Ke$ha - Die Young

I reviewed Cannibal, Ke$ha's second album, back when it first came out.  At the time, I gave the record an incredibly brutal rating.  It's probably one of the very few posts for The Soundtrack Of My Life where, after reading it back now, I wish I could just redo it completely.  But hey, opinions change and that's exactly what happened.  Just don't go looking for that review.

In the near two years that have passed since the album's release, my thoughts about Ke$ha have drastically reformed.  I actually think her music is great, if you're looking for for some top notch party tracks.  I stopped caring about the fact that her songwriting can be mindless, because there have indeed been moments when all I want to hear is mindless music.  Ke$ha's other projects outside of the pop world are fascinating.  Just listen to her cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right".  It's fantastic. She may not be the savior of music, but she's definitely one of the most interesting mainstream pop stars of today.

Today, Ke$ha released the lead single to her upcoming third album, Warrior.  "Die Young" is her highly anticipated return to the scene after being out of the spotlight for quite a while.  I actually heard the song a last night when it leaked, before being pulled off of Soundcloud and various other sites. However, due to my refusal to promote leaks, this post is going up today.

"Die Young" is very Ke$ha.  It's not exactly the rock song that she teased, literally or in attitude, but it's a definite contender for radio play.  I somewhat wish "Die Young" had a little more of what I criticized Ke$ha for in the previously mentioned Cannibal review, more attitude, whether it be hilariously ridiculous or not.  I admit, after all of this Iggy Pop talk and hanging out with The Flaming Lips, I expected something a little different. Maybe she's saving the heavy hitters for later, we'll just have to wait and see.  In the meantime, we have a massive dance-pop track, which isn't bad, just safe.  What gets in the way is the fact that she's capable of so much more.

Watch the official lyric video for "Die Young".

Tegan And Sara - Closer

Tegan and Sara have debuted the lead single from their upcoming seventh studio album.  While further details about this untitled record are still behind closed doors, the single may be an unusual sign of what's to come.  "Closer" takes Tegan and Sara further into the realm of dance pop music.  After collaborations with Morgan Page, Tiësto, and David Guetta, this shouldn't come as a complete surprise.  But still, I wonder if the entire record will take on this sound or if "Closer" is simply the odd track from a set of less electronic songs.  Either way, I'm always eager to hear new material from Tegan and Sara and "Closer" doesn't disappoint.

"Closer" will be available to download on September 25th and their new album is scheduled for early 2013.

Kimbra - Come Into My Head

Okay, this is getting out of control now.  Seriously, 2012 is the year of amazing music videos.  It was crazy enough when David Byrne and St. Vincent were dancing down a black and white street or when Grimes was traveling around in her gang of sword wielding friends, but then out of nowhere, along comes Kimbra.  Actually, it wasn't out of nowhere, as she's been pumping up this release on her twitter for a little while.  Plus, Kimbra isn't exactly a beginner when it comes to videos.  She already has quite a few under her belt and they're often full of quirky and bright imagery.

Her most recent video is for "Come Into My Head", from her debut album Vows.  This one is literally insane. There's a twisted mental hospital setting and spastic dancing.  Check it out...

Kimbra's stellar debut album, Vows, is available now.  You can purchase a copy here.

Lana Del Rey - Blue Velvet

Lana Del Rey has a lot on her plate.  Not only has she become the face of H&M and gained a partnership with Jaguar, but she also plans to re-release Born To Die as a Paradise Edition of the record.  However, Lana recently spoke to Vogue Australia stating that she would prefer to work in the film industry, partially due to her crippling stage fright.  She told the magazine, "Hopefully I will branch into film work and stay there. That will be my happy place. I'd like to stay in one place for a long time... I love to take care of the songs – that's my natural place – then, when I get on stage that's not my element-".  No confirmation on whether she's simply referring to composing or intends to try acting as well.

A clip of H&M's Autumn ad campaign, which you can watch in what looks like a choppy television rip above, features Lana modeling their merchandise while singing Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet".  The song, which may be included on the Born To Die re-release, will be available as a promo single on September 20th.  To hear the full cover, head this way.  The full length H&M ad will be out tomorrow and Born To Die: Paradise Edition is scheduled for November.

UPDATE:

Here's the full commercial, which features more of the song.

VISITOR - COMING HOME // RNB

I wrote about VISITOR back in July, when they released a massive tune called "RNB".  That track is part of their new EP, COMING HOME / / RNB, which came out this week.  The album features the two title songs and four remixes.  The remixing is done by names such as Lifelike, FM Attack, Viceroy, and Bestrack.  Don't tell the others, but the Lifelike remix is my favorite.  The duo have labeled this EP under the genre title of "Pure Sex", so if you want to know what that sounds like then I suggest you give it a listen.

Download VISITOR "COMING HOME // RNB" on iTunes