Lopez Blogs

Work has been horrific this week. Ridiculously long hours. Ridiculously short tempers. On the plus side, I had a rather lovely day out with Mr Pants of Daz in Stratford Upon Avon yesterday (e.g. one of the most lovely places in the world ever and one of the most lovely people in the world), though i clearly scrimped on the sun protection lotion as now I have quite red arms with a big white line where my "bracelet" was. On the other plus side (can you have more than one? Let's celebrate the plusses and say yes you can!) I also finished re-watching season two of Buffy (ie the one where Angel goes a bit mental, Buffy gets stabby and Willow grills Jonathan about the dark arts - hereby planting in him the seeds needed for year six? Discuss) and got all misty eyed again over that Sarah McLachlan song that soundtracks the closing moments. And on the final plus side, I was very lucky to get sent a proof draft (one of 42! In newspaper format!!) of the new Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy Book by the Artemis Fowl creating genius Eoin Colfer. I'm scared to touch it in case my fingers have destructive oils... :P OK, on with a plethora (good word - try and use it in a sentence today) of new(ish) acts...

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY:


Killian Wells: It's been a while since I wrote about Killian and stated that he had brilliant pop star hair! His hair is still quite popstar, and he has now released a proper single (VIP) that is actually quite hook laden and gets multiple extra points for spelling out his name at the beginning of the song. It's a great commentary on the fame game, with an almost robotic sounding middle 8 that is instantly on my "sounds brilliant done in a posh british accent" rap list that I have to walk around quoting. The song is just proper bonza, and it name checks Nelly Furtado which really more songs should do. On top of all this, Killian was one of the first pop singers to do the admirable NoH8 campaign in the USA - taking a stand for gay rights. It's both brilliant and sad (inasmuch that the campaign has to exist at all)... Now come to the UK to launch your pop career young sir, and let me take you shopping. I still maintain you will be popstartastic in a bow tie :) Be prepared to ask Who The Hell is Killian Wells, because I suspect the answer will be very forthcoming!

Daniel Boys: Earlier this year I was very taken indeed (ie obsessed for a few months) with the flawlessly performed I Know Him So Well that Daniel did with John Barrowman on the latter's most recent album and tour. Since then, Daniel has resumed his run in the hilarious Avenue Q and been busy releasing his debut album. I really need to write more about both, but for now I'll just point out my current favourite track on the album - the piano driven One Day More. I just need a song that is filled with hope and optimism in my life right now, and this delivers. Not only is the piano riff glorious, but the added strings and the fact that I could listen to Daniel's voice all day make this a total winner. No wonder I was called a west end wendy at school - musical theatre rocks. Plus of course i may have noticed that Daniel is quite charming to look at too :P

Daisy Dares You: Oh aces, another pop star that spells out her name. That sounds sarcastic, but i love spelling in pop songs. DDY has been all over popjustice (and a good write up on the always reliable Ademwithane) recently and with good reason ~ she produces punky-pop electro tinged songs like the epononymous Daisy Dares You (that you can legally download here) and the sweet meets indignant anger of No. One Enemy (again free and legal here!) I suspect that she may be the love child of Transvision Vamp and Fuzzbox, which is a very good thing indeed as I worshipped both acts "back in the day". It's the amazing Talk About The Weather though that got me totally hooked - particularly the lovely piano trinket that starts the song. Quite an astonishing talent for a 15 year old and perhaps my fave Electric Youth since Debbie Gibson hit at an early age in the 80s :)

Mini Viva: Another popjustice beloved act. What with Girls Can't Catch (great song that The Saturdays could've sung) and the spunky amazing Dolly Rockers (new Gold Digga video is the logical extension of Je Suis...), I wondered what Mini Viva could bring to the table. Basically they have a xenomania sound that updates the Mel and Kim vibe from the 80s, mixes in some Girls Aloud friendly verses and sprinkles it with some Betty Boo type rapping. It's like a tour through the greatest hits of pop and could well bring the girls some attention and success. I quite like it, but I can't help but feel the best is yet to come from these girls... (Aaron's views here!)

Ben Montague: I honestly thought I'd written about Ben before, but I guess I didn't. Shame on me, because I have been loving his brand of piano charged, good old fashioned timeless melodic pop for a few months now. The very gorgeous tune Haunted is a classic ballad that digs deep into your soul and gently strokes your emotions, and the absolutely rollicking honkytonk Can't Hold Me Down channels the best of The Feeling and Elton John into a tightly produced pop tune that Ben commands from start to finish. Apparently a debut album is on the horizon so I'm quite looking forward to more tunes that embed themselves into your brain and refuse to budge for days.

Other bonza tracks heard this week:

• The new Backstreet Boys song "Soldier Down" is exactly what I wanted a BSB song to sound like in 2009. Quite funky, melodic, harmonious and entirely uptodate. I'm liking quite a lot so far... (Nikki likes it too! Hurrah!)
• Whitney's I Didn't Know My Own Strength has really grown on me, so I'm pleased that her latest leak I Look To You is quite lovely also. After reading D'Luv's exclusive run through her album, I am committed to continuing loving her come what may...
• The Sparkling Arrest (who I first wrote about here) have released the epic tune I know they had in them. The Seventh Sigh is a gently increasing wall of sound that crescendos into a terrific arms in the air stadium anthem. Crashing piano, blistering guitar and an impassioned vocal - it belongs on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. People would "lose their shit" as the kids on the street say. Quite wonderful.
• Finally, i've long loved the ska-pop stylings of the lovely Just For Kicks - in their latest tune C-c-c-crazy, there's a definite mariachi influence from The Last Shadow Puppets; it's a spaghetti western of a song that cleverly builds the frustration of the lyrics into the backing tack - an urgent instrumental that powers the song through. It's quite subtle at first, but the more I listen the more I go back for, well, more. Bring on an EP or an album already boys!!

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 ~ BWO, Right Here Right Now
20 ~ LeKid, Mercy Mercy
19 ~ Jordin Sparks, Battlefield
18 ~ Dan Black, Symphonies
17 ~ Mans Zelmerlow, Home
16 ~ Marina & The Diamonds, Obsessions
15 ~ Erik Hassle, Don't Bring Flowers
14 ~ Ola, Sky's The Limit
13 ~ Dolly Rockers, Je Suis Un Dolly
12 ~ Blake Lewis, Sad Song (NE)
11 ~ Lily Allen, 22
10 ~ Jason Mraz, Try Try Try
09 ~ Sugababes, Get Sexy
08 ~ Mr Hudson, Supernova
07 ~ "Abba", Second Best To None
06 ~ Elouise, One Night Only
05 ~ Mika, We Are Golden (NE)
04 ~ Little Boots, Remedy (VID)
03 ~ JLS, Beat Again
02 ~ Preston, Dressed To Kill
01 ~ Benny Andersson Band, Story Of A Heart (7 bloody weeks!)

This week, if work doesn't get in the way - a madonna post, some unsolicited career advice for take that, BWO and Mans Zelmerlow and a new fizzypop chronicles...

Ah what a week it's been. A whole new movie musical soundtrack got me all obsessed. As did the new pet shop boys track. Oh, and of course I am far more into melodifestivalen than i have been in previous years - i'm just dying to hear full and funky new tracks from Mans Zelmerlow (who is looking incredibly gorgeous these days, though i can't quite forgive the chinos, eh camerashy?!), Marie Serneholt, lovely little Jonathan Fagerlund and of course the almighty BWO. Darren is slowly getting better, and I absolutely mastered ten minute super hula hoop on wii fit. My hip swivelling grindiness will come in very useful when Dazpatient is fully healed. God, i reach new lows daily, so moving swiftly on...

Look ladies and gentlemen! It's MORE Simon Curtis, this time out shopping for his own cd at target. My copy arrived in the mail this week (damn those excessive shipping charges, but boy it arrived quick) and I've been celebrating it's high quality goodness ever since. There is also a tv spot floating around that makes me very excited in an "oh my god that's Simon Curtis, in white, at least twice" sort of way! And finally, I know you people have criticised Simon's shoes at these red carpet events in the past, but i really like these ones. By the way, Simon's feet look freaking enormous! Don't forget to tune into Spectacular on Nick on 16th Feb! (Like i would let you forget...)

Look! The Feeling built a snowman - Bill! - to promote their brilliant dvd, Coming Home (which in true obsessive fan style, I must review soon!) There is a catch up on their website with the everso lovely Richard Jones (I was just telling Chartrigger and XO what a celebrity manwhore I am, and moments after lusting after Mans, I've moved onto Richard!) with some great pictures and some news about their third album, which they are currently in the throws of recording. It all sounds very exciting (to me) and i love the line they use to promote their dvd - "buy the dvd or Join with Us album for your valentine sweetheart. Both will last longer than flowers (and truth be told, Bill)!" Harsh, true, but hilarious.

BAND I JUST HEARD OF - Ok, while i was trying to sort out the "phishing" of my myspace account (WTF is that?! I couldn't be bothered to sort it in the end. I don't access it enough to care :P), I clicked on the webpage of Just For Kicks. They sound like a musical version of the tv show The Inbetweeners (more on that below). It's all a little bit Ordinary Boys (before they imploded) - that ace bop all over the place ska sound with great sing a long choruses. Give It To Me Now is one of the catchiest brit-pop songs i've heard in a while, while the cheekiness of Yellow Pages Man (with the refrain "who i don't know ain't worth knowing") evokes memories of Madness. Some great piano playing along with quirky lyrics ("see my ex out with a bloke, he's a merchant banker!" and driving guitars and drum beats make a totally likeable and winning combination. I'm absolutely smitten already - i can only imagine how much fun these guys are live. Can't wait to hear more of them - i have a new obsession!

Ok, I am so so behind on my tv watching - i mean, seriously behind. I am even three episodes behind on my beloved Gossip Girl. Still, I have just finished Veronica Mars Season Two boxset (i love those cheesy graduation moments where the seemingly not very popular main character gets an ace reception - think Buffy's cheesy but brilliant umbrella moment in The Graduation Part Two!) and during a bout of insomnia the other night, rewatched the entire series of DanUK approved The Inbetweeners. The first minute of the above youtube video is the funniest thing i have seen on tv in ages and ages, and horrifyingly very similar to my first naked love experience, except mine involved a dude and them facing the other way. Tragic - anyway, if you get chance to buy the dvd, DO! It's amazing!

I'm actually a little bit scared of John Barrowman. He has been doing "panto" literally next door to my house (I live right next door to the theatre)and I see him out and about a fair bit. Not in a social context of course, just sort of "ooo look, there's torchwood. Again". Anyway, i'm always scared he will wave his infamous willy at me. To get over that fear, I listen to his *perfect* version of I Know Him So Well quite a lot. The clip above is a live version with his studio version duet partner, the adorable Daniel Boys. I love that the wind is gently blowing their suit jackets. Particular highlights are the harmonised duet at 2m23-2m48 and the incredible note they both hold at 3m11 (til 3m26!). It's all very incredible and I get the feeling that if this had been performed by an X Factor contestant with a guest star, it would have a) blown the roof off, b) been the best x factor moment since this - particularly at 3m45) and c) SO much better than this snotty mess.

TOP 21 TRACKS OF THE WEEK:

21 - Leona Lewis, Run
20 - Same Difference, We R One
19 - Britannia High, Start of Something
18 - Jason Mraz, Live High
17 - Leon Jackson, Creative
16 - Little Boots, Meddle
15 - Neo, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
14 - Danny, Radio
13 - Girls Aloud, The Loving Kind
12 - Darin, See You At The Club
11 - Annie Lennox, Shining Light (VID)
10 - Taylor Swift, Love Story
09 - Lily Allen, The Fear
08 - Alesha Dixon, Breathe Slow
07 - Same Difference, If You Can't Dance
06 - Take That, Up All Night
05 - Pet Shop Boys, Love Etc. (NE)
04 - The Killers, Spaceman
03 - Kelly Clarkson, My Life Would Suck Without You
02 - Simon Curtis/Victoria Justice, On The Wings Of A Dream
01 - Sugababes, Every Heart Broken (2 weeks)