justin and britney

First, the earworm:


"Lovestoned" - Justin Timberlake, Justice remix

It's just audio, but now you know the version I've been talking about. It's not the greatest thing in the universe but I really do like it. It becomes a club track, but not in a cloying, completely unrealistic way that often happens with mediocre/bad remixes. Sometimes DJs try to put the original song's melody over something they've concocted themselves (usually a bad keyboard hook), and I hate when they don't really match up, or are fine but then don't match up in certain places. Then the only things I hear are those mismatched, non-harmonious parts. Bad mashups are the worst offenders. Here, Justice actually builds on the original instrumentation (they really play with the hook done with the strings, yummy) and noise while adding their own (hello glitchy squeaks), this time playing more with phrasing. Instead of the vocals starting on the down beat (the 2nd beat in what sounds like 4/4 time), they're moved up to the first/upbeat, which changes the whole feel of the song. Instead of being smooth and sleazy, it becomes more urgent and in-your-face. Hence, good club track. The "she shuts the room down" breakdown bit is pretty great, too.

Now for his ex-girlfriend.

New Britney songs? [From TMZ] Sure sounds like it. I actually think these sound quite promising, good club tracks. If not Kylie then definitely Dannii, if you're pickin' up what I'm throwin' down here. I'm telling you, if she can pull off some insane dancey stuff like she did with "Toxic", I think things may actually work in her favor. Obviously my favorite bit is "It's Britney, bitch...." HAHAHA. I saw photos from her "video shoot" from weeks before, and if that's for either of these songs, I'd be really bummed because these songs would be such a good opportunity for her to do something really cool. But asking her to make good decisions at this point? I dunno. Like, I don't care, call David LaChapelle, for god's sake! Something! And stop putting that goddamn weave in your hair! And put on some pants!

*calms down*

I was going to make this a little less tabloid-y/pop with an indie-friendly musing but...nah.

EDIT: wait...here's a full stream of the song from Perez Hilton. It's even better than I thought! This is too good, BritBrit, don't f this up!

i heard she broke your heart again

New music time.

I saw the much-blogged-about (I'm just here to add fuel to the fire) Metronomy the other night courtesy of my friend, Rachel, who's working with them right now. It's one of those times where I lack the eloquence to explain why I like a band or a song, but I can say that if they ever play the US again, I would highly recommend going to see them. They're going to be in NYC next weekend, playing at the Seaport and Studio B, and they're doing Reading and Leeds Festivals. They are good fun, Devo dancing with touch lights on their shirts, playing fun, mesmerizing music with one of the catchiest singles I have heard in a while ("Heartbreaker"). I guess I could compare it to Ratatat with a little Girl Talk thrown in with occasional vocals and jerky Devo dancing, although that seems pretty goddamn lazy so ignore that.

Metronomy used to be one dude named Joseph, doing a lot of bedroom remixing and things like that, before he started putting stuff out and eventually put together a live backing band, which is what exists today. He's been talked about for doing a remix of Britney Spears' "Toxic" (beat THAT, Mr. Ronson), Franz Ferdinand, Klaxons (who give Metronomy a shoutout in their liner notes) Kate Nash, Dntel, the Young Knives, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, and Dead Disco amongst others. They've got one album out, and a couple EPs, but finding them is a bitch.

I think all the blog love (just search for them on Google and you'll see what I mean) is very much justified, I'm glad I got to see them, and you should check them out. The end.

Metronomy session for War Child Series
Uploaded by dazedmagazine

Little interview bits, "Heartbreaker", "You Could Easily Have Me", and "Are Mums Mates"

i can rock it all night

I have no explanation of why this song is stuck in my head. I really don't.



"Rocket 2 U" - the Jets

It's one of those songs that I absolutely loved as a kid, taped it off the radio on my little Fischer-Price boombox and played it over and over, not knowing at all that it was about getting together and having marathon sexcapades. If that's the "only thing" they can do, like it says in the song, I think there would be some problems. Nothing against marathon sexcapades, obviously, fantastic, but you'd at least want to talk about the weather or something, or what to have for dinner. The sentiment is kind of funny: there's nothing on TV, your car's not working, your plumbing's effed up, don't call me to be your one guy friend who can fix stuff, because really I just want to fuck you, as it's the "only thing I can do". It's the epitome of 80's cheese'n'sleaze, what with the hollow-tin-can synth drums and wah-wah keyboards. I do wonder at what point in the 80's did that kind of hollow, tinny drum sound come into vogue, and why. They turned the drums down and the keyboards up, and man does that sound strange. I guess it was the backlash from the heavy prog production, or the bass-heavy disco production of of the 70's.

And now for something completely different.



"Moving Pictures" - the Cribs

I'm on a Cribs kick after seeing them at the Empty Bottle this past weekend. This was the fifth time, and I'm pretty sure the best. The other times I've seen them were when I was living in New York, and while they were all fun and great, there was always a tinge of too-cool, arms folded kind of a thing. This is mostly, upon reflection, because a good chunk of the crowd were always industry people/fashionistas. I danced so hard at this last show, and the crowd went insane by the end, guys jumping up and hugging Ryan Jarman like he was Morrissey, stagediving by both band and crowd, almost starting mosh pits. It was the kind of crowd and reaction I always wanted to see at a Cribs show, and I got it.

This song is probably one of my favorites off the newest album. I always enjoy when they take a gentler approach, and the result is always both incredibly sweet and still has somewhat of a bite, via vocal delivery. I also love how so many of their lyrics are about being awkward and not knowing how to deal with people in certain situations.
Not real brown eyes look into mine but I was so shy, it's alright
You'll sleep tonight, dream dreams where I would die, it's alright
Fakes, liars, and stars of moving pictures, what's the difference?
Like all the parts that I'm not into but I see in you
It's like an unsure, ungraceful and slightly bitter kind of sweet. My favorites are when they get super snarky, like on their album before this one. "Well how can it be to get a slap on the back from a room full of morons?" Haha.

The only thing marring this video is the presence of Cory Kennedy, but I guess that can be overlooked. It was probably the director's doing.