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Cassadee Pope


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DAUGHTRY Hoping "Start of Something Good" for a Relationship

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Sunday, September 30, 2012 0 comments

DAUGHTRY has released a brand-new music video on the TV show 'Extra' in support of their latest single, "Start of Something Good," the fourth official single from American rock band's chart topping third studio album, "Break the Spell," which is a serious hard-rock record, and more upbeat, positive lyrically and sounds nothing like the previous two.
"Start of Something Good" takes on a slower tempo and sounds similar to "Life After You," but frontman Chris Daughtry vocals can translate from hard rock and borderline scream, to a more smoothing passionate tone. When the chorus kicks in, there is a vulnerability to DAUGHTRY and his lyrics. It is a simple song about hoping a relationship will work out in the end and DAUGHTRY takes a simple love song and creates an unforgettable track with "Start of Something Good." Chris tells to Extra that the song "is basically the story of when I met my wife. It was one of those times where you're starting to believe it's the start of something good, and 12 years later, it proved to be right."
When it came to shooting the video for the song he felt it would have been a little weird placing the band in the middle of a field on blankets singing this song to a couple in love. Making its way out via Extra, the clip was directed by Nigel Dick and filmed on August 31 at Harlod's Farm in McLeansville, North Carolina. "The concept behind the video is basically I'm observing this young couple who's obviously in love and I'm playing their theme song," says the 32-year-old "American Idol" alum about the video.
The video that doesn't feature the entire band is rather unique in the way it focuses on Chris. "I didn't want to put them on blankets, you know, out in the field on a picnic or something," Chris explained to Extra. "That would have been weird." In the visuals, Chris is playing the guitar solo and singing the song acoustically without his band, while watching a young couple (played by Niki Coyne and Christian Nulty) has a romantic picnic in a field and taking tentative first steps towards a relationship.

Christina Aguilera shows a pop-culture cheat sheet in 'Your Body'

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Saturday, September 29, 2012 0 comments

"The Voice" judge Christina Aguilera comeback machine kicked into higher gear Friday morning with a brand-new video for her racy bad girl track, "Your Body," the lead single from the pop star's forthcoming self-expression and freedom record, "Lotus," due to hit stores in November. It wouldn't be a Aguilera leadoff single without her patented shock-you lyrics and double entendre. You always want the first single from your newest album to capture people's attentions whether it be by the vocals, the melody or the lyrics.
The fun, sexy and upbeat club track "Your Body," is a belter of an electro-meets-R&B anthem that feels both fresh and exciting, with a trace of dubstep in the track's middle eight. Lyrically, it talks about anonymous sex, where Aguilera wants a one night stand with a random guy and that it's okay if the guy doesn’t know what he’s doing, since she can finish up on her own. Aguilera's voice is crisp and up-front in this boudoir battle cry, and the shuffling early '00s beat is prime for any number of potential remixes.
The four-on-the-floor rhythm refrain has Aguilera flaunting her famous pipes on either side with the verses, "All I wanna do is love your body." While the song’s message might not appeal to some people, you can't deny its catchiness and ability to make you move on the dancefloor. Musically, it's an interesting fit for the 31-year-old songstress - the relaxed tempo should allow her to really dig in and belt it out, but she never truly lets loose.
Working with director Melina Matsoukas, Aguilera tells a story of a sexy woman who hunts down men for pleasure. Yes. she is a men-killer, literally. The clip is certainly a feast for the eyes, what with its brightly colored scenes of violence, as she described it as "playful, tongue and cheek" video, where she plays a badass, confident, self-assured sexy hot siren who kills men after seducing them. She also takes her bad-girl image to delightfully dangerous new heights as a colorful vixen who robs convenience stores and blows up cars.

Chris Brown goes on suicide mission to space in 'Don't Judge Me'

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Friday, September 28, 2012 0 comments

Chris Brown dies for his country in the emotionally-charged video for his new tender love song, "Don't Judge Me," the fifth single to come from the 23-year-old Grammy winning R&B crooner's latest fifth studio album, "Fortune." The emotional track was one of the reasons why the album felt cripplingly pointless.
Brown takes a break from the hip-hop, pop lockin' and euro-pop beats, returning to his rhythm-and-blues roots to deliver a love ballad for his latest single "Don't Judge Me." He explained to MTV News: "It was important for me to go back to the basis of what people love me for, and that was my R&B." Musically, it is a midtempo lilting and breathy ballad, which contains lyrics about Brown still doesn't quite grasp the extent of what he has done in the past, and asking his love interest not to judge him by his chequered past but to move on with the future, "take me as I am."
Later on he admits, "I won't deny what they're saying. Because most of it is true." Brown sings in his signature semi-high pitch and when hearing songs like this, you can't knock his ability to make good music. Brown get into character and shed some tears in the Collin Tilley-co-directed clip, which follows a sci-fi type storyline where Brown is the 'Black Diamond' on a mission to do exactly what the title says while dealing with his girl and the pain she feels because of his past.
Brown makes his way through the California desert and sitting in front of a couch with a woman sleeping behind him before arriving at an military base as he preps for a suicide mission to save the planet. He begins to weep and destroys the ship by crashing into it, incinerating himself in the process. When asked by an overzealous reporter, who is also his girlfriend, why he's do this, Brown says, "If that means saving the people that I love and I care about, then that's what I'll do." The clip has a futuristic look and feel and is sure to make his fans cry with him as he makes the ultimate sacrifice. This is definitely art at its finest!

Green Day Ripping Through Their Bare-bones In "Stay the Night"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Thursday, September 27, 2012 0 comments

Fresh after the lead vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong's meltdown on stage at the iHeartMusic festival, Green Day is back with a new video for their another new song, "Stay the Night," marks our fifth taste off of Green Day's most recent ninth studio album, "¡Uno!," the first installment of their new album trilogy, was just hits store shelve on Tuesday via Reprise Records.
The punk rock trio have established themselves as veterans in an industry where artists come and go. While we may have though they'd be slowing down, Armstrong says they are at the very height of their musical careers. In an interview back in February he said, "We are at the most prolific and creative time in our lives... This is the best music we've ever written, and the songs just keep coming. Instead of making one album, we are making a three album trilogy. Every song has the power and energy that represents Green Day on all emotional levels."
The euphoric rock track "Stay The Night," is about finding one of those girls at the bar or club, that you have to take home; you know that girl that just has to "Stay The Night." The track is a dope, upbeat collection of sound that is driven by the hard hitting, aggressive guitars that we have come to expect from the legendary pop-punkers, and it features one of Green Day's cleanest, most radio-friendly choruses yet, but the line "I've got an impulse so repulsive that it burns" takes on a much darker meaning in light of Armstrong's recent meltdown and substance abuse problems.
Directed by Farm League, the simple visuals clip for "Stay the Night," another in-studio affair, was recorded during their rehearsal in Orange County last August, and it's similar to the one they shot for their promotional single "Nuclear Family," which only revolves around the fellas: Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool ripping through their bare bones and performing the song at an empty gritty warehouse space, surrounded by their instruments and a shit load of dust as they do their thing.

No Doubt Taking Their Party To The Streets In "Push and Shove"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Wednesday, September 26, 2012 0 comments

No Doubt's first comeback album in 11 years, "Push and Shove," officially hits stores Tuesday and to celebrate, the American rock/ska band has premiered the official music video for their Diplo-produced second reggae-fest tune and album's title track. After four years of hard work, the Anaheim quartet have finally completed this upbeat set of reggae grooves, Eighties-style synth-pop jams and at least one mega power ballad.
Then there's the title track, which fluctuates wildly between genres and tempos. Says bassist Tony Kanal, "It's our 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' " With Diplo blending ska, dub and reggae into a track which verges dangerously close to dubstep, "Push and Shove," crosses various genres and tempos, mixing Dancehall and Dubstep elements with No Doubt's trademark horn section, whilst frontwoman Gwen Stefani trades verses with Jamaican reggae artist Busy Signal.
"We've never fit into any format," Stefani told Billboard magazine. "Luckily we've been able to fit into both [pop and rock] a little bit, though not really consciously... We've just managed to nudge our way in." The bonkers and brilliant song contained No Doubt's familiar sound while also pushing ahead with current trends, because that's what the one-time ska band have been doing all along. It was like Tragic Kingdom merged with one of Major Lazer's island party bangers and was just shy of dubstep.
The Sophie Muller-directed video was shot guerrilla style with a scattered mix of wild scenes and flashing lights in black and white and features Stefani and her reunited band of ska rockers goofing off for the camera, and having fun like teenagers as foursome hit around wandering undisclosed New York streets at night and dance around crazily. Ironically, it perfectly matches the song and in that sense, it actually works to bring the theme of the record to life.

Ellie Goulding sings about locked out of love in 'I Know You Care'

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Tuesday, September 25, 2012 0 comments

Ellie Goulding released an un-official wipes tears video for her new single, "I Know You Care," which will be featured on the soundtrack of new Brit film "Now Is Good," and as a promotional single and one of the most touching tracks on her terrific from the 25-year-old British songstress' upcoming sophomore album, "Halcyon," due out October 9th  in the U.S. via Polydor Records.
The stunning ballad chilling song is a deeply moving tune about looking back at a relationship that didn't work out. There's no anger or spite, but instead Goulding has the courage to show empathy for her lover lost when she sings, "We are two lovers locked out of love. I will be saving myself from the ruin, but I know you care." The tenderness and emotional intensity of "I Know You Care," is a perfect fit for a movie about keeping a brave face while confronted with an unbearable and inescapable truth. After the hopeful joy of "Anything Could Happen," "I Know You Care" unveils some of the sadder hues on Goulding's forthcoming new LP.
Amidst the emotional turmoil that drives her gut-wrenching delivery she is able to serve up hope and comfort. "I've never known a winter so cold, now I don't want my hands in your coat," she shares. "But I still have hope because this is how things ought to have been. I know the worst of it wasn't all that it seemed." It's an incredibly powerful emotion poignantly captured by Goulding's brilliant songwriting that everyone who has ever loved and lost can instantly relate to. A similar sentiment is also reflected on tracks like "My Blood," "Halcyon," "Figure 8" and "Explosions" that are sure to tug at your heartstrings.
The video delivers simplistic and yet powerful imagery as it merges footage of Goulding singing alone in her room along with specific and emotive scenes from the British film "Now Is Good," starring Dakota Fanning, Jeremy Irvine and Kaya Scodelario. As the somewhat sombre film surrounds the subject of a terminal leukemia teenager girl who compiles a list of things she wants to do before she dies, the video is kept quite slow and subdued, fitting in with both the track tempo and the film scenes.

Taio Cruz Boasting He Will Drive His Lady Like A "Fast Car"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Monday, September 24, 2012 0 comments

Taio Cruz goes for a drive in just-released misic video for his latest club jam, "Fast Car," which was chosen as the second single from his third U.S. studio album, "TY.O." The British pop star has been shifting to pop-ier material compared to his more R&B oriented days. "Fast Car" carries on the dance floor vibe he's been pursuing.
The 27-year-old boasting to his lady that he'll "drive you like a fast car," because women love being likened to inanimate objects on his latest release. The dance-pop track was co-produced by Max Martin and Klas Ahlund. It opens with a gentle melody and Cruz singing about an internal struggle, which makes it seem as though the tune might be a ballad. But soon enough, a light dance beat kicks in as the singer delivers the hook, "Girl you really turn me on, and I'll drive you like a fast car."
The vehicle metaphors continue in lines and the gist of the story is that Cruz wasn't looking for love, but it found him unexpectedly, and now he couldn't be happier. We appreciate the way the song deftly disguises a sappy message into a tougher-sounding track about cars, and its pleasant melody makes it a potential hit. Cruz drives the dance floor and over the roaring with his new production. Put the keys in the ignition and take off with Cruz.
In his new music video for "Fast Car," Cruz and his femme fatale costar have obvious chemistry, and even give us the inside scoop on their on-screen lip-lock. But is he a good kisser? You have to wait and see. The fast-paced video is sure to get your adrenaline going! We like the video and it is nice to see Cruz back in the music scene. Not quite as catchy as "Dynamite" or "Break My Heart," but we're anxious to see how the song does.

Emeli Sandé Is On A Journey In Naughty Boy's "Wonder" Video

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Sunday, September 23, 2012 0 comments

British producer, songwriter and creative visionary Naughty Boy brings us a brand new track and music video for his new track, "Wonder," featuring frequent collaborator Scottish singing sensation Emeli Sandé. In just four years, Naughty Boy has experienced an incredible career trajectory. From a tiny shed in Watford to his own state-of-the-art studio in Ealing, The rising producer has crafted compositions for everyone from Tinie Tempah, Wiley and Professor Green to Cheryl Cole, Leona Lewis as well as Emeli Sandé.
The latter's debut album "Our Version Of Events," largely produced by Naughty Boy, shot to No.1 earlier this year and is the biggest selling new album of the year so far. The cool master conductor has reintroduced the charts to the sound of ska, edgy urban beats and trip hop as well as uplifting, thought -provoking tunes rich with emotion, grandeur and drama. "Wonder," is the first single to be released by Naughty Boy himself.
With dramatic production and a powerful message, the song starts off with a subtle piano and Sand̩'s sweet and soft vocals. A chorus even chimes in as you can hear the clear and precise beauty behind Naughty Boy's creation. The euphoric track, with its uplifting carnival sound, is the lead single to be taken from his debut album, "Hotel Cabana," which will be available in early 2013. "I want it to be an album for our time; it has a concept to it, so it's more like a film in some respects," Naughty Boy said. "I view it like I'm not just a producer РI'm a director too."
Even the video feels like a movie and not just a short music video. As a songwriter and producer Naughty Boy politely flaunts his amazing gifts and talents on the story and song. The Nadia Otzen-directed clip sees Sandé floating on a boat surrounded by a forest containing pink foliage and she is on a journey to the spectacular "Hotel Cabana" being guided by the elusive gatekeeper. The star continues to travel towards a lone white door amongst the trees. The video is great and gives you a great look at what is to come with Naughty Boy's new album "Hotel Cabana."

Calvin Harris gives "Sweet Nothing" to his lover Florence Welch

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Saturday, September 22, 2012 0 comments

Calvin Harris has released a magnanimous new video for his new energetic jam, "Sweet Nothing," which features the guest vocals from Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine, and is the fifth single feature on the Scottish DJ's upcoming third studio album, "18 Months," which will be released at the end of October, and Harris stated via his Twitter account that it would be "like a compilation album but with me all over it."
This electro-disco dance-hall banger is about a lover who gives such sweet nothing. viewers are introduced to a back story that explains the sad lyrics. The ballad follows the familiar pattern of taking love-strung vocals and layering them over a bouncy, ever-building beat. It's a classic Harris club tune supporting Welch' iconic, quivering vocals. Ironically, Harris' outstanding production beats perfectly pound away as Welch's powerful vocals emotionally help you sail away through the video's emotional story.
Welch never really strains herself, apparently saving her typically athletic singing for tracks that won't primarily be used at dance music festivals. The English songstress adds her throaty vocals to a throbbing dancebeat and delivers more aggressive and animated performance as the beat gets faster and pounds away halfway through the video. The result is propulsive and ear catching, while also providing some series drama. The video is a little cinematic catharsis, directed by Vincent Haycock and was filmed over two days in a Working Men's Club in Dalston, London.
The video rather than depicting the usual fist pumping club scenes took on narrative form, and see this odd pair taking on characters in a downer narrative. It begins with a desolate-looking Harris is sitting in a fast-food restaurant waiting for his food, while Welch Playing the role of an abused woman as a mysterious cross-dressing cabaret singer in a small, dingy, seedy, Serbian nightclub, pouring the pain and frustration of her unfulfilled life and fearful of her future into every revealing and explosive performance, which continues to be artfully intercut with Harris' unfolding situation and eventually it all converges.

One Direction living for the moment in "Live While We're Young"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Friday, September 21, 2012 0 comments

One Direction unveiled their brand-new video four days earlier than originally planned for their new party jam, "Live While We're Young," the lead single taken from British-Irish boy band's upcoming sophomore studio album, "Take Me Home," due on November 13. The boys live up to the song's title by dipping into a lake fully-clothed and partying with girls on a sunny day. When the guys of One Direction say they want to live while they're young, they really mean it.
"Live While We're Young," is a rollicking three-minute romp through all your summer camp memories. It's a pop perfection and an immediate, energy packed song mixing rock undertones with smooth harmonies about living for the moment. The catchy tune is reminiscent of their previous hits "What Makes You Beautiful" and "One Thing," but it shows a more mature side to the U.K. pop group. The song delivers what fans loved about the last album: a poppy, energetic, happy-go-lucky track. This time, however, the boys seem to care less about finding that "one thing" than about having fun.
The track features the same hand claps, electric guitar riffs, and synthesizer bursts with its somewhat redolent, upbeat, frolicsome melody that made their debut album an upbeat pop smash. The accompanying music video was filmed on August in Kent, England. Follows in boy band tradition, the guys's latest clip jacks up the hilarity, goofing off as the Beatles, the Monkees, 'NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys once did. The crazy hijinks One Direction pull in the clip match the energetic song's carefree lyrics about living in the moment.
The video follows Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, and Zayn Malik on an epic summer adventure from a camping trip to the ultimate beach party. It feature the quintets frolicking with friends after camping out an splashing around like they're at summer camp in deference to their younger fans. They goof around in the great outdoors, strum acoustic guitars, tool around in a Jeep and engage in all manner of water play. And when they sing the song's hook "Live while we're young," we can't help but feel like they're absolutely right.

Tim McGraw Spins His Wheels and Gets Rowdy in "Truck Yeah"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Thursday, September 20, 2012 0 comments

Tim McGraw has debuted the video for his latest rock-n-rollin' single, "Truck Yeah," which is the first single release from McGraw's forthcoming label debut album since switching over to Big Machine Records. So far, the new label is working out for the 45-yeas-old legendary country star. The tune debuted at No.22 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart, making it the singer's highest solo chart debut ever.
The upbeat summery hit song was written by Chris Lucas and Preston Brust along with Chris Janson and Danny Myrick. "The theme of this song is pretty straight forward. It's for guys and girls who love jacked up trucks," McGraw explains in a statement. "It's a culture, and you don't have to be from the sticks and only listen to country music to want drive a truck, that's why I love the reference to Lil Wayne in the lyrics." The fired-up tune isn't intended to be the smartest song on the radio, but it might be the most fun.
The melody is driven by loud guitars and certainly is from the same school as "She's Country" and "Put You In A Song." It's clever from a sense that it rhymes the truck word along with repetitive 'yeah' parts in the song, that breeds instant familiarity and lends itself to what is probably already a staple of McGraw's songs. "Truck Yeah" may not be a song that says anything that's gonna change one's life but then again, it's a song meant to be nothing more than a part of the soundtrack of a good time, be it at a party or a concert. The swagger of the melody and McGraw's strong delivery of the lyrics makes "Truck Yeah" the hit that it is.
McGraw visited Chattanooga for two days in late August to film the video with director Chris Hicky, with shots of lifted trucks kicking up dust at the former site of U.S. Pipe and Foundry. The site spans a length of I-24 as the interstate passes Moccasin Bend. The video definitely captures the energy of the song, is all about country boys and girls who love cruising in a jacked-up truck, and filled with shots of buff men climbing in their suped-up rides, spinning their wheels and just having a little fun together. As night falls, the trucks surround McGraw, illuminating his tepid performance with their headlights.

Nelly Furtado throwback to her teenage & dances in "Parking Lot"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Wednesday, September 19, 2012 0 comments

Nelly Furtado shot the funky visuals to her latest banger, "Parking Lot," which is exactly where takes place, and the track is the third single lifted from her just-released fourth English-language studio album, "The Spirit Indestructible," which is shaping up to be the light at the end of a very dark tunnel, and indicative of Furtado's fearlessness when it comes to musical experimentation.
The Nostalgic theme song "Parking Lot," is where she revisits the memories of her hometown, as noted by the teenage-like breezy lyrics, with a repetitious boom-boom-clap beat and a horn loop that barely changes throughout the entire song. Said the 33-year-old Portuguese-Canadian popstar: "All my old memories suddenly became crystal clear to me, and I found myself re-visiting my past in a fresh and colorful way, on songs such as 'Parking Lot,' produced by Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins, where I detail good times in my hometown, sort of like my own take on 'Summer of '69.'"
Furtado has been so unpredictable this era. She sings like she's drunk here, intentionally slurring her words and constantly threatening to forget the melody. It should sound messy, but it doesn't. "Parking Lot" is a celebration of the simple moments of adolescence, when you could spend all day listening to music in your car with your friends and not worry about anything else. It's beautifully nostalgic and provoking, like a trippier take on Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream."
Reflecting the song's title, the Ray Kay-directed clip features the folk/R&B songstress and her friends hitting a party-filled parking lot and having a great time singing and dancing around with full of customized Mini Coopers including ones covered in fur, newspapers, animal print, and even Christmas lights. The 'Mi Plan' hitmaker dances on top of the cars, cuddles with stuffed animals in the backseat, and busts out some hula girl moves against a chain-link fence. Buckle up for the ride.

Easton Corbin debuts the acoustic version of "Are You With Me"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Tuesday, September 18, 2012 0 comments

Easton Corbin shoots a brand new video for acoustic version of "Are You With Me," an emotional ballad off of his sophomore record, "All Over the Road," which hits the shelves today, and he says it's "right down-the-middle country; it's what people expect from me.". In country, a successful self-titled debut breeds better tunes for the sophomore album, and Corbin is a man who knows his niche in the music industry. Following the success of his self-titled debut album in 2010, he returns with brand new music but stays consistent with his trademark traditional sound.
With a traditional-leaning sound somewhere between George Strait and George Jones, Corbin began carving out a place for himself in the modern country landscape when his first two singles hit No.1: "A Little More Country Than That" and "Roll With It." He was the first solo male country artist in 17 years to accomplish such a feat, and these two songs helped the young country singer/songwriter breakthrough with his successful 2010 self-titled debut. Now on his sophomore follow-up, "All Over the Road," Corbin's building on that success as he takes a significant step toward developing his sound.
Corbin's '90s-style neo-traditionalism offers lots of Telecaster and witty lyrics. The brief acoustic "Are You With Me" is a romantic power ballad and, according to Corbin, a stretch from what he typically does. On the stunning "Are You With Me," Corbin pushes himself into uncharted territory on a song unlike anything he's ever done. Pulsing bass, minor keys and reverb-filled guitar create a wide-open landscape for his introspective and vulnerable lyrics. "I want to love so hard it could rip my heart out," he sings with gripping visuals.
"Are You With Me" is sixth single in album, and finally this one does slow things down. I know country music fans pay a lot of attention to lyrics. I go to concerts, I hear them all singing along. This is one they will listen to the lyrics, the will remember the words, but I think at a show, they will leave Corbin do the singing on "Are You With Me." The 30-year-old Corbin, one of country's rising stars is a throwback to the genre's past and is also more than a little country. Enjoy the video.

Joss Stone gets us through magical adventure in "The High Road"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Monday, September 17, 2012 0 comments

The British neo-soul singer Joss Stone released the music video for "The High Road," the first U.S. single and a stone-cold soul makeover of the Broken Bells' cult hit, taken from UK songstress' latest sixth disc "The Soul Sessions, Vol. 2," a sultry, sexy covers-only affair. The resulting album showcases a young woman at the height of her vocal powers. The 25-year-old Grammy award winner's return to the soul basics that made her first album such a breakout hit fits cozily into my headphones as she breathes new life into old songs.
And as the name implies, "The Soul Sessions Vol. 2," follows in the footsteps of her 2003 debut album in that all the songs are cover versions of Soul classics, most of which were recorded in the 1960s and '70s. Or actually, make that most of the songs covered are Soul classics. One very notable exception is Stone' version of "The High Road," a song that was the first-ever single by electro-indie duo Broken Bells in 2009. The song juxtaposes an uplifting melodic chorus with a depressing lyric about not knowing if the dead can talk, or even not knowing if you're alive.
"The High Road" isn't that old but is something that Stone decided to put a soulful spin on with stellar results. And like all good remakes, Stone' version reshapes the original song into something that sounds fresh and new, but also has a familiar quality to it at the same time. This new smooth, spine-tingly tune replacing the original bluesy number's Danger Mouse-produced sheen with electric guitars, piano and her signature vocals, Stone unearths two Chi-Lites chestnuts and gives Broken Bells' "The High Road" a psychedelic-soul makeover. But her musical instincts are off, and she steamrolls nearly every song with her bombastic blues growl.
The psychedelic video features Stone taking a train ride to a very special station. She exits the subway and slap us with some melting Dali clocks and lead us through the enchanted forest on all sorts of magical adventures with all sorts of fantastical things surrounding her including an elephant that provides her next mode of transport. Stone then happens upon a hooded stranger who entices her into a game of chess, and how the game ends shouldn't really come as a surprise. Watch below to take "The High Road" with Stone into her dreamland of make believe.

Lisa Hannigan Experiencing Lost Love As A "Passenger On A Trip

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Sunday, September 16, 2012 0 comments

Dublin-based musician Lisa Hannigan returns to Los Angeles and released the official Myles O'Reilly-directed video for "Passenger," the title track from her latest stunning sophomore solo album which follows the Irish singer/songwriter's Mercury Prize-nominated solo debut, "Sea Sew." Despite the fact that many people would still likely recognize her talents before they would recognize her name. Nevertheless, her sophomore solo release, "Passenger," will surely more firmly establish her visibility.
Hannigan is one of the most interesting singer/songwriters of contemporary indie folk panorama. Ironic, pleasant and with an inborn musical talent. Her music, precise and autumnal, anoints folk-rooted ballads with dark strings, twinkling guitars and sharp mandolins. But it's Hannigan's spectral voice that gives the songs their alluring chill. Hannigan has crafted an evocative and quietly poetic sophomore album fulfills the sweet promise of her first, offering even more undulating emotional journey, and more honed arrangements, alliterative lyrics and vocals that vibrate with feeling.
"Sea Sew" was very upbeat and the songs varied in speed and tempos. "Passenger" feels unforced, spontaneous, timeless, and keeps a steadier pace and the melodies are more mellow. It explores themes and embarks to an interior geography such as travel, home and the passage of time and the songs find her blown sideways through life, expelled from home, pushed by the wind or experiencing lost love as a passenger on a trip you can't ditch, no matter how far you travel. The new album is a perfect kick-off to autumn, a subtle gem of an album that is a sure-fire name-maker.
The title track, "Passenger," is a sweet and fun song. It definitely reminds me of something Ingrid Michaelson would write and sing. Hannigan sings about a trip through the US. It's a great listen. Like all good actresses, Hannigan is not just telling stories here, she's mapping the absurd, mischievous, troubling but always potentially transcendent landscape of human emotion in which we are all journeying. With the release of "Passenger," Hannigan, now 31, seems to be drawing a line under all that, or at least signalling the end of a lengthy apprenticeship and the arrival of a mature singer-songwriter possessed of an idiosyncratic yet thoroughly accessible gift.

Eric Church Is Planning To Rob And Stop A Train In "Creepin'"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Saturday, September 15, 2012 0 comments

Eric Church and his bandmates embark on a mission to stop a runaway train around the turn of the 20th century in his just-premiered the music video exclusively on Rolling Stone on Friday for Country's rowdiest star's latest single, "Creepin'," as the fourth single from the 35-year-old's third effect, "Chief," which has received a nomination for Best Country Album at the 54th Grammy Awards.
"Creepin'," is a mid-tempo in which the narrator describes the memory of a former lover as being similar to "creepin'," and it's the lament of a man who's mind hasn't been quite right since his woman moved on. Church's rock roots are clear as he returns to the outer rim of what country radio will play. "Springsteen" and "Drink in My Hand" were obvious radio hits, becoming his first two No.1 singles. This new hard-rocking heartbreaker uses liberal amounts of distortion and vocal effects, turning a quick and easy story into a nearly four minute-long jam.
The song gets even better when you follow along with the lyrics on paper. The vivid imagery gets lost in the rock and roll attitude of "Creepin'," and that this swampy tune grabs the listener's attention from the get-go. The video, which took place at the Tennessee Valley Train Depot in the middle of a sweaty summer day, was directed by Peter Zavadil. It features a normally sunglass-clad star sans his regular shades as he and his bandmates disguised as bandits planning to rob a train in a late 18th century old west fashion.
"It's a lot deeper than people think," Church explains. "Some people think, 'They're just robbing a train,' but that's not true. The 'memory train' line is really about this guy who's haunted by a ghost of some sort; she's the main female character. What you don't know is she's the one feeding the coal that makes this train get crazier and go farther and take him back through all these memories. It looks like we're robbing the train but we're stopping the train. The song was supposed to be the thing that saved him and stops this process from happening."

Ciara Is Trying To Make Amends With Her Ex-beau In "Sorry"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Friday, September 14, 2012 0 comments

After an extended hiatus Ciara finally returns to the music world and says sorry in premiere of the new sensual video for her brand new song, "Sorry." The regretful, radio-friendly ballad, produced by Jasper Cameron, who created her smash "Promise," serves as the lead single off her upcoming fifth studio album, "One Woman Army," which is a deeply personal record that's authentic, emotionally honest, and it exposes a softer side of Ciara, set to drop December 4th.
The slow R&B jam, is a ballad and was described by Ciara as a "very, very real record." Helmed by Jasper Cameron, the emotional song was inspired by a former boyfriend and really turned out great. "It's someone that I really loved," Ciara told ESSENCE. "They'll know who they are when they hear the song." With the release of "Sorry," Ciara' soaring again. The passion forCiara has remained steady with her legions of fans since her 2004 debut.
The the 26-year-old singer is known for her slow, grinding R&B songs, and "Sorry" is clearly a continuation of that trend. This is R&B at it's finest. Regardless, this record is a clear hit for both Urban and Rhythmic radio, and could easily be her biggest hit in years. Much like its stunning visual, "Sorry" has all the trappings of the perfect R&B piece while serving a vibe clean cut enough to push on all formats. The instrumentation doesn't reveal much, and that very brief clip is a pretty melancholy affair.
The R&B songstress is pulling out all the stops for her latest cinematic video, which was shot in Malibu earlier August with director Christopher Sims. The R&B siren smolders on screen and cozies up to her hunky co-star in the clip. It's clear that she is trying to make amends with the dude, and make it plain and clear to her ex-beau that all he has to do is apologize to have her heart again. The clip reflects Ciara' evolution as an artist; it showcases a surprisingly gentle Ciara at her strongest yet, especially on a vocal tip.

Flyleaf Reflecting On Past And Looking Toward "New Horizons"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Thursday, September 13, 2012 0 comments

Flyleaf are back after taking a well-deserved break, and they've returned with their emotionally charged clip for "New Horizons," the first single and title track from the rockers' upcoming third full-length disc. The Texas-based alternative metal band are gearing up to release, and decided to name their next album after their new track, while it speaks about enjoying the moment and thinking about the future, actually takes on more reflective feel within the new music video.
The lead singer Lacey Sturm' voice takes center stage, with a big assist from the twin guitar assault of Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Hartmann. She sings to the camera, "There is no such thing as time inside this moment no surprise, wait until I fly," while she and her bandmates look through photos and gifts collected through the years. Bassist Pat Seals describes the tune: "'New Horizons' expresses a feeling of looking toward the unknown future with hope. Definitely one of our best and most joyful songs - I am excited to see how our fans will receive it."
This catchy new single features a slightly more mellow Sturm over a melodic beat, but the song works simply because it manages to catch your ear right out of the gate and leaves you wanting more by the time it is over. Sturm has an uncanny ability to encode uplifting messages within sublime hard rock, and the track continues that tradition. Simultaneously, the group continues to challenge itself and evolve, and that's the most wonderful and refreshing aspect of the latest from Flyleaf.
"New Horizons" is all about letting go of the past and looking hopefully towards the future, and its video does just that. It's everything you've come to expect from rock quintet Flyleaf: loud, anthemic, and inspiring. In the clip, while looking back and reflecting, Seals takes viewers on a tour alternates between shots of the band playing in a backlit, hazy living room and photographs of the group in various stages of their career. At the end, Sturm opens up a photo album and then joins her husband and son on a picnic blanket, and you've got one of Flyleaf's most emotional videos to date.

Robbie Williams Plays A Guardian Angel For His Lady In "Candy"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Wednesday, September 12, 2012 0 comments

Robbie Williams is back for another solo effort with British pop star's comeback solo single, "Candy," the lead single to be lifted from his upcoming ninth studio LP, "Take The Crown," which will be released on November 5. The 38-year-old, the grown up boy bander, said he was less than enthused with his last two albums, and seems to be more keen on his new solo release.
The track, which was co-written by former Take That bandmate Gary Barlow, is no “Angels,” “Feel,” or “She’s the One.” It's an up-tempo, a quite catchy and enjoyable pop number, a bit similar to his classic hit, "Tripping." It'll just take a few listens to groove to the beat of the music. Speaking about the tune which comes complete with sugary-sweet pink artwork, Williams said: "It's a summer song, very much in a similar vein to 'Rock DJ,' about a girl who thinks she's great. And she might be, but she's a bit nefarious with her ways." This song is a big brilliant bang of pop ridiculousness.
Williams sticks it to the gran in brutal new promo, which was shot in Spitalfields, East London last month and saw hundreds of fans turn up to get a glimpse at the singer. The "Candy" visual features Williams wrecks havoc as a seemingly immortal guardian angel and a knight in shining armor, who causes all sorts of trouble with a penchant for mayhem, and trying do everything to protect and make things more comfortable to his beloved beautiful mortal, played by Skins actress Kaya Scodelario, who dressed in a royal blue dress and huge sunglasses, remains unaware of his presence.
The violent scene includes he getting run over by cars, gets in a serious fight, punches a harmless old woman who gets in her way, standing between two vehicles that collide, escaping both accidents unscathe, catches on fire, attacks a couple of men but fails to harm a beefy fella, who ends up launching him through a pub window, and many other terrible things, only for the sake of THE GIRL. He suffers bruises and cuts in the process. It's a totally fun and brilliant video! Williams soared to super-stardom with Angels, so it's no surprise that he is trying to encourage some heavenly intervention for his come back single.

Kat DeLuna Makes It Rain In "Wanna See U Dance (La La La)"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Tuesday, September 11, 2012 0 comments

Kat DeLuna takes inspiration from Adam and Eve story in a just-released sexy video to support her latest dance track, "Wanna See U Dance (La La La)," the first single off of the 24-year-old pop singer's upcoming third album, "ViVa Out Loud," which is due the end of 2012. It's been a while since we have received new music from DeLuna. Her hit song "Whine Up" topped the charts in 2007, even making it to No.1 on the Billboard dance/club song chart, and now she's got a new track set to do the same.
Co-written by DeLuna and one of her best friends, and offers nods to several genres with the returning rise of samba-sampling and the Caribbean-influenced work edging, "Wanna See U Dance (La La La)" samples Bellini's classic worldwide hit "Samba de Janeiro." DeLuna said of the infectious song "is a straight-up call to get everyone out on the dancefloor. It has new sounds. I have ballads, but infused with crazy dub step. And then again, I'm giving you guys the hard core pop, Latin, dance infused dance songs, and then influence it with a little bit of Brazilian-esque music."
In typical DeLuna fashion, the song is an earworm thanks to the counterpoint of a catchy chorus with a strong musical accompaniment fitting like proverbial hand in glove. While the song isn't as instanteously punchy as say "Drop It Low" or "Whine Up" before it, it instead blends a bit more into the sound popular at the moment while still retaining her unique timbre, sexuality and sense of identity. Will it be enough to give DeLuna her due with the mainstream populice? We can hope.
The steamy clip, is a steamy masterpiece bridging fashion and dance music, features a jungle-inspired motif complete with short-haired, blonde Bronx native is wandering in the jungle, and frolicking with a shirtless male models of her desires under the heavy-pouring rain. The footage is also mixed with scenes of DeLuna flipping her short blonde bob and demonstrating her dance dance samba on a slippery floor with water, naturally. Later we see the singer getting up close and personal with her man as rain pours down. Something has to put out that fire!

Andy Grammer Finds Life After A Breakup In "Miss Me" Video

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Monday, September 10, 2012 0 comments

Andy Grammer has premiered his new music video exclusively on VH1 for his new track, "Miss Me," third single comes from Grammer's self-titled debut album which has released last summer, and hit No.1 on the Heatseekers chart. We all know the moment. You know, when an epiphany comes floating into your consciousness and you realize it's time to exit stage left of a relationship. The lights come on, and boom, your hand is forced and the decision is pretty much made for you.
Regular people who have been cheated on or experienced adversity in life take strength from the metaphorical healing power of glowsticks in Grammer's new video "Miss Me." The video opens with a shot of the 28-year-old singer and a distraught woman, played by actress Briana Evigan, seemingly reaching the end of their relationship. As Grammer walks away, he breaks an extra-large glowstick over his knee, which lights up the space around him. The warm glow of the light seems to serve as a symbol for strength and resilience, and he soldiers on.
As Grammer continues singing the track, a woman arrives home to find the love of her life kissing another woman. Heartbroken, she breaks a glowstick. Other people fighting with their significant others carry their own light and walk towards the roof of a building, which emits a bright green glow. When they reach the roof, they find Grammer and his band performing the song while hundreds of glowstick-wielding onlookers cheer and sing along, proving there is life after a breakup. Grammer and the woman who caught her husband cheating end up trading smiles as the video fades out, leaving the impression that perhaps they'll get together.
Grammer applies a strong visual to a universal event most humans know all too well: the break-up. Using just-lit green glow-sticks to signify the termination of romances depicted in the clip, Grammer illustrates that even after heartbreaking infidelity, arguements, and served divorce papers, there is light at the end of the tunnel. As each of the video's characters navigate their respective splits with a partner, the neon green light of their independence glow-stick leads them to a rockin' rooftop party where, in newly-single solidarity, others like them are celebrating the fact that their exes will most assuredly regret doing them wrong, and ultimately, miss them.

Saint Lou Lou Debut Herb Ritts-esque Visual For "Maybe You"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Sunday, September 9, 2012 0 comments

Saint Lou Lou, the Swedish-Australian twin sister duo, have released the music video for their debut single, "Maybe You," a hazy slice of heartbroken, fragile dream-pop. The 21-year-old twins Elektra and Miranda Kilbey look fabulous and sound dolorous. What a combination. They're pop songs, not indie or electronic ones, even though you can see the alternative crowd digging them and detect elements of the latter creeping into their construction. Now the girls are planning to move to London to finish their debut album, due in 2013.
The beautifully eerie "Maybe You," is layered like gauzy, loose chiffon with acoustic guitar strums heartfelt, ’80s-inspired chords, plinking piano notes follow along, plenty of sweeping haze hovers like thick, inscrutable fog around the sisters's interwoven harmonies. It's easy to feel like playing it too loud might break it, but listen in headphones to get the full, 360-degree effect of that soft bass pulse and that heartrendering, otherworldly chorus. With its sleepy, minor chord synths and innate sense of longing for what could have been, "Maybe You" feels like the perfect end-of-summer song for the end of summer, paired to a video that matches the music's mood to perfection.
In fact, the disparity between the seasons and climates infuses everything about the music made by twins, the pair splitting their time between the crisp winters of Sweden and the balmy summers of Australia. For their first ever video they've worked with fashion director Philippe Tempelman to create a gorgeous, Herb Ritts-esque visual representation of the song featuring slow panning shots of beautiful people in beautiful locations. Like the song itself, the whole thing burns with an underlying sense that everything is not as it seems.
Knowing they wanted "a photographer who could capture the 'frozen moments' in time enigmatically," the Saint Lou Lou sisters hired Mattias Montero to shoot the video. Half the video takes place inside an apartment in Stockholm; the other half filmed outdoors, on an island called Muskö. But the dualities go far beyond the two contrasting set-ups, as the sisters manage to successfully evoke an "element of dreaminess in both the song and the video, as well as a sense of melancholy." Definitely romantic, somewhat haunting, and at teams even heartbreaking.

Leona Lewis performs stripped down acoustic version of 'Trouble'

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Saturday, September 8, 2012 0 comments

To celebrate the upcoming release, Leona Lewis has turned all hip hop with an exclusive live performance video, a stripped back solo version for her comeback track, "Trouble," which features US rapper Childish Gambino, and serves as the second single for the 27-year-old British singer's third LP, "Glassheart," which will be released in the UK on October 15, and a day later in the US.
Having won the UK version of the X Factor back in 2006, Lewis' new song is a typically emotional song about a failing relationship, and the subject matter suits her voice well. Taking musical inspiration from British trip hop pioneers Massive Attack, "Trouble" is a mid-tempo piano and strings-driven ballad speaking of Lewis' break-up with childhood sweetheart Lou Al-Chamaa. It's an anguished epic journey that reveals ethereal, haunting tones and chilling falsetto added with a modern twist of rap that simultaneously showcase the sheer power and intimacy of Lewis' incredible talent. The song was powerful, it's heartfelt and it confirms Lewis as one of the most remarkable vocalists of the day.
Lewis explained the aim and meaning behind "Trouble:" "it tells the story of love going bad and becoming destructive, aspects of which we can all relate to. It's a deeply emotional and poignant song that I have a real connection to." The song has a convincing, compelling and dramatic vocal performance which works brilliantly against its opulent but bleak mid-tempo production. "Trouble" is a return to the "safer" templates of her first two albums, but the song's production is a vaguely trip-hop beat buffeted by soaring strings and a troubled lyric in the chorus.
The smooth acoustic performance was recorded live in a studio in just one take, and was filmed in black and white. The moody video features a stripped vocal performance set against a minimal cello and piano production accompanied by a pianist and a violinist. It's really just a chance for Lewis to show off her impressive soprano over soaring strings without the distraction of a video. And it works well, giving the song a raw and emotional edge. While the original version just about added up to the sum of its individually brilliant parts, the acoustic perhaps even better than the original.

Ellie Goulding gets into a car accident in 'Anything Could Happen'

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Friday, September 7, 2012 0 comments

Ellie Goulding unveils an official music video for her song, "Anything Could Happen," the lead single from the 25-year-old British singer's upcoming sophomore studio album, "Halcyon," is a bit more tribal and anthemic, hits stores October 9th via Polydor. The video revolves around a couple's car crash near a Malibu beach. Check out the flawless execution of her simple yet daringly original concept after the jump.
"I suppose it's one of those songs where I sort of talk about bits of my childhood, but also about my friendship with this person, and I suppose it's a song of realization," Goulding expressed to MTV News. "I'm hoping it will make people go out and propose to their girlfriends or go on that holiday they never ended up doing. I hope it will provoke positivity, as opposed to make people really sad." The electro-pop songstress clearly possesses a taste for the dramatic.
Directed by Floria Sigismondi, the clip is set on a magical, futuristic Malibu beach, with scenes of Goulding draped in ghostly white and rushing tides in epic slow-mo fashion - kind of a perfect setting for this chilling electronic track. "I wanted there to be a surreal aspect but also something very emotional and touching," she said about the clip. "The idea that so much can change in a single instant scare me and I like confronting my fears."
The video begins with a scenic view of the waves hitting the shores of Malibu. Following a tragic car accident, Goulding wakes up on a beach in an ornate, flowing gown, and an off-white almost-tattered dress while lying on a rock, and seems to be trying to remember how she got there. The clip then starts with quick and bright cuts of Goulding driving with her soul mate, until we suddenly join her on a beach. As we begin to unravel more of the alien beach conundrum with Phantasm-like orbs and other alien geometric shapes, we see her start to have a nosebleed. It will leave you feeling shocked and moved, but still wanting to shake it on the dance floor.

Muse set a fractured romance against riot break out in "Madness"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Thursday, September 6, 2012 0 comments

After the mostly-ridiculed Queen-inspired bombast of their Summer Olympics anthem "Survival," Muse return with the video for their new dubstep-inflected follow-up single, "Madness," the second single from the British alt-rockers' upcoming sixth studio album "The 2nd Law," has been slated October 2nd as the North American release date.
This time, though, Muse swap bombastic bass brutality for wubby subtleties as frontman Matthew Bellamy croons over the surprisingly gentle pop track. "Madness" impresses with a more restrained electronic arrangement. Some might wonder if Muse have in fact gone mad based on the opening few seconds. It highlights the U.K. band's much ballyhooed new dubstep sound, both futuristic and retro, with whirring electronics balanced by small doses of Queen-like operatic harmonies, and an icy synth groove reminiscent of Depeche Mode.
Bellamy wrote the song with only a synthesizer and a drum machine as a personal reflection after having an argument with his girlfriend Kate Hudson. He has called the song "probably my favorite song that I've ever written." The unusual blend of sounds works far better than it probably should. With calm, languid and sweet, the track takes its time to make its point, but once it does, it's as enjoyable as Muse's other airy ballads. NME described the song as "taking the defining noise of 'base music' and using it to create slinky, soft rock sex music."
The song is much more mellow than the group's biggest arena-sized hits, and the ambitious video is suitably subdued even when the riot cops break out the fire hoses. The Anthony Mandler-directed clip sets a fractured romance against the backdrop of violence. As the electronic tune squiggles along, a young couple meet on a neon-lit subway, only to have a riot break out. The gorgeous woman and tatted-up bloke skirt and play it pretty cool until they finally consummate their flirtation with a passionate kiss. Love is powerful and sometimes fleeting. In other words its' typical Muse madness.

Green Day Fires Shots at Electronic Dance Music to "Kill The DJ"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Wednesday, September 5, 2012 0 comments

Green Day have been pretty generous with their new material lately, and dropped another brand new video for their follow-up tune, "Kill The DJ," the second single from the punk rock band's forthcoming ninth daredevil LP release, "¡Uno!" the first of three album trilogy, which the Green Day singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong admitted: "We're not going with the big Marshall-amp thing. We wanted something punchier, more power pop - somewhere between AC/DC and the early Beatles."
"Kill the DJ" is a dance-punk song with a somewhat sinister feel that takes influences from dance music, something that Green Day have never done before, and is close to straight-up dance music and four-on-the-floor rhythm. It strictly for basement dancefloors everywhere. The fun and funky track shows us a bright new direction for the band, with a catchy melody and an even more infectious chorus. The band have proven time and again, even back in the days of "Warning" and "Nimrod," that they're quite capable of slipping into different genres and experimenting with different sounds to great success.
Green Day don't actually want you to kill any DJs. It's not literal. It's more of a metaphor for information overload, and a point so obvious it feels almost gauche to point out, but given the recent relentless pace of depressing headlines, it seems important to explain these things slowly. "This is close to a floor filler, something the Californian punksters have only briefly dabbled with in the past. "This song is sort of a left turn, kind of going into something more of a four-on-the-floor dance groove," Armstrong told MTV News.
Green Day apparently isn't taking kindly to the expansion of electronic dance music in the Sam Bayer-directed new promo, which starts with black-and-white imagery of the pop-punk trio riding their dirt bikes through the desert on motorbikes before showing the band entertaining the revelers at a seedy discotheque where plenty of blood and rock 'n' roll credibility gets spilled. Once inside, the band perform in front of a packed crowd and continue playing despite a fight breaking out between two women in the crowd, who both end up with bloody noses.

Asher Monroe Is Walking Past A Neon Sign In "Here With You"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Tuesday, September 4, 2012 0 comments

Asher Monroe suits up for his newest, futuristic music video for his upbeat dance track, "Here With You," which showcases his musical ability. The infectious dance-pop anthem, which was written by OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, is available now on iTunes, and will also appear on his forthcoming debut solo album, which is shaping up to be a dynamic collection of beat driven, irresistible pop melodies.
Acting in music videos is no stretch for the 23-year-old Singer-songwriter, actor and dancer, you might recognize Monroe from when he was a former leader singer for R&B-pop vocal group V-Factory, or stealing hearts on the big-screen in "Fame," and guest-starring on shows like "The Mentalist" and "Parenthood." Now, Monroe is ready to release his debut solo album, starting with his first single, "Here With You," which sees Monroe conjour up an Ibiza-infused dance epic that celebrates summer loving on those balmy summer nights.
The party video matches the mood of the track, and viewers get to hear a portion of the song. Set to a thumping track that feels a little like The Wanted's "Glad You Came" meets Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love." The video has a youthful, Los Angeles feel, much like his clip for "Like I Do," only this time Monroe gets to have a group of friends around to join in the fun. The footage takes us to the set of the "Here With You" video, where an empty house is converted into a nightclub. Monroe tells viewers, "I'm gonna start over here on this piano and do a little serenading for the ladies."
The new video depicts a celebration at a house in the hills for Monroe and dozens of his closest friends, and a wild end-of-summer PAR-TEE complete with drinks, bikini-clad ladies, and dancing - a lot of dancing. Monroe walks through the room while it is in pause mode. Everyone is frozen in time and it is only his magic touch that brings them back to life. The party anthem will be burned into your brain for forever, probably, and the video serves as yet another reminder of yet another attractive-people gathering that I was not invited to.

Paper Route falls asleep when a girl wants his heart in 'You And I'

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Monday, September 3, 2012 0 comments

Nashville indie rock trio Paper Route released the music video for their new song, "You And I," the second single from their upcoming long awaited self-released sophomore album, "The Peace of Wild Things," would be released on September 11. The three-piece have become known for their blend of infectious beats, larger than life melodies and soaring choruses; this collection is worth the wait for Paper Route fans and will serve as a breath of fresh air for music fans.
"You And I," like most Paper Route songs, is built around a beat. "Drums are a huge part of the Paper Route songwriting process," says vocalist J.T. Daly. "We tend to write like a hip hop band almost. It's all about beat placement." It's extremely well-produced and slightly addictive. A far cry from my typical listening habits, but the unique electronic elements and spot-on vocals are too good to pass up. "You and I," is a heartfelt anthem that delivers hazy synthesizers, a chunky rhythm section and inspirational words.
No, it's not like the Lady Gaga song of the same name. It's synthy and very '80s. It could have easily lived on the soundtrack of a John Hughes film. While "The Peace of Wild Things" lyrically chronicles specific experiences of soul-crushing disillusionment and a fractured sense of faith and wonder down to the minute particulars, its creators presume - very much in the traditions of Romantic poetry and '80s New Wave – that creatively fixating on the local, the achingly personal even, is probably the surest path to the universal.
Shot in a black-and-white world of years passed, "You and I" has the Nashville-based band on a rescue mission. Daly's subconscious, it seems, leans towards the film-noir side. "I get to punch someone, ride a motorcycle, and I get the girl," he says. The female in the video wants Daly to give her his heart. He's apprehensive and falls asleep dreaming about her request. He battles these shadowed figures who are trying to "kill" her. The shadowed figure are actually Daly preventing himself from giving her his heart. After saving the female, he concedes and gives his heart to her, only to have her shoot his heart. He wakes up from his dream still undecided.

Casey James takes on the dramatic role in "Crying On A Suitcase"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Sunday, September 2, 2012 0 comments

Casey James just released the emotionally-charged video for "Crying on a Suitcase," which fits in perfectly with the heart-wrenching song, the follow-up to Season 9 American Idol's debut single, "Let's Don't Call It A Night" from his eponymous debut album. It's a more straightforward, mainstream country song than "Let's Don't Call It a Night," which leaned more toward soul or blues. The 30-year-old Texas native' delivery here is appropriately urgent.
Often a new artist will languish between less definite emotions, however, and the more mainstream cuts from his self-titled album are less convincing. The soul-country sub-genre is one that no artist has really claimed, but James is clearly comfortable mixing influences. This is an easy album to listen to start to finish, and the singer's beachy, gravely timber make him easy to identify. James used his time wisely, building a project that should provide the foundation for a nice career.
"Crying On A Suitcase" is a boppy melody driving and a solid piece of modern country. Chugging electric guitars, a nut-and-bolt tight rhythm section and swirling B-3 organ compliment James' bluesy voice. The song doesn't waste any time before it hits the hooks James is begging, but the story calls for begging. This guy needs to get off his duff and catch the girl before she flies away. "This song is so intense and emotional. The idea of someone right on the verge of losing their loved one, and doing everything to keep it from happening. Who hasn't been there?" shares James.
Filmed in Nashville, he takes on the dramatic role of a man desperate to save his relationship in the emotionally-charged video, which opens with a shot of James standing alone in a bathroom, staring into the mirror. Judging by his shaggy hair and tired eyes, he's contemplating a seriously sad situation. As the video cuts to a montage of the singer hiking, dancing, and taking photos with a beautiful girl, it's easy to see that James is playing the forlorn lover of a girl who has left him. Sure enough, the video shows the two once-lovebirds arguing until the beautiful brunette picks up her suitcase and walks out the door.

Bob Dylan strolling the streets at night in "Duquesne Whistle"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Saturday, September 1, 2012 0 comments

Bob Dylan has premiered the official video over at Rolling Stone's website for new single "Duquesne Whistle," the first single to be taken from the veteran songwriter's upcoming LP, "Tempest," the 35th studio album of Dylan's long and influential career, is due for release on September 11, fifty years and six months after the commencement of his recoding career. Given that 'The Tempest' was Shakespeare's final play, and we know that Dylan is a student of the Bard, could this be the 71-year-old artist's way of telling us that with this record he's calling it quits?
The jaunty "Duquesne Whistle," begins in the middle of a scene, like the fade-in in a classic Western. The music starts faintly, as if in a vintage pleasure palace, with the band playing rock and roll ragtime off in the corner. Dylan himself unleashes the rubbery guitar chord change that repeats for the rest of the song, sounding just like a locomotive blast. The real story unfolds through its delicious rhythms and in that unshakeable whistle and the loquacious vivaciousness of Dylan's voice. Complete with jamming organ and slick guitar licks, the whistle threatens "to blow my blues away."
The acerbic, goofy video, is an admirably opaque thing from Aussie director Nash Edgerton, sees Dylan as the leader of a hilariously Lynchian-gang of misfits, strolling the streets of Los Angeles at night with menace in their eyes, while a seemingly unconnected storyline about a handsomely scruffy young man trying desperately to pick up cute, strange girl, but he can never keep from getting pepper sprayed, or put in jail, or receiving a Tarantino-esque beating, turns out really, really badly takes place during the day.
It opens a handsomely scruffy young man is waiting for the object of his affections, a Zooey Deschanel type, as she emerges from a building. He follows her down the street, steals a red rose from a flower vendor and accosts her at her mid-'70s AMC Gremlin. Instead of being charmed by the attention, she maces the sucker and speeds off. The mating ritual repeats itself the next day, but this time the florist whistles for the cops. However, in his attempt to escape, he tries to create a stumbling block for the fuzz by throwing a ladder down to the ground without realizing that a man was perched on the ladder. It's hard to recall the last time we've seen a video this dark and contradictory to the song's tone, while the whole thing is pretty ridiculous and great.

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