Here we got Mark Foster (Foster The People), A-Trak (DJ/producer who has remixed for the likes of Robyn) and Kimbra (Kiwi songbird best known for thatGotye smash) teaming up to write and produce a track exclusively for Journeys/Converse‘s latest “Three Artists. One Song” campaign.
It would’ve been so easy for them to have just gone into the studio and covered a song like so many artists have done for top-dollar commercials.
These three could’ve come out with some predictable indie remake of ‘We Will Rock You’, and it still would’ve sounded adequate. But the point with ‘Warrior’ is to have a completely unique and fresh collaboration that falls in line with Converse‘s youthful, creative and hip appeal.
There’s a small debt to 80s dance pop here, albeit reappropriated for today’s hipster chic ears. The buzzing fluorescent synths, the crisp drum beats, and stylish reverb on the vocals is thoroughly indicative of the kind of indie electro hybrid that’s in fashion these days.
You can also pick up Kimbra‘s artistic contribution to the project here. Apart from obviously taking lead vocals, there’s also her signature, overlapping layer of harmonies that’s present in the breakdown.
Simply put, ‘Warrior’ is arguably the best song ever created for a commercial since Mary J. Blige‘s career-defining ‘What’s In The Chicken Wrap?’ smash for Burger King.
“There shouldn’t be much to report on this week’s Chart Feed because Beyoncé had her baby and nothing else would be on the news, right?” Sometimes I feel like my little brother is the only one who gets the way the world should be run.
On this week’s Chart Feed, the festive season’s definitely been canned now with Michael Bublé‘s career-defining Christmas album freefalling out of the Top 20 everywhere. We all knew it would come to this. Meanwhile, Empress Adele returns to top the US and UK album charts and comes closer to breaking more records, Kelly Clarkson discounts her way back up the charts, and I have a fit over the new Will Young, The Saturdays and Rebecca Ferguson single choices.
Happy new year, y’all. I don’t know who approved my time off last Monday but I’m sorry for leaving y’all without a Christmas week chart feed.
I am back on the grind tonight because I know we need to start this year right. It’s such a traditionally quiet time of the year for music sales, technically all your underachieving faves should be making the Top 10 with no effort at all. But of course, there aren’t ever any surprises when you’re expecting it.
This week’s chart highlights include Michael Buble‘s record-breaking Christmas sales that has cancelled everything he’s put out before this year, Sia‘s third consecutive Aussie Top 30 appearance in five months, Havana Brown‘s American crossover, and shit loads more.
Prepare yourself for an experimental and marvelously edgy reimagination of Born This Way as most of our favourite album tracks score a remix treatment in this here compilation.
Born This Way – The Remix is the monster pop superstar’s second remix collection and once again, Gaga projects herself ahead of the curve by enlisting underground and upcoming DJs/producers for the project.
2010’s The Remix – which canvassed hits from both The Fame and The Fame Monster – has become one of the best selling remix albums in the world, reportedly clocking over 500,000 sales to date. Part of the reason why it really worked, even at that early stage of her pop career, is because Gaga‘s not just a one-dimensional dance music artist. She and her songs have the ability to render themselves against everything from experimental electronica through to commercial fluorescent house with a fluidity not many performers can claim.
Basically, her remixes – just like every other aspect of her performance art – never appears like an afterthought or extended plug-in that’s largely removed from her overall vision. The choice of collaborators and producers enlisted have yet to disappoint and with Born This Way – The Remix, there’s gonna be a bit more boundary pushing.
The roll call flaunts collaborators from the indie rock sphere like Foster The People and Two Door Cinema Club, and there are the consistent merchants of quality electronica as well – eg. Royksopp, Goldfrapp and Hurts. This should be a well decent light and shade experience.
Check out the tracklisting for Born This Way – The Remix via Gaga Daily.
1 – Born This Way (Twin Shadows Remix)
2 – Judas (Hurts Remix)
3 – The Edge of Glory (Foster the People Remix)
4 – Yoü And I (Wild Beasts Remix)
5 – Marry the Night (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix)
6 – Americano (Gregori Klosman Remix)
7 – Bloody Mary (The Horrors Remix)
8 – Scheiße (Guena LG Remix)
9 – Heavy Metal Lover (The Weeknd Remix)
10 – Electric Chapel (Two Door Cinema Club Remix)
11 – Black Jesus (Michael Woods Remix)
12 – Judas (Goldfrapp Remix)
13 – Yoü And I (Metronomy Remix)
14 – Judas (Royksopp’s European Imbecile Mix)
I don’t know about y’all but I am probably most excited to hear the ‘Heavy Metal Lover’, ‘Bloody Mary’ and ‘Americano’ remixes.
Footnotes:
Lady Gaga will release both Born This Way – The Remix and The Monster Ball Tour DVD on 25 November in Australia.
Rihanna becomes the clear biggest new entry on the world charts this week with ‘We Found Love’ (featuring Calvin Harris) entering Top 10 in the following places: Australia (#3), Canada (#10), New Zealand (#14) and US Billboard Hot 100 (#16). Over in the US, ‘We Found Love’ managed to sell 117,000 first week copies and even before its official radio release, the song has already made its mark at #75 on the airplay charts. The Barbadian beauty’s sixth studio album, which was originally slated for an early 2012 release, is now due 21 November.
Kelly Clarkson‘s ‘Mr Know It All’ climbs to #12 on our ARIA singles chart after her quick promo stopover last week which include performances on X Factor Australia [Editor’s note: she was so charming and sweet y’all] and the NRL Grand Final. The song is currently reigning at #1 on our Aussie iTunes chart so expect for it easily go Top 10 on the ARIAs by week end. Meanwhile over in the US, ‘Mr Know It All’ falls to #38 on the Billboard Hot 100. Radio support ain’t crash hot for it right now. The song isn’t even in the nation’s Top 30 airplay.
Watch Kelly Clarkson performing ‘Mr Know It All’ on X Factor Australia:
LMFAO‘s ‘Sexy and I Know It’ cracks a new peak of #13 on our Aussie singles chart this week, largely due to their X Factor Australia appearance once again, just like Ms Kelly. I have to say, their energetic show stopping performance of their #1 smash ‘Party Rock Anthem’ really did lift the atmosphere. The song, which is perched at #15 this week, is officially the longest staying single in our ARIA Top 50 right now. We’re talking 31 weeks and counting, racking up a “monstrous” eight times platinum sales certification (which equates to approximately 560,000 copies). The duo’s also double dipping in the US right now with two of the aforementioned hits simultaneously inhabiting the Top 10.
Sneaky Sound System‘s flawless ‘Big’ cracks the ARIA Top 100 at #78 this week. Look, I don’t understand why the underwhelming chart entry. Weren’t they also on X Factor like the two aforementioned international acts? I guess what’s standing between ‘Big’ and commercial success that lives up to its namesake is actually decent radio rotation. The new Kelly Clarkson and LMFAO singles will have no issues getting added across the nation but for some reason a SSS dance ballad’s missing out. The Aussie dance pop duo’s last release ‘We Love’ scraped in at #29 at best.
Watch Sneaky Sound System blow up ‘Big’ on X Factor Australia last Wednesday:
Foster The People‘s corker of a single ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ rises to #19 in Australia this week, making this a belated smash for the American indie rockers. The song first dropped in the States in September last year and look at it now, ascending to #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Fun fact: ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ was the first US Billboard Alternative Songs #1 hit to actually crossover to the mainstream Billboard Hot 100 Top 5 since Kings of Leon‘s ‘Use Somebody’ in 2009. Golf claps. You know this automatically translates to daft talent show covers now, right?
Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull‘s new collabo ‘I Like How It Feels’ crashes in at #47 this week on our ARIA charts. In terms of hit singles, the Euphoria era is actually the best Enrique’s ever performed here in Australia. Yes, even bettering that of his smash Escape album. Every song released here circa Euphoria has so far managed Top 50, see: ‘I Like It’ (#2), ‘Heartbeat’ (#5), ‘Tonight (I’m Loving You)’ (#2) and ‘Dirty Dancer’ (#24). I have no doubt that ‘I Like How It Feels’ will also reach Top 30 status in no time. The “Reloaded” repackage edition of Euphoria will arrive on Aussie store fronts on 11 November – featuring three new recordings including ‘Mouth 2 Mouth’ with Jennifer Lopez (a track that was co-written by UK X Factor’s Diana Vickers of all people).
Sophie Ellis-Bextor finally releases her stunning Make A Scene album in Australia last Friday and after a weekend of only playing two 40-minute sets in Melbourne and Sydney, the best I’ve clocked the album charting was #94 on iTunes (it’s currently at #136).
It was an absolute dream come true to finally see her live. Y’guys know that she’s one of my all time fave pop singers, right? Sure it’s not everything she could’ve given after nine long years away – and she knows it. But the “greatest hits” set featuring classics like ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’, ‘Groovejet’ and ‘Get Over You’ was a well worthwhile joy ride and Sophie utterly radiates warmth, joy and stage presence throughout her time on stage. You can tell she was just living to be there for her fans.
Check out this short recording I took of her Melbourne gig at GH Hotel last Saturday. This is ‘Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer’:
This has to be some kind of record for our ARIA charts so far this year. This week Australia saw nine new entries in its Top 30 albums chart but alas, none have been able to topple the almighty Adele who spends her 20th week at #1 with 21. The album is now equal eighth longest-running chart topper in ARIA history, sharing the record with Shania Twain‘s epic Come On Over.
In case you were wondering, the albums to have spent longer #1 in Australia include: The Sound of Music soundtrack (76 weeks), Dire Straits‘ Brothers in Arms (34 weeks), The Beatles‘ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (30 weeks), Neil Diamond‘s Hot August Night (29 weeks), Delta Goodrem‘s Innocent Eyes (29 weeks), The Original Broadway cast’s Hair soundtrack (28 weeks) and John Farnham‘s Whispering Jack (25 weeks).
The aforementioned nine new releases to crack our Top 30 this week include: Blink 182‘s Neighborhoods (#2), Tony Bennett‘s Duets II (#3), Kasabian‘s Velociraptor (#8), Machine Head‘s Unto the Locust (#10), Jason DeRulo‘s Future History (#11), Alice Cooper‘s Welcome To My Nightmare (#16), Mastodon‘s The Hunter (#18), Demi Lovato‘s Unbroken (#20), Kasey Chambers‘ Storybook (#21) and Wilco‘s The Whole Love (#23).
Watch the video for Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga‘s ‘Lady Is A Tramp’, taken from his new Duets II album:
Tony Bennett must be doing something right to score his first ever US #1 album this week after making music for six decades! His brand new Duets II compilation – which features some young gun collabos like Lady Gaga, Michael Buble, Carrie Underwood, John Mayer and the late Amy Winehouse – managed to sell 179,000 first week copies to debut on top. Tony is now the oldest living artist to have an album debut at #1 on the US charts. Amazing.
Demi Lovato‘s third album Unbroken cracks the US Billboard charts at #4, making it the second biggest new album there this week. Tony might have the overall #1 but as far as digital sales are concerned, Demi reigns on top. Unbroken is also incidentally the former Disney pop princess’ best-charting album here, bettering the #40 peak of its predecessor Here We Go Again. This is a dawn of a new era for the girl. The project’s lead single ‘Skyscraper’ is already her biggest US hit since her debut ‘This Is Me’ and on the flip side, it also became her biggest smash in Australia – peaking at #45.
Havana Brown‘s ‘Get It’ cracks the ARIA club charts at #38 this week while over on the ARIA Top 100, the single sinks to #63 in its third week. Oh dear. Isn’t it baffling that we only have three Aussie artists represented in our ARIA Top 50? Perhaps Aussie artists are better at selling albums than singles? While we’re doing an Aussie pop head count, where’s Stan Walker‘s new one ‘Light It Up’, Darren Hayes‘ ‘Bloodstained Heart’ and Vanessa Amorosi‘s ‘Amazing’? The latter should have at least cracked the Top 100 by now but maybe we need to wait for sales to snowball after the Van Am‘s AFL grand final warble.
Natalie Bassingthwaighte‘s ‘All We Have’ has arrived on our local iTunes store front and right now it’s sitting at #170. The digital bundle comes with two kick arse remixes – including the Khalid one that her label previewed early last month. Looks like the diva’s running in the same circles as Havana Brown these days – sharing the same producer More Mega and video directorial team Silo. The ‘All We Have’ video will be uploaded sometime this week on YouTube. Y’all can expect for her to perform the song for the first time on X Factor tomorrow night.
Nicola Roberts‘ amazing debut solo album Cinderella’s Eyes enters at #17 on the UK charts this week while the current single ‘Lucky Day’ disappears from the Top 100 altogether. Look, it’s pretty respectable if you ask me given the singles’ chart performance. Still better than Insatiable is not usually a consolation but it’ll have to do in this context.
Elsewhere, Will Young‘s ‘Jealousy’ leaves the UK Top 10, The Saturdays‘ ‘All Fired Up’ exits the Top 20 while Leona Lewis‘ underperforming ‘Collide’ drops out of the Top 30. The former two have singles raring to go next month but what’s the sitch with Leona? Will we simply not hear anything until the new year? Her Glassheart album, which was originally slated for a November release, will now arrive on 26 March.
Rebecca Ferguson‘s much-anticipated debut single has appeared on the UK release schedule. ‘Nothing’s Real But Love’ is slated for a 5 December release (the same day as the album drop) and someone on the Popjustice forums have tentatively described the song as more Corinne Bailey Rae than Adele. Holy shit. I’m about to lose my mind.
Let’s reminisce a little on old Becky covering Corinne Bailey Rae‘s ‘Like A Star’ on UK X Factor last year. So on point!
Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera‘s ‘Moves Like Jagger’ spends its fourth week at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 – already the longest staying #1 the band’s ever had. Having said that, I reckon Adele‘s ‘Someone Like You’ might rise from #2 to claim the top spot next week. ‘Someone Like You’ has picked up significant radio airplay in the States in the last week and its digital sales is not too far from what M5 is doing right now. ‘Moves Like Jagger’ sold 233,000 digital copies while ‘Someone Like You’ did 201,000. Speaking of impacts on the digital sphere, Jason Mraz‘s new single ‘The World As I See It’ debuts at #149 on the US Billboard Digital Tracks chart. Glad to have him back.
Beyoncé‘s ‘Party’ (featuring André 3000) cracks the US Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Top 20 while its predecessor ‘Best Thing I Never Had’ tumbles to #8 there. Speaking of tumbles, Kelendria Trene Rowland‘s ‘Motivation’ finally leaves the said Top 10 while its successor ‘Lay It On Me’ is taking its time, only inching up one spot to #46. Elsewhere on the urban scene, Mary J. Blige‘s new single ’25/8’ bullets to #53.
Luciana‘s ‘I’m Still Hot’ makes #1 on the US Billboard Dance/Club play charts. We can all thank Betty White for that, right? Other big gainers there include Lady Gaga‘s ‘You and I’ (reaching a new peak of #8), Jennifer Lopez‘s ‘Papi’ (#10) and Gloria Estefan‘s ‘Wepa’ – which by the way is one of my favourite jams right now. Her new Latin-dance album Miss Little Havana is good fun, y’guys. You need to check out the slightly ‘We No Speak Americano’ album highlight ‘Hotel Nacional’.
Watch Gloria Estefan‘s ‘Wepa’ music video. Glam ma’s mane is serving some volume and body, y’all.
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