Pages tagged “janelle monae”

1. She & Him - Vol. 1 (Merge)

Did CMJ hit you as hard as it hit us? Did the constant barrage of free schwag, buzz bands and draft beer push you over the edge? Are you suffering from a case of the dreaded CMJitis? If you're unsure, check out our handy symptom guide.

It's no secret I'm obsessed with Janelle Monáe.  I don't think I've ever been this excited about an artist.  It's still early in her career (she's only released an EP), but virtually everyone who's seen her perform agrees she's will be a superstar.  Smart lyrics, impeccable image, ecclectic genre-bending music, mind-blowing live performances, thoughtful interviews.  She has it all.  Bloggers are quick to draw OutKast comparisons (especially since Big Boi discovered her), but her appeal is even broader.  If she maintains the quality she's displayed so far, she has 1980s-Michael-Jackson potential (in breadth of appeal if not in album sales -- we may never see those kind of numbers again with the changes in the industry).

On August 11, Atlanta hosted a combo of musicians who are not only reshaping the city's increasingly diverse music scene, but dismantling preconceptions of popular music as a whole. Gnarls Barkley returned home for a sold-out crowd at Variety Playhouse and, on the eve of her national debut on Bad Boy Records (a extended version of the Metropolis: Suite I she's been selling independently), Janelle Monae teed them up.

On this episode of the Culture Club, Paste brings you the best of what's next, with performances from The Low Anthem, Janelle Monáe, The Everybodyfields, Slow Runner, and The Spring Standards!

Since the advent of the DVR, sports are about the only thing I watch live on TV. So the Olympic Games have reintroduced me to the TV commercial, something I've managed to avoid outside of college football season and the occasional Braves game. And the quality of music has been a pleasant surprise (even a crappy beer like Bud Light—or Bud Light Lime—has the sense to use Santogold). Here are the best songs in commercials running during the Olympic Games:

Everyone's soon-to-be favorite tuxedo-sporting, Big-Boi-beloved cybergirl Janelle Monáe is finally gearing up to release the next installment of her multi-suite Metropolis project.  The upcoming Paste cover gal will release Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition) Aug. 12, the follow-up to last year's, Metropolis: Suite I of IV.