Off to see V.V. Brown (+ Little Dragon)

VV Brown

I'm SO SO SO excited! I'm getting ready to go see one of my FAVORITE artists right now - V.V. Brown at Great Scott in Allston, MA. This will actually be my second time seeing V.V. at Great Scott AND her second time in Boston. It's bound to be a little different this time around, as the last time V.V. was the headliner and THIS time she's opening for the Swedish electro pop group Little Dragon. I have to admit that I haven't much gotten into Little Dragon yet but I'm sure I will after tonight's show.  The real reason I'm going tonight is to see V.V. Brown. I'll do a proper post about tonight's gig either later tonight or sometime this week. I'll also update you on her last gig in Boston!  Cheers for now! Follow my Tweets from tonight's gig!

Check out V.V. Brown on the Web:

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter//YouTube

MIKA Kicks Ass

As soon as I heard MIKA's new song "Kick Ass" was produced by RedOne I had mixed feelings. RedOne is no doubt a VERY talented producer.  The problem is that everybody under the sun has worked with him. Over saturation!  MIKA is just such a unique talent, I'd hate for his new song to sound overly commercial.  That being said, the song really doesn't lose much of that originality.  Sure, the production sounds a bit...done...but it's really all about MIKA as a voice and as a performer and he sounds AMAZING as always.

MIKA

Kick Ass - Out April 16th

"Kick Ass" comes from the soundtrack to a new movie of the same name, out in theaters April 16th.  The movie's plot sees a quiet high school boy and avid comic book reader named Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) try to become a superhero without any powers to speak of.  MIKA's music video is interspersed with scenes from the movie, which I have to say, looks quite entertaining.  "Kick Ass" is out in the UK on May 3rd but you can pre-order it on iTunes HERE.  The three track EP features, in addition to "Kick Ass" (MIKA vs. RedOne) MIKA's "I See You" and a live version of his previous single "Blame It On The Girls."  Good stuff here. I wish MIKA had more success on this side of the pond. He's really quite talented.

Check out MIKA on the web:

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter//YouTube

Check out KICK ASS on the web:

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter//YouTube

The Power Of Madonna (+ Glee)

Glee Cast - The Power Of Madonna

I might be dying right now.  As soon as I saw this artwork I just about flipped.  I'm a huge fan of Glee (of course) so naturally, when I heard that Madonna gave the go-ahead for the Glee cast to interpret some of her music for the show, I was BEYOND ecstatic.  THEN - a couple of weeks ago a little glee promo made an appearance during American Idol.  The promo spot starts with Rachel (Lea Michelle) singing "Like A Prayer" before showing various scenes from the end of the first season. AHHH! Dying.

Looks like this little 7-track EP will be released both digitally and in CD-format on Tuesday April 20th, the same day the Madonna episode airs. I'm beyond excited about this whole thing! Not quite sure who's singing what so if anyone knows, please shoot me an email!  Check out the track listing below and let me know what you think!  Don't forget to watch Glee when it returns on Fox Tuesday April 13th after American Idol.

1. Express Yourself

2. Borderline/Open Your Heart

3. Vogue

4. Like A Virgin

5. 4 Minutes

6. What It Feels Like For A Girl

7. Like A Prayer

Check out Glee on the web:

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter

Artists You Should Know: Reni Lane and Matthew P

With so much to catch up on, I'm having a hard time choosing what to blog about right now. I missed a lot of GOOD music during my hiatus including a shit-ton of up and coming artists that deserve a shot based on sheer talent alone.  Here's are a couple of those artists to watch out for.

Reni Lane

Reni Lane -  New Album/Free Remixes - Reni Lane is a super talented classically-trained singer/songwriter from Oregon, raised in Virginia who now lives in New York City. Her album Ready was just released on Custard/Universal/Motown Records and features a blend of pop and rock beats all brought together by Lane's lovely vocals.  Reni Lane's voice and musical style is PERFECTLY suited to remixers, who already have hopped on the bandwagon.  "Place For Us" is the first single released from the album and you can even download 4 free remixes by RAC, Monsieu Adi, Will Eastman and Glitter&Blitz + 1 remix of "Runaway Train" also by Glitter&Blitz. That's quite the package deal! Download her album on iTunes OR 7Digital (for $5.00). She's on tour now so check her out if you get the chance. Check out a video mix here using the Glitter&Blitz remix of "Place For Us." Hot.

Check out Reni Lane on the Web: 

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter//YouTube

Matthew P

Matthew P - Keep On Swimming - UK Singer/Songwriter Matthew P is as talented as he is good looking.  His voice calls to mind a little bit of James Morrison mixed with Daniel Merriweather and a dash of Calvin Harris (the voice...not the music).  His EP, Swimming was released on January 25th and features 5 lovely stripped down, soulful tracks.  While you can't find this EP in the U.S. right now, hopefully that will change.  For now, go listen to these five 30 second clips. You won't be disappointed! If you like what you hear you can even download a free track on his Facebook or MySpace pages, called "Keep On Swimming." It's a cute track sung beautifully by Matthew P. Matthew is going on tour in April throughout the UK so make sure and check him out! Watch the video for "End Of The World" HERE.

Checkout Matthew P on the web:

MySpace//Facebook//Twitter//YouTube//Flickr