Friday I'm In Love - 27/9/13

Friday I'm In Love is a weekly feature.

It highlights what I loved over the past week.

Week = Friday to Friday.

May include things of a non-musical variety.

Friday I'm In Love - 20/9/13

Friday I'm In Love is a weekly feature.

It highlights what I loved over the past week.

Week = Friday to Friday.

May include things of a non-musical variety.

Katy Perry - Dark Horse (Feat. Juicy J)

I've been addicted to "Roar" for a while now.  It's just so difficult to resist screeching along to that chorus.  Even though that song is still a newborn in terms of your average radio hit's lifetime, Katy Perry went ahead and released a new promo single.  "Dark Horse" was chosen for release by her fans in a little poll she held a while ago.  It managed to beat out "Walking On Air", another song from her upcoming album.  But don't worry, both songs will see an early iTunes premiere anyways.  "Walking On Air" will be out on September 30.

"Dark Horse" is a complete and total new direction for the California Gurl.  It's what the industry people like to call "urban", as it's generally less pop sounding and unfortunately features Juicy J.  That's by far the rotten spot in an otherwise exciting single.  Juicy J adds no more personality than your usual rent-a-rapper feature.  Push that aside, or create a "no rap" version, and you have a great follow up to "Roar".  Katy's vocals are nice and sleek compared to her usual belting and the tone reminds me of Jessie J and Becky G's recent track, "Excuse My Rude".  Prism is shaping up to be something quite interesting.

Pre-Order: Katy Perry - "Prism"

The Killers - Shot At The Night

I guess The Killers have reached that stage in a band's lifetime where greatest hits compilations make sense.  It's strange to think that they've been around for ten years, but at the same time, The Killers are a staple name among today's alternative rock crowd.  Plus, Hot Fuss will forever be a modern new wave classic in my eyes.

To celebrate this timely achievement, The Killers are releasing Direct Hits, their first greatest hits compilation.  Arriving on November 11, the album will feature thirteen of their signature tracks and two new songs.  The first new song of the pair has already been released as a promo single.  "Shot At The Night" was produced by Anthony Gonzalez of M83 fame.  It actually sounds more like "M83 (Feat. Brandon Flowers)" rather than a Killers single.  I'm not complaining though, since the end result is fantastic either way.

A deluxe edition of Direct Hits is also on the way, including extra tracks such as the original "Mr. Brightside" demo, a Calvin Harris remix of "When You Were Young", and "Be Still" from Battle Born.  It'll also come with a DVD and five 10" records.

Download: The Killers - "Shot At The Night"

Lorde - Team

Lorde's debut album is due later this month, but there's just enough time for one more single before that day arrives.  "Team" is the follow-up single to "Tennis Court", or perhaps "Royals" according to current radio trends.  This track shares numerous qualities with "Tennis Court", most prominently a low buzzing synth during the chorus that drives the entire song.  It's in the same vein of sound as Lorde's previous body of work, both lyrically and musically, but that's not to imply she's anything repetitive or stale.  It's actually quite an exciting taste of the already anticipated record, which just keeps building momentum as each day passes.

The full album, Pure Heroine, is out in the US on September 30 and in other regions a day or so earlier.  You can pre-order a copy here and then stream "Team" below.

Friday I'm In Love - 13/9/13

Friday I'm In Love is a weekly feature.

Highlights of what I loved over the past week.

Week = Friday to Friday.

May include things of a non-musical variety.

Goldfrapp - Annabel

Following the release of "Drew', Goldfrapp's latest video is another stunning and intimate collaboration with filmmaker Lisa Gunning.  "Annabel" was inspired by Kathleen Winter's novel, also called Annabel.  It tells the story of an intersex child raised as a boy, only to feel otherwise.  The video, or rather short film, explores the ideas of gender identity and what it means to be boy, girl, or even both.

Goldfrapp's new record, Tales Of Us, is out now. The album dabbles in character study, as each song is focused on a different name and persona. You can grab a copy of the album at Goldfrapp's store or here.  It's absolutely beautiful and if you loved Felt Mountain, then this record is for you.

Friday I'm In Love - 6/9/13

Friday I'm In Love is a weekly feature.

Highlights of what I loved over the past week.

Week = Friday to Friday.

May include things of a non-musical variety.

Sleigh Bells - Bitter Rivals

After a week of speculation, Sleigh Bells delivered the goods.  Not only did they announce a new single and album, the latter of which is set for a release date of October 8, but a spectacular music video is already up and so are the tour dates.  Bitter Rivals is the title of the duo's third record and its title track is leading the pack.  Everything about the song screams "Slay Bells".  The vocals have that slight R&B/pop taste that Alexis Krauss talked about and the music is a bit more Treats than Reign Of Terror.  I'm loving every moment of it.

The full album is available for pre-order on clear vinyl right now, so you can grab that here, and then check out the tour dates listed below.  They'll be playing with Doldrums (!!!) this time around, except for the odd Danny Brown New York finale.