Inside Nokia Music

It’s been over a year now since one of pop’s most beloved figures passed away. I’m talking of course about Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. As we approach what would have been the stars 52nd birthday and people worldwide prepare to perform tributes, we wanted to let you know that he is still the most popular solo recording artist of all time on Ovi.

Beat it is the most popular Michael Jackson track, closely followed by Billie Jean and the zombietastic Thriller. And it is in India that he is the most downloaded (26% of all MJ downloads from Ovi occur here!) “This Is It” is downloaded almost twice as many times as any other Michael Jackson album and contributes to the incredible 533 Jackson tracks available for download in the Ovi store.

With so many tracks to choose from it can be quite daunting knowing where to start, which is why we’ve created a dedicated Michael Jackson section of the Ovi Music Store. It’s also worth checking out the “Story Of Michael Jackson” app that details his life, as told by a fan.

So, Happy Birthday Michael and thanks for leaving behind such an amazing musical legacy.

Click here to go direct to the Ovi store where you can download MP3s, Games and Apps – don’t forget that tracks are free to you if you’re a Comes With Music subscriber.

Remember the Rihanna Rated R launch party? We had Jeezy. We had Jay-Z. We had your girl Ri. We also gave a bunch of Rihanna fans tickets to attend the intimate Brixton Academy show, and for those who couldn’t make it, we streamed it live so you wouldn’t miss a thing.

Now the event has been shortlisted for this year’s “Best Event” category alongside digital coverage of Glastonbury 2010, Sonisphere 2010, Sonisphere “The Big Four” 2010 cinecast, Pendulum’s “Immersion” album preview, and The Ukelele Prom.

Some pretty stiff competition there Ri-army, so you know what needs to be done!

Head on over to btdma.com and vote for “Nokia Presents Rihanna Live” to show the world that Rihanna stans mean business!

Here’s a second serving of the delicious musical dish we dined upon that evening. Head on over to nokia.com/rihanna for more exclusive videos. While you’re there be sure to grab and share the Rihanna Widget and find links to the Ovi Store for a free Rihanna app for your compatible Nokia device.

There’s loads of Rihanna to download at Nokia/Ovi Music Store including and exclusive version of Rated R with 2 bonus tracks. If you’ve got Comes With Music download the lot for free!

Solo albums, the inevitable self-indulgent need to liberate oneself creatively from the mostly unsung heroes largely responsible for the success of the band from whence one came, all the while preying on their established fan base. As a flag-flyer for the lesser credited band members this is something I have my reservations about… Apparently!

Nonetheless, as a ‘Comes With Music’ subscriber and an adamant discography collector of multiple physical formats from the bands I hold in high esteem, I can afford the luxury of completing these discographies for that purpose alone, and still take a chance on new music without the fear of a fad purchase that sits embarrassingly among the pride in my collection… and so, as a dedicated Incubus fan and collector I order a physical copy in the best possible edition I can find. Since a competitor had exclusivity for it’s first week of release, I forget about it until it arrives… Read the rest of this entry »

Back from a break following the success of her European tour leg, Rihanna returns to rock North America with her Last Girl On Earth Tour as it’s kicked-off this weekend with shows in Seattle and Vancouver, Canada with support by Ke$ha and Travie McCoy.

Head on over to our Nokia/Rihanna page where you can grab the Rihanna Tour Widget and keep track of the tour, watch exclusive tour footage and stay up to date with Rihanna news. Don’t forget to tweet using the #RihannaTour hashtag so your tweets can show up on the Tour Map showing your support for your girl Ri and if you have a compatible Nokia phone, be sure to get your free Rihanna App

Share the Widget with your friends too, and help us to make the Last Girl On Earth Tour the most connected tour ever!

There’s loads of Rihanna to download at Nokia/Ovi Music Store including and exclusive version of Rated R with 2 bonus tracks. If you’ve got Comes With Music download the lot for free!

After a trying false start in preparation and arriving in sweltering heat that would come to render a pair of wellies null and void, I begin making my journey toward the stages. I dual in decision on whether to watch Snoop Dogg or Bloc Party frontman Kele’s solo set. Already overcome by the heat I stop by the BBC Introducing tent and catch the last half of a rather impressive Out Like A Lion and begin to get acquainted with my first SLR.

Beginning to feel the festival spirit after feeding back off the excitement from the band members about playing Glastonbury, I make my way to the neighbouring John Peel tent for Kele’s set, relenting on Snoop Dogg’s in a bid to dodge the sun.

In elevated spirit post Kele, I head down to the Pyramid Stage hoping that I might just make it for a Snoop track or two, but arrive half way through Vampire Weekend… which is no real tragedy by any means. After which I take a photographic detour of the Green Fields, the Stone Circle and around the Tipi Village.

An empty wallet and an unimaginable thirst then leads me to the gate for the area behind the Park Stage. This would be my first inkling that the hospitality wrist band offered more than just access to showers and lesser used toilet facilities as I’m granted access.

Out of desperation and damn near dehydration I find myself in the canteen, grab a free bottle of water, and finish it off without a breath taken. Recognising opportunity, I take the time to enquire about the 20:30 Special Guest slot… but the hospitality wrist band isn’t enough to influence anyone into revealing secrets and so I return to the stage, take a seat on the grass and wait patiently, desperately hoping for The Strokes, only we’re presented with something even more special in the form of Thom Yorke… looking a bit like Mark Knopfler.

The set closes and it’s a frantic dash to the Pyramid Stage for the Friday night headliners. A moment that would redefine my coverage strategy when I made the error of convincing myself that meeting friends in front of the sound tower was plausible. This journey would come to be the truest test of patience as the path cutters I chose to slipstream through the human density dissipate and I’m solidly wedged in the thick of it… D’oh!

It’s at this point I choose to disregard politeness as apologising to every person I bump would rapidly deplete the average mans daily word count, and so I endeavour through and finally make my way to a clearing stage right for a Gorillaz set that was far better than the reception it received.

Saturday morning and a bit of tent Feng Shui in the dead of night pays dividends, eradicating my need to perform an action film combat roll from the inside out as I awake, aflame from the greenhouse effect of the common tent. Having failed to kick off our prize winning #WheresGaz Twitter game a day earlier, I set out to fulfil this and hit various locations where I can sit in the shade and watch the festival folk whilst waiting in 15 minute increments for each until The Dead Weather’s Pyramid Stage set.

Buzzing from The Dead Weather slot I set out to lighten my carry load in preparation for the Saturday headliners and take the excess weight of my laptop to the wonderful Birmingham Friends Of The Earth property lock-up. Run by volunteers, the facility is free, secure and priceless… I wish to commend them for their amazing work and hope everyone else who used the facility made as many donations as I did. I’d never have managed without you!

With the slightest window of time before the Pyramid headline slot, I make my way to the quaintest of tents near the Park Stage called The Big Easy Jam. An indoor/outdoor living room vibe with muffled drums, an upright piano, several guitars, and big open arms for festival goers to participate and listen to the talents of un-billed artists. Charging my camera battery I enjoy covers of songs by The Beatles, Bob Marley, and even Kasabian’s Fire before making my way back The Pyramid Stage during the Scissor Sisters set to secure a prime location for the headline.

En route I finally discover the hospitality commuter channels that would come to make my the rest of the weekend significantly easier for traversing between stages and manage to get within earshot of a few Scissor Sisters tracks, giving me the perfect opportunity to snatch up a top spot for Muse’s Set when the crowd disperses.

Immunised to the crowds after having avoided the hoarding masses post Muse, I capitalise on saved energy and make my way down to Block 9, Shangri La and Arcadia for some post apocalyptic nocturnal entertainment and am awed by the flame throwing Afterburner Stage with it’s DJ’s and acrobatic girls twirling around in rings of fire.

Sunday morning rolls in and I prepare a load for the car to ease the Monday morning departure. I take a stroll to snap some festival activity, grab the tastiest mocha frappe’ (Yes, very Zoolander) from hospitality and enjoy a leisurely stroll to the Pyramid Stage for Slash’s Set. After which I make my way down to Chill n’ Charge and catch the 2 last German goals that dash England’s World Cup dream.

With the afternoon weather cooling off, I take one for the team and make my way back to the car on my own with an unbearable load, and finally make it back in time for a brief stop over at the Other Stage for LCD Soundsystem, conveniently catching Daft Punk Is Playing At My House, My Friends and James Murphy between songs singing “It smells like human pooooooo” in falsetto… which it does, due to the lack of rain that Glastonbury is synonymous for.

As we enter the last furlong of Glastonbury’s 40th anniversary, I choose to take it easy for a performance by the legendary Stevie Wonder and make my way up to the highest point facing the Pyramid stage. A smart choice as my view suggests that Mr Wonder has pulled the largest audience of the entire festival… and though I don’t know enough Stevie Wonder to give a performance dissection, the appearance of Higher Ground bodes well with me on my perch and it’s festival longview.

So, to summarise my Glastonbury experience I’ll use alliteration… Broken, Bruised, Battered, Blistered and Burned… Bloody Brilliant!

After some crowd commotion I stand to see Michael Eavis take the mic to introduce “two superstars”. Unable to make out who the solitary figure on the stage is, I’m asked by the nearest person if I can see. I promptly take a peek through my 100-400 lens and am utterly gobsmacked to realise it’s none other than Thom Yorke, which immediately prompts the question “Who’s the other superstar?”

After an introductory lap with no sign of the second artist, Yorke takes his place at an upright piano for the title track from his solo debut The Eraser. With a Digital Delay Pedal at foot Yorke then takes the Bass and catches a loop, then takes up the keys for a compositely rich Harrowdown Hill.

After Black Swan the question is answered as Jonny Greenwood joins Yorke for Cymbal Rush, the last of the Thom Yorke solo material before indulging in a stripped down Radiohead set featuring Weird Fishes/Arpeggi and Pyramid Song… But the real magic happens with Karma Police when it gets the loudest singalong of the set.

With Karma Police finished, Yorke and Greenwood experience technical difficultly and begin discussing something among themselves. Silence washes over the crowd for what seems like an eternity and it’s at this point the crowd takes control of the situation and begins to reprise the Karma Police climax. It’s not long before the issue is resolved and Yorke returns to the mic to play the song out again for what is without a doubt the single most magically moment of Glastonbury’s 40th.

They appropriately close the set with Street Spirit (Fade Out) and the tiny speckled goose bumps shine through the sun tortured red skin on my arms like stars in the night.

Flickr Set

Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke are available to download now from Nokia/Ovi Music Store and if you’re a Comes With Music member, they’re all free!

The trouble with Glastonbury is having to make choices. It’s not something I’m hugely fond of in everyday life, never mind when it comes to choosing who’s set to watch… and so it all comes down to logistics.

Having suffered from near heat exhaustion the day before with 5 treks between my tent on the western perimeter and the parking area way beyond the eastern perimeter, my choice becomes obvious as the John Peel tent entices me with it’s offering of sanctuary from the blazing sun, and a chance to see Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke’s solo incarnation.

Now Kele (his solo moniker) has been accused of being a miserable individual in the past, not something that I’ve ever observed, but this has been the general perception of him none the less. Touching down just in time for the start of the set, my eyes adjust from the glare outside to see a spritely Kele take to the stage with his debut solo album opener Walk Tall and it becomes immediately obvious that any of the aforementioned perceptions are either circumstantial, or just plain misperception. Kele’s in a good headspace!

Keeping close to The Boxer’s track order, playing On The Lam, The Other Side and Everything You Wanted sequentially, saving debut solo single Tenderoni until after a Bloc Party medley featuring a dance rendition of Blue Light, The Prayer and the ominously suggestive One More Chance – With consideration to the fact that moments before, Kele makes the bothersome statement “For those of you who don’t know, I used to be in a band”, suggesting that Bloc Party are officially no more!

Following 2 more tracks from The Boxer, we’re treated to the Euro-Techno stomper Flux as the set closer, elevating my mood in combination with my first proper Glasto set of 2010, and a moderately successful test shoot with the obscene lens I hired for the weekend.

Flicker Set

Kele – The Boxer and Bloc Party are both available to download now from Nokia/Ovi Music Store and if you’re a Comes With Music member, they’re all free!

Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment

Adam Lambert could only really exist right here and now. In this place in time where theatricality and showmanship are reclaiming their place in pop. Only now; in a post-Gaga world with GLEE, the self-proclaimed freak flagship bringing spangly show tunes into people’s living rooms every week, could someone so flamboyant and unapologetically melodramatic ever be a winner.

But of course he wasn’t. Adam Lambert did not win American Idol, the US version of Simon Cowell’s pop-star machine franchise, in 2009. However, he’s probably better off anyway, reality-TV success has often proved to be a double edged sword; the shows winners often fading away into obscurity, over managed by cautious executive types and forgotten about by the viewing public who are already looking forward to the next series’ sob stories.

Not so for Lambert, the life-long performer (he appeared on stage and in musical theatre since a pre-teen) who made sure he wasn’t going to be forgotten after he sashayed into America’s consciousness emulating the great rock front-men and combining their swagger with the kind of vocal histrionics usually reserved pop’s divas; not to mention raiding their makeup bags and nicking their heels.

Yup, whilst a pop-star coming out after having already proven themselves and built up a loyal fan base is nothing new (especially here in the UK where Will Young did just that after winning the original series of Pop Idol, now some nine years ago) being outed, and seemingly willingly, whilst still courting the voting public’s favour was a lesson in acceptance for the notoriously conservative America.  But the viewers proved they were (almost) ready for an openly gay Idol by voting him into the final and supporting the album after its release. And judging by the positively rabid response he got on ‘ole Wossy the other week there are plenty of fans here in the UK who are giving him and his album, ‘For Your Entertainment’ a warm welcome.

So is it any good? Well, perhaps surprisingly, yes actually. I don’t say surprising because of its reality-TV heritage or because of any doubt of Lambert’s vocal ability, but instead because of its odd provenance.  Written and recorded whilst still touring the US with the other Idols it nonetheless manages to boast one of the most impressive rosters of featured writers and producers seen on an album in the last few years.

This is noticeable right from the get go, opening track ‘Music Again’ written by The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins features his trademark falsetto warbling mixed in with a bouncy Mika-esque refrain; “You make me want to listen to music again”. This is followed by lead single ‘For Your Entertainment’, a spiky, whip cracking bit of glam rock (the video for which is below, and if his writhing makes you a bit uncomfortable, just imagine it’s your lady pop starlet of choice; essentially it works exactly the same). Next up is the power ballad ‘Whataya Want From Me ‘penned by P!nk; another catchy tune with a few smart lines; even if it is a little too easy to imagine that it was donated to him after being left out of P!nk’s own album. ‘Strut’ is a powerful, thudding motivator made for stomping it out on fashion runways. You can practically hear Tyra Banks cheering him on (“Fierce darling! Smize!”)

But the collaborations don’t stop there, in fact ‘Soaked’ might just have you doing a double take; yes that is more than a hint of Muse you’re hearing. It’s unmistakably Matt Bellamy, in fact he has recorded it himself and it’s a mere question of personal preference as to which is better. I’d argue that whilst Matt might own the song-writing talent Mister Lambert is absolutely pulling his weight fronting the track, his voice just copes better with the kind of notes that Bellamy aims for but often mangles.

Alas the album can’t be all “I was born with glitter on my face, my baby clothes made of leather and lace” (’Sure Fire Winners’) and there are low points, namely the oozy-woozy ‘A Loaded Smile’ written by Linda Perry – who, maybe it’s just me, but no longer seems to be contributing the album highlights that she used to.

Max Martin lends his trademark electronica to ‘If I Had You’, in which he insists he would give up the money, fame and rock star lifestyle if given a chance with a certain someone. Sorry Adam, but I’m not convinced. ‘Pick You Up’ starts off sounding a little familiar but somehow ends up sounding like it belongs at the climax act of a big Broadway musical, maybe reflecting more of Lambert for once than co-writer Rivers Cuomo.

Even Mummy Monster, Gaga herself donates a track in ‘Fever’ (simply replace “Po-Po-Poker face” with “Fe-Fe-Fever”, job done.) and Sam Sparro fiddles the knobs (as it were) on the suitably languid and sultry feeling ‘Voodoo’. There are a few others that can be skipped over: ‘Sleepwalker’ I could Sleep through and unfortunately ‘Time for Miracles’ wouldn’t do much to save the movie soundtrack it featured on, (Roland Emmerich you owe me seven quid and two and a half hours for ‘2012′.)

But eventually there are a couple of tracks which do more believably seem to have come from Lambert, the defiant ‘Masterplan’, and the closet door smashing ‘Aftermath’ - “Wanna scream out, no more hiding, don’t be afraid of what’s inside, gonna tell you, you’ll be alright, in the aftermath”.

Overall it’s an enjoyable and catchy album, but only by being the sum of its parts. The help gone into it by the legion of writers and producers combined with Adam’s undeniable vocal talent and theatrical presence is what makes it work. I hope that having this support from other artists will buoy his confidence and teach him some tricks that so he can rely less on their contributions have more input of his own on the next album.

For Your Entertainment is available to download at the Nokia Music Store.  If you’ve got Comes With Music download it for free!

It’s been a whirlwind week for me and Miss Caitlin Rose, I only got her debut EP “Dead Flowers” on Tuesday and fell so hopelessly in love with it that on learning she was fortuitously touring the UK I went to see her last night (and I’m planning on going again on Saturday when the smart folks at Screen on The Green Islington have her singing before a late night showing of Badlands – a match made in -slightly disturbing- country heaven).

Hailing from Nashville, and with a sense of sass and humour beyond her 22 years she hates it when people call her indie and is fervent about her country stylings. Now, I’m a sucker for songs about whiskey & cigarettes & heartbreak anyway, but combine that with the most gorgeous of all Tennessee twangs and smart and funny wordplay that would sound just as at home on a Plan-It-X release and I’m sold.

Last night miss Rose treated us with an hour of songs from her debut EP and a few from the upcoming album, due out in July (the one about New York is actually incredible) and a Fleetwood Mac cover, in between regaling us with tales of Bobbys Dairy Dip, nightmares about Ashton Kutcher& Kate Hudson and her hatred of romantic comedies. She’s everything I expected her to be and much more besides.

Do yourself a favour and pick up Dead Flowers, and then wonder how you survived up until now without these 7 songs in your life.

‘How cool is that?!’ exclaims Sophie Ellis-Bextor, a mix of excitement and disbelief in her voice, even though she’s heard the story before. I’ve managed to get 20 minutes of telephone time with the singer during the hectic publicity schedule preceding the launch of her new single, Bittersweet, on May 3^rd, and we’re talking technology. Specifically, the fact that Groovejet, the single which catapulted her into the public consciousness in the summer of 2000, was the first track ever played on an iPod, on a prototype in Apple’s labs. ‘I love that story! Can you tell your friends that I don’t think enough people know about that.’ She laughs, an infectious sound somewhere between a giggle and a chuckle. ‘I think that’s really cool,’ she adds. A self-confessed gadget fan, she’s just bought her first Apple iPhone and is enthusiastically praising it when I mention that I write for the Nokia Music blog. ‘You know what, I’ve kept my Nokia, don’t worry,’ she playfully reassures me. ‘I’ve been using Nokias since I was 18, so there you go. 13 years of Nokia use.’

It’s also been 13 years since Sophie Ellis-Bextor first appeared in the charts, singing with Theaudience. That single, I Got The Wherewithal, and the subsequent self-titled album, didn’t make the impact the band was expecting. ‘Theaudience was very hyped when we first got together and then nothing really happened, so it was over before it began,’ she recalls. ‘No-one really knew about Theaudience. It was a wonderful time for me and a very steep learning curve, but I was aware that we didn’t really break out of music industry circles and the Camden scene.’ While it might not have been the success that Ellis-Bextor and her three bandmates had imagined, the then-18-year-old was able to learn from the experience. ‘That stood me in really good stead, so I can always take everything else with a pinch of salt. That’s meant I’ve kind of kept part of myself back, I suppose.’

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