"We Looked For Stranger Things...That's Just Who We Are"

As Kygo's new album slowly leaks out one song at a time leading up to the album release on November 3rd. While it's been damn near impossible to keep up with his steady stream of releases, his collaboration with One Republic allows me to cross off a bucket list collaborations. Just the thought of Ryan Tedder and Kygo being in the same room together making music is mind numbing.

It seems merely coincidental, but releasing a song with the title of Stranger Things this weeks takes on a whole new meeting. Those expecting a spooky tropical vibe may be disappointed, but I'm in awe of the Coldplay-esque smoothness of the track. Maybe it skirts dangerously close to adult contemporary, but this is a mellow sandwich with extra chill sauce. The chopped up vocal samples sprinkled throughout make use of Tedder's all-around stellar vocals effort, accentuating the calming vibes on the beat. The releases so far haven't yet reached Cloud 9 hype, but there's plenty we haven't heard off Kids in Love yet, so I'll continue to roll through the tracks that have dripped out until Friday's release...#KidsInLove



Kygo feat One Republic - Stranger Things

"We're Broke as a Bottle of Wine"

I could listen to Ryan Tedder's vocals all day. Whether they come solo or through a new One Republic track, I'm not picky. But, if you throw in some Trop House vibes to the already stellar vocals, I'm all over that. Rich Love sounds like something Kygo or Thomas Jack would produce with airy synths and a bouncy beat leading the way. It's the third release from the group, following the spring release of No Vacancy and recent single Truth to Power. It's what you look for in a summer anthem, with a chill instrumental and repeatable lyrics. It'd be criminal to gush about the beat and not give the production trio Seeb credit for their contribution. Kudos to One Republic for continuing to evolve their style as they continue to shape the landscape of Pop music. It's not easy to stay on top, but they're proving to be a example for others to follow who seek career longevity. No word on when their next album will drop, but it'll be presumably be their fifth full length release over the past decade. Can't complain about an album every other year, especially when they've been able to maintain the consistency as music has continued to evolve...#RichLove



One Republic - Rich Love (prod by Seeb)

"Back When We Were Kids, Swear That We'll Never Die"

I'm beginning to run out of adjectives to describe the consistency of One Republic's music. They churn out singles like it's their job and set the bar for contemporary pop music. You've heard me gush about Ryan Tedder's lead vocals, but their new single succeeds in it's ability to inspire nostalgia. Kids will invite you to peek back into your past when the world was your playground. When Ryan goes falsetto on the hook, there's an excitement in his voice the aligns perfectly to the subject of the track. Now two tracks deep into their upcoming fourth studio album, I'm more than a little excited to hear what's next...#Kids

One Republic - Kids

"Wherever I Go, I'll Be Looking For You"

It's hard to churn out consistent #1 hits over multiple years and albums, but One Republic always seem to make it happen. They have three immensely successful albums under their belt and their fourth studio album is in the oven. I was planning on posting a Soundcloud link to their lead single off the album, but then they quickly turned around a video for Wherever I Go. The best part about the track is that it's far from formulaic Pop, which would be an easy thing for One Republic to gravitate towards given their past successes. Sure, Ryan Tedder's vocals will be what you remember, but the piano led beat and escalation of emotion on the hook are downright catchy. Catchy, but not in a way that will lend itself to a quick comparison. Let's just say if the rest of One Republic's new album continues to evolve their sound in the way their lead single did, you're going to get tired of reading about them in this neighborhood of the internet this Summer...#WhereverIGo

Videos of the Week September 26

Sort of a throwback week with Andre 3000 and Nas surfacing with interviews and a much hyped documentary. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see Outkast as they make their way across the US on tour. Along the same lines, I'm intrigued from a historical perspective of how "Time is Illmatic" puts a proper bookmark on Hip Hop history.

If nostalgia is your drug, you'll enjoy One Republic's new one for I Lived. If funny is what you're looking for you're going to have a tough decision between Nardwuar's interview and Jimmy Fallon/Andy Samberg's brief snippets of hilarity. When it comes to breaking stereotypes and general social awkwardness, it really doesn't get any better than Nardwuar...#Nardwuar
One Republic - I Lived (Video)

Nardwuar vs Flosstradamus Interview

Andre 3000 Talks Being on Tour Again

A Look Inside the Making of Time is Illmatic Documentary

Jimmy Fallon & Andy Samberg - 5 Second Summaries

Photo Credit: YouTube

Arty x One Republic - "I Swear I Lived"

It's not for everyone, but some bands just remix well with progressive house. More specifically, bands who are led by great vocalists sounds great when mixed over an uplifting chord progression. To that point, Arty deserves a lot of credit for what he did with One Republic's I Lived.

While the original is more of a chant-along ballad, the remix takes it up a notch energy wise to a much more melodic place. The building excitement of the beat gives way to a jubilant drop that has the ability to take you to a happier place. Happy and easy listening go well together and when you're dealing with a foundation built by One Republic, good things will happen...#ILived

One Republic - I Lived (Arty Remix)

Passion Pit Feels Alright Remixing One Republic

How bout a dose of rolling electro thunder? Yep, that's about what Passion Pit's remix of One Republic's Love Runs Out amounts to. I dig how they used the original Ryan Tedder vocals and added their own funky symphony of excitement. The deep thump of the bass provides plenty of room for the quirky synths to work their magic.

The real question is, when is Passion Pit going to put together a third studio album? Word has it from lead singer Michael Angelakos it's in the oven, but there's no lead single release date that I know of. It will be tough to top Gossamer, but if the remix below is any indication, there's plenty to be excited about...#PassionPit

One Republic - Love Runs Out (Passion Pit Remix)

"Today I Took a Walk in the Clouds"

Some trends are cyclical, but one thing that will never change is the popularity of summer movies. Over the past month there has been a constant barrage of action movies from Transformers to Hercules to Planet of the Apes that will continue with Guardians of the Galaxy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. One non-action movie that has flown relatively under the radar is the upcoming drama with Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges, The Giver. I remember vaguely reading the book for The Giver, but for the life of me I can't remember what the book was about.

Plot aside, it's hard to argue against choosing One Republic to lead the movie's soundtrack. On Ordinary Human, Ryan Tedder leads the way with harmonious lyrics that emit a triumphant vibe as the song progresses. If you're wanting to both know more about the context of the movie and understand the track better, look no further than the lyric video below. It's like a visual Snickers bar, it has all you could ever want in a small package...#OrdinaryHuman

Videos of the Week June 6th

Lots of really solid music videos this week led by Miguel's Simplethings. I really dig the black and white aesthetic, it fits the beautiful simplicity of the track. Adding to that is One Republic's visuals for Love Runs Out and the all-too-mysterious BANKS new one for Drowning. They both tell stories of love taking it toll, but in two very different tones.

If you're in the mood for some fun and excitement, you'll enjoy the fun little coffee run competition that deadmau5, Skrillex and Dillon Francis undertook. Lots of shenanigans were had by all. Finishing off the week's top 5 is yet another trailer for an upcoming festival in the form of Chicago's Spring Awakening Festival. I feel like EDM festivals are growing on trees these days, but they have still found a way to be personally elusive. Someday I will attend one of them and the highlights will be shared, bet dat!...#SpringAwakening
Miguel - Simplethings (Video)

Spring Awakening Music Festival 2014 Trailer

Deadmau5 vs Skrillex and Dillon Francis Face Off in a Coffee Run

One Republic - Love Runs Out (Video)

BANKS - Drowning (Video)


Photo Credit: YouTube

"I'll Be Runnin', Til the Love Runs Out"

I've never been two feet in on contemporary bands, but I will always make an exception for One Republic. They consistently make soulfully powerful music led by one of my favorite vocalists on earth (Ryan Tedder). Evidently their new single, Love Runs Out, was supposed to be the lead single off their previous album Native. The problem was, they didn't have a finished chorus to the track, which meant releasing it as a single would have been like selling a car with no tires. So rather than selling us a car with no tires, they kept at it and finally finished the track.

For those getting super excited about a new album, cool out for a minute because the new single is being re-released as an addition to existing tracklist of Native. If you're a fan of piano driven ballads that have a penchant for getting people out of their chairs clapping and singing along, you're going to enjoy this one. Shoot I'd consider copping it simply because of the energy Tedder brings with his high powered vocals...#LoveRunsOut

One Republic - Love Runs Out

Music That Makes You Want to Count Stars

I've listened to Thomas Jack's remix of One Republic's Counting Stars a few times and I still have yet to find any seams. The way he's able to blend mellow rhythms into the original sample is downright awesome. Given, his remix is around 7 and a half mins in length, so you have to be a little patient with it, but the end result is super chill. Another word of caution is that 90% of the remix is instrumental, so don't expect much more than brief Ryan Tedder hook samples. Still, if you're in need of some zone out music to Bluetooth stream over the speakers during the car ride home from a Thanksgiving trip, this one hits the spot...#ThomasJack

One Republic - Counting Stars (Thomas Jack Edit)

Videos of the Week June 7th

You might ask, why would I post an EDM video of scantily clad women playing dodge ball? Well...now that I've gotten the stupid question out of the way, feel free and also check out Asher Roth's Wayne's World "game on" spoof that he released to promote his upcoming Greenhouse Effect Vol. 2 mixtape. Also, I've said it a few times, I really enjoy the Decoded videos where artists are able to peel back the layers and tell the story about how a track came together and ended up sounding the way it did. Real cool to hear Fabolous share his thoughts on his classic Breathe. If you're in the mood for the more run of the mill music video, One Republic just released a new visual for their Counting Stars single and Kevin Cossom did his own take on Miguel's Power Trip. Overall, I'd like to think there is a solid mix that ranges from salacious to serious this week...#Asphyxiation
Autoerotique - Asphyxiation (Video)

Asher Roth - Game On! (Promo Video)

Fabolous Breaks Down His Hit Breathe on Decoded

One Republic - Counting Stars (Video)

Kevin Cossum - Power Trip (Freestyle) (Video)

One Republic x Alesso - "If I Lose Myself Tonight"

Anytime the words progressive house remix and One Republic are used in the same sentence, my ears perk up. And it's not just average Joe DJ remixing it either, Alesso is one of the better progressive house DJs in the game. The seven minute extended remix might require a bit of patience by the listener, but it has the build ups and drops you'd be looking for in an EDM mix. Feel free to hop on over to Beatport if it strikes your fancy and lives up to the summer house anthem billing...#IfILoseMyself

If I Lose Myself OUT NOW my friends!! iTunes (US) smarturl.it/IfILoseAlesso Beatport: smarturl.it/IfILoseAlessoBP Spotify: bit.ly/IfILoseAlesso

— ALESSO (@Alesso) April 2, 2013

One Republic - If I Lose Myself (Alesso Remix)

Videos of the Weeks February 1st

It's that time folks, the one week of the year where the world opens up their mind to television commericals. Knowing that, it's no surprise a lot of companies are trying to beat people to the punch by doing teasers or trailers to their Super Bowl ads. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to the @SamsungMobileUS El Plato Supreme commercial. Long story short, they're "doing a commercial for the Big Plate featuring the San Francisco 50-1ers and the Baltimore Black Birds."

Along the same lines I appreciated @JerryRice's hint of comedy with the @VanHeusen Style in Training commercial with @funnyordie. I decided to go pop on the music videos this week, but @CalvinHarris's live set at the X-games was definitely worth skimming through. On a more serious note, my thoughts and prayers go out to Caleb Moore's family for his tragic death following the snowmobile accident during an X-Games event...#RIP

Paul Rudd & Seth Rogen Samsung Super Bowl Commercial (Teaser)

Steve Young, Jerry Rice & Matthew Stafford Funny or Die Commercial

One Republic - If I Lose Myself (Video)

Ellie Goulding - Explosions (Video)

Calvin Harris Live Set at the X-Games

"If I Lose Myself Tonight, It'll Be You and I"

I know it's not just me noticing this, but this week especially it seems like every artist that hasn't dipped their toe in electronica yet, did so this week. From Childish Gambino to Lil Wayne/YMCMB and now @OneRepublic who managed to incorporate some upbeat synths into their usual ballad. With Ryan Tedder at the helm, you know you're going to get consistently well written and produced track with great vocals, but I like that they went outside their usual sound on If I Lose Myself.

Their new single isn't the only great thing that One Republic has done this week either. They managed to raise over $73,000 for Newtowns' victims families (as of Tuesday). Check their video below addressing the issue and asking folks to donate...

Kudos guys, that was a good message and I'm hoping that they did in some way ease the financial burden on those unfortunate families.

The track below is going to surface on One Republic's new Native album due out some time in early 2013. It's hard to argue against their consistency in churning out chart topping singles and their new one is no exception to that statement...#Quality

One Republic - If I Lose Myself

Videos of the Week August 30th

I have an idea, let's cap off @deadmau5 week with an epic MMA video featuring two giant sized steel robots. Yea in all seriousness though, it was pretty cool what he and Gerard of My Chemical pulled off. Is it the most epic EDM video ever? It's up for debate at least.

Other than the showstopper of the week, it seems like everyone who is trying to build up hype for a new album let loose with a new video this week. I'm still really pumped for @slaugherhouse's new album, as well as @onerepublic's coming out this fall. I'm still a little weirded out by the whole channeling of Bone Thugs by @thegame and friends. Only thing better than the original could be the remix with all members of Bone Thugs chipping in...#InAPerfectWorld

Stay dry this weekend...#GoodLuckWithThat

deadmau5 feat Gerard Way - Professional Griefers (Video)

One Republic - Feel Again (Video)

Slaughterhouse feat Swizz Beatz - Throw it Away (Video)

Nas - Bye Babe (Video)

Game feat Chris Brown, Tyga, Wiz Khalifa & Lil Wayne - Celebration (BTS)

"It's Like a Million Dollar Phone That You Just Can't Ring"

There a few bands that I like more than @OneRepublic. I'd say about 90% of that is due to lead singer Ryan Tedder's greatness, but they're a band, and should be respected as such. Speaking of which, they did a cool behind the scenes piece in studio that shed light on some of the less heralded band members...

Their lead single below, Feel Again, does a great job of setting the tone for their third studio album. Again, it's fantasy football season so here comes another metaphor. Saying that One Republic's new album is going to be great is like saying Ray Rice or Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers are going to be great. It doesn't get more safe than what they bring to the table. Maybe it's because they make well thought out, complex music or have a great mastermind behind their music, but either way, they make for a reliable band all around.

No word yet on what their new album will be titled, but I'm betting it finds a way to hit shelves before the end of the year. It's great to finally #FeelAgain...

One Republic - Feel Again
|iTunes

"This...Right Here...is the Definition of Timeless"

Take an already stellar single by Ryan Tedder's crew @OneRepublic and add a few @bobatl verses...now we're talkin'. Best way to inject new life into a pop single that is nearing it's expiration date is to remix it with Hip Hop flavor. The success formula is being used all too often from the Katy Perry's to the Ke$ha's of the world (and here too)...it's so easy nowadays to cut and paste a verse onto a track remotely that you'd be stupid not to try and maximize your profit by adding a little Hip Hop cool hwip to top it off.

A little food for thought though, does anyone dislike where Pop music is heading? Or for that matter the way Hip Hop and Dance are getting grouped into Pop so easily now that it's hard to tell them apart? From someone who (generally) dislikes what ends up on the radio because of how songs end up getting bastardized, I can't really hate on some Hip Hop artists for finding their way (monetarily) since Hip Hop (as a whole) has evolved into a sought genre to collaborate with. Think about it, if someone told you to drop two half verses to improve profitability of a track and make a buck, would you? #OhHellYesIWould

Additionally, the fact that Hip Hop music is so easily disseminated on the internet (compared to other genres) has to make it that much harder for artists to get the lions $hare for their own music. Can you really hate on them for dipping into Pop (iTune$$$) every now and again? I'd enjoy a counterpoint or some discussion on the topic if anyone wants to pitch in their 2 cents below...

Either way, live it up this weekend, June doesn't have any long weekends, so make the best of it...#3DayWeekendsWin

One Republic feat B.O.B. - Good Life (Remix)

Buzz Track: Far East Movement - Rocketeer (prod by Ryan Tedder)

Just in case you thought Far East Movement was a one-hitter quitter, they hedged their bets by enlisting Ryan Tedder on the production of their second single that has just as much radio appeal as the that track about those Gulfstream jets.

Don't expect another club raging, uptempo anthem though, this one is more melodic and dreamy type contemporary in sound. Assist to the supposedly archaic Autotune that isn't too overdone that it's annoying, but that's probably because Tedder was on the hook. Oh yea, guess who wrote the track...Bruno Mars. Oh wait, guess who produced it...The Smeezingtons aka Bruno Mars' production crew. Fresh off the printing press is the video for the track below Rocketeer, give it a look...

Needless to say a lot of love and talent went into this track and while it's nothing special, it's a testament to what happens when people who know what they're doing collaborate. Question though, is @brunomars the new Ryan Tedder? I'll let you ponder on that because they have very similar repertoires writing, production and voice wise. Ryan has been in the game way longer with a seemingly larger scope (think One Republic), but not as high of a ceiling as Bruno (has had a top 5 solo album compared to One Republic's two top 25 albums.

It's a Friday and my stats say y'all come at a slower clip on Friday, so I won't get too wordy. Give it a listen below, it's a smooth track and should at least make you hesitate to click the buy button when pondering over their new album Free Wired...

Far East Movement - Rocketeer (prod by Ryan Tedder) (Written by Bruno Mars) (prod by The Smeezingtons)
| Cop It

Ryan Tedder = Underrated and Underappreciated

Sometimes artists don't get the credit they deserve. They work for years to get noticed and even then, a lot of the time they don't gain the notoriety they deserve when their work is done behind the scenes.

Which is a great segway to Ryan Tedder's introduction. Long story short, in 2001 soon after he graduated from Oral Roberts he caught Timbaland's eye via an MTV talent contest. See him below performing one of my favorite unreleased songs titled The Look in 2000 on MTV.



Yea for all of you at home, that means he's been creepin' on a come up for damn near a decade. I love that Brian McKnight openly gave him props on the performance right afterward too...was very fitting. Pretty good for a kid who learned how to play the piano at the age of 3 using the Suzuki method, which basically means he learned how to play by ear instead of through learning notes...oh yea and if you watched the video he also learned how to play guitar by listening to Dave Matthews in college...hah must be nice!

Needless to say you probably know his voice as being the lead singer of the band One Republic and providing you the lead vocals to their songsApologize and Stop and Stare. He started the group One Republic in 2002 with his high school friend Zack Filkins and since 2004 have been a Myspace product, getting over 30 million plays since 2004.

That's the side of him you know, so now that you have a little familiarity with who he is, I'm going to get you all learned on what he does behind the scenes...you know where real artists work to produce that great finished product you end up hearing.

If you want a longer list of his production and writing credits go here, but his highlight reel includes writing the tracks Apologize by One Republic (obviously), Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, Halo by Beyonce, Long Gone by Chris Cornell (favorite of mine) more recently Battlefield by Jordin Sparks. Must be why he was up for two Grammys in 2008.

Personally my underground favorites of his writing include Damn Thing by Josh Hoge, Please Don't Stop the Rain by James Morrison and Break Anotha by Blake Lewis...again just my opinion...but on the real quit sleepin' on these!

Oh yea and you knew I'd save the best for last. His writing, singing and performing all showcase his incredible talent, but my question is have you heard him demo some of these tracks?? You wanna talk about a bad decision, having him demo a track, then you try and do it better. So far, Jordin Sparks was the only one to barely escape that trap because she absolutely killed Battlefield in her own right.

Here are my four current demo favorites plus a bonus in hopes of me finally getting you to develop an appreciation for this insanely talented singer, songwriter, and MegaTron of a musical act.

1. Ryan Tedder - Everything (Demo for Leona Lewis) No Way She Does it Better!!!

1. Ryan Tedder - Gravity (Demo for Jordin Sparks) Again, No Way She Does it Better!!!

3. Ryan Tedder - Battlefield (Demo for Jordin Sparks) Great Demo!!

4. Ryan Tedder - History (Demo for Menudo) New Demo!

Oh so you also heard One Republic has a new album coming out in November? That must mean you have heard their new single All the Right Moves?? Betcha can't guess who wrote and produced this one??

Bonus:

One Republic - All the Right Moves Hoootttttttt New Single!!!

Bonus x2: You know I couldn't leave ya hanging on the first track that got him on the map too.

Ryan Tedder - The Look CLASSIC!!!