Music
Westlife -WHERE WE ARE
There was quite an illuminating news story earlier this week regarding Westlife’s relationship with their musical mentor/boss/advisor Simon Cowell. Mark Feehily revealed that despite the X Factor judge’s best attempts the band had refused to record a cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘You Are Not Alone’. Aside from suggesting that Cowell may have some kind of bizarre fascination with the track – he finally got it released this year courtesy of Joe & co – it also suggested people might have got Westlife wrong. Perhaps behind all those drippy covers and stool/standing key changes there was actually a bit of backbone – and, more importantly, some musical taste.
Where We Are, the Irish crooners’ ninth album, has been billed by the group as their darkest and edgiest to date. With songwriting credits from Ryan ‘Bleeding Love’ Tedder and Wayne ‘Sweet Dreams’ Wilkins, and a cover of Daughtry’s ‘What About Now’, they even seem to be eyeing up the American market. Thankfully, this means no more corny Big Band reworkings – another peculiar passion of Cowell’s! However, the group’s mechanical approach to music-making means that even the moderately impressive, Tedder-penned ‘Shadows’ (initially pencilled in for Leona Lewis’s Echo LP) is rendered near-unlistenable thanks to the lads’ cheesy, yearning vocals and all-too-predictable schmaltzy crescendo.
Reading the sleeve notes of the album, it’s difficult to be too sneering about the four-piece. With Kian and Nicky dedicating the track to their late fathers and Mark and Shane writing passionately about how grateful they are still to be in the music biz after 11 years, they come across as well-meaning and hardworking ordinary blokes. But ordinary blokes, sadly, do not make great popstars. Ultimately, it’s the dedications to their management team of Cowell and Louis Walsh which really hint at what this album is about. Each track features a calculated, almost robotic four-minute build-up to that key-change. On the finale for ‘Leaving’, it’s almost possible to hear the tinny din of cash registers ringing as they switch between soppy emotional vocal solos and the drum-kicks, swathes of strings and choral backing.
There’s no doubting that Westlife’s musical formula works: their run of No.1s and album sales prove that. However, when the formula is so blatantly cynical and executed with such little charm, it makes them very hard to love. On the dreary monotony of ‘Talk Me Down’ or the hollering extravaganza of ‘Another World’, the boys certainly hit all the right notes, but there isn’t a drop of passion, genuine emotion or soul to be found anywhere. By the time you’ve made it to ‘I’ll See You Again’, which again builds from tinkled ivories and strings into a swirling, pompous bluster, you’ll be more likely to reach for the sick bag than the repeat button. Knocking Westlife is often considered pointless and snooty, but while they continue to release dross like this, there isn’t really much choice.
Interview: Trent Reznor (from joystiq.com)
Wait. What? Trent Reznor? As in “Mr. I’ll Give Away My Music,” “Mr. Brutal Honesty,” Mr. NINE INCH NAILS? What’s he doing on Joystiq?
Prior to taking the concert stage this month, The Trent Reznor, along with NIN Creative Director Rob Sheridan, opened up to us about their gaming pasts, the direction they see the industry headed in, and whether or not Trent will have a role in shaping that future.
Continue reading for Joystiq’s first-ever NINterview …
Let’s start off with an easy question: What kind of gamer are you?
Trent: I am old, so I was there from the beginning. You know, from the first Pong machine. Rob and I are both avid gamers and our friendship kind of grew out from it. We worked with each other for years and had a lot of space in our studio, so we collected a lot of arcade games. We tried to get all the classics like Metroid, Space Invaders, Robotron and others from that era. I’ve stayed with gaming throughout the years and have all the current systems and, yes, I still get excited about release day. That said, I’ve become disillusioned in the last few years with the types of games the big studios put out. They’re the same game over and over again just skinned differently. I’m not a believer that everyone wants to necessary play a movie, where game play is overlooked for flashy graphics. That’s a disturbing trend.
A game like Robotron … that separates the men from the boys.
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So, you’re big into classic arcade gaming?
Trent: Every time we to go to a different country we try to see if there are still arcades left. The modern Japanese arcade is not the same, because they’re all about these weird resource management, horse racing, car games that nobody can figure out what the fuck is happening. Unless you’re Japanese, of course. I had a lot of great times in arcades and I miss that experience. I know things move forward, but there’s something about discovering an arcade, the aesthetics, the cool cabinet that was built specifically for that game. The first time I saw Tempest, for example, I was like, “What the fuck is this?” It looked like some sort of 2001 thing, it had weird, abstract graphics and sounded cool. I realize times have changed, but I miss having those three minutes where it’s you versus that machine, sweating like crazy in this finite countdown to death scenario. A game like Robotron … that separates the men from the boys.
You previously mentioned that you came up with a video game idea and pitched it to big publishers. Tell us about that game.
Trent: Rob and I have some things on the side that we’ve been working on and one of the things we’ve been talking about doing is publishing or developing video games. A few years ago we took that idea to a few of the main publishers, Midway, Activision, etc. And as first time people in a pitch meeting, it was kind of depressing. Depressing to see that the people in control of those studios and publishers are much the same as the people sitting at record companies.
In a record company, they aren’t musicians or people who love music, they’re people who want to sell plastic discs. They think they have a formula where if they can eliminate the artist from that equation, even better. You see that in the case of the Pussycat Dolls and some of the other fabricated crap that’s out there. What we tended to notice in the video game meetings was that it didn’t seem that there were gamers there. It’s business guys who want to turn the company into a profit making machine. They look at it in terms of numbers, like a Hollywood studio. If it costs “X” amount to make a game, to compete, then it has to be a proven franchise or it has to be similar enough to something they know is going to sell. They don’t want to take the risk.
Can you give us specifics about the game you were trying to pitch?
Trent: Yeah … I’ll let Rob talk about that, because it’s primarily his idea.
Rob: No … I don’t think we should reveal our trade secrets just yet.
Trent: Let’s just say this. It’s a simple idea. It’s kind of dumb and obvious, but could be fun. It’d be something I would buy and is an idea that takes a chance and bends a few rules. Some of which have been bent since our initial pitch. The idea has a juvenile, kind of fun smartass-ness to it, but was ultimately just too risky for a big company that’s more interested in “Spider-Man 11″ or “Madden: This Year.”
Would you be interested in completely funding a game for distribution through cheaper channels like Xbox Live Arcade or PlayStation Network?
Trent: We’re working on some things that will start to come into fruition post Nine Inch Nails and post our tour. That’s one of the reasons I’m stopping the tour, because there are all these other things that I’ve been wanting to do that are outside playing shows. While I enjoy doing Nine Inch Nails and touring, I’ve done it enough where there are a lot of other things I’d like to get into. One of those things … well, I’m probably saying too much, because if it doesn’t happen then I’ll have to answer questions about it for the next five years. Let’s just say that one of the things that’s highest priority for me and Rob is the development of some entertainment-based video game–type stuff.
Do you see any similarities between the indie video game and indie music industries? If so, what advice could you give to those who want to get noticed in the market?
Trent: From a business perspective, in looking at the video game world, I haven’t applied myself to learning the obstacles or knowing if it’s a bad deal to sell yourself to companies like Activision or not. I just don’t know the details of that. Video games are a fairly new form of maturing entertainment that really are art forms. The success of the industry as an art form and a form of entertainment will be if it can rediscover itself and to allow for the redefining of what a video game is. Not necessarily targeting it towards just kids or grandparents or whatever. The goal is always to keep a level of entertainment, excitement and innovation.
Again, it seems like games have gone from the golden age — like Robotron, which was only a few kilobytes — to the era of Wolfenstein and Doom, where a boutique shop of just ten guys could create an in-depth, quality game in six months to a year. Now we’re at an era of needing hundreds of guys and millions of dollars and several years to compete with other A-list titles to attract the big publisher that wasn’t as big of a deal years ago.
Indie implies there’s a great creative atmosphere, but that isn’t necessarily true. |
The publisher equates to the record label and now you have an ecosystem where, if you want to compete with EA or Activision, you have to have a mainstream enough title, which turns into a blockbuster movie scenario.
This, again, is the same thing you see with films where a lot of generic, big films come out of Hollywood. Things like G.I. Joe and Transformers, where you know what you’re getting, they aren’t redefining anything, but they’ll make “X” amount of money, because “X” amount of people — including us — will see it. But every once in a while, something different comes along, like a Quentin Tarantino who’ll blow the doors off things and turns the industry on its head. All because it was exciting, innovative and it came from way over there.
I like what I’m seeing from Xbox where they’re providing a place to get indie games and you don’t have to hack your system or fight updates to get those games on it. Again, the iPhone is another platform that’s inspiring and allows developers to make a game in a reasonable amount of time, with little money and allows for the possibility of something cool. Innovation is the key. I’d like to say, from a music side, that the indie world guarantees more innovation, but that isn’t necessarily true. The indie world is trying to be the major label. The people I know on indie labels are dealing with the same corrupt, broken structures. Indie implies there’s a greater creative atmosphere, but that isn’t necessarily true.
What’s your take on Microsoft and Sony entering the motion-controlled market?
Trent: Me and Rob are both big Nintendo fans for a number of reasons. Nintendo approaches gaming from a prospective where Super Mario Bros. is still a classic and doesn’t look dated. Look at any game on the PlayStation 1 that tries to exceed past the terrible 3D graphics, with their look alike, sound alike franchise attempts.
With Nintendo, there’s this kind of aesthetic that they bring to their in-house games that makes them feel like art. Where they aren’t trying to be something else, where they have their own place and are just what they are. I’ve talked with Rob about this, about why that kind of game is cool, has a timelessness to it and isn’t trying to be more than what it is. If I were going to make a video game today I would not put in rendered, 3D characters that try to look human. You know, where when they talk their lips are out of sync and have this weird aliased thing going on. There’s that Shadow Complex game, which does looks cool. Every cut scene has the eyes rendered pretty well, but there’s that terrible voice acting and the characters look like Fembots.
Rob: The characters usually look better stylized in a way where it lends itself to the media as opposed to trying to look like the latest 3D-animated movie, which can create things super-realistically. When it’s done only half way … well, it’s just kind of weird.
Trent: How that applies to Nintendo, and I’m not saying they haven’t fucked up a few times too, but they have this sense of here’s this game, we’re aware of the limitations, but we’re going to make the game great with taste and integrity. Being honest, I’m not a huge fan of Sony. Their entire strategy behind the PlayStation is to focus on gaming as an experience last and getting a Blu-ray player in your living room comes first. Now, three years later they’re trying to release a motion controller that’s a little bit better than the Wii’s.
You’re aware you’re flamebaiting Sony fanboys right now.
Trent. I don’t care. I’m used to controversy. I make a living off of it. [Laughs.]
The point is, do I think motion controlled gaming is the next big thing? No. It’s an interesting concept, it’s cool to have, but it’s an input thing where I don’t think that’s the future of gaming. The fact that the Wii came out and has been wildly successful is because they picked up on the thing I’ve been saying all along. They made something simple and fun. It’s something that doesn’t compete with “Halo: Whatever-The-Fuck,” but is actually fun and can resonate with a bunch of people in a low brow way where they didn’t focus on how many buttons they could pop into the controller.
Rob: Waving the Wiimote does get boring after a while, and after a bit you say, “Just give me a button!” So, when I see Microsoft’s new motion controlled Natal and I see people play it, I say to myself, “Wow, that technology looks amazing, but how many people really want to stand there and flail about all the time?”
I’m used to controversy. I make a living off of it.
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The nice thing about the Wii is that, if you want, you can sit back like a fat-ass and just barely wiggle your wrist to get the same gameplay effect. With all this motion-controlled stuff, there’s nothing tangible anymore, you aren’t touching anything, you aren’t getting force feedback of any kind, and it all just seems like a tech demo. Something where you use it for a while, then go, “Just give me the controller back!”
Trent: The strength of motion controllers will be if there’s a killer app that makes a person go, “Fuck yeah, all right!” That’s always what it comes down to. I’m glad there’s innovation in that field and maybe something great will come of it, but I’m not holding my breath that the technology will redefine gaming.
Rob: There’s a difference between praising the Wii as an important step and saying that motion controls are the greatest thing in the world. What was great about the Wii is that it proved that they could do something that goes back to having just pure fun, that opens up the doors to people like my mom playing. This is something the fanboys cry about, “But who cares?” Those casual gamers aren’t playing Halo, they aren’t bothering you in your deathmatches. The Wii is just opening up the medium to so many more people using simple, pure fun. Something that original arcade games were all about. That doesn’t mean it’s the future necessarily, it just means that Nintendo found a tool to open the door to others and it could go a million different ways from there.
Trent: I remember the first time I played Wii Tennis, my immediate reaction was, “Whoa!” Then there’s the sound coming out of your hand and I’m all, “How the fuck?” When you show it to your mom or to your friends who come over and you see their faces light up — that’s one of those whoa-moments. One of those moments when you hear a great song or watch a great movie and get chills. That can be attained.
Rob: The strength of the Wii isn’t so much the motion controller it’s that, regardless what it is, you can hand it over to your girlfriend. She’ll go, “How do I play this?” You just show her, “Swing it, like this, see?” Two seconds later you’re playing a heated game of tennis.
Are you fans of Rock Band or Guitar Hero?
Rob: I suck at those games. Pure and simple — I just suck.
Trent: I dabble around in them and I actually think those games are fun. As a gamer, it’s interesting, fun and surprisingly rewarding when you get it right. As a musician, who’s watching the record industry look at these games as a type of salvation … it’s laughable. That’s just desperate people in the record business thinking. “Man, we finally have a way to turn people onto music.”
In a good way, a friend of mine who is my age, he has a couple kids under ten years old who now really like AC/DC and other classic music. Music they may not have discovered at their age. It’s kind of fun to walk into Best Buy and hear people get excited about trying to play a Beck song and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I’m kind of excited to see how they did on Beatles: Rock Band. I read about that in Wired, and it sounds like they did an A-list job in creating the depth of the experience.
How are your Rock Band skills?
Trent: I’m not bad, but to be honest with you, I haven’t allowed myself go too deep down the path of perfection.
If I were to set up a rock-off, a game of Rock Band between you and a band like … say, Coldplay. Who would win?
Trent: I don’t know, but if it descended into physical violence, we’d probably win. Those guys strike me as having a lot of time on the bus tweaking or stringing some riffs together. [Laughs.]
I’ll tell you one thing I can’t do that just amazes me is watching the masters of the Dance Dance Revolution game while I was in Japan. I got to see some asian kid, where his feet are moving faster than I can see shit coming down the screen. That’s amazing.
Will we be seeing anymore Nine Inch Nails DLC releases for Rock Band or Guitar Hero by year’s end?
Trent: No.
Is there a reason?
Trent: I just really never thought about it. When Rock Band first came out there were a couple songs involved and they asked for more in a content pack. I just said pick some of the hardest material we have, like “The Perfect Drug,” which has some difficult drums. Then I asked them to make it as hard as they could possibly make it. That led to me seeing a couple YouTube videos of people getting high scores and, well … that’s really it. I feel we did all we needed to do with it.
What do you think of the upcoming Rock Band Network? Will you support the service?
Trent: I think that’s an interesting idea, but I’d have to think about it some more. Would I do it for Nine Inch Nails? No — and I’ll tell you why.
At the end of the day, I don’t mind putting my song in a movie I like. Something like where JJ Abrams calls asking to use a song in “Fringe.” I say, “I like what you do, I know it’ll be used tastefully.”
Music isn’t a game, it’s supposed to be an emotional kind of experience.
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If someone hears it in that context, well, okay, that’s cool. Again, at the end of the day, my concern is to write music and that’s what it is. Music isn’t a game, it’s supposed to be an emotional kind of experience.
When I heard about Rock Band and was asked to put some music on it, I did that. Then I thought, what if, with our next record, we release it on Rock Band first? The entire album. But then I thought about it some more and decided no, because I don’t want people remembering it that way. I want it to be an album, a piece of music and not a game. There’s a balance there, but music should have its own place, because it is not just about how many people can get it in whatever form.
Activision released special band-specific Guitar Hero games, like Metallica and Aerosmith. Have you ever been approached about a NIN edition?
Trent: Not that I know of. I’m not saying this to be modest, but we aren’t in the same demographic or audience size as those bands. NIN doesn’t really fit that mold, because there is no guitar in a third of our songs and, to be honest with you, I wouldn’t want to do that anyway.
If you had to pick one video game character to identify with, who would it be?
Trent: Umm, that’s a tough one. [Long pause.]
I really can’t think of shit right now. Rob, you got one, I know you do. You’re thinking Samus, but she’s a chick and you don’t want to say that. [Laughs.]
It’s that or Link.
Rob: Yeah, I’d go with Link, actually. That’s a good one, because I was the loner kid who just wanted everyone to leave me alone so I could play Zelda. It’s that lone person experience that kind of defined who I am.
Trent: Yeah and I can’t think of anything.
What about Mario? You said you liked Nintendo.
Trent: No, he’s too common. Too bourgeois.
Well, now that you’re moving on from NIN, do you have any interest in putting your creative energy into video games? Whether it be development or creating a soundtrack for a game?
The idea of making a cool game … now that’s wildly exciting to me!
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Trent: Yeah, again, Rob and I are working on a project together that’s moving forward and focuses on the creation of content from a developer’s perspective. Would I do music for an everyday game? Meh. I’m not thrilled about the idea, but if someone cool came to me and had this great game, then I’d consider it. Just like if a great director came to me and said, “I’m doing a film would you want to do the music?” I’d consider it.
That’s not my dream job, to be honest with you. The idea of making a cool game or making a cool software platform, now that’s wildly exciting to me! Content creation is where me and Rob are headed.
That’s sort of a direct result of what we did with Year Zero, in terms of the ARG and presenting it. That was, from my perspective, the most rewarding creative experience, musical or not. Being able to take this world and present it to people in a creative way. It wasn’t a game, it wasn’t a website, it was kind of all those things in one. It was an experience where it was fun to use all the different kinds of mediums that are available now and, in the end, kind of creep into people’s minds.
I like playing shows, and I can play shows. I’ve played big shows and I’ve played shitty shows. I’ve played where people show up and played where people don’t show. But what excites me is working on stuff like the Year Zero project more than my current thing. I could keep doing shows. I’m pretty good at it, but I want to fucking start something that I might suck at and try that. You know, to see what it’s like to suck for once.
Dividing The Line
Over the last twelve months, being sent a PR about some fresh-faced British group with an abstract band-name and a couple of those side-parting long-hair barnets among their line-up photo has become synonymous with a sense of disappointment – there are just so many talented young bands out there cranking out overpolished and unoriginal copies of last year’s “alternative” chart successes. In the service of honesty, I must report that Dividing The Line initially triggered that flinch instinct; in the service of further honesty, I must report that they didn’t deserve my cynicism. Their début album At Least It’s Not Light is actually a pretty decent listen.
Things begin in “The Rush Over the Cliff” with a nicely spacious slow build-up, and then layers of echoing guitar get slipped on top, followed by a smoothly melodic bassline. Then there’s a snap out to almost nothing, followed by a blast into a floaty and epic soundscape a la Circa Survive and the current crop of Glaswegian post-hardcore kids. Then we get a sampled political voice-over (or rather voice-under) decrying the Iraq “liberation”, before – completely unexpectedly – everything goes riffy-shouty-clenchy-fisty for the last bit of the track. There’s a lot of potential and variety lurking in that opener – but can Dividing The Line keep it up over a full album?
“Ticking Boxes” disobeys its own name and reverses the formula of its predecessor, starting with the hardcore bellowing and switching to the more mellow passages for contrast. But there’s some weird little plinky keyboard bits in there, too, plus haunting clean vocals, some rolling tom-work from the drums, and echoed arpeggios that put me in mind of the more hectic moments of Minus The Bear. This is good stuff.
And I’m very pleased to report that the rest of At Least It’s Not Light delivers on the promise of those first few tunes. Dividing The Line have a sound that’s contemporary and distinctive at once, and it’s good to hear a younger outfit juxtaposing the epic pop melodics with heavier material without resorting to tired songwriting clichés and obvious chart-pandering. Each tune has disparate elements playing off against one another in perfect balance, assembled carefully with an ear for durability. “Weight of an Echo”, for example, has hooks that’ll lodge in your brainmeat straight off the bat, but subsequent listens reveal more detail, new ideas; album closer “Why the Whales Came” deploys comedown-mangled keyboard patches, seemingly stolen from Enter Shikari’s hardcases while they shared a tour-bus and vigorously re-chiselled into something more contemplative, more thoughtful. I’ve gotten so used to albums by young bands that bore me before finishing the first listen that something as immediately engaging as At Least It’s Not Light feels like getting an early Christmas present. A British post-hardcore band with their own sound and songs? We’ll have some more of that, please.
At Least It’s Not Light isn’t perfect, but you don’t expect perfection of a young band’s début on a small label (unless you enjoy being disappointed on a regular basis, perhaps). A few of the tracks here sag in the middle or drag themselves out too far at the ends, the clean vocals tend toward a very similar set of melodic patterns in every song, and the production is a little too busy – more separation in the soundfield would make for a more absorbing listen. But for me to be sat here making niggling little comments like this about Dividing The Line is enough to indicate to me that they’ve got the important bits covered – a strong contemporary sound, good songwriting and solid musicianship. If there’s any justice in the world, they’ll quickly rise to prominence in the currently clone-ridden UK post-hardcore circuit… and you can give them a hand by buying their record or going to see ‘em play if they pass through your town, OK?
OneRepublic-Waking Up
We have been privileged to get a review copy of OneRepublic’s “Waking Up” prior to its release date of November 17th.
The CD starts off slow, mellow, and groovy, making it a fairly easy listen. “Made For You” starts off the album with it’s melodic coolness and slow pop sounds.
Song two, “All The Right Moves” makes me think back to the eighties for some reason. It’s a great tune, and it’s just harmony in all of the right places. This has to be my favorite song from the album, thus far.
Song three, “Secrets”, starts off slowly, but builds up to a sweet ballad of beauty. Followed by “Everybody Loves Me”, which was released digitally on October 20th. This is a good pop/folk-sounding song. It’s got a groove that makes you want to move around.
“Missing Persons 1 & 2″ is a slow song, and reminds me of heartbreak and loss. It’s the perfect breakup song and should definitely be their next single. I could drift to sleep with this entire album on, it’s so lulling and melodic.
The band just released the next song, “Good Life”, digitally, yesterday and it’s easy to see why. It’s a positive, upbeat song, which gives us hope. Ryan’s vocals just lead this one in every way.
The next song, “All This Time” is a slow moving ballad that lingers with some electric piano in a way that’s smooth and longing. The vocals in this song just melt right in with the melodies within.
“Fear”, the album’s eighth song, is a happier track, yet slower and amusingly gray. It reminds me of a song that plays in the Fall when the leaves are falling from the trees…or it should be on the closing credits to “Grey’s Anatomy”.
The title track, “Waking Up” is a heavier track from the rest of the album. It really sets itself apart as the most upbeat song from the entire album and is reminiscent of something U2 would sing. Kudos.
“Marchin’ On” has to be my least favorite of the songs. It’s okay, but it’s not grabbing me like “All The Right Moves” or “Fear”. This would be the song that I’d click through if I were listening to this in my car.
The final song, “Lullaby” is just that…something that you could put on as you lay down to sleep as you gently nod off into the night.
Overall, it’s a great album!
Lady GaGa -The Fame Monster
This past Thursday evening we stood outside the office of Interscope Records in New York City. It was a wet, windy and stormy Manhattan evening outside yet the storm was all inside; for it was inside that Lady Gaga’s highly anticipated new album “The Fame Monster” was awaiting our ears.
To say that “The Fame Monster” is something out of this world would be an understatement.
Monster is not just some pop or dance album. It is a powerful mix of sounds that would make the squarest of squares, the most gothic of goths and heaviest of heavy metal fans around stop in their tracks and start popping their heads while immediately getting lost inside their heads to the music. Lady Gaga’s latest offering is captivating, eclectic and quite possibly addictive.
All eight tracks sounded as though they could be hit singles. One in particular was ‘Telephone’ and it’s a song that features Beyonce. ‘Telephone’ blew up inside the head of everyone in the room. It had hit written all over it.
Listening to ‘Telephone’ for the first time reminded us of hearing the Puff Daddy song ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ featuring Faith Evans. It makes everyone want to listen to it again and again and we’re almost certain there will be a time in the not too distant future when everyone won’t be able to get away from ‘Telephone.’ It’s very likely to be all over the radio in heavy rotation and blasting out of cars left and right.
The one song that came off as being slightly different than the rest was a track called ‘Alejandro’ which almost sounds as if it’s an Ace Of Base song, except if anything it sounds as if it’s a good Ace of Base song; think a perfect blend of ‘Don’t Turn Around’ and ‘Sign’ except really, really good.
Another track that deserves attention is ‘So Happy I Could Die’ which comes off as being a love song about how happy Lady Gaga makes herself. Yes, with lyrics such as “I touch myself all through the night” it sure as heck seems to be a good old fashioned song about the art of self pleasure.
Being a master of self pleasure could be the reason that would explain how Lady Gaga remains a single gal about town. Who better to come home to after a long night out but yourself when you’re currently the hottest princess of pop who possesses a pair of magic hands?
It’s amazing to see the buzz and anticipation revolving around ‘The Fame Monster.’ The stunning video for the first single ‘Bad Romance’ has well over 10,000,000 plays on youtube so far and that’s in a span of time that is roughly five days. Incredible!
“The Fame Monster” drops November 23rd and arrives in three different forms. An $8/eight song album; an $18 deluxe version that has the combined songs from ‘Fame’ and Monster and a super deluxe version that has the combined songs from ‘Fame’ and Monster plus a strand of Lady Gaga’s hair and a larger volume of accompanied artwork that when priced at $95 is a must have for the diehard Lady Gaga fans.
(from starpulse)