To be totally honest, I wasn't aware of this song until the Glee Cast covered it in a mash-up with Michael Jackson's "Thriller". Now it's become a global sensation and definitely a song to feature on all Halloween playlists. It totally deserves to be a part of my Halloween Special. This haunting song didn't do so well on the charts, but it is still an iconic haunting track. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs perform "Heads Will Roll" in front of a small audience, as a dancing werewolf finds its way on to the stage who later rips into everyone, rolling heads everywhere.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a three-piece American indie band consisting of Karen Orzolek, Nick Zinner and Brian Chase. They have had moderate success in the UK, both single wise and album wise. They are currently on a hiatus. This is probably their most known song, regardless of it only reaching number 89 on the UK Chart, it managed to place on other charts around the world too. Although, their highest charting single was in 2003 with "Date With The Night". This song was written by Brian Chase, Karen Orzolek and Nick Zinner.
Directed by Richard Ayoade, the music video uses comedic horror which allows for a humorous scary music video.
I love that they have used red glitter and confetti as blood, and the conclusion of Karen O continually singing whilst being decapitated is epically original.
The story is easy enough to follow, and what seems to be a performance piece easily turns into a narrative which is such a simplistic engaging move.
We watch the band perform, they're energetic and enthralling, but then a dancer appears. He struts towards the stage when we realise he's actually a werewolf. It isn't long until he becomes blood hungry and chases the audience, ripping them apart as red confetti pours out of the bodies. The ending sees the band murdered in red glitter, but Karen O continues singing.
How can anyone not love this music video? It's pure genius, even if it is a little too simplistic for my liking. More development of the story is needed, as well as making it a little more relatable to the music video. Apart from those slight things, it works magically.
A bit of cheese on my blog, once again, but this is one of my all-time classic Halloween songs. I used to listen to this song all the time, and it always reminds me of Halloween. I actually remember the music video being on the music channels, at the time, which really goes to show how much of an impact it really was. Coinciding with the Scooby-Doo theatrical release, allSTARS*'s van breaks down and they are lost in the woods. "Things That Go Bump In The Dark" are best left alone.
allSTARS* were a five-piece pop group consisting of Sam Bloom, Thaila Zucchi, Ashley Taylor Dawson, Rebecca Hunter, and Sandi Lee Hughes. The name came from their first initials of their names, grouped together to make "STARS". They had four top 20 singles and one album, which failed to hit the UK's top 40 albums chart. Their low-charting positions ended up with the band parting ways with the label and subsequently each other. They were mostly known for their TV show on CITV called "STARStreet*". Rumour has it that a reunion is happening, although it's only rumours. Since the band; Ashley Taylor Dawson returned to play his character Darren Osbourne in Hollyoaks. Thaila Zucchi has had an all-right career in TV. Rebecca Hunter and Sandi Lee Hughes have had TV stints and children. Sam Bloom is a co-founder of 'Inspiring Interns'. The song is actually quite known, and is a must, on most Halloween playlists, although not many people actually know that it's sung by allSTARS*, especially with the original not being on iTunes.
The song appeared on the Scooby-Doo theatrical film soundtrack. The music video doesn't have any clips from the movie, although does feature a camper-van which is suggestive of the Mystery Machine.
The group members all disappear and get lost in the woods. That is the basic storyline and it isn't quite developed the way we want it.
Throughout the cheesy dance steps and the extremely bad lighting, it's intricate. Feeling quite similar to Hear'Say, allSTARS* rock the scary vibes thanks to the haunting visual. However, the choreography isn't anything we'd want to see again.
It's quite shocking that this group was aimed at kids and yet pelvic thrusts are throughout the video suggesting the song is quite sexual. There are certainly other "Things That Go Bump In The Night". Too suggestive for my liking in a cheesy pop video and group.
The video fails to wrap up the storyline. What happened to them? Regardless, the video is quite freaky and definitely a little scary. Perfect for Halloween!
This is for sure one of Ashlee Simpson's most underrated songs, most people don't even know about it. It's definitely one of my favourite Halloween songs, probably next to the other Halloween songs I choose for my Halloween Special! This is freakishly good, the song is so personal and although may come off a bit bland on first listen, it becomes an emotional party banger, on second listen, that will be perfect for all those spooky playlists out there! Trust me, this song is fire for any Halloween themed party. Raw and emotional, the song and the video work well together, Ashlee Simpson is in pain because of a guy who has a "Bat For a Heart".
Ashlee Simpson is probably best known as the sister of Jessica Simpson, yet she has established a career for herself both in the music industry and in the acting world. She has more a rock-edge to her tone, that definitely fuelled her chart success in the 00's. She is apparently working on a new album with her husband. Since this single was released back in 2012, I doubt it will be included in the said album. This single was apparently written by Linda Perry & Ashlee Simpson.
The music video is incredibly basic from start to finish. A consistent theme throughout as Ashlee Simpson pours her emotions out in a chaotic way.
Filmed totally in black and white, which definitely gives this an eerie feel, the video is quite quirky, to say the least. Ashlee Simpson has unlocked some sort of possessive beast from within, possibly a bat-transforming vampire.
At times we see her in a vocal booth or displaying dysfunctional dance moves, which doesn't fit singularly, however, would work fluidly with a full-set choreography, but then again something clean and perfect wouldn't work.
As a whole piece, it's quite unnerving yet interesting. Definitely haunting and perfect for my Halloween Special. On the other hand, I feel it doesn't quite relate to the song, and by itself, it's nothing special.
This was the only thing I can find for New Release this week, which is slightly disappointing, especially since I'm starting my Halloween Special this week, and although aliens can sort of be considered as a supernatural scary monster, I'm not quite sure it actually counts. Instead, I'm going to type up two reviews today so that I can fully flesh out my Halloween Special. Pretty Sister collaborates with Dragonette and Tobtok creating a catchy song. The music video definitely has "Galactic Appeal" as we watch an alien party and live it large with other people.
This is a major DJ collaboration! Pretty Sister is a solo project from Zak Waters who has previously released albums under his real name as well as EPs and singles. He has made quite the name for himself online, although before then he released two EPs with his pop/rock band Blueskyreality, who later disbanded. For now, he's Pretty Sister, who is definitely making electronic waves in the music industry. Dragonette are a well known electronic music trio band consisting of Martina Sorbara, Dan Kurtz and Joel Stouffer. They hit international fame on the collaborative hit "Hello" with Martin Solveig, but didn't quite keep a hold of the fame, and so follow-up singles didn't quite hit the mark. Regardless, they are still known throughout the world, although people may not quite know why at first. Tobtok is a Swedish DJ, real name Tobias Karlsson. He has remixed some of the biggest hits, as well as many unknowns. He previously remixed Zak Waters' song "Out Of My Head", which probably ignited this collaboration.
Directed by Anthony Chirco, the music video starts off extremely cheesy, totally set in the past and in black and white. But it soon turns to colour and all old theme vanishes as we watch an alien transform into a human. Possibly referencing the Roswell alien crash landing?
The alien walks along the road, where she's picked up by two strangers in a car. These two are Martina Sorbara, from Dragonette, and Zak Waters (well, Pretty Sister); who take her to their house/pool party.
This alien doesn't quite understand what is going on until Zak Waters comes up behind her and pushes her into the pool. That's when the party truly starts and this alien learns to have some fun and lets loose.
Martina Sorbara and Zak Waters really know how to host a party, where was my invite guys? Their hypnotic voices work well together, although their harmonies are slightly too soft for my liking, but their voices compliment each other's well. The ending shows the alien flipping through a book by the pool.
This is a great narrative with a side performance piece. Energetic and relatable, although the story isn't quite fleshed out fully. This alien doesn't quite have galactic appeal, she needed to be more quirky and different, rather than trying to blend in. But totally fun and definitely upbeat.
It's Thursday, so it's revisit time, and I'm so happy to feature The Pretty Reckless on my blog again this week, after reviewing "Take Me Down" from their new album which I reviewed for CelebMix. This was the song that got me onto The Pretty Reckless in the first place, and I always watched this video when it came on the music channels, although I don't see why I did. The Pretty Reckless dine at the head table of the wedding of the frontwoman Taylor Momsen, but there's no groom. It's an imitation of The Last Supper, She climbs on the table and rolls around, crawls, stands and crawls underneath as she sings "Miss Nothing".
The Pretty Reckless consist of four members who are Taylor Momsen, Jamie Perkins, Ben Phillips and Mark Damon. Their first album, which this was their second single from, was big in the UK, and their subsequent albums followed suit. At the time rock music was big here in the UK, and it will always be a part of our 00's era. Nowadays, rock music is less mainstream. It manages to rack up on the albums chart, but as for the singles chart, rock music barely scrapes in. This is why their new singles haven't charted well, but their albums have done fantastically. This song was written by Taylor Momsen, Ben Phillips and Kato Khandwala.
Directed by Meiert Avis, who has directed many videos, including the new one from The Pretty Reckless "Take Me Down". This video is a static narrative piece; it's a scene right out of a story, twisted and pulled apart and then given a whole new visual.
The whole thing is a new visual of The Last Supper. Taylor Momsen pulls off her veil and climbs on to the table. There is a close up of her pouring water for the other guests, which never made sense to me, but now I know it's an imitation of The Last Supper, it makes perfect sense.
She does various other things, messing the whole scene up, walking on the table, throwing food, smashing a bottle off a guy's head. She literally causes chaos but with no one to react to it it's unsettling.
The final scene shows her sprawled on the table, still looking sexy regardless of everything, whilst various so-called famous people come in to stand around. Of these people, Jimi Hendrix, Charlie Chaplin and John Lennon can be seen.
Overall, as a reworked version of The Last Supper, it works magically. Yet it doesn't quite go with the lyrics of the song. On the other hand, Taylor Momsen totally rocks this! The rest of the band play an active part in the video as the guests.
Another amazing song that was entered for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. This is effortlessly beautiful! Sanna Nielsen represented Sweden in the 2014 Eurovision Contest, she came third in the Grand Final with 218 points. Sweden, over the years, has done well in the contest. Their national selection process is one of the best in the world and always enable the best singers and performers to win and represent their country. Sanna Nielsen gives an emotional static performance as glitter spices up the video for "Undo".
Sanna Nielsen is definitely a household name in Sweden, having released a total of eight albums and a few Christmas seasonal music albums. She has competed in many Swedish music contests and has even entered the Melodifestivalen seven times! Who would've thought that she'd go on to win and represent Sweden at Eurovision in 2014. Definitely the comeback queen. She competed in 2001 with "I går, i dag" where she came third; then she came fifth in 2003 with "Hela världen för mig"; in 2005 she came eighth in a collaboration with Fredrik Kempe on song "Du och jag mot världen"; next was "Vågar du, vågar jag" in 2007 where she came seventh; next, in 2008, she came second again with "Empty Room"; she tried again in 2011 with "I'm In Love" where she came fourth; but it was her seventh attempt with "Undo" in 2014 that she finally got her win! It's clear that to achieve your dream you have to keep trying over and over again. She's made a name for herself, she just needs international success, because her voice is perfection! This song was written by Fredrik Kempe, David Kreuger and Hamed "K-One" Pirouzpanah.
Directed by Mats Udd, the video is a pure performance visual, although Sanna Nielsen doesn't move around much, instead staying in one position throughout.
Her facial emotions proves her performance ability. She sings the song from the heart and really means every word. She has totally connected with the song completely.
The dancers are shown in slow motion as they sprinkle glitter dust everywhere. Sometimes the visual is shown backwards so it looks like they're gathering the glitter dust.
As a visual it's captivating, although quite shocking to see the heart of the girl come out and smash on the floor, and then the flowers doing the exact same even though they shouldn't break apart like they've been shown.
The video definitely gives a different perspective, whilst relating well to the song. Sanna Nielsen can definitely perform, and she is clearly meant to be on a stage. Her voice is beautiful from start to finish. The video is intriguing and magical, but on the surface it doesn't keep the audience attentive the way the song does.
Sean Smith is back! This popped up on my iTunes and reminding me to feature it on my blog! He was one-half of duo Same Difference, but now apart, Sean Smith has found a new record label and has released this energising single that does have old Same Difference vibes but with a slightly more mature sound and lyrics. I do miss Same Difference but for now, I can deal with just Sean Smith. It's time to play some strip poker, dance around at Sean's party and have a brilliant time in this "Turn Me On" music video from Sean Smith!
Sean Smith is best known for competing in The X Factor series four with his sister Sarah Smith under the name Same Difference. They finished third and went on to have a few hit singles. They have recorded a total of three albums, but there have been no releases from their third album, unfortunately. The duo disbanded in 2014 but clearly, Sean Smith pursued a solo career. Now he has released his debut single, where the signed copies quickly sold out. The song was written by Christian Ingebrigtsen & Nalle Ahlstedt. The music video's opening sequence shows the aftermath of a party, the S-E-A-N balloons are amazing, I want J-O-N-N-I balloons, but my J-O-N-N-I lights that I got for my birthday from a bestie are much better!
Sidetracked! Anyhow, the video has a full-on performance piece mixed in the slight narrative, as we watch the party unfold, Sean Smith takes centre stage and dances with two backing dancers (sometimes two girls, sometimes two guys and sometimes a mix). They are all in-sync but the choreography is ten years too late. There's no rhythm in the moves and they're quite static, reminding me of Same Differences "Shine On Forever (Photo Frame)" video. This would work if the song was very bubblegum pop but this isn't a Same Difference song, it's a Sean Smith song, and so the dance moves should flow much better than this.
The party is in full swing, though. Strip poker definitely gives us something to watch, and of course, see all the fitness Sean Smith has been up to recently. Not only that but there are half-naked girls having a pillow fight on the bed, as well as the passing of the strawberry. Kudos for having a guy pass the strawberry to another guy rather than it all being guy-girl action.
As a whole, this video is more of a Same Difference visual than the new mature Sean Smith we expected. The song has a much more pop sound to it; very current. But the video fails to replicate that.
Little Mix are at the top of the UK Singles Chart! And it has a music video! YES! So my Chart Mondays review is easy! They were slated for apparently releasing a similar song to G.R.L.'s "Ugly Heart" but as I stated in my review yesterday, these songs are DIFFERENT! Listening to both songs side by side, you can't hear similarities whatsoever. People really need to stop comparing them. Little Mix are pure fire in this music video for "Shout Out To My Ex" completely showing their stage presence, although would've liked a full-on dance scene.
This group won The X Factor series eight. They consist of Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall.The only group to have won the UK version of The X Factor so far and they are still going completely strong. They now have four UK number ones and this single is the first UK number one single of 2016 with a female lead, which is definitely quite shocking! "Shout Out To My Ex" was written by Edvard Førre Erfjord, Henrik Michelsen, Camille Purcell, Iain James, Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall.
The music video is a full performance piece with very little choreography thrown in. The visuals are hypnotic but once pulled apart you realise there isn't much to this at all. As others have stated, some scenes resemble other music videos, especially One Direction's "Live While We're Young" whilst the car scene reminds me of Booty Luv's "Some Kinda Rush".
They drive past a guy, but don't give him a ride. They are sexy by the pool; they have fun in the car driving past pretty purple trees. The ending scene splits the girls up, having them perform in front of different objects.
Overall the video is all right. It's a fierce song with a fierce performance visual, but there really isn't a lot going on. It feels more like a behind the scenes of a model shoot than an actual "Shout Out To My Ex" music video. Where's the dancing? Where's the energy? Where's the narrative? Where's the story? It's just missing the spark; this isn't the first Little Mix music video that has failed to impress me. However, they make up for it in the brilliantly catchy songs.
Since everyone is currently comparing this to Little Mix's "Shout Out To My Ex", I thought I'd review this one today. I'd like to state that, personally, THESE SONGS ARE NOT THE SAME! Like Little Mix has said, it's hard to release a song that doesn't sound similar to another song, and people will always be comparing two songs and saying they're the same when they're not. This is just another case! I just feel these are two different songs that aren't remotely similar. G.R.L. gets arrested at a tattoo shop, then taken to the police station. They do a line-up and we see what they've done that's put them here in this "Ugly Heart" music video.
G.R.L. were previously a five-piece girl group tipped to be the next Pussycat Dolls. They consisted of Lauren Bennett, Simone Battle, Emmalyn Estrada, Paula van Oppen and Natasha Slayton. Sadly, Simone Battle passed away and the girl group released "Lighthouse" in honour of her. The group later disbanded but have recently reformed as a three piece with Lauren Bennett, Natasha Slayton and new member Jazzy Mejia. Their first single failed to get any traction; they have a lot of promotion to do if they want to make it big once again. This song was written by Ryan Baharloo, Ester Dean, Lukasz Gottwald, John Charles Monds and Henry Walter. It is their biggest hit to date.
Directed by Chris Marrs Piliero, the video is mainly narrative with a cracking performance piece set inside, these girls can dance!
The girls are arrested in a tattoo shop, so it makes you wonder what they have been doing. We watch them in the back of a police car, in the police station, in a holding room and then finally in a line-up, where we find out what they've done to get them in this situation.
Throughout, the girls have so much energy, they nail the choreography as well as staying in-sync throughout. Sometimes the dancing is slightly off time-wise, but each and every one of them exudes confidence and that's why they pull it off effortlessly.
They climb on tables, they struggle with the police officers and they dance well in the line-up scene, but the best part is definitely the ending when Simone Battle says: "Now your face is like your heart. Ugly."
Overall this video is perfect from start to finish, there's nothing more they could have added to it to make it better. It has a great narrative with a perfect performance piece combined. This is one video I could watch again and again. Also, it's such a loss to know that Simone Battle is no longer with us.
The Pretty Reckless released their new album titled "Who You Selling For" this week, and this is the official first single from the album. After reviewing the album on CelebMix, I thought I might as well continue reviewing one of my favourite bands, amongst many! The Pretty Reckless give a perfect performance in this music video for "Take Me Down", filmed in black and white with a red filter which sets the mood well.
They are a four-piece rock band consisting of Taylor Momsen, Ben Phillips, Mark Damon and Jamie Perkins. The band have been popular here in the UK ever since their first album! They've always done well and some of their best songs were their first singles. However, like all bands, they have developed. Personally, their new album is their best one to date, although if "Wild City" doesn't become a single and get a music video, I'll be very disappointed! This song was written by Taylor Momsen & Ben Phillips.
Directed by Meiert Avis, this pure performance music video has so many energetic vibes, you can tell this band was meant to perform on a stage!
It may be in black and white, but I love the use of the red filter. It prevents the video from being boring, and instead lightens it up and makes it much more interesting.
This video really shows what The Pretty Reckless are like on stage. I love the use of backing singers, and the entire band manages to draw the audience into this video, However, the song would be perfect for some sort of narrative. It's consistent energy but the video doesn't go anywhere.
