Category Archives: Music

New music: Destiny’s Child, David Bowie & Justin Timberlake [Update: JT’s “Suit & Tie” featuring Jay-Z out now]

There’s new music to hear from artists you might have thought you’d never hear from again. First up is the musical trio Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, better known together as Destiny’s Child. Before Beyoncé became her own star, she led a group that pumped out hit after hit in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Remember “Independent Woman,” “Survivor,” and “Bootylicious?” Well, apparently there’s more where that came from. Last Friday, Destiny’s Child released their first single since 2004 called “Nuclear.” It’s produced by Pharrell and rather than bouncing back with a thumping beat they’ve invigorated their new image with a soft R&B tune that makes you remember just how well these ladies can harmonize together. “Nuclear” is a track off a brand new compilation album from Destiny’s Child Love Songs. The 14-track album contains romantic-themed songs they recorded between 1997-2004. As you can see in the tracklisting posted after the break, “Nuclear” remains the only new material to be included. Listen to it, it’s embedded above. Beyoncé will reunite Destiny’s Child on-stage when she hosts this year’s Super Bowl half-time show.

To hear David Bowie’s new single and learn about JT’s comeback, jump after the break. Continue reading New music: Destiny’s Child, David Bowie & Justin Timberlake [Update: JT’s “Suit & Tie” featuring Jay-Z out now]

Skrillex releases new 3-track EP called ‘Leaving’ and it may surprise you

Skrillex has cooked up three new tracks and the producer/DJ is bundling them together in his latest Extended Play titled Leaving. Whether or not he meant this by the EP’s title, Skrillex (whose real name is Sonny Moore) leaves behind his typical affection for loud, grinding dubstep and replaces it with a calmer, more fluid take on the underground-turned-mainstream musical genre. Listeners will especially notice the difference on the track “Leaving” which features heavy drums and will put you in a trance. “The Reason” is more up-tempo to call itself a dance track. Where you might find some of the old Sonny is in “Scary Bolly Dub,” a mix with a reggae vibe that he’s played countless times live. Overall, however, if you’ve been waiting for Skrillex to release tunes that are easier on the ears now is your time.

As of today, the EP is not available for digital download via iTunes and the like. You’ll have to stream it from YouTube, but don’t complain, that makes it free! Jump after the break to listen to all three tracks. There you’ll also find Skrillex’s latest music video for “Summit” off his last EP Bangarang, a collaborative effort with his now ex-girlfriend Ellie Goulding.

What’s next for multiple Grammy winner Sonny Moore? In a recent interview with Billboard, he promises more music is on the way. “I have so much music. I have too many songs to even know what to do with. I just always make music anyway… But I want to make a record. I just haven’t had enough time to really sit down and idle myself and clear my mind and go, ‘OK, what’s the next thing I want to say? How’s it different from what I said before?’ and think of all these things. I have so much inside me, so many ideas, I’m more excited than ever to make music again, ’cause I haven’t done that for, like, two years.” Continue reading Skrillex releases new 3-track EP called ‘Leaving’ and it may surprise you

This year in music, as told by DJ Earworm’s mega-mashup “United State of Pop 2012”

Like every year before it, 2012 was filled with hit songs that you couldn’t get out of your head. DJ Earworm is here to bring every single one of them back to memory with his latest “United State of Pop” mega-mashup this year titled “Shine Brighter.” The four minute track includes 25 of the most popular songs that came out this year, according to Billboard’s Hot 100 charts. Bruno Mars and Ke$ha dominate, but Earworm makes sure to sprinkle in a myriad of artists including Gotye, Carly Rae Jepsen, Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj, and Taylor Swift. Click after the break to see a list of all the songs used in mix.

You can download the free track right here, and complementing it (as always) is a wonderfully constructed mashup music video that’s embedded above. Continue reading This year in music, as told by DJ Earworm’s mega-mashup “United State of Pop 2012”

iTunes shares year’s top-selling songs, albums, apps & more

At the end of the year Apple digs into its archive of music, movies, TV shows, apps, books, and podcasts to share with its customers its top-selling content. Since the iTunes Store and the App Store are so prolific these days, I deem it appropriate to take a look at what we bought up from Apple’s widespread ecosystem in 2012.

In the music department, Apple lists the 20 top-selling songs and 25 top-selling albums of the year. Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” lands at #1 on the song list and rounding out the top 5 are Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” Fun.’s “We Are Young,” Maroon 5’s “Payphone,” and Nicki Minaj’s “Starships.” Maroon 5 managed to land on this chart twice; “One More Night” comes in at #17. Also, Flo Rida’s hit singles “Whistle” and “Wild Ones” show their staying power securing the #9 and #10 slots, respectively. For the second consecutive year in a row, Adele’s 21 sits high as the most purchased album of the year; what follows is Taylor Swift’s Red, Mumford & Sons’ BabelOne Direction’s debut Up All Night, and Fun.’s Some Nights. The only artist to show up twice on this chart is Mumford & Sons; their 2010 effort Sigh No More keeps selling and fell in the #6 position.

In addition to these charts, Apple handpicks their own selections in a section they call “Editor’s Choice.” They named Frank Ocean Best New Artist and they had this to say about his much buzzed about release Channel ORANGE: “Deftly original, the brooding R&B outcast and Odd Future cohort spilled a can of stinging venom and vulnerability that spread worldwide.” Grizzly Bear’s Shields was awarded Best Album, Fun.’s infectious single “We Are Young” nabbed Best Song, and they enjoyed the fusion of country and gospel from The Lumineers so much to label their self-titled debut release Breakthrough Album.

The Hunger GamesDownton AbbeyFifty Shades of GreyAngry Birds Space, and YouTube dominated the other content categories. Click here to browse Apple’s Best of 2012 charts (the link opens in iTunes).

SpeakSonic album reviews: Wiz Khalifa, Bruno Mars & T.I.

Wiz is back in the rap game with his latest release O.N.I.F.C. Though his commercial hip-hop marketability cannot be questioned, what can be said about the actual substance of his rhymes? Can Bruno Mars live up to his widely successful debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans with this year’s Unorthodox Jukebox? Spoiler alert: If you were impressed with his lead single “Locked Out of Heaven” you will surely enjoy the rest of the 80s synth pop-rock that flows from the talented crooner. T.I. has already proven he can perform at the top of the rap game. How does his eighth studio album Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head stack up against his previous efforts?

SpeakSonic delivers with this week’s bite-sized album reviews.

Kid Cudi dances in the streets in “King Wizard” music video

After partying it up with King Chip in the clip for “Just What I Am,” Kid Cudi takes off and dances in the streets in his latest self-directed music video for his single “King Wizard.” Cudder keeps it low key here with a floating camera capturing his rhymes and movements without too many cuts and inside the same baroque frame as before.

Download “King Wizard” at iTunes today. A release date has not been set for Cudi’s upcoming fourth studio album Indicud which also includes the previous single “Just What I Am.” The next track to be released in 2013 is called “Immortal” and when it drops you’ll find it here.

Update: Shortly after the video hit the ‘Net, Cudder took to Twitter to clarify things. “Phase 2 of my domination has begun. King Wizard is not the official second single, just a scooby snack. Indicud in March.” So “King Wizard” may not end up on the album, and Indicud is now expected to release in March.

Five separate artists lead the 2013 Grammy nominations

On December 6 the 2013 Grammy nominations were announced and instead of one artist leading the pack (last year it was Kanye West), a grand total of five separate artists landed six nods each and they are Frank Ocean, Fun., Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, and Kanye West. Newcomer Frank Ocean and his debut album Channel Orange deservedly owns a giant chunk of the spotlight: Channel Orange is up for Album of the Year (against The Black Keys’ El Camino, Fun.’s Some Nights, Mumford & Sons’ Babel, and Jack White’s Blunderbuss); Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You” is vying for Record of the Year with “Lonely Boy” (The Black Keys), “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” (Kelly Clarkson), “We Are Young” (Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe), “Somebody That I Used To Know” (Gotye featuring Kimbra), and  “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (Taylor Swift); he’s also up for Best New Artist with Alabama Shakes, Fun., Hunter Hayes, and The Lumineers; he’s also in the Best Urban Contemporary Album category; and his contribution to Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “No Church in the Wild” grabbed him two more nods. He did not, however, break into Song of the Year; those that did include Ed Sheeran (“The A Team”), Miguel (“Adorn”), Carly Rae Jepsen (“Call Me Maybe”), Kelly Clarkson (“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”), and Fun. (“We Are Young).

Click here to view the full 2013 Grammy nominees list. The 55th Annual Grammy Awards airs Sunday, February 10 at 8PM on CBS.

“Gangnam Style” becomes most-viewed video of all time on YouTube

On November 24, “Gangnam Style” became the most-viewed video on YouTube. On that day its view count reached 805 million. Today its nearly captured 855 million looks. The South Korean rapper PSY managed to dethrone “pop sensation” Justin Bieber’s “Baby” music video, the previous record holder for most-viewed video. And as catchy, fun, agonizing or annoying you find “Gangnam Style” to be, PSY deserves at least some respect for knocking the Biebs down a peg, am I right? According to YouTube Trends, however, Justin’s 2010 single still receives between 350k and 500k views per day. But that pales in comparison to the new record holder; the song that’ll get you singing Heyyy, sexy lady is being watched 7 to 10 million times a day.

Be a part of history and add one to the tally. Bieber’s in the dust! For now…

Cee-Lo Green and The Muppets spread holiday cheer in “All I Need Is Love” music video

Cee-Lo Green released a Christmas album earlier this month called Cee-Lo’s Magic Moment; though it contains mostly covers of classic holiday hits like “White Christmas” and “Silent Night,” there is one original track planted inside. To promote the catchy single “All I Need Is Love,” Green collaborated with The Muppets for the second time in his career (remember his colorful rendition of “F–k You” at the Grammys?) in a fun and cheery music video that also features a cameo by The Office‘s Craig Robinson as Santa. The song, which is infused with the classic Muppets tune “Mahna Mahna,” is infectious and by the time you’re done watching this nearly seven-minute clip you’ll be humming All I need is la-la-love! My favorite part is when the newest member of the Muppets family Walter looks up to Robinson and proclaims, “So Santa’s my homie!”

It’s almost that time of year; enjoy. Download the track at iTunes.

SpeakSonic album reviews: Aerosmith, Christina Aguilera, Kid Rock & Alicia Keys

The month of November saw many artists return from musical hiatus. Aerosmith released Music from Another Dimension!, their fifteenth studio album and first to feature a new collection of songs since their 2001 effort Push to Play.  Christina hopes to bounce back from her 2010 bust Bionic with Lotus, an album that features her fellow judges from reality competition series The Voice Cee-Lo Green and Blake Shelton. How does Kid Rock’s latest Rebel Soul fare against his previous records? Is Alicia Keys back in the game with Girl On Fire after taking a three year vacation?

SpeakSonic delivers with this week’s bite-sized album reviews.

The Weeknd drops 33-track ‘Trilogy’, three music videos, a message to the fans

On November 13, Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, re-released his three mixtapes as one collection in Trilogy. The 33-track album contains mixed and mastered versions of every song from House of BalloonsThursday, and Echoes of Silence plus three, never-before-heard bonus tracks “Twenty Eight,” “Valerie,” and “Till Dawn (Here Comes the Sun).” At $9.99 Trilogy, which also includes the music video for “The Zone” featuring Drake, is the definition of a steal. Digital and physical ($11.99) copies are available. Trilogy was released under Universal Republic Records and Tesfaye’s own XO label. If you enjoyed his mixtapes, support a growing, talented artist by picking up Trilogy today.

In addition to dropping the album, The Weeknd also directed three music videos to promote the release. Clips were shot for “Rolling Stone,” “Wicked Games,” and the previously aforementioned “The Zone” featuring Drake. In a note directed at his fans, Tesfaye opens up and sheds light on the symbolism behind the “Rolling Stone” clip. He acknowledges that signing to a major record label and releasing a studio album in Trilogy takes him away from “the underground” and into the spotlight, but promises that “this does not mean what you think it means.” In other words, he will not be affected by his new-found fame and next-level success. “YOU WILL CONTINUE TO GET WHAT YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO GIVE YOU WHAT YOU ASK FOR. I’LL NEVER MAKE YOU WAIT AGAIN,” he shares in all caps.

Click after the break to view the note in full and all three music videos. In addition, you’ll find a new track “Enemy” outed last month that is not included on his first major release. Continue reading The Weeknd drops 33-track ‘Trilogy’, three music videos, a message to the fans

Kid Cudi parties with King Chip in “Just What I Am” music video

Cudder’s released a self-directed music video for the first single off his upcoming fourth studio album Indicud. Along with featured guest King Chip and a young group of ragers, Kid Cudi mellows out and has fun partying it up and driving around town. You’ll notice that the video is framed inside a boarder that’s accustomed to holding artwork. “All my videos will be in a baroque frame. I create art, so it will be presented as such. ART IN MOTION,” explained Cudi in a tweet.

Watch the music video above, download the single here, and anticipate the second single “Immortal” coming soon.