Posts By Zara Golden

July 18th, 2012 | 3:04 pm by Zara Golden (@zaragolden)

The Lumineers Play Their Song From The Bing Commercial On You Oughta Know Live

Maybe you’ve seen this commercial, the one where the Hawaiian vacation of dreams is planned with the help of his friends and social networks and Bing. And maybe it even inspired you to give Microsoft’s search engine go. Most likely of all, though, it left you with that song stuck in your head and anticipation of the next commercial break when you might hear it again. That oh-so-catchy song is “Ho Hey!” by July and Augusts You Oughta Know artists The Lumineers, and it sounded even better yet when they performed it at VH1 headquarters for their You Oughta Know Live session.

“Ho Hey” swells around the band’s three members, a simple guitar melody, a little kick-drum and a shake of tambourine. It’s the battery of ho’s and hey’s, though, that get into your bones, making the song impossible to shake. Not that you’ll want to.

The rising American folk rock trio also performed “Stubborn Love” and “Slow It Down” off their self-titled debut. Check out their full session here!

July 18th, 2012 | 12:33 pm by Zara Golden (@zaragolden)

JoJo “Demonstrates” That She’s Still Got It With New Single

A young, pop singer past, JoJo has begun edging herself back into the spotlight with adept covers and sexy singles that have her sounding ever more like a grown R&B star. “Demonstrate,” her brand new single that is produced by Drake‘s partner in crime, Noah “40″ Shebib, is no exception. Now 21-years-old, JoJo offers to demonstrate that which she can’t say. “I can let my body explain, I know I can demonstrate,” she sings after a tinny guitar intro. She moves capably from a near-whisper to an almost whistle-register and back without overwhelming the patently patient and self-conscious 40 beat, much like she did with his “Marvin’s Room.”

If it’s got her doing like this, we hope she keeps letting that “freaky sh**” run her mind. If she can keep this up, and if R&B continues to get weirder and darker like it has, she’ll prove a real force when her third studio album, Jumping Trains, comes out later this year.

New Music: Jojo – ‘Demonstrate’ [Produced By Noah '40' Shebib] [Rap-Up]

July 18th, 2012 | 11:25 am by Zara Golden (@zaragolden)

The Votes Are In And Pitbull Is Actually Headed To Alaska

The polls have closed and the people have spoken: Pitbull is indeed headed to the far away and frozen tundras of Kodiak, Alaska! But he’s taking the man who got him sent there with him.

As we reported earlier this month, Walmart promised to host Mr. World Order and his preferred brand of energy-stripes to whichever store could accumulate the most “Likes” on their Facebook page. The competition was quickly hijacked by a trouble-making Boston Phoenix reporter and Something Awful contributor, David Thorpe, who figured it would be funny to send Miami’s pride to the coldest and most remote Walmart America’s got. Needless to say, his #ExilePitbull campaign worked, Kodiak’s far-off Walmart blew away the competition, and to Alaska Pitbull must now go. Read more…

July 18th, 2012 | 9:58 am by Zara Golden (@zaragolden)

Tuned In: Best Coast “Storms” Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Best Coast dropped in on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night to play “Storms,” the bonus Fleetwood Mac cover from their recent album The Only Place. Bethany Consentino and Bobb Bruno were joined by only a bassist on the dark stage for a performance that was quiet save for Constentino’s impressive voice. “Never have I been a blue calm sea, I’ve always been a storm,” she sang, staid like we don’t often get to hear her and channeling her inner Stevie Nicks in a floor-skimming black dress and turquoise jewelry. Best Coast’s take is a bit more somber than the original Tusk b-side, but no less beautiful for it. Nicks, we have to believe, would approve.

July 17th, 2012 | 7:03 pm by Zara Golden (@zaragolden)

Last Lap: Bob Dylan’s 35 Album Due Out In September

BOB DYLAN‘S TEMPEST IS SLATED FOR A SEPT. 11 RELEASE
The Bard with a guitar (but not that guitar) returns this fall with a 35 studio album meant to mark the 50th anniversary of the day his self-titled debut hit shelves. To call this an accomplishment would be an understatement. [ArtsBeat]

COACHELLA SHIPS OUT
The promoters behind Coachella are looking out to sea for their next project: floating festivals. Music has long been an important part of cruises, but this seems like a huge undertaking. How long will it take Urban Outfitters to make 2,800 life preservers? [LAT]

July 17th, 2012 | 5:38 pm by Zara Golden (@zaragolden)

Justin Bieber Is “Hot, Ready, Legal” On The Cover Of Rolling Stone

Counter to the well wishes of a Belieber Army’s parents, the object of their daughter’s worship is growing up and into himself. Justin Bieber has already worked through PDA and baby mama drama, and his recently sophomore album made a concerted effort to present a mature (or at least maturing) artist. And now, August’s Rolling Stone cover — which was revealed (via a retweet) today by the Biebs himself – declares the once precious pop star once and for all “HOT, READY, LEGAL.” Could it be? Justin has made the transition from “Baby” to “Boyfriend”, but does that make him “ready”? Did Rolling Stone jump the gun? You might want to take a deep breath now, because something tells us we have only seen the tip of the ice berg.

All pop stars grow up, and Justin is not the first young pop star to come out as an adult on the cover of Rolling Stone. Below, see three other celebrities who jump started the second stage of their careers with a “Too Soon?” declaration of maturity on the magazine’s front cover.

July 17th, 2012 | 2:54 pm by Zara Golden (@zaragolden)

Backstreet Boys Are Back In The Studio, Alright!

Brothers, sisters, everybody sing: Backstreet’s back! This morning on Good Morning America, the OG boybanders Backstreet Boys shared the good news that they are back to work on a new album, their first with all five original members since 2005. With a hand from Mary J. Blige and Train producer Martin Terefe, they hope to have the album set for release by the band’s 20th anniversary next spring. And before then, they will play their first of surely many comeback shows on GMA this August 31st. Alright! Read more…

July 17th, 2012 | 1:14 pm by Zara Golden (@zaragolden)

Finally! Somebody Has Made That Gotye/Carly Rae Jepsen We Needed

Somebody hit that button they maybe shouldn’t have and all we can do now is thank them. That somebody is the indie band Pomplamoose, and what they did was combine the year’s two biggest hits into one, quite lovely mash-up. If you thought that the lush melodies of Gotye‘s “Somebody That I Used To Love” and Carly Rae Jepsen‘s bouyant “Call Me Maybe” could not be combined — hit play above — you are wrong. And if you worried that maybe they shouldn’t be, if only for the sake of a YouTube viewership already all too happy to spend their summer watching only those two videos — well, it’s too late. There’s only one video we need now. Because here we have it: the “Somebody That I Used To Know Call Me Maybe” mash-up of our dreams. Finally!

July 17th, 2012 | 12:06 pm by Zara Golden (@zaragolden)

It’s Hugs All Around For No Doubt In Their New “Settle Down” Video

At last, No Doubt are steady on their return! Yesterday they dropped “Settle Down,” their first new track in over decade, and today we get the accompanying video. Directed by “Don’t Speak”, “Simple Kind Of Life” and “Underneath It All” director Sophie Muller, the clip casts the band’s four members as truck drivers looking to reconnect at some sort of LED-lit, carnival-esque parking lot party. It’s hugs all around when they get there, and then onto some skanking and an impromptu performance in a truck-bed.

Two kids later and bra-straps forever sliding out from her tank, Gwen Stefani looks and sounds almost exactly as she did when we last left her. And to be sure, that verve of hers is only in part thanks to the shiny red L’Oreal Paris Infallible lip gloss she flashes around. Time truly has not touched these guys, and they are still repping a similar sound and the same dance moves. And most of all, they still look cooler than we could ever hope to be. We are so glad to have the good influence of Gwen and her boys back in rotation!

July 17th, 2012 | 11:00 am by Zara Golden (@zaragolden)

You Oughta Know Live: The Lumineers Push Through “Stubborn Love”

It’s no secret that we love July and August You Oughta Know artists The Lumineers‘ “Ho Hey!” So joyous and ever infectious, they stomped their way straight to our hearts. We would be remiss, though, if we didn’t share also The Lumineers’ more plaintive side. At VH1 headquarters for their You Oughta Know Live performance, they slowed things down for “Stubborn Love,” a beautiful and yearning song about love that won’t give up. “She’ll tear a hole in you, the one you can’t repair,” it so goes, “but I still love her, I don’t really care.” Refusing to give in and raised by a crescendo of drums and cello, they insist that you “Keep your head up, keep your love” because “It’s better to feel pain than nothing at all.” And when Wesley Schultz wails that, “The opposite of love is indifference,” you can’t help but feel moved.

The rising American folk rock trio also performed “Ho Hey!” and “Slow It Down” off their self-titled debut. Check out their full session here!
Read more…