Taylor Swift - Style (video)

There something about Taylor Swift that is actually under-spoken about. Despite the record sales, despite the tabloid exposure, despite the Tonight Show appearances, despite the bagillion youtube views, despite the future Kanye collaboration and stage rockin with Paul McCartney, there are still not enough printed words in the world about Taylor Swift. Easily one of, if not the, best albums of 2014, 1989 is a record of hit after hit. Its one of the only albums I can put on and listen from track 1 - bonus spoken word tracks. What is it about Swift's latest shift that is so compelling? Its the song-writing. Not the lyrical content, which itself admittedly is quite impressive, but more the conscious structuring of melodies. Whether assisted by Max Martin or not, Swift is one of the unfuckwith-able gals, when it comes to guiding a song from verse to chorus to post chorus to bridge etc. Her affected way of pronouncing syllables and delivering cadences can come off as teenage or immature, yet its a much more of a calculated move. She's a pop-singer with the polarizing ability to let a song breathe. Not unlike early Madonna, TS often delivers a talk-singing-croon to her verses, before dropping a hydrogen bomb of a hook in the chorus that overwhelms the listener with gooey satisfaction. Style is one these types of songs. In fact its the best song on 1989 and probably the best song 2014. Sorry, its true. Debbie Harry wish she wrote this jam. Forreal. Finally we get a clip for this wondrous tune and of course its on point. One handsome gent is locked in the mystical time warping mirror, that is Taylor Swift's gaze. (Don't leave this chick alone, she's likely to picture you half drowning during a lightning storm!!!!!!) If I would have directed this video I would have had Taylor driving through the desert like Richard Gere in the remake of Breathless. Luckily someone else directed the vid and infused it with all the right amounts of emotion, melodrama, and overcast beach landscapes. You may not love Taylor's style, but you can't deny she's got it. Watch this video. It rules, dude.

Rick Ross - Sanctified (ft. Kanye West & Big Sean)

Boss Ross is back! Mastermind is sort of ok! Sanctified is unbelievably good! A track I have not been able to stop spinnin over the past couple weeks... Aggressive? Really? Me, Aggressive!?.. Also Kanye and Big Sean are on this. Dig it:

Super Sexy Rihanna, So Paranoid

Aww yeahhhh! The hottest Kanyizle track on Heartbreak has finally become a single. Despite the grumblings of my fellow curmudgeons, I'm still on the Kanye train in a big way. Choo choo bitch! Anywho "Paranoid" is out and has a new video. Yeezy enlisted Rihanna to star in this surprisingly sexier than "Flashing Lights" video and she doesn't even have a verse! (Please tell me I'm not the only one craving a Paranoid-Umbrella mashup!) Plus he somehow convinced her rock a very 80s-esque hairstyle too, but boy, she sure look good!

Amazing!

I know everyone around here is a tremendous Kanye fan, so I love to just post all his latest shit because i know everyone appreciates it! Here's his newest vid which is not as amazin as his last, though still has sweet shots of nature and Young Jeezy:

Kanye VH1s It

Ahhhh! I thought VH1 Storytellers was reserved for people like Neil Diamond, Hall N Oats and Smashing Pumpkins, but no! Don't forget Kanye West too! Yup, the latest king of hip-pop (as I'm coining it) took over Storytellers with probably their most expensive set ever. The whole show is deff worth a gander with West rambling about nonsensical things and talk-singing his way through some of his favorite hits. Sweet high-deff, robot-rainbow visuals fluctuate in and out on the semi-circle of TVs that surround West. There's also a whole bunch of musicians wearing riot cop masks, playing electro-violins, taiko drums, synths etc. Yup, Kan sure pulls out the big guns here and even explains some of his favorite sections of different songs (like how Tenacious D inspired some of his lyrics). So check these clips out. I posted my favorite 3 here, but there are a couple more floating round the net.
"Stronger" (pretty great opener)

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"Robocop" (best song on 808s & Heartbreak? maybe):

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"Flashing Lights" (Hint at least wait until he gets onto a weird rant around 4:50):

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I Can't Stop Having These Visions

Awww yeah, Fever Ray had the best vid of 09 thus far(in my opinion) but now Kanye takes the spot! Mr. West debuted his new video for "Welcome To Heartbreak" recently and its off the chain! Director, Nabil explores the use of a new pixilation technology pioneered by the video for Chairlift's "Evident Utensil." Kanye takes it to the next level here, morphing into a capri-sun dude and then while different oil stain rainbows shift around him. Visually this clip is very stimulating, you're welcome!:

KANYE WEST "Welcome To Heartbreak" Directed by Nabil from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.
and here's the Chairlift vid, if you want to compare...its equally psychedelic but Kanye's vid is a little more fun

Somewhere Far Along This Road A New Soul...OBAMA

Kanye rocked the Youth Ball in DC the other night after the inauguration with a 7minute mashup of all his top hits. In recent TV performances Kanye has been falling a little short, not hitting the notes the auto tuner normally allows him too, but here the energy is visible and he seems to slays the crowd. The short set ends with recent chart-topper Heartless and Kanye give us all a few words of wisdom! (Uhh thanks Sway?):

Fever Ray

Fever Ray is the side project of Karin Dreijer Andersson of The Knife. I've only heard this new single "If I Had a Heart," but if you ask me it sounds an awful lot like The Knife and I'm unsure why this has to be a side proj, but maybe that will become more apparent in future weeks. Anywho the track is sick and the video compliments it perfectly. The song opens with a stuttering Cello-like synth and continues with a very minimal beat and distorted Knife-esque vocals. The video is the creepiest I've seen since Kanye's third version of "Flashing Lights"(which I highly recommend checking out, if you haven't). "If I Had a Heart" opens with a shot of a spooky fire lit boat and then some haunting mansion where we find Karin stroking some dead thing and singing with skull make up and all. This tune and video are up there with Animal Collective and Morrissey's new stuff as my favorite shit being released in 09 thus far. Enjoi:

(thanks pitchfork)

Colbert So 'Heartless'

Stuck in the terribly boring dredges of central London, a pretty much unknown town, I don't get to see uh-lotta television. Yup, its a pretty secluded places here, but I presume thats why so many people come ..for the serenity and seclusion. Anyway, my point is I ain;t catchin the latest TV hotness blowin outta the U S of A. Buttt the internet has allowed me to find this gem. A couple nights ago, or whenever Stephen Colbert launched a campaign to 'HUMBLE KANYE' West, who appears to be competing for number 1 with Colbert's Xmas album on the itunes billboard charts. Well heres a clip of Colbert ranting about "the voice of our generation."

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Operation Humble Kanye - Stephen Beats Kanye

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview