Two epic concerts officially kicked off this weekend…that of the electro queen Miss Kylie Minogue, and that of the Girls Aloud. Since I didn’t go to either one, I’m posting some pictures and footage from either tour to give off the illusion that I did while crying at the keyboard.

I’ve also added the story beneath the “read more,” so as not to break the hearts of spoiler-free seeking concert goers.

First off was the sensational Aloud’s Tangled Up Tour on May 3rd in Belfast.

And here’s footage of the concert’s opening!

Looks rather exciting, though I think they would do better lingering in the air for a shorter amount of time. It must get a bit awkward just hanging there trying to keep your balance with your fans just watching open-mouthed below for about a minute or so.

Check out the set list!

* Video Intro / Costumes: Black, blue and white PVC outfits

01. Sexy! No No No…
02. Girl Overboard
03. Sound of the Underground
04. Close to Love

* Costume change: Black cabaret outfits

05. Can’t Speak French
06. Love Machine
07. Black Jacks
08. Biology

* Costume change: Multicoloured dresses

09. Whole Lotta History
10. With Every Heartbeat (Robyn cover)
11. I’ll Stand By You

* Costume change: Gold dresses

12. Fling
13. Push It (Salt N Pepa cover)
14. Wake Me Up
15. Walk This Way
16. Control of the Knife/Trick Me (Kelis cover)
17. Jump
18. Call The Shots

* Costume change: Neon lycra leotards

19. Something Kinda Ooooh

Robyn? Kelis?! SALT N PEPA?!? WHY, GOD, WHY? Why make a boy miss Nadine and Co. sassing around singing “Push It”?! I’m pissed.

Then we have the unstoppable Ms. Minogue with the KylieX2008 Tour, which opened in Paris last night.

Looking rather dazzling in front of that electro-wall. I heard someone compare the tour to Utada Hikaru‘s Utada United Tour, and I can see the resemblance. Actually, that chair-thing that Kylie comes down is awfully similar to Utada’s “You Make Me Want To Be A Man” contraption.

But I’m never the one to discuss artists sampling artists. It’s boring and goes nowhere…like a Lisa Scott-Lee song. Therefore, I’m posting up the opening video instead! I thought the video opening was massively anxiety build-up, though her actual appearance was ever so slightly underwhelming. That being said, I’m sure I’d be wetting myself if I were experiencing this in the first person.

EDIT: Upon second viewing, I peed myself. Notice: Not underwhelming.

What’s more though is the set list. How many unreleased songs are there here? Exciting! Leak the studio versions!

Act 1: Xlectro Static

* Speakerphone
* Can’t Get You Out Of My Head (Greg Kurstin Remix) (with excerpts of “Boombox”, an unreleased song from Body Language)
* Ruffle My Feathers (an unreleased song from X)
* In Your Eyes

Act 2: Cheer Squad

* Heart Beat Rock
* Wow
* Shocked (with excerpts of “Lose Control”, an unreleased song from X)

Act 3: Xposed

* Like A Drug
* Slow (with excerpts of “Free” from Impossible Princess)
* The One
* 2 Hearts

Act 4: Black versus White

* On A Night Like This
* Kids
* Step Back In Time
* In My Arms
* Love at First Sight

Act 5: Naughty Manga Girl

* Sometime Samurai (Video Projection)
* Come Into My World (Fischerspooner Mix)
* Nu-di-ty
* Sensitized

Act 6: Starry Nights

* Flower (an unreleased song from X)
* I Believe in You (Ballad Version)
* Cosmic

Act 7: Beach Party

* Loveboat (from Light Years)
* Copacabana
* That’s Why They Write Love Song (an unreleased song written by Steve Anderson)
* Spinning Around

Encore

* No More Rain
* All I See (Acoustic Version)

More clips coming in the near future I imagine, so stay tuned!

Sources: ONTD, Wikipedia, Girls Aloud World

Robyn did an awesome performance of “Cobrastyle” on Letterman last night in promotion of her American release of Robyn, featuring the Teddybears. More impressive really though is the Bear’s ability to play their instruments with their fat, fat heads. Is anyone else ready for Robyn to get a new hairstyle? I’m a bit bored with the Flock-of-Seagulls-gone-flat look.

I do a lot of strange things in the shower. I sing, I dance, I [insert lyrics to Britney Spears' "Touch of my Hand" here,] but I also think about things. Like, really deep things. Tonight’s shower subject was the deepest of the deep: ROBYN IS RELEASING HER INTERNATIONALLY 2005 RELEASED SELF-TITLED ALBUM IN THE UNITED STATES OF WE HAVE TERRIBLE MUSIC TASTE TOMORROW.

The girl who brought you 90′s anthems such as “Show Me Love” is back with an album that bleeds pop creativity. The adventure begins with “Curriculum Vitae” which is the most in-your-face introduction that has been released in recent times. Thunder and hell’s bells set the tone for the intro’s opening lines, “Listen, you cannot stop this, you cannot escape it, and you can’t turn it off / So I’d appreciate your kind consideration in this matter, sir or ma’am, would you please turn it the fuck up.” If you don’t follow these sets of instructions and turn it up, you’re out of your mind.

“Konichiwa Bitches,” the albums opening track, tells you everything you need to know about the album through the lyrics. She’s so hot that you call the fire station, she’ll take you on…and she’ll stuff you in the trunk. Sounds like my mind of girl..if I were straight. Robyn’s album continues on with its electro beats on “Cobrastyle” and takes a creative (and safe) twist by reversing the word “nazi” in “Handle Me.”

The album takes an extremely emotional turn with the song that got me hooked on this girl, which is possibly the album’s highlight track. The Kleerup produced “With Every Heartbeat” is packed with a 4/4 bass and kick, synths that could make you cry if they were more musically elaborated, and lyrics about a broken heart that leave you thinking about that love that got away. It hurts with every heartbeat to listen to this song–but don’t be nervous. Even though the album’s next track “Who’s That Girl,” covers female insecurity, it attacks trying to be strong and independent even when wanting to be that girl. It also brings back the upbeat electro-R&B beats that this record is built on.

“Crash and Burn” has a unique vocal sample that plays from start to end and has Robyn singing like she’s a female Prince during the verses, pop-queen during the bridge, and R&B princess during the chorus. This is about as eclectic as the album gets, which is not a problem at all.

If you’re still listening past “Robot Boy” and “Eclipse,” then you already fuckin’ know that this album is nothing short of fire and “Should Have Known” enforces that fact. This strict R&B track, which sounds like something Monica could sing is yet another album stand out that covers the subject of a woman being a fool for not seeing a future break up.

“Anything you Like,” an ambient-R&B track slows the album down to a 3LW-esque crawl and takes you to the ending comical track “Jack U Off,” but Robyn, I don’t need you to do that….I just got out of the shower.

Album Highlights:
-With Every Heartbeat
-Should Have Known
-Handle Me
-Crash and Burn

Other releases for April 29th, 2008:
“Hard Candy” by Madonna (What was she thinking? ew!!)
“Third” by Portishead (I’m sure you’ll see a great album review for this on Tuesday/Wednesday.)

Good evening my lovely people! I hope everyone’s having a ravishing Super Tuesday! This is no political blog, but I hope everyone is taking the opportunity to watch the process unfold live on the television tonight. So while the delegates are counted and the winners are projected, I’m going to make my own projection: A “one to watch” for 2008, if you will.

If you close your eyes, you’ll know the voice. Or at least, you may think so. But it’s not Robyn. It’s Lykke Li, an emerging indie-pop artist from my favorite land of music, Sweden. Add a dash of Margaret Berger’s eclectic nature and subtract Robyn’s hip-hop swagger, and you’ve gotten something like Lykke Li plus a handful of quirk. Her voice is something straight from the 1960′s, as well as her swinging style, which already earns a special place in my heart. I’m quite digging her sound…simple and understated, yet richly textured.

She came onto the scene rather recently, due mainly to word-of-mouth via Myspace and blogs. Therefore, I am contributing to history. Her debut album Youth Novels was released on January 30th and produced by Peter Björn (creator of that whistle-y song that everyone knew over the summer, and you grew quite tired of but not quite because you still whistle it from time to time). I expect to listen to the entire album later tonight. Here’s a little tidbit to keep you intrigued…like a bare leg on the side of the highway. Well, a leg attached to an attractive woman. Otherwise that would be fairly horrifying to see just a bare leg sitting out alone on the side of the road. Here it is!

DL: Lykke Li – Little Bit

Additionally, I’m putting up one of the very first finished songs Lykke ever posted onto the web. She says it’s quite dear to her, and rightly so, as it’s just plain pretty.

DL: Lykke Li – Tonight
In the meantime, check out her live acoustic version of her song “I’m Good, I’m Gone,” featuring Robyn! There’s some strange bits at the beginning, but it builds perfectly. You can tell she doesn’t care for the megaphone’s feedback during the introduction. There are also moments in which I was positive that Robyn was secretly Amy Sedaris in disguise as a Swedish pop star. They look alike, I swear it!

I’m not normally one for Snoop. I’ll say it.

So when inklings of his new single came out back in December, I was quite naturally less than interested. However, a mere freeze-frame image on the YouTube clip of his new video created a strange curiousity within me. It seemed slightly…vintage. And so it was.

I had no idea how melodious and wonderful this song would turn out to be. A vocoded paradise, swirling around a synth heaven that might as well have come from an album track of either Minogue, Snoop’s latest single borrows the feel good R&B from the good ‘ol days (note: days during which I was not yet born), and pure, crass lyricism. Before I knew what hit me, I was listening to the unedited version, “Sexual Eruption,” on the daily and nightly. Bonus fun fact: “Sexual Eruption” features my favorite lyrics of the fourth quarter of 2007: “Wanna take her to the crib to exchange fuck faces.”

Weeks later, heads were talking…making outrageous claims regarding Robyn organizing some sort of official remix for this most brilliant song. I said “Nay, talkers. Nay.” Today, I have come to find myself proven wrong. Yet again. I should have thought it through…a down-beat banger about having a sexual eruption? Robyn would have been all over this like a sexual eruption. And now, she has.

It’s good. And I mean, deliciously good. She brings the chorus into the present, ad-libbing as she does so well. “Mama’s gonna sex you up”? It’s a surefire hit, though no one seems to be catching on to this song. Come on and play catch people…Doggy Dogg’s got a bone for you.

DL: Snoop Dogg – Sexual Eruption
DL: Snoop Dogg ft. Robyn – Sexual Eruption (Fyre Department Remix)

And now, I present a sleepy time song for all of my fellow late nighters looking for something beautiful to drift away with. It’s Robyn’s “Be Mine,” ballad style. The song itself is all shades of brilliance, and I’ve loved it for three years now. However, on The Rakamonie EP, released about two years ago, she included a vocal and piano only rendition of the song, which is rather beautifully sleepy. I immediately took to my keyboard in order to try and play the chords. I failed, but I can still sing along because it’s in a low register. My dreams always seem to be crushed. And, you guessed it, this continues to prove that Swedish and Norweigan music is perfect.

DL: Robyn – Be Mine (Ballad Version)

Be sure to support Robyn by buying the rakamonie EP at Amazon.

While we’re at it, I’ll introduce a “new” artist of sorts. Not really new, but you probably haven’t heard of her. If you have, pretend you haven’t. Elitists have feelings too.

Margaret Berger, not-winner of the second season of Norweigan Idol is yet another one of those artists whose last name that makes you hungry. But besides that, she is a brilliantly good pop artist, producing hits such as “Will You Remember Me Tomorrow?” and “Samantha.” Well, hits in Norway. It’s hard to place her as far as sound. I would say she’s the Norwegian Robyn.

Her first CD is wonderful, but her second is even better. Pretty Scary Silver Fairy is almost all killer, no filler. My personal favorite, “Robot Song,” was being shopped around as a single the last time I checked. Artists these days sing about the same ol’ shit: boy meets girl, drama ensues. But when’s the last time you’ve heard an artist having an outspoken panic attack about coming out to parents about their very serious relationship with a robot? Artistry, ladies and gentlemen. Not to mention the very haunting, very 21st century, moaning chorus. It’s sheer brilliance. I’ll also post up “Both Sides,” the wonderfully simple ballad from her first CD, and “Seek I’ll Hide,” the stomping, illicit, electro-sexer. That’s a word somewhere.

DL: Margaret Berger – Robot Song
DL: Margaret Berger – Both Sides
DL: Margaret Berger – Seek I’ll Hide

Please buy Margaret Berger’s Pretty Scary Silver Fairy at Amazon.

And you, what do you think?

For limited time only, I present the official remixes for my number one baby’s completely delightful and absolutely un-self written single, Piece Of Me. Which, I might add, is rapidly gaining on the charts and radio. FOLLOW ALONG, SHEEP. Really, please do! Make sure you listen for the Robyn-sung “You want a piece of me?” chorus…you can’t really miss it!! It’s all just so wonderful.

DL: Piece Of Me: The Remixes.

PLEASE support Britney’s new single (remember, focus on the music part, not the Starbucks part) at Amazon and by calling in to request the song on local radio stations.

Leave me a comment if you download!
And you, what do you think?