Lopez Blogs

Well it's not exactly all brit-pop but cut me some slack. I just got back from holiday, I have 247 unread work emails that aren't junk to plow through and i'm a bit testy :) On the plus side Poppostergirl is back so all is well in the world...

McFly - Lies: Wisely, their second (though Radioactive includes Heart Never Lies, so is this the third) single from their fourth album isn't on the free version ergo they are almost guaranteed a week in the top five with it. Bonza. Let's just address the video - it's a little bit epic. The fingersome foursome have always had a flair for the dramatic, so paying homage to Waterworld, Mad Max and The Fifth Element is only to be expected on such a dark yet funky track. The song has everything AND the kitchen sink included in it - a driving beat, horns, some honkytonk piano, the sing your socks off chorus and the fuck you lyrics. It's the horns that give it a real down and dirty sleazy feel that make this one of their more ominous entries but still keep the pop sensibilities driving. I know not everyone is feeling radioactive as much as, say, Motion In The Ocean (and that's ok!), but i think it works well as a cohesive set and this is a sound addition to that. Last Song is still the highlight though :P

• Kaiser Chiefs - Never Miss A Beat: Ah the Kaisers. They were much maligned when they came out with all their "whooooo" songs (such as Oh My God and I Predict A Riot) then were maligned when they didn't have those types of songs on their second album (even though Ruby and Everything is Average were total bonza). So they have teamed up with (weary sigh) Mark Ronson for much of their third album including this schizophrenic first single about the apathy of youth. It starts off as a call and response song that is blurred by a fuzzy guitar and a punky keyboard led chorus that is as singalong as anything that have aspired to in the past. Yet, it's not one of their more immediate tunes and some of the lyrics are darn annoying "what do you want for tea/I want crisps"? Please. Still, i do have a huge soft spot for the artists formerly known as Parka so this everything is slightly above average effort will probably grow on me over the next few weeks.


• Travis - Something, Anything: After the gloriously eclectic and challenging return of J.Smith, Fran and co continue with their beefed up zipping-up-my-boots-going-back-to-my-roots sound on this pulsating powerful melodic entry into their canon. It's all in your face guitar solos and a more aggressive musical sound after the gentle, drifting Boy With No Name. It's hard to say it's a return to form, because they haven't been this beefy since the debut album, but it's certainly a corking rock tune that makes me want the album in my hands now now now!


• Keane - Lovers are Losing: There is something ace about Travis and Keane both releasing "low key" first singles before an all out assault. It's like they are knocking on the door of pop tentatively with renewed confidence and brilliance, and then kicking it right in. There is a definite air of Stuart Price on this tune - it's the bastard child of David Bowie Heroes and The Killers Smile Like You Mean It, with some U2 spunk rubbed on the gums for good measure. Tom has his groove back and it sounds like he is loving it. This. Is. Going. To. Be. Huge. And rightly so...

RETRO REMIND: Does anyone remember OMD and Walking On The Milky Way? I haven't heard that song for years and years before it popped on the radio in Austria (did i mention i had been to austria?!) I remember being obsessed with it when it first came out and wondering what I would feel like listening to it when I was in a position to reflect on being 17 and 21. Heartbreaking! I nearly cried into my schnitzel...

Back late tomorrow with a "here comes the girls" post featuring the new Annie album, Isabel Guzman and Lady BlahBlah...