While it's been more than 10 years since No Doubt released their last studio album, Rocksteady, you wouldn't be able to tell it by the vibe of their comeback single, "Settle Down." The island-flavored song essentially picks up right where the band left off, firmly planted in its reggae/rock stylings.
The other amazing feat is that Gwen Stefani, now a 42-year-old mother of two, doesn't look like she's aged at all in the past 10 years. And she still fits into the clothes she wore when she was in her 20s. Who's bad?
Check out the video for Gwen and the gang's comeback song below
Welcome back to your regularly scheduled programming after that glorious three-day holiday weekend, y'all.
As Rihanna and Nicki Minaj have proven, there's plenty of undiscovered talent to be found in the Caribbean. Let's go ahead and add Shady Squad, a Jamaican dance troupe, to that list.
The three, tall, skinny gangly young men took on Rihanna's "Where Have You Been" in a viral video and they poured so much swagu on it that we're swimming in it. If Rihanna doesn't hire these dudes for an awards show performance or a tour, she's mad. Bombaclot!
The band No Doubt is finally making good on its promise. With an album drop date of September 25, promotion for the new album is underway.
First up? A webisode of the band in the studio working on its new song, "Push & Shove." The song is co-produced by Major Lazer (aka Diplo and Switch), which is a perfect fit for the band given their affections toward reggae and dancehall.
The bits and pieces heard in the recording session hold promise. No Doubt is going to take it to the dance floor, but don't expect any of the gloss and shine that has saturated the rest of pop music. These drums are ready to stay dirty.
Check out No Doubt's new song in the footage below
Fun. puts on the kind of show that makes you want to grab the nearest person and hug the crap out of them. Accompanied by a manufactured haze, an entertaining LED backdrop and a band of five, Nate Ruess and fun. emerged ready to take the sold-out crowd on an emotionally-charged hour-and-a-half romp. You can imagine how hot and sweaty it got on the floor, bouncing to what seemed like a style concocted from ballads, electro-pop, lullabies, emo power and Irish drinking songs.
Ruess found the right combination of these elements and a way to deliver his signature sound with a sweet, melodious voice. That smooth delivery and ability to hold a long note inspired listeners to respond in kind and voice their approval. There were several instances where Ruess had to gather himself, visually taken aback by the overwhelming response from his fans.
This shower of love continued throughout the show and in the end, led to a double encore.
Explosions in The Sky was a band that many concertgoers were experiencing for the first time as they took center stage at the Merriweather Post Pavilion. The venue had not reached capacity but there was an early presence of fans at the concert from the earlier sets and awaiting the bigger acts later in the evening. The setting featured the large Sweetlife banner and a Texas flag draped over sound equipment to homage to the band's home state.
Versatility was shown by band members Munaf Rayani and Michael James. The two group members played two instruments throughout the set, with Rayani adding on drums for certain portions of songs and James operating a bass guitar at times. Whenever the drums were added or the melody changed due to the bass, it was a sonically powerful experience for members of the audience.
The band dove in to their music, which features no vocals, letting their instruments do the talking. The pit featured multiple crowd surfs during the set, with security pulling in the crowd surfers like gutters in a bowling alley. It was a light-hearted affair from the beginning, with band members shouting out a friend's birthday and encouraging the crowd to make bird noises.
Nate Ruess of fun., performs at the 2012 Sweetlife Festival Photo Credits:Cristi Demnowicz
Photo Credits:Cristi Demnowicz
Guests piled in to the Merriweather Post Pavilion as noon passed. The clouds were heavy and it was clear that a rain storm was in the near future. But the rain wasn't enough to keep the fun. away.
The band kicked things off with great energy at the start of the festival. Their upbeat, sing-a-long tunes had concertgoers buzzing thanks to their recent success with the hit single "We Are Young" featuring Janelle Monae.
Judging by the warm crowd reaction to their set, the band likely gained a few more converts that day. Latecomers could be spotted grooving as they made their way into the venue during the band's set. Highlights from their set included the lithely melodic "Some Nights" and the quirky "At Least I'm Not As Sad." But of course, "We Are Young" is the anthem that everyone came to hear, and fun. didn't disappoint.
fun. is on an upward trajectory, having gone from a mostly Internet-based fan base to the full glare of mainstream exposure. Their mainstream success is also notable due to the fact that they're a pop-rock band. Rock as a music genre has been in a bit of dry spell. In fact, the Billboard Hot 100 hasn't been topped by an alternative/rock act since 2008's "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay. So their success is a breakthrough for a genre that's been fighting to maintain its relevance in pop music.
With Bonarroo around the corner, fun. demonstrated their festival strength at Sweetlife. Fans should expect a good time from fun. if they catch them in an upcoming festival set.
A$AP Rocky hits the stage the 2012 Sweetlife Festival. Photo Credits:LaVan Anderson
As fun. departed the stage, there was a DJ set to fill in the time until it was time for A$AP Rocky's set. A$AP Rocky was brought onto stage with a strong response with fans chanting "ASAP!" continuously. Rocky's set kicked off with "Pretty Flacko" as he and his crew stomped the stage. The folks in the pit were riled up and bouncing along with the rapper. The A$AP Mob help Rocky's stage presence and also intensify the crowd response, especially for notable verses like A$AP Ferg's on "Kissin' Pink".
A$AP Rocky proved he is a force of his own as he commanded the fan favorite "Wassup" to a rowdy response and some of the earliest crowd surfs of the day. The energy was high for what seemed like a short set. A$AP Rocky finished with a bang by performing "Peso," arguably his biggest song to date. He thanked his fans for their support to this point and any new fans just discovering the A$AP movement.
A$AP Rocky could be spotted later in the evening enjoying other shows and greeting fans throughout. It's good to see that despite their success, there are still humble acts out there willing to mingle with the people.
The wait has been really excruciating, but it appears that No Doubt is finally preparing to release some new material.
The band took to Twitter to announce to patient fans that the band was deciding on the first single, with five candidates in the running. The band also tweeted the picture above of the whole gang listening to new material with Interscope Records exec Jimmy Iovine.
Just took a long drive to oc listening to the 5 song contenders for the first single- what will it be?!! This is getting crazy exciting. Gx
After announcing a reunion back in 2009, it seemed like new material from the band would be imminent. Instead, it's been nothing concrete ever materialized, despite Gwen saying she thought the new album would be out last year. Notorious for having fits of writer's block, perhaps Gwen Stefani just couldn't find her inspiration yet again?
Whatever the case may be, we can't wait to hear the band's new material.
Curious about the breakout band behind the chart-topping single "We Are Young"? The album was produced by Jeff Bhasker, the man who put in production work with Kanye West and Jay-Z for Watch the Throne and the creative force behind hipster freshman Lana Del Rey.
Check out their full album, which they're generously streaming in full through Sound Cloud below.
