Win a Pair of Sony XBA-1 Headphones
Stand a chance to win a pair of Sony’s XBA-1 in-ear headphones. But what’s the hype about? Sony’s recently launched XBA series uses Balanced Armature technology (smaller, lighter and higher sound resolution than a dynamic driver) to create one of the most powerful and lightweight in-ear headphones in the market.
Sony invited Kevin Mathews (music critic and musician), myself and a few other opinion makers to test out the full-range of Sony XBA headphones.
Radar: Caracal
[NYLON Singapore] My article on Singapore’s favorite rock band, Caracal is out now. And if you’re into fashion, there are tons of style-centric articles to dress you up with. Grab a copy at newsstands or alternatively, purchase the digital version.
Carrie Manolakos amazing cover of Radiohead’s “Creep”
There are a lot of “Creep” covers, but former Broadway singer Carrie Manolakos’ version just cuts right through it all. The New Yorker has just released her debut folk-pop album, Echo. Download her eponymous track for free.
Blog: Contenders for the best worst songs of 2012
Many thought that the Rebecca Black effect –born from the illogically bad song, “Friday”—would have died sometime before Easter this year; you know, after Good Friday. It sure did.
Even though she went on to set up her own record label, RB Records and continued to defend her dominance in the world of wtf music with “My Moment” and “Person of Interest,” Black’s notoriety has substantially simmered down.
No one expected a track to top the pile of crap from Black’s musical butthole. That is until two 17-year-olds released “Hot Problems” –a song about the challenges they face being pretty and popular. The music video on YouTube has garnered close to 5 million views, about 250,000 “dislikes” and 16,000 “likes”; all in a space of two weeks.
It’s too early to say that the duo’s track is the best worst song of the year. To be fair, and to recognize other great artists who have released the best worst song of the year so far, I have compiled nine other tracks to bleed your eardrums and gouge your eyes out.
Without further ado, here are the early contenders for the “Best Worst Songs of 2012.” Viewers’ discretion is advised.
Double Take “Hot Problems”
17-year-old Los Angeles natives, Drew Garrett and Lauren Willy are Double Take. The high-schoolers’ debut song “Hot Problems” sees them in a limousine riding down some boulevard with monotonous vocals and daft hair-twirling in tow.
The first time I heard this, I was literally dancing to it, in the belly of hell, wishing that a more comfortable scenario like Satan sodomizing my nostrils with his pitchfork would take place.
Here’s a verse. A verse is enough…
Please don’t get me wrong,
I know that I’m hot.
Textbook perfection really takes a lot.
Weird guys call my phones,
and girls call me names,
like Miley said, “I can’t be tamed.”
What?
News: Tupac’s Back From the Dead at Coachella 2012
Legendary rap icon, Tupac Shakur made an appearance as a hologram on the third day of the two-weekend music and arts festival, Coachella as part of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre’s set. The controversial cameo has prompted fans to question whether it was ethically the right thing to do. However, another camp has applauded the performance with a few citing that it was a mesmerizing way to close the first weekend. Other rappers joining the set included Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Wiz Khalifa.
New Music: The-Dream feat. Casha “Kill The Lights”
You probably haven’t heard of The-Dream (and neither have I until recently) but you must have heard of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body” —all of which he either wrote or produced. Now, he’s stepping out from the shadows of other big name artists and hitting it out on his own with his forthcoming fourth studio album Love IV, out this summer on his own label, Radio Killa Records.
Although the Grammy-winning producer is known for his work in the studio, Dream (born Terius Youngdell Nash) is one of the most underrated R&B singers around with a 2008 BET Awards “Best New Artist” to prove it.
In the first single out from his latest album, Atlanta-based Dream puts his best Prince swag forward together with Radio Killa signee Casha on “Kill The Lights” —reminding the rest of the world that he still got his game on; which inevitably hit the wrong vein to some.
The recent Tweet-spat between Dream and the Weeknd —the latter calling him a “ham burglar ass n***a”—was born from Dream’s opinion that “imitators had abounded” from him not having done a show for the last two years. The Weeknd took it out of context, went on a Tweet rant and the whole bickering ended with Dream’s metaphorical take on chess (as reported in the NY Times.)
Check out more New Music on Kiss My Culture.
New Music: Monster Cat “Underwater”
If nightmares deserve a soundtrack, Monster Cat should be the headlining band. Melancholic and surreal, the quintet’s avant-garde musical exploration comes off as a bi-product from a psychoanalysis session. Lo-fi touches here, twiddled guitar plucks there, and lyrical endeavours that sounds more like a heartfelt reading during a poetry slam, these cats are not your average musical cats of today.
The music video of their latest track, “Underwater” is synonymous to how their music “looks” like. Taken off their recently released Mannequins EP, each of the 5-song folk-rock piece is a journey on its own. Open the door of your mind’s eye with just a little crack and it’ll be enough to take you down the depth of your repressed memory that you don’t want to, but should be reacquainted with.
Check out more New Music on Kiss My Culture.
This is what I visualize in my head when I listen to tech house. Marina Kanno and Giacomo Bevilaqua from Staatsballett Berlin captured on slow motion, plus music from Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place (Gigamesh DiscoTech Remix)”.
Source: thedailywhat
New Music: The Shoes “Time To Dance”
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in French electro-pop duo The Shoe’s latest music video “Time To Dance”. Gym work, diner dining, chain smoking and drugs aside, the antagonist (or protagonist,who cares?) also has a knack of slicing up hipsters in a fencing gear, and hacking and strangling the living daylights out of random strangers. However, what’s more frightening is that this tune is so catchy, you might forget that you are dancing to visuals of painful, calculated and cold-blooded murder. Blood? Air fist pumps! Sliced throats? 8 minutes worth of head-bobbing! And of course, that makes it brilliant.
Free Download: Lianne La Havas “No Room For Doubt (Live)”
Here’s someone to look out for. Londoner Lianne La Havas’ Greek and Jamaican lineage is already a cause for good concern (sip up that dangling drool already) and perhaps in the same vein as her exotic nature, the singer-songwriter’s softly strung folk and soul vibrato properties is something that might cure cancer.
Now 22-years-old, the music sensation was kept under the wings of Warner Bros. Records for a good 2 years since 2010 to work on her songs. It was only in October last year that she released her debut EP Lost & Found ahead of her forthcoming debut album Forget (out July 9) and has been garnering heart-tugging acclaimed ever since her appearance on BBC’s Later With Jools Holland.
Poignant and honest, she sings about broken hearts and her personal challenges. Like what Adele has been doing in sincere territory, but here, it’s more hopeful. If there was ever a bad news needed to be divulged, get La Havas to sing it and anyone will be more than happy to lap it up.
Off her EP is “No Room For Doubt” featuring Bon Iver-esque singer-songwriter Willy Mason.
Download the free “live” version of Lianna La Havas’ “No Room For Doubt”.
Oh, and from the EP, I have to include this beautiful eponymous track. A great accompaniment for an evening that’ll put you in a vast outback where it’s forever autumn and everything is picture perfect. Purchase Lianna La Havas’ Lost & Found on iTunes.
