Hello summer

RECENTLY ADDED (2)

Katy Perry f. Snoop Dogg 'California Gurls' (video)
I've recently realized how Armani Exchange and Guess stores are often situated near each other in retail spaces, their proximity revealed by the identical and cliched "Sex on a beach/We don't mind sand in our stilettos" ad spreads plastered across their window displays.

Sara Bareilles 'King Of Anything' (video)
I don't think there can be enough of Sara Bareilles. Muse to some incredible choreography I've experienced recently - Magnus' Winter Song and Steph's Gravity - her new single is probably too jaunty to reach the same heights of the sublime, but it is joy still.

Estelle f. Nas 'Fall In Love' (video)
In a move as irritating as running out of a videoed choreography, recording artists like to rechristen flop releases as buzz singles, in an attempt to preserve an already less-than-stellar track record. A flop is a flop. A flop buzz single (Freak) is no more dignified than a flop official single (Fall In Love).

Robyn 'Fembot'
Robyn, on the other hand, operates aboveboard, offers three promo singles and one official single. A single is a single, though, and Fembot, bright and hooks aplenty, is the best of the lot.

Kris Allen 'The Truth' (video)
If record companies often seem desperate in tacking a featured artist onto a single for the sheer sake of clout (in Estelle's case, they couldn't even decide which, and released two versions, the second with John Legend), the ludicrous inclusion of Pat Monahan of Train to butcher the middle eight in Kris Allen's The Truth takes the cake, a version I refuse to acknowledge. Here is my splice of the radio and album versions. I was going to use this song for the jazz class Chun asked me to replace but lately realized I cannot make it.

Pixie Lott 'Turn It Up' (video)
I haven't been a fan of Pixie Lott's songs thus far, but this pocketful of Natasha Bedingfield is highly agreeable.

Kylie Minogue 'All The Lovers' (video)
There's something un-sexy about a Christmas tree-shaped orgy... It's a great song, though - hope she gets another UK number one. It's about time!

Katharine McPhee and Zachary Levi 'Terrified' (video)
This is apparently another promotional single, but thankfully money came from somewhere to make a pretty video for it. Who is Zachary Levi? He is Chuck!

Fyfe Dangerfield 'She's Always A Woman' (video)
It was incredibly refreshing to hear this song in the piles and piles of disheartening dross that is this year's music, a good tune, thoughtful lyrics and a heartfelt vocal so hard to come by today. To my sad surprise I find out that it is in fact not entirely modern, but a cover of Billy Joel (sad piano man who gave my favourite sad piano song And So It Goes). Fyfe is the frontman of English band Guillemots, who make pretty good music themselves. This cover was popularized on a John Lewis commercial (video), which tellingly leaves the choruses out.

M.I.A. 'Born Free' (video)
Firstly, a warning that the video contains violence of the simulated slow-motion splattery sort. Another non-official single (I don't quite like any M.I.A. track whose title starts with X), Born Free is accomplished beautiful noise, which to me is essentially what rock should be. The nine-minute video, like the song, is all atmosphere, palpitation, urgency, and claustrophobia, although I probably wouldn't watch it again anytime soon.