Will I Buy M.I.A.'s New Disc? Hellz Yeah! Will I Like It, Is The Question...

I love M.I.A. I just do. She rocks my socks off, from "Bucky Done Gone" to "10 Dollars" to "Paper Planes" to "20 Dollars" I love her shit like a fat kid loves Slim Shots.

But her first release from her upcoming summer album /\/\/\Y/\, "Born Free" was a little ska-tastic for my tastes. And the video scared the piss out of me. It's really graphic and violent, and makes quite a statement on ethnic genocide. But I still didn't like the song. So when I heard about a new single (via JuiceWithJunior's tweets) called "XXXO" I wasn't sure if I was gonna enjoy it.

I should be slapped for even doubting my girl Maya! This is the most mainstream I've ever heard the world traveler sound. It's not like a Gwen Stefani jam or anything, but the beat rocks while also being dancable and it's got a catchy chorus. I'm ready for the new album!
Listen:

Rye Rye's M.I.A.-Directed New Video Will Cause Seizures

M.I.A. discovered Baltimore teen Rye Rye and gave her a spot on her tours as well as a verse on a "Paper Planes" remix. Now, she's directed Rye Rye's new video for the single "Bang" as well as adding part of the hook. The beat is hyperkinetic, the lyrics almost unintelligible and the video almost seizure inducing. Obviously we know what M.I.A. sees in this girl. Watch:

Grammy Night = We Don't Care About The Young Folks...

As usual, the Grammy awards on CBS last night promised good things. Also as usual, they failed to deliver far too often. And like Charlie Brown, I ran up expecting to kick the football and once again brained myself when Lucy pulled it away.

Not the show was completely devoid of entertainment value. But how sad is it that one of the best performances of the night was thrown together at the last minute to cover for Chris Brown's absence? Rev Al Green with My Southern Boyfriend Justin Timberlake doing "Let's Stay Together" with a little help from My Australian Boyfriend Keith Urban and Boyz II Men was really cool, very fun and not seven million years long. Like say...

U2 doing their godawful new single and Radiohead blathering on about being back where they started from. Just because you could pay what you wanted for In Rainbows doesn't mean it's not boring. I act like I'm not a rock'n'rolla because I'm not. But I can appreciate good rock music. And Coldplay's performance of "Viva La Vida" was stunning. The fact Chris Martin can hop around in a candy-colored jacket and still hold the melody is nothing short of astonishing. Opening the set with the piano based Jay-Z collab "Lost" was another genius move.

Speaking of Hova, how sweet was "Swagger Like Us?" I could have died. Ready-to-pop M.I.A. busts a few lines of her Record Of The Year nominated "Paper Planes" before being joined by the "Rap Pack" of a Jeri-Curled Kanye, an on-fire Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne and T.I. for the nominated all star track. I still love Yeezy's "How does feel to wake up and be the shit and the urine?" It's insanity! Plus I ain't never seen maternity wear quite like Maya's polka dot faux-bikini. Seriously, that is fuckin' awesome.

Also fuckin' awesome? Katy Perry's fruity stage set. J.Hud's emotionally fueled "You Pulled Me Through" starting with an a capella vocal and ending with a massive choir and a little tear. That's what you call an build up! Adele, still chasing those effing pavements, with a little help from Sugarland at the end. And muthafucking Neil Diamond, with the performance of the night! The man can get a crowd of industry types to "bum, bum, BUM" along to "Sweet Caroline" like a bunch of drunk sorority girls at a karaoke bar. Damn, I love me some "Sweet Caroline"

Alas, not all was greatness. While the tween set was sated by some Jo Bros feat Grammy fave Stevie Wonder and a duet between Jo Exes Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, I was left a little cold by both. And Miley makes such weird faces when she sings! And did we need another Beatles tribute? Seriously, didn't we just have two last year? Gawd!

You may have noticed I have purposefully avoided any talk of the winners and losers. That's because Jennifer Hudson's win for Best R&B Album and Adele's win for Best New Artist were the few highlights of the telecast awards. When it's all Raising Sand, all the time you know I have nothing to discuss. Unless you want a rant? You do? Schweet...

OK, I love Alison Krauss. She is a divine goddess among bluegrass singers, her soft dreamy vocals astound me, her contribution to the soundtracks of O Brother, Where Art Thou and Cold Mountain are the stuff musophiles like me dream of when we are forced to put down our iPods and go to the movies. "When You Say Nothing At All" is divine, "Brand New Favorite" is stunning. I loves her, mmkay? I get that Robert Plant is a legend, Led Zepplin is what rockers around the globe long to be. Not my scene, but I get it. Throw in uber-producer T-Bone Burnett and you have the makings of some good stuff, if you're into that kind of sound.

BUT IT'S NOT POP! The biggest problem I had with the multiple wins Alison Krauss and Robert Plant got was the one for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals. You have the bubbling disco hip-hop hybrid of the Madonna/JT banger "4 Minutes" or the vocal acrobatics of Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown on "No Air" or the electro-synths of "If I Never See Your Face" with Rihanna sexing up a Maroon 5 joint or the Grammy wonder twins John Mayer and Alicia Keys in some song I never heard, and you give it to "Rich Woman" - a nice; if boring; White Stripes rip off? Seriously? I don't get it. It's a nice song, but it put My Real Boyfriend to sleep.

For Record Of The Year, I was gunning for a "Paper Planes" win. M.I.A. is my favorite Sri Lankan baby mama. But I really thought Coldplay was gonna snag it, and I would have been happy for the symphonic rock of "Viva La Vida" to garner some gold. I though Adele would be the most likely to upset the British soft-rockers, "Chasing Pavements" is a very "Grammy" kind of song. And "Bleeding Love" is a pop song with enormousness written all over it. So how did "Read The Letter" win? T-Bone's dick-sucking abilities? Perhaps. It's quite possibly the most boring song I've ever heard. OK, not really. But compared to the others in the category I don't get it. At all.

Album Of The Year I'm less upset about. It would have been nice to give a rap album an award, I believe Outkast's win for the brilliant double disc Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was the last time a hip-hop disc won, Lauryn Hill's equally amazing The Miseducation Of... was the only other time it happened. So I was thinking the possibility of a Lil Wayne win was slim but sneakily enticing prospect, even I didn't think it deserved it. But I figured it would come down to Coldplay or the Krauss/Plant combo platter. And T-Bone's baby pulled through.

Why am I surprised at any of this? Last year I felt the same let down after Herbie effin Hancock beat out Kanye and Winehouse (which elicited a "Herbie can stuff a Hancock in it" from my sister.) In fact, excepting the 2004 awards, I've never really been pleased with the results of the Grammys. Why do watch? So I can blog. How very meta of me...

M.I.A. Makes A Video For $9.95

Seriously, I can't go more than a week or two without bringing up Sri Lanka-born, London-raised, Brooklyn-dwelling rabblerouser/rapper/designer/artiste M.I.A. Ever since her Clash-sampling single "Paper Planes" entered the Billboard Top 5 the first time (she returns this week) everybody has been bumping the track and talking Maya. She's preggo, she's re-releasing "Boyz" with a new (weak!) verse from Beyonce's man on her new EP Boyz - How Many Votes Fix Mix and she released a limited run clothing line in last few weeks alone.

But her new music that has been released or leaked of late has not been as engaging as anything on Kala or Arular. At first blush, Jay-Z's addition to "Boyz" seems unnecessary and uninteresting - just like his verses on Amy Winehouse's "Rehab [Remix]" and Rihanna's "Umbrella" but it is growing on me. The other tracks on the EP are not up to snuff, "Hit That" was a disappointment and I was beginning to think perhaps M.I.A. shouldn't have un-retired. But if you can dig up an MP3 of "Big Branch" it's totally worth it. It's a bonus track from the iTunes version (also on Japanese pressings, if I recall correctly) of Kala and it's filthy and rediculous and brassy.

But here comes a new collaboration with Blaqstarr, "S.U.S. (Save UR Soul)" It's got a great Baltimore club sound with a gospel vocal stamp. The chorus is based on Tom Waits' "Way Down In The Hole" and it almost sounds like Moby producing a hip-hop track. The video cost $9.95 to make, according to YouTube: three Quicktime screens play black and white close up footage of the performers on computer desktop. Cheap and dirty, but fits well with the sound. Kudos to M.I.A. for directing it!

Emmy The Great Can't Remember: "Mia or M.I.A.?"

Pop Candy is one of three blogs I could never live without. Whitney Matheson is whip-smart and indie-savvy. I may pretend to be an indie-hipster from time to time, but Whit really is hip to what the cool kids are listening to, and has a love for comics and mustaches. All around the coolest chick on the web.

So I was looking at her list of favorite bands from CMJ Music Marathon, a music festival in NYC. I was intrigued by this band called Emmy The Great, since I like female artists in indie rock, and they do a cover of The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" which I kinda like. So I headed over to Emmy The Great's MySpace to take a listen. You should do it too! Why?

Well, the jangly country-flavored retro-pop create a dreamy bed for Emmy's vocals. It's like a little more upbeat version of Bat For Lashes, if you know who that is. The first single, "We Almost Had A Baby" is really fun, it has a lo-fi girl-group sound that gels well with my taste in retropop with a bite. My favorite song, "MIA" is about a guy who is killed in a car crash, but not after he made a compilation which includes an artist I adore. "I always liked this singer, I remember how you were the one who told me that her name was either Mia, or M.I.A." You know I can't resist a reference to my Sri Lankan girlfriend! Songs a total downer, though.

Here's the video for "We Almost Had A Baby" - the vinyl single drops on November 10th. Don't know when digital outlets will get it, but other singles are available on iTunes.

"Swagger Like Us" - T.I. Samples M.I.A. With Help From Kanye, Weezy Baby and Hova

To think, it was about one year ago I hit Best buy before work so I could buy M.I.A.'s new album the day it dropped. I played it non-stop, turning all my friends onto the brilliant songs, especially "Paper Planes." That song was number two on my list last year, the album number one. But even I could never have predicted the kind of insane success she would have, thanks to the Pineapple Express trailer.

Apparently T.I. is among M.I.A.'s legion of fans, since he samples one line from the second verse ("No one on the corner has a swagger like us") for his new track "Swagger Like Us" and gets the three of the most skilled line-slingers in the game, Kanye West, Lil' Wayne and Jay-Z, to join him. A few primo lines spill out, like Jay's "Can't wear skinny jeans/cause my knots won't fit" or Kanye's "How's it feel to wake up and be the shit and the urine?" but I was really expecting more from The Best Rapper Alive, Lil' Wayne. But however hot (or not) the lines are, I'm just happy to seem someone else repping my girl Maya! T.I.'s Paper Trail drops Sept 30th.

Thank Pineapple! "Paper Planes" Lands on Hot 100

Maybe it's a slow news day, or maybe I'm just obsessed with M.I.A. to an unhealthy degree, but I was very excited to read this on Billboard's website: "M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" arrives at No. 55 after selling more than 42,000 downloads. The song is used in the trailer for the upcoming film "Pineapple Express." Its parent album, "Kala," returns to The Billboard 200 at No. 182 for the first time since May."

You may recall, "Paper Planes" was my number 2 song of last year, and Paper Planes (Homeland Security Remixes) - EP has been in heavy rotation on my iPod all this year, too. If you haven't yet, you really should check out the song, I've posted the video as well as the Pineapple Express trailer below. I'm not much for stoner comedies, but I may have to see it just for the very fact my Sri Lanken homegirl M.I.A. is in the trailer. I know, I have no life. But seriously, M.I.A. pwns you.

Five Songs On Shuffle, Vol. 13

This is the thirteenth installment of my weekly blog entry series "5 Songs On Shuffle." I’ll put my iTunes on shuffle and blog about the first five songs that play.

"Love Needs A Holiday" - Reba McEntire Reba #1's
One of the new tracks on Reba's double disc hits collection, "Love Needs A Holiday" tells of a couple who do what they can to keep love alive, like taking a vacation. I bought this CD for Rachel for Christmas a couple years ago. She loves Reba, even though she's a pretty hard core rock fan. But, really, how can you hate on a legendary redhead like her?

"High Of 75" - Relient K Mmhmm
This is an album track from the Canton, Ohio band's mainstream breakthrough, Mmhmm. Really catchy pop-punk, like most of this band's output. I love them!

"XR2" - M.I.A. Kala
I love the Baltimore club beat on this track, and the line "some people think we're stupid, but we're not" cracks me up. Not the best track from my favorite album of last year, but seriously cool anyway.

"B-A-B-Y" - Carla Thomas Something To Believe In
This soulful love song is from a CD I bought at a thrift store about six years ago, a compilation of African-American music with African art in the liner notes. The CD introduced me to the brilliant work of Nina Simone, and also includes great songs from Curtis Mayfield, Erma Franklin and Billie Holiday.

"Love Is A Battlefield" - Pat Benatar Greatest Hits
One of the best songs of the eighties, from one of the best rock vocalists ever. You can't hear this song without wanting to dance and sing into a hairbrush. That chorus! That vocal range! Those fierce shoulder shakes in the video! Clearly a classic.

Music News: M.I.A. To Wed, New J.Hud, Prince v. Radiohead

Music news outlets are reporting that brilliant Sri Lankan rapper/singer/designer M.I.A. is engaged to Benjamin Brewer of The Exit, and son of Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Brewer Jr. She previously had a long-term relationship with her producer/collaborator Diplo. My best wishes to Maya and Benjamin!

She's an Oscar-winner for Dreamgirls and co-stars in the new Sex And The City movie, so you may be forgiven for forgetting that Jennifer Hudson is a singer, too. The American Idol cast-off's debut CD drops this fall, the first single will be available to download on iTunes next week. The single, "Spotlight" is available for a listen here. It has an Alicia Keys vibe, but a little slicker. Very bouncy mid-tempo pop with an R&B edge, I think it should do well at Adult Contemporary and Adult Pop radio, I don't know if it will be the mainstream Top 40 radio hit our girl deserves. I've listened to it several times now, I really enjoy it.

You may recall I posted the video of Prince covering Radiohead's "Creep" at Coachella on Pictures & Conversations a few months ago. It was an amazing and sexy cover, not unlike his version of Foo Fighters' "Best of You" at the Super Bowl. Little did I know it would be yanked from YouTube following threatened legal action from the Purple One. Several media outlets have reported Radiohead were not pleased, they can't even see the footage themselves. Personally, I know that Prince has the right to take the videos down, but it is kind of a dick move, especially since the songwriters haven't objected. Nobody is making money off of the videos, and you would think he'd like to keep his profile as a master musician up, since his albums keep tanking. Rude!

M.I.A.'s Clothing Line

I'm not sure who would want to dress exactly like Sri lankan rapper M.I.A. I heart her hip-hip with a world beat and punk attitude, and her duds are always eyecatching, but they sometimes cross the line between crazy-hot and fugly. But she has her own label, per Women's Wear Daily. It'll be bomber jackets, tee-shirts and leggings, so hopefully you can pick up some shit like this soon:

If you're lacking fundage to acquire this fierce threads, take a cue from M.I.A.'s video for "Paper Planes" and just [bang bang bang] and take the money!