Lopez Blogs

Well after a day where 67 year old men did presentations on how Lady Gaga has changed pop amidst numerous other things, I barely thought I'd have time to get this post done. But i'm all for a quickie, so I'm going to throw it together for you in minimal time. How's that for love and devotion?! PS all links to tv performances where poss...

More essential playlist tunes for May:

• JLS ~ Heal This Heartbreak: The theme of this month's Chronicles is obviously "when record companies attack". Once again, a pop band has been let down by a record company (Shayne Ward starts every diary entry like this). They should essentially be on a 5th single, having missed the opportunity to release the corntastic but charming Close To You at Chrismtas. Oh well. This would have made a brillo single, but for now it's onto album two (next track on playlist pending)...
• Lemar ft JLS ~ What About Love: ...or instead just imagine that JLS had popped out this as a double AA side single (do I need to do 2 As if I have already typed double?!) with Heal The Heartbreak? Just imagine! Are you done imagining? This rather lovely ballad is dreamy and swoony all at once, with a simplistic but delightful melody and some lovely harmonies. Teenage girls could be crying at concerts in the video and all boyband cliches would be restored to the world (especially with some Christ like poses at the end of the video). No, no, album two it is then :(
• Donkeyboy ~ Sometimes: Hmm, are Donkeyboy still not famous in the UK with the lovely Ambitions? bah humbug to that. This track isn't quite as transcendent as Ambitions but it certainly is a rather lovely piece of 80s inspired magnificence - oh and it's definitely the glorious chorus that makes you want to get out your seat and smooch whoever you are standing next to at the time...
• Boyzone ~ Love Is A Hurricane: Wasn't Gave It All Away quite wonderful? Cellos in pop are becoming an increasing necessity. This should really be the boys next single if they are to get any more mileage out the album (though my head nearly exploded at the Corrie where the song played in the background of the Rovers while Shane was pulling pints at the bar. Insanity!) It's a nice upbeat song that's a little bit country, without being a little bit rock n roll. Inoffensive pop as people would call it...
• Westlife ~ Where We Are: Where you are Westlife, is stuck with an album that has only had one single out and that was back in bloody October. Sort it out you goons, and get Nicky naked while you are at it. They could have released Shadows back in Feb and have this title track of the album out to coincide with the tour they have planned. Sigh. It's very drummy, with nice harmonies. Again, not a world changer, but perfectly pleasant.
• Backstreet Boys ~ If I Knew Then: What a perfect opportunity for a Simon Curtis update :P He is supporting AJ McLean at the Roxy in LA on May 6th. My 10th anniversary. So if anyone wants to pay to fly Darren and I out there that would be super. Back to BSB, why Bigger wasn't bigger is beyond me, why All Of My Life wasn't a third single is a baffler and this could easily cap off a successful album/singles campaign but hasn't. MUST I DO EVERYTHING FOR THESE GROUPS? :P
• Natalie Imbruglia ~ Fun: If I was going to stop going on about botched album campaigns, now really wouldn't be the time to do it, but it is getting a bit repetitive isn't it?! Anyway, half of Natalie's album is genius, and half is a bit experimental for me (who won't try sweet chilli flavoured crisps because i feel they are too 'out there'). Fun is a brilliant follow up to Scars though, very radio friendly, nice chorus, lovely vocal. What's not to like?
• Nerina Pallot ~ I Don't Want To Go Out: Good for you Nerina. Sometimes I like to stay in, have a nice hot chocolate and watch a Dr Who or something. It's not all about buzzing your nuts off. I foolishly diverted from Nerina's single releases and chose When Did I Become Such A Bitch for the Feb playlist, which makes this early 2010 single seem a bit dated in terms of it should have featured earlier. In terms of it being utterly magnificent, then it is not dated at all and a rollicking little piano led pop tune. PS, i listened to Geek Love about 5 times this morning.
• Hurts ~ Better Than Love: This song gets better each time I hear it. Are Hurts actually ready to happen just yet, or are they going to be one of those bands that keep having "pre-single" singles out forever? Does it really matter? Not when the song builds up into this crashing chorus that entirely takes over everything in your life for those few seconds it plays. The song really gets going at about 40 seconds and it's full on from there. Keep with it and get rewarded :)
• Keane ~ Stop For A Minute: I'm honestly too tired to write about this again right now, so just go to my most recent post for a still relevant write up. It's really grown on me since then and I'm finding it more endearing with each and every listen. Yes, like Hurts. God I'm repetitive today!
• The Ark ~ Superstar: oh Nick AlienHits will be pleased. A new Ark single preceding an entirely new to be devoured Ark album. Bonza! It's a definite feelgood single with a great guitar riff running throughout it and an almost bonkers glam rock vibe to it. But that's what they do best and like Abba their not quite perfect English just adds to the overall charm of the package. Do check them out :)

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...

It's barely February, but already I'm looking ahead to see if any of my fave acts have new albums out anytime soon. And hurrah, some of the ones I obsess about do. This is very pleasing indeed and gives me more to look forward to than a sexy countryside break, meeting XO again and new series of Doctor Who & True Blood. Not that those aren't all ace of course. Anyway, here are a few brillo albums I'm chuffing up the spaff over...

Maroon 5: oh Adam LeFine, how you complete me. Love, Actually may have got me to check out your music, but it was your funky tunes and romantic rhymes that got me to stay. It's been three (long) years since the wonderful It Won't Be Soon Before Long and already teasers for a third (and rumoured final, sob) album are popping up on youtube. It's due sometime around April and they've been recording in Switzerland with Mutt Lange. I'm tres excited indeed and really look forward to more quality music from them :) (read my IWBSBL review here)

The Feeling: Oh I absolutely need more sunny 70s style perfectly harmonised to within an inch of their lives catchy pop from the gorgeous Feeling boys very shortly. Currently organising their own Meribal Little World festival (which Richard's wifey Sophie Ellis-Bextor will appear at) in March in the Alps, their third album is apparently called Yes Please. Way to take two Pet Shop Boys album titles and make them into one! The song they debuted live last year (Truth Comes Out as the Drink Goes In) sounded marvelous and will appeal to existing fans. Will it be enough to win back the larger fan base that was around for album one? Time will tell, but i'll always adore. (read my Join With Us review here)

Sophie Ellis-Bextor: Talking of the other half of pop's bestest looking couple, people are starting to get rather excited about the comeback of the poshest girl in pop music. Frankly, Heartbreak Makes Me A Dancer (video above - see Little Boots? This is how to enjoy yourself!) still sounds utterly stupendous and magnificent; it should have done way way better in the charts (i'm thinking minimum of top 3 for 5 weeks). Luckily, Mrs Jones has a chance to rectify this with Bittersweet which is another collaboration with the Freemasons and so should be absolutely spiffing. In fact, it should be dripping with lusciousness through your radio speakers any day now. And Another Love (the fourth album) drops in April. If any of it is as magnificent as her previous work, I'll be spooning it for months to come... (read my Tripping The Light review here)

Shayne Ward: Myself, D'Luv and John Pop Music Notes could probably individually and collectively discuss how abandoned poor Shayne's career has been to date. As soon as Leona came along, Britain's best hope for a bonafide, exciting, chavtastic boffable ride popstar was cruelly abandoned two top ten hits into his rather good second album Breathless. A third is forthcoming in March apparently (though rumours of a duet with Heidi Sugababe 2-4.0 are not true), though his twitter keeps saying he is recording new tracks as I type (literally)! Should be an absolutely poptastic affair as xenomania are involved, as are some of Sweden's finest. Don't screw this up Simon Cowell. You need to make reparations for inflicting Joe on me... (read my Breathless review here)

Kylie: Talking of xenomania, they can't stop giving Kylie up... and will any album this year be as minutely analysed as this one will be? Everyone had an opinion on what should and shouldn't have been on X and how it should have been marketed. All that matters to me is that Kylie is coming back and it will no doubt feature some ace dance numbers, something penned by the marvelous Nerina Pallot, something that divides fans down the middle a la 2 Hearts and hopefully something deliciously camp. Plus Steve Anderson has indicated in his ace DSTP interview that Kylie fans should keep their eye on the west end of London this year. Oh my. (read my X review here)

Keane: The boarding school boys are back with an EP (when did 8 tracks constitute an EP? Surely that's enough to classify as an album?) called Night Train that was recorded on their Perfect Symmetry world tour. While that album was a somewhat return to form after the disappointing second album, nothing has topped the excellent Hopes and Fears yet. I don't know much about this, other than it's released in May 2010, but Gay Times seems to think Your Love (with vocals from Tim Rice Oxley - rar!) is an epic in the making. Sounds good to me. (read my perfect symmetry review here)

Albums I'd quite like some news on: McFly, BWO, Danny Saucedo, Ola Svensson, Sergey Lazarev, William Young, Hard-Fi, Tom Baxter (D'luv has the lowdown on Boyzone)...

I'm sure there are some people I've missed so a part two might be forthcoming. Prior to that though is first in a "greatest hits I need in my life now" feature...

EDIT: Check out La Babes du Suga doing a perfectly fine cover of Spiralling over at XOs....
Well slap my ass and call me Nancy. After a spectacular meltdown on their second album (which to be fair i did eventually come to "appreciate") Keane have a solid return to form with their surprisingly poppy and boppy third set of tunes. Back in 2004, I thought my love for Tom, Tim and the other one would last forever - piano driven anthems like Somewhere Only We Know and Everybody's Changing were balanced out with more uptempo tunes such as Bend and Break. Even the odd cover version or two that slipped in (The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore in particular is a fave) were rather glorious. So when Is It Any Wonder came along with the utterly jarring use of guitars, the song made me nearly as sick as the Erasure Abba-esque rip-off video made everyone else. I'm not even sure that the album was particularly bad - just that it was so bracingly different to the glorious debut. Eventually by taking off some of the crappier self indulgent tunes and adding things like their ace cover of Under Pressure and warchild song The Night Sky, I came to terms with the betrayal but hoped for more from a third album. And bugger me, did they deliver...

• Surely DanUK and Dan USA must be writing about it very soon?
• Ditto D'Luv and XO??
• Adem? Anyone?!
• Kulpop approves

Though not particularly trashy (though come to think of it Tom did snort half of London's drug supply up his nose, which is quite trashy), this post is dedicated to the ace return of Mike PopTrashAddict. Hurrah!!

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...

J'ai retourne. Which of course is actually french, not german. But my german extends to ich bin droevig, so thanks Madonna for that. My week in Austria was gorgeous. Just so lovely and relaxing. Above is a youtube clip where i get very bossy when darren doesn't behave on the toboggans (check out around 1m50 for his comeuppance!) and two photos that I quite adore. There are a ridiculous amount of photos should you wish to be force fed them here, but I figured that not everyone would want them flashing across the main page :) Now before I go on with the catch up post, thanks to all those who continued to comment even though I was away all week. I shall of course be returning to my comment whore status on all the blogs listed in the blogfeeder roll. They are of course the very best out there...

The Haps This Week:

• Woo hoo! McFly and darling William Young both performed at the Olympic thingy and both did very ace if somewhat lyrically incorrect (McFly!) covers. You can see both above. I am dying a) for William's album, b) for the extended McFly album and c) for Adem's review of McFly. Don't leave me hanging.
• Sigh. Still obsessed with Marit Larsen's "If A Song Could Get Me You" - it sounds even more gorgeous in Austria. Those crashing piano chords in the middle 8, then the delicate and vulnerable "just look at me"? Heaven.
• Secret Diary of A Call Girl is back back back in all it's brilliant shallowness. Yes the draw is still Billie Piper Evans Piper and her glistening white teeth being an uberwhore (actually an independent escort now) but don't overlook the very charming Iddo Goldberg who plays friend Ben. Oh Iddo, I do... (or something. You get my drift!)
• Just a thought. One of the most overused phrases in pop journalism at the moment has to be "it's the album Madonna should've made instead of Hard Candy". Observer Music Monthly uses it twice in one issue (though different writers). Get over it you lazy hacks.
• God bless Gay Times (sept 08 issue). They hate Katy Perry (page 28); They like Avenue (page 29 - is their single out yet or did it just not chart?!); and they feel the same way I do about the NKOTB reunion (p.32). Don't get me wrong - i loved them in their day but the songs (and boys) have aged horribly and Summertime is just dreadful. I think the general consensus in the industry seems to be "oh take that are massive, so every other nostalgia group will be." Not so - like the Spice Girls, NKOTB were very much of their era and coming back with weak tunes just tarnishes the memory. TT had songs that lasted (2nd and 3rd albums anyway) and came back with a mostly solid collection. Plus Danny Wood was a total cunt in that upper street fiasco so he can just fuck right off.
• I'm not a massive fan of boy george or culture club, more a distant appreciator, but there is an ace interview with Mr O'Dowd in the Sept 08 issue of Q Magazine. My favourite quote is "I was living off a diet of tofu and sperm" :O Oh george. Tofu??? Yuck! Plus, one should really have the moto of Samantha from S&TC: "Oh i only swallow when surprised..."
• Viva Attitude for their men in suits photoshoot. Men in suits are hot. Feel free to submit your own men in suits pics :) Boo to attitude for their fence sittingness about Katy Perry though :( (Sept 08 issue - the Oct issue has Dan Gillespie Sells on the cover. Must read soon)
• Finally, don't think because all is quiet here on the Simon Curtis front that all is quiet on the Simon Curtis front! He is getting ready for the launch of the bound to be brilliant and already fizzypop guaranteed way better than camp rock Spectacular, shaved his head so now looks slightly menacing and foxy and is perfecting Alter Boy for it's ultimate and much awaited release. Aw, my little Simon's all growed up!!

Thanks to the ace gang (you know who you are) for keeping my inbox plumped with music this week. I'm sure you have all written about them on your blogs so once i get some time, I will add the proper linkage - or you could just save me the time and link it in the comments :) Here are my fave five!

1. David McAlmont - I'm A Better Man (gorgeous laid back tune, sounds like it belongs in a huge broadway musical)
2. Keane - Lovers Are Losing (ooo i think Keane are back proper styl-ee. Not like that 2nd album. With big proper tunes like this and Spiralling that make me excited in the inner trouser area)
3. Alphabeat - Boyfriend: Pete Hammond Mix (it's the late 80s all over again with this perfect end of summer vibe. And with hints of Rick Astley in the 12" version. Delicious)
4. Ben Folds - You Don't Know Me (i used to love Ben when he was with his five. He had a glorious kiss off song Song For The Dumped and this one features my new obsession Regina Spektor. It don't get no better than this, innit)
5. Pipettes - Shoe That Fits:Vocal Mix (it's all acapella, but there is no reason for pause on this still very pipettes glimpse into the new line up and 2nd album. Bring it already!)

I also got back to a book recommendation from the lovely pymo. He's suggested the Stephanie Meyer series Twilight, which i always meant to read but never got around too. Anyone else read it??

TOP 21 SONGS WHILST IN AUSTRIA:

21 ~ Jason Mraz, Make It Mine (NE)
20 ~ Madonna, Give It 2 Me
19 ~ Alphabeat, Boyfriend
18 ~ Kylie, The One
17 ~ BWO, Bells of Freedom
16 ~ Jack McManus, You Think I Don't Care
15 ~ Sophie Ellis Bextor, Heartbreak Makes Me A Dancer
14 ~ Keane, Spiralling
13 ~ Daniel Powter, Next Plane Out (vid)
12 ~ Jesse McCartney, It's Over
11 ~ Madonna, The Beat Goes On
10 ~ Little Jackie, The Whole World Should Revolve Around Me
09 ~ Bryn Christopher, The Quest
08 ~ Pink, So What
07 ~ Lily Allen, GWB
06 ~ Infernal, Downtown Boys
05 ~ Miley Cyrus, 7 Things
04 ~ Regina Spektor, The Call
03 ~ William Young, Changes
02 ~ Marit Larsen, If A Song Could Get Me You
01 ~ The Feeling, Join With Us (3 weeks)

***HAPPY 38th BIRTHDAY DEBORAH GIBSON!!***

Keane are back. I loved Keane. 2004 Keane. When it was gorgeously constructed piano melodies, soaring choruses and truly beautiful songs like Somewhere Only We Know and Everybody's Changing (still - play those in a piano bar and all the gays are fawning over your dexterous fingers). I thought, much like my other 2004 faves (Maroon 5, Scissters, Killers, BWO), that I would love them forever. Then came the clanking carcophony of creative overkill hit in the form of the far too trippy Under The Iron Sea which i bloody detested. Hated. Reviled. I've warmed to it marginally since then but it's not a patch on their debut and inner struggles seemed to defeat the band before they barely started. They were pretty disappointing a couple of summers ago when they spunked all their decent songs (Last Time, Everybody's Changing, Somewhere Only We Know and Crystal Ball) as the first few songs and then everybody pissed off because they had heard what they wanted. Luckily, there were still glimmers of goodness in charity single The Night Sky, and some well chosen cover versions such as Enjoy The Silence, Dirrtylicious, Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore and their frankly perfect cover of Under Pressure (mp3). And now they are back...

Offering up a free single as a way to win back my affection is a good start to getting back on my good side. Offering up a free single which is surprisingly synthy and dancey and actually very good, is a large step forward. Am i "keen" again? (See what I did there?!) I think I might very well be. Spiralling is a delicious summer song that bodes well for their "taste free" new album entitled Perfect Symmetry. Of course, the website crashed but XO hooked me up (and talks about the track here and here) and i've been humming away all day. It has elements of Bowie, a little bit of Bono but ultimately lots of lovely piano and drums, an emminently singable chorus (with a nice "woooo" bit), a middle eight that reminds me of Robbie Williams (Xo of Bono) and a return to jolly decent pop songs by a decent band with a hot pianist and drummer. What more could one want? An album that is equally as good please. Ta everso... Here is some more Keane to remind you of their once and possibly returning aceness...

MP3: Everybody's Changing (gorgeous radio acoustic version)

MP3: Heart To Hold You (A lovely outtake from Jo Wiley's show)

OTHER V QUICK BITS:

Travis are back with their 10" vinyl only EP "J Smith" (mp3) and very raw and rootsy it is too. Harking back to their early days, it's got more of a "live feel" than some of their more recent polished stuff. There is a lovely almost choral bit punctuating some aggressive guitar playing and a more experimental approach to their usual sound. Part of it makes me feel like I'm in the Omen, but i like their gutsy new sound and am looking forward to more of this ode...

And William of Young announced more about his album today! He's written most of the songs himself with his usual team and you should be absolutely sure to keep an ear open for the amazing Disconnected. Uh-May-Zing.

Keane are the old new feeling. Which is a bit of a confusing concept really so let me clarify somewhat. Keane started off as an amazing band with amazingly brilliant anthemic catchy piano-pop such as Somewhere Only We Know, Bend and Break and my fave track of theirs, Everybody's Changing (that still sounds fresh and wonderful today). Then they broke my heart by releasing their somewhat poo second album. However, it was lucky that The Feeling had debuted by then. The Feeling started off as a quite good covers band in a swiss ski resort. Everyone and his mom know claims to have seen them there, but frankly unless it was bloody woodstock, I seriously doubt it. From time to time The Feeling let us know how good they were as a covers band by throwing in things like Video Killed The Radio Star into their sets. Then Dan and the boys broke skiiers everywheres hearts and went pro and turned out a glorious album of pop tunes that just let their magnificence wash over you. So I didn't need Keane anymore. And suddenly Keane became good - as a covers band. They had already proved their worth by doing simply sublime versions of With or Without You and The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore. Since the release of the second poo album, they have managed to entertain me with their versions of Enjoy The Silence, Dirrtylicious and more recently Sanctuary. All reminding me of the glory of Hopes and Fears. So maybe Keane should pack up to Switzerland, where there is probably a vacancy at some ski lodge for a decent band to do some covers... they should start off with Fill My Little World and stay away from the booze...
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MP3: Dirrtylicious
MP3: Enjoy The Silence
MP3: With or Without You
MP3: Sanctuary
MP3: Your Song
MP3: What A Wonderful World
MP3: Sun Ain't Gonna Shine

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2006 was the year that Live Lounge really came into it's own, thanks to Arctic Monkeys sparkling version of Girls Aloud's Love Machine, proving that the blurring lines between indie and pop were getting fuzzier by the day. Soon it seemed that everyone and his ferret was doing a live lounge, but here are my personal favourites from the year....
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13 ~ Panic! At The Disco - Maneater (Nelly Furtado Cover)
the las vegas kids took on Nelly Furtado's poptastic song and turned into a funk driven emo classic with just the right amount of pomp and audacity...
12 ~ Matt Willis - All These Things I've Done (The Killers Cover)
nothing will top the sheer genius of The Killers version which is one of my top ten favourite songs of the millenium. However, Matt has won me over with a better than expected debut and his acoustic, somewhat faithful version of the track manages to tick all the boxes...
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11 ~ L'il Chris - Sexy/Back (Justin Timberlake Cover)
not a huge fan of l'il Chris, but this rather tongue in cheek, irreverant cover of one of the years most talked about song rarely fails to bring a smile to the face. Now take it to the walrus!
10 ~ The Kooks, Crazy (Gnarls Barkley Cover)
in a year when this song took over the world and I never really got it, multiple covers abounded over the internet from Nelly Furtado to Sandi Thom to G4 to The Raconteurs. Kudos to new style boyband The Kooks for turning in a much more than passable version of the tune and making it bearable.
09 ~ Goldfrapp - Boys Will Be Boys (Ordinary Boys Cover)
Preston's spell in Big Brother bought this song back into the limelight, but it took Alison to turn it into the sleazy sounding back street jazz club ditty it now sounds like it should have always been. Gorgeous.
08 ~ William Young - Don't Cha (Pussyflap Trolls Cover)
Wisely steering clear of Crazy, William went for the other big fave and turned the PCD song into his very own plea to a straight boy to abandon his girl, with a lush arrangement of instrumentation and a laid back groove supplementing his lovely vocal.
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07 ~ Keane - Dirrtylicious (Beyonce/Christina Cover)
Keane broke my heart this year by putting out a rubbish (in my opinion) second album, but their choice of covers proves to be the most interesting thing from them. A cover of Depeche Mode's Enjoy The Silence was on over at Yahoo, but it was this mashup of two iconical dance tunes that made them sparkle all over again.
6 ~ Arctic Monkeys - Love Machine (Girls Aloud Cover)
aaah the song that bought Live Lounge to the masses. Arguably the biggest indie act in the country took the rather genius route of covering arguably the biggest pop group in the country. And it totally works, is a lot of fun and the muffled giggling in the middle eight just makes the track even more endearing...
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5 ~ Paolo Nutini - Rehab (Amy Winehouse Cover)
Another song that i didn't really get in it's original form until I heard covers of it. This isn't the premium version of the song, but it made me realise how much I love Paolo this year and how diverse his range is. Splendid.
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4 ~ Girls Aloud - Rehab (Amy Winehouse Cover)
But Girls Aloud did it better. It just seemed to click into place when they sang it - their vocals, their interpreation of the music, their image and lifestyle. Suddenly Britain's biggest female saucehound was perfectly at home in the company of 5 like minded girls. Splendid +1.
3 ~ Sugababes - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (Arctic Monkeys Cover)
The northern lad had laid down the gauntlet with their pop cover, so it was almost perfect symmetry when Britain's other big girl group decided to return the favour and churn out a storming version of their biggest hit, that retains it frenetic nature but instantly makes it sound at home in the library of quality electro clash pop.
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2 ~ Simon Webbe - When You Were Young (The Killers Cover)
Who knew? Simon Webbe takes the Killers stellar comeback single, wraps his silky smooth vocal around it, ups the gospel quota in it and gives the song a whole new power as an r'n'b standard that could work this way for generations to come. The almost stopping of the song before the middle eight starts all quiet, before gently strumming into an anthemic finish is glorious. Suddenly Simon is relevant in my world...
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1 ~ Take That - Every Day I Love You Less and Less (Kaiser Chiefs Cover)
Of course my favourite boys are going to be my favourite cover of the year. Their choice of song and artist fits perfectly in with their new mature sound and they have never sounded so confident and full of beans.
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And just because I can - here is a pic of Jo with the rather lovely Jonas Armstrong (Robin Hood) who doesn't sing but sure looks pretty. Rar!
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LINK: Jo Wiley's radio one page
LINK: Buy the Live Lounge cd

Yes, the Take That adoration committee that is TheZapping continues... not only are my foxy elder statesmen of pop heading for a number one this sunday with Patience, but they are proving their musical "chops" with a visit to Jo Whiley's Live Lounge just yesterday...Check out their acoustic romp through the Kaiser Chiefs' Every Day I Love You Less and Less. Great choice of song and it's nice to hear Mark get some vocal time as this song is most suited to the type of music he was producing solo. I really think that their album will be huge, and while not every single will be a number one, i think they do have a solid base of old and new fans that could sustain them for a while yet. And thanks to poppostergirl and zapping reader Guy, here are the Shirley Bassey and Keane songs i referenced to yesterday... Thank you so much guys for sending me those! Plus some of those cool Charlotte Church show cover versions Zeon is raving about right now...
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MP3: Take That - Every Day I Love You Less and Less
MP3: Keane - Enjoy The Silence
MP3: Shirley Bassey - Get The Party Started
MP3: Charlotte Church & Alesha - Somebody Told Me
MP3: Charlotte Church & Nerina Pallot - Message In A Bottle