Lopez Blogs

And ever since Busted and McFly made it big (which is probably why the fabbo V never really succeeded but thats another post), record company bosses have been searching for the girlie girl equivalent. Bangles lite if you will (sidebar your honour: i love Tear Off Your Own Head). At first I thought it would be the Faders with the peppy No Sleep Tonight, which indeed was featured on the 2nd most genius show currently on television (Veronica Mars) but then they released Jump which quite frankly was rubbish. Then Love Bites came along and even though they are from Coventry which is sadly where I work, they too were a little bit crap (read: alot). But now the faders are coming back with more peppy pop. Its not grounbreaking or original or even outstanding but their contribution to the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack, Better Off Dead, is like a cold bracing shower of poppy goodness. If they keep this up, they may even get to release their debut cd....

MP3: The Faders - Better Off Dead

Well of course I didn't literally discover music in 1996, as I was 22 at the time. Even though I was raised Mormon, we were allowed music ya know! No, 1996 was when i first worked at a summer camp in upstate New York and my blinkered view of the music scene was changed forever. Up until that point, I truly thought that all people listened to was what was in the charts and headed off to camp confident that everyone would be listening to Always Be My Baby by Mariah Carey....

Was I in for a rude awakening! Surrounded by american college kids, I received a first class education in alternative bands, singers who flew under the radar and those who were touring at the time. I spent an absolute fortune on cds by Jewel, No Doubt, Barenaked Ladies, Indigo Girls, Harvey Danger, Dave Matthews, Fastball, Semisonic and so on. Of course some of these have gone on to much greater things, but at that time, they were still pretty small.

Ever since then, while i will probably always love pop, i have had a penchant for searching out new music and bands that will delight my aural world. The one band that sticks out from that summer is a Canadian band called Moxy Fruvous that I saw at a harbour festival in Syracuse... Their music was catchy, somewhat extemporaneous, and driven by their vocals, keeping instrumentation to a minimum. The songs were so catchy that I was humming them all day and the crowds got bigger as the band played on. Afterwards they were nice enough to come down into the audience and chat, so I got to say hello and they got to tell me about why they didn't like the Queen being a figure head in Canada or something...

Below are three of my favourite songs of theirs. You will probably like them if you like Barenaked Ladies. They were always unlikely to set the charts alight, but they did what they loved and you gotta respect them for that. If you like them, I will hunt out a gorgeous ballad they did called Hold On from the album Thornhill which seems to be one of their last releases from 1999 :(

MP3: A Bunch Of Authors
MP3: King Of Spain
MP3: The Kids Song

If I'm feeling brave, I will post some pics from my summers in New York (96-99). I was so fashion challenged ;)

No blog yesterday zappin it to ya fans (hello Simon!), cos it was mothers day (she loved the Journey South album so god knows where i got my taste from!!) and post party day. The alcoholic smoothie party was just marvelous. It was a small select few, but we had a lot of fun. There were many experiments with fruit and booze that did not come out as well as we thought they would (strawberries, blueberries and vodka are a no no on the morning after tummy) and some that were just bloody aces (toffee schnapps, banana, crushed ice and cream is my new fave. Goodbye macho Kahlua and Cream, hello Banoffee Schnapps!)...

2004 was for whatever reason the year my musical tastes started to change. No longer was pop the dominant force - cheesy adult/college rock was taking over and I was loving it! In January 2004, I happened upon tracks by four very different groups whose debut albums would become my favourite albums of that year and who would provide me with some great live shows. All 4 are rumoured to be coming back this year so I thought I would revisit some of their rarer moments while I chomp at the bit for their albums to be released...


Keane's second album Under The Iron Sea will be out in June preceded by Atlantic in April and Is It Any Wonder (presumably not the Sophie Ellis Bextor song) late in May. I often sit at the piano and play Everybody's Changing and marvel at how good it sounds (not me - the song!) every single time. Since the album they have done a few covers on the radio - i already posted With Or Without You so here is a track from last years Children In Need...

MP3: Keane - What A Wonderful World


Maroon 5 are probably my most favourite band of the four and for some reason I find Adam levine rather lovely :) I think Songs About Jane is an amazing album and I love the absolutely filthy lyrics hidden in the seemingly innocent tracks. Clutching your pillow and writhing in your naked sweat? Whats not to love??! Now they have been busy since the album - tracks with rap artists, childrens films cover versions for kiddie albums and hooking up with legends (next up - a duet with Jimmy Buffet!!) Here are a couple of the better post SAJ offerings...

MP3: Maroon 5 - Pure Imagination
MP3: Maroon 5 with Sly & The Family Stone - Everyday People


Colour me tickled pink blazer with excitement when the rather marvelous J'ason D'Luv posted about the Killers new album on the brillo chartrigger site :) I always have to support people who, like me, were raised Mormon ;) My main man B-Flo knows how to cut an anthem as much as he knows how to fill gay indie discos everywhere (All These Things... and Somebody Told Me respectively). Have chosen a demo and a cover of a Smiths song they did for Live Lounge for your perusal here:

Mp3: The Killers - Under The Gun demo
MP3: The Killers - Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself?


Finally (wow this post is going on a bit!) the Scissters! God love their acid junky college flunky dirty ghetto bastard vibe. They are the most filthy/gorgeous band I know - i still can't stop humming Laura and both times i've seen the other Jakeypoos live (shears not gyllenhall) i've had a huge smile on my face for weeks. Below are a couple of tracks that didn't make it onto the brillo debut cd:

MP3: Scissor Sisters - Electrobix
MP3: Scissor Sisters - Step Aside For The Man

Random Notes!

Quote of the week from Julie Cooper Nicholls on the OC:
"Ew oysters! I never put anything that disgusting in my mouth unless there is something in for me" My thoughts exactly...

Check out the amazing XO's Middle Eight blog site. Not only is it hilarious, but it will keep you informed of where all the good tuneage is on the blogs :) i love it!

I was all done blogging today but then my new Bodies Without Organ cd singles of Temple of Love arrived and now I am trying to upload a few tracks while running in and out of the living room in the commercial breaks of Footballers Wives. Viva the return of Tanya Turner Laslett Turner Gates Frederico :)

There was a lot of discussion on the blogs i look at as to how good the new BWO track actually is ~ I have to say i actually loved it first time i heard it and am pleased to report that the remixes are equally as brilliant. Spread over 2 cds - pop and club - there is bound to be something for everyone. Below are a few of my initial faves. Let me know what you think :)

MP3: Temple of Love - organs without bodies mix
MP3: Temple of Love - brasco 80s mix
MP3: Temple of Love - soundfactory radio edit

Click here to bid on the cd singles at my ebay auction :)

I kinda discovered the joys of Erasure and the Pet Shop Boys at the same time in 1986. God I'm old :( Its a testament to their consistently brilliant tunes that they still have careers to this day and that I'm willing to follow those careers. Both are due to make a return in the next month or so. Erasure are coming back with an album full of acoustic versions of some of their songs. Which might sound lazy but is actually an incredibly brilliant idea. Anyone who has heard the gorgeous acoustic version of last years return to form Breathe will know that one of Erasure's strengths is making incredibly heartbreaking slow songs. Boy is the lead off single from said cd and I can't wait to hear the album Union St and hope that Andy Bell is keeping well...

MP3: Boy (Acoustic)
MP3: Breathe (Acoustic)

The Pet Shop Boys however - i believe that their strength lies in their brilliant euro thumping disconess. Which if that isn't a word, it jolly well should be. Rapidshare won't let me post their marvelous new single I'm With Stupid and thats ok cos you should all go out and buy it anyway :) Needless to say, its all rather magnificent and combined with new Bodies Without Organs music, I may well just expostulate with glee.

In the south end of England, there is a lovely little coastal town called Brighton. Its kinda like San Francisco, but different. So not that like it then! My mom went to university there and met my dad there, and first saw a man kissing another man there, so she was all prepared for me years later :) And now lovely music comes from there too. The Pipettes sound like Belle & Sebastian if they travelled back in time somehow to gatecrash a 1960s Phil Spector girl group session. They've found a nice following to MySpace, a deal with Memphis Industries and a cracking and completely lovely new single called Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me Amazingly and rather wonderfully, they have a backing band called The Cassettes. Brillo!

There's nothing like reading a blog that is cutting edge and up to date with its music recommendations. And this is nothing like that blog ;) But then again, Hilary Duff is hardly cutting edge and up to date, is she? And for some inexplicable reason she has just released her single Fly here - which barely flew into the British charts at number twenty. Snarf! And you know why? Hilary Duff chooses the worst singles from her albums this side of Liberty X.

I like the Duff. Sort of. Its not like i can't get enough of that wonderful Duff but she is named after a British slang expression for being pregnant, so you gotta like her a bit for that :) Her single choices are horrific though. Oh sure we all tolerated the chirpyness of Why Not and So Yesterday, but then she started releasing dross like Come Clean, Fly and Wake Up. If you search deep into her albums there are much choicer and chirpier pop gems which I think would have been much bigger hits for her. We already have Kelly, Avril, Lindsay et al sounding dead miserable about their lives. When she wants to, Hilary puts a bit of kick back into pop and actually manages to sound like she is enjoying herself. The Math and Haters are two prime examples of this and are presented here for your listening, erm, "pleasure"! Now don't get me started on having a greatest hits collection after two albums...

MP3: Haters
MP3: The Math

I first came across Nerina Pallot about 4 years ago when I saw an advert for an album in the then brilliant Heat magazine called Dear Frustrated Superstar... i was instantly enamoured with the title and chose to purchase the album based on that alone. Cut to me absolutely loving it and spending the last four years wondering why Nerina isn't a huge star in the Uk. Seriously - no clue! However with the advent of singers like KT Tunstall dominating the charts, it appears that there may be a niche for Nerina after all.

Her sophomore set Fires came out in August 2005, but is being rereleased with a bigger marketing push. On both albums she displays a powerful voice and her songs are beautifully crafted, sometimes reminding me of Tori Amos' more commercial material. I've put one track from each album up here for you to listen to - if Tori Amos and Alexis Strum had a love child, Nerina would be the result.

MP3: Jump (from Dear Frustrated Superstar)
MP3: Everybodys Going To War (lead off single from Fires)

I've got a lot I want to post about today, so I better get a move on! First of all, yesterday this site got over 100 hits - a new record!! I am super pleased that people are coming back to this page and any suggestions on how to improve it will be gratefully received...



Darren and I decided to go out last night - we live really close to all the gay bars in Birmingham so get to walk to them in the freezing cold which does nothing for your hair or your street cred (although true confession: I am about as street as the love child of David Sneddon and James Blunt :( ). WE decided to try a bar we hadn't been to before called The Village, which seems to attract, how do i put this politely, a slightly more mature crowd. As I am no longer in the flush of (electric) youth, I was quite happy to be the stud of the bar (after Darren of course. RRR) but did feel a bit uncomfortable when all the older men started undressing me with their eyeballs. And when did it become ok to squeeze past someone by rubbing their groin across your bottom followed by a lingering stroke of said posterior with their chubby finger??? Good Lord!! This ain't Bathhouse Bette you know!

So we decided to move onto Glamourous and had a boogie to the disco stylings of the DJ there and once again my bottom was fairly safe... which leads me to post a couple of mp3s. Not about having a safe bottom, but i love going to the bars and hearing random mash ups of songs which you would never really dream of putting together :) It fair makes my feet want to boogie...

mp3: Death Cab vs Madonna ~ Hung Up On Soul
mp3: Chic vs Franz Ferdinand ~ Freak Me Out

PITNB continues to crack me up more than daily with its oh too snarky pink lettering across pics of our fave stars - even if my main man trent is dissing the lovely Deb ;) But oh well ~ just click here to see a clip of the Jordan Knight/Deborah Gibson duet due out in May. Deb is far too cute - i love the piano, Jordan seems to be struggling a bit with the song though... i can't wait to hear it in full...

First of all it was absolutely freezing out last night, and for the sake of fashion and not queueing up at the coat check thingy I chose to wear something fairly summery which i forever regret because it is now 24 hours later and my nipples still haven't retracted. Plus I had to ask some random stranger if my ears were still there as I could no longer feel them :(

Then we had to wait in a long queue outside to pick up our tickets (i think this was when the majority of my nipple damage was caused!) When we finally got to the front of the line, some bloke barged past us and went to walk straight in until Beefy Bouncer Guy stopped him. He mumbled something in the bouncers ear, then turned to us and said "you think i would be able to get in my own concert" before running into the building! Shit the bed ~ it was only the bloody lead singer. I think his name is Dan. Aaah lifestyles of the rich and the famous!

Finally inside and it was the upstairs part of the venue which is quite small. We wandered around and were looking at the merchandise which consisted of two poxy tshirts - as we were the only people looking at the stand the guy asked if we were going to buy anything. I asked if he was on commission and we all had a good titter at that. Even though clearly its nowhere near anything remotely resembling humourous. But then he was replaced by some buxom wench who my friend Ruth reliably informs me had nice boobs. ooookaaaaay. But Christ on a bike! The bloke was only the drummer in the band (although i didn't realise this til he was on stage!) Aaah lifestyles of the rich and the famous! Part two.

Now the feeling may tell you that they are the return of soft rock but let me tell you, that band is full of hard rocking amigos! There certainly are similarities to maroon five which is ok by me as la cinque are one of my fave new bands of the past couple of years. But from beginning to end, The Feeling owned the stage and the crowd and every song played felt like an old favourite as was instantly catchy. I am now kvelling that I will see them at V festival and would go and see them in Wolverhampton in June but I will be on my homomoon... I have a feeling (ba dom tssk) that Fill My Little World will be released again next, but if Never Be Lonely and Love It When You Call aren't singles in the future I may die :(

Setlist:

I want you now/helicopter/it could have been anyone/fill my little world/rosie/never be lonely/world is in your hands/sewn/love it when you call

MP3: Love It When You Call
MP3: Never Be Lonely

These mp3s are presented so you can sample this marvelous band. Please listen and then go and buy every release they have as they are new Fizzypop faves :)

Fresh from reading this post about the 'Babes taking over trash rag The Daily Mirror, I decided I had to catch the Sugafever and put this cover version of Hard-Fi's Living For The Weekend that the girls did in Jo Whiley's exceedingly brilliant Live Lounge this week... the girls sure have their indie freak flag flying high (what beautiful alliteration) as this comes mere weeks after they covered I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor...

Sugababes ~ Living For The Weekend (Hard-Fi cover)

So sadly I am not in New York City tonight to see the lovely Miss G in concert but i did think i would finish off my Pop Goes The Musicals series with a Deborah Gibson special. As well as releasing 8 studio albums, Deb has appeared in a great number of musicals including Les Mis, Beauty and The Beast, Grease, Cabaret, Chicago, Funny Girl, Cinderella, Company etc... She is also writing her own musical about a girl group in the 60s called Skirts. Although others around me may not feel the same way, I am always moved by her music and she remains my number one fave singer of all time...

In 2003, Deb released her latest studio album Coloured Lights which is "a blurring of the boundaries between pop music and broadway" Click here to purchase it ~ choicest cuts are a Sex&TheCity inspired Raise The Roof and a haunting I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love...

Hey Big Spender/Ain't Misbehaving/Let Me Entertain You (live medley)

You Are Woman I Am Man (live from Funny Girl)

Coat Of Many Colours (live from Joseph)

Love's Under A Pillow (live from future musical Skirts)

Remember when there wasn't any party like an S Club party? Aah those were the days my friend... we thought they would never end. But they did :( But not before S Club went to the musicals - and way before Jon Lee got all West End on our asses... Now I love the Lion King musical and saw it in London about 7 years ago... A few years back there was a Disney compilation cd where current pop acts recorded Disney tunes. S Club (although it is mainly Jon singing) did Can You Feel The Love Tonight and a quite lovely if straightforward interpretation it is too...

Bonus1! About 3 years ago I saw a vocal quartet singing Lion King songs outside the Lyceum theatre in London who were really really great. I recognised them instantly when they turned up on the X Factor, where of course they eventually came second. So I have included their version of Circle Of Life which I still love to this very day. I have such diverse (sometimes crappy) music tastes ;)

Bonus2! Jon toured with Faye Steps (reminder to all to check RSS & DSTP this weekend!) and Noel Hear'say in a musical called Love Shack. Gary Barlow wrote a track for that musical that Jon sang called Sometimes Always Never. I present it here for your listening pleasure...

S club - Can You Feel The Love (from the lion king)
G4 - Circle Of Life (from the lion king)
Jon Lee (S Club) _ Sometimes Always Never (from Love Shack)

Yesterday it was One Night In Bangkok from Chess, today its the never forgotten Steps doing I Know Him So Well from the same musical. I might have had an unhealthy obsessions with this band from about 1998-2002 so they were bound to end up on here sooner or later. This is from the Abbamania special they did, back when ITV mania shows were an original concept and not done to death. And PLEASE don't forget to check out Really Saying Something and Don't Stop The Pop this weekend for their Steps special. I am all aquiver with excitement :)

Steps ~ I Know Him So Well (from Chess)

BONUS: Steps ~ I Know Him So Well (remix)

I miss the A-teens. Yes yes we now have the marvelous new single from Maria Serneholt "That's The Way My Heart Goes" which is almost the same but not quite :( Oh well, this post is meant to be about how songs from the musicals keep invading pop groups repertoires and they fair gussy/disco them up to make them even more bop worthy than they should ever have any right to be. First up is One Night In Bangkok by A*teens from their New Arrival set a couple of years ago. I love the faux rapping, and the word Bangkok always makes me titter like a naughty schoolgirl. More to come over this week - if you know of any songs from musicals covered by popstars or even flopstars, let me know!!

A*Teens ~ One Night In Bangkok

So tonight was the night I got to see Mr A-Z play live at the Birmingham Bar Academy. I was pretty upset that I didn't get to see him play at Borders earlier in the day, as I heard it was amazing. Apparently there were about 30 people there and he did an 8 song acoustic set and then chatted with the people there. Curse my stupid equality and diversity training course at work! Still, i togged up in my best geek in the pink outfit and dragged my friend Ruthie up to the academy to get a good view...

And get a good view we did - I was able to get some really good pics as you can see... The support act was some Journey South wannabes, and I was bursting with anticipation by the time Jason came on... He just kinda meandered on stage with just a guitar and some guy playing a little bongo drum thingy. And he was utterly charming and mesmerising from the start...

He started off with Plane and then did a really great version of I'd Do Anything mixed with One Love - his song from the Gap Cd promotion he did last year... He went through most of his hits as you can see from the set list below. What doesn't come across all the time on his discs is how amazingly powerful his voice is and what great control he has over it. Halfway through You and I Both he turned into a gorgeous acoustic ballad before building it back up to a more upbeat singalong song... and during the remedy he sang it in many different styles including that of a 4 year old and that of an opera singer, which - though hilarious - was actually really good.

I was excited that he sang I'm Yours as the final song before the encore and stretched it out as long as he could. Its one of my favourite songs of his :) He came back on and apologised saying he had been told he had run out of time (stupid noise laws!) before launching into my all time fave Mraz number Life Is Wonderful. What a perfect way to finish the show - although it was clear he had intended to play Wordplay and Geek In The Pink as the final tracks but sadly wasn't allowed. Still an amazing show and I am really tempted to go and see him in Wolverhampton in May...

Setlist:

Plane/Anything>One Love/"I really had it made"/Please Don't Tell Her/ Curbside Prophet/You and I Both/Sleeping to Dream/"Ain't It Nice"/The Remedy/O Lover/No Doubling Back/I'm Yours

Encore: Life Is Wonderful

I got such positive feedback from my first lot of Live Lounge posts that I decided to raid my archives and do my biggest post yet...plus its an excuse to post a pic of the lovely Adam from Maroon 5. Sigh... Just click on the song titles to download :)

Maroon 5 - Don't Look Back In Anger (Oasis cover)

The Ordinary Boys - All The Things You Said (Tatu cover)

McFly - I Predict A Riot (Killers cover ~ I love those McFly scamps!)

KT Tunstall - Get Your Freak On (missy elliot cover)

Starsailor - Push The Button (sugababes cover)

Sugababes v3.0 - I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor (Arctic Monkeys cover)

Scissor Sisters - Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand cover)

The Zutons - Take Your Mama Out (Scissor Sisters cover)

Yes yes, I know that The Click Five are the American McFly so by powers of deduction the British Click Five must be McFly? Well you would think so but not today my friend ~ that would be The Bishops :) Comprehending The Bishops origins is nigh on impossible. I thought all new London bands were meant to be Libertines worshipping scallywags in ripped Levis and grubby tees? Not anymore apparently. Unashamedly influenced by all things Merseybeat, The Bishops proudly sport matching bowl cuts, black suits, pencil ties and monochrome instruments. Single Menace About Town has that 1960's pop innocence and great two part harmonies. Timeless melodies from the golden era of pop – who says they don't make them like they used to?? Click here to see for yourself!

Ah, we all loved S Club didn't we? We all reached for the stars, we were all sad when Paul put on weight and Jon became "the sexy one" by default, we all tittered over the spliffgate "scandal" and we all sniffed when they split up, but not before they did that dodgy gangsta rap cut on the Seeing Double travesty. Well pop fans, many years before S Club7/6/Juniors/8, were The Party who were a pop group with their own tv show on the Mickey Mouse Club which later went on to spawn Christina, Britney, Justin et al... They specialised in chirpy inoffensive pop and captivated the hearts of well thousands of americans and about 3 people in Europe. But judge not, cos I quite liked them actually cos their songs stuck in your head for days and one of them was semi fit back in 1991 :) Here for you listening pleasure is their biggest hit I Found Love. Click here to download it ;)

BONUS! Deborah Gibson wrote a song for The Party's debut album called Ton Of Bricks. This year she released her demo of the recording and how she wanted it to sound. Download both and see which you prefer...

The Party - TOB
Deborah - TOB

Click here to be taken to the British website for Wicked: The Musical - The Untold Story of The Witches Of Oz. I am UBER-Excited about this show finally coming to England! I am so on the phone at 9am this Sunday...

(note: I also got row 3 seats for Dirty Dancing The Musical in London this October... how gay am I??)