Whoa! Whooooa! I'm loving this song and the band at the moment. Yeah, there has been many comparisons between Florida-based Hey Monday and Paramore, and perhaps they are bound to occur when both lead vocalists are women. But the voices between HM's Cassadee Pope and Paramore's Hayley Williams could not be anymore different. Hayley has a distinctly charged punk rock sound while Cassadee's voice is saccharine-sweet and youthful (reminds me of Canadian indie pop singer Lights), which suits the type of music her band is putting out there, representing the "pop" end of the pop-punk spectrum, and by the sounds of their interviews, they are fully embracing it. Anyway, the band premiered their new video for the second single "How You Love Me Now" from their Decaydance/Columbia debut album Hold On Tight on Myspace today. Here are some screencaps, in which the very pretty Cassadee and her rocker boys work at an exclusive summer beach club, in which their emo/punk styles seem out of place with the predominantly preppy Abercrombie & Fitch clientele they serve. A preppy Casanova dude tries to pursue Cassadee (his bitches are giggling, so was it a dare?) but it's pretty much a fail as Cass is too smart not to fall for his shizz. The title of hero truly belongs to bassist Jersey Moriarty who had two great moments in the video: (1) he leads the tug-of-war win in which his extra pull sends preppy Casanova into the mud along with his deflated ego, and (2) shows that even emo boys possess athletic prowess by throwing the touchdown pass to Cassadee. (Pssst...of course, the emo/different/unconventional kids are truly the coolest.)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Fresh Video - Hey Monday's "How You Love Me Now"
Monday, March 30, 2009
Top 25 Playlist for March 30, 2009
Friss Zene Top 25 for the week ending on Monday, 03.30.09
Ne-Yo just can't get a break...he's at number 2 yet again while a debut KC non-single makes it on top. It's THAT GOOD. Look for a future "Love At First Listen" post very soon...
01. Kelly Clarkson - Don't Let Me Stop You (#1 for 1 week) (DEBUT)
02. Ne-Yo - Mad
03. Hey Monday - How You Love Me Know (#1 for 1 week)
04. James Morrison feat. Nelly Furtado - Broken Strings (#1 for 1 week)
05. Valencia - Where Did You Go? (#1 for 1 week)
06. The Real You - Unwound
07. Hoobastank - So Close, So Far
08. Lady GaGa - Poker Face
09. Katy Perry - Waking Up In Vegas
10. Holiday Parade - Getaway (DEBUT)
11. Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
12. All Time Low - Weightless (DEBUT)
13. New Found Glory - Listen To Your Friends
14. Shinedown - Second Chance
15. Lights - Ice (DEBUT)
16. Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You (#1 for 2 weeks)
17. The Veronicas - Take Me On The Floor (DEBUT)
18. The White Tie Affair - Candle (RE-ENTRY)
19. Craig David - Insomnia
20. Kevin Rudolf feat. Kid Cudi - Welcome To The World (DEBUT)
21. Artist Vs Poet - Runaway
22. Jesse McCartney feat. Ludacris - How Do You Sleep? (RE-ENTRY)
23. Lily Allen - The Fear (#1 for 1 week)
24. This Providence - That Girl's A Trick
25. Katy Perry - Thinking Of You (#1 for 2 weeks)
Katy Perry - Hot N' Cold
So close, yet so far
Ciara feat. Young Jeezy - Never Ever
Taylor Swift - Forever & Always
The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake - Dead And Gone
Hikaru Utada - Come Back To Me
Fall Out Boy - America's Suitehearts
Aranda - All I Ever Wanted
Friday, March 27, 2009
Peace out, Blender
Bad/Sad news: A popular music publication is folding...and that magazine is Blender. Born in the beginning of the decade, Blender was really the only mainstream music magazine worth browsing through because of its witty writing, hip recommendations (The Blender Bible, Guide, and Top lists of whatever), and coverage of the aritsts and musicians I love...and were willing to put the biggest pop stars on their covers (Kelly! Katy! Leona!) I had a feeling that the end was coming, since the last few issues of the magazine had lost its original binding and quantity (their latest and final print issue contains a paltry 72 pages). And to think, I was about to subscribe to Blender after my rather disappointing subscription affair with Rolling Stone ran its long, long course. Mainstream music mag heir apparent, where are you??!?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Top 25 Playlist for March 22, 2009
Friss Zene Top 25 for the week ending on Sunday, 03.22.09
Whoa! Whoooa! Newbie pop-punkers Hey Monday claim Numero Uno this week.
01. Hey Monday - How You Love Me Know (#1 for 1 week)
02. Ne-Yo - Mad
03. The Real You - Unwound
04. James Morrison feat. Nelly Furtado - Broken Strings (#1 for 1 week)
05. Valencia - Where Did You Go? (#1 for 1 week)
06. Craig David - Insomnia
07. Lady GaGa - Poker Face
08. Hoobastank - So Close, So Far
09. Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
10. Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You (#1 for 2 weeks)
11. Ciara feat. Young Jeezy - Never Ever
12. This Providence - That Girl's A Trick
13. Taylor Swift - Forever & Always
14. The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
15. New Found Glory - Listen To Your Friends (RE-ENTRY)
16. Lily Allen - The Fear (#1 for 1 week)
17. Artist Vs Poet - Runaway
18. Katy Perry - Thinking Of You (#1 for 2 weeks)
19. T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake - Dead And Gone
20. Shinedown - Second Chance (DEBUT)
21. Katy Perry - Hot N' Cold
22. Hikaru Utada - Come Back To Me
23. Fall Out Boy - America's Suitehearts
24. Katy Perry - Waking Up In Vegas (DEBUT)
25. Aranda - All I Ever Wanted
Valencia - Free (#1 for 2 weeks)So close, yet so far
Kelly Clarkson - I Do Not Hook Up
The Veronicas - Hook Me UpCheck back next week for the next top 25 playlist.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Happy Birthday to Us: Lady GaGa et Moi
Left: Lady GaGa; Right:
LMAO. Twenty-three years ago today, Stefani Germanotta a.k.a. Lady GaGa was born, along with a certain Friss Zene blog writer by the name of Ray V. ;)
Privileged to share the exact birthday with the freshest face of electro-dance pop, I dedicate this post to the quirky OTT blonde fashionista who has brought us hits with liners like "Puh-puh-puh poker face, puh-puh f*ck her face" and this little ditty...just...'cuz!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Top 25 Playlist for March 16, 2009
Friss Zene Top 25 for the week ending on Monday, 03.16.09
British troubadour James Morrison takes it to the top with Nelly Furtado with their tragic ballad...
01. James Morrison feat. Nelly Furtado - Broken Strings (#1 for 1 week)
02. Craig David - Insomnia
03. Ne-Yo - Mad
04. Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You (#1 for 2 weeks)
05. The Real You - Unwound
06. Valencia - Where Did You Go? (#1 for 1 week)
07. Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
08. Taylor Swift - Forever & Always
09. Lily Allen - The Fear (#1 for 1 week)
10. This Providence - That Girl's A Trick
11. Hey Monday - How You Love Me Now (DEBUT)
12. Katy Perry - Thinking Of You (#1 for 2 weeks)
13. T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake - Dead And Gone
14. Hoobastank - So Close, So Far
15. Katy Perry - Hot N' Cold
16. Lady Gaga - Poker Face
17. Artist Vs Poet - Runaway
18. Aranda - All I Ever Wanted
19. Hikaru Utada - Come Back To Me
20. Ciara feat. Young Jeezy - Never Ever
21. Fall Out Boy - America's Suitehearts
22. Valencia - Free (#1 for 2 weeks)
23. The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name (DEBUT)
24. Kelly Clarkson - I Do Not Hook Up
25. The Veronicas - Hook Me Up
A Rocket To The Moon - Dakota
Shontelle feat. Akon - Stuck With Each Other
Check back next week for the next top 20/25 playlist.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Top 25 Playlist for March 8, 2009
Friss Zene Top 25 for the week ending on Sunday, 03.08.09
Twenty-five, because there's much more to love // Kelly's newest album hits stores Tuesday!
01. Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You (#1 for 2 weeks)
02. Valencia - Where Did You Go? (#1 for 1 week)
03. Ne-Yo - Mad
04. Craig David - Insomnia
05. Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
06. Aranda - All I Ever Wanted (DEBUT)
07. Lily Allen - The Fear (#1 for 1 week)
08. Katy Perry - Hot N' Cold
09. T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake - Dead And Gone
10. The Real You - Unwound
11. James Morrison feat. Nelly Furtado - Broken Strings (DEBUT)
12. The Veronicas - Hook Me Up
13. Katy Perry - Thinking Of You (#1 for 2 weeks)
14. Valencia - Free (#1 for 2 weeks)
15. Hoobastank - So Close So Far
16. Fall Out Boy - America's Suitehearts
17. Artist Vs Poet - Runaway
18. Taylor Swift - Forever & Always (DEBUT)
19. This Providence - That Girl's A Trick
20. Hikaru Utada - Come Back To Me (DEBUT)
21. Ciara feat. Young Jeezy - Never Ever (DEBUT)
22. A Rocket To The Moon - Dakota (DEBUT)
23. Lady Gaga - Poker Face (RE-ENTRY)
24. Shontelle feat. Akon - Stuck With Each Other (RE-ENTRY)
25. Kelly Clarkson - I Do Not Hook Up (DEBUT)
The Fray - You Found Me
The Saturdays - Issues
Christina Milian - Us Against The World
David Cook - Avalanche
Check back next week Sunday for the next top 20/25 playlist.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The elimination of Ricky Braddy sealed the coffin for Season 8
It is a sad day when being a the best singer in a supposed singing competition is not enough, as it was the case for Ricky Braddy, the North Carolinian dude who served chicken fingers but possessed an amazing vocal talent, yet was cut short of the American Idol Top 12 again. He had virtually no screen time in the lead up to his first public vote but instantly won fans based on ONE performance. He was, thankfully and rightfully, brought back as a Wild Card contestant because he showed legitimate vocal ability and was arguably one of the better singers than those who became finalists.
But instead of celebrating, it was a night of heartbreak as tonight, the judges harped on his performance of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" even after taking the criticism that he previously lacked personality and proved to the judges that he could be an entertainer, as well as a great vocalist. I was slightly hoping that Paula would be his lifesaver, but this time around, the judges, as a collective, gave him the boot. And let's face it. The cards were stacked against him. America never really got to know his personality and was dismissed as a boring but good singer, as alluded by Simon. He certainly was never given his due and the judges/producers/TPTB really disappointed me on passing people like Ricky, Felicia Barton, and Mishavonna Henson, especially over the likes of Megan (Joy) Corkrey, who cannot carry a tune but the judges claim she has this great appeal that I cannot comprehend, and Jasmine Murray, whose "commercial" viability is simply overhyped vanilla. It is a given that these two will not win American Idol, so why even give them shots? Oh right...this isn't a singing competition. Right.
Goes to show the harsh reality of this damn television show: good guys finish last while the dramatic and pretty Miss Personalities win this kind of rat race. Who is the David Cook, Carrie Underwood, or Kelly Clarkson of Season 8? I am hard-pressed to find someone like them to root for.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Fresh Band Love - Aranda - All I Ever Wanted
So I couldn't help but give a listen to a leak of Kelly Clarkson's newest album All I Ever Wanted, thanks to the iTunes Norway store, and did a little digging to find out a good handful of the songs on the disc are covers from other artists and bands: two songs came from Katy Perry's abandoned debut rock album ("Long Shot" and Kelly's second single "I Do Not Hook Up") and another two songs came from a little-known indie rock band by the name of Aranda. The band lent Kelly two songs from their eponymous 2008 disc: the eventual title track "All I Ever Wanted" and the rock headbanger "Whyyawannabringmedown". Kelly's versions, thankfully, strayed very little from the originals, in terms of melodies and vocals. The instant I heard Kelly's version of "All I Ever Wanted", my curiosity lead me to learn more about this band.
Aranda is a Oklahoma-based band, consisting of brothers Dameon and Gabe Aranda. Upon hearing a bit of their live performances on YouTube, they create a very distinct musical sound that defies singular musical classification. Namely, "All I Ever Wanted" is a shining example of the band's best sound, as it infuses rock with a little bit of funk and sung with an ample amount of soul. Then there are straight-up rock songs like "Still In The Dark" and the aforementioned "Whyyawannabringmedown", raspy soul on "It Ain't Easy", a brief country appearance on "Hooked On You" and southern blues on "Testify" and "Another Day". Collectively, the songs amazingly work well together as it stands as a testament to the band's love for different styles of music and how they are able to compliment those sounds to their fantastic vocals. It is no wonder why such a popular mainstream artist like Kelly Clarkson and TPTB felt confident with Aranda's songs having pop sensibility and crossover appeal. Anyway, I hope this band goes very far from this exposure, as they will finally deserve some recognition for their fantastic songs.
BUY Aranda's album HERE!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Top 20 Playlist for March 1, 2009
Friss Zene Top 20 for the week ending on Sunday, 03.01.09
Happy March, folks! Valencia gets toppled by...Valencia. What a coup.
01. Valencia - Where Did You Go? (#1 for 1 week) (DEBUT)
02. Craig David - Insomnia
03. Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You (#1 for 1 week)
04. Ne-Yo - Mad
05. Valencia - Free (#1 for 2 weeks)
06. Katy Perry - Thinking Of You (#1 for 2 weeks)
07. T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake - Dead And Gone
08. Lily Allen - The Fear (#1 for 1 week)
09. Katy Perry - Hot N' Cold
10. Kings of Leon - Use Somebody (DEBUT)
11. Hoobastank - So Close So Far
12. Fall Out Boy - America's Suitehearts
13. David Cook - Avalanche
14. The Real You - Unwound
15. Artist Vs Poet - Runaway (DEBUT)
16. The Veronicas - Hook Me Up (DEBUT)
17. The Saturdays - Issues
18. This Providence - That Girl's A Trick (DEBUT)
19. Christina Milian - Us Against The World (DEBUT)
20. The Fray - You Found Me
Leona Lewis - I Will Be
VersaEmerge - Past Praying For
Ricky Braddy - A Song For You
Eric Hutchinson - Rock & Roll
Shontelle feat. Akon - Stuck With Each Other
The All-American Rejects - I Wanna
Check back next week Sunday for the next top 20 playlist.
