It looks like Tinie Tempah has another big hit on his hands as ‘Written In The Stars’ makes it a second week at number one in the UK pre-release tag chart.
The televisual juggernaut that is Simon Cowell’s X Factor is a phenomenon that always manages to divide opinion. Love it or loathe it, the show dominates the popular consciousness and is almost inescapable to anyone who reads a paper or turns on a TV screen during the shows run. However, the latest controversy may be the show’s biggest yet.
The early stages of the competition are often the most entertaining due to the stark contrast between the more talented performers and the tone deaf wannabes that slip through to the televised rounds. In spite of this the X Factor post production team has decided to add a hefty dose of auto tune – software that masks vocal mistakes – to proceedings; thus giving performances a homogenous robotic twang.
It’s a move that’s seen both fans and critics of the show up in arms. However, adding a manipulated voice to a track is not always a bad move… In honour of the latest X Factor hoo-hah we’re compiling some of the best moments in vocoder history.
Aggro Santos’ ‘Candy’ has been one of the breakthrough urban tracks of the summer. Following in the footsteps of British rappers such Tinie Tempah and Tinchy Stryder; Santos’ music combines the bump of UK garage and marries it with the cross over potential of R&B to create a pop driven but dancefloor friendly sound. His latest track, ‘Saint Or Sinner’, is pretty similar to a rap version of Axwell’s huge ‘90’sinspired track ‘I Found You’ – no bad thing at all considering the enduring popularity of all things rave . The record’s ballsy break beats and British twanged lyrics come just in time for London’s Notting Hill Carnival – from which the video incidentally takes its theme. Featuring fire breathers, troupes of scantily dressed samba dancers and ornate carnival costumes, ‘Saint Or Sinner’ is likely to be one of the big tracks to emerge from the huge outdoor event which takes place next week.
For more info on The Notting Hill Carnival – which happens to be the second largest street festival in the world – simply head here.
It’s been a good month for Canadian alternative rockers Arcade Fire. Their new, more stripped down sound has been embraced by music fans the world over with their latest album going to number 1 in the USA, UK and Canada – a feat which firmly puts Arcade Fire in the rock music A list. Added to that, videos of their recent performance at Madison Square Garden – directed by former Monty Python Terry Gilliam no less – have also been turning heads racking up 100,000’s of views in little over two weeks.
The band now looks set to take their expansive live show on the road with the announcement that they will play a series of dates in the USA. This comes after the band sold out their dates at London’s huge O2 in little than over 10 minutes. Those wishing to see the band in the UK can still get day tickets for the Reading and Leeds festival next week which will also showcase performances from Queens Of The Stone Age, Blink 182 and Guns And Roses – if Axl shows up of course!
Arcade Fire will play the following American dates:
St. Paul, MN Roy Wilkins Arena (September 22) Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre (23) Saskatoon, SK Credit Untion Centre (25) Calgary, AB Stampede Corral (26) Vancouver, BC Pacific Coliseum (28) Seattle, WA Key Arena (29) Portland, OR Memorial Coliseum (30) Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre (October 2) Big Sur, CA Henry Miller Library (5) Los Angeles, CA Shrine Auditorium (7) Los Angeles, CA Shrine Auditorium (8) Mexico City, MX Palacio de los Deportes (10) Monterrey, MX Banamex Theater (12)
Taio Cruz’s ‘Dynamite’ fights off competition from Katy B and Brandon Flowers to take the number one spot for a fourth week in a row in the Shazam Pre Release Chart UK.
Katy Perry looks set to follow up the huge success of ‘California Gurls’ as her latest single, ‘Teenage Dream’, hits the top spot in the Shazam New Release Chart USA.
Erykah Badu’s ‘New Amerykah Part Two’ has undoubtedly been one of the most well received urban albums of the year so far. Featuring heavy doses of retro soul, Erykah’s most recent work has come as a marked contrast to some of the more electro and pop influenced R&B which has dominated the charts of late. Gaining some of the best reviews since her legendary 1997 debut ‘Baduizim’, ‘New Amerykah Part Two’ has incidentally been Badu’s most commercial successful work in a decade and has put her right back into the R&B big leagues.
The remix for Badu’s latest single, ‘Window Seat’, looks set to keep her on heavy rotation on urban music stations during the upcoming months. After previously working with A-list rappers such as Common, The Roots and Lil’ Wayne; the southern songstress continues a trend of working with some of the industry’s most talented rappers by hooking up with Rick Ro$$ – a man who’s starting to gain a reputation as rap’s go to guy for hit remix verses. The video also features a snippet of Badu’s former single, ‘Can’t Turn Me Away (Get Muny)’ – a former Shazam Tag Of The Day and a record with source material also sampled by Notorious B.I.G. no less.
