MUSIC MONDAY: Surf Noir + a mash-up for your time

Did you know surf noir was a genre? I learned this last night, and I realized that this attractively named genre is my new summer obsession. Enter Lana del Rey, aka Lizzie Grant. I had an older track by this girl in my iTunes library already, under her actual name, but I just learned over the weekend of her continuation of singing the beautiful genre of surf noir. Part 60's babydoll pop, part sweet ocean breezes, part social commentary, Lana del Rey's vintage voice is bound to have you wishing to visit the coast, be it the beach, the shore, or the cape (which one you pick is very important).

Lana Del Rey - Video Games by 2340km

Lana Del Rey - Diet Mtn Dew (demo) by tashaanorak

And for those whose summer tastes run more Ibiza than Venice Beach, here's a mash-up of Jennifer Lopez's "On The Floor" (that loop! ugh) and the omnipresent Calabria tune:
Calabria On The Floor by UofSwag

Enjoy, darlings!

Should Rihanna Have Shot A "Man Down" In Her New Video?

Let me preface by saying that I'm a super fan of Rihanna's new song, and I haven't said that since I became slightly obsessed with "Disturbia" a couple years back. "Man Down", short and to the point, is the story of Rihanna shooting, well, a man down. The song exists within the realm of some sort of guilt, since she spends a good portion of the song wishing she hadn't done it but still makes plans to leave the country¹, just in case. The song also marks the (maybe) temporary return to her Caribbean roots, just in time for summer.

But what all the pop culture and media ruckus is about is the video for this new single, which premiered on BET yesterday:

The twist here is that Rihanna kills the man of the titular down because he rapes her. Now, this brings into all sorts of awful context (you know, that whole Chris Brown thing) that the media and fans are dissecting and saying that, hey, Rihanna, you shouldn't kill Chris Brown. You shouldn't kill your rapist, you should seek help. Set a good example!

Except... Rihanna isn't required to set a good example. Remember, we place a lot of emphasis on good model-ship on our pop stars, but what if, in the end, this is just a music video? No one jumped on Lady Gaga for burning a man alive for purchasing her from a futuristic Russian brothel or poisoning Alexander Skaarsgard for attempting to kill her OR helping Beyoncé murder her abusive and totally douchey boyfriend (as well as an entire diner and sadly, two Great Danes²). This is probably owed to the fact that, Oh, she's Lady Gaga. She's crazy like that. Maybe Rihanna is just channeling her anger, what she cannot do, through her music.

Melissa Henson, from the Parent's Television Council, said in a formal statement, “Rihanna’s personal story and status as a celebrity superstar provided a golden opportunity for the singer to send an important message to female victims of rape and domestic violence. Instead of telling victims they should seek help, Rihanna released a music video that gives retaliation in the form of premeditated murder the imprimatur of acceptability.”

And you can't really blame the PTC for being angry. Shooting rapists is not how people want to go about solving rape. But, I for one would never condone a woman for killing her rapist (oops, I'm a bad person, sorry). I know it isn't morally right, but sure as hell feels justified from a superficial standpoint³.

Okay, I feel like I'm digging myself into a hole here. Let's all just watch the video and listen to Rihanna's new song. Let's appreciate them for what they are. Don't kill rapists. But let's just remember something: 60% of rapes are never reported to the police. And I'm willing to bet that these 60% aren't due to the fact that the victim killed the rapist. Maybe there's a connection here with the abhorrence of rape culture, but I'm not sure what it is. Either, way, this video is a good excuse to remind everyone that rape or domestic abuse is never the victim's fault.

1. Paraguay, Rihanna, Paraguay! I learned on Psych they won't extradite for murder.
2. RIP my dear.
3. This would probably be a good time to mention that my favorite movie is Kill Bill and I adore Quentin Tarantino's roaring rampages of revenge movies.

MUSIC MONDAYS: Born This Way Review

Another Monday, another music post. I really have to get back on writing more entries, I've been busy with work, friends, etc. things that bloggers cite when saying how they haven't been updating frequently. Anyway, today was the official release date for Lady Gaga's third studio album, Born This Way. It leaked last Tuesday, spreading like wildfire over the internet, and of course I needed to hear it then, but I was a good little girl and went out and bought it today at Target at eight in the morning.¹



AND I LIKE IT. Note, however, that I did not say love. Born This Way, for me, is not like The Fame Monster, that short, eight song album where I loved everything, or even The Fame, where there were only a few songs that I consistently skip over when I'm listening to Gaga on shuffle.² No, Born This Way, with its strong 80's influence, needed to grow on me. There were a few songs that I loved on the spot, including the Latin dance number (and surprisingly socio-conscious for a pop song) "Americano", the slow, dirge-y "Bloody Mary", "Scheisse", and of course, "Judas". These are the songs I'd recommend off the new album, if someone asked me my favorites. "The Edge of Glory" and "Hair" are very similar songs, both featuring that saxophone that's been the talk of the blogosphere lately. Erik is a fan of "Electric Chapel", as am I, but I will admit that it isn't one of my favorites. The rest of the album seems to just kind of blur together for me, but I mean, this is coming from someone who wasn't too impressed with the single "Born This Way", which set the precedent for the rest of the album. Either way, Gaga fans should like it, critics should like it, and haters, as always, will hate.

In the end, I think that Born This Way is a solid album with one major weakness: it lacks the get-ready-to-dance attitude that earlier Gaga was so good at and what made her so popular. Songs from this latest album, filled with foreign languages, are not radio-friendly in the way that "Poker Face" and "Just Dance" were. But maybe that's a good thing; I mean, do we really need another pop album about drinking and boys and dancing 'till the world ends?³

notes:
1. Target is creepy at 8am, I do not recommend it at all.
2. Summerboy, Brown Eyes, Retro Dance Freak, Disco Heaven.
3. Yes.

MUSIC MONDAYS: I Just Came To Say Hello

This week's on-repeat tune comes from me going through a high school acquaintance's tumblr and literally stumbling upon this gem. Martin Sloveig and Dragonette (still, like, the coolest stage name ever, I might add) have teamed up to produce this party-friendly electronica track. I can just picture a tipsy Dragonette at some hipster party telling some dirty alt that she'd "just came to say hello." Anyway, it's incredibly catchy, and the accompanying video is cute and, in a world of Nicky Minaj's and Katy Perry's, it's nice to see a video that is cute and doesn't feature skintight latex or odd make-up (or, actually, the singer).

Martin Solvieg & Dragonette- Hello- mp3 (source)


Unfortunately for my inner hipster, I heard this on my local Top 40 station today on my way to work. I've decided though, to get over it and just enjoy the party.

notes:

1. I am not hating on Nicky Minaj or Katy Perry. In fact, I shamelessly admit I've watched the "Super Bass" video more than my fair share, although I will never compliment the "E.T." video in any way, because that stuff is just weird.

Music Mondays: Jamaican Me Adele

I recently got a real job that requires me to drive in the car for, say, 80 minutes a day, total. And due to my ineptitude, I don't have an iPod-to-car connector, so I'm forced to listen to the (shudder) radio a lot lately. And by "radio," I am indeed referring to the station everyone has that plays the latest top 40 and plays essentially the same, 25 song playlist on repeat all day. Which means that every time I have been in the car in the last week, I have heard Adele's "Rolling In The Deep." This song, by itself, is amazing, and Adele is extremely talented. But for it to be smushed, on repeat, with auto tuned Black-Eyed Peas and the latest song by Britney about falling in love on the dance floor, cheapens it and makes me dislike it even.

That's why when I found this amazing mash-up of it with Ce’cile, Mr. Lexx and Timberlee, by Jaime XX; I freaked out because it was so good. Such a summer song, and I'm currently collecting summer songs, it's my new hobby. It's like, let's combine the overall amazingness that is Adele with feel-good Jamaica vibe. How charming.

Adele + Jamie XX f. Ce'cile, Mr. Lexx and Timberlee, "Rolling in the Heat (The Heatwave Refix)" by The FADER

(source, photo source)