A Summary

Winter Break is a thing of beauty. Especially when a certain long term project has taken all your time away from your music blog.

Back to music. During my unfortunate hiatus, the music world did not deign to pause (and it should not) for me. There have been truckloads of new artists, singles, releases, so I'm going to take a moment to share the ones that have stuck out for me when I first heard them.

Nikki Williams - Kill, Fuck, Marry - At first I was all like "This is the weirdest thing I've ever seen" and was SO not into it. Ditto when the opening stanza came on. From then on, it was clear sailing. The fact that she's classically gorgeous and the video is such a cliche Americana thing only helps.

Nikki Williams - Glowing - I know it looks like I have Nikki Williams Music Obsession disease or something (NWMO for short) but this song is amazing. First off, it's so different from Kill, Fuck, Marry, and when I first listened, I was blown. Away. The chorus is dancy enough to be categorized as pop, but the rest isn't sugary or cheesy or stupid. Loving this.

Colette Carr - F16 - Yes, this song has been out for ages. Yes, I probably have Colette Carr Music Obsession disease (CCMO for your reference), but I just think that everyone should be aware of and love the music video. Part of what I loe is that as a video, it's so radically different from everything else Colette has done. She's done the pool party with the almost naked girls and old creepy guy, the insane asylum inmate, the rapping by the railroad tracks, the looking cute while skipping down the street, the blonde bombshell from Grease, the bejeweled bodysuit. The classic video about a boyfriend she loved and lost? It's new territory, and done as well as one would expect of Colette (meaning she climbs all over a plane, not like we could expect her to be normal).

Janet Devlin - Wonderful/Crown Of Thorns - Wonderful and Crown Of Thorns are actually two different songs included in the same video. The song Wonderful, while not fully played, promises to be a fun song, though not necessarily pop-py. Crown of Thorns reminds me a bit of her on the X Factor, ans while I like it less that Wonderful, it is appropriately dramatic and is very cool.

April Kae - The Writings on the Wall - I don't really know what I was expecting when I clicked the link to April's song, but it was not this. Perhaps a sassy woman pretending to be Gwen Stefani, yes? Awkward, because no. Nothing about her is similar to Gwen, least of all her voice. The one thing that bothers me is how she's singing that beautiful song and ends up dancing to it in a club, of all places.

Dragonette - Merry Xmas - I shouldn't have to explain. To anyone averse to Christmas songs for whatever reason, don't worry about it. It has a Dragonette twist that expels it from the realm of Christmas songs forever.

Jhameel - Shadow of a Man - Half great, half bizarre. I don't quite understand what's going on, but okay!

Chris Cab - Good Girls (Don't Grow On Trees) - I have to admit the title inclined me to the song. And when there is a rap song that has pop moments as well, then I'm a goner.  Of course, this song is better than most that fall under that description. Furthermore, I usually don't pay much attention to lyrics (funnily enough, I can't pay attention when I'm listening to something, unless it's music) but the lyrics to this song are gold.

Christina Aguilera - Army of Me - Oh yeah...that's why she's a judge on The Voice...

Sirah - Double Yellow Lines - until the chorus, I did not like this song, but for the sake of fair judgement, I kept going, and I know love this song and plan to buy it as soon as I earn 99 cents.

Obviously, there is so much more. But over the past few months, this is what really stuck out in my mind - must be better than the rest of the stuff, right?

DNA review

Full Album Here

Since I was gone so long, I missed the release of Little Mix's album DNA. Read on to see what I think.

Wings - I love this song. It's very strong and the perfect starter, as it shows off their great style and powerful voices. They deserved to win X Factor, and this song proves that.

DNA - the starting chords creeped me out, because I am creeped out by music boxes. But once the vocals started, I loved this song. People have called Little Mix the female One Direction, but the thing about Little Mix is that their individual voices aren't just good, they are POWERFUL. I wouldn't say this is the best song, but it is good enough to merit the title of the album. Furthermore, the music video = stunning, and a whole new image of Little Mix.

Change Your Life - Everything about this is a good song. First off, as an American I love it when anybody from the UK speaks in their songs, because their accents are gorgeous. This song is absolutely beautiful and I can't for it to be performed live, because its one of those songs - good to perform, good to sing.

Always Be Together - This song makes me so emotional. It belongs on the soundtrack of a movie. This is so far my favorite song on the album because even though it isn't dancy, it is beautiful.

Stereo Soldier - Cue in the cheesy song name. Unfortunately, this song does not live up to the rest of the standards that the rest of the album has put up, which is too bad, but hey - every album has at least one song that just isn't as good. I would probably like it if I heard it first without any other Little Mix beauty around it, but since I did hear it after Always Be Together, I see that it's weaker than the other songs.

Pretend It's OK - This song, I feel, is the epitome of Little Mix style. Once again, Little Mix were made to perform, and this song fits that perfectly. I love how there is never one person who is dominant, but rather, their voices work together.

Turn Your Face - I wanted to like this song. I really did. It reminds me slightly of Demi Lovato's Skyscraper,  only less so. Sorry girls, I can't give you this one.

We Are Who We Are - After Turn Your Face, this sounds remarkably One Direction-ish. Only with the Little Mix remix (ha, ha). I really like this song - maybe because i'm a sucker for songs that say "I'm perfect the way I am", but I felt like I heard more intensity in the song from the singers, like they mean what they're singing, which, as we all know, is pretty important.

How Ya Doin'? - My first thoughts were that this song was very bizarre. The whole thing with the leaving of the message, and the so not 21st style beginning, I was a bit confused and not a big fan. But as the song progresses, though the lyrics are not very good, the tune and beat are, so it makes up for it.

Red Planet (ft. T-Boz) - Our first featured artist for Little Mix! Hooray! This song basically = E.T. by Katy Perry, as far as the chorus music goes, though naturally, Little Mix's lyrics are far less explicit. It sounds a bit messy though, and I can't see it being very popular.

Going Nowhere - Unlike Turn Your Face, I was NOT a fan in the beginning. However, I have taken a yen to the Spanish sound and instruments, and it is definitely a sing along song.

Madhouse - whenever I hear the word "madhouse" I can only think of Rihanna's song. This song is nothing like that, and though it is very different it is, I think equally good.

Love Drunk - This one sounds like it came straight from the set of High School Musical or some other cheesy musical movie. No other comment.

Make You Believe - This song is fabulous. From the very opening throughout the rest, the focus is on VOCALS and the sheer power of the members' voices. I love this song and bonus: slightly reminds me of the Cheetah Girls before they went bad.

Case Closed - I love this song. it sounds a little bit like DNA, only less intense. Everything from the very cool title to the chorus to beat is great. This is easily one of the best songs on the album, and would have made a fabulous last song.

Overall, if you are a fan of Little Mix's, you will not be disappointed. They tend to start with weak openings, but by the time it gets to the chorus, the songs are fabulous and oh-so worth it. I think those who like other artists like Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Selena Gomez, One Direction, The Wanted, and other artists like so will love Little Mix as well. Those who can't buy it from iTunes, check out the prices for the regular version (missing Love Drunk, Make You Believe, and Case Closed) here.

Skitszo Review

Here we are! Skitszo, Part 1 finally released. By now, some of you may have already bought Part 1, and some may be considering it. So here's my review, track by track.

First of all, I love the cover. It would be so cool if all the EP's had different covers since they're gonna all show up as different albums on your iPod anyways, but even if they all shared covers, i'm glad that it looks like this. I feel like if you saw the cover and listened to the songs, it would be a total disconnect.

Full Album Here

F16

I really like this song. The rap lyrics are a little weird and meaningless but the beat and the chorus are fantastic. Bonus: The video for this one is coming out in ten days, and I'm positive it will be very different from the ones that she's done before. (Read: located at a pool party, asylum, sidewalk in a suburb, and on a set made to look like the one from Grease.) With a very cool, very dramatic start, the beat and the attitude of this song never slows down. There is no way you could ever do homework with this playing, and there's no way you can resist the rapped lyrics, but it will take you a while to sing along to anything besides the chorus (I am unable to rap. I am the person who only does the part that is going slower than 100 mph). I wasn't too keen on it at first because its a bit weird, but it's one of the best tracks, and a really good one to start the whole EP with. You can take away almost everything but you'll never take away my heart...

Delusional

This one doesn't have as god a start to the song as F16, but I have found it easier to fall in love with. The autotune is very clear on this one, but I'm sure it will sound amazing live as well. The lyrics are better than in F16, the beat less so. The chorus isn't as catchy as the previous tracks, but its still pretty good! Unfortunately, I cannot sing along to it, otherwise I will mangle it completely. I could sing in a different key, but girl hits some tricky notes, not too high or too low.

Killswitch

I like this track far better than Delusional. I think it is very catchy, and even though Colette definitely does Pop, it isn't like her other stuff at all. First of all, there is absolutely no rap intertwined with the pop, but don't make the mistake of thinking it sounds like other pop female artists. What I really like is that in the middle, I started to get a bit bored, but all of a sudden, there's this funny little twist in the song, and it ended off on a great note! However, I did get bored in the middle, which simply should not have happened.

Like I Got A Gun ft. YG

Whether you are an avid Colette fan and have heard this track a million times or you've never heard of her in your life, you have not heard the YG new and improved version. His rapping just improves an already good song, and every time I hear it I sing along, this being the one song that I actually can rap along to.

Consensus: 4 Stars of of 5
I love this EP! My only problems are that I think the order should be F16, Killswitch, Like I Got A Gun, Delusional. Delusional and Killswitch are too poppy to be next to each other and give me a bit of a headache when I listen to them consecutively, but that is what iTunes and Spotify playlists are for! There was less rap than I hoped there would be as well, but over all, Colette met my expectations! Yay CCarr!

My favorite songs, in order:
Like I got a Gun ft. YG
F16
Killswitch
Delusional

Singles and Colette (Finally)

I'm so sorry to have been gone for so long! There was a long, difficult issue in my personal life.

What happens when you mix Dev with Ke$ha, a few random artists, and hair dye? CSS and their video for City Grrrl ft. Ssion. A Brazilian rock band that's been around for a while hasn't caught my attention previously due to their first songs being released in Portuguese. I haven't heard of them releasing another album yet (I'm sure there will be one in 2013), but to those English speakers who have not had the chance to enjoy them yet, look at their songs Left Behind, Hits Me Like A Rock, and of course Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above.

A song called Famous usually is not unique in any way. It's usually about wanting to be famous (naturally), how one day the singer will be a big star, etc. Well. Let me just say that, as an American, I am a sucker for accents. I don't know if English girls love American accents on guys, but there you guy. That being said, Katy Tiz is not a guy, but she does have an accent. And that makes the song that much better. What's also nice is that the song is not about wanting to be famous, rather, it's about a guy wanting her only because she's famous. Not the most original idea, but her video is cute and I do like the song enough that I think it should definitely have a place of honor in a Spotify playlist.

Happiness is chocolate, a hot drink on a rainy night, crisp morning air, and Colette Carr's album FINALLY being available to pre-order. When I say album, of course I mean The Skitszo Collection. Click the link here, and you'll be able to pre-order her EP installments, get the physical copy, and a cute bottle opener, for 17 American dollars. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Album Review - Kiss

Carly Jepsen's debut album has been much anticipated. If you like her, then you're pretty tempted to buy the whole cd, right? Maybe my analyzing of the album will support that temptation, decrease or increase it.

Tiny Little Bows - The first song off the album does not disappoint. I'm not going to say it's the best one, but it isn't weak by any means. Rather than a song you sing in a car, it's more something you may hum while working or shopping. While not very bouncy, it is very sweet, and could almost be described as cute.

This Kiss - The opening of this song got me really excited, as it sounded like it would be a great song to dance to. Unfortunately, not so. I wouldn't say it's radio material or singing material, and while I am not a fan of it at all, it isn't a bad song.

Call Me Maybe - This is one of those songs that no matter what you thought when you first heard it, it's been so overplayed that you know the bridge and chorus, if not the whole song, by heart, and you most likely have sung it with a friend, heard a parody or made up your own lyrics to the tune. It isn't a song to play at a dance, but it is definitely a car song, and fun.

Curiosity - From the opening bars, you can tell that this song will be very different from Carly's other ones. Fraught with electrical interference and studio produced sounds, it doesn't really sound like what you imagine a Carly Rae Jepsen song would sound like, and more like something you would hear on Disney Channel.

Good Time (Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen) - I love this song. Listen to it now. It is absolutely amazing, completely singable and easy to dance to. It is a great pop song in every way.

More Than a Memory - My first impression was that this song sounds remarkably like Call Me Maybe. However, the tune reminds me of every other song produced by every other pop princess on the planet. However, the words are very sweet, and if/when there is a music video for it, it will be very fitting and sweet. Despite the fact that the tune sounds so typical, I still like it.

Turn Me Up - The cheesy title made me groan in the beginning. However, the chorus is ridiculously catchy- "Breaking up with you, you're breaking up on me, you kissed me on the phone, and I don't think it reaches". I thought at first that the song would be about going to a party and turning up the music, and blablabla, but it isn't quite like that. I was definitely originally inclined to dislike this song, but it's quite good - at least far better than the similarly titled Kim Kardashian version.

Hurt So Good - Once again, the Britney Spears-esque title is quite irritating, and by this time, it starts like every other song on the album has as well. I'm not quite sure what it is, perhaps the lack of originality, the obvious autotune effects, or bad lyrics, but this song does nothing for me.

Beautiful ft. Justin Bieber- We all knew Justin Bieber would come in here at some point. It sounds like they had a session where they sat in the studio and sang soulfully like they present to us in music videos. That being said, I would have to say that the only way to tell if this song is any good is to make your own personal decision. It is a bit of a shock and was not well transferred from the last electric sounding song, but listened to alone, it is a calming song.

Tonight I'm Getting Over You - Putting this song after the one featuring Justin Bieber makes it sound as though Beautiful belongs on a different album. At first listen, I had the impression it would be a song I would like, but then the chorus burst in, sounding like a remix loving DJ got his hands on it. I would like the song if there were fewer odd non instrumental sounds, but those interferences ruin it for me.

Guitar String /Wedding Ring - What I do like about this song is that despite the electric effects, Carly's voice is fully on display here, and sounds rather throaty, as if she was dancing at the same time as she was singing. Definitely a dancing in your room song, singing into a hairbrush.

Your Heart Is A Muscle - I'm not quite sure what is it with Ms. Jepsen and the odd titles, but this song is very good, and once you hear the lyrics, it doesn't sound like an odd title anymore. Definitely one of the best songs on the album, with her showing off her vocal range. If it doesn't get to the radio, then put it on a cd and play it in the car, because it is a perfect song to speed down the highway to.

Drive - Maybe it's because I listened to the songs in succession, but this song is completely unremarkable and indistinguishable from most of the other ones on this album (read: Tiny Little Bows, Call Me Maybe, This Kiss, Curiosity). If you've heard one of those songs, you already know how this one sounds. If you adore the aforementioned songs, get this one, but the tune sticks in your head so firmly that if you listen to it too much, you'll dream it.

Wrong Feels So Right - There is so much sass right here. Loving the sass, and how it is so very Carly, but not like her at the same time. I actually found myself dancing along as I typed this. I wouldn't say it's a dance party song, but could be a radio hit like Call Me Maybe.

Sweetie - The last song on the album has to be really good, and have it go out with a bang and not a whimper. If you like to listen to any pop on Billboards Top 100, this song will do it for you - it certainly did it for me. Once again, this song could have a fantastic music video, and will be very well performed on her tour. It's a great song to sing to alone or with karaoke, and it is a definite purchase if you feel inclined towards Ms. Jepsen.

Albums to Keep an Eye Out For

When I first listened to Becky G's song Turn the Music Up, I wasn't a fan. However, that doesn't mean her potential wasn't there, so I did some more exploring, and was it worth it. Problem (The Monster Remix) ft. Will.i.am is a completely different story, and it has adorable little clips from that new Adam Sandler movie, Hotel Transylvania. She's also featured on Cody Simpson's son Wish You Were Here, and i like her way better than I do him. And of course, everything about Cher Lloyd's song Oath ft. Becky G is amazing. I have no idea when she'll put out and album, but I'll keep my ears open!

Luckily enough, we only have to wait two more months until Demi Lovato's next album comes out. No matter what you may have thought of what she has produced before, keep an ear open - apparently this album will be very different - full of true emotion like Adele, but keeping bounce in it, like Taylor Swift. Despite comparisons, I'm sure Demi will find her own niche and shine in it.

Taylor Swift's new and fourth album, Red, will be coming out pretty soon. The reviews of her song We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together have been mixed, with some declarations that her new sound had moved from sweet country to sugary pop for the masses. However, a listen to her song Red reveals that Red will keep a signature style, and will remain music with a country inflection. I Knew You Were Trouble is not like either of these two songs. It definitely has a country origin, but it sounds like a popular radio station got their hands on it and felt free to make whatever edits they wanted. Stay of Grace bounces between country and pop - whatever you consider You Belong With Me to be, Stay of Grace occasionally sounds similar. To those who like Taylor's pop transition through the years should enjoy Red. Personally, I loved her when she had more country sound, and I Knew You were Trouble makes me sad, since it sounds like any other song with Taylor's vice put in. 6 more days until it's available for purchase in the U.S.!

Songs For Today

Colette Carr - (B)A$$
Lolene - Rich (Fake It 'Till You Make It)
Robert Downey Jr - River
Eminem ft. Rihanna - Love the Way You Lie
Shakira - Hips Don't Lie

Artists To Go Back To

Remember what I said about Ke$ha last post? To be honest, I had forgotten about Anjulie completely. Oh, sure, her songs Brand New Bitch and Stand Behind The Music starred in my Spotify library, but she had dropped off my radar. Thank goodness for emails from Youtube. I present You And I, her latest single, and one that is completely lovable. I love the acoustic start, and the transfer to electro Anjulie style is very smooth and well done. I can easily hear this being played at a party or just at a time to dance. It's funny because some of the lyrics don't match the tone of the song and unless you're careful to listen for it, you may believe that Anjulie has a sweet view to life. Not so, and her attitude is there to those willing to see it.

According to an article here, there is a wonderful event to happen in 16 days. The wonderful even in question? Janet Devlin will be perform songs from her debut album live over webcast. To anyone who has not watched the English X Factor, don't worry about the voice quality - Janet's voice has an ethereal quality that I doubt will ever require auto tune. I don't quite know what sort of songs she'll have, but she has such a beautiful voice that I feel compelled to try and listen.

Songs For Today

Neon Hitch - Fuck U Betta
The Ready Set - Give Me Your Hand (Best Song Ever)
Hot Chelle Rae - Whatever
A*M*E - Play The Game Boy
Demi Lovato - La La Land