Britney Spears’ new Max Martin-assisted single “3” premiered this morning, and what do you know, it’s a song about engaging in a ménage à trois that has an awkward reference to folk trio Peter, Paul, & Mary and a beat that sounds like it was inspired after way too many listens to Flo Rida’s unstoppable 2008 song “Low.” Britney doesn’t sound like a potential flesh-and-blood sex participant here as much as she sounds like an artificlal-intelligence-enhanced Real Doll, but I guess “post-human” is the asthetic that radio programmers are really into these days. Clip after the jump. More »
In addition to the cavalcade of new albums coming out tomorrow, we’re also going to have debuts of new singles by Britney Spears (the Max Martin-assisted, cryptically titled “3”), the newly penitent Chris Brown (“Transformer,” which had better not have a Brian Austin Green reference), and the still-soldiering-on Foo Fighters (“Wheels,” which from the snippet sounds sort of, um, old-dudeish). Which will be the most successful? Which will probably inspire the most hand-wringing? (OK that one’s a given, I guess.) [RS / Inn The Basement / FMQB] More »
Coming to this season of the PBS live-music show Austin City Limits: Pearl Jam! The Heartless Bastards! Frequent ACL guest Willie Nelson, whose 1975 appearance is in the picture at left! The Dave Grohl / Josh Homme / John Paul Jones supergroup Them Crooked Vultures! And more, so be sure to check your listings and set your DVR. [Austin Music Source / Official site] More »
In the latest installment of “Lil Wayne’s Rock Album Is Really Never Going To Come Out, But At Least It’s Giving Me Something To Write About,” the tongue-twisting MC’s foray into the world of guitars, Rebirth, has been delayed from Nov. 24 to Dec. 15. Which I guess freed his schedule up enough to allow him to lend a verse to Raditude, the forthcoming bit of comment bait from Weezer! Rivers Cuomo talked to MTV News about the pairing: More »
Tomorrow’s release-date schedule is pretty glutted with albums that—gasp!—might get people to actually spend money on music, from Madonna’s latest greatest-hits collection to new albums by the spunky likes of Miranda Lambert and Paramore. In order to help you navigate through this week, might I suggest a friendly game of Buy/Download/Kill, in which each album receives one of the three fates outlined by the game’s title? My personal preferences after the jump. More »
Pardon Ms. Arden is a Munich-based act that, you will probably notice from note one of “Let’s Get It On,” is kind of obsessed with Britain, so they will probably be thrilled to hear that my first exposure to them was via the UK iteration of MTV. (“The band is heavily influenced by British music, British way of life, British humour. Some say they even drink tea and indeed were seen in the city wearing suits and umbrellas!” their official site exclaims. Wow, suits!) And “Let’s Get It On” is a lovely little synthesis of C86 fuzz and garage-pop that only serves to prove the maxim “If you combine syncopated drumming with a chorus of “yeah-yeah-yeah”s, I’m really going to like what you’re doing.” [YouTube / MySpace] More »
Abe Sauer at The Awl visits Britney Spears’ show in Grand Forks, N.D., where the pop star has an $850,000 taxpayer-funded guarantee, and turns out a very good read on the concert business, the classist overtones that Spears mockery tends to have, and the betrayal of Bruce Springsteen. Recommended x 10. [The Awl] More »
Dear Lady GaGa: I was wrong about you. Not about “Poker Face” (which is still a pile of wretchedly moldy Peaches) or your continuously annoying art-school-confidential persona (which seems more defensive each time you put it on) or your buddy-buddyness with Technicolor-haired Internet scourge Perez Hilton (ugh)—I’m pretty confident that those are all annoying. But we must talk about about your fast-rising single“Paparazzi,” about which I was pretty lukewarm on first listen. Because somehow over the weekend I fell in love with its dripping, gaudy fantasticness, and I wanted to thank you. More »
Well, this breathless British-tabloid report about a “reunion” between the 9/11 conspiracy-theorizing pop star and the boy band that helped vault him to fame seems to be based on all of them going out to dinner together in New York City, and Williams later being pap-spotted in the vicinity of New York’s Electric Lady Studios. Who knows whether it’ll result in any recorded material, or just more frothy speculation from across the pond—but hey, any limp excuse to post the video for the group’s 1995 single (and lone hit in America) “Back For Good” is OK by me! Clip after the jump. More »
Above, a Tweet that was directed to one R. Kelly just moments ago. Which he reposted for his own enjoyment. Twice. God bless our hyperconnected world! [via @KellZodiac / Twitter] More »
