Other Lives, Amon Tobin And Other Coachella Acts We Hope You Didn't Miss

Posted 4/24/12 9:51 am EST by in Bands We Like, Coachella


Photo by Zachary Swickey

By Zachary Swickey

Yesterday morning all of those lucky enough to attend Cali’s Coachella Music Festival (myself included) were awakened by the blistering sun for one last time as the second weekend of the fest drew to a close. It’s a no-brainer why it’s one of the most desirable festivals with such impeccable professionalism and a wealth of top-tier diverse acts; however, some artists aren’t getting the media attention they deserve for their amazing performances, like Radiohead openers, Other Lives.

My only beef with Coachella is not that it’s not good enough – far from it – it’s that the festival creates such an amazing stack of artists that it’s impossible to see everyone you want while also discovering new music (even two weekends isn’t enough honestly). For example, Avicii was spinning in the Sahara tent for a few thousand – not on the main stage – yet he was headlining the much larger Ultra Music Festival just a few weeks ago for over 165,000 fans. Yes, all festivals have this issue, but it detracts from the purpose of festivals themselves – to discover new music.

With that said, we wanted to spotlight some amazing acts that deserve more chatter about their stellar performances from the last two weekends of Coachella. It’s a crime that none of them were on the main stage … but all in due time, we guess.

Amon Tobin

I have to start off with the best performance I witnessed at Coachella (perhaps in my life): Brazilian DJ/producer Amon Tobin. Admittedly, I first discovered his music while researching acts to see just a few months ago, but his tour production – dubbed ISAM – is seriously revolutionary and would make Trent Reznor (another tour design innovator) quite proud. Amazing visuals are projected onto a Tetris-like set that makes it appear as if Mr. Tobin is playing inside the heart of a cube – becoming opaque and revealing himself only occasionally (above). Just take a gander at this video I shot (after the jump) and tell me you don’t have to pick your jaw up off the ground (especially around the 1:30 mark).

Check out four more must-see acts below! Read More...

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Aubrey O'Day Amps Up Comeback With New Single 'Wrecking Ball'

Posted 4/24/12 8:53 am EST by in aubrey o'day


Aubrey O'Day

By James Dinh

Let's call it a brand-new O'Day!

Despite her weekly serving of kickass as one of the strongest players on this season of "Celebrity Apprentice," Aubrey O'Day has forged ahead with her musical comeback by releasing a brand-new single, "Wrecking Ball," on Monday (April 23). Straying away from the slick Pop&B she delivered with Danity Kane and even songs heard in her "All About Aubrey" reality show, "Wrecking Ball" treads waters that Miss O'Day has never ventured before, most notably highlighting her vocal talents.

Trading in her stilettos and hairflips in favor of some touching runs about heartbreak, the mid-tempo "Wrecking Ball" finds Aubrey channeling her inner Kelly Clarkson as she reflects on a seemingly picture-perfect relationship that she's left behind. Co-produced and co-written by David Hodges, Steven Miller and "American Idol's" own Pia Toscano, the breezy song sounds like something that'd fit comfortably with mainstream radio criteria, while standing out among the Top 40's dance craze.

"You think you can read my mind / But this is not another love song / Don’t even waste your time / I’m already gone / Maybe in another life baby / Nothing you can do could ever make me stay / Cause I’ll just break down these walls / Like a wrecking ball," she croons during the song's hook.

It appears only an appropriate time to release some new music for her Aubtourage as the pop star won the most recent challenge on "Apprentice." On Monday night, MTV's favorite underdog took to "The Jay Leno Show" to dish about her current reality stint. "It's really a game about who's the most talented, who can help, who can push something forward," she said. "And it's never been to me about feelings or emotions. It's been about business. Not everyone can separate those two things and I do, and I think's that's why sometimes I'm a controversial person on the show."

"Wrecking Ball" serves as the entertainer's first release since last year's delishciously energetic "Automatic," a single that was released at the end of her Oxygen docu-series. After the season finale, the Adonis-produced song immediately rushed up the iTunes charts, but failed to generate longevity and a music video. And yet, O'Day still prevailed and was signed to SRC Records/Universal Motown later on.

Since wrapping up "Apprentice" filming just a few months ago, the comeback kid has announced that she's readying a Vegas-styled music show and an EP release.

Read More...

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Kaskade Reveals Additions To 'Freaks of Nature' Tour In New Video

Posted 4/23/12 2:59 pm EST by in dance, Tour Dates


By Akshay Bhansali

Is it too easy to begin this post with a reference to Dirty South’s version of the Diddy-Dirty Money hit "I’m Coming Home"?

Maybe. But frankly that couldn't be more fitting for the occasion. On Monday (April 23), Kaskade revealed exclusively to MTV in a new tour video that he’s added epic home-state dates in Los Angeles, and San Francisco to his already mammoth, 50-plus date "Freaks of Nature" tour. His July 27 gig in L.A. will make him the first solo electronic dance musician ever to headline the Staples Center. The show will be followed by a hearty showing the next day in San Francisco, where his career in music began.

Get More: Kaskade, Music News

Buddies Alvin Risk, Fareoah, Treasure Fingers and Le Castle Vania will be joining EDM icon Kaskade on his "Freaks of Nature" tour. Pre-sales for L.A. and San Francisco will be available tomorrow (April 24) at 10 a.m. PST, with general on-sale tickets becoming available Friday, April 27 at 10 a.m. PST. For updates, more info and to purchase tickets head to www.freaksofnaturetour.com.

Check out a complete list of tour dates below. Read More...

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Adele Bests Jason Mraz's U.K. Sales By Just 44 Albums

Posted 4/23/12 2:04 pm EST by in Adele, Charts, Music


By Elizabeth Lancaster

Poor guy!

Forty four may seem like an irrelevant number in individual album sales for heavy hitters like Adele and Jason Mraz, who are accustom to selling millions, but this week that number made all of the difference.

Adele held on to the top spot on the U.K. album chart this week with her record-setting blockbuster 21 by selling just 44 more copies than Mraz's debuting Love is a Four Letter Word.

Love is Mraz's first new release since 2008's smash We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things, which gave the singer the longest running song ever on the Billboard Hot 100, "I'm Yours." In 2010, Mraz won two Grammys for his work on the album, so needless to say the bar has been set high for his follow-up. His first single off the new album, "I Won’t Give Up," peaked at #1 on iTunes after its release in January, and we expect the rest of the album to continue gaining momentum!

Listen to "I Won't Give Up" below:

Have you picked up Jason's Mraz's new album? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below!

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Cobra Starship Rock Some Fake Tattoos On First Date With MTV Newser (Video)

Posted 4/23/12 1:13 pm EST by in First Date, Video


By Rya Backer

Back in early '09 when First Date was just an idea, I put together a list of dream dates – of which there were a lot. One of them was a band that featured the dreamy lead singer of Midtown, who sang that awesome catchy song with Blair Waldorf that I couldn’t get out of my head all summer. But then other things got in the way – their fame skyrocketed, I continued to date other eligible bands I liked in need of a big break, and that’s just how we left it. But I don’t like unfinished business.

I first worked with the guys in Cobra Starship during VMA weekend in 2011. They played the pre-show and I shot an interview with them and produced a sketch in which "Dick Bagwell" and "Vincent Twice (Vincent Twice)," better known as the band’s Ryland Blackinton and Alex Suarez, respectively, donned fake accents, mustaches and Hawaiian shirts to handicap the nominees for our big show. They were hilarious, genial and, most of all, game. They were willing to go there for the laugh and played to the camera. In other words, they were a producer’s dream, and I wanted more than ever to take them out classy. Calls were made, pitches were sent and just a few weeks ago, fate was sealed.

The Village Party Store was the choice location for a lot of reasons. Sure, it’s a pretty atypical spot for a date (but so is going out with two dudes at once, right?), but I knew there was fun to be had in it, and there would be room to play. Also, my ENT doctor is a block away, and when I got delivered some lame news the other day that I needed my deviated septum situation sorted out ASAP, I went in there before heading into the office to perk up (it worked). In any case, fun was had, flamingo balloons were bought, and next time, we’re getting food.

Check it out:

Get More: Music News

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Gotye Slams 'Glee' Cover Of 'Somebody That I Used To Know'

Posted 4/23/12 12:11 pm EST by in Covers, Television


Glee

By Elizabeth Lancaster

Last week, "Glee" pleased pop music lovers everywhere with their rendition of the hit single "Somebody That I Used to Know." Show standout Darren Criss performed the emotional ballad alongside guest star Matt Bomer, and while they gave the song their own touch, they stuck to the general structure and vibe of the original. Based on the already established widespread popularity of the song, the cover was very well-received by most.

Unfortunately, Gotye himself was not so pleased. The Australian singer told the Sunday Mail (via Billboard), "They did such a faithful arrangement of the instrumentals but the vocals were that pop 'Glee' style, ultra-dry, sounded pretty tuned and the rock has no real sense, like it's playing to you from a cardboard box."

Ouch. Such a review from the song's singer is probably not what the show's creators or young stars were going for. If that wasn’t enough, he went on to say that the "Glee" cover "made it [the song] sound dinky and wrong."

Despite Gotye’s rejection of the rendition, the attention "Glee's" "Big Brother" episode brought the song gave it the extra push it needed to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Listen to both the "Glee" cover and Gotye's original below and tell us what you think of the cover in the comments below.

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Kevin Federline's Aunt Writes Britney Spears-K-Fed Fan Fic Erotic Novel

Posted 4/23/12 11:18 am EST by in books, Britney Spears, Kevin-Federline


Pop Bab

Fan fiction is all the rage and if you need evidence just look at the New York Times bestseller list, where "50 Shades of Grey," which was originally developed from an erotic "Twilight" fan fiction entitled "Master of the Universe," is a huge hit and has kind of opened the flood gates.

The latest addition to the cannon: "Pop Baby Krissy Doucet," about an out-of-work dancer ("Keenan Fazio") who strikes the fancy of pop princess Krissy Doucet. A blurb from the book indicates "Krissy" becomes so smitten with "Keenan" she can barely think straight.

"The moment Krissy set her sights on Keenan, she knew he was amazing. Choosing him at the club was one of the best decisions of her life," the blurb reads. "Yet how can she compete with the beautiful Tara Butler? A woman from Keenan's past who understands his sexual desires. Would sharing Keenan in Tara's bed be their only option for love?"

Yowza! With the exception of the bed sharing (which, um, well…), doesn't this story sound kind of familiar?

What if we added this: "Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll might seem like a great theme for a seventies movie, but for Keenan and Krissy it is their way of life," the blurb continues. "The paparazzi say they are in lust, not love. For them, lust and love go hand in hand."

Would it make even more sense if we told you the $4 e-book was written by Diane Story, aunt of Kevin Federline?

OHHHHHH.

According to the official site, "Pop Baby Krissy Doucet" will be in stores April 26 and a sequel "Pop Baby Maddy Fortin" will be released next month. Story also created a contest on her website where the winner can win an actual wedding invitation from Spears and Federline's 2004 wedding. So there's also that…

Britney Spears began seeing Federline when he was her back-up dancer in 2004. They announced their engagement soon after, while Kevin's ex-girlfriend Shar Jackson was pregnant with their second child, and married in October 2004. The couple had two children, Sean Preston and Jayden James, before divorcing in 2007.

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Lady Gaga Tweets Stadium Pics As Tour Opener Nears

Posted 4/23/12 10:01 am EST by in Lady Gaga, Tour Dates, Tweet Beat


Lady Gaga is in the homestretch. Her much awaited "Born the Way Ball" opens at Olympic Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, and she is already in the country doing final rehearsals for the massive show.

Lady Gaga, Twitter

The pop star arrived in S. Korea Friday and has been tweeting images from the stadium as it is readied for her show, complete with that massive stage we took a look at last week. And in a fitting twist, it's been rainy in Korea, just as it's been in Gaga's native NYC. Feels like home.

>> Is This Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way Ball' Stage? (Pic)

Check out more pics of the pop star taking in the venue that on Friday will be filled with tens of thousands of Little Monsters, after the jump. Read More...

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Feistodon Arrives! Listen To 'Black Tongue' and 'A Commotion' Here

Posted 4/20/12 3:42 pm EST by in Covers, Mastodon, Music


Feist

Last week we reported about the unlikely fan friendship between the metalheads of Mastodon and singer-songwriter Feist. The Mastodon crew were smitten with Feist after seeing her perform just two songs on UK talk show "Later with Jools Holland" before they took the stage themselves, and after she heard they were planning to cover one of her songs, she decided to do the same with one of theirs in honor of Record Store Day, which goes down tomorrow (April 21).

Each gave the other complete creative freedom with their respective covers. Feist chose to record a rendition of "Black Tongue" from Mastodon’s latest effort The Hunter and the band took on Feist’s "A Commotion."

"It's a wet dream to have Mastodon take one of my songs and put it into their massive machine," Feist said of the mutual cover lovefest. Meanwhile, Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher told Rolling Stone, "We didn't tell her what to do, and she didn't tell us what to do. 'A Commotion' just kind of stuck out to me. I could hear the opening riff, a single A-note."

Well, that opening riff has arrived. Both artists dropped their covers today ahead of the annual record store-supporting holiday. Listen after the jump and let us know what you think in the comments below! Read More...

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