Lopez Blogs

Top 21 songs of the week - (& the highlights):

• The Saturdays ~ Notorious: England's cheap replacement for Girls Aloud is back. That may be a bit mean but even the best Saturdays song is about as good as a middling Girls Aloud album track. Anyway, this is actually one of their better efforts with a not quite as cheap as normal video to boot! Up there with Up, Ego and Higher. Actually, I do l-l-love this track...:P
• Simon Curtis ~ Superhero: Did you catch my review of this track? I essentially quite like Simon Curtis music. Will this be his 6th fizzypop number one (seventh if you include the Andrea Lewis duet)? Time will tell...
• Lady Gaga ~ Judas: While everyone raves over the best comeback single Belinda Carlisle never got to release (yet) (Edge of Glory), I've found that Judas has got under my skin more and more. PS, continuing her theme of "borrowing liberally" from other female artists (see pop trash addicts), album track Americano has lifted Bette Midler's version of Mambo Italiano note for note in the intro minute...
• Take That ~ Love Love: I've gone from like liking this track to love loving it. As you probably know, a mini album (their Fame Monster if you will) is due for release in June called Progressed. I'm imagining a Gary Barlow release in my lap right now...:P
• Nerina Pallot ~ Put Your Hands Up: The single is officially out on Monday. I've had a sneak peek of the album and it is phenomenal. An absolute triumph. The remix of the single below is pretty nifty too and sounds perfect next to the Pete Hammond mix of Kylie's Put Your Hands Up (which i want her to do a video for spoofing all her 80s SAW vids! Imagine!)...

21 ~ Andrea Lewis, She
20 ~ Rochella Danishei, Never Been Kissed
19 ~ Same Difference, Best Mistake
18 ~ Kylie, Put Your Hands Up
17 ~ Take That, Happy Now
16 ~ Scissor Sisters, Sex & Violence
15 ~ Brandon Flowers, Was It Something I Said?
14 ~ The Saturdays, Notorious (NE)
13 ~ The Feeling, Set My World On Fire
12 ~ Westlife, I Will Reach You
11 ~ Elouise, Born This Way
10 ~ Eric Saade, Popular
09 ~ Maroon 5, Is There Anybody There
08 ~ Simon Curtis, Superhero (NE)
07 ~ Lady Gaga, Judas
06 ~ Le Kid, America
05 ~ Take That, Love Love
04 ~ Sophie Ellis Bextor, Starlight
03 ~ Nerina Pallot, Put Your Hands Up
02 ~ Sara Ramirez, The Story
01 ~ Gravitonas ft Roma Kenga, Everybody Dance (4 weeks)

It turns out that Volume Six of le chronicles de pop au fizzay could actually be one of the most amazing in a while. I mean they are all quite amazing to be modestly frank with you, but next month's could be spectacular. Rumours that Kylie will be back in June, coupled with Maroon 5 being closer and closer to release make me very excited indeed. However, today I was all nippleated at the news of the Scissor Sisters return also in June. You can check out the news of this on almost any blog (though Chartrigger is always a good bet!) and listen to a new track "Invisible Light" on their website. It's a very bonza indeed track and somewhat reminiscent of a Frankie Goes To Hollywood track - a view the very wise Vinny Vero shares... Expect mucho coverage of this album when it gets released because I adored their last set...

The Essential Playlist for May 2010...

• Elouise ~ Pretender: Listening to an Elouise track is like flopping onto a perfectly formed mattress and/or man after a long day at work - it really is quite heavenly. I've espoused the virtues of this track many many times now, so I won't go on about it. Why not read Aaron's review of the EP instead?! Delightful.
• Christina Aguilera ~ Not Myself Tonight: Since I last wrote about this track, it's grown on me somewhat. Though not enough to debut in my top twenty tracks I post each week. At least I'm recalling the chorus now which is a positive step. I like Christina a lot though and am quite excited for her Bionic album...
• Mika ~ Kick Ass: It's a little bit We Are Golden part two and I am more than fine with that. This track is taken from the movie of the same name, though honestly *sshhh, gather closer* I find it a bit tittersome to imagine Mika kicking anyone's ass. Still I do find myself poncing along to the chorus as I get ready for work in the morning and that'll do me quite nicely.
• Bananarama, Every Shade of Blue 2010:It's one of my favourite 1990s Bananarama tracks and it's back! in 2010 format! Which basically means it's a bit more modern sounding, not as frantic as the original version but unmistakeably and deliciously Bananarama. Plus massive bonus points for choosing a not very obvious track to remake. Out to buy now everybody as part of the Love Don't Live Here single package!
• The Saturdays ~ Wordshaker: I, bluntly, am much better at picking singles from the half good half not very good latest Saturdays album. They should have followed Ego with One Shot (maybe JLS fans would have got confused and purchased that as well) and then released this little stomping pop gem. It's perky and upbeat and has a cracking little chorus and would actually remind people that they have an album out called Wordshaker. Sigh.
• Leona Lewis ~ Outta My Head: Inexplicably, SyCo have decided to go with the not as good Love Letter for the third single from Echo. This again is record company lunacy. They should be on the fourth single now (they missed a trick not releasing Stop Crying Your Heart Out at Christmas) and it should be the most energetic Leona single to date, Outta My Head. It's a right disco inferno in my bedroom when that comes on I tells ya - which is more than can be said for Leona when she performed it on Jimmy Kimmel (who?!)...
• Shakira ~ Gypsy (Freemasons edit): Oh my god, she looks like Marina :P I absolutely insist that you only listen to the Freemasons version of this tune. It takes a nice guitar twangle during the alluring verses and then builds it into a seductive and addictive chorus in a most pleasing and radio friendly manner. Much improved from the album version and therefore totally worthy of single status. Even if the label continue to ignore the superior Men In This Town.
• Sugababes 3.0 ~ Miss Everything: I'm still sticking to version 3.0 otherwise this time next year I'll be writing about Amelle, Jade and Josh Dubovie!! I've actually quite amused myself with that sentence. How tragique I am sometimes. Anyway, this has Sean Kingston on guest vocals/rap and isn't too shabby. It fits in quite well with their Sweet 7 sound and yet is a little bit quirky for them. And I can't abide Sean Kingston!
• Little Boots ~ Symmetry: I'm not one to give up on an album I like until I've milked it as dry as Darren on a Saturday night. Symmetry is a blindingly good duet from Little Boots' Hands album with Phil Oakley of Human League fame. It's a modern day version of any 80s song and sounds absolutely magnificent. Sometimes I wonder how epic and immense this would have been if performed by Kylie, but then I realise I'm quite happy with this version - particularly the talky bit in the middle...
• Marina & The Diamonds ~ Shampain: She's quite rightly re-releasing I Am Not A Robot "for the masses" to enjoy, but I (and bajillions of others) was writing about that back in February 2009 so it's time to move onto a new potential single from the excellent Family Jewels. Shampain is a bit Kate Bush meets xenomania (no, really) and sounds like nothing else in the charts really. If only we were all drinking champagne made by the angels, the world would be a tippsier place :) And oh my god, she looks like Shakira!
• Maria Mena ~ All This Time: No don't run away. It's not a cover version of the Michelle McManus song! It is in fact a) the debut UK single from very good indeed Norwegian singer Maria Mena and b) an incredibly pretty and lovely aural diary entry set to a lovely shuffling uptempo beat and delivered with an engaging and impeccable vocal. It's also known as the Pick Me Up song and a less "rocky" but equally gorgeous original version can also be found on youtube. If you like artists like Judie Tzuke and Marit Larsen, you could do a lot worse than this absolutely soaring and heavenly little ditty. Je t'adore to the power of a million :)

More tomorrow, with added Glee!

It's Christmas in a week and a day, and I just can't figure out what I'm gonna say... oh wait, that's coming up in a moment. I'm right enjoying this Christmas posts me. And I was dead excited today when it started to snow and it settled on the ground outside the office window. I absolutely had to tear myself away from The Morning Jolt (more on that later too) and run out to frolick in the snow and live the life of riley. Unfortunately, it was the life of Mavis Riley so it all went a bit shit really, because the snow was dead slushy, so when I was attempting a snow angel (what was I thinking? Was I even thinking at all?!)I just got really wet and cold and had to spend the rest of my work afternoon just looking like I had pissed myself. Classy. Anyway, on with today's post. Yay to snow! Boo to snow if it delays my flight on Christmas Day!!

CHRISTMAS FUTURE:

Ah, Dangerous Muse. They seem to have been floating around the periphery of being massive for quite some time now. I was entirely obsessed with Rejection and Give Me Danger, and thought Everyday is Halloween was quite nice. Then they sort of disappeared and I was all worried they would just disappear like so many great "buzzy" acts before them. But no! They are back with a song called I Want It All which isn't a Bananarama cover, but actually a seductive synth tune with more of a rock edge than their previous stuff. It's a sizzling hot tune that is dark and dangerous in it's intent, and furiously agressive in it's execution. What results from this is a great tune that shows they haven't lost their touch at all. Disappointingly no album news yet, but they did pop up for a great chat with Larry Flick today where Larry fully probed the boys and compared their work of a few years back to the kind of stuff Lady Cuckoo is getting kudos for now. You're preaching to the choir! Testify! Anyway, great to have DM back and this will sound amaze at festive parties all around the country. Plus the boys continue their obsession with bondage images in their work, and who is gonna complain about that?!

CHRISTMAS PRESENT:

Oh em gee. The Saturdays are probably one of the most schizophrenic groups around when it comes to pop. This can be quite off putting. But when they get it right (and aren't being absolutely desperate on twitter), they don't half belt out a corking tune. Not only did they do a rather good version of their new single Ego today acoustically on Live Lounge, but they whipped out a slinky version of Winter Wonderland which made me feel peppermint mocha=ish from my head to my toes. It's moments like this that a) make me thank god it's Christmas in a dramatic Freddy Mercury fashion and b) think hmmm, if they just got it together and were a bit more cohesive, they still have the makings of a fine pop group. But for now I'll actually just enjoy trolling through their winter wonderland (which is about 3 times less impressive than the Jason Mraz or Annie Lennox version, but still quite good in today's pop climate...) Check with Ken for more detail :P

Another Christmas treat for this year that has appeared in the ether of online music today is a rather marvelous new tune from the very lovely Adam Tyler. It's called Ghost of Christmas Past and is a rather downbeat tune with overtones of gothic magic to it. His voice sounds absolutely tremendous in the lower register as he toasts the lost love from christmases gone by. It's very melancholy, and there are some great adlibs in the background of the chorus that all add to the haunted atmosphere. I think the image above is a great representation of the music. I've said before that loneliness at Christmas seems so much sadder and that's encapsulated in the line "while all the world is celebrating/I stand alone" My only complaint is it's only a clip of a song and I need to hear the full version. Definitely worth 1m48secs of your time though...

CHRISTMAS PAST:

Ah, right. Here is where "it's Christmas in a week and a day" comes in! Partly because it is! And partly because I simply can't do a cavalcade of Christmas posts without mentioned the santa of sweden, mr Magnus Carlsson! Much like myself, he's hugely invested in Christmas and has probably churned out as many festive tunes now as he has regular ace pop malarkies. Two of my favourites that I keep returning to are the sumptuous 60s influenced Wrap Myself in Paper (where the blog post title/quotes come from) and coca-cola-esque Wonderful Dreams (Holidays Are Coming). Both quite decent pop tunes in and of themself, he comes across like a male Emma Bunton (from her last 2 albums), a 60s chantreuse but in confident male form! And as luck would have it, he's done a few new Christmas songs this year that don't really break his mould. The best of these in the jingle bell shuffling beat of Christmas With You and singalong festive chorus "a star is falling from the sky/make a wish at christmas time" ~ written down it sounds cheesy, heck it is but it works insanely well :) This Night is a more sombre affair but another lovely piece that is worthy of your time. You can get the deluxe edition of his festive album for a whole host of Carlsson Christmas faves ;

Back soon! Don't go anywhere!

I always get the feeling that my December mix cd for friends and family is never long enough because there are so many great tunes from albums released around this time of year. And I'm sure my normally fairly static charts (PPG once charmingly described it as "little love affairs with songs") will reflect that shortly too :) It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year!! On the down side I just had an Egg Nog Latte (venti, what a fool I am!) and it did not taste good. I'm going to have some vanilla added next time to see if that helps :) Here's the non Christmassy best songs to be released from albums this December!

1 ~ Robbie Williams, You Know Me: It's no wonder that this song has already had a strong top 20 debut and isn't even out as a single yet. It's simple, elegant pop that is pure melody, confident vocal and just enough vulnerability. Loving the matching of Robbie and strings and while this may not quite get Robbie the number one he deserves in the Christmas market, it absolutely confirms that he is still a creative force to be reckoned with.
2 ~ William Young, If It Hadn't Been For Love: Clearly I wrote about this on Monday and my love for the tune has increased exponentially since then. It's quite a lovely ballad that William does so well and as Ben pointed out in the comments mixes the agony and ecstasy of love together in a brilliantly, slightly melancholic fashion. It's a crime that his music isn't doing better, but brass often wins out over continuing class. His album "The Hits" should debut top ten on Sunday though :)
3 ~ Leona Lewis, Stop Crying Your Heart Out: Much like William, Leona eschews the need to follow trends of pop music and just churns out timeless pop that will stand the test of time. As Larry Flick said on his twitter "If she can tough out the next few years, she'll be a rare premiere artists who isn't a slave to charts and trends. She'll just sing". And what a treat that will be - her vocal here is quite stunning.
4 ~ Mans Zelmerlow, A Stranger Saved My Life: Had I been in charge (and I should have been) of promoting MZW, I would have concentrated heavily on the first two singles of my choice (Hope and Glory; Home) then bombarded the world with a couple of lovely pop jams (Rewind; Forever) at the start of autumn. This gorgeous ballad (would be a massive country hit in america with the right artist) is what Westlife should have come back with and is just the right side of syrupy to be a lovely addition to the Mans catalogue.
5 ~ Alcazar, Thank You: Sure, it is more of a pastiche than anything the Simpsons have ever produced in loving tribute, but this Abba-influenced song is just so wonderfully singalong that it's hard not to completely enjoy it. If Alcazar were hugely popular in this country this would be massive :)
6 ~ Alexandra Burke, Broken Heels: I'm not really a fan of the Red One intros that he forces on his artists, but I am a fan of this perky pop number that is almost as equally delicious as Bad Boys. The record label could have easily gone for the more traditional ballad "The Silence" but i like that Alexandra is sticking to the dance routines. Let's just thank Santa it wasn't the Ne-Yo duet...
7 ~ JLS, Close To You: Let me preface this by saying I'm not a huge fan of the late Oct/early Nov single release then rush release for Christmas sales of the following single (a la GA Biology/See The Day) but I could see that strategy working for JLS who are at the peak of a crazy wave of popularity; this lovely languid if slightly twee (but then aren't all their singles?) ballad will have their fans in a spin :) There are a few too many "gurls" for my liking, but it works within JLS world. Apparently this won't be a Christmas single but the ace One Shot will be released early next year! ACE!
8 ~ V Factory, Get Up: Why oh why aren't v factory massive yet? (Melismatic, that's directed at you!) This duet with Naturi Naughton is a fine example of a solid pop tune being largely ignored by the world at large. Well it's a tough world out there, but if you get time do check out this tune and perhaps there will be a debut album yet. Fingers crossed because the band fascinates me!
9 ~ Blake Lewis, I Left My Baby For You: I'm whizzing through potential single choices from Blake. Sad Songs in August, Heartbreak in October... Frankly there is no time to waste in recommending this synthy delight. It's one of the highlights of his fine album filled with great lyrics, soaring falsetto and an 80s beat to die for. Seriously Blake, come to England and we'll take you to our collective bosom because it doesn't get much better than this!
10 ~ Alphabeat, DJ: Their "The Spell" album is still amazing 50 listens in... DJ works well as a second single because a) it's better than The Spell (single) which was already quite good wasn't it? and b) it's got a nice balance between the Stine and Anders vocals which play off each other friskily as the 90s influenced pop track powers forward :)

11 ~ The Saturdays, Ego: Thank God the disaster that was the generic rock-pop yawn of Forever Is Over is over forever. It was far from their finest moment and just another example of how they seem to be struggling to find their niche in the land of pop. Ego is a much more pleasing nugget from them with dancey beats and a huge singalong chorus. Guaranteed to get the Christmas parties started with a swing, even if it does mean that any followers of theirs on twitter will be spammed with desperate pleas to get them to number one!
12 ~ Jordin Sparks, Walking On Snow: Kudos for Jordin for a well fought campaign with her second album. Anthemic Battlefield was a grand opening statement while frenetic sampler SOS was a nice bit of diversity. Walking On Snow may or may not be the next single, but if it is it's quite a lovely midtempo jam that showcases another side to the quite good at singles, less so at brilliant albums Idol winner. And yes, I realise the contradiction of praising Jordin's diversity while having just criticised The Saturdays' for the same thing. Fact - Jordin does it better.
13 ~ Dragonette, Big Sunglasses: Placing this right after Jordin's snow themed track provides a nice contrast to the wintery vibes. There is no denying that Dragonette can churn out top notch quality pop tracks rich in melody, catchy choruses and addictive beats. Saying that this is one of their better tracks means this is amazing stuff, because even their standard fare is so much better than most...
14 ~ Pet Shop Boys, Viva La Vida-Domino Dancing: Again, I wrote about this the other day. I was anticipating this so much that I fully expected it to be my second Viva cover chart topper this year. It won't be, but I'm pretty confident that the boys will debut on top this week. Not that this isn't excellent because it is. Every second of the cover version is thoroughly intoxicating from the first beat to the insertion of lines from Domino Dancing to the closing notes. Amazing.
15 ~ BWO, Kings of Tomorrow (Disco Version): I often close my eyes and imagine an England where BWO are as massive as Steps were at the turn of the century. It would be quite a brilliant country let me tell you. Sigh. Any"hoo", I love ballady BWO normally but this time I'm in the mood for the gently reswizzled uptempo version of another great tune from their quite smart Big Science album :)
16 ~ Agnes, Love Love Love: This has been around for a while and for some reason it hasn't registered properly on my radar when I first heard it. This is a great tragedy because I've spent months missing out on it's utter magnifosity. It's a little bit motown, a little bit pop and a little bit dancey but totally heavenly. It's a bonza bit of music and should have been her second single in the UK instead of the barely scraping top 40 I Need You Now. When will people listen to me :P
17 ~ Owl City, Fireflies: I'm way behind on this aren't I? Bit disappointed that this isn't out in the UK until February as much like stateside I suspect it would be a surprise big seller over the festive month. It's twee and delightful and synth driven and Postal Service and quite enchanting. The album? Not so much, but certainly not without it's moments...
18 ~ The Yeah You's, Ready To Love Again: Boo to the British public for not making them the next The Feeling. Or based on their current single sales perhaps making them too much like The Feeling :( Either way it's a bit crap. Because the music isn't. This is like bits of Shine mixed with bits of I Thought It Was Over mixed with bits of The Yeah You's. Should be massive. Won't be :(
19 ~ Julian Velard, Joni: I have a big post coming up soon on Mr Velard's debut album which is out very soon. He's been putting out music for a while and has a brilliant knack of creating genius piano driven pop with smart wry lyrics and an engaging vocal style. Joni continues the joyous piano-pop of Steve McQueen and Love Again For The First Time. Join in now or regret it...
20 ~ Natalie Imbruglia, Scars: By far the best track on the very good first half of Natalie's criminally delayed latest album. A Coldplay composition, it is a dreamy piece of smartly constructed music made all the more magical by polished production and Natalie's lovely vocals. If only England would catch on again quick...
21 ~ Nerina Pallot, When Did I Become Such A Bitch?: Why on earth does Nerina pretty much have to start career building from scratch with every album. Each time she puts together a cohesive collection of funny and heartbreaking tunes, and each time it takes a while for the public to catch on. This is canny sing a long stuff with the best title in pop since If A Song Could Get Me You...

Back soon. Perhaps tomorrow with The Feeling doing Solitaire. If not see you Friday!

(Movie choice for the month ~ Adventures in Babysitting. Who hasn't pranced around like this while getting ready for a date?!)

1 ~ Sugababes, Get Sexy: I know, I know, this really should have been on the August chronicles. But i forgot. So it ends up here instead, and shockingly even though it feels like it has been around forever, it isn't even released yet anyway! Sounding best played loud in a club, it tries hard but doesn't quite emulate the giddy heights of Hole In The Head or Freak Like Me. Good try though...
2 ~ Alexandra Burke, Bad Boys: I am consumed with agogosity by the mere fact that I am entertaining the inclusion of this on the chronicles so bored of the Burke I was during the X Factor. But never let it be said I can't open my mind. Basically even though the inclusion of FloRida was entirely unnecessary, this tune is part Miley (See You Again), part Katy (I Kissed A Girl) and all Womanizer. How could it not fail to be quite intruiging over all?
3 ~ JLS, Everybody In Love: Not quite the amazing follow up to Beat Again that it could have been, but there is something eminently likeable about the JLS boys - and while this is generic by the numbers boyband pop, they deliver it with such conviction and joi de vivre that their enthusiasm is utterly infectious. Here's hoping that the album delivers some absolutely stomping pop corkers though...
4 ~ V Factory, Lights Camera Action: It's not their next official single, but I do like this song quite a lot so I'm focusing on this and will return to their scheduled release schedule at a later date. And while I live in fear that the V will split up before an album materialises, I'll drench myself in this rather funky if-simon-curtis-were-in-a-boyband type sound (and a sound that doesn't exactly sound out of place next to the BSB's Straight Through My Heart).
5 ~ Alphabeat, The Spell: The 'beat are back! How jolly amazing is that? Very amazing is the answer to that quite rhetorical question. Ooo it took me a while to work out how to SPELL rhetorical, but it all came good in the end. Basically, I don't have much to say about this right now other than the popjustice clip sounds rather delish. Check out a full version on Friday on the Scott Mills show, radio one, 4pm.
6 ~ The Saturdays, Forever is Over: As surprised as I was by liking Alexandra, I was just as surprised by how emphatically disappointed I was (am) by this song. I like the Saturdays. Up and Issues are wonderful. Work was undervalued. This however is overrated. It's a mix between Battlefield and I'm Outta Love, and not really too surprising as it's produced by the same people. Still I'm not willing to give up on the Turds yet, and I suspect this mediocrity will grow on me :)
7 ~ Sound of Arrows, Into The Clouds: I'm finding it incredibly hard not to be completely captivated by the Sound of Arrows. Not only was M.A.G.I.C one of the most infernally catchy songs in years, but they have stepped up their game on this equally astonishing tune which retains pop sensibilities with a very slight indie gloss. Probably what Candy Flip would have sounded like if they had the technology back in the 90s...
8 ~ Jordin Sparks, SOS: Vocoder alert! But it's all good as Jordin does an Alexandra and Saturdays by taking a template of what works well in a pop song (in this case elements of Rihanna and Lady Cuckoo) and turns it into a song that is ever so slightly appealing basically because of who is singing it. Quite nice, but not a patch on Battlefield. Sigh. Better go and get my armour... (kudos for the mentally undressing line. Always pleasing)
09 ~ BWO, Love Came Crashing Down: Again, I deviated from the official single release schedule (could've gone for the Velvet duet or next Swedish single Rise To The Occasion) but this has always been a favourite of their glorious fourth album. It's quite pet shop boysy and while built around a simple riff, it utterly soars to the skies in the chorus and sounds quite grand and epic. Marina sounds great at 2m30s and powers a great key change 15 seconds later. What's not to love?
10 ~ Pet Shop Boys, All Over The World: Does anyone even care if there are any more releases from the brilliant PSB Yes album? If not, then it's a cruel harsh unfair world that we live in. There could easily be about 5 songs that are single worthy. This is just one of them. From the classical sample to the epic chorus, it's indelibly Pet Shop Boys. What more can I say? (I suspect XO, Chartrigger or Worrapolava could say it all much better...)

11 ~ Dan Black, Pump My Pumps: One of the hideously underrated albums of the year so far is the very enjoyable Un by Dan of Black. It's like a male sung Kylie song of ice-cool proportions as he works in frenetic beats, edgy vocals and brilliant sound effects that give the song a slightly dangerous feel. I'm hoping this song will give him the enormous success he deserves - very different to the side he showed the world in Symphonies. Buy the album!!
12 ~ Agnes, On and On: Oh how I know Mike Poptrashaddict absolutely adores this very song. And artiste. I'd go as far as to say one of his favourites :P I'm warming to her immensely if only because LaPantaloondeDaz has become quite besotted with her music. It's another quite good A*teens-esque pop dance tune that should do quite well because it is jolly pleasant. Sigh - i miss the A*Teens...
13 ~ Dragonette, Pick Up The Phone: One gets the feeling that the 'Nette should be global megastars by now and being rumoured to be writing tracks for the next Kylie album. Instead they are plodding on with the new big in Japan label ("beloved by bloggers") and churning out very decent electro-pop songs for the world to nip at the heels of. It's the hypnotic beat and repetition of it all that draws me into their world every single time. Totally classy and elegant pop that deserves a much much bigger audience. Sigh...
14 ~ Alcazar, Harlem Nights: I just can't give up on the brilliant Disco Defenders album. It absolutely begs on it's knees to be mined for quality songs to be given a bigger airing than they already have. This is one of the slickest pop songs out there right now - if only for the "boys lit cigarettes with a sneer" line and the honkytonk piano. The accompanying video link is ghetto tragique and quite wonderful with it. Hoodytastic!
15 ~ Jonas Bros, Fly With Me: Let's face it - two things are very clear with the JonasBonusBros. 1) they will never ever be as good as McFly and 2) there music will never be as bad as their tv show. It's vaguely enjoyable in a I-should-really-know-better sort of way. Tweenage girls will go weak at the knees for it, it does have some nice piano bits in it but yes, I really really should know better...
16 ~ The Yeah You's, Getting Up With You: On paper the Yeah You's sound quite enterprising and brilliant. They mix the 70s type power pop of The Feeling with the youthful exuberance of The Click Five and manage to avoid being the next Journey South. And it does work quite well in practice. This is rather catchy, very summery and rather entertaining. In a moment of post modern irony brilliance, they were on british breakfast television today singing this very song. Career pinnacle or what?!
17 ~ Julian Velard, Jimmy Dean (vid above): (Click the link for Julian's myspace) Ok, here's the skinny. Julian Velard should be a worldwide megastar by now and it absolutely baffles me why he isn't. This song is a good 12 months old, but it's really connected with me lately. I'm not sure whether it's that Julian sleeps in his clothes, or the effortlessly rollicking piano, or the best use of dead idols in a pop song since Vogue or the ridiculously catchy chorus. It's probably all those things and more. I behove you to go and purchase this single. I thanks you :)
18 ~ Marit Larsen, Ten Steps: Marit's "The Chase" album has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance thanks to the much deserved number one hit of "If A Song" in Germany. She's rereleased her two albums as a bit of an "Ego Has Landed" type affair in Europe and this is her gorgeous next single. There is something enchanting about her voice and the lovely piano work that I can't get enough of...
19 ~ Pink, Bad Influence: One day Pink is going to have one of the best greatest hits albums to hit the market. In the meantime though she will keep ploughing on releasing amazing singles from her rather good actually Funhouse album. Pink can be a bad influence on me anyday :)
20 ~ Natalie Imbruglia, Want: Natalie is back and is a little bit throbbing. It's ever so slightly goldfrapp and shows once again, that Ms Imbruglia is an artist to be reckoned with - one who quietly reinvents her sound, takes on different genres and is far more creative than people give her credit for. Although it does remind me a little bit of Texas' Can't Resist but frankly comparisons to Sharleen are only a compliment. Can't wait to hear the album...
21 ~ Nerina Pallot, Real Late Starter: I have loved Nerina from the days I spotted her imaginatively titled poppy debut album advertised in Heat (Watch Out Billie and Jump are amazing) through to her complex and inviting second album (Sophia is a masterpiece) and am currently addicted to her tweets. This is a beautiful piece of poetry set to a lovely piano melody and quite witty with it too. Bodes incredibly well for the graduate. Looks absolutely stunning in the video below too :) Everything's coming up Nerina...

THE NEW:
Candy Coated Chaos - Masquerade: In the days of myspace and internet music, it is far easier for the world to see burgeoning new pop combos blossom as they hone their craft and prepare to launch themselves onto a somewhat suspecting public. Part of me thinks this is a shame (imagine if we'd heard every spice girls demo before Wannabe smacked the world upside the head - the impact would have been far less), but sometimes it totally works. This is the case with the CCC girls - they have increased in confidence with each song and this is their finest to date. An absolute stomper of pop-dance single that not only pays tribute to the freestyle girl groups of the 90s (Expose, Cover Girls, Sweet Sensation) with it's intoxicating rhythms and pounding bass, but also manages to sound utterly relevant and now with a chorus to kill for and their tightest and most pleasing vocal performance to date. It apparently takes about 2-3 years for acts i like to become huge, so CCC should be massive right about, er, now. Expect to hear this on a radio near you very soon. Oh and be sure to check out their myspace for a plethora of other quality pop songs, all competing to be on their debut album. Loves. (Check out Mel's review here!) (You can also hear CCC and Simon Curtis music here)

Red Blooded Women - Enjoy The Silence: Count backwards 5-4-3-2-1 because a new british girl group is in the wings and waiting to explode. And frankly there is more than enough room for them. The debate about this DM cover vs The Saturdays DM cover is getting tiresome now - the songs are completely different, and it's hard enough to compare the originals to each other. JCGE is entirely a Vince Clarke composition and maybe the most Erasure-ish song the Mode ever did, even before Erasure ever existed. Enjoy The Silence is a much moodier, less frenetic pop type number and RBW totally play that up by weaving in delicious electro synth, a persistant and enticing beat and sultry vocals that give the song a new edge. The blogs are positively crackling with positive energy towards this group and i'm dying to hear this on the radio. It's 1990 and it's 2009. The girls sound lush. Loves part 2. (Check out some earlier reviews of RBW here , here and here)

THE POTENTIAL LEGENDS:


The Saturdays - Work/Chasing Lights: You know, it took a little time for me to get the Saturdays, but now i feel all protective towards them. I think they have got a "bum" rap with their comic relief single. Everyone is quick to point out that it didn't make number one (hey, neither did Bananarama with the glorious Help!) and that it wasn't as good as the other DM cover out there (my thoughts on that are above!) and they were a bit desperate on twitter this weekend! All true, but they probably didn't have much input into the song, it's quite delightful as a campy 80s throwback with modern leanings and it veers between brilliancy and adequacy which makes it quite good over all. Anyway, seeing as LesSamedi have called their tour Work, I'm rather hoping that spunky little album track will be gussied up as their fourth single from the increasingly edible Chasing Lights album. And if they would like to put a nice acoustic version of the title track on the flip side, I'll be more than happy to oblige with a purchase. And obviously Up remains one of the best pop songs of the past year or so,

THE REIGNING CHAMPS:

Girls Aloud - Untouchable: This could be one of the worst choices of Girls Aloud singles ever. Not because it's a bad song. It's not. It's blindingly beautiful and utterly amazing from start to finish. Nicola's vocals are very lovely indeed. It has exquisite lyrics and a trance-dance feel that is difficult to pull off, but the Girls do it perfectly. It's fiercely beloved by fans and therein lies the problem - will they accept anything less than the full album version of 6mins+? A radio edit/mix would have to be incredibly tight and certainly won't please everyone. I guess the first peak at this will be when the Girls appear on the top rated Dancing On Ice programme on Sunday, where skating legends Torville and Dean will swoop around the ice to the track, while the lasses sing AN EDITED VERSION suspended by high wires, flying around. It could be utterly heavenly. I await to be (girls a)wowed.

Tomorrow: Possibly Erik Hassle (amazing) or Kevin Borg (adorable). Or nothing at all. Who knows?!

Oh! What's occuring? I won't lie to you, i've had a bit of a gavin and stacey weekend (AGAIN!), after having the car broken into and seeing as Darren is really ill again with a post operation infection. From the operation that was six weeks ago. So i prevented wringing my hands with more worry, by overdosing on some G&S (AGAIN!) Which much like Will and Grace, has the main attractions in the supporting cast. Everything Nessa says is bloody comedy gold - "I just cant believe I'm pregnant by Smithy...out of all the people I slept with...not Nigel Havers, John Prescott...not any of Goldie Looking Chain!" Tidy. Anyway on with la post...

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

• Ray Quinn continues to be brilliant in Dancing On Ice. Last week's 50s inspired dance routine was just amazing, though he faltered this week with the addition of a hat as a prop. I knows. Go figure. Anyway, what that boy can do on ice is just amazing. Shame Melinda Messenger got voted off though. No more Fred Palascak. Oh! And i'm starting hate Ruthie Henshaw with a Cherevyl Cole style passion....
• Take That's new b-side "84" has outclassed the quite-good-in-my-opinion A side, Up All Night (which seems likely to be top ten next week but not much higher). I like a decent Jason Orange tune, particularly as his offerings seem to be quite confessional and quirky (like the should-be-a-single-after-The-Garden How Did It Come To This). At times it does sound more like a Mark Owen solo track than a Take That effort, but that doesn't make it any less charming. Thrilled to bits that the epic The Garden is to be single number three too. Hurrah, etc.
• The Saturday's new b-side "Golden Rules" is also quite stomping, and much more enticing than the perky but lacking Just Can't Get Enough flip. It's far more "Up"/"Work" than their comic relief single and bodes well for their second album, hopefully due later this year. It's quite Girls Aloud, but it's not. I know that doesn't make much sense, you'll just have to buy the single to listen to it. Synthy and electro beats abound!

• Hurrah. One of my fave bonkers pop-ska-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink bands of the 90s are reforming. Gone is the disappointing (to me) solo career of Gwen (for now) - and they are back! On one of my favourite shows no less - Gossip Girl! Woo hoo! And, as a little cherry on top of this cake, they are performing an Adam Ant classic Stand and Deliver. It's like three magnificences in one. Can't. Wait.
• Aaron raised an interesting point on his blog this week - did Lily just add "a" to the line "let's get a chinese" on her latest album? I would have to say no.. I would totally say "let's get A chinese" over "let's get chinese". Perhaps it's a British thing? Other interesting mysteries of our time - the continued appeal to the masses of 22 year old (YEAH RIGHT!!) Lady Gaga. I thought I would give her album another go this weekend. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Utter utter lack of appeal for me. What gives?!
• Finally, Robin Hood is finally nearly back (later in March) and has some new fine and dandy men to keep him company. Can't wait to see lovely Jonas Armstrong back on the screen. PS ~ when is the next Dr Who special?!

THE TOP 21 TRACKS OF THE WEEK:

21 ~ Girls Aloud, The Loving Kind
20 ~ Marit Larsen, The Chase
19 ~ The Killers, Spaceman
18 ~ Kevin Borg, With Every Little Bit of Me (NE)
17 ~ Jason Mraz, The Dynamo of Volition
16 ~ Lenka, Trouble Is A Friend
15 ~ Annie Lennox, Shining Light
14 ~ Same Difference, If You Can't Dance
13 ~ The Saturdays, Just Can't Get Enough
12 ~ Lily Allen, The Fear
11 ~ Alesha Dixon, Breathe Slow
10 ~ The Days, No Ties
09 ~ McFly, The Last Song
08 ~ William Young, Let It Go
07 ~ Simon Curtis/Victoria Justice, The Wings of a Dream
06 ~ Kelly Clarkson, My Life Would Suck Without You
05 ~ BWO, You're Not Alone (NE) (VID)
04 ~ Taylor Swift, Love Story
03 ~ Take That, Up All Night
02 ~ Sugababes, Every Heart Broken
01 ~ Pet Shop Boys, Love, Etc. (1 week)
Previous 2009 chart toppers: Simon Curtis/Victoria Justice - Wings Of A Dream (4 weeks); Sugababes - Every Heart Broken (4 weeks)

Coming soon: Little Boots vs Pixie; Fizzypop Chronicles 2009 Vol. 3; some other stuff!!

THE SATURDAYS - JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH:

The meteoric rise of The Saturdays as England's current pop darlings has been quite the joy to watch. While If This Is Love left me ever so slightly cold at first, I now (perhaps criminally) find myself reaching for Up over The Loving Kind on a regular basis, and Issues is an incredibly pretty ballad that although formulaic manages to transform into something beautiful. So I was excited to hear they were covering one of my fave early Depeche Mode tracks for Comic Relief - and really it does exactly what it says on the tin. It's not exactly a million miles away from the original DM version, and wisely keeps the well known synth riff in place. It's a fun version of the tune that actually soars when the girls let their harmonies loose - check out 2m17; those ten seconds had they been replicated throughout the song would have raised this from ace pop fun to great cover version. And oh my! The video - it's easy to guess why NO money has been spent on it, as it's for charidee, but those stereotypical women in the kitchen poses are a bit grating after a while. So my advice - don't watch the vid too much and enjoy this slice of nostalgic pop yummy. Now, bring on Enjoy The Silence RBW!!
LINK: Aaron's ace review of Chasing Lights, no need for me to write one now :P

WILL YOUNG - LET IT GO:

Well never let it be said that William of the Young does not throw himself fully into his videos - whether it be wearing tight speedos or doing some fancy dressage, he knows how to make a visual impact. The title track of his current album sees him getting kicked out of (one assumes) a costume party where at first I thought he had gone as a raccoon, but no he actually is a superhero. This leads to some great shots of William in superhero poses, his cape flying in the breeze. Some of these are purposefully posed, and some weaved into the character William is playing - for example, when he pulls his cape around him to shield him from the cold is an iconic superhero/villain image. There is also a beautiful scene where a previously petulant William walks past a store window and stares at a mannequin, before finally realising that he does indeed have to let his anger/hurt/resentment go and dances around with the mannequin, getting whatever version of closure he needs. It's a lovely 3 minutes+ of video to go with a stand out track from his album. I was advocating I Won't Give Up as a single and i'm hoping that will still happen, but this promo has reignited my adoration for this stark, powerful statement of love and loss. Hopefully the British public will feel the same.
LINK: XO and DanUSA's thoughts on the track when it first came out
LINK: William's thoughts on his upcoming greatest hits and future albums
LINK: My "Let It Go" album review

Coming tomorrow - Erasureish.

Blimey. Slight diversion before I start this post. One of my staff at work, Alison Bouye (pronounced Boy) announced today she is marrying her long term boyfriend! Hurrah I say as she is quite lovely. As is he. Amazingly though his name is Nick Batty! And Alison wants a double barrelled surname. Seriously. She will be Alison Batty Bouye. Am I the only person in the world who thinks this is very titterworthy? Oh apparently Nick does to. That is ok then. Anyway, it's been an AGE and a half since i featured some decent new pop! So let's get down to the most mega catch up of new pop you have seen since the last one...

THE DIGITAL RESURRECTION:

Remember Digital? They were the next big boyband to happen throughout 2007. Then one of them pissed off and the rest of them called it a day. Suddenly there was no getting one's kit off, or doing me dirty. The colourful electro pop band who could have been the next V (or at least the very next Phixx), inspired in me a lust for a boyband revival and contributed to the creation of one of the internets funniest ever woe-is-me posts, were no more. But individually the boys carried on and I managed to stay in touch with Dean and Ian in particular. And look at them now! Dean (right) has gone for a slick pop dance route and an exclusive listen to his song See Through shows that it has paid off. It's full of subtle beats, innovative hooks and a dancey chorus that will have the trendies lining up to shake their "thangs" (shows my age!) on the dancefloor. If I had to describe it, I would say it's the Jason Donovan (love him!) version of Sam Sparro i.e. more pop oriented and with better fashion sense. Not only that but he has great hair and is a lovely chap to boot. As is Ian (left) who has been busy pumping out a solid range of synthy electro tunes that take the best elements of Digital, smooth out the cheese and leave behind a lovely array of melodies and beats to entice the leftest of two left feet. Goodbye To Yesterday is rather aces, but it's the utterly delicious See You Again Soon (note the soon! It's not the miley song!) that brings a laid back erasure vibe to the table with Ian's vocals just gliding effortlessly around the summery chorus. Wicked Kinda Love has top ten smash embedded into it (for him or a girl group I'm not sure yet, but it sure is mighty). And *if* Ian was working with a rather ace Swedish singer then the song that he has written for him *might* be the best slice of alcazar pop this side of a solo Magnus Carlsson tune. Aces. So much more to come from these lovely chappies...
Link: Ian's myspace
Link: Dean's myspace

TELL YOUR MOM YOU'RE IN A BOYBAND:

Smell ice can ya? Bleeding Christ! Everyone and his dog is jumping on the post-Digital-surely-a-boyband-must-break-soon phenomenon. Here and in unusual-for-me concise 5 lines or less are some of the latest contenders that I've found, pilfered from D'Luv and Poppostergirl or just literally had shoved in my inbox. What a charming euphemism!

• Menudo are "a well known brand" revitalised for the new millenium.
• Their single Lost is actually quite a pleasant little number - it's a bit dancey and a bit r'n'b
• But it's not too much of either, so it fits nicely in the "quality Chris Brown" folder of music
• The video is a bit of a hostage situation type affair.
• For an American boyband, they are styled pretty well. Take note, Jonas Bros...

• RaiDen may not be the most visually aesthetic group ever, but who cares?
• They are my 2nd fave Danish X Factor contestants (after winner Martin)!
• They were rather brilliant at picking ace boyband classics to perform on the show, in particular When You're Looking Like That...
• New single, the lovely Goodbye for Good shows they have a decent grasp on what makes an ace boyband song. All gentle piano intro and brilliant harmonic chorus.
• I Gave You Love is also fab. It's part A1 and part lovely baritone. What more could you ask for?
  

• While popjustice quite rightly rave about rejigged Avenue, it's Futureproof doing it for me!
• They've lost one of the tall dudes which is a shame cos the taller ones are much fitter
• At first I didn't care what the music sounded like as they had pics of themselves with Same Difference on their myspace (and a bit of a lusting for Jakeypoos Gyllenhall)
• Then I heard Disco Ball and Chain which not only has an amazing title, some Will Young type "doo doo doo"s at the start but also as a demo makes me very excited for more more more :)
• The day you lost your guy and their cover of Feeling Good are also great. Very male amy housewine.

GREAT GIRL SONGS:



Everyone has an opinion on who will be the next great girl group. Will it be RedBloodedWomen? (of course!) Will it be Caracola? (Sadly not) Will it be Raen (Doubtful, but not for lack of trying) Or will it be The Saturdays? Possibly. For polished and gleaming pop, then you probably can't go far wrong with this. It's a slick production of a track (called If This Is Love) with some pleasant harmonies and a decent chorus that you can sort of groove to in slow motion rather than get down to. It's a promising start, but i can't help but feel that some personality should be injected into the songs. What an example of that? Then check out Cathy Dennis' sister - Georgie Dennis has possibly one of the greatest pop tunes of the year and it will probably go unnoticed - forgotten faster than it was written :( Which is a real shame because it's a corker. Typical is anything but - it's perhaps the song that Kylie or Britney should be considering to launch their next stage of their career. Just the right level of cool mixed with the novelty factor, it's a worthy dance pop contender from a promising artist. Brillopad. Check it out here...

Probably some album reviews tomorrow and a catch up with fizzypop potentials from the past!