Last weekend, my bloggy BFFL Jon ALi and I went on a road trip to Boston. And in between the scream-singing of a majority of Talk That Talk (and some Kat DeLuna, but we’re not talking about that right now), Jon played me some of his favorite mixes from Mademoiselle Gaga‘s brand new remix album: Born This Way: The Remix.

The entire remix package is actually a pretty schweet deal, full of both throbbing, cardio-friendly House cuts and unconventionally moody re-inventions of the originals.

Along with offerings by some of MuuMuse’s favorite acts (including Hurts and Goldfrapp), instant favorites from the bunch include the haunting, dissonant re-rub of “Marry The Night” by The Weeknd & Illangelo, the brooding Depeche Mode-esque “Bloody Mary” mix by The Horrors and the reliably amazing throbbing mix of “Edge of Glory” by Sultan & Ned Shepard (who’ve worked on countless smashes with MuuMuse favorite Nadia Ali).

But my all-time favorite of the bunch so far is “Electric Chapel,” a track I’d never paid much attention to when listening to Born This Way. As it turns out, the remix was crafted by Two Door Cinema Club, the UK indie-pop trio that I “Introduuced” in the early, early days of MuuMuse back around January of ’09. (I know…positively ancient!)

As Jon explained before hitting play, the “Electric Chapel” mix is basically the ultimate stripper anthem. In fact, I’ve already assembled a tasteful nun habit to perform the mix during my nightly revue at The Cock, so watch out for that.

ANYWAY…

To celebrate the release, MuuMuse is giving away FIVE COPIES of Born This Way: The Remix.

To enter to win, follow me on Twitter (@MuuMuse) and tweet me with the following phrase:

I want to be born again with @MuuMuse! #BornThisWayTheRemix http://bit.ly/uBEEUi

Five winners will be selected and notified on Tuesday, November 29. US entries only, please.

NOW DANCE, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS.

Born This Way: The Remix was released on November 21. (iTunes)

Fact: The Swedish government puts trace quantities of MDMA in the drinking water in Sweden. Because of this, Swedes feel their emotions with earth-shattering profundity, and have no choice but to make devastatingly beautiful pop music about it.

Fact: What I just wrote was not entirely true. (They use GHB.)

Seriously though, the music coming out of Sweden right now is at least twice as amazing as the next-most amazing thing you’re listening to right now (sorry, “Bruno Mars“). In my new series, Amazing Things I’m Listening to From Sweden, I discuss the best shimmery gloom-pop that our Scandineighbors have to offer, and explain why it’s better than your faves.

The Sound of Arrows – Nova

The Sound of Arrows are attractive Swedish boys who make delirious musical confections and have a track record of re-swizzling excellent tracks like like Gaga‘s “Alejandro” and Alphabeat‘s “Hole In My Heart” into sparkly pop masterpieces. This should be a no-brainer, right? And yet, as likable as “M.A.G.I.C” and “Into the Clouds” were, it never fully resonated with me. Their new single, “Nova,” finally hits all the right notes; it’s a lurching, swirling, wistful slice of synthpop that I can’t stop playing — and given the recent UK success of acts like Hurts, this next stab at success feels like perfect timing.

September – Party In My Head

As a platinum-haired Swedish songbird making happy-sad electro-pop, it’s something of an inevitability that September frequently comes in second to Robyn, her better-known counterpart. But even if September’s music has never been as masterfully evocative as Robyn is at her best, September’s output is refreshingly — consistent. The euphoric thrill of “Resuscitate Me” was a surefire crowd-pleaser, but September’s next Swedish single from her latest LP, Love CPR, is tipped to be “Party In My Head.” It’s an old-fashioned club stormer peppered with Usher-style “Ay!”s and an irresistible sing-song chorus (“I don’t care if the whole club is dead/ ‘Cause the party’s in my head, the party’s in my head”).

Asha Ali – The Beat

An Ethiopian-Swedish singer and writer, Asha Ali‘s breathy, emotive delivery and distinctive lyrics should have made her a big star — but alas, she remains virtually unknown outside of Sweden. Soulful single “Fire, Fire” and summery “Hurricane” set a solid precedent, but she’s hit her stride with “The Beat,” a haunting lo-fi number with hypnotic percussion and wistful vocals.

The Pusher – Blinded By the Dark

From looking at the single artwork, you’d think that The Pusher are a band comprised of those guys your college boyfriend used to have jam sessions with in the student lounge. And the opening moments of “Blinded By the Dark,” to be fair, deliver on the melodramatic title by sounding no different from the derivative post-grunge pablum that stateside acts like Nickelback and Daughtry are currently generating. But give it a minute. By the time that piercing, anthemic pop chorus comes around — a chorus that Erik Hassle would just kill for — it’s easy to see why “Blinded By the Dark” has been topping the Swedish charts.

Firefox AK – Boom Boom Boom

I’ve been having a love affair with Firefox AK for several years now — her debut, Madame, Madame, was decadent with electropop gems like eerie “What’s That Sound” and the jittery “Habibi,” and her sophomore LP, If I Were a Melody, remains as glitchily gorgeous as anything else I heard in 2008. Her most recent single, “Boom Boom Boom,” is perhaps mellower, but no less catchy than her earlier efforts, given its sickly sweet chorus and cool, shiny instrumentation.

(Note that an honorable mention is in order to Erik Hassle’s spectacular new single “Are You Leaving,” which would have topped this list had it not already been featured as a MuuMuse Approved track.)

Last night, Frankmusik posted a link to Free Frankmusik, a nearly blank website featuring a sole download link that leads an absolutely stunning new song: “Hurt You Again.”

Remember “Run Away From Trouble,” the gorgeous ballad off of Frankmusik’s debut album Complete Me? Well, “Hurt You Again” might be even better.

“I could never hurt you, I could never hurt you again,” Frank cries on top of sitar strings, distant cries and atmospheric sounds on this Hurts-like hymnal. It’s devastating, it’s beautiful. It’s absolutely necessary.

Along with “The Fear Inside,” 2011 is shaping up to be quite an exciting year for Frankmusik…and something tells me he’s only just begun.

Frankmusik’s second studio album, Do It In The AM, will be released in 2011. (iTunes)

Still hot from the Internet-killing, bandwidth-shattering success of yesterday’s Top 40 Albums of 2010 list (including a most major of giveaways, in which I’m giving away ALL TEN ALBUMS that made the Top 10 of the list–you still have time to enter up until January 2!), I now present MuuMuse’s Top 50 singles of 2010.

There were a lot of good songs released during the year. A lot of them didn’t end up making the list. It’s entirely unjust and profoundly disturbing to think about, but what can you do?

I don’t feel like explaining my choices…SO I WON’T. Why? Because I am such a fucking rebel. GO TIME!

LET’S GO!!!1!!

Here we go again: The end of another year in music!

2010 may well be remembered as the Year of the Future (if not the Year of All Hearts–hint hint!): A year of fembots, androids, bionic women and time-traveling adventures deep into the 22nd century.

Space-age love stories and robo-dramatics colored a large portion of the year’s biggest releases in pop, no doubt a response to the reign of the machine on the pop charts as synth-pop productions continued to dominate the digital airwaves in 2010.

Below is the list of MuuMuse’s Top Albums of 2010, which was based on a variety of factors–from individual song and single goodness, to the complete album experience, to overall artistic integrity, to an album’s ability to ‘stick’ as the year progressed. Basically I’m trying to say that it’s a bit of a hot mess, but I tried my very best.

There’s also a rather controversial dishonorable mention prior to the Top 40 list that will likely blow my chances for that much coveted position as editor of Rolling Stone. DAMN IT.

Now…LET’S DO THIS.

Without further ado…the list!

The divine Mizz Kylie Minogue graced the airwaves of Radio 1 earlier today to partake in the time-honored tradition of performing an acoustic set for Live Lounge.

Along with singing “Get Outta My Way”, “All The Lovers”, and “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head”, the disco diva also took a stab at “Wonderful Life,” the latest single by moody pants electro-duo, Hurts.

The two acts have a nice little back-and-forth going on, first with Kylie appearing on their album track “Devotion,” and then Hurts covering Kylie’s masterpiece, “Confide In Me.” GOD, JUST SLEEP TOGETHER ALREADY.

While performance is top notch (and accompanied by a truly lush string arrangement–I see you Steve Anderson!), it’s the dreamy, samba-influenced version of “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” that’s left me especially stunned. Heaven!

Thanks to Muuser Andre C. for the heads-up–and the photo!

This is Champagne Riot, an electro-pop Danish duo made up of members Caspar Bock and Anders Reuter.

Now, I know what you’re all thinking: “But Bradley darling, isn’t all music created in Scandinavian pop perfection by default?” Yes, my dearest Muuser…you’re quite right, and Champagne Riot is certainly no exception.

Both of the group’s members come “from an alternative music background….however they would not hesitate for a moment in describing the works of producers Max Martin and Stock, Aitken, Waterman as pure and genuine art forms.” Under the “Influences” section of their MySpace, the group lists plainly: “Hedonism, nihilism and Abba.” So many bonus points already, no?

On September 27, the duo will be unleashing their debut double A-side single, “Heart Stab / A Friend Of A Friend,” which you can stream in full below.

“Heart Stab.”

“A Friend Of A Friend.”

Both songs, although filled to the brim with twinkling electronica production and ear-worm melodies, ache with an inherent sadness on top of a sugary disco beat. It’s almost like listening to The Beach Boys if produced by Kleerup or Röyksopp–plenty of riffs, and plenty of tears.

“Feels like a heart stab whenever you are near / The sweet taste of sugar, the sweet taste of fear.”

For fans of Hurts, the Pet Shop Boys, and all things Scandinavian pop.

Click here to visit the band’s official website, which includes a slight (but spot-on) rant about Lady Gaga.

Working with Kylie is like working with every artist I have ever wanted to and continues to be as exciting and fresh every time we do something new.

As promised, here comes part two of my interview with the sensational producer, remixer, songwriter and musical director (amongst other titles!), Mr. Steve Anderson.

Go ahead and read on to learn about Anderson’s unreleased electro-ballad with Britney (“Grow”) and much, much more Kylie gossip (Unreleased tracks! Scrapped setlist ideas!), as well as Anderson’s thoughts on remixing, the music industry today (including a killer list of artists to watch), and his latest project: Launching his latest chanteuse Elouise into the seemingly impenetrable territory that is North America.

Click “Read More…” to read the full second half of the interview.

Missed part one? Or just want to brush up on last week’s installment? Click here to see the first half!

Read More…