Lopez Blogs

Fantastic news have come from Nyheter24 - BWO vocalist Martin Rolinski is going to start solo-career this Autumn!
Though rumours were rolling around since 2009 only last Spring BWO has officially announced that band is breaking up and members are going their own roads. Alexander Bard has started new project Gravitonas, Marina Schiptjenko has come back to old band Page and Martin Rolinski intended to take care about his family and new-born child Isabella.
Now it's time to get back to work, Martin has found necessary persons to work with participating himself in all stages of creating new stuff, prepares to launch and gets ready to launch his project already this Autumn. He describes his new music as deeper, darker and tougher electro-pop but doesn't have any plans for album as he considers releasing songs in EPs - in bunchs by 4-5 more perspective. Around 30 songs already wait to break the silence so hopefully soon we'll be able to get a first taste of this exciting project.

Melodifestivalens välkomstfest ska givetvis innehålla en tjusig buffé. Malmö har ju varit värdar för festivalen ett flertal gånger så man har rutin på detta.
A Melodifestivalen welcome party must include a delicious buffet. Malmö has been hosting the contest several times and knows have to satisfy the guests.


Bland vimlet passade jag på att intervju en av festivalens ’creddigaste’ deltagare, Nicke Borg från Backyard Babies. För fem år sedan var det ingen, inklusive Nicke själv, som trodde att denna tatuerade hårdrocksälskare skulle ställa upp i Melodifestivalen. Men han träffade sin stora kärlek Jojo och nu skriver de låtar ihop. Nicke har mognat och just nu är det solokarriären som är i fokus. En av hans favoriter från Eurovision är självklart Lordi.

Among the guests I met one of the contestants with the highest credibility, Nicke Borg from Backyard Babies. Five years ago nobody, including himself, expected this heavy-rock-lover to participated I Melodifestivalen. Then he met his big love Jojo and now the write music together. Nicke has become matured and for the moment focusing on his solo career. One of his Eurovision favorites is Lordi.
Thomas Deutgen, från P4 Dans och Dansbandskampen, var på sitt bästa humör. Fattas bara eftersom hans stora idoler, Lasse Stefanz tävlar i morgon med en klassisk dansdandsdänga. Man har t.o.m. bytt från engelsk till svensk text och låten heter nu ”En blick och nånting händer” istället för ”I Surrender”.
Thomas Deutgen, host of ‘P4 Dans’ and ‘Dansbandskampen’, was in a very good mood. One of his big idols, Lasse Stefanz, is competing tomorrow with a classic ‘dansband’ tune. To make it even more Swedish and traditional, the lyrics have been changed from English into Swedish.
En av låtskrivarna till Lasse Stefanz är Alexander Bard, som själv medverkat på scenen fyra gånger med BWO. Dessutom har han skrivit otaliga låtar till Melodifestivalen genom åren och det finns ingen genre han är främmande för berättade han för mig och såg riktigt glad ut.
Alexander Bard is one of the composers of Lasse Stefanz’ entry. He has participated on stage four times with BWO. In addition he is a frequent song writer for Melodifestivalen. He told me that there is no genre that he wouldn’t touch and looked really happy to be part of the dance band tradition this time.

Mirja från Poplight.se passade på att fira sin födelsedag i Rådhuset. En bra idé med tanke på utbudet av mat, vin och kändisar.
Mirja from Poplight.se celebrated her birthday in the City Hall. Good idea. No lack of food, beverages and celebrities.

Photos: Thanks to Göran Sagstuen and Andreas Nilsson for helping me!

7 months have passed since Emilia De Poret released her amazing last video "Now Or Never" (thanx to scandipop for tips about this amazing video) and though currently there's no sign of any promotion-activity of her music in Sweden her biggest hit "Pick Me Up" has recently entered Billboard dance chart in USA (together with Robyn's "Dancing On My Own", BWO's "Right Here Right Now" and Stonebridge's "The Morning After"). Today Expressen premieres new Emilia's video for another single "This Ain't a Love Song" from her album "Pick Me Up". It's very stylish half-animated video that was shot in Tokyo with Japanese hip-hop star Verbal directed by Marcus Lundin who was also responsible for "Now Or Never".

There were at least 5 acts that I fell in love with in 2004 and followed slavishly ever since. I actually wrote about this obsession in one of my very early blog posts which you can unfortunately read here. I advise that you don't - I was yet to find my own voice, the writing is ghastly, but at least it was the start of a 4 year (so far) friendship with chartrigger and xolondon... Anyway, though I have written about this acts oodles since the last "joint" round up in 2006, here is the next chapter in what 2004 did next...

• Maroon 5: Sigh. Doesn't Adam look dreamy? The answer to that question is a a very obvious yes. M5 have been busy beavering away in Switzerland with the ex Mr Shania Twain working hard on their upcoming third album, Hands All Over. There is lots of news on this album over at American Way, but the exciting news (for now - only to be superceded by the new single, which will have salivating from all orifices) is that lovely Adam does guest vocals on a track on Slash's new album. Entitled "Gotten", it is about as close as you are going to get to a maroon 5 ballad prior to the new album. It's very She Will be Loved with some lovely guitar work and a typically smooth and beautiful vocal from Adam. It's got a heavenly, instantly memorable chorus and some distinctive vocodered layered backing vocals, all done by Adam. And again, doesn't he look dreamy?!
• Scissor Sisters: Pop of the Justice recently did quite a long article on how amazing the new Scissters album sounds. This is probably very true indeed. I absolutely adored their second album (I was re-watching some Doctor Who the other day when I Can't Decide popped up and I've had a mini re-obsession with Ta-Dah ever since. It's honkytonkpianotastic!) and am eagerly anticipating the third. Frankly, while Do The Strand was a nice diversion, it's no substitute for a whole album of astonishing new singalong tunes is it? Hurry up and release something please or at least bloody announce it. In other essential Scisster news, Jake tweeted Adam Lambert saying they should meet up for a drink in NYC. Indeed.
• BWO: There really isn't any new BWO news as of late, though if you haven't listened to stunningness like Chariots of Fire or Right Here Right Now in recent minutes you are possibly doing yourself a huge disservice. There is some news about Gravitonas however which is the new group that Alexander Bard is putting together. The news essentially is that Gravitonas exists, Scandipop has heard their first single and it's a little bit country and a little bit rock n roll (that's not strictly true, click the link for an accurate representation), they have twitter and the single is called Kites and has a whopping 77 minutes of remixes available. Lord luv a duck. I strangely can't wait :)
• Keane: I've been a bit up and down with Keane. Loved the first album, not a huge fan of the second and still a tiny bit ambivalent about the third, though overall it was very good. But I keep coming back for more. They had a song out earlier in the year called Burning Black Heart (from the Perfect Symmetry album) as part of Oxfam's Haiti effort and which they sing in French here. As I am currently obsessed with French pop, this is very good news as it is not only a pleasantly chugging uptempo pop song but sounds tres bon sung en francais. There is also a nice spoken bit in the middle which makes me go a bit weak at the knees. More recently a track from their upcoming EP has surfaced called Stop For A Minute. Vinny Vero has done a rather good post about it all which is basically what I wanted to say about it all, so why not just pop over there and "stop for a minute" to read it! See what I did there? Literally gobsmacking my writing is I tells ya. It's quite a nice little pop song and a perfectly pleasant (if not outstanding) re-introduction to the band. The EP should be quite interesting...

More this week in the shape of Scotts, Matt Dusk and Erik Saade...

For Volume 3 - Part one click here. You know you want to...

• Dan Black ~ Gimme Into Cloudbusting: Possibly the most genius Madonna inspired cover/mash since Irish group Fifth Avenue blended a song about Infidelity over the Papa Don't Preach melody. It's a rather wonderful lo-fi reading of the song, seemingly seamlessly fused together with Kate Bush's tune alluded to in the title. It kind of just hovers at the periphery of sheer amazingness without even realising how special it is. And that is what totally makes me get into the groove about it. And all from a free mixtape! Aces!
• Blake Lewis ~ Love or Torture: Much like Jordin of the Sparks, Blake should have whizzed out three singles from his superior Heartbreak On Vinyl set at the end of last year (including the two he did, plus I Left My Baby For You). But he didn't and the title track of his album continues to win hearts through a more grass roots approach. That's ok - I still love it, but am paying more and more attention to this fiery electro-corker which sizzles from the very start. Please don't stop indeed. Blake knows how to use his 80s influences to great effect and if the world were paying attention this would be huge. True story!
• BWO ~ Rise To The Occassion (above): Ok, yes this was actually the third single from last year's Big Science, but I ignored that little fact back then and chose Love Come Crashing Down instead. I stand by that choice. This still works as a final single from an album - and one that bids farewell to BWO for a tiny while as thingy is concentrating on his new band Gravitonas. It represents all that is good about BWO - their ability to just knock out a solid pop tune that is instantly memorable and singalong, even if they aren't quite as groundbreaking as they used to be. Always enjoyable though. Hurry back.
• Agnes ~ Secret Love: Little Agnes is taking the Annie route to pop stardom - releasing a number of versions of her album all with different tracks on (apparently there is one with an Erik Hassle duet on?) Anyway, this is probably a decent type follow up to Release Me although not quite as pecs on the dancefloor tastic as that little number. It's all explosive disco beats and nowhere at all in the vicinity of being close to a Doris Day cover. She don't half wail the chorus though...
• Whitney Houston ~ Nothing But Love: Ah Whitters. Gawd bless her for continuing to try and most the time at least landing in the vicinity of the area she needed to be. This is probably a very sensible and well thought out follow up to Million Dollar Bill as it's essentially the same song with different lyrics. Now if the Freemasons do a remix it will go down proper bonza and climb from it's number 12 peak - particularly if she comes and does a bonkers performance of it on current show du jour, Dancing On Ice. Can you imagine?
• Mariah Carey ~ Up Out Of My Face: Ah Mazza. Gawd bless her for continuing to try and ... well you've heard this song before. And the Mariah one - she's not come out with her remixed Angel with anything new. At least it's familiar and inviting, if not her best work (that remains songs like Make It Happen, Always Be My Baby and All I Want For Christmas) and the video is a typical Mariah hoot. I stopped caring as intensely a long while ago yet the feelings still linger (longer than she does)...
• Miley Cyrus ~ Time of our Lives: I do have a soft spot of old Miles. I like when she sings "and the gaga song was on" in live performances of Party and does crazy cat moves. When I Look At You was a much better choice of download at Christmas than Joe's The Climb because essentially it was an updated version of her own song, but better. And with the EP that keeps giving this is a typically goofy fun tune that I can't help but have warm fuzzies for!
• Lady Antebellum ~ Need You Now: Damn you pop music notes for making me fall and fall hard for this song. It's just lovely isn't it? I have to be in the right mood for country music, but this gets me everytime. It's plainative, emotive, reckless and relatable in every note. Gorgeous melody and quite heart tugging. I can see why it's such a huge hit stateside and would be quite foolish to bet against the same thing happening here very soon...
• Amy MacDonald ~ Don't Tell Me: I have finally forgiven Amy for being very rude to a friend of mine at her concert once. Perhaps she was having an off day. LIke me today :/ Anyway, much like the tune above, this is one of those great emotive relationship songs that will probably fit in with you at some point in your life - future or past. Ergo it's instantly relatable and she does have quite a distinctive accent that makes the song memorable and lovely at the same time...
• John Barrowman ~ The Doctor And I: I can always count on John to deliver at least 2 knock out tunes on his albums. The last one had the Gary Barlow composition and of course the more than brilliant duet with gorgeous Daniel Boys on I Know Him So Well. He's back with a rewriting of the Wicked! musical song The Wizard and I. Reimagined here as almost a love song between Jack Harkness (Torchwood) and Doctor Who, it cleverly works in references from the DW universe ("do you think the doctor is dumb? Or like Oods so small minded?"). Of course the genius of the Wicked! version is that the lyrics pointed towards forthcoming events we all knew would come to pass ("I'd be so happy I could melt"/"there'll be a celebration all through Oz all because of me") that don't quite work as well here. And it gets a bit weird in the middle eight when the Doctor offers to, er, defabricate him! Oo-er. Overall though, it's quite engaging and very nearly amazing. (Ps - his duet with Jodie Prenger on the Enchanted song So Close is lovely too)...
• Robbie Williams ~ Morning Sun (below): Bit of a grower rather than a show-er; allegedly written about Michael Jackson, this third single is also the sports relief charity single (actual video here). Whatever happened to original one off songs for things like that? Anyway, it's very grand and lush and splendid, because, well, it's Robbie but really something like Starstruck or Difficult For Weirdos would have been more adventurous. Oh well. There's always single 4...

New artist special coming soon!

There was quite a lot of good pop music in the decade that launched the new millenium. But it didn't half evolve over the ten years - at the start of the new century it was steps-esque pop that reigned supreme and now it's a more red-one Lady Cuckoo type vibe that takes over the charts (although frankly Joe's The Climb could have been out in 2000 and not sounded any different)... So here are some of my favourite pop stars born in the 2000s (ie, didn't have any music out before January 1st 2000 - few exceptions to that non-rule though!) in alphabetical order...

A*Teens: Now I'm pretty sure that the A*Teens were going before 2000, but I almost always ignore their first album of Abba covers and delve straight into the original material (littered with more covers) that they recorded. As Steps and S Club were dying off, A*Teens were the best place to go for some pounding, in your face, melodic, singalong, brilliant swedish pop music.
Best tracks: Halfway Round The World; Hi and Goodbye; One Night In Bangkok; Perfect Match

Lily Allen: Who would have thought that an actor's gobby daughter would make such delightful pop? Her debut album was a spunky treat, and her follow up album showed that she had the makings of a fine popstar once her tunes had been given a glossy production. Always outspoken yet strangely charming, I'm hoping she doesn't give up on pop and makes at least one more album...
Best tracks: LDN; Alfie; The Fear; Fuck You

BWO: To me (even though really they were nothing alike), BWO were the mature version of Steps (though I can see Steps banging out a corking version of Chariots of Fire). Their uptempo pop was just insanely euphoric, while the ballads were lush and sincere (and could easily have been shopped around to Mariah, Leona and the ilk). Visually creative as well, this is one pop group that was perhaps too quirky for worldwide domination. Yes it can be a bit samey, but when the bar is set this high, who cares?
Best tracks: 16 Tonnes of Hardware; Chariots of Fire; Bells of Freedom; Destiny of Love

Simon Curtis: Ah the young Mr Curtis isn't even fully formed yet as a pop star yet is still leaps and bounds ahead of many of his contemporaries. I addressed Alter Boy on new years eve, so won't go into that again. His turn in Spectacular was both cute and witty, and showed that he had a pure pop voice under all his love of electronica pop. And this is something that has merged best on the AMAZING 2010 anthem Diablo. I suspect 8 Bit Heart will be just incredible.
Best tracks: Put Your Make Up On; Broken; Pop Messiah; On The Wings of A Dream; Diablo

The Feeling: Bringing together Wilson Phillips esque harmonies (only from dudes, and two of them quite attractive :P), mixing that with a love of 70s pop and rock, focusing on huge melodies and an organic band sound, The Feeling couldn't fail to be amazing. Their debut album was completely massive and although not as big commercially, I thought the second album showcased not only what fine songsmiths the lads were, but that they had a huge knowledge of how to create brilliant pop music. Can't wait for album number three in 2010. Oh and their live shows are just so energetic and fun!
Best tracks: Fill My Little World; Love It When You Call; Without You; Join With Us

Girls Aloud: It seems incredible now that such an exciting, ground breaking and revolutionary pop act would come out of the popstars format (or considering Joe, any of it's ilk)! But yes, One True Voice were just that! I kid i kid! Girls Aloud were a breath of fresh air and really shooed away the last of the turn of the century pop for a brand new era. Finding the perfect partners in xenomania, they weren't afraid to take chances and just throw in completely off kilter out there pop that shouldn't work but did (Biology - one of my top ten songs of the decade). And long may they reign - or at least til Greatest Hits volume two...
Best tracks: Sound of The Underground; Biology; The Promise; Sexy No No No; Loving Kind

The Killers: Well they certainly have been busy since they stormed the scene with the blistering Somebody Told Me back in 2004 haven't they? 3 albums, a b-sides collection; a live album + dvd and numerous Christmas songs and soundtrack donations! And while some say that they haven't matched the giddy heights of Hot Fuss, I disagree. I think their evolution has been quite fun to watch. They haven't rested on their laurels and each album features some great tunes. Plus Brandon was wearing "creative" fashion choices (remember the shocking pink blazer?) way before Lady Cuckoo took her performance art pop. And All These Things... is another of my top ten songs of the decade...
Best tracks: Somebody Told Me; All These Things; Human; Great Big Sled; When We Were Young

Kylie 3.0: well there was S/A/W Kylie, then 90s Kylie and now Kylie that ruled the decade with a mixture of sleek dance pop and fluffy disco tunes. As I've mentioned before, everyone always has an opinion on what should and shouldn't be on a kylie album (partially because most of the stuff that doesn't make it is leaked) but that's just because people love her. She's the Madonna who would hug you rather than slice you with her arm muscles! 4 albums plus change, some great live shows and a dignified and mercifully successful battle against cancer make this a lady to be reckoned with. And she'll be back for more soon.
Best tracks: Your Disco Needs You; Can't Get You Out Of My Head; I Believe In You; The One; Red Blooded Woman; White Diamond

Maroon 5: It wasn't just the allure of the fine fine Adam Levine that kept me drawn to this group; oh no - it was their ability to make great pop tunes by sourcing inspiration from funk, pop, rock and r'n'b and yet making it seem like it was all their idea!! They may only be two albums old, but they were stellar albums, ones I still play quite often and a whole host of other tracks have been released in the mean time. The third album is out early 2010, and I really couldn't be any more excited.
Best tracks: This Love; Harder To Breathe; Makes Me Wonder; Wake Up Call; Pure Imagination

McFly: Although their punky boy pop with guitars (and drums. Harry. Rar.) was the temporary nail in the coffin (til JLS clawed their way out) for traditional sounding boy bands, McFly soon proved they were way way more than a Busted clone by producing some of the greatest pop this decade. Had they been an indie band, they would have had far more favourable press than they did and it's a tragedy that they are so underrated as performers and writers. Motion in the Ocean remains their finest achievement, but don't write them off just yet. Talent like this always resurfaces with something brilliant...
Best tracks: All About You; Ballad of Paul K; Sorry's Not Good Enough; Transylvania; Last Song

Nerina Pallot: Why on earth she has to restart her career with each album is beyond me. Here is a great singer, brilliant lyricist, wry observer of life and creator of some amazing pop tunes, complex balladry and inventive songs; yet she isn't quite the megastar she should be. She's really quite charming and witty in person too as her embracing of video blogs has proved - and I love how she reinvents her songs in different genres for her fans too. Make sure you don't skip her aces debut record, it's got some wonderful tunes on there...
Best tracks: Jump; Watch Out Billie; Geek Love; Sophia; When Did I Become Such A Bitch

Same Difference: The only one album act on here, and perhaps (rivalling Shayne) my biggest obsession to come from the X Factor. There was something about Sarah and Sean that made it ok to love pop whatever the format, and though their debut album Pop was somewhat steered by Simon Cowell, they had some really great original tunes on there that hinted at a longer career than We R One might indicate. Their new image, new record label and some brilliant new music should serve them well in Europe and Asia in 2010 as long as they don't forget to come back to England soon!
Best tracks: Better Love Me; All Roads Lead To Heaven; Turn It Into Love (PWL Mix)

Scissor Sisters: My god, they were brilliant when they came out with their first album. It just seemed to knock socks off everything else pop at the time and was like an icy blast of water in the face - thoroughly invigorating. Another act that were visually creative long before giant pianos and bathtubs, they were seen to go a bit tame on their second album, though I absolutely loved it and could have easily milked it for six or seven singles. And again, another act returning in 2010. Hurrah. PS - their work with Kylie (particularly the ballad White Diamond) was examplary.
Best tracks: Laura; Filthy/Gorgeous; I Don't Feel Like Dancing; I Can't Decide; Just Might Tell You Tonight

Take That 2.0: A documentary about the post take that years (and the massiveness of Robbie) relaunched the group in a wave of nostalgia. Soon the greatest hits album was a top seller and a tour sold out. However, had they not come back with some incredibly accomplised pop that, with The Feeling and Coldplay, puts them at the forefront of composition in the UK, it all could have ended there. Luckily two albums in and some amazing tunes that reflect the talents of all the band and Take That are arguably bigger now than they were in the 90s. And it's not easy to replicate - many reunions have taken place and failed since. Their live shows are a theatrical wonder to behold.
Best tracks: Shine; Rule The World; Greatest Day; The Garden; How Did It Come To This?

Shayne Ward: Poor Shayne. He won the X Factor the year after Steve Brookstein, potentially saving the show from becoming an embarrassing footnote in the history of reality music tv. He was by far the best hope for pop (at the time) that the show had produced and his weekly performances were far more contemporary and exciting than anything recent acts have done. Then Leona happened and being a star in England wasn't enough anymore and Shayne got shuffled to the sidelines. Still two albums of pop - the second being quite good indeed has endeared me to Shayne and news that he is recording in Sweden has me very pleased indeed.
Best tracks: That's My Goal (remains best XFactor winner's song to date); Over The Rainbow; If That's Ok With You; Melt The Snow; Damaged

William Young: Despite not being flavour of the month anymore, Will just plods along like a male Annie Lennox - churning out quality timeless pop that will stand the test of time. He's picked his collaborators perfectly and managed to produce some wonderful tunes. The fact that his Hits album (with minimal promotion) continues to be a perennial seller over the Christmas period is proof that people are just now remembering how very brilliant he can be. The disco album though - I'm still impatiently waiting.
Best tracks: Your Game; Leave Right Now; Switch It On; Hopes and Fears; Let It Go

The five that got away...

And here are five acts from the 00s that only and tragically had one album (or in some cases didn't even make it that far :/)

1. AllSTARS ~ they possibly just came to the scene a little too late to replicate the success of Steps, S Club and the like, but that doesn't mean their debut album didn't have lots of fun moments including the very fine Love Is. Plus Back When was an ace ballad that Cathy Dennis should have been proud of :P
2. Digital ~ they could have been Boys Aloud but it all fell apart :( They had some great pop tunes that were feisty, punchy, filled with electro-dance moments and more importantly memorable. Sadly it was not to be, but I still have a good singalong to Get Your Kit Off in the shower on an almost weekly basis :)
3. Mohair ~ quite simply a brilliant rock-pop act who had some killer tunes that came across like a rockier McFly on their splendid debut album Small Talk. End Of The Line was excellent bombastic pop and Stranded showed their softer, more melodic side but all the tunes were a riot to listen to and managed to capture their live energy in a studio setting. I miss them :(
4. Upper Room - it was really the first act that XO and I bonded over, so I'll always like them for that. However, they also had some quite brilliant melody driven indie pop on their album Other People's Problems. Black and White and All Over This Town could quite easily have been big top ten hits if Britain was paying attention. Sadly Britain was not. Dammit.
5. V ~ ah V. Five lads. Brilliantly camp in your face pop. And yet some more accomplished moments on the album too. Chills in the Evening (with McFly) really showcased their voices while Fools and Earth Wind And Fire showed their cooler xenomania side off. But Hip to Hip, Can You Feel It and Blood Sweat and Tears remain a fine trifecta of singles to make you dance, smile and sing.

Picking my favourite albums is quite difficult. There are those albums that I like that are critically acclaimed and I recognise the genius of them, yet they are not my favourite favourite albums. Then there are those albums that are largely ignored but I end up loving anyway. And then there are albums that are generally massive and everybody loves them. So rather than have a specific order for the top 25, I've just listed them alphabetically and then done the top 10 in order of preference if (as Shayne Ward once said) that's ok with you... :P

• Alphabeat ~ The Spell: They mixed 90s rave and house energies with the pop sensibilities of the noughties and came up with a winning combination that didn't even come close to outstaying it's welcome or being samey over the 10+ tracks. Minimum of 4 massive singles should be forthcoming...
• Bananarama ~ Viva: Ian Masterson did a bang up job with this album and then it was grossly ignored by the public. The swines. The girls had some future classics on here that were designed to be danced to - Love Don't Live Here, had it been by Kylie, would have been top ten for weeks...
• Michael Buble ~ Crazy Love: He was always quite popular, but this year he has hit the stratosphere and quite rightly so. Excellent stage presence, great voice, thoroughly nice chap but with the personality to back it up and duetted with Stacey. Plus had a bonafide pop hit with crazy catchy Haven't Met You Yet. It's only the beginning - this album will run throughout 2010...
• Alexandra Burke ~ Overcome: Well I had no interest in her at the start of the year and then gosh darn it she comes back with a banging pop tune and one of the more interesting X Factor winner albums in a long time. By keeping the tempo up and varied, Alexandra is assured a longer pop career than the boy who stole her crown...
• Dragonette ~ Fixin To Thrill: It was one of the pop delights of 2009, and they took the bold route of giving away half the songs on it before it was even out. You'd have been a fool not to buy the whole thing - in a year bereft of new Girls Aloud, this filled the smart-pop void perfectly and should have been entirely more massive...
  

• Florence + The Machine ~ Lungs: It's both a demanding and seductive debut album that is a joy to listen to; full of nuances that add dimension and layers to each song, it's powered forward by a voice that is both mesmerising and intoxicating. Critics were gushing all over it and luckily fans snapped it up in their droves to. Phew...
• Gossip ~ Music For Men: Not just an amazing album of catchy disco pop, a smart album that sent a message to a still disappointingly homophobic world. Luckily that message is overburdened with seriousness - it's about getting on your feet and dancing, because let's face it a wise woman once said 'music brings the people together'. No one is doing more for that cause than the Gossip on this ace cd...
• Erik Hassle ~ Hassle: Didn't it seem like every few weeks a new Erik Hassle video appeared for either Hurtful or Don't Bring Flowers, and that he was about to be very big indeed? The world is still waiting for that moment, but that didn't make this any less of an astonishing debut for such a young chap. Brilliant lyricist able to match his passionate outpourings to clever music. 2010 must be his big break...
• Whitney Houston ~ I Look To You: The voice was a little different. A lot had happened over the decade. Yet when Whitney returned it was like she never went away, and while it was not quite the triumphant comeback it should have been, it certainly wasn't subpar. Million Dollar Bill (particularly the freemasons mix) powered her to heights she hadn't seen for a while, but there is plenty more to come from this album yet...
• Natalie Imbruglia ~ Come To Life: Has this actually been released yet? Frustratingly delayed, it soon became a torrent favourite. tragic really because the first half of the album plays like side A of an LP. Cohesive, some brilliant tracks and all single worthy, particularly the amazing scars. Side B (or the last 5 songs) are more experimental and don't work quite as well, but for the first 5 alone this features strongly...
  
  

• JLS ~ JLS: You know, I was a little disappointed with this album at first, but the more I have listened to it, the more it grew on me. And a large part of that is to do with just how charming and enthusiastic the lads are. They make me want to love their songs and they make songs that are easy to love. Enough said ;)
• Blake Lewis ~ Heartbreak on Vinyl: Blake came back with an album that pillaged the 80s but in a loving tribute way, not in a La-Roux aren't I unique and ace (no) sort of way. The title track was by far the best, but the rest of the stuff was pretty fine too. His new 80s hair was not though. Minus one point for that!
• Nerina Pallot ~ The Graduate: It pains me that Nerina seemingly has to build her popularity up from scratch with each album release. She has a winning writing style, amazing melodies and lyrics and an enticing voice. Plus she's lovely and witty to boot? She's given you gro-lite and mineral supplements, whaddyawant from her, blood?! BUY IT ALREADY!! :)
• Westlife ~ Where We Are: I didn't really have high expectations for this album, but if you liked Westlife already it was ideal for you and if you don't, then why continue blathering on about it? They are probably not gonna change now, are they?!
• Mans Zelmerlow ~ MZW: Horribly chosen singles didn't really help the album but overall it was a great pop effort with some outstanding tracks on there that deserve a worldwide audience. Hope and Glory remains a magnificent anthem to this day...

Honourable mentions: Darin-Flashback; Marit Larsen-If A Song Could Get Me You; Neo-Neo; Annie-Don't Stop; Danny-Set Your Body Free; Julian Velard-The Planeteer; Leona Lewis-Echo...

10 ~ Mika, The Boy Who Knew Too Much: It was the year that Mika should have come back in a blaze of glory, but returned amidst general apathy and disinterest. Not from me though ~ I was quite happy to see him back with his bombastic Belinda Carlisle meets Chumbawamba We Are Golden and am still revelling in the other pop gems on the album. Rain is absolutely lovely. I could easily milk 5 singles from this :)
09 ~ Paloma Faith, Do You Want The Truth?: I was surprised by how much this album stuck with me throughout the year. I found myself wanting to return to it over and over again. XO has had some of the most passionate coverage of her, and is right in his assessment of the complexity and beauty in her work. Hopefully her medium range popularity will increase into fervent critical devotion next year - based on this excellent collection of tunes, she deserves it...
08 ~ Pet Shop Boys, Yes: If I combine this with their Christmas EP, then it gave me two number one singles this year (Love etc., and It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas) and hours of delicious pleasure. Filled with amazing innovative yet totally PSB tracks like All Over The World, Beautiful People and the lush Did You See Me Coming, it was an album that solidified they have lost none of their pop edge. Plus dear god please someone leak a demo of The Loving kind...
07 ~ Alcazar, Disco Defenders: Oh my gosh but this album was overflowing with pop sensibility and dancefloor heavenliness. Overflowing with singles, attempts at nearly every pop genre going and shameless pastiches to Abba it was definitely hard not to love this album. In a perfect world this would have spawned five top ten hits in England and made the world see that lovely a fella as Joe is, he's got a long way to go before he can do pop like this. Thank You. In every sense of the word/song...
06 ~ BWO, Big Science: It was the "difficult" post greatest hits album and kicked off with the gothic You're Not Alone. That was a bit of a misnomer really in terms of the entire album because they still had their big Chariots of Fire moments (right here right now) and epic Open Door ballads (Kings of Tomorrow) to thrill the fans. Basically even when they are operating at less than 100%, BWO are still miles better than alot of other pop groups. And quite simply one of the best pop-births of the 2000s (post on that coming soon!)...

• 05 ~ Take That, The Garden: Released in late 2008 on the back of the inspiring, anthemic Greatest Day, this was the album that kept giving throughout 2009 - largely aided by the visually stunning and highly entertaining tour they put on to accompany it. Sure, Up All Night was Shine part 2, but there were plenty of other gems on the album (including the title track, the Jason Orange led How Did It Come To This and showstopping Hold Up A Light For Me) that merely proved that Gary and the boys are some of the finest tunesmiths to come out of Britain at the moment. Lovely stuff.
• 04 ~ Little Boots, Hands: It was the album that Kylie could have recorded and been a lot more massive than the ridiculously hyped Little Boots ever was. The music was actually great - so many ice cool, radio friendly electro-pop tracks that were seemingly made for extensive radio play. An utterly enjoyable album - it was the persona of Little Boots that seemed to be at odds with being a pop princess. She lacked any of the sparkle Sophie Ellis Bextor or Kylie add to their performances and seemed more intent on being a serious, rarely smiling musician. Still, Remedy, Earthquake and Hearts Collide are top notch tunes!
• 03 ~ Lily Allen, It's Not Me, It's You: Brilliant album title and odd quitting music statements aside, I totally enjoyed this album despite (like Mans Zelmerlow) an odd choice of singles. The Fear and It's Not Fair were ace tracks, F*** You improved on the demo from last year, Chinese was a sweet ode to recession induced nights in (with a gorgeous choral tribute floating around) and Lily continued her knack for providing witty, insightful lyrics set to lovely singalong melodies. It's ace because it's true - I mean, no one likes the wet patch in the middle of the bed...
• 02 ~ Same Difference, Pop: Another remnant from 2008, Pop was the album that encapsulated all that was amazing about the charts at the turn of the millenium and bought it back with an updated beat. Sean and Sarah were two of the nicest people you could wish to have gracing the charts and put out an album of singalong tunes that would have done so much better had it been marketed completely differently. There were at least 5 singles here that could have been flying up the UK charts, and I'm just relieved they get a second nibble of the cherry in 2010. Bring it on I say...

01 ~ Robbie Williams, Reality Killed The Video Star: It wasn't so much a comeback, more of a reaffirmation that Robbie was one of the nation's most reliable pop acts who was maturing nicely with age, rather than chasing fashions and trends he had no business dabbling in. It's an album that gives more with each listen, has some great melody driven songs and has Robbie still sounding absolutely ace. You Know Me is one of his more lovely mid-tempo ballads, Morning Sun is almost a Take That tribute sounding song and Difficult for Weirdos is the anthem of many and proudly so. So get hysterical and historical over this album because I suspect it will feature on next year's list too...

Blimey. Even though it's 71 days til Christmas (and I promise not to bombard you before December this year!) there is still an air of festive preparation floating about. Fight past the ghost and ghoulie costumes in the stores and there are a plethora of christmas purchasings just tempting you to dip into your wallet. March into tesco and the traditional tin of Roses (so much better than Quality St) whose wrappings litter the floor on Santa's birthday are half price! Even i'm busy planning for the following "events"...

• A day trip to London on either the 5th or 12th December to go shopping and visit Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland! Woohoo! The ace gang all together and skating outside :)
• The annual christmas party combined with the x factor finale party - just got to work out which date the finale will air on! Anyone know?!
• Flying to vegas on Christmas day so planning out that little trip - just spent a fortune on Bette Midler tickets on New Years eve for DazdivinemisterS.

Of course, one industry planning for the christmas period way in advance of any other (ooo that sentence is very X Factor Dermot "one act who wants it more than anyone...") is the music industry in the UK. They will have been carefully selecting albums and singles from artists that have the best chance of getting a slice of the christmas spending pie (Mmmm, pie) for ages now. Everyone is pulling out the big guns to be the Christmas number 2 (of course the X Factor winner has the Christmas number one sewn up. Sigh) - so with that in mind, here are some slightly off the wall suggestions for acts not really in the running in the UK....

5 COVER VERSIONS THAT WOULD BE BRILLO AT FESTIVE PARTIES:

Song: One Night Only - it's no surprise that I'm suggesting the wonderful Elouise release a brilliant discotastic studio version of this because it's already a staple of her live shows. It's fair to say that when she performs this tune, she takes on the persona of the lyrics and you can almost see it build from within her during the ballad part before exploding in a cavalcade of glitter as the beat kicks in. Just marvelous.
Song: Cool Rider - while I'm delving into the archives of musicals, I was in a bit of a Grease 2 mood today and was listening to some of the underrated tunes from that film. When Cool Rider came on, I thought that in the right hands it would make a rather great pop song. Maybe Dolly Rockers could punk it up to beef up their Boys Will Be Boys with it? Or Red Blooded Women could turn it into a electro-pop wonder! Or perhaps Mini Viva could get Xenomania to work their magic on it in a Girls Aloud-St Trinians sort of way. Just putting it out there - it could be the best musical girl group cover since Play did Hard Knock Life (vid above of that epic classic)!
Song: Chocolate Box - One of Bros's greatest moments is a pop-rock song neatly dressed in synthy dance trimmings and to my knowledge hasn't been covered by anyone. It's the perfect tune to be updated whether it be as funky prince-esque jam ("") or a solid 80s tribute dance tune. Who better than to step up to the plate for the job than the one and only ex Digital dude Dean Lennon? He looks good in a waistcoat, has the vocal capacity to tackle it and would sound quite foxy doing the "rurrrrrr" bit. Perfect :)
Song: Shock Your Mama - if I was less lazy I could find out in the annals of the blog that I had bemoaned the fact that someone (preferrably Simon Curtis or The Killers) needed to cover Debbie Gibson's Electric Youth. I don't want to bleat on about it, so let's concentrate on the excellent Shock Your Mama instead. Full of sauce and sass, it's the precursor to Love Game but without being a complete alley cat about it. How about one of the swede boy-pop sensations like Danny or Ola putting a fun twist on this and whipping it out there.
Song: In My Dreams - ah The Party. They were the almost Disney sensation of the early 90s that never really happened. That doesn't mean that they didn't pop out some stomping classics though and this is as good as anything they did (almost up there with the lovely I Found Love or cutesy Sugar Is Sweet). After the brillo dance remix of Burn that they put out, I can't think of anyone better to cover this than the lovely guys and gals of Industry. Pop it on the double A of the forthcoming In Your Arms and you got a winner :P

5 EURO POPSTARS WHO WOULD POSSIBLY CHOOSE THESE TRACKS IF THEY WERE BIG(GER) IN THE UK:

Alcazar - Thank You: Frankly I sometimes forget that Disco Defenders came out this year and that I like it so much. I return to it quite often, but not as often as I'd like. I really think they could've mined it for single after single, but none suits the spirit of the Christmas number two better than this Abba pastiche at the end of the album. A virtual remake but not quite of Thank You For The Music, it's schmaltzy, cheesy, wonderful and entirely uplifting. Approach with caution - you may develop develop diabetes just from listening. For a proper party, pop Funkytown on the flipside :)
BWO - Kings of Tomorrow: In the past I've been loving myself sick in a BWO ballad around the season of goodwill. They sort of churn out a classier version of the type of ballad Steps would attempt (never their strong point other than Mars & Venus; oh and It's The Way You Make Me Feel) and i've sipped many a mulled wine to the strains of Destiny of Love and Will My Arms Be Strong Enough (still perfect for someone like Leona to cover). This of course is their latest from Big Science and while not as hamazing as Destiny... it's still a corker and comes in both ballad and disco-ified form so everyone's a winnabego.
Mans Zelmerlow - A Stranger Saved My Life: Oh sweet sweet Mans, you perfect specimen of a man! Sure the MZW project has suffered slightly from the wrong single releases (Hope and Glory should have been followed by Home, then Forever&Rewind as a big remix package double a side and then this), but this ballad was tailor made for singing loud and you could easily have a video filled with snow and dangerous icy roads (or put it to a montage of Grey's Anatomy and that girl that George saved before getting hit by a bus!). Key changes, inspiring lyrics that JLS would kill for, a choir - it's cheesier than a 4 week old jock strap but it works (for me anyway!) That or sell it to Westlife...
Marit Larsen - If A Song Could Get Me You: 18 months on and I'm still completely and utterly smitten up to my ears by this gorgeous piano driven tune. Europe is slowly being won over by it and it could be one of those songs that surprises everyone in England by coming from nowhere to be a massive smash. It's the crashing piano chords that get me every single time. Every. Single. Time. Get the point? Good. Let's dance (ooo JJ reference). Fin.
Alien Beat Club - My Way (vid above): Oh they were just ever so good and entertaining on Danish Idol. They tackled everything from I'm Yours to Just Dance and threw themselves into it with "gusto". So I was initially a bit surprised by their debut single being less in your face pop and more of a sleek, classy, sneaks up on you and politely taps you on the shoulder type tune that just gets better each time I hear it. It's Liberty X meets JLS and I like it. Now something upbeat next time around please :)

QUICK BITS:

• Best songs that should be covered by a boyband: A Shoulder To Cry On (Tommy Page); Room In Your Heart (Living In A Box)
• Best song already covered by a girl group: In Your House (Originally Alanis Morrisette; gussied up to perfection by Shine4)
• Best seasonal tunes not already overbaked: Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas (Pet Shop Boys); Happy New Year (Abba)
• What the X Factor should do: Final 12 should record Second Best To None (the Hotel Rival song - perfect lyrics give or take for the competition); Winner should record Story Of A Heart (Benny Andersson Band)

Good morning all. I am a little worse for wear after a fun night out with the gang. I finally managed to work out twitpic, so you can see one quite nice and one quite awful picture of the shenanighans there. I have a brilliant one of Darren jumping in the air, but i'm too tired to upload it now. (He's looking hotter than ever btw - he has lost 20kg (since Feb 08) compared to my 11kg (since Jan 09) - and (not that he ever wasn't!!) is quite the bounce :P ) OH! New clothes! Bought an ace new purple stripey top (which luckily i didn't wear last night) and saw the same item on a hugely fat man, a lesbian with better choppy hair than me and a lighter pink version on a Jez from Britannia High lookalike. As someone from Gossip Girl would probably say "that's what happens when you buy off the rack". Epic fashion fail :( Oh well, on with the weeks observations...

NEW VIDEOS:

Above is the greatest song I have heard in a while - thank heavens popjustice posted it earlier this week for I have been obsessed since then. They quite rightly pointed out that it's rather brilliant and rubbish all at the same time, which is totally Abba. Abba are my favourite group of all time, hands down and the beauty of their songs is that they have exquisite lyrics, sometimes bonkers English, brilliant melodies, a smattering of novelty value and are always instantly likeable. PJ is again quite correct to say that it's a bit PWL - but then PWL were always a little (lot) inspired by Abba so I guess saying this sounds like them brings it full circle (head explodes)! Most of the nine million people I emailed/telephoned/texted the vid clip too were less enamoured than me with the tune, but it's clearly the greatest commercial since Charlotte Church revirginised. If you have watched the video as many times as me, you actually pick up on many moments of brilliance and a story starts to appear (must stop pausing on hot barman guy though - doesn't matter that i want to spaffle my batter on him, it interrupts the song!). Here are the highlights...

• 16sec - first appearance of "main characters" yellow cardi lass and Nikki lookalike from Heroes
• 22sec - first appearance of hot barman and less hot barman who you would probably end up doing when hot barman rejected you
• 1m12sec - it's hot barman getting down in the background. Bopping along is not really his strong point...
• 1m24sec - when the lyrics talk about fall until defeat, there is a woman sitting on the floor with a tray. In my Hotel Rival soap opera, someone has clearly run off with her wheelchair :(
• 1m35sec - ooo the main story starts. Hot barman starts flirting outrageously yet subtly with Nikki from Heroes. She does not seem to mind. Someone else will though, "mark my words"...
• 2m06sec - ooo less hot barman makes a nice looking red drink magically fill up in time to the beat. Brilliant...
• 2m10sec - two chefs briefly stand by each other and then walk away. They clearly had a bit of a fling and it ended sadly rather than badly :( Sniffle.
• 2m24sec - Hot barman bops along in the background, while Nikki from Heroes ponders their affair. But OH! They have been rumbled...
• 2m26sec - the brilliant Yellow Cardi Lass has rumbled them. She is clearly the lover of Nikki from Heroes but has been forced to remain a secret love. At 2m36 she does this effing amazing eyebrow raise to the line "time at last for my confessions"...

Oh dear lord. Clearly I have far too much time on my hands. I think I would actually get quite weepy if I imagined Abba singing this as one of my buddies suggested. And while I have been playing this umpteen times a day there have been many other cracking videos out this week!

• D'Luv has the new video for the next UK single (The Garden is Australian and European) from Take That - Said It All. They are all sad clowns and it is all very elegant and lovely. The Garden would have been a better UK single, but Said It All definitely has the better clip. Now when does Jase get to shine with the aces How Did It Come To This?
• Sophie Ellis Bextor is back! Proper back! With the Freemasons. Heartbreak made me top ten last year but is rooted back in with the official mixes. The video is a bit epilepsy inducing and the dance routine is a bit half hearted, but it's all designed to make you squeal with glee everytime it's on and quite rightly it does. God bless the DJ at Eden for playing the full Freemasons 12"mix...
• BWO have the sublime clip out for their second "Big Science" single Right Here Right Now out now and it is typical BWO - a little bit arty for the sake of being arty and a little bit watchable. Frankly I have always preferred BWO without the visuals which is a bit bizarre really.
• Finally those lovely The Days boys have the video up over at Aarons for Never Give Up. The song and the video are quite lovely, as are the boys for getting their kit off in the latest issue of Attitude for charity :) Love the concept of the video (playing the same song over and over again in some weird world record attempt), love the over enthusiastic coach, love that the lead singer retains perfect pop star hair throughout the five days and love that the overlooked cute beardy guitarist is the last one standing :)

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

• Lovely Dean Lennon has an ace electro-pop song on his myspace called On The Floor. It has these great hand clapping moments in the background, which are essential for a decent pop song and Dean does a very credible rock star "ow" moment just before the verse starts. It's very 80s inspired but also sounds very "now" - it's quite subdued but not in a bad way. Dean's vocals are quite alluring and the background synths are entirely hypnotic. Love.
• AS every single blog (not literally) in the world reported, Dragonette are back (popjustice did it best). The most amusing ones are the ones who made it sound like Dragonette had written to them personally rather than that they were recipients of a mass email marketing campaign :P No matter, Fixin To Thrill is exactly what you would expect from Dragonette, who hailed as the next big thing a couple of years ago, but never really took off (see Dangerous Muse, who also have an ace new single clip out!) - this is like a more frentetic Gwen Stefani mixed with Infernal with a fuzzy synth chorus that embeds for the night and stays for the week. In other words, quite good.
• Mika's new EP is out soon and I am reserving judgement on the two songs that leaked until the whole thing drops. Apparently there is a song on there called Toy Boy which is very disney ballad with deliciously dark lyrics. Sounds right up my street. Don't forget the barmy pop though meeks :)
• Hurrah! Regina Spektor is also back. She has a lovely new song out called Laughing With and it's an utterly elegant and morose piano vocal affair bemoaning the state of how God is presented to the world. So not really the sunny pop I usually go for, but i've been entirely smitten with Regina ever since The Call in Prince Caspian and this is really quite lovely, and a little bit Nerina Pallot (who needs to hurry back). So it all bodes well for her new album...
• The Shameless finale was quite devastating this week, but the brilliant humour of The Inbetweeners finale more than made up for it. My fave line? "Phil? Phil! I'm sorry sir, i thought it was a fart" - which frankly is more hilarious in context than written down. Oh, tears were shed at the Grey's Anatomy wedding too...
• Hurrah part 2! Red Blooded Women and Star Pilots playing Birmingham Pride (and S Club!! And Pixie Lott!! And Nikki French!! And at eden bar - HAZEL DEAN!!!) :) Only 2 weeks away!
• Final Hurrah! Same Difference concert tonight in their home town, and there is an aftershow party. Clearly I am very excited by all of this (wonder what next week's post will blather on about then?!) And by this. Keep on popping Same Diff :)

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 - Taylor Swift, Love Story
20 - Pet Shop Boys, Did You See Me Coming? (NE)
19 - Neo, Flower Power Super Girl
18 - Girls Aloud, Untouchable
17 - The Killers, World That We Live In
16 - Paolo Nutini, Candy (Vid - Paolo got even more scrumptious!)
15 - Kelly Clarkson, I Do Not Hook Up
14 - Simon Curtis, Things We Do For Love
13 - BWO, Right Here Right Now (NE)
12 - Alcazar, Stay The Night
11 - Infernal, Redefinition
10 - Same Difference, All Roads Lead To Heaven
09 - Alesha Dixon, Let's Get Excited
08 - Annie, Anthonio
07 - Lily Allen, Not Fair
06 - Mans Zelmerlow, Hope and Glory
05 - Take That, The Garden
04 - Freemasons ft Sophie Ellis Bextor - Heartbreak Makes Me A Dancer
03 - Little Boots, New In Town
02 - "Abba", Second Best To None (NE)
01 - Marina and The Diamonds, I Am Not A Robot (2 weeks)

NOTE: I wanted to write much more extensively about all of these albums, but time prohibits. So i thought i would at least get some rambling thoughts out there...

BWO - Big Science: It's no secret that I think that BWO are one of the most amazing pop groups of the new millenium, and despair that they are not revered on the same level as Girls Aloud are in Britain (imagine Alexander Bard as a judge on the X Factor instead of Cherevyl and watch viewing figures rocket!). I know many people enjoy BWO but do not worship them in quite the same way I do. That's absolutely hunkydory, and i get their reasons for that, but for me they are consistently enjoyable - hence (ooo fancy) You're Not Alone spending four weeks (to date) at the top of the Fizzypop charts. I've been enjoying their fourth album for a couple of days now streamed on the web, and my physical copy is hopefully winging it's way across Europe to me right now. Right here right now in fact (see what I did there?!) - for that is the song that kicks off the album, and will be the marvelous second single. It seems very understated at first - a mid tempo song with a dance beat, some glorious Marina whispery bits and a subdued chorus, but listen to it a few times and it totally transforms into something monstrously huge. Love Came Crashing Down has a great chorus, piano and strings all over the shop and a strong hook - somewhat (though not massively) of a departure for the group and refreshingly so. Great backing vocals too in the last chorus. Now, i love BWO ballads (Destiny of Love, We Could Be Heroes and Open Door are some of my favourite BWO songs) so the current single You're Not Alone and Kings of Tomorrow work well for me in both ballad form and disco remix. The latter reminds me a little of Pet Shop Boys and The Killers yet i'm not sure why. It's very elegant and well constructed and beautifully performed. Quite lovely in fact. As are the lush slower tracks In Too Deep (a lilting melodic number that certainly doesn't get the praise it deserves)and Singing In My Car (which could quite easily be an amazing Westlife comeback single - imagine the power with which they would get up from their stools!!) Burning Down The House is a delirious almost sixties pastiche song that is part The Promise and part Ace of Base song (can't place which one!) - if The Saturdays came back with a song like this, the charts would go into meltdown with popgasmic joy. Possibly. In other words, it's a great song, but almost sounds like a demo for another act. Rise To The Occasion is back to a more Prototype BWO sound and Electronordica are tipping this as a future single. I would be quite happy with that, although I could quite easily pick about 6 singles from this album (or any BWO album for that matter). Rhythm of the Night (not the Corona song!) does what great pop songs should do - think MYOB by Deborah Gibson, Light Years by Kylie, Stay The Night by Alcazar - all have these great expansive choruses, a little bit of quirkiness in there, a hint of novelty, some uplifting disco beats. This song has all of those and yet seems so simple and accessible - like no effort was put into the genius. That's a compliment by the way. Shoot From The Heart and Thunderbolt are just insanely fantastic. Both are massive epic dance numbers, huge choruses, great catchy hooks, much stronger shades of electro-pop than on other tracks and sound more progressive than any of the other tracks. Overall, a very strong album with some variation on the BWO theme. It may not be enough to win over new fans, but it should hopefully appease those who didn't appreciate Fabricator as much. Quite quite euphorically amazing. (I await more cohesive thoughts from PPG!)
Potential singles: You're Not Alone; Right Here Right Now; Rise To The Occasion; Kings of Tomorrow; Shoot From The Heart

Mans Zelmerlow - MZW: I liked Mans' first album. A lot. Then he did the really really cute duet of All I Want For Christmas and I got a bit obsessed. Then he came back with Hope and Glory (check out the utterly brilliant acoustic version above - totally transforms the song into a wistful ballad that may push BWO from the top of my charts this week) and I am utterly hooked. His new album is Very. Good. Indeed. Plus the git looks utterly amazing even in bad lighting. It's like he's been genetically engineered to show aliens what the perfect human should look like. The album has also been genetically engineered to please lovers of great euro-pop songs and ballads like myself, poppostergirl and yuri! Home would be a brilliant follow up to Hope and Glory with it's insistent Black and Gold-esque beat; Forever is one of the best things he's ever recorded (it's on constant repeat!) - the strings, the chorus, the middle eight, his seductive vocals. It's very yummers and very lush and absolutely must be the third single. It must be quite difficult carving out a niche as a male vocalist in Sweden - Danny has the dance-pop thing down, while Darin has dived into the pool of r'n'b electro. Mans strips down to his swim shorts but only flirtatiously dips his toe into the pool of either of those styles and his refusal to commit leads to a more rounded album. Rewind could easily be a Danny track, though Mans vocals make it soar. And don't worry, if for some baffling reason all the dance is getting you down you could try the very beautiful and elegant A Stranger Saved My Life it really is quite wonderful. And the lovely mid-tempo track that closes the album (Hold On) is prettiness indeed. So overall, a solid pop album from Mans that quite rightly delivers the goods in a variety of genres and all while looking bloody amazing! Fantasmick.
Potential singles: Hope and Glory; Home; Forever; Rewind; A Stranger Saved My Life

Kevin Borg - The Beginning: On Swedish Idol, the adorable young Kevin Borg was - much like Shayne Ward 2 years earlier on X Factor (remember Shayne? He was/is fine! RAR!) - a model of diversity, fun, accessibly stylish, excellent pop star hair and powerful vocals. Just check out his Abba cover (Gimme x3) above. However, much like Shayne Ward, not all of those qualities made it to his debut album. The Idol winners album is probably much more analysed than the runners up - and Kevin suffers ever so slightly for it. However (again with the Shayne comparisons!) like Shayne, his utter likeability makes up for the albums (not particularly significant) faults and it is quite the enjoyable listening experience. It's a mixture of emotive ballads, such as the Glenn Mediros tribute With Every Bit of Me, the swooning Out of Time and lush as freshly laundered sheets The Last Words. Kevin pours himself into the songs and makes them shine (like the top of the Chrysler building). Street Lights isn't a particularly inventive single but it works again because it's catchy enough, strings always make a pop song and the delivery and enthusiasm is faultless. There are hints of greatness here (Paint It Black is wonderful and The Light You Leave On has a certain darkness in it's production that's ironic considering the title) that I firmly have hope will manifest on a second album that will have more time spent on it. Just to be clear though - i really like this album! I just think it could have been even more marvelous had it been delayed a couple of months :)
Potential singles: With Every Bit of Me; Street Lights; Paint It Black; Out of Time

Sophie Ellis Bextor - Can't Fight This Feeling:
There is something utterly butterly magnificent about Sophie Ellis of Bextor-Jones. Part of it is her wonderfully british pronounciation of words like Darn-sar. Part of it is her effortlessly glittery pop tunes. And part of it is that she has bagged the hottest buffster from The Feeling (in my humble opinion - take a bow, and take your pants off Richard Jones!). So her fall from grace (ish) is quite disheartening. Back in 2001, SEB-J was the toast of the pop world. Single after single nestled in the top ten from her gorgeous debut album. Fast forward 8 years (past when The Feeling were the most played act on radio to their woefully ignored second album) and while she still churns out top notch pop, the public have cooled towards her. Trip The Light Fantastic was THE shimmering disco epic of 2007, but sadly did not reach the sales high of her debut. Last year saw a couple of songs seep onto her myspace, most notably the delightful Heartbreak Makes Me A Dancer and a new SEB album has been rumoured ever since. This isn't exactly a new SEB song (a remix of the track has been doing the rounds for a while), but part of the Junior Caldera album - however, it's a return to a more club-oriented sound for LaBex, who indeed launched herself as a featured vocalist on Spiller's Groovejet. It's ever so slightly ravey for my tastes, but I'll take my Sophie where I can get her. She sounds as lovely as ever, and I do enjoy songs about the giddiness of falling in love against somewhat euphoric beats. So not the best Sophie Ellis Bextor Jones single ever, but much like an average episode of Buffy, still miles better than a lot of crap out there...

BWO - You're Not Alone:
There is no denying that once they established their glorious "Steps for a mature audience" sound (is that heresy? Or merely a more polished Hear'say?) on the excellent and brilliantly titled Prototype, that BWO have been stuck in a bit of a rut. But like the ruts you sometimes get stuck in with your partner, which includes satisfying sex at least twice a week (I'm talking metaphorically, not dazpantally here. Our sex is always mindblowing), it's quite a nice rut to be in. The Bods are one of my favourite pop groups of recent years, with an outstanding run of euphoric sounding singles under their belt - none of which have even bothered to tickle the UK charts :( Their newest single, post greatest hits, has been described as an epic gothic electro ballad that marks a new direction for the band. I'm not sure how new this direction is, because the track sounds vaguely similar to Will My Arms Be Strong Enough. However, not very slowly at all, I have fallen in love with the song with it's brillo-as-ever-talky Marina middle eight and an amazing choir at the end, which Martin's voice compliments quite nicely. Plus I always appreciate a good key change, weird strobe light sticks and Marina-ettes as backing dancers (in the melodifestivalen performance anyway). As a ballad, i suspect like Open Door it will work best for me in that format, but when i finally get to hear the uptempo version, I will probably love that equally as much. So not outstandingly different, but much beloved by me all the same. Amazing album cover that looks like they are auditioning for the rumoured V remake. (Darren and I l-o-v-e V). Sadly if that were to become big here, most pop kids would look at it and scoff that it had some old dude on the front :( Cretins!

• Check out XO's view on the single cover...
• For all your BWO needs, there is of course electronordica...

Luckily Bodies Without Organs came along in 2005 (it may have been earlier but this was when i first heard about them) - thanks to an article Mr Pete "Popjustice" Robinson wrote for some mag called Where Do Broken Charts Go? The article suggested that if Rachel Stevens couldn't make it huge in the UK then going off piste for some pure pop might be wise, and so I checked out BWO. They seemed to take the best of Steps and merge it with the best of "cool" pop for their own unique sound, that I always like to think is what Steps would've come back with if they hadn't all ruined their careers. Each album yielded a multitude of singles that all feature on Pandemonium - from the pulsing beats of tracks like 16 Tons of Hardware, Chariots of Fire and Give Me The Night to ballads that are treacletastic like the heavenly Open Door, We Could Be Heroes and my favourite Destiny of Love. Even their more "unassuming" songs like Let It Rain, Living in A Fantasy and Sunshine In The Rain peel away pretension for just lovely languid melodies. Latest single Lay Your Love On Me is not as instantenous as say Temple of Love or Save My Pride, but is just as insidious and the hook is soon lodged firmly into your frontal lobe. And as PPG points out, neither of the new tracks (Barcelona and Bells of Freedom) is as kick you in the crotch fantastic as would first appear, but after several plays with me, I can say I am perfectly happy with them as greatest hits add ons. A couple of gripes though

• It's too soon after Fabricator was released for this. Would it have killed them to wait til August or September and cash in on the Christmas market? I wanted at least another single from that album...
• And talking of which, they left off ace singles like Rhythm Drives Me Crazy and Save My Pride (both from Fabricator) only to bung a couple of album tracks (which could easily have been singles if they weren't so rushed with this whole thing) from said album on... It bugs me as much as when Steps left You'll Be Sorry off their Gold album. I like my hits albums complete and chronological. Thank god for the age of the mp3 then, eh??

Buy this bloody marvelous collection here.

OTHER BITS OF PURE POP NEWS I THOUGHT OF WHILE WRITING THIS POST:

• Claire from Steps had the hugest mouth ever. She could probably fit three whole wagon wheels in there without much effort.
• Having said that, her patented nose wrinkle in all Steps videos was as legendary as the Cheryl Tweedy-Cole wink is now.
• The two leaked Jesse McCartney songs are quite ace. One is like Leaving and one is a bit Prince-esque, only sadly not in a brilliant Simon Curtis "Bones" way. But still ace.
• Smudge as I now call Same Difference have pushed back their single release date yet again. It was next Monday and now it is "some time in May". Oh my. I fear, i really do....