Lopez Blogs

Hello folksies! Had a lovely weekend away in the north (ie, Blackpool)... had lots of fun birthday/anniversary/cured stuff going on - a bannicursary if you will :) Turned round at one point and there was Darren chatting to Sir Nathan of Moore of Brother Beyond/Worlds Apart/Totally Scott Lee "fame"! How exciting, etc. The most exciting thing about travelling of course is making the essential playlist of tunes. Darren always rolls his eyes because he knows that I am going to subject him to all sorts of things. and I do :P Anyway, here are some of the newer magnificences that made this weekend's list (in between almost non-stop Steps remixes)...

• Tino Coury - Diary: available today on iTunes is this brillo debut single from singer-songwriter-producer Tino. The track has this excellent layered feel to it and is imbued with the type of storytelling that remains timeless through the pop ages, whatever the current trends. Add to that a rather catchy hook of a chorus and lovely vocal delivery and Tino is onto a winner. Plus he's rather good looking and that's always a plus :) Anyway, it's the sort of track that you get from someone who has grown up on loving pop music and wants to replicate that in their work. And that ALWAYS sounds good to me...
• Sophie Ellis Bextor - Sophia Loren: I mean good god! Heartbreak Makes Me A Dancer should have been top ten for weeks. Bittersweet is currently 41 (41!!) in the early midweeks which is utterly depressing considering my love for the song and this super b-side. Anyway, this is brill and bodes well for the upcoming album, even if the chart position doesn't :(
• Miley Cyrus - Can't Be Tamed: I had to listen to this a few times because I thought it was a mistake or something. Let's face it, Miley has had a few brillo singles (See You Again, 7 Things, Fly On The Wall, Party In The USA) but not much else. This has rather good verses. It also has a rather good bridge. The only thing missing is a bit of melody from the chorus. Perhaps it will grow on me. It's been known to happen. I just hope she doesn't do a Mandy Moore and reject her back catalogue at some point. it's like disowning a bastard child!!
• Katie Melua ~ The Flood: Essentially this is a bit of a posh person's version of Biology. It's a gloriously sweeping song that then changes into another song, then reverts into something a bit different again. I suspect a lot of this wonderfulness is down to the William Orbit production, but who cares when it is as satisfying as this. When she performs it live, she starts on piano, gets up for a boogie then back to the piano. This is quite impressive, no?! Anyway, do put aside prejudices and check this out - it's a bit Moloko, a bit Madonna Frozen and very very good!
• Kelly Rowland - Commander: Ooo this is getting very "today's pop is presented to you by the letter K" isn't it? This is all sorts of "amazeballs" - very summer smash. The production is brillo, the chorus is appropriately soaring, the verses, well they are not quite as memorable, but the whole thing works as a package most satisfyingly. It will no doubt suffer from being eternally compared to When Love Takes Over, but as a new single from presumably a new album it's rather splendid indeed.
• Nerina Pallot - I Just Don't Want To Go Out (BrightLightBrightLight remix): I'm obsessed with Nerina ever since I bought Dear Frustrated Superstar on the strength of it's title in a Heat magazine advert (back when Heat was good). And i'm increasingly the smitten kitten with the output of BrightLightx2. So having him remix a jolly good Nerina single into something that amps up the pep and danceability is ever so smashing and exciting. Check out both artists. And check out this collaboration. It's immensicles.
• Josh Dubovie - That Sounds Good To Me: Nobody, save for D'Luv, seems to like this. In fact there is quite a lot of vitriol surrounding it. True it's not the best representation of England's songwriting, but it's rather enjoyable in a dated s/a/w-what-would-the-next-One-True-Voice-single-sound-like sort of way... And let's face it, poor Josh has hardly raped a puppy has he?! Plus, again, a bit boffable in a posh lad sort of way...

More things I'm looking forward to...

• The debut album from Eric Saade not only has a rather sordid f***ed-hard-in-the-back-of-a-limo look to it, plus great pop star hair, but a song by Charlie Mason who is fast becoming a rather good pal of mine. it's out May 19th!! Aces
• Charlotte Church has a new single being debuted on that Rainbow show on the BBC on saturday. It's called The Actors and I am quite excited because I still adore Tissues and Issues...
• Finally, Infernal are following up their amazing Electric Cabaret album with a new single called Love is All. You can hear a little preview on their website and it sounds bloody bonkers brilliant and barmy. Can't wait for the full release sometime this month!!

EDIT: Sigh. This post was meant to go up on Sunday afternoon, which is why it is all about music that seems perfect for those wistful lazy afternoons when you just sit and reflect, but not in a particularly maudlin way. Then I fell asleep and finally got some rest after 3 nights of little sleep due to my ear infection. Frankly I feel much better for it, and let's face it these few songs are just as good on a Monday morning (plus it must be Sunday afternoon somewhere. Oh I just checked. It's not. Bugger)...

1. Judie Tzuke ~ If: Sometimes a song comes along that is so breathtakingly beautiful in it's delivery and so exquisitely constructed in it's production, that it just makes you stop, become completely absorbed into the tune and marvel at it's magnificence. It's a heavenly ballad that relies on a stunning vocal and gorgeous melody to power the song forward and proof that sometimes, less is indeed more. I think I may actually weep...
2. Beverley Craven ~ Rainbows: Remember Bev? She did the ever so lovely Promise Me many moons ago and has continued to sporadically churn out delicate, emotive piano pop ever since. This track is from her 2009 album, Close To You and is a delicious, uplifting little number that is bright, energetic and perky yet carries some meaningful lyrics under it's pop exterior. Ever so engaging and worthy of multiple listens.
3. Mariah Carey ~ 100%: So is the Angels Advocate remix thingy not happening? Oh dear, etc. Still, this is one of the strongest Mariah tunes in quite a while and designed to totally appeal to me. Apparently it's something to do with the Vancouver Olympics so I'm clearly way behind on loving this, but it's schmaltzy sentimental inspiring lyrics and shuffling beat, combined with the ace chorus make it gold in my book :)
4. Miley Cyrus ~ I Hope You Find It: Talking of schmaltzy and sentimental, Simon Cowell might as well stop looking for the next X Factor winner's song because here it is. A big bulging ballad from little Miley that is from her latest Disney movie and you can tell - it's a throwback to the showstopping numbers that used to soundtrack films and that you either love or hate. I, unsurprisingly, love it because I'm a big old softy at heart. PS ~ wouldn't it be even more magnificent if this year's X Factor winner did something like this (girl) or this (boy)...
5. Alexis Strum ~ Bad Haircut: Sigh. Whatever happened to the lovely talented Alexis? I know she's done some songs for Diana Vicker's album, but no more solo stuff? That's a real shame, because Bad Haircut is one of those pop songs that stands the test of time and sounds just as brilliant and singalong now as it did 4 years ago. The rest of her album Cocoon is equally as brillopants and totally worthy of your time :)

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 ~ Boyzone, Gave It All Away
20 ~ Simon Curtis, Diablo
19 ~ Marina & The Diamonds, Hollywood
18 ~ Mika, Rain
17 ~ The Candle Thieves, We're All Gonna Die
16 ~ Diana Vickers, Once
15 ~ Alex Gardner, I'm Not Mad
14 ~ Donkeyboy, Ambitions
13 ~ Music Go Music, Light of Love
12 ~ Sergey Lazarev, Alarm
11 ~ Magnus Carlsson, A Little Respect
10 ~ Ola, Unstoppable
09 ~ Elouise, Fireman of my Dreams
08 ~ Bjorn Johan Muri, Yes Man
07 ~ Darin, You're Out Of My Life
06 ~ Alcazar, Headlines
05 ~ Neo, Human Frontier
04 ~ The Pipettes, Stop The Music (VID)
03 ~ Simon Curtis, Super Psycho Love
02 ~ Gabriella Cilmi, On A Mission
01 ~ Sophie Ellis Bextor, Bittersweet (2 weeks)

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

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

New artist special coming soon!

The good thing about the fizzypop chronicles is that I've kept a note of what has been on every mix tape/cd I have done my friends every month since 2000 - it gives me a really good overview of what music I liked at the time and the changing trends and fads in this crazy business called show. The bad thing about them is that I often forget tunes so they end up being flung on a bit later than when they were new and exciting; also as I only do it once a month the songs are often "old news" by the time they make the cd. Oh well - for me, it's an interesting musical diary. For you it's something you just have to put up with :P (I've updated and rearranged the order of the September playlist here) There are two other ace mix tapes on blogs this week:

• Adem has gone old school and actually used a cassette!
• Aaron skilfully blends a mix of old and new for an aural treat!!

ESSENTIAL SONGS FOR OCTOBER 2009:

1 ~ Robbie Williams, Bodies: The return of Mr Williams hasn't delighted everyone, but I couldn't be more thrilled to have him back. The song works perfectly - elements of some of his biggest hits hinted at it something new and wonderful. Trevor Horn throws everything into the production mix, but it works - the strings in the chorus and the choir at the end are just heavenly. Bring on the album already!
2 ~ William Young, Hopes and Fears: Tragically this project isn't a note for note cover of the excellent Keane album (that XO reports is being rereleased!) and for that I am slightly disappointed. That passes though when I realise that a) William is a bit tied up on the single cover and b) it's a stomping sounding uptempo number that showcases his amazing vocal and proves he is just as brillo at the fast stuff as he is at the slow (something I've always known as my fave two Will songs include Your Game and Switch It On)...
3 ~ Leona Lewis, Happy: Comfortably nestled just behind Robbie on my chart at the moment, this song is much more powerful than a cursory listen leads you to believe. Sure, it's not going to win any awards for inventiveness, but it's a soaring ballad of hope and redemption and her voice sounds stunning. Still can't quite believe it's not out here until November though. PS - wouldn't it be great if Leona Lewis and Blake Lewis got married so she could be Leona Lewis-Lewis? No. Ok then...
4 ~ Blake Lewis, Heartbreak On Vinyl (vid above): I do love Mr Lewis. I still think Gots To Get could have been massive in Europe. I loved Sad Song but this tune - the title track of his new album - is just one of his strongest songs to be released tonight. Full of poignancy yet set to an addictive 80s shuffling dance beat it's a winner from start to finish. Some clever lyrics too - "fall in love to analogue and never let go". Mel and Postergirl have all already expressed eloquently how amazing this song is. Could be huge if launched properly in the Uk...
5 ~ Britney, 3: Oh goodness me - well I guess you can't say some songs on this list aren't totally up to date! It's not an earthshattering single for her new greatest hits album (only two albums after her last one - how Hilary Duff) but like Alexandra's Bad Boys it sort of does the job really - an enjoyable-ish pop romp that will most likely grow on people the more they hear it. For me, the jury's still out - check out D'luv's view...
6 ~ Miley Cyrus, Party In The USA: Shame on me for forgetting this song so often. It's up there with 7 Things and See You Again for me - ie, totally brilliant, catchy and an ace ace pop song. It's heavy on the cheese factor but it wins me over every single time when she sings "and the Britney song was on..." This is what great pop should be - ever so singable, smidgeon of novelty and a chorus to die for :)
7 ~ Vanessa Amorosi, This Is Who I Am: Ah VanAm is back and she's busy channelling Kelly Clarkson and Pink. That's neither here nor there though as this has some brilliant spat out lyrics during the verses and an epic sing-it-to-the-back-of-the-stadium chorus that's as loud and noisy as it needs to be. Check out what the Pop Panel said about the song a few weeks back...
8 ~ Dolly Rockers, Boys Will Be Boys: Blimey, what else can I say about this song that I haven't said here or on the DR Interview Post (capital letters because it's very important). It's Republica, it's Tatu, it's Veronicas, it's Fuzzbox, it's indie girl group, it's Transvision Vamp, it's Girls Aloud, it's Bananarama, yet it's still very Dolly Rockers. Got the point? Good :P
9 ~ Mini Viva, Left My Heart in Tokyo: I'm late adding this to the "chronicles" as well aren't I? Oh well, to make up for it click the link to be taken to a Live Lounge version of the song that is rather marvelous in the extreme. It gives the already ridiculously catchy tune an organic live feel and breaks down the funk (or something). Single 2 sounds brilliant...
10 ~ Girls Can't Catch, Keep Your Head Up: Very late on this one too - not because I forgot, but because I wasn't sure that they had a long term future and couldn't work out how good the song was. Still, a couple of months on when it randomly pops up on my mp3 player I'm not displeased to hear it so that can only be a good sign. I suppose it's all resting on Echo then isn't it?

11 ~ Anders Fernette, So Incredible: Following the dance remake triumph of Hungry Eyes isn't going to be easy - and this isn't a bad song to undertake that task. Yes, bits of it sound like the best Backstreet Boys song you've heard in a while but it has a fuzzy frenetic beat and a sweet vocal delivery that just soars into a big as all outdoors chorus. After a few listens you can't help but smile each time you hear it...
12 ~ Kevin Borg, The Last Words: Click on the link to hear a 2009 remix of this song because it transforms a mundane album track into a soaring summer dance classic which is exactly the type of song Kevin should be belting out. It's very trancetastic indeed and I imagine it will be all over the stereo at Bar Tubos like the dirty little rash you know it could be. More dance on the next album then Kev...
13 ~ Danny Saucedo, Kiss You All Over: I skipped Emely as a single focussing on the aces Set Your Body Free (a song so good that Avenue did it first and now new group BVG are, er, having a brave bash at it!) back in July. This month it's time that the astonishingly huggable album track Kiss You All Over gets a bit of an airing. It's a proper dance-pop song and one that makes you think that Danny could be a proper pop star in England if a bit of thought were put into marketing him here. Sigh...
14 ~ Mans Zelmerlow, Rewind (vid above): Let's ignore the song for this (if you like the above two songs chances are you will like this - it's what Mans does best and I believe was a single in Poland?!) and focus on the video. It's incredibly amazing just in the first twenty seconds - a quite good-naff looking rollercoaster, a girl in a headband giving it some "i'm a serious fan" arm pumping action and one of those rides that drops you and makes your stomach feel all funny. Mans, amid all this insanity and bonkersosity, looks bloody gorgeous.
15 ~ Sally Shapiro, Miracle: Ah, our Sal has become a bit of a blog darling hasn't she? It's easy to see why - she is churning out tunes beautifully crafted pop tunes like this and wooing us with her sultry voice and hypnotic grooves. Hopefully she will become immensely successful worldwide, rather than be the next Annie (who I still adore of course)...
16 ~ Lily Allen, Chinese: This wasn't one of my favourites from her latest album when it first came out, but it's really grown on me over the last past 8 months. Mostly because of the gorgeous choral tribute out there. It's what Lily does best really - parlay everyday situations into great pop songs. It would be a shame if she did quit music :/
17 ~ Erik Hassle, All That I Wanted: Hasn't everyone been waiting forever for Hurtful to happen? It's got to be coming soon because nearly six months on that track still sounds epic and like an international number one. Still I popped it on the April mix so for this month I'm enjoying this guitar led number that has Erik's distinctive vocals, his knack for emotionally raw lyrics and really sores when the strings in the middle 8 add some additional heartbreak. Incredible...
18 - Paolo Nutini, Pencil Full of Lead: I picked up on this as an excellent choice for a single when I reviewed the album a while back. I've grown vaguely tired of his rather affected accent, but this song is just so different from anything else in the charts right now that I can't help but be charmed by it's organic good time feeling. I'm sure it's pretty much a rewrite of a Jungle Book song that Paolo loves so much though :P
19 ~ The Gossip, Love Long Distance: Always effortlessly cool in everything they do, this is a lush disco epic that would sound at home up against some of the early scissor sister demos (had they had more money to spend on production). "I want someone who's around for me" sings Beth and who can't relate to lyrics like that? Gorgeous from start to finish - plus who doesn't love some roller disco in a video...
20 ~ Franz Ferdinand, What She Came For: At least commercially, the Franz never fulfilled their early promise did they - yet I refuse to give up on them because with each album comes a bonnie selection of skinnytieindiedisco tunes to die for and the latest single is no exception. There is some funkalicious guitar work on here that Prince would be proud of and a huge chorus with shouty chanting and everything. Brilliant.Shame they didn't stick to their plan to name each album Franz Ferdinand though :(
21 ~ Mr Hudson, White Lies: Mr Hudson's time really is now isn't it? Supernova was rather amazing and brilliant and massive in the same way that I assume Erik's Hurtful will be. This is a properly huge piano driven song with an off kilter shuffling beat behind it. Massive vocal that sounds impassioned during the chorus and makes me die a little from happiness each time I hear it. Glorious...
(Next month - David Jordan, Westlife, Alesha Dixon, and more!)

Back soon with live lounge, tv catchup, book report, weekly round up and the x factor judges houses!!

I have lots I want to blog about but I'm saving most of it until next week - quite honestly there is SO much amazing stuff our there on other blogs at the moment, that it would be criminal not to draw attention to it. But first of all, you will probably have noticed two very exciting images (for me!) above - first off The Feeling (whom Ruthiepoos and I are off to see a week on Monday) are putting out their very first dvd, with all 9 of their promo videos, a live concert and a fabby documentary. It's not out til Nov 17th, but will be on sale at a probably ridiculous inflated price at their concerts. Hurrah! And secondly, woohoo! Take That are touring next year. And it promises to be a rather splendid decadant extravagant affair. Darren and I are hoping for Independence Day tickets. Rather them than boring Oasis I say...

BEST IN BLOG:

• Now Digital Spy isn't really a blog but it is really very amazing. Today they have a feature on which former History Boy Dakin is the best - gorgeous Ben Barnes (right) or delicious Dominic Cooper (left). Throw them both in the mix I say, and I'll determine the winner by last man standing :P


• Auspop is just consistently amazing for news on music "down under". It's hard to pin point one particular post, their love of all things poppy and groovy just radiates from the computer screen. Frankly I find it hard to imagine life without my daily check of their site now. Obsessed much?!


• Dreadful word I know, but Yuri and DanUSA have had a beautiful blogging bromance in Chicago this past week to go and see Lady Madonna. By all accounts she was very good, even if Dan USA forgot how to drive (I still want Dan and Heidi to be my adopted US family :P)


• I've long held the view that XO's Middle 8 (should he sue popjustice ?:P) is the coffee table book of blogs - beautiful to look at and full of sumptuous things. His mixtapes are always a particular favourite of mine, especially when he is worried about my penis ;)


• Talking of the increasingly back on form and excellent popjustice, if you live in London (and I suppose people must) and you want to have a decent night out this week, then you should probably get yourself along to their new night launching tomorrow. It promises a nice bar, and somewhere to sit and chat, as well as all the ace music that popjustice loves so much. And it's free! How ace is that?! Brilliant credit crunching best value there then :)


• If you want a more tongue in cheek (it's just whose cheek is the tongue in?) then you could do far worse than the slutty stylings from the US of Chartrigger or ozzie boy Mike Poptrashaddict. Both make me howl with laughter on a regular basis - whether it's keeping up with which take that boy D'Luv wants to boff, or Mike trying to convince the world that CityGirlz are the new female Billiam both are worth many moments of your time!


• I love Adem. A lot. His review of the latest Girls Aloud album totally blows mine out of the water. In other words, while mine is very good indeed (haha), his is nothing short of amazing and should be given away with every single copy of the album sold.
  
• Bobby pops gets up close and personal with another person behind Kylie! how he does it is beyond me. But fascinating nevertheless!


• New blogger on the block Aaron continues to amaze me with his incredibly consistently entertaining reviews of albums and new tracks. We may not always like the same things (Pussycat Dolls album? Really? :P) but reading about them is always fun. Ditto Poppostergirl who is as usual pretty darn spot on with her worldwide poppostikipedia knowledge of the pop world. Plus she regularly posts pictures of hot boys.

Of course there are many more blogs out there that are consistently aces (DanUK, John, Popmuse, ModernFabulousity, The Beat Review, Kulpop, Nick Alien Hits, etc), but i shall save their brilliance for another post! Links in the side panel!

AND THEN:

Hurrah! Although I'm off to a halloween special night at Alton Towers tomorrow with Dazpants, i shall be definitely setting my Sky Plus for Hannah Montanna: The Best Of Both Worlds in 3d on the Disney Channel! I have an unashamed love for Miley (See You Again is one of THE popsongs of the year!) and you can even pick up 3D glasses to watch it with at your local argos (click here for more details on that!). Now you know if you are in the UK you probably want to watch it too, so tune in at 6pm tomorrow! Disney Channel! 6pm! 31st October! Miley Cyrus! Got it?!

By the way, I have become a little bit obsessed with Richard and Judy's New Position lately, which is on every night in the UK at 8pm on Watch. I think I still have an inappropriate crush on Richard, and their promo for the show captures the spirit of their onscreen banter perfectly. I love a bit of cabaret :) And, rather nicely, in these gloomy dark evenings, you can now write into the show and tell Richard and Judy about someone you may wish to thank whose been rather nice to you. It's like a virtual chicken soup for the soul, and has become essential reading. Check it out here!

It's Friday. It's a holiday weekend. Its all about Madonna and Austria this weekend, and a lovely week in the Tyrol with some ace new togs from As Seen On Stars (always brillopad). I've worked my ass off at work to get things ready for the week I won't be there because no other bugger will do it for me while i'm off, so I'm very ready for my cultured week of european, um, culture! My mp3 player is positively bursting with fabbo new pop. Let's take a little looksie shall we?

• Before this morning I was only vaguely aware of Marit Larsen. I thought perhaps she was a cartoonist. Apparently not. She was in some girl group and now is a purveyor of possibly the finest new tune I've heard this week. Thanks to XO i;ve been humming If A Song Could Get Me You all day. It's a refreshingly breezy acoustic pop tune with some GORGEOUS piano that could easily been one of those world wide smashes that unfortunately Colbie whatsit is having with Bubbly (only this is worthwhile!)
• Woohoo! Same Difference are number one on the popjustice almighty, and their XFactor video of I Don't Feel Like Dancing keeps popping up on my mp3 player. There are a number of video diaries on their webpage and mostly are delightful. Lovely Sean really needs to stop saying Baby though. Swingers was bloody years ago. Single out 17th November, album a week later!! WOOHOO!
• Miley Cyrus is also coarsing through the pop blogs. Newly engaged PopMuse is having weird dreams about her; Alien Hits loved Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Popjustice (again!) bloody love See You Again, but quite rightly hate the cover. Pity the Australians though, who - according to gorgeous blog AusPop - only get one track on the 7 Things cd single. Good thing it's an amazing track. Shah!
• I got the following text from Ruthiepoos this week "If you have had a crap day at work, and are driving to work the day after, I prescribe The Feeling's Join With Us. Sing loudly to the ring ring beep beep uh huh, and then air guitar like mad to the Phantom Of The Opera instrumental bit" I did. It worked.
• The album track climbed to number 8 on the only chart that counts (mine) earlier in the year, and now slutty Adam Levine has released a video (above) for the single! It's not what I would've chosen for a 5th single, but it's Maroon 5 and he does look lovely...
• mr D of Luv practically creamed his silk panties over the front cover of this week's NME. B-Flo does look quite dapper sans facial pubes. Us lapsed mormons are totally hot though. I am enjoying the second album lots this week actually... and the third promises to be poptastic!
• I feel that thanks to Fabtastic I will soon be enjoying the unholy trinity of pop (that's a compliment) Apparently album by Will-W is oozing with pop goodness and I've been quite happy with Lady Gaga, though I still think she totally borrowed her style from Wynter Gordon (whatever happened to her happening>) and isn't the second coming of pop after all. What IS amazing is the Ladyhawke album - stunning. I was going to review Lady Gaga before I went, but Adem and Aaron (who most reflects my views) have done a bonza job of it all, and I'm hoping Adem will review Ladyhawke while i'm gone :)

Finally, there were a lot of lovely comments for this post, and XO has a rather brillo post here that you should read and I spent almost as long on my comment as I did on this blog. If you are watching the Big Brother Live Eviction, why the fuss is Davina wearing a black smock that makes her look like Elphaba in Defying Gravity?

Top 21 Tracks of my Tears:

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

Madonna week monday!

I really thought I would find the spawn of Billy Ray Achy Breaky Cyrus hideously annoying. Despite my love all things teen (the georgia nicholson books? really Paul? is what my friends sigh), Hannah and her Montananess never really took my fancy. Then Stoobydoo (whatever happened to him?) recommended a pulsating little electro-pop track called See You Again earlier this year. And it was very good indeed. Pulsating synths, a catchy little hook and a decent vocal all made this brillo little track one of my faves of 2008. Still "Best of Both Worlds" was a browse thru at best and nothing else caught my attention. Then her next single proper (and the first from Breakout) was 7 Things. I initially dismissed this as a bit of a poppy Avril knockoff, but it just wormed its way into my consciousness and now I can't stop singing the bloody thing. It's a simple concept (listing the 7 things she hates/likes about her fella) but performed with such enthusiasm and pop kitsch that it's hard not to fall in love with it. No mention of best friend Leslie in this one, but oh well. The rest of the album isn't exactly perfect, but there are certainly enough meaty tracks to keep my interest for several more singles at the very least. Driveway should easily follow 7 Things into the upper echelons of the charts, with its pop rocky chorus that could easily soundtrack those "boo hoo i'm so misunderstood but we will be back together by the end of the film" moments in teen movies/one tree hill-y type shows. Full Circle continues in a similar vein, though her cover of These Four Walls is pretty ill advised and one of a few songs worth skipping.

I have just spent an inordinate amount of time stuck on a jam packed train with rowdy scottish football hooligans, all singing terrace chants and something about some bird taking it up the 'arris. I tried to ooze heterosexual interest but really when you have a chubby man's breast in your face, your lip does tend to curl in distaste. So I have come home to write about some classy new pop tunes I've been listening to - and all with gorgeously vocalled female singers...


Let's start off with my increasingly beloved (by me and lots of other people) Oh Laura. They may well be my favourite new act of 2008 and certainly are one of my top five albums of the year. Something about that voice, the haunting instrumentation and the sheer emotion running through each and every song has me quivering for more. So I couldn't be more thrilled that the lovely Release Me is soundtracking a car ad (and got everyone wondering "whose that band?") and much more importantly that they have recorded a stunning new song for new BritFlick The Waiting Room. Entitled Waiting For You, it was co-written with Tim Rice and has this great "earthy" value to it, as the song flows naturally rather than being reliant on over production. Once again the band merges seamlessly with the vocal and all float gently powered by raw anguish and longing. I'm always slightly stunned by the beauty of the vocal delivery and how it is used as an instrument to add dimensions to the song. Hopefully this will turn Oh Laura from a cult fave to a household name...
LINK: Oh Laura facebook / bebo / iLike

I always kinda root for the underdog. Not that I think Alannah Myles is a dog, but i followed her career way beyond her huge hit Black Velvet, and always dug her raspy vocals and bluesy music. I guess she was quite big in Canada, and after sometime off has a new album out with a trippy version of Black Velvet on it. Imagine the powerful vocal of the original with a shuffling "Justify My Love" type beat behind it and you are pretty much there. I'm not always a big fan of remakes but this one is working out well for me, and the eastern tinge to the production gives it a nice hazy feel. The album isn't too bad either (though far from perfect!)
LINK: Alannah Myles website

Finally, that nude little minx Miley Cyrus is back with a new song that is from an upcoming Hannah Montanna free album out later this summer. I have to say I bloody worshipped the ground See You Again walked on, but was slightly too embarrassed to check out the rest of the album (this hasn't stopped me listening to Jonas Bros or even Naked Bros Band though. Shame on me). However, this pop-meets-rock-meets-country ditty is just the right side of saccarine for my tastes without inducing diabetic coma. Apparently He Who Shall Not Be Named says it is too avril lavigne, but i think it's reminiscent of my fave Hilary Duff songs Maths / Haters, so I'm currently soaking it up at a fast rate of knots. Quite poppalicious. Now please, put your clothes back on luv...

Other songs by ladeez worthy of your time

• Sandi Thom ~ Devil's Beat
• Cyndi Lauper ~ Set Your Heart

Certainly not worthy of anyone's time (despite my v brief seduction by it. I was bewitched!)

• Katy Perry ~ Ur So Gay
• Katy Perry ~ I kissed a girl (Stick with Jill Sobule)

Coming soon ~ tv catch up! Chess! Jason Mraz! Some other stuff....