Owl City Moves Out Of The Basement On All Things Bright And Beautiful

Adam Young says he learned to live with 'positive pressure' to make follow-up to his breakout Ocean Eyes album.
By James Montgomery


Owl City's Adam Young
Photo: Universal Republic

The story of Adam Young's rise from basement-dwelling Coca-Cola employee to platinum-selling dream-tronica star is well-documented by now, mostly because it's the kind of thing you only read about in books.

Thanks to the success of his Ocean Eyes album (and the hit single "Fireflies"), Young — who, as you probably know by now, records under the name Owl City — topped the charts, toured the world and even moved out of his parents' basement (success!). And, on June 14, he'll return with All Things Bright and Beautiful, the next chapter in his rather improbable story. But with his new album also comes new expectations — because, for the first time in his career, people are paying close attention.

"I like to think of it as positive pressure," Young laughed. "I know people are going to listen to this new record through the lens of Ocean Eyes and how that became more successful than anyone expected. But that was fuel on the fire, in a lot of ways, for me, to make sure that I didn't write this new record from the wrong place. I never wanted to get into a headspace where I was writing songs for the Hot 100 chart or the iTunes chart or anybody other than, first and foremost, myself as an artist.

"Of course," he added, "there was a scary moment where I was afraid if everyone was going to ask, 'Can he do it again? What if it was a flash in a pan?' and all that stuff, which is inevitable, but I wanted to make sure that was kept at bay. And this record really was just about me and the music, first and foremost, and regardless of what happens, I'm still excited about this next chapter, if you will."

And so, while Bright and Beautiful is, chronologically, the follow-up to Ocean Eyes, in a lot of ways, it sounds as if Young's breakthrough album never happened at all. There's an increased focus on straightforward dance music (the pulsing synths of "Galaxies"), hip-hop (first single "Alligator Sky," which features verses by Shawn Chrystopher, the rattling back-track of "Dreams Don't Turn to Dust"), and even organic instrumentation (the strummed acoustic guitar of "Honey and the Bee," the curling electric guitar lines on "Angel"), all of which point toward Young's growth both as a producer and a musician.

"I wanted this new record to sound a bit more mature, a bit older and wiser, without ever getting too over-produced or over-processed," he said. "But, at the same time, I wanted to round out the thin, kick/hat/snare sound that was Ocean Eyes, so the new album was really kind of geared towards being rooted in electronica, but with other organic flavors here and there. ... I pulled from hip-hop music in terms of drum loops and drum samples, and drawing from this kind of Blink-182, rock, live sound, and a lot of orchestral themes stitched throughout. I have, like, a mile-long text file on my laptop of all these ideas."

And to that end, no matter what ends up happening with his new album, Young says he'll view it as a success. There may be no "Fireflies, Part II" on All Things Bright and Beautiful, but that's hardly the point, really.

"I think if people feel they can connect with it in some way, I feel like my job will be done. 'Fireflies' really taught me not to expect anything, not to have any preconceived notions about singles. ... It was just one of the songs on the record, and that really taught me it's kind of out of my hands in a way," he said. "So if people embrace it as much as the last record, I'll be blown away ... and if it bombs and everyone hates it, I still feel good from an artistic integrity standpoint."

Are you looking forward to new music from Owl City? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663518/owl-city-all-things-bright-and-beautiful.jhtml

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Beyonce Drops Official Version Of 'Run The World (Girls)'

In the first single off her upcoming album, B warns the haters that she's in charge.
By Jocelyn Vena


Beyonce
Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

Beyoncé dropped the official version of her new single "Run the World (Girls)" on Thursday morning (April 21). The track is just under four minutes of sassy, girl-power lyrics paired with marching-band beats and club appeal.

The song is loud and proud in its relentless message: Beyoncé and girls everywhere are in charge now. B is clearly rallying the troops to her side in this first single off her forthcoming summer album release.

"Girls, we run this motha," she announces at the song's opening. Soon, the beat takes off and looped Auto-Tuned vocals complement Beyoncé's feel-good call and response of "Who run the world? Girls."

The verses that follow sound like a warning to any of the haters. "Some of them men think they freak this like we do/ But no they don't/ Make your checks come at they neck/ Disrespect us, no they won't/ This goes out to all my girls that's in the club rocking the latest/ Who will buy it for themselves and get more money later," Beyoncé sings in a choppy, emphatic style.

"I think I need a barber/ None of these ho's can fight me/ I'm so good with this/ I remind you I'm so 'hood with this," she goes on, before briefly transitioning to smoother, more persuasive, but still boastful vocals.

The song is a cleaned-up version of the demo that leaked earlier this week. It was produced by Switch, Beyoncé and Shea Taylor. Beyoncé also co-wrote the track with The-Dream.

Though there's still no word on when the video might drop, its director, Francis Lawrence, has made it clear that the video (which was teased on Wednesday) will be epic. "It'll be big, it'll probably be one of the bigger Beyoncé music videos ever done," he explained. "And, I can say that I think the song is unbelievable."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1662415/beyonce-run-the-world-girls-single.jhtml

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Stone Temple Pilots Reunited In Hopes Of Opening For Led Zeppelin, Bassist Says

'If time allows, there will definitely be new music,' Robert DeLeo adds of STP's future.
By Chris Harris


Stone Temple Pilots' Robert DeLeo and Scott Weiland
Photo: Charley Gallay/ Getty Images

There are a number of reasons why Stone Temple Pilots decided to reunite after nearly five years apart — some are obvious, and others, not so much.

Of course, the financial windfall of reviving the grunge stalwarts for an extensive U.S. tour was too good to pass up, and bassist Robert DeLeo readily admits as much. And then there are the fans, the ones who had been with STP since the very beginning as well as those who discovered the band only after it first split back in 2003 and who, woefully, have yet to catch the Pilots live.

On a more personal level, though, Stone Temple Pilots' resurrection was purely selfish, and very much an anticipatory (not to mention optimistic) move on the band's part: If, after the months and months of rumors and denials, there ever is a full-on Led Zeppelin reunion tour, STP wanted to be ready to offer their services as an opening act.

"Believe me, that was one of the reasons," laughed DeLeo. "We thought, 'We should get together now, in case Zeppelin does tour.' I'm serious, man. That would be one hell of a bill: STP and Led Zeppelin. I mean, we could play a doghouse, out in the middle of the ocean, and if I got to play with Zeppelin, that would be a highlight of my life."

Yes, DeLeo — and the rest of the band — had several reservations about raising STP from the dead — a feat DeLeo jokingly referred to as "Mission Impossible." For the band's members, the idea of regrouping was terrifying at first, but with time, the boys settled their differences and tried to think positive.

"For me, it was about putting down some of the things that I was used to getting bitten by," explained the bassist — who, with guitar-playing brother Dean DeLeo, has been collaborating with Peter Frampton on material for his next LP. "After you get bitten, it's hard to go back. I wanted to go into this with an open frame of mind and a positive attitude and just have fun with it. We should have fun with it, which God knows we didn't always have with our career when we were younger. If that's all I can say, and that's what I can get out of this reunion, great.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say there's a lot of unfinished business that we didn't get around to the first go," he continued. "Enough time has gone by, and it feels really good to be back. I don't really want to put too much thought into how it feels — I'm just kind of going with it and keeping a good positive attitude about it. I just needed to get over the things that we all needed to get over, and that's been working so far. If everyone shows up and does this thing, I think it's going to be really amazing."

DeLeo claims that during recent rehearsals, STP were "sounding as good as ever," and he credits sobriety as part of the reason the band's in tip-top shape.

"My brother's going on four years of sobriety," he said. "We have a lot more clarity in the band now, and I think with clarity comes appreciation. I saw that the other night, when we played [a secret gig in Los Angeles]. I saw it in my eyes, and in the eyes of the rest of the band. There's a lot more rock in this band now."

As for an STP record, DeLeo is not 100 percent sure that's going to happen. The goal for STP over the next few weeks, he said, is to reacquaint themselves with their songbook and prepare for their return to the road. Once the band is back in that mindset, the bassist said new STP material is very possible.

"I've always got stuff written, and there's always a long list of songs that are always there — it's a matter of timing," DeLeo said. "If time allows, there will definitely be new music. I think it would be silly not to release new music. I'd like to believe we still have a writing relationship, but the first step is getting reacquainted with what we know."

While STP were on hiatus, frontman Scott Weiland teamed up with Velvet Revolver, and the DeLeo brothers joined forces with Filter's Richard Patrick for Army of Anyone — who are now on hiatus after releasing a poorly received self-titled LP. Does DeLeo foresee an AOA reunion somewhere down the line?

"You never know," he said. "It's just like STP — I didn't know if I was going to return. Whether we get back together and do anything, I think we made a great record, bottom line. That's all that matters to me. If we make another one, I want to make sure it's great, and that applies to STP and anything I do. But I was pretty heartbroken over [the feeble response to AOA's album]."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1586020/stone-temple-pilots-reunited-tour-with-zeppelin.jhtml

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Whitney Houston in Rehab Again ? But Why?

Vocal genius Whitney Houston is back in rehab, but at the moment no one seems to be clear on what is afflicting her. Stories about the new stint are fogging up the web with confusion. Allow me to clear it up. Poor Whitney. She has had a really rocky time in the last several years. Fans watched as she degraded from the greatest singer alive to a drug addicted domestic violence victim. It was hard to believe that things could turn South so quickly for her, especially after all of her success. Now, nearly two years after her lukewarm comeback, she has voluntarily checked into a rehabilitation program. At first, multiple outlets were unable to confirm exactly why she was in rehab again, but her rep finally cleared it up, saying it was for drugs and alcohol. TMZ has the latest on the story. While you?re here, check out some other hot links: Celebuzz has photos showing Justin Bieber snogging with Selena Gomez. Too Fab has a nice gallery of the crazy hats donned by celebrities at the Kentuck Derby. PopEater updates us on how the original Karate Kid is doing on DWTS ? ?focus Danielson.? I Need My Fix [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/tfqIWSv6AaA/

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'Thor' Soars, 'The Beaver' Bombs And Mother's Day Celebration In Today's Twitter-Wood

"Thor" brought all of its signature lightning to bear upon moviegoers this weekend, lighting up the box office with an impressive $66 million debut. Though some had their issues with Marvel's latest superhero release, many of the actors and writers lurking about Twitter-Wood expressed their overall satisfaction with the Asgardian adventure. While it was "Thor" that [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/05/09/thor-mothers-day-the-beaver-twitter-wood/

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Albums of the Week: The Bad, The Good ? Architecture in Helsinki Vs. Fleet Foxes

It’s a wonderful week of new album releases, save for the bottom two (but hey, even those albums could float your boat. It never hurts to try), and though this week’s winners might not be the most uplifting band on the list, their album has won over the heats of critics all around, see what [...]

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Beyonce Releases 'God Bless The USA' For Charity

Proceeds from the pop diva's track will go toward a New York charity that aids families of fallen firefighters and police.
By Jocelyn Vena


Beyoncé
Photo: Getty

Leading up to the release of her still-untitled forthcoming album, Beyoncé has been working the charity circuit. After hooking up with first lady Michelle Obama for the "Move Your Body" campaign, the superstar surprised students at New York City's PS 161: Pedro Albizu Campos middle school in Harlem on Tuesday to help spread the word about the importance of fitness.

It's not the only charity-based news that Queen B is making these days. Beyoncé has put her own signature diva spin on the classic track "God Bless the USA" and the patriotic track is available now on iTunes, with proceeds going toward the New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund. According to a press release, the organization is "a volunteer based not for profit dedicated to helping the families of fallen New York firefighters, police officers, EMS and Port Authority police killed in the line of duty." The singer debuted the song on CNN's "Piers Morgan" on Thursday night.

"I cannot think about anything more appropriate to do to help these families," she said in a statement about the tune, which plays showcases the performer's strong singing abilities. "Almost 10 years [after 9/11], it is still so painful for all Americans, especially those who lost loved ones.

"We were all affected by the tragedies of 9/11 and continue to keep the families who lost loved ones close to our hearts," the singer continued. "Thank you Piers Morgan and CNN for helping to get the message out to everyone about this."

"On behalf of New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund's Board of Directors and the families of our fallen heroes, we are truly grateful for Beyoncé's choice to support our charity and 'answer the call,' " Stephen J. Dannhauser, chairman of the New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund, said.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663395/beyonce-god-bless-the-usa-charity.jhtml

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Justin Bieber Touring Post-Earthquake Japan

Justin Bieber Touring Post-Earthquake Japan

Despite reports to the contrary, Justin Bieber will be keeping his tour dates in Japan. The 17-year-old pop star, who is scheduled to perform in Tokyo and Osaka later this month, took to Twitter to shoot down rumors that his crew was refusing to accompany him to the earthquake-and-radiation-plagued island nation.

"Im def going to JAPAN!!" Bieber tweeted on Saturday, along with hashtags saying "Support Japan," "Citizen of the World" and "Make a Change."

TMZ reported last week that Bieber's manager Scooter Braun had an argument with the tour crew over whether it was safe to visit Japan. (Avril Lavigne and Slash had canceled their Japan concerts, due mainly to radiation fears.) However, according to radiation experts consulted by E! Online, there's nothing to fear in Japan's major cities: The radiation levels are back to normal after a March spike, and food is being monitored carefully. That's why the Japanese government has issued an "all clear" to artists -- including Bieber, Maroon Five and the touring company of the Metropolitan Opera -- who plan on playing in Japan's entertainment hot spots.

TMZ later reported that Bieber, famously loyal to his fans, declared that he was going to Japan -- with or without his crew. The source claimed he'd downgrade from stadiums to smaller gigs before abandoning his Japanese fans. Luckily for ticket holders, it didn't come to that!

Bieber maniacs will also be pleased to learn that charges have been dropped against Braun and Bieber for the infamous Long Island mall stampede of 2009, according to E! News. The D.A. sued Bieber's management and record label after the fan frenzy, which they blamed on inadequate crowd control. As part of Friday's settlement, Biebs will make a public service announcement for an anti-cyberbullying campaign. Wonder if he'll tell his Twitter followers to stop sending death threats to any girl he looks at twice...

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/justin-bieber-touring-post-earthquake-japan/1-a-347805

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