Sheena Beaston

Recap: MNDR Steals the Night With New Songs at Mercury Lounge

Precisely as that title states, last night's early show (weird, haven't seen an 8:00pm start time in a loooong while) at Mercury Lounge featured the inimitable MNDR headlining the space in NYC's Lower East Side. And while she's pretty much our good pal at this point, making us the most biased beast, um ever, we can take a step back and note that every instance in which we've caught her live show (it's been a lot) she's far exceeded previous performances. It's not that she was ever NOT good...it's that she just keeps getting better and better at every turn. Other artists: beware.

 

 

Beginning the set with a personal favorite in Caligula, MNDR was a nonstop flurry of mathematically magical music and motion. After a few more "known cuts" (she's only got a few out there!), the moment we'd had hoped would arrive came to be...and oh, it was pretty fantastic. New music, in the form of songs Diamonds and Casual Attraction, impressed beyond imagination. While the former takes cues from I Go Away in the more "oh man I feel feelings" sense, the latter is another sing-along stunner that incites jumping, dancing, high-fiving and smiling until your face breaks. Yep, it's that good.

 

We chatted with MNDR after the gig, and ol' girl's got some goodies coming up in the next few months. Sure, we'd share 'em now, but we need every excuse to write more writings about this incredible talent down the line.

 

Until then, check out the full gallery of images here, and peep the videos from last night's show below. And duh, of course we captured them new jawns, along with Caligula and the "Patty Hearst tribute song" which we still have no idea what the real title of said song is, but it is damn fine. Beast pleased!

 

 

 

 

 

mp3: Major Lazer - Pon De Floor (Ninjasonik Remix featuring MNDR and Tasleema)

 

 

 

Savage Skulls & Douster (ft Robyn) - Bad Gal

YOU GUYS: I've only been waiting for this song for 3 solid months. Patiently very impatiently I grew, but today, we wait no longer for the Savage Skulls and Douster track, which features the ever-impressive Robyn on vocals. The song...is Bad Gal.

 

 

The song is also...AMAZING. Tuesday win! The track comes off the upcoming Skulls & Douster EP Get Rich or High Trying. out tomorrow on Beatport.

 

I've concocted a hard and fast rule: this jam should be played at every bar, party, dj set and what not from now until the seasons turn colder. And if it's not, I will throw a temper tantrum, whenceforth, making me a very bad gal...or mad beast. See what I did there. Title tricks.

 

Play it!

Savage Skulls & Douster feat. Robyn-Bad Gal

 

 

Trentemøller - ...Even Though You're With Another Girl (new video!)

Just...OBSESSED.

 

SUPER OBSESSED.

mp3: Trentemoller - ...Even Though Youre With Another Girl

 

 

Robyn to Perform Live at MTV VMA's!

It's just been confirmed that Robyn will perform Dancing On My Own at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, September 12. She will share the stage with Deadmau5 and artists Jason Derulo and Travie McCoy in a collaborative mash-up.

 

Hooray for our Swedish chanteuse! Now kick dem boys off the platform and let her perform on her own.

mp3: Robyn - Indestructible (Hobbz Mix)

Oh Land - Sun of a Gun Remixes and Interview on East Village Radio

Last night, I welcomed the Brooklyn-via-Denmark singer, Oh Land, into the East Village Radio studio. Not only did we chat about her music and her former career as a dancer in the Danish Royal Ballet, but we were given the exclusive oportunity to have the first official play and debut of the Savage Skulls remix of her current single, Sun of a Gun.

 

Now, we all know that I love my Scandinavian territory based tunes, so when you slap the Swedish skills of the Skulls over the Danish delights of Oh Land's original, well damn it, that's just about the perfect recipe to make me melt.

 

Treats for all this morning...you can download that very mix over at East Village Radio here. And as a bonus, you can grab both the Yuksek remix and the original of Sun of a Gun below.

 

Additionally, give a listen to the interview from last night's Belly of the Beast here. Adorably wonderful.

mp3: Oh Land - Sun of a Gun (Yuksek Remix)

mp3: Oh Land - Sun of a Gun

 

 

 

 

 

Jamiroquai's White Knuckle Ride Gets Remixed by Penguin Prison and Monarchy

What a way to start this gorgeous Friday morning! The weather is absolutely bananas beautiful in NYC, and the temperature is starting to rise thanks to two remixes of Jamiroquai's newest cut, White Knuckle Ride. The original song will be included on the band's forthcoming seventh studio album, Rock Dust Light Star, which will see a proper release in November (at least in the UK, while we still await the US out date).

 

As mentioned, the new song is floating around in a few different iterations, but today, I'm on the edge of my seat with anticipation because I simply cannot wait for you to grab these two fine fixes. Coming courtesy of two of my most favorite "newer-ish" beasts of approval, Penguin Prison and Monarchy handle the remixing reigns, and they do it with class, finesse, and disco pop beats for days.

 

They are both free for you and me. They are both delicious and yummy. They are the hotness!

 

Get 'em now!

mp3: Jamiroquai - White Knuckle Ride (Monarchy Remix)

mp3: Jamiroquai - White Knuckle Ride (Penguin Prison Remix)

 

 

 

HURTS (featuring Kylie Minogue) - Devotion

YOU GUYS (and girls): if you're a rabid fan and follower of all that is HURTS, much like I am, then take 4 minutes and 13 seconds to stop what you're doing, and give this new song an ear or two. I've never doubted the fact that the Mancunian duo's debut album would hit ever so hard, and thanks to a sweet lil' advance of the disc, all of our suspicions and expectations are onfirmed. Solid effort boys.

 

And now, thanks to some helping vocals from Kylie Minogue (whaaaa?!?), the song Devotion goes from boy-boy, to boy-oh-boy-oh-girl-oh-wow-oh-boy.

 

Yeah, it's not like I'm excited or anything.

 

Listen now. Right now.

 

HURTS (featuring Kylie Minogue) - Devotion

 

 

 

Recap: Scissor Sisters Get Super Hot, and a Little Sweaty, at Terminal 5

Sporting lots of leather and no lace, Scissor Sisters returned to their hometown of New York City last night, and took Terminal 5 on a tour of their biggest hits, spanning three full-length albums which culminated in their most recent, and strongest, release, Night Work. And work the night, and the stage, they did.

 

  

Starting with the title track from said album, the entrance to the stage proved precisely what was in store for the predominantly male, and seemingly way oversold crowd. Lights, latex and limber moves abounded as Jake Shears and Ana Matronix shared vocal duties over the course of the evening, pairing up for calisthenics during Any Which Way and Whole New Way, the first of which you can catch video of below.

 

Small players Del Marquis and Baby Daddy take an obvious back seat to the glitz and glamour of the two frontspair, but their musical finessings proved easy to swallow, and ultimately outshone the vocals on a number of the songs. Crowd energy hit a peaked high when the troupe launched into debut hit, Take Your Mama Out, after Ana and Co. dedicated it to all the families, including their own, in the audience.

 

Working the night in the most sensual way, Scissor Sisters were welcomed back home with wide open, and spirited arms.

 

View full set of images from the show here. Video of Any Which Way is below a few choice pictures and the set list.

 

  

 

 

 

Night Work
Laura
Any Which Way
She’s My Man
Something Like This
Whole New Way
Tits on the Radio
Harder You Get
Running Out
Take Your Mama
Kiss You Off
I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’
Skin Tight
Skin This Cat
Fire With Fire
Paul McCartney
Night Life

Encore
Comfortably Numb
Invisible Light
Filthy Gorgeous

 

 

mp3: Scissor Sisters - Any Which Way (7th Heaven Club Mix) 

 

The Pretty Reckless - Love The Way You Lie vs Islands (Eminem, Rihanna vs The XX Cover)

This happened on the BBC's Radio 1 Live Lounge. The Pretty Reckless power their way through a mashed up rendition of The xx's Islands and Eminem and Rihanna's current chart topper, Love the Way You Lie.

 

I kind of dig it.

 

mp3: The Pretty Reckless - Love The Way You Lie vs Islands (Eminem, Rihanna vs The XX Cover)

I Blame Coco - Quicker (new video!)

As mentioned earlier this month, I Blame Coco, the similarly-voiced spawn of her poppa Sting, is releasing her third official single, Quicker, on September 27. And now there's a video to preface the upcoming cut. Get ready for more husky hoooo-ahs and a lot of piano tinkling in this new track. Beaston-approved!

 

 

 

Coco's announced a string of tour dates in anticipation of debut album, The Constant, which sees a proper release on October 4. Those cities and stops are as below. All Brit-based. Bummer.

 

Oct 13 - Bristol Thekla

Oct 14 - Sheffield Union

Oct 15 - Oxford Academy 2

Oct 16 - Coventry Kasbah

Oct 18 - Glasgow King Tuts

Oct 19 - Leeds University

Oct 20 - London Scala

Oct 26 - Manchester Academy 3

Oct 27 - Liverpool O2 Academy 2

Oct 28 - Newcastle Other Room

Nov 1 - Nottingham Bodega

Nov 2 - Birmingham Academy 2

Nov 3 - Brighton Ballroom

 

  

mp3: I Blame Coco - Quicker