After teasing tracks like “Momma’s Place” and “Demon Lover” over the past few years since her immaculate 2007 record Overpowered, Irish Queen of Disco Róisín Murphy has just unleashed a brand new track that’s bound to bowl you (and bend you?) over: “Simulation,” a jaw-dropping 9-minute monster of groans, moans and aural pleasure.

According to my Murphy-minded friends over at Hard Candy Music, the track was crafted by an unrevealed producer from Northern England. And right now, the mystery is only adding to the song’s sexy intrigue!

Kicking off with a little cooing on top of a dirty bass line, the Irish Queen of Disco keeps her cool for the first few minutes: “This is a simulation,” she announces as the vintage disco sheen slowly envelops the speakers. But as the beat swells and the pulsations grow stronger, Murphy only gets more hot and bothered: “If it’s all on my face, it’s all in my mind/You don’t get to be unkind,” she croons.

And then, as the pressure builds to an all time high, Murphy launches into a final euphoric minute of moans and groans and coos, breathing deeper and faster and harder until–I’m sorry. I need to excuse myself.

Phew. “Simulation” isn’t just an instant disco classic–it’s the musical equivalent of foreplay…and I’m stimulated!

Now someone make a mega mash-up of this with Janet‘s “Throb” and Britney‘s “Breathe On Me” STAT!

Roisin Murphy: Simulation by hardcandymusic

A big thank you to my friends over at Hard Candy Music for the incredible find!

Dear God, she’s done it again.

Nicola Fucking Roberts, Pop Savior, the youngest member of Girls Aloud and professional Doer of No Wrong, has just unveiled the second single from her forthcoming solo debut Cinderella’s Eyes: “Lucky Day,” due out on September 18. And guess what?

IT’S COMPLETELY AMAZING.

Read more »

If you’re feeling like me lately, you don’t want to wait…you want it NOW.

Well, here’s something good that ought to briefly quench your thirst!

After producing some truly sublime remixes for songs like Sia‘s “Clap Your Hands” and Róisín Murphy‘s “Momma’s Place,” Prince Vince has decided to give Britney‘s latest global smash some lovin’.

MuuMuse is proud to premiere the Prince Vince remix of Britney’s “Hold It Against Me.”

Prince Vince has shaken and stirred Brit’s original track to bits and pieces, adding winding, blippy synthesizers, chopping up the vocals, and adding in a heaping helping of electro-licious beats.

The mix quickly whips its way through several different sounds at breakneck speed, diving down to a slapping bass beat before picking back up with the help of surging synthesizers and glitchy electronica. It’s truly a trip!

Best part of all? The repetition of the “Alright, alright, alright…” bit at the very end. Perfection!

So go ahead…POP IT LIKE A HOOD!

DL: Britney Spears – Hold It Against Me (Prince Vince Remix)

“Hold It Against Me” was released on January 11. (iTunes)

This morning, Deconstruction Records released a surprise early Christmas present: A 2-minute SoundCloud preview of Gossip frontwoman Beth Ditto‘s upcoming 4-track solo EP, produced by Simian Mobile Disco.

The stream includes all four songs on the EP, including “Goodnight Good Morning,” “Do You Need Someone?” “I Wrote The Book,” and “Open Heart Surgery.” Here’s the stream:

From the sounds of it, you will greatly enjoy Beth Ditto’s upcoming 4-track solo EP if:

+ You’re an early ’90′s club sound enthusiast.
+ You’re a fan of nu-disco.
+ You’re a fan of synthesizers.
+ You’re a fan of Róisín Murphy‘s Overpowered.
+ You’re a fan of Deconstruction Records–the same label responsible for Kylie Minogue‘s 1994 self-titled release and her 1997 artistic opus, Impossible Princess.
+ You’re a fan of Beth Ditto’s previous collaboration with Simian Mobile Disco, “Cruel Intentions,” the minimal disco gem from the troupe’s 2009 album, Temporary Pleasure.

Luckily I am all of these things, which makes this a very special and exciting release, indeed.

Beth Ditto’s upcoming solo EP will be released in January.

MuuMuse Approved Tracks for the Week of October 17, 2010

5. Nicole Scherzinger – Poison
Scherzy is staunchly determined to secure those solo dreams, enlisting Gaga’s OG hit-maker RedOne for her latest attempt at climbing the charts. It’s annoying and loud, but I’ll be damned if that chorus wasn’t firmly implanted into my brain after a few plays. Got that poison on my mind!

4. Robyn – Indestructible
Robyn’s last hurrah in the flawlessness that is/was the Body Talk series. While the spacey single version isn’t as memorable as “Dancing On My Own” or “Hang With Me,” “Indestructible” is yet another shining example of Robyn’s ability to deliver a gut-punch of emotion on the dance floor like no other.

3. Mason – Boadicea (feat. Róisín Murphy)
A tale about the British folk hero who famously rebelled against the Roman Empire set to a throbbing disco beat? Um, duh.

2. Rihanna – What’s My Name
Pegged as the second single from Loud, “What’s My Name” seamlessly blends two ace selections from Rated R (“Rude Boy” and “Te Amo”) in a darker, island-tinged groove that help us all cool down from the throbbing beats of “Only Girl (In The World).” You think you can go downtown with a boy like me? Oh, na na na!

1. Ke$ha – We R Who We R
It’s big, it’s boisterous, and it sounds exactly like every other Ke$ha song you’ve ever heard in your life. In other words…AMAZING. Fair warning: I’ll be over the song by this time next week. But until then…I’M GOING HAR-HAR-HAR-HAR-HAR-HARD.

It was a very personal album. Very different from previous records. The whole thing was a dark dream; a chance for her to express all these things without being specific/literal.

From the jagged, metallic logo to the last seconds of the Last Girl on Earth Tour, Simon Henwood has been the crucial creative force behind one of the most dramatic artistic reinventions in recent pop history: Rihanna‘s Rated R campaign.

Back in the fall of 2009, a gritty, static viral video for “Wait Your Turn” teased its way onto the singer’s official website. The clip showcased the formerly sunny Barbadian pop princess now looking murderously serious in all black; her long hair slicked back beneath a hood and over-sized sunglasses.

With the release of the devastating lead ballad “Russian Roulette” days later, it became clear: Gone was the sun soaked, island-infused energy of Music Of The Sun and A Girl Like Me. Instead, Rated R ushered in a chilly new era of sound, colored (or rather, darkened) by the ominous imagery of sharp metal, broken glass, dismembered mannequins and guns.

To execute this new image, Rihanna worked with Simon Henwood, the creative director responsible for such productions as Kanye West‘s Glow In The Dark Tour and the gorgeous video for the rapper’s “Love Lockdown,” Imogen Heap‘s video for “Headlock,” and the bulk of Róisín Murphy‘s visual output over the past decade. (Fitting, especially given that the two recently welcomed a child together.)

Henwood and Rihanna worked together closely throughout the entire Rated R era, evolving and finessing the entertainer’s dramatic change of style into a sophisticated neo-rock ‘n’ roll noir.

Now, that transformation is about to be put on public display with the release of Rihanna, the long delayed photo-book that promises to guide fans through the entire Rated R creative journey from start to finish.

A few days ago, Henwood was kind enough to answer a few lingering questions that remained from Rihanna’s last campaign. The creative director provided a few small glimpses into the process throughout, as well as a better idea of his vision as an artist (plus a brilliantly subtle swipe at Madame Gaga).

For skeptics, casual fans and fellow Rihanna Navy members alike, this one’s a must read.

Click “Read More” to see the interview!

Read More.

This is Kimbra, a 20-year-old singer from New Zealand. According to my calculations, this makes Kimbra a kiwi.

“Settle Down” is the debut single from the debut album of Kimbra, Vows. It is about commitment (“Won’t you settle down with me?” “Won’t you have a child with me?”), sung with plenty of hand claps and plenty of silly mouth sounds.

Combine 70% of the look and 30% of the sound of St. Vincent, a bit of Regina Spektor, and the quirk-pop of Róisín Murphy‘s first album, and there you have it–the Kimbra sound. Sort of.

Most impressive of all is the gorgeous accompanying video, which you can watch above.

While there are many, many things to love here–the mannequin man, the glamorous ’60′s plastic sheen a la Mad Men–it is, without a doubt, the jaunty choreographed dance with the twins straight out of The Shining performed in front of the shelves of burning dolls that really seals the deal for me here.

Like all good things, it’s a little weird. Basically, here’s hoping she goes the way of Róisín–first banging out some weird, organic tracks, and then diving headfirst into unapologetic, next level disco.

I expect good things.

Over five years ago, David Byrne met with Fatboy Slim to discuss a musical endeavor. His goal, initially inspired by the book The Emperor by Ryszard Kapuściński, was to tell the tale of the theatrics of royal life through music.

After stumbling on a newspaper clipping written about his soon-to-be protagonist and enlisting some of the industry’s greatest vocalists (22 in all!) to help guide her voice, the project would evolve into what became known as Here Lies Love: A concept album, DVD, book, and proposed theater experience based on the life of former first lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, Imelda Marcos.

I pre-ordered the complete package a few months ago having found the concept quite ‘neat.’ Two weeks ago, it arrived in my mailbox–and now, the review.

First of all, the actual Here Lies Love book is gorgeous–a 114-page narration of not only the evolution of Byrne’s original idea for the album, but the story of Imelda Marcos that he shaped with his songwriting. In the front of the book is the double-disc of the album; on the back the DVD. Each song is given its own chapter inside, including full lyrics and key connections between the songs and Marcos’ personal life. It’s quite a treat!

So what about the music? Completely apart from the narrative, the album is rife with hits as well as a fair share of misses: Highlights include Florence Welch‘s soaring, bossa nova-tinged title track, “Here Lies Love,” Sia‘s twangy, swinging “Never So Big,” Natalie Merchant‘s gorgeously sung “Order 1081,” Kate Pierson‘s “The Whole Man,” and Róisín Murphy‘s disco-licious “Don’t You Agree?”

Yet while Murphy’s song sounds like it could fit in snugly with her last effort, Overpowered, most of the other songs on the record sound nothing like that of their artist’s back catalog (not too surprising given all the tracks were penned solely by Byrne, and a few with Fatboy Slim). This reality can occasionally provide somewhat disappointing results, as with Santigold‘s pacified contribution, “Please Don’t.”

Even more problematic for me however was the nagging country influence that continued to rear its head between some of the better disco gems here, including Allison Moorer‘s “When She Passed By” and Steve Earle‘s “A Perfect Hand.” Even if they’re necessary for moving the narrative along lyrically, there’s no way I’ll be returning to those tracks.

Reading the book alongside the album helped to elevate the project to another level (which I absolutely admire and adore), but to be honest, I don’t know how much I would have enjoyed it had I opted for the “MP3 only” package. On the other hand, I suppose that’s the point. The music of Here Lies Love lends itself to a larger experience with the accompanying book and DVD.

In the introduction, Byrne acknowledges that Here Lies Love is in some ways a response to the music industry’s floundering state and an attempt to create something more for listeners: “As it is now incredibly easy to download just a single song off a new album release–or to rip just a couple of the most accessible songs–I, like many others, have wondered: How do we incentivize listeners to check out more of what we have recorded? Is it possible to have an experience of some added depth, as one sometimes does when listening to a series of songs?”

While Here Lies Love doesn’t completely have the legs to stand on its own as an album (though there are quite a few strong numbers), the charm and magic is in its complete visual, aural, and intellectual appeal.

For music fans with some cash to spare, I recommend diving into the complete Here Lies Love package–there’s a lot of rich substance for the reaping here.

Here Lies Love was released on April 6.