Tunde Olaniran - The First Transgression [EP]

 - Vancouver, British Columbia - I love getting requests, and so I was pretty happy with being approached to review the first of Tunde Olaniran's series of EPs. Firstly though, what’s with the cover art dude? Are you trapped in some cobwebs? Are you trying to hide under Mr. Snuffleupagus’ grandpa? Anyway, I’m sure you’re a nice bloke, so if you’re expecting a review full of praise and aren’t keen on criticism, maybe you should turn back now.

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Duover - Christmas Volume 1

 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Well, it's that time of year again. No matter where you go, you hear the inevitable Christmas tunes playing in shopping malls, television, Starbucks, and anywhere else you find yourself visiting around December. There is a charm to it all, but often it can get repetitive. And just about every popular artist has recorded a Christmas song, if not an entire album. Some of these songs are original, but for the most part you'll hear the same old traditional songs with a slightly different voice. And I have to say, I can't take anymore contemporary versions of Silent Night or The First Noel, or those other songs. Occasionally they're done very well and in a unique way, but more often than not it's just the same old song with maybe a country twang, or new beat or something. Christmas is a wonderful time of year and should continue to be a source of inspiration from artists so I don't understand why there aren't more original Christmas songs.

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David Guetta - Nothing but the Beat

 - Vancouver, British Columbia - David Guetta's rise to fame in North America had been gradual in the initial stages of his career, but of recent, we've seen a rather dramatic climb in his profile within the industry as a result of him working with some of the biggest names in the business, namely The Black Eyed Peas, Snoop Dogg, Flo Rida, among others. As a result of these relationships that he has been able to build with other artists, it has allowed him to comprise an album, Nothing but the Beat, which is chalk-full of contributions from the biggest names in the business. It's hardly surprising though, when one considers that Guetta was behind the biggest song in music last year, "I Gotta Feeling." I remember reading an interview by Ryan Tedder, frontman of OneRepublic, speaking about his then-recent production work on Leona Lewis' smash hit debut album and how Timbaland had essentially imparted upon Tedder that the only real way to stick around in the music business is to ply one's hand in the producer's chair and developing other artists, thus making yourself more relevant. Hardly surprising that Timbaland would suggest this, since this was how he made his name. Both Guetta and Timbaland have been given the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in the business, which has solidified their positions as producers that everyone seems to love working with. They don't appear to be going away anytime soon.

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LMFAO – Sorry For Party Rocking

 - Vancouver, British Columbia - I haven't been a very good music critic lately. I've been seeking out a lot of independent acts and informing you of older gems, trying to introduce my readers to good music that they can really sink their teeth into. It must seem like I love everything. I certainly have been neglecting review terrible music and for that I'm sorry. It isn't too hard to find bad music these days. All you have to do it turn to the pop charts. This is always a difficult thing for me to do because I actually really enjoy this shelter I've built for myself. I have my own little world where musicians can gain popularity through social networking and sending free singles to their fans so that people can get invested in their work and reward them for the effort they put into their craft. It's a lovely little world and sometimes I get shaken out of it. Sometimes I am forced to remember that we live in an era where you can get rich by making the crappiest, most generic, most obnoxious music out there.

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Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

 - Vancouver, British Columbia - One of my first memories of Katy Perry brings me back to an old job of mine, where satellite radio was the purveyor of our music. Unfortunately my employer only allowed us to keep it on one station, which was the Top 40 one. I learned each of the songs by heart from hearing them all of the time, but any of my co-workers from that time will be able to recall me abandoning customers without hesitation to run for the volume adjuster to turn off the radio when "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry came on. You see, for me, "I Kissed A Girl" was nothing more than sick form of exploitation of lesbians in the same sense than some straight girls kiss each other merely to attract attention to themselves and not because they particularly enjoying kissing girls, but that they are attention whores and are willing to do anything to attract the salivating glances of stupid men. For reasons such as this, I felt like "I Kissed A Girl" was a cheap ploy to get Perry attention, and unfortunately it worked.

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