Havana Brown, Running the Night, Riding That Boom Boom

It has come to my attention that there’s a new dance pop single out, and while this may not seem overly interesting, it kind of is, and here’s why.  Havana Brown, hailing form Australia, is no newcomer to the music industry, as she’s been a DJ in Australia, and continues to be so.  Not only that, but she’s been a support act for the likes of Britney Spears and Lady GaGa, to name just two.  Needless to say, she’s not an amateur by any means.  However, I am sorry to say I only learned all of this today.  Though, it’s always better late than never, especially now that her new single, “We Run the Night” was only just uploaded to YouTube on March 7th of this year.

Now, the single itself isn’t really anything special, and that’s a shame, because she seems to be a lot more talented than what’s shown on the single.  That’s not to say it’s bad, but it doesn’t really do anything to distinguish itself from the crowd of other dance pop songs.  Not related to her, but Pitbull does guest appear on the song, and I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m getting tired of hearing him appear on songs for no apparent reason, and in this case all he does is point out that she’s Australian.  Regardless of this, if I heard this on the radio or in a club it would be suitable, but I just can’t help but think it will be forgotten.

Not to fear, as she has another song, and even though it does not have a music video to go along with it, “Get It” is definitely the better of the two songs.  The verses are substantially catchier, and Lil Jon, while never really useful, is always fun to hear on a song.  While the chorus isn’t anything special, it is surprisingly memorable, and will most likely not be forgotten anytime soon.  Also worth noting, the electronic parts without singing over them are actually really neat, as they don’t feel forced but are still able to offer diversity.  Plus, she has the catchy “we ride that boom boom, we ride it hard” hook going on (see how much more sense the article title makes now).

Ignoring the fact that her mixes and remixes are very well done, I’m looking forward to seeing what she does musically in the future.  Yes, it may seem like I was harsh with “We Run the Night,” but it was only because it’s obvious she has a lot of talent, and it would have been interesting to see her be more daring with the song.  Still, as it is it’s a solid dance tune, and with the bass turned up (as it does have some nice bass) it will definitely be fitting for the club.  Hopefully she will be doing some more touring in the near future, as I’d love to either see her perform or DJ live.

Song starts around 1:08:

Dev, LMFAO, Natalia Kills, Sabaton, Epica, and Nightwish

This year looks to be pretty solid for concerts, and that’s a good thing considered there have not been many for a while.  Kicking it off is Dev, and this is a problem.  I would absolutely love to go to this show, but may not be able to.  It’s at 7:30 on a Tuesday, and there are two support acts.  This means Dev won’t go on until around 9.  That’ll probably be a very good thing for me, because I have class that day at 6, and at the very least can’t miss at least a half hour since we are doing presentations with our groups.  Maybe the teacher will be OK with me missing an hour or more since I’m always there and what not (though, he seems very strict on attendance, so who knows).  This may not end up happening, however there is still hope to see Dev, depending on how willing my fellow concert goers are to do so.  She has a show in NYC on Wednesday, March 28 and one in Washington DC on Thursday, April 19.  Problem is, they’re at night, and getting back for the next day will kind of be difficult.  Not to mention the classes I’ll be missing on the Wednesday, though the Thursday will be substantially easier.  Oh well, this may not end up happening.

Regardless, here’s the new Dev single, and I can only imagine how intense that bass will be in a small venue like The Troc:

No matter, there’s a great show coming to the Wells Fargo Center with LMFAO, Natalia Kills, Far East Movement, and a few other artists.  This will most likely definitely be happening, and it’s only a matter of deciding between the party pit ($100) or the normal floor area ($70), as you don’t go to the seated areas for a show with this much fun attached to it (as I found out after seeing LMFAO at the Ke$ha show last year).  I’ve been wanting to see Natalia Kills for a very long time now, and to see her with LMFAO just adds to how great she is.  Needless to say, this is my most anticipated summer concert.

Switching gears a bit, Sabaton is coming to The Troc on May 3rd, which is going to be pretty awesome.  I’m not a huge fan of them, but they’re music seems like it fits very well for a high energy live show.  Plus, tickets are only $14 (The Troc really has lowered their prices quite a lot).

Looking ahead to the future, I believe Epica will be coming to the US later this year to support their new album, “Requiem For the Indifferent.”  Their support bands for the European tour are Xandria and Stream of Passion, two bands I’m a fan of, and I hope at least one of them (preferably Xandria) will be with them on the US tour.  Though, it really doesn’t matter, since after seeing them live two years ago I have been waiting to see them again.  Hopefully there will be VIP tickets again, as they’re one of my favorite bands and it’s always nice to get stuff signed by them.

Here’s a bit of what’s to come with the new Epica album:

Then there’s Nightwish.  I’m assuming there will be a full US tour, and I’m assuming it’ll either be at the end of this year or beginning of next year.  I’ve been a fan of Nightwish for a very long time, and can honestly say Anette really fits the sound of the new album, so seeing it performed live will be nothing short of brilliant.  I can only imagine who the support bands will be, but it would be amazing if Sonata Arctica went along for the tour, maybe add on Amaranthe and it would be the best symphonic/power metal tour in quite some time.

So there it is, the upcoming concerts I’m currently excited for.  Who knows, something completely random may come in along the way.  Sadly, Dev probably won’t happen, but I suppose that’ll have to be OK, and LMFAO with Natalie Kills will definitely make up for it.  And to think, I was all set to get a Wii and possibly a Vita this year, now the funds shall go to several nights of awesome entertainment.

It’s the Cata… It’s DEV!

OK, The Cataracs did produce Dev’s debut album, The Night The Sun Came Up but I think by now we all know they’re a big part of it (if you don’t know just listen to a song from the album and Dev will tell you).  This is why her song Breathe is so awesome.  She actually says “it’s Dev” in the beginning!  I guess that was to make sure people remember you’re listening to her instead of a mix of J-Lo and Shakira.

I’m not going to review the album, but I will say it’s actually rather good.  I was surprised to see a good mix of dance and slower songs.  Musically, most of the songs are very catchy, which is what all good pop/dance music needs.  Basically, it’s very well written dance/party/pop music that should not be missed.

Right now I’m liking the song Lightspeed.  It took a listen or two but now it’s my second favorite song on the album (the first being Dance In the Dark, which may be the first time a single is my favorite song on an album).

If you don’t know Dev then don’t worry, you will now.

And just because I’ve been liking it so much, here’s Lightspeed