A bunch of indie artists have made a tribute to Madonna called Through the Wilderness . The album is to be released early September but some of the songs can be heard via MySpace. There are interesting indie covers of Hung Up, Live To Tell, Like A Prayer, Material Girl etc. If you listen to the covers, you´ll notice that a great song is a great song no matter how you play it. Hung Up sounds wonderful even when it´s played down. And listen to the version of Live To Tell !
The preview was rejected, but here´s the full version (not that good quality though).
Give it 2 Me video seems to be totally focused on Madonna and it´s about her dancing, which is always enjoyable. Give it 2 Me is directed by fashion photographer Tom Munro who did the latest Madonna ELLE magazine photoshoot.
Kanye posted on his blog that he shot three videos because he didn´t like the first two. Flashing Lights Part 3 is the official video and he didn´t release the first two, they were leaked. Well, let´s believe him… It think Kanye West plays a dead person in this one. The video takes place in a haunted house and they are all ghosts? Flashing Lights Part 3 video borrows its style from horror films and there´s an air of surreal mystery in it. Once again, the viewer cannot be quite sure what´s going on and what is the message Kanye wants to deliver.
I absolutely love This Boy’s In Love by The Presets , Sydney-based electronic duo that creates classic synthpop. The video about repressed homosexual feelings, where 2 guys wrestle in milk is also glorious. It´s directed by Danish director Casper Balsev. The single This Boy’s In Love is officially out tomorrow.
The Ting Tings track Shut Up And Let Me Go is featured on the new iPod ad. It´s going to be a great boost for them, just like the iPod Nano ad was for Feist and iPod Touch ad for CSS . I must say the agency which chooses the tracks for iPod ads is really a star maker.
Timbaland works with the biggest superstars in the world and manages mostly to make fresh music. But not all the time. He also takes the money and runs. Here are two examples:
M Pokora feat Timbaland "Dangerous" . M Pokora is a French pop star.
Timbaland produced the song that won the European Song Contest 2008. It´s Believe by Dima Bilan, Russian superstar that Timbaland and Danja have worked with before. Dima even has recorded a duet with Nelly Furtado .
Martha Wainwright has great album title and cover! I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too is out in the UK and she´s currently on tour promoting the new album. I´m no fan of folk rock, but I like Martha ´s style. She and her brother Rufus are terribly interesting characters.
My favorite Martha performance is Snow Patrol featuring Martha Wainwright "Set the Fire to the Third Bar". She steals the show. And the song is amazing.
Islandic weirdos Sigur Ros have released the first track from their new album. Download Gobbledigook for free here . The upcoming album is produced by Flood (pretty interesting) and the band.
The new video is also available, see it here . It contains adult content - naked people running around and playing in the forest and on the beach. Free love, hippie hippie wonderland and hippie hippie paradise. But anyway, Sigur Ros makes amazing music with their own consistent style.
Michelle Williams is best known as the third person in Destiny´s Child . She´s the one who never smiles and looks like she doesn´t want to be in the band. Well, she has previously released gospel music, but now Michelle Williams is due to release her first R&B album Unexpected in August.
Her first single is "We Break The Dawn ". It´s written by Andrew Frampton, Michelle herself and surprise, the younger Beyoncé, Solange Knowles .
The more I listen to the song, the better it sounds. Can´t wait to hear a good remix, something like the Freemasons did with Kelly Rowland ´s Work .
Does It Offend You? is a British electro punk rock/dance rock band. Their new album is out and they offer free download We Are Rock Stars :
http://www.doesitoffendyou.com/
Another interesting electro indie/dance rock band is Ratatat , an electronic music duo that comes from Brooklyn.
