2009: Songs of the Year

I'd love to have the energy to make end of year lists as wonderfully detailed as the mighty XO London. Unfortunately I'm full of a stinker of a cold and generally distracted by everything else. This year I've been a little rubbish at listening to as much music as I should do. There's a whole back-up of albums in my LISTEN TO ME folder on spotify, so this may well be missing some corkers. Like I'm sure Fever Ray and Metric would be likely candidates for my favourite albums had I actually listened to them more than once or twice. I need to catch up pronto.

Anyway my favourite songs of the year:

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1. Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
Simply for packing as much joy and celebration as possible into just under 5 minutes. It's utterly infectious and I'm even more convinced this is my song of the year after feeling just how amazing it was to both play it and watch others enjoying it at Popstarz NYE last night.

2. Daniel Merriweather - Water & A Flame
I'm not entirely sure what I think about Daniel Merriweather but his album surprised me. Red grew on it to a manic extent but this later released single is without doubt the heart-achingly gorgeous highlight. It's one of those moments that could make me cry so hard I start to feel sick (see De-lovely, last 10 minutes of 'Doomsday', Mr Shue & Emma on Glee etc.)

3. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
It was tough to choose between this and Pokerface, but again Popstarz last night tipped this one as best. It was as if I could have played it on repeat for 4 hours solid and no one would have minded. Paparazzi was my favourite video of hers this year, but the first 2 seconds even of Bad Romance absolutely smash it. The decade's most exciting popstar.

4. Royksopp - The Girl and The Robot
A bleak surprise song from Robyn. I interviewed the band earlier say everything I could possibly need to (600 words worth) over here.

5. God Help The Girl - Musician Take Heed
I'd not heard of this album until Colin stuck his iPod on loudspeaker at a late summer BBQ and the brilliant God Help The Girl album came out. It's a teaming up of Stuart Murdoch from Belle & Sebastian with various female vocalists. Just pipping Perfection As A Helper, this song showcases why I love the album, full of gorgeous, melancholic harmonies.

6. Cheryl Cole - Fight For This Love
I know some people (hello Naomi) fully despise Cheryl, but I'm happy to be swept away with the hype of loving her. Hooray for her pipping Nadine to a solo album. FFTL was unexpected and provided the opportunity for a wide range of new, fascinating dance with your fist type moves from the Talia camp.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKRchFtlkEI[/youtube]
7. Jack Penate - Be The One
When Jack released his first album I wasn't particularly interested in the jingly-jangly nature of it all. Who knows what happened before the release of album #2 (a long holiday in Ibiza?) but it's euphoric, Balearic sounds were the surprise of the year. A blissfully uplifting song that featured the best use of trumpets since Mark Ronson got his hands on the instrument, and provided a brilliant moment at Wireless in Hyde Park.

8. Shirley Bassey - Apartment
I have absolutely no idea what this song is about. Written by Rufus Wainwright for the latest Shirley Bassey album, it's entirely nonsensical. That said, the spanish guitars and a roaring vocal make it a quirky and utterly memorable oddity.

9. Rumble Strips - Daniel
I think I should have listened to the latest Rumble Strips album more but this is the song that stuck with me the most. That's probably because I have a friend called Daniel and when we're talking about him I like to belt this out. I feel like I want to sing it while standing on a windswept bridge in the rain. Dramatic and dastardly.

10. Lily Allen - Not Fair
A funny, silly, even stupid little song that captures everything we first loved about Lils. It causes a regular barn dance each week at Popstarz and provided a very odd moment with a bride and groom dancing and singing it to each other when I, retrospectively inappropriately, played it at a friend's wedding.

Special outside the top 10 loving goes to Never Forget You, Bulletproof, Flashback, Empire State of Mind, Battlefield, Warm in The Shadows & Heads Will Roll.

Review: Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D

Since the last Black Eyed Peas album four years ago, Fergie's surprised us all by becoming one of the world's most popular solo stars. Despite penning most of her album, Will.i.am had no such success with his own record, even if he managed to woo the UK by taking Queen Cheryl of Cole under his arm on Heartbreaker.

Now the pair are back with fellow BEP comrades Taboo and apl.de.ap for their fifth studio album. While Monkey Business was a fun party album, The E.N.D steps it up a gear and through the power of the mighty vocoder transforms the Peas into in your fave dancefloor creatures.

The dramatic Boom Boom Pow lays out the album's intentions perfectly and with its “You're so two thousand and LATE” snap gives us a brand new insult to throw out there. I Gotta Feeling practically screams it's producer David Guetta from the off and fellow anthems Missing You and Rock That Body continue pummeling us with wild basslines and vocal snarling.

When it's time to take a breath of fresh air from the all-night rave, Meet Me Halfway is there to show you what BEP doing a Coldplay song would sound like. Answer: very good. Fergie regains some of the softness she explored on Big Girls Don't Cry on gorgeous love song Alive, but you’re advised to give her attempt at a Jamaican accent on the instantly skip-able Electric City a miss.

Daring and constantly innovative, the Black Eyed Peas have taken the techno/RnB door opened by Kanye West and flung it open wide.

Originally written for BBC Music

Review: The New Yorkers, Lilian Bayliss Theatre, Sadlers Wells

Musicals come and go. The lucky ones get turned into films and are immortalised. Everyone's heard of Oklahoma!, Anything Goes and Guys and Dolls. But what about Allegro, Nymph Errant or Greenwillow? No, us neither.

Since 1989 Ian Marshall Fisher has been a one-man musical preservation industry, every year dredging up unfairly forgotten shows by the great writers of the early 20th century and labelling them the Lost Musicals. His latest project at Sadler's Wells (Sundays until April 26) is Cole Porter and Herbert Fields' 1930 society satire The New Yorkers. What hits you first is the minimalist approach. Smartly decked out in evening dress, the company files onto a brightly-lit stage - empty apart from a row of chairs. Each clutches a black folder containing the script. There are no props and only piano accompaniment. It's almost like watching an early BBC radio drama recording. But the performances themselves are boisterous, especially from the remarkable Michael Roberts in a role originally taken by Jimmy Durante.

There's a negligible plot: wealthy young New York socialite falls for shady nightclub owner and ends up organising a jailbreak when he is busted. This being the Prohibition, there are plenty of jokes about alcohol and the lengths people will go to for it, including an entire song, 'Say It With Gin'. The links between the revue-style numbers and story are sometimes tenuous, but sometimes that helps: after one particularly rowdy comedy routine, Corrie Mac steps forward and sings 'Love for Sale', Porter's great, sad song about a prostitute. The effect is devastating.

What's most surprising though is how funny the show still is. Yes, some of the contemporary references are missed, but the acidic swipes at the uber-rich, the justice system, and above all lovely 'liquor', still have the power to raise a laugh. If something as classy as The New Yorkers can be lost, what other musical marvels might still await rediscovery?

The New Yorkers plays each Sunday at 4pm until April 26. Full details here. If you only see one show this month, this should be it.

Review: Metro Station - Metro Station

If Billy Ray is your Dad, Miley your little sister, and you want to have a career in rock music, you'd have to come up with something pretty amazing to be taken seriously. Latest Cyrus on the block, Trace might be trying to do just that as part of Metro Station, but their debut album leaves us feeling distinctly underwhelmed.

Originally released in the US back in 2007, it's taken two whole years for the Metro Station sound to hit our shores. In that time similar sounding but much better bands like Shiny Toy Guns, The Answering Machine and Stefy all failed to make any impact at all over here. So what is it about Metro Station that makes them different?

Their first UK single 'Control' might have fizzled by without anyone noticing but it's the 2nd, 'Shake It', that's made us sit up and pay attention. Powered by a huge sing-a-long chorus that would have any dancefloor stomping and chanting along to. It's a power pop, almost Disney, version of the darker emo sounds offered by labelmates Fall Out Boy. Similarly the gloomier 'Wish We Were Older' has a brilliantly goofy 'Woah-e-o-e-o' hands in the air chorus. The problem with both these songs and perhaps the rest of the album is that they seem to be built entirely to support the chorus with the verses being utterly unmemorable. Indeed songs like the twinkly 'California' and dreary 'True To Me' easily merge into the background.

Utterly harmless, Metro Station have shown they have the potential to write a killer hook. Their debut album is just not the showcase for that talent we were hoping for.

Review: Ronan Keating - Songs For My Mother

Ahead of Mother's Day each year albums designed to appeal to your mum trot out in stores around the country. As well as dabbling with a Boyzone reunion, 2009 is the year for Ronan Keating to make his mainstream comeback starting with a release of 'Songs For My Mother'.

This, his fifth studio album, is a collection of covers recorded by Ronan with a live orchestra. It's no rapidly chosen covers album though; instead it's a group of songs Ronan remembers his mother, who he lost to cancer at the height of his success in 1998, listening to throughout his childhood.

Covering songs as cherished as Don McClean's 'Vincent' and Joni Mitchell's 'Both Sides Now' is always going to aggravate fans of the original but on the whole, Ronan manages to create careful versions filled to the brink with emotion. Bob Dylan's 'Make You Feel My Love' crackles with tears, popular Celtic folk songs such as 'Carrickfergus' and 'The Wild Mountain Thyme' are tender and the orchestral arrangement of Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time' adds an extra layer of euphoria coupled with the sadness of the lyrics.

Only a cold heart could refuse to be moved by the gentle 'Mama's Arms'. Originally performed by American singer-songwriter Joshua Kadison, the heart tugging lyrics must have been hard to Ronan to sing, his voice cracking on the beautiful line 'all you want is mama's arms'. The mood is only ruined somewhat by the suddenly jolly 'Suspicious Minds' and echo-heavy cheese fest cover of R Kelly's 'I Believe I Can Fly'.

It would be easy to thrown scorn on 'Songs For My Mother' but instead it's a sweet, and surprisingly enjoyable compilation of gorgeous songs. Perfect to show your mother how much you care.

Originally for Orange Music

Review: Taylor Swift - Fearless

Taylor Swift is a Nashville girl. She's very nice, very sweet, and not one bit a popstar designed to work over here. Everything about her is so very American that her long stay at #1 in the States comes as no shock. But Taylor having a big hit in the UK? No chance.

How wrong we were. Instead of drifting by, Taylor has captured the hearts of British teenagers with her slushy songs. Her first UK hit 'Love Story' is a simple tale of girl meets boy, falls in love and later gets swept away by her Romeo. There's a subtle difference from the American original - a lack of twangy bassline. In fact 'Fearless' has entirely been slightly tweaked to zap out the country vibes and make her more palatable internationally.

The teenage audience is really the key to her success though. At 19 she personally knows the emotions of teenage girls, a knowledge she demonstrates perfectly on Fifteen singing "when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you, you're gonna believe it" or when chastising her boy feeling on the feisty 'Tell Me Why'.  It's sickly sweet at times, none more so than in the schmaltzy 'The Best Day', an ode to her parents in which she labels her mom "the prettiest lady in the whole wide world." Pass us the sick bucket.

Yet if you can get over the syrup, Taylor's music is packed with delicate melodies and an idealised view of romance despite protestations on 'White Horse'. "Fearless" could easily be described as dreary and inoffensive, but if you connect with her lyrics, then she could be the very person to help guide you through your first love.

Review: Starsailor - All The Plans

Since Starsailor first burst into the mainstream in 2001, most famously declaring 'Your daddy was an alcoholic,' singer James Walsh's voice  has become an immediately recognisable part of the UK music scene. Now on their 4th album, returning after a considerable break, the best new band to come out of deepest, darkest Lancashire this decade are back with 'All The Plans', another brilliant slice of indie pop realism.

Having moved record labels and inspired by all the 'rights and wrongs' they've experienced in the last few years, lead single "Tell Me It's Not Over" showcases compelling harmonies and an emotive vocal that sizzles with passion. Reminiscent of Coldplay's "The Hardest Part", it's just as epic and makes a strong impression as the album's opening track.  'All The Plans' and the yearning 'Boy In Waiting' have a similarly epic quality and capture that essential festival anthem spirit with hints of Oasis creeping into James Stelfox's bassline on the title track.

Equally there's a honesty in Walsh's voice that makes the gorgeous 'The Thames' feel like a genuine insight into his broken heart.  Despite sounding like it could soundtrack a Western, were it an instrumental, lyrics like 'the birds & the bees, the leaves on the trees, die all at once, now that you're gone', coupled with a compelling belief that his girl will one day be back in his arms, crackle with heartbreak.

Starsailor have unfairly become a band most people sneer at but "All The Plans" has recaptured that special something that made debut album "Love Is Here" so exciting. Whether it's too late to change people's opinions remains to be seen, but were we not so bothered by the 'cool' factor, there's no doubt the songs on this album show an anthemic return to form.

Review: Mongrel - Better Than Heavy

When Jon McClure first bound onto the music scene, he was full of endless optimism. Originally a writer for the Arctic Monkeys, the Reverend (of Reverend and the Makers) was convinced that his left wing politics could be put to music and make a difference to the world. Sadly after just one album he became disillusioned with the music industry and formed Mongrel releasing 'Better Than Heavy', their debut album, for free via The Independent.

Pulling together Joe Moskow from The Makers on synths, Drew from Babyshambles on guitar, London rapper Lowkey, Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders and former Monkey Andy Nicholson on bass to form a grindie supergroup was presumably his attempt at a multi-skilled masterplan. Yet the mid-way position between grime and indie, the aptly name Mongrel can't help to fail to excel in one particular field, instead falling somewhere into the middle under adequate.

Sometimes, when paired with a brilliant bassline, McClure's politics make sense. In 'Lies' we're told "the whole country is full of lies, you're all gonna die, I don't trust you anymore" and 'Barcode' offers up a chilling warning of the human race being 'a commodity, we will quantify'. Yet sometimes, his lyrics can move too far towards preaching with the listing of oppressed countries such as 'Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Darfur, too many to name,' in the otherwise brilliant 'The Menace', sometimes being too hard to stomach for your average music fan.

A good effort for sure, but ultimately 'Better Than Heavy' leaves us yearning for the catchy tunes and daily life descriptions that made Reverend & The Makers debut so special. We admire the message but can't help but feel we'd rather have The Reverend back in his very own church.

Pussycat Fail

Pussycat Dolls: MEN Arena
29 January 2009
**

If there's one thing you'd expect from a Pussycat Dolls concert it's a performance to put most acts to shame.  With their burlesque background, these five women should be able to fill a stage and excite. So what went so wrong at their Manchester 'Doll Domination' date that meant solo support acts Lady Gaga and Ne-Yo utterly stole the show?

Arriving astride shimmering motorbikes, Nicole and her gang took to the stage suitably attired in barely-there tartan outfits gyrating their way through much loved singles 'Beep' and 'Buttons'.  With furious routines, we can forgive them for lip synching but when it came to should-have-been #1 'I Hate This Part' we expected a little more.  That is, of course, until it burst into a hilariously over the top hi-NRG remix - a strangely fascinating tactic later employed again on the similarly slushy 'Stickwitu'. When the mics were on there were mixed results with only Nicole managed to sounded perfect on the powerful 'Halo'. Plus whoever thought that a segment of each member performing solo tracks was a good idea needs to be removed immediately from the world of pop.

This wasn't the only mistake. A dull video backdrop and ungainly stairs left the stage feeling empty and flat.  Despite regular disappearances, costume changes were far and few between, and save for a raunchy routine to a sultry cover of 'I Will Survive', the girls naughty spirit that gave them their edge seemed confined to a sequined top.

Only when the encore of 'Dont'cha' mixed gleefully into Robin S's Show Me Love' and recent single 'When I Grow Up' arrived, did the dolls finally seem to perform with the zest and charm we expected. Disappointing, but perhaps only because we know they can do so much better.

(Originally published at Orange, written in a nice fashion rather than my actual horrified beliefs - at one point I went to the toilet and walked back the long way just to kill some time)

Fall Out Boy - Folie A Deux

Following on from the stats grabbing initial review of the new Fall Out Boy album, this was the review that was actually published back in October. It's about to be finally released.

****

Could Fall Out Boy be any more perfect? They make songs you can stomp along to, give us the eyeliner hotness of Pete and have donated $50k to a pro gay marriage campaign. Three hoorays from Attitude. French for 'shared madness by two', 'Folie A Deux', might be more thoughtful but remains packed with melodramatics that leave us pondering just how amazing an FOB musical would be.

Lead single 'I Don't Care' steals a glammy beat from 'Spirit in the Sky' and almost sounds like a Xenomania production with campy 'oohs' sandwiching a dark chorus. With special guests including Pharrell and Debbie Harry popping up,  Elvis Costello delights on 'What A Catch, Donnie' - born to soundtrack the moment that goofy boy everyone laughs at has a Tyra style makeover becomes the fiercest girl in school.  Although nothing can top last album's 'Gay Is Not An Acronym For Shit', the boys would still win awards for song titles  with the random likes of 'Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes' and the creepy, epic sounds of 'Head First Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet'.

Though '27' might claim 'We're all just fucked', the anthemic (Coffee For Closers) stresses that 'change will come'. Released on US Election day, Folie A Deux is ultimately the sound of a frustrated generation looking for a way out.

Review: Britney Spears - Circus

Every generation has its fallen hero and Britney Spears is ours. Yet despite being released at the height of her madness, 2007's Blackout proved that Britney could still create brilliant pop moments. Now, just over a year later, Circus arrives with an overwhelming swell of public support behind it.

While Blackout was 45 minutes of eye-rolling, crotch-crunching, but utterly brilliant insanity, Circus is, like Britney herself in recent months, a touch calmer. Sometimes it works, like on the disconcerting 'Unusual You', an electro ballad of Robyn-sized proportions, or the serene 'Blur', documenting Britney's last two years through lyrics like "I can't remember what I did last night". Other times, like on the sickly 'My Baby' - an ode to her children including a mawkish reference to their "tiny hands" - it goes horribly wrong.

To be honest, though, all we really want from Britney is floor-filling pop to live up to 'Womanizer''s manic sirens. 'If You Seek Amy' is a secretly filthy playful romp, while 'Kill The Lights' is a scathing attack on "Mr Photographer" who stalks her every move. Our favourite moment lies in the slow-motion middle eight of 'Shattered Glass': we can just imagine Britney, in full diva mode, strutting through a icy forest, completely back in control.

Circus is an album of highs and lows, but there's a danger we're just so excited about Britney surviving that we're happy to accept mediocrity. 'Womanizer' is probably the album's only iconic moment, but it certainly proves there's fight yet in the girl we'd almost written off for good.

Originally published by Orange Music

Review: Beyonce - I Am... Sasha Fierce

In a world ruled by downloads perhaps the flow of tracklistings, once pored over for hours by record labels, isn't that important any more. It's certainly not to Beyonce who, on this, her third solo album, has spread 11 songs over two discs in order to create a 'concept'. Double albums usually make us pull an ugly face (Back To Basics, anyone?) but we guess at least this has a point, almost. 

Let's explain. For this album Beyonce has split her personality into two. Disc 1, labelled 'I Am', reveals the 'real' Beyonce behind the makeup, baring her soul with insecurities about love. The simple, If I Were A Boy, is ably joined by the very strange, but wonderful Ave Maria and Ryan Tedder's Bleeding Love-lite, Halo. Unfortunately when faced with six ballads in a row, you might find yourself dropping off into a deep slumber, no matter how good they are. 

You'll wake up sharpish though when it's time for disc 2, as Beyonce is gone, replaced by the hilariously monikered Sasha Fierce. Sasha is B's on-stage personality and the hair flicking, stiletto strutting beats of Diva with it's dictionary defining ''diva is the female version of a hustler'' prove it. Yet though the electro pounding of Sweet Dreams or the wild Radio might be standouts here, there's nothing that announces Beyonce's experimental side like the raging Ring The Alarm from B'Day 

An attempt no doubt for credibility and importance, I Am ... Sasha Fierce ultimately falls short of this goal. In a world where Rihanna seems to have released hit after hit, Beyonce, although the superior on-stage performer, needs to come back with something stronger than this if she wants to steal her sparkly crown back off the young pretender.

Originally published on BBC Music

Review: Seal - Soul

With 15 million album sales and three Grammy Awards under his belt, you'd think it might be easy for Seal to make a successful album. Yet since the mid-1990s his popularity dramatically waned, with even the super contemporary Jacques Lu Cont produced System last year failing to make much of a mark.

Thus Seal has decided to return to his self-declared roots with his sixth album, the simply titled Soul - a collection of classic songs, produced by legendary Canadian producer David Foster, best known for his work with Celine Dion. Entirely a covers album, it features the work of Sam Cooke, Al Green, Otis Reading and James Brown to name but a few, and here enlies the problem. Choosing such definitive songs, and performing them, on the whole, with such a loyalty to the original recordings, simply makes us want to listen to those originals. Sure, there may be some novelty value the first time you hear a man sing Ann Peebles' glorious I Can't Stand The Rain or Deniece Williams' enchanting Free but a faithful cover of If You Don't Know Me By Now leaves us reaching for the Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes original, or at very worst Simply Red. Cover albums always face this risk, but Seal could have done with taking a leaf out of George Michael's Songs From The Last Century album and finding some brilliant, but lesser known songs to scatter through the album.

Though there's no doubt that Seal has a great voice, perfectly designed for singing soul music, ultimately Soul feels a touch too smooth. In his day Seal was an innovator - constantly pushing the genre boundaries of r 'n' b & dance music - but now we're left hoping he finds some of that magic that seems to have been lost along the way.

Originally published at BBC Music

Review: Take That - Circus

Staging a comeback far bigger than any of us could have imagined, it’s now time for Take That – The Man Band to release their 2nd album since returning to their adoring fanbase looking slightly crinkly. Circus, coincidentally released on the same day as Britney’s album of the same name, is it, and we’re pleased to report it’s pretty damn amazing.

Modern day Take That are like the drama faces of Melpomene and Thalia. Gary Barlow, the graceful swan of the group, is cementing his position as the country’s premier pop writer by dripping tragedy over soaring, epic ballads. Melancholy lament ‘What Is Love’ has Howard shining on lead vocals, questioning ‘the science of fate’ while title track ‘The Circus’ says it best with ‘I’m the only clown you’ll ever know. I love you was too many words to say’. The brilliant ‘Rule The World’ might be hard to top but opening track ‘The Garden’ and the perky ‘Hold Up The Light’ have that same magical feel. With songs like this, we’re left curious why they went with the relatively lacklustre ‘Greatest Day’ as lead single.

Then there’s Mark Owen, representing comedy, still happily bouncing about like ‘Clementine’ was as big a hit as it should have been and creating adorable upbeat pop songs Paul McCartney would be proud to sing. If Morrisons have ruined ‘Shine’ for you, then the cheeky ‘Hello’ will happily take its place in your heart. ‘Julie’ puts Mark in story telling mode and almost feels like a sequel to Babe, but the real highlight is the utterly catchy ‘Up All Night’ complete with a proper oom pah pah band and skip down the street chorus – we can just imagine the video with Take That clad in drummer outfits with big shiny silver buttons.

A stunning album, Take That are the vintage champagne of pop fizzing with playful bubbles and happily maturing with age.

Originally written for BBC Music.

Review: Girls Aloud - Out of Control

Even before Queen Cheryl of Cole sharpened her perfectly manicured judging nails to become the nation's new sweetheart, Girls Aloud were adored by everyone from misery guts Noel Gallagher to toff David Cameron. Now teaming up with hit factory Xenomania again for their fifth studio album, our girls show no sign of giving up the hunt for the perfect pop song.

That perfect song might not, however, be exactly what you're expecting. Instead of compelling us to race to the dancefloor and jump on our tutu, Out of Control has taken its lead from the success of icy ballad Call The Shots and brought us a shimmering album of heartbreaking electro pop with the tearstained melancholy of the Ashley baiting Love Is Pain its defining moment.

Forgetting about hugely disappointing Neil Tennant collaboration The Loving Kind, the Balearic bliss of epic seven minute marathon Untouchable and the haunting swirls of Turn 2 Stone (which cries out for a big trance remix) prove that you don't have to be brassy to be brilliant. That said, if you're running back to Tangled Up frantically searching for Girl Overboard, you need not fear. Although there aren't as many stompers as usual, the sarcastic country of Love Is The Key and drum and bass anti-anarchy anthem Live In The Country, in which Sarah begs for a ''stall selling strawberry shortcake'' will go some way in cheering you up. Miss You Bow Wow impresses as one big non-stop chorus and the dancehall mayhem of Revolution In The Head mean there's no chance of an overly serious 'we are no longer pop' edict being issued.

Pop music at its finest, Girls Aloud have opened up their hearts, and finally won their battle against drippy, re-hashed ballads. Long may they reign.

Originally published at BBC Music

Review: The Saturdays - Chasing Lights

When The Saturdays appeared on our pop radar we felt sorry for them. Here were five girls dreaming of being the next big thing in a world where the Girls Aloud & Sugababes monopoly showed no signs of letting up. Then we heard the kick-ass music, and suddenly The Saturdays felt like a viable proposition.

First single 'If This Is Love' seemed to spring out of nowhere with it's Yazoo sample shining an electro-pop beacon but there's been plenty of behind the scenes work going on. Signed to Fascination Records, home to Girls Aloud, they certainly have a pedigree with Rochelle & Frankie alumni of S Club Juniors, the irritatingly enthusiastic Mollie, an X-Factor reject, as well as soloist Vanessa. Then there's Una – eight years older than the others, she's a singer songwriter who already oozes disinterest in the project, and could be their Siobhan Donaghy.

If we're looking for a word to sum up The Saturdays, it's feistiness. Although nothing can beat the robot disco of 2nd single 'Up', there are only really one or two soppy ballads like 'Issues' that let 'Chasing Lights' down. Instead it's the fierce chorus of 'Keep Her' and the sass of 'Set Me Off' that get us excited. 'Work' is an irresistible dancefloor puller destined to be a single,while 'Lies' is an electro-ballad that proves these girls will be taking no mess from the boys.

Energetic and fun, 'Chasing Lights' is a promising debut. It's not perfect but it's better than any of us could have expected.

Review: Sugababes - Catfights & Spotlights

Pop groups rarely make it to six albums, but Sugababes have managed just that.  Sometimes described as a brand rather than a band, their distinctiveness has faded through the years - culminating in the personality-free, but very successful 'Change'.

Uninteresting lead single 'Girls' aside, 'Catfights and Spotlights' could be the album to make us fall back in love with them. We wouldn't normally praise an album so ballad-heavy, but if there's one thing the these girls can do well, it's a killer ballad, the likes of 'Stronger' and 'Too Lost In You' still sending shivers up our spine. The Karen Poole penned  'Sunday Rain' is an epic tearstained tale with a nod to Sam Brown's 'Stop', while Klas Ahlund (who produced Robyn's album) introduces quirky sounds and swelling strings on 'Every Heart Broken'. Newest member Amelle has finally found her position within the band, her smoky voice adding a dangerous edge on the haunting 'Side Chick' and self-penned 'Beware'.

The tempo lifts only occasionally and even then it's somewhat forgettable. While 'Hanging on a Star' could be a Dana Dawson B-side, second single 'No Can Do' will certainly bounce its way into the heart of your favourite radio station.

The girls claim they've grown up and ditched pop. Not at all - they've just added some Motown horns and a twinkling of eighties funk. The result is an album that sounds the most like the Sugababes since 'Angels With Dirty Faces'. We're glad you're back.

Originally published at Orange Music

First Listen Review: Girls Aloud - Out Of Control

A new Girls Aloud album is a surefire way to put a smile on my face so I was super excited to receive their new album Out Of Control this week. I'll be reviewing it for the BBC later, but here's my first listen thoughts.

Overall you might be a bit disappointed if you're a fan of the 'Girl Overboard' and 'Biology' side of the girls. They've cut back on frantic-ness and replaced it with gorgeous, soaring electro pop that's just as good.

1. The Promise - It's so exciting that they're about to have their 4th #1 with this song. You've heard it though, although the album version has a longer intro and a repeat to fade ending.

2. The Loving Kind - This is a collaboration with Pet Shop Boys and the first of quite a few synth ballads. Being a GA & PSB collaboration it's kind of a disappointment as it should be amazing. It has an epic verse but then the chorus doesn't quite cut it. There's no great hook.

3. Rolling Back The Rivers - Starts with a really strong big vocal almost acapella. I have no idea who is who though when they sing. Then when the music kicks in it sounds a bit like 'Somethin' Stupid'. It's really smooth sounding and makes me roll my shoulders all about. Has a great 'a-wooooo' sound.

Review: The Long Blondes - Singles

 

Far more glamorous than your average indie band, there was a time when it looked like The Long Blondes were going to make it big. NME and Radio 1 loved them, three singles from Somebody To Drive You Home went top 40, and 'Once & Never Again' was the soundtrack to every indie disco. Then came Couples; album number 2; and everything seemed to unfairly dry up.

So, presumably to renew some interest, the band are going back to basics with Singles - a compilation of their first four 7"s released on small labels like Thee Sheffield Phonograpic Corp, Angular and Good & Evil, and thus essential only for your most die-hard fan.

Like so many Sheffield bands before them, Kate Jackson and her fellow scarf wearing pals make intelligent indie music with some of the wittiest lyrics in town. Now we hear them at their rawest form, before the likes of super producer Erol Alkan got hold of them and added unnecessary whizzes and bangs.

The very first releases New Idols and Long Blonde are, in fact, so rough and ready that the distortion hurts your ears. But Autonomy Boy soon presents their delicious melodies that we that made us love them so, with the original versions of the complicated 'Giddy Stratospheres' and 'Lust In The Movies' a definite highlight. On the flip side, the shoutier riot grrl side of the Long Blondes blasts through on tale of heartbreak 'Separated By Motorways'.

Distinctly English with tales of Peterborough and darts, The Long Blondes should be a national treasure. Despite having lost their way, this compilation shows that going back to basics isn't perhaps the step backwards it might seem.

Originally published at BBC Music

Of course, having a promo copy, little did I know that once you took the CD out of the case underneath it said 'We have split'. Here's the sad story.

Review: Fall Out Boy - Folie A Deux

I was lucky enough to be given a preview listening of the new Fall Out Boy album a couple of weeks ago and my review will be appearing in a magazine next month. To give you a bit of insight, normally you get sent albums to review either in hard copy or an internet stream. They're normally watermarked so if you leak it onto the internet the label can figure out who to murder.

There are certain levels of albums that they won't let anyone have. If you want to hear it, you go to them, and for some reason the FOB album fell into that category which seems a bit extreme. So along I went to Universal Records where I very excitedly bumped into Nicola from Girls Aloud who's super red hair at the moment is amazing and slightly less excitedly listened to the FOB album, in a small room, alone, once, with my mobile taken off me. It's pretty hard to review an album in these conditions and get it spot on so if it turns out to be bloody shit, I apologise. It does mean that you're constantly scribbling things down though, and you end up with some random statements. The last time I did this I went on a bit so look after the jump for the track by track review that hasn't been made pretty so don't start on me for not writing well. In short, 4/5, 13 tracks, very long, angry but poppy, noisy but tender, pretty great, 27 is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Annoyingly the record has just been pushed back to December 16 which kind of leaves my actual review making no sense. Bugger. Real review will appear in a couple of weeks anyway.