Album Review - Nelly Furtado "The Spirit Indestructible"

First off, allow me to apologize for yesterday. Sometimes real life gets in the way of blogging, and the week long event had a one-day hiccup, leaving P!nk out in the cold. I will be reviewing the album in another venue in the future, so don't worry too much. Today I keep trudging forward with the one album I've been a bit scared to review: The new Nelly Furtado album.

Album Review - Dragonette "Bodyparts"

I think I've already said about one hundred times that I find Dragonette to be one of the best groups of all time. They have never once disappointed me since their incarnation, and I don't see them doing to any time soon. Thus, I am confident I am about to embark on one of the best albums of the year. Behold: Dragonette's newest album "Bodyparts".

Album Review - Carly Rae Jepsen "Kiss"

Oh, CRJ, how you have both delighted and haunted me with your overly addicting songs. It's like no matter what song you put out, I just eat it up, even when I know that it is just an average middle-of-the-road pop song. Why do we do it? I'll tell you why. Look at her face. She's so flippin' cute.

Album Review - Mika "The Origin Of Love"

Oh, Mika. It has been a long time since I have listened to you, my friend. My last encounter with this artist wasn't even his last album. That one snuck past my radar. Instead, "Life In Cartoon Motion" was my last run in with him. "The Origin of Love" more or less fell out of the sky for me, and I am welcoming it with open arms.

Album Review - No Doubt "Push And Shove"

Oh, No Doubt. How you have guided me along from my early years. If I remember correctly, "Tragic Kingdom" was among the first CDs I ever bought, and I learned every word. That was back in the day when I got a new CD maybe every other month, so I had to play them over and over to make them last. Now-a-days I have such an influx in music that I'm lucky to learn half the chorus. Anyway, enough memory lane. Onward to the future - the future that is "Push and Shove".

Song of the Week - Sexy Party

What can I say? I'm an Adam Barta fan. Don't judge me.

When asked for my honest opinion of the song from Adam himself, I said simply that the song was "not as bad as I expected." Sounds mean, I know, but I didn't really have high hopes for the song, especially after hearing that mess that a certain "teen mom" calls a song. Luckily, Octomom was in good hands with both Barta, Mig, and Rizzo. She may not be a talented singer, but in today's world who is?

The song is a hot mess, but in the best way possible. It is chock full of autotune and pulsing beats that force you to sing and dance along with it whether you want to or not. Lyrically, it is what you can expect from a song titled "Sexy Party". It pretty much just demands you join them in their super sexy party, complete with rhymes that center around counting, to make it easier for you.

All kidding aside, I do enjoy the song for what it is, or else I wouldn't have picked it this week. Check it out. You'll either love it, or want to burn it with fire.

The Return of The Hush Sound

There is a God. One of my favorite bands as a teen is getting back together for a reunion tour. The Hush Sound, masters of the concept album, were a four piece, double vocaled, upbeat, songwriting machine. They released three albums (all of which are nearly flawless), and yet were still so underrated. It was like a crime. Well lucky for you all, you have me here, reporting the news, late as always, to give you the chance to see one of the best bands you've probably never heard of.

While it isn't exactly clear, at least from what I've gathered, if the group is actually back together for good or just going on tour together again. I have my fingers crossed that they have made amends (although I'm not 100% certain why they broke up in the first place), and given that both solo projects by vocalists Bob and Greta seem to be inactive, Id say it is a good possibility.

The tour dates (so far) are as follows:

Oct 26 - Chicago, Illinois
Oct 27 - Iowa City, Iowa
Oct 28 - Minneanpolis, Minnesota
Nov 16 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nov 17 - Cambridge, Massachusetts
Nov 17 (afternoon) - Boston, Massachusetts
Nov 18 - New York, New York
Nov 19 - Akron, Ohio

Sadly there is not a place near me, but I'm hoping to be able to con a friend or two into going to see them to find out if they play any new tracks for the long-time fans. So far, no new material has been posted, or even mentioned, but its over a month away from the first show. Maybe in the mean time we will get some answers.

For full info, including location and times for shows, check out their Facebook events page.

Album Review - Kat McGivern "K@ndy Pop"

There are times when I get overwhelmed with how much music there really is available out there. Yes, even the king of all underground and little known pop (I've got an ego, don't I?) can get a little lost in the mix sometimes. Truth be told, I have a lot of friends, and I take a lot of requests, because to me, it's all about helping out those who deserve it. Enter Kat McGivern - A very talented girl who has been at it for a long time. She's released a new EP that has been sent my way, and now it is my duty to make it known to you all!

Double Video Debut - Manila Luzon + Dragonette

Things have been completely cray lately in the real world (not the show, though. My life is much more batshit insane). It's about time I consolidate things and get this in order, don't you think? Well as I was in the middle of typing up a hilarious story about Dragonette's new video (which is mostly still in tact below), Manila Luzon fell from the sky and dropped her newest music video on us all.  It's gonna be a ride, folks.



Where do I even begin? This video is not exactly what I was expecting. With her first music video being flawless and the single for this video itself being very good, I was expecting to be blow away. I have to say I wasn't, sadly enough. At least not completely.

The looks were right on, and the humor was there as always. What really bothered me was the horrible obvious green screening. It looked less polished than "Hot Couture", which is the opposite direction of most indie artists who start out small and eventually scale up to more fancy videos. That being said, she looks STUNNING throughout, and tossing in her boo (and mine!) Sahara into the mix, proposing to her with a cock ring was priceless.

Next up: Dragonette with their... different music video for their amazing single "Live In This City".



What can I say? Much like Jerry Springer, we love lesbians. That's not too politically incorrect is it?

Song of the Week - Love Sea

Yet another case of "that song has been out forever but just now coming out on US iTunes", this tune by my current favorite band Alphabeat, has been sought after by basically everyone myself in the states since it came out a few months ago. It's here now, thankfully. Let's hope there's not a two month delay on their album hitting iTunes here.

"Love Sea" is the second single off of Alphabeat's third (or fifth if you count the randomly re-titled UK versions) album "Express Non-Stop". The song is a bit of a double edged sword. On it's own, it is catchy, fun, and bubbly - everything that Alphabeat is about. On the other hand, if your first taste of the group was literally any track from their album "The Spell", you may be a bit disappointed. It still feels like Alphabeat, but with such a perfect album, it seems like they are struggling to pull off that achievement again.

The lyrics to this one are very fun and poppy, allowing me to forgive much of my initial dismay. The song features both vocalists heavily, making a great duet song that practically anybody can sing along to. The song is very fast paced, and the back track is just as jaunty as the rest of the pieces, bringing together a track that really works on it's own.

Please allow me to reiterate: The song is great, but when a group has been pumping out perfection for years, something that is even slightly sub-par can be devastating.

I'll get over it.

The song is finally up on US iTunes. Check it out.

Site News: Major Event Coming This Month!

In case you haven't been following me on Facebook or Twitter (get the hint? Hop on that!), Taking Over The Universe has decided to take a full week to set aside to be dedicated to all the amazing albums coming out at the end of the month. Seven different artists have been chosen from the literal landslide of albums being released the weeks of September 18th and 25th. We are calling it A Week of Album Awesomeness -- and the artists chosen are below! The event kicks off September 25th and lasts through October 1st!

Day 1 No Doubt - Push And Shove

(See the rest of the picks and the order they'll come in under the cut!)

Natalia Kills Is Still Hot! New Video + Album Announced

I have been craving some new Natalia Kills lately. I had been seeing a lot of demos flying around, but they all seemed to be songs rejected from her debut (like the amazingly catchy track "Hot Mess"). Knowing that Natalia is very much into creating a craft, I knew that she would come out with something that sounded new and fresh -- and she did.




Drink the koolaid. Don't drink the koolaid.

Leave it to the woman who brought us the song "Love Is A Suicide" to make a track called "Controversy". Despite the iffy name, the song itself is actually quite good. It's not your typical dark-pop track. It's fast paced, with experimental vocals, creating a combination that sets her far apart from the Gaga comparisons of years past. Ms. Kills has already proven she has the talent for music, and now she is pushing the envelope as far as what she can create.

The song is not as controversial as it would lead you to believe. It actually serves as a way to throw a bunch of shock words at the audience and see what sticks. The hook is a definite reference to the Jim Jones cult The Peoples' Temple with their famed mass suicide/murder via poisoned koolaid. The verses are composed of words thrown together such as "prostitution", "bath salts", and "non-believers" cause a juxtaposition of what one might find acceptable, while others find outrageous.

It appears as though this track is not the lead single for her new album, but a preview of what is to come. Whether or not the song is strong enough to be a true single remains up to the listener, but I can say with certainty I would rock this song out on my iTunes.

The new album is titled "Trouble" and has no release date. No other information on the album is given, but seeing as she had a very solid first album with a lot of backing and support from Cherry Tree (and like a thousand guest spots on every album made ever), it's probably safe to say this lady isn't bluffing. She'll deliver. But when?

Adam Barta Re-Releases "V.I.P." -- And I Know Why!

It's been a long road for Mr. Barta, but it looks like things have paid off. Recently, you may have noticed that his top selling single, "V.I.P." has vanished from all online retailers. Luckily after being gone less than a month, the song is back complete with updated cover art. But Why? I've got the scoop!

Available on iTunes -- AGAIN!

It all boils down to legal issues. The profits from the track were not being directed to Adam. After a long process, he was able to get the rights to his song back, but in order for the transfer to take place, it had to be taken down from iTunes and re-processed through the system. Until the song had been pulled, EsNtion, his previous record label, had been getting all of the proceeds from the song, despite the fact that they went bankrupt before paying for the rights to the song. In the end, Adam was able to wrangle back control of his biggest hit to date -- Until next week when that sexy Octomom duet drops!

Being the annoying media hound I am, I asked Barta to put his own plug in on the track:

"This is really exciting for me. Of all my songs I've done,
this one seems to resonate the most with people. It's been on
"Bad Girls Club" on multiple seasons, "Real World", even "Real L Word"
 on Showtime. I think the reason is because it's such a great feel good song.
Aaron Cobbett who directed the fabulous (and #2 Logo) music video for it
once said, "it's a great 'walking' song". It makes you wanna strut down a
runway and feel fabulous even if you are in your living room. You can
walk on the treadmill to it. And you can party to it and feel silly and good.
I love that I'm finally able to share this with people on iTunes. I hope
everyone will download it. If you are a fan of "Bad Girls Club", it's a must!"

The track is currently available on iTunes complete with two remixes. Already bought it? BUY IT AGAIN! Support your favorite artists. Adam Barta isn't one of your favorite artists? Then why did you read this!?

Next Tuesday is when it all goes down. TMZ has been following it piece by piece, and with a media storm brewing, you can bet I'll be right there putting in my two cents. Next week is when "Sexy Party" hits digital retailers. Things are about to explode for our friend here!

Colette Carr Drops The Bass

No, she didn't turn to making dubstep, that just happens to be the title of the newest track she has put up on SoundCloud. Well to be exact, it is actually titled "(B)A$$", but I don't feel like the styling of the word should matter all that much. Check out her newest rap piece below.

Different right? I had not expected this out of Colette. As a matter of fact, it doesn't even sound much like her. I can't put my finger on it, but this song sounds like someone trying to sound like cCarr as opposed to being actually her. Maybe they put some new vocal effect on her track, but something is definitely different about this one.

The song follows along the same vein as her more rap tracks such as "Back It Up" and "Like I Got A Gun", moreso the latter in that it is another song trying to break away from some of her more silly songs by making a song that is a bit more serious and drops a few f-bombs along the way. I have a love-hate relationship with her pure rap songs. I love them because it's what she is good at and she sounds incredibly natural when she is flowing, but I hate it too, because she makes some amazing pop tracks such as "No I.D." and "(We Do It) Primo". To love Colette is to love both, and that is why I welcome new tracks with open arms.

There is no word yet on if this song is a single, or just a promo track/demo. My opinion is that it might be an album track, as she had similar songs in her mixtape "Sex Sells Stay Tooned". The song fails to break the usual standard of three minutes (by around 20 seconds, which is a lot of time for a song), so I don't really see this being a single.

If she keeps on this route, we will all have heard and memorized every track on her debut album by the time it comes out. It may sound bad, but the more I think about it, it is actually kind of genius. Well played, Ms. Carr. Well played, indeed.

Song of the Week - Gangnam Style

Woah! Sexy lady! Yeah. The time has come for that song to be chosen. It's finally out on US iTunes which makes it eligible for Song of the Week. Given what else I had to choose from, it turned out to be a diamond in a mix of... something much less valuable than diamonds. Anyway here's Gangnam Style. Whatever.

This song is not only notable for being the first Song of the Week to be a Korean artist, but also the first one to not be sang in English at all. To my (slight) surprise, the release of the song was exactly the same as the Korean version and not translated and sang in English. That being said, I must reiterate that this is NOT Psy's debut single. He has been around for ages. This song blew up virally due to it's equally freaky music video which I initially refused to post about.

Because it's flippin' weird.

I really don't think the song would have become so popular without the help of it's outrageous video and it's hilarious dance, but then again, dwelling on "what if"s is annoying. There's just something about this song. I don't know what it's about or anything he's saying, but I just love it. And with over 130 million views, it's probably alright to just assume that everyone everywhere loves it, too.

Get your copy on iTunes and pretend like you know Korean, too!

September Popologist Panel

I  am really bad at promoting this, aren't I? Well every month, buddy Vertigo Shtick has enslaved myself and a handful of other notable bloggers from the pop-reviewers world to review whatever he wants. Ok, so it's not as bad as it really sounds. Sometimes it can be fun, and often times I find out about artists I may never have seen otherwise. It's worth checking out.

This month we covered Nicki Minaj, Elle Varner, Alanis Morissette, Neon Hitch, Mariah Carey and more. Hop on over to Vertigo Shtick's blog to see the full article featuring The Pop Messiah, Popledge, Lost in a Melody, Techno School, and Unapologetically POP!

CLICK DIS

Hot New Dream Beats "Love Stuck" Remix

I've already decided that "Love Stuck" is the best pop song of 2012, and it keeps getting better. Recently, masterminds Dream Beats released a new remix of the track exclusively through their home site. The mix is hot, despite being borderline dubstep, and makes the song sound almost 100% different. Aren't those the best kinds of remixes?

Check out the AUTOMETIK RMX yourself and let me know what you think. It's pretty hot if I do say so myself. Still no word yet on when or even if the debut collab between Dream Beats and The Face will come out in the United States, but we can only hope it does. Don't they want to have the prestigious award that is Song of the Week?

New Single Alert! Ke$ha + Young London

Artists sometimes seem to sweep in under the radar and drop new singles out of the blue. These sneaky ones may only post a singular post on Facebook, or a tweet that gets lost in the mix, but I've made it my mission to pay extra attention to make sure they don't have the chance to sneak in anything.

First up we have TOTU vets Young London with this:

And that's it. Other bloggers and I have been asking and begging for more info on the single but they want it to be a surprise. This will be the first new material out of them since their debut album, and will hopefully be the first in a new era for them. The only other news we'd heard from them since the beginning of the year was their cover of "Video Killed The Radio Star", so I myself, as well as many others in the blog world are happy to have them back.

The single drops September 11. That's next Tuesday, guys. Four days.

Next up, pop legend Ke$ha tried to sneak in a new announcement for a single. Check out her new Facebook Status:

"animals. die young. it's my first single. coming this month. weeeee ! xx"

I say "tried" because the status ended up with over 700 comments and almost 17,000 likes in less than 24 hours. So, Ke$ha, we know it's called "Die Young". What else can you give us. Looks like we will just have to wait on this one, but I still say we should get excited. It's been over a year since she's made a move, and Dr. Luke has been taunting his Twitter followers about the new song for months. Let's hope this break in music didn't cause her to lose her edge.

The world needs you, Ke$ha.
I need you.

Let's Have A Parody - Top 3 Kiki Parodies

Face it -- "Let's Have A Kiki" is the most infectious song of 2012. It's fun, it's catchy, and best of all, it's gay. Really, really gay. Like... really gay. This being said, it is a giant magnet for homos and queens everywhere, and not just to sing it or lip sync. These bitches are making their own versions. I have searched the net, and I've found the Top 3 Kiki Parodies.

The F-Bomb is dropped in all of these. Viewer beware. NSFW. Etc.

3. Sherry Vine - Let's Have A Pee Pee



Oh, Sherry Vine. I am not a resident of NYC, so I wasn't aware of who she was until her duet with Pandora Boxx a while back, but I've kept my eye on her ever since. She is spinning a tale about a bad Craigslist experience. I think we can all relate to that. No? Oh... Well anyway, she talks about having a trick from the famed hookup site offering her a little extra to squat over him and let the river flow. Sounds gross right? No word yet on if this song was inspired by true events (my gut says no, but Sherry is cray).

On a side note: Damn, Michael Musto gets around! Them NYC queens have him whipped.

2. Let's Have a Kai Kai


I promised The Willam Show was canceled, but I just can't help talking about her. She is just so freaking hilarious. This time she's teamed up with Rhea Litre to make a "moderately satisfying" song. Yes. This song is even gayer than the original, which nobody ever thought possible. She gathers up a bunch of drag queens to have a huge fake-woman orgy in her apartment. She even calls out Manila and Sahara, Ru and Bunny, and the fierce Sharon and Alaska. The nerve! The thing that pushed this song over the edge was Willam's moaning in the chorus. Can't. Get. Enough. Seriously. Just can't.

1. Lets Have A Pee Pee (Again)


Bet you didn't see this one coming. Well, if you know me well enough you probably saw this one coming from miles away. Jiz and the Mammograms is a parody of the classic 80s tune Jem and the Holograms that turns them into drag queens who collect abortions for money. Yeah, it's pretty messed up. This one gets far more graphic than the other two, but that is what makes it great. Jiz is not afraid to go there. Jiz is not afraid to go beyond there. Everything about this song is perfect from the crabs, to Jiz trying to stumble out of recording to pee, to "drain, flush, wipe". This is the perfect parody.

Well it is for those who like potty humor.
Don't you dare judge me.

I'm sure there are more parodies out there, but these three are the best examples I've found. You guys shocked that I didn't put Willam as number one? Maybe it'll get her to tweet something mean to me. Funny mean. Not mean mean.

Sorry I Missed It - Belmont Lights

Belmont Lights is a brand new pop-rock group straight out of San Diego who are already making a name for themselves. This time around it was a double whammy for missing because firstly, I didn't know about them at the time of their debut, and secondly I don't know if I would have posted on them at the time anyway. Luckily they really have grown on me, and so without further ado, I bring you Four Cute Guys Belmont Lights!

See what I mean? Move over Big Time Rush and forget One Direction. These boys are cute! Luckily they have the talent to back it up and aren't just good looking people flailing around on stage. They recently (and by recently I mean going on three months ago) released their debut EP and guess what? I missed it, of course.

The group is a mix of rock, pop, and progressive music, in the same vein as U2but for the new generation. They have that boyband look, but have that rockband talent, making them a great combination. Their debut EP may only have five tracks on it, but it is very well produced and leaves a great impression. The lead in single and first track "Halfway" is the most polished track on the list, and is infectious with it's building beat, but my favorite of the bunch has to be the more upbeat song "Battle".

The great thing about these four is they actually play their own music and are very proud of it. Their vocalist (who's number I am in the process of getting, by the way) has a very distinctive voice that helps set them apart from the sea of same-ness that is the pop-rock scene. It can be hard to distinguish yourselves from a sea of others trying to make their name, and Belmont Lights is doing a good job of that so far. They already acomplished a lot under another name, including making it to the House of Blues main stage, but now they are ready to go forward as Belmont Lights and get their music out to the people.

You can preview and buy their debut EP "Telegraphs" on iTunes.

Song of the Week - Lolita

So this song came out quite a bit ago in Australia, but it just now came out in the States, so that means it is free game. It's about time The Veronicas came back. For the billionth time allow me to blog about their new single, "Lolita". I promise this is the last time.

I can't say enough about this song. It is the re-introduction to the group the world almost forgot, twin sisters who make up the electro-rock-pop duo The Veronicas. This go around they are sounding much more electronic and you can bet I am a fan of the change. Oddly enough, they have said in interviews that the rest of their upcoming album, "Life On Mars", is more toned down than this single. Still yet, I have hope for this one.

The song is heavily inspired by the classic book and film of the same name. It's all about a girl who has a borderline psychotic obsession with a guy. This is probably how my love life is going to end up, which makes the song totally relatable to everyone, because I am the common man. Anyway, it is a totally different kind of love song, which quickly sets it apart from the rest.

Not to mention the video is hella awesome. Scroll down a couple stories and check it out.
Yes. I talk about these two pretty often.

The song is available on US iTunes now. The link is a bit janky for the time being, but can be found on your iTunes program.

Album Review - Side FX "Spin Me Ever After"

Usually I go about reviewing albums a particular way. I buy them, and write up a review upon my first listen. This time was different for an array of reasons, but mostly because I really like this album. It's got so many hidden meanings in the lyrics, great beats, and shining vocals. This one is quite the catch, and from a group that needs more exposure, so of course I'm all over it. This time, it's Kim Cameron with her band Side FX in their new smash "Spin Me Ever After".