Crazo for Zaho

Born in Algeria, living in Montréal, and already a widely recognized R&B force on an international stage, Zaho came to me upon a recommendation of a friend (who happens to be Swedish...they're really taking over), and I could not be happier. She draws influence from Senegalese music, with gorgeous guitar lines à la Craig David running behind all her gorgeous melodies. Most notably, Zaho allows her northern African roots to infiltrate her music as her arrangement and melodies have unmistakably middle eastern tinges (think a less-douchy "arab money"). "A Nous" sounds like something straight of Imogen Heap's song list if M.I.A. were to throw her spin on it. "Kif'n'dir (Que vais-je faire?)" sounds a bit like a late-90s Brandy. Her beautiful "Je Te Promets," which is a quiet, unassuming ballad, places a simple guitar line to complement her gorgeous vocal. Zaho is a name worth committing to memory.

A Nous - Zaho

Kif'n'dir (Que vais-je faire?) - Zaho

Je Te Promets (live) - Zaho

So Fresh and SoCal

Johnson and Jonson are emcee Blu and under-the-radar producer Mainframe. They're also one of the greatest acts to hit the hip/hop scene in the past year. The youngsters from Long Beach, California released their self-titled debut last September and are bringing some seriously prolific stuff to the table. Mainframe's beats are easy and laid-back while Blu's flow is steady and determined. Blu's voice has a tone that's soft like Shwayze with lyrics worthy of comparisons to Cool Kids, and even to bigger guys like Common. "J&J" is a hard-hitting, lyrical introduction to J&J, while "Bout it Bout it" throws Blu's smooth lyrics over a spanish guitar, a trumpet, and a stripped down beat - an arrangement that needs to be heard to be understood. "Wow" is my personal favorite, featuring one of the coolest vocal samples harmonizing with old school guitar licks and a soft bongo drum. Assemble some good friends, a sunny day, a bowl packed to the brim (with um... Lucky Charms...or soup...or something), and enjoy J&J the way they're meant to be heard.

WOW - Johnson and Jonson

J&J - Johnson and Jonson

Bout it Bout it - Johnson and Jonson

Kelly Clarkson, A Month Premature...

As much as I hate to admit it, I got goosebumps of excitement when I heard that Kelly Clarkson's new album, All I Ever Wanted, had leaked. Through my magical powers that have absolutely nothing to do with illegal internet downloading (don't worry about it, Tufts), I have obtained the album and thankfully, it bears a much closer resembles to 2004's Breakaway than her shitfest of an album formally known as My December. Overall, it's pretty much what you'd expect from a solid Kelly release (we're on a first name basis). After a couple listens, "I Do Not Hook Up," originally recorded by Katy Perry, is a clear standout. Though I'm usually against faux femine empowerment songs that harp on about the virtues of prudity (lyrics include "I do not hook up up, I go slow...I fall deep"), it's so goddamn catchy that I'm willing to overlook it. "Don't Let Me Stop You" has a chorus as fantastic and catchy as its verses are awful, while the title track, "All I Ever Wanted" is, as a whole, underwhelming. I will note, however, how similar its guitar line is to that of Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out," and the melody of its chorus to the Backstreet Boys "As Long As You Love Me" (that last observation may or may not be true). "If I Can't Have You" proves that Clarkson's management was definitely taking notes from Britney's Circus album, while "Long Shot" could easily pass for Katy Perry at her best. The hidden gem of this album, "Ready," lets Kelly's flawless vocals float effortlessly above an arrangement that sits somewhere in between those of Sheryl Crow and Feist. For a good laugh, check out "Whyyawannabringmedown," Clarkson's hot mess of an attempt to pull off a song more aptly suited for the White Stripes or Be Your Own Pet. As a whole, I'll say that it's a solid release, and one that I can safely assume I will hate within two months of Z100 playing it 3-5 times every hour on the hour.

Diduntdidunts

Mark Ronson's collaboration with Saigon on "Diduntdidunt," is amazing for both its hilarity and overall goodness. The beat is typical Ronson - old school feel with yummy, new school beats. The lyrics are genius, as Saigon walks the listener through the tales of his encounter with various "diduntdidunts." Saigon warns, "I'll knock out your teeth, you'll be literally bumpin' your gums." Clap along, nod along, snap along - I can promise that as long as you're listening to "Didundtdidunt," everything feels right.

Diduntdidunt - Mark Ronson Feat. Saigon -

Below is a picture of what I imagine to be a diduntdidunt


Lookin' sharp.

Arr..

What exactly does a pirate's heart sound like? If Québécois up-and-comer Coeur de Pirate is any indication, warm summer days and an endless sunrise. Though she sings in french, no prior knowledge of the language is required to connect with her bubbly pop that sounds a bit like if you took Lily Allen, put her together with Feist, then fast-forwarded to give them a fun chipmunk voice. And I mean that in the best way. "Comme Des Enfants" recalls Edith Piaf with its stripped-down arrangement and beautiful melody. "Ensemble" is a bouncy single that makes you want to spend the afternoon skipping. In short, Coeur de Pirate is worth a listen...and then a hundred more .

Comme des enfants - Coeur de Pirate - mp3
Ensemble - Coeur de Pirate - mp3
C'était Salement Romantique - Coeur de Pirate- video

Chester French...on the mouth.

Chester French are just a couple of Harvard grads who decided to start a pop band. Typical stuff. This preppy duo counts Pharell Williams as a fan, who recently signed them to his Star Trak label. Their music was featured on Entourage, but something tells me these kids have got bigger things up their argyle sleeves than singing backup for Vinny Chase. "She Loves Everybody" is pop-rock at its sleaziest. "The Jimmy Choos" is the catchiest Monkees-esque thr-oh!-back since "That Thing You Do." Who doesn't like their rock n' roll with a popped collar?



She Loves Everybody - Chester French

The Jimmy Choos - Chester French


yum.

Re-seeing Stars

I'd like to talk about an oldie but greatie from the perpetually fantastic Stars. This Québécois group needs no introduction, but I will say their incredible music makes me all fuzzy inside every time I hear it. Though their 2004 release, Set Yourself On Fire, is my favorite Stars album, my favorite song of theirs, "Take Me to the Riot," comes off their 2007 release In Our Bedroom After the War. It's a stunning, anti-apathy call to arms for passion, lust, and all things holy. Well, maybe not, but it's damn good, and that's good enough for me.

Take me to the Riot - Stars

We're Germanotta for Gaga

My guilty pleasure du jour comes from a personal favorite, Lady Gaga. She's the raunchiest thing to hit the mainstream pop scene since Christina Aguilera's dirrty assless chaps, and I'm loving every minute of it. As a fellow New York Private School Alumna, I've got nothing but love for a girl who successfuly transitions from a uniform of a plaid skirt and white polo to a sequined leotard in the middle of winter. Though her single "Just Dance" put her on the map, her album The Fame is one of the best to come out this year. She writes her own material and though as impressive as it is rare in the mainstream pop world, the material itself is impossibly catchy, not to mention crazy danceable. Her new single, "LoveGame," on which Gaga claims proudly, "I want to take a ride on your disco stick," should be enough to make any shot go down smoother, and her new video for the song is pretty bangin', too. "Starstruck" and "Paparazzi" are two tracks guaranteed to enhance any drunken hookup, while "Christmas Tree," in which the always-classy Gaga pleads a lucky sir to "light me up, put me on top, let's fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la," is one of the more inventive takes on a christmas classick. With lyrics like those, Lady Gaga, you have an open invitation to my party (enticing, I know).
LoveGame - Lady Gaga

Starstruck - Lady Gaga

Paparazzi - Lady Gaga

Christmas Tree - Lady Gaga -

Eat Cleastwood?

Cleast Eatwood is the best thing I've heard this year. I'm starting to think that Scandinavia is the future of alt. pop music, because everything I've heard that's worthwhile in the past few months has come from those tall, golden-haired beauties. This swedish group is no exception. They combine vocals and melodies as smooth as lullabies to the backbone of a beat as likely to make you clap your hands as any Lil' Wayne track. Their myspace page features their incredible Imogen Heap-meets-Sufjan Stevens cover of MGMT's "Electric Feel," however, the real gem of this group is their song "Rabbit Hole," which makes you want to smoke a joint and dance at the same time. Almost as good is their infectious Radiohead-esque "Sad Machine," which beckons, "come, come, come make a habit out of me." With music this good, it's impossible not to.

Rabbit Hole - Cleast Eatwood

Sad Machine - Cleast Eatwood

You, Me, and Everyone We Know

You, Me, and Everyone We Know , who Kevin Lyman (Founder/Head of Warped Tour) has chosen one of his "Kev Says" Band for Warped '09, is the band I've been living my life to since the fall of 2007. They're a little bit Fall Out Boy, a little bit Boy Least Likely To, and for better or worse, the last of a dying breed of "emo" music worth listening to. I'm going to see them this Saturday, February 21st in upper Jersey. If you can get a friend to drive you, or are willing to risk your life on a sketchy greyhound round-trip bus ride, join me! They put on one of the most entertaining live shows (albeit Akon still holds that championship belt after pummeling a girl in the face at one of his shows) complete with musical instruments that look more fitting for cutting something open than creating the crunchy rock loveliness they do. They are, like, my ultimate favorites. But actually. Check the link and you'll be shamelessly hook line and sinker for these kids, too.

You, Me, and Everyone We Know's Myspace Page

It’s not me, It’s you...Lily Allen

Oh, Lily Allen. You know you love her, so don’t even lie. Stop pretending you don’t secretly sit in your room and listen to her first album, Alright, Still, on repeat. We all did it, and personally, I’m proud. Now it's time to stop and embrace It’s not me, It’s you with open arms. She’s no Shakespeare, but she writes effortlessly about relationships and all those other vapid college-age-kid things like a pro. At times cheeky, at others sappy sweet, Allen's sophomore album delivers. However, if you’re looking for the ska-pop of Mark Ronson, look elsewhere. Her sound has taken on a more electro-pop/retro feel, but hey, I dig. It's no Alright, Still, but it’ll do!

Check out her first single, “ The Fear,” and my personal favorite, “ Who’d have Known.” ( I’ve been playing that one on repeat, its almost replaced T.I...but not quite.) For the less faint-of-heart, "Fuck You" promises hilariously snarky lyrics over an even catchier melody.

Who'd Have Known - Lily Allen - mp3

The Fear - Lily Allen - mp3

Fuck You - Lily Allen - mp3

Birds, Bees, and Florence and the Machines

The Bird and the Bee have been dominating my iTunes for the past month, so I think it's time to spread the love. This duo makes some of the catchiest, deceptively sweet pop music I've ever heard. The saccharine vocals of lead singer Inara George sound even better when they ask snidely, "would you ever be my, would you be my fucking boyfriend?" Their layered, resonating vocal sound recalls the Beegees, while the hand-clap action on nearly every track reminds us that we're in the golden age of electronic drum-machines and musical acid trips. With hand-claps and xylophones galore, their music is like something out of a childhood fantasy after an 8-ball or three. Delicious.

Love Letter to Japan - Bird and the Bee - mp3

My Love - Bird and the Bee - mp3

Fucking Boyfriend - Bird and the Bee - mp3

Florence and the Machine is Florence Welch's vehicle for awesomeness. Don't be fooled by appearances - her cover of Candi Staton's "You Got The Love" has got honest-to-gawd soul in spades. Though some might argue this song never sounds as good as when Sienna Miller is mouthing "rape me" to an unsuspecting drug lord (thanks for that visual, Layer Cake) , this cover comes pretty damn close.

You Got The Love - Florence and the Machine - mp3

Throw Your Hands in the Ayer

There is some music that just feels good. Chris Ayer makes that kind of music. The Stanford grad has already earned his share of accolades, with winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Competition in Folk for his single "Evaporate" in 2007 as one of the many notches in his musical bedpost, but beyond being good on paper, Ayer is - to put it plainly - really, really good. His vocals have the passion of John Mayer with the swagger of Jason Mraz. His compositions have the ease of Colbie Caillat and Joshua Radin with the catchiness of The Fray. Ayer, however, is not a contemporary of these heavy-hitters. He is every bit as good, if not better. "Awake" showcases his guitar virtuosity behind a melody you'll want to listen to before you go to bed, and again when you wake up. I'm guessing it will only be a few short weeks before "Fall Away (State I'm In)" can be heard on Grey's Anatomy. That being said, Chris Ayer is definitely one to watch, if not listen to religiously. - Steph

Awake - Chris Ayer - mp3

Fall Away (State I'm In) - Chris Ayer - Live Video Performance


Chris Ayer will be playing a show in the Boston next Friday, February 27th, at Midway Cafe.

Friday February 27, 2009 - 8:00PM
Midway Cafe
3496 Washington St.
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
http://www.midwaycafe.com/
http://www.myspace.com/midwaycafe
Tickets - $8

Boys, Boys, Boys

Sometimes a girl just needs one. Today's topic is testosterone-filled, delightfully creepy elctro-pop music. Boy Crisis is the first on the bill. These boys from Brooklyn are reppin' hard for the motherland with these crunchy beats over swirling melodies. "Dressed to Digress" is a prime selection of the choice meats they're dishing out. Enjoy.

Dressed to Digress - Boy Crisis - mp3

All Smiles

Amadou and Mariam, a blind couple from Mali, despite their condition make just about the happiest, smiliest music you could ever imagine. There are rainbows and cotton candy spilling out of every note. I dare you listen to "Sénégal Fast Food" without smiling. It's legitimately impossible. You can't do it.

Sénégal Fast Food - Amadou et Mariam - mp3

The Funk of Soul

I am generally a huge fan of the Meters with their husky vocals, sexy guitar licks, and sweeeet hair (lookin' at you, Leo Nocentelli), but my love for these strapping young fellows (I use the term "young" loosely, as they are well into their fifties) was taken to a whole new level when I heard their cover of the Beatles' "Come Together." For the most part, I'm very much against covers of the Beatles (let's just say I would rather spend an hour repeatedly poking myself in the eye than listen to the Jonas Brother croon through "Hello Goodbye"), but the Meters' incredible cover transcends all preconceptions. Not to blaspheme the Beatles, my personal Jesus Christ(s) in bellbottoms, but The Meters' version is almost more viable than the original. It captures the gritty soul of the delta blues vibe that Lennon was aiming for, but of which the original, despite a valiant effort from John's strained vocal chords, falls a bit short. Not to mention that what can only be described as a showcase of guitar virtuosity from Leo Nocentelli makes George Harrison's guitar skillz sound like a child tinkering around with Daddy's old six string (Daddy, in this case, being Leo). I have no clue how this incredible cover has been lost at the wayside, but in my humble opinion, it deserves lots of attention...and maybe a cookie.
Come Together - The Meters