Kiesza dances with Chewbacca, and nine other songs you may have missed

A semi-regular series, rounding up the most interesting and striking new songs, videos and remixes doing the rounds on the internet. This week's top 10 are:

1) Kiesza - Hideaway (live on the street)
This sequence, filmed live for the Jimmy Kimmel show, is a masterpiece of choreography - both in the dancing and the camerawork. I wonder if the Chewbacca moment was planned?




2) Nicki Minaj - Anaconda
Fans of buttocks rejoice. Not only has Nicki Minaj sampled Sir-Mix-A-Lot's Baby Got Back, but she has posed for the artwork in the popular supermodel pose: "doing a poo".



3) Sir-Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back (with the Seattle Symphony)
Speaking of Baby Got Back, here's a surprisingly funky orchestral version. Kudos to the bespectacled dancer. She's clearly been waiting for this moment all her life.



4) Katy Perry - This Is How We Do
Nice video, shame about the song.



5) Katy Perry - Roar (at the White House)
This, on the other hand, is lovely: A stripped-down, semi-acoustic version of Roar, performed during a Special Olympics reception at the White House.

"I love Katy Perry," said President Obama, introducing the pop star on stage. "She is just a wonderful person. I just met her mom, now I know why she's such a wonderful person."

Oh, get a room you two.



6) Tove Styrke - Even If I'm Loud... (White Sea Remix)
The jitterbug groove of Tove Styrke's comeback single is currently my default "blast the speakers" song in the car, but this remix throws the pop hooks into a cinematic abyss. Unsettling but wonderful.




7) Stevie Nicks - The Dealer
Not quite a new song from Stevie Nicks - this was originally written for Fleetwood Mac's Tusk album in 1979, and a demo version has surfaced on bootlegs for a number of years.

In fact, it was those bootlegs that inspired Nicks to polish off the song and re-record it with Dave Stewart (urgh) for a new album, 24 Karat Gold — Songs From the Vault, featuring a ton of "lost tracks" from her recording career.



8) Ben Howard - End Of The Affair
How do you announce your comeback after your debut won two Brits and a Mercury Prize nomination? Why, with a pensive eight-minute ballad that frequently lapses into complete silence, but ultimately climaxes with two minutes of howling muso nonsense.

Daytime radio gold.



9) Tkay Maidza - Uh-Huh
This technicolor jam from Adelaide's Tkay Maidza isn't the first rap track to reference Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Fabolous got there first - but it is the best.



10) The Chainsmokers - Kanye (ft Sirens)
After the abomination cultural phenomenon that was #Selfie, The Chainsmokers are back with another zeitgeisty dance track.

This one, at least, has a neat lyrical conceit: "One day I’ll stand with a crown on my head like a god," sings the sweet-voiced Sirens. "I wanna be like Kanye".

Will be inescapable within a week.

That's plenty to be getting on with, I'm sure you'll agree. But if you're hungry for more - check out the links to the rest of this week's posts on the left hand side.

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Charli XCX covers I Want Candy

It says "Diner Cafe Motel" on the wall, but I'm pretty sure it's just a basement in Shoreditch.

Still - AMAZING.

Charli XCX - I Want Candy (Bow Wow Wow cover)

Bonus content: Here's an earlier performance of Boom Clap, which is equally superb.

Charli XCX - Boom Clap

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Six people who aren't Ed Sheeran in the new Ed Sheeran video

He might be number one for the 700th week in a row [subs - please check] but Ed Sheeran isn't one to go around showing off. In fact, he's even taken the George Michael approach to music videos, appearing on camera as infrequently as possible.

For Sing, the role of Ed was played by a Muppet; and the follow-up has even less ginger goodness.

Don't, directed by Emil Nava (Jessie J's Price Tag; Ellie Goulding's I Need Your Love) features just a few blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos from the nation's number one artist, framed by a rags to riches story on the streets of LA.

But which one of our plucky cast members is the real Ed? Here is a handy guide.

So there you go... You can watch the video in all it's muted-toned glory below.

Ed Sheeran - Don't

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Sam Smith gets dragged screaming onto the dancefloor

I was sceptical when I heard Sam Smith's latest gospel-tinged weepy I'm Not The Only One was getting a club mix from Armand Van Helden (of Professional Widow fame). But this is brilliant - as Armand chopps and splices Sam's falsetto like a particularly skilled Sushi chef.

If you thought Sam's album was lacking the spark of his Disclosure collaborations, this should redress the balance nicely.

10/10

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Beyonce was all over the internet this weekend

Honestly, you take one measly mini-break and Beyonce takes the opportunity to splurge a whole load of "content" over the internet. But you can't be mad for long when have this to wake up to on a Monday morning.

First off, we have Mr & Mrs Carter performing Drunk In Love, which premiered as part of her "Beyonce x 10" series on HBO. I'm pretty sure some of this footage was shot in London, judging by the outfits.


As if that wasn't enough, she uploaded a new, Nicki Minaj-ed remix of ***Flawless to Soundcloud, complete with a rap about that Solange incident. "Of course sometimes shit goes down when there's a billion dollars in an elevator," says Beyonce, giving away absolutely nothing.

Nicki's rap isn't quite the scene stealer you'd expect, though, despite a brilliantly off-colour quip about Dr Conrad Murray.



It wasn't all fun and games, though: Someone watching Beyonce and Jay-Z in New York on Saturday had part of his finger bitten off.

Someone really misunderstood the lyrics to Get Me Bodied.

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Video: Sam Smith - I'm Not The Only One

Ping! Here's a press release for popular singer of song Samuel Smith, who will be familiar to you from conversations with your mum who likes his voice.

"Sam Smith has revealed the video for his forthcoming single 'I'm Not The Only One' which features guest stars Dianna Agron (Glee) and Chris Messina (The Mindy Project) acting out Sam's heart wrenching pop-ballad," states the PR person, displaying an unusual inability for hyperbole.

The press release also promises banging remixes from Armand Van Helden and Grant Nelson, which surely cannot fail to be terrible.

Video below. Get ready to blub.

Sam Smith - I'm Not The Only One

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