:: arjanwrites music blog ::

Video: Robyn Talks About New Single

Watch this exclusive ArjanWrites.com video drop from Robyn in which the Swedish singer talks about her new single "Dream On." Isn't she sooo cute? She explains that "Dream On" is about the feeling of "not fitting in," a feeling that we all have times, so this is a song "for everyone," she says. She also talks about working with Christian Falke, making her first album in NYC and being on tour with Madonna in Europe.

Free Download: Charli XCX "Art Bitch"

Check out a free download of "Art Bitch," the new single of British newcomer Charli XCX. The singer has been labeled "a pubescent MIA" (The Guardian) and an "amazing teen rave paean" (Metro), and I just like to call her pretty special.

Supported by a subtle, tight electro beat, the singer casually goes through her lyrics just as Lily Allen and Kate Nash would. "You're a art bitch and I like it (. . .) I admire your individuality. MySpace, Photoshop, making captions that captivate me," she confides. She just has that happy-go-lucky nonchalance about her delivery that is intriguing. I'm curious if this single will catch on. It definitely has the potential. The single includes remixes from Lillica Libertine, Mr Black and Papa Vito.

Download Charli XCX "Art Bitch"

The Tuesday Crunch: Cyndi Lauper, Kanye West, Frankmusik, Beyonce, The Revelations, Digitalism

Who would have thought? Cyndi Lauper and indie rockers The Hives will be releasing a Christmas duet.

Download a new track from The Revelations featuring Tre Williams, titled "He's A Hustler." It is an upbeat funk/soul/blues anthem with "a precise accompaniment of energetic horns and full backing vocals."

Kanye "leaks" new mixtape on imeem that includes some older and new songs.

Did you know that Kanye is on Twitter and actually uses it on occasion?

The Real spoofs finds humor in Kanye. Check out their Evolution 101.

Download a brand-new Digitalism track. It's called "Taken Away." Get it totally guilt-free here.

Frankmusik releases a remix competition. Get all the stems here. Now the challenge for all you remixers out there is to make "3 Little Words" sound even better.

I really like how Beyonce keeps suprising us. Check out her live gig for AOL Sessions.

Guest Review: Christina Aguilera "Keeps Getting Better"

Pop singer extraordinare Will W is contributing to ArjanWrites.com this week while I'm away on vacay. Will reviewed Christina Aquilera's brand-new album that is available now. Check out what clever things he had to say about this new disc:

Goodness.  Has it already been ten years since Christina Aguilera came onto the music scene?   Apparently so, as "Keeps Gettin' Better (A Decade of Hits)" would suggest.  Aguilera and Co. arguably are picking the poinsettias prematurely for the impending holiday album sales rush, as one might think it a little too soon to reflect on such a short, albeit lucrative career.

"Keeps Gettin' Better" neatly presents Aguilera's rise as one of her generation's finest vocalists in a 16-track chronology documenting her struggle to break free of the manufactured popstar mold to an artist who is now insistent in having control over who she collaborates with.

Essentials like "Genie in a Bottle", "Dirrty" and a Grammy-winning three-peat of "Lady Marmalade", "Beautiful" and "Ain't No Other Man" highlight the disc.  True "Xtina" connoisseurs who own her three English studio album discography might glance over this compilation's tracklisting and find little incentive to purchase it. 

What isn't clarified however, is that the disc actually includes radio mixes of early hits "What a Girl Wants", "Come On Over Baby" and "I Turn To You" which are not present on the initial pressing of Aguilera's eponymously-titled debut album "Christina Aguilera."

Continue reading "Guest Review: Christina Aguilera "Keeps Getting Better""

They're Back! Listen to New Lo-Fi-Fnk

Swedish synth hipsters Lo-Fi-Fnk are back! I had a major crush on these two back in 2006 when I first heard  their sweet and crunchy pop tunes. Their coming out anthem "Steppin' Out" was one of my favorite songs of the year. (And do you remember Artymove turning that song into a gorgeous pop ballad?)

Check out their brand-new track "Want U" that is taken from the new Kitsune Maison 6 compilation. This new song doesn't mean more new material is on its way soon. "Releasing 'Want U' is just thought of as a hello to all fans and doesn't mean that we are gonna drop an album in a near future which some people have thought," the group writes on their MySpace blog. "This is not an excuse for the song, it's a special one for us and it's not impossible it will end up on the album as well."

The duo adds that the jolting, synth-driven nu-disco sound of "Want U" is not indicative of their future sound. "Don't think that 'this is how the new album is gonna sound.' This song is more like a bit of the old and a bit of the new. Regarding the album, we have a title for it, we are halfway in." Hurry up, guys!

Listen to "Want U" by Lo-Fi-Fnk:

Vamos ala Playa!

Thought I'd let you know that I'm taking some time off this week for some R&R in Mexico. I will continue to blog, but updates might come at odd times and a little less frequent. If something hot pops up, make sure to share it on the message board on the right side of the blog. Hasta Luego!

Does This Get You In The Holiday Spirit?

I can't believe I'm seeing Christmas trees out for sale already. It is not even that close to Thanksgiving yet! But seeing the always amazing Janelle Monae singing mixed up Christmas classics is getting me in the mood for the winter holidays without a doubt. Check out two new GAP commercials starring Janelle Monae. The first one features funny man Rainn Wilson  (see it here) and the second one with Jon Heder. The comics are just silly to me. It's all about Monae, really.