Yayayayayay!

After releasing their last album “Tangled Up” in 2007, Girls Aloud had a lot to live up to since it was arguably their best album of their five album career. Unfortunately album number six, “Out of Control,” does not compare, but hidden among a bunch of unremarkable songs is their twentieth single — possibly one of their best ever. Given to any other artist, “The Loving Kind” would’ve been just another ballad, but Girls Aloud turns it into something you can dance to as well. The official remixes also recently leaked, and they are great as well.

MGMT’s “Electric Feel” would find me at times I would least expect it. I would be at a bar or retail store and this would magically and unexpectedly come on and turn my frown upside down. They spent all of 2008 being simultaneously called overrated and underrated (not unlike Vampire Weekend), but either way they definitely made a big impact.

Choosing a just one song from The Kills’ perfect and well-rounded album is a difficult task, but “Sour Cherry” with its chaotic mix of instruments, claps, and grunts make it a delicious sassy rock gem.

I’d argue that a song’s intro can make or break a song, and Mariah’s signature screech and wail at the beginning of “Migrate” gets the party started in a way only she can. Despite terrible single selection for her latest album, E=MC2 had some modern-Mariah classics. This could have been THE party song of the year the likes of Mary J Blige’s “Family Affair,” and 2008’s ubiquitous T-Pain would have cemented it a #1 spot on Billboard’s charts. Coulda woulda shoulda Mrs. Cannon.

Competing with Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” for the summer song of 2008, Estelle’s “American Boy” snatches up the music from a forgettable will.i.am song, adds a dose of Kanye, and results in crossover success. While no other song from her album quite delivers a solid follow-up, hopefully future efforts won’t leave her as a one-hit wonder.

The haunting “I’m Good, I’m Gone” by Lykke Li is reminiscent of 2007’s “Young Folks” by Peter Bjorn and John in that it is so unique yet accessible and memorable. Unsurprisingly, Bjorn Yttling had a hand in creating this song as well as the entire album. If you haven’t seen the video yet, check it out. It reminds me of “The Cell” starring Jennifer Lopez. Go watch it and I dare you to tell me I’m wrong. (FYI: YES I REALIZE I MADE A TYPO IN THE GRAPHIC, maybe I’ll fix it at some point)

Beyonce took note of what made her last album successful. She took the crowd rousing “Get Me Bodied” beats, the “strong independent woman” message of “Irreplaceable,” and the frenetic pace of “Ring the Alarm” and came up with possibly the biggest single of her career. Not in a long while has the choreography for a song been so critical to the song’s success. Beyonce owes at least a small share of the success to Shane Mercado and the countless other YouTube interpretations of her music video.

THE comeback of the year… from a album that was released in Sweden in 2005 no less. Robyn’s self-titled album is what pop is all about. “Be Mine” combines amazing lyrics, heartfelt singing, and fantastic music and production to make the perfect pop song. And what legendary pop song would be complete without a weird spoken word intermission? (Oops… I Did It Again, anybody?)

If not for my number one choice, Sam Sparro would be 2008’s best new artist. He combines way too many genres to list and every song on his album drips of personality. After months of hoping and wishing and dreaming of hearing “Black & Gold” out in the real world outside of my iPod headphones, one of my go-to bars had a Sam Sparro promotional night where they gave away promo CDs of “Black & Gold” and two other songs as well as actually played the amazing music video as well.

She is THE artist of the year, she has THE album of the year, and MY top song of the year can be none other than “Shove It” by Santogold. It has an irresistible attitude and bass. It was masterfully chosen for a scene in Gossip Girl that was probably the best use of a song in a television program that I’ve ever scene (save “Breathe Me” in the Six Feet Under finale). It even got the Jay-z stamp of approval with his sample of the song in his “Brooklyn (Go Hard).” Picking just one song from an album that does not take a single misstep is almost a crime, but at least for me this song will always remind me of 2008.

Honorable Mention for Britney’s “Womanizer.” While the song itself is not lifechanging and will eventually get lost in her library of hits, the circus (pardon my pun) around it and her and the video made it something you just had to stop and stare and listen to.

So that’s it. There are a ton more than I probably should have included but didn’t. 2008 was a great year for music. What were your favorites?

This guy makes one for his kid EVERYDAY… check out more here.

Anyways, tonight I saw Were the World Mine. It’s about Timothy — this gay guy in high school who gets the lead in the ~senior play~ A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream. He gets bullied at school a lot by the rugby team, but he happens to have a crush on one of the players (of course). Said crush also gets a starring role in the play as well (of course). Anyway, things get pretty silly when he somehow makes this magical concoction that he squirts in people’s eyes causing them to fall in love with whoever they see when they open their eyes… just like A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream, what a coincidence! As if that wasn’t silly enough, the movie itself is sort of a musical so there is a good amount of singing at random moments. Although I’m being a little sarcastic, I actually really enjoyed it and the ending was very satisfying. Go see it, it’s fun!

Check out the trailer:

And if that doesn’t interest you enough… one of my favorite songs ever was in the movie as well, Patrick Wolf’s Magic Position!

Last week I was sitting around holed up in my apartment and I texted little Mikey something to the effect of “I’m bored, help.” Surprisingly, my text was not ignored, and I was actually graced not only with a response but with a PLAN. He informed me that I’d be joining him and his boyfriend at a gallery opening and that I didn’t have a choice in the matter.

I hoofed it down to the Lower East Side and met Mikey outside this mess of I line. There were people with clipboards and camera equipment and I was like, “Oh lordy, I don’t know if I can do this.” Mike explained that from what he heard some sort of MTV show reality show was filming and my first thought was, “Real World Brooklyn…? Let’s leave.” We then found out:

BAM! Now we’re talking. Without Tivo I have not really been able to sit through full episodes of The Hills anymore since I can’t justify all those commercials and blank stares and chewing without a fast forward button. For those not in the know, Whitney Port of The Hills is getting her own spin-off called The City based in… you guessed it: New York City. She never really played any role in the original series other than a tool for exposition but she at least seemed to be the least brainless (except that I’m convinced Lauren is secretly smart but that she plays down her intelligence because, like, that’s what girls are supposed to do, duh).

ANYWAYS, we had to sign waivers, take pictures, and were led into this very crowded studio with a pretty awesome DJ and FREE open bar (HELLO!). The art was cool, I met the artist, whatever blah blah blah. He said something like “Yeah, I don’t know what these cameras are all about, I don’t really pay attention to any of that MTV stuff.” Ok, yeah I know, you’re so alternative, I get it.

Whitney eventually showed up with this weird bedazzled headband thing worn around her forehead with some other girl who I recognize from the show but have no idea what her name is. She talked to some ~important people~. I’m sure Mike, Richard, and myself were in the background of at least some of her conversations but who knows. The three of us were definitely not cool enough for the party. I was “day look” J Crew-ed out from head to toe and feeling particularly heinous that day anyway, so we didn’t stay long and ended up having an incredible and CHEAP meal at Cooper 35. They had an amazing drink selection all for $4. UNHEARD of. I had a decent mojito served in huge pint glass.

I’m not sure when exactly I’ll make my reality television debut, but we’ll see what happens.

When I watch it, I can’t help but to remember what I was thinking when we learned about the civil rights era in middle school and high school and watched all those videos. I would always wonder what their living children and grandchildren must think of their racist relatives being immortalized in these clips.

It weirds me out how EXCITED they are to vote Yes on Prop 8. It’s like, “Yeah man, that’s cool, that’s cool, let’s have a Prop 8 party where we can sit around and talk about it for hours because you know, there’s not a war going on right now… or an economy in disarray… or a disastrous health care system… or anything.”

I’ll leave you with a clip made by the same people from the clip above. It’s amazing how they think THIS would convince people.

She doesn’t even know WHY she’s so excited to vote yes on Prop 8. JUST GO TO THE WEBSITE, DON’T ASK ME TO GIVE A REASON.
And hon… I don’t think Richard thinks you’re one of his best friends.

Apparently I was missing the jacket necessary to dine at the fine establishment. The maitre d’ gave me one. Embarrassing. …but I was there before the other guests, I guess that counts for something? Luckily I was dressed properly otherwise?

I went home to look up their website and found this:

I typically prefer books that take place in our reality or are unabashedly occurring in a completely fictional universe — not this scenario which is an imagined future. That’s one of the first things you learn when reading this book: the world was our world but there has been a drastic change that results in a shift of the roles of men and women in society. The protagonist is “Offred” which is her new given name representing the man she has been assigned to (i.e. of Fred). She is one of the best narrative voices I’ve encountered in a while. Offred is quick, funny, and sympathetic.

The story jumps back and forth from her life before “the change” happened, her time during the training she endured for her new life, and her experiences as the handmaid Offred. I really don’t want to give too much away, but essentially women have been stripped of power to a varying degree (depending what sect they belong to) by a totalitarian and theocratic government, and if they are to stray from their duties they risk an even worse life in a sort of interment camp or death. I really don’t want to ruin anything else because a lot of the enjoyment from the book comes from its surprised.

If you’ve read the book, let me just say one of my favorite parts was when Offred reaction to her husband’s reaction of when she lost her job and access to her bank account. Wow.

And this brings us to my new guilty pleasure. Beyonce latest lead single: If I Were a Boy. Very uncharacteristic for Beyonce to lead with a ballad (although she simultaneously released Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) which isn’t getting as much attention). My first impression of it was “Oh God, this is so Big Girls Don’t Cry…” Surprise, surprise: it’s co-written by the guy behind “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”