Aural Fixation: 10/21 (Music You Need To Know)

Girl powa, Darlings.

This week I’ve got a lot of big-name debuts from powerful female forces in the music industry, and I’m all for celebrating that. New music from Katy Perry is just around the corner (be sure to check out my review of “Prism” here on the site this Wednesday) and Lady Gaga’s “ARTPOP” is building major buzz.

Enjoy this mix of mighty-women-hear-them-roar, doing what they do best (with, hey, a few rad dudes in the potpourri for variety). Next week, we’ll be featuring our favorite theme-appropriate Halloween tunes—be sure to drop us a line at @LitDarling on Twitter if you have any suggestions!

 

— @Litzwich

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Lady Gaga feat. R. Kelly (!): “Do What U Want”

A very exciting look at Gaga’s forthcoming Nov. 11 effort “ARTPOP” was officially released today at midnight in the form of “Do What U Want,” a thrilling throwback track with all the right glitter and glam. Curiously, R. Kelly’s presence isn’t all that impressive—the track feels a bit like a demo in the second verse without Gaga’s dazzling charm and voice (which, for the record, is sounding better than ever). It’s definitely prime promo material: bring on the goods, Ga!

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To listen to this week’s full playlist, click here or press play at the bottom of the page.

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Movement: “Us”

Movement’s “Us” is biting, dark, and hard not to put on repeat; I love everything about the slinky, serpentine bass and the quirky dance-pop synths thrown in a blender with such a cool vibe in the ’90s-era vocal—it reminds me a bit of Sam Sparro, in a great way. This is one of those finds I love stumbling across on shuffle; it’s insular enough to get lost in. Cheers!

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To listen to this week’s full playlist, click here or press play at the bottom of the page.

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Céline Dion: “Somebody Loves Somebody”

In case you missed it, Céline is back and making a new album, ‘Loved Me Back To Life,’ due out November 1. “Somebody Loves Somebody” is the second full-length look at the record after the title track. It’s very theatrical, but also quite modern in a lot of ways—you definitely know you’re listening to Céline, but not Céline in 1998. I think the new sound she’s trying on is a brilliant compromise, because let’s face it: When you’re Céline, you don’t need to change for anybody.

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To listen to this week’s full playlist, click here or press play at the bottom of the page.

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Katy Perry: “It Takes Two”

If you’re anything like me, then your first reaction to “It Takes Two” might be something along the lines of, “WHAT KIND OF WONDROUS WILSON PHILLIPS WITCHRAFT IS THIS?!”

Seriously: Katy Perry’s “Prism” absolutely shines, and I’ll have a review of it up later this week after its official release tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy “It Takes Two”—one of my favorite pop tracks of 2013, hands down.

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To listen to this week’s full playlist, click here or press play at the bottom of the page.

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Keith Urban feat. Miranda Lambert: “We Were Us”

I make no secret of the fact that I’m a sucker for a country duet, and man, is this one killer. Two country radio powerhouses with a pop-savvy sense of hooks and harmonies collide on “We Were Us,” which is so quintessentially country radio that it’s hard not to love it and embrace it for being exactly what it is. It plucks all the right steel heartstrings—a home run for Urban and Lambert.

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Taylor Swift: “Sweeter Than Fiction”

Also released first thing today at midnight, “Sweeter Than Fiction” is a brand spankin’ new Taylor Swift track recorded for British film ‘One Chance’ (out in the U.K. on October 25). It’s classic eyes-wide-and-in-love Taylor Swift, but the production is such a pleasant evolution coming off some of the glamorously polished numbers (“22,” “I Knew You Were Trouble.,” “Starlight”) on “Red.” It’s sensationally catchy and spectacularly good—nobody’s got a sweet tooth quite like Taylor.

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Aural Fixation runs new music every Monday afternoon, right here on Literally, Darling. 

Tweet and follow me on Twitter @Litzwich to give your feedback, comment on the column, or just to share your favorite Britney .gif.

I’d love to hear what you’re listening to.