// EUROVISION 2012//

The 57th annual Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan this May. So I thought I’d give some insight on some of the participating artists representing their respected countries. Now, this may be the biggest thing to ever happen to the quiet Azerbaijan, a country famous for well, nothing. So this naturally, is a huge opportunity to get the tiny country firmly on the map. I’m particularly keen on what’s on offer from the Scandinavian countries, for obvious reasons. The music coming out of there right now is fucking incredible.

Switzerland

Pretty good.

Cyprus

Who let Pitbull out of his cage?

Denmark

The Danish Taylor Swift

Ireland

Ireland - Nil Poi

Belarus

I’m sorry 2006 called, it wants its sound back

Ukraine

If Homosexual was a country - 12 POINTS

Lithuania

The blindfold is a metaphor for ‘Love is Blind’, get it? Yeah the songs still shit

Norway

Started off so promising - gutted

Sweden

Winner? Not surprised

…and this is just a taste of what the UK is offering…

tragic.

// FLASHBACK SUNDAY: BLU CANTRELL - APOLOGIZE//

Happy belated Flashback Sunday more like. This is worth the wait though.

Released towards the latter end of the last decade, the elusive Blu Cantrell released her spin on OneRepublic’s ‘Apologize’, easily on par with the original, if not better. The three time Grammy nominated ‘Breathe’ songstress caps this already incredible track with heart felt vocals with that spark of Blu attitude that makes this completely timeless.

// VIDEO: NEON HITCH - F U BETTA//

I first heard of Neon Hitch when she featured on 3OH!3’s ‘Follow Me Down’ featured on the ‘Almost Alice’ sound track for the awful ‘Alice in Wonderland’ directed by Tim Burton. Alas, I was instantly smitten by Hitch’s voice in the kind of same way I was with Ms.Spears and the latest offering, ‘Fuck U Betta’ is very Britney, I can almost forgive the god-awful spelling. The track itself is pretty much musical perfection, it has sass and is very lyrically honest, you can’t help but power trip over ‘Fuck U Betta’ from first listen. The accompanying video is visually stunning and definitely NSFW. Hitch looks fantastic and oozes confidence, you can instantly tell that this is a star in the making. It’s almost a twisted cross between Spears’ ‘Stronger’ and ‘3’. Enjoy.

// VIDEO: JOHN DE SOHN f. ANDREAS MOE - LONG TIME//

Another day, another hit coming out of Scandinavia. This time it’s the turn of Swedish-based, John De Sohn and his instant classic, ‘Long Time’ featuring Andreas Moe (see: Avicii - Fade Into Darkness). Breaking no new ground, ‘Long Time’ is exactly the type of music coming out of main land Europe right now and over the last few years to be honest, still it’s pretty euphoric on a Guetta-style level. The video is pretty fun to.

// REMIX: SOUND OF ARROWS - NOVA (Tiësto Remix)//

I might just start calling this blog ‘The Sound of Arrows Appreciation Society’, currently obsessing over this sick remix by remix superstar, Tiësto, of their second single, ‘Nova’ taken off debut album, ‘Voyage’.

Also be sure to check out this stunning live version of ‘Nova’

// POP: NICKI MINAJ - MARILYN MONROE//

I’ve known about this track for around a month now and instantly fell in love. Not entirely sure if it’s going to be featured on the upcoming ‘Pink Friday’ re-release, ‘Pink Friday:Roman Reloaded’ but it’d be a shame if it’s not. ‘Marilyn Monroe’ is Minaj at her best with hard-hitting lyrics that basically beckon every word that came out of the late Monroe’s inspirational mouth. If it is to be included on ‘Roman Reloaded’ expect this song to blow up royally in your face that you’ll end up hating it by early September if not sooner. But for the time being enjoy ‘Marilyn Monroe’ before everyone else does…

// ALT METAL: MARILYN MANSON - NO REFLECTION//

Surfing the waves of obscurity over the last few years, Marilyn Manson returns with the lead single, ‘No Reflection’ from eighth studio album, ‘Born Villain’ due for release early May. This also marks the first single to released after parting with long time record label, Interscope. ‘No Reflection’ is typical Manson, the ‘Personal Jesus’ hitmaker has taken no risks here and stayed true to his style, something a lot of fans will appreciate yet it is no secret that Manson’s popularity has somewhat declined since the release of ‘Lest We Forget’ way back in ‘04. Although ‘No Reflection’ is not breaking any grounds and we don’t see it catapulting Manson back in to the spotlight in any way shape or form, it’s cool seeing him back doing what he does best. This as well as ‘Born Villain’ will be promoted on the ‘Hey Cruel World…’ world tour, with dates spanning Australia, Asia, North America and then coming to Europe at the end of May although as of yet no dates scheduled for the UK.

// VIDEO: THE SOUND OF ARROWS - WONDERS//

Swedish duo Sound of Arrows are easily my favourite band and this solidifies why. ‘Wonders’ is taken from the epic debut album, ‘Voyage’ released back in November and the video for ‘Wonders’ was given a day after the album release. ‘Wonders’ is probably THE best song from anyone over the last five years. Epic, in your face, synths, vocal skill, melodies you name it this has the talent rolled in to one clip lasting a mind blowing 4 minutes 20 seconds. Sound of Arrows have also become some sort of musical pioneer’s, their fresh musical style has definitely influenced some of today’s greats and certainly over half of the tracks you’ve seen on this site already. A fantastic band that deserve a lot more exposure than they are currently getting and is it just me or is the music coming out of Scandinavia and especially Sweden right now just pure magic? 

// POP: THE STRANGERS - SHINE ON YOU//

Picture the scene, one cold, dark evening Coldplay and Angels & Airwaves meet in some alleyway and create the epic love child that is London based The Strangers. ‘Shine On You’ is their latest offering, a eurphoria-ridden track that is dark as it is light, with some pretty genius use of synths, melody and vocal talent. This band is definitely worth keeping an eye out for the upcoming year.

// ELECTRO: VANBOT - GOT TO GET OUT (FREE DOWNLOAD)//

Today we bring you a free download of the fantastic new track by Swedish supremo Vanbot. ‘Got To Get Out’ offers all kinds of hope with heavy use of the synthesizer and cheery vocals. Think a cross between fellow Swedish powerhouse Robyn and Little Boots. ‘Got To Get Out’ is the debut single from the upcoming yet to be named new album expected for release later this year. Express yourself.

// SYNTHPOP: JEFFREE STAR - PROM NIGHT//

Love him or hate him, Star started it all. Using social media to his upmost advantage to pursue his brand as “Queen of the internet”. Many of the trends you see around you today originated from Jeffree Star but the main thing you have to admire is the commitment, MySpace alone Star has garnered over 100 million plays on his self released material. Star released his extended play, ‘Plastic Surgery Slumber Party’ back in ‘07 and it topped the number one position on the iTunes dance chart, a massive achievement in itself but the fact it was done with no help or promotion from a major record label makes it that extra bit special. A further follow-up EP, ‘Cupcakes Taste Like Violence’ dropped in December 2008, this time through Popsicle Records and again, receiving considerable commercial success. The studio album, ‘Beauty Killer’ was released during September 2009, making the US Billboard 200 chart and peaking at #7 on the US Billboard Top Dance/Electronic chart. The first major label album release for Star’s upcoming ‘Virginity’ is expected this year joining musical supremo Akon’s Kon Live Distribution. ‘Virginity’ has spawned its debut single in, ‘Prom Night!’ currently streaming via Akon’s Hitlab radio. ‘Prom Night!’ is easily Star’s best since ‘Get Away With Murder’ mixing filthy beats and even filthier vocals and lyrical style. This could easily be Jeffree’s passport in to the mainstream and the world awaits the release of the eagerly anticipated video. Enjoy ‘Prom Night’ below and make sure you take advantage of the free download of the remixed version courtesy of Oscar Wylde.

// FLASHBACK SUNDAY: T.A.T.U - ALL ABOUT US//

It’s common knowledge that t.A.T.u were the best export out of Russia since Tetris. Parting ways this time last year, the duo were notorious for their controversies; the infamous “are they? aren’t they” but the fact of the matter is nobody really knew. Tonight’s Flashback Sunday is easily their best track over their twelve year career, “All About Us”, released way back in 2005 and charting at a frosty number 8 position. The accompanying music video was definitely THE video of 2005. Parodying the headlines they’ve accumulated over their career together and providing further controversy where it appears in the clip Yulia almost getting raped but eventually shoots the bastard in the head, it’s all very graphic, so graphic in fact that a censored video had to be heavily edited for television. Here’s the uncensored video for Yulia and Lena’s ‘All About Us’…

// POP: SOSO - MY WOMEN, MY GUITARS//

Hailing from the music hub of the planet, Stockholm, the up and coming SoSo has dropped her new record, ‘My Women, My Guitars’, a definite Robyn-esque record, being from the same part of the world, this comes as no surprise. ‘My Women, My Guitars’ is set to feature on SoSo’s debut album, ‘That Time I Dug So Deep, I Ended Up In China’ - due to drop this year. The track itself contains an intense, sophisticated melody with raw, hard-hitting lyrics that you’re sure to fall in love with on first listen.

// ELECTRO: LECTROLIPS - RESURRECTION (FREE DOWNLOAD)//

The awesome sounding, Lectrolips are truly a powerhouse of a team, they write, produce and arrange all of their songs showing off their remarkable talent at making fine electronica. Lectrolips aka Anthony Edwards and Leo Tarring manage to pull off that 80s style elctro-funk, mixing it with anthemic sounding synths and beats on new track, ‘Resurrection’ which sound very clean-cut and current. Also, make you sure you take advantage of the free download the pair are offering through their SoundCloud page below.

// HIP POP: ALUNAGEORGE - YOU KNOW YOU LIKE IT//

AlunaGeorge are an unsigned London duo made up of Aluna Francis and George Reid. Now, this has been whispering around the internet for a good six months, with little recognition, so I think it’s about time this gem got some attention. ‘You Know You Like It’ is a super cool track collaborating the smooth vocals from Francis and an electronica-style, sharp beat concocted by Reid which equals pure magic. They’ve even conjured up their own unique genre - hip pop. Enjoy!