MR. WILL-W.'S SONGS OF SUMMER 2012

Karmin

Summers for me always have been defined by Songs. The trigger of hearing a Track instantaneously can prompt a chain reaction of memories and place me in a mood, even if momentarily. Although we’re only into late May, our iPods and Airwaves already have been infiltrated by a bevy a solid Summer Tunes and here are my Top Five!

1. Karmin – Brokenhearted

Although it took me several listens to enjoy, this Los Angeles-based Real Life Couple have me clicking repeat with this infectious number which received a major profile boost with their appearance on Saturday Night Live earlier this year. Their signature rap-singing, Electropop takes an edgy concept and spreads it to a mass audience.

2. Nicki Minaj – Starships

Thanks to Lady Gaga, RedOne has been placed internationally on-the-map as a Game Changer in Pop Music and to this day he remains a force to be dealt with as the Pop Elite clamour to collaborate with him. Anyone who listens to Starships needs little explanation why this rightfully is "The Song of Summer 2012". It has a widely international sound and Minaj is improving leaps and bounds as a Vocalist - at least on-recording. A starship quite literally has risen.

SIA WE ARE BORN GIVEAWAY

Sony Music Canada and Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven are teaming up to give away two copies of Sia's new album We Are  Born, which I reviewed here a couple weeks ago with a big stamp of approval.  As some of my readers might remember, the Australian singer-songwriter was featured here a couple months back from an MTV Live taping I attended.

To win, please email mrwillw@mrwillw.com with the name of the first single from We Are Born, to qualify.  Entries must be received by Tuesday, June 29, 2010 midnight (EST). Winners will be contacted via e-mail.  Personal information will not be stored.  Readers in Canada are eligible and one entry per reader only please.  The album is now in stores.  Good luck, Mavenati!

(Photo credit:  Mr. Will-W.)

SIA WE ARE BORN REVIEW

Somebody’s in a good mood. I suppose this is what happens when one finds love, is it? We Are Born is Sia’s fourth studio album and perhaps her most jovial yet. The album pays homage to an era when Miami Vice and Kenny Loggins ruled the airwaves, although the artist’s quiet introspection is what distinguishes this as an album from this era.

Current single Clap Your Hands is fantastic and puts one more toe over that line of accessibility which some of Sia’s earlier work was lacking, although personally I still prefer producer Fred Falke’s dance floor romp of a re-working over the album edit. Stop Trying, like Alphabeat’s Fascination, rhythmically borrows from Loggins’ massive hit 1984 hit Footloose reassuring the overachievers of the world, “We like you, this is a game already won… stop trying”. You’ve Changed which has already charted in Australia as Sia’s first Top 50 hit in her homeland, is a cut from the sunny coloured fabric as Clap Your Hands, containing quite possibly one of the most brilliant vocal breakdowns heard in quite some time.

EXCLUSIVE: SIA LIVE AT MTV CANADA PERFORMING "CLAP YOUR HANDS"

Australian singer-songwriter Sia (née Sia Furler) is just on the verge of releasing her fifth studio album We Are Born via Sony Music on June 7, 2010. She dropped by MTV Studio in Toronto to do a three-track acoustic performance before a young crowd, mostly unfamilar with her material.

Donning a blue knit mesh dress, she charmed her way into the hearts of the audience.  She even took a moment to clear the air after a small argument broke out in the audience and later she addressed some heckling from the crowd with nothing but sheer class.

Sia started off first with latest single Clap Your Hands, which features a decidedly more pop direction under the guidance of Grammy-nominated producer Greg Kurstin (The Bird and The Bee, Lily Allen). She followed the number with two soulful acoustic numbers (titles unknown) with her two guitarists, before exiting gracefully and bidding adieu to fans whom she will see tomorrow at her show at The Phoenix.

My friends and I luckily got a chance to meet Sia on her way to a radio interview and she stopped to sign a few autographs and do photos with some of us. She even remembered my name before boarding her label's Escalade with her publicist, giggling that she's certain her hair looked amazing in our photo together due to a sudden breeze which acted as a Wind Machine. It was as if the forces of nature created a moment just for us!

NEW MUSIC: SIA - CLAP YOUR HANDS (FRED FALKE REMIX)

Australian singer-songwriter Sia is back with latest single Clap Your Hands from fourth solo effort album We Are Born, to be released June 8, 2010.  This time around she will be referencing The Pretenders, Blondie, Talking Heads and The Cure.  In contrast to her last album, 2008's Some People Have Real Problems, this new album is more on the up-tempo.

Interestingly, the album will contain a cover of Madonna's Oh Father from her Like a Prayer album.  Greg Kurstin whose most recent work on the phenomenal The Bird and The Bee's Hall & Oates tribute album, will be producing We Are Born.

As many of us know she contributed a track on Christina Aguilera's forthcoming Bionic album, which should prove worth the wait.  Sia has been selling-out club shows around Europe and she will be touring North America in tandem with the release of this new album.  To view a full tour schedule, visit her official website.

In the meantime, check out this infectious Fred Falke remix to Clap Your Hands which brings back the Disco back with that irresistible bass line and chords which say classic New Order. The guitar bits just which come to the forefront late just take this track to a new level of fantastic. Enjoy, courtesy of Sony Music:

(Thanks Vinylandvodka for the artwork!)