Category Archives: Music

DJ Earworm’s “United State of Pop 2010” mashup has arrived

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DJ Earworm never fails to impress with his annual “United State of Pop” track.  Again this year he has masterfully figured out how to mash together the top 25 hits according to Billboard Magazine.  Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Taio Cruz dominate the five-and-a-half minute track, with some Train, B.o.B., Enrique Iglesias, Eminem, and Bruno Mars sprinkled in for good measure.  You can watch the mashup come to life in the music video above, and then download the explosively catchy track right here.  Look after the break to find a list of all the songs used in the mashup and some cover art.

How does 2010’s “Don’t Stop the Pop” match up to 2009’s “Blame It on the Pop”?  Sound off in the comments below.

[Via DJEarworm] Continue reading DJ Earworm’s “United State of Pop 2010” mashup has arrived →

Gorillaz produce an album on the iPad

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We’ve seen some rather crude uses of the iPad forced to make music happen, but nothing like this.  Alt-hip-hip group Gorillaz produced a 15 track album called The Fall using 20 iPad apps and just a few other instruments. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered in 32 days while the band was on tour.  Frontman Damon Albarn fell in love with the iPad when he first got it, and shortly thereafter decided to “[make] a completely different kind of record” with it.  Here’s the list of apps the band used:

Speak It! / SoundyThingie / Mugician / Solo Synth / Synth / Funk Box / Gliss / AmpliTube / Xenon/iElectribe / BS-16i / M3000 HD / Cleartune / iOrgel HD / Olsynth / StudioMiniXI / BassLine / Harmonizer / Dub Siren Pro / Moog Filatron

While it “has a much slower and more basic vibe than the Gorillaz’ normal high-production, technically superior collections” (as described by CNN), there’s no denying the sheer amount of ambition that went into this unique project.  Preview the first track “Phoner To Arizona” after the break.

The Fall is a Christmas gift for the fans; right now it’s available in digital form on the Gorillaz website.  (To stream the album you must supply them with your name and email address; to download a copy for keeps you’re required to become a fan club member.)  The album will officially release in physical form sometime next year.

[Via Gizmodo] Continue reading Gorillaz produce an album on the iPad →

Matthew Morrison teases upcoming album

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Matthew Morrison’s debut solo album is almost here!  To ramp up anticipation, the Glee star has put together a brief behind-the-scenes look into the record’s creation.  He admits that his original intention was to gear the album towards the Glee crowd (think: pop music), but after time he made the decision not to make another Glee album and instead write more personal songs.  Watch the video above to hear it from the multi-talented actor himself.

iTunes song previews extend to 90 seconds in length

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After many years of mediocre 30 second song previews, Apple now allows artists to upload 90 second previews.  Two restrictions apply: for the preview length increase the song must be 2 minutes and 30 seconds or longer, and lengthier previews only exist in the U.S. iTunes Store (for now).  The preview extension is very handy; purchasing decisions become easier when you have more time to demo a track.  Open up iTunes, head to the Store, and see if your favorite artists are embracing the positive change.

[Via AppleInsider; Engadget]

Watch “I Just Had Sex”, the lead single off The Lonely Island’s next album

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This weekend The Lonely Island (aka The Dudes, comprised of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer) premiered the first single off their upcoming (rap) comedy album due out in 2011.  The SNL Digital Short features vocals from Akon and outrageous cameos from Blake Lively, Jessica Alba, and John McEnroe.  Watch the viral hit here and begin anticipating the followup to 2009’s sensation that was (and still is) Incredibad.

Look after the break to watch their “Huge-Ass Announcement”.

Update: The single is now available for purchase on iTunes.  And it managed to break the iTunes top ten singles chart; it currently sits at #9.

[Via TheLonelyIsland] Continue reading Watch “I Just Had Sex”, the lead single off The Lonely Island’s next album →

G.O.O.D. Friday: Kanye West – “Christmas in Harlem” (Featuring Teyana Taylor & Cyhi Da Prynce)

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After the release of “Chain Heavy” Kanye West put a stop to the G.O.O.D. Friday series and let his highly lauded album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy speak for itself.  Last Wednesday, however, a leaked version of a sweet holiday rap hit the ‘Net and marked the return of new Yeezy material since the release of the new album.  On Friday Kanye uploaded the mastered version of “Christmas in Harlem” to iTunes.  The upbeat track features Teyana Taylor on the catchy hook, one cheerful verse from ‘Ye, and special guest G.O.O.D. Music’s Cyhi Da Prynce.  Listen to the track below and download it at iTunes here.

[audio: Kanye West – Christmas In Harlem I.mp3]

Update: Shortly after the original song leaked, Kanye tweeted that another version would be let loose and this one features Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Vado, Pusha T, Big Sean, and Musiq Soulchild, along with Teyana Taylor and Cyhi. Listen to the extended cut after the break, and download it right here.  Notice ‘Ye has placed it in the G.O.O.D. Friday section of his website; this is likely the final GF track of the year, but it’s good to know he’s not through with doling out free music just yet.  He provided album art with it, and I’ve posted it beyond the break.  Happy holidays!

[Via KWBlog] Continue reading G.O.O.D. Friday: Kanye West — “Christmas in Harlem” (Featuring Teyana Taylor & Cyhi Da Prynce) →

Glee’s Matthew Morrison is going on a world tour to promote upcoming solo album

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Matthew Morrison’s album with substance is almost here, and the Glee star recently spilled the beans that he will be headlining a world tour to promote the album’s release.  Rehearsals begin later this month and the tour will kick off in April just as the FOX sensation goes on its hiatus.  Exact dates and locations have yet to be specified but Morrison promises that he’s “gonna go all over the world.”  And what’s the story on the much anticipated solo album?  “We’re almost done,” he says.  “We have like two more songs to record and then it’s off to the mixing stages. I’m really really happy with it and I can’t wait for people to hear it as well.”  It’s expected to hit stores this May.

[Via EW]

Coldplay is prepping a concept album

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It’s official: the followup to 2009’s Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends will be a concept album.  After ten years on the scene Coldplay is finally ready for some intense experimentation.  And they’ve got Viva producers Brian Eno and Marcus Dravs coming back for support.  Says frontman Chris Martin: “It’s from the point of view of two people who are a bit lost. Two like-minded outsiders who meet in a very difficult environment and therefore have a journey together. It’s a concept album but it’s supposed to be very personal within a big framework. Does that make sense?”  Martin on the “tag-team” that is Eno and Dravs: “Brian is the sower of seeds and ideas and experimenting, which is very liberating. Then Marcus’s job is to come in after all that’s been done and try and sculpt it into some kind of releasable format.”  How much longer do we have to wait for the concept to drop?  “We spent a year making a lot of noise”, says Martin. “You know those things in a fairground where you have bran in a tub and in there are some hidden prizes? That’s sort of where we are at.”  Sound like we’ve got a while before the product is complete.  At least we have “Christmas Lights” to play over and over until then.

[Via BBC]

TIME Person of the Year is Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg (and other TIME Top 10 things)

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The man behind the social network has been crowned TIME’s Person of the Year “for connecting more than half a billion people and mapping the social relations among them, for creating a new system of exchanging information and for changing how we live our lives.”  Click here to read the 10-page cover article.  Zuck beat out the trapped Chilean Miners, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Afghanistan’s president Hamid Karzai, and The Tea Party.

The zine also named the top ten albums and songs of the year.  Here’s what they had to say about the #1 album, Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: “Kanye West can seem like an attention-hungry young child who constantly tugs on his mother’s pant leg, saying, “Watch this! Watch this!” But once Kanye got our attention, instead of a simple somersault, he delivered the musical equivalent of a one-handed back handspring.”  Cee Lo Green’s “F**k You” is Time’s #1 song.  Look after the break to see the full listing of TIME’s top ten albums and songs.

Other TIME Top 10 things worth noting: in the Top 10 TV Series category they included Parks and Rec, Party Down, and Boardwalk Empire; in the Top 10 TV episodes they included Community‘s “Modern Warfare”, Lost‘s “The End”, and Fringe‘s “Peter” (!).  Really digging the selection here.  The Social Network and Toy Story 3 are listed in the Top 10 Movies category, Angry Birds is a top video game, and Merton on Chatroulette, Bed Intruder, and Double Rainbow are favorite viral videos.  Again, look after the break to see the full listings from all of these categories to see if your favorites made the cut.  Or you can opt to head over to TIME to view many other Top 10 categories ranging from popular toys to scientific discoveries.

[Via TIME, here & here] Continue reading TIME Person of the Year is Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg (and other TIME Top 10 things) →

This post is packed with TRON goodies including a music video, headphones, and a hotel room [Update: NSFW Playboy photoshoot]

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(1) Medicom Toy is celebrating the collaboration between Tron: Legacy and legendary electric duo Daft Punk by producing the masked musicians in Kubrick and RAH (Real Action Hero) form.  They will release in late December as part of the Series 21 BE@RBRICK assortment ($4.99).  The 400% BE@RBRICK ($199.99) and KUBRICK ($19.99) two-packs will release in mid-January.  The RAH figures are expected to come out in April at $229.99 each.  All the Daft Punk-inspired toys will feature the same outfits and helmets the duo wears in the cameo they make in the film.

Look after the break for so much more Tron content. Continue reading This post is packed with TRON goodies including a music video, headphones, and a hotel room [Update: NSFW Playboy photoshoot] →

iTunes looks back at this year’s music sales, Train & Eminem top the charts

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At the end of the year, Apple likes to tally up all the singles and albums purchased by iTunes Store customers.; they call it iTunes Rewind.  The 2010 Rewind best-sellers are Train and Eminem for single of the year (“Hey, Soul Sister”) and album of the year (“Recovery”), respectively.  In addition to Train, the top ten best-selling singles include tracks from Katy Perry, Eminem (2), B.o.B, Taio Cruz (2), Usher, Ke$ha, and Lady Antebellum.  The top ten best-selling albums include records from artists Ke$ha, Ladies Gaga and Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Drake, Mumford & Sons, The Black Eyed Peas, Jack Johnson, and Sade.  Before you jump after the break to look at the top ten lists, make some predictions to test your wits; it shouldn’t be that hard to guess what two single Taio Cruz made uber-popular this year.

iTunes Rewind covers more than the music category.  Apple also tallies up the best-selling TV shows, movies, podcasts, audiobooks, and apps.  And yes, it is safe to assume that the app featuring unwieldy birds and idle, snorting green pigs took home the top prize of best-selling paid app.  Click here to browse all the Rewind charts.

[Via iTunes] Continue reading iTunes looks back at this year’s music sales, Train & Eminem top the charts →