Timbaland talks about his new album ‘Shock Value 2′ and gives Miley Cyrus a BIG compliment- saying she’s right up there next to Justin Timberlake?? [we don't know about that]

Check the interview below

Timbaland ist mittlerweile aus der Hip Hop- und R’n’B-Szene nicht mehr wegzudenken. Nach drei bombastischen Solo-Alben meldet er sich nach zweijähriger Pause mit dem „Timbaland presents Shock Value 2“ (Release: 27.11.) zurück. Okay, das ist erstmals nichts wirklich Neues – Timbaland macht das was er am besten kann…feinste Musik – aber dass er jetzt anscheinend auch noch zu den Twilight-Infizierten gehört, hätte man wohl nie gedacht!

Foto: sweet punk roses

Bei den American Music Awards vor ein paar Tagen hat Timbaland seine neue Single „Morning after dark“ mit Nelly Furtado und Soshy präsentiert. Gerüchten zufolge sollen die zwei Twilight-Stars Robert Pattinson und Kristen Stewart im Musikvideo zu diesem Song zu sehen sein. Mal sehen – hier könnt ihr erst mal den neuen Tunes von Timbaland lauschen:

Für das „Shock Value 2“-Album hat sich Timbaland wieder tatkräftige Unterstützung geholt – Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, The Fray, Chris Daughtry, Chad Kroeger (Nickelback), Brandy, Drake und Keri Hilson – sollen die Feature-Gäste der neuen LP sein. Der Multi-Platin-Produzent verrät in einem Interview: “I’m so fortunate and blessed to be able to create a Shock Value II. I’m really proud of the caliber of artists on this album and all the work they put into making it a success. I can promise that no one has ever heard Katy Perry, The Fray, or Brandy sound like this before. It’s exciting because not only am I giving fans the best of me on each track, I’m giving them a glimpse of their favorite artist in a completely different light. This is an album that can be listened to from start to finish every single time because each song is so unique and the range of artists so diverse. I can’t wait for my fans to hear the collaborations.”

© Universal Music Group

An den Nachfolger von „Shock Value” (2007) sind also große Erwartungen gebunden, die Timbaland mit Sicherheit erfüllen oder sogar übertreffen wird. Der Rapper und Produzent versteht es schließlich den Nerv der (Musik-)Zeit zu treffen!

De volta aqui pra falar um pouco mais sobre a premiação mais importante do mundo da música. Nessa 2ª parte vou falar um pouco dos diversos fields, dando mais destaque para os artistas do que para as categorias em si. O Grammy tem muitas categorias e fica meio impossível falar de cada uma sem ser chato e monótono, so here we go!

Começando com o field mais importante, pelo menos pra mim: Pop! Esse ano mais diversificado que nunca, pois ultimamente todo mundo submete seus trabalhos aqui, de Miley Cyrus à Kanye West. E nem tudo que é submetido é o que eu realmente acho que é pop, como por exemplo Amy Winehouse que ganhou 2 Grammys em 2007 nesse field. Come on! Ela é R&B! Esse ano parece estar sendo dominado pelas mulheres, eu vejo duas delas fazendo a dobradinha de Melhor Performance Vocal Pop Feminina e Melhor Álbum Vocal Pop, são elas Kelly Clarkson e Diane Birch com as faixas “Already Gone” e “Nothing But A Miracle” e os álbuns All I Ever Wanted e Bible Belt, respectivamente. Taylor Swift deve marcar presença aqui, visto que a moça submeteu o hit “You Belong With Me” aqui, fechando a categoria das performances eu vejo Miley Cyrus com “The Climb” e Beyoncé com “Halo”. E nos álbuns P!nk, Lily Allen e The Black Eyed Peas devem fechar a categoria. A categoria de Melhor Performance Pop de Grupo ou Duo deve ser a mais diversificada de todas, com a presença pra lá de confirmada dos Peas com o hit do ano “I Gotta Feeling”, um Dance/R&B e aí temos The All-American Rejects com “Gives You Hell”, The Fray com “Never Say Never” e 3OH!3 com “Don’t Trust Me”, os dois primeiros tem uma pegada mais rock e o último é uma mistura de Hip Hop com música eletrônica, e completando a categoria as The Pussycat Dolls com “I Hate This Part”.

Eu gosto de rock, mas não entendo nada e nem conheço tantos representantes do meio. Minhas previsões nesse field são na maioria chutes, mas tem umas indicações que são meio óbvias. Kings Of Leon vem forte com o “Use Somebody” e eu torço por uma vitória consecutiva deles na categoria de Mehor Performance Rock de Grupo ou Duo. Mas dominando as indicados do field eu vejo três nomes: U2, Green Day e Bruce Springsteen. Os três são indicados “obrigatórios” e sempre que fazem algo novo, marcam presença aqui. Marcando presença devem estar também Bob Dylan, Nickleback, The Killers e AC/DC.

Chegamos ao field mais dispustado do ano: o R&B. É muita gente boa com chance de indicação e acredito que essas serão uma surpresa. Quem vai dominar o field? Não é novidade para ninguém, a rainha dos palcos Beyoncé! Ela não vem pra brincadeira não, a moça se submeteu em todas as categorias possíveis e imagináveis. O máximo de indicações que ela pode conseguir aqui são 5 e eu aposto nas 5 indicações, são elas: Melhor Performance Vocal R&B Feminina por “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”, Melhor Performance Tradicional por “At Last”, Melhor Performance Urban/Alternativa por “Scared Of Lonely”, Melhor Canção R&B por “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” e Melhor Álbum de R&B Contemporâneo pelo I Am… Sasha Fierce. Quem deve fazer a festa aqui é a rainha Whitney Houston e o seu comeback, que deve lhe garantir 3 indicações. O comeback do Maxwell deve conseguí-lo o mesmo número de indicações que Whitney. Completando o field: Chrisette Michele, Keyshia Cole, India.Arie, Musiq Soulchild, Solange (sim, a irmã da Beyoncé), Jamie Foxx, Raphael Saadiq e muitos outros.

No field Country o nome a ser batido é Taylor Swift. Mesmo não tendo submetido seu hit, a moça vem com uma de suas melhores música: “White Horse”, podendo concorrer à Melhor Canção Country e Melhor Performance Vocal Country Feminina e o álbum mais vendido do ano nos EUA, Fearless. Quem vem forte na categoria é a queridinha do Grammy (pelo menos nas categorias Country) Carrie Underwood, a moça deve faturar mais um Grammy pela colaboração com Randy Travis em “I Told You So”, além de conseguir mais duas indicações com “Just A Dream”, uma de suas melhores músicas. Quem vem forte, ainda mais depois do CMA, é o Lady Antebellum com um dos melhores singles do ano “I Run To You”. Brad Paisley e Keith Urban vêm forte entre os homens, principalmente por causa do dueto “Start A Band” dos dois, que vai bater de frente com o dueto de Carrie e Randy. Entre os indicados também teremos: Martina McBride (torcendo por “I Just Call You Mine”), Reba McIntire, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band, Kenny Chesney e Rascal Flatts.

Por hoje é só, no próximo, e último, post sobre os Grammys eu pretendo falar sobre o que eu gostarie que tivesse indicado, descartando as listas de submissões. Até lá!

See you guys!

OneRepublic's 'Waking Up' released Nov. 17.

I wasn’t sure about OneRepublic when I heard the song ‘Apologize.’  Everyone was talking about it/singing it and the video reminded me of something The Fray would do.   But I’ll admit– Eventually, I couldn’t stop singing it either. 

It was just the other day that I heard ‘All The Right Places’ on the radio–and I knew who it was from the first couple of beats.  This time though, I wasn’t hesitant about it, this was a great song.  So, I picked up their new CD ‘Waking Up,’ and after a couple of listens I’m here to report that I am officially a fan.

I laughed at the first track, with acapella voices previewing the first few tracks–it seemed like a strange, but different opening track.  This CD then led into the song ‘All The Right Places,’ which is something that reminds me of the song Apologize, but with less of an R&B feel.  From there you’re listening to the second single of this album–the song ‘Secrets,’ which I love, and frankly, is one of my favorite songs of the year.  From there, ‘Everybody Loves Me’ takes on a different sound (awesome chorus, too) and is a song about having pride for what you’ve been given.  ’Missing Persons 1 & 2′ takes on a another completely different sound and has a certain sound of playfullness that the other songs seem to be lacking.

The song ‘Good Life’ is a typical upbeat song about dealing with what you’ve been given–and to stop complaining about it.  Back with an R&B rock sound, it’s catchy, and awesome at that.  It reminds me of something that would be in a movie preview or a romantic comedy about the time two people realize they’re made for each other.  The song ‘All The Time,’ follows, and for the first time on ‘Waking Up,’ OneRepublic slows things down.  Not only that, but it’s definitely a song that everyone can relate to–it’s about being in a completely different place in your life than someone you love/care about–but running back to them because it’s the only thing that’s familiar.  The songs ‘Fear’ and ‘Waking Up’ follow this and seem to open the same way, but also take on a slower beat that seems to get brought back up within the first minute mark.

‘Waking Up’ closes with the songs ‘Marchin’ On’ and ‘Lullably,’ and honestly, I’m disappointed by how it ended.  I feel like the opening songs to an album and the closing songs should be ones to remember, and I don’t want to remember them.  The song ‘Lullably’ really is something that I’d fall asleep to, or keep on as background music.  Once ‘Waking Up’ slowed down, it didn’t start back up and instead remained steady with filler songs and slow background music.

I think this CD has a good overall message and is something that’s been playing in a my car since the day I bought it. (Always a good sign.)  I wish it had more songs like ‘Secrets’ and ‘All The Right Moves.’  Alas, it’s one of the better CD’s I’ve bought this year. (Which also says something..)

Highlights: Secrets, All This Time, Everybody Loves Me, Good Life

Tracklisting:
1.) Made For You
2.) All The Right Moves
3.) Secrets
4.) Everybody Loves Me
5.) Missing Persons 1 & 2
6.) Good Life
7.) All This Time
8.) Fear
9.) Waking Up
10.) Marchin’ On
11.) Lullably

She Is…

Do not get me wrong I cannot wait for you to come home
For now you’re not here and I’m not there, it’s like we’re on our own
To figure it out, consider how to find a place to stand
Instead of walking away and instead of nowhere to land

This is gonna to break me clean in two
This is gonna to bring me close to you

She is everything I need that I never knew I wanted
She is everything I want that I never knew I needed
(2x)

It’s all up in the air and we stand still to see what comes down
I don’t know where it is, I don’t know when, but I want you around
When it falls into place with you and I, we go from if to when
Your side and mine are both behind it’s indication

This is gonna bring me clarity
This’ll take the heart right out of me

She is everything I need that I never knew I wanted
She is everything I want that I never knew I needed
(2x)

This is gonna bring me to my knees
I just wanna hold you close to me

She is everything I need that I never knew I wanted
She is everything I want that I never knew I needed
(2x)

She is everything I needed
She is everything

I like The Fray, have before I knew it was them…   didn’t know this song, the words, wow, just to be in that position of being surprised by someone…

I was reading the lyrics expecting a slow song, and as I pulled the youtube video I was surprised at how well the music though faster than I imagined, fit…  What a story, to be waiting, hoping for that next chance to be together, resigned to a temporary physical distance and have your heart, soul spread so thin…

As a music lover, romantic at heart this piece just hits me … one of those, yeah, i get it, kinda moments… I guess it just brings to light how far we may go, what we may be willing to endure when we find that one we would give anything for…

“This is gonna bring me clarity
This’ll take the heart right out of me”

Can you imagine feeling that pain…knowing the path is clearer, the light you lost is there and…you have your heart just in pain as you wait for the future to unfold… amazing writing…

Just wanted to share…

C

… med å prøve å få opp en blogg som ikke er skrevet av en 14 år gammel jente.
Jeg er egentlig alt for lite strukturert til å drive med det her, men men… vi får se. Som man etter hvert vil merke så er ikke dette noe jeg kommer til å bruke mye tid på, men jeg bruker mye tid på å finne morsomme ting ute i verden, enten det er musikk, film, nyheter, populærvitenskap eller bare en fun fact. Noe av dette kan det hende at folk der ute kan sette pris på å bli gjort oppmerksom på. Vel, da skal vi komme i gang,

Dagen i går gikk med på å skrive størstedelen av en oppgave som jeg egentlig skal sitte og jobbe med nå, men det falt litt i staver da jeg satte på mix tapen jeg lagde i de sene nattestimer i går. Den inneholder alle mulige slags former for poppunk, ska, norsk rock, balladerock og noe ren pop. Da jeg satt den på tenkte jeg at dette må jeg jo dele med noen, så det er en vag mulighet for at det kommer til å komme opp noen .m3u filer her, eller bare en låtliste i plain text, det får vi se på. I dag høres det altså på ting som: jack’s, fray, yellowcard, NFG, stone sour, cobra starship, cute is what we aim for, kids in glass houses, taking back sunday, foo fighters, stephen speaks, rise against, saosin, RJA, millencolin, less than jake, billy talent, green day, the academy is, breaking benjamin, AAR, plain white, +44, JEW, Cinematic og American Hi-Fi. Det som bare må høres i dag er nok dessverre en poplåt, da jeg av en eller annen rar grunn er inne i en litt pop’ete periode. Vel, låta heter without reason og er med The Fray, og jeg håper den faller i smak!
Den ble oppdaget i går, men da dette er første post og jeg ikke har hatt noen tid til å finne noen sang i dag får dere vel det jeg finner i dag i løpet av morgendagen.
Kvelden i dag skal gå med på å se Inglourious Basterds for andre gang. Første gang var på kino, men nå er vi jo så heldige at den har kommet på DVD… den perfekte julegave til alle gutter. Løp og kjøp f.eks. her
Oh, sorry, kommer ikke på DVD før 9/12 gitt, men det er fortsatt tid til å kjøpe den før jul!

(Da jeg så på preview’en følte jeg meg nødt til å unnskylde lengden av dette innlegget, og så kom jeg på at hvis noen lurer på hva de forkortede (nesten alle) bandnavnene betyr er det bare å be om et komplett navn)

Nå skal jeg tilbake til oppgaveskrivinga mi, mulig jeg kommer tilbake med en liten update om filmen og kanskje en låt til i løpet av kvelden… ’till then… God Jul!

Today’s pictures is from backstage at The Fray concert. A friend of mine who works for the concert board asked me if I was interested in photographing a meet and greet. Though I usually prefer shooting live music rather than candids backstage, I figured I’d give it a try. Overall the concert was solid; they can certainly back their music live, only downside of their expressive music is some of their tunes are too gloomy for a concert setting. I would definitely suggest seeing them in concert if you’re giving the chance.

After photographing the meet and greet, I asked them if they would each be willing to do individual shots. It’s quite rare that I take post pictures straight how they come out of my camera, but I wanted to go for the film feel of my favorite photographers, Ryan Russell. Well here’s my favorite photo from the shoot of Dave Welsh, the lead guitarist of The Fray:

(Let me know what you think of this song by leaving a comment.)

To your dismay, the couple you follow on your favorite TV drama has a nasty blowup over infidelity. In a dress by Vera Wang, the distraught woman sobs alone in her dark apartment with her back against the bedroom door. Her scorned lover races off in his 2010 Camaro. He shakes his head in disbelief about the betrayal and then suddenly punches the dash.

In my view, the song, “Ambulance,” by Eisley on the new EP, “Fire Kite,” was born for moments like this.

Listen to the song here

The track explores the kind of emotional hurt that only a romantic relationship can inflict – when your broken heart aches so badly you may need to call an ambulance.

(Eisley’s song, “Ambulance” – my vote for the next track featured on “Grey’s Anatomy”)

Here’s an excerpt of the lyrics, sung by the band’s keyboard player, Stacy Dupree:

“I need an ambulance, I took the worst of the blow
Send me a redeemer, let me know
If I’m gonna’ be alright, am I’m gonna’ be alright
Cause I know how it usually goes, I know how it usually goes

“I built a monument, for the love we used to know
But that is far removed, and you say
That I’m gonna’ be okay, and yeah I’m gonna’ be okay
But it doesn’t seem that way, no, love, not today

“Cause I was told to get out, told to leave
Told to have my things in the parking lot
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, baby, yeah
Just send me that ambulance, oh
Just send me that ambulance”

Intentionally or not, Eisley, a group from Tyler, Texas, made up of four sibling twenty-somethings and a cousin, has written a song that could fit nicely in the “Grey’s Anatomy” genre of music, an unlikely category that has emerged since the TV show debuted in 2005. Grey’s Anatomy has featured a who’s who of cool young artists, including KT Tunstall, Ingrid Michaelson, Anna Nalick, Brandi Carlile, Peter Bjorn and John, The Bird and the Bee and Feist.

In recent years, Eisley has toured with several well-known bands, including (you may have seen this coming) “Grey’s Anatomy” soundtrack alumni Coldplay, Snow Patrol, The Fray and Gomez.

To get a feel for the song, “Ambulance,” think of the emotional intensity of tunes like Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You,” along with the sweetness of Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories’ song, “Stay.”

So grab a box of napkins, a quart of ice cream and experience the song, “Ambulance,” by Eisley on the EP “Fire Kite” (Sire Records Company, released Oct. 9, 2009).

Eisley’s web sites include www.eisley.com and www.myspace.com/eisley. The group has a fan page on Facebook.

Sources: www.washingtonpost.com (Eisley: Rock and Relatives – These Four Siblings, Plus One Cousin, Are Truly at Home on the Road, April 18, 2008), www.purevolume.com/eisley, www.cbsnews.com (Grey’s Anatomy Music Revisited, May 17, 2007) and iTunes (Grey’s Anatomy search).

#  #  #

• Just say yes – SNOW PATROL
• The great escape - THE RIFLES
• Left & Right in the dark – JULIAN CASABLANCAS
• You and me - DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
  
• Younger than America – IDLEWILD
• The rain – SWELL SEASON
• You and I -WILCO
• Dominos – THE BIG PINK
• You found me – THE FRAY
• Sit down by the fire – THE VEILS

PLAY.

01. Intro (ft. DJ Felli Fell)

02. Carry Out (ft. Justin Timberlake)

03. Loosing Control (ft. JoJo)

04. Meet In The Middle (ft. Brand’Nu)

05. Say Something (ft. Drake)

06. Tomorrow In A Bottle (ft. Chad Kroeger (of Nickelback) & Sebastian)

07. We Belong To The Music (ft. Miley Cyrus)

08. The Morning After Dark (ft. Nelly Furtado & Soshy)

09. If We Meet Again (ft. Katy Perry)

10. Can You Feel It (ft. Sebastian)

11. Ease Off The Liquor

12. Undertow (ft. The Fray)

13. Timothy (ft. Jet)

14. Long Way Down (ft. Daughtry)

15. Marching On (ft. Onerepublic)

16. The One I Love (ft. Keri Hilson, Chris Brown, & D.O.E.)

Number Nine. The Fray – How To Save A Life (2005)

How on earth did this make the top ten? Well, I used to consider it one of my favorite albums ever, and it was a significant part of my early post-highschool days, so I suppose I can’t abandon it now. I discovered The Fray at the height of my radio days, before I started to get fed up with the decadence found therein. Indeed, the members of The Fray were apparently subtle Christians, and at least seemed to refrain from said decadence.

The heavy use of piano (but without Coldplay’s depressing and/or vague lyrics) was especially attractive to me, and I spent some time figuring out how to play along to some of the songs (although, looking back, not as much as you might have thought). I also appreciated some of the simple but poignant lyrical themes. Today I dug out an amusing “review” from my old personal myspace over three years ago:

The guys of The Frayare certainly not rockers, and there is a little repetitiveness in the soft, slow music. I don’t mind so much because I like the style and because there’s a lot of piano, and there’s enough variety for me. Most of the songs are not instantly catchy, but rather the type that grow on you after the third or fourth listen. While the style may be repetitive, they often use unconventional chord patterns and melodic rhythms. And there is one “rock” song (“Little House”).

There are songs about relationship struggles, of course (for example, the hit “Over My Head”), but this includes a creative angle. “All At Once” questions whether or not a girl is the one, or if he should wait for someone better, reminding that “perfection will not come.” “How to Save a Life” is apparently about trying to counsel someone out of a drug addiction, and “Fall Away” is about how the past will catch up with you if you don’t deal with it.

…If you likecatchy piano-led pop,How to Save a Lifeis the CD for you.

This is the album that got me through three years of singleness, as I applied the different lyrics of pursuit and questioning to whatever girl I happened to be shyly crushing on (See, on this song he’s pursuing her, and on the next song, he’s not sure, and then he goes away, and then he realizes he was “Dead Wrong”, and then…). The overplayed radio singles at the front of the disc hide some beautiful ballads that appear later. The simple encouragement of “Heaven Forbid,” the innocent pursuit of “Look After You”… it all still makes me smile. And nice-sounding doesn’t imply cookie-cutter; the stripped-down “Hundred” has a 55-second piano intro, for goodness’ sake!

I actually thought Coldplay’s last CD was far more brilliant than The Fray’s follow-up album that came out earlier this year, but How To Save A Life still represents the peak of my era of listening to mainstream radio. And every now and then, when my forays into hardcore or indie dissipate into experimental nothingness, I return to this album for a nice, refreshing dose of fluid piano pop.

Random Top Ten: Radio Songs I Purchased From iTunes Because I Liked Them At The Time But Now I Pretty Much Never Ever Listen To Them
10. Saosin – You’re Not Alone
9. Bon Jovi – Who Says You Can’t Go Home?
8. Staind – Right Here
7. Seether – Broken
6. Rascal Flatts – Bless The Broken Road
5. Breaking Benjamin – Diary Of Jane
4. Yellowcard – Only One
3. 3 Doors Down – Here Without You
2. Evanescence – Bring Me To Life
1. Daniel Powter – Bad Day

In some of my darker moments of the last year, I’ve blasted this song on endless repeat, singing along with every fibre of my being until my voice grows hoarse and my eyes red with exhaustion.  I unequivocally feel that The Fray are one of the best pop-rock bands to emerge in a very long time, if only for the emotion they pour into each track, the delicate poetry and artistry lingering in my feverish brain.

On a crisp fall day, lost on the subway amongst the dirt and din, I edge the volume higher on my iPod, and let the words wash over me:  “In the end, everyone ends up alone…”  It reminds me of Donnie Darko, and how he’s told by Roberta Sparrow that every living creature in the world dies alone.  No matter how surrounded we are, somehow, life is something we live on our own.  We have no control over that.  But we can work to control how we handle that knowledge.  W can embrace that duality of being with loved ones, yet solitary, or we can fret and disintegrate into darkness.

I’m still deciding.

Day Fifty-Six:  You Found Me – The Fray

My oldest daughter, Allana, loves the Harry Potter series and even dressed as Hermoine for her school literacy parade.  At her request, we celebrated her birthday yesterday in true Hogwarts fashion, but I’ll post more on that later.

To feed honor my daughter’s obsession birthday, I found a Harry Potter music video featuring The Fray’s How to Save a Life with some clips of the Harry Potter movies.  The song has been featured on many shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and Cold Case, but this muggle thinks it works well for wizards too.