30 Seconds To Mars are one of my all time favourite bands, their music is such an inspiration to us and Jared Leto's voice is amazing, and this song just proves that. The band consists of Jard Leto, Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević. They have recently beaten a Guinness World record, as I mentioned in my most recent 30 Seconds To Mars review. But they haven't released a single since two years ago, could this mean that their new songs will be the best they've ever released? We're all hoping so, but how they will beat a single like this, I'm not sure.
As expected Jared Leto wrote this song, and you can really tell that he thinks strongly about this song, it has a musicality that is both amazing and brilliant and his voice... It's definitely one of those song that when you listen to it, you can shut your eyes and just think it's bliss. As far as I can work out (thanks to the lyrics) the song is about going down your own path... The way I worked this out was "We were the Kings and Queens of promise" which suggests what your parents believe you can be anything once you are born. "Maybe the children of a lesser God. Between Heaven and Hell." Suggests a kinder God, one who will protect us and prevent us from prejudicing everyone. However the verses tell us something different. 1st verse tells us that we've changed we are who we've become and we have started judging people just like God tells us to do. 2nd verse could be reference to our parents, we took our lives into our own hands and decided to lead our life the way we want to. The bridge suggests that we will never be sure what's right or wrong until we've done it, and darkness descends, we learn our 1st lesson of many to come and will learn from it and become better people because of it. This song is so inspirational, and this is what I get out of it. However if you were to look at the lyrics you may come up with some other meaning. This song touches people in different ways and it's one of those songs that is inspirational and means something different to everyone but in a positive light. It's also a song people learn from, one that makes people become inspired. And this is what makes a song, the most perfect song. I could imagine this song live and it would be the epiphany of perfection
Putting the song aside and focusing on the music video... It fits in perfect and I'll always watch it whenever I find it on the music channels, as soon as I see it on a music channel I stop flicking through and watch it. Again it has narrative and performance which is what we usually expect from a band and it links in just right, although if you had heard the song and not watched the music video you really wouldn't have thought this would have been the music video.
The narrative side is the biking, they start from downtown Los Angeles and go all the way to Santa Monica Pier, there are quite a few artistic forms in this music video, and some bits are shocking. I like the man who's riding the big bike, it's really hard to miss him, and it makes me eager to have a go. I like the different places they ride, such as the tunnel, and the spiral they create in the middle of the road. Some people find the horse a little weird but it relates to Los Angeles. When the bike gets hit by the car it scares me every single time, because I never quite know when it's coming up and it just happens out of nowhere.
The performance side of things is filmed on top of a cliff edge in Griffith Park that overlooks the city.I like the use of the sunset which casts shadows of 30 Seconds to Mars, and gives the music video this feel of motivation.
Overall, I would normally give this song 5 stars purely because it's emotional and I can feel every word Jared Leto is singing. However this is a music video review, but I haven't got a bad this to say about it, it's interesting and easily watchable. It has everything you need and more so how can I not put this rating?
Cover Drive are a new band, they have so far released two singles, this one being their second and it actually made number one here in the UK, and what do you expect from such a great song and vocalist? They are a 4-piece R&B group from Barbados and consists of Amanda Reifer (real name Karen Amanda Reifer), Thomas-Ray 'T-Ray' Armstrong, Barry 'Bar-Man' Hill and Jamar Harding. They are signed to Polydor Records UK, who have so many artists to their label, I just wonder how far this band will go... I hope they get far, but it'll be one of those things that they either will or they won't, I have my fingers crossed that there are more songs like this one.
I first heard "Twilight" on the radio, and I really wasn't expecting Cover Drive to be the people who sung it, especially after their first song "Lick Ya Down". I was also expecting it to be on the Twilight Sega: Breaking Dawn soundtrack, so I was shocked to find it wasn't. The song was written by Andreas Romdhane, Josef Larossi, Ina Wroldsen, Karen Reifer, Thomas-Ray Armstrong and Jamar Harding. The first two make up the production team "Quiz & Larossi", who have has a number of successes. Ina is best known for quite a lot of "The Saturdays" songs but has also been mentioned on my blog a few times as writing credits, definitely one to look out for. And the last three are in Cover Drive as Karen is Amanda's real name. So they can connect with the song a bit, but I think the fact that the song is so catchy is what made it get to number one in the first place. But people will be looking out for Cover Drive from now on.
To be honest the music video is simple, there really hasn't been much thought put into it, and it is expected of a band's first few singles, however I would become worried if they ended up releasing music videos like this in the future. By listening to the song on it's own, you wouldn't have thought this music video would be like this, although it does have a weak link with the song.
The music video shows fun at it's best, you can see the friendship of the band and how comfortable they are with one another. I am in love with the last scene where they are performing, as twilight is setting in. It's such an amazing scene and fits in with song perfectly, and makes you feel calm, and eager to watch it again.
I reckon many people were expecting a music video about two people being in their first few stages of a relationship, however instead we get to see the bond within the band, and how they are becoming connected. Their friendship is sweet to watch, and probably makes some people envious. Cover Drive will become big, and it looks like they'll be able to keep their friendship within the band.
There isn't a lot to say about this, but there are some great scenes to watch, and I have a feeling artists are going to have to be careful when releasing music, as they are going to have to stay out of the way of Cover Drive, because if the rest of their music turns out like this, they're going to be unstoppable. I've dropped a star purely because I sort of prefer a mixture of performance and a narrative that links in well with the song, but really, if I were able to, I would only drop half a star.
Bad Meets Evil is a hip hop band consisting of Royce da 5'9'' (real name Ryan Montgomery) and Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers III). They formed in 1998, where they were introduced to one another. They released two singles before splitting due to Eminem reforming with his childhood band: D12. There was conflict between D12 and Royce da 5'9'', they went as far as hitting out at one another through their own release material. However they both had a mutual friend, the now late rapper, "Proof". Who was trying to get Bad Meets Evil back together. Soon after his death, D12 and Royce da 5'9'' settled their differences and have even collaborated together a few times. Now Bad Meets Evil are back and they are gaining quite high chart positions.
The song was written by a number of people... Here are the writing credits Marshall Mathers (Eminem), Ryan Montgomery (Royce da 5'9''), Luis Resto, Sly Jordan (Pyper), Dwayne Chin-Quee (Supa Dubs) and Jason Gilbert (JG). Pyper sings the chorus of the song, with additional vocals from Supa Dubs and JG. Eminem and Royce da 5'9'' sing the verses. The song is a big collaborative effort, and the people involved were happy to have taken part in the project. I'm not into hip hop/rap music, I can appreciate it but I wouldn't personally listen to it on a regular basis, however on the other hand CamCam is obsessed with this genre at the moment, and clearly can't get enough. I received a suggestion to write a review for this music video, which makes me think that Cam Cam was the one to post the suggestion...
The music video is pretty good, I was a little nervous to watch it as this is not my sort of music, but I am aware of the song, and have heard it numerous times on the radio. To be honest I am happy someone suggested it, as I very much doubt I would have seen this music video otherwise.
There isn't much narrative going on, and one may say it's all performance, however the animated objects give us some storyline. To be honest you would expect something like this in a low-budget music video, however we know that this couldn't possibly be the case, and so therefore it shows originality and links in with the song accurately.
Aside from the animation there are also memorable lyrics shown as they rap. Personally I think there's too many words, and you end up reading them instead of keeping your eyes on the rappers, however there isn't a lot going on, and I think they had to choose between another animation and some of the lyrics. These lyrics manage to show that this is a rap music video, you can tell this if there wasn't any music playing as it is quite common in hip hop music videos.
Overall I have to admit that this music video isn't too bad, I'm just not a fan of the song, however the song is catchy and identifiable as "Bad Meets Evil", you certainly wouldn't mistake it for anything else. I'm surprised it only got to number 66 on the UK chart, but it'll be interesting what songs they are going to release in the future.
Selena Gomez is definitely one of these Disney stars that are trying to reach fame... We've already had Miley Cyrus, so now it's a competition between Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, who are both friends and appeared in a TV show and a film together. Demi, has managed to blow us all away with her most recent single "Skyscraper", and Selena Gomez is trying her best to compete... And here is the best song she's ever sung and I really do like this song. She is currently dating popstar Justin Bieber, as most people already know.
Selena Gomez & The Scene is a pop band, that has also dabbled in Electro... The band consists of Selena Gomez, Greg Garman, Joey Clement, Ethan Roberts and Dane Forrest. This song is definitely going to be a hit, but with Selena Gomez & The Scene's track record on the UK chart, can they pull it back, or will this be another song not to chart so high?
The song was written by Leah Haywood, Daniel James and Tony Nilsson. Which quite surprises me since I was expecting that the band or at least Selena Gomez had put some of the lyrics in, as she looks like she is passionate about every single word she sings in this music video. The song's all about letting loose, having fun and being in the moment, and the music video portrays exactly that.
The music video is inspirational, it's quick short scenes and there is a lot going on, but it matches the song amazingly and it's really clever, but there is a continuity error, I wonder if anyone else has spotted it...
We have various scenes, we have a cornfield where it looks like it goes on and on and on, and the corn are taller than Selena Gomez, you could potentially hide forever amongst the corn. You also have big bouncing balloons that Selena and her friends are trying to prevent touching the ground, apparently (according to behind the scenes) the balloons kept on popping. Then you have the pumpkin patch where they attempt to play baseball with fruit, then they travel on the back of a truck eating watermelons and they disappear into the smoke. Next it's night and they're walking down a street with big flashlights and torches, I so wish I was there, it looks like fun. Then a house party, and a forest filled with disco balls, that looks like the place to be. Selena Gomez is in a room filled with pink balloons, another dream where everyone wants to be. And jumping into a pool, and fireworks go off while dancing in the street, and so much more.
There's so much to see and watch that you have to concentrate really hard, and it's not easy to capture everything first time around. I think I've watched it 5 times now and I'm still finding out new things. This is what makes a music video, it makes you watch it again and again. The continuity error, is the fact that she's had her hair cut half-way through filming (revealed in Behind The Scenes) and it's noticeable if you look out for it, but it is edited well and not evident all that much.
I think this reminds me of Alex Saidac's music video "We Shine", because of the lights, I think this is more relatable and I can't fault this music video, and I'm going to have to say this... I think it's the band's best music video ever. I love it and will watch it 100 more times if I have to, I doubt I'll ever find it tiring, and I hope this is their biggest hit, and I'll be surprised if it doesn't make top 10 here in the UK. It's one of the songs that will definitely be played in the clubs and I am shocked it hasn't been remixed by more DJs. People may dislike it due to flash warning, but to be honest what do expect from a song called "Hit The Lights"?
Kelly Clarkson has been going since she won the first ever American Idol, now she is at the peak of her fame and she is staying up there, ready to tackle high chart-toppers and beat them all to number one, and this is definitely the song that could do it. This is her second single from her most recent album "Stronger" , and due to album downloads only, it has already reached number 8 here in the UK, and this week it's set to chart higher, I guarantee it.
The song was written by Jörgen Elofsson, Ali Tamposi, David Gamson and Greg Kurstin. Most of these have written for Britney Spears, Ke$ha and many other well-known singers, but what I'm surprised about is that none of Kelly Clarkson's most recent singles were written by her, and although she has a fantastic voice and connects with the song perfectly, you can hear something missing, and I think it's because none of her own material is released yet, there are tracks on the album that has been written by her, it's just getting them released as a single.
This music video is one of those videos you really aren't supposed to like, but actually you fall in love with it because of the song. There is not a lot to say about this music video, except it is very well edited as this could have easily become the worst music video out, however it was saved, so well done to the people who edited it.
The choreography plays a major part in this music video. Kelly asked fans on her website to apply to be in her music video, they had to download the dance moves and then record themselves dancing in a memorable part of where they lived. This is quite clever since there are a bunch of people doing these choreographed steps... However they aren't the best dance moves out and it's aimed for younger people so that they can copy the dance moves, but it kind of looks a mess and doesn't quite fit all that well. The only bit I enjoyed about the choreography is at the end where there is loads of people doing the moves and Kelly Clarkson is also doing them too, and they're all in sync and it just looks neater and better.
I like the various videos from the fans, and it looks like Mermaids have heard about Kelly Clarkson as there are people doing the dance moves in the water, I like how you also hear Kelly Clarkson laughing at a little boy, did the editors miss that bit or did they leave it in on purpose?
There really isn't much else I can say about this music video... I can see the song getting to number one this week if it receives enough radio and music channel play, and I know it definitely is, but there are some big songs at the top and I think Kelly Clarkson might have a battle on her hands. As for the music video, I like it but then I also don't, and I think they kind of cancel each other out. As various people have said, you'd have expected a different music video if you heard the song by itself, instead it's unexpected and totally a surprise, but would it have been better to have a narrative, rather than a totally performance only music video? Maybe we'll find her next music video to be exciting and magical, or maybe not...
