Monday, July 26, 2004
Hitch Hike - Travel Girl
Since mentioning my love for this song on Dirrrty Pop after downloading it myself from Enthusiastic But Mediocre, I have had so many requests to hear it or for more info on it so I decided I should post it up here to show everyone who missed it before how absolutely genius this song is. It basically consists of an electro-pop backing of fabbiness not seen since No Good Advice, spoken over by an American girl who tells us about her travels hitching lifts with strangers. It is very hard to track down information on this song as the combination of words in it's title is hardly uncommon on Google, but apparently Hitchhike are Greek, or at least had a hit with this in Greece. I can't even find it in any Greek online music stores. I have so many favourite bits of this song so I will leave it you to enjoy it, which you undoubtedly will.
Saturday, July 24, 2004
Cherie - I'm Ready
This is not the new UK r'n'b singer Cherie but a French girl who releases her debut self-titled album in America next month. She is supposed to be the new Shania Twain but this song isn't very country at all. It sounds like it should have been on the soundtrack to Legally Blonde in a girl powery way. She sings in English for this track but also sings in French, Italian and Spanish. It's a cheerful, positive song for which I can imagine a video of Cherie driving in an open-topped car with her girl friends. The rest of her songs sound a bit bland but this is a very nice song that you can sing along to quickly.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Ana - Cuz I Can
You will probably have heard Ana's new single We Are from Spiderman 2, but this is very much better. It sounds halfway like something Robyn would do with a chorus lifted from a poppier Lambretta song. For those who don't know, Ana was a member of Swedish Popstars Excellence and this is from her solo album also named Cuz I Can. She is supposed to be the Swedish Avril but being Swedish and not Canadian her music is far less annoying and this track in particular is certainly worth hearing.
Sunday, July 18, 2004
Pauline - Running Out Of Gaz
If you heard Pauline Kamusewu on the radio you might wonder if you were listening to American Idol winner Fantasia as Pauline does sound incredbily like her. Luckily all her songs are miles better than I Believe and are in fact just what Fantasia would release in a perfect world. Pauline is actually Swedish (although her mother is from Zimbabwe) and this chirpy Motown-eqsue number was her first single. The follow-up, Answer, was a similar sound and equally as good but her album is full of great songs - many such as 3rd single Babylon are more laid back and some have a poppier style. It is well worth a purchase or at least a listen.
Lillix - Sick
Lillix appear to be a girl band made up of 4 Avril Lavignes and their debut single It's About Time suggests the same, but a listen to their album Falling Uphill proves them to be cooler and more intelligent-sounding than that, with quite a gritty sound for a teen girl band but they are also rather good fun. The essential details are Lillix are interestingly-named and very mean-looking sisters Tasha-Ray and Lacey-Lee Evin and their friends Louise Burns and Kim Urhahn, they're Canadian and signed to Madonna's Maverick record label. It was hard to choose one song to post but I've gone for Sick for it's manic intro, shout-along bridge and nasty girl chorus, which ends with a fantastic "STOP!...Go on". It's just an all-round fabulous song!
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Maria Mena - You're The Only One
This single by 18-year-old Norwegian rock chick songwriter Maria has been a surprise success in the US this year. The song is understated compared to the catchy guitar anthems of her American counterparts. It is sweet and funny with a bit of boy-bashing which always wins me over! This is set for release in the UK later this year so hopefully it'll make her a big name here too. Her new album White Turns Blue is out next Tuesday in the US and it sounds very good - hers is a name to remember.
Saturday, July 10, 2004
V - You Stood Up
Left click the link to download.
V are the new boyband from the people behind Busted and McFly, but their sound is more traditional boyband than whiney pop-rock. Their first 2 singles Blood, Sweat & Tears and the soon to be released Hip To Hip are cheery pop aceness harking back to 5ive or early 'N Sync, but this track from their forthcoming album is one of the best pop ballads I've heard in ages. I know that it's a favourite of the band too so it could well be the next single which I think would be a very good idea indeed and should keep them well away from the dumper. Here's hoping for another top 5 hit for Hip To Hip and enough success to get the album released.
V are the new boyband from the people behind Busted and McFly, but their sound is more traditional boyband than whiney pop-rock. Their first 2 singles Blood, Sweat & Tears and the soon to be released Hip To Hip are cheery pop aceness harking back to 5ive or early 'N Sync, but this track from their forthcoming album is one of the best pop ballads I've heard in ages. I know that it's a favourite of the band too so it could well be the next single which I think would be a very good idea indeed and should keep them well away from the dumper. Here's hoping for another top 5 hit for Hip To Hip and enough success to get the album released.
Sunday, July 04, 2004
Darren Hayes - Popular
Left click the link to download.
Finally Darren returns and there can't be a better way to do it than with this excellent track. It's electropop with several different catchy sections and lyrics about the music business such "I'm willing to sleep my way to the top, I wanna be popular". It's a great comeback by one of my very favourite singers but rather than describe every second of it you should download and hear it's brilliance for yourself. I really hope this will be a hit for Darren but even if it's not the fact that he has been able to do what he wants and prove how fab he is, that's more important.
Finally Darren returns and there can't be a better way to do it than with this excellent track. It's electropop with several different catchy sections and lyrics about the music business such "I'm willing to sleep my way to the top, I wanna be popular". It's a great comeback by one of my very favourite singers but rather than describe every second of it you should download and hear it's brilliance for yourself. I really hope this will be a hit for Darren but even if it's not the fact that he has been able to do what he wants and prove how fab he is, that's more important.
