Song of the Day: #7

Introducing 17-year-old A*M*E. She sights influences such as Janelle Monae, Britney Spears and John Lennon. Quite a promising selection, I'm sure you'll agree. 'City Lights', while mainly focusing on the talents of A*M*E, showcases the production capabilities of MNEK (whose solo single, 'If He's The One', is really quite something) and his brother Bartoven, who features on the track with a guest-rap.

'City Lights' is catchy, infectious and undeniably fun, indicating that A*M*E is certainly one to watch for 2012. I can't wait to hear more from her, sooner rather than later.

Song of the Day: #6

Frank Ocean, of OFWGKTA, is breaking into the mainstream, and with some style. His debut mixtape Nostalgia/ULTRA has been a huge success and has resulted in Ocean working with rap godfathers Jay-Z and Kanye West on their collaborative album, Watch The Throne ('Made In America' being one of the stand-out tracks from an album that featured highly on most 2011 end-of-year lists). Frank Ocean has also got songwriting credits to his name, co-writing 'I Miss You' off of Beyonce's album 4. A very successful 2011 culminated in a spot on the BBC 'Sound of 2012' shortlist, coming in at second place.

With the release of his debut full-length album due this year, fans are eager to get their hands on any new material they can, and Ocean has given us an early treat with this short but sweet track, which he let go on Tumblr last night. 'Voodoo' does not stray far from the sound he perfected on Nostalgia/ULTRA, and if 'Voodoo' is anything to go by, his upcoming album will not disappoint.

Frank Ocean - Voodoo

Video: Ke$ha - Sleazy 2.0 (Feat. Wiz Khalifa, Andre 3000, T.I. & Lil' Wayne)

I don't care what anybody says, Ke$ha is a pop genius. Ok, maybe that's taking things a little bit too far, but with songs as good as 'Blow' and 'Your Love Is My Drug' it's hard to just cast her aside as another disposable-pop chancer. As Shakira should have said, 'hits don't lie', and Ke$ha has had hits by the bag-full.

However, 'Sleazy', off of her sophomore album Cannibal, is not a hit. So, how to make it into a hit? Casually ring up your world-famous rapper mates (Wiz, Three Stacks, T.I. and Weezy) and get them to put down some bars over the previously underappriciated beat. The result ... 'Sleazy 2.0', and Ke$ha just dropped the visuals for the track (which, despite featuring a bunch of randomers, it is still fairly interesting). This song is now pure fire! Ke$ha, U GO GURL!

Song of the Day: #5

At the start of this year, like every year before, music journalists and bloggers alike have picked which up-and-coming artists they feel will make the biggest impact on the music world this coming year. One of the most respected shortlists around is the BBC's 'Sound of ...' poll, which asks music critics and industry figures (generally people who are 'in the know') to pick their most promising acts. The poll, having previously tipped artists like 50 Cent, Dizzee Rascal, Jessie J and 'Everyone's Favourite Balladeer' Adele, generally has a very successful strike rate. We'll ignore some of their more questionable choices. Tali, anyone? No, me neither.

While the 'Sound of 2012' poll was eventually won by Michael Kiwanuka, 2012's list was perhaps one of the strongest to date, with sensational acts like Azealia Banks and Frank Ocean also tipped. However, it was the London five-piece Spector who most surprised me. Think, The Vaccines, but A LOT better. Their latest single 'Chevy Thunder' will be released in the next few weeks and they dropped the video a couple of days ago. In celebration, I have made it today's 'Song of the Day'. Enjoy.

Song of the Day: #4

In 2011, Wretch 32's 'Traktor' was inescapable, and for good reason. The pounding baseline, the catchy hook and Wretch's smooth delivery all combined to create the perfect club anthem. You don't mess with something as perfect as 'Traktor' ... unless you can better it. And that's exactly what Bashy did. Released as part of The Crunchie Mixtape, Bashy goes in hard on this beat. Warning off all potential haters, Bashy demonstrates his outstanding lyrical ability and makes it all look so effortless.

   "You might catch me gassin' on Twitter, but you'll never, ever, ever catch Bashy on Trisha"

Listen to Bashy - 'Traktor Freestyle':

If you like what you hear you can download the whole The Crunchie Mixtape for free, here. (Right click / Save as ...)

FACEOFF: Rihanna vs. Nicki Minaj

I needed a reason to post this photo, and a song-clash is as good a reason as any. If Rihanna really has got 'THUG LIFE' tattooed on her knuckles then she definitely holds the crown for 'Baddest Bitch In The World' ... quite a prestigious crown I'm sure you'll agree.

In this faceoff, Rihanna will go up against self-proclaimed 'Baddest Bitch' Nicki Minaj. "But how are we supposed to compare these two artists?" I hear you ask. "Rihanna is one of the most successful singers in the world right now, while Nicki is one of the best emcees in the world!" you continue. Well, let me tell you how.

Song of the Day: #3

Tennis have been on heavy rotation on my iPod ever since I first heard 'Marathon' around this time last year. Everytime I hear Alaina Moore's beautiful vocals I fall in love all over again. I would recommend their debut album Cape Dory to everyone. It is the perfect laid-back summer soundtrack.

Today's 'Song of the Day' is 'My Better Self', the second song to appear online, from their upcoming sophomore album Young & Old, due for release on 13th February. Listen below and let me know what you think (I still have hope that one day someone will comment!).

Cover/mp3: Arctic Monkeys - Katy On A Mission (Katy B Cover)

Let's just get this out of the way. Arctic Monkeys are my favourite band ... of all time. They could release an album of dubstep-infused club bangers and I'd still be telling everyone they're the best thing since sliced bread. So yeah, I'm pretty biased when it comes to the Sheffield band.

Nevertheless, when Alex, Matt, Jamie and Nick made a rare UK radio appearance in the BBC Live Lounge they adhered to the house rules and played a secret cover, choosing to tackle the 2011 dancefloor staple 'Katy On A Mission', originally by Katy B. As Alex crooned over the minimalistic and mellow backing from the band, it was clear that they had managed to (excuse the X Factor judge cliché) "make the song their own". You can watch the performance below and download the mp3 here (right click / Save as...).

Brilliant, right? Right.

It is always a pleasure to here Arctic Monkeys take on other peoples songs, as they don't do it very often, but when they do they are always fantastic. I have compiled a list of the covers they have performed in the past. Have a listen and let me know which were your favourites in the comments section below.

• 'Baby I'm Yours' (Barbara Lewis cover)
• 'Put Your Dukes Up John' (The Little Flames cover)
• 'Diamonds Are Forever' (Shirley Bassey cover)
• 'Love Machine' (Girls Aloud cover)
• 'Red Right Hand' (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds cover)
• 'You Know I'm No Good' (Amy Winehouse cover)
• 'The Lovers' (Rod McKuen cover)
• 'Take It Or Leave It' (The Strokes cover)

Song of the Day: #2

G-Eazy, hailing from Oakland, Californina, provided us with what was, in my humble opinion, one of the best mixtapes of 2011, The Endless Summer. His retro samples (most notably the use of 'Runaround Sue' by Dion DiMucci) and laid-back delivery really set him apart from the slew of new rappers to appear in the last year. I've got my fingers crossed for a few UK shows from G-Eazy this year.

Today's SOTD is:

G-Eazy - All I Could Do (Feat. Skizzy Mars & Devon Baldwin)



Let me know what you think, in the comments section below. Also, if you like what you hear, you can download the entire mixtape for free from his website here.

Video: Sleigh Bells - Comeback Kid

Brooklyn band Sleigh Bells, made up of Alexis Krauss and Derek E. Miller, are readying their sophomore album Reign of Terror, set for release on February 21st. Their debut album, Treats, was a personal favourite of mine in 2010, and I have been very pleased with what I've heard so far from their new album.

Sleigh Bells dropped the promotional single 'Born To Lose' (which you can listen to below) back in December, but a couple of days ago Alexis and Derek debuted the visuals for the first proper single from Reign of Terror, 'Comeback Kid', which you can peep below. The combination of Krauss's sugary-pop vocals and Miller's erratic guitar backing sound fantastic together, and the video just accentuates the playfulness of the the song.

Sleigh Bells - Born To Lose



Let me know what you think of the video and the single in the comments section below.

Song of the Day: #1

I'm going to try and update this blog everyday with a 'Song of the Day'. It's not necessarily going to be a new song, just one that I'm loving at that particular moment in time.

So, today's SOTD is:

Chiddy Bang - 'Ray Charles' (Skeet Skeet Moombahton Remix)

Lana Del Rey

This is Lana Del Rey. She will be taking over the music world in 2012. You will have most likely heard that song, the insanely buzz-worthy breakout single 'Video Games' that captured the hearts and minds of the music world in the latter half of last year. Since the instantaneous rise to fame that followed the overnight success of 'Video Games', Lana has become the most talked about artist on the planet. She divides opinion like no other singer around at the moment. The awkward live performances, the authenticity issues regarding her major label affiliations, the fact that she used to be called Lizzy Grant. These are all issues that her critics have been eager to point out as reasons to not like her, which begs the question, is it not just about the music anymore?

'Video Games' and 'Born To Die' are amazing. There is no avoiding that. Lana Del Rey is making music that sounds so fresh and ground-breaking, yet so timeless. The stories about her past cannot change that. But there is a stigma attached to her now that makes it cooler to dislike her than it is to like her. I feel that this is all about to change though. Her debut album Born To Die will be released in the UK on Monday 30th January, and with insta-classics like 'Video Games' and 'Born To Die' both featuring it is set to be, without a doubt, one of the albums of the year.

Lizzy Grant? Lana Del Rey? Who cares? She is a star and soon everyone will agree. 

You can hear 'Diet Mtn Dew' below:

You can read the Complex magazine Lana Del Rey cover story here.