Posts Tagged ‘Visual’

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

The first time I heard Matt Morris, I was moved. Sitting alongside Justin Timberlake performing live (a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah) for the Hope for Haiti telethon, the performance was as smooth as butter; tear-worthy.

A lil’ background: Morris was a part of The Mickey Mouse Club, seasons 4-7. Before releasing his debut album, he wrote several songs recorded by: Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, and Christina Aguilera. Morris teamed up with Aguilera to pen five songs on her Stripped album, including the hit Can’t Hold Us Down. Morris and Aguilera also wrote Miss Independent which later became a huge hit for Kelly Clarkson.

On a more personal level: Morris is openly gay and married. [Not that it should matter, but I mention this because I always think it's refreshing to see an artist, specifically those catapulted to a mainstream stage, being true to themselves.]

Morris is currently signed as a recording artist to Timberlake’s Tennman Records. His debut album, When Everything Breaks Open, was released on January 12, 2010.

Now, Morris is out with a music video that truly showcases his style as a singer/songwriter. The song is a bit melodramatic in the most mellow way possible and is backed with a sharply directed video to capture the mood of the track. Check out the visual feast for Live Forever, below.

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

The Killers are a rock band that have been tearing up the charts for quite some time now. Like most bands, they have gone in different directions, and although I may not always understand their content or videos, I respect that as fresh, entertaining artists. Hot Fuss and Sam’s Town grabbed me by the shoulders and slammed me to the ground, and left me laying there with headphones on. All I kept thinking to myself upon first listen was, damn, it’s about time the punk/new wave movement from the early 80’s got recycled. On the other hand, as time evolved, projects such as Day & Age made me stand up, and move on. I was expecting an album with added synth-pop pressure and maybe even an electronic vibe, and at times it felt too much like a collage of influences as an alternative of a finished album (than again, it still sold a shit load, so my opinion is not the only one). Not that I don’t respect their more current work, just that in my opinion, some things age better than others.

So what now, Killers fans? Front man, Brandon Flowers, has decided to take on a solo-project, as many decide to do at this point in their career. The Vegas native exposed this information on The Killers website, with his name lit up like a neon casino sign on the Las Vegas strip along with an announcement. I don’t know much about this album yet, accept that it is happening. Are they breaking up? No. He’s simply taking a break to pursue other options (it’s not you, it’s him). Flower’s isn’t the only affiliate to embark on additional activity during the Killers’ vacation: Drummer Ronnie Vannucci has been recruited by the new group Mt. Desolation, featuring members of Keane, Noah and the Whale, and Mumford and Sons.

Lead Single Crossfire , off of the album Flamingo (it’s out in September, fyi), did not initially grab my attention, but in the myst of things, I found myself starting to like it more and more. He is very creative and entertaining. It’s wholly developed contemporary pop rock, that is suggestive of some of the tracks from The Killers Day & Age album, which is why I was uncertain if I’d dig it. But this is different; there is more emphasis on Flowers’ vocals and lyrics than on instrumentation. Let’s just say, to quote one of his own lyrics, “It’s a bit older, a little bit colder”. Now that the world has their first petal off Flowers’ solo plant, all can rest secure that the dude isn’t going off track.

At the end of the day, Flowers has deep and meaningful lyrics, and wants a new audience to appreciate his work. Have you heard any of the new material? Listen below; is flying solo always the safe route to travel?

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Happy 4th!

Currently in DC melting my face off, I felt inspired to write a post with some kick-ass 4th of July songs for your viewing/listening pleasure.

001/ Martina McBride, Independence Day

Still my favorite 4th of July song ever. Saturated in a deep blue coat of meaning revolving around domestic abuse, Martina pours her heart out on this classic track. Check out the video below.

002/ George Michael, Freedom

A throwback to his golden days, Michael’s Freedom is iconic in the way it speaks of breaking free of the chains that hold us down. Perhaps a big lesson in independence is accepting that sometimes the clothes don’t make the man.

003/ Kelis, 4th of July

A new music video for Kelis debuted recently featuring the singer wearing a Native American headdress and singing about Independence Day. It’s a disco electronic love feast that satisfies. Check it!

004/ Drake ft. Alicia Keys, Fireworks

I’ve written about this track and have supported rapper Drake in several articles over the past few months. Take a listen to the sizzling number below featuring the always elegant Alicia Keys.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

According to Rolling Stone, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals is one of the best bands of 2010. This past weekend I had the pleasure of rocking out with the act (live in concert via Webster Hall), to put that statement to the test. And the outcome was incredible. Meshed with a stage backdrop that oozed of metallic crinkled plates, flashing lights, and red roses, Grace Potter’s signature pipes still somehow managed to overpower all of it, soul thirsty and soul-full, worn and rugged like a good pair of cowboy boots.

Several images stick out when I recall the concert, the first being Grace’s long legs, bronzed and towering. Wearing a thigh-high slinky dress, Potter boogied with as much sex appeal as there was sheer talent. Among the image of legs and vintage clothing, came the next photographic moment when the band was performing Big White Gate and I looked around the room to see one of the most diverse crowds I had seen since seeing Madonna live in concert at Madison Square Garden. Middle-aged men mixed with twenty-somethings stood mesmerized, sipping on liquid in plastic cups, singing, knowing, every single word as it burst from Potter’s lips. And it hit me then that the retro influence of the band is so utterly authentic that even men and women (who were my age during the height of those days) were clearly just as infatuated with Grace Potter & The Nocturnals’ music as they were with legendary classic rock bands from the 60s and early 70s, the same bands that inspire the howl of the Nocturnals.

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals are indeed one of the best acts I’ve seen live. The vocals are incredible, the lyrics saturated in a depth of love and heartbreak, the styling coated in a bygone era of rock ‘n roll.

Get ready to take a roadtrip through your headphones.

Click to listen to the band cover Blondie (live during the show).Grace Potter & The Nocturnals – Heart of Glass (Live from Webster Hall)

Check out an additional live performance (Tiny Light via TES), below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I would not want to piss off Sting’s daughter. Girl’s got some serious steam in those eyes! I Blame Coco (AKA Sting’s amazingly talented offspring) is out with her new single Self Machine (available July 12th via Island Records). The single showcases a bit of the taste of her forthcoming debut album, The Constant.

Self Machine is dingy electro pop at its finest, backed with an incredible music video. The video is shot in a vacant swimming pool with a creepy chic vibe that’s all its own. The video was directed by Alex Smith via Warp Films, the man behind Coldplay’s Yellow and Manic Street Preacher’s Empty Souls. Although the aesthetic of the video is subdued, the song itself definitely has summertime color.

Says Coco: “This is our new video for Self Machine. We shot it in an abandoned college in Oxfordshire. It was a great day of filming. Enjoy.”

Check it out!

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

What do marshmallows, giant inflatable elephants, and whitey tighties have in common?

All of these random delights are seen in Kylie Minogue’s new video for All the Lovers. It’s a beautifully shot video, that even in its sexiness is actually about love. It’s seriously like a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade gone wild, delivered in a classy way that only Minogue could pull off.

All The Lovers is the first single off Minogue’s eleventh studio album, Aphrodite, which is set to release on July 6th. After more than 68 million records sold the 42-year-old looks better than ever, still full of light.

Says Kylie (regarding the song): “The single was one of the last tracks to be written for the album. As I was recording it I knew that ‘All the Lovers’ had to be the first single; it sums up the euphoria of the album perfectly. It gives me goose-bumps, so I’m really excited to hear what everyone thinks of it.”

Check out the Joseph Kahn-directed video, below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Dude, what’s up with the White House? Concerts galore in that place!

No matter what your political affiliation, no one can deny the fact that the White House has become an interesting stage for music lately. Seriously, it’s like TRL up in there these days!

Esperanza Spalding, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, and the cast of Glee have all been on hand at the White House for a performance or two, and recently the Obamas requested Regina Spektor to perform at the first ever White House reception in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month.

In the first ever reception honoring Jewish American Heritage Month at the White House, Spektor performed a solo piano set for President Obama and First Lady Michelle, Vice President Biden, and others in DC. Luckily for those of us who didn’t make the VIP guest list, Spektor’s performance was captured on video to give us regular folks a glimpse into the event.

Spektor, who is currently on an international tour promoting her latest album expressed her gratitude by saying: “Having lived here for over twenty years, it is an unimaginable honor to be invited to the White House by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, to an event celebrating Jewish Americans, and to be counted among them. Nothing in the world could make us feel more accepted and at home!”

Watch a super cute animation set to Regina’s beautiful Laughing With, below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Robyn is out with a fantastic music video for her first single Dancing On My Own (from her upcoming Body Talk album series). The thing I love about Robyn is she’s taken a format of music, the electronic side, and actually made it have emotion. Often with electronic music, the focus is simply on the beats, but with Robyn her lyrics always shine with much attitude and heart.

Robyn announced earlier this year that her new album would actually be a mini-series (3 parts/discs in all). At first, when I heard the news, I thought this was either a bit much or a bit ambitious but after hearing the first single I have no doubts that the project(s) will be neon, heartbreaking, with the attitude driven fierceness that the Swedish singer usually brings to all of her music.

Watch the Max Vitali-directed video below.

Robyn ‘Dancing On My Own’ (Official Video) from Robyn on Vimeo.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Back in July of last year, one of my entries was dedicated to singer/songwriter Tamar Kaprelian, after discovering her music and falling in love.

Now, almost a year later, Tamar has dropped the official music video for her single New Day. And like the majority of her music, it’s beautiful.

On the positive message behind the song Tamar says: “It’s about struggling, persevering, and being in a situation where you don’t know how you’re gonna dig yourself out of it. And at the end of it, life is like a road—you don’t stop in the middle of it. I really want people to listen to this record and get a sense of hope from it.”

The song is taken from Tamar’s debut album, Sinner Or A Saint, due out later this summer on Interscope Records. Check it!

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Meshing the funk of blues, soul and old school rock from the sixties and early seventies, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals stick out like a sore thumb. I recently stumbled upon this music video for Tiny Light and instantly fell in love. The video is beautifully shot, gorgeous in a raw epic setting with a vintage feel to the lens.

And man! Just wait until you reach the 2:48 mark, the note Grace hits is OOC (out of control)! Girl’s got made pipes, I’m talking Aguilera level. And what a surprise that was–the video at first, same as the song, takes on a more mellow soulful vibe but the last two minutes are nothing but chaotic rock n’ roll, Janis Joplin reincarnated with a flare all their own.

The art direction, the song, the cinematography, it’s all on point and it’s all working pure magic for this band, which you must check out!

Check out the beautifully shot video for Tiny Light, below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Hey y’all, Miley’s got news for ya: she’s no longer a tween wearing a bad wig. She’s a big girl now, who is a full-feathered peacock!

I’m only playing…kinda sorta. I’m a fan of Miley and I have no shame in saying that but when I first watched this video I literally said: WTF? The approach for the video was taken extremely literal as Miley emerges as Avis Cyrus (a diva-like cockatoo). And of course, she’s in a damn cage since the song is Can’t Be Tamed! Get it?! A bird in a cage since the song is about being tamed?! How clever. It’s such a thought-provoking piece of breathtaking art.

NOT.

But what it is though, is pure entertainment. And this is mainstream pop we’re talking about, so thought-provoking can be thrown out the window. The video is fun nonetheless and definitely interesting with great choreography.

What are your thoughts on Miley’s new video? Is it age appropriate? Do you love it? Hate it? Think it should be in a cage hidden in the mountains of Southeast Asia? Sound off!

Check out Avis Cyrus in full wingspread glory, below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

The pint-sized blonde bombshell formerly known as X-tina is back and this time around, she’s definitely not going back to basics.

Aguilera, who adorns more skin than actual clothes in the just-released video for Not Myself Tonight (via Vevo this morning), seems to be back to her roots and they’re definitely black. No bubblegum watered-down pop explosion coming from this diva and proud wife of music executive Jordan Bratman, who claims settling down and becoming a wife and mother has made her more confident in her skin. All I have to say to that is this: I had no clue she was lacking confidence beforehand? Lord, if Aguilera gets any more confident we may have to call for backup. Chick is definitely on fire and out of control yet in charge and in control all at the same time.

Aguilera is a bomb that’s exploded time and time again, leaving the other female pop singers lagging behind in the race as her vocal chords are, without a doubt, #1 in the game. According to Rolling Stone, Aguilera is the only female vocalist under the age of 30 whose voice was good enough to make the magazine’s list of the best voices of all time. And rightfully so, as Aguilera’s chops are undeniable.

My only beef: I wish the landscape of mainstream music would allow a woman to be stripped of all the nonsense of the exterior, to showcase what truly simmers underneath. In my opinion, Beautiful is Aguilera’s best work–a song that became an instant classic with its message of hope, acceptance, love, and compassion bleeding from a girl with multiple piercings, crazy sunless tanner lines, assless chaps, with a messy hairdo that stood on its own, which was a message in itself, backed against the lyrics of the song.

Even though, I am all for freedom of expression, I’ve got to say that my favorite Christina, out of all the personalities she’s tried on over the years, is the sultry, demure, classy one–the one who doesn’t need to show skin or act like a kitten in a video to get attention, for her talent shines without all the excess.

What are your thoughts on another re-invention from Aguilera?

Check out the racy premiere of Not Myself Tonight followed by the classic Beautiful, below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

ROB BRAYL: Your new single Candy ft. Kimberly Wyatt (of The Pussycat Dolls) is addictive. Did you intentionally set out to make a track that would get stuck in the listener’s head?

AGGRO SANTOS: I didn’t intentionally intend to make it a particular way, I was writing in Sweden and really loved the beat so we started vibing on it and Candy was the outcome. It wasn’t forced or nothing, it just worked out really nice. I’m pleased people are finding it infectious.

RB: I read a lot about your upbringing and it seems like there was some dark stuff there yet this track is very light, will you have some songs on your debut album to reflect this side of your story?

AS: Yeah I’m not afraid to touch on any aspects of my life in my tracks, I may do a few darker bits on the album but never on my singles. I have a free mixtape on my website and I’m gonna do one more before my album. That’s perfect for me to address any past issues before putting them fully behind me and focusing on pop. I’m making my music as fun but still credible as possible and even though Candy is very pop and features a former Pussycat Doll it’s still a very cool track.

RB: If you had to describe your sound in three words, what words would you choose?

AS: Three words that fit my sound are: Fresh, Catchy, and Fusion. Fusion because I mix a lot of Latin with urban on my record.

RB: Do you have a plan to take over US airwaves?

AS: Yep, in the long term. I would like to take over the UK airwaves first, move onto Europe and South America, then try the states. I’m confident I can generate interest in South America as I put Portuguese and Spanish riffs in my songs. They love that kinda stuff and they support it.

RB: Finally, do you have a lyric/one liner from your upcoming album that’s your favorite?

AS: ‘Don’t be afraid of the ‘Candy’ man!!!’ — I don’t bite [laughs], for daily updates follow me on Twitter also people (@aggrosantos)!

Taken from his forthcoming album (which will be released in the summer of 2010), Candy makes a cannonball splash as a debut single. The track will be available May 10th, through Mercury Records.

Check out the killer video for Candy, below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

If you’ve been a loyal follower of BTB from the beginning, you should know that I have a bit of a love rush for Robyn. The Swedish artist has announced the details of her next album, Body Talk Pt. 1, due for release this June.

The eight-track record will be the first installment in a trilogy of mini-albums. Robyn’s idea was to release new material as it becomes finished, rather than waiting for a normal length album to be completed.

Body Tal Pt. 1 will feature guest production work by Scandanavian artists like Royksopp, Kleerup, Klas Ahlund, and Mad Decent boss Diplo.

Tracklist
001. Don’t Fucking Tell Me What to Do
002. Fembot
003. Dancing On My Own
004. Cry When You Get Older
005. Dance Hall Queen
006. None of Dem
007. Hang with Me (acoustic)
008. Jag Vet En Dejlig Rosa

Universal will release Robyn’s Body Talk on June 7th, 2010.

Can’t wait!

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Janelle Monae has released the music video to correlate with the ever so catchy catchster vibe on her new single Tightrope. The video features Monae’s unique sense of style, which is cool without trying too hard (which I admire).

Monae, who originally moved to New York to pursue a career on Broadway, soon changed her plans after meeting Big Boi, and returned to music as a platform, something she says has the potential to change the world.

My thoughts exactly.

Check out the just-released Tightrope ft. Big Boi, below.

Janelle Monae – Tightrope ft. Big Boi

Janelle Monae! | MySpace Music Videos