BuzzSugar

What Is the Best Rock Album of 2010?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:38:45 PST

We've been discussing the best hip-hop albums, pop tunes, and indie music, but 2010 was also a great year to rock out. Which of these rock albums was your favorite one to play your air guitar along with?

Don't forget to vote on all of my Best of 2010 polls!

Vampire Weekend's "Jonathan Low" From Eclipse - Love It or Leave It?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 27 May 2010 14:45:33 PDT

When I heard that Vampire Weekend was joining the Eclipse soundtrack, I admittedly rolled my eyes. Vampires, Vampire Weekend - isn't it all just a bit too obvious? But the song "Jonathan Low" is somewhat surprising.

Filled with orchestral touches and still retaining the band's boppy sound, it feels a little restrained for Vampire Weekend but lighter than typical Twilight music (see Muse's track for reference). Where's the brooding emo? I'll be curious to see where it fits into the storyline, but I guess I can kind of picture Bella and Edward leaping up trees in time to the fast-paced guitar. Listen, and share your thoughts.

Photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Vampire Weekend Bring Their Powdered Wigs on "Holiday"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 27 May 2010 12:15:00 PDT

Forget the tight pants and preppy sweaters, because the new hipster garb choice goes back to the 18th century. In their new video for "Holiday," the boys of Vampire Weekend prance around in coattails on the beach (you'd think with all that sun time, they'd be a little less pale). The result is a little Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette and totally fun - although I'm not sure it can compete with the Jake Gyllenhaal cameo in "Giving Up the Gun." Give it a look when you

The Eclipse Soundtrack - Revealed!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:04:55 PDT

With Eclipse hitting theaters in just a little over a month, fans have been anxiously anticipating the soundtrack to accompany the third film in the Twilight saga. We won't get a chance to hear the tunes until June 8, but today the full track listing has been released!

I'm a fan of the New Moon soundtrack, and its follow-up sounds equally promising. Muse is back for another go, but the rest of the list are newbies to Twilight. I'm particularly excited to see Sia's name in the midst of rockers like The Black Keys, Beck, and The Dead Weather and also stoked to see a contribution from Florence and the Machine. The biggest head-scratcher here might be Vampire Weekend; aside from the obvious tongue-in-cheek similarities, the band's music seems a bit too uptempo for the dark subject matter. That said, I'm looking forward to hearing what they came up with. Check out the full playlist and tell me what you think!

To see the full track listing, just

read more. 1. Metric - "Eclipse (All Yours)" 2. Muse - "Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)" 3. The Bravery - "Ours" 4. Florence + The Machine - "Heavy in Your Arms" 5. Sia - "My Love" 6. Fanfarlo - "Atlas" 7. The Black Keys - "Chop and Change" 8. The Dead Weather - "Rolling In on a Burning Tire" 9. Beck and Bat For Lashes - "Let’s Get Lost" 10. Vampire Weekend - "Jonathan Low" 11. UNKLE - "With You in My Head (featuring The Black Angels)" 12. Eastern Conference Champions - "A Million Miles an Hour" 13. Band Of Horses - "Life on Earth" 14. Cee-Lo Green - "What Part of Forever" 15. Howard Shore - "Jacob’s Theme"

Your Coachella Shortlist: Friday's Standout Shows

BuzzSugar — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 04:01:34 PDT

Have you been keeping tabs on me on Twitter? If so, then you already know that I'm at Coachella this weekend to check out all of the music acts, thanks to H&M USA. I just wrapped up my first day, and man, what a great way to close out my evening. Jay-Z got the crowd jumping with a special guest (and fireworks!), but he's not the only crowd-pleaser. Here's a look at five acts from Friday that were audience favorites. Check in later as I recap more festival highlights!

Buzz Backtrack: Best and Worst of February Entertainment

BuzzSugar — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:30:00 PST

February may be a short month, but there has been plenty of movie, TV, and music offerings. While there was a lot to cheer about, not everything was stellar, as much as it pains me to say. Want to know which rocked my world and which didn't measure up? I've broken it down into the best and worst of the month right here.

Jake Gyllenhaal Rocks Out in Vampire Weekend's New Video

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:15:54 PST

Jake Gyllenhaal is all over my radar this week. First he gushed about Peter Sarsgaard's acting skills, and now he's getting goofy in Vampire Weekend's new video for "Giving Up the Gun." The upbeat single is actually my favorite track off Contra and it comes accompanied by a cute video featuring a girl kicking butt on the tennis court.

As we've come to expect from the band, the video is preppy and Wes Anderson-like, but the real fun lies in the celebrity cameos. RZA officiates the matches, and Joe Jonas plays a sore loser, but Jake Gyllenhaal steals the show as a boozing, smirky challenger. Overall it's a perfect way to gear up for the weekend (and to catch Jake strip down to teeny tennis shorts). Check it out when you

Vampire Weekend Debuts Cool New Ad in iPhone App

GeekSugar — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:47:46 PST

Interactive ads are taking over our tech! Late last year, everybody jumped on board the augmented reality train, which gave us a new way to look at marketing (come on, even Home Depot had an augmented reality gift card), and in case you haven't noticed - there are interactive ads in our iPhone and iPod Touch apps. No matter how you feel about pop-up ads in your iPhone, it's likely that you won't mind this one. However, how you feel about Vampire Weekend is a whole other story.

On Tuesday, Vampire Weekend released their latest album Contra to much praise by BuzzSugar, and of course, I headed over to iTunes to check it out. But yesterday, I caught a glimpse of this cool interactive iPhone ad that allows you to "shake to edit," or shuffle through different scenes of their latest video using your iPhone's accelerometer. You can then click on the album artwork, and head over to iTunes to download the album directly to your iPhone. It's really smart, and the tune is pretty catchy as well.

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:30:12 PST

We've covered the most Netflix-worthy DVDs of the week, but it's also a big day for music releases. Vampire Weekend's Contra officially hits stores (I'm talking "officially" - not all of those online leaks), along with OK Go's latest. I'm taking a look at both albums, but Heidi Montag's debut Superficial hits iTunes today, too.

(Don't forget to check out the Music Review Group. If you submit your own writeup, I may even feature your thoughts on the site!)

English-major rock returns: Vampire Weekend got a lot of deserved attention for its debut album two years ago, so the pressure for followup Contra to be as good is high.

"Horchata" and "California English" sound like logical progressions of the band's sound but nothing shockingly different. Those looking for a departure should queue up "Giving Up the Gun" and "I Think U R a Contra" for rare slow treats, but my prediction for the catchy standout single - the "Oxford Comma" of the group - is "Diplomat's Son."

Pop with a cool twist: You're probably most familiar with OK Go for their treadmill-happy video for "Here It Goes Again." On their latest album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, the guys deliver a similarly upbeat feel mixed with a dash of swagger thanks to singer Damian Kulash's falsetto. Eighties electro-synth pops up a few times (I noticed it most on "End Love"), and the '60s get due recognition too with the psychedelic, trippy feel of "Back From Kathmandu." My favorite off the album, however, is "WTF?" which channels Prince. It's an absolute must.

BuzzSugar's Must Haves For January

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:30:00 PST

It's time to kick off 2010 with some fresh new entertainment! New TV seasons and series will get your TiVo revving, while new tunes and movies will make you excited for what's to come this new year.