New Music: Tove Lo – ‘Truth Serum’ EP

If 2010’s “Dancing on My Own” by Robyn is still your go-to tears-on-the-dance-floor anthem, you’ll definitely want to give newcomer Tove Lo a try.  Lo, a pop singer from Stockholm, Sweden, made a big splash online last year with her quirky break-up song, “Habits.”  Since then, she’s gone on to pen tracks for Swedish dance-pop duo Icona Pop (of “I Love It” fame) and even Glee’s Lea Michele.  Signed to Universal Music AB, Lo released her first EP titled Truth Serum on March 3 — an impressive collection of explosive, emotional pop songs that prove she’s one to watch out for.  If Robyn’s absence from the music scene has left a big Swedish-pop shaped hole in your heart (I swear, she better be coming back with new music soon), give Truth Serum a listen!  You won’t be disappointed.  I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Lo’s music ends up on a show like HBO’s Girls in the near future!

The Truth Serum EP is all about emotional extremes — the super highs and the super lows.  On the EP’s opening track, “Not On Drugs,” Lo swears up and down that her euphoric state is not due to drug use, no, she’s “just in love.”  Um, where can I get some of that?  The drug metaphor is echoed on the aforementioned “Habits,” only this time, Lo is struggling to find ways to “stay high” in order to forget about a former lover.  On “Paradise,” Lo sings about a relationship so perfect that it can only be described as, well, “paradise.”  But on the EP’s second-to-last song, “Out of Mind,” Lo’s down and out again, lamenting, “You’re out of your mind to think that I can keep you out of mine.”  Wow.  It’s a serious emotional roller coaster!  Lo’s unique vocal tone and her talent for writing catchy hooks and shocking lines that pack a surprisingly hefty emotional punch make Truth Serum a truly thrilling listening experience.

Get a taste of Tove Lo’s sound on her official Soundcloud.  Truth Serum is available on iTunes now!  The EP is also streaming on Spotify.

New Music: Mariah Carey – “You’re Mine (Eternal)”

Mariah Carey is back again, this time with the third (fourth if you count “Triumphant (Get ‘Em)”) single from her 14th studio album, The Art of Letting Go, “You’re Mine (Eternal).”  The Darkchild-produced slow jam is equal parts HIT and MISS.  HIT: The song is classic Mariah with a couple modern twists (a hard-hitting beat, vocoder effects on the background vocals, etc.).  It’s also really catchy.  MISS: It kind of feels like Mariah’s trying to recreate “We Belong Together,” and honestly, “You’re Mine (Eternal)” doesn’t hold a candle to the heart-wrenching emotion and altogether hypnotizing nature of the aforementioned Billboard Song of the Decade for the 2000s.  When it’s all said and done, I think I prefer “#Beautiful.”

Demos That Did It Better

Thanks to hackers and YouTube, pop fans are now able to listen to a slew of unfinished demo material that was probably never meant for public consumption.  It’s great (for us…not the artists).  Sometimes, a demo ends up being way more awesome than the finished product.  Sometimes, a demo never sees the light of day and it’s a massive injustice!  Check out a list of some of my favorite demos and unreleased jams after the jump.

Music News: Mariah Carey to drop “extremely radio friendly” new single?

After releasing the exceedingly dreary ballad, “The Art of Letting Go” back in November (which was essentially radio poison), it seems that Mariah Carey has learned from her mistake and is going to attempt to win back the airwaves with the next offering from her upcoming 14th studio album.  If Erik Bradley is to be believed (he works for Chicago radio station B96), Mariah’s next single, due in February, is “EXTREMELY RADIO FRIENDLY!”  That’s music to my ears!  The caps lock means that he’s sincere!  We don’t have any concrete details about the track yet, but some fans (or Lambs, as Mariah lovers are affectionately known) are speculating that a couple of beats posted to Instagram by longtime Mimi collaborator Jermaine Dupri recently could be for her new project!

Take a listen to the two possible Mariah instrumentals here and here.  What do you think?  Are you excited for Mariah’s next single?

Music News: Shakira & Rihanna team up on “Can’t Remember to Forget You”: Listen to a snippet

Shakira has been been keeping a pretty low profile since about 2011, but she’s about to make a big splash with the release of “Can’t Remember to Forget You,” a duet with Roc Nation’s golden girl, Rihanna!  “Can’t Remember to Forget You” is produced by frequent Shakira collaborator John Hill (“She Wolf,” “Men In This Town”) and will serve as the lead single from her upcoming tenth studio album.  A Joseph Kahn-directed music video has already been shot and the song is due for release on Monday, February 13th.  Check out a supposed snippet of the song after the jump!

Top 10 songs of 2013!

My personal top 10 songs of 2013 are listed after the jump!  Get into it.

New Music: Brit Smith – “Provocative (hiDhi) (feat. will.i.am)”

Do you love Beyonce’s new album but find yourself wondering, “Hey, where are all the fun, uptempo dance tracks?”  Do you pine for Nelly Furtado circa 2006?  Are you ready to watch a music video featuring Betty White and an obscene amount of product placement for Miracle Whip?  Look no further — Timbaland’s new protege Brit Smith is here with her (sort of) debut single, “Provocative (hiDhi).”

New Music: Foxes – “Holding Onto Heaven”

This is one of those moments where you just need to stop what you’re doing and PRESS PLAY.  English singer-songwriter Foxes scored a massive hit earlier this year as the featured vocalist on Zedd’s “Clarity,” and she’s set to release her debut LP “Glorious” on March 3rd.  Today she dropped promo single “Holding Onto Heaven,” and it is, quite appropriately, glorious.

New Music: Lea Michele – “Cannonball”

Lea Michele’s debut single, “Cannonball,” is here!  And it’s pretty good!  Written by Sia Furler and produced by Stargate & Benny Blanco, “Cannonball” is an infectious little ditty with a driving beat, bright piano line, and simple melody that will have you humming along in no time!  Name recognition and the waning power of Glee have managed to launch the song into the U.S. iTunes top 10 – will pop radio embrace Lea Michele’s new venture?

Check out “Cannonball” below!

Music News: G.R.L. in the studio with Dr. Luke & Ester Dean!

Nobody loves to hype artists on Twitter more than Dr. Luke, and it’s a good thing, too!  I love finding out about who the good Doctor is working with!  Who could forget the day when Luke so legendarily tweeted Rihanna, “damn… you sound so good!!!!,” before anybody had any idea they were working together, setting the Internet ablaze with speculation and wonder all with a mere 29 characters??

Luke’s latest tweets about Robin Antin’s girl group G.R.L. aren’t quite as life-changing, but they’re certainly informative!  Apparently, Luke’s been recording with G.R.L. since yesterday, and today, they finished up a track written by none other than Ester Dean!  You may know Ester Dean from the movie, “Pitch Perfect” (she was the butt of all those tasteless lesbian jokes), but you PROBABLY know Ester Dean from her impressive list of pop super hits, like: Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass,” Rihanna’s “What’s My Name?,” Katy Perry’s “Firework,” and Selena Gomez’s “Come & Get It.”

Ester’s worked with Robin Antin’s groups in the past, so her involvement with this project isn’t exactly unexpected, but it certainly is exciting!  As I previously reported, G.R.L. has also spent time in the studio with Max Martin and Cirkut, so this is shaping up to be quite a debut!  Now if only they’d release some music…