MuuMuse Approved Tracks for the Week of January 23, 2011

5. Koda Kumi – POP DIVA
J-Pop temptress Koda Kumi’s gone bolder than ever on her 49th single! “POP DIVA” is a brag-filled outburst of pounding beats and wild screeches that rides atop a stinging bass-line similar to the Far East Movement’s “Like A G6.” It’s noisy, it’s erratic–but ultimately, it’s utterly Kumi. (LISTEN)

4. Adam Tyler – I Won’t Let You Go
Up-and-coming L.A. musician Adam Tyler returns with his second single–a gorgeous, heartbreaking electro-pop scorcher that builds and builds with intensity as the song progresses. One to watch in 2011! (LISTEN)

3. Jennifer Lopez – On The Floor (feat. Pitbull)
Kicking off her latest stint as a judge on American Idol’s tenth season, J-Lo premiered the first single from her upcoming album, LOVE?, to radio this week. The spicy songstress enlisted Gaga hit-maker RedOne to produce this floor filler, which capitalizes on all the popular club sounds of late, including the European pulsations of Yolanda Be Cool’s “We No Speako Americano” and Edward Maya’s “Stereo Love.” It’s no “Waiting For Tonight,” but it’s still a proper call to arms. Take it on the floor! (LISTEN)

2. Mya – Fabulous Life
The time is now! Mya seizes the day in this glittery, gleeful electro-pop confection co-produced by J-Pop mastermind Jeff Miyahara and Swedish sensation, Fredro. While this pop treat may only be released in Japan, “Fabulous Life” packs more than enough sparkle and shines to provide universal appeal. (LISTEN)

1. Neon Hitch – Get Over U
You haven’t even debuted yet, and you’re already making me cry at the discotheque? Of all the bad girls, you’re badder than most, Neon Hitch. With sad, stomping synthesizers ourtesy of Benny Blanco and a sorrowful vocal melody contributed by co-writer Sia, “Get Over U” plays like a 2011 continuation of Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own,” proving that the upcoming debut by this whimsical pop gypsy is definitely worth waiting for. (LISTEN)

Well, here’s a song that’s good.

Neon Hitch is the self-described gypsy type who’s been all the rage over the interwebz as of late as one of pop’s most intriguing up-and-coming chanteuses. (No, but really, she’s got quite the colorful background–she used to be in the circus as both a trapeze artist and a fire swinger for one thing.)

After inking a publishing gig with EMI and co-penning/singing back up for acts like Ke$ha (“Blah Blah Blah”) and 3OH!3 (“Follow Me Down”), Hitch was signed to Warner Bros. Records by fellow songwriter and former American Idol judge, Kara DioGuardi in 2010.

Today, the singer just premiered her soon-to-be debut single on ArjanWrites. Spoiler Alert: It’s fantastic.

DL: Neon Hitch – Get Over U

Produced by Benny Blanco and co-penned by Sia, “Get Over U” is a twinkling, stomping sad disco melody filled with warm, lush synthesizers and dramatic strings. It’s incredibly hypnotic, romantic and hopelessly infectious–the type of stuff that we gag about over here at the MuuMuse. You know, like Kylie Minogue‘s “The One” or Namie Amuro‘s “Come.” In other words: I die.

Plus, the entire vocal melody absolutely screams Sia (in other words, “quality!”), especially during the chorus–so much so that it’s entirely possible she’s featured in the background vocals.

It’s essentially Robyn‘s “Dancing On My Own” for 2011, isn’t it?

According to a member of the PopJustice forums, this will be Neon Hitch’s debut single and a video has already been shot.

No clue on how the world will take to this one just yet, but I’m officially pumped.

For every Dr. Luke production, there is an equal and opposite Dr. Luke reproduction.

With Cannibal, Ke$ha takes her debut (Animal) and gives it the Lady Gaga repackaging formula that worked so well in 2009: As The Fame Monster is to The Fame, Cannibal is a one-upping the original Animal package with a thematically darker, harder hitting series of eight tracks produced by the top pop titans of the 21st century, including Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Bangladesh and Benny Blanco.

Read More…

Katy Perry is probably the only pop star I could ever feel compelled to deem a “guilty pleasure.”

In my opinion, there are two types of catchy in the world: The one with pop hooks so well-crafted you’ll want them replaying in your head until the end of time (“Umbrella,” “Just Dance”), and then there’s the obvious, derivative kind of catchy that cause you to itch and burn like an STD.

Perry’s productions are often in the latter category. In fact, they sort of like the music equivalent of herpes: Wildly contagious, annoying, and ultimately likely to lead to an intense awkwardness when revealing your condition to lovers and friends.

Take for instance one of the summer’s biggest singles, “California Gurls.” The track is little more than a direct rip of BFF Ke$ha‘s superior drunk-pop anthem, “Tik Tok,” yet it’s managed to thrive nonetheless.

It isn’t always the songs–usually the product of a suite of Swedish pop masterminds–that cause such pangs of guilt and anguish, but rather Perry herself, whose doe-eyed, potty-mouthed persona leaves much to be desired.

Perry’s shtick is obnoxious and, at times, hypocritical. Bolstered by a devoutly religious upbringing (and short-lived run as a Christian rock artist), she has the gall to criticize her fellow pop stars for being blasphemous sluts while simultaneously shooting whipped cream out of her tits and posing topless for Rolling Stone and Esquire.

For me, she’s a hard one to like–let alone to outwardly enjoy in public.

But good pop is good pop, and every now and then, Katy Perry delivers good pop.

This week sees the release of Teenage Dream, Katy Perry’s follow-up to her massively successful 2008 debut, One of The Boys. The album, like the one before, is a veritable “who’s who” of the top pop producers in the game, including Max Martin, Tricky Stewart, Greg Wells, Benny Blanco, Dr. Luke, and Stargate.

The album begins with its title track, which also happens best song of the bunch in terms of songcraft. “Teenage Dream” is not only a masterfully crafted pop tune with a smart hook, but a rare moment of tenderness for the otherwise bratty bombshell: “You think I’m pretty without any makeup on / You think I’m funny when I tell the punchline wrong,” Perry whispers on top of the song’s setting sun guitar strums.

Sure, the lyrics offer a cornucopia of only the most stereotypical lovesick vagueries, but “Teenage Dream” is still an amazing and evocative pop song. At the risk of massacring my reputation (what reputation?), it simply must be said: Listening to this song just makes you want to feel that way about someone.

“Last Friday (T.G.I.F.),” in contrast, feels entirely inauthentic. Much as with Perry’s summer smash, the song is almost a direct lift of everything you’ve already heard off of Ke$ha’s debut released earlier this year, Animal. Say what you will about Ke$ha’s aesthetic (or what she probably smells like), but any and all talk of drunken hook-ups and glitter on the floor are strictly within her domain at the moment. Any other attempt to emulate her drunk-pop revelry? Well, it just comes off sounding cheap.

The slap-happy silliness is pervasive throughout Perry’s record, including the stomping ode to the penis, “Peacock.” Scribed by one of the naughtiest names in popular songwriting at the moment, Ester Dean (“Rude Boy”; “Drop It Low”), “Peacock” is a most infectious, cheer-tastic celebration of the male member hidden behind the thinnest of veils: “Are you brave enough to let me see your peacock? / Don’t be a chicken boy, stop acting like a beeotch.” It’s the most fun offered on the record, even if the schtick wears stale after a few days.

It’s not all cotton candy and cocks, though. In interviews leading up to the release of Teenage Dream, Perry expressed her desire to fill the void of an Alanis Morrissette-like figure in today’s pop market on her next release.

“Circle the Drain” is the result of such desire, one of the album’s most impressive numbers. The song contains the best, most biting lines of the entire record: “Wanna be your lover, not your fucking mother,” Perry explodes with a vitriolic, shaking-with-anger kind of enunciation while exorcising her ex-flame’s demons.

“E.T.” and “Who Am I Living For?” follow along a similarly angst-ridden path. Still, Perry’s self-searching offerings are a bit too modern/major production (excessive instrumentation; squeaky-clean studio sounds) to be dubbed worthy of a Morrissette comparison–even if they dare to bare their teeth more than your standard Kelly Clarkson vengeance-seeking smash.

At best, Teenage Dream is a top heavy collection of party pop anthems and occasionally good, often schmaltzy slow numbers. Perhaps if she left the glitter act to Ke$ha and nixed the soggy ballads clogging up the second half of this record, Perry might have stood to offer something as tasty as her album’s cotton-candy scent. (No, really…the album smells.)

Aside from the occasional moment of sugary sweet brilliance however (“Teenage Dream”; “Firework”), the party balloons deflate rather quickly, resulting in a record that feels about as fluffy as the pink cotton candy swirled around Perry’s naughty bits on the cover.

As you know, we here at MuuMuse appreciate all types of music: Throw us any genre, any styling, and chances are there’s at least something nice to say about a song. But perhaps nothing is more beloved ’round these parts as the incomparable genre hereby dubbed as trash musique: Khia, Tila Tequila, and now…Ke$ha.

Ke$ha (here on in to be referred to as ‘Kesha’) is the voice behind Flo Rida‘s relentlessly obnoxious “Right Round,” as well as the background voice on Britney‘s “Lace And Leather.” (Weird, right?)

As you may gather from her seizure-inducing MySpace, Kesha doesn’t ‘give a shit.’ Her music is pure, unfiltered fizzy drunk pop, combining the auto-tune abuse and electro-gangsta “Ready To Uff” appeal of Uffie, coupled with the chops of Katy Perry and the fearless flow of Robyn.

Admittedly, I’d written her off as a bit of a talentless whore back when “Right Round” premiered months ago. However, upon hearing what’s expected to be her official debut single, “P. Diddy,” along with a 2-CD set of recently leaked demos, my thoughts have changed entirely.

From throwing up in Paris Hilton‘s closet to fucking the DJ (hay gurl hay!), the thrust of the Kesha collection is right up my alley. And the funny thing is, the songs don’t even suck. Like, at all. In fact–they’re DAMN good. Didn’t entirely dig “Diddy”? Then try “Backstabber,” an electro-fueled bitch fest slighting the bitches and hos trying to pull a fast one on K$.

What’s more is that her upcoming debut album appears to have been granted the Midas touch: The producer’s list currently boasts the heaviest of hitters, including Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Benny Blanco, and Fernando Garibay.

Oh, and as for that upcoming album? Ke$ha wants you to become the album cover! You m-u-s-t check out this video to find out how. (Hint: It involves crackheads.)

Joyous rapture, blessed be…I’ve found a new drunk-pop sensation! Now let’s pray she makes it to her album’s debut before the cirrhosis kicks in.

DL: Kesha – (Fuck Him) He’s A DJ