song reviews
Rihanna feat. Drake
"What's My Name"
With the second single from the forthcoming Loud, Rihanna has created a perfect little tropical storm: Over dark, humid synths and swirling snare skitters, she's in full-on Caribbean-queen mode, dialing up her islander accent and rolling out a to-do list for any adult male seeking entrance into her chambers: "Hey, boy, I really wanna see if you can go downtown with a girl like me," she sings, kicking off the chorus. Her former fling Drake further steams things up with a little, um, math:... | More »
The Go! Team
"T.O.R.N.A.D.O."
This U.K. band, known for head-snapping sound collages, returns with a mix of schoolyard chants, turntable scratches and horn blasts. It's deafening and funky — like a drill team strutting into a funnel cloud. Video: Breaking Artist: The Go! Team | More »
Ke$ha
"We R Who We R"
This Dr. Luke-produced anthem — about "sick and sexified" kids who wave their freak flags while hitting the clubs — was inspired by a rash of suicides among gay youth. Lady K and human rights are an awkward fit. But she gets credit for doing empowerment her way, even if the song (from an upcoming EP) suggests "I Will Survive" by way of Girls Gone Wild. Photos: Ke$ha's Rock & Roll Party: Backstage and Behind the scenes With Pop's Wildest New Star | More »
Band of Horses
"Georgia"
Months after Cee Lo covered their slow-burn gem "No One's Gonna Love You," Band of Horses step out of their bearded comfort zone with a charged-up version of the Lady Killer's homage to his home state. It's an indie-rock pep rally — backed by the University of Georgia marching band, no less. Random Notes: Bon Jovi, Prince, Bruce Springsteen | More »
Elvis Costello
"National Ransom"
Wall Street deserves abuse in all forms, and on the title track from his upcoming T Bone Burnett-produced album, Costello delivers a punk-blues indictment of Goldman Sachs culture. "National Ransom" mixes rootsy stomp with squealing guitars, as Costello invokes the 1929 stock-market crash, rails against financial "hocus-pocus" and ends with a dire summation of the way we live now: "We're working every day, paying off the national ransom." The result is a fie... | More »
Taylor Swift
"Speak Now"
Taylor repurposes the "she wears short skirts" melody from "You Belong With Me" in order to bust up a wedding, Graduate-style. But freeing the man of her dreams from bad-marriage hell is almost an afterthought on "Speak Now"; the real fun is listening to her unload her simile nail gun at the disgustingly perfect bride-to-be — a mean girl who "floats down the aisle like a pageant queen" in a "gown shaped like a pastry." And all of it comes off catchy as heck and cute as a button. The gir... | More »
Kanye West feat. Bon Iver and Gil Scott-Heron
"Lost in the World"
The latest leak from Camp Kanye is less a song than an inspired chunk of Nineties-style DJ mixology. It begins with Bon Iver — the Wisconsin-bred folkie who collaborated on nine songs for West's upcoming album — singing a revamped version of "Woods," his haunting, Auto-Tuned meditation from 2009. Vocal rounds swell into a gospel chorus, fat 4/4 drums kick on, and there's Kanye pledging, "If we die in each other's arms/Still get laid in the afterlife." (Trés r... | More »
Bright Eyes
"Coyote Song"
A benefit single for the victims of Arizona's immigration laws, this protest song (about a lover stuck in Mexico) is as pretty as it is angry. Bright Eyes: King of Indie Rock | More »
John Legend
"Wake Up"
Legend and the Roots recorded Arcade Fire's anthem for their LP Wake Up!, but it didn't make the cut. This live version suggests why: Legend's vocals miss Win Butler's cracked frailty, and the groove refuses to swing. But it's cool to hear the song becoming a 21st-century standard. Video: The Roots and John Legend on Their Soul LP 'Wake Up' | More »
Music Reviews
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Photos & Videos
Random Notes: Hottest Rock Pictures
Gallery: Summer Tour Preview 2013
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