Christina Aguilera is attempting to compete with Lady Gaga

So, this is the new Christina Aguilera video. It’s NSFW. If this video is any indication, looks like artists are going to start attempting to compete with Lady Gaga. She’s clearly trying to out “sex freak” her. This video apes the “Bad Romance” video and the “Express Yourself” video. I don’t feel much need to dissect the videos, it’s clear when you watch what Aguilera was “inspired by”. From the white aesthetic, to the outfits, to Aguilera crawling to a saucer of milk, to the shirtless men in rain, to Aquilera standing atop a tall balcony… Of course, Lady Gaga wants to be Madonna in ways, and Madonna wanted to be Marilyn Monroe in ways.

But, Christina Aguilera does get my Hot Mom Award™

Embedding is disabled for the “Express Yourself” video.

Interpol…. new song, new logo, same sound

No one, including me, liked their last album Our Love To Admire much. I cannot explain why, it sounded like Interpol, but something was missing. Maybe good tunes, I don’t know. Maybe the magic was gone. Anyway, if you give Interpol your e-mail address so they can spam you, you get a free download of their new song and a video which shows the “creation” of their new logo. No joke. I guess after no one liked Our Love To Admire, they decided they needed to reboot. The song is pretty good… but it sounds like Interpol. So, new logo, same sound. Who knows. I also wonder if the song title is supposed evoke memories of their first album, Turn On The Bright Lights.

Interpol – Lights

Here is a link to their site, where you can see the silly video of their new logo being “created” and download the song.

How To Destroy Angels

So apparently How To Destroy Angels is Trent Reznor’s new shit being done with his new wife Mariqueen Maandig, since he’s “retired” the Nine Inch Nails name. Based on these 40 seconds, it sounds like NIN. Which is fine, just saying. It’d be interesting to hear NINesque music fronted by a woman. Apparently there will be a 6 song EP out in the summer.

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Since NIN always had interesting font logos, of course HTDA will too, so here is theirs, copied from their Facebook page.

M.I.A. – Born Free video

M.I.A. must have predicted this new Arizona Illegal Immigration law that amounts to unconstitutional racial profiling, violating the 4th and 14th amendments (I live in AZ by the way). M.I.A. has stopped being polite, and is getting real bros. The video is pretty brutal, be forewarned. NSFW unless your job is a violent job. The song itself is a good electro-punk track. Based on the audio stream of “Born Free” on her website, apparently the ambient bits in the video aren’t in the actual song. Oh well, I liked those. I’m reminded of the videos for Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and “Telephone” in that I think both Lady Gaga and M.I.A. have clearly decided they have carte blanche to do whatever the fuck they want.

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This is neat BTW:

Marilyn Monroe would be called “fat” today.

This is from a scene in the movie “The Misfits”. Do you realize that Marilyn Monroe would probably be considered “fat” by today’s standards? How did standards of beauty get so fucked up?

You can see the full scene in the trailer, at the 1:38 mark

The Goodmen – Give It Up

Want to know why I like the music I do? This is what I was listening to in 1993.

Gorillaz – Stylo live w/ Bobby Womack, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon

I think their live performance is better than the album version. Womack tears it, and Albarn has such a great voice live.

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Ke$ha… so bad it’s good?

I haven’t talked about Ke$ha yet. I’ve heard her album, Animal, and it’s fun in a trashy, guilty pleasure way. Some of her songs are catchy. But, it’s not “good” in an artistic sense. Here’s Ke$ha’s performances of “Tik Tok” and “Your Love Is My Drug” on SNL last weekend. First, not everyone needs to have dance routines. Especially this… well… white. And, the two astronaut “dancers” dance like they were fans of hers off the line waiting to get in and Ke$ha paid them $20. Second, she clearly needs her auto-tune. And, is it just me, or does she sound somewhat like Alanis Morissette? Third, she clearly is trying to do a “conceptual” costume/art direction thing like Lady Gaga. But, didn’t we see this shit in a Busta Rhymes video from 12 years ago? Finally, how sad is that moment at the end of “Your Love Is My Drug” where she stops and asks if anyone wants to makeout, and like one guy said “Yeah!”

Also, if you don’t already know, she ripped off her sound from Uffie:

Uffie – Ready To Uff (from 2006)

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Jon Stewart tells Fox News “Fuck you” via gospel choir.

Last week Stewart told Fox News to go fuck themselves. Hilarious.

Some idiot on Fox News decided to “speak directly” to Stewart in response. I just don’t think Fox News knows who they’re messing with. Engaging Stewart is a mistake. He doesn’t give a shit, he is under no obligations to have polite decorum, and he has a huge writing and research team behind him. Furthermore, engaging him generates interest and legitimacy to what the Daily Show says. This is a classic moment.

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BTW, have I mentioned Jon Stewart is my hero? Literally. Not as a joke.

Christina Aguilera – Not Myself Tonight

Everyone is doing club bangers now. Personally, I sometimes feel like everyone wants to do a club track or 12 once in their lives. I’ve been awaiting Aguilera’s new album Bionic since I read the list of producers/co-writers she was working with: Le Tigre, M.I.A., Santigold, Ladytron, Sia, and Goldfrapp. That’s literally an electro dreamteam. This track was produced by some dude named Polow da Don, and it seems he hasn’t done anything that interested me up until now. If this is what the guy who I’ve not heard of has produced, this album could be fucking awesome. It might draw comparisons to Britney’s last two albums and Lady Gaga. But, Aguilera is working with ridiculously authentic, talented people, and if anything I’ve always felt that vocally Lady Gaga sounded like Aguilera. BTW, I guess being bi is the chic thing to mention in club tracks now?

Not Myself Tonight

The album is out June 8th. Neat album cover.