In lieu of this week’s release of N.A.S.A.‘s brilliantly diverse effort, The Spirit of Apollo (click here for the review!), I present the Villains remix of “Whatchadoin.”

The mix is supreme–adding an electro-fied Global DeeJay‘s-esque thumpa-thump between all the best bits of the track. With just a quick fix of scorching electronica whirls and tribal, summery sensations, who knew the song could improve so much?

DL: Whatchadoin? (feat. Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santogold & Nick Zinner) (Villains Remix) (Sharebee)

Click above to order the album NOW!

…It’s animated.

Featuring:
- Singing skull-headed pants.
- Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe as Turtle Tennant and Turtle Lowe.
- Flagrant homosexuality (however implicit).
- A cameo by Pac-Man.
- Hot dog lyrical banners.
- Powerful and provocative imagery involving a woman continuously pulling a mask away from her face in the mirror meant to inspire dialogue about the impossible standards of conventional beauty in today’s entertainment industry.
- A fade out.

Scares me a bit, but is otherwise mesmerizing.

9.07/10

Feeling a bit…cosmopolitan as of late?

Banana Republic has begun rolling out a massive musical campaign in stores this week, entitled City Stories. Designed around the cultural and personal significance of city life, the store has brought together nine different artists from all stretches of the world to share their insights and sounds inspired by the diversity, intensity, and sentimentality of city lifestyle.

Needless to say, there’s a lot of different sounds going on. Just check out the tracklisting:

1. OK Go – Here It Goes Again (UK Surf)
2. Sara Bareilles – Gravity
3. Dashboard Confessional – Stolen (Live- Previously Unreleased)
4. Liz Phair – Never Said
5. Ayo – Sometimes (Acoustic – Previously Unreleased)
6. Esperanza Spalding – Sunlight (Previously Unreleased)
7. David Sanchez – Manto Azul
8. Tommy Torres – Imparable
9. David Garrett – Rock Prelude

Best of all, the exclusive set of goodies comes free with every purchase at Banana Republic until Feb. 26th! A pretty sweet deal, I’d say.

Hmm…Whatcha say? That you only meant well? Well, of course you did. Then how about a free download to spark that interest?

Click here to check out featured tracks by Liz Phair, David Sanchez, and OK GO right about NOW!

So go on all you little Carrie Bradshaws–let’s tickle that economy.

And now for some of the slowed down images included in the video:

Captures have been leaking like mad from what appears to be the opening sequence to Britney‘s upcoming tour, The Circus: Starring Britney Spears. The leaks, coming from a source most believe to be Perez Hilton himself, continues to drop textual hints regarding the plot including: “Don’t get mad, get even.”

From what I can tell? Britney’s exacting revenge on Perez for all of the shit he’s pulled over the years.

Now, if only he wasn’t in on the joke.

Durr…Nearly forgot. Just because I wrote it for my final Queerty round, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist as a proper review in its own right!

—–

Australia is good for only two things: Kangaroos and Dannii Minogue. However, it seems the country can now add another element to the list: Glam-rock dance-pop.

After trailblazing efforts made by fellow Sydney artists The Presets and Sneaky Sound System in 2008, Empire of the Sun is now charting their way into a reg’lar Australian Invasion.

Luke Steele (The Sleepy Jackson) and Nick Littlemore (Pnau) comprise Empire of the Sun, a glam-dance-rock outfit on the brink of something brilliant. And judging by the eccentric garb the duo dons, the word “outfit” isn’t to be taken lightly–The band’s bringing the Bowie like no one’s business.

Single choices are obvious here, including “Walking On A Dream,” a soothing, synth-fused stroll between Arcade Fire and Cyndi Lauper‘s “Time After Time.”

“We Are The People” is another standout; a summery, ’90′s-esque rush of energy recalling Jennifer Paige‘s “Crush.” (Remember her?!)

Most of the album flourishes within a seductive landscape of vintage electro-swagger and guitar strums. It’s only on the final moment, “Without You,” that the band teeters too far into nostalgia, playing like the background song from every prom scene in every 1980′s teen comedy–ever.

Still, not everything’s so serious: “Delta Bay” lifts the robot from Daft Punk‘s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and adds a few hand claps, while the plop-happy “Swordfish Hotkiss Night” and its hook-heavy contents promises to slosh ’round your mind long after the album fades.

So board up the windows and hide the vegemite–The Aussies are coming.

Click above to check out the “Walking On A Dream” EP NOW!

Never in a million years did I actually expect this decision. Undoubtedly, the inauguration of Barack Obama has rewired our society’s infrastructure to the very core, resulting in change-making decisions the world over has yet to fully realize.

As a result, Girls Aloud‘s third single from the Out of Control era has been officially declared to be: “Untouchable.” Or, as the site so eloquently notes: “Their 21st single ever!”

Yes Muusers, it’s now time to roll out the Aloud’s very first 21st single.

You’ve heard it, you’ve loved it…And now it’s finally hitting the big time! But just how will it perform? I suppose it’s all down to the “Radio Edit” now.

My only request? KEEP NADINE’S MIDDLE-EIGHT AWAY FROM THE DIGITAL EDITING KNIFE. You can take what you will from the moody introduction, but if the middle-eight goes, this song will sink faster than a STEPS solo career.

So let the kerfuffle begin in attempting to shorten the masterpiece down to a radio-friendly three minute slot. Lord knows the fan boys aren’t going to be satisfied with this decision no matter which way the producers slice it down. PopJustice! explained it best in a post that my friend XO fancied yesterday:

At almost seven minutes ‘Untouchable’ is Girls Aloud’s ‘Stairway To Heaven’*, their ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’*. It must exist in its entirety, or not at all.

In other words, it’s time to get a bit “Epic” up in this bitch.

DL: Girls Aloud – Untouchable (Sharebee)

Click above to hear more from the Aloud!

Well, Muusers…Thanks to you, I made it to the Top Five to be Queerty’s Next Music Reviewer!

As a result, the morning nausea and night terrors are back with a vengeance.

But more importantly, the Final Round has BEGUN!!

http://tinyurl.com/votebrad

So please, before you go off to work, or school, or synagogue…VOTE FOR ME TO WIN THE POSITION!! AND THEN DO IT SEVERAL MORE TIMES!!!! Take off from work if necessary.

http://tinyurl.com/votebrad
http://tinyurl.com/votebrad
http://tinyurl.com/votebrad

To tempt you to vote celebrate, an assortment of delicious offerings, fresh from my buddy Faisal over at Ohh Crapp! Mmmm….Smells like fresh votee!

DL: Lady Gaga – (Eh Eh) Nothing Else I Can Say (Pet Shop Boys Remix) (Sharebee)
DL: VV Brown – Leave! (Little Boots Remix) (Sharebee)

Four epic moments: One epic show.

First of all, can we take a moment to OMG all over Kylie Minogue’s show stealing introduction? In just under a minute, Ms. Minogue makes a fabulous entrance into the BRIT’s with a thirty second, legs-for-days rendition of “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head.” Stunning, flawless…Welcome to the Fever Era 2.0, ladies and gentlemen.

A little later on, the Aloud take to the stage. Within seconds, the five-some piss all over their prior performances of “The Promise” in one gloriously over-the-top, camptastic rendition, straight out of Chicago (and a little bit Return of the Spice Girls Tour for good measure). Sure, the opening bits suffer from a few bum notes thrown out by Drunkie and Judgie. Still–the Girls recover, and by the time the glamorous feathers-n-fluff finale comes churning out, not one performance holds a candle to the Almighty Aloud flame.

“And the winner is…Diana Vickers!” Love it.

Fittingly, the win is secured: The Aloud receive their first BRIT in six years for “The Promise,” winning the coveted Best British Single Award! The crowd goes into a tizzy (Duffy included) as the ladies gallop to the finish line. Sure, Sarah was completely obliterated and Nicola was snubbed out of saying two words into the microphone–but if this isn’t classic Aloud behavior, I don’t know what is.

Well deserved and well played…I LOVE YOU, GIRLS ALOUD!

Finally, the other, other, other epic moment: THE RETURN OF THE PET SHOP BOYS! After a nerve-ridden speech by a fidgety Brandon Flowers, the Boys appear on screen to give thanks for their Achievement Award, only to be drowned out by the audience for a majority of the speech. The screen then gives way to reveal massive cut-outs of their faces as Neil Tennant–going gothic-chic with a rather S&M-friendly, futuristic wrap-around coat, and Chris Lowe–donning massive shades and an un-ironic pink wig (clearly an ode to The Lady B)–strut out to take the stage once more.

And so, come hellfire or Gaga, the Boys pull out all the stops in preparing a whirlwind career retrospective in under ten minutes. From “West End Girls” to “Love Etc.,” the Boys chug right along across their finest hits of the decades. A slew of distractions aid the performance, including an onslaught of ceaseless suited dancers-turned-Agents from The Matrix, as well as colorful videos and illuminations.

Five minutes in the piece the rumors are affirmed as Lady Gaga, looking as though she’d just glued pieces of a Chinese porcelain plate all over her naughty bits, waddles out in robo-mode to take over for Dusty Springfield on “What Have I Done To Deserve This?” Shockingly she delivers, and the set rolls onward without a hitch. Inwardly, the Gaga Love/Hate continues to brew…

Flowers marks his moment soon after, coming in to saunter along to one of my all time favorites, “It’s A Sin.” I won’t lie–He looked absolutely adorable, if not a bit starstruck.

As the show draws to an end, Flowers and Gaga return to the stage to join Neil in bringing the performance to to a crashing, epic conclusion on “West End Girls.” Flowers nervously swings from side-to-side next to Gaga, now frozen in vamping pose, and I cannot help but find myself reminiscing about that awkward couple from the middle school dance. The song ends, the Boys retreat, and the crowd goes mad.

In a word, EPIC.

Most of all, the BRIT’s served to reaffirm what I’ve known true for years now–The British simply do their award shows better. There’s less pressure, more entertainment, and loads more talent in the nominated categories. Plus, the jokes are actually funny. I couldn’t help but lose myself each time Mathew Horne got up to introduce a new act. (“Scream until you prolapse, it’s the Ting Tings and Estelle!”)

So bizarre, so campy, and most importantly–Not so serious. Take notes, Grammy Awards, and lighten the fuck up.

I love the BRITs!