Of Monsters And Men - Little Talks

Of Monsters And Men are a band from Iceland and have become quite well-known across the globe, their popularity just keeps getting bigger and bigger. They were a band of six members but one has left (apparently) so now they're down to five. But when the music video was recorded there was 6 members and so I shall list all of them. The members include Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, Ragnar þórhallsson, Brynjar Leifsson, Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson, Kristján Páll Kristjánsson and Árni Guðjónsson. This is definitely a band that shall be sticking around.

"Little Talks" was written by Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar þórhallsson. The song is their highest UK charting position to date at 12, and it is quite catchy, once again not my sort of thing, but it is very current. I can see this band becoming more and more successful!

The music video is definitely out of this world, not something I was expecting but it wasn't surprising and I think that was to do with the name of the band. You just can't help but think monsters will be involved in their videos and guess that was why I wasn't too shocked.

As you all well know I'm not a fan of black and white films or videos, and I rarely think it's a good idea. However in this case it is to make Nanna stand out as she is colourful and is like the guardian angel of the sky-sailors. I also like how she manages to change things into colour.

I like the narrative it's like a complete journey and kind of reminds me of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as the sky-sailors look like they're on a mission, plus their singing a song as the march. I also like how they always run into trouble, but manages to return the guardian angel to her home.

I thought the ending seemed unfocused. The ending looked like another monster was going to attack them, and maybe that is what happens afterwards and maybe the angel is actually not an angel in the first place. Personally I think the ending should've twisted what we knew and developed the story more.

Overall a great song that gets catchy the more I hear it. The accompanying music video is theatrically great and I have no problems against it since it stands out from the crowd and I've seen nothing like it ever before, and although it is repetitive, I'm prepared to let it slide and give this video top marks, since it clearly deserves it.

M83 - Midnight City



M83 are a five-piece band who has had international success with this song, however since then they have only had a few various charting singles, will this be the last we hear of them? The band consists of Anthony Gonzalez, Jordan Lawlor, Morgan Kibby, Loïc Maurin and Ian Young. They have released a number of albums and singles, but only few has charted and very little has reached across the seas to us in the UK. But this is a band that will start doing well soon. It's this sort of music people go looking for and this sort of music that is very current, it wouldn't surprised me if they have another spout of stardom in the next year or so.

"Midnight City" was written by Anthony Gonzalez, Yann Gonzalez, Morgan Kibby and Justin Meldal-Johnsen. I've heard it a few times before and it has been featured in a number of TV episodes and films, it's hard not to recognise the song, but it's also one that doesn't interest me, something I wouldn't normally go out of my way to listen to, however everyone has different music tastes and some people would like this whereas others won't. And that is the same with all music across the board. The song charted at number 34 in the UK, their previous singles "Run Into Flowers", "Don't Save Us From The Flames" and "Teen Angst" all managed to chart too at 199, 86 and 86 respectfully.

This music video is unusually different. It has elements to it that would never be found elsewhere. It also seems like there isn't much to this and yet it still manages to convey a strong narrative.

The video shows children who have gained telekinetic powers and they escape from a boarding school and manage to test their powers in an abandoned warehouse. Their eyes really capture me and reminds me of The Host, a book by Stephenie Meyer and soon to become a film released next month. It's like they get an inner strength and discover something new.

The ending scene is powerful but also slow moving and it is unable to end properly leaving us all to wonder what is next for these children. But all is forgiven in the follow-up single as "Reunion" has a follow-up music video that continues the story.

Overall a song that is very current and will be around for a while and it shall be used a lot more on TV and in film for the next few years, this is one song that refuses to disappear. The music video accompanies the song perfectly and manages to grab the audience as intended. Although the song is not to my taste and the video is definitely missing something, I have no choice but to give it this rating as it is a very powerful music video.

Sam Callahan - Runaway Train

Sam Callahan first sparked my attention by appearing in a magazine. Since then I can't stop thinking about him, so I looked up his music on iTunes and on a whim bought this single, and what a lucky find I have found, an 18 year old and he can sing like that..... What is this world coming to? His voice is angelic and amazing, and one of those voices I could listen to again and again and never ever get bored.

"Runaway Train" is not the only track on the single I bought from iTunes, but it's definitely his own song, whereas the others are covers of Calvin Harris Featuring Example's "We'll Be Coming Back" and Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together". Both covers are amazing with the former being one of the best versions of that song I have ever heard. This is one artist you do not want to miss, and I'm sure he is going to be on everyone's lips soon enough (and I don't mean that in a literal sense, I hope not anyway as there would be a lot of jealousy in the world if that did happen). He has recently became my Artist Of The Month in February. Watch out guys, he's on his way.

This music video is low-budget, which is to be expected since it is his first music video, and there is a lot of imagery in this that goes perfectly with the song. I especially like seeing the trains in the background.

There is a performance piece and a narrative, always a good starting point in music videos, so this puts him in my good books, and there is not much going on making it easy to follow, although you can't help but be distracted by his pretty face.

There's a few niggling things that has dropped my rating. From a technical point of view, there is way to many close-ups and mid-shots, we never see his entire body, and what he is wearing, focusing mainly on his face, sometimes too close. The long shots are quick and flits as if they weren't really there. Another point is the studio performance piece, this could've been in front of a crowd full of screaming girls, I think it would've captured us in more and seen the sort of energy he would give to a stage. Again the narrative could've been developed that little bit more, maybe him jumping off the train at the start and then him strumming about on the grass with his guitar.

But those are minor details that are missing, and I'm throwing ideas about this video, because I want Sam Callahan to become the mega star he clearly deserves to be, and I'm sure he will be. Watch out 2013, it's the year of Sam Callahan and many other artists so it seems.

Overall a great song I could listen to again and again. And an accompanying music video that may need a few touch ups here and there, but it's captivating and imaginable, that it makes you want to watch again, and not just because of his amazing voice. This is the sort of video I like, and hence for the rating. Please bare in mind this is a low-budgeted music video and so my rating would've differed if this wasn't the case.

MGMT - Kids

MGMT is a band I've never been interested in, and a band I never thought would appear on my blog. But here they are thanks to one of my flatmates suggesting me to review this video.

MGMT are 5 piece band from America, consisting of Andrew VanWyngarden, Ben Goldwasser, Will Berman, Matt Asti and James Richardson. They aren't quite a successful charting band, with this song being their highest charting single at number 16 in the UK, and it's a similar story with America. On the other hand, their albums have charted high, this is definitely one of those bands that will forever be on the rocks, not quite sinking into the water, but not flying high either.

"Kids" was written by Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. This is usually what makes a brilliant song because the artist believes every single word they are singing, and you can definitely see that in the music video along with the voice in the song. But it's just not my sort of thing. I usually take a dislike to some songs, and I will never turn around and say I like it, never ever. Although I tend to end up singing a long to it by accident, so it shows this is just as catchy as the next song I take a dislike to.

This music video has confused me. My flatmate told me it was a great music video, and I agree to some aspect, but it's quite scary and then towards the end the video changes so dramatically it makes me think they may have ran out of money? It's like they've put two similar but different music videos together.

So there's two parts to this video, the live-action side which has a narrative with an extra performance scene, and then there's the animation side of things. I shouldn't split this video up, but that is what I'm going to do because it is split (although the music never splits so still don't quite understand).

The live-action side really gripped me, I was involved. I managed to get past the bad acting of the monsters, and managed to focus on how scared the boy looked. I can totally understand why critics went at this band, because the boy does look genuinely scared, but a behind the scenes video has proven it not to be the case. The monsters are scary and the only calm bit is MGMT dressed as a futuristic band, which fits perfectly with the song as it is quite futuristic.

Then for no reason whatsoever we turn to complete animation, where unrecognisable, unthinkable and shocking things happen that you wouldn't imagine would work, and we are completely right, it doesn't. What I really wanted was an ending that made me want to watch it again, but there was no such thing, leaving me unhappy and questionable about the switch to animation.

Overall a song that will inevitably be catchy although I am going to carry on disliking it. A music video that starts well and grips me making me think this is going to be a 5 star music video, but it soon changes with the animation and it just doesn't fit or work at all. So I'm indecisive with this rating, so I'm going straight through the middle today.

New Release: Rita Ora - Radioactive

Okay, so some of you might have thought I lied to you, unfortunately I did not make a full return last week, due to an illness that drained the life of me. Just a simple cold, but it knocked me for ten. I am now back, no sign of any cold whatsoever, so I have no excuses. So I shall start this week with one amazing artist!

Rita Ora. She appeared out of no where and here she is again. Most known as having 3 consecutive number one singles in the UK which are "Hot Right Now", "R.I.P." and "How We Do (Party)". And a number one album. We all thought this girl would be unstoppable. Unfortunately "Shine Ya Light" stalled at number 10 and it looks like this single is also going to fall short of that all important number one.

"Radioactive" was written by Sia Furler and Greg Kurstin. The former is well known for collaborating with David Guetta on "Titanium". So I'm surprised this song hasn't done as well as the others, and it's making me question whether it's got anything to do with the fact that the album is released and that people have been buying the song from the album, therefore splitting potential sales between the album and the single. However I don't think that is the only problem, I think it may also be down to the music video.

I struggled deciding which new release I should choose, it was between this song and Avicii Ft. Nicky Romero's "I Could Be The One". So I decided to choose the one that is currently the lowest on the UK iTunes chart. I thought I might be able to help Rita Ora, but I can't help but say this music video is not at all what I expected.

Rita Ora should be bringing in a lot of money from all those number ones, but why are we left with a music video that looks like it's low-budget? After more viewing, you realise the budget may have been spent on the theatrical backgrounds and features. Leaving you wondering if they may have had a short amount of time to cut this. As this wasn't what I was expecting at all.

I wanted something similar to Ke$ha's "Die Young". A complete narrative and a perfect choreography, since this song allows you to do such a thing. But no signs of it, leaving me thinking a lot of green screen was used to make this and that Rita Ora wasn't given much to do, especially since we only see her back through the first minute or so.

Overall a song that should be performing better on the iTunes chart. But a music video which falls short of anything I imagined. There's nothing to grip you, nothing to keep me entertained. And if I were flipping through the music channels and this video came on I would flip over it looking for something better, and there probably would be something more interesting on another music channel. I hope her next music video is a lot more entertaining than this one.

New Release: Booty Luv - Black Widow

Booty Luv are officially back, after a two year hiatus, they are back, and should be storming the charts with this amazing single. I am also back, and shall be reviewing everyday, after a five-week break (more or less), I feel I need to be back, and all problems are much more settled now.

Booty Luv consists of two members who are Cherise Roberts and Nadia Shepherd. They originally were in Big Brovaz, but they took a whole different path and arrived at dance music. They were hitting the clubs hard with their amazing songs, but "Say It" only managed number 16, and they were subsequently dropped from the Hed Kandi record label (although number 16 isn't bad there's a whole host of worse chart numbers). Now they are releasing under Pierce Entertainment record label, and the song is amazing, but not enough people know about it.

This music video coincides with the song "Black Widow" amazingly, and it's quite surprising to see a music video that may have had a slightly high budget, considering I have never heard of this record label.

It kind of reminds me of Britney Spears' "Toxic", it's got the same sort of element and theatrical dying that always draws people in.

There a narrative and a performance piece, which makes this incredibly detailed, however the narrative is not so clear, there's not much purpose to what is happening, as far as I can tell. I could take a guess that the girls agree to kill these guys, but once Nadia has killed her man, she finds out Cherise has actually fallen for her guy, and so it's left to Nadia to complete the task. But is that really what is going on?

Overall a great song, that should climb quicker up the chart, it's quite low at the moment. The accompanying music video has everything I need to give it a high rating, however the unclear narrative leads me into thinking it isn't as good as I once thought it might have been. Hence the rating.
Buy on iTunes

New Release: 50 Cent Featuring Eminem and Adam Levine - My Life

50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson III, has had a lengthy career gaining hits here there and everywhere, but this is the first time he has appeared on my blog, however probably not the last. He has yet to reach the UK number one spot, but this song seems to have a pretty good chance. And it's no wonder with the people who are featured. Eminem is the rapper on everyone's lips. Real name Marshall Mathers III, has also had a lengthy career, but has only appeared on my blog once because he is a member of Bad Meets Evil which I reviewed "Fast Lane". The other featured guy is Adam Levine, who is famously known as the lead singer from Maroon 5, however he is also known in America as 1 of four coaches on The Voice.

"My Life" was written by Curtis Jackson, Marshall Mathers, Adam Levine, Larry Griffin Jr. and Herb Rooney. The song is about the pressures of fame, and it is clearly identified in the rapping. This is going to be a hit, and 50 Cent knows it, plus there is not much competition this week. Could it possibly be 50 Cent's first UK number one? We'll have to wait and see.

The music video is one of those ones that look like a typical rap music video, but turns out that there is great imagery involved.

The use of the helicopter is very interesting, and at first could be suggested as a waste of the music video budget, but as the song progresses and you hear the rapping, the helicopter is fame with a spotlight, and it's hard to deal with as you can't get away from it. I loved it when Eminem is running away from the helicopter. I couldn't help thinking "you can't out-run a helicopter", just like celebrities can't run away from fame.

However the good imagery stops there. The helicopter is the main focus, leaving us with a typical rap music video that doesn't outshine any of the many others easily found and easily accessible.

Overall, a catchy song that will be charting well this week. But the accompany music video is lacking compared, with the only good bits being the helicopter and the use of lighting.

New Release: David Guetta Featuring Taped Rai - Just One Last Time

David Guetta, real name Pierre David Guetta, has definitely become one of the most popular DJ's of all time, and his career in the music industry will, from now on, be endless. However his most recent album has spawned 8 singles, believe it or not, surely we will be seeing a new album soon! This song features unknown Taped Rai. All the info I can get on this duo band is that they are from Sweden and consists of two people. They are new, and if they were spotted by David Guetta, they are clearly great, and they will be a duo that may just become a highlight of 2013. Watch out for them, and by the time they have a big hit on their hands, I should have more information about them, hopefully.

"Just One Last Time" was written by David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Tom Liljegren and Alexander Ryberg. It's extremely catchy and I'm sure I've heard it a few times in the club. However it's not doing well climbing the iTunes chart, and it makes me question why the UK aren't taking it that well. Personally, I think it's not our sort of thing, on the other hand I really like it, and I hope that radio play will pick up and make this song liked by more people.

This music video is amazing. It's the only word I can use to describe it. I first saw this on the music channels, and at the end I was really upset, luckily I held back tears. But this ending is really not something I expected.

This narrative-based music video is supposed to flow perfectly, but I get confused easily (in case you haven't noticed), and so I don't quite understand the start. Clearly he snuck out of his girlfriend's house to play pool, but when he returns the house is in flames. And his girlfriend is dead. But when he lies down and these robot things enter his ears, he relives his memories, only this time around he goes in and saves her, but ends up dying himself. Has he changed the past, or is this just a dream or a wish?

There's an extra performance piece by David Guetta, I think it's him. And it kind of reminds me of his DJ set of "Where Them Girls At", only with fire instead of bubbles.

Overall, an extremely catchy song that gets better and better the more you listen to it. The accompanying music video is tearful, but confusing too, but has everything I need for a top rating. It just misses out because I don't get the start, and I don't think I ever will.

New Release: Gold1 Featuring Bruno Mars & Jaeson Ma - This Is My Love

This took me ages and ages to find. By the looks of things, this is the only single being released this week. I do not believe this, and there probably is more, but I've just spent a whole hour trying to find a song that was released this week and which has a music video. Shame Charlotte Church hasn't released a video for "Glitterbombed", would've reviewed that otherwise.

Gold1 is an artist I have never heard of. His real name is Dwaine and he used to release by that name. Now under a new name, he has released his first single. It features Bruno Mars, real name Peter Hernández, he's career is big, and it's only going to turn into a complete giant soon, if not already. He is what will make this song get the sales it gets. Jaeson Ma is a Chinese actor and musician, he has featured on a few singles, this is just another to add to the collection. I hope that we see more of Gold1 and Jaeson Ma, it will be interesting what the future brings.

The song is catchy, and it's one of those songs that makes me indecisive and unsure of whether I should buy it or not. The vocals of Bruno Mars is amazing, and definitely stands out. The song isn't on the iTunes top 1000 yet, and I doubt it will ever reach it due to no promotion and that hardly anyone knows of the song. I hope that in reviewing it, it may help.

The music video is surprisingly good. I was expecting some hip-hop/rap average music video, but it completely shocked me, and it's different to what I expected, and I wanted to watch it again and again because it's soft and gentle, which sides perfectly with the song.

There are various people holding up signs about what love is. I think this is very clever, as people's perceptions of love is not the same as others. It reminds me of The All-American Rejects' "Dirty Little Secret", because they too are holding up signs.

I like the short narrative that is involved, and I like how they magnify that with scenes of Gold1 performing on a road. It's subtle but it works and it just makes this video all the more better. What grabs my attention the most is the words as the whisp in the air. However they annoy me too as they don't link up with the words the singers are singing, although they are the lyrics of the song.

Overall, an okay song that will get stuck in my head soon. It's accompanying music video is great to watch, and it will be one I'll be watching again and again. I am prepared to overlook the whispy lyrics that don't match with the lyrics being sung at that moment in time. And so I have no choice but to give the video this rating. Look out for Gold1 and Jaeson Ma, they'll be well-known soon, just like Bruno Mars already is.

The Justice Collective - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

The Justice Collective is a group of celebrities and artists who have collaborated to create a charity single for the Hillsborough disaster, this has a similar link with Band Aid. The Justice Collective vocalists consists of Andy Brown, Gerry Marsden, Paul Heaton, Glenn Tilbrook, John Power, Robbie Williams, Melanie C, Rebecca Ferguson, Holly Johnson, Beverley Knight, Paloma Faith, Eliza Doolittle, Dave McCabe, Peter Hooton, Ren Harvieu, Jon McClure, Paul McCartney, Shane MacGowan, Bobby Elliott, Tony Hicks, Hollie Cook, Ian Prowse, Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish, John Bishop, Steve Rotheram, Peter Reid, Neil Fitzmaurice and LIPA Gospel Choir. Quite a collection of artists and celebrities. This will be the only single from The Justice Collective.

The song is a cover version of The Hollies' "He Ain't Heavy... He's My Brother", two of which sung part of the song in The Justice Collective's version. It was written by Bob Russell and Bobby Scott. This song definitely does remind me of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?". And guess what? The videos are quite similar too.

This music video isn't even a performance piece. It is a studio piece, with an extra scene at the end. And yes I do like seeing the artists and celebrities singing the song, but it is missing something to draw me in, the only shocking thing I see in this is the other celebrities that could sing, such as John Bishop, who knew...?

The ending scene is small but definitely significant. The whole idea is amazing, but it still fails to do anything but perk the video up a bit. There were 96 people who died thanks to the Hillsborough Disaster, and that is why the children have the numbers nine and six on the back of their football shirts.

What is missing from this video is images or footage from the Hillsborough Disaster. We've all seen the few images available, but why were they not in the music video? If you had just flipped this over onto the music channels you would have no idea what it is for or who it is for, and this is what has made my decision on the video rating.

Overall the song is great and of course it would get to number one, that was obvious. And if I were reviewing the song it would get full stars. However the video is what is important to me on this blog, and it is just a studio performance piece. No link with the song or the reason they're singing the song (except at the end), leaving me on having to give this rating.

Wham! - Last Christmas

Wham! was a band consisting of four members back in 1981. They were George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley, Pepsi Damacque and Shirlie Holliman. They gained a lot of success, but disbanded in 1986, however their reputation and their hit singles still live on.

"Last Christmas" was written by George Michael. It managed to chart at number two in the UK Singles Chart, being beaten by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" However since 1984 it has charted during various other years. It charted in 1985, 1986, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 at positions of 6, 45, 14, 26, 34, 57 and 26. The song has been covered by a number of artists who have also been included in my blog, these are: Cascada's "Last Christmas" and Joe McElderry's "Last Christmas". I don't doubt that their will be more in the future.

This music video is another top music video, and reminds me a lot of Justin Bieber's "Mistletoe". It has a similar Christmas-esque to them both, which makes them similar.

This is narrative based, with a few performance bits. The story is that George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley meet up at a ski resort with their girlfriends. It becomes evident that Andrew's girlfriend used to be with George and this song is aimed at her.

I like the flashback, it's extremely inventive and shows what happened last Christmas. The backing singers Pepsi Damacque and Shirlie Holliman appear in this video alongside Martin Kemp (who was Shirlie's boyfriend and her future husband).

Overall this is one of my favourite songs. The video isn't my favourite, but I think that is due it being an old music video (older than me). On the other hand I have nothing to complain about and nothing against this video, and so I have no choice but give this top rating, because this video does deserve it.

Justin Bieber - Mistletoe

Well... I was going to do The Waitresses "Christmas Wrapping" however there is no sign of the music video. After a few minutes research, I found out there was a video released as people remember watching it back then, but there's no sign of it on the internet. Could this be a video that is now lost forever? Guess time will tell. So trying to have old and new Christmas songs, I went with this one.

Getting a hit Christmas song is not easy, and a big name like Justin Bieber, you would think he'll have a shot, but guess what, it didn't work either, and although this is more of a hit than what others have released, it's still not quite capable to become a hit Christmas song.

"Mistletoe" was written by Nasri Atweh, Adam Messinger and Justin Bieber. It sounds similar to Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours", and is definitely a catchy song, but it's missing something, and whatever that something is, is what made this song unable to become a Christmas hit.

The music video is extremely narrative based, with a perfect performance side to things. This is one of the best Christmas music videos I have ever seen, and what do I expect from this guy? Most of his videos are top-notch, and I doubt I'll be giving him less than 3 stars for any of his videos.

The song is about being with someone and kissing under the mistletoe. I like the storyline, and how the girl he is with feels threatened by this other girl who keeps coming up to him. But she needn't worry, as he is just being polite and he knew the girl.

The girl in the video reminds me a lot of Justin Bieber's girlfriend Selena Gomez, could it possibly be a message to her, saying all he wants is her and no one else?

The performance side of things is amazing, the inclusion of snow is a definite must in this video, and he performs the song well.

I especially like the ending with the mistletoe hanging above. A bit on the cheesy side, but definitely expected, if it were missed out, I would've been disappointed.

The song is great, and should've charted higher, but something is holding this song back, but I don't know what that is. It's accompanying music video is exactly what I want from a video like this, and I can't find anything wrong with this. As much as I want to find something negative to say, I just can't. Do I like Justin Bieber? Not really, but I can appreciate how big his fan base is, and his chart success with his songs. But I get blown away at how great his music videos are, so here is another top rating, for a top music video.

Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody

Slade was a 70s/80s band, and they had a few number ones and a few chart hits. They consisted of Noddy Holder, Dave Hill, Jim Lea and Don Powell. They are extremely well known, and forever will be, are they going to get back together? Highly unlikely, especially since they have already made a fortune. However never say never right? Their number ones were "Coz I Luv You", "Take Me Bak 'Ome", "Mama Weer All Crazee Now", "Cum On Feel The Noize", "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me" and "Merry Xmas Everybody". I have heard a few but not many other songs. They stopped releasing before I was even born, and I rarely knew of them.

"Merry Xmas Everybody" was written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea. The song is about having fun and having British Family Christmas. The lyrics are very good to look at and some of them, I can't help but laugh as it's true in a lot of families, and I can imagine that happening. It was written when a lot of workers were on strike and this song was created to pick them all up and cheer them up, and that's exactly what it does, even now. No wonder it got to number one. It has re-entered the UK chart in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 at chart numbers 70, 32, 67, 20, 47, 48, 71, 99, 93, 30, 21, 20, 32, 41, 50 and 33 respectively. It is again, expected to chart in 2012.

The music video is a performance piece, that is rarely shown on TV Channels. Instead they usually take a Top Of The Pops performance or something else. This is just a recorded performance piece, but it also shows how much things have changed.

Back then a performance piece was in front of a small crowd of fans. If you compare that to a few most recent performance based videos such as Swedish House Mafia's "Don't You Worry Child" or Rita Ora's "Shine Ya Light", it shows how much things have changed, and if there were no performance-based videos back then, the youth of today (including me) would not realise how much things have changed.

There are performance videos that get 5 stars from me, and although this isn't one of them, they have a few good things. This video shows that the band produces a lot of energy when they perform. They're all smiling and having fun. There's shots of the crowd which shows how much people liked Slade back then. And of course there's snow on the ground, since it is a Christmas song.

Overall, a great song, that doesn't fit the title because I can never identify the song until someone sings it. It's accompanying music video is just as forgettable, however it has all the attributes I expect from a performance-based video. So I'm split between ratings for this video, but deciding to go through the middle, as it is kind of average, which is incredibly unlike the song, which is amazing.

Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You

Mariah Carey is another well known singer who has yet to make my blog. It just shows how many great singers there are out there. She recently appeared in the spotlight again as a new judge for American Idol. However she's fading in the UK, with her most recent singles charting lower than expected. She definitely won't disappear, but I reckon it will take a lot to try and get on top once again in the UK. She has only ever had one number one in the UK, back in 1994 (when I was 1 year old) with "Without You". She also topped as featured artist on Westlife's "Against All Odds" in 2000.

"All I Want For Christmas Is You" was written by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff. It has to be one of my favourite Christmas songs, it's up there next to Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday", The Pogues Featuring Kirsty MacColl "Fairytale Of New York" and Wham!'s "Last Christmas". This song has never been a UK number one. Back in 1994, it got to number two, and since then it has failed to reach the top. Since downloads has contributed to the chart, this song has climbed extremely high. In 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 it charted at 4, 12, 19, 22 and 11 respectively. This year it is set to chart within the top 20! I hope one day it'll make it to the top. Justin Bieber recently covered this song, featuring Mariah Carey and called it "All I Want For Christmas (Superfestive!)".

This music video is probably one of the most up-to-date of the old Christmas songs, as it was filmed in 1994. However I question whether the intention of this video was to try and make it fit in with the old music videos, because it really is difficult to tell them apart, and I was really surprised to find out what year it was made.

I have to admit this video is quite good. There's Santa Claus, there's snow, there's a Christmas Tree, and all sorts. Everything I want in a Christmas music video and more. There is a bit of a narration but it's hardly noticeable, and that is all that is missing as the song is an emotional piece.

But Mariah Carey loves Christmas, and shows that perfectly in this video by having lots and lots of fun, she's definitely enjoying being in the snow and meeting Santa Claus, and this really makes us enjoy the video more.

On that note. The song is one of my favourites and really needs to get to number one in the future. The music video fits great, and it's definitely a fun-loved video, just wish a bit more narration was added. This video definitely deserves this rating.
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Cascada - Last Christmas

You could have probably guessed this one was going to pop up, since I am a big fan of Cascada, and they have appeared on my blog a number of times. The band consists of Natalie Horler, Manian (Manuel Reuter) and Yanou (Yann Peifer). They have had various hits worldwide, including a number one here in the UK with "Evacuate The Dancefloor". Recently they haven't quite been getting enough popularity to chart, and their recent singles haven't been doing as well as they should be. They need promotion, and I have just found out they are attempting a shot at Eurovision 2013 for German's entry, this could be the promotion they need.

"Last Christmas" was first released back in 2007 as a cover version of the much loved song "Last Christmas" originally sung by Wham!. The song was released as a b-side to "What Hurts The Most", however it still managed to chart on downloads only at number 111. Recently it has been included in Cascada's most recent album, which is a collection of Christmas songs, called "It's Christmas Time", which nearly charted, but failed to do so in the UK because it was released on a Friday, meaning Cascada had to get enough sales in 2 days to chart in time. It just didn't happen.

This music video is interesting to watch, but I also feel there is a lot going on at the same time that we cannot quite keep up. I have to admit, I am overjoyed by the inclusion of Manian and Yanou, you rarely, if ever, get to see them in Cascada's music videos, yet here they are.

There's both a narrative and a performance side to things. The narrative clearly shows Natalie is troubled by something, clearly giving a guy her heart but he doesn't like her back, but then again it's happened to her, a guy gave her his heart and she is the middle person. I like the ending where he turns up on her doorstep. However this narrative seems confusing.

The performance side of things is weird also. There are two shots, one where the whole of Cascada is in the recording studio, creating the song, which adds something new to this video, but also includes a bit of acting, as at the end Natalie is seen upset to an extent. As for the dancing performance, it just looks out of place, as if Natalie is dancing to a different song, while singing the lyrics to this one.

Overall, a great version of this much loved song. The accompanying music video has good bits and bad bits, I just can't make up my mind if I like it or not, as it seems pretty confusing as a whole. However I think that may be due to the overflow of scenes included in the video. I am unsure on what rating to give the video, and so I'm going in the middle as it's an okay music video.

Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone

Shakin' Stevens, real name Michael Barratt, is another singer who has quite not made my blog yet. He has a total of four UK number ones, and is currently still going. He was originally in a band called Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets. I know him for this song alone, and this song has to be one of my favourite Christmas songs ever sung, it's cheerful and I just can't help singing a long to it.

"Merry Christmas Everyone" was written by Bob Heatlie. It was originally meant to be released in 1984, but it was held back a year to prevent it from clashing with Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas Time?", which was a good call, because in 1985 this soared to the top spot. Recently, since downloads has been included in the charts, this song has managed to chart in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 with chart numbers being 22, 36, 49, 73 and 42 respectively. This year (2012), it shall be charting once again, but will it chart higher than last year, or will this slowly dissipate?

This music video is probably one of the oldest I have reviewed, and it slowly doesn't make sense. It's all about fun but a possible narrative that hooks me right from the start, disappears, making the focus on Shakin' Stevens, and even though the video does relate to the song, I just feel that we're given an insight into a narrative that never has an ending.

This leaves me disappointed. We follow this person's journey to Tomteland, and then we never see this person again or we do but only in the background.

Focus shifts on to Shakin' Stevens and attempts to make a direct link with the song, which is done pretty well, and I have fallen in love with the snowman, I want one. But it's missing the narrative it began with, and that is key in this video. Either you put it in and finish it, or you leave it out.

Overall a great song, and I have to admit, it is one of my favourites. The music video is good to an extent, but it misleads the viewer by starting a narrative without finishing it. I like the inclusion of snow, and the snowman, and of course seeing Santa Claus, what Christmas music video would be complete without him? But this is still missing a lot.

New Release: Kids In Glass Houses - Secret Santa

Kids In Glass Houses has gone back to what they were and truly are back with a fun little Christmas song, which is perfect to kick off my Christmas 2012 special. As I have mentioned a dozen times before, but I shall again, I met these guys at the 2008 Paramore tour in Birmingham with Tink09 and Hollagram Star, they were a support act, who we had never ever heard of and they came out and greeted the Paramore fans waiting outside. The band consists of Aled Phillips, Iain Mahanty, Philip Jenkins, Joel Fisher and Andrew Shay. They haven't had much of a charting success, and their most recent singles have failed to chart. Their highest charting single charted at number 62 with "Give Me What I Want" and "Undercover Lover (Featuring Frankie Sandford)". But this song is climbing up and up and might be their best charting single! I have to admit, I like the fun side of this song, they clearly did it because they wanted to, and it feels like their previous music that charted, so could this show what we are to expect from them with their new album?

This music video is an insight into the Kids In Glass Houses Christmas party, and I really want to be there. It looks like a lot of fun, and relates to the song perfectly, including an out-of-place flamingo, which somehow fits exactly the way it is supposed to.

I like the presents and the Santa Claus that appears. But my favourite bit has to be when they are holding the signs up that is part of the lyrics of the song, for those who don't catch it, it reads "Who is my secret Santa baby?". Also for those of you who miss the joke from the cracker, it is "Where do snowmen go to dance? To a snowball."

There are a few things that is missing, such as when the bow and arrow is fired, they could at least have made it stick to the camera. And the mistletoe isn't so great either, although I do like that scene. I just feel something more important is missing, that makes this video lacking.

Overall, a great song that keeps climbing up the iTunes chart, and I'm hoping that it doesn't stop climbing, it deserves to chart really high. The accompanying music video is great to watch and makes you want to join in as there is a lot of fun going on. But there's just something that is missing, but what that is I'm not sure. It's not quite worth five stars, but I'll give it what it deserves.

The Fairchilds Featuring Orianthi - High

The Fairchilds were introduced to me thanks to this amazing collaboration. They consist of one person as far as I can tell, who is Cyril Niccolai. However there is more behind this "one man band" than what is perceived with various producers and instrument players, however after a lot of searching I only ever come up with Cyril Niccolai leaving this band pretty mysterious, which is always a great intriguing factor. They have released a few singles and albums world-wide, but none have charted in the UK. Orianthi, full name Orianthi Panagaris, is the amazing guitarist in this video and used as the love interest of Cyril Niccolai. I have been following Orianthi's career since 2010, and I'm a really big fan, she just needs to be more known, however she is already getting the credibility she deserves. This song is extremely catchy and should've charted high, however the collaborators are not known enough and hence this great song failed to chart.

This music video is more performance-based, with an added extra of a narrative, which is a nice surprise that makes you more interested. This is definitely a favourite video of mine already, and I've only watched it once at the moment.

The performance side is calm and peaceful, which goes perfect with the piano, and even though you would think the guitar would be out of place, it moulds well with the whole tranquil side of things.

The narrative, also follows this theme and manages to intrigue the viewer even more as it connects to the song perfectly, not only that but Orianthi and Cyril suit one another so much, it's surprising to think they aren't actually together.

Overall, a great song that if it were sung by Nickleback or another well-known artist, would have surely got high in the charts all over the world. However since The Fairchilds and Orianthi are not known enough as they should be, this song failed to chart. The music video is just as great as the song, and I have no choice but to give this video the rating it clearly deserves.

JoJo - Too Little Too Late

JoJo, real name Joanna Levesque, has been planning her comeback for some time, and there's still no sign of it hitting the UK. She recently released "Disaster" world-wide, but for some reason completely missed out the UK, leaving the UK fans waiting endlessly, for something that might never be. But I have my fingers crossed that at least something comes this way, we've been missing JoJo, and kind of need her back.

"Too Little Too Late" was written by Billy Steinberg, Josh Alexander and Ruth-Anne Cunningham. The former two have featured on this blog before, and I bet they will pop-up a few more times. As for the latter, she has written for quite a few people, and I bet we'll be seeing her name again. The song is about getting over your first love and about the disappointment that may come with it. The song is extremely catchy and a few of my flatmates were playing it today and I couldn't stop myself from singing a long too. See Brits are still listening to her music, so come on JoJo, release and promote in the UK, please.

The music video is a great narrative based video that correlates perfectly with the song. The theme of football (or should I say soccer?) was used because it was released around the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The team used in the video was UCLA Bruins men's team, and the main actor was Mike Zaher, who is also on the team, and in being a professional footballer (soccer player), he was unable to receive money for his role.

There is a lot to like about this video, it feels real and right in so many weird ways. The video also includes pathetic fallacy, as when she decided it's finally over, it starts to rain.

Overall an extremely catchy song, that has made this song become JoJo's most successful single in the UK even though "Leave (Get Out)" got to number 2 and this song got to number 4, this song has sold more and was in the charts for a lot longer. The video shows off the song perfectly, and it couldn't have been done any better. The are no faults with this video, and it works effortlessly, so clearly another high rating is deserved. And she has now become the first artist to have their music video reviewed by me twice! "Too Little Too Late" first review.
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Taylor Swift - Mean

Taylor Swift has been in my head all day, especially this song since some of my flatmates were "Mean" to me yesterday, however I'm complaining about nothing, I'm just not into practical jokes. Anyhow, Taylor Swift has lined the way for country stars in the UK. Most recently her album "Red" sore to the top of the UK charts, and it begs to question, will she be able to influence country artists into releasing in the UK? And possibly make the UK enjoy country music? This is something we're going to have to lye in wait and see.

"Mean" was written by Taylor Swift. It is about a critic who was a bit too harsh on her during a performance. This is what I like about Taylor Swift, she'll take anything that has happened to her and make it into a song, and usually it's bad things, sometimes it's best to stay away from her, oh wait! That didn't work for the guy in the song "The Story Of Us".... Hmmmmm.... Well clearly you are meant to make friends with her, and always make a good impression. This song was never released in the UK, and that is understandable since it is an extremely country song, and it would have been unlikely to chart, however it was released elsewhere around the world, so why miss us? It could have charted, but that's a big maybe.

The music video is simplistic, and very theatre-like. But this is what makes it stand out. It looks like it was made on a low-budget side, but to have been able to pull this off is amazing and I doubt I'll ever get bored of watching it.

The narrative evolves around bullying. This is one of the biggest impacts of the world, and it's impossible to stop it, but people always have a shot at it, and I think it does work. I like how the song also relates to bullying as well, and it was definitely the first thing that came to my mind when I first heard it, and I bet others thought the same. I particularly like how it shows that the bullied usually triumphs, and ends up in the "big old city" and the bully is forgotten and has disappeared but will forever be "mean".

There is a great performance side added to this video that makes me want to see Taylor Swift live for a 2nd time. I went and saw her at the LG Arena, Birmingham, UK in March 2011 with Edges. And she was remarkable, and she is just as great in this video, I feel like I'm back there watching her.

Overall, a great song to listen to when someone's being mean to you, it should've been released in the UK, but kind of understand why it wasn't. The music video is exactly what I wanted and more and I couldn't have asked for anything better. So after I've finished this review I shall be off to watch it again.
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New Release: Will.I.Am Featuring Britney Spears - Scream & Shout

Will.I.Am, real name William Adams, is one quarter of American band The Black Eyed Peas. He is a coach on The Voice UK and is well-known for his name-dropping on the show. He knows exactly what he is talking about and is one of these people who will be a part of the music industry for the rest of his life. I am looking forward to his future singles, but can he top this collaboration? I very much doubt it. This song features the high-profiled Miss Britney Spears, who has appeared on this blog a number of times. I admit, I am a fan, one of the Britney Army. She has had a successful career, but has recently been failing to chart. Her last number one was back in 2004 with "Everytime", could this song be the one to push her back in the limelight? Definitely.

"Scream & Shout" was written by William Adams, Jef Martens and Jean Baptiste. The song is extremely catchy and I cannot stop listening to it, and I look like I'm not the only one. The song uses the iconic "It's Britney Bitch", first used in the song for "Gimme More". The single release date in the UK was pushed forward a few weeks after the demand in the UK was extremely high. The song has been climbing up the UK iTunes chart, this is definitely going to be a hit, but with stiff competition from The X Factor winner James Arthur with his single "Impossible", it is going to be a major chart battle.

The music video is definitely different to what we expect, but it links in great with the song and it's meaning. It has been described as a series of photographs, and that is exactly what it feels like. Like someone is trying to show you something through a series of actions.

As everyone has already announced, Britney Spears stands out amazingly. And although she is merely only featuring on the track, you can't help but feel eager to watch her again and again. I think she has this essence, this performance essence that lights up when in a music video. Will.I.Am tries his best to stand out too, and although he managed to do so, it's just not as engaging as Britney.

There's so much going on, and even though I have already seen it about 10 times, there's still parts of the video I haven't seen before, and this is what makes a video like this, great. You have to make them want to watch it again and again so that they don't miss anything.

Overall a great song that deserves to get to number one this Sunday. The music video is the best music video I have ever seen in this style. Any competition in this style has been blown away and I cannot even think of any similar. I like it's subtle links with the song and the editing is WOW. I have nothing else to say, except UK fans download now, this NEEDS to be number one!
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Deadmau5 Featuring Rob Swire - Ghosts 'n' Stuff

Again, I am sorry I haven't written any posts lately, but I dislocated my leg on Wednesday and I have been in and out of hospital since, unfortunately I never became a ghost, or maybe I did and haven't realised. However I have no tattoos so maybe I was a sensible ghost.

Deadmau5, real name Joel Zimmerman, becomes my Sunday revisit, purely because I don't think I'll have much of a chance of being able to review one of his music videos for some time. Hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later. This track features Rob Swire he is the lead singer of the band Pendulum and have had a lot of success with the band, and he will continue to do so. However Pendulum has not yet featured on my blog. But I'm sure they will in the future.

"Ghosts 'n' Stuff" was written by Joel Zimmerman and Rob Swire, and is currently Deadmau5's highest charting single in the UK to date. It was originally made in 2004, and has gone through 10 revisions. The song is quite catchy, and I think I slightly remember it when it charted in 2008 at number 12. But I have not seen the music video before now.

The video is narrative with a clever performance side entwined. I love the ghost and the fact that it can't go through walls and everyone can see him reminds me of the complete opposite of the film "Ghost", and I also like how we see the bad ghosts try to capture him. I also like the tattoo, and how it is incorporated perfectly.

The performance side of things is good to watch. I like how we get to see Deadmau5 doing what he does best, and makes me really want to see him live. I also like how the ghost becomes someone in the crowd. Which reminds me of Avril Lavigne's "Losing Grip". And the fact that it isn't just a boring usual performance music video is good.

Overall, it's a great song which did well to get to number 12 on the UK Chart. The music video is very different to "The Veldt", which shows how much variety his music videos gives us. This video is great to watch as well, and I have nothing against it. I just feel that it doesn't capture me as much as it should. On the other hand, I can't fault it. So I have to give this rating.

Deadmau5 Featuring Chris James - The Veldt

Deadmau5, real name Joel Zimmerman, has never appeared on my blog so far, and wouldn't have done so today, if I had not gone bowling and saw this video on the TV screens. He has been going since 2005, and although he is from Canada, he has had the most chart hits in the UK, with 15 single entries. This is his joint third best chart position, at number 68 along with "Sofi Needs A Ladder". The two better charting singles are "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" (at number 12) and "I Remember" (at number 14). This song "The Veldt" was written by Joel Zimmerman and Chris James. It is based on the short story of the same name written by Ray Bradbury (Click here to read the story, it's well worth the read). So I wonder what the future will bring to Deadmau5, he's definitely not disappearing, that's for sure, and hopefully there will be a single to top the charts soon? Surely he is credible enough. The song features Chris James who is a good vocalist, but hasn't come into the limelight much, hopefully we'll see more of him in the future.

The music video is also based on The Veldt by Ray Bradbury, which makes the link in with the song amazing. The animation was done by Qudos Animations.

I watched this before reading the story, and was surprised and very interested. Of course I was interested otherwise I wouldn't be reviewing it, right? After reading the story online, this video blew me away, it describes exactly what I imagined in the story and more so.

I have nothing bad to say at all about this video. It follows the story's subtlety with murder and I have to give a ten out of ten for that, it's practically more subtle in this music video rather than the story.

Overall, a great song that makes more sense after reading the short story. It's accompanying music video is amazing, I got scared when the brother (presumably Peter from the story) pushed the girl (Wendy) off the cliff, I was like, what are you doing? But the ending is surprising and expected, after reading the story. But even if you don't read the story it still works well, and I can't help but give it the full rating, as I just can't give it anything else.
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