Ellie Goulding Album Release Date & Artwork

Ellie has today confirmed that her long awaiting second album, Halcyon, will be released in the UK on October 7th. She has reportedly been working with Swedish House Mafia among others and I am super excited to hear this.
Her debut Lights is one of my all time favourite albums and still gets played to death now.
And here's the artwork...

New Mariah Carey Single News

MiMi has released details of her new single via Twitter. She wrote 'I can finally announce that my single will be out in early August, it's called Triumphant'.
She went on to explain that she wrote the song when she was going through a bad time and encourages people to 'listen to the lyrics'.
This is the first new music from Mariah since the release of Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, I'm hoping this will be a little better as that album was nothing but a disappointment.

Mariah is also in talks to be a judge on American Idol but with rumours of payment being around ten million dollars people are unsure if they can even afford her!

This Weeks News In Bits

Here's this weeks news in a nice quick bite sized chunk...

P!nk has revealed a song featuring Lily Allen will feature on her new album, the Truth About Love.  She has also stated that the album contains NO dance music as she refuses to bow to the current trend.  Good on her I say, it's that attitude thats kept her at the top of her game for twelve years.

Conor Maynard is 'not the British Justin Bieber' he has said.  No, he's just a chav that fell lucky and who's twice as annoying as the Bieb.

Cheryl Cole will release new single Under The Sun on September 10th.

Ke$ha has stated that her new album uses less auto tune and will have a rockier, hippy edge, whatever the hell that means.

Marilyn Manson doesn't like Lady GaGa's music.  I'm sure she's beside herself at the news!

Madonna is expected to gross around $450 million dollars from the MDNA tour by the time it ends later this year.  With those ticket prices it's hardly a suprise though is it.

Ellie Goulding has finally broken the top ten of the US Top 100 singles chart with her single Lights.  The song jumps from number 12 to number six this week after 49,000 people with exceptional taste downloaded it.  Well done Ellie!

Jo Jo has said that 50 Shades Of Grey has influenced the songs on her new album and she described the books as 'freaky shit'.  Sounds like a 'has been' trying to jump on an already full bandwagon to me!

Leona Lewis has been working with Adeles producer Fraser T Smith and she wants the album to be a masterpiece and worldwide smash.  The album has already been put back twice, it was originally slated for a March 2011 release but will now be released this October.

Ronan Keating is releasing a new album.  Fuck me, really?  Do we need this?  It's not even nearly mothers day!

The Original Sugababes First Promotional Shots

It's been on the cards for a while but at last the original Sugababe line up have released promotional shots ahead of their long awaited comeback... Known as MKS the group have hinted that new music will be released very soon. They have also been working with the likes of Emeli Sande on their new album, this is definitely going to be one to watch!

The Rise, And Rise Of Paloma Faith

Paloma Faith Blomfield was born in 1985 to a Spanish father and English mother who separated when Paloma was just two years old.  She was raised by her mother in Hackney, East London, who encouraged Paloma to perform from an early age.  As well as singing she has also done some acting appearing in films St Trinians and the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnarsus.  

I fell in love with Paloma Faith in 2009 when I first heard her debut album, Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful, a record that barely made a dent in the charts when it was first released.  I did a lot of banging on about this woman and several of my friends purchased the album and were mesmerized by this lady's brilliance.  
Despite this it seemed like nothing she was doing at the time was working, several single releases still saw only modest sales of the album and I remember reading an interview that she did with music website Pop Justice where she said she felt she would soon be dropped by her record label due to poor sales, a claim Sony records refuted.
But she persevered.  She toured extensively around the UK, made appearances on any Radio and TV show that would have her and slowly but surely momentum grew and sales shot up.  The album eventually went platinum, over a year after it's original release with sales of over 500,000 copies in the UK, proof that hard work really does pay off. 

On February 29th this year Paloma revealed her second album would be called Fall To Grace and she has enlisted producers Nellee Hooper, (Madonna) and Jake Gosling.  The success was much more rapid, partly due the fan base she had garnered but also due to the success of the fantastic single Picking Up The Pieces which debuted at number seven in May, and is still hanging around the top twenty now almost eight weeks later.  The album shot to number two in the UK Album Chart and received excellent reviews from fans and critics alike and selling 83,000 copies (so far) in the UK alone.

Her live performances have also been well received as she mixes her stunning vocal ability with a show full of elegance and grace that has captivated audiences and made her one of the must see live performers of the last few years.  She will embark on a full UK tour early 2013 which I will be lucky enough to see.

For me Paloma is one the most exciting female artists around at the moment, her voice is instantly distinctive and her songs are full of beautiful, well written and well crafted songs, many of which, like New York, Picking Up The Pieces and Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful will be hailed as classics in years to come.  I'm incredibly proud of what Paloma has managed to achieve, she fully deserves it and I'm happy I was there to witness this brilliant artists rise from the very beginning.  




Catch Paloma Faith at a concert venue near you in early 2013!

Scissor Sisters Baby Come Home Single Release

The Scissor Sisters release their third single Baby Come Home this coming Sunday which is from their latest album Magic Hour.  Although not as good as their older stuff it's certainly the best of a bad bunch when it comes to this new collection.


I'm not sure what's happened to the Sisters lately, I remember when I first heard Tits On The Radio some nine years ago, it was on a free sampler I got with one of the music magazines.  It was fresh, funky and funny and the debut album didn't disappoint.  It's been a steady decline in quality since.  The second album Ta Dah was good in parts, then we had Night Work which had some highlights but nothing amazing, and now Magic Hour.  It is possibly one of the worst albums I have ever had to listen to with hardly any redeeming features.  It's a shame really because they really are an amazing band, and fantastic live but this just smells of a band burnt out.


Here's the video:

Elton John V's Pnau Album Review

Good Morning To The Night                                      

****

Mercury Records

Available now

   

Pnau (pronounced Pah-Now) are an Australian dance duo who originated in Sydney.  Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes have had massive success in Australia both as Pnau and side project Empire Of The Sun but it's their work with Elton John that is getting them heard over here in the UK.

'Good Morning To The Night' sees the due take Elton John's back catalogue (from mainly the 1970's) and completely flip the songs taking a word from one, a line from another and mixed over an electronic beat to create a completely new bang up to date tune.  
This is something I don't think has been done before, especially to this degree, as most songs include between three and six different songs.  


The lead single, Say Good Morning To The Night would sit happily in an Ibiza play list with it's sexy house beat and whispered vocals.  It contains excerpts from 8 different Elton tracks including Tonight, Funeral For A Friend and Goodbye Yellow Brick road to create a single song that sounds fresh and current.  
New single Sad borrows heavily from Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word and is, again, a fantastic synth led creation that has a jaunty seventies feel to it.  
Black Icy Stare is another highlight and sounds like something the Scissor Sisters really should be making, listening to the chorus you can really see where Jake got his inspiration for their early work.
Phoenix is probably the album highlight for me as it is simply beautiful and even though it includes 9 original songs this doesn't make it heavy or bogged down, and it moves along at such a pace it's all over before you know it.   


This whole project could have been a disaster had the duo not had the vision they have, instead of making an album that is weighed down by over production or being sample heavy, it remains relatively simple in it's execution and delivery.
The only song I dislike is Telegraph To The Afterlife, it's maudlin and quite depressing but I guess offers some respite to the dance fuelled other tracks.


At only eight songs it's a relatively short album, but this is all they needed, any more could well have been overkill.


Any fan of Elton's will love this, as will anyone who enjoys good music, all in all a great album, and the duo deserve a great deal of recognition for what they have achieved here.

Good Morning To The Night;

Sad;

Nelly Furtado New Video

Nelly yesterday posted her new video for Spirit Indestructible on line.  This is the second single to be lifted from her fifth album of the same name, which has a UK release date of September 17th. 

I wasn't much of a fan of first single Big Hoops, but this is much better, it has a nice electronic feel to it inkeeping with her new style, her voive sounds good if not perhaps whiney at times but all in all this is a good return to form for Miss Furtado.

Is It All Over For Madonna?

I have been a massive fan of Madonna's since I was a child and to me she will always remain the Queen of Pop.  She is arguably the greatest living icon we have and no one can ever take away the enormous success she has achieved through the course of her career, selling 300 millions records and being awarded the biggest selling female artist of all time is something her contemporaries can only dream about.  
But has she come to end to her career?

The success of her latest album MDNA has been limited, I for one think it to be her worst album in years, if not ever, and the current promotional tour has left many feeling unenthused and upset.
I refused to attend the MDNA tour, one because I hate the album and two because of the tickets costs.  I'm not sure what planet she is on thinking people should have to pay hundreds of pounds to watch her lip sink for less than two hours but she must be a little deluded if not self obsessed.  The tour itelf has been critised for not containing enough of her back catalogue, but Madonna has always aimed to please herself over anyone else.

What frustrates me the most with Madonna is she is no longer a trend setter, she is now following others and trying a little too hard to be down with the kids.
When I first listened to MDNA with it's childish and pointless lyrics I couldn't help but go back and listen to her earlier offerings and wonder where it all went wrong.  Listening to the likes of Rain, You'll See, Open Your Heart, Like A Prayer, Live to Tell, Frozen and Hung Up fills me with joy.  This is Madonna at her best, slick production, edgy video's, beautiful and well crafted songs that will stand the test of time.  People still say the albums True Blue, Ray Of Light, Confessions On A Dancefloor and Like A Prayer are pop masterpieces, I can't see people saying that about MDNA or it's predecessor Hard Candy in 20, 10 or even 5 years time.  Many would argue that these albums are only so good due to the production team involved, and that her close personal friendships with people in the music business are what's kept her affloat for the best part of 30 years, and this is possibly true but it's also fair to say that Madonna picked these producers and chose to associate with these people which for me simply highlights her artistic prowess. 

Now of course, Madonna has had blips in the past.  Erotica and Bedtime Stories were panned and commercial flops when they were released so maybe she can bounce back with something life changing again in the future, because after all the SEX fiasco she released Ray Of Light, one of the best albums of the nineties which contained Frozen, one of her greatest ever singles.
She was also criticised when she released American Life, and selling just four million copies worldwide, it's the lowest selling album of her career but she followed that with the fantastic Confessions On A Dancefloor, which for me is one the most important and accomplished pop albums of all time.  
So it's fair to say that Madonna's success and reception has always been patchy, but even in the past, when it hasn't quite worked at least she was doing what she wanted, pushing the boundaries and delivering something new and exciting, now it just looks like she is trying too hard, as if she is scared of the likes of Britney, GaGa, RiRi and Minaj.  But she needn't be, she is the Queen of Pop and she always will be.  She has a legacy that will never be matched and a fan base that will never go away.  She broke down boundaries, reinvented popular music and influenced generations of female artists like P!nk, JLo, Britney, Christina, Kylie and the like who owe Madonna a great deal for forging a path that everyone else has followed.  
She is our greatest living pop star and she will always be a superstar of stratospheric proportions and who knows, if she can stop trying so hard maybe the next album will be another Confessions, Like A Prayer or Ray Of Light. 
Let's hope so.

Script Announce New Single Title

The Script have released the name of their new single. Hall Of Fame will be taken from their new album #3 in September...

New Up Coming Artist - Joe Hampton

The point of this blog is so I can introduce new talent to people that you may not hear about otherwise, and as such let us introduce Joe Hampton.


Joe is from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands and attends university in Chester.  Aside from studying History he's pretty good with a guitar as well.


I'm not going to bang on, I'll let his music do the talking;


Beauty Of The Sun

And there's more on his official MySpace page; 
www.myspace.com/joehamptonmusic


Joe is currently unsigned so if you like what you hear please share the video with your friends...

Cheryl Cole Autobiography News

Cheryl has sensationally announced that her upcoming autobiography, which I'm sure will be an absolute page turner, will not include anything about Ashley Cole.  So what exactly is she going to talk about?  
Being the least interesting part of Girls Aloud?
Ass kissing Simon Cowell?
Her lack of singing ability?
Racial abuse in club toilets?


What someone who is not even 30 years old is writing an autobiography is well beyond me but it will sell well, as will the three updates that will no doubt follow over the next few years... YAWN!

Paloma Faith Sings New Single Live

The power in this woman's voice is amazing, glad she is getting the recognition she deserves.

The XX New Single Video & Album News

English band have released a video on YouTube for new single Angels.  The song is the first to be released from their new album and will be released at midnight tonight on iTunes and Spotify.

On first listen it appears to be a fairly simple song with a basic arrangement but as usual it builds to something quite wonderful and the vocals are a beautiful as ever.

The new album 'Coexist' will be released on September 10th and is the follow up to the Mercury Prize winning album 'XX'.  The art work is above and track list is as follows;


1. Angels
2. Chained
3. Fiction
4. Try
5. Reunion
6. Sunset
7. Missing
8. Tides
9. Unfold
10. Swept Away
11. Our Song

                             

                                                                                             

Jennifer Lopez Montreal Set List

So Enrique and JLo started their joint tour last night in Montreal, Jennifer went up first covering an 80 minute set of her biggest hit before sitting in the audience to watch Enrique take his turn.

JLo comes to London this October as part of her 'Dance Again' world tour, I can't wait to see her perform this set list, with hopefully a few more numbers thrown in as she is going solo...

Get Right

Love Don't Cost A Thing

I'm Into You

Waiting For Tonight

I'm Real

All I Have

Ain't It Funny

Jenny From The Block

If You Had My Love (Acoustic)

Until It Beats No More

Hold It Don't Drop It

Video Interlude

Let's Get Loud

Papi

On The Floor

Encore;

Dance Again

Notable ommisions are; 
If You Had My Love
Play
Walking On Sunshine
Plus most of the JLove album 


I hope this gets rectified for the 'full' tour...

No Doubt Single Artwork

If you haven't already heard it No Doubts new single Settle Down is very good... It's no Hella Good but on its first listen it's up there with their finest releases... I'll post the link to the video later, for now here's the artwork...

P!nk Reveals New Album Artwork

Damn she looks hawt! Can't wait to hear this album...
We will keep you posted as news on this release develops!

This Weeks Chart News

Florence And The Machine have bagged themselves their first number one thanks to the nifty little remix by Calvin Harris.  Spectrum (Say My Name) has knocked Maroon 5 off the top spot down to number two.


Here's how the top ten pans out...








Top Ten Singles In The UK


1. Florence and the Machine      Spectrum (Say My Name)
2. Marron 5                             Payphone
3. Will.i.Am                            This Is Love
4. Chris Brown                         Don't Wake Me Up
5. Stooshe                              Black Heart
6. Flo Rida                              Whistle
7. Rudimental                          Feel The Love
8. Coldplay feat. Rihanna          Princess Of China
9. Katy Perry                           Wide Awake
10.Nicki Minaj                          Pound The Alarm


Top Ten Albums In The UK


1. Newton Faulkner                   Write It On Your Skin
2. Frank Ocean                         Channel Orange
3. Maroon 5                             Overexposed
4. Lianne La Havas                   Is Your Love Big Enough?
5. Chris Brown                         Fortune
6. Ed Sheeran                          +
7. Emeli Sande                         Our Version Of Events
8. Paul Simon                           Graceland
9. The View                              Cheeky For A Reason
10.Coldplay                              Mylo Xyloto 

New Artist Profile - Kyla La Grange

Kyla La Grange has been tipped for big things this year and when you listen to the singles it's easy to see why.  She has a Florence Welch vibe about her although the music is more rocky with an emphasis on guitars.  
Part Zimbabwean and part South Africa, La Grange was born in Watford, London and studied Philosophy at Cambridge University.  


She has released three singles so far ahead of her debut album which will be released on July 30th accompanied by a small UK tour in October.
I feel she will be massive this year, her distinct vocals set her apart from the rest of the crowd and she is able to sound forlorn and heartbroken without being compared to someone else who seems to have the market share on the subject.


Here are the video's for the singles;

Walk Through Walls

Been Better

Heavy Stone














And if that's wet your appetite here is the link to her website where you can pre order the album SIGNED by Kyla herself;


Pre Order Signed Album

Kylie - Timebomb Remix Package

K25 really is the gift that keeps on giving.  This week not only has my limited edition Timebomb CD arrived in the post but Kylie has released a set of remixes of the single on itunes as well. 
God bless the Princess of Pop!

First up is an extended version of the original single, just over a minute's worth of extra music make this great song even better and is a must listen for any fan.

The Peter Rauholfer remix is a little on the dull side but is still worthy of a listen.

The DADA remix is pure Hed Kandi Disco Heaven and will no doubt be played heavily up and down the country in a good many gay bars this summer, not to mention pride events, this really is a killer remix!

The Steve Redent mix is again very good and has a nice carnival feel to it.

The Style Of Eye remix is a little more electro with less of a vocal so may not appeal to some fans of Miss Minogue but it certainly gets your foot tapping.

The Italia3 Remix again has a more electro feel and is very European in it's execution.  A nice end to a great remix EP.

All in all it's fair to say there is something for everyone here, which I guess is the whole point.  I think Kylie has been a little shocked by the success of this single given it's lack of airplay, but I guess when a song is this good you can't keep it down and with a set of remixes this good it has legs to run well into early winter and beyond.

The News In Brief

So here'e the latest music news, in brief;

Cheryl Cole has reported that Kate Middleton is a big fan, so her taste in music is clearly as bad as her taste in men!

Rebecca Ferguson has apprently had a spat with her management  company after she claims they work her too hard.  She has since sacked them and tweeted 'see you in court'. 

Madonna has released the art work for the third single from dreadful album MDNA, but I don't care enough to even share it.  Let's hope she get's her form back soon.  Deluded old cow!

Florence and her well oiled machine look to be getting their first number one single this week with new track 'Say My Name', obviously helped by the Calvin Harris remix which is simply brilliant.

Harry Styles choked on a blueberry, just not for quite long enough.

Jennifer JLo Lopez has quit American Idol to concentrate on the things she does best, so here's hoping a new album is in the pipeline, let's face it she can't seriously mean acting?

Lily Allen has accepted flowers and an apology from the man who made a racist comment to her on Twitter.  I'm not her greatest fan but the way she was treated over this was disgusting, so he should have been reported as well, mindless gimp!

So thats the news in brief...

Artist Focus - Bright Light Bright Light

Bright Light Bright Light is the alter ego of Welsh folk singer Rod Thomas who's love of late 80's early 90's dance music led to him ditching the valleys for a home in London, and with that came a dramatic change in artistic direction.

His first single, Love Part II, was released back in September 2010 through Popjustice's own label, and although not a commercial success, it laid the foundations for what was to come. 
Here is the video if you haven't already had the pleasure.

A remix he did of Ellie Goulding's single Under The Sheets led to her asking him to join her on tour in the spring of 2010 and allowed a much wider audience access to this very talented man.
I was able to see Rod supporting Ellie in Birmingham, (he was selling his Tour EP at the venue and he was nice enough to sign it for me), and it was obvious he was truly at home on stage and doing what he loved.

It was another year until the second single 'Disco Moment' was released but from it's opening beat I absolutely fell in love with this record.  It tells the story of a couple who are in two different places in the relationship and as he sings
'In the past we had fun, but not now, you're serious and I'm serious, that if we don't find our way back to how things were, we're done' you know he truly means it and sings it from the heart. 
The songs pivotal moment though comes almost at the end of the track when he says 'so you'll have your disco moment alone, I'll stand at the side of the room.  You're dressed in light, I'm just a shadow that's flickering', this gets me every time, we have all had a disco moment, when we are so lost in the music that nothing else matters, but we have all been the person that's 'just a shadow' as well feeling left out and like a spare part. 
Anyway, you get the picture, I adore this tune.

But don't just take my word for it!

The third single was the uber cool 'Waiting For A Feeling' that I feel deserved to be number one, but what do I know, I don't work for Radio One and clearly only they know anything about music (my sarcasm knows no bounds).  Anyone who loved 90's dance music from the likes of JX (Son Of A Gun, Closer To You), The Real McCoy (Another Night, Runaway) and Corona (Baby Baby, Rhythm Of The Night, Try Me Out) will love this track.  The 90's dance beat is there but with a modern twist (the 12" version had me crying with excitement the first time I heard it) and with much more profound lyrics.
Here is the video if you haven't heard it before (shame on you);

Eventually, after A LOT of waiting, the album 'Make Me Believe In Hope' was released in June this year.  Called 'a songwriter of extraordinary dexterity' by Sunday Times Culture, 'One of the strongest debuts of 2012' by Idolator and given four stars out of five by the mighty Q magazine this album certainly did not disappoint. The opener, 'Immature' is infectious and will stay in your head for many hours after the CD stops spinning, Cry At Films, although on his Tour EP is given a fresh new feel with vocals by Scissor Sisters own Del Marquis. 
The track Feel It really could have dropped from the 90's with its dirty beat and the female vocal gives it a old skool house feel that again stays with you long after the track has ended.  Moves is a beautiful piece of pop music but maybe the albums highlight, for me anyway, is the fantastic How To Make A Heart.  This is pure heartbreak fuelled dance music, with emotive and beautiful lyrics I almost cried the first time I heard him sing the lyrics,
'There's one more broken heart in the world, but nobody wants to hear about it.  There's one more person standing in the room left crying'. 
Here it is, just for you... 

What I loved about this album was the campaign that accompanied it and the effort that Rod himself put into it's release; Vinyl hand posted, signed albums, limited edition orange cassettes (a true holler back to the 90's), bundles, T Shirts, bonus discs... the man never stopped.  For me that's whats missing in pop music these days, artists hardly make an effort, they rely on clever marketing or a sex scandal to get a number one, but artists like Rod and the wonderful Darren Hayes who works equally hard, reaffirm my faith in music.

Words cannot describe how good this album is, you have to buy it to appreciate and believe it. This is an album, that may not sell millions, will stand in my music collection of the most amazing and important debut releases ever.

If this has encouraged just one person to invest in this incredible and talented artist then my work here is complete!

Here are some links;

Official Website


Facebook

Aiden Grimshaw Album Artwork

As I said a few days ago, Aiden Grimshaw, X Factor runner-up, is set to release his debut album Misty Eye on August 20th and today he released the art work on his Facebook page.  I think it's pretty nice, I like artists that put some effort into their album artwork, much is lost in the digital age but artists such as Aiden and the likes of Darren Hayes really put a lot of work into how their work is presented. This alone sets Aiden apart from the many other talent show rejects, and I suspect this will be a bigger hit than that years winner Matt Cardle managed with his uber dull debut album Letters.

This will look beautiful as a 12" Vinyl LP... Let's hope there is one!

Killers New Single VIDEO

The Killers have stated that their fourth studio album, Battle Born will be released on September 17th, preceded by single Runaways which received it's first worldwide plays this week, and I have to say it's a glorious return to form.  Brandon's vocals are flawless as usual and it's a real American rock song, this is the Killers we all love, more Sam's Town then Day & Age.
The Killers are performing at a number of festivals this year, and then hopefully a world tour next year?


Here is the new single in all it's glory!

No Doubt Album Release News

It's been a long 12 years since American rock band No Doubt released a new album.  They all went off to find themselves, get married, have babies.  When news of a reunion emerged last year I was very excited, as much as I enjoyed Gwen's solo career I prefer her as part of this band.


They release their long awaited new single Settle Down this coming Monday, the same day the video will premier.  The band have been recording mini documentaries over the last few months and posting them to YouTube and the latest shows the making of the video.  They explain that it features them all driving from the corners of the globe to reform for a gig which I feel is quite fitting given the differing paths they have decided to take over the last decade.  They also confirm that the Jamaican dance hall influence is still there that added flavor to their last album Rock Steady in 2001, I'm hoping there is some progression here though and they are not just retreading old ground.


The new album is called Push And Shove and will be released, I assume worldwide, on September 26th.  Until then here's the latest webisode and another YouTube video that features a 2 minute snippet of the new single.

Pitbull Announces New Single With SHAKIRA

Pitbull Has announced a new single to be released on August 26th... And as it's the first release from Shakira in a long time I was pretty excited to hear it...
The song itself is not too bad, Shakira's vocals are sublime as usual but Pitbull's rap is still as tedious as ever.
I can't actually stand much of what Pitbull does, he throws a new album out every five minutes which for me waters down any artistic brilliance he may ever have had. Saying that when he gets it right he really does get it right, Give It Me is a good example of that as does his work with JLo!
Time will tell whether this new song can live up to the hype that is sure to surround it, it's not a bad song it's just not brilliant!
You can watch the lyric video by searching on YouTube!

Aiden Grimshaw - Curtain Call Video

Aiden Grimshaw posted the video to new single Curtain Call this morning to his Facebook page.  After how much I loved Is This Love I was worried this wouldn't match up but it does.  
His beautiful and understated voice sores over the simple, yet brilliant melody and then the chorus kicks in, who that woman is I do not know but she is fantastic and really adds to this haunting slice of electopop.  


The single is out August 12th ahead of debut album Misty Eye on the 20th.  You can pre order the album from play.com for £8 and it's signed by the man himself.  


Aiden really is looking likely to be the most exciting pop star to release music this year...

New Mika Music

It's been three years since the release of his second album , 'The Boy Who Knew Too Much, which was no where near as good as his rip roaring debut from a few years previous.  But it sounds like he is back on track now... he posted a clip of new song Lola to his SoundCloud page and comments that 
"The idea of that groove is simply because it sounded like Fleetwood Mac with a little bit of 'Billie Jean' in there."
His new album will drop on September 16th preceded by the single Celebrate which features Pharrell Williams (not sure how I feel about that but we will see).


Listen to Lola here; Lola

Florence & The Machine - Spectrum Video

Florence and her machine have a new video out for the wonderful Spectrum (Say My Name).  I'm not a massive fan of Flo generally but I am loving this, it's already riding high on the iTunes chart, go get it now! 

The Calvin Harris remix is doubly nice!

Paloma Faith - Thirty Minute Love Affair Video

Here is the fantastic new video from Paloma Faith.  Thirty Minute Love affair is the second single to be taken from her fantastic second album Fall From Grace.  As much as I love this track it's far from the best on the album which is definitely worth a listen if you haven't already got it!

New Ellie Goulding Music - Free DOWNLOAD

AT LAST... Ellie has released a new tune, I imagine to start the hype about her new album reportedly due to drop sometime at the end of this year.  I love Ellie Goulding, her debut Lights is still one of my favorite albums of all time and still regularly gets a bashing on my CD player.  

This is actually a cover of a little know song by Active Child which was released states side last year and went unnoticed... Ellie has smacked her stamp on it and added a bit of Tinie into the mix.

Roll on album number two, she has reportedly worked with Calvin Harris so I'm expecting big things from this release!

Sound Cloud; Ellie Goulding - Hanging On

Free download (just put 0 in the box); http://smarturl.it/EllieHangingOn

Maroon 5: Overexposed - Album Review

Maroon 5 - Overexposed          *****

Back in 2002 Maroon 5 bursed onto the music scene with the high acclaimed and much loved album 'Songs About Jane'.  Having shifted in excess of 8 million copies it's easy to see why some people can't just get over this album and move on, as Maroon 5 have managed to do.  Hard core fans didn't have much to say about the amazing follow up 'It Won't Be Soon Before Long' or the third album 'Hands All Over' and now they are clearly going down a mainstream pop route the claws are out.


So is Overexposed as good as their previous work?






Yes, in my opinion, and maybe even better.  When I first heard Moves Like Jagger I knew the band were onto something good and I hoped the new album would capitalise on that new sound, and it does.  Tracks like Lucky Strike and Love Someone really are incredibly bubblegum pop records, as are Fortune Teller and Tickets BUT they still have the old Maroon 5 twist on them, the sexy bass is still evident and Adam's distinct voice set them apart from anything else in the charts at the moments.  
There are still classic Maroon 5 moments though for the die hards such as opener and current single, One More Night, Beautiful Goodbye and the very funky Lady Killer.  
For me though the albums crowning glory comes almost at the end of the LP, Doin' Dirt is an all out floor filler, it has a Moves Like Jagger-esque beat to it and a riff to die for, this really is what music was made to sound like.


All in all this is Maroon 5's best all round album, the production is slick, the song writing is beautiful and sarcastic as ever and Adam's voice is simply beautiful.  Ignore the moaners saying the are too 'poppy', too 'mainstream' just buy this and enjoy it for what it is... a bloody good album!

Maroon 5 - Doin' Dirt

    

This Weeks Important Video's

A Collection Of Our Favorite Video's At The Moment


First up we have the summery new tune from my favorite dance floor diva Bonnie Bailey.  Not only a good friend but also a talented singer and writer, this deserves to be MASSIVE this summer...

Find out more on Bonnie's Facebook page; http://www.facebook.com/officialbonniebailey

Next we have a sparkly little video from Rod Thomas AKA Bright Light Bright Light, not a new video but this needs some serious airplay and support so I'm adding it into this list...  Enjoy your 'Disco Moment'.
See more here... www.brightlightx2

Here is the new single from Florence and the Machine, Spectrum (Say My Name), the Calvin Harris remix is simply wonderful...

Lastly today is the new catchy single from Adam Lambert, Never Close Our Eyes is out NOW as is the new album Trespassing...

And that's your lot for today!