i ♥ musica

HIT!

This is a hit song. For some people that isn’t even a good thing. I think it is. I enjoy this track very much, not like I’m going to fall asleep to it or have a chill night…but if I’m working out, pre-graming, partying, this song hits the spot!
It’s not that ground breaking or creative, but it’s still effective. Feel-good lyrics with a good pop up-beat sound that characterizes Derulo. I think we hear many good pop songs like this as much now.

Would love to hear a rap verse somewhere in the song.Hints for a good remix to follow up!

Jason Derulo - The Other Side

Never Too Many Drinks

Two of my favorite artists right now. Miguel is a Grammy-winning R&B star producer and singer-songwriter. He’ll be around for a while. Kendrick Lamar, or K-Dot, is one of the hottest youngest rappers who has collaborators with all the big names: Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Dr. Dre, Mary J Blige, Drake…the list goes on and on!

TIP: Watch this song’s video to see them in action!

Miguel - How Many Drinks? (ft. Kendrick Lamar)

Greatness. This is Great.

you gotta love well done remixes. You know when you hear a song that is really really good, simple mortal fans that we are, we can’t imagine how it can be better. Then we get blown away by an artists interpretation of the song, and it’s even better…ok maybe it’s not good to compare, but it is so nice to get a fresh new great version of a great record.

Two Door Cinema Club are a Northern Irish indie rock band, you should know by now as they are featured in so many games, movies, shows, etc…

Two Door Cinema Club - Sun (Viceroy Remix)

song with emotion, sung with heart

I can’t name a Hip-Hop sung with as much emotion as this piece right here. Then again this is Lupe Fiasco. He takes his stuff pretty seriously. I know a lot of the emotive signing comes from Guy Sebastian, but overall that combined with Lupe’s rap makes this song is pretty great.
Definitely one of my favorite rap/r&b mixes today. It’s traditional in a sense, meaning it’s not Passion Pit and Juicy J, but it’s really above all other rap cross-genre records nowadays.

One of the things I like about it the most, is Lupe’s verses. It’s top notch songwriting. Nobody can make a case against rappers with this kind of artistic skills. The writing is complex, emotional and deep, it connects with the audience on multiple levels. The performance is nothing short of fantastic as well. Lupe Fiasco is showing off because he wrote the verses for himself, he knows his style and how to make this song his own. Really makes you believe in his ‘battle scars from a war with love’.

Lupe Fiasco ft. Guy Sebastian - Battle Scars

Live is better. Period.

I’m always amazed with Live Performances. The studio recorded music we normally listen to is literally incredible. So hearing it live closes that gap and makes it real, yet still incredible (less literal this time). I recall been surprised by some amazing performers: Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Phoenix as a whole, Eminem, and Chris Martin of Coldplay. I’m not talking about the great connection you have with them live, but just overall on their outstanding skills as musicians and performers.

I would love to get a chance and see Florence Welch live, from the song posted here it really sounds amazing and I’ll settle with that for now.
One of my serious 2013 goals is to attend more live shows and concerts, both for small indie artists and for big ones. So far I have booked some pretty good shows.

I urge you, fellow music lover, to attend as many shows as you can. Don’t settle for your home speakers and your iPod headphones - go for the real deal!!

Florence + The Machine - Only If For A Night (Live)

Time to get over it

If you’re not over something or someone, it’s time to do it. Now. Not a single day more. I’m a firm believer that you have to live life forwards. If you’re still not over something, it means you’re still on it and it’s holding you back. Whatever it is: an ex, a fight, a wrong-doing, a failure - time to let it go, forget it, get your head up and just look forward. **Add other cliche quotes if you want**.
But know that this is true: anything/anyone that doesn’t belong with you anymore, is just taking space for other better things you should focus on.

We’ll let it slide for Gavin DeGraw, ‘Not Over You’ is a hit and a half. The love songwriter and singer, finally broke-through with his 4th album: Sweeter.

Gavin DeGraw - Not Over You

Me & You should take a vaca

When songs like this start to come out, the sun starts to come out with them. Yes, Spring is coming. For some of you (lucky!), Spring is already there, half way there, or it’s always been spring - hate you a lil bit for that. If you couldn’t tell by the sounds of it or by the obvious cover, this song is the ‘riding top down in my coupe-convertible cause it’s another sunny day in Cali’ 2013 spring anthem. Every spring gets at least one of these.

I wanna be pragmatic - let’s look at the artists behind this one:
- Martin Solveig: 36 year old Parisian electro-house DJ/Producer. 
- The Cataracs: hip-hop indie-pop (?) duo from California, featured on ‘Like A G6’.
- Kyle: independent rapper on the rise, does a pretty good job on the track.

It’s been a minute since I hear anything from Marin Solveig, of course he’s still trying to top that Hello song with Dragonette. Do you think “Hey Now” will do it?

For those Fly girls I know

Cris Cab yo. Check this dude out, for real. Modern Reggae-Pop music, mentored by the greatest, Pharrell and Wyclef Jean. This song here is more on the pop side of things, but many of his other records are surprisingly Reggae. 

The songs talks about a girl who is So Fly, she’s the perfect 10. We all know at least one of those..I’m I right? “She [gets us] dancing stupid”…”When She cat walks, jaws drop”
Yes we all a girl(s) in mind by now!

Cris Cab feat. Wyclef Jean - She’s So Fly

crazy and awesome fall short to describe this song

“What good is a jewel that ain’t still precious
How could you run off on me?
How could you run off on us?”
“Bring her back to me
(Cleopatra, hey oh Patra ehh ehh Cleopatra)”

Written and Produced by Frank Ocean himself, this song highlights his many talents. I feel like he’s almost bragging here…it’s a 9:54s R&B song for Cleopatra’s sake! 
The song features some club beats, guitar noodlings, crunchy synth sounds, a funked-up beat, all with Frank Ocean’s signature genre style Neo-Soul. The lyrics are also quite unique: the first half details an account of ancient history of a dying Egyptian queen, which later switches into a present time narrative of a pimp-prostitute romance. You’re better off just listening to it….

Frank Ocean - Pyramids

Take you places they use a different language to greet you

Wiz Khalifa embodies a lifestyle I look forward to having (minus all the pot, personally). Maybe minus a lot of the specifics, but mainly living the life of someone who is extremely successful at what he(she) loves to do. In the cleverness and deepness of his writing, you can sense that feeling of being successful in his new music, performances and appareances.

In my opinion O.N.I.F.C. (Only Nigga In First Class), his second major album, is a ‘I’m already one of best rappers’ release. He’s not a struggling emcee releasing cheap records like Black & Yellow. Not anymore for Wiz. He has progressed and matured. Confident in his talent and gift of rapping, we hear him comfortable being edgy on songs like: Remember You, The Plan, and Paperbond. Some other songs fall behind, such as: Let It Go and Work Hard, Play Hard. So it’s still not a Black Album or Graduation, but it’s clear Wiz Khalifa is on that track.

Wiz Khalifa - Got Everything (feat Courtney Noelle)<\p>

Wouldn’t mind it if this song was on repeat for some time. 

Ain’t it great?
Ben Howard is an English singer-songwriter, with only 1 official album release: Every Kingdom. In this song he reminds us to always Keep [Our] Heads Up, it’s motivational and very emotional. In the opening verse it talks about obstacles in life and the feeling of giving up - reminding you then to keep your heart strong. For the second verse, almost as if it’s following a story, we hear about coming ‘home’ to the comforting and uplifting support of a friend and how this makes things feel easier. Then the song wraps up positively hoping to find happiness ‘there’ (home).

For me the song is written wonderfully, resulting in this nice moral: In the company of friends you may find happiness and the strength to Keep Your Head Up, and your heart strong, over any obstacles life may throw at you.

Ben Howard - Keep Your Head Up

Thinking About Having Fun

That’s what this song is for me. Specifically, it makes me think about having fun with a group of friends - a group of friends we all have - those with whom you always have a great time with. You know the kind of friends I’m thinking about, you can probably think of their names while you read this. With them you can always be yourself, they are unconditionally there, just as fun times, partying, dancing, laughter and smiles are unconditional when you get together.

Calvin Harris - Thinking About You (ft. Ayah Marar)

The dose of razzle dazzle you need

When two things that should never be mixed together then for some reason they are and it turns out really good - that’s what this remix is. “That’s a song about alcohol-induced paranoia, and how that affects people around you, just watching those crumbling relationships.” says PP’s front-man Michael Angelakos. 

For those who don’t know, Juicy J is a rapper/producer, former Three 6 Mafia, made famous for his single ‘Bandz A Make Her Dance”. The song is about strippers, money and booze, for which he claims he got inspired while being “high at a chick’s two-bedroom apartment”, and it’s the lead single off his debut solo album: Stay Trippy…..So.. you get the picture.

So a Juicy J remix was just the logical move for the alcohol-induced paranoia song.

Who the hell are The Strokes?

That’s what you could read in some posters for their concerts. When I first got a glance of it, for some reason it struck me [*no pun intended]. I was also struck to find out that The Strokes had a new album released today. This was my favorite track off the album. Their new single, All The Time, was released on Feb 14th. Why did I just find out about this!!?!

For the past 3 weeks all music news sites talked about was Justin Timberlake, not only them actually everyone else too, you and me included. How did The Strokes miss all the buzz? It comes to show how important it is to market your music right, even for one of the biggest rock bands today. If you don’t create a buzz it won’t create itself, and it will be the defining factor for your music’s reach. For me, it’s great to see the impact that a good marketing strategy can have on an artist’s success.

The Strokes - One Way Trigger [NEW]

PLUS: Watch the Video for All the Time full of backstage, tours and studio shots. 

U only need the light when is burning low, only miss the sun when it starts to snow

One of the best tracks of the year right here. Passenger has been around for a while now (see previous post),it started in 2003 as a British band, split in 2009 and resurfaced as a solo act by it’s lead man Mike Rosenberg. So yeah, that’s Mike’s amazing voice. But he also produced and wrote it. The three great elements that make this song: his voice, the great instrumental production, and the mind bogging lyrics. Kudos to you Mike!

There’s a lot of truth in those words, and good things to think about. All of us can identify with this song, which makes it great. I love songs that can achieve that kind of connection with its audience. Because you and I have been in/are/will be in a situation where you have to let go of something, sometimes it’s a material it, or a non-material it, or sometimes it’s a living her/him.

Passenger - Let Her Go

I <3 IT

Icona Pop is on y’all. Big timer over at SXSW with a huge buzz since before the festival because of their hit single I Love It. So who is Icona Pop? They are a Swedish female DJ duo. How’s that for a description! Their style is electropop/indie/house sounding.

The song is very very enjoyable, contagious and overall fun. Great way to start a great weekend. Have fun out there.

Icona Pop - I Love It

The Ultimate Throwback #TBT

Is this a classic or what? and what a comeback for JT!! He’s blowing up. I give him and his team all the praise, because of the genius buzz they have created for his fourth album: The 20/20 Experience (1st part of a sequal!).

Did you get a chance to check the album out yet? I did of course. It’s sweet. Very progressive and innovative. On another level basically. The highlights in my opinion where: Mirrors, That Girl and Let The Groove Get In.

Justin Timberlake - Senorita