Lopez Blogs

Boo :( I have toothache. This is probably entirely my own fault as is usually the case with toothache. I am seeing the dentist on Monday morning. He will glare at me with his smouldering eyes and make me feel bad for indulging in that toffee from the £5 special offer tin of Quality Street. Curse the supermarket price wars! They will be the ultimate downfall of my nashers. So I am powering through the weekend with co-codemol and ibuprofen. And some surprisingly effective baby teething gel! Magnif! Luckily, there is lots of music to get me through til Monday morning. Here is what you should be checking out (toothache sympathy in the comments please!)...

Songs to ease the toothache :)

• Shayne Ward ~ Gotta Be Somebody: Christ this is getting out of hand! First Westlife do Chris Daughtry, then Joe does Donkeyboy. Next we'll have JLS coming out with a cover of some Hoobastank song! Frankly I was mortified when I heard Shayne was coming back with a Nickelback song! Both him and Joe have tweeted so much about the amazing music they are making, then both pop up with cover versions. However, I have learnt not to make snap judgements and rather than a straightforward cover, Shayne has got a nice glossy pop/r'n'b arrangement rendering it significantly different from an original I really wasn't too familiar with anyway. The full version is actually quite engaging, and a solid return for Shayne that I'm more smitten with with each listen. Hopefully the general public will agree too...
• Adam Tyler ~ Operation: Adam Tyler is currently in the united kingdom and by all accounts having a whale of a time. That has no bearing on whether this track is good or not. I'm pleased to report however that it is rather bonza. It's a sleek, persistant electro groove - Adam's tapping his lower register on the vocals and his voice sounds great. It's very downbeat lyrically, about removing negativity of a failed relationship from his life - the middle 8 sounds particularly sinister when Adam sings "anesthesia" and the backing gets almost psychotic; it's bleeps and beats all over the place but held tautly together with some great production. Is this the outcome of living too long with his Friction addiction? Regardless, it works well as a sequel to that song or just a great piece of pop music. More per favor.
• Mohombi ~ Bumpy Ride: I can't believe it's taken me this long to write about Mohombi and his instantly infectious track Bumpy Ride. Basically he's a RedOne protege and he's crafted a fun, compelling summer anthem that will take you way into Autumn and beyond. It mixes smooth vocals with a slightly reggae infused track and comes across as a slightly more credible Start Without You. The video is a bit literal and reminds me at times of Peter Andre, but overall it's definitely an enticing tune that reels you in. Apparently lots more good Mohombi stuff is coming up (War Zone is brillo)....
• Magnus Carlsson ~ Best In Me: Oh my amazesticles! Magnus - always a reliable bet for some bonkers, gleeful pop majesty - has popped himself in a time machine, whizzed back to 1989 and produced one of the most thoroughly giddily enjoyable sparklingly fizzy pop treats of the year! It's not just inspired by Stock Aitken & Waterman, it's positively drenched in their influences. I'm pretty certain the backing track owes a huge debt to Love In The First Degree. It doesn't even matter. It's such a feel good piece of music and I can't wait to devour Magnus' "Pop Galaxy" next week. It could be absolutely immensicles...

• Charlotte Church ~ Back To Scratch: This is a very lovely, lilting return to pop for Charlotte. It totally follows on from more madcap numbers like Crazy Chick & Call Your Name, but represents a more mature reading from her - a reflection of what she has been through the past few years. Her voice remains well suited for this type of number and there's a sadness mixed in with the quite wonderful floating music. It's all pulled together very well and I'm ever so eager for her album next month. Love the multiple charlottes video above too! Amazes.
• Velvet Code ~ Follow You Follow Me: I first heard of Velvet Code on Larry Flick's Morning Jolt. It's synth pop at it's finest and is an insidious tune that soon weaves it's way into your synapses and refuses to let go. It's beautifully created music that shimmies with the knowledge that the person behind has a thorough understanding of what makes pop music great. The chorus in itself represents a simplicity of melody but with some complex electro instrumentation running behind it that elevates it to huge singalong status. Definitely one to watch

Top 21 singles of the week:

21 ~ Bright Light x 2, Love Part II
20 ~ Ace of Base, All For You
19 ~ Brandon Flowers, Only The Young
18 ~ Bjorn Johan Muri, Once Upon A Time
17 ~ Joe McElderry, Ambitions (NE)
16 ~ Eric Saade, Masquerade
15 ~ Darin, Lovekiller
14 ~ Jesse McCartney, Shake
13 ~ Charlotte Church, Back To Scratch (NE)
12 ~ DeeDee, Balls
11 ~ Kelly Rowland, Shake Them Haters Off
10 ~ Nadine Coyle, Insatiable
09 ~ James Blunt, Stay The Night (vid)
08 ~ Sophie Ellis Bextor, Not Giving Up On Love
07 ~ Kylie, Get Outta My Way
06 ~ Scissor Sisters, Any Which Way
05 ~ Jessie J, Price Tag
04 ~ Elouise, The Winner Takes It All
03 ~ Maroon 5, Give A Little More
02 ~ Gravitonas, Religious
01 ~ Robbie Williams, Shame (3 weeks)

What a day it has been. I've been on a train most of the day travelling to 'that London' for work and the like... It has possibly been hotter than hell, and sometime you could physically see the cartoon smell wiggles eminating from people's arm pits. Yack. Then I tried to help some woman who fell rushing to catch the tube - I grabbed her hand to help her up, only the door shut leaving her on the platform shaking her fist and me in the train holding her shopping back! I was mortified. The whole carriage was looking at me like I was some sort of common criminal!! It was all made better though by All The Lovers coming on at exactly the same time a loved up boy-boy couple started canoodling. It was rude to watch, but it was like my own little serendipitous moment. Delightful. Anyway, you didn't come here to read about any of that, you came here for a full breakdown of the new Adam Tyler video...

ADAM TYLER - FRICTION

The song ~ let's face it. Friction is actually a properly good, catchy, entertaining pop song. It's got a wonderfully catchy chorus, it's a little bit aggressive which gives it an edge that saves it from sacharrine, it has a brilliantly broken down middle 8 that is both seductive and a little bit scary, and it sounds very modern indeed while still feeling totally comfortable and recognisable. It nicely balances elements of pop, synth, electro and danceability in a forward thinking way that places it at a high level within the current future boy-pop star competition (see below). It's well deserving of its 3 weeks atop the fizzypop charts - mainly because it's pop juxtaposed with a downright dirty electro edge that kept me humming along for weeks. And now, there is a video! Let's investigate that...

The video ~ Adam has actually raised the bar (as I noted above) in the current boy-pop market. He's done wonders to produce a quality video that merges a number of scenes, scenarios and dance routines successfully. Here are some of the highlights...

• As the video begins, there is a dictionary definition of what friction means. So not only is the video fun, it's instantly educational as well. Teachers could quite rightly show it in English class and not feel like they are just passing time til break like Mrs Krabappel...
• Then there are some nice shots of Adam posing - sometimes with his pecs out and sometimes with paint on his face (in a deep way, I assume to represent the tension and war like attributes of the friction in his relationship?!) There is quite a creepy shot at around 16 seconds, which looks static but then his eyes move. Well I was scared...
• From around 25s most notably Adam is sitting in half a disco ball. This is because he loves pop. And because the light looks quite nice shining off it. He is also on a balcony in quite an expensive looking apartment. He is enjoying a nice glass of red wine (or fruit juice if he is under 21) with his lady friend...
• But oh no! At 42s, he has obviously done something to her drink (told her it was a $10 bottle when really it was $5 from walmart?) and she rather rudely spits it all over him. Still, good for him to know at this stage that she is actually a spitter and not a swallower :P
• At 45 seconds, if it isn't enough that she has spaffed her juice all over him, she throws the wine all over him. Kudos (not on the wine throwing, waste of damn good wine - that $5 stuff is highly underrated) - it looks quite good splashing off his face! Well shot cameraman, well shot...
• Then they are having a bit of a friendly, then less friendly tussle inside the apartment. Again, this is to show the friction between them, but really I suspect it's the Santa Ana winds driving them crazy :)
• Adam remains a complete gentleman and doesn't respond to Lady Friend's aggressive pushing. Not even when she slaps him at the one minute mark. Which looked quite real. I bet the poor lamb had finger marks on his face. I'd take her to Judge Judy :)
• At about 1m to 1m15s, Adam is standing static in the kitchen looking well pissed off while Lady Friend continues to rant. I have used this tactic myself - just don't respond to the hystrionics. It gets them even more riled while you remain aloof. Well done Adam. Round one to you.
• Ooo then it all changes. Adam is in the desert. And he has forgotten half his clothes. Now this part is to symbolise the animalistic nature of the arguing that then leads to the passion. So the video is still very educational as it will teach kids symbolism and they will be able to read Wuthering Heights and know that the wildness of the moors reflect the wildness of Heathcliffe's temperament! Amazes.
• As the lyrics talk about a little break in the dance, Adam and Lady Friend actually dance. It is vaguely reminiscent of the Buffy musical episode when people were forced to dance. Luckily, there are much better dance routines to come. Phew :P
• The second chorus continues the friction as the relationship dance theme, interspersed with some nice shots of Adam looking all angsty and passionate about the situation. Though I don't recommend lying on the railway tracks as he does at 1m54s. This is not to be tried at home kids :)
• GOOD LORD! It's sexy Adam in the middle 8 (2m15s on). He's all panther like, wound tightly and ready to erupt. There is also some close crotches proximity going on. And! Adam goes a bit saucy/kinky as he chains his Lady Friend up and takes her for a walk! It's all a bit True Blood naughty and I like it!
• BUT THEN! Amazingness happens! A full on bonkersosity dance routine kicks in at 2m36 with arms everywhere and a dance troupe. It's possibly the best full on dance routine since Same Difference's excellent We R One (or their new one actually for Shine On Forever). Dance routines are sorely lacking in pop at the moment. Hurrah to Adam for returning them to magnificence!
• There's quite a romantic but chaste little smooch at the end, and then a nice 'aw, we made up' hug. Though Adam has a naughty glint in his eye so I suspect part of him, as the song says, was addicted to the friction and quite liked it all actually. The saucy devil.

So there you have it. A thoroughly entertaining video, with good popstar hair, nice use of finger paints and a full on dance routine. With added naughtiness! Amazeballs. Now go and bloody buy it on iTunes per favor. I thank you!

See also:

• Kyle Brylin ~ also currently vying for boy pop amazingness. His Discrepency EP is all sorts of addictive, he seems quite the charmer and has some nice new pics with brillo pop star hair as above demonstrates. As Poster Girl will testify, this is very important in the world of boy-pop...
• Simon Curtis ~ how could I bypass an opportunity to remind people about Simon?! His album 8 Bit Heart has been incredibly well received, he's getting more interest by the day and developing his live show. Personally I'd whack Alter Boy online for $10 a pop to raise some cash, but for now let's relook at one of the prettiest most addictive ballads of the year, the achingly gorgeous title track to his album :)

So after a rather lovely week in rural East Sussex I am so ready for the simple life (not that one)... the city seems so ugh upon return today. Still must stick to the plan - another 3 years here before we buy a house (probably not a very big house) in the country. Twas all very relaxing and slow paced down there, and due to crappy internet connection, I wasn't distracted much by the web at all. Though I was sad to miss Sean and Sarah (above) literally on my doorstep (you can practically see the Pride Stage from my window) last Saturday :/ Their new single is immensicles and magnifico and sounds even better in studio version. Hurrah for their return I say - i mean just look at that dance routine. I stand amazed :P More on the week away tomorrow, but here are some of the books I plowed through while lying laxidaisically on the lounger...

• Rick Riordan ~ Percy Jackson & The Sea of Monsters: Or Percy Jackson & The Golden Fleece as I like to call it. God, I'm really showing my reading age aren't I?!
• Joanna Nadin ~ The Facts of Life: Sixth in Rachel Riley diary series. Still hilarious, though not quite as brilliant as Georgia Nicholson...
• Phillip Pulman ~ The Good Jesus & The Soundrel Christ: Absolutely amazing. Brilliant read

And here are some of the albums I listened to that will be soundtracking your summer very soon...

Essential Summer Albums - 2010 edition:

• Kylie ~ Aphrodite: Out of the three albums I'm writing about today, Kylie is the one I have not heard yet (though some previews from her Splash appearance have leaked online). However there is a phenomenal review in this month's Attitude and All The Lover still remains my number one song (and a song that never gets played just one. I always repeat). Based on their jolly good actually write up, I am probably most excited for the following songs - Get Outta My Way ("big pulsating beat, verses that build and build and a punchy, throw some shapes chorus"), Aphrodite ("underpinned by a Rhythm Nation marching band sound, a classic early 90s piano line before moving into twinkly territory... it's likely to experience the same campaign as Your Disco Needs You to get it released as a single."), Better Than Today (because I love Nerina Pallot and because "is a kitschy retro line dancing number with walk down the high street and feel empowered 'use it/lose it' chorus") and Put Your Hands Up ("straighforward euphoria powered by a fizzy pinball machine effects...like Kylie doing David Guetta"). I didn't think I could be more excited about this album, but Attitude's review has amped up the anticipation factor. Hurrah (plus they used my suggestion of London Nights by London Boys for their night time anthems feature!!)
• Scissor Sisters ~ Night Work: I was lucky enough to get a sneaky peek at this album and it's definitely a consistent solid piece of dirty sleazy trash - and I mean that in the most positive way. The opening (and title) track sets the tone for the record - it's more of a sequel to the debut rather than Ta-Dah. Night Work (the song)is like a progression of Music Is The Victim with it's catchy refrain "night work, gotta do the night work/weekday 9-5 shift is over" and clever lyrics like "I didn't have a penny, no I couldn't cut a cheque with a blade". It's delicious second single material and spicy and spunky with it. Whole New Way continues with a perky pop vibe spliced with some down and dirty lyrics talking about going home with your tail between his legs (and leading into a killer fuzzed up middle 8 that adds some real aggression to the tune). Other than the lead off single, highlights include the marvy Any Which Way (certainly a contender for single 3 or 4) which takes the love of a synth driven tune to new catchy heights. Jake sounds in fine fettle and there is a deliciously purred middle 8 from Ana. It's reminiscent of bathhouse era Bette Midler as she spits out orders to do it "in front of my parents, i don't give a damn baby". Amaze. There's also Running Out which is also a single contender as Jake becomes the living embodiment of a 70s disco era David Bowie and funnels it all into a pulsating, filthy, throbbing groove that hooks into your brain and won't remove itself for love nor money; Skin This Cat is a more vivid Hey Kitty Kitty from S Club and Ana purrs through it like a bustier Alison Goldfrapp (and does it exquisitely beautifully); Sex & Violence has more genius flowing through every beat and chord - it is the type of tune you can't help but wish Erasure were still making and leaves you wanting a little bit of both (sex and violence not Andy and Vince); and of course finally there is White Light - the 'Electrobix' of the album i.e. a rather brilliant slutty disco epic that is part Frankie Goes To Hollywood, part modern day Thriller. Would've worked as glorious first single (but then Fire with Fire wouldn't have worked as that song is only wonderful as single 1) or - in it's rightful place - as scintillating album closer that leaves you gasping breathlessly for more. Solid return with so many single choices it's ridiculous.
• Adam Tyler ~ Lullabies for Rattlesnakes: Brilliant title aside, Adam is fast proving himself as the solid go-to guy for straight up enjoyable pop tunes - and his forthcoming debut album promises to be a doozy. Clips of certain tracks (such as pulsating Friction, naughty word ridden Schizophrenic - both shit and bitch make an appearance, synth sound drenched Masquerade) have shown up on Adam's myspace and prove that he has knack for smart, forward thinking production, memorable melodies and clever lyrics. There's more like that to come - Take It To Extremes is a fast paced, electro ditty, powered forward by a computer game sounding sample that knits the tune together; Another Love takes it midtempo to start with before building into a powerful chorus and Adam's voice shines forward with no studio gimmickery, just pure and pop (and quite lovely); Barefoot In December I was expecting to be a ballad, but is really more of a guy-pop version of Ego (though possibly pre-dates that) mixed with some Blake Lewis Heartbreak on Vinyl; YMO (yours, mine, ours) is an intensely sparse club thumper that will sound just brillopad blasted out loud for the kids on the sweaty dancefloor at 12.02 on an early Sunday morning. Basically, there are lots of pop gems contained within - keep looking for his debut video Friction because it's coming soon...

Be back tomorrow for a video catch-up and the charts...

Amaze of the balls! This gosh forsaken heck hole of a week is finally over :) Woo, and I don't think it's unseemly of me to add a hoo. It's not been the most delightful of weeks, though clearly the Eric Saade album has helped me through and some bostin' steve ausin 'season finales' have perked things up somewhat! But tomorrow, I shall tra la la off to my cottage in the country for a week of bumpkiness (that's not a sex thing you pervs), relaxation and writing. As it goes, I went through loads of old blog posts the other day - what I do like about my blog (he said modestly) is that I always work a bit of my life and personality and mood into each post, whatever I'm writing about. So i've found loads of little stories and pithy put downs I had forgotten and it really made me laugh. I know it's poor form to laugh at your own words, but i was genuinely quite amused and it gave me a little boost. I'm never particularly good at blowing my own trumpet (i've tried, too many ribs) and i've never been one of those people who can praise how amazing they think they are, but i did think, oh you know what Paul? You aren't bad at writing :) And so much of what i found will flesh out parts of the novel... and form basis for future work. So yay, quite pleased by that and I'm heading down to holiday with pages and pages of print outs of this very blog with a pencil case full of highlighters. how industrious... :) Still to keep you going - here are some things that are very much worth looking forward to...

GOOD STUFF:

• Maroon 5 ~ Misery: SQUEEEEAAAL! As I blogged a little while back, Adam LeFine and his boys are back late this summer with their third album full of rollicking tunes and tender love makey ballads (no doubt). You can hear some clips of their sound over at Rolling Stone, and they've already started filming the first video which promises to rival Wake Up Call for sex and violence. It goes to radio late June and I shall have my ear glued to the stero waiting for it "drop". Excitement!
• Magnus Carlsson ~ Feel You: After the rather camp but ultimately engaging cover of A Little Respect, Magnus returns with another song from his forthcoming album. And it's equally camptastic and discobonkers. It's all pulsing dance beat with a soaring club driven melody (that sounds like it would be rather lovely as an acoustic version, as Swedish boys are want to do) and snuggles in perfectly to the always joyous Magnus canon. Think the dance version of Waiting For A Star To Fall and you ain't far off. B-side Take Me To Your Heart is like a late 80s S/A/W song remixed now by Pete Hammond, ie - very palatable indeed...
• James Leon ~ Caught Up In Your Vanity: This is just sublimely exquisite. It's like a long lost Human League demo, dragged out from the archives and given a generous coating of millenial magic. Gently synth driven, it crescendos into a fuzzed up electro chorus and James sounds absolutely brilliant on it. Nice statement on the plasticness of the London scene too(or anywhere/one vain). So good you can't just listen to it once. This needs to be released - and now...
• Amy Meredith ~ Lying: Oh how am I in love with this band, that I assumed was a solo pop singer before I heard any music. They are not. They are a band. With a rather dishy as a dishcloth hunk of a suave lead singer. And a song that is basically a man version of Stefy - Chelsea or Vincent Black Shadow - Metro; i.e. instantly catchy, brilliant pogo-pop quick as you like lyrics and an amazeballs chorus. It's all so very wonderful indeed and I can't wait to hear more from them. Luckily an album is out in July. Bonza! I feel a whole new obsession coming on...
• Chanee & N'Evergreen ~ The Album: Quick review - it's Roxette for the year 2010. In fact it's seven Sleeping Singles and seven Must've Been Loves. Belated popjustice song of the day In A Moment Like This is still by far the highlight, but there are some pleasant 80s power pop on there too. Charming. Cheesily charming, but charming.

Top 21 songs of the week:

Above, where you see a picture of pop star of the future Adam Tyler, there should be a probably brilliant new video to his ace debut single. Friction. There isn't. Instead there is what might be a still from that very video. That's because the video sadly isn't out yet. But it will be very shortly - probably when i'm deepest darkest rural East Sussex, working on a slow dongle! So i'm assuming it will have some killer dance moves and look very brilliant indeed. Follow Adam on twitter because he'll sure as heck let you know when the video is done - and be sure to let me know how immensicles it is in the comments!! EDIT: Now with added commentary from Adam himself :) See comments!!

21 ~ Simon Curtis, Super Psycho Love
20 ~ Mika, Kick Ass
19 ~ Kimberley Locke, Strobelight
18 ~ DeeDee, Endure
17 ~ Sophie Ellis Bextor, Bittersweet
16 ~ Gabriella Cilmi, On A Mission
15 ~ Kelly Rowland, Commander (NE)
14 ~ Gabriella Cilmi, Hearts Don't Lie
13 ~ Eric Saade, Manboy
12 ~ Donkeyboy, Sometimes
11 ~ JLS, The Club Is Alive
10 ~ Maria Mena, All This Time
09 ~ Sergey Lazarev, Alarm
08 ~ Adam Tyler, Friction
07 ~ Gravitonas, Kites
06 ~ Lovestoned, Thursdays
05 ~ Josh Dubovie, That Sounds Good To Me
04 ~ Chenee & N'Evergreen, In A Moment Like This
03 ~ Eric Saade, It's Gonna Rain
02 ~ Scissor Sisters, Fire With Fire
01 ~ Kylie, All The Lovers (3 weeks)

Coming soon (maybe next week): All you need to know about one of the summer's essential pop albums; some excellent Swedish pop; The Sparkling Arrest; Disco Lemonade - the novel AND the pop song?

It was sort of inevitable that the week would end on a glorious note no matter what you were doing. It seemed that everyone was holding their breath, tuned to Radio 1 for Kylie Minogue to premiere her new single All The Lovers. It seemed also that there was far more anticipation to this track than there had been to the X lead off single 2 Hearts... perhaps because it was easy to hear Kish Mauve's version prior to Kylie's not entirely different version, so people had a sense of what was coming. This was brand new and transported me back to the time when I was glued to the tranny (that's what my grandma called the radio at her house back in the old days i.e. 1989; i wasn't literally glued to a transvestite or anything) at me granny's house waiting for Wouldn't Change A Thing to premiere. There's something quite magical about hearing a song for the first time with the rest of the world rather than it dribbling onto the internet for download when ever anyone choses to discover it. Then of course... "Dance... it's all I wanna do, so won't you dance?" happened and there was no seeming about it - the world had changed irrevocably and an epic new Kylie anthem was being birthed right before my ears. It's beautifully seductive, it crescendos throughout until a brief pause in the middle 8 - which then explodes like a shower of glitter, it's delightfully romantic, it feels warm like a totally enveloping hug and it's timeless while being totally relevant for today's pop market. I can't think of how any other comeback tune would have pleased me more and of course for that reason, she storms to the top of my chart this week, doubling the plays of the no.2 song (which is still vair bon). I'm entirely and completely obsessed... However, if you need a break from playing there are a few other new songs worthy of your attention to...

Other songs that are ace new this weekend:

• Dirty Disco ~ White Room: I was heavily in love with Sista! and Vulture, so I was excited to hear the official single from the glam-electro pop posse but apprehensive in case it didn't live up to my expectations. I'm pleased to say that it's an absolutely amazemont song and a brilliant choice of single - it's actually quite a dark subject matter (set to a zippy beat) about people trying to fix you when you don't quite fit in, but it's you that has to accept you are ok with your place in the world. It's placed over a bonkers synth and guitar riff, has an instantly memorable chorus and the most genius middle 8 that the world will want to chant over and over again. Effortlessly engaging, this deserves to be very very huge indeed. Check out their blog with free remixes here...
• Infernal ~ Love Is All: There's more summer anthems this year than you can shake a stick at (whatever that means) and it's only bloody May! The ace Danish duo are back with a tune that, granted, isn't as immensicles as Punk Disco or the stunning Redefinition but it is pretty much their take on When Love Takes Over and is quite pleasing from start to finish. It's got that classic rave element to it and bodes well for the upcoming album. Paw still looks delicious of course :)
• Armand Deluxe ft Adam Tyler ~ Demented: Hurrah! More new Adam music and this is dirty little groove that is vaguely reminiscent of Britney's Slave 4 U and it's a darker more insistent vibe that I've heard from Adam in the past. That's not to say I don't love it because I do - it's very insiduous and each listen draws you deeper into the darkness of the song. Great lyrics, a tremendous vocal and that hypnotic beat makes this a total winner. I love a slice of ominous, obsessive love in a smart boy-pop song and this delivers in spades. More more more please. PS, Armand Deluxe has also done a remix of the former fizzypop number one Friction that is proper stomping!

Top 21 Songs of the Week:

21 ~ Darin, You're Out Of My Life
20 ~ Alcazar, Headlines
19 ~ Neo, Human Frontier
18 ~ Ola, Unstoppable
17 ~ Mariah Carey, 100%
16 ~ Simon Curtis, Super Psycho Love
15 ~ Donkeyboy, Sometimes
14 ~ Gravitonas, Kites
13 ~ Kimberley Locke, Strobelight
12 ~ Mika, Kick Ass
11 ~ JLS, The Club Is Alive
10 ~ DeeDee, Endure
09 ~ Sophie Ellis Bextor, Bittersweet
08 ~ Adam Tyler, Friction
07 ~ Maria Mena, All This Time
06 ~ Gabriella Cilmi, On A Mission
05 ~ Josh Dubovie, That Sounds Good To Me
04 ~ Lovestoned, Thursdays
03 ~ Eric Saade, Manboy
02 ~ Scissor Sisters, Fire with Fire
01 ~ Kylie, All The Lovers (1 week/NE)

I have been vaguely stressed all week by the speech that I am due to give as best man (or one of two best men, Darren being the other) at Ruth & Lou's civil partnership today (if you are reading this on Sunday). In one of my most brilliant procrastinations of all time, I literally left it way too long and then panicked over it non-stop since about Thursday morning. And when I say panicked, i mean completely obsessed over the placement of each word to make sure it was perfect - god, if I spent this much time on my novels I'd be a best seller by now! And poor Darren had to put up with one creative strop tonight, but as always he just ignored my immaturity and watched The Whole 19 Yards. Still, it's all done now, hopefully magnificent and i'll let you all know how it goes sometime on Monday...

What this does mean is that I've not really paid attention to anything else for a few days so I'm just going to give you my weekly charts and hopefully be back to sanity (whatever that is) sometime next week! On the plus side, my wedding hair cut (above) on Friday looks quite nice, despite the fact I will NEVER get it to look like this again!!

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 ~ Diana Vickers, Once
20 ~ Donkeyboy, Sometimes (NE/VID)
19 ~ Music Go Music, Light of Love
18 ~ Bjorn Johan Muri, Yes Man
17 ~ Mika, Kick Ass
16 ~ Sergey Lazarev, Alarm
15 ~ Darin, You're Out Of My Life
14 ~ Kimberley Locke, Strobelight
13 ~ Alcazar, Headlines
12 ~ Candle Thieves, We're All Gonna Die
11 ~ The Pipettes, Stop The Music
10 ~ Ola, Unstoppable
09 ~ Neo, Human Frontier
08 ~ Simon Curtis, Super Psycho Love
07 ~ Mariah Carey, 100%
06 ~ Maria Mena, All This Time
05 ~ DeeDee, Endure
04 ~ Gabriella Cilmi, On A Mission
03 ~ Sophie Ellis Bextor Jones, Bittersweet
02 ~ Eric Saade, Manboy
01 ~ Adam Tyler, Friction (3 weeks)

Back on mon with pics and tales from the wedding!!

Lots of important things happened yesterday. There was some volcanic ash hovvering around the atmosphere. I neared the end of Dynasty Season Six (Alexis: "Oh Krystle, are you here as Blake's former stenographer to pick up a few little tidbits?" No one does put downs as witheringly as that woman). There was a debate on tv between the three potential future prime ministers. Tatiana got voted off RuPaul's Drag Race (Sashay. Away). Gary Barlow did something, though I'm not sure what yet. And more important than any of those cataclysmic events was my latest radio slot with lovely Larry Flick on The Morning Jolt (Sirius OutQ Radio). It was my fourth visit, I had a lovely time and a brilliant response from people who wanted to know more about the artists I talked about, so here is a round up of super acts just waiting your attention to make them mass-eeeeve...

The Bang Bang Club: I have written about the lovely boys in the Bang Bang Club twice before - once here (where I described their glorious single Chemistry as "drenched in synths, exciting beats and a blinding chorus that channels the best of 80s synth-pop influences into something modern and brilliant) and once here (where I said it had "great production, enticing vocals and yummy boys"). Since that time they have been honing their live performances, building up an impressive webpage (including their very own magazine) and galvanising the troops for the release of their debut single on May 24th 2010. There is a video coming shortly that will apparently include lots and lots of paint. Can't wait (EDIT: No need to wait, it has LITERALLY just dropped online! It's all I dreamed it would be and they look so dishy :P EDIT2: However, the version I got to see wasn't apparently for public viewing and has now gone! I feel all special and a bit naughty :P It's coming next week!!! ). EDIT3: The video is back. And it's above. And super in black and white. With splashes of amazingness in colour. How brilliant. I love them even more. Check out Nick's views here...
Hear: Their debut single Chemistry here...
Web: Their official magazine and blog site can be accessed here...
Twitter: Click here...

Dean Lennon: I first wrote about Dean as part of boyband Digital back in 2006, then as a solo artist in 2008. He's been working hard on perfecting that electro-pop boy sound with not only some solid, addictive tunes, but some great matching visuals too. His signature tunes such as Hey You and See Through are heavy on synths, club-friendly beats and instantly memorable choruses - however, he has a range of influences and unreleased tracks like She's On Magazines show a funkier side of his nature coming through. Most pleasing it is too.
Hear: Four songs on his myspace here...
Twitter: He hasn't used it for a while, but maybe he can be persuaded to return...

BrightLight, Bright Light: I was introduced to the music of BLx2 by the delicious Steve XOLondon when he arranged a "bloggers night out" in London, attended by a whole host of people, one of whom was Rod Thomas aka BLBL. I've become increasingly reliant on his music since that time as a soothing influence in my life - his ability to create delightfully constructed pop music that is both thoughtful and smart, yet make it sound so very effortless is something to be applauded. Plus he is behind only the Scissors of Sister on the Popjustice Almighty so I must be onto something (check out his ace duet with Nerina Pallot above)...
Hear: A free download of A New Word To Say by registering for his website here...
Web: His website link is above; his myspace page is here...
Twitter: Click here...

Eric Saade: Blimey, Eric Saade used to be one fourth (or what is commonly known as a quarter) of my beloved Swedish boyband What's Up (whom I wrote about here, rather alarmingly in the same breath as Vigo! What was I thinking?!). He's now solo and doing such brilliant euro disco numbers as the amazingly titled ManBoy (can you imagine using that in conversation?!) and the equally as bonkers o clock Sleepless. He isn't going to change the world with his pop but I just find him utterly charming and magnificent. I shall be all over his debut album like a rash when it's released next month...
Hear: Sleepless on his myspace site; the video to an acoustic ManBoy here...
Web: His official website is here...
Twitter: Yes indeedy...

Dirty Disco: God bless the Tomorrow Never Knows blog for virtually transcribing how I described Dirty Disco on the radio yesterday - "they are just brilliant, I just love everything about them, great to look at, the music is just sensational, they have great eye make up, they're a little bit glamour, a little bit electro, a little bit punk, a little bit disco - I can't really say enough great things about them, they are really just excellent". Blimey, I was gushing wasn't I and quite rightly so. Just so very excellent in all they do. Plus when I was growing up, discos weren't dirty at all, they were Mormon and finished at 9pm with an Osmonds track, so this has been a right eye opener ;)
Hear: Sista!, Vulture (Dirty Disco remix) and a cover of Rabbit Heart on their myspace...
Download: Vulture (Dirty Disco remix) at arjanwrites...
Twitter: Who isn't?!

DeeDee: Oh god, Endure has totally changed my life this past few weeks since I first wrote about one of the most promising female vocalists (along with Elouise) for 2010. Everytime I have any minor sort of incident at work or home, I dramatically bust out the tune and start robot dancing along to it's epic chorus, wailing "I endure so much pain" as if my life depended on it! I've written muchly about the future smash hits Endure and Love Down here. I've also heard an equally pleasing song called Bum Around which not only repeats the word "bum" multiple times in a row (this is known as a very good thing to do) to a persistent and enticing funkalicious beat, but also has whip smart lyrics to the most laxidaisical subject in life of all. Bound to become a deserved anthem to those lazy Saturdays when you don't want to do a blooming thing (plus a brilliantly theatrical ending which is essentially "bum bum, bu bu bum, yeah". Astonishing). Watch Endure zip up my chart next week!
Hear: Love Down and the epic Endure on myspace...
Twitter: Finally, yes. Aces!

Adam Tyler: Delightful, exuberant, energetic, fun loving pop addicted Adam has certainly made my musical landscape so much more entertaining in 2010. He really just pours a cheerful energy into everything he undertakes. I've written about him and his music several times, and was lucky to be able to play an exclusive, never heard before track Committed on Larry's show. It's not even going to be on the album - is more of a pre-album taster to whet the appetite of the discerning pop picker masses. Committed is an instantly addictive, swirling, pulsating gem of a track that utterly deserves wider attention and it's place on top my most played tracks of the week. It's definitely representative of the modern pop sound he's going for on his Lullabies and Rattlesnakes album that is inching closer to a release date, and such a delightful chap that huge things MUST be just around the corner for him...
Hear: Future pop classics (plus remixes of) Friction and Schizophrenic at myspace...
Twitter: What self respecting future pop sensation isn't?!

Ooo, this month's fizzypop chronicles is a weird one. On the one hand, it has lots of brilliant songs on it. On the other hand it doesn't seem to flow quite right for some reason. So I'm not entirely happy with it, though I emphasise I think the song choices are - once again - flawless. They are here, presented in no particular order, except the first one and last one tend to be favourites so the playlist begins and ends on the most euphoric of highs with more euphoria on each song in between. Glad that's cleared up then, innit?

• Sophie Ellis Bextor-Jones ~ Bittersweet: It's really all sorts of magnificent isn't it? If this song were a person, I'd want to hug it while shaking a groove thang in glitter-infused hot pants. The chorus is an insane belter of a tune, and Sophie sounds as marvelous and gorgeous as ever. I didn't think it was going to be possible to top the ever so wonderful Heartbreak Makes Me A Dancer, but good gracious me, she's only gone and done it. If this peaks outside the top ten, my whole world may implode quite heavily...
• Gabriella Cilmi ~ On A Mission: Tip - I was walking my usually deserted early morning route to work whilst this was blaring out in my earphones and I think I was actually quite audibly strutting along singing "I am a woman, on a mission" whenst I came across these old women and we all gave each other quite a start. I mean I didn't literally come across them, because that would be frightful, but I think you get the gist. The song is excellent, by the way. Love the faux bad girl rap. I sound well 'ard when I do it...
• Michaela Wright ~ Never Gonna Give In: There are multiple reasons to adore this heavily addictive song. Michaela seems rather lovely on twitter. It's a Larry Flick show staple. It has some rather amazing dance remixes of the song that send it soaring to the glitter ball and then bounce like little shards of multi-coloured lights around the dance floor. And whatever genre you hear it remixed into, it still has an ace melody and chorus. Bonus - it features the rather handsome Alex Kordek in the video. Yum yum pigs bum.
• Kimberley Locke ~ Strobelight: I worship Kimberley Locke. I still think that the heavenly 8th World Wonder is one of the best pop songs to come from American Idol. Her Christmas album was just a retro dream. And her last album was a corker that was criminally ignored. So I'm all ready for her new single, which is produced by Cutfather - who apparently has worked with Kylie and, er, the Pussycat Dolls so he's half way there. All of this is a very long way of saying, I haven't heard the song yet because the release dates been pushed back but I'm so eager to hear something dancetastic from l'il kim...:P
• Ke$ha ~ Blah Blah Blah: Hmmm, it seems a bit criminal to follow these classy dames with the dubious morality that is Ke$ha. However, I did quite like Tik Tok (did you hear it blended with Kylie's Love At First Sight? Almost as genius as MaDonna Summer!) and while this follow up single isn't nearly as brillo, it does have me blah blah blahing along sometimes. Though everyone knows Marina blahs better in the Girls song she has :)
• The Bang Bang Club ~ Chemistry: Rather brilliantly, I have heard this track described as Erasure on testosterone. Not much has changed since I last wrote about it - it remains a rather charming little 80s pop synth ditty with an excellent chorus, great production, enticing vocals and yummy boys. For a more grown up opinion than that, why not check out Nick Alien Hits, where you can download the track for free as well! Jonas Bonus - it's released on my birthday. Wizard!
• Adam Tyler ~ Schizophrenic: I actually had another Adam Tyler track which is really out of this world, but I don't think I'm allowed to write about it yet, so I'd rather draw everyone's attention to a down and funky Dirty Dasmo remix of this track which has just surfaced on his myspace page. It's a trip down the rabbit hole (for the overstimulated puppy!) as the remix adds mind-bending beats and effects to the slick electro club banging original. As with all Adam songs it's firmly focused on delivering a chorus so pleasing that you end up pinching yourself to check it's real. It is. Amaze and a half.
• Kyle Brylin ~ If They Only Knew: I wrote about this track quite recently, and quite frankly it's a pleasure to write about it again for two reasons. One is that the more you listen to it, the more the insinuating beats hook into your memory and the chorus creates a heady atmosphere of synth and song that is just delicious. Two - Kyle is quite dishy so any excuse to visit his myspace page as he looks quite nice in a shirt and tie. With good popstar cheekbones and hair.
• Sergey Lazarev ~ Alarm: On the one hand I remain intensely disappointed that this song isn't quite as brilliant as it should be. By Sergey standards, it's not one of his finest and actually rather generic sounding. On the other hand (for I have two), it's such a fun tune that fits in with "today's sound" so jolly well that it's hard to be peeved for long because you are having such rollicking good fun singing along to it. So what's the harm? To be fair the video above (ghastly sound) really enhances it with a fun dance routine and energetic performance :) The album better be superb though...
• Quentin Mosimann ~ Gimme A Break: Ah franglais! Quentin follows up his exciting single Toc Toc with a song that has the chorus mostly in English, the verses in French and tests my translation skills to the limit. He's a rather giddy mix of bonkers electro-pop though and utterly contemporary and fab. It's always nice to sing along in French too, even if you don't know what you are saying. And from SUCH a great album. Go check him out now. Bonkers and wonderful, possibly unofficial clip below - but exuding such fun and energy! Go! Tout de suite...
• Magnus Carlsson ~ A Little Respect: Oh my days. If Bang Bang Club are Erasure on testosterone, Magnus' version of A Little Respect is Erasure doused in perfume and poppers and kept in a handbag for a week. It's more festive than me at age 11 when I dressed action man Julian in a barbie evening gown and stuck him on the Christmas tree. It's totally europop, and fairly faithful to the original but with even more glitter and bells added. If that is at all possible. Too much, yet not enough...

Part two coming tomorrow!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. Or anti-valentine if that is your preference. I am in a tres bon mood today for several reasons. Firstly, it is Darren and my tenth valentine's together - I got him a pair of JLS-esque boots and he got me a weekend break (which will coincide with my birthday and our 10th anniversary proper) in an idyllic little guest house in May. Hurrah. Secondly, starbucks has love themed valentine day cups. My white chocolate mocha has never tasted so ever so deliciously love filled. The secret ingredient is love (!) And finally, after a very busy indeed week, I seem to have a plethora of amazing music to titillate you with :) Bonza!

THE CATCH UP:

• Caro Emerald ~ There is something quite intoxicating and lovely about the jazzy-pop-cuban fusion of Caro's rather brilliant debut single Back It Up. It could have been a generic dance-pop thumper, but it sizzles with rhythm and a charmingly delivered vocal performance. It's vaguely reminiscent of a more experimental Lily Allen had she been soaking up the rum-drenched atmosphere rather than necking it down. Very lovely indeed and I'm waiting for the debut album Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor as I type...
• The Pipettes ~ My god, they've seemingly been away for a long time - although behind the scenes they have been going through more line up changes than the the Sugababes (see DanUK's excellent run down of what's what!) They seem to have finally got their stuff together and now two of them have moved their sound forward somewhat from the polka dot-tastic debut album. Free download of Our Love Was Saved By A Spaceman is a solid mariachi influenced disco epic with an off-kilter subect matter that is quite charming. However, first single proper Stop The Music is a lush, disco classic (reminiscent of Music Go Music) that just soars - more on that in the next Fizzypop Chronicles due early this week...
• Alex Gardner ~ His album sampler is a four song tour de force. More on the ingratiating I'm Not Mad in the aforementioned upcoming Fizzypop Chronicles, but Yesterday's News is a confident pop tune which just swishes on by and firmly into your head. The big news here is a rather lovely ballad called There Goes My Heart - delivered with an emotional resonance that belies his mere 18 years of age. For more check out Chartrigger's update on his latest antics...
• Adam Tyler ~ Lovely Adam is quite busy lately, putting together the final touches of his debut album Lullabies For Rattlesnakes. For Valentine's Day, he's put up a rather dreamy (do people still say that? They should!) clip of a duet with 15 year old Kirsten Collins called When I Was Blind. Cinematic is probably an apt description for this instant epic - I just love this type of massive power ballad that sounds both timeless and endearing in it's delivery. Kirsten has a great vocal styling and Adam tones down his frenetic pop-dance enthusiasm for a delightfully mature performance that proves he is perfectly capable of tackling different genres. Swoon.

• Man Meadow ~ How did I miss this track last year? It's utterly stock-aitken-waterman-disco-cheese-meets-Newton-tastic. Apparently a contender for last year's Polish Eurovision entry, this tune has totally brightened up the weekend. It's got that dramatic flourish production to it that reminds me somewhat of the London Boys and is a completely euro-disco type tune that gets to me every time. Plus a totally unnecessary but ultimately pleasing key change (twice!) brings the song to a euphoric ending. You'll either be horrified or completely orgasmasized but if you like this type of nipple-tingling goodness, then you'll adore this :)
• Bjorn Johan Muri ~ While I'm probably following the swedish melodifestivalen more closely this year than other years (faves so far include Ola, Erik Saade and Salem Al Fakir), Norway's competition for an entry has been pretty good too. Tragically Bjorn's excellent Yes Man song didn't win overall, but is so satisfying and brilliant upon every listen that I can't help thinking he'll succeed anyway. Apparently it was written by the team behind the amazing Ambitions by Donkeyboy, and like that song, it just continues to build until it reaches an epiphany of magnificence that makes me want to squeal. Totally wonderous. Please do follow ScandiPop and Nick AlienHits for more melodifestivalen...
• Cascada ~ Barely has she released a couple of singles from Evacuate The Dancefloor (and none as pleasing as the title track) than she's onto something new already. Such is the fickle world of pop. Pyromania isn't really going to make you go "oh hasn't Cascada been daring and different on this song, what a risk taker" but it will probably make you thrust your hips and swivel your botty on a dancefloor near you quite soon. I mean if it's don't broke, why fix it - and I quite like the bits leading into the chorus "the temperature's rising up, so hot" before she sings Pyromania -ow -ow several times :P
• Play ~ Finally, the lovely girl group Play is back with a song called Famous. I'm of mixed feelings about this. Firstly the video isn't very good at all and the song is not a patch on triumphs like I Must Not Chase The Boys and Hard Knock Life. The upside is that it's better than the Deborah Gibson song of the same name (sacrilege!) and the more you hear it the better it gets. Actually, it gets MUCH better after several listen and a few glasses of Marks & Spencers Bucks Fizz.

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 ~ Alphabeat, Hole In My Heart
20 ~ Alexandra Burke, Broken Heels
19 ~ JLS, One Shot
18 ~ Hugh Sheridan, All About Me
17 ~ Owl City, Fireflies
16 ~ Ryan Ferrada, Room 501
15 ~ Donkeyboy, Ambitions
14 ~ The Pipettes, Stop The Music (NE)
13 ~ Leona Lewis, I Got You (VID)
12 ~ Hurts, Blood Tears & Gold
11 ~ Mika, Rain
10 ~ Natalie Imbruglia, Scars
09 ~ Nerina Pallot, When Did I Become Such A Bitch
08 ~ Jason Mraz, Kicking With You
07 ~ Matt Morris, Money
06 ~ Music Go Music, Light of Love (NE)
05 ~ Marina & The Diamonds, Hollywood
04 ~ Simon Curtis, Diablo
03 ~ Barenaked Ladies, You Run Away
02 ~ Boyzone, Gave It All Away
01 ~ Elouise, Fireman Of My Dreams (2 weeks)

There seems to be an increasing amount of focus at the start of each year on which acts are meant to be huge in the upcoming 12 months. Perhaps these lists were always around and I've only just started paying any attention to them? Anyhoo, I quite like these lists - it gives me a few pointers and gets me checking out new talent, most of which I've already read about on blogs anyway! So I thought I'd do something a bit different - the main acts i'm rooting to have big success in the next 12 months. I've written about all these acts before, and some of them have been going for a few years. But i thought i'd remind you all of them again, before I do my "hot new acts to watch" post on Friday... And they are presented here in no particular order other than alphabetical :)

Alien Beat Club: They were the finalists on this year's Danish X Factor and a group I think X factor blogger Mark would have loved were they in the UK version. I mean, they mashed together Circle of Life and Just Dance for crying out god's sake. Other than this stroke of genius, they have been busy putting together lovely material like smooth mid-tempo pop nugget My Way, doing charity songs like It's My World and generally becoming a mixed gender JLS. Quite marvy.


Simon Curtis: oh please stop exhibiting any surprise that the amazing Mr. Curtis makes this list once again for the fourth year in a row. And that's not to say he hasn't had degrees of success before now - Alter Boy remains an epic piece of work (and a much bootlegged one too) and Spectacular is an enjoyable movie musical with a fun soundtrack. However, 2010 already feels like it's going to be all about 8BitHeart. Delusional and Diablo (in particular) are mammoth slices of forward thinking pop that just get me more than excited for the album release. Success is so close for Simon, I can taste it :) (Simon also features in a 10 to watch list over at Bill CS)


Rochella Danishei: Just as Candy Coated Chaos looked like they were on the cusp of hitting it big, it was all over. Luckily, out of the ashes of that which has fallen, something equally pop and perky arises and Rochella has been busy building up a solo reportoire of songs for the world to enjoy. Tracks like The Show Must Go On and Roll The Dice are funky, spunky slices of dance-pop that entice and seduce. Glad to know that Rochella is still working with ace producer Jadion too - he's got to be the next go-to producer of brillo pop! So yes, rochella solo is shaping up to be quite the intruiging development...

Elouise: God, let me count the ways I adore the music of Elouise. There are a lot. Her live shows just sizzle with energy, enthusiasm and fun. You all know how much I adore her disco-tastic version of One Night Only (Whitney used the same template for A Song For You!), and the gorgeous Terry Ronald track Pretender and Steve Anderson song Another Day are just soaring torch songs that are both timely and timeless. Picking great people to work with is a key ingredient for pop success so Elouise is already on the right track. Now hurry up and release Fireman of My Dreams...


Dean Lennon: How is former Digital boybander (surely time to retire that now) Dean not massive already? He has the tunes, the clothes, the image, the hair and the cheekbones of a popstar - so he's already streets ahead of most :P His tunes have been floating around myspace for a while, but he has let me preview a few of his new ones and they are most excellent in a this is what george michael or prince would sound like if they were still amazing and funky sort of way. And really that's more than one could ask for in a pop star isn't it?

James Leon: I still think that Club With No Name is one of the most engaging new pop tracks of recent years - kind of a more effortlessly cool Party In The USA. Fear not though electro-pop lovers, James has some darker, funkier tracks up his sleeve as evidenced with the grand single, Purple Heart. Whatever your pop preference, I suspect that the upcoming debut will hold something that will delight even the most discerning of pop pickers.

Marina & The Diamonds: I fell and fell hard for Marina early last year when I Am Not A Robot earwormed it's way into my brain. It was (is) a near perfect pretty pop song with substance and depth that got more addictive with each listen and a tune I'm still not tired of. While Marina's songs since then haven't made such an impact with me, that doesn't matter because the standard was set so impossibly high that everything else is still rather wonderful. She seems primed for a big media push in February and I suspect many more people will be diamonds by the end of the year...

Gavin Mikhail: I am a sucker for a guy who plays piano and can create such elegant, lasting melodies and lyrics. Thus, I've stuck by Gavin since I discovered the amazing power pop ballad Brave a couple of years back. I still think the song is one of the most romantic, inspirational tunes I've heard in a long time and a perfect choice for an X Factor winner. Heck, if Joe had sung this I would have been won over. Gavin's talents don't stop there and he has continued to put together an impressive arsenal of new tunes to win over admirers. Beyond You is such a glorious song that I'm hoping it reaches a wide audience very soon - those crashing chords, that singable chorus, the heavenly guitar. Dreamy.

RedBloodedWomen: They have already had their sugababes line up change so you know they are serious about the pop game! They've had some amazing pop songs floating around the internet and gay prides for some time now including the funktastic You Made Your Bed and Enjoy The Silence. Now they are back with some glam new images and new tunes for the new year including the ever so good Relax (which is the type of song the indecisive Saturdays would kill for) and future dancefloor classic Halo. The tunes are there, the stars are aligned, it's time for them to make their entrance into the UK pop game :)

Sparkling Arrest: I must confess I first got into the sparkling arrest because I thought their name was rather brilliant for some reason. That's neither here nor there because I wouldn't have stayed obsessed with their music if it wasn't any good. They create these epic songs that crescendo into magnificence, envelop you into the story they tell and leave you yearning for more. As outstanding as the studio tracks are, I suspect their real magic will come in the live shows when the songs are given that extra energy that come from thousands of people singing along. Be sure to check out anthemic Seventh Sign and the entirely perfect Skyman for a sample of some great songwriting.


Sam taylor: He first came to attention when two of his melancholy songs soundtracked the sometimes hilarious, sometimes poignant, always amazing Beautiful People. Since then he's seemingly been rather quiet but has a number of tunes on his myspace that are quite delightful including (at one point) the delicious, spine tingling cover of I Don't Know How To Love Him. There's something quite magical about Sam's pure voice singing the line "and i've had so many men before..." And it is all about his voice - it's smooth and lovely, suited to a variety of genres and could carve him a career as varied and engaging as Will Young. Communication is a dream. Plus he's quite pretty too :P

Adam tyler: I only recently came across Adam Tyler and his enthusiastic brand of electro-pop and I've been quite the smitten little kitten ever since. He seems to have encapsulated the enthusiasm for fun, addictive pop that powered the Spice Girls to their creative peak and channelled it into some seriously entertaining tunes. The big old softie has a bit of a romantic side too when he proved he can do big gothic love gone wrong anthems on his recent Ghost of Christmas Past single. However, the season of good will is over, so pick up your dancing shoes and burn some Friction in the new year. Pull shapes indeed :)


Waterloo: When you've got the same management team behind you as the invigorated Same Difference, then you know I'm going to be taking an interest. The foursome became a threesome in 2009, yet their dedication to producing pop songs that reminded you of all the great pop that came before with fun melodies and great choruses was unwavering. Four Letter Word is still the best song that Ace of Base never released, while Break The Habit is a great mid tempo tune. They continue to be working with some legendary british pop producers so great stuff is coming up...

Killian Wells: Who the hell is Killian Wells is a question that will be on the lips of many people in 2010. He's taken a cheeky swipe at the world of pop with his great dance tune VIP and has many more great songs up his sleeve. Encapsulating 80s electro influences into a modern sounding pop world, Killian has a great deep voice that adds warmth and passion to his tunes and always gets me coming back for more. Thoroughly charming fella too, and a big supporter of the NoH8 campaign. Plus he was in a Kelly Rowland video! Stardom beckons!!

Greetings all and a very merry Christmas to one and all. As my most favourite time of year draws to a close, I'd like - as is tradition now - to present you with my rewrite of The Night Before Christmas, and some festive contributions (that are hugely appreciated by myself) from friends of the blog. Please enjoy, have a wonderful holiday break and many positive happy wishes for a great new year :) Oh and if you have any time for cooking left, please try some of Donal "Industry" Skehan's Christmas recipes - I've been delving into them all December with brilliant results (PS, imagine if him and Simon Curtis made a record together!! Talk about dream Christmas wishes!!)

It's me again, yes how did you guess cos the last time you were really impressed! Hope you enjoy :) Sorry my head's cut off slightly! Sorry it's so dark! Sorry it's not as funny as last year! Sorry the sound's crap! Sorry I'm such a colossal failure :P Oh pooey to all that, i think it's quite good! Merry Christmas!

Ah, the lovely Sean and Sarah from Same Difference share their unique and adorable brand of festive cheer. I'm still playing the wonderful Pop (2008) album with alarming regularity and can't wait for the 2010 version. Plus their interview in Gay Times is hilarious. "I prefer a battered cod!!" It makes me all fuzzypop inside...

Love this video from gorgeous diva in waiting, Elouise. It's so picturesque Christmas card, with the fire and the tree and the oversized brooch. Oh, and that she recognises that fizzypop makes the yuletide gay :) Amazing. SuBo!! Oh and obviously I'm fully behind Elouise as the pick for Bond song in 2011, as long as 2010 gives us full studio releases of Fireman, Another Day, Pretender and One Night Only... :)

I think Adam Tyler has rapidly become one of my favourite stars to watch in 2010. He just seems so gleeful and exciteable, almost like an overstimulated puppy! And I mean that in the nicest way possible! I love that out of all the things I've written about him, his press release quotes me saying he is "a thoroughly lovely chappy". Not only has he played bongos on a makeshift drum, but he has given me a copy of his christmas song Ghost Of Christmas Past (reviewed here) to pass onto you all for a mere 24 hours! So get it while it's hot. May I just say the full version is entirely more amazing than the clip ever gave me hope it would be. Totally haunting, ethereal chimes, a melancholy vocal and morose yet engaging chorus. Full credits if you're interested of the song in the comments...


THE PICTURES:

Ah how I've become besotted with The Morning Jolt this year, hosted ably by Larry Flick and his hilarious sidekick Keith. They have really brightened up a lot of my afternoons at work (time difference) and played some great music too. Here's to a wonderful amount of amazing DJing in 2010...

Oooo and now it's time to get all bloggy for Christmas, so in order it's seasons greetings from lovely Aaron at fabtasticmusic, then festive cheer from the super Mel at Melismatic, topped off with a double ender of two photos from the fine fella Phil at Worrapolava. Hurrah!

Then there is Will W, who (along with Mel) is probably the one person I know who shares such an obsession for Starbucks and their festive flavouring. Plus he has done a rather spiffy version of Blue Christmas, which you may or may not be able to get on his blog! If you can't get it then there is the aces Christmas gift of a remix of Hollywood Ending that Will is giving away - and being played soon on the aforementioned Larry Flick's show! Looking jolly chilly in the winter wilds of Colorado is my globe trotting amigo John of PopMusicNotes whilst below them and bunkering down from the snow in Iowa is the gorgeous Dan and his ever so wonderful family. Of course, rounding off this quadrilogy is the effortlessly cool DanUk :) And under him is the fine figure of a couple Olga and Yuri who look radiant and like little Christmas angels :)


And finally, it's the witty spunkbag (i mean that lovingly) known as Dluv who gets a pic all to himself because cos quite frankly he deserves it. And it also means anyone else who wants a pic edited in before the end of Christmas eve can do so and as an extra incentive you'll be snuggled up next to Chartrigger. Amaze!

To be updated ~ new non exclusive videos from The Feeling and hopefully more pics from readers and friends! But until then...Merry Christmas y'all!!

UPDATE#1

XO will like this and hopefully help him feel a bit better :) Paloma Faith, who expertly sang about New York earlier in the year, has done a cover version of the seminal and raucous Pogues/Kirsty McColl song Fairytale of New York. It's a song that is easy to get wrong - just look at how Ronan Keating tried to tame the song a few years back! However, even with Scouting For Girls this works really well - i love the introduction of the female vocal in the intro and the choir as effective as "BING CROSBY" in the Pet Shop Boys Fizzypop Christmas number one :) Paloma is just mesmerising to watch - slight point deducted for looking like she was reading the words, but otherwise a sterling effort :)

UPDATE#2

Two very different but great Christmas songs for you now. First up is the still wonderful purveyor of piano pop tunes, Gavin Mikhail. He's put up a delightful version of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. His voice is always quite pure and wonderful, and the piano arrangement is heavenly and makes it sound like the most beautiful contemporary pop song you've heard this festive season. I love songs that are just driven by piano and Gavin excels at this. If you haven't heard his anthemic should-have-been-an-x-factor-winners-song Brave, then you are doing yourself a big disservice. Check that out now, and be prepared to hear more about Gavin in the new year... Next up is a rather different Christmas entry from two merging for a common cause groups Crocodiles and Dum Dum Girls. Merry Christmas Baby (Please Don't Die) is a decidedly fuzzy sounding, garage punk effort with jangling bells that is instantly quite brilliant and possibly sounds like The Ronettes would if they had been recording after one too many jack daniels. Surprisingly amazing (and dedicated to DanP76 & Phil - I think they'll like this!)

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK - CHRISTMAS NUMBER ONE!

21 ~ Little Boots, Earthquake
20 ~ Mika, Blame It On The Girls
19 ~ Industry, My Mistake (NE)
18 ~ William Young, Hopes and Fears
17 ~ Backstreet Boys, Bigger
16 ~ Whitney Houston, I Look To You
15 ~ Mini Viva, I Wish
14 ~ BWO, Kings of Tomorrow
13 ~ Darin, Viva La Vida
12 ~ Blake Lewis, I Left My Baby For You
11 ~ Mans Zelmerlow, A Stranger Saved My Life
10 ~ The Saturdays, Ego
09 ~ Agnes, Love Love Love
08 ~ Simon Curtis, Delusional
07 ~ RyanDan, Can't Help Falling In Love
06 ~ Alcazar, Thank You
05 ~ JLS, Close To You
04 ~ Leona Lewis, Stop Crying Your Heart Out
03 ~ Robbie Williams, You Know Me
02 ~ Simon Curtis, Diablo
Christmas Number One: Pet Shop Boys ~ It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas (6 weeks)

Coming up:

• December 26th - Top 50 songs of 2009
• December 28th - Top 30 albums of 2009
• December 29th - Top 10 TV Shows of 2009 (and best shows born this decade)
• December 31st - Top 5 albums of the millenium so far...