And now for another MuuMuse exclusive!
Click below for an exclusive MP3 Download of Akira the Don’s remix of Temposhark’s “Bang.” It’s a whole lot of rap, if you’re into that sort of thing. And if you’re not, there’s a lot of deep and dirty electro riffs underneath the track to keep you slightly more interested.
Released today, Ami Suzuki’s Dolce is a serious attempt by a fallen Japanese pop idol to be taken seriously one more time. Suzuki isn’t exactly a major success story. Initially pegged to be Ayumi Hamasaki’s musicial competitor and rival back in the ’98/’99 era, Ami fell from grace in the ’00′s after legal troubles with her management and almost immediately faded into obscurity. In 2005, she began working on a comeback with Avex mastermind, Max Matsuura, entering into a decidedly dance-oriented new style. After two albums, this is Ami’s third release, and the only one I’ve actually given the time of day. After hearing that capsule’s Nakata Yasutaka had a hand in the project, I figured there had to be some redeeming quality within the music.
This is no standard J-Pop record. This is pico-pop; electronica at its noisest and most disconcerting. If you’re not one for digitally altered vocals or repetitive synth-patterns, then Ami’s new album’s not the right choice for you. Screeching beeps and glicks plague the album, with the possibility of offending more ears than it pleasures. But for me, it’s a pure winner. The album strays far from structurally familiar pop. It is often repetitive, but not in a traditional manner. “FREE FREE,” the lead-off track, is pure mechanical bliss, like a mushroom trip through a welding factory. Other songs incorporate modern “R&Btronica” vibes into the forefront, such as “Stereo Love.” The only song that stages a return to familiar territory is the cover of Disney stars Aly & AJ’s “Potential Breakup Song,” the spacey, half-hearted blow off song. According to the highest thinkers of pop (myself included), the original version has been certified as a rather formidable record with several layers of brilliance built within the chorus(es). See below for album clips, or for a short time, download the entire album, complete with booklet scans and covers!
It’s interesting to watch an established artist dive into an unknown territory. Now if only some other artists would take a hint and try this out. Reading this, Ayu? If you are…how come you don’t call me no ‘mo?
DL: Ami Suzuki – FREE FREE
DL: Ami Suzuki – Sweet Dance
DL: Ami Suzuki – Potential Breakup Song
DL: Ami Suzuki – DOLCE (Album)
In a show of pure ineptitude, doctors from the UCLA psychiatric ward have decided to release Britney Spears into the wild, despite only four days of hospitalization, claiming that she is no longer in a state of harm to herself or others. The first thing she decided to do? Flock back to the Beverly Hills hotel (her old stomping grounds). While driving, she spoke in her usual manic British accent, flashed her pink underwear, and took pictures of the paparazzi. While inside the building, Adnan Ghalib soon joined her. The two quickly left en route to Britney’s lawyer’s office. Her parents are expected in court tomorrow to strengthen the role of the conservatorship.
If something doesn’t come out of the court case tomorrow, she will undoubtedly lead herself toward self-injury and/or death.
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 a
m 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 don’t consider myself to have any “guilty pleasures.” My loved ones have all come to the conclusion that such a barrier does not exist for one whose idols include Britney Spears, the Minogue sisters, and assorted Asian pop stars. One doesn’t appreciate the snarkiness, but one also understands the logic involved.
But if I had to choose an artist to be my “guilty pleasure,” it would undeniably be the one and only, Ashlee Simpson. Lip-synching, faux-punk rock, and unmerited cockiness are all the ingredients necessary for the creation of Ashlee’s persona…all this I already know. Yet there’s something about her music that is undeniably delicious. I mean, come on. “La La,” “L.O.V.E,” and now “Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)”? It’s hard not to secretly listen to them on a streaming website so that no one will ever know that you’ve heard it once or seventy four times. But me? Nope. I’m going to put myself out there and say that I went ahead and downloaded her “EP” of sorts, including the main single and B-Side, “Rule Breaker,” which I believe will be released with her new album. It’s an all-too sassy, knowing stomper about brawling and fighting, which of course the Orange County snot face would know nothing about. But at the same time, I just want to dance with her. And for the record, the track is incredibly Dragonette. I just compared Ashlee to a credible artist…forgive me. But it’s the truth.
Now go on and listen to the song. The download is anonymous, so don’t worry; this can be our little secret.
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