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Pop Rock Nation

Category: People

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  • Rihanna Plays “Russian Roulette” On New Single

    There’s a lot of anticipation building for Rihanna’s new album, “Rated R”, which comes out on 11/23. This morning, the album’s first single, “Russian Roulette”, was premiered. It’s a mysterious sounding ballad that was written by Ne-Yo. Due to the media exposure Ri-Ri’s received (good and bad) over the past year, it’s sure to be a big hit…

    …I just don’t know if it’s a good first single, though. Rihanna’s pretty much made her name as someone who performs dance music, so leading off with a ballad is pretty risky. Also, the song doesn’t really go anywhere. Rihanna’s singing is impressive, but the song itself is…kinda boring (a rarity for Ne-Yo, who is the best young pop/R&B singer-songwriter out there). Her upcoming album boasts an interesting group of collaborators (from Justin Timberlake to Tyson Ritter of the All-American Rejects). I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if it gets better.

    If this gets taken down from Youtube, you can check the song out here.

  • Kanye West & Spike Jonze Team Up For a “Fairytale”

    So…”We Were Once a Fairytale” isn’t a video, per se. It’s more like a mini-movie. There’s not really a song featured. It’s also the latest thing to emerge from the twisted minds of Kanye West and video director-turned-genius movie director Spike Jonze. With those two teaming up, you would expect nothing less than an engrossing viewing experience, and that’s exactly what this vid…mini-movie is.

    There appears to be a linear thread here (although I’m not gonna tell you what it is-you’ll have to watch). To me, this just underlines a few things: one being that Kanye has infallible taste in collaborators, another being that Kanye has more artistic vision than any other person in the hip-hop genre, and finally, that he is much more self-aware than we give him credit for.

    And I still think the MTV stunt was staged.

    Enjoy the film.

     

  • First Listen: Vampire Weekend’s “Horchata”

    Those of you who frequent this site are well aware of my love for Vampire Weekend. The quartet of Columbia grads, led by singer Ezra Koenig, released an awesome debut album in 2008, mixing pop and rock with a world music flavor. Their follow-up, “Contra” is due at the top of 2010, and the first single is called “Horchata”.

    So…what the hell is “Horchata”? Well, according to Wikipedia, it’s a drink popularized in Latin American countries. The ingredients vary by country, but it appears that most recipes include milk and sugar, with additional ingredients ranging from rice to sesame seeds. I feel so cultured.

    The song sounds a little bare-bones for me, almost like a demo. It’s growing on me, though. Let us know what you think.