Song of the Week - Wallflower

Have you ever been playing a game, and out of nowhere you realize that the soundtrack is work of genius. This was exactly the case in Saints Row: The Third. From techno to reggae, every song is amazing. The best one? A dance-pop track called "Wallflower". Prepare to fall in love.

Honestly, other than it being in the game, I don't know a whole lot about the artist. Mislabled as being by "Kevin and Carrick" in the game, it made this song rather hard to find. Divalola is actually a project fronted by Heather Fogarty.  Kevin and Carrick, whom I'm not as familiar with, are involved in the project, however. I guess the name wasn't fully decided upon by the deadline for the game.

The track itself is amazing. The plot is about a girl giving her guy and ultimatum, if he doesn't get off his butt and dance, she's done. The beats are fast and fun, and the lyrics and melodies are catchy and memorable. I find myself singing this song without realizing it, and I do so a lot. If you want something on the forefront of the pop scene, this is it.

You can get it on iTunes, as usual. Do it. Or else.

Freezepop (Finally) Releases Doppelganger Video

Oh. Dear. Lord. I have been in love with this song for SO LONG! Freezepop always makes great tracks, but they've not always been consistent with releasing videos for their stuff. The last video I remember from them was for Brainpower, and was pretty close to the height of the song's success on Rock Band. But this song? It's been out for a long time. I had given up hope until they released a short teaser for it. Finally, dear lord finally, it has arrived.



The video doesn't follow the song's plot of a girl finding her ex dating a carbon copy of herself, and instead takes a very campy approach to the idea of "doppelgangers." What we get is two very different versions of the same group of four people. One set are the stereotypical perfect suburbanites, shirts tucked in and following all the rules, and the other set is a group of crazy punk rebels who probably don't have a cause, but who am I to judge?

Despite being very obviously on a budget, it is still a hilarious video and stays true to what the band is all about. Anyone who was afraid they would be too different with the new members needs to shut their faces and watch this video. It may have taken them a year to bring us a video for this gem of a single, but at least it was a fun ride. Plus, it renewed my love for the band, and gives me hope for new material from the band in the future!

Big For Boston

I may live in the Mid-South, but my heart lies in the North-East. As you may or may not know, a ton of my favorite artists reside in New England, most of which, oddly enough, live in Boston, MA. Lately, Boston has been stirring with musical news.

Freezepop, widely known for their stint on the early days of both Guitar Hero and Rock Band, made a splash at the Boston Music Awards last week. They took home the award for Electronic Artist of the Year. I'm not exactly sure what the Boston Electronic scene is like, and I didn't recognize any of the other nominees, but I'm sure this award still means a lot to the group. The band is still recording and touring today. They may be Duke-less, but they have since gained the equally sexy Bananas and the quirky and fun Christmas. They are one of the few bands that I can honestly say I liked "before they got big", and I certainly will continue loving them until the end of time.

Young London, masters at seeing if you are paying attention by slipping details via Twitter, have finally announced a December 6th release date for the new single New Reputation. I'm not yet sure if this is a good or a bad thing, as the video for their last single hasn't arrived on the net yet. For more info on the song, Sarah sent me all the juicy details that I wrote a post on not long ago. Knowing these two, it is bound to be one hell of a track. Keep it up, guys!

Jada is another Boston group on the move. Part of the resurgence of girl groups, these ladies got my attention quite a ways back with "American Cowboy" and then again with "This Party's On Fire" this past month. Having worked with Red One, it's not surprise these girls have some amazing jams up their sleeves. Earlier today, the girls announced they are going to release a new single and a new EP. The single is going to be Christmas themed, which doesn't exactly thrill me (I'm a bit of a scrooge), but I really like what they've done so far, so maybe they can win me over. It's happened before -- I mean "Christmas Tree" by Lady Gaga is one of the best X-mas tunes ever, and I'm not even a fan of hers.

Moses Goes Viral

No, I'm not talking about that old guy from the Bible, I'm talking about rising electro-pop singer Moses. He released his single "I'm Your Man" a few weeks back, and seeing as it featured my grrls XELLE, I had to check it out. I did not expect to fall completely in love, though! The video for the single was released less than a week ago, and it already has nearly 30 thousand views on it. Now try and tell me that isn't impressive!



I have to say that the video is beautiful, and is directed by Zach Adam, who also works with XELLE. This guy, straight out of Israel, has an amazing voice, and knows how to create an amazing video. The last look, the "fallen angel", literally had me gasping! The dark eye makeup, reminiscent of Seek from Psycho Le Cemu (circa the Roman Hikou video) was beautiful and added to his total sexiness.

I have to say I'm very impressed. This guy has come out of nowhere and started his conquest of the pop scene. People better make way for this rising star. But more importantly, I wonder if he is single.

Edit: Is that Mila Jam, I see. Why yes, yes it is!

Song of the Week - Time To Go

This week, I chose a very special tune for Song of the Week. Kwanza Jones is an amazingly talented singer. She has released quite a bit of material, and is starting to build up some notoriety. Why haven't I chosen one of her songs before? This is the first single she has released in quite a while, and my blog is still pretty young. Let me introduce you to Kwanza Jones.

This song shows a definite new direction for Kwanza. Her last single, Think Again, was more of a rocker track, while this is much more in line with the current electro-pop scene going on. Versatility is one of greatest things an artist can have up their sleeve, and this song is just further proof that she can do almost anything. The cover for this one is also quite different and exotic compared to past looks from her. I hope this is something that sticks around, because she looks spectacular here.

The track is all about pushing everything to the limits and exploring all possibilities, until it is time to go of course. I feel like this is her most radio-ready single so far, at least considering the current state of pop music, and it really excites me that I may be hearing her on my radio some day (So I don't listen to the radio now, but if she were on the radio here, I would!).

You can buy her new track on iTunes. Please support this amazing artist, and keep checking back for something special involving Ms. Jones in the near future.

Album Review - Entourage

Ok, ok. I know that I am pretty much a fanboy for Bentley Jones and all, but he really is talented. He has been churning out song after song for the past few months, and they have all been amazing tracks. Who else can say that? Nobody that I can think of. He said the crazy release schedule will take a break for Christmas, but hopefully at the first of the year, it will all come back into focus and the world will keep on giving Mr. Jones the attention he deserves. But for now, let's talk about his latest mini-album "Entourage".

Video Review - Go Off!

She sure did take her time putting this up on Youtube! It premiered at a club in New York a while back, and I have been dying waiting to see this! "Go Off" is the second single from television star Sahara Davenport, known best as being a contestant on season two of Ru Paul's Drag Race. You may recall I interviewed her, and I can never seem to stop myself from being amazed at how talented she is. Anyway, the video is FINALLY online, and I can't believe how stunning it is.

Now complete with Barbie-font necklace!

(Be prepared for lots of pictures under the cut!)

Drag Race Season Four Cast Announced!

Finally! After a week of people telling me who they thought these girls were, we finally got an official list! You have NO idea how incredibly excited I was to come home to an email with the link to not only the extended trailer for this season, but also thirteen videos featuring interviews with each cast member! Dear Jesus, here we go again. Another season, another crop of girls ready to explode onto your television!

Tags: Meet the Contestants, Bonus RuPaul Video, Logo: Fierce TV

Song of the Week - Hot Couture

It has finally happened. My love for music and drag queens has collided in the best way possible. Manila Luzon, runner up of Ru Paul's Drag Race season three, has released one of the best songs of the year. No seriously, I'm not exaggerating. This song is amazing!

Just look at that cover! How could a song with such a stunning cover NOT be amazing? The song is a very upbeat techno/dance track that stays true to everything Manila Luzon is. The song is all about wearing the most amazing, one of a kind clothes. And I have to say "Let the strees be my runway tonight in this fashion show we call life" is one of my favorite lines ever.

By everything that Manila is, I am serious. She keeps her fun sense of humor with some adlibs during the chorus, as well as saying her name... a lot. She still has that self-mocking attitude as well, saying things like "ching chong" in reference to her Asian heritage, and bringing up her impersonation of Imelda Marcos.

If you don't believe me or think I'm being too biased because she's my favorite drag queen pretty much ever, then check it out for yourself. The song is available on iTunes. Buy it. BUY IT NOW!

Exclusive Interview - Chris DiSario

Every now and then, there's that one song that pops up on iTunes from out of nowhere. They don't have a Wiki page to creep on, and no official site can be seen. Some get discouraged; I take it as a challenge. I got together with new artist Chris DiSario to find out just who he is, and where he's going.

Young London Sneaks In New Single

They thought I wasn't paying attention. They thought I had stopped looking. But I would never do such a thing. Upcoming pop stars Young London are being a little sneaky, and I made sure to call them out on it! They only did one tweet about it, and I waited, oh how I waited, but they said nothing. So I  butted in and got the scoop my damn self. Enter: New Reputation.

This is the next single from Matt and Sarah. I got tired of waiting for an announcement, so I harassed got with my pal Sarah and got everyone the info before it hit anywhere else -- and if it has hit anywhere else, I'mma have to start crashing some websites. Kidding. Well, kind of.

Sadly, the track is not the ballad that these two were so crazy over in my exclusive interview with them, but she reassured me that this song is no flop. The track is inspired by 90's music, and supposed to be a total blast. Sadly, I haven't got to hear even a note of it yet, but being scheduled for the end of the month, I'm sure this will change soon. Could this be their third entry in Song of the Week? Who knows? What I do know is that my main complaint with their last single has been addressed -- Sarah will be much more prominently featured in this song!

I can honestly say that I am excited for this song. They have never disappointed me before, and they always seem to get better. Hopefully they won't disappoint. And don't worry, if they push that damn album back one more time, we're gonna have a problem. Oh, I kid. But seriously.

Drag Race Season 4 "Alter Egos" Revealed

I open my email this afternoon and what do you know? Yet another amazing email from Logo TV that told me almost absolutely nothing (not that I don't love being on the mailing list). The top just said "Mondays will be the biggest drag ever," and I almost stopped reading right there... Until I saw what was underneath. Check this out.

Click it. Make it bigger. Take it all in. These are the men that will start their engines this January and start racing to the finish line to be the next drag superstar. One of them towards the middle actually looks a lot like Yara Sofia from last season, but over all there are some cute boys in this group. Yes, I am aware that LGBT community is terrible at keeping secrets and that the entire cast is pretty much known depending on what circles you roll in, but I have been trying to avoid too many spoilers. I can say one thing, though. There are 13 faces up there, so I think it's safe to say that there won't be any previous contestants popping out of boxes this year.

Taking Over The Universe is mainly a music blog, but much like I did with RuPaul's Drag U, I will be reviewing season four of Drag Race episode by episode. Being that I don't live in a major metropolitan area, I don't recognize any of the names I've been told, nor any of the faces I see here, so hopefully I can bring you an unbiased opinion. It all begins in January, people. Get ready for it.

XELLE (Finally) Reveal Next Single

All I gotta say is it's about damn time. Who am I kidding? I can never say just one sentence on something. I always gotta ramble. My friends Ronnie, Mimi, and JC who make up the girl group XELLE have finally let the world in on their next single. They even gave us a clip of it. It's not long, but its still more than "Ooh la la." Check out "Hologram."




Much more electronic sounding than "Party Girl," their debut single, this song seems to be very 80s inspired, which leads me to believe that these girls are Jem fans. I mean, all three of them are truly outrageous. Anyway, the clip only gives us two lines of the song. "You're a fiction of my affection" is one of the best lines I've heard all year. I have to say I am COMPLETELY pumped for this song. Sadly, the world will have to wait twenty-one more days for it to drop.For those bad at math that is November 29th. Hopefully by then I can squeeze a bit more info out of these girls on the matter.

If you can't stand the wait, XELLE has popped up as a guest appearance in a new track. Electro/Dance singer Moses featured the girls on his new single "I'm Your Man". You can pick the song up on iTunes here. I know you want to.

Song of the Week - Jello

Please don't hate me. I just can't even explain what it is that draws me to this song. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't give this song a second glance... but Far East Movement rules. Cherry Tree Records is amazing. I just can't pass this song up. If you want you can chalk it up to me being a fanboy.

Upon my first listen I thought the song was a bit of a mess. The back beat seems generic and the lyrics are all about poppin' bottles... but oh god I just can't stop listening to it. They talk about Cherry Tree Cola (which, by the way, this blogger has yet to taste. And after all the promo I do for them!), and they are just here to party. What is wrong with that?

It was nice to see Rye Rye pop up again. He song with Robyn was quite fun, and she doesn't disappoint this time around either. She is proving herself to be quite the talented female rapper. We need more of those on the scene, as the new age of girl rap consists solely of Nicki Minaj it seems.

You can buy the track on iTunes here.

Charice To Sing Theme For Upcoming Game

Charice, who you probably know from that show I can't stand Glee but I know from having some of the best songs on the market, has landed her biggest role yet, filling the shoes of Leona Lewis by singing the theme for the next Final Fantasy game. Final Fantasy XIII-2, a direct sequel to XIII, is set to release in Japan in December and January in the United States. The theme song, titled "New World" is a ballad style song more like Charice's first album than her new material.

The track is actually going to be done in two different versions. One version, exclusive to the PS3 will be sang in Japanese by Mai Fukui, and the second being in English by Charice for the Xbox 360. Both songs have the same lyrics (in different languages), and the same back track. I don't exactly like the song more than "My Hands" by Leona Lewis used in Final Fantasy XIII, but it is still great track and fits the feel of the world that the game is set in.

The track was released on her sophomore album "Infinity" in Japan in early October which lead to an explosion in her popularity there. The album reached number 8 on the charts. There has been no official date set as of yet for the release of the album in North America, but given her popularity and appearances on both TV and soon to be Xbox in the United States, I'm sure the album will see a stateside release.

Since the track has yet to be released in the United States, I really don't feel too guilty posting the video up here for however long it lasts on YouTube.




I would like to take a moment to send out my best wishes to Charice as she goes through this trying time. My heart goes out to her family as they get through this rough patch. Things will get better, and with die hard fans out there and her career on the up-and-up, I'm sure she will make it through this.

Album Review - The Sinner EP

Once again, I am using the facade of the "album review" title to review an EP. This time I am reviewing an EP that I actually have already listened to a lot, despite it only coming out a few days ago. Mason Black, a good friend of mine, has finally compiled his musical library together under one title for everyone. Each track has been released individually on various sites such as Soundcloud and Spotify, so I've had a good idea of what I was getting myself into. Regardless, I have decided to give the overall EP a review for you all.

Get Ready For Hot Couture by Manila Luzon

The title says it all. I haven't even heard the full version of this song, and I am willing to go out on the line and say that this has the potential to be the Drag Song of the year -- Did I mention that was one of the awards categories I'm doing? Regardless, this song is going to be hot. Why am I doing a post on this? Well, let's just say I'm a little behind on the Manila news, so please allow me to catch up.

Look at that cover. It is AMAZING! I know I can always expect her to look stunning, but the actual design for the cover looks spectacular as well. I sometimes forget that Manila is well versed in graphic design (which is probably an understatement since I believe it's her day job). The outfit seems to be inspired by the infamous wig challenge from Drag Race season three. I also love that the signature blonde stripe is showcased in the photo too.

Lately she also revealed an extended clip of the song. While the only lyrics we have are still "Ooh La La", we get more of the backtrack. It has that same techno/borderline dubstep feel to it that "Go Off!" by boyfriend Sahara Davenport did, but in a different way. I still can't get over how amazing she sounds on the bits we did get to hear. Manila did say something on Twitter about using autotune, which I still haven't decided if it was a joke or not. I guess it doesn't matter, as I'd probably need it, too.





The single is going to hit the internet on November 8th. That is less than a week. Can I survive that long?