultry. The guitar riffs really go well with the song.
A singer/dancer/actress who starred in the HBO movie "Star of Jaipur" at the age of 9, Carishma complements her smooth-as-silk voice with a glammed-up yet natural look that more than justifies the video's many costume changes. The dance-pop newcomer who recently teamed up with Timbaland on the track "Keep Hangin' On," and is all set to release her debut album soon. Just check out her debut extravaganza "Glow In The Dark," and you'll get an idea of what to expect.
Everyone knows that all epic romances are born at middle-of-the-night beach parties where some crazy-eyed, body-paint-streaked dude bangs away at his bongos while the rest of the guests writhe all around him. Or maybe not. Still, sparks are seriously flying in the Taj Stansberry-directed video, begins with Carishma dancing alone on an empty beach and daydreaming about the boy she's crushing on. The video cuts between shots of Carishma and her dude before bringing them together at that bonkers beach party.

After delivering a splintered, technology-challenged debut of "T.H.E.(The Hardest Ever)" during the American Music Awards last month, will.i.am decided to go the easy route on the futuristic video for the bass-heavy number with a pretty repetitive hook, which is the lead single from Black Eyed Peas architect's upcoming electro fourth solo album, "#willpower," which is expected to drop next year, while Black Eyed Peas are on hiatus.
"This next journey is not going to be easy," will.i.am wrote along with the video post. "The Black Eyed Peas was so successful, beyond what I initially dreamed of, but just because the Black Eyed Peas was a success it doesn't mean I'm going to be successful as a solo act, that is why I titled this first single (the hardest ever) because the journey is hard, and I will do it alone. This video is about my new mission and obstacles."
Fellow Black Eyed Peas member Fergie has revealed to Hollyscoop that the lead vocalist & producer will.i.am is ready to release his new solo effort. will.i.am is so hard, he can start running down the street on his own two feet and end up in outer space within four minutes. That's how the action plays out in his "T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)" video, which depicts guest artists Jennifer Lopez and the Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger as dancing beams of light in the outer reaches of the cosmos.
In order to live up to his own billing as 'The Hardest Ever,' will.i.am plows through walls and over boulders. Tells the story of a new mission he's trying to accomplish, in Rich Lee-directed clip, which was filmed in Los Angeles and London, the-36-year-old the rapper-producer on a vehicular adventure, upgrading from his feet to a fighter jet and finally a space shuttle, with a handful of rides in between. He dodges lots of airport tarmacs, which get in his way, and finally jets off to the outer space. Jagger shows up at the end of the video with some funky visuals that bring us back to the 70's.

In preparation of their upcoming singles collection, electro-pop icons Goldfrapp has released a brand new track and accompanying music video for "Yellow Halo" from the U.K. electronic duo's forthcoming greatest hits LP "The Singles," will release on February 7th, a day after the collection arrives overseas via Astralwerks.
Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory are five albums into their career as Goldfrapp, meaning it's just about the right time to release a retrospective of their work together. The new LP "The Singles," is a career-spanning collection and will featuring two new tracks: the introspective and defiant new wave ballad "Melancholy Sky" and the aforementioned slow building synth-pop wonder "Yellow Halo." The other 12 tracks are comprised of singles from the entire Goldfrapp discography. Best characterized by Alison's soft, breathy sorano vocals , Will's multi-laters synth/string arrangements, the band have amassed a strong following over their 12-year career.
Their songs can be considered party anthems, fragile lullabies or plain experimental. Unlike most Goldfrapp songs, the synthed-out, intensifying "Yellow Halo," is euphoric and strung up somewhere in-between the earlier electro grooves the band practiced and the latter folky excursions on their fourth album "Seventh Tree." The song itself seems rather sentimental and tame but, as always, Alison's insane vocals are perfectly rendered.
The homemade clip for "Yellow Halo," was shot entirely on the road by British electro-pop band associate Lisa Gunning using only her iPhone, and mostly full compiled of footage of Alison traipsing around South America, and features concert footage and documentary footage of the band on the road, with Alison spends spare moments off stage bathing in glitter and eating little cakes, as well as atop a horse in the wilds of Buenos Aires. In this "indie" video, the wistful vibes and road-weary imagery seem to fit the tone of the song.

Greyson Chance debuts an "artsy and uplifting" music video for his rendition of the classic holiday tune "Hold on 'Til the Night," the title track and the third single from teen singer/songwriter's debut album, which is a 10-song collection that sounds a lot more grown-up than you might expect from such a fresh-faced youngster.
Like several songs on his debut album, "Hold On 'Til the Night" focus on dealing with heartbreak. Chance told Billboard magazine it is a subject he's all too familiar with, even at 14. "I didn't really know who I was at this moment, so I took this record to evolve into myself and put myself in my music. And also, I was going through a heartbreak at the time, and that's where most of the lyrics come from. This record really helped me gain courage and strength, and for the fans, I hope they gain courage and strength from it as well."
The Dano Cerny-directed video is shot in black-and-white, and uses light bulbs to represent all who haven't lost hope. The pint-sized pop singer belts out inspiring lyrics in front of a plain white wall with a pile of a crumbled piano in the background. It is about lighting up a new generation, and encourages his fellow youngsters to be themselves and speak their minds to find strength in the darkest place.
The video gives Chance an opportunity to empower his generation to be themselves and embrace who they are. Chance has a young and fresh take on a clean and simple concept: using real kids (not actors) that he found through schools and shoot a stylish and gritty piece. Near the end, Chance stands together with the entire group of kids, who seem to have fulfilled his wish to find their way past the darkness and into the light. By the time it starts fake snowing, Chance has gotten his hopeful message across.

Brings another one of his dance smashes to life, Pitbull has released another video featuring Chris Brown for his bouncy club anthem "International Love" the fourth official single from American rapper's sixth studio album, "Planet Pit," which premiered online on Thursday. Looking dapper in tuxedos and black shades, the chart-topping duo declare to the world their status as Mr. Worldwide.
Atop a skyscraper, Pitbull gazes out upon the rest of the world, thinking about the many countries he's traveled to and whipping his tie around at will. "I don't play football, but I touch down everywhere!" declares the pop star, also known as Mr. Worldwide. He soon commands the explosion of fireworks at will, and keeps dancing. Pitbull made sure he did a salsa and meringue number, and Brown did his usual b-boy/hip-hop dances for their collaborative effort.
The Soulshock produced high energy, fast paced dance-floor tune finds the Cuban-American rapper spitting verses in praise of girls worldwide, ranging from Brazil where the ladies "are freaky big oh booty" to Greece where, "the women are sweet." "It's all about the music being global, the music being the universal language," Pitbull added, "and it goes to show you no matter what language you may speak and or not speak, you speak music."
In the David Rousseau-directed clip, Mr. 305 touches down all over the globe, becoming Mr. International, traveling from city to city and partying it up with exotic women everywhere. Both artists perform on a stage setting with a giant screen behind them, showing off city-scapes from all over. "The music video is about the global presence of Mr. Worldwide, how he went from Mr. 305 to being a global phenomenon," said Rousseau. “Now the world is his stage."

Canadian folk-rocker Kathleen Edwards has unveiled a new music video for "Change the Sheets," the stark and romantic first single from her upcoming fourth studio album "Voyageur," which was recorded between August 2010 and May of this year in Fall Creek, Wisconsin and Toronto, features collaborations with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon.
Hailing from Canada, The 33-year-old Alternative country songstress has been honing her craft for some time. Writing and releasing some superb work, Edwards seems to specialize in characterization, fleshing out her musical portraits with an eye for cutting detail. She released three albums from 2003-2008, but hasn't produced new music since. The new set "Voyageur," is due to be released on January 17th, Edwards' first full length in four years.
"Change the Sheets," a road ditty that she warned "might make you drive faster," is a pleasant pop song that combines acoustic and electric guitars in a playful manner. Her vocals softly compliment the tightly composed keyboard-driven song. It's a bewitching song with a hint of Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac in its sparkling polish and pulsing bass line, and it travels in the spaces of classic rock and country tropes, dissolving relationships, late night travel and makes them sound completely riveting, no doubt aided by a production that is big without being glossy. This is a certifiably classic Edwards tune.
Serves as a document of life on tour, which sped-up natural imagery mixed with footage from the van and soundcheck, the Dan Huiting-directed video replete with fitting accompaniment for the breezy, folk-tinged rock tune, and the footage of Edwards and her band pounding the pavement on recent tours. The clip also culminates in the same way as any good road video with live footage of the band playing of the song in front of an adoring audience. It's a fitting accompaniment for the breezy, folk-tinged rock tune.

Karmin, a duo that consists of Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan, have premiered their first official video for duo's first original single "Crash Your Party," which pays homage to the duo's YouTube roots, opening with a view of their Boston apartment living room, which was the backdrop for their Karmin Covers. "We like to think of it like we're crashing the industry's party 'cause the way that we got here was through the fans," said Heidemann.
Karmin first caught the public's eye when they covered Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now" in an impressive YouTube video that ultimately garnered millions of views earlier this year. Since then, they landed a record deal and have been creating original music. Reportedly, "swag pop" duo Karmin's debut album is set to be released in February of 2012. Overall stylistically, Karmin have a very strong retro and hip-hop influences, and used a lot of the hip-hop videos from the late '90s and early 2000's for visual inspiration.
Written by themselves, the fun hip-pop song is said to be "an anthem for anyone who is fed up with that one person in their life who always demands to be the center of attention." Sampling the 1991 Black Sheep hip-hop hit "The Choice Is Yours," Karmin's song features funky fresh beats, an uplifting feeling, and swagga-fied vocals reminiscing to new artists like Jessie J and Cher Lloyd. The funky video uses refrigerators and guitar cases as the gateway for the artists to enter different scenes.
Directed by Syndrome, the video starts with Karmin in a regular living room, doing their normal YouTube thing playing 'Crash Your Party.' Then, the YouTube background falls down and Karmin climb into our piano case, go through a suitcase into an 80's colorful house, and crash onto our neighbors table just as they're eating breakfast! The real-life couple continue to "crash" a lot of different scenarios, escape from the paparazzi, blow the candles at a kid birthday party, to a jazz lounge, to finally ending up on the big stage!

Atlanta hip-hop star B.o.B ventures out in the wilderness in his latest video for Dr. Luke-produced single "Strange Clouds," the lead single and title track from his upcoming sophomore effort, set to hit store shelves March 2012. It's a 3 minutes 47 seconds of bass heavy bragging, and harder edged hip hop. The 'Airplanes' hitmaker does not only bring rapper Lil Wayne, but also takes fellow rapper T.I. with him to enjoy some strange-colored clouds in a beautiful meadow.
On the kickoff to his second LP, the 23-year-old Atlanta rapper slings references to Nancy Kerrigan, Inception and Top Chef over a blippy dubstep beat. Wayne drops a wink-nudge verse about getting blitzed, but it's B.o.B who lights up with a charming, tenacious flow. It definitely has a catchy, melodic chorus, but the rhymes hit hard, and the two voices and sensibilities blend well. Lyrically, the song is focused on self-promotion and dismissal of any haters.
B.o.B told Billboard magazine he chose the album title to reflect his maturity as an artist. "It's reflective of the growth, and how my perspective has changed. And 'Strange Clouds' is like a hybrid, the sci-fi with the organic. It's all about art, it's all about music, and I feel like this album is going to be a classic." He said the track was originally just something he wanted to rhyme on: "'Strange Clouds' could mean a variety of things from lacunosus clouds to unidentified flying objects to puffs of the most exotic of plants. He wanted to get an artist on it who could really bring that idea to life, and who better than Lil Wayne?"
With its infectious hook and braggadocious lyrics, the Motion Family-directed clip has an evening outdoors theme, and the two rappers performing under psychedelic natural light display which is apparently sending everybody in the hood crazy. The video finds the two MCs spitter swank about their meticulous rhyming in a green field beneath a sky of strange clouds, while T.I. drops in for a few appearances and everyone tries to figure out what's happening with those strange clouds up above. Once again, B.o.B proves that Young Money is still on top of the mainstream rap game.

British-Irish boy band The Wanted have unveiled their new music video for "Warzone," as the fourth cut from their new sophomore LP, "Battleground," a euphoric widescreen classic of epic-pop proportions. The Wanted are wrapping up another tremendously successful year. With its tear-strewn piano melody and melodic hook, "Warzone" was their most mature effort to date and one of the highlights of the album.
Co-written by Max George and Nathan Sykes from the quintet, the song tells a story of bitter heartache and pain. "You're the reason we started this fight," the five harmonize on this gut-wrenching ballad that comes with a subtle dubstep touch, which gives the song a compelling British flair. The electropop ballad is a subtle attempt at dubstep that fuses somber piano chords and an epic soft rock chorus with distant wobble basslines and spacious beats.
It hasn't been easy for British pop outfit to break in North America but Mercury Records in the U.S. is up for the challenge. First priority is to build a loyal fanbase online who can help spread the word about the group. The Wanted's music will also be strategically placed on TV and radio to get mainstream audiences slowly but surely familiar with their music. A good example of that are The Wanted's recent features on Simon Cowell's X Factor in the U.S.
Featuring a haunting piano riff, emotional vocals and a truly epic chorus, it's easily the best thing they've ever recorded. The video, filmed in Brooklyn, New York, was directed by Director X, who previously directed their video for "Glad You Came." The promo sees the boys having their hearts broken when they discover their girlfriends cheating on them and decide to confront them in the bedroom bust-up. The boys belting out their dubstep-infused ballad while surrounded by huge piles of rubble, smashed up cars and a burning piano.

Victoria Justice has made her brand-new visual grand premiere for her hit song "You're the Reason" on Nickelodeon Saturday, right after the airing of her Nickelodeon show's Christmas special episode of 'Victorious,' with the piece mainly comprised of Justice perched behind a piano.
The 18-year-old budding solo singer is going unplugged and giving us her special unplugged version of "You're the Reason," which is from the Victorious soundtrack. Justice has performed a more uptempo version previously, but this version is a ballad and she says it really let her get more into an emotional level of singing. The Nickelodeon star laid it all on the line as she belted out her song behind a piano.
The video was shot in Zuma Beach and also a place called the Enchanted Forest. The concept of the video is of Justice traveling with her piano. One little tidbit that fans out there should know is that there are "no" guys on this video - although Justice laughingly tells us that guys are cute and all but this video is purely herself. Along with the visual, Justice says her style in the video was so in sync with what she likes - lots of fun fashion and of course her favorite - feathers. When it comes to who she is thinking about and singing this beautiful ballad - Justice tells us that when she performs the song the person who she is dedicating the song to is her mom, sweet!
The new video was directed by none other than Wayne Isham, who has worked with huge stars like Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, and Bon Jovi. Justice is seen looking as lovely as ever in a red dress, sitting at a piano customized with light bulbs in the video, which spies the ravishing red carpet stunner playing piano in a number of outdoor locations that it looks like it'd be hard to get a piano to the beach, a forest clearing. The new video will showcase a version of the same song that appeared on the recent 'Victorious' soundtrack.

San Diego alt-rockers Switchfoot have released the music video for "Restless" serves as the co-lead single with their mainstream single, "Dark Horses," from group's eighth studio album "Vice Verses." After a year of touring for their Grammy winning CD "Hello Hurricane," they went back to the studio and have worked hard on their new CD "Vice Verses." Stuffed to the rafters with one melodic triumph after the other, the record could quite possibly be Switchfoot's finest work yet.
Lead singer and principal songwriter for the band Jon Foreman wrote the song in Europe, with the intent of "trying to embody the story of the rain," which comes from the idea that raindrops are on a "relentless" journey back to the ocean, and in this song he examines his place in the world alongside nature. "I was thinking about the idea that I'm on a journey myself," said Foreman: "Restless is the story of my life: thirsty, reaching, yearning for more."
"'Restless' was inspired over in the UK. I was listening to the rain and watching these individual drops drip down the window and thinking that every one of them is in pursuit of the ocean, that they will stop at nothing, and gravity will eventually one day lead them to the ocean. And I began to think of my own life and wondering if I had that same drive, that same pursuit for that which is right and true. And then I was thinking through C.S. Lewis' idea that this life, when we're aware of beauty, it's kind of a bittersweet thing, that it's a transient reminder of eternal beauty, which someday we will be face to face with."
Switchfoot frontman admitted that he hasn't always been that thrilled with their videos, but this time out everything fell into place. "Yeah, they don't always turn out the way you pictured them to, but this video we kind of did ourselves, with the help with our friends at Hurley. We feel that these songs truly come to life in a live setting so we wanted to deliver a video that captured that feeling. I'm really excited with the way it turned out." The energy Foreman and the band puts into their performance came across authentic and inspiring.