noisettes

All posts tagged noisettes

Random Notes – 01-27-10

Posted by John on January 27, 2010
Posted in: free download, singles. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 6 Comments

– It looks like Michael Buble has shown enough longevity with “Haven’t Met You Yet” at Adult Contemporary and Adult Top 40 formats that the single is now being officially worked to Top 40 radio now. Are songs like this and Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” a sign that the pop format might actually be expanding a bit? Or are these just abberations used to break up the constant Autotune action?

– Speaking of Lady Antebellum, I have heard the full-length several times, and while a review is on the way, I am now able to say that the CD lives up to the promise of its first single. I am loving “Hello World” at the moment.

– A few months ago, I looked at the chances of a couple of male UK acts in the US, and decided that Taio Cruz stood the best chance. Well, Island/Def Jam must have thought the same, because “Break Your Heart” is officially stateside now. In fact, you can get a free copy of the Wideboys Mix, which includes Ludacris to warm up the crowd, via Masterbeat.com. Just head on over, register for an account if you don’t have it already, and download away. You will get a total of six tracks for free, including current and recent club hits by Rhianna (“Hard”), Mariah (“Obsessed”), Noisettes (“Don’t Upset the Rhythm”), The Bravery (“Time Won’t Let Me Go”), and Utada (“Dirty Desire”). If you go digging, you might also be able to find a free version of Madonna’s “Celebration”.

Random Notes – 10-05-09

Posted by John on October 5, 2009
Posted in: giveaway, new releases, news, singles. Tagged: , , , , , . 4 Comments

Noisettes Banner– If you haven’t done so already, check out the contest to win one of three Noisettes CDs. The winners will be announced this weekend.

Alphabeat Spell– Current songs that sound really good on the radio: Alphabeat’s “The Spell”, which is up on Radio 1 in advance of its release on October 18th, and REALLY needs to see a US release; Britney’s “3”, which I heard coming out of David Guetta’s “Sexy Bitch”, making for a pretty impressive (and surprising) one-two punch; and Carrie Underwood’s “Cowboy Casanova”, which needs to see a pop radio push at some point in the near future. Even in its original form, it is incredibly catchy.

Crazy Frog Wal Mart– Who decided that Crazy Frog needed a new album, let alone one that’s an exclusive to Wal-Mart? And how disturbing is it that “Cha Cha Slide” is among the tracks covered? Or “Last Christmas”? Thankfully, there aren’t samples on the website, or I might be typing wounded right now.

– Idolator has some detail on FTC regulations going into effect in December which will require bloggers to disclose anything that they have received from a third party that was utilized for writing a post. Many of you may recognize the unfairness of this, as TV, radio and newspapers have received promotional materials for years and don’t have to disclose this information. Between this, and a current law rolling through Congress that defines a protected journalistic source as someone that works and receives a paycheck for what they do (hence, no indy bloggers), the old establishment is doing everything it can to tie new media’s hands behind their backs.

So for the record, how many bloggers even collect a paycheck for what they do, let alone get freebies from a record label? Personally, I can count on one hand the number of times I have received promotional material from a label, and even then, I let them know point blank that I will not promote anything that I do not believe in. I can see the potential for a class-action lawsuit against the FTC on this, but when was the last time you paid money into the music blog lobbying fund? Yeah…me either.

– The new Usher? Good, but not great, although it’s a definite return to Confessions-style slowjams.

When CDs Attack!

Posted by John on October 2, 2009
Posted in: giveaway, new releases, reviews, videos, youtube. Tagged: , , . 6 Comments

Sometimes the musical blogosphere seems a bit detached from the rest of the world, because we seem to operate with our own agenda and timetable, and that doesn’t always match up with reality. A few months ago, you would have sworn that the new Pet Shop Boys was released worldwide, but the reality of that was America saw a release several weeks after most other countries. So it seems a bit odd to me that we are looking at record companies pushing artists with buzz here in the U.S. that have been out elsewhere for a while now. Here are a few of the more interesting arrivals on American soil over the past few weeks. Make sure that you read through to the end for a cool little giveaway…

Gary Go Cover– Gary Go – So I RAVED about “Wonderful” when it came out. Amazing song, cool video, quirky artist, but where do you go from that? Well, in the case of Gary Go, you only get to #25 with the single and #22 with the full-length before you turn your attention to…America? Yeah, that’s not the typical model, but I have a feeling that it might work with Gary. This could actually help him out at home as well, because if the powers that be back at Decca see that he is become successful in the U.S., there will inevitably be a second push for Gary back in the U.K.

My initial reaction to tracks from the CD was not that great, but after having heard the full domestic release, I am hooked. Americans won’t necessarily recognize the Gary Barlow-like songwriting, but they will recognize the Coldplay-like song structure with a bit more of a personal touch. Besides, who couldn’t use a little uplifting these days, courtesy of “Wonderful”? Personally, I see the similarly-upbeat “Open Arms” making some bigger waves, but I really like the more mellow “Heart and Soul” and the elegant “Brooklyn”.

La Roux Cover– La Roux – Oh, Elly Jackson. I am sure you mean well, with your punkish attitude and your mile-high hair. The public loves a polarizing figure sometimes if there is some redeeming quality. Unfortunately, at this moment, there really isn’t one for La Roux in the U.S. (released digitally this month), because while she may have an interesting persona, the music just isn’t where the American public is currently. It’s a really good CD…former #1 dance track “Bulletproof” will lodge itself into your head for hours at a time, and “In For the Kill”, despite certain frequencies of Elly’s voice, is a pretty classy electronic pop romp. The rough part for Elly and Co is that in order to crack the pop charts here in the States, you either need a sound that draws off of something that’s already been a hit, or something that is completely new, different, and impactful. I just don’t see this happening with anything on the current release, but hopefully they develop enough of an underground following that will sustain them through to their sophomore effort.

Noisettes Cover– Noisettes – I admit it…”Don’t Upset the Rhythm” was not an immediate hit with me. Despite all of the raving that was going on for the track, it just did not fully click with me. Fortunately, there was more to this trio from London than just an all-out funky jam (which is currently in the Top 5 of the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart). “Never Forget You” seeped into my brain, and has made regular appearances for the past month, making it a strong candidate for “Earworm of the Year”. If there is a track that can crack America, it is “Forget”, which has a bit of an Amy Winehouse vibe to it, but with a lot more 60s-era class. This is custom-made for the VH1 set, and it would only take one breakthrough performance on a show like Saturday Night Live (think Adele last year) to bring this album to the masses. Here’s hoping…

So speaking of bringing this record to the people, I have three copies of the Noisettes’ Wild Young Hearts to give away. All you have to do is leave a note in the comments section with a good reason I should send you a copy. Creativity and knowledge of the band don’t hurt the cause, and living in the US or Canada would be good as well, because that’s as far as we can ship at the moment. Good luck!