Iggy Azealea sounds embattled

"Yeah, baby I got me / And that's all I need / Only friend I see / Playing on my team."

Those are some pretty lonely lyrics, no matter how defiantly they're presented. But then, the star openly admits 2015 - which involved multiple Twitter "beefs", accusations she had appropriating black culture and an abruptly cancelled tour - was a toughie.

"If I could, I would Men in Black memory-erase 2015, I totally would - that would be amazing!" she recently told Elle Canada. "I spent a lot of energy last year trying to explain my side of the story because I thought, 'If you could just understand my side, surely you'd agree with me.' But some people aren't ever going to agree with you - and that's just life."

Things are looking up now, though. After scrapping six months of work, she's finally finished her second album, Digital Distortion (surely a reference to her Twitter troubles), and the lead single, Team, topped Billboard's trending charts as soon as it was released this weekend.

Maybe she's not as alone as she thought.


As you can see, that's not the "proper" video. As part of what is no doubt a carefully-coordinated media strategy, she will perform the song on Jimmy Fallon this week before unveiling an official video later in March.

Just to clarify, the video up on Vevo is the dance video. Im going to share a snippet to the offical video this Tuesday on G.M.A !

— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) March 19, 2016

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Like bees to the hon-ay

Over the years, Britney has released some excellent, world-beating pop songs. But she hasn't looked like she's having fun since Toxic, over a decade ago.

That all changes today, with the breezy video for Pretty Girls, her collaboration with Iggy "inexplicably the biggest female rap artist in the world" Azalea.

So, Iggy is an alien who crash lands in Britney's swimming pool and leafs her down a path of bubblegum debauchery. Or something. There's a lot of vamping, a demented display of Iggy's "alien powers" and the best dancing Britney's pulled off since her well-publicised meltdown.

It seems the song has brought back Britney's balls - which is a phrase I instantly regret typing. But the video is as much of a blast to watch as it clearly was to make. Well done, everyone.

Britney Spears & Iggy Azalea - Pretty Girls

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Britney and Iggy: Haunted by the ghost of Charli XCX?

Iggy Azalea ditched Charli XCX for the follow-up to Fancy, but the British star casts a shadow all over the track.

Pretty Girls – leaked at the weekend, and officially released yesterday – rides the same rhythmic pulse as Fancy, and co-vocalist Britney Spears’ bratty sing-speak is a pure lift from XCX’s pop-punk stockpile.

It’s also Spears’ most engaged vocal for years – as she delivers a sassy lecture on her enduring allure: "Every time I walk out of my house it's like, 'Hey baby!'” she deadpans. “They don't see me rolling my eyes".

Produced, like Fancy, by the Invisible Men, the track was co-written by Little Mix. Yes, that Little Mix. Who’d have thunk?

Iggy Azalea and Britney Spears - Pretty Girls

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Iggy Azalea arrested

Not really, of course. This is just the crime-themed video for her new single, Trouble - in which Azalea gets caught up in a bank heist. The cop is played by Jennifer Hudson, who you will recognise as the woman who broke your ears screaming AND I AM TELLING YOU I'M NOT GOING... NO, NO, NO, NO, NOOoOowowowoowieeeeeoeooOOOOO.

A cute little piano-driven ditty, Trouble is taken from the repackaged version of Iggy Azalea's debut album. It's probably the most mainstream she's ever been - recalling the sunnier, poppier hip-hop of Monie Love or Salt-N-Pepa. And that is no bad thing.

Iggy Azalea - Trouble (ft Jennifer Hudson)

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Here's a new Iggy Azalea song

After the big pop hooks of Fancy and Black Widow, it's interesting to hear Iggy Azalea doing a stripped-back, beats and lyrics hip-hop track again.

Iggy Szn (it's pronounced Iggy Season) is taken from a "repack" of the Aussie star's debut album The New Classic. Rather than the usual "one new single and a bunch of bonus tracks that weren't good enough first time around" deal, this is an altogether stranger affair, keeping all of the hits and substituting everything else with new songs.

Could this be a new business model for the music industry - release your debut album, see what tracks people like, then replace the duds every six months until you end up with a Greatest Hits collection in four years' time. How amazing would that be?

Whether Iggy Szn will make it onto Azalea's theoretical best of in 2018 remains to be seen. But for now, as a stop-gap blog post on a Thursday night, it's worth a listen.

Iggy Azalea - Iggy Szn

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Kasabian cover Fancy - and it's a 10/10

This is quite something: Kasabian doing a lush, laid-back cover of Iggy Azalea's Fancy in Radio 1's Live Lounge.

Perhaps understandably, they concentrate on the Charli XCX moments, particularly the "let's get drunk on the mini-bar" section.

The session was all part of the station's More Music Month, which involves a Live Lounge every day of September, so expect more of his sort of thing in the next 29 days.

Kasabian - Fancy

And if you liked that, it turns out the Leicester lads have a knack for a kooky cover. Check out this mash-up of Good Vibrations and... er, the Sesame Street theme tune, performed for Australia's Triple J last month.

Kasabian - Fancy

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Two expensive videos for two lacklustre songs

Earlier today, Iggy Azalea and Ariana "Capuccino" Grande unleashed their new videos and set them upon YouTube like hungry puppies. They look amazing - big budget, glossy, effects-laden affairs of the sort we'd forgotten before Lady Gaga turned up and revitalised the oeuvre (before dropping the ball completely and making unwatchable 12-minute mini movies about her vagina, but that's another story).

Each clip is ripped off wholesale a loving tribute to a cult Hollywood film. Ariana's Break Free harks back to sci-fi sex romp Barbarella (see also: Kylie's Put Yourself In My Place and Betty Boo's Where Are You Baby?); while in Black Widow, Iggy and featured artist Rita Ora make an oddly bloodless homage to The House Of Blue Leaves scene from Tarantino's Kill Bill.

Both videos look great. It's just a shame the songs aren't as memorable.

Iggy Azalea ft Rita Ora - Black Widow


Ariana Grande ft Zedd - Break Free

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Andrew Garfield joins Arcade Fire and 10 other songs you may have missed

A semi-regular round-up of songs I didn't quite get round to blogging over the last week... Lots of A-listers in this selection, plus a song about an elephant.

1) Arcade Fire - We Exist
We Exist contains one of the stand-out lyrics on Arcade Fire's Reflection - telling the story of a gay kid talking to his dad: "Daddy, it's true, I'm different from you. But tell me why they treat me like this?"

The video stars Spider-Man's Andrew Garfield as a victimised, alienated transvestite, who finally finds acceptance during Arcade Fire's set at Coachella earlier this year.

It's also got an amazing, Footloose-inspired "angry dance" sequence.


2) Michael Jackson ft Justin Timberlake - Love Never Felt So Good
The concept for this Michael Jackson video is: Michael Jackson is dead, so let's get a load of grinning imbeciles to dance around while we piss on his grave.

At least Justin Timberlake has the decency to look embarrassed by the whole thing.



3) Coldplay - Always In My Head
The songs on Coldplay's new album are the most direct and heartfelt they've recorded since their debut. Chris Martin sounds smaller and humbler, and the delicate arrangements frame his voice with negative space.

A case in point is the softly mesmerising album opener Always In My Head - which got a live outing on Jimmy Fallon's show earlier this week.



4) Charli XCX - Boom Boom Clap

I wrote about this song, from the soundtrack to The Fault In Our Stars, a couple of weeks ago. Now it now looks like it'll be set free from the movie and released as a single in its own right.

A video was shot in Amsterdam a week ago but, for now, we have to make do with the lyric video.



5) Iggy Azaelea ft Charli XCX - Fancy
Speaking of Charli XCX, she popped along to the Jimmy Kimmel's chat show this week to perform the teen rebel anthem Fancy with Leggy Azalea. I like how she sits out the verses on the steps, looking moody, instead of dancing around aimlessly.



6) Damon Albarn - Mr Tembo
The sole moment of levity on Damon's mid-life-crisis of a solo album, Mr Tembo is a song about an elephant he wrote for an unrealised children's album.

Apparently, the first time the elephant heard the song, it shit itself.




7) Nonono - Hungry Eyes
Nonono's industrially adhesive Pumpin' Blood never charted over here (partly due to the record label dicking around with the release date until everyone lost interest) - but their debut album is selling faster than pickled herring in Sweden.

Hence this remix, by fellow Swede Kleerup, which is something of a triumph.





8) Nero - Satisfy
It's four years since Nero's debut album but they've lost none of their power. With vocals from Alana Watson, Satisfy is more intense than two days in a human centrifuge.




9) Naomi Pilgrim - House of DreamsNormally, I hate the continuous play function on Soundcloud... If I want to listen to another song, I will bloody well click on it myself, thank you very much.

But when this song by Naomi Pilgrim popped up after La Roux's new track earlier this week, I was transfixed. Swedish-Barbadian singer Naomi Pilgrim may have got her start singing backing vocals for Lykke Li, but her own music is an altogether sunnier affair.

"This is my palace, this is how I live. I'm staying here all day," she sings, in a soulful ode to duvet days. Beautiful.




10) Nick Mulvey - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Shock news: An indie artist has played a minor-key cover of pop song in the Live Lounge. Still, this reworking of Taylor Swift's break-up anthem is a cut above the rest: Not least for the intricate fretboard work.

Nick will be on Jools Holland next week, if you like this sort of thing.




11) Gorgon City - Never Too Far (ft Laura Welsh)
Just added to Radio 1's playlist, this Gorgon City's follow-up to the excellent Ready For Your Love.

Lots of sub-bass here, as you might expect.

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Future hit: Ariana Grande - Problem

Max Martin-produced and filthy with saxophone, Ariana Grande's new single Problem sounds like a hit waiting to happen.

In fact, if you're lucky enough to live in the US, the hit is already happening: Problem came out there on Monday, and has knocked Pharrell's Happy off the top of the iTunes chart. It's number one in 29 other countries, too.

In the UK, though, it's not out until 6 July - for complicated music biz reasons about promotional "windows". This is happening increasingly often and it's a ridiculous state of affairs: The British system increasingly looks antiquated to an instant-gratification, on-demand generation of music consumers.

A six week gap between the US and UK release dates - during which time any idiot with an internet connection can stream or illegally download the song - unavoidably kills its chart performance (just ask Rihanna and Shakira). If the situation is allowed to continue, artists will start asking why they bother promoting their music in the UK at all.

That said, Ariana could make the gap work in her favour. Despite being a major star at home, all of the 20-year-old's singles have narrowly missed the top 40 over here. If she wraps up the US promo tour and gives Problem a real push in the UK, she could easily break that streak of bad luck.

Ariana Grande ft Iggy Azaela - Problem

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Songs you may have missed: Easter edition

It's been a pretty busy week on the blog - with excellent new songs from Lana Del Rey, and Sky Ferreira, and OneRepublic and Robyn in the mix. But here are some of the ones I didn't get round to writing about...

1) Clean Bandit - Rather Be (Live on Jools)
This is the first time I've ever seen Clean Bandit in the flesh. There are about 80 of them. Who knew?




2) Iggy Azalea ft Rita Ora - Black Widow
If you haven't latched onto the Iggy Azalea bandwagon so far, this could be the song to turns you around. Like Katy Perry's Dark Horse, it weds a sparse, minor-key verse to a soaring chorus that gets clipped just before you get to the good bit. It's a cruel tease, but it leaves you wanting more every time.

Clever writing, then, and a good trailer for Iggy's debut album, The New Classic, which "drops" (is released) on Monday.




3) Prince - Computer Blue (full version)
The news that Prince has kissed and made up with Warner Bros means my wallet's going to get much, much lighter.

For a start, it means albums like Parade and Sign O The Times will be remastered and re-released (and believe me, they need it - the original CD masters are woefully tinny and quiet). But the deluxe, 30th Anniversary edition of Purple Rain also promises a bunch of rarities from the Vault. Let's hope it includes an official release for this long-cherished, 14-minute bootleg of Computer Blue.

Sadly, that track can't be embedded - so here's Mr Rogers Nelson performing Purple Rain at the Brits instead.





4) Paolo Nutini - Recover
The mumbling Scotsman covers Chvrches, with spine-tingling results.





5) MNEK - Every Little Thing
It's pronounced Em-En-Ee-Kay, and he's the biggest UK pop star you've never heard of.

He wrote Need U (100%) with Duke Dumont. He plays the spoons on Rudimental's Spoons. That was his voice on Gorgon City's Ready For Your Love. Little Mix's Wings? He produced that one. And he's working with Florence + The Machine, too.

Somehow, in the middle of all that productivity, he's been making his own solo record. Every Little Thing is the 100% not bollocks first single.






6) AlunaGeorge - Kaleidoscope Love (Kaytranada Remix)
Montreal DJ/Remixer Kaytranada has taken one of the least-loved tracks on AlunaGeorge's debut album and turned it into a deep, dark house cut. The backing suits Aluna's ethereal vocals so well, it should give the band a hint of where to take their second album.






7) Future ft Andre 3000 - Benz Friendz (Watchutola)
The stand-out track on Future's new album is a two-hander with Outkast's Andre 3000, with both rappers insisting they do not care for a girl and her choice of automotive transport. Andre goes so far as to declare he'd rather ride his bike or walk. God knows why, but this is one the catchiest beats you'll hear all Easter.





8) Lulu James - Beautiful People
21-year-old Lulu James has been bubbling under for a year or so. Born in Tanzania, raised in South Shields, she's Jessie Ware with a harder edge and a voice that'd make Aretha Franklin jealous.

Beautiful People is the first track from her new, as-yet-untitled, EP. It starts quietly but builds and builds until your walls start vibrating. Spellbinding stuff.





9) Culann - All Reverie
I wrote an article for the BBC News site this week on "the return of rock" - based on the fact that, finally, the UK is producing some guitar bands good enough to be played on daytime radio.

Afterwards, I got no end of abuse on Twitter from hardcore rock fans who said I didn't know what I was talking about. Maybe, but the article wasn't targeted at Metal Hammer readers and, to the majority of Radio One and Two listeners, new guitar bands have been pretty thin on the ground for the last few years.

Anyway, the positive result of the piece was that lots of guitar bands sent their videos at me. Here's one I liked, from Scottish five-piece Culann. Singer PJ Kelly's Celtic lilt has a touch of the Biffy Clyros, while his band are clearly accomplished musicians - this single makes a lot of unexpected detours on its way to the chorus without ever descending into fretwanking. (Unsurprisingly, Culann say they're fans of prog bands like Yes and Rush).

The video, meanwhile, stars Rab Affleck, who you might recognise from his hard-man roles in Layer Cake and Gangs of New York.




10) Nas - It Ain't Hard To Tell (Stink Mix)
A parping jazz remix to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nas's debut album Illmatic. You've got to love a rap song with a flute loop.



11) Pawws - Sugar
"Upsetting disco" says the bio on Pawws Twitter page, and I couldn't have put it better myself.

She's a London-based electro singer, with shades of Little Boots and St Etienne in her sugar-spun 80s pop. The cascading synth lines in her debut single are sweeter than Canderel. Just the thing for Easter.

That's all for this week, then. Happy Festival of the Chocolate Jesus!

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