JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH: 10 ALBUMS THAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW
Arcade Fire, TBA
After winning Album of the Year with The Suburbs in 2010, Arcade Fire toured the world and are now hard at work on their fourth studio LP. Considering their first three are all genuinely perfect, we’re pretty excited.
Azealia Banks, Broke with Expensive Taste
Azealia has been great at whetting our appetites with the “1991” EP and her Fantasea mixtape, as well as a few tracks on Soundcloud, but we really can’t wait for Broke with Expensive Taste to finally drop at some point this year.
Beyoncé, TBA
We are mad. Beyoncé performed at the Super Bowl, announced a world tour, and premiered an HBO documentary… so where the fuck is this fifth album, B? Where is the new single we were expecting in the beginning of February? WHY ARE PEPSI PAYING YOU? GIVE US BEYONCÉ OR GIVE US DEATH.
Britney Spears, TBA
Our Holy Spearit and Saviour, Britney Jean, confirmed that she was back in the studio after The X Factor wrapped up. Britney Spears is the only constant in life. You always know that a Britney album will be an amazing album. We’re sure her eighth will be no different.
Charli XCX, True Romance
Even though we’ve heard a few of the tracks before, we must admit that we don’t know all of them. So while Charli XCX’s die-hard fans are disappointed that they’ll only get a few new tracks, In Fame We Trust will get eight or so. Praise! Charli XCX will also be supporting Marina and the Diamonds on her US tour this spring.
M.I.A., Matangi
Never one to shy away from controversy, we’re excited to see what M.I.A. has up her sleeve with her fourth LP. Not to mention that her first three albums were pretty great. Even if 2010’s /\/\/\Y/\ was not quite on par with Arular or Kala, it was still better than most artists could dream of.
MGMT, TBA
While a lot of people felt that Congratulations was not quite on the same level as MGMT’s debut, particularly because it lacked hits like “Electric Feel,” we thought it was a pretty great album - especially after seeing MGMT live. We await the third with open arms!
Mutya Keisha Siobhan, TBA
WHEN ARE MUTYA KEISHA SIOBHAN BLESSING US WITH MUSIC? The original line-up of Sugababes reunited late last year and have allegedly been working with Emeli Sande and DEV HYNES. Dev Hynes who produced Solange’s “Losing You” and Sky’s “Everything Is Embarrssing.” Dev Hynes. So there’s that.
Prince, TBA
Prince may not be quite as consistent as he was in the 80s and early 90s, but he’s still great - we only have to look back as recently as “Black Sweat” to know that. “Screwdriver” sounds like classic, fun Prince so if that’s anything to go by, we may be in for a real treat.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Mosquito
Karen O is perfect and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are perfect and everything they’ve ever done is perfect, so yeah. We are pretty excited for Mosquito. “Sacrilege” may not pack the same punch as some of the tracks on Show Your Bones or the synths of “Zero” and “Heads Will Roll,” but that gospel choir is great. We have faith.
Honorable mentions:
Third album from Vampire Weekend; possibility of a new solo set by Kanye; Sky Ferreira finally releasing an album, if that ever happens; the Madonna “surprise” that has been much buzzed about on her fan sites?
Happy 15th birthday to Madonna’s Grammy-winning album Ray of Light. XO
#Madonna to present @GLAAD award to Anderson Cooper #VitoRusso
NEW YORK (AP) — Gay advocacy group GLAAD says Madonna will present CNN’s Anderson Cooper with an award for openly gay media professionals.
GLAAD told The Associated Press on Saturday that the singer has been chosen to give Cooper the Vito Russo Award at the 24th annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York City on March 16.
GLAAD President Herndon Graddick says Madonna and Cooper are longtime friends who have both used their careers to support lesbian, gay and transgender people.
Cooper declined to speak publicly about his sexuality for years. But last July he gave blogger Andrew Sullivan permission to publish an email in which Cooper said he was gay and “couldn’t be more happy.”
Russo helped found GLAAD and wrote a book about gay people in the movies called “The Celluloid Closet.”
(via luvmadonna)
Happy birthday Elizabeth Taylor.
Watch Madonna’s touching birthday speech to the actress from 1996.
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INFAMEWETRUST’s ALBUMS of the YEAR (10-1)
10. Bat for Lashes, The Haunted Man
After a three-year weight, Natasha Khan – better known as Bat for Lashes – finally released her third album The Haunted Man. The songs are a little more stripped back, and a little more electronic, but just as captivating as her first two albums. Khan even works with Lana Del Rey collaborator on the haunting lead single “Laura.” Bat for Lashes also puts on a pretty incredible show – I was lucky enough to see Khan bring the album to life in Madrid this past November.
Top tracks: “Lilies,” “Laura,” “Winter Field,” “Deep Sea Diver”
Another long-awaited follow-up album, The xx released their second album towards the tail-end of the summer. Coexist maintains the same minimal, evocative atmosphere as the band’s debut, turning up the club influences slightly with the album’s beats. But Coexist is not the soundtrack to a night out. It’s a stained and clouded album, a soundtrack to early morning comedowns.
Top tracks: “Angels,” “Chained,” “Fiction,” “Reunion,” “Swept Away”
While a good portion of the population has Taylor Swift as the butt of their jokes, her fourth album Red has already sold 3 million copies in its two months of release. With simplistic acoustic numbers, Swift shows that she’s matured into a brilliant songwriter, and with a Dr. Luke produced stormer like “I Knew You Were Trouble,” she shows that she could just as easily be a pop princess.
Top tracks: “State of Grace,” “Red,” “Sad Beautiful Tragic,” “Begin Again”
7. Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
Maybe Frank Ocean isn’t the savior of R&B that the media makes him out to be, and maybe his album has received extra attention due to Frank Ocean coming out as bisexual this summer, but Channel Orange is still a remarkable album. It’s not like anything better is nominated for a Grammy this year after all. The imagery in his lyrics compliments the beats so well. Andre 3000’s guest verse on “Pink Matter” is the best part of the album.
Top tracks: “Thinkin Bout You,” “Super Rich Kids,” “Pyramids,” “Bad Religion,” “Pink Matter”
6. Cheryl Cole, A Million Lights
After trying to be an R&B starlet with 3 Words and releasing the awfully patchy Messy Little Raindrops, Cheryl Cole released her best album yet in 2012, cementing her status as Girls Aloud’s breakout solo star. While the hype surrounding her has died since her stint on The X Factor, Cole still scored a number one hit with “Call My Name,” produced by man of the moment Calvin Harris. The album is sleek and modern, a great British pop album embellished with flourishes of EDM.
Top tracks: “Call My Name,” “Girl in the Mirror,” “Screw You,” “Ghetto Baby,” “Telescope”
I’m not saying that MDNA is Madonna’s best album, but I’m not saying that it’s a bad album. MDNA is a return to form for the Queen of Pop after 2008’s Hard Candy. While “Turn Up the Radio” may be dismal, Martin Solveig proved his worth with the infectious lead single “Give Me All Your Luvin’” and the Guy Ritchie diss “I Don’t Give A.” Alle and Benny Benassi direct the album to the dancefloor with club bangers “Girl Gone Wild” and “I’m Addicted.” The savior of the album has to be William Orbit, who reunites with Madonna after a decade apart. “Love Spent” is an album highlight, while “Gang Bang” may in fact be a career highlight.
Top tracks: “Gang Bang,” “I’m Addicted,” “Some Girls,” “Love Spent,” “Falling Free”
Sticking to her tried-and-true formula of knocking out a new album every year, Rihanna released her seventh(!) studio album Unapologetic towards the end of 2012. Instead of putting out a dance hit like “We Found Love” or “Where Have You Been,” Rihanna put out the more classic-sounding “Diamonds” as the album’s lead single. In fact, the album’s loudest moments are two tracks produced by David Guetta. The first half of the album features a more urban sound, echoing Rihanna’s Instagram feed, while the second half of the album recalls the wounded balladry of 2009’s Rated R. Unapologetic became Rihanna’s first number one album in the U.S., at last, and it’s easy to see why.
Top tracks: “Diamonds,” “Pour It Up,” “Jump,” “What Now,” “Stay,” “Get It Over With”
3. Marina and the Diamonds, Electra Heart
In order to justify exploring a more mainstream, pop sound, Marina and the Diamonds developed a strange alter ego Electra Heart – a blonde Barbie, a bubblegum bitch, a homewrecker, a prima donna, a teen idle. Regardless of her motives, it worked. Electra Heart is one of the best pop albums of the year, despite the pretense behind it. “Primadonna” is Dr. Luke’s best production in years, while “Homewrecker” is the kind of quirky pop that makes Popjustice readers go mad. Even though the lyrics pander to the Tumblr generation – “oh god, I’m gonna die alone,” Marina sings on “Teen Idle” – Electra Heart is compelling, enticing, and only a little ironic.
Top tracks: “Primadonna,” “Homewrecker,” “Starring Role,” “Power & Control,” “Teen Idle”
2. Lana Del Rey, Paradise
Not content with becoming the year’s most-talked about artist with her major label debut Born to Die, Lana Del Rey gave us more to talk about with her 9-track EP Paradise (available packaged with Born to Die or as a singular entity). Paradise follows the same recipe for success as its predecessor; however, here, Lana is a little drowsier, a little more haunting, a little more wounded. Lana is less heartbroken, less Lolita, and instead a rawer, more sexual being. On “Gods and Monsters,” she boldly states, “In the land of gods and monsters, I was an angel / Looking to get fucked hard.”
Top tracks: “Ride,” “American,” “Gods and Monsters,” “Bel Air” (the whole thing really)
1. Lana Del Rey, Born to Die
Back to the start. Despite cries of “talentless” and “manufactured,” Lana Del Rey showed critics why she was so talked about with her major label debut Born to Die. A spruce of melodrama, a healthy dosage of American dream, and a winning marriage of cinematic orchestra and hip-hop beats created one of the most compelling debut albums in years. From the lovelorn lyrics of the title track, “Video Games” and “Dark Paradise” to the sexualized teenage rebellion of “Lolita,” “Carmen,” and “This Is What Makes Us Girls,” Lana truly produced a perfect album. Not to get ahead of myself, but if it’s not already one of my favorite albums of all-time, it’s my favorite album of 2012.
Top tracks: Where to begin? “Born to Die,” “Off to the Races,” “Video Games,” “Dark Paradise,” “Summertime Sadness”
FAN ART: Madonna – The First Album
Madonna is still the s**t, says Rihanna
“You know, Madonna is one of those artists who was very self-expressive, she was bold, she was fearless, and all of those were things I looked up to as a young woman,” Rihanna said during an interview on Facebook Live.
”I really just wanted to be myself and feel free to express it and not really be afraid of what people think about it. Madonna’s still the s**t, and she’ll always be Madonna. She’s the queen.”
Asked by Bravo’s Andy Cohen if she would like to work with Madonna, Rihanna replied: “That would be so sick. I would love to. Who knows? Let’s put it in the air.”
RETROSPECTIVE: ON THIS DAY… in 1983, Madonna performs “Everybody” on Italy’s Di Gei.
I hope you all know what day October 6th is?
October 6th 2012 marks the 30 year anniversary of Madonna’s first single release. Everybody was released on October 6th 1982 on Sire. This Saturday, to celebrate 30 extraordinary years of Madonna, fans around the globe will buy Everybody on iTunes, hoping it reappear in the charts 30 years on. I think this is a brilliant idea, and I encourage you all to do it. If you don’t have the money, blast the song and dance like no one’s watching.
Dance and sing - get up and do your thing, Motherfuckers!
