Vampire Weekend’s second album Contra has been receiving a lot of praise since its release last week – everyone is loving how this second album is tighter, brighter and weirder compared to their 2008 debut album, Vampire Weekend, which sounds more monotone and restrained in comparison (in a good way). Beyond just showcasing their group’s cleverness and zeal through smart lyrics and sound, Vampire Weekend proves with Contra that they’ve got soul too.

Vampire Weekend’s group of Ivy League guys have kept their smart wit in writing lyrics as well as combined a multicultural mix of genres (Afro-pop, reggae, ska, and electro accents) with bigger drums and faster guitars. As always, the band’s songs are all about exploring contradictions, emotions and superficialities… and in particular casting a probing eye towards individual struggles with social status. Perhaps this theme is in part why Vampire Weekend can boast such widespread appeal, because in a sense, social status is something that everyone must struggle with at some point. It’s not surprising then that Vampire Weekend is such a cross-cultural and cross-generational new indie band.

The following songs are on the Contra album:

• Horchata
• White Sky
• Holiday
• California English
• Taxi Cab
• Run
• Cousins
• Giving Up The Gun
• Diplomat’s Son
• I Think Ur A Contra

Check out Vampire Weekend’s performance on the Letterman show on January 5, 2010. They played their song, “Cousins.”

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Absolutely.

No doubt everyone has heard the album’s single, “Bad Romance”, at least 20 times now playing on the radio, in clubs and probably in grocery stores. It’s heavy on the electropop beats that have become synonymous with Lady Gaga’s name. The music video for this song takes it to a new level of fun – particularly because you have no idea what’s going on. This video is the most bizarre visual work I’ve seen from Lady Gaga to date. Realistically, I could get nightmares from it. Sometimes you have to wonder how Lady Gaga comes up with the uber-artistic themes she finds for her videos that have only a glimmer of connection to the song. I’m pretty confident she doesn’t care at all and she just does what she likes. No wonder she’s worshiped as a diva.

If you like morbid-kooky fun, check out the “Bad Romance” video:

What are some other songs that are potential singles? “Monster” which is full of loud choruses and a has a Euro-trance pop style. There’s a deep male voice in the background that keeps repeating Lady Gaga is “hot as hell” which is always good to hear. The favorite imagery that comes up from this song is at the end where things get bloody. Lady Gaga says: “He tore my clothes right off/ He ate my heart and then he ate my brain.” And here we thought the song was just about a typical heart breaker. Lady Gaga never ceases to surprise.

Listen to the “Monster” song below:

Everyone is also raving about “Telephone” which is the big duet with Beyoncé. What’s Lady Gaga singing about? Her boyfriend keeps calling, but she can’t talk right now because she’s too busy drinking and dancing to her favorite song in the club. Are they deep lyrics? No. Do we care? Not really.

With her new album’s release Lady Gaga proves that she’s no one-hit wonder. Behind the over-the-top pop persona and outrageous fashion sense, Lady Gaga has a strong recognizable voice and experimental attitude. She’s an artist that will prove influential for years ahead, and her masses of adoring fans are sure to follow.

Purchase THE FAME MONSTER and hear what people are talking about and why fans worship Lady Gaga. On sale now for $7.99 .

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1. Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” offers memories Passionate King of Pop fans can get excited for...

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Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent

Despite not winning the show that season, the Susan Boyle hype has not died down. Quite the opposite in fact. Her popularity has only picked up steam serving to inspire her fans around the world. Though Boyle has had a tough time with the media limelight (her nervous breakdown after not winning the show, as well as a couple hysterical lapses due to over-stress), she has still matured magnificently in front of all of us. Her demeanor, looks, attitude, everything… we’re all stunned at how she has developed professionally and achieved her goal of being a professional singer.

Pre-orders for her album, titled “I Dreamed a Dream”, have sky-rocketed and topped the charts. Simon Cowell says, “She’s going to surprise a lot of people with this record.” It’s going to go beyond typical souvenir albums of show tunes. Some of the songs included are: “Wild Horses” by Rolling Stones, “Daydream Believer” by the Monkees , “Amazing Grace” and of course the title track from Les Miserables.

Look how fabulous Susan Boyle is now!

Share in Boyle’s dream and get your copy from Amazon. It’s currently on sale for $9.99. The album makes its debut on November 23, 2009.

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Passionate King of Pop fans can get excited for MJ’s “This Is It” album release arriving in stores internationally on Oct.26 and in the U.S. on Oct. 27. The album is available for fans to purchase just a day before the worldwide release of the documentary/concert film of the same name. The “This Is It” film hitting theaters on Oct. 28 will chronicle MJ’s rehearsals and preparations for his London concert series which sadly never happened due to his untimely death. Columbia Pictures acquired rights to the footage of the “This Is It” concert series’ rehearsals and created the film tribute to give MJ fans something to hold on to, as well as creating a historic pop culture milestone.

This posthumous full 2-disc deluxe album release from MJ is meant to be a companion piece to the film and features music that inspired the film, meaning it’s primarily a compilation of Jackson’s greatest hits in their original mastered versions. New material includes previously unreleased demo recordings of classic hit tracks, a never-before-heard spoken word poem titled “Planet Earth” read by MJ and 2 versions of the previously unreleased song, “This Is It.” The album arranges the songs in the same order as they appear in the film.

The title track, “This Is It,” first emerged in 1983 when it was co-written by Michael Jackson and former teen star from the 50’s and 60’s, Paul Anka. The song was recorded by Jackson backed only by a piano accompaniment right around the time that “Thriller” was a billboard smash. The recording was found in an old box of Michael Jackson’s tapes. Studios added strings to the recording as well as back-up vocals from Jackson’s brothers. For added flavor, fans can catch finger-click percussions performed by MJ himself that were borrowed from his recording of “The Girl Is Mine.”

“This Is It” is already released online and available to fans. Studios are hoping that the early release of this ballad on MJ’s official web site and radio stations will help publicize the upcoming concert film and generate excitement. Additionally, the early release of the single should increase album sales when it debuts later this month. Studios expect that the King of Pop’s fans will be more inclined to purchase the tangible CD version of his album rather than just have digital copies of his music since the upcoming album and concert film are such a historic pop culture phenomenon.

Posthumous releases that gain massive popularity is a pattern following in the steps of music legends like Elvis Presley and John Lennon. They both had popular singles and albums released after their deaths which topped billboard charts.

Old school music lovers can look forward to a vinyl edition of the album being available starting Nov. 10.

Fans can reserve a copy of both the vinyl and the CD album now on the official Michael Jackson web site.

The limited edition 2-CD set comes with a 36-page commemorative booklet featuring exclusive photos from the concert series’ last rehearsals along with an 11″x17″ movie poster – all at a package costs of $19.99.

Watch the video promo for the “This Is It” film along with a recording of the title track:

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