Absolutely gorgeous. Elena Jane covers the Elton John classic “Your Song” and does so beautifully. Unfortunately, you can only buy this song on iTunes in the UK (blah blah blaaaaah), but here’s the video. The song is actually featured in a holiday commercial for UK retailer John Lewis.

…Just because. I was fortunate enough to catch Ellie last month when she performed at Hiro Ballroom in NYC. It was my first time seeing Elena Jane perform since hearing about her two years ago. She lived up to every expectation and I believe the crowd agreed. Here’s one artist I don’t mind sharing with the world. Ellie Goulding deserves the success, both Stateside and across the pond. As I’ve been saying forever, be on the lookout for this girl and when you fall in love with her I will gladly say I told you so.

Exhibit A: Here’s “Shy Ronnie”…peep the hook on that. Note Ri Ri’s melody and everything. Okay, now chew on this:

Exhibit B: Here’s Kanye’s “All Of the Lights” featuring Drake and Rihanna off Kanye’s soon to be released Dark Twisted Fantasy. Sound familiar?

In “Shy Ronnie” Rihanna has a line “Should’ve just paid Kanye”. Looks like Kanye found his own way to get paid…and so did RiRi.

I love love love Anjulie. Got put onto her a while ago, and this right here is her rendition of Cee-Lo’s “F*ck You”. It’s pretty great. As an added bonus, check out Nelly Furtado’s cover of Cee-Lo’s group Gnarls Barkley’s hit single “Crazy”.

It’s been a while, so here’s something for ya until I get back. Jay-Z before the money and the fame…and before he slowed his flow down. Wow.

50 Cent prank calls Shyne’s conference call and flips out just in time for Def Jam to end the call. C-L-A-S-S-I-C.

After the travesty that was the new Kanye West song today (Beyoncé, why have you forsaken me?) I decided to post two new videos I like.

The first is M.I.A.’s “XXXO”, the video is pretty hot despite the fact that Maya looks totally bored.

The second is Kanye West’s “Power”, which basically looks like an animated David Lachapelle painting. It’s also like not even two minutes long. The Wall Street Journal asked the video’s director, Marco Brambilla, what it all meant:

The Wall Street Journal: There are a lot of allusions and historical references in the “Power” video that you directed. Where did you draw our inspiration and what does it all mean?

Marco Brambilla: I think the visual inspiration for me was definitely the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel; they are kind of bombastic and iconic. Then the tonal reference was really “How do you visualize a symbol of power that’s almost timeless?” This video is almost like a portrait, a video portrait of Kanye as this symbol of power. The video is actually one continuous shot – it comes out from a close up of Kanye and gradually reveals this decadence and sexuality around him. Once we come to the wide shot, we challenge that position of power.

The narrative within it is a moment of transition. It’s almost like the precarious nature of power, the epic portrait of power. In one sense it’s both the rise and fall of a celebrity in a way and that’s one of the things that interested me about working with Kanye. I wanted to use some of his baggage in terms of the year he’s had coming into this and releasing his first single in a long time. I wanted to use the kind of public perception of him and have fun with that and the concept of him being a celebrity and what he’s gone through recently.

I don’t get it. But ok.

Well, I’ve been carrying on enough about it, and finally here it is. This EP is more than just great music; it’s the creative progression of a group I have been fortunate enough to watch grow over the past six years. You’re doing yourself a huge favor by downloading it. Plus, it’s free! Come on now! [NinaSkyHigh]

Downlizzoad: Nina Sky – The Other Side EP

Whoops…wrong couple.

There we go!

*single tear*

Album art shoot for Nina Sky’s The Other Side dropping August 3rd!