STOP ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING.

Tonight, “Princess of China”–Coldplay‘s hotly anticipated collaboration with Princess Rihanna as featured on their upcoming fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto–has finally surfaced.

And now, here’s the thing…it’s INCREDIBLE. Like, thoroughly so.

Much like Coldplay’s 2008 collaboration with Kylie Minogue, “Lhuna,” “Princess of China” takes the song’s leading pop diva and places her completely out of her own element–musically, that is. The song itself is nothing even close to the radio-friendly Stargate-crafted booty jams that RiRi churns out on the regular: Instead, “Princess of China” drifts along on a hazy mixture of lush, dreamy synthesizers and a progressive stomping beat that come together to form something as fantastically strange and mystical as an ancient Mayan ritual anthem.

In some ways, “Princess of China” is the indie-rock response to RiRi’s stormy 2010 duet with Eminem (“Love The Way You Lie”)–but this time, the heartbreak’s being dealt against the sound of a thousand blaring, bleary synthesizers.

“Once upon a time we fell apart / You’re holding in your hands the two halves of my heart,” Coldplay lead Chris Martin sings during the fairy tale gone terribly wrong. Soon the song’s searing synthesizers drown into the speakers, making way for Rihanna to tell her side of the story. “I could have been a princess, you’d be a king / Could have had a castle and worn a ring / But no, you let me go,” the Bajan beauty fires back.

But it’s one shiver-inducing lyric that remains most poignant as the two singers sadly, almost deliriously sing-song in unison: “You stole my star.”

Vocally, Rihanna has never sounded better than in this moment: From the opening battle chant to the woeful cries on repeat during the tale’s agonizing close (“’cause you really hurt me”), Rihanna’s rarely displayed such versatility in a single song. It’s a testament to her (underrated) range, as well as another sign that RiRi’s still got plenty to offer in terms of emotional depth far beyond her own masterpiece, 2009′s Rated R.

“Princess of China” delivers a painful blow–a stunning victory for all parties involved, and easily one of the year’s best tracks.

Mylo Xyloto will be released on October 24. (iTunes)

Fact: The Swedes are a superhuman race sent from the future to make amazing pop music.

Due to this undeniable truth, Swedish pop stars you’ve never heard of snatch wigs from your favorite pop stars for fun — just because they can. In my ongoing series, Amazing Things I’m Listening to From Sweden, I review the best Swedish exports that are currently blowing up the charts (i.e., getting blasted at ear-splitting volume in my apartment).

Le Kid – America

Pop outfit Le Kid first appeared on the scene in 2009 with “Mercy Mercy,” a thoroughly enjoyable pop gem that sounds a bit like a less sultry redux of Girls Aloud‘s single “Can’t Speak French.” But Le Kid’s ensuing singles, like the ebullient “We Should Go Home Together,” were a little too schlagerific for my taste — as evidenced by their particularly high-octane Melodifestivalen entry, “Oh My God.” Their less giddy efforts, including their striking cover of The Killers‘ perennial favorite “Mr. Brightside,” pointed in a direction of greater subtlety — and that’s exactly the stride they’ve hit with their newest single, “America.” It belongs to the same category of nostalgic midtempo dance-pop that Xenomania have mastered with Girls Aloud and Mini Viva (see “Call the Shots” and “I Wish” for more) without collapsing into schlager hysterics — and that’s something worth celebrating.

Swedish House Mafia – Save the World [feat. John Martin]

Swedish House Mafia have certainly demonstrated a track record for epic club jams, and “Save the World” is no exception. Instrumentally, it’s ground well traveled, but the dizzying euphoric heights the song builds to work just as well as they ever have. “Save the World” is further redeemed by excellent vocals from John Martin, whose voice — like a combination of Miike Snow‘s Andrew Wyatt and Coldplay‘s Chris Martin — strikes just the right balance between strength and longing. A surefire summer smash.

Therese – Drop It Like It’s Hot

This dance anthem has been kicking around online for awhile, but it’s just crossing my radar now — and I must admit that 2010 would have been a much more enjoyable year if it had included a little Therese. What starts out as by-the-numbers house music turns into a massive singalong smash by the unforgettable chorus. Lyrics are as follows: “Dance, dance, why don’t you dance like a freak/This ghetto place is so much better when you dance with me.” Now featuring a glittery remix package from house kings Wideboys, Therese deserves to join the ranks of September and Velvet among Sweden’s most prized dance divas.

Killabite – Follow Me Home

It’s ironic, yet not altogether surprising, that Los Angeles-based duo Killabite are only releasing music in Sweden, given that their brand of glitchy, gleaming dance-pop is decidedly Scandinavian in its sensibilities. I’d love to see the duo gain some domestic traction, but until then, I can still get some serious mileage out of “Follow Me Home,” a thunderous slice of futuristic pop co-written by famed DJ Axwell. Killabite’s storied pedigree doesn’t hurt, either: female vocalist Chau Phan performed backup vocals for the Holy Spearit herself on “I Wanna Go” and “Criminal.”

Those Dancing Days – I’ll Be Yours

Hipster girl group Those Dancing Days got some blog buzz back in 2008 with the release of their candy-sweet single, “Hitten,” but I would have expected them to garner more hype with the release of their sophomore album, Daydreams & Nightmares. After all, the record was produced by such luminaries as Max Martin & Shellback, as well as Patrik Berger, who has helmed tracks for fellow Swedes Robyn, Erik Hassle, and Icona Pop. Those Dancing Days exist in the same luscious retro space as The Pipettes and, to a lesser extent, Lykke Li — and “I’ll Be Yours” is as wistfully charming as anything they’ve done yet.

Release notes: “Save the World,” “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” and “I’ll Be Yours” are all available on US iTunes — “America” and “Follow Me Home” are still awaiting US release, but can both be found on Swedish iTunes and 7digital SE.

In case you couldn’t tell from the incessant tweeting, I’m watching X Factor this year from start to finish, courtesy a live feed from some British dude’s television. And yes, I have a favorite.

If I haven’t already shoved her down your throat, this is Cher Lloyd, the swagger-ific 16-year-old rap/singing sensation. I first fell in love (as everyone else did) with her audition– a cover of Soulja Boy‘s “Turn My Swag On” (as later recorded by Keri Hilson.)

All in all, the performance was completely unexpected, a little strange, and utterly amazing: She belts! She riffs! She smirks! She snarls! She’s also a complete nervous wreck. There’s something distinctly on-the-verge-of-a-trainwreck about her as a person, and yet she’s brilliant in the end. At least…during her first audition.

During X Factor boot camp (last night’s episode), Cher performed an–interesting? Let’s go with interesting–rendition of Coldplay‘s “Viva La Vida,” complete with a damning opening rap about Tiger Woods and Jerusalem and bombs. See, she simply tried to squeeze too much into an already challenging number, resulting in a hodgepodge of rapping and soaring choruses and–oh, it was a mess.

BUT it was an elegant and unique mess, as Scherzy Baby pointed out (truly the savior for so many contestants this weekend), and thus she was allowed through to the next round. HUZZAH!

Now Cher’s back in business–ready for the judges’ house episodes (such a weird concept). To further seal the deal, Cher’s just been paired with none other than Cheryl Cole for mentoring on tonight’s episode–an almost surefire combo deal to snatch the title of X Factor‘s next big thing (even if she doesn’t win the title itself–just look at Diana Vickers!)

And so that is that. The fun starts up again this weekend, and now you know who I’m rooting for.

PS: We also quite like Rebecca, Katie, The Reason, Husstle, and Aiden here at MuuMuse, as well as all of your silly British commercials.

Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant are unveiling their very first Christmas EP this year, including five newly mastered/recorded songs:

1. It doesn’t often snow at Christmas (new version)
2. My Girl
3. All over the world (new version)
4. Viva la vida/Domino dancing
5. My Girl (our house mix)

The first and third track are co-produced by Pet Shop Boys and Marius de Vries, including brand new orchestration and choir arrangements of the originals (!), while the second and fifth track are covers of British ska band Madness‘ “My Girl.”

Finally, the fourth track is a recording of one of their most popular tracks on their current Pandemonium Tour, a mash-up of Coldplay‘s “Viva la Vida” and their own “”Domino Dancing.”

The EP will be released on December 14.

(Forgive the brief cut-out at :35 seconds and the unintentionally hilarious backwards loop at 5:45.)

And now, a clip of Natalie Imbruglia playing her very first V Festival set, including a brief interview afterward.

With each passing day, “Want” becomes more and more of a serious contender for Single of ’09. Who’s with me? I could listen to this on repeat for days…

…that is until we hear “Scars,” the track Chris Martin called “the best Coldplay song of all time,” on her upcoming record, Come to Life.

Alright, loads of Natasha Khan business to attend to today!

Bat For Lashes has announced that the third single coming off of the brilliant Mercury Prize-nominated Two Suns shall be “Sleep Alone,” due for release in the UK on September 7. Another excellent single decision! Then again, there wouldn’t be too many dud choices from the album in any case.

The digital release will be coupled with “Moon And Moon,” a remix by Van Rivers & The Subliminal Kid, and two live performances from Sirius Satellite in New York.

Click “Read More” to see the full list of tour dates for Khan’s newly announced UK tour, including dates with Coldplay.

Coldplay Support Dates:

Mon 7 September Paris Parc des Princes

Wed 9 September Nijmegen Goffertpark

UK Tour Dates with Special Guests Yeasayer:

Fri 11 Sept Bestival Isle Of Weight (Headlining the Big Top) SOLD OUT

Thu 1 Oct Bournemouth Opera House

Fri 2 Oct Brighton Dome

Sun 4 Oct Cambridge Corn Exchange

Mon 5 Oct London Roundhouse

Tue 6 Oct London Roundhouse

Fri 9 Oct Bristol Colston Hall

Sat 10 Oct Liverpool O2 Academy

Mon 12 Oct Nottingham Rock City

Tue 13 Oct Leeds O2 Academy

Wed 14 Oct Manchester Academy

Fri 16 Oct Cardiff University

Sat 17 Oct Sheffield Octagon

Mon 19 Oct Glasgow O2 Academy

Tue 20 Oct Edinburgh HMV Picture House

Don’t forget to purchase your tickets for Khan’s US tour now.

Click below to hear more from Bat For Lashes.

Put down the baby. He’ll learn to crawl on his own. WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT RIGHT NOW.

Why? BECAUSE IT’S FINALLY HERE!

The track that for all intents and purposes deserves to set the clubs on fire this summer, David Guetta’s “When Love Takes Over” (featuring Kelly Rowland) has finally been released!

Thanks to the help of Ms. Rowland’s soaring scales and a piano riff that acts like one hell of an earworm (and may or may not sound similar to a certain Coldplay track), the song lifts far beyond the realm of your typical unts-unts throbber.

And with that set of chops, Rowland proves she’s just as much a female version of a hustla as any other chick out there in the game right now (no names). And as for Guetta, those dives into the grinding synths after the choruses echo out into infinity? Unreal.

The release also features mixes by the likes of Laidback Luke and Albin Myers, so look out for those as well!

Now get to dancing.

DL: David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland – When Love Takes Over (Extended Mix)

Click below to hear more from David Guetta NOW!

It’s been a while since I’ve taken a spin ’round the blogosphere for you Muusers. Let’s go again, shall we?

Over at XO, Steve’s still going gaga (in the non-pop-star-wannabe sense) for Antigone. Make sure to check out the little mixtape widget for her debut album, AntigoneLand, released online this week. Good luck, Mizz ‘Tig!

AnthoNYC started my day off right at Tastes Like Caramel with this fabulous video of Little Boots‘ cover of the Sugababes track, “Overload.” What kind of instrument is that anyway? It’s more gorgeous than the sounds it’s emitting! Oh, and just a few minutes ago, we got the dish on the Lollapalooza ’09 line-up. Fleet Foxes, Animal Collective, and Vampire Weekend? Yep…it’s a Pitchfork affair. I’m far more interested in the spinning going on at Perry’s, featuring Simian Mobile Disco, Kaskade, and Hercules & Love Affair. Now that? That’s my kind of party.

Ohh!Crapp continues to be one step ahead of the game with the show-stopping Fred Falke remix of Annie‘s “Anthonio.” Smooth, rich, and creamy. As my friend David suggested, could this be the first Italo Disco-esque release in years? Me thinks it possible. Going to invest in vinyl for this one!

HardCandyMusic‘s got a hugely essential collection of eleven recordings from Grace Jones‘ Hurricane Tour now currently ripping through the other side of globe, as well as some future tour dates. Anyone willing to shell out a few to fly me over to the Hollywood Bowl this summer? Let me know.

RobPop’s reviewed the new Emilia de Poret album over at DontStopThePop. I’ve not listened yet, but I’m more than willing to bet it’s a rather homosexual affair.

The sluts over at TheMusicSlut are giving away tickets to Peaches‘ NYC show and offering downloads of a shitty Coldplay cover by Gaga. It’s a mixed bag, you know?

Trust me, there’s loads of other news out there…now go on and support my friends!