If you'd like to attend, e-mail poptasticuk@hotmail.com by Friday 4th December with your top 5 favourite things about Sweden. Make sure the subject of the e-mail is 'Erik Hassle competition'. My favourite entries will win the tickets!
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Want to go to Erik Hassle's Xmas house party?
I've got two tickets to give away for the following event:
If you'd like to attend, e-mail poptasticuk@hotmail.com by Friday 4th December with your top 5 favourite things about Sweden. Make sure the subject of the e-mail is 'Erik Hassle competition'. My favourite entries will win the tickets!
If you'd like to attend, e-mail poptasticuk@hotmail.com by Friday 4th December with your top 5 favourite things about Sweden. Make sure the subject of the e-mail is 'Erik Hassle competition'. My favourite entries will win the tickets!
Taylor made for me
I went to see Taylor Swift on Monday and wrote a review for Londonist. I had quite a lot to say, so here is the unabridged version...
Not since the days of the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party have we heard such loud, high-pitched screams as at Taylor Swift's first ever UK arena gig at Wembley on Monday. We certainly never expected to witness such a reaction to a country artist. Could it be that a new generation of music lovers will not grow up believing that country music is inherently extremely uncool?
The arena was filled to the rafters with teenage girls and tangibly buzzed with excitement in anticipation of Taylor's arrival on stage. From her energetic entrance to the sound of our favourite Taylor hit, You Belong With Me, to the dramatic finale of Should've Said No two hours later, the gig was a non-stop screamathon. At one point, Taylor had to stop the show just to wait for the crowd to calm down. If she hadn't started up another song, they would have quite happily screamed "we love you Taylor!" incessantly for the rest of the night.
Taylor may have only had one top 20 single in the UK so far, but her fans could be heard singing along with every song she performed. Taylor's tendency toward songs which tell stories meant that many were acted out on stage. She even performed Forever and Always, a song she wrote about her unpleasant break-up with popstar ex Joe Jonas, to a lookalike of the Jonas Brothers singer himself. Teen romance was certainly the over-riding subject of the night, and one that the majority of the audience would very much identify with.
There was also a sense of Taylor's youthful idealism in songs such as the mega-hit Love Story, in which Taylor is swept off her feet by her very own prince charming, yet in White Horse she realises "I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale". Twenty-year-old Taylor is a hugely influential role model for girls a few years her junior, and every lyric is carefully calculated in accordance with that fact. However, Taylor's music isn't all morals and cautionary tales - it's great fun as well. Taylor's infectious personality and blend of ambition with humility have helped her to become as beloved by the American music industry as she is by every teenage girl who never made the cheerleading squad or dated a football player. With this in mind, the outrage when Kanye West insulted her in front of the nation at the recent MTV Awards comes as no surprise.
The electric atmosphere and complete lack of empty seats at Monday's Wembley concert showed that Taylor could have easily played several more nights at Wembley and many more around the country too. However, with a star so bright as Taylor's currently is, there's no time to hang around. Tuesday's visit to Manchester MEN Arena was the last stop in the UK for the Fearless Tour, which will continue in Australia and return to the USA for many more dates in 2010. Hopefully she'll find time for another flying visit to our shores at some point over the next twelve months - there will certainly be demand for it.
Not since the days of the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party have we heard such loud, high-pitched screams as at Taylor Swift's first ever UK arena gig at Wembley on Monday. We certainly never expected to witness such a reaction to a country artist. Could it be that a new generation of music lovers will not grow up believing that country music is inherently extremely uncool?
The arena was filled to the rafters with teenage girls and tangibly buzzed with excitement in anticipation of Taylor's arrival on stage. From her energetic entrance to the sound of our favourite Taylor hit, You Belong With Me, to the dramatic finale of Should've Said No two hours later, the gig was a non-stop screamathon. At one point, Taylor had to stop the show just to wait for the crowd to calm down. If she hadn't started up another song, they would have quite happily screamed "we love you Taylor!" incessantly for the rest of the night.
Taylor may have only had one top 20 single in the UK so far, but her fans could be heard singing along with every song she performed. Taylor's tendency toward songs which tell stories meant that many were acted out on stage. She even performed Forever and Always, a song she wrote about her unpleasant break-up with popstar ex Joe Jonas, to a lookalike of the Jonas Brothers singer himself. Teen romance was certainly the over-riding subject of the night, and one that the majority of the audience would very much identify with.
There was also a sense of Taylor's youthful idealism in songs such as the mega-hit Love Story, in which Taylor is swept off her feet by her very own prince charming, yet in White Horse she realises "I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale". Twenty-year-old Taylor is a hugely influential role model for girls a few years her junior, and every lyric is carefully calculated in accordance with that fact. However, Taylor's music isn't all morals and cautionary tales - it's great fun as well. Taylor's infectious personality and blend of ambition with humility have helped her to become as beloved by the American music industry as she is by every teenage girl who never made the cheerleading squad or dated a football player. With this in mind, the outrage when Kanye West insulted her in front of the nation at the recent MTV Awards comes as no surprise.
The electric atmosphere and complete lack of empty seats at Monday's Wembley concert showed that Taylor could have easily played several more nights at Wembley and many more around the country too. However, with a star so bright as Taylor's currently is, there's no time to hang around. Tuesday's visit to Manchester MEN Arena was the last stop in the UK for the Fearless Tour, which will continue in Australia and return to the USA for many more dates in 2010. Hopefully she'll find time for another flying visit to our shores at some point over the next twelve months - there will certainly be demand for it.
Thursday, 5 November 2009
If we're just a song, I'm singing along
Today I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the JLS album, unimaginatively titled JLS, in the post to review. I wasn't particularly excited about hearing it, but perhaps I should have been - there are some great pure pop boyband songs here. Even one that sounds like Ultra! After the disappointment of the Taio Cruz album, his boyband pals seem to be making up for it with their own album. My all time no.1 boyband, the BSBs, could have done with some of these songs on their latest CD, actually.
The album begins with the two singles, which are followed by three songs which, although far from awful, are exactly what you'd expect from a JLS album. They are similar to, but weaker than, the singles. One is clearly a Taio Cruz creation, but not as good as his own hits, although the chorus is cute and catchy. However, these tracks are followed by a lovely song called Close To You, which had been described as Backstreet Boys-esque. Whoever made that comparison must not have been a big BSBs fan, as it sounds a lot more like Ultra or A1 to my ears (with a hint of Chris Brown's With You), while later tracks on the album such as Don't Go, Kickstart and Only Making Love sound a lot more BSB to me. Only Tonight is probably most comparable to Blue and contains the great lyric I used for this post's title. And then there's One Shot, which even JLS haters need to give a listen to, if only for the fact that it's basically a rave ballad with lyrics inspired by Blazin' Squad.
From Close To You (track 6) onwards the album grows into quite possibly the best boyband album since V's 2004 release. There are several songs, particularly Private and the aforementioned BSBs-esque tracks, which are total RedOne wannabes. I'm pretty sure Red hasn't worked on this album, and there's no RedOne tag at the beginning of any of the tracks, but he has certainly been an inspiration for much of the album. Perhaps they can do some Darin covers on the next one!
Having listened to the album the whole way through, I've gone back to those first few tracks, and they are sounding much better now I've got into the (Jack the Lad) swing of it! I would actually go so far as to say that there is not one bad song on this album! The whole thing is great! It's been a long time since I've heard an album by a major artist which I can say that about. I would definitely say that they're a contemporary version of Blue, with an album full of light, pleasant R&B-pop which won't change the world but will give a bit more meaning to the lives of a nation's worth of teenage girls. I know very well what it's like to really love a boyband, and although I don't feel toward JLS as I did to the BSBs or even to V, I can see that many young girls (and boys) will get that feeling, and JLS are doing a very good thing by allowing them to experience it.
The album begins with the two singles, which are followed by three songs which, although far from awful, are exactly what you'd expect from a JLS album. They are similar to, but weaker than, the singles. One is clearly a Taio Cruz creation, but not as good as his own hits, although the chorus is cute and catchy. However, these tracks are followed by a lovely song called Close To You, which had been described as Backstreet Boys-esque. Whoever made that comparison must not have been a big BSBs fan, as it sounds a lot more like Ultra or A1 to my ears (with a hint of Chris Brown's With You), while later tracks on the album such as Don't Go, Kickstart and Only Making Love sound a lot more BSB to me. Only Tonight is probably most comparable to Blue and contains the great lyric I used for this post's title. And then there's One Shot, which even JLS haters need to give a listen to, if only for the fact that it's basically a rave ballad with lyrics inspired by Blazin' Squad.
From Close To You (track 6) onwards the album grows into quite possibly the best boyband album since V's 2004 release. There are several songs, particularly Private and the aforementioned BSBs-esque tracks, which are total RedOne wannabes. I'm pretty sure Red hasn't worked on this album, and there's no RedOne tag at the beginning of any of the tracks, but he has certainly been an inspiration for much of the album. Perhaps they can do some Darin covers on the next one!
Having listened to the album the whole way through, I've gone back to those first few tracks, and they are sounding much better now I've got into the (Jack the Lad) swing of it! I would actually go so far as to say that there is not one bad song on this album! The whole thing is great! It's been a long time since I've heard an album by a major artist which I can say that about. I would definitely say that they're a contemporary version of Blue, with an album full of light, pleasant R&B-pop which won't change the world but will give a bit more meaning to the lives of a nation's worth of teenage girls. I know very well what it's like to really love a boyband, and although I don't feel toward JLS as I did to the BSBs or even to V, I can see that many young girls (and boys) will get that feeling, and JLS are doing a very good thing by allowing them to experience it.
Monday, 2 November 2009
Stop the music? I'd rather they didn't!
It's been about 18 months now since I first wrote about The Pipettes' new material, when I saw them perform one of their first gigs in the Gwenno, Ani and Anna line-up. Now, of course, they have another new member (Beth replaced Anna), and after about 8 months of gigging in this formation, they are finally getting a bit closer to actually releasing something. Stop The Music is a track I know from the live performances, and it should please fans of the first album since, despite the new material having a more 70s style overall, it is not a big step away from their original sound. It's a truly lovely song and more pure pop than the indie leanings of their debut.
I worry that this change could send them the same way as Alphabeat, who also have shed any indie coolness they had in favour of a pure pop sound, but since The Pipettes have never graced the top 20 before, they hopefully won't be disappointed if the new single isn't an international megahit. Regardless of how successful it will be, it's great to have one of my absolute favourite bands back on the radio, and I hope that we'll be hearing a lot of them in 2010.
You can hear the new song at this link - just fast-forward to 31 minutes in. Thanks to Andy for the tip-off!
I worry that this change could send them the same way as Alphabeat, who also have shed any indie coolness they had in favour of a pure pop sound, but since The Pipettes have never graced the top 20 before, they hopefully won't be disappointed if the new single isn't an international megahit. Regardless of how successful it will be, it's great to have one of my absolute favourite bands back on the radio, and I hope that we'll be hearing a lot of them in 2010.
You can hear the new song at this link - just fast-forward to 31 minutes in. Thanks to Andy for the tip-off!
Sunday, 1 November 2009
New Pop on the Block
Jadyn Maria ft. Katy Perry - A Man's World (Listen)
On paper (or screen, anyway!), Jadyn Maria sounds like a surefire success - collaborations with Katy Perry and Flo Rida, and a voice that sounds like a mixture of Miley Cyrus and Rihanna. She couldn't be more 'now', and this new single is extremely poptastic. However, she's not getting much attention so far, and I wonder if the music scene is just too saturated with cute and feisty pop-R&B singers. There's Ke$ha, Livvi Franc, Pixie, Alexandra and many more, all hoping to be the next Rihanna or Lady GaGa. They all have great songs so I'd love to see them all succeed, but how many similar acts do the charts have room for? I hope there's room for Jadyn anyway, as I think this song is brilliant - the best thing Katy Perry's been involved in, after Hot 'n' Cold.
93% Poptastic!
Name The Pet - American Boys (Listen)
This Swedish singer has been attracting buzz from fans of Swedish electro-pop for about a year now, but in my opinion only now has she released a song which lives up to the hype. American Boys is electro-pop done Swedish style. It doesn't sound like La Roux or Little Boots, but more like Linda Sundblad or Cat 5, and it's very exciting to have another artist joining in with this mini-genre. When I first heard Name The Pet, thanks to a link from The Sound of Arrows' MySpace, I wanted to like her but the music was a bit fuzzy and difficult for my liking. American Boys is slick and clear and very promising. I think Name The Pet could end up being quite an indie-pop favourite, as Swedish elecro-girls like Robyn and Lykke Li have been before her.
77% Poptastic!
On paper (or screen, anyway!), Jadyn Maria sounds like a surefire success - collaborations with Katy Perry and Flo Rida, and a voice that sounds like a mixture of Miley Cyrus and Rihanna. She couldn't be more 'now', and this new single is extremely poptastic. However, she's not getting much attention so far, and I wonder if the music scene is just too saturated with cute and feisty pop-R&B singers. There's Ke$ha, Livvi Franc, Pixie, Alexandra and many more, all hoping to be the next Rihanna or Lady GaGa. They all have great songs so I'd love to see them all succeed, but how many similar acts do the charts have room for? I hope there's room for Jadyn anyway, as I think this song is brilliant - the best thing Katy Perry's been involved in, after Hot 'n' Cold.
93% Poptastic!
Name The Pet - American Boys (Listen)
This Swedish singer has been attracting buzz from fans of Swedish electro-pop for about a year now, but in my opinion only now has she released a song which lives up to the hype. American Boys is electro-pop done Swedish style. It doesn't sound like La Roux or Little Boots, but more like Linda Sundblad or Cat 5, and it's very exciting to have another artist joining in with this mini-genre. When I first heard Name The Pet, thanks to a link from The Sound of Arrows' MySpace, I wanted to like her but the music was a bit fuzzy and difficult for my liking. American Boys is slick and clear and very promising. I think Name The Pet could end up being quite an indie-pop favourite, as Swedish elecro-girls like Robyn and Lykke Li have been before her.
77% Poptastic!
Top of the Poptastic!
Here are my top 30 favourite singles of October...
1. Darin feat Kat De Luna – Breathing Your Love (UK release)
2. Darin - Viva La Vida
3. Backstreet Boys – Bigger
4. Britney Spears - 3
5. Kim-Lian & Linda Bengtzing - Not That Kinda Girl
6. Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
7. Mini Viva - I Wish
8. Måns Zelmerlöw - Impossible
9. Marina & the Diamonds - Mowgli's Road
10. Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment
11. Amanda Jenssen - Happyland
12. Name The Pet - American Boys
13. Miss Li - Stupid Girl
14. Taio Cruz – No Other One
15. Lily Allen – Who’d Have Known
16. Will Young - Hopes and Fears
17. Agnes – I Need You Now
18. Guy Sebastian - Like It Like That
19. Donkeyboy - Sometimes
20. Ashley Tisdale - Crank It Up
21. Alcazar - From Brazil With Love
22. Dionne Bromfield – Mama Said
23. Little Boots - Earthquake
24. Rihanna – Russian Roulette
25. Shontelle - Licky
26. Ellie Goulding - Under the Sheets
27. MPHO - See Me Now
28. Tiësto ft. CC Sheffield - Escape Me
29. Jessica Mauboy - Up/Down
30. Sivert Høyem - Moon Landing
1. Darin feat Kat De Luna – Breathing Your Love (UK release)
2. Darin - Viva La Vida
3. Backstreet Boys – Bigger
4. Britney Spears - 3
5. Kim-Lian & Linda Bengtzing - Not That Kinda Girl
6. Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
7. Mini Viva - I Wish
8. Måns Zelmerlöw - Impossible
9. Marina & the Diamonds - Mowgli's Road
10. Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment
11. Amanda Jenssen - Happyland
12. Name The Pet - American Boys
13. Miss Li - Stupid Girl
14. Taio Cruz – No Other One
15. Lily Allen – Who’d Have Known
16. Will Young - Hopes and Fears
17. Agnes – I Need You Now
18. Guy Sebastian - Like It Like That
19. Donkeyboy - Sometimes
20. Ashley Tisdale - Crank It Up
21. Alcazar - From Brazil With Love
22. Dionne Bromfield – Mama Said
23. Little Boots - Earthquake
24. Rihanna – Russian Roulette
25. Shontelle - Licky
26. Ellie Goulding - Under the Sheets
27. MPHO - See Me Now
28. Tiësto ft. CC Sheffield - Escape Me
29. Jessica Mauboy - Up/Down
30. Sivert Høyem - Moon Landing
Saturday, 31 October 2009
It's happening in front of me
I was hesitant to write about this here as I didn't want to bring attention to the fact that the Alphabeat album has leaked, but I'm just too annoyed about the whole situation to keep quiet about it. Alphabeat have moved onto a new label, one that even has the same name as their biggest hit, and I thought things would run smoothly from here. They came back with a brilliant single, and the fact that the change in sound probably wasn't the best move in terms of retaining fans of the first album, made me all the more confident that this label were in full support of the band. So why have they just allowed thousands of Alphabeat's UK fans to download the album for free?
Since the album has already been released in Denmark, it can't be argued that it's not ready. I understand that the label must have seen The Spell's slightly underwhelming chart performance and decided to release another single before the album, but whoever made this decision was obviously living in the 90s. Did they really think the fans wouldn't find out that the album was out already in Denmark? The music industry MUST recognise that as soon as an album is released in one territory, it will be uploaded online and will be available to anyone interested within days of release. This means that they have to release the album simultaneously in all territories where it is expected to sell well, or they will lose thousands of pounds worth of revenue, and the chance of Alphabeat being able to release another album in any country except for Denmark becomes less and less likely.
Instead, The Spell album won't be out until next year, a date so far off that you can't blame even the biggest fans for being impatient. I haven't downloaded it myself, but I'm hoping I'll be able to get a physical copy of the Danish album soon. It's depressing that people who are barely interested in Alphabeat are getting to hear my most anticipated album of the year before I am, but I don't want my first experience of that album to be thanks to some crappy blog that barely even bothers to write one sentence about the band when they deprive them of their very well deserved royalties.
It may well have been the case, if The Spell had not been such a hit in Denmark, that a second single release before the album release would have increased the number sold in the first week. But who cares about first week sales or album chart positions? It's not like the new album has much to live up to. I'm not sure if their debut ever even bothered the top 10. However, it sold well as time went on and eventually went gold. If the new album had been released this week, it could well have done the same, with positive reviews building its reputation among pop fans with each single that came out. Instead, it will probably slump into the lower end of the top 40, selling only to those fans who either have immense patience or don't realise it's been available for free online for months already.
I think Alphabeat are an amazing pop band, one of the best in the world, so I'm not being unkind to have low expectations of their album's success. I'm just being realistic - when the first single release only goes in at no.20, you don't want to risk losing any album sales, but by moving back the album release date they will be losing a huge number of them. One site I saw had taken down the link to download the album after noticing that 2,500 people had downloaded it. A wake up call for that blogger perhaps, as to how much damage they were actually doing, especially in the case of less famous bands like Alphabeat.
It's not just the band that lose out, but the label themselves, who will probably end up earning less money from Alphabeat than they've spent on them, and the UK fans, who may be unable to buy the third Alphabeat album from a shop at all, let alone at the same time as the Danish fans. I have confidence that Alphabeat will continue as a band for many years to come, because they are so full of great ideas, have the perfect pop attitude, and have a very strong fanbase, but a second album can really decide the future for a band. I'm afraid to say that this mishap may well mean that The Spell is the last Alphabeat single we hear on Radio 1 or see on T4. The charts are going to be very dull without them.
Since the album has already been released in Denmark, it can't be argued that it's not ready. I understand that the label must have seen The Spell's slightly underwhelming chart performance and decided to release another single before the album, but whoever made this decision was obviously living in the 90s. Did they really think the fans wouldn't find out that the album was out already in Denmark? The music industry MUST recognise that as soon as an album is released in one territory, it will be uploaded online and will be available to anyone interested within days of release. This means that they have to release the album simultaneously in all territories where it is expected to sell well, or they will lose thousands of pounds worth of revenue, and the chance of Alphabeat being able to release another album in any country except for Denmark becomes less and less likely.
Instead, The Spell album won't be out until next year, a date so far off that you can't blame even the biggest fans for being impatient. I haven't downloaded it myself, but I'm hoping I'll be able to get a physical copy of the Danish album soon. It's depressing that people who are barely interested in Alphabeat are getting to hear my most anticipated album of the year before I am, but I don't want my first experience of that album to be thanks to some crappy blog that barely even bothers to write one sentence about the band when they deprive them of their very well deserved royalties.
It may well have been the case, if The Spell had not been such a hit in Denmark, that a second single release before the album release would have increased the number sold in the first week. But who cares about first week sales or album chart positions? It's not like the new album has much to live up to. I'm not sure if their debut ever even bothered the top 10. However, it sold well as time went on and eventually went gold. If the new album had been released this week, it could well have done the same, with positive reviews building its reputation among pop fans with each single that came out. Instead, it will probably slump into the lower end of the top 40, selling only to those fans who either have immense patience or don't realise it's been available for free online for months already.
I think Alphabeat are an amazing pop band, one of the best in the world, so I'm not being unkind to have low expectations of their album's success. I'm just being realistic - when the first single release only goes in at no.20, you don't want to risk losing any album sales, but by moving back the album release date they will be losing a huge number of them. One site I saw had taken down the link to download the album after noticing that 2,500 people had downloaded it. A wake up call for that blogger perhaps, as to how much damage they were actually doing, especially in the case of less famous bands like Alphabeat.
It's not just the band that lose out, but the label themselves, who will probably end up earning less money from Alphabeat than they've spent on them, and the UK fans, who may be unable to buy the third Alphabeat album from a shop at all, let alone at the same time as the Danish fans. I have confidence that Alphabeat will continue as a band for many years to come, because they are so full of great ideas, have the perfect pop attitude, and have a very strong fanbase, but a second album can really decide the future for a band. I'm afraid to say that this mishap may well mean that The Spell is the last Alphabeat single we hear on Radio 1 or see on T4. The charts are going to be very dull without them.
Friday, 30 October 2009
I need to be entertained
I like Adam Lambert as a person and think he's very talented, but the style of music he sang on American Idol wasn't really to my taste. Therefore, I was excited to hear he had ditched the rock star ambitions to work with such greats as Dr Luke, Max Martin and RedOne on his debut album. The first single, For Your Entertainment, had its radio premiere today, and I've listened to it several times now.
My first impression was that, despite an extremely catchy chorus, it sounded a bit cheap, and not half as fresh and exciting as a Dr Luke song should be. It actually sounds quite 2003 - it could easily have been a Phixx single or a track from Adam Bell's solo album. Rachel Stevens could have sung it, or it could have been a Darren Hayes song. Fans of Pop!ular will certainly like For Your Entertainment.
Adam does sound like Darren at times on this song, as well as JC Chasez, but I don't get the feeling he has the songwriting talent or the distinct pop ideology that those two have, which made Spin, The Tension and the Spark, and Schizophrenic so special. From a personal perspective, I love the early '00s electro-cheese sound and am happy to hear it getting a revival. However, it shows a lot about the difference between the British and American music scenes that to the average American this is likely to seem quite new and different, while for us it's a reminder of music that wasn't even cool at the time, let alone now.
On the other hand, I'd like to take it as a sign that they're starting to catch up, not just with pop music but with its biggest adult fanbase, the gay community, as well. US radio stations are letting their guard down and letting go of the notion that what they call dance music (anything danceable, it seems - so that's Rihanna as much as Cascada) goes hand in hand with 'sexual deviance' and drug usage. Rock music and now R&B music have gradually let in influences from 'dance music', with the latter even calling upon what I call dance music, making David Guetta as influential in America as he is in Europe!
With Adam's ascent to superstardom, the changes in American music are brought together with the political changes the country is undergoing, and his popularity is hugely important regardless of how outdated the single may sound to me. I hope he becomes every bit as famous as his fans want him to be, and that every homophobe finds For Your Entertainment stuck in their head all day long for the rest of the year!
My first impression was that, despite an extremely catchy chorus, it sounded a bit cheap, and not half as fresh and exciting as a Dr Luke song should be. It actually sounds quite 2003 - it could easily have been a Phixx single or a track from Adam Bell's solo album. Rachel Stevens could have sung it, or it could have been a Darren Hayes song. Fans of Pop!ular will certainly like For Your Entertainment.
Adam does sound like Darren at times on this song, as well as JC Chasez, but I don't get the feeling he has the songwriting talent or the distinct pop ideology that those two have, which made Spin, The Tension and the Spark, and Schizophrenic so special. From a personal perspective, I love the early '00s electro-cheese sound and am happy to hear it getting a revival. However, it shows a lot about the difference between the British and American music scenes that to the average American this is likely to seem quite new and different, while for us it's a reminder of music that wasn't even cool at the time, let alone now.
On the other hand, I'd like to take it as a sign that they're starting to catch up, not just with pop music but with its biggest adult fanbase, the gay community, as well. US radio stations are letting their guard down and letting go of the notion that what they call dance music (anything danceable, it seems - so that's Rihanna as much as Cascada) goes hand in hand with 'sexual deviance' and drug usage. Rock music and now R&B music have gradually let in influences from 'dance music', with the latter even calling upon what I call dance music, making David Guetta as influential in America as he is in Europe!
With Adam's ascent to superstardom, the changes in American music are brought together with the political changes the country is undergoing, and his popularity is hugely important regardless of how outdated the single may sound to me. I hope he becomes every bit as famous as his fans want him to be, and that every homophobe finds For Your Entertainment stuck in their head all day long for the rest of the year!
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Bumper Album Review Post
Kate Earl - Kate Earl
There are plenty of female artists channeling Feist and Regina Spektor these days, but Kate Earl is approximately 10 million times better than all of the others. Unlike her competitors, she has not just a handful of good songs but a whole album of amazing ones, and a truly lovely voice as well. If there's any American artist I can see taking over the world in 2010, it's Kate Earl. Her music is very radio-friendly but it's also extremely poptastic and quite moving too. It's impossible to choose a favourite as the album is so consistent, but I recommend checking out the clips on her MySpace as a great taster. Then buy this album!
Alexandra Burke - Overcome
When Alexandra won X Factor I was really excited - her performances of songs like Toxic on the show suggested that her eventual album would be far more fun than previous winners', and thanks to Leona's recent success, Alex had the opportunity to work with some amazing producers. The RedOne tracks on Overcome are indeed some of its highlights, but they're far from Red's best. It is a good album, but spoiled a little by inconsistency. The Ne-Yo duet is terrible and should certainly not be the second track, but songs like Dumb and Broken Heels are pure pop brilliance. The album is very 'now' but that may well be its failing, as it ends up lacking personality and I find myself wondering how long Alex's career will last.
The Saturdays - Wordshaker
Of course the Saturdays album has been around for a while now, but I have to mention how much I'm enjoying it. I listened to Chasing Lights once and found it completely pointless, with the exception of the two poptastic singles Up and If This Is Love, but Wordshaker is a huge improvement. My favourites include the Ace of Base-esque 2am, super-catchy Lose Control and next single, Ego. I'd still prefer a new Girls Aloud album, as nothing beats the Xenomania sound, but I'm pleased to see Ina Wroldsen and Quiz & Larossi returning to provide us with even better songs than the hits they gave us on Chasing Lights.
There are plenty of female artists channeling Feist and Regina Spektor these days, but Kate Earl is approximately 10 million times better than all of the others. Unlike her competitors, she has not just a handful of good songs but a whole album of amazing ones, and a truly lovely voice as well. If there's any American artist I can see taking over the world in 2010, it's Kate Earl. Her music is very radio-friendly but it's also extremely poptastic and quite moving too. It's impossible to choose a favourite as the album is so consistent, but I recommend checking out the clips on her MySpace as a great taster. Then buy this album!
Alexandra Burke - Overcome
When Alexandra won X Factor I was really excited - her performances of songs like Toxic on the show suggested that her eventual album would be far more fun than previous winners', and thanks to Leona's recent success, Alex had the opportunity to work with some amazing producers. The RedOne tracks on Overcome are indeed some of its highlights, but they're far from Red's best. It is a good album, but spoiled a little by inconsistency. The Ne-Yo duet is terrible and should certainly not be the second track, but songs like Dumb and Broken Heels are pure pop brilliance. The album is very 'now' but that may well be its failing, as it ends up lacking personality and I find myself wondering how long Alex's career will last.
The Saturdays - Wordshaker
Of course the Saturdays album has been around for a while now, but I have to mention how much I'm enjoying it. I listened to Chasing Lights once and found it completely pointless, with the exception of the two poptastic singles Up and If This Is Love, but Wordshaker is a huge improvement. My favourites include the Ace of Base-esque 2am, super-catchy Lose Control and next single, Ego. I'd still prefer a new Girls Aloud album, as nothing beats the Xenomania sound, but I'm pleased to see Ina Wroldsen and Quiz & Larossi returning to provide us with even better songs than the hits they gave us on Chasing Lights.
Monday, 26 October 2009
Question Time with Ke$ha
I'm turning into quite the celebrity hanger-on - it's one popstar interview after another around here at the moment! The latest to be subjected to my questioning is Ke$ha, an up-and-coming American singer whose career I've been excitedly following for about a year now. I loved her songs Boots and Boys and Backstabber, but only now are we getting to know what Ke$ha's all about. Her new single Tik Tok is already in the iTunes top 10 in America and I'm sure it'll soon be doing just as well in the UK. She's over here to tour with Calvin Harris and promote the single, so I caught up with her to find out more...
We know you've worked with pop geniuses like Dr Luke and Max Martin on your new album. Are there any other exciting collaborations you can tell us about?
I collaborated with Pitbull recently, and I worked with Nicky Avalon. I'm touring with him in the States. I also duetted with Taio Cruz on a song called Dirty Picture, and on my album I've worked with the keyboard player from Scritti Politti and Greg Kurstin, who's done some stuff with Lily Allen. I wrote some songs with my mom as well. Pretty much everyone I've worked with has been exciting!
Is your mum a singer too?
She used to be, now she's an amazing songwriter! She helped me figure it out.
Will the earlier songs like Boots and Boys and Backstabber also appear on the album?
I think so! I definitely think they'll stay on the record. Those are my babies!
There are lots of feisty female popstars in the charts at the moment, so who do you see as your biggest competition or your biggest inspiration?
I don't really think of it as competition, but it's amazing that there are others strong females doing fun music, it doesn't have to be cookie cutter, bland, vanilla pop anymore. I'm excited to be in the same genre of music as those others. I listen to older music and a lot of country music, so I'm not up on what's the hottest of the hot in the pop world.
Is your family much like the one featured in your video?
No, it was just for fun. My family's totally crazy! Just as free-spirited as I am, and just as eccentric, and rambunctious and hilarious. They're a lot of fun!
When you were trying to break into the music business, did you ever consider auditioning for a talent show like American Idol?
No, cos I write a lot of my own music. That's all about voice and looks and I feel like I bring different things to the table than just that. I really wanted to be able to represent my own writing and my own personal style.
Have you been to London before? What do you think of the UK so far?
I love it over here! I would definitely consider having my own place here. You guys have so much cooler shit than we do in the States!
Are there any British singers or bands you like to listen to at the moment?
Yeah! All the music here is brilliant. I just went to the Q Awards, and I met Robert Plant, who is one of my idols. Amy Winehouse was there too. As for British bands, I love Kasabian. You guys definitely know what's up, way more than Los Angeles!
And finally, I'm coming down to your showcase tomorrow night, so I wondered what we can expect? How do you plan to make sure everyone there remembers you?
I have two words for you: glitter canon! All I want people to remember when they think of me is glitter.
We know you've worked with pop geniuses like Dr Luke and Max Martin on your new album. Are there any other exciting collaborations you can tell us about?
I collaborated with Pitbull recently, and I worked with Nicky Avalon. I'm touring with him in the States. I also duetted with Taio Cruz on a song called Dirty Picture, and on my album I've worked with the keyboard player from Scritti Politti and Greg Kurstin, who's done some stuff with Lily Allen. I wrote some songs with my mom as well. Pretty much everyone I've worked with has been exciting!
Is your mum a singer too?
She used to be, now she's an amazing songwriter! She helped me figure it out.
Will the earlier songs like Boots and Boys and Backstabber also appear on the album?
I think so! I definitely think they'll stay on the record. Those are my babies!
There are lots of feisty female popstars in the charts at the moment, so who do you see as your biggest competition or your biggest inspiration?
I don't really think of it as competition, but it's amazing that there are others strong females doing fun music, it doesn't have to be cookie cutter, bland, vanilla pop anymore. I'm excited to be in the same genre of music as those others. I listen to older music and a lot of country music, so I'm not up on what's the hottest of the hot in the pop world.
Is your family much like the one featured in your video?
No, it was just for fun. My family's totally crazy! Just as free-spirited as I am, and just as eccentric, and rambunctious and hilarious. They're a lot of fun!
When you were trying to break into the music business, did you ever consider auditioning for a talent show like American Idol?
No, cos I write a lot of my own music. That's all about voice and looks and I feel like I bring different things to the table than just that. I really wanted to be able to represent my own writing and my own personal style.
Have you been to London before? What do you think of the UK so far?
I love it over here! I would definitely consider having my own place here. You guys have so much cooler shit than we do in the States!
Are there any British singers or bands you like to listen to at the moment?
Yeah! All the music here is brilliant. I just went to the Q Awards, and I met Robert Plant, who is one of my idols. Amy Winehouse was there too. As for British bands, I love Kasabian. You guys definitely know what's up, way more than Los Angeles!
And finally, I'm coming down to your showcase tomorrow night, so I wondered what we can expect? How do you plan to make sure everyone there remembers you?
I have two words for you: glitter canon! All I want people to remember when they think of me is glitter.
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