Tour Dates: Arcade Fire

Too few.
Get some NY dates, now pleaseee.

9-22 St. Paul, MN - Roy Wilkins Arena
9-23 Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
9-25 Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union Centre
9-26 Calgary, AB - Stampede Corral
9-28 Vancouver, BC - Pacific Coliseum
9-29 Seattle, WA - Key Arena
9-30 Portland, OR - Memorial Coliseum
10-2 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
10-5 Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Library
10-7 Los Angeles, CA - Shrine Auditorium
10-8 Los Angeles, CA - Shrine Auditorium
10-10 Mexico City, Mexico - Palacio de los Deportes
10-12 Monterrey, Mexico - Banamex Theater

"Something I Once Heard on the Radio": Litzy Edition

Litzy
Transparente
[7.3]
We all look up to the sky and its stars...
As a fan of music for approximately fifteen years now (my first music memory comes from the Fey of 1995), some lessons have naturally been learned. I've learned that there are musicians and artists, relentless warriors that try to build new sonic landscapes with any and all sorts of instruments (be it their voice or one made of wood and strings), that there are popstars, idols and icons of the mainstream culture with differing skills and ambitions (...and lack of clothing) and a likability often bursting at the seams, and that -then- there are the rest, those with varying degrees of talent trying to reach that sky of luminaries.

In popular music, it is often hard to see where the lines separating these three sit. In Litzy's case (and in fact that of most of those in 90's Pop), many would argue both for and against her as a natural popstar or musician. She was part of the fantastically-plastic girl group Jeans, whose main claim to fame was singing about the Jeans they so desperately wanted to put on (Me Pongo Mis Jeans), and like many a girl-band-vocal-leader before her, decided to release her solo effort.

So, where does Litzy stand in this handy categorization of the Mexican pop circuit?

The Mexico City native demonstrated an above average vocal capacity for a tween star of the time (keeping in mind most voices were "pleasing" or "ok", at best), as well as a likability factor in her interviews and performances. She, like her teen rivals Fey, Lynda, and Anahi, danced with effervescence, and delivered dance tunes to match the energy on stage. Litzy began to build a brand for herself in 1999, with more than enough qualifications to be called a popstar.

She soon released her debut record (Transparente) and began to unleash her pop creations onto the Mexican pop circuit with a surprising amount of success. "Quisiera Ser Mayor" and "No Te Extraño" were instant radio hits and won her a solid fanbase which pushed the album to Gold sales level (100,000 copies sold) [1].

That first album is arguably her best. Though she tries to cover far too much territory (from Eurodance to American R&B to minimalistic techno to middle-of-the-road-balladry) and the songs often feel under-written (specifically: saccharine-sweet) and in need of more effective hooks and production, the record works because of the girl's charm. Litzy jumps from genre to genre, frequently obliviously, but the audience can follow that naive voice throughout the enterprise.

In "Donde Se Esconden Los Duendes", a straight-forward Dance Pop construction, she is either tripping on 'shrooms or playfully wondering whether goblins can tell her something about her lovelife. "Quiero Volver" and "Olvidame" find her (and the backing vocalists) confessing the angst of teenage love, with the former supported by a sturdy string loop. The lyrics are immediate and ostensibly superficial, but her skill for adapting to the needs of the song produces reasonably affecting tracks. Hit "Quisiera Ser Mayor" follows the same route, but the unaffected, serene way in which she chooses to release the lyrics allows for a more genuine feel; she sings about infatuation for an older guy (her brother's friend, she assures us), yet not in the form of a frustrated, over the top reclamation, but rather in a resigned, matter-of-fact statement. This track highlights the producer Eduardo Posada's cleverness in the conception of fine melodies.
"Volar" and "Dame Un Beso" chase after hooks with adequate success while in techno/trance cadence, and "Marchate" (in poor judgment) rehashes italodisco. For the album opener, "Camouflage" recalls the 80s glory of Soft Cell and Frankie Goes to Hollywood and that Argentinians Miranda would make so popular almost a decade later. The lyrics are smart and honest, the beats bouncy and inviting, and her voice demonstrates as much personality as conceivable for a tween pop album of the time.

Momentum in the initial part of the album continues in Track 3, Litzy's best song and signature single. As a debut single, a song has to captivate and hook, just what "No Te Extraño" does. It's Eurodance at its best: bubbly, sharp, jumpy and -most importantly- catchy. Kitchen sink production. The lyrics are childish (here she decided to teach her listeners the name of every single body part and molecule [neurons, brain, stomach, arteries, mouth, atoms (!) and o yeah...the "calcium of 219 bones"]), but the affair is simply so jovial that this is easily overlooked. Pop Gold.



Artists like Litzy will always spark debate. Can someone that breaks no boundaries and simply follows tendencies really be considered an artist? Should pop be anything worthy of praise from those not in the 4th grade?
The answer is that there really is no answer. Each one of us will value different elements of a musical act and his or her sonic landscapes.... and as long as the musical act succeeds in its goal (exploring vocal textures and piano layers or writing a sentence that will stick in an audience's head and will not let go), why not praise them for that?

Until everyone gets that idea and the debates end, I'll blast "No Te Extrano" every time it comes up on my playlist. It reminds me that this girl (like any guy or girl), who may lack the vocal histrionics of a child prodigy or musical gift of Joan Sebastian can still possess the joy and likability crucial to be a star, a popstar.

Download:
Mediafire [.rar/.zip]
Courtesy of eurodance209 @ The Happy House Forum

I want to write Again

I'm writing.
.
.
.
Cheers.

Colplay "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends"

Rapidshare Download
Rating: 9.3
Release Date: 12 June 2008
Recommended Songs: "Viva La Vida", "42", "Violet Hill, "Chinese Sleep Chant"

Coldplay is on the move. With its powerful sound, Coldplay's new album "Viva La Vida" raises the band to new levels. Throughout the course of its 46 minutes, "Viva" traps you, captures every one of your senses and gives concrete proof of why it deserves the success its bound to obtain. Wether it is the Radiohead-ish "The Escapist" or the loopy "Chinese Sleep Chant", Chris Martin gives life to his lyrics ("Time is so short/ And I'm Sure/ There Must be Something More" :: 42). In this, the record doesn't deviate from its purpose. It knows how good it is and delivers.

There is clearly something different inside the band. This isn't the dragging Coldplay which brought song after song with the same melancholy. "Viva La Vida", the album's second single is proof of this. Easily the best Coldplay song, "Viva" and its violins, tell the story (in an upbeat, shifting manner) of a fallen king. Last week, the song reached a new peak of #3 in the Billboard Hot 100, the band's highest charting single. "Violet Hill", with its majestic usage of guitar and drums, dives into another dimension; Martin appears to be somewhere far more trascendant than a studio.

"Cemeteries of London", "Death And All His Friends" and "Strawberry Swing" all carry the similar strength and conviction."Reign of Love", remniscient of their prior effort "Till Kingdom Come", is very well one of the softest moments of the record, while "Yes" is one of the weakest.

It is clear. Martin, Buckland, Champion and Berryman are set to embark on a new style which will give new airs to the band and help it on its way to legendary.

REMINDER: The downloads are for evaluation purposes only, BUY THE ALBUM and encourage the music industry to brake historical music peaks.

Billboard Year-End Charts

The nation's most important source of charts, news and other exclusives, "Billboard", has released 2007's year-end charts. No big surprises showed up, as the biggest songs of the year had been playing on Americans' radio stations and people's iPod lists.

The Hot 100 song of the year is "Irreplaceable", the world-wide smash hit by Houston star Beyonce. Just under that came Rihanna's "Umbrella", tied for most weeks at number 1 this year. Rounding up the top 3 is Gwen Stefani whose duet with Akon, "The Sweet Escape", which rushed ahead of number 1s "Big Girls Dont Cry", "hey There Delilah", "Buy U A Drank", "Say It Right" and "I Wanna Love U". Akon, the year's most successful male artist manages to place 4 songs in the top 20, while Fergie placed 3. Soulja Boy's internet sensation, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" only managed to place at number 20. No. 1s "Girlfriend" and "Makes Me Wonder", by Avril lavigne and Maroon 5, respectively, did not place in the top 10.
In rap, it was Fabulous's "Makes Me Better" that prevailed, as did Aventura's "Mi Corazonsito" in latin songs; digital songs and pop went to "Big Girls Don't Cry".

Album charts this year were rescued by a few successful works, as sales dropped at a staggering level. Daughtry's self-titled debut took the number 1 spot, helped by the band's consistent promotion and the success of its three singles. Akon and Fergie placed 2 and 3, easily the best of the year in terms of sales for albums and singles. Carrie Underwood, Justin Timberlake and Nickelback placed lower than Hanna Montana, while Linkin Park could not match up to High School Musical. Beyonce, Kanye and Gwen filled up the top 15.

TOP 15 Albums
1 DAUGHTRY Daughtry RCA/RMG
2 KONVICTED Akon Konvict/Upfront/SRC/Universal Motown/UMRG
3 THE DUTCHESS Fergie will.i.am/A&M/Interscope/IGA
4 HANNAH MONTANA Soundtrack Walt Disney
5 SOME HEARTS Carrie Underwood Arista/Arista Nashville/RMG
6 ALL THE RIGHT REASONS Nickelback Roadrunner
7 FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS Justin Timberlake Jive/Zomba
8 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 Soundtrack Walt Disney
9 NOW 23 Various Artists Sony BMG Strategic Marketing Group/EMI/Universal/Zomba/Sony Music
10 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT Linkin Park Machine Shop/Warner Bros.
11 B'DAY Beyonce Columbia/Sony Music
12 GRADUATION Kanye West Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/IDJMG
13 ME AND MY GANG Rascal Flatts Lyric Street/Hollywood
14 LOVE The Beatles Apple/Capitol
15 THE SWEET ESCAPE Gwen Stefani Interscope

TOP 20 SINGLES
1 IRREPLACEABLE Beyonce Columbia
2 UMBRELLA Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG
3 THE SWEET ESCAPE Gwen Stefani Featuring Akon Interscope
4 BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY Fergie will.i.am/A&M/Interscope
5 BUY U A DRANK T-Pain Featuring Yung Joc Konvict/Nappy Boy
6 BEFORE HE CHEATS Carrie Underwood Arista/Arista Nashville/RMG
7 HEY THERE DELILAH Plain White T's Fearless/Hollywood
8 I WANNA LOVE YOU Akon Featuring Snoop Dogg Konvict/Upfront/SRC
9 SAY IT RIGHT Nelly Furtado Mosley/Geffen
10 GLAMOROUS Fergie Featuring Ludacris will.i.am/A&M/Interscope
11 DON'T MATTER Akon Konvict/Upfront/SRC/Universal Motown
12 GIRLFRIEND Avril Lavigne RCA/RMG
13 MAKES ME WONDER Maroon 5 A&M/Octone/Interscope
14 PARTY LIKE A ROCKSTAR Shop Boyz OnDeck/Universal Republic
15 SMACK THAT Akon Featuring Eminem Konvict/Upfront/SRC/Universal
16 THIS IS WHY I'M HOT Mims Capitol
17 IT'S NOT OVER Daughtry RCA/RMG
18 THE WAY I ARE Timbaland Featuring Keri Hilson Mosley/Interscope
19 FERGALICIOUS Fergie will.i.am/A&M/Interscope
20 CRANK THAT (SOULJA BOY) Soulja Boy Tell'em ColliPark/Interscope



SOURCE

NEWS: Panic! At the Disco

Las Vegas-band Panic! At the Disco talked to Billboard about their future album.
This new album, which is yet untitled, will be released mid-March 2008 and, according to the band, will focus more the musical aspect. The band says to be immersed on their music, which will carry more horns and even a harmonica.

The band's prior album, "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" has sold an approximate 1.7 million copies in the U.S. alone. Will this album beat the prior one's sales?

Round 2: New Hip Hop and R&B

It's time for some new music.


Janet Jackson It is official. Janet Jackson's "Discipline" will be released in March 2008. We now also have what is to be the first single off of her new album. The song is called "Feedback" and carries the usual heavy R&B of Janet's songs.
Note: Credit goes to Kevipod
"Feedback" MP3 Download

Kat DeLuna The young Dominican surprised the states earlier this year by releasing "Whine Up", a catchy dance-R&B-regueton jam, which stormed into the US Top 40. This is her official second single "Run the Show", which she sings with Busta Rhymes. Definately weaker than the first single, but could also make an impact.
"Run the Show" MP3 Download

Chingy His second single, it could light a fire. The song features Ludacris and Bobby Valentino, the first of which has had great success as a featured artists (let's remember Usher's "Yeah!").
"Gimme That" MP3 Download

US Top 10 Is In

Apple has released the top 10 best selling albums and singles on its main retailer, iTunes. Maroon 5 and Fergie, respectively, took the crown for most downloaded album and single. Gwen Stefani claimed the second most downloaded single, beating out the likes of Avril Lavigne, Timbaland and Akon. In albums, Amy Winehouse scores yet another success, as "Back To Black" was the second most downloaded album.
Fergie rules the singles top 10 chart with both "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Glamororus". NME (SOURCE)

Top 10 Albums
1. Maroon 5 'It Won't Be Soon Before Long'
2. Amy Winehouse 'Back To Black'
3. Kanye West 'Graduation'
4. Daughtry 'Daughtry'
5. Colbie Caillat 'Coco'
6. Linkin Park 'Minutes to Midnight'
7. Various Artists 'High School Musical 2' (OST)
8. Timbaland 'Shock Value'
9. John Mayer 'Continuum'
10.Various Artists 'Hairspray' (OST)

TOP 10 Singles
1. Fergie 'Big Girls Don't Cry (Personal)'
2. Gwen Stefani 'The Sweet Escape'
3. Plain White Ts 'Hey There Delilah'
4. Avril Lavigne 'Girlfriend'
5. Fergie 'Glamorous'
6. Kanye West 'Stronger'
7. Maroon 5 'Makes Me Wonder'
8. Akon 'Don't Matter'
9. Timbaland 'The Way I Are (feat. Keri Hilson & D.O.E.)
10. Shop Boyz 'Party Like a Rock Star'

UK's Top 10 Is In

According to NME (SOURCE), Apple has released the list of the top selling albums of the year of iTunes in the United Kingdom. 4 American acts made the top 10 singles, while only 2 did the same in the albums chart.
The big winners in the singles were expected: Mika, Leona, Rihanna and Kaiser Chiefs. The Fray and Plain White T's made the top 10 with their international debut.
Kanye West's "Stronger", which occupied #1 positions in the US, Canada and the Uk earlier this year also made the chart.
The big British albums of the year: Winehouse's Back to Black, Mika's Life In Cartoon Motion and the Arctic Monkeys' Favourite Worst Nightmare took the top 3.Mark Ronson's "Version" made the chart, even though he doesn't sing a word in the whole album.
TOP 10 SINGLES
1: Mika - 'Grace Kelly'
2: Rihanna - 'Umbrella'
3: The Fray - 'How To Save A Life'
4: Kaiser Chiefs - 'Ruby'
5: Plain White T's - 'Hey There Delilah'
6: Kanye West - 'Stronger'
7: Kate Nash - 'Foundations'
8: Leona Lewis - 'Bleeding Love'
9: Sugababes - 'About You Now'
10: Take That - 'Shine'

TOP 10 Albums
1: Amy Winehouse - 'Back to Black'
2: Mika - 'Life in Cartoon Motion'
3: Arctic Monkeys - 'Favourite Worst Nightmare'
4: Mark Ronson - 'Version'
5: Newton Faulkner - 'Hand Built by Robots'
6: Take That - 'Beautiful World'
7: Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace'
8: Kaiser Chiefs - 'Yours Truly, Angry Mob'
9: Snow Patrol - 'Eyes Open'
10: Timbaland - 'Shock Value'

Next Year's Hits

Here is a batch of new singles, which will probably have a big impact in 2008. Among these is "Piece of Me" by Britney Spears, the "Long Road 2 Ruin" of Foo Fighters (nominated to several Grammys), "Stop and Stare" by One Repulbic (will be hard to outsell Apologize), "Scream" by Timbaland, Keri Hilson and Nicole S., "Low" by Flo Rida and T-Pain and "Outta My Head" by Ashlee Simpson (who returns 2 the music scene).

Download:

-Piece of Me MP3 Download
-Long Road 2 Ruin MP3 Download
-Stop And Stare MP3 Download
-Scream MP3 Download
-Low MP3 Download
-Outta My Head MP3 Download