U2 Team Up With Paul Epworth For A Remix Of “Ordinary Love”

Originally published on PopWrapped.  18 December 2013.

Pairing up with music producer Paul Epworth is always a solid move even if your song has already been nominated for a Golden Globe. That’s exactly what U2 have done for a new version of their current song, “Ordinary Love.”

The mix, which you can hear below, brings in a great new beat to punch up U2’s signature ethereal pop-rock sound. “We think Paul Epworth’s mix is a very soulful, uplifting one and we hope our audience will agree,” said U2’s frontman, Bono, in a Facebook post on their official page.

The original version of “Ordinary Love,” produced by Danger Mouse, is featured on the soundtrack of upcoming biopic Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom, starring Idris Elba. Epworth, who is best known for his collaborations with Adele, has won an Academy Award and four Grammys.

Check out his mix of “Ordinary Love” right here.

Macaulay Culkin Forms Tribute Band To The Late Lou Reed

Originally published on PopWrapped.  10 December 2013.

In one of the best and most creative tributes to the late Lou Reed, actor Macaulay Culkin has formed a tribute band, The Pizza Underground. With Culkin on percussion, kazoo and vocals, the five person band has put together a nine track demo that is available for download on bandcamp. 

As you might expect, The Pizza Underground’s songs are all about our favorite cheesy pie. The tracks even have deliciously punny titles that play off of Reed and Velvet Underground’s own hit songs, such as “I’m Beginning to Eat the Slice” aka “I’m Beginning to See The Light.” Yes, the lyrics are a bit corny (alright, fine! They’re cheesy!) but that seems to be the point. The demo has such a nice mellow sound to it that if you weren’t listening closely you’d forget you were hearing all about pizza.

Culkin’s band mates are: Matt Colbourn (guitar/vocals), Phoebe Kreutz (glockenspiel/vocals), Deenah Vollmer (pizza box/vocals) and Austin Kilham (tambourine/vocals). The Pizza Underground, which formed in February 2012 prior to Reed’s death, recorded their demo live at Culkin’s house on November 11, 2013

The full track listing is:

1. ’Papa John Says’ (‘Stephanie Says’/ ‘Caroline Says (II)’)

2. ’I'm Beginning to Eat the Slice’ (‘I’m Beginning To See The Light’)

3. ’Pizza’ (‘Sweet Jane’)

4. ’I'm Waiting for Delivery Man’ (‘I’m Waiting For The Man’)

5. ’Cheese Days’ (‘These Days’)

6. ’Pizza Day’ (‘Perfect Day’)

7. ’All the Pizza Parties’ (‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’)

8. ’Pizza Gal’ (‘Femme Fatale’)

9. ’Take a Bite of the Wild Slice’ (‘Take A Walk On The Wild Side’)

You can listen to the demo here:

Pharrell Williams Shares A 24 Hour Long “Happy” Fest In New Music Video

Originally published on PopWrapped.  22 November 2013.

Singer Pharrell Williams is having quite the year. On top of partnering with Robin Thicke for the massively popular “Blurred Lines,” Williams has premiered the first ever 24-hour music video. 

“Happy,” which will play on Pharrell’s site 24hoursofhappy.com, was shot in Los Angeles and has clock superimposed over it. In addition to singers and dancers popping up to lip sync to the Despicable Me 2song, Williams is also shown singing to a church. A variety of celebrities show up too.

Steve Carrell, Jimmy Kimmel, Magic Johnson, and more all have a few minutes in the video. Viewers can click through to different times to try to find their favorite celebs and can also share a particular segment of the video. 

Williams has been having a strong 2013. He’s collaborated with Robin Thicke and Daft Punk. Currently, he is now working with Hans Zimmer on the Amazing Spider-Man 2 soundtrack.

Check out the shorter version of “Happy” before heading over to see the 24-hour cut.

Lana Del Rey’s Short Film, Tropico, Gets Release Date And Trailer

Originally published on PopWrapped.  22 November 2013.

Singer Lana Del Rey’s passion project, Tropico, finally has a full trailer, a general synopsis, and a release date. The 30-minute short film casts Del Rey a modernized version of the Bible’s Eve in a story about sin and redemption.
Information on Tropico, which is directed by previous Del Rey collaborator Anthony Mandler, has been light ever since the pop star started teasing the film earlier this month. Based on what’s in the trailer though, it’s safe to say there is heavy violence, nudity and some serious sin going on.

Model Shaun Ross plays Del Rey’s love interest (Adam?). Interestingly, there is no hint of Del Rey singing inTropico, although we know that three of her songs from the repackaged album Born to Die – The Paradise Edition will appear in the film.

So Russell Crowe is Noah and now Lana Del Rey is Eve? What Biblical character gets the celebrity treatment next?

Tropico will premiere exclusively on VEVO on December 5th. Click here to watch the trailer.

Could Justin Timberlake Be Heading To Nashville?

Originally published on PopWrapped.  19 November 2013.

Justin Timberlake is being honored in three categories at the American Music Awards this weekend however there’s one category he still has in his sights 

“I still got my eyes on a ‘Best Country Album’,” he said in an interview with SiriusXM’s The Highway. “There’s time for that.”

As one of the new kings of music, Timberlake has already started showing his country skills with “Drink You Away” on his new album The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2. “It’s a country song to me,” Timberlake said. 

Having successfully transitioned from boy band member to pop star, in the past decade Timberlake has evolved into Hollywood’s Renaissance man. He has a stellar movie career, displaying both dramatic and comedic acting chops, and is one of the most well-loved hosts of Saturday Night Live. In addition to his nominations across three genres at the AMA’s, he is also up for Artist of the Year.

Considering JT has clearly conquered pop, R&B, soul, barbershop quartet, and plenty more, it’s a good guess that mastering country is only a matter of time. How many years before he’s adding Country Music Award to his trophy shelf?

Check out Justin’s foray into the much maligned musical genre of barbershop quartets.

Public Tribute To Lou Reed Took Place Today

Originally published on PopWrapped.  14 November 2013.

A public tribute took place in New York today for musician Lou Reed, who passed away last month at age 71. The Velvet Underground singer was honored with a gathering at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Reed’s official Facebook page posted about the tribute earlier this week saying it would be all about Reed’s music. “No speeches. No live performances, just Lou’s voice, guitar music & songs – playing the recordings selected by his family and friends.” This was a gathering that was meant solely for fans.

Known primarily as the frontman for the band Velvet Underground in the 1960s, Reed also had a strong solo career starting in 1972. He passed away in October due to complications from a liver transplant he received in May.

Gaga Hits Back At Her Critics In A Series Of Tweets

Originally published on PopWrapped.  21 October 2013.
As is becoming the popular method nowadays, Lady Gaga took to Twitter to vent her feelings about her critics. The pop star reacted to both the comparisons between her and Madonna as well as her single “Applause” coming in under Katy Perry’s “Roar” on the charts.

“I write for the music not the charts,” Gaga tweeted to her over 40 millions followers in response her to “chart feud” with Perry. The two singers had taken to Twitter in August to quell feud rumors and tell everyone that they like and respect each other.

APPLAUSE didn't DEBUT AT #1! KATY IS BETTER THAN HER! #UWontUseMyMind I write for the music not the charts pic.twitter.com/KjOpFURWwl

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) October 20, 2013

About her comparison to Madonna, Gaga posted, “#WriteWhatUWant #SayWhatUWantBoutMe #ImNotSorry.” The picture with that tweet showed the “Like a Virgin” and “Born This Way” singers with similarly styled ponytails. No, really, that’s the basis for the comparison.

LADY GAGA IS A REDUCTIVE MADONNA COPY! SHE'S OVER NOW! #WriteWhatUWant #SayWhatUWantBoutMe #ImNotSorry pic.twitter.com/vuSRxwrpXS
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) October 20, 2013

Gaga also tweeted a clip of an interview where Madonna says she doesn’t feel like the pop singer is a rip-off. “She’s she and I’m me.”

MADONNA HATES GAGA SHES OVER http://t.co/zrxU9k3Ho2 i dont need anybodys permission to be remembered. I will be. Whether they like it or not
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) October 20, 2013

These were just a couple of the slew of posts Gaga sent out including ones that fought back against accusations that she is a hermaphrodite, using drugs or has gained a lot of weight. With each accusing photo, Gaga hashtagged #‪DoWhatUWantWithMyBody. Choosing to address these rumors now may simply be to create buzz around Gaga’s recently released Do What You Want single, but they are interestingly odd all the same.

LADY GAGA IS A HERMAPHRODITE! LOOK AT THIS PIC OF HER D*CK #DoWhatUWantWithMyBody pic.twitter.com/nOCYrRtJSb
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) October 20, 2013

LADY GAGA IS ON DRUGS! HER CAREER IS OVER! (been an addict for 10years) #WriteWhatUWant My recovery is a daily battle pic.twitter.com/EXHxuDcT1b
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) October 20, 2013

LADY GAGA IS FAT NOW! #DoWhatUWantWithMyBody pic.twitter.com/ty43LrM8kz
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) October 20, 2013

Twitter #Music App Likely To Disappear Due To Poor Download Numbers

Originally published on PopWrapped.  20 October 2013.

If like me, you had completely forgotten Twitter’s #Music even existed, it will be no surprise to learn that the service may soon be closing. A report from AllThingsD says the mobile app is on the outs because of “abysmal” download numbers.

Launched only six months ago, Twitter #Music helps users discover new music based on the artists they follow, Twitter trends, and network activity. Poor integration is being partially blamed for the app’s failure to retain users’ interest. Also likely to blame are the multitude of other music apps at everyone’s fingertips, such as Spotify, iTunes Radio, Rdio and Pandora, to name a few.

As for those low download numbers, the app has been declining ever since its release in April. Peaking at number six back then, its popularity has plummeted to well out of the top 100 in its category.

As a Mashable article pointed out, it is worth noting that Twitter #Music hasn’t received an iOS 7 update yet. This is odd for several reasons, including that iOS 7’s iTunes Radio has Twitter #Music stations. Perhaps this is just another sign that the social networking company is not yet ready to tackle the task of a music app.

Future’s Honestly Teaming Up With Miley Cyrus And Nicki Minaj

Originally published on PopWrapped.  6 October 2013.

There is no escaping Miley Cyrus. On top of her performances at the VMA’s and on Saturday Night Live, she is now teaming with rapper Future for his upcoming album, Honest.

Future and Cyrus joined together with Mr. Hudson for the track “Real and True.” Cyrus and Hudson sing to each other on the hook before Future closes with some harmonizing. Future and the female pop star also teamed up for the song “My Darlin’” on Cyrus’ Bangerz album. Both “Real and True” and “We Can’t Stop” from Bangerz are produced by Mike WiLL Made It.

“I worked with Miley Cyrus when we were working on her project, for her album,” Future said. “I was doing some records in Vegas and Mr. Hudson sent a hook back he did on a Mike WiLL track. He played it for Miley and she wanted to be a part of it, so I’m putting the record on my album also.”

The rapper also pairs with Nicki Minaj, this time for “Rock Star Life.” This is the latest in a string of collaborations between the two. Speaking about the Young Money rapper, Future said simply, “Nicki Minaj is dope.”

Honest, which was scheduled for release on November 26th, has been delayed until December.