What We Can Learn from Ke$ha and The Saturdays In Their New Videos

Maybe you have a degree. Maybe you are still in school. Maybe you were home schooled or maybe you say things like "WELL I REALLY LEARNED AT THE SCHOOL OF LIFE TO BE HONEST" at house parties. Either way, you probably still love to learn. Who doesn't? And where better to learn about life than from pop videos? You're in luck because The Saturdays and Ke$ha are here to school you! Hurrah. Now, quiet down the back!

Ke$ha - C'mon

What is it: Single no. 2 from K$ not-selling-that-well-so-far 2nd album Warrior which is actually great despite the fact that this and single no. 1 Die Young don't do the album justice. Oh well.

What We Learn: 

- Ke$ha would clearly make a terrible waitress what with her insistence on ignoring customers and ruining their "cup of joe" and then quitting her job and calling her boss a "dick". It's a good thing she has that pop thing to fall back on.

- Leaving your job can be amazing however. As soon as she leaves a bunch of guys in animal onesises take her in a van, K$ hops in a jacuzzi (IN THE VAN) and flops around in a one piece. Then they have a dance party in a corner shop. Who knew unemployment could be so.. fruitful.

-Revenge is a dish served dance party. Hate your bold boss? Then run into his premises with your friends dressed as giant animals and dance around. Huzzah.

- K$ new blonde wig/weave/whatever it is ain't cute and we learn that we shouldn't get our hair done that way.

The Saturdays - What About Us

 What Is It: The new single from The Satz whose fourth album The Chase is out later in the year. This is also their first US single as they try to break into the American market (As we mentioned yesterday). It's all synths and dramatic rave-pop/dubstep builds and drops but it's still sort of mid-tempo. This has actually grown on me alot but I'm still not convinced that they'll score an American hit with it. Sadly.

What We Learn: 

- The Saturdays are having a GREAT TIME IN AMERICA OMG!1! There they are, walking down some boulevard, then hopping into some lovely vintage clothes emporium for chic buys. Playing pool with cute boys, lounging around pools and breaking into football fields to ... eh, dance around.

- The Saturdays need to work on their dance moves. WHAT are they doing during that dance break? Really. If you're going to break into a football field with some attractive blokes shouldn't you be doing some seriously intricate moves? They seem to find the most basic of routines very streneous. It's all a bit "five girls on the piss, have a twirl" but maybe this is to make them seem more relatable etc etc.

- You know you are in America when everything looks a bit sepia-ish. The lighting/colour palette is the music video equivalent of a Instagram filter. The whole thing looks a bit bleached out like they thought things would make things more "Californian". Weird.

To Sum Up:

Today we learnt that if you hire Ke$ha to work for you she won't be very good at her job and she may wear a bad wig. BUT you might get to see some guys in animal costumes which is quite cool. And that if you want to be in a girlband and "do America" you need to make sure everything is a bit sepia and that you can't do a basic dance routine. Hurrah!

Ke$ha's second album Warrior is out now including C'Mon. The Saturdays have released What About Us for American audiences now and release it as a single here on the 15th of March (Ireland) And the 17th (The UK)

Ke$ha Komes Back, But Is Pop Stuck In A Rut?

Ke$ha's new tune Die Young appeared online late yesterday before a lyric video (and what I'm sure was in no way a label placed tweet from Britney) surfaced today as K$ rolls out the album campaign for second album Warrior (not counting the reissued mini album buzz of the Cannibal release). Die Young set Twitter alight when it leaked although reaction was mixed with plenty suggesting the track was a disappointment.

After repeat listens it's obvious that Die Young is no stinker but it just feels a little too similar to every second pop smash of the last 12 months to get really swept up in it. It's got snatches of Flo-Rida, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, fun. and One Direction in it's DNA yet never quite jumps to undeniable smash status.

The hook-y chorus with it's chanting feel is fun and the verses have plenty of the spoken-word charm of the best Ke$ha moments but it feels like this either needed to go into harder dance-pop territory (i.e. a bigger drop) or strip away the generic Dr. Luke vibes for something a bit quirkier.

It says alot about how pop music has been in such rude health that a song with as much as catchy appeal as this might seem a bit disappointing but perhaps we've reached a tipping point. It certainly feels like the Dr. Luke & co school of shimmer-y guitar driven synth pop has reached it's apex as much as the rave-pop stylings of Guetta and Calvin Harris. Here's to the full-length album allowing Ke$ha a little space to serve up something different (she's already been talking up something more experimental in various interviews) while we all try and get the chorus to this one out of our heads:

Ke$ha, LMFAO & Alexis Jordan Live in Dublin: A Review

Despite sluggish ticket sales, much hyped pop roadshow Summer Jam brought it's poptastic line up to Dublin's 02 Arena last night for an evening high of teen hormones, screeching girls and surprising amounts of fun.

Stepping into the 02 was a bit like stepping into a huge teen disco where the smell of fake tan, teen hormones and hair gel could have killed an elephant from a hundred yards. Of course being hip, relevant and at one with the young 'uns I was completely at ease and made my way to balcony seats with plenty of appropriate attitude. I'm sorry, I mean to say I scurried to my seat for fear of being lynched by yoofs. 

After some anonymous hip hop duo and Aggro Santos did a decent job warming up the enthusiastic crowd. Alexis Jordan sauntered on stage. I really loved Jordan's debut when it was released earlier this year. A well put together pop album with plenty of charm and a surprising amount of solid tunes, it made a virtue of Jordan's considerable pipes and hints that with enough time she could go on to be quite the huge popstar.

Her short set only confirmed my suspicions. Bounding out on stage Jordan had a level of confidence and sass sometimes missing in her too cute to bear music videos. Whipping her hair and twirling her hips like Beyonce Jr, she nailed many a high note, executed some spot on choreography and oozed presence. After performing a clutch of tracks she was gone but not before belting out a suitably rousing rendition of her first single Happiness. Keep your eyes on this girl, her deal with Jay Z's Roc Nation and production with pop masterminds Stargate hints at big things.

LMFAO were next up and their set was every bit as brash, obnoxious and garish as I had expected. It was also highly enjoyable. Souped up "electro house meets hip hop gone pop" floor fillers were the order of the day from start to finish with rarely a moment for the audience to catch their breath. LMFAO's music is noisy and one note that it's cheeky air and ridiculous outfits that give the whole thing a much needed injection of fun. Joined by band members and freestyle dancers decked in their signature silly leggings and cut off tees they looked like a gang of particularly party hearty clowns let loose with a pile of synths. There was a smoke canon on stage, costume changes and frequent use of the words "party rocking" "the club" "bottle" and "ladies". Cliched it may be but LMFAO spin things into such a goofy, oddly endearing package that you find yourself fist pumping and dropping it low along with them without even meaning too.

Of course the evening's headliner was Ke$ha, the queen of auto tune, the high priestess of trashy pop and She Who Must Have Her Name Spelt With An Ironic Dollar Sign. I am unapologetic in my love for Ke$ha. Before Tik Tok and her insistence on talk singing, she was serving up plenty of intelligent electro pop demos that hinted that the Nashville born starlet had a wit and scrappy quality not usually seen in major label pop divas. She's gone on to become a hugely successful act, managing an impressive run of hit singles from only one album and cheeky added on EP. She's also raised the ire of many a critic with her "wacky" persona, glitter heavy aesthetic and the notion that she might not be that great a singer.

So how does that sort of carry on translate into a live show? Surprisingly well in fact. Opening the show in a light up diamond, surrounded by a bed of synths, branding a light up visor Ke$ha started things on a icy, cyber queen note. A few numbers in she started to stalk the stage like a grubby lioness, all hair flips and swagger. Flanked by a troupe of dancers, backing vocalists and a live bands Ke$ha threw herself into a prop heavy set with abandon. 

The singles had the audience suitably riled up but Ke$ha worked enough of a show into lesser known numbers to keep the crowd in a frenzy. Cannibal was an oddly graphic and moody slice of pop performance with Ke$ha n co. sacrificing a dancer while she drank blood from a prop heart. Dinosaur, her kiss off to sleazy older men and the girls they hit on, involved zimmer frames and Backstabber had her boy dancers throw on wigs and heels for a suitably tranny fierce bit of dancing. Even the requisite slow number Animal had the crowd going with Ke$ha showing that yes, she can sing and quite well in fact.

The hits were all present and correct too with many of the songs sounding a bit thicker and less tinny live which matched Ke$ha's surprisingly sultry stage presence. If you could imagine the trademark Britney sexy shuffle and hair flip move given a dirtier, drunk party girl twist with a thumping electro pop backing, you're halfway to imagining the Ke$ha live show. I was much more impressed than I expected and though it's "bad ass rebel" schtick is obviously tightly rehearsed the lack of inane stage banter and air of messy fun gives the Ke$ha live show an edge over some of her contemporaries.

Ke$ha's next big gig here is her slot on the Sunday of Oxegen. Despite my initial cynicism I can see her tongue in cheek, sparkly romp of a set going down very well with a boozed up festival crowd. Put aside your prejudices and give it a go, the Ke$ha concert experience is quite the ride.

All in all, Summerjam was a enjoyable evening of fizzy pop, the concert equivalent of chugging a 2 Litre Bottle of Fanta and doing dance routines with your mates to whatever song just came on the radio. I've a feeling that the gaggle of teens at the show last night probably have a less wholesome way of spending their time but either way SummerJam does a fine job of providing pop thrills. Here's hoping to a suitably exciting follow up run next year.

Ke$ha gets festive... WARNING: Contains "poo" humour

I am always ranting about Ke$ha on here it seems. It's not my fault she hands out trash pop gems and is generally a mess. But in an entertaining way. And by entertaining, I obviously mean, completely manufactured.

But MOTHER OF GOD.... check out her "Christmas greeting" to her fans.

On the one hand, we see Ke$ha actually singing (Which doesn't happen often enough, though I enjoyed that pretentious video of her singing a Stones tune at house party awhile back) but on the other hand it features someone pretending to take a dump in the background.

I feel like we should be rolling our eyes at this contrived attempt to remind us Ke$ha is badass but... it sort of sums hers up so well.

Ultimately, you can roll your eyes or you can think about it. Would you see Katy Perry willing to have someone pretend to shit behind her? No. Would Rihanna? No. This video, in it's own cringe-y way reminds you of Ke$ha's very own special place on planet pop.

And you can't say fairer than that.

Ke$ha releases video for We R Who We R, makes little sense.

I am quite a fan of Ke$ha. I enjoy her trashy pop genius. I think she has more talent than many give her credit for and the recent Cannibal EP tied into a reissue of her album has churned out plenty of gems. Not least the current We R Who We R another fine slice of Dr. Luke approved snyth-electroy-trashy pop pleasure. I was quite excited for the video, with Hype Williams on board, how could she go wrong? Well quite easily it seems.

The video is a bit of a hack job. I found myself asking WHY? everytime I watch it.

WHY? # 1 : Why pick Hype Williams to direct a video, clearly spend a fortune on elaborate tunnel based seqeunces and then intercut it with shots of Ke$ha that look so cheap they were probably filmed on an iPhone she stole from Katy Perry's handbag? WHY?

WHY # 2 : Why would anyway look at a dating website on their laptop while DJing at an outdoor raveathon? WHY?

WHY # 3: Why did Ke$ha think it was a good idea to put studs on her eyebrows for her closeups. Can you imagine how hard it must have been for her to get those off the next day?

WHY # 4: Why is that tequila bottle so badly shot? If you're going to do product placement at least have a bit of balls about it. Please see motion picture event Burlesque for lessons on how to shamlessly plug trendy tequila.

WHY # 5: Why does Ke$ha seem intent on being a great popstar but then releases videos like these that imply that she is not a great popstar? WHY?

I could be here all day with the whys, the whys, the ENDLESS WHYS but have a look for yourself. The Cannibal release is still well worth checking out, awful videos related to it aside:

Spin That Record - Top Tunes of the Moment Circa October 2010

Magnetic Man feat. Katy B - Perfect Stranger

Mike Posner - Cooler Than Me

Rihanna - Who's That Chick

Rihanna feat. Drake - What's My Name

Nicole Scherzinger - Poison

Ke$ha - We R Who We R

Cascada - Night Nurse

Sky Ferreira - Traces

Sky Ferreira - Unstoppable

Mason feat. Roisin Murphy - Boadicea

Indestructible (Radio Edit) - Robyn

Ke$ha's Ode To Drag Queens Finally Gets A Video

As if one drag inspired pop video wasn't enough! Ke$ha's current single Take It Off (my hands down favourite on her trash-tastic debut album) has been floating around for awhile. She has discussed how the track is inspired by fierce drag queens so I awaited a tranny fierce music video with baited breath.

But alas the video that leaked online today features not one drag queen! What a disgrace! Still there is plenty to like in the Paul Hunter directed clip. Ke$ha looks great, it's amazing what a bit of hair straightening will do to make a girl scrub up well. There's some neat FX (though none as effective as the last video) but ultimately nothing really happens. Where is the basement dance party with everyone "taking if off". Where is the actual dance routine? WHERE ARE THE TRANNIES?

This video looks great and does the job and I'm sure the song will do little to hamper Ke$ha's chart run (which has included each single shifting over a million copies each Stateside!) but next time we'd like a little more attention paid to the lyrical content of the track Missus!

Spin That Record - Tunes of the Moment Circa May 2010

Oh I know the blog has been away awhile but while we're getting back into the swing of things, enjoy a list of tunes that I'm enjoying at the moment. It's your typical mix of old/new and respectable/not respectable. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Lady Gaga - Alejandro (The Sound of Arrows Remix)

Ke$ha - Lost Weekend

Alexandra Burke feat. Pitbull - All Night Long

Hurts - Better Than Love

Miley Cyrus - Can't Be Tamed

Uffie feat. Pharrell Williams - ADD SUV

Crookers feat. Kelis - No Security (Bart B More Remix)

Ciara feat. Ludacris - Ride

Kelly Rowland - Commander

Enrique Iglesias feat. Pitbull - I Like It

Mini Viva - One Touch

Kid Sister  feat. Kanye West - Pro Nails

Hole - Samantha

Usher  feat. Nicki Minaj - Lil' Freak

Album Review: Ke$ha unleashes her inner "Animal"

From building internet buzz to a guest appearance with Flo Rida, Ke$ha has ridden the crest of a wave all through the still huge Tik Tok right up to the release of her debut album Animal. Already a number one hit in the US and available on iTunes here, the CD is released tomorrow on our fair shores and begins what sets to be a big year the Californian crazy girl.

With production mainly coming from Dr Luke and a gaggle of other hot producers "Animal" is undeniably slick pop, bursting with hooks and swagger. There is enough rough charm from Ke$ha to keep things afloat. Her shtick is half rap, half singing, all hot mess. This is a girl who parties hard, uses and abuses boys at the drop of a hat but has a soft side that "can't take rejection" (as she laments on the downbeat but sweet standout "Stephen").

If it sounds like the stuff of cliche that it's because it kind of is. But it's also charged through with enough electro sheen and ridiculously catchy hooks to lure you in. Blah Blah Blah with duo of the moment 30H!3, the 2nd single, will lodge in your brain for days (a worthy successor to the big fun and even bigger chorus of Tik Tok). The gleefully hedonistic sheen of Take It Off and Party At A Rich Dude's House will do much the same. And some of the initial internet leaks that gave Ke$ha buzz with the bloggers and such reappear here such as Boots and Boys and Backstabber. The slower moments aren't quite engaging apart from the aforementioned Stephen and the brooding title track.

It might become a bit one note and drowning in layers of production at times but overall "Animal" is brash, enjoyable and great fun. Great, trashy pop is hard to find but on this release Ke$ha delivers it in spades. Well worth a look.