03

Apr

Charli XCX – “What I Like” Video

Charli XCX, an English singer, is jumping on that 80s/90s lo-fi music video style that Sky Ferreira and Casket Girls have done with their own previous music videos. The difference is, where Ferreira’s video was more on another drugged out level, and Casket Girls’ video was more of a parody of the Internet’s existence, Charli XCX’s video makes pains to be the most hip thing you have ever seen. And even though that should make me hate it, I really cannot bring myself to crinkling my nose and closing the YouTube tab I have open. Maybe it is that spiked collar, maybe it is just that she is soooo Internet right now or maybe I just really should accept that even though I write for a music blog does not mean I have to hate everything (Editor’s note: this is debatable).

True Romance, her upcoming full length, is scheduled to drop of April 18th, so keep an eye out for that if you want some more auto-tuned songs about puppy love. Check out her video for “What I Like” below and get ready for a really meta slumber party with lyrics about smoking and “husband and wife shit” while being shown girls jumping around with a dog and blowing bubbles.

50 days ago Short URL Comments

Lo-fi/Pop/Synth Pop/Video

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02

Apr

Ariana Grande – “The Way” ft. Mac Miller

Every thug has to have a soft side, and I guess that is why I am so into this song. Also, Mac Miller is in it so it is kind of an obvious winner in my book because I have a weird obsession with him (yes, I even like “Turkey Love“, the 21 minute song he released about a month ago. Die hard fans put cha hands up!). The song is a pretty solid pop song, after you get over the fact that the song is probably 60% chorus. Ariana Grande’s voice reminds me of a young Mariah Carey, especially at the end when she is hittin’ them high notes.

I have been blasting this song for a minute now, and the video is just the next step for my obsession. Basically it is just Mac and Ariana being cute and taking pictures of each other or playing with balloons (and a make out session at the end. Hot). I feel like this is the type of thing that pop songs should have more of, aka solid beats, good voices (sans auto-tune s’il vous plaît…) and some cheesy but cute rap verses.

If you are ready to have some fun, check out the video below. If you don’t like fun, love or pop, don’t worry, I’ll be returning with some more hard core rap beats soon. But until then, check out Ariana Grande’s debut into the music scene below:

51 days ago Short URL Comments

Hip Hop/Pop/Video

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12

Feb

Lizzart – “Moves Like Pink Matter”

Hey remember when “Moves Like Jagger” was all over the radio and it was fun to listen to for about a week until it came on literally every other song? Yeah, I do too. Since then I have not been able to stand the song, and when I hear those first three notes of the song I get a very strong desire to vomit and / or change the channel.

However, with “Moves like Pink Matter”, the newest ruh-ruh-ruh-reeeeeemixxxxx of Lizzart, I have started to be able to stand the song again! With the addition of the intro to Frank Ocean’s “Pink Matter” the once annoying “Moves Like Jagger” starts to resinate as music once again rather than just obnoxious sounds.

Check out Lizzart’s newest song below and let us know what you think in the comments:

100 days ago Short URL Comments

Mashup/Pop/Remix/Rock

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19

Oct

COVER FRIDAYS: Stooshe – “Waterfalls” (Originally by TLC)

Who doesn’t like “Waterfalls”? Stooshe, an English group, comes through with this really solid cover of “Waterfalls” which is originally by TLC (just throwing that in there in case you live under a bridge). Check out Stooche’s version and then get your 90s groove on a listen to TLC’s version below that.

R.I.P. Left Eye <3

Stooche – “Waterfalls”

TLC – “Waterfalls”

216 days ago Short URL Comments

Cover/Pop/R&B

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28

Sep

Azealia Banks – “Luxury” Video

By now, you should already be a huge fan of Azealia Banks. With fast tracks like “1991” and “Fuck Up the Fun“, Azealia Banks has already made her imprint on the rap scene by throwing in a new (and hellaaaaaa fast) voice into the mix. Although she has already released a crazy video or two, (“Liqorice” anyone?) her video for “Luxury” (which is off of her Fanatasea mixtape) came out today and has made the internet blow up.

The actual song, “Luxury”, is something that Azealia doesn’t do that often. Instead of being chalk full of quick and biting lines, we get to hear more of “musical” side of her; almost the entire song with sung, with her only rapping for a few seconds starting at 1:22. The visuals are beautiful, and show Azealia around New York. It is entirely in black and white, which works with the “Luxury” mood. Although this isn’t typical Azealia, she still does it damn well. Check out the video for “Luxury” below.

237 days ago Short URL Comments

Hip Hop/Pop/Rap/Video

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25

Sep

Missy Elliott – “Triple Threat”

So…Missy Elliott has been completely off of the radar for somewhere around 7 years, but now she is back! Or at least sort of. Her newest song, “Triple Threat” has a Timbaland feature and beat which is generally the recipe for success (anyone remember that time when Nelly Furtado was really popular?), but for some reason this song falls flat. Not to say that Missy Elliott can’t make the comeback record of the century, but I am just not feeling this song. Maybe it is because it is raining and that just makes me generally hate everything, but I really wanted another “Work It” because that is the greatest song ever (as far as I am concerned). If you are interesting in getting to know the new Missy, or just want to call me out for unnecessarily hatin’, listen to “Triple Threat” below:

240 days ago Short URL Comments

Pop/Rap

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24

Aug

COVER FRIDAYS: Nite Jewel & Nicholas Krgovich – “Thinking About You” (Originally by Frank Ocean)

By now, we have all heard “Thinkin’ Bout You” a million times, and yet, we all still love it. Even though covering a Frank Ocean tune seems silly because no one has as beautiful of a voice, many have stepped up to the test. First, we have Nite Jewel & Nicholas Krgovich, who made this song much more low-fy, which works well for covers of this song because packing the same power that Ocean does is almost impossible. By bringing down the tone and splitting the vocals between two people, this cover is a pretty solid one. Both voices in this cover are beautiful, but I can’t help feel like they recorded this cover in one of their basements. Check out Nite Jewel & Nicholas Krgovich’s cover of “Thinking About You” below, with Frank Ocean’s classic below it.

Nite Jewel & Nicholas Krgovich – “Thinking About You”

Frank Ocean – “Thinking About You”

272 days ago Short URL Comments

Cover/Pop/R&B/Soul

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21

Aug

AlunaGeorge – “Your Drums, Your Love”

AlunaGeorge’s newest single, “Your Drums, Your Love” is everything I hope for from a European pop/electro/hip-hop based/soul group of space alien tendencies. With out-of-the-world sounding blips beginning “Your Drums, Your Love”, AlunaGeorge (fantastically) treads a middle ground between weird outer space/underwater influences and the pop music charts. The chorus is delightful (there really is no other word for it) and electronic background is enough to get you out onto the floor.

You will be able to get “Your Drums, Your Love” in stores on October 7th, and you can expect AlunaGeorge’s full length sometime in 2013. So, to sedate your need for more electronic grooves, check out “Your Drums, Your Love” below.

275 days ago Short URL Comments

Electronic/Pop/R&B/Soul

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17

Aug

Cover Fridays: Ellie Goulding – “High For This” (Originally by The Weeknd)

Hello loyal WGWI readers,

We decided to do something a little different every Friday.

Since this blog has been around for quite some time, we decided that it was high time for us to settle down and have a set feature or two. The first (and only…for now) feature that we are going to have will appear each Friday, and will be able to be spotted by their “Cover Fridays” title. Obviously, each article posted under this name will be a cover of a popular (or just one of our favorite) song, but unlike our other posts, this feature will not necessarily feature exclusively new music, but rather, will have a mix of some awesome covers that we have loved for a long time and songs that we have just discovered.

To debut our newest section, we are starting with a double feature! Ellie Goulding with her cover of “High For This” and Coeur de Pirate with her cover of “Wicked Games” (which you can read here) are both going to be featured this week, which is perfect since both were originally recorded by The Weeknd. So without further adieu…

Ellie Goulding, of “Lights” fame, made a cover of The Weeknd’s “High For This” back in the end of May, but I was only turned onto it recently because of summer 2012′s obsession with doing a million dub-step covers of “Lights” that I am forced to listen to on the radio. The actual, original “Lights” is pretty great, but with all the wub wub, I just want to take two Advil and a nap after listening.

Luckily, Goulding’s version of “High for This” is elegantly electric when it needs to be, and quietly sensual in other places. While the original is much more stripped, Goulding’s comes from an electronic European place, without, y’know, bringing too much of that in order to honor the original piece.

Although The Weeknd’s voice is much more powerful and chilling, and also creates more of a demand (“you GOTTA be high for this”), while Goulding’s softer touch lends well to the song but creates a completely different feel that the original does not even explore (“this is something you might be high for…now dance!”).

Check out both versions of the song below!

Ellie Goulding – “High for This”

The Weeknd – “High for This”

279 days ago Short URL Comments

Cover/Electronic/Pop/R&B/Soul

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14

Aug

Shanell – “Love is a Losing Game”

So, first of all, who is Shanell? Well, apparently, she is signed to Young Money (which makes me suspect her talent already), and is classified as just a straight up pop artist. But, Shanell takes her hand at the Amy Winehouse song, “Love is a Losing Game” in this cover, and I really liked it. It is kind of amazing how similar the songs sound to each other, which could be good or bad, depending on how you like your covers. The only difference is that Amy sort of sounds like she has a little bit of a slur on the song, and Shanell really cleaned it up. There is definitely more production intervention in Shanell’s take of the song, but I really like it. This song is off of her album, Nobody’s Bitch. Check out the song below:

282 days ago Short URL Comments

Blues/Cover/Pop

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