So the first order of business is to say something, anything about how amazing Lady GaGa was last night at Center Stage. After seeing her in an intimate setting at Bazaar, I was excited to see a full set, and ladies and gentlemen, she did not disappoint. She was amazing. I took a lot of pictures, and hopefully, some of them came out okay; I have NEVER seen Center Stage that crowded before. Since it was so great, I want to post more on the concert later, so stay tuned. Now, let’s get to the five glorious songs for this fine Friday, shall we?
Marmaduke Duke – Rubber Lover
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_410_marmadukeduke-rubberlover.mp3]
This is probably going to be the shortest song in the history (or future) of the Five Song Friday. This energetic track clocks in at just under 2 minutes, but the entire two minutes are a fun filled, dancey romp that is too great to ignore. You probably hear the sampling of Billy Joel’s Sleeping With The Television On, that makes the song somewhat familiar, and perhaps, even more lovable. They have been playing this song like CRAZY on BBC Radio One, and I have to admit that I crank the radio up and dance every time I hear it. This song is MASSIVE, which is funny because it is less than two minutes long! I can’t wait to see what else Marmaduke Duke has in store on their upcoming release, Duke Pandemonium.
V Factory – Love Struck
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_410_vfactory-lovestruck.mp3]
When I first heard this song, one question filled my brain, “could this possibly signal a triumphant return of the boy band?”. Well, of course, only time can tell, but V Factory have an undeniable resemblance to another boy band, 5ive, who were pretty massive in the UK in their hay day. Also interesting to me, is that V Factory shares not only a sound similarity to 5ive, but also that the V most likely stands for 5, and as such, the two are even further, and more inexplicably linked. I am curious to see what V Factory will follow this fantastic pop track up with, because if it anything like this, then we may have an answer to the aforementioned proposed question: hells yes!
Tina Parol – Who’s Got Your Money
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_410_tinaparol-whosgotyourmoney.mp3]
Remember the amazing Blu Cantrell and her ‘it’s over’ anthem, Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)? Well, I do, and this song instantly reminded me of that fabulous hip hop track; but not because they sound similar in any way. Tina Parol uses the same subject matter of Blu’s break-up track, but instead of a tell off fit for a hip-hop diva, Tina steers more towards the pop-rock/Avril Lavigne-angsty rock in her delivery. In doing so, she has made another ‘you screw me over, I’ll take your money’ kiss off track that is radio-ready music to my ears. There’s something about an angry girl, exacting revenge on a bad boyfriend by hitting him in the wallet, that makes a great subject for an empowering ‘it’s over’ song; whether it be a hip hop anthem with a blasting beat, or in this case, an angsty, and energetic rock-pop track.
Paula DeAnda – Roll The Credits
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_410_pauladeanda-rollthecredits.mp3]
Initially, this song really didn’t hit me as hard as it probably should have, because the beginning is a little weak. However, at about one minute in when the violins take you to the first crescendo, it really soars. Paula’s sweet vocals remind me a lot of fellow female artists like JoJo and Christina Milian, and with this song, Paula really shows that she belongs on the charts right there along with her pop peers. This is one of those songs that gets better with each listen, and I am really glad that I gave Paula another chance; she’s got a great little pop ballad on her hands with this one.
Bat For Lashes – Moon and Moon
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_410_batforlashes-moonandmoon.mp3]
Finally today, I wanted to bring you something a little bit more subdued than the other tracks featured today. I have been enjoying Bat For Lashes’ most recent release Two Suns (which was released on Tuesday) all week, and this is my favorite track from the CD. The ethereal nature of her voice and the beauty of the arrangement of this track really brings up memories of my favorite Feist songs, and as such, really makes me glad that I gave Bat For Lashes a listen. The rest of the album is quite diverse, at times going from what sounds to me like old Fleetwood Mac, and other times, going all of the way to the other side of the spectrum, invoking a bit of Bjork for some unexpected electronica (or folktronica, as I believe it is called). Overall, the entire album is a great listening experience. This is one of those “hey, you’ve heard of her right? Isn’t she amazing!?!” artists, and I am extremely glad to spread the word about how much I have been enjoying Bat For Lashes. NOTE: Yes, I have seen lots of reference to Kate Bush with regards to similarities; however, believe it or not, I have never listened to Kate Bush. I will try to remedy that, but I make no guarantees; I just wanted to acknowledge that I have heard their are similarities between the two.
So there’s your Friday five, folks! I hope you enjoyed these songs as much I have been enjoying them all week. As always, let me know what you are listening to, and as always, let me know what you think of my picks as well. Have a great weekend, and remember to check back for word about the Lady GaGa show I went to last night.
First up today is the amazing Angel Taylor, who I posted about a 
Now, I have heard of Bon Iver before, and I have seen the insane amount of hype surrounding this fella. I didn’t get it. I didn’t see it. However, I was watching Monday’s episode of Chuck, and this amazingly beautiful song was playing in the background as Sara took Chuck to find his father. This was that song. At first, I thought it was a really depressed Coldplay song, because Bon Iver sounds EXACTLY like Chris Martin with a dash of Mat Kearney, but I came to find out that it was actually Bon Iver, thanks to the amazing power of the internets. Thank GOD for websites that post this type of information, because I love this song, and I had to have it immediately. It is beautiful! I can definitely say that I have a greater understanding of some of that hype for Bon Iver now. I guess I can thank the producers/music coordinators (?) of Chuck for including it!
Today has turned out to be rather folky, hasn’t it?! Oh well, let’s continue down that road, because after all, I really do love the softer side of music. This song struck me instantly with it’s sweet country-alternative sound, smoky vocals, and toe tapping rhythm. I really liked what M. Ward did with Zooey DeSchanel in the group She & Him, and he doesn’t disappoint on his own either. This is a really beautiful song, and really sparked my interest in his recently released solo album, Hold Time. I love how distorted and weathered his voice sounds, and I especially enjoy the simplicity of the arrangement of the song. 
When Kelly finally released a very commercially viable single after years of trying to escape the depressed state that My December painted her into, I was all for it. I have been a big fan of Kelly’s from the beginning, and I knew that if anyone had it in them to burst back onto the pop scene, unscathed, it was her. Well, her recent release may have a few duds (3 in fact) that I would have preferred that she just left on the cutting room floor, the rest of the tracks are definitely strong, and all highlight the Kelly I fell in love with back with Breakaway. This track takes the energy of My Life Would Suck Without You, and revs the engine and slams down the pedal, sending you on a fast spin around the track. I absolutely love her vocals on this track, and can’t get the chorus out of my head, no matter how hard I try. Welcome back Kelly! (Note: I know that this song was written, at least in part, by Katy Perry, and while I can’t stand her, this song is just too pop perfect to ignore because of the stuff that she has done; plus, she didn’t sing it!). 
For me, Ciara really will never do better than One, Two Step. It isn’t her fault, because that track is literally hip hop-pop perfection. It is a song that, no matter how many times I hear it, it always gets me dancing. However, that love didn’t translate into following much else that she has done, but when I saw that she was coming out with a new CD, I will admit that I was curious to see if there was to be another One, Two Step-like track amongst the bunch. Well, this song, which is a duet with Justin Timberlake (and which is something that usually turns me off instantly), is definitely a dance floor filler, and while it may not have the staying power of One, Two Step, I am definitely enjoying it more and more with each listen. I will say, that after seeing the video, I want to know who in the hell choreographed it, and especially who the wardrobe person was. They should be fired on the spot! She wallows on the floor most of the time, all while clad in a very unflattering animal print unitard. It was not the video I would have expected for this song, and I really don’t think that it does anything flattering for either Ciara or the song. Oh well, I guess you can’t win ’em all. 
