Obsessively blogging about pop music, pop videos, pop stars, and pop culture from inside the MTV headquarters in Times Square. We also have a slight Jonas Brothers problem. And a little fixation with Tokio Hotel.
For her edition of MTVUnplugged, Katy Perry scrubbed the glitter off her brash, brassy anthems. Taking full advantage of the intimate, candlelit setting, Perry radically reworked some of her most well-known and most-adored jams, and showcased a whole new side of herself as a performer, arranger, and songwriter. Gone are the pulsing beats, washes of synths and walls of guitar, replaced by a hushed, jazzy set-up featuring, at times, upright bass, strings and horns. But the songs remain the same: witty, vulnerable and crammed with hooks.
"I Kissed A Girl"
Katy's second single gets a cabaret jazz send up, attendant with stand-up bass and torch singer vocals.
"Lost"
Described as one of the more personal songs on her album, One Of The Boys, Katy gives a little background to the ballad "Lost," before performing a heart-rendering version of the track.
"Ur So Gay"
A sly insult to an ex-boyfriend with a flair for H&M scarves, it's the song that announced Katy Perry's arrival to the music world. "Ur So Gay" gets a a horn-heavy revamp.
+ Watch more Katy Perry Unplugged performances after the jump. Read more...
Alicia Keys' "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart" is a dawn-breaking, tears-streaming heartbreaker. It's got airy vocals, swathes and keys and a tumbling, hard beat.
Here's the thing. Things are going REAL WELL for Alicia. I mean, girl has a new album in the chamber -- The Element Of Freedom, out next month -- she's playing the VMAs and the World Series with Jay-Z, singing a hot hook on the Top 5 hit "Empire State Of Mind."
But all that aside, nobody does broken hearts like Alicia Keys. Even at the top of the game.she can pull heartstrings like the end of The friggin' Notebook.
It's the question on the tip of everyone's tongue. No, not, "How will Lost end?" It's, "What happened to Thursday?!"
You remember Geoff Rickly and the boys, right? After the success of their Full Collapse album, they were supposed to be emo's big hope, dragging the sub-genre, kicking and screaming (naturally), into the arena to stay.
Things didn't go according to plan, Thursday didn't become the American Radiohead, and the New Jersey band wound up splitting with their major label and going underground (again). But their true-blue fans held on, and so did Thursday, which brings us to "Circuits Of Fever" (from their forthcoming Common Existence album). It's an impressionistic video for a rather shoe-gazer-ish song. The swirling atmospherics match the flashing imagery, and the rhythm is perfectly synced with the random pieces of machinery featured in the video. Welcome back, dudes!
Dollars to donuts this year the streets will be swarming with DIY Lady Gagas this Halloween. Dressing up like the "Bad Romance" singer for Halloween this year is like dressing up like Sarah Palin was last year, except Lady Gaga actually brings us joy.
Nowadays, people seem to rush the stage to degrade their own star quality. In our post-"Kanye West/I'ma Let You Finish"-world, you'd have to say there's nothing to be gained by getting onstage when it ain't your turn.
But let us cast our minds back to a gentler time. Back when you didn't have to rush the stage; you were practically pulled on. And when your appearance was actually a star-making moment, not a career-derailing one.
Peep the legendary "Dancing In The Dark" video from Bruce Springsteen -- who happens to be playing a series of concerts this week, bidding farewell to New Jersey's Giants Stadium. The video dropped in 1984, it was directed by film director Brian De Palma, and it features a fresh-faced, then-unknown, pre-Cougar Town Courteney Cox, who was conveniently wearing a Bruce Springsteen shirt.
The "Dancing In The Dark" went on to become a staple of MTV's early-'80s rotation, and for Courteney Cox, it was stage invasion that launched her career. The main difference is, when Courteney Cox took the stage in "Dancing In The Dark," she was invited.
Great. Now I totally feel like the high school underachiever now -- A Clear Blurrpretty much embodiesblink-182, while still staying on top of sports and GPAs. (I barely passed P.E.)
The Jersey pop-punk group AClear Blurr -- Tom Kenney, Karl Pearson, Cole MacDonnell, and Kevin Nicotera -- may sound a step up from your average high school band, but that's part of the appeal: their sophomore album's called Trigonometry, and if you check out the A Clear Blurr's MySpace photos, the guys have gone for all-out high school stereotypes: jock, nerd, bad boy and hot-guy/class clown.
In addition to graduating high school this year, A Clear Blurr's already done time on Warped Tour as well as a few Hot Topic gigs, which obviously beats passing out EPs in the hall between class. For Trigonometry (just that word brings back bad memories -- hopefully A Clear Blurr will reclaim it me) due September 29, the guys worked with John Collura of The Ataris, so expect a little more nuance than their first full-length, Drop Everything, which Clear Blurr released in 2007.
+ Beyonce has just been named Billboard magazine's Woman Of The Year and will be accepting the award at a ceremony to be held later this year in NYC. We smell a J-Lo-style backlash aaaaaaaany moment now (which consequently smells a lot like glitter body paint). (Billboard)
+ Also on the Billboard tip, Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas reveals what it's like to be a part of the pop supergroup that has been making Billboard chart history. (Blogamole)
+ Is Prince truly seeking a job at the White House? Would it then be called the Purple House? (The Tripwire)
+ Reigning '90s R&B supergroup TLC will return to the stage after a more-than seven-year absence, thanks to a little nudge from none other than Justin Timberlake. (Rap-Up)
+ Watch Britney Spears and Russell Brand in their second stint as VMA "lovers." It's kind of cute to see Russell throw himself at Brit so desperately -- story of his life, we're guessing, though we'd TOTALLY hit it. (Buzzworthy)
If Apple FINALLY created their record label -- that's GOT to be up there on the to-do list, right? Somewhere near political sovereignty and establishing its own religion? And shouldn't there be an app for that? -- UK pop singer Gary Go should be its first sign. The guy pretty much wrote Apple's next campaign: You too can be a pop star, with just a few iPhone apps and some angst! And hopefully half as much musical prowess as he's got. Gary, who put out two non-iPhone EPs a few years back, wrote several of his self-titled debut album tracks with just iPhone software. And these days he'll even get on stage and play his iPhone... Seriously -- some 70,000 people at Wembley Stadium just saw him perform on his iPhone.
So, the London-born Gary is clearly a tech geek -- the lyrics of one of his songs consist solely of fan Tweets -- but let's get back to the music: I would liken Gary's melancholy yet grandiose and uplifting brand of pop-rock to Coldplay or James Morrison, and I didn't expect that from Gary's campy stage name alone.
Gary Go and his debut single, "Wonderful," have already picked up steam in the UK, in large part because Gary opened for Take That on their latest tour, which broke the record for fastest-selling UK tour of all time! (And for you boy band fans keeping track at home, we really truly have heard of NO plans to get the Backstreet Boys back to the 2009 VMAs!)
Anyway, speaking of openers, not only did Gary also open for Lady GaGa for several of her concerts, Gary covered "Just Dance" (it's gloomy and acoustic... definitely a new spin!), and he saw GaGa's ... gagas! Gary told the UK's Daily Record:
"She was in the dressing room opposite me and someone shouted to her to come and meet Gary Go. She shouted back that she had no clothes on, but two seconds later she just came to the door with nothing on then quickly threw a little jacket on. It was quite a meeting and she is very attractive. She's a performance artist, so I guess she doesn't have any inhibitions, but it certainly had an effect on me."
I imagine it did, but what better way to be introduced to all that is Lady GaGa? I wonder if she treats all her openers to such a warm welcome?
Watch Gary Go's latest video, "Engines," and watch "Wonderful" after the jump!
The 2009 MTV VMA nominees have been announced (something about Beyonce?), voting is ON like Donkey Kong, and two-time VMA host Russell Brand just had ANOTHER responsibility added to his CV, which is probably made of leather and I bet smells like Tom Ford Private Blend Tobacco Vanille: holder and giver-away of VMA tickets!
Watch this video from Russell Brand to find out how to get tickets to the 2009 MTV VMAs in New York City. It's the hottest ticket in town, especially since Cats finally closed.
+ Don't miss the 2009 VMAs live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, September 13 at 9pm!
+ Wanna hear the new track "Celebration" off Madonna's new compilation CD that hasn't hit stores yet? Check it. (Towleroad)
+ Green Day and P!nk were announced today as scheduled performers at the 2009 MTV VMAs. If P!nk brings anything like what she brought last year, this year's show will be amazing. (MTV News)
+ As we all know by now, Demi Lovato is this week's Billboard star, taking the number one spot. What is surprising is how mediocre sales for Jordin Sparks' new CD were. (Evil Beet)
+ Kanye West helped himself to a tall glass of crazy, recently proclaiming himself as the new King of Pop. (Bitten & Bound)
+ Miley Cyrus is making a Twitter MESS of herself, tweeting this and that about love and missing people. Close up shop, lady. Close. Up. Shop! (Anything Hollywood)
+ Lily Allen is starting up her own jewelry line? Exactly what we needed. (Holy Moly!)
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