¡viva la graham!

some of you might roll your eyes, because the world probably only needs one lily allen, but that’s what people are saying about a new young songbird by the name of kate nash.

to be fair, they have little in common. they’re both from london and they’re both slightly indie, very clever pop artists. other than that, it’s apples and oranges.

something tells me kate isn’t nearly as smarmy as ms. allen — her myspace blog isn’t even moderately acerbic — though so far she seems to be following in the footsteps of lily’s success. her first official single, “foundations,” just shot up to no. 2 on the u.k. chart, and with good reason. it’s an astute assessment of a crumbling relationship, rife with familiar situations and artful metaphors. oh yes, and the video is completely irresistible… and as such it is the clip of the week. it’ll be interesting to see if she manages to enchant listeners this side of the pond.

minimalist set design, revealing costumes, and smashing things up. ladies and gentlemen, it’s a new klaxons video!

“it’s not over yet” shows the tireless trio donning gladiator garb and battling tiny-yet-ominous floating triangles. i know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s actually quite amazing — and i’m not just saying that because i like their outfits.

for no apparent reason, i didn’t immediately fall in love with rihanna’s current chart topper, “umbrella.” now that the song is ubiquitous and i’ve heard it several times, i finally realized that it is undeniably brilliant.

the video only sweetens the deal, really. rihanna looks amazing and the visuals suit it perfectly. she’s going to have her work cut out for her when she tries to top this one. ooh, and did you see her perform this song on the mtv movie awards? damn!

i love you shirley manson!

in my opinion, garbage hit one out of the park with their brand new single “tell me where it hurts.” it’s a lovely slice of pop-rock pie, and it’s really nice to have the band back in top form (last album bleed like me was good but not their finest work). if there’s more where this came from, let’s hope they don’t call it quits — or that shirley finally gets serious about a solo album!

“tell me where it hurts” will appear on their upcoming greatest hits collection, absolute garbage, and hopefully also on their dvd video compilation.

i’ve been meaning to post the new sophie ellis bextor video for a few weeks now, but somehow it kept slipping my mind. thanks to the boys at queerty for reminding me by finally mentioning the clip for her last single, “catch you.”

“me and my imagination” is much more cheerful, less manic than the lead track from her upcoming album, trip the light fantastic, and the playful video echoes that feeling. sophie struts her way through minimal street scenes that suddenly morph into vibrant neon outlines. then, naturally, choreographed dancing ensues… it’s pretty cheesy, but not intolerably so. i’m just glad to have sophie back at the top of her game, and i can’t wait to hear the rest of the album.

kelly clarkson plays the pissed-off ex-girlfriend role once again in the clip for new single “never again.” she’s definitely got the angry snarl down pat, but otherwise i’m confused. it’s not completely clear whether she drowned or not, but kelly spends most of the video haunting her ex-boyfriend at the airport. then she drives off at the end with him chasing her beat-up ride. huh? is she playing multiple roles like some kooky david lynch movie? i don’t get it.

regardless, get ready to hear this song ad nauseam. it doesn’t measure up to “since u been gone,” but that’s to be expected. it’ll be pretty hard to top that one.

here’s a pleasant surprise. it’s young love’s new clip for “find a new way,” which can best be described as dead sexy. i must say he’s looking good without his shirt on, and i never thought he was attractive before this. the only thing ruining things here is that annoying brunette girl, who should not get more screen time than the dancing gorilla. but no matter! “find a new way” is the video of the week.

as for the song, it reminds me a little bit of dangerous muse, which is good. it’s safe to say this will be a dance hit, but i’d like to see it infiltrate the pop charts as well. fingers crossed.

[via popjustice]

timbaland, justin timberlake and nelly furtado have become somewhat of a powerhouse pop triumvirate, and their latest collaboration, “give it to me,” is pretty much as good as it gets. at the moment the single sits at no. 1 in the u.s., u.k. and pretty much everywhere else in the world, so how could i not feature it here?

the video clip isn’t the most inventive or well done, but the visuals here take a back seat to the beats, not to mention the three artists who are currently at the top of their game. the stars have definitely aligned for the trio. it’ll be interesting to see how long it lasts.

as is often the case with the catchiest songs, the lyrics take a backseat to infectious melodies. kaiser chiefs’ “ruby” falls into this category. so for hours after hearing it, i keep repeating, involuntarily, “ruby ruby ruby ruby…. do ya, do ya, do ya, do ya?” and that is all i can recall.

i absolutely love the song, and the under-construction miniature city in the video is just as fun. i wasn’t really a fan of kaiser chiefs before this (i wasn’t terribly taken with their first album), but i’m glad they’ve turned things around. it turns out they are actually as good as people said they were.

one woman is known for being bootylicious, the other for having hips that don’t lie. it makes perfect sense to put these two body-conscious ladies together for a serious superstar duet.

the fun part of beyonce and shakira’s new video, “beautiful liar,” is trying to figure out who’s who! i never really thought they looked alike before, but thanks to similar outfits and hairstyles (and a bit of rain and smoke), it takes a moment to tell in almost every shot. i know not everyone out there is a fan of either of these divas, but whether or not you like the song i think the effect is mesmerizing.