Paramore is probably my favourite band of all time. They have had a number of hits, and I can only see them getting better and better. When this song was released, the band consisted of Hayley Williams, Josh Farro, Zac Farro, Taylor York and Jeremy Davis. Recently the Farro brothers have left as they didn't like the direction the band was going. But I'm sure it's going to be their biggest mistake ever, as Paramore will be in the public eye for ever and ever.
This song was written by Hayley Willams and Josh Farro. The song was written during Paramore's worst time. They were close to splitting up, and they each took time away to collect their thoughts. The song is about growing up, and the emotional tolls it takes. But also the fact that they weren't connecting with each other during the height of their fame. It gives this band an edge, and they are pretty brave to sing songs that are so personal to them, and I think this is the main reason why I like them so much. However the fact that I saw them back in 2008 with Tink09 and Hollagram Star, may actually be the real reason.
This music video is a big performance piece, and it's very theatrical and personal, that you know that they believe every single word they are singing. It's stripped back, with no narrative, and this can work perfectly or go completely wrong. However this has that special spark that most performance-based music videos seem to be missing.
I love the "shoulder shrug" that Hayley Williams does. It's definitely my favourite part, and no matter how many times I attempt to copy it, I can never pull it off. I like how they are performing on a stage, you can feel the vibes of their performances and you feel like you're at one of their gigs, which is one of the biggest things performance-based music videos need to get across.
Now the light bulb, how can I miss commenting on that. It's clever, and the shadows and the darkness has been used effortlessly. It reminds me of ignorance, and that Hayley is confronting that ignorance. My favourite bit is right at the end, when she lets go of the light bulb and everything goes black.
Overall a great song that reached number 14 on the UK chart, which is Paramore's highest UK charting position to date. The music video is perfect, the only problem I have with it is the bit about half-way through, where Hayley is styled Japanese and is in a blue chamber. I don't see the point of it, and it's the one thing that doesn't feel right in this music video. However regardless of that I cannot help but feel this is worthy of this rating, and I hope you all agree.
Rihanna is definitely a global superstar, nearly everyone has heard of her (well except for that Irish guy that stopped her filming on his farm). Her real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty. She has had a number of hits, and she will keep on going. She recently starred in "Battleship" which was amazing, and clearly showed how good of an actress she is. She will definitely get more film roles, which I look forward to watching. She also is planning on doing a TV show and teaming up with Nicola Roberts to find a UK fashion designer.
"Where Have You Been" was written by Ester Dean, Lukasz Gottwald (Dr. Luke), Calvin Harris, Henry Walter (Cirkut) and Geoff Mack. This is definitely a great writing team. Most of them have appeared on my blog in one shape or form, the others are fairly new, but with some big hits behind them. It's extremely catchy and reminds me a lot of "Only Girl (In The World)" and Flo Rida Featuring Sia's "Wild Ones". But I'm sure this wasn't the exact music video I saw this morning.... Could it be possible that they edited it for the UK? I'm not sure as I can't find the one I saw on YouTube, so I guess I'll have to roll with this one.
The music video is interesting, once again it's different to what is about, and there is a lot of choreography to handle in it. Sometimes this is good and sometimes it isn't, depending on who the artist is. We haven't seen Rihanna dance for a while, but here she is, and she does it perfectly. So there's nothing to worry about. The first time I saw it, I thought of "Disturbia", I don't know why, but some of the dancing made me think of that song and it's music video.
There are many different scenes and it's more of a dance music video rather than anything else. And it leaves you wanting more, and there's no narrative either. It's just lacking something, and it's not something I'd go out of my way to watch. If there's something better on another music channel I'd happily swap over.
Overall this song is catchy and it will definitely get a high charting position. But the music video is missing some sort of spark. I think we were all just expecting a little more from Rihanna, and it never came about. A lot of people have compared it to Beyoncé... But I don't see why, they are two very different artists, and although they are both great dancers I don't understand where the comparisons are coming from.
Cascada has been reviewed on this blog quite a bit, I think you can probably guess that I am a fan of their music. So I was excited to see this music video being shown on a music channel. But then I got worried, I thought that maybe I had already reviewed it on here. However luckily I hadn't.
Cascada is a dance band from Germany, consisting of Natalie Horler, Manian (Manuel Reuter) and Yanou (Yann Peifer). They have had a number of hits over the years, especially in the UK. They have a new song out, which is bound to chart high, with promotion. I hope "Summer of Love" becomes a big hit.
"Pyromania" was written by RedOne, Allan Eshuijs, Yann Peifer and Manuel Reuter. I was really surprised that RedOne was part of the writing team, I'm also surprised that Cascada doesn't say "RedOne" before the song starts, which you usually find in his written songs. He is the main writer for Lady GaGa, possibly hence the reason why this song has been compared a lot with "Pokerface" amongst other Lady GaGa songs.
This music video, is a big performance piece, but it works so effortlessly, you can't help but like it. There's a lot of choreography going on, and it's nice to see Natalie Horler getting involved with the dancing too, as it's rare to see her do much.
There's a lot to like about this music video. I like how flames are here and there referencing the song as Pyro means fire. Also that hoop swing looks a little on the scary side.
There is quite a few UV lights about which has a nice slight link as the song would definitely have been heard in the dance clubs back then. This song only got to a disappointing number 60 on the UK chart, but that was due to the fact that this was the only promotion they did for the song.
Overall, it's a catchy song, that was definitely worthy of a better charting position. It's music video is a great performance piece and is really interesting. However it's missing that little something, the wow spark. However I could watch it again and again and never get bored with it.
Selena Gomez & The Scene have recently gone on hiatus, however reports have suggested that Selena Gomez has been visiting the studio, could it be possible they're working on a new album? Or is it her way of messing about, something she enjoys to do in her part time? Selena Gomez & The Scene is a band that consists of Selena Gomez, Greg Garman, Joey Clement, Ethan Roberts and Dane Forrest. I tend to take a dislike to bands who uses a celebrity's name to make their band more successful. If they had just had a normal band name (like The Pretty Reckless), would it have made a difference? I find it doubtful, but it's hard to know really. They haven't been much of a success in the UK, or anywhere else. They have yet to have a number one, which is quite surprising, but then again some of the songs are to some preference of others. They're not your average band, therefore making them quite quirky, which makes me like them more.
"Who Says" was written by Emanuel Kiriakou and Priscilla Renea, the former has worked with a lot of celebrities on albums. But the latter has wrote for Cheryl Cole amongst others, Priscilla is also an artist herself and has already released an album with a second one on it's way. The song looks very personal to Selena, and she sings it as if she means every word. It's about not letting others knock you down. Everyone's perfect no matter what. It kind of reminds me of Pink's "Perfect".
The music video is different to what is actually about. It stands out and is definitely not your usual music video. Which I've come to expect from this band.
I like all the editing that has gone on, making signs say "don't judge a book by it's cover" and various other words, including lyrics found in the song. It's extremely clever. I also like how you see "The Scene" as some times it's rare to see the whole band.
However, there isn't a narrative storyline. And I feel that a song like this should have a narrative, to emphasise what they are trying to get across. However I still feel this gets the meaning across, but only slightly. I think the fact that there isn't a narrative, leaves this music video lacking something.
Overall, a great personal song, and a good accompanying music video, however there's just not enough going on, and it doesn't make me think WOW. However I do really like it, and I do hope this band returns in a few years with some amazing songs.
So I have watched quite a few different music videos today, and they are all mixed up and stuck in my head. So I looked at what could potentially be my New Releases in the coming weeks, and saw which ones clashed with which. And so I narrowed it down to two. It was Alexandra Burke's "Let It Go" Vs. Cheryl's "Call My Name". Contestant Vs. Judge. And Alexandra won. But only because I think Cheryl's song will be a big hit and I would rather review it near the release date.
Alexandra Burke won The X Factor UK back in 2008, Cheryl Cole was her mentor/judge. 2008 was a big year for The X Factor UK, and many of the finalists became artists. They are: Alexandra Burke (winner), JLS (second), Eoghan Quinn (third), Diana Vickers (fourth), Ruth Lorenzo (fifth), Rachel Hylton (sixth), Daniel Evans (seventh), Laura White (eighth) and Scott Bruton (tenth). There is a possibility there may be more in the future. The X Factor is obviously one of the best shows to get noticed, and the people coming away from that show is doing amazing things.
This song was written by Belle Humble, Mick Hansen (Cutfather) and Jason Gill. I'm pretty surprised there's no sign of Alexandra Burke's name in the songwriting credits. She helped wrote "Elephant". Anyway, Mick Hansen also known as Cutfather has been songwriting for quite some time and has had many hits, the others are not so well known. The song is definitely one that will be played in the clubs, and it's definitely very catchy.
This music video is good but then it's lacking something. Again it's a big performance piece and I love the start where you hear Alexandra's previous single "Elephant". And it looks like we might get a narrative storyline, but that isn't the case. I like performance pieces, but it's rare for me to give 5*'s to them as they still need to portray something across, and that thing is seriously missing here.
She is an amazing dancer, kind of reminds me of Britney Spears, a bit, as Britney tends to do big choreography. However this video looks cheap, the set is simple, and they aren't even in the real places. Apparently a security guy came up to her and told her she didn't have the rights to film in the London Underground. But wherever that article came from it was later proven false as they filmed in a set.
If you notice any of the dancers, you may find BB dancing, he was in "Dirty Sexy Things", and ended up choosing his dancing career over his modelling career. There may be others you might know from other places, if you spot someone please comment below.
Overall, this is definitely missing something, but what that something is I'm not sure, it was missing in "Elephant" and it's missing in this. Her music videos just aren't as good as previous ones, they are all too similar, and they don't really stand out. I want to go WOW at one of her music videos, but I just can't.
