Category: Song Of The Day

SONG OF THE DAY (SUNDAY FUNDAY): Leah Labelle – “Lolita”

Canadian-born American Idol contestant (from Season 3, back in 2003) Leah Labelle has followed an interesting path.? Her cover videos on YouTube led to gigs singing backup for Keri Hilson, Jordin Sparks, and Eric Benet- and eventually attention from industry heavyweights LA Reid, Jermaine Dupri, and Pharrell Williams. The debut single “Sexify” had her lined up to be a male Robin Thicke, offering funky and mature R&B pop songs with an adult theme.? A year later comes the new single “Lolita,” with a sped up disco-vibe backing her sultry seductive vocals.? You can definitely feel a Pharrell vibe as the song is eerily similar to Daft Punk’s current hit “Get Lucky.”? An impressive remix package featuring Chris Cox, Sick Individuals, and Sidney Samson take the song in electro and tribal directions- making the song dancefloor-friendly while keeping ‘the song’ the main focus.? The video makes it perfect for?Sunday?Funday because of the sheer WTF clash of images – think Nelly Furtado doing a Ke$ha video for Logo and you get an idea.

Image Courtesy of?Epic.

SONG OF THE DAY: Nova Nova & Peter Hook – “Low Ends”

When La Roux first released “Bulletproof,” I read a review by James Masterton which framed it as a tribute to Vince Clarke in his many incarnations as part of Erasure, Yazoo, and Depeche Mode.? “Low Ends” is a similar tribute to Peter Hook’s work, containing several brief guitar and piano bits from several classic New Order tracks over a groovy house beat.? Seriously, this is a trainspotter’s dream or nightmare of a drinking game if you try to ID every bit.? This seeming megamix works on many different levels, proving that the melodies are so timeless (and brilliant) that they can be reconstructed and reconfigured in many different ways to create a compelling track.??

Image Courtesy of?Atal Music.

SONG OF THE DAY: Mason – “Grotto”

Simplicity is a hallmark of quality.? Dutch duo Mason achieved massive success with “Exceeder” and have since released a constant stream of quality interesting tracks from all sides of the electronic world.? Play “Le Big Bob” next to “Corrected,” and the common theme is a simple hook explored over the track with the surprise being how it ends.? On their new track “Grotto,” the main hook is striking similar to the classic track “Quadrophonia,” yet developed in an eerily ’90s house-inspired vibe rather than a ’90s techno vibe.? As opposed to other recent ’90s house-inspired tracks, “Grotto” sounds like it was produced in 2013 with electro underlays and a dramatic dropout that thankfully keeps a stable rhythm going so that DJs won’t lose a dance floor. The same common theme of a simple hook with a surprise at the end is similarly explored in the memorable video clip which stars both Mason-ites, Coen and Iason, in a modern take of the man’s best friend relationship.

Image Courtesy of?Animal Language.