Alex Winston may be the most promising pop chanteuse to emerge in 2011.

Since first garnering attention in early 2010 with buzz track “Animal Baby,” the Detroit native has distinguished herself from her contemporaries by releasing a series of well-curated covers, including songs by artists as diverse as Mumford & Sons, The Rolling Stones, and Teddybears.

Her original material, though, is even better — sometimes chipper, sometimes heartbreaking, but always unfailingly likable — and her resonance hasn’t gone unnoticed. Single “Choice Notes” is now featured prominently in a European car commercial, and Alex has been featured in outlets like Interview, Spin, and Pitchfork.

With the help of her frequent collaborators, super-hot producers The Knocks, as well as rising star Charlie Hugall (who produced Florence + the Machine‘s stunning cover of “You Got the Love”), Alex is quickly joining the ranks of Marina and Ellie as one of pop’s most distinctive and innovative voices.

She also recently signed a deal through the new publishing imprint Beyond Gold, a co-venture between the reliably amazing Neon Gold Records and Warner/Chappell Music — which should guarantee that her talents receive international attention.

I caught up with Alex to discuss her unique sound, label politics, and the real story behind polygamy anthem “Sister Wife.” Read on to find out more!

Read more…

Oh Land, who I recently Introduuced here on MuuMuse, has just unleashed the visual accompaniment to the fantastic “Sun Of A Gun,” one of the four tracks off of her brand new EP.

The Danish delight showcases her fancy-toed ballerina background amidst a snowy landscape and glowing orbs in the gorgeous clip, all while looking flawless and fabulous in the process. It’s like watching Heidi Klum put a high fashion spin on Kate Bush‘s “Running Up That Hill”!

Gawwwgeous.

The Oh Land EP was released on October 19. (iTunes)

Meet Oh Land, the most intriguing alt/folk/indie/electro/however-the-fuck-you’d-like-to-label-this artist you’re going to hear about this year.

Oh Land, born Nanna Øland Fabricius, grew up “with an opera singer for a mother, a theater organist for a father and Björk‘s Homogenic on constant rotation” according to her MySpace. Points abound already, no?

Following the homeland success of her 2008 debut album, Fauna, the gorgeous (see above; admire cheek bones) ballerina-turned-musician made a move to Brooklyn in 2010 to take her ambitions to the next level.

Combining the quirky indie darling delivery of acts like Émilie Simon and Kimbra, the aching wanderlust of Bat For Lashes and Feist, the enchanted oddity of such legends as Kate Bush and Björk, and the gadget giddiness of Imogen Heap, Oh Land’s music sparkles with colorful influences from all over the musical spectrum, refusing to take root into just one sound.

On October 19, Oh Land will be releasing her debut major label EP. For your entertainment, MuuMuse is proud to be able to share two tracks from the set: “Sun Of A Gun,” and the “Sun Of A Gun (Ian Pooley Remix),” which breathes some pulsating new life into the original thanks to a gool ol’ disco bass line. You know how we do here at the MuuMuse.

“Sun Of A Gun”

“Sun Of A Gun” (Ian Pooley Main Mix)

Now keep watch and PAY ATTENTION: This girl’s going to be big.

To hear more from Oh Land, check out her official website. The Oh Land EP will be released from Epic Records on October 19. (iTunes)

I don’t want to tempt fate, but if that’s not a number one, I’ll eat my sofa.

As the man responsible for such songs as Diana Vickers‘ “The Boy Who Murdered Love,” The Saturdays‘ “Chasing Lights,” and Will Young‘s “Anything is Possible,” as well as some of the upcoming material from Pixie Lott and JLS, pop songwriter and producer Chris Braide has seen his fair share of glory in the UK Top 40 recently.

Two weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of speaking with the busy producer from his studio in London (which is about to be packed away and carted stateside!)

I’m quite proud of this interview–we touched upon all sorts of artists and ended up having a really in-depth discussion about the very nature of pop itself.

Read on to hear all the gossip from behind Braide’s soundboard–loads of pop nerd chatter ahead!

Click “Read More…” to view the entire interview.

Read more »

Iamamiwhoami (Jonna Lee) is back with another video. It’s a full song again, simply entitled “o.”

Now the music is getting just plain wonderful. “O” is like a gorgeous, electro-tinged Bat For Lashes track, mixed with elements of The Knife and Kate Bush.

You can currently pre-order the track on Amazon.

Drop the shroud of mystery and release this album already before this viral video thing gets any older, Jonna!

If last year’s theme was the circus, this year’s is truly the freakshow.

Meet Natalia Kills, a new artist preparing for her debut under the hit-making machine better known as Cherry Tree Records (as well as a co-sign under Will.i.Am‘s label.)

Grabbing an intentionally Autotuned vocal cue from label mate Lady Gaga and an aesthetic note from classic noir (and subsequently, Rihanna‘s latest output), Natalia Kills’ “Zombie” is a killer visual and aural debut by any and all definition.

The track simply bleeds from the speakers with electric, spine-tingling potential. Just try and resist the militant, robotic beat and the icy chorus: “I’m in love with a zombie boy, but his heart is so cold.” Then again, it only took the first three seconds of that beat to have me hooked.

…And this isn’t even the first official single.

Along with her debut album set to be released sometime in 2010, Natalia also directs her own videos. According to a transcribed faux-conversation on her MySpace, her debut film will be released in time with her album–both of which dealing with the theme of perfectionism.

Earlier on in the conversation, Martin “Cherry Cherry Boom Boom” Kierszenbaum (head of Cherry Tree) refers to a song of hers as “Grace Jones meets Kate Bush at La Femme Nikita‘s apartment.” High praise doesn’t even begin to describe that statement.

Time will soon tell what becomes of Natalia Kills. To me, she is the artist to watch for 2010.

“Zombie” is now out on iTunes. I highly suggest you go and grab it now so that when she blows up in a few months, you can tell all your friends that you saw her coming way back in 2009–and all thanks to MuuMuse!

I’m in love with a zombie. Are you?

Purchase “Zombie” on iTunes | MySpace | Official Website

And now for something similar…

Hot off the heels of the MuuMuse interview with Kleerup comes “Awakening,” the first single off of Titiyo‘s upcoming fifth studio album, Hidden, which should see release sometime between October and November in Europe (and possibly North America as well).

Far darker than her turn on Kleerup’s “Longing for Lullabies,” “Awakening” finds Titiyo’s breathy vocals in a sea of lush strings, tambourines, and dark, throbbing synthesizers. The result? Farther from “sad disco,” the song is something of a crossbred, deep house reinterpretation of Fleetwood Mac and Kate Bush.

You’ll also want to check out the video above, which is all sorts of weird and fantastical. (It’s also been uploaded in February, so I suppose the single isn’t quite as new as I figured!) Anyway, think Bat for Lashes meets a slight moment of Hocus Pocus for the concept. In other words, it’s a damn good time.

Hear more from Titiyo on iTunes | MySpace | Official Website

“Happiness hit her like a train on a track, coming towards her stuck still no turning back,” Florence Welch whispers above the lulling ukulele of “Dog Days Are Over,” the opening track off of her first full-length release. And before anyone can say much of anything, the ropes have been let loose, the horses are in full gait, and Welch’s wild shouts and yelps lead the raging pack’s charge until there’s no turning back: “Leave all your loving, your loving behind / You cant carry it with you if you want to survive.”

July 6 marks the official release of Lungs, the aptly-titled debut of a fresh, exciting troupe from England known as Florence & The Machine, fronted by a witchy chanteuse that coos much sweeter and cries out much louder than the vast landscape of dull, auto-tuned drones currently on the scene.

Florence Welch is a voice to be reckoned with; the she-beast of “Howl” and the lion-hearted girl of “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up).” She tears through octaves and rips into full-throated shouts without ever drawing a breath. She is of her own brand stylistically, although armed with a quirky quivering reminiscent of Kate Bush, the bounding howl of Björk, and perhaps most glaringly, the uncompromising female rock-chic edge of legends including Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane.

Lucky for us, the triple-punch production behind this album proves to be rooted in equally diverse sounds: There’s James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco, Paul Epworth of Sam Sparro and Kate Nash fame, and UK musician Steve Mackey, responsible for tracks off of M.I.A. and Marianne Faithfull‘s albums.

It’s surprising then that a cast and crew of such diverse sounds could produce an album like Lungs. After all–and let’s prepare for the possible punny outcome here–Lungs is fluid. It’s an incredibly cohesive production as a whole, sounding like one long session recorded from the dingy confines of a medieval dungeon.

If there’s anything that comes to mind in thinking about this album, it’s texture. Each track is carefully constructed from top to bottom with pounding instruments, layered vocals, and fiery spirit and emotion. It is, as Florence might say, a beast.

While the singles have all been good, the album tracks are arguably even better. “Howl,” bursts forth with the kind of animalistic energy you’d expect from a song titled as such, while “Girl With One Eye” merges a confident guitar swagger with vindictive lyricism; a combination so murderous it ought to have Quentin Tarantino giddily jumping up and down like a schoolboy before shoving it into the soundtrack of his next gore-fest.

But “Girl With One Eye” isn’t the only song dripping blood from the speakers. In fact, basically every track does: “Kiss With A Fist” morphs the act of domestic abuse into a balls-to-the-wall garage rock ode, “My Boy Builds Coffins” reeks of ill-willed premonitions, and “I’m Not Calling You A Liar” sees an ex-flame in the form of a scorned ghostly apparition. Even the album’s soaring ballad “Cosmic Love” revels in a kind of Tim Burton-esque embrace of romantic macabre: “A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes / I screamed aloud, as it tore through them, and now it’s left me blind.”

In a recent post discussing the story behind each track off the album, Welch had this to say regarding “Dog Days Are Over”:

A lot of people have said they think it’s about the Apocalypse. Or freedom. And someone said it was about the recession. But to me it just signifies being free, in that I’d made music in a way I’d never made it before.

Swamped in a sea of press releases frorm labels boldly proclaiming their artists to be the next Depeche Mode-meets-Madonna-meets-Queen
(who always ends up sounding like Cascada in one way or another), it’s beyond refreshing to hear an artist who couldn’t be further from being considered an imitation act. Florence & The Machine’s Lungs is honest music making, real music made through creative innovation for the new age.

Bottom Line: Macabre, magical, and anything but predictable. The album to beat for 2009, and an artist to watch for years to come. Florence & The Machine is the future. Are you prepared?

Make sure to click here to read Florence’s discussion of each track off of Lungs.

Please enjoy the Leo Zero mix of Florence’s latest single, “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up),” courtesy of the Neon Gold Records blog.

DL: Florence & The Machine – Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) (Leo Zero Remix)

For US Muusers, click below to preview and purchase Lungs.

For UK Muusers, click below to preview and purchase Lungs.