Lopez Blogs

The state of the record industry:
Well gee willickers, it's been a funny old week. Debenhams have started to put the Christmas displays up (!) Work is dull as dishwater as I count down the days until I'm able to leave. I've been working hard/hardly working on my second novel about a gay lad in school. Lots of new music leaked. Oh and Darren Hayes went off on one about the state of the music industry. Like Popjustice says, Darren has some good points and some not so good ones - what is music worth to you, he asks? Not a lot when you give away the whole product of your group We Are Smug legally for free! One thing I do note is that record companies and artists may not like it, but either willingly or unwillingly contribute to it. Singles are given to blogs for free. Albums are sent to bloggers (even those blogs that do nothing but post illegal content) for free. Mika's next single from his latest album was available for free on ArjanWrites and it's not even a single yet! Songs hit the radio months before the public can buy them - as an example, Leona Lewis' Happy hit the radio last week but isn't legally available in the UK until November!! I'm not a marketing expert but that seems a bit loopy to me - people will either listen to it non-stop on youtube or myspace, or illegally download it. That is bound to hurt ultimate sales. Yes, I appreciate new artists have to get a buzz out there, and promote themselves, but fostering a culture of "music is free" won't help them in the long run. Or at least I don't think so. I'm not clever enough to think of all the answers - but let me know your views in the comments ;)

THE BEST OF THE WEEK:

• Ah JLS. Beat Again was quite good, wasn't it? They made us love boy bands again! And they are gearing up for the release of their second single by appearing on (almost) the last of Jo Whiley's Live Lounge slots this week. They did a nice organic version of Beat Again (though would it kill them or Little Boots to have done a Michael Jackson sample and call it Beat (It) Again?!) The cover of The Fear (mixed with Halo - above) was as lovely an offering as you'll find from a boyband and your enjoyment of it will entirely depend on your tolerance for these things :) Their new single Everybody in Love is instantly what is both brilliant and dire about the state of boybands. It's not quite a ballad, not exactly a dancefloor stomper, but it is a sleekly produced, tightly harmonised tune that is quite pleasant and has an enormous singalong chorus. On the downside, it's quite generic and makes me wonder when a boyband will make it big through taking the risks that girl groups seem quite willing to take these days. (And did they absolutely have to have a westlife tribute as their album cover?)
• Madonna (on course for a top three debut with the single Celebration) has two other new tracks on her greatest hits collection, Celebration. The first is Revolver which I am liking quite a lot - love the lyrics "My love's a revolver, my sex is a killer, do you want to die happy?", a most pleasing hook. Yes indeedy it does sound slightly Britney at times or even Lady Cuckoo, but honestly - those artists are so steeped in Madonna's sound, that a comparison seems grossly unfair. It's So Cool is allegedly left over from American Life and has been reswizzled. I seem to be in the minority on twitter for liking it (ghastly title aside) although ademwithane hasn't left me hanging. Phew! Celebrate Madonna!
• I saw the movie version of Dorian Gray this week, starring my favourite History Boy, Ben Barnes. I would have to say that I thought it was rather good indeed. I love it when classic novels are still utterly timely in their message. Of course this means it has been universally slated, but that's never stopped me liking stuff before!
• Vampires are hot! Like Abba they tend to weave in and out of pop culture without ever going out of style, but often being more popular than they were, say 3 years ago. The current crop of vamps fall into skeezy but highly enjoyable low rent porn (True Blood - ace despite it's rather Lois and Clark cliffhanger this year!); Dawson's Creek: The Vampire Years (Vampire Diaries - somewhat cliched, but eminently watchable) and fun (not) in the sun (Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant). Of course the latest Twilight preview for New Moon nearly sent me to sleep. 2 hours of mopey Bella? Oh goodie!
• TV is back! Of course it never went away, but the "fall season" has launched in the US and while I am avoiding dross like 90210 and Melrose Place (this sentence will seem v hypocritical in a minute), I am all over Gossip Girl and the aforementioned Vampire Diaries. But best of all so far is the marvelous Glee - check out the gloriously inappropriate rendition of Salt n Pepa's Push It. Brilliant and subtle nuances from the cast. Love it.

Top 21 Songs of the Week:

21 ~ Benny Andersson Band, Story Of A Heart
20 ~ Preston, Dressed To Kill
19 ~ Backstreet Boys, Soldier Down
18 ~ Industry, Burn
17 ~ Little Boots, Remedy
16 ~ Nerina Pallot, Real Late Starter
15 ~ The Yeah You's, Getting Up With You
14 ~ Pet Shop Boys, All Over The World
13 ~ Mini Viva, I Left My Heart in Tokyo
12 ~ Shakira, She-Wolf (NE)
11 ~ Same Difference, Better Love Me
10 ~ Alexandra Burke, Bad Boys
09 ~ BWO, Love Comes Crashing Down
08 ~ Sugababes, Get Sexy
07 ~ Madonna, Celebration
06 ~ Alphabeat, The Spell
05 ~ Mariah Carey, I Want To Know What Love Is
04 ~ Whitney Houston, Million Dollar Bill (Vid)
03 ~ Mika, We Are Golden
02 ~ Leona Lewis, Happy
01 ~ Robbie Williams, Bodies (3 weeks)

Coming next week: The X Factor double bill (Good god!); Natalie Imbruglia, Sliimy and BSB album reviews; something Dolly Rockery and maybe something else!