Tricky has just released a gorgeously orchestrated cover of Britney‘s 2007 single “Piece of Me” as the B-side to his latest single, “Murder Weapon.”

The cover–which comes complete with bluesy harmonicas, strings, and wandering, plodding beats–is sung by the artist’s raspy-throated vocal collaborator, Franky Riley.

It’s weird. It’s wandering. And basically, it’s perfect.

It’s been a long time coming…

Enjoy!

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In case you weren’t aware, Utada is a single lady again. Yet ever since the dissolution of her marriage with acclaimed Japanese director Kazuaki Kiriya in 2007, the singer has not made even a single peep regarding the fact in any of her recent Japanese songs.

Maybe the words simply failed her in her native tongue. “Intoxicated, emancipated, unapologetic,” the singer proudly gushes in the chorus of “On And On,” the lead track of her second major English album, This Is The One. “Make the night go on and on,” she continues along a squeaky dance groove, ushering in a wave of frequent substance references and sexual come-ons.

Unquestionably, the album’s overtly sexual ‘tude and frequent references to marijuana may prove just a bit jarring to the ears of some fans of Utada, the same soft-spoken, teddy bear-toting artist that only three years ago released a children’s song called “I’m A Bear.” “During my 9 to 5’s, I’m thinking 6 and 9’s,” she coos along the bridge of “Dirty Desire,” a throbbing session of moans and groans not to far from the realm of another nasty songstress—Miss Jackson.

Lyrics aside, even the production may come as a surprise to some enthusiasts of her earlier English work. Far from the electronic pulsations of 2004’s Exodus, This Is The One is a career turnaround, placing the singer right back into the hip-hop vibe she first began with in 1997. With the assistance of producers Stargate and Christopher “Tricky” Stewart behind the mixing panel, the album revolves around a nostalgic array of trippy hip-hop beats and slinky dance grooves. And while most of the songs benefit from a twist of modernity (such as the infectious blend of urban beats and bossa nova swagger in “Me Muero”), some simply reek of kitsch ( “Taking My Money Back,” which might as well be a bonus track off of Destiny’s Child’s Writings On The Wall.)

The singer, who once managed to rhyme in the phrase “Tomb of Tutankhamen” on her 2004 album, only continues to indulge in her penchant for brow-raising phrasing: From “Honeys, if you’re gay, burn it up like a gay parade,” to “Used to be a Virgin, now I’m with Island Def Jam,” Utada’s made sure to supply each track with a few conversational conundrums worthy of at least one full head tilt.

Her need to poke fun at her own ethnicity has also made a resounding, if not entirely cringe-worthy comeback, raising the stakes with some truly awkward indulgences. “I love you long time,” she sighs into “Dirty Desire” at one point without even a lick of irony.

Utada’s follow-up effort (or as she insists, her “real debut”) is commendable in many ways—it’s fresh, hip, and incredibly re-listenable from start to finish. Yet in order to create such an accessible record as This Is The One, Utada has also sacrificed that wonderfully experimental sound of her deeply underrated 2004 release. Sure, it’s not the worst thing she could have done (a dabble into the territory of alt-country folk would probably do the trick), but it’s most certainly the safest.

Key tracks: “On And On,” “Me Muero,” “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence – FYI”

DL: Utada – Dirty Desire

Click above to listen to Utada’s This Is The One NOW!

Press releases shouldn’t excite me as much as they do, and yet I always fall for the impossibly high expectations set by these forsaken products of the hype machine.

Island Records has just released an official press release regarding Utada‘s second English album.

For those of you phased by the highfalutin jargon presented, or are simply too lazy to click (I’m sure you’re not actually lazy, dear reader. I know that the baby’s been crying all day and your great aunt just stopped by for pudding and pie and there’s still more groceries to unload from the bags and–DEAR GOD, WHERE IS THE BABY?!), I’ve summed it up using plus signs and half-sentences so that you mere simpletons can understand.

+ The album (still untitled) will be released on March 24, 2009.

+ Utada finds that to be a bit early.

+ “Come Back To Me” will premiere on Pop Radio on February 9,

+ And will also appear on iTunes.

+ There will be 10 tracks, all of which Utada wrote herself.

+ Stargate produced “Come Back To Me.”

+ Tricky is producing as well.

+ Recording took place in New York, Atlanta, and Toyko.

+ Which means absolutely nothing regarding the album.

+ Utada wants you to dance, but

+ Utada will reference Captain Picard and Winona Ryder somewhere in the lyrics.

+ She feels that sort of depth is important.

We clear?

Post written by guest blogger, RJ Kozain.

The drawn out bass and hip-hop melodies that made Portishead one of the driving forces of the trip-hop genre may be gone, but the vocals, lyrics, instrumental moods that make you want to hang yourself from your repressed depression are all still as vibrant as ever on their cleverly titled third album Third, their first studio release in eleven years.

Through black out-dark electronic, ambient and industrial influences, Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley deliver another masterpiece that is sure to be rotating in stereos across college music lover’s dorm rooms for years to come.
“Silence,” the albums opener track is definitely anything but what the title suggests. Hi-hats, pianos, electronic beeps that resemble something you’d hear when you press a panic button, and tribal percussion (amongst other layers) make the track sound like something you’d hear on the group’s self-titled 1997 release–if it were to be re-released in 2008. “Did you know when you lost?” Ms. Gibbons painfully moans over the track. Uhh..you didn’t lose anything. You still got the beat, Ms. Thang!

An abruptly silent cut off ends the first song and moves you into “Hunter,” which starts like a depressing down-tempo jazz track on drugs, moves into yet another round of electronic “THE WORLD WILL EXPLODE” beeps, and dives right back into suicidal-industrial jazz. This is probably the song that stays the most true to the Bristol sound (or trip-hop) genre.

“Nylon Smile” follows and brings the tribal beats back. The vocals start off with harmonies that could easily be stuck into a R&B tune if the melody wasn’t dragged out with Beth’s crazy voice. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you..” she sings. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve to have my ears ejaculating over every second of this CD so far, suicide woman.

If this kind of music is not for you, I am absolutely not lying when I tell you to hop on AmazonMP3′s download Third’s fourth track “The Rip” right now. RIGHT NOW!!! Absolutely everything about this song is shining and perfect. If anyone can find a flaw in this song, please tell me. Everything from the instrumental, the vocals, the lyrics, and the melody screams, “Put me on a Goldfrapp CD right now, damn it!” Synths! Oh god, the synths! Also, there is a random hi-hat at 2:33. Yes, a completely random hi-hat sound that makes the song even more special because it only happens once in the song–and its not expected at all. However, I don’t like how the song fades out just as the track is getting good. While this is the album’s best track, it could have definitely been developed into something more. Then again, Portishead always seems to fade out their tracks when its getting good. It’s their thing….

“Plastic” sounds like someone is trying to perform at a church, but a helicopter keeps flying over the place. It develops into a battle ground of guitars, electronic beeps and squeals, dark synths, and tom-tom drums. Its a song you’d hear during a down-tempo version of an opera. Hmm..a down-tempo opera, wouldn’t that be hot? “We Carry On” soon follows with a high looped electronic sound and if you extract the distorted bass, you could place it in a happy-bubbly t.A.T.u. song, where it’d sound just as good.

“Deep Water” offers a calm before the storm. It sounds like the group made a stop in Hawaii and decided to turn some Hawaiian tunes into a simplistic down-tempo vibe. They got it spot on! It also combines 1950′s style harmonies. This is the album’s happiest point, offering the lyrics “deep water won’t scare me tonight.” Awe..happy.

Just when you think someone gave this album some uppers, “Machine Gun” suddenly shoots the album’s only spark of joyfulness nine times in the heart and lets it bleed all over the cold, hard concrete floor while screaming “STOP SMILING, FUCKHEAD.” This song will not hesitate to shoot you…and it will not miss. Not once. Every other measure it offers a round of two percussive sixteenth notes in the form of industrial drums as Beth cries your death. She effing cries it. She knows you’re dying when you hear this track and by the time the distortion on the track comes on…you’re dead. That distortion, in my opinion, symbolizes your brain shutting down..but you’re still being shot. This track is most likely the hardest of hard when it comes to mainstream trip-hop and industrial music. Tricky also has the experimental beats and voice to make you die on the spot, but Portishead does it in a mainstream way. Whether premeditated or not, if I were the judge, they’d be found innocent of all charges pressed against them. (If you followed the extreme amounts of symbolism in this paragraph, I congratulate you.)

“Small” is the next track and starts off like a lot of songs on this album start off, with nothing but a guitar, it then moves into a single string instrument playing and morphs into trip-hop bliss. “Magic Doors” provides a Tricky-esque beat and ends with something that sounds like an elephant is being strangled before a hopeful and cheerful piano begins, which offers Third‘s most emotional climax of the entire album.

Before you know it, Small is cross-fading into the album’s closer track, “Threads.” Isn’t it sad? Your auditory orgasm you’ve been waiting eleven years for is already coming to a close? Yeah, I was a bit disappointed too. “Threads” offers another moment of past Portishead sounds, and is a great way to end the album. If you’re a fan of industrial trip-hop, you won’t feel let down in the slightest. This Portishead album is worth every single cent you spent.

Note: This album isn’t exactly for the pop lovers. It is an extremely long way away from the group’s international success, “Dummy.” But seriously, if you aren’t into this album, please hop onto AmazonMP3‘s (because iTunes DRM is the devil,) and download “The Rip.” You’ll get your money’s worth.

Still don’t believe me? Listen.
Portishead – The Rip (live)

And for those who picked up Portishead’s 1998 live release, I think we can both agree that they can still perform stunningly.