Kanye West, "All of the Lights"

A track that I just found and have been anticipating for a while now is Kanye West's "All the Lights."

While I do not like him as a person at all, I am a big fan of Kayne's music. I feel like it has a legendary, epic, timeless feel to it and I think he will be looked back on as a defining musician of my time. This track features a slew of amazing singers:

Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Fergie, John Legend, The-Dream, Kid CuDi, Charlie Wilson, Ryan Leslie, and La Roux's Elly Jackson...

The only ones that really stand out to me are Rihanna, CuDi, and Fergie, which is fine with me because I'm in a HUGE Rihanna phase right now and am a big fan of CuDi and Fergie Ferg!

Kanye's new album is titled My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and will be released November 22, 2010. The controversial cover is featured below.

Download "All of the Lights" from me HERE

Rihanna ft. Drake, "What's My Name"

Another track has leaked from Rihanna's upcoming studio album, LOUD. This track is called "What's My Name" and features Drake with a verse at the lead-in of the song.

 It is slated to be the second single off of the album, following "Only Girl" and apparently Rihanna has already shot a video for this song. It was produced by Stargate, who also produced "Rude Boy," so it has that Caribbean sound to it. I am personally a big fan of the track! Drake and Rihanna make an electrifying combination. I love Rihanna's signature style of repeating phenomes that aren't actual words. It doesn't make sense, but all I know is that it feels good! Oh na na!

Download "What's My Name" Here

Ke$ha, "We R Who We R"

Sorry I haven't blogged in a week or so! I was sick and then had a killer biochem midterm! But some awesome music came out in that week and I can't wait to share it all with you!!

First up is the new single from Ke$ha!

Ke$ha was first heard on the chorus of Flo Rida's number 1 single "Right Round." She chose to not be formally credited for the part because she wanted to pave her own way as a musician and I had no idea how well she would do that! Her first single "Tik Tok" stayed at number 1 for weeks and even kept Lady GaGa's "Bad Romance" from hitting #1! I'm kind of salty about this last fact, but I'll let it slide. Her subsequent singles from her debut album Animal included hits like "Blah Blah Blah," "Your Love is My Drug," and "Take It Off."

I have been waiting for news of her second studio album for some time now and the time has finally come (sort of). Ke$ha will release an EP (extended play) titled Cannibal which will be available alone as well as in a deluxe package with Animal. The first single is titled "We R Who We R" and is fabulously dancy, trashy, and catchy-- everything I want from Ke$ha. I am very satisfied!!

Listen HERE                                       Download HERE!

Artist Spotlight: Beirut

Sorry I haven't blogged in the past couple of days. I've been trying to get over a nasty cold that has left me with no energy. But being a college student, I don't have time to stop and recuperate so something had to wait. Because I've been sick lately, I've been favoring slow music as of late, namely Beirut.

Beirut is an indie band whose music contains beautiful melodies demonstrated by accordions, ukuleles, and various horns. They haven't put out new material in a few years, but the material they have put out sounds nothing like my pop divas. Beirut's music is timeless.

If you're searching for a new indie, chill band, I highly suggest Beirut.

Here is my one of my favorite tracks by Beirut. I love the home movie music video that incorporates modern shots of the singer with old home movies of seemingly Italian Americans. It reminds me of some old home movies I've seen of my Italian grandparents when they were younger. The warm colors of the video reflect a warm feeling on the inside, which is just what I need to lift my spirits when I have a cold.

The video for Beirut: "Postcards from Italy"

 File uploaded by me (Alex), safe to download!

Download "Postcards from Italy" Here

Katy Perry song, "Peacock"

Time for a change of pace from my foursome of girls. Let's talk about Katy Perry, who is very hot right now.

I was never really a huge Katy Perry fan. I mean I liked, "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot 'N Cold" but with her new album, I've really started to like her. Though I don't think "California Gurls" or "Teenage Dream" are exactly timeless classics, they are catchy and easily listenable. Both of these latter two singles have hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and I was hoping that Perry would pick another song I heard titled "Peacock" as her third single. Apparently she has already shot a video for a single titled "Firework" but I'm still listening to "Peacock." Maybe it'll be the fourth single...

I love this song for its cheerleader-esque beat, reminiscent of that 80's song "Mickey"or Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" as well as its clever lyrics. The song can get repetitive if listened to on repeat and my boyfriend has deemed it one of his most disliked songs (behind anything by Nicki Minaj). But a few times a week, I can definitely walk to class listening to this gem. And I obviously love the line of the breakdown where Katy claims that her partner's penis is so incredible that it caused her to shed a tear.

"I wanna see your peacock-cock-cock."

"Oh my god, no exaggeration...

Boy all this time was worth the waiting...

I just shed a tear... I am so unprepared...

You've got the finest architecture...

End of a rainbow-looking treasure...

Such a sight to see... and its all for me..."

Listen Here                 Download "Peacock" Here

Rihanna's 5th Studio Album, LOUD

Rihanna's new studio album Loud is due out November 12, 2010 and it's another album that I am personally anticipating eagerly!

Her last album, Rated R, was released less than a year ago but its no surprise that Rihanna has already cranked out another album. Rated R was less of a commercial hit than her previous album, Good Girl Gone Bad, which gave rise to the worldwide #1 hit "Umbrella."(SN: "Umbrella" is my #1 Most Played Song on my personal iTunes, with 359 plays.) Rated R definitely had a darker feel, and while I loved "Rude Boy," the album was a disappointment as a whole for me. But now it seems Rihanna has put her dark past with Chris Brown behind her and is back to making uptempo dance music. Thank God!

The first single off the album, "Only Girl (in the World)," is a great track with stunning vocals, but it does lack a little instrumental sparkle. There's a download link and listen link in my post from Tuesday. The second single off the album was originally rumored to be a track titled, "Cheers," which is described as a club banger centered around a line from Avril Lavigne's "I'm With You." Those who have reviewed the song have claimed it is catchy and will most likely be a later single off the album. The new second single is confirmed to be "What's My Name," for which she has already shot a music video. I can't wait to hear this new track. Personal videos of her shooting the video have surfaced, but it's hard to make a judgement based on background music, so the verdict is still out there.

LOUD album cover

I LOVE this album cover! I think RiRi is absolutely gorgeous and I'm one of the few who seems to like her long crimson hair! The simplistic, impressive, colorful album cover is hopefully how the album will sound-- filled with fun, colorful beats!

So until the "Only Girl" video surfaces or the album itself is released, my own personal Rihanna appetite has been satisfied by another new track from Rihanna titled "Who's That Chick." A video for the song has surfaced, but Rihanna tweeted that the song was not affiliated with LOUD, and will simply be used in a Doritos commercial. This is unfortunate to me because this track, produced by the hot producer of today, David Guetta, has an incredible beat with catchy lyrics highlighted by Rihanna's unique voice, which I LOVE!

Here's hoping LOUD is as good as "Only Girl" and "Who's That Chick" RiRi! Time to put you back on top, alongside GaGa, Bey, and Brit of course!

-Alex
(Rihanna: Who's That Chick)

Watch the colorful, flirty fun video for "Who's That Chick" below. I love listening to this song on the way to class!

Download "Who's That Chick" Here

Lady GaGa 3rd Album, "Born This Way"

Lady GaGa is my favorite artist, leading the pack of my top 4 divas (leading Britney, Rihanna, & Bey)

Lady GaGa's first album The Fame caught my interest with Just Dance in the summer of 2008, and with the release of her sophomore LP, The Fame Monster, she solidified herself as a music icon in a league of her own. GaGa's first two albums have sold a combined total of over 15 million copies worldwide, with her singles sales exceeding 50 million. Her music and music videos have garnered critical acclaim as well, as GaGa has racked up 2 Grammy awards with nominations for Album of the Year for The Fame, and 11 MTV Video Music Awards, including the 2010 Video of the Year for "Bad Romance."

The Fame & The Fame Monster (both of which I have on vinyl because I'm a freak)

After the release of the final single from The Fame Monster, "Alejandro", the wait is on for Lady GaGa's epic third studio album. According to an interview in Rolling Stone, GaGa has completed the album, but is waiting until 2011 to release it. And I'm going to be honest, the wait is KILLING me! During the acceptance speech for her VMA Video of the Year award, GaGa revealed the title of her new album to be Born This Way, and then proceeded to sing four lines from the title track:

I'm beautiful in my way,

'Cause God makes no mistakes.

I'm on the right track, 

Baby, I was born this way.

Producers on the album have been confirmed to include RedOne (Poker Face, Just Dance, Love Game, Bad Romance, Alejandro) and Fernando Garibay (Dance in the Dark).

I don't think I've ever anticipated another album more. Insiders close to GaGa and record company executives are claiming this album to be an epic liberation that will shock us all! Right now I believe no one can rival GaGa in terms of music quality and social/cultural influence. She is creating an army of "Little Monsters," and I'm proud to put my paws up. GaGa's music has meaning, whether displayed clearly or hidden in a clever metaphor. And to me, nothing can be better than music with incredible thumping electro-dance beats and dynamic lyrics. Lady GaGa changed the game with The Fame, raised the bar with The Fame Monster, and will explode with Born This Way.

Liberate me Ga.

-Alex 

(Lady GaGa- Born This Way)

Some clever individual took the 10 second audio clip of Lady GaGa singing Born This Way at the VMAs and integrated it with their own beat and clips from other GaGa songs. So while this sounds nothing like the real version of Born This Way, its definitely enough to hold my attention for now, not to mention the beat is cool.

Download Here                                        Listen Here

Did you know? 

GaGa's first six singles hit #1 on the Billboard Pop Songs Chart

1. Just Dance

2. Poker Face

3. Love Game

4. Paparazzi

5. Bad Romance

6. Telephone

Who am I?

I created Pop Music Rundown as an outlet for my trivial knowledge and fascination with the latest happenings in pop music. My roommates had blogs about their interests, and their passion and knowledge for baking, fashion, etc was fascinating to read so I thought I would put my own passion online: pop music news. My taste lies in uptempo, electro dance music, especially divas!

My big four artists that I keep a constant eye on are:

Lady GaGa

Britney Spears

Rihanna

Beyonce

Honorable mentions include:

Ke$ha

Kylie Minogue

Justin Timberlake

Keri Hilson

The Killers

Lily Allen

M.I.A.

I hope to have Billboard/iTunes chart updates and evaluations weekly, keeping you updated on who's hot and who's not! Similarly, I hope to do artist breakdowns of my favorite artists and spotlights on artists I think have potential on the charts.


I will provide links to download the music featured on this blog, especially new and leaked singles!


Happy listening!
-Alex 
(Rihanna: Only Girl in the World) This song is HOT HOT HOT!

Download Here                          Listen Here

PS: I will always post the song I am feeling as I am writing the blog after my signature.