Video Premiere: Rihanna - 'Only Girl in the World'

The new Rihanna video was found floating around the web a few hours ahead of it's official Vevo premiere and seems to have generated a mixed reaction from the fans.

I'm a huge fan of the video. I think it's simple, beautifully shot with an excellent use of colour and very contrasting to the electro-pop sound of the song itself. It's different to other videos out there now and will get people talking regardless. The video also works well conceptually with the the overall light-hearted look she wants the new album to have. (An intentional stark contrast to the 'Rated R' era).

'Only Girl in the World' was shot by renowned, long time Rihanna collaborator Anthony Mandler who has shot over a dozen of her videos. The video marks the first official single release from her new album 'Loud' which will be released on November 16th.

What do you think of the video?

The Gorjuss Work of Suzanne Woolcott

For those of you who would like to know where I get my blog design images visit the © Gorjuss website here. Run buy Suzanne Woolcott (she does all the painting and sketching) and her husband Grant (who does all the ordering, printing and shipping) and based in Scotland, the amazing and unique artwork is extremely popular; prints, pictures, key chains, jewelry and more can all be bought online and Boots have started to stock some merchandise too!

According to Suzanne: "My art is a deep expression of a somewhat lost childhood innocence in all of us. It resembles a need to find reason in what we see, it challenges our thoughts of comfort, safety and social acceptance, it challenges our preconceived ideas of childhood. It touches on the taboos of bringing children and death closer than is normally comfortable and evokes a sense of overwhelming calmness, and perhaps contempt to the viewer. "

Make sure to read the terms and conditions carefully before you use any images you buy as you must edit each one with your own individual number to preserve copyright to the site and owner.

Be sure to follow Suzanne and Mr G on Twitter for all the latest product news.

Below are just a sample of some of my purchased pictures, enjoy! :)

Video of the Week: Benny Benassi feat. Kelis, apl.de.ap, & Jean-Baptiste performing "Spaceship"

Directed by the always innovative and creative Ray Kay, futuristic video 'Spaceship' is my video of the week. The visually pleasing video fits perfectly with the techno-pop summer tune and the special effects look fantastic. This video spent along time in post production (almost 6 weeks) and marks the first time the director has worked entirely with CGI. I'm hoping he does it more often in the future as the hard work has paid off. The video contains Ray Kay's usual sleek style combined with his trademark lighting use and is one of his best to date.

Watch it below:

Tim Burton Article

My latest article in its original, unedited format which will be published (presumably in an edited format) in the fifth issue of my college publication:

(*Picture source below)

The Curious Art of Tim Burton

It would be considered both an impossible task and unique experience for one to have the opportunity to get inside the mind of one of the most imaginative and creative directors of the 21^st century. In the past this would certainly have been impossible for us ordinary members of the public, however thanks to a new exhibition launched by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, (ACMI) we are finally able to get a glimpse into the creative mindset of legendary director Tim Burton.

From June to October 2010, ACMI hosts a unique exhibition direct from The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. An Australian exclusive, Tim Burton: The Exhibition is a landmark exhibition charting Tim Burton's creative vision and process from his earliest work to his latest spectacular Alice in Wonderland.

It’s a must for all Burton fans alike. We see material from his early days as an animator at Disney and figurines from his classic short film ‘Vincent’ as well as many never-before-seen drawings and sketches from his personal collection.

Designed in three parts - all revolving around, escaping or depicting the suburb of Burbank - the exhibition contains over 700 objects from Burton's personal collection.

Unforgettable props and set pieces from his films pop out from stairwells or at corners to act as way finding systems announcing the exhibition. There's the low menace of the black mask-style Batmobile at the top of the stairs, the Luna Park-like entrance, and the topiary deer from Edward Scissorhands.

Early drawings depict the "outsiders, oddballs and aliens" that populate his films. While the imagery can be derivative and a little lame in its literalness (a couple holding hands is actually a couple holding sawn off hands), others, such as the elephant sitting on the ringmaster and thinking ''Ta da'', are quite funny. Premonitions of later work are here too, such as the gardener who will become Edward Scissorhands.

Scattered throughout are maquettes (preliminary models) and sculptures: consider Edward Scissorhands' outfits and his cookie-making machine.

Burton has said himself how he always felt “outside of society” and this is a theme in the exhibition and a large bulk of his work. Think of one of his most personal movies ‘Edward Sissorhands’: the moving portrayal of an artistic outsider who cannot touch what he desires without destroying it. Or the under rated gem that is ‘Ed Wood’, again a somewhat tragic story of the worst director of all time, a man who had vision but not talent. (It was not a hit at the box office, but won Burton the best reviews of his career, as well as two Oscars).

Burton’s unique artistic vision means that he has put his own distinctive mark on his work and given the often bland and repetitive films of today a run for their money. He has had critical and commercial success with films such as ‘Batman’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and the gothic musical ‘Sweeney Todd’ as well as the now cult ‘Mars Attacks’, quirky ‘Beetlejuice’ and forgotten ‘Sleepy Hollow.’ He is now moving into animation again with a rumoured Addams Family project and has adapted his early short film ‘Frankenweenie’ for the big screen.

Going back to the exhibition, it's the drawings that dominate. These represent Burton’s “thought process”: “I always think that drawings come from a much more comfortable place for me and that they say more than my intellectual mind can.” Hence ACMI's massive space is brimful of them, all with certain motifs that recur: the scarred misunderstood protagonists, caricatured heads and chequerboard with op art effects. The grotesque figures with their angular lines, gaping mouths and sharp teeth are classic Burton-type drawings and fit right in to the slightly bizarre exhibition.

But that is of course, the charm of the event itself; its odd, touchingly weird and according to Burton represents the “chaos of my mind.” The exhibition never fails to remind us why Burton and his imagination touch many people. It’s a reminder that there is nothing wrong with being a little different to everyone else, just look at Tim Burton. It can only be considered a good thing.

*Sources:

Sydney Morning Herald (Includes Picture Credit)

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image

The Tim Burton Collective

Album Review: Lady Gaga's 'Mons†er' Alter Ego

Another recent review of mine written for one of my college publications (this is my original, unedited piece) when Lady GaGa was just about to re-release her multi-million debut album 'The Fame':

Alter Ego

Lady Gaga unveils her dark side as she releases her eagerly anticipated follow up to her multi-million selling debut album entitled ‘The Fame: Monster’. Much more than just a standard re-release, the double CD collection contains eight entirely new songs marking the start of things heading in a new direction for the megastar…

Whether you love or hate her, there is just no missing Lady Gaga. After taking the music scene by storm a little over a year ago with her debut: ‘The Fame’, her name has practically been permanently integrated into popular culture. Her often bizarre sense of style combined with her ridiculously catchy pop hooks have made her the latest artist everyone seems to want a piece of.

The public seem to be divided in their opinions of the star. She’s either an original that has suitably refreshed the bland music of today or a copycat who’s just taken ideas and looks from various stars and called it her own. Whichever side of the fence your on, one thing that is certain is that she’s going to be around for quite a while.

Born in New York City, the 23 year old, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, originally started out as a burlesque dancer before signing her record deal. The rest, as they say, is history. Her album ‘The Fame’ has gone Platinum across the globe, notched up four hit singles including Just Dance and Poker Face (which has been certified the most downloaded song in the history of the UK singles chart) and sold just over 4 million copies worldwide. Not half bad for the artist who was an unknown a year ago.

Out on the 23^rd of November, I know a lot of you must be thinking that the re-release in question is just a cash-in of The Fame with a few tracks added on at the end. It's not that at all – this is a collection of songs in its own right. When you buy this you will not be buying The Fame again in order to get at a couple of extra songs – you'll be buying a new album which just so happens to have a copy of The Fame in the same box.

Lyrically, sonically, melodically and conceptually it's right up there with its predecessor The Fame, with a definite feel of things moving in a new direction.

First up, lead single off the album: ‘Bad Romance.’ She’s collaborated again with producer RedOne so think Poker Face reinvented. A dark mid-tempo song with a catchy chorus that fits right in with the whole ‘Monster’ theme of the album. A solid first single release.

Next is ‘Alejandro.’ Rumoured to be one of the 3 follow up singles after Bad Romance, Gaga seems to pay homage to Madonna with this modern version of ‘La Isla Bonita.’ It has a definite Spanish feel to in terms of the lyrics and music and marks a change in direction for her. It’d be nice to see more of this from her in the future.

We then have ‘Monster’ - Opens with snatches of dialogue ('Don't call me Gaga') then launches into a story of Gaga pulling a "wolf in disguise". This one has dark lyrics, plenty of sexual innuendos and is almost irritatingly catchy. Produced again by RedOne (There’s a lot on the internet about how he seems to be keeping all this best songs for her which will of course be open to debate for some!) don’t think this one will be a single but an important element to the album and ‘So Happy I Could Die’ - A mid-tempo number with some Tiesto-esque bits thrown in. Again, possibly not single potential but a good listen with some very interesting lyrics.

Next single after Bad Romance is rumoured to be the Beyonce collaboration ‘Telephone.’ I’m not a huge fan of this one but the lyrics are quirky and it’s a definite grower. This duet between the two, will conviently be released after Beyonce’s individual collaboration with Gaga on her song ‘Video Phone’ also out later this month. Neither song has connections to each other in case you’re wondering.

The biggest surprise on this album for me was the Ron Fair produced power balled ‘Speechless’ written by Gaga herself about her father’s heart condition. It doesn’t sound anything like the stuff we’ve heard from her before and is a potential single. It’s going to be huge for her.

Finishing off we have the brilliant ‘Dance in the Dark’ with the super chorus and the Madonna ‘Vogue’ style rap thrown in the middle – my personal favourite off the CD and the downright weird closing track: ‘Teeth.’ A bouncy marching song that hints at the new direction for the third album.

In brief: A worthy follow up to it’s predecessor, with at least four potential singles, some elements of the songs don’t work at times but there are no real filler tracks here. ‘Monster’ and ‘Bad Romance’ have elements of ‘Just Dance’ and "Poker Face’ these being nods to The Fame while other songs like ‘Dance In The Dark’ and ‘Teeth’ hint at what lies ahead for the next Lady Gaga album.

She’s here to stay it seems and even if you’re among the music lovers who dislike her, as the lady herself said: “A good pop chorus never killed anyone.”

Television Stars...

A blast from the past now: a while back I did an interview with Grace, a member of Dublin band 'Television Room.' Check out the interview below:

Following in the footsteps of The Blizzards and The Coronas, Television Room are a newly-formed pop/indie group that are slowly but surely making their mark on the Irish music scene. Jennifer McShane talks to band member Grace Fay about life in the band, making music videos and why she’s more than just a pretty face.

I

n the presence of most members from popular bands one would almost expect to feel a few things: intimidated, nervous and have even a sense of dread at the thought of the upcoming interview. Arrogance is said to be a common trait in some new bands and getting a member to open up can be like pulling teeth. None of this however was the case as I sat down to talk to Grace Fay about her life in Television Room. Not the title of a TV series, but the quirky name of the newly formed band from Dublin.

Appearing fully at ease and very relaxed as we sit in her conservatory at her family home, Grace tells me how the band first got together. “I saw an ad on the internet originally looking for a Bass player put up by Michael (front man of the band) and the other four members we either met through friends or on the internet. So we’re like an internet-based band really.” says the stunning 24 year old, laughing. This happened in early 2007 and the band has been going strong ever since. Consisting of five members: Michael, James, Fergus, Grace and Mia, the band have already gigged all over the country, released two singles and made two music videos. Quite a CV for a band who are still in the early stages of their career.

Grace’s role as a musician is a noted change from the parts that females usually play in bands. She plays the keyboards, glockenspiel, melodica as well as the synthesiser. “I hate that ‘token girl in the band’ label that’s attached to the woman in the group” she says. “A lot of people assume the female is there to just look nice so it’s nice to break away from that.” Clearly much more than just a pretty face all of the instruments Grace plays were self-taught. This brings us to talking about the bands image. Though Grace agrees that image is obviously very important, she says that it was never taken too seriously by all in the band: “It’s always hard to find an image in the first place, but everyone just dresses their own way and it seems to work very well.”

She tells me that all of the members get on great together and have become her best friends. She laughs as she recalls making their first music video for the song Tinabelle: “We had to carry this couch up a hill in Houth and we were freezing!” All didn’t go exactly to plan when a group of German tourists “borrowed” the CD player they were using to play the track. “We just came back from lunch and it was gone!” she says. Luckily they had more or less finished with it and everyone had a laugh about it after. I ask about their first live gig in the Ambassador. She mainly recalls her nerves: “I had never played the synthesiser live before so I was so nervous.” But she says the reaction was great from the crowed and she’s obviously a lot more comfterble on stage now.

The Irish music scene is “stuck in one place” according to Grace. She says the bands themselves have moved forward but because of the large amount of bands coming out its harder then ever for Irish bands to make a break through. “Basically anything that’s big in the UK or US is going to be big in Ireland and that’s part of the problem. I don’t think people are as willing to take a chance with Irish bands.” She says what has really helped the band, in terms of becoming known are sites like Bebo and Myspace. “All our promotion work for singles and gigs are done through those sites. I just think it gets the music out there really well, especially to the younger audiences.” All the work with the sites is done solely by the band who doesn’t have a manager. “It’s really hard to find a manager that has the band’s best interests at heart.” She says. “So until we find the right person we prefer to do it all ourselves.”

I ask what her career highlights have been so far and she pauses momentarily before saying that she’s most proud of hearing their recordings. “It’s something you’ve worked for and it’s great to be able to hear the results of that.” The songs are produced by Tom McFall who has worked with the likes of R.E.M and Wheezer in the past. Grace tells me that “everyone has their own part to play” in terms of the music in the band so it’s all a team effort. The band obviously has a bright future ahead of them and I ask Grace what she’s most looking forward to. “I’m looking forward to the album that will probably be out later in the year and I’d ultimately love the band to be really well known, not just in Ireland but other places too.” As a final parting question I ask if she would ever go as far as to go on a reality show to raise the profile of the band. “God no!” She says, laughing. “I understand why some might be inclined to do that sort of thing but I think the music should always speak for itself.” And it really does.

Television Room’s debut album: ‘House’ is available to download now from Itunes and all other digital outlets. For more information on the band visit there Myspace at: www.myspace.com/televisionroom

Christina Aguilera goes 'Bionic'....

You have to hand it to Christina Aguilera, she never fails to reinvent herself. She's been a pop princess, a 'dirrty' rebel, a 1920s pin up and now it seems she's gone all robotic on us.

After a long four year break, Aguilera is back in the limelight with her fourth studio album entitled 'Bionic.' This time around we see the star experimenting with different electro-pop sounds and toning down her usual powerhouse vocals to create the desired effect.

Aguilera describes the album as a unique mix of many genres and styles of music: "I was able to explore and create a fresh, sexy feel using both electronic and organic elements with subject matter ranging from playful to introspective. I am so excited for my fans to hear the new sound. It is something I don't think anyone will expect."

The sound is definitely new for her, but despite the good production quality and variety of sounds, Aguilera doesn't quite pull it off. Lead single from the album 'Not Myself Tonight' contains catchy hooks but the lyrics are lackluster and the song becomes dull after repeated listens. Not the strongest song on the album by any means and the wrong choice for the first single. The label decided to release it at the last minute and this ill - fated decision had a disastrous effect, with the song charting only in the top 40 in most countries.

The ballads are where Aguilera really shines. 'All I need' and 'Lift Me Up' are two other strong contenders on the album but that all important main tear jerker is confirmed second single 'You lost me' where the simplistic melody and the raw emotion in Aguilera's voice make the song an album highlight. Not the correct choice for a summer single and this again, probably won't do the album's sales any favours .

Other album highlights include the cheeky, playful 'Woohoo' and the irresistibly catchy 'Vanity' and 'I Hate Boys' and the excellent Sia produced 'Birds of Prey' (which for some reason unknown to me was left off the standard edition of the album and tagged on as an extra track on the Deluxe Edition).

Just a note: If your only just discovering Aguilera, the single choices do not play up to the albums highlights so its best to listen to it as it was intended; in its full entirety.

Despite being a huge Aguilera fan, I was disappointed by the album. The songs are inconsistent and despite the best intentions, the sound sounds dated compared to other electro-pop albums out there now. (I'm thinking specifically of M.I.A here).

Unfortunately for Aguilera, who never really had any previous competition when it came to music releases, she comes back at a time where Lady GaGa is now a global sensation, the current popular culture obsession and definitely her strongest competitor. Certainly her vocal talent remains unquestionable but the music isn't up to its predecessor's standard. If Aguilera is looking to take the crown off the current queen, she is going to have to try a whole lot harder than this.

Overall rating: 3/5 - Some strong moments and solid production, but not enough solid songs to carry the 'Bionic' sound off.

Bionic is out now.

Lady GaGa's 'Alejandro' Video Premiere

After the long wait and hype about the much talked about and anticipated 'Alejandro', here it is in its full glory:

It was directed by renowned fashion photographer Steven Klein who definitely put his stylish, signature mark on the mini movie.

I think it's an amazing video and her best work yet.

Enjoy!!

Video of the Day: Rihanna - 'Te Amo'

Rihanna - Te Amo

Here is the fifth international single from Rihanna's 'Rated R' album. I love the colours and stylish editing of the video, its all done very tastefully and the outfits worn by Rihanna are stunning. It's a very light, catchy tune (my favourite from the album too) that will no doubt be a hit for her.

'Rated R' is available to download and in all stores now.

Rihanna's 'Rockstar 101' and it's place in Popular Culture

MTV.com talks about all the popular culture references in the latest Rihanna video for 'Rockstar 101' in this very well written and interesting article:

'Rockstar 101' - A Pop Culture Cheat Sheet

Rihanna's just-released "Rockstar 101" video is arty and sexy and all of that, but it's perhaps most notable for the questions it poses. Like, how does one affix giant horns to their head? Is there a proper technique for smashing a guitar? Or, most importantly, since when did Slash become a total babe?

Yes, there's much to ponder in the video — so much that it requires repeated viewings to digest. And since we've spent the majority of the day doing just that, we've also noticed a lot of things in the clip that seem familiar. So, as we've done in the past for the likes of Lady Gaga andChristina Aguilera, we decided to give "Rockstar" the "pop-culture cheat sheet" treatment. Here's a list of all the things that flashed by our eyes, alphabetized for your perusing pleasure. Oh, and though we're thorough, we're sure there's something we missed along the way — feel free to let us know about it in the comments below.

Here's what you might have missed in Rihanna's "Rockstar 101" video:

Barker, Travis: Tattooed beat-keeper for Blink-182 (and your favorite rapper, too). This one's actually pretty obvious, as Barker makes roughly a bajillion cameos in the "Rockstar" clip, playing drums with Rihanna's band. He actually taught RiRi how to play drums, too, and told MTV News about it back in March.

Björk: Icelandic ingenue. When she puts on her horned helmet, Rihanna reminds us of Björk (specially in this picture), who has spent more than two decades doing this sort of delightfully odd stuff. Of course, the helmetalso reminds us of something that Tank Girl would wear, too. So, perhaps it's more accurate to say she was equally inspired by both.

Bravery, The: New York-based synth-rock act turned Americana-obsessed rockers (no, not the Killers, they're from Las Vegas). While Barker may man the kit in Rihanna's "Rockstar" band, the rest of the group — minus the girls, of course — eerily resemble the Bravery, circa their "An Honest Mistake" video. Or maybe we think all dudes with faux-hawks, studded belts and eyeliner look that way.

Iamamiwhoami: Mysterious, supposedly Swedish Internet phenomenonwho refuses to reveal his/her true identity. There's a whole lot of "Rockstar" that reminds us of Iamami's mind-bending viral vids: the part where Rihanna is smeared in black paint, the part where she traipses around a snow-covered forest, etc. Sadly, there is no scene that depictsgratuitous tree-licking, though maybe RiRi's saving that for the next video.

Nightwing: Second-tier DC Comics superhero, best known for being "the persona Dick Grayson adopted after he got tired of being Robin." When Rihanna is fronting her rock band, she reminds us a whole lot of Nightwing, especially since her eyeliner looks like a mask (oh, and her hair is Dick Grayson-esque, too.) Batman could not be reached for comment

Nine Inch Nails: Hugely important, now-dormant industrial rock outfit masterminded by Trent Reznor. The oddest influence on "Rockstar" appears to be the videos of NIN, in particular their Downward Spiral era. The cable-laced white room Rihanna and her band perform in seems like it was rented from the "March of the Pigs" video, and the projected mushroom cloud at the end of the video reminds us of NIN's "Hurt" clip

"Russian Roulette": Debut single from Rihanna's Rated R album. In a knowing nod to the artwork for her previous single, Rihanna wraps herself in chains in the "Rockstar" video. It's not exactly the (sorta) barbed wire she dons on the cover of "Rated R," but it's close enough for us.

Slash: Top-hatted guitar legend and all-around awesome dude. OK, so the former Guns N' Roses axman doesn't actually appear in the "Rockstar" video, but Rihanna does don his trademark hat and sunglasses, "plays" guitar, and acts all kinds of sexy, something which makes us re-evaluate our prepubescent years, to be honest.

Love this song and video. It's raw, edgy and very slick and stylish. The fashion and make up are amazing and I love the fact that it's shot in black and white. All the Pop Culture references work together very seamlessly to create what I think is her best video yet.

'Rockstar 101' will be the fourth single from the hit album Rated R in stores now.

The video was directed by Melina Matsoukas who also did previous Rihanna videos 'Hard' and 'Rude Boy'.

Check it out below:

Fashion From a Fairytale..

Stumbled across this gorgeous montage of fairytale-esque gowns on the web. Love the simplicity of the pictures and dresses and the short dresses in particular are a very modern version of the 'fairytale' look. Beautiful, no?

Alice in Wonderland Vogue Shoot

Here are some of my favourite photos from a 2003 Vogue Magazine shoot done by Annie Leibovitz with Natalia Vodianova as Alice. It's a very modern, fashionable take on Tim Burton's 'Alice...' movie. Beautiful, quirky shots with gorgeous sets and colour use.

Robyn 'Dancing on my Own' Official Video and Behind the Scenes

Check out the amazing to video by one of my favourite artist's of the moment Swedish sensation Robyn. The video is edgy, slick and very Robyn-esque. Her style combined with lyrics and overall look are fantastic, she's one of the few truly unique artists we have in 2010.

The single will be available to download June 14th (June 1st in the US) and is taken from her first of three album releases: 'Body Talk Pt 1.'

The video is directed by: Max Vitali (Who also directed 'Be Mine' for Robyn as well).

Visit Robyn's official website here and watch the making of it below:

'Poker Face' - The Making Of...

Behind the scenes footage from the iconic video... an oldie, but I still love it!!!

Directed by: Ray Kay

Watch below:

Christina Aguilera Photo-shoot By Peggy Sirota

Stumbled across these beautiful photos of Christina Aguilera today, taken by Peggy Sirota for Maire Claire magazine (February 2010 issue). I love the simplicity of the photographs and the styling of Christina herself - she looks gorgeous and natural, its a look she carries off rather effortlessly and I think she looks at her best like this. Less is definitely more here and I'd love to see more pictures of her like this - I don't think her face can carry too much make up, so the natural look here is perfect.

Beautiful shots.