The Blog Formerly Known As PopStardom.net

Britney Spears - "Gimme More" (surprisingly good)

2007-09-05T22:10:00.000-04:00

It's Britney, bitch.

I never thought that any new song by Britney Spears would even be worth more than a passing listen. But I can't stop playing this song. It's hot. It's catchy. It gets stuck in your head. She managed to get good producers for it, too. And with all the plays it's getting and all the buzz, it may very well be her first hit since "Toxic."

I honestly have not felt this way about a new Britney Spears song since "Oops...I Did It Again" came out back in 2000. I remember when it first came out I kept listening to it over and over again...and that is exactly what I have been doing with "Gimme More." I'm surprising myself here, considering I was 12 when "Oops" came out, now I'm 20, and I usually listen to TV on the Radio and M.I.A., not Britney.

Wow. Way to go, Brit.

MP3: Britney Spears - Gimme More (Click for HypeMachine track search)

M.I.A.: All I wanna do is BANGBANGBANGBANG and ka-ching and take yo' money!

2007-08-28T08:53:00.000-04:00

I can't stop listening to M.I.A.'s "Kala." It's like an obsession. The two best songs I have heard all year are on this album ("Paper Planes" and "20 Dollar") and I bet in two weeks I won't even be able to look at it, I'll be so sick of all the songs.

But I sincerely hope that doesn't happen.

I also (intentionally) did not renew PopStardom.net. So if you have me listed as an affiliate anywhere as PopStardom.net, please switch the link to http://popstardomnet.blogspot.com or remove me. Thanks.

Avril's number one song

2007-04-29T22:19:00.000-04:00

I can't believe the s--t that is Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" is the number one song in the country right now.

Why?! Seriously, why?!

That song is dreadful.

The Billboard Hot 100

Alanis Morissette - My Humps video

2007-04-02T21:33:00.000-04:00

This...is the just about the funniest parody I've seen in a while. Nothing shows bad lyrics like slowing them down and having someone like Alanis sing them.

Hilarious!

Modest Mouse is Number One

2007-03-30T12:59:00.000-04:00

Wow...never thought I would ever see this happen, yet here we are. Modest Mouse's new album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is the number one album in the US. Granted, there wasn't that strong of a competition -- Joss Stone's new album hasn't been getting that much promotion despite "generally favorable reviews" and fairly heavy rotation on VH1. Elliot Yamin was never a strong contender for number one, but still. Even though Modest Mouse's "Dashboard" isn't as good as "Float On" it's still a good song and a strong enough first single. So can Modest Mouse still be considered "indie" with a surprise hit like this?

In other chart news, Amy Winehouse is still in the top ten this week. She's just about the best thing to come to the states since, well, Lily Allen. "Rehab" is such a strong song with a more mature sound to it; it's great to see more good music in the top 10 instead of the similar-sounding rap albums that dominated a couple years ago, back when Lil Jon was the shit. Is there a new music generation emerging? I hope so -- but a look at the Billboard Hot 100 shows Mims' "This is Why I'm Hot" is still in the top 10 -- so maybe not just yet.

Avril Lavigne...WTF?!

2007-02-24T06:19:00.000-05:00

WTF?

Is this a joke? This is so bad it can't possibly be real!

Pop video mash-ups

2007-02-09T19:39:00.000-05:00

Not sure if these can be called mash-ups...more like re-edits. This YouTuber created re-edits by using songs like Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" and then making it look like Beyonce sung it. It's kind of interesting to see how the same dance moves and lyrics are used repeatedly over and over in pop videos. Below is the re-edit for Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around" using Justin's and Britney Spears' past videos (rumor is that this song is directed at Britney for cheating on Justin). The individual videos aren't that great but this girl has great editing skills and makes it work.

The Indie Bible and TGD (again)

2007-01-07T19:48:00.000-05:00

I just found out yesterday that PopStardom.net was listed in the 7th edition of The Indie Bible. Nice.

In lieu of that, I'm going to plug the band (again) the college record label I work with (Wax on Felt Records) is working with this year: The Garrison Delight. Listen to their music on their Myspace

Have a nice day.

The Hype Machine and Gwen's little Kingston

2006-12-31T21:39:00.000-05:00

Just thought I would pass along one the greatest websites out there, The Hype Machine, for discovering new music. Thanks to this site I think The Knife are one of my favorite bands at the moment. "Neverland" has been stuck in my head for a good week now.

In other news, just thought I would pass along this adorable picture of Gwen Stefani and her son, Kingston, out and about. How cute!!

I should have shamelessly plugged these guys a while ago: The Garrison Delight

2006-12-14T18:57:00.000-05:00

I work at a student-run record label and the band that we're currently working with is The Garrison Delight. They're an awesome band with a funk rock vibe. Check out their official website at www.waxonfelt.org/tgd or their Myspace @ myspace.com/thegarrisondelight to listen to/download some of their music. They're chill guys who put on a great show. Here's a little more about the band, which I totally just stole from Wax on Felt's site:

The Garrison Delight's distinctive sound comes as a breath of fresh air to many funk rock fans in the Beantown music scene. Their songs provide a unique blend of progressive songwriting and quality musicianship while their energized stage performances are both melodically soulful and groove oriented. Guitarist Oliver Boyer-Masutti of Quebec often uses jazz overtones to compliment the group's rock roots, while working with the hook-oriented melodies written by singer and front man Chris Franzen. Additionally, the groove section, made up of Italian drummer Francesco Basile, Trans-Siberian keys player Martin Barnes and Vermont bassist Peter Dotson-Westphalen, consistently lays down the group's funk vibe. These international players were brought together within and around the walls of The Berklee College of Music in Boston. Even within the Berklee community, which is inundated with talent, the sound of The Garrison Delight has been well received by a loyal local fan base. The group is currently in the process of recording their debut EP with Wax on Felt Records that will be released this fall, which will be followed by gigs throughout the Northeast.

Well there ya go. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT THEIR AWESOME MUSIC!

New Nelly Furtado video for "Say It Right"

2006-11-06T22:35:00.000-05:00

One of the better songs off Loose. The video features a random helicopter among other things.

OK Go - "Here It Goes Again" video

2006-08-03T03:54:00.000-04:00

My new favorite music video ever.

The Killers new single "When You Were Young"

2006-07-10T21:39:00.000-04:00

There's a 40-second clip of The Killers' new single, "When You Were Young," floating around. Download the clip here. The song should be going for radio adds later this month, with the as-yet-untitled album scheduled for October. Can't wait to hear the full song, sounds catchy.

Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack" released/leaked

2006-07-06T23:52:00.000-04:00

Sooo this song is ehhh. The beat's hot, but the lyrics are a little stupid. Timbaland saves this song. It's not "Cry Me a River" at all -- but then again, Justin Timberlake said he wanted to move away from the sounds of his last album. "My main thing was that I didn't want to sound like I did on Justified," the singer told Rolling Stone. "I wanted to experiment with the tone of my voice, the production and the arrangements."

And that's precisely what it sounds like on "SexyBack." Listen to the full song here.

For more on Justin, check out the newest Rolling Stone (with Johnny Depp on the cover).

Fergie - London Bridge (Oh S--t)

2006-07-01T00:18:00.000-04:00

Fergie (from the Black Eyed Peas) has a solo album coming out and the first single, "London Bridge (Oh S--t)" was just leaked.

This is a freaking hot song. Think Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" meeting M.I.A.

Go to Liquid_Blue's music blog to download.

Summer Songs '06 (So Far): The good, the so-so, the bad, and the downright ugly

2006-06-29T20:47:00.000-04:00

Now that summer's just about half way over, it's time for a recap of this season's hottest (and not so hot) songs that have been released so far...

The Good
Nelly Furtado f. Timbaland - Promiscuous While this song may be running on its last legs of over-playedness, its catchy chorus and super hot beat make this song the hot song of summer '06 (so far, that is). Buy "Promiscuous"

Shakira f. Wyclef Jean - Hips Don't Lie This song recently broke the record as the most spinned pop song on radio stations. It's Latin vibe is unmistakably Shakira, even if the horn section is "borrowed" from a Jerry Rivera song. Shakira sings better in Spanish though, if that's possible. Buy "Hips Don't Lie"

Muse - Supermassive Black Hole Muse is back this summer with a new album and a very cool lead single. Although not as good as "Time Is Running Out," "Supermassive" was still quite overplayed on my iPod. Buy "Supermassive Black Hole"

Christina Aguilera - Ain't No Other Man Yay for Christina making a comeback nearly four years after Stripped. Her double disc album Back to Basics will feature "modern" tracks on the first disc and more classic, jazzy/bluesy songs on the second. Buy "Ain't No Other Man"

Cassie - Me & U The song was definitely a grower. Now that I've heard it lots of times on mainstream radio, I've found the beat and chorus are completely infectious. Buy "Me & U"

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars What can I say...this song is just...beautiful. Buy "Chasing Cars"

Gnarls Barkley - Crazy "Crazy" is the stand-out on Gnarls Barkley's album St. Elsewhere, and rightly so. Cee-Lo's voice suits the beat perfectly. Plus, it's interesting to see what costumes they'll be wearing during their performances. Buy "Crazy"

KT Tunstall - Black Horse and the Cherry Tree VH1 made her a "You Oughta Know" artist. Everyone should know KT, she's very talented. Buy "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"

The So-So
Pussycat Dolls - Buttons Although it's unfair to call them a "girl group" since Nicole Whats-Her-Face is the only singer, this song's beat still gets stuck in my head, as well as its slut-tastic lyrics. Buy "Buttons"

Taylor Hicks - Do I Make You Proud To be fair, the first song released by an AI winner isn't exactly their best (case in point: Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This"). But his powerful voice makes this song. Buy "Do I Make You Proud"

The All-American Rejects - Move Along The song's okay. I like the video better (when Tyson Ritter falls back into a seemingly empty pool only to end up crowd surfing = very cool shot). Buy "Move Along"

The Bad
Jessica Simpson - A Public Affair I really wish this song was better. But it sounds like bad late 1980's pop drivel. I'm hoping I start liking this song soon, since I've already heard it a gajillion times on the radio and it was just released this week. Buy "A Public Affair"

Daniel Powter - Bad Day This song needs to just go away and never come back again. Buy "Bad Day"

The Ugly
Paris Hilton - Stars Are Blind Yes, it's catchy. Yes, it sounds like a Gwen Stefani song. Yes, she probably had no creative input except for her voice (which, in turn, was Auto-tuned and layered to make her sound good). But come on...Paris Hilton, music star? No thank you, please. Please don't buy "Stars Are Blind" but here's the link anyway

Dora the Explorer f. Spongebob Squarepants - "Promiscuous"

2006-06-25T01:31:00.000-04:00

Just thought I would share this hilarious little gem I came across on YouTube. Someone had way too much time on their hands.

Beyonce searching for an all-girl band

2006-06-10T03:17:00.000-04:00

Beyonce Knowles is out searching for an all-girl band for her solo tour this summer. She needs percussion, horn, keyboard, bass, and guitar players that have that certain "look" suitable enough for a back-up band. Searches are being held in NYC, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, and Burbank on Monday, June 12th. For more details, clickers here.

Oh, and Christina's "Ain't No Other Man" is #4 on iTunes. :)

Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" on iTunes

2006-06-05T19:57:00.000-04:00

Christina Aguilera's first single off of her album "Back to Basics" (out August 15th) has been released on iTunes. You can buy it here: click. It's a super hot song, perfect for the summer. The beat is awesome, and sounds different from the normal pop song. Christina also performed this song at the MTV Movie Awards.

Click to see larger version.

"Faster Kill Pussycat" music video

2006-05-30T01:43:00.000-04:00

Here's the video for Paul Oakenfold's new song "Faster Kill Pussycat." Brittany Murphy is a good singer, and looks pretty hot too. This is what Britney Spears should be right now, but that's a different story.

"Hips Don't Lie" = iTunes #1

2006-05-29T04:35:00.000-04:00

Well, it certainly took them long enough! Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" is *finally* available for purchase on iTunes in the USA. Apparently, in all the other international iTunes stores it was available. "Hips Don't Lie" was released Saturday and within 24 hours it was the most downloaded song on iTunes. The song's been out for months -- and there were all those "WE WANT HIPS DONT LIE AND SOS!!!11!!" iMixes on iTunes too. Rihanna's "SOS" became available a couple o'weeks ago and it shot to number 1. Once "SOS" was put up on iTunes, it also shot to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, because Billboard tracks digital music sales too. So does this mean Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" will reach number one? We'll just have to wait and see...

New Christina Aguilera promo photos

2006-05-23T01:19:00.000-04:00

New promo pics from the Aguilera camp. She's also in the June issue of GQ without her clothes on (naturally).

Angels & Airwaves...who cares if it's Tom DeLonge

2006-05-22T03:48:00.000-04:00

So I just saw the video for "The Adventure" by Angels & Airwaves on VH1 a few minutes ago. The video caught my eye, mostly because of the snazzy opening with the band walking through the spotlights and the general sci-finess of the vid. Plus the name of the band itself rocks. Couldn't figure out why the lead singer looked so damn familiar though --it's Tom DeLonge from Blink-182. How did I not hear of this band before? Here's the vid for "The Adventure:"

Nelly Furtado on SNL season finale last night

2006-05-21T18:07:00.000-04:00

This is a vid of Nelly Furtado's performances on Saturday Night Live last night. She did "Promiscuous" with Timbaland, and her new single "Maneater." "Promiscuous" is one of those songs that sounds so much better as a studio recording than live; Nelly still rocked out though.

Edit: Youtube.com took the video down. Stupid.

Shakira in trouble; "Hips Don't Lie" World Cup remix

2006-05-13T22:37:00.000-04:00

Latin singer Shakira's in trouble for a little plagiarism present in her hit song "Hips Don't Lie." Apparently the same horn arrangement is used in Jerry Rivera's song "Amores Como El Nuestro." Rivera isn't going to press charges or anything, but he's very vocal about the fact that the music used in Shakira's song was orignally in his. Have a listen for yourself at Univision's site (click on the audio clips). Scandalous.

In keeping up with the Shakira theme, she'll be performing at the World Cup next month in Germany. In lieu of this, a hot remix of "Hips Don't Lie" has been released.

Click to download "Shakira - Hips Don't Lie (Bamboo mix)" -- thanks to ATRL / Click to buy Shakira's Oral Fixation Vol. 2 album, which features "Hips Don't Lie."