Lady Gaga's Brilliant Video for "Bad Romance" Finally Unveiled!

The moment has finally arrived.

After weeks of crazy hype and anticipation, Lady Gaga's brand new video for "Bad Romance" has finally dropped...like an anvil on your fucking house!

I honestly don't know where to begin here. Shall we start at the brilliant, Thriller-inspired choreography, the incredible fashion (and sly usage of many of her previous looks and motifs), or maybe the disturbing yet beautifully-conveyed "kidnapped by fame" storyline? There are far too many details to list, so I won't. But suffice it to say...if you thought her other videos were out there, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Watching this video, it's obvious that Gaga wants to give us the sense that something is ending, and something else is beginning. I guess that something else will be unveiled on The Fame Monster, scheduled for release on November 23rd, and also with her upcoming sold out, headlining tour this winter. Regardless, I can assure you that you have not seen a video like this in a long time. There's fire, there's nudity, there's people coming out of coffins; it's truly a feast for the eyes. Helmed by "I Am Legend" director Frances Lawrence, it lies somewhere in between Michael Jackson's "Scream" and Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People." Gaga looks positively otherworldly, donning styles that allude to her previous looks throughout, before being reborn towards the end of the clip into a glammed up, hyper-surreal looking monster. Wait, could she be a...Fame Monster, perhaps?

Lady Gaga's meteoric rise to the top of the pop heap has been an incredible one, and with the video for "Bad Romance," something tells me we are about to see her take things into the stratosphere. Like Madonna circa "Like A Virgin" or Eminem circa "The Marshall Mathers LP", this may be the moment when an artist with loads of promise and potential, and just on the brink of world domination, somehow makes good on that promise, and does something revolutionary.

Welcome to the big leagues, Gaga!

Video of the Day: TLC "What About Your Friends"

So here's the deal...

Everyday I'm gonna brighten your day with a music video.

Now we ain't talkin bout just any video. This is the Video of the Day; nothing but throwbacks! You will never know what possesses me to choose the videos I choose, you will always be blindsighted by my choice, and you will never see the next one coming either.

First up...TLC. Words truly cannot express my love for TLC. Literally the first artist/group I ever liked, TLC could quite possibly be the greatest girl group ever.

Why, you ask?

From The Supremes to Destiny's Child, the one and only flaw that can always be found in girl groups, in spite of the sublime harmonies and wonderful, bad girl posturing, is the disposability of its "lesser known" members. Almost every girl group in history consisted of one main star, and then a couple of faceless, nameless backup singers, lovingly-placed about 5-10 feet behind the main star. Who are these main stars; these HBICs, you ask? How about Diana Ross, Beyonce, Ronnie Spector and Patti LaBelle, just to name a few. Now...off the top of your head, can you name the other members of Labelle, Patti's orinigal group? (Don't worry, I'll wait...)

Exactly.

But TLC were different. When we speak of TLC as a "group", we actually mean a group. Can you imagine TLC without the laid-back cool of T-Boz, or the bad ass craziness of Left Eye, or the sultry, sexy swag of Chili? I didn't think so. Each member brought something indispensible to the table, and it only made them better. They weren't the best singers and they weren't really the best dancers either. But it was this unique chemistry between TLC that made them the best (as well as the best selling) girl group of all time.

So I'm taking you back...waaaaaaay back to go ole' 1992. This is one of my all-time favorites, TLC's "What About Your Friends"

Enjoy!

Nirvana's "Live at Reading" Rating: 5/5

Rating: 5/5

It’s been over 15 years since Kurt Cobain took his own life, and since then the legend of Nirvana continues to grow, alienating as much as it compels. In other words, it’s very easy to leave Nirvana off your list of favorite bands, or go a year or two without pulling up Nevermind on your iTunes. Kurt Cobain and Nirvana are so important and ubiquitous within the landscape of popular music that it may not even seem possible that there could ever have actually been a time when their brilliant Beatles meets Black Sabbath meets Sonic Youth sound was exciting, innovative and new. But there was…and this is it.

“Live at Reading” will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest live albums ever released. Recorded on August 30th 1992 at the Reading Festival in the United Kingdom, this is Nirvana at the very peak of their popularity; you could probably argue that this performance is the climax of their career. Nevermind had hit number one on the Billboard 200 earlier that year. The album was a massive, entirely unexpected hit, heralded as the watershed moment alternative rock had been destined to have. Meanwhile, the rumors surrounding Nirvana, and particularly those concerning Cobain’s drug use and relationship with Courtney Love, were reaching a fever pitch, and his daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, had been born only 12 days prior to this concert. And somehow, all of this comes through on this incredible recording. You can practically feel the excitement and uncertainty in the band’s performance; these guys went from nobodies to superstars, scruffy, punk rock rejects (from Seattle, at that) to the spokesmen of a generation, in less than a year. Cobain’s performance is passionate and riotous, heartfelt and joyous. This was just before things went sour within the band, when the media attention, the drugs, and the feverish devotion of the fans (the very fans that can be heard literally drowning out Kurt’s voice during an astonishing performance of “Lithium” on this recording) ultimately imploded both Cobain’s personal and professional lives.

To me, this is what rock and roll is all about; their performance is combustible, defiiantly imperfect, beautiful and fun. Furious numbers like “Breed”, “School” and “Negative Creep” display the band’s relentless punk sound, while “Lithium” and “All Apologies” are sure to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up; you may even shed a tear. And forgive me for being cliché, but the real stunner here is “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” No one blames Kurt for inevitably wishing that this song would disappear from earth forever, but when the opening riff starts midway through this album, and you hear the massive audience erupt in giddy pleasure, you will too. There may never be a more perfect hard rock song, and everybody knew it; Kurt did too.

Hard Rock hasn’t been the same since this band ceased to exist, so I don’t blame anyone that ignores the most recent releases from the genre. But if you’re even a casual fan of Nirvana, you have no business not owning Live at Reading. As a matter of fact, if you only buy one rock album this year, do yourself a huge favor and make it this one.

Flawless.

50 Cent's "Before I Self Destruct": The Death of Mainstream Gangsta Rap?

Rating: 3/5

It could be said that 50 Cent is the last, great Gangsta Rapper.

Rising from an unknown Queens drug dealer to an underground hero/industry target…then from a bullet-ridden mixtape rapper without a deal to the most successful gangsta rapper of all time, 50 Cent’s career is absolutely fascinating. He makes enemies with practically everyone, he’s shamelessly lent his name to any endorsement deal with the right bottom line (and made millions and millions of dollars in the process), and since the release of his classic debut “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” 50 Cent seems to have completely forsaken any kind of artistic innovation, settling into the formulaic and radio-ready on 2005’s “The Massacre” and its disappointing follow-up, 2007’s “Curtis”. Yeah guys…he didn’t name the album (or the movie) “Get Critically-acclaimed or Die Trying,” you feel me?

But when Kanye West’s “Graduation” outsold Curtis in the first week of their simultaneous release and spawned multiple smash hits (while Curtis quickly fell from the charts), many, most definitely including 50 himself, began to wonder if the public had finally gotten over the hedonistic allure of gangsta rap in general and 50’s antics in particular. 50 had allowed himself to turn into some kind of real life, rapping Supervillian; wealthy and powerful, but unscrupulous, mean-spirited and wholly self-interested. So 50 retreated to the studio and made what he claims to be a return to the intoxicating brutality of his earlier work, and his best album ever, “Before I Self Destruct.” Well…he’s wrong. But get passed that little problem and you’ll probably be quite satisfied. The record is definitely somewhat darker than his previous album, and aside from the Neyo-assisted first single “Baby By Me”, one of the few moments here where 50 is obviously reaching for radio play, the album forgoes the mind-numbing pop collaborations that bogged down Curtis.

50’s definitely not trying to soften up his image. Over a formulaic but effective sample from Gladys Knight and the Pips’ “If I Was Your Woman”, 50 spews “I’m pretty like a Harlem nigga/A shooter like a Brooklyn nigga/I’m as hustler. It don’t get no bigger/Queens! Southside til they bury me.” On the ominous, Dr. Dre-produced “Death To My Enemies” 50 sends a few shots at Game and Lil Wayne, boasting “I bring money to my niggas that bring death to my enemies.” And 50 has no trouble keeping up with Eminem on “Psycho”, one of the album’s definite standouts. “Crime Wave” is where 50 Cent hits pay dirt however, adopting an at once both arrogant and menacing flow over a razor-sharp, hard-as-nails beat. The song works perfectly, as do many others on Before I Self Destruct. But it’s nothing new. Nothing you haven’t heard before.

Unfortunately, Before I Self Destruct’s true significance may be the way it highlights how stagnant, uninspired and boring mainstream gangsta rap has become.

Clipse ft. Rick Ross "I'm Good (remix)" Music Video

A few thoughts on Clipse' just released video for their remixed new single, "I'm Good":

1. It is a complete travesty that Clipse have yet to attain the level of success that they obviously deserve.

2. That, of course, doesn't matter at all.

3. Though the original version was pretty great, this version featuring Rick Ross is actually better. Better flows, better rhymes, and Rick Ross actually adds something worthwhile to the song. Could it be? Has Rick Ross become...a good emcee?!

4. The video is literally chock-full of excess; shark tanks, glasses of champagne, shiny Lambos, guns being used as paperweights for wads of 100s, Close-up after close-up on an assortment of iced-out watches and chains, and Rick Ross lighting up blunt after blunt after blunt are just some of the wonderful images to be found here. Yet somehow they've managed to be unabashedly cliche while at the same time balancing that with a certain realism that's actually quite effective. The club scenes look kinda real and the excess seems quite geniune and almost...heartfelt?

5. Do not sleep on "Til The Casket Drops", set for release on December 8th!

Clipse ft. Rick Ross "I'm Good (remix)"

Chris Brown Unveils (Bad) Album Cover, Rihanna Releases Tracklisting & Announces Tell-All Interview!

So is it just me...or has there been some kinda tit-for-tat thing going on with Chris Brown and Rihanna?

Over the course of the past month, the two have been simultaneously releasing new singles, music video stills, and cover art...like, literally within hours of one another. And today was no exception, with Chris Brown releasing the cover art for his forthcoming album, "Graffiti", and Rihanna unveiling the tracklisting for her upcoming "Rated R" record.

I won't deny that I think Chris Brown is a complete and utter douchebag (an opinion that has been made clear to just about anyone I talk to on a regular basis). However, I will not deny that Brown's Lil Wayne-assisted first single "I Can Transform Ya" is flames. But guys, this album cover looks absolutely ridiculous. What is he going for exactly? He looks like Neo from the Matrix, but the hipster-"rockstar" version or something. Whatever...nobody buys music anymore anyway, so if you're just dying for this new album, I doubt you'll have to grapple with the album cover. Like I said, the song is hot.

Anywayz, Rihanna released the tracklisting for "Rated R" today (which has a far better album cover, imo), and I'd say things are still looking quite promising. Track titles include "Madhouse", "Fire Bomb" and "Cold Case Love", and confirmed guests for the outing include Young Jeezy, Will.I.Am and...Slash?! Check below for the full listing...

And on a side note, a tell-all interview, featuring Rihanna, has been announced as well. Set to be split into two segments, one for Good Morning America this Thursday, and the other to be aired the next night on 20/20. The interview will be Rihanna's first since the infamous altercation with Chris Brown earlier this year.

Set your TiVo's people....

Confirmed tracklisting for Rihanna's "Rated R":

1. Mad House

2. Wait Your Turn

3. Hard featuring Young Jeezy

4. Stupid In Love

5. ROCKSTAR 101 featuring Slash

6. Russian Roulette

7. Fire Bomb

8. Rude Boy

9. Photographs featuring Will.I.Am

10. G4L

11. Te Amo

12. Cold Case Love

13. The Last Song

Julian Casablancas' "Phrazes for the Young"

Rating: 4/5

So I don’t know about you, but I miss The Strokes.

After the brilliant one-two punch of their landmark debut “Is This It?” followed by its (slightly better, imo) sequel, “Room on Fire”, fans were thrown for a loop with 2006’s “First Impressions of Earth”. Taking risks is a great thing for any band, but when the bat and ball don’t connect like they should, that’s called a strike, plain and simple.

And then there was collective silence from The Strokes, with individual side projects undertaken, and vague and increasingly pessimistic-sounding status updates coming down the pipe every once in a while. And now, three years since their last record, lead singer/chief songwriter Julian Casablancas releases “Phrazes for the Young,” his first solo album. And to be honest, I don’t think many people are expecting much from this record, such is the power of The Strokes as a band; Casablancas successfully going solo just can’t be a good thing for a band in which he writes basically all of the material. And one listen to Phrazes for the Young makes it very clear that those fears may actually be justified.

The most shocking thing about Phrazes for the Young is how truly fresh it is; it’s not a rehash of The Strokes material, and it’s not some ill-conceived, cringe-worthy image and sound overhaul either (*cough*...Chris Cornell?). First track “Out of the Blue” and “River of Brakelights” are about as close as the record gets to anything truly reminiscent of The Strokes’ material, beyond Casablancas’ wonderful, trademark croon, which is as infectious and haunting as ever. But even those songs lean far more to the future than the past, with the incredible “River of Brakelights” beginning with glitchy, stuttering drum programming and reaching its climax with an epic, industrial-tinged chorus. Elsewhere, the soulful “4 Chords of the Apocalypse” is a definite stand out, sounding like Aretha Franklin’s “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” produced by Trent Reznor. In other words, this is genuinely intriguing music.

Celebratory synths and a funky drum beat drive the endlessly fun and surprisingly danceable first single “11th Dimension”, and “Ludlow St”, Casablancas’ ode to the Lower East Side, may be the album’s craziest and most compelling moment, adopting a just-a-little-kooky-but-not-dumb country swagger over which the tribute is funny, fun and quite touching, actually. Later, “Glass”, anchored initially by a twitchy breakbeat and a lush bed of synths, opens up into a stunning chorus that is among the most melodic and cathartic moments on the album.

And inevitably that is precisely where Casablancas’ strength as always been; the incredible melodies. That was the backbone of The Strokes’ addictive garage-pop sound, and it is absolutely the bread and butter of this stellar solo outing.