30 June 2014 - Iggy Azalea - Work

Since y'all are all Iggy-crazy....

I have been a fan of Iggy Azalea since 2013.  I found her sound to not at all match her image, and I was intrigued by that.  My first post of one of her songs came in late 2013.  And I remember when I posted that song, that I was originally going to post this one.  This was by no means her first single, but it was the first one where she finally started looking and acting like the classy star that she is now.

Yes, I just called a woman who declares herself to be in the "murda business" "classy".  Don't hate.

The song is somewhat autobiographical, talking about her early life in small town Australia and running away to Miami just before her 16th birthday.  To put things in perspective, that was about 8 years ago.

Why she is walking down a desert highway wearing Loubotins is a mystery to me.

25 June 2014 - Ariana Grande (feat. Iggy Azalea) - Problem

I swear, Iggy Iggs is going to be a Hall of Famer in a hurry!

 But let's not focus on how this song is part of history - as Iggy Azalea's first two singles to chart are at #1 (the long-ago featured "Fancy") and #2 (this) , the first artist to do that since The damn Beatles! - but instead on the topline artist, who I have been meaning to write about for a very long time.  Indeed, Nickelodeon star Ariana Grande - a performer of several fun pop songs - is probably the most unjustly ignored artist on this blog.

Well, our ignorance ends today, and it ends with some funky saxophone blasts!


Let me assure you that a lot of other artists want to work with Iggy now. Stay tuned.

24 June 2014 - Sia - Chandelier

Let's start with the song.  Most people in the US didn't know who Sia was until "Titanium", her song with David Guetta (which, for some reason, hasn't made it to this blog yet.  Strange.).  Now that we do, she can rise and grow on her own.

No offense meant to Flo Rida and "Wild Ones".  She was featured there, too.

Her first single off her sixth album - yes.  Sixth.  She's been around for awhile. - is a seemingly happy song about partying.... until you listen to the lyrics, and realize it's about a very sad party girl.  The video is happy, though, featuring a very happy, lively dance routine by Maddie Ziegler.  US television viewers will recognize this girl from Dance Moms.

And the sequence in the hallway starting at 2:45 makes my back hurt.



Oh, but that crazy dancing can't be real....

Oh, but it is.  And yes.  That is Sia in the corner, not facing the camera.

23 June 2014 - Rita Ora - I Will Never Let You Down

A few years ago, Rolling Stone Magazine did a feature on women in rock music   They ran a contest on their site to determine who would be on the cover - it was a flip cover, but it was a cover.

Karmin won. And you know I was campaigning hard for them.

The artist they beat in the finals of this NCAA-type tournament?  Rita Ora.  Now, I had no idea who Rita Ora was, but I. Knew. I. Didn't. Like. Her!

After hearing her new single - already a huge hit overseas - I know I was wrong about her.  This song, written and produced by Calvin Harris, is a clear possibility to be declared Song of the Summer. Sure, she's prematurely comparing her song to Whitney Houston, but that doesn't mean this is not a solid tune.

(By the way, Rolling Stone did a nice article on Rita Ora, too.)

20 June 2014 - The Pierces - Believe In Me

I had never heard of The Pierces before a few days ago.  And yet they've been around for years.   YEARS!

The Pierces are Allison and Catherine Pierce, and they released their debut album in 2000(!). Oh, my shame!

They even do the theme song for the TV show Pretty Little Liars!   How have I not heard these ladies before?!

I will atone for my sins with their new single.  The 2-part harmonizing is beautiful.  Their latest album, Creation, is scheduled for a September release.  Check 'em out!

9 June 2014 - Lorde - Tennis Court

This song was the original B-side to "Royals", but has now found some modest and (hopefully) growing success as a single in its own right.  It's a song about her rise to stardom - she's been working with Universal since she was 13, so this wasn't entirely unexpected.  Watch the worldwide "Royals" video, and you see it ends..... on a tennis court, with the beginning of this song.

This video is really boring.  Unless you like looking at nearly motionless emo New Zealander redheads.  The song, on the other hand, is powerful and deep, typical of Lorde's compositions.



As a bonus, here's Lorde actually performing the song, and not just staring at you. It is really great that 1. the song sounds more fuzzed-up live and 2. she looks like she's still enjoying herself!

5 May 2014 - MNDR - Feed Me Diamonds

She doesn't appear prominently in her own video.  Amanda Warner's huge voice, however, shines through in this amazing, aching song.

Notice how I didn't just call her MNDR.   Sure, she goes by that name on stage, but, technically, this song is by the duo, which means Peter Wade is the mastermind behind the music. They certainly act as a duo, even if she acts solo under the same moniker.

Confused yet?  Don't be.  Just enjoy the music!