The wait for Death Cab for Cutie’s first album in three years is almost over. Codes and Keys, their seventh studio album to date if you’re counting, will feature 11 new tracks from the indie-pop/alt-rock band and it releases May 31. Frontman and lead vocalist Ben Gibbard told Stereogum that “this a much less guitar-centric album than we’ve ever made before.” The band recently outed the lead single off the album and it’s called “You Are a Tourist.” Listen to it below and quickly you’ll notice the changes they’ve made. This still very much sounds like a DCFC track (Gibbard’s voice echos along with the upbeat tune), and at the same time its message is uplifting, too. Bassist Nick Harmer admits that “the emotional spectrum feels much wider this time…. I think there is a lot more light in this record.” Bet you’re really looking forward to contrasting Codes and Keys with their 2008 melancholic smash Narrow Stairs. For now, hear the single and anticipate the end-of-May release.
Shortly after teasing his upcoming debut solo album, Glee star Matthew Morrison finally made it official by appearing on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show and playing the record’s lead single “Summer Rain.” You don’t have to over analyze the song’s lyrics to understand that it’s all about having sex on a rooftop in the rain. “Who needs lovers’ lane? Right up on this rooftop, let’s make love in the summer rain,” croons Morrison whose unique but conventional voice might just give him an edge when the album drops later this year.
California Gurls. Teenage Dream. Firework. Still have at least one of these Katy Perry songs stuck in your head at some point every day? Get ready for another extremely catchy-Katy tune to probe your brain. This week the pop star released an official remix of her fourth single off Teenage Dream. It’s called “E.T.” and she managed to attach rap overlord Kanye West to the bass-heavy track. His second dirty verse includes this rap: “Tell me what’s next, alien sex? I’m-a disrobe you, then I’m-a probe you. See, I abducted you so I tell you what to do.” Yeah, you won’t find the smart quips we’re used to hearing from ‘Ye off his smashing record Twisted Fantasy here, but it’s definitely worth a listen. Better you preview it here first, then decide if you want it for keeps. A music video featuring Perry and West is in the works.
[audio: Katy Perry – E.T. (Remix) (Featuring Kanye West).mp3]
On this Valentine’s Day the brilliantly talented John Legend released this sweet cover of “Secret Heart,” a beautiful track originally performed by Ron Sexsmith. And now, it’s my gift to you.
After posting online teaser artwork and lyrics to her long-awaited and hyped new single “Born This Way,” Lady Gaga finally catered to her mass following of Little Monsters by releasing the track in full before she performs it live at the Grammys this Sunday. In essence the thumping track is an anthem for the gay community. During the outro she whispers, “Same DNA, but born this way.” It’s certainly a catchy tune that will grow on you over time. Interestingly, the song took ten minutes for Gaga to compose. She told Vogue, “I wrote it in ten f—ing minutes, and it is a completely magical message song. And after I wrote it, the gates just opened, and the songs kept coming. It was like an immaculate conception.” Her second album also titled Born This Way is due out this May. Listen to the song above, download it at iTunes here. Hop after the break to see the tease and final cover art. Continue reading Single: Lady Gaga — “Born This Way”→
It’s here. The first single from the Kanye West/Jay-Z collab album Watch the Throne has arrived. Kanye delivered on his promise, posting the Lex Lugar produced track on the official Watch the Throne Facebook page at midnight Tuesday morning. The track can be previewed there, or save a click and listen to it right here:
[audio: Kanye West & Jay-Z – H.A.M.mp3]
Want to know what “H•A•M” stands for? You’ll have to listen to the phenomenal track to find out. Watch the Throne is expected to drop in March.
Bryan Greenberg, the star of HBO’s How To Make It In America, is about to drop his debut album. It’s called We Don’t Have To Wait Forever and it releases January 18. It’s being described as “a fresh collection of introspective narratives and soulful ballads” and it features a track called “You Can Run” that features Kid Cudi. Back in June Cudder dropped by a live Greenberg performance and laid down a freestyle and joined in on the chorus. In an interview with Complex Magazine Greenberg shares the story:
“I did have one [song] in mind for him and he did it live. He came to my show like a year ago in New York, when I was on tour. He jumped on stage for a little freestyle. When he heard the song he was like, “I really like it and that’s why I’m going to do it.” I was really honored by that. I thought he was going to rap, but he sang. It was cool. He’s really a true artist.”
Looking forward to the second season of HTMIIA? In that same interview Greenberg talked about what’s in store for Ben and Cam. “[The show] hasn’t reached the tipping point at all. I’m going back to L.A. next week and we’re going to do read-throughs of the first four episodes. I’m super excited. It’s going forward a couple of months and the business is growing…it’s like, how does this guy become Ralph Lauren? How does it happen? We take if from the street, like early, early sh– to like…that’s the goal, you know? It’s going to take years to develop.”
Preview the album’s lead single “Walk Away” in the video embedded above. How to Make It In America season 2 is currently in production and is expected to air this summer.
Update: The acoustic-based single “You Can Run” featuring Kid Cudi’s singing voice is now available to stream! Listen to it below and download it here.
[audio: Bryan Greenberg – You Can Run (Featuring Kid Cudi).mp3]
Fun fact. The inspiration for the song actually stems from Greenberg’s character Ben from HTMIIA. “I was kind of writing from the point of view of Ben and being scorned by Rachel and that just being a reason to succeed in life,” he says. “I did notice that a lot of successful people in this world, they always say that it’s about the art or it’s about the work. But when it comes down to it, [what drives them is that] they were made fun of in high school. Or there was a girl that dumped them and they’re trying to get back at them. I was coming from that mentality.”
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!
Weezy’s out of prison and he’s hard at work on mixing the next album in Tha Carter series. Take a listen to the Bangladesh-produced lead single featuring Cory Gunz called “6 Foot 7 Foot”. After that download a copy for keeps at iTunes.
[audio: Lil Wayne – 6 Foot 7 Foot (Featuring Cory Gunz).mp3]
“Do It Like This” follows “The Time (The Dirty Bit)” to become the second single off The Black Eyed Peas’ forthcoming album The Beginning. It’s another thumping dance anthem you should enjoy. I’m sorta bummed that the Peas have failed to produce a radio smash single this time around; in my opinion the two released singles do not live up to the catchy chart-topping hits “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling” of yesteryear. At least we can look forward to the album releasing soon, so we should wait before making any rash judgments. There’s bound to be a money-maker somewhere on the album. The Beginning drops November 30. Look after the break to watch a fun music video preview of “Do It Like This”; it features the Peas in 8-bit style, the rad theme of the album.
Yeah, you read that right people. A Dr. Dre single has landed on the Internet. Detox, the follow up to 2001’s The Chronic 2001, was put on the back burner when Dre decided to help out fellow rappers in the studio as producer. But now it’s starting to look like things might just be moving forward with the creation and dissemination of this vapor-album. Today a single called “Kush” hit the ‘Net and it features Dre, Akon, and D-o-double-g rapping on top of a thumping base line that should get your blood pumping. The verse material is all about the marijuana, and in a radio interview Dre wanted to dispel rumors that Detox is only going to be about this particular drug. “[The single is] about weed smoking and I don’t want people to think that’s what my album’s about,” he said. “This is actually the only song with that type of content in it. But it seems that everybody likes it. So we’re going to go ahead and push with it.” Dre did not intend for “Kush” to release as a single, but the current crop of positive feedback is making him think twice about it. Official single or not, you need to take a listen and add this song to your playlist right now. I’m not gonna scream Dre is back just yet, but I have a feeling that expected early 2011 release date is certainly on the horizon.
Mr. West is back with another G.O.O.D. Friday cut. And this one is special because we’ve been anticipating it for quite some time now. Kanye first performed a verse from it way back in July at the Facebook headquarters. With verses including lines like “I am the day Ice Cube met Michael Jackson / Keep him away, huh? Something might happen / This is the making of a masterpiece / So we broke out the chains and told ‘em master, peace!” and a heavy beat (pun intended) backed by a piercing theremin and Q-Tip on the keys, this has got to be one of the best Friday tracks yet. And it doesn’t hurt that fellow rappers Talib Kweli & Consequence (Tip’s cousin) round out the solid number with their very own verses. Preview and download “Chain Heavy” below. Hopefully “Mama’s Boyfriend”, the other track ‘Ye previewed at Facebook, is not too far off from release.
