Category Archives: Music

Feel “Brand New” in music supporting strength and perseverence

Music, Video

Support a great cause today and download “Brand New,” a song written and imagined by Brian Meisner (yes, we’re related: brothers) to inspire those going through tough times to persevere and rise above it. In Brian’s words, “I hope this music reaches your ears and provides you with the strength to push forward and feel brand new.”

Preview the song in the montage embedded above; it follows the journey and recovery of our cousin Matty as he battled pancreatitis. Download “Brand New” at iTunes; 25% of the proceeds will be donated to nail-patella research.

Jason Mraz’s new album ‘YES!’ inspires a short film about love

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Jason Mraz’s fifth studio album YES! hit shelves on Tuesday and you can pick up a copy today digitally at iTunes and physically at Amazon. Jason’s collaborative effort with Raining Jane boasts 14 tracks led by the charming single “Love Someone” which now is featured in a three-part short film posted on YouTube. “We Can Take The Long Way” is essentially a long-form music video featuring three songs from YES!: “Love Someone,” “Hello, You Beautiful Thing,” and “Long Drive.” It follows a pair of good looking youths finding, embracing, and giving back love. Jason describes the short like this:

Making a music video is challenging. To me a song is personal: its story, message, or melody resonating uniquely with each listener. And adding moving pictures can sometimes paint a mood or suggest an attitude that is different from the way the listener may hear the song in his/her heart. “We Can Take The Long Way” is an effort to not make one finite music video, and instead tell a story about love and life with several songs from ‘YES!’ playing a supporting role. I recommend you turn down the lights, crank up the volume, snuggle up to your beloved, and enjoy the film.

His YouTube channel also includes live renditions of 12 tracks from the album recorded at his very own Organics’ Avocado Ranch. Also, check out a stripped down version of the single at Time; in addition to the performance Jason shares the inspiration behind the track and the new album in general.

The #SummerOfYES! has arrived.

Coldplay incites a jubilant block party in “A Sky Full of Stars” music video

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The four members of Coldplay, led by frontman Chris Martin, leisurely bounce along the streets of Sydney, Australia grooving to their EDM-tweaked, Avicii-produced Ghost Stories single “A Sky Full of Stars” in this fun music video made special for the tune. Martin and co. are dressed up as one-man-bands donning instruments like guitars, drums, harmonicas, and bicycle horns, roaming the streets and candidly interacting with a growing crowd that follows them on their four minute musical journey. Smash play and join in on the confettied festivities!

New music: Nile Rodgers & The Weeknd release hot tracks

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Nile Rodgers, who is still beaming from his recent collaboration with Daft Punk on songs like “Get Lucky” and “Lose Yourself to Dance,” is reigniting his solo career with the new single “Do What You Wanna Do.” The disco groove featuring Nile’s unmistakable guitar riffs is addictive and it’s definitely a hot track for the summer. The Chic band member has been grooving since the ’70s pumping out classics like “Le Freak” and “Everybody Dance;” this new track, along with the Daft Punk collaborations, solidly proves that the Nile Rodgers river still runs. Preorder his latest cut at iTunes today; it releases Aug. 10.

Click after the break to hear something new from crooner Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd. Continue reading New music: Nile Rodgers & The Weeknd release hot tracks →

Jason Mraz readies fifth studio album ‘YES!’

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I come bearing very exciting news for Jason Mraz fans. The wickedly talented artist also known as Mr. A-Z is releasing his fifth studio album this summer! This will likely come as a surprise to his fanbase because in the past Mraz typically took 3 to 4 years to release new collections of material and it’s only been a little over 2 years since his last major release Love is a Four Letter Word.

Jason’s new album is titled YES! and it’s a very special release because it serves as a collaboration between himself and indie pop-rock-folk all-women band Raining Jane. The Sacramento Bee has the full scoop on the collaboration, but in a nutshell it goes like this:  Raising Jane is a band featuring four talented ladies: Mona Tavakoli on percussion, Mai Bloomfield on guitar and cello, Becky Gebhardt on bass and sitar, and Chaska Potter on guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and glockenspiel. Raining Jane opened for Mraz in 2007 at a show in SoCal and he was immediately impressed by their musicality. They began writing music together that year; they co-wrote a total of 50 songs, 15 were recorded, and 12 in all will be included in YES!. You can preview Raining Jane’s music at their YouTube channel. You may recognize enthusiastic drummer Mona Tavakoli (on Jason’s immediate right in the photo above); she’s toured with Mraz for the last two years. Following the release of YES! Jason and the girls of Raining Jane will go on a brand new tour together.

So what do we know about the new album so far? Jason’s been unveiling details piecemeal on his website; every day something new is unlocked. 5 of 7 locks have been cracked and they’ve included the name of album 5, possibly the album cover featuring five birds in flight, the 14-song track list*, and hand-written lyrics for one of the tracks titled “Love Someone” which may end up being the album’s lead single.

Head over to Jason’s YouTube channel to get a taste of YES! as we wait for the final two locks to open up; perhaps a preview of the single and a firm release date are coming soon.

*According to the SacBee 15 tracks in total were recorded by Jason and Jane; here’s hoping that the missing song not included in the tracklist ends up releasing as a bonus track!

Update: Called it! Jump after the break to hear Jason’s brand new single “Love Someone;” in addition to the standard audio track you’ll also get to experience a live performance of the song performed by Jason and Raining Jane from The Om Studio at Mraz’s very own Organics’ Avocado Ranch. YES!, an album “containing songs about love, friendship, healing, hope, and consciousness” is out July 15. If you preorder the album today at iTunes you’ll receive a new song every Monday leading up to release day. Has anyone coined the term “Mraz Monday” yet? In a blog post Mraz also commented on tour plans: “We’ll be touring across the U.S. later this summer before heading to Europe, Asia, and Australia in the fall and South America in 2015.” Continue reading Jason Mraz readies fifth studio album ‘YES!’ →

Coldplay drops “Magic” music video ahead of ‘Ghost Stories’ May release

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Coldplay is readying their sixth studio album Ghost Stories due out May 19 and in the meantime they’ve dropped two music videos to accompany the record’s two singles “Magic” and “Midnight.” Click the link to watch the negative imagery clip for “Midnight” if you missed out on that last month, and check out Coldplay’s latest offering the clip embedded here. In “Magic,” frontman Chris Martin stars as drunk illusionist as well as the illusionist’s assistant who is after the heart of a young magicienne played by Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). The black-and-white video features the “silent film” style incorporating Martin’s soothing vocals and the band’s flowing instrumentals. It’s a soft song but it’s definitely an uplifting one, metaphorically and thanks to this music video quite literally, too.

Preorder Ghost Stories today.

‘Nashville’ is prepping a three-city spring tour

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Starting to see a trend here! Following in the steps of other musical television series Glee and Smash, ABC’s country drama Nashville is stepping outside the box that’s in your living room to perform songs from the show live on a three-city tour. The tour will make stops in Chicago (4/25), Washington, D.C. (5/4), and New York (5/6). Those actors participating are Charles Esten (Deacon Claybourne), Chris Carmack (Will Lexington), Clare Bowen (Scarlett O’Connor), Jonathan Jackson (Avery Barkley), Sam Palladio (Gunnar Scott), and Will Chase (Luke Wheeler). Chase will only be featured in NY performance. Tickets go on sale April 4 at Chi-town’s Joe’s Bar, D.C.’s Lincoln Theatre, and NYC’s Best Buy Theatre.

“We’re thrilled to have an opportunity to showcase our artists in a live setting where fans can enjoy the music from the show in a more intimate setting,” said Dawn Soler, Senior VP TV of Music at ABC Entertainment Group. “Each song is a crucial part of our storyline and each week our multitalented actors are able to breathe life into the story by performing these wonderful lyrical works.”

“We have an exceptionally talented cast of great actors, many who are also wonderful singers, musicians and songwriters,” said Steve Buchanan, Nashville executive producer and president of the Opry Entertainment Group. “It is exciting to be able to hit the road and be face to face with our show’s fans.”

It’s unfortunate that the show’s two big stars Connie Britton (Rayna James) and Hayden Panettiere (Juliet Barnes) are a no-show and that the tour is so short; and what’s puzzling is that the Nashville tour isn’t setting up shop in the very city that makes up the heart of the show. Regardless, if you’re a fan of series, its stars and the music (and if you live in one of the three lucky cities) then this tour is definitely something to get excited about. Scarlett and Gunnar are going to duet because they have to, am I right?!

[Via THR]

Jimmy Fallon, The Roots & Idina Menzel perform ‘Frozen’s “Let It Go”

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Every now and again Jimmy Fallon and The Roots get together with musicians and cover popular songs with them. Jimmy and his Tonight Show house band broke out the classroom instruments most recently with the wickedly talented Idina Menzel to perform a fun version of her big, Oscar-winning Frozen tune “Let It Go.” Enjoy!

Bonus clip! Jump after the break to watch my favorite “Let It Go” cover by Nigerian singer Alex Boye featuring a very talented 11-year-old Lexi Walker and The One Voice Children’s Choir. Continue reading Jimmy Fallon, The Roots & Idina Menzel perform ‘Frozen’s “Let It Go” →

Kid Cudi releases EP-turned-album ‘Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon’

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It was originally imagined to be an EP to bridge the gap between Indicud and 2015’s Man on the Moon III but somewhere Kid Cudi decided to turn it into a full-fledged new album; Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon released digitally on Tuesday, February 25 comprised of 10 tracks. Cudder produced the entire album with help from his WZRD collaborator Dot da Genius. R&B musician Raphael Saadiq is the sole feature artist on the record. Even though it morphed into a full-length album, Satellite Flight still fits in place like puzzle piece in Cudi’s discography; it resumes where Indicud left off and it teases the third and final chapter of the MOTM trilogy. Download Satellite Flight at iTunes today. Alternatively, you can wait until Cudi drops the physical album in stores which he teases will include additional bonus tracks currently not for sale digitally. There is no street date for the physical release but signs point towards later this month.

Kid Cudi is on fire right now. In addition to releasing fourth studio album, Scott Mescudi stars in Need for Speed alongside Aaron Paul (which hits theatres March 14) and it was recently announced that he will star as Ari Gold’s new assistant in the upcoming Entourage movie. Catch up with Cudi in this extensive Complex interview that came out late last month.

Coldplay drops new single & music video “Midnight” [Update: new album ‘Ghost Stories’ out this May]

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Coldplay fans are due a new album. Their last album, Mylo Xyloto, released way back in 2011. And if you look at their release track record, they’ve drop a new album every three years starting with their splendid sophomore effort A Rush of the Blood to the Head (2002). So we’ve made it to 2014 and whatddya know–Coldplay leaks out a new single called “Midnight” with an accompanying music video (see above). The song’s lyrics are quite simple; what’s most (for lack of a better term) fascinating about the track is its synthy sound and how much it resembles another artist who goes by Bon Iver. In “Midnight” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin plays around with his vocals using a vocoder and there’s no denying the similarity to Justin Vernon’s performance style. That said, the song represents Coldplay’s continued journey into pop-rock experimentation following 2008’s Viva la Vida and Mylo Xyloto. If you are a fan of those releases then it would appear you’ll be totally into what Coldplay has in store next. If you reminisce about the “Clocks” and “Yellow” days then this might not be your cup of tea. Regardless, Coldplay is readying new music and you best be prepared so mash play and vibe out to their latest visual featuring trippy negative imagery.

Update (3/3): We now have confirmation that Coldplay is indeed releasing a sixth studio album called Ghost Stories and “Midnight” is a track plucked from it. However, it is not the official lead single; “Magic” has the honor of being that track and you can hear the soft tune after the break. Ghost Stories, out May 19, is available to preorder at iTunes today and a Target-exclusive physical CD will include three bonus tracks. The album cover and tracklist are also after the jump. Continue reading Coldplay drops new single & music video “Midnight” [Update: new album ‘Ghost Stories’ out this May] →

Daft Punk, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis & Lorde rule the Grammys

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Daft Punk pretty much swept the Grammys this year, taking home five statues for their latest effort Random Access Memories and its hit single “Get Lucky” featuring Pharrell Williams. The electronic duo nabbed Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Dance/Electronica Album, and Best Engineered Album. Their performance with Nile Rodgers and Stevie Wonder is one for the ages.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis also had a show-stopping performance involving simultaneous marriages in the aisles. They were awarded five Grammys: Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for “Thrift Shop,” and Best Rap Album for The Heist.

Also gaining much recognition is up-and-comer Lorde whose mega single “Royals” off her debut album Pure Heroine received Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.

Click here to view a list of all the winners.

This year in music, as told by DJ Earworm’s mega-mashup “United State of Pop 2013″

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Experience 2013’s most popular songs (as determined by Billboard’s weekly Hot 100 charts, of course) with DJ Earworm‘s latest installment in his “United State of Pop” mashup franchise. As always Earworm goes the extra mile and complements his annual mashup with a visual component, magically stitching together the artist’s music videos. The new track is called “Living the Fantasy” so it shouldn’t come as a total surprise that Lorde’s “Royals” dominates here; Miley’s “We Can’t Stop” and Rihanna’s “Stay” also get recycled often. Songs by Bruno Mars, Imagine Dragons, Justin Timberlake, and One Republic are among the 25 total used here; jump after the break for the full tracklist.

After watching the mashup, download the track for free at SoundCloud. Continue reading This year in music, as told by DJ Earworm’s mega-mashup “United State of Pop 2013″ →