With Lasers - Bonde Do Rolé

Whilst constantly lumped in with Cansei De Ser Sexy, Bonde Do Rolé are going to struggle to match the worldwide success that their fellow Brazillians have acquired.

For a start, whilst the sound is similar, on the surface at least, With Lasers lacks the out and out pop genius of, say, Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above, and its this lack of a killer tune that will preclude this from making the kind of splash that CSS did.

Still, that is not to say that this is entirely without merits. Those that do listen to it will immediately find this a likeable and rowdy experience, like all good party's should be.

Whether its the kazoo (and indeed the Hollaback Girl-esque drum beat) that accompanies Geremia, the Fannypack style minimalism of Solta O Frango or the 80's Hair metal intro to Bondallica you'll be having fun, even if it's difficult to ever be fully aware of what exactly is going on. Indeed, you don't need to be fluent in Portugese to know what territory we're delving into here and, if I'm being honest, that's half the fun.

Of course you might well decide that one Synth-heavy Brazillian disco pop troupe is enough for your life, but if you did you might be missing out on something quite special indeed.

Insomniatic - Aly & Aj

Ok, I know. It doesn't sound too promising does it? Two blonde teen sisters singing Disney Teen Pop is enough to turn anyone right off isn't it? And normally I would agree, but there is something borderline genius about the recent single from Aly & AJ, Potential Break Up Song.

Now I'm not one to say such a thing lightly, but it's good enough to be a Girls Aloud single. It's three and a half minutes are packed with more invention than you'll find in the entire Hard-Fi back catalogue and shows an exuberant personality not often found in American by-the-numbers pop.

Of course the real thing to ask is whether or not this is a one-off, or indicative of the new album as a whole?

Tracks such as Bullseye, Like Whoa and Like It Or Leave It prove that the brilliant single was not simply a one-off but sadly there are a lot of tracks that also show that overall they've not moved that far from their previous style.

In many ways that makes this an ideal album for their fan base. It's got enough of what you would expect if you liked what you've heard previously, but also shows just enough invention to keep those same fans hooked.

More, ahem, mature pop lovers may not need to concern themselves with this album as a whole, but there are a smattering of pop classics that will keep even the most cynical of listeners on their toes.

Made Of Bricks - Kate Nash

Any regular readers of this site, and there must be at least three of you, might think that you know exactly what's coming up in the space of this review. Well let me just say right off the bat that you might be a little surprised.

Because although I should absolutely love this record, given the fact I like Nash, think she's great live and I'm in love with her, there is just something that stops me a little short of outright adoration.

For instance, whilst I'm fully aware that the previous versions of We Get On are not supposed to be the "official" versions, I prefer them to the version that turns up on this album. Similarly, whilst the album version of Merry Happy isn't a million miles away from the demo/Myspace versions I've heard it's new polish takes a little away from what made me fall in love with the song in the first place. And, stop me if this is getting a tad boring now, the same thing applies to The Shit Song. And whilst we're at it, lets lump Mariella in there as well.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't dislike any of those songs at all, they're just not the versions I fell in love with. And it's not as if I've some aversion to all the more polished studio versions. Dickhead is transformed by it's haunting backing, and Birds has just enough "beefiness" added to the backing to elevate it from the much sparser single version.

Then there are the songs I'd previously not heard, such as Pumpkin Song (which ironically, given Nash's recent press statements, is the song that most sounds like Lily Allen) which I enjoyed greatly.

So it all places my in a difficult position. I like the album, in fact I like it quite a lot, but at the same time I can't help but feel disappointed by it. Maybe it's my own fault for expecting so much, but then again that expectation was based on already hearing most of the tracks and seeing her live twice. Who knows, maybe in the weeks to come I'll grow to love these new versions just as much as the old ones.

Or then again, I'm disappointed with what I would call a "great album"...perhaps I'm just mental!

Single Releases 06/08/07

Is it hilarious, or just plain sad, that Kula Shaker are releasing a new single in 2007. I didn't think they were any good when they had their moment in the spotlight. I think even less of them now.



Similarly I have absolutely no love for the Magic Numbers. I just don't see the mass appeal of them. Their first album was boring, and their second one followed suit. So needless to say, I'm not exactly over the moon at their new EP either.



And Hellogoodbye. What is it with people liking them? Baby It's Fact might even be worse than the last one.



On the other hand, Richard Hawley's new single is amazingly good. Tonight The Streets Are Ours sounded great from the first time I heard it; it was one of those catchy little ditty's that sounded so familiar right from the off (and I mean that in a good way).



Why Sophie Ellis Bextor has released Tonight's The Sun's On Us when there are much better singles on the album is beyond me.



I know the Robyn single was out last week but I missed it last week. It's good. In fact it's very good. No doubt Edith Bowman is championing it as we speak as a hot new tune from a hot new artist...

Here Lies.... - Betty Curse

It's a testament to how greatly the Betty Curse experiment flopped that her album was released in October 2006 (download only, with a physical release earlier this year), and here we are, in August of the following year, before I even realised the album was out. Ok that's not strictly true; I was aware in general that the album was being released to cash in on the Halloween season but having never seen anything about it since, nor ever seen a copy of it in the shops, I forgot about it entirely until a recent chance occurrence.

The big question has to be then, was I missing anything?

Well, as ever, the answer is yes and no.

Am I any more convinced months down the line that this is nothing more than an elaborate play act from the former Megan Burns? Well no, but neither does that make some of the tracks any the less catchy. Artifice is not necessarily the tool of the devil you know.

There are catchy choruses to burn (God This Hurts, Rot In Heaven, Excuse All The Blood) and Curse can belt them out with energetic pop aplomb. Indeed, if the songs ever did get mainstream airplay, you certainly wouldn't be turning your radio off when they came on.

But in all that lies the problem with the whole project. It's "goth" approach doesn't entirely convince, which may have been the problem in appealing to the target audience and even if it did, the out and out "pop" splendour of some of the tracks would have a hard time gaining favour with the eyeliner-heavy crowd it professes to appeal to.

That said, I quite like it. But I can also see why it's lack of success was, in hindsight, all too obvious.

This Is The Life - Amy Macdonald

It's no secret that I've not been overly enamoured by the singles that Amy Macdonald had put out prior to this album, although upon reflection I may have been a little harsh. Yes, even a seasoned veteran like myself occasionally gets blasé when the latest "big thing" gets thrust in our faces.

The first thing I have to say is that I just can't get used to her voice. She can sing, don't get me wrong, but there are times when I cannot look past the fact that something weird is going on with her voice, to my ears at least. It's not an insurmountable barrier thanks to some very catchy songs, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it's a barrier that somewhat lessens my enjoyment of the album.

There are times, such as on Let's Start A Band, This Is The Life and, yes...I'll admit I was wrong, Mr Rock And Roll when Macdonald sounds on the verge of something really spectacular but sadly it's not promise that she capitalises on throughout her debut album.

Although the song titles alone suggest Macdonald has a lot to say, the overly earnest approach does begin to grate over a full album (what a difference a bit of Kate Nash esque joie de vivre on a few tracks might have made) and whilst in some ways the fact that Macdonald doesn't come across on record as the 19 year old she is may be a positive thing, it can also occasionally have the effect of making her songs sound a little too generic.

That said, like most reviewers have picked up on, if you're looking for something to tide you over until the next KT Tunstall record, this fits the bill perfectly. It also shows that Macdonald is a girl with genuine talent; she just needs to grow into it a little bit more. If she does, next time around the results could be spectacular indeed.

Say It - Britt Nicole

They tell me that Britt Nicole is "Christian" music. I'm glad they told me because by listening to Say It, you wouldn't particularly guess.

Some might prefer to label her the latest in a long line of Avril Lavigne wannabees who will never make a career out of this music malarkey. Indeed, a cursory glance over her mere existence would probably lead you down that path, but that would not be doing Miss Nicole any justice.

Becuase whilst there is no escaping the fact that this sounds a lot like Avril Lavigne and her ilk, there is plenty of evidnce that Nicole has the ability to stand out from the pack (although admittedly, how much this is down to her, and how much to her "team" is not something I can answer at this stage).

Sure there is a lot that blends into the "teen-pop" pack, but there are a smattering of genuinely catchy, knock-out pop moments on her debut album.

Sunshine Girl is the sort of radio-friendly pop ditty that you can imagine blaring out of your car stereo whilst someone like Fearne Cotton (shudder) babbles on about the ususal nonsense. Holiday has a slinky electro vibe, with a lovely string riff (or whatever you want to call it) and a positively addictive drum beat. Believe has the sort of chorus that would have teen girls across the world singing along.

Of course there is a fair amount of tracks that don't really go anywhere and fit the template a little bit too tightly to really become anything memorable.

Still this has enough good stuff to give it a reccomendation, if it sounds like your kind of thing. And lets face it, if Kelly Clarkson had released this hook-laden album instead of her recent one, she might not have to be apologising to Clive Davis on bended knee...

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - Spoon

Ok so this is Spoon's sixth album, and I hadn't heard of them until a few days ago. Well you can't keep a track of EVERYTHING can you? So whilst most reviews of this album you will find will make great play about how good this is in respect to their vast back catalogue, I can't do that.

I can only tell you how good it is...full stop.

Clocking in at a little over half an hour, there isn't an extraneous moment on this album. From start to finish this is a delight. True, it's hard to escape the feeling that, ultimately, everything on this album, from the piano hooks to the handclaps, has been obsessively put in place on each track but the most important thing is that it never actually feels like that's the case when you're listening to it.

You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb's Mowtown feel sits alongside the minimalism of My Little Japanese Cigarette Case, which in turn sits nicely alongside the bouncy pop of The Underdog. Better still, in my case anyway, only Black Like Me sounds anything like approaching a ballad; this is half an hour of bouncy, hook laden pop-rock which, at the risk of upsetting Spoon fans across the world, reminds me a lot of The Fountains Of Wayne (which is a good thing).

If you like your pop mixed in with a bit of "indie" then this is well worth a listen.

The Con - Tegan And Sara

Whilst Tegan and Sara have been "on the radar" for some time I can't say I've ever really warmed to them all that much. A pleasant diversion they may be but they've never really done a record that had escaped purgatory in the CD cupboard, pushed to the back and only really brought out when a search for a lost classic reminds me that the CD is there.

Lead single, and album title track, The Con didn't really bode any better for their prospects with this record. Pretty forgettable really.

But then, quite by chance, I happened upon a track called Are You Ten Years Ago, which really did catch my ears. A little bit ambient, and a whole lot bleak, it may be but it sounds fresh, exciting and vital. And I'm happy to say that whilst the style of that track may not be typical of the album as a whole, the excitement of that song certainly is typical of this great album (although I would also have to admit that nothing quite matches up to this song either).

Nineteen amps up the big guitars and booming drums into power-pop territory, Call It Off is an aching ballad, which soars thanks to it's light touch of string orchestration and the bouncy pop of Back In Your Head merges guitar and keyboards to uplifting effect.

I certainly can't escape the "this sounds a lot like Laura Veirs" vibe I continually get from the album, especially in the vocals, but that's no bad thing in my view as Veirs is one of the great "lost" (as in few people have heard of her) songwriters of the modern age. More ardent fans may disagree, but I think this is Tegan and Sara's best album yet.

Galore - Dragonette

For all my liking of the Popjustice website, I don't always tend to see eye to eye with their "next big thing" proclamations. Dragonette are a case in point. None of the singles and/or songs I'd heard prior to picking up this album particularly horrified me, but neither did they particularly leap out, smack me on the head and proclaim their pop genius loudly.

And in the final analysis the album hits me in pretty much the same vein.

At times you'll find yourself thinking this would make a good, if not especially great Britney Spears single (Marvellous) or that this is a good No Doubt out-take (Black Limousine) but more often you'll be thinking what on earth Dragonette's reputation was based on.

There are a couple of moments of genius I must admit, the outright highlight being Jesus Doesn't Love Me, which comes across as exactly what would happen if Depeche Mode wrote for Girls Aloud. Sadly moments like this are outweighed by the sheer mediocrity of most of the album.

Much like the Kaiser Chiefs, in that it's a "pop" album for people who don't want to admit to liking "pop" music it actually makes me a little sad that this might well be a huge smash hit. I think I'll stick to my Girls Aloud records if it's all the same to you.

Single Releases 30/07

Gotta Work by Amerie and Pussy'Ole by Dizzee Rascal are both choice cuts off choice albums. I know I keep getting raised eyebrows when I say Dizzee's album is very good, but honestly, it is.

Green Light by Beyonce is not as good as those two, but is still the kind of song that she does best.

Gym Class Heroes do not sound at all like I expected them to given the people who were attending their concert in Manchester the other week. That isn't a compliment by the way.

Laura Veirs releases Saltbreakers this week. It was one of the highlights of the same titled album and although I realise it isn't going to be a "hit" it is a fantastic song.

Similarly, Carla Bruni isn't going to have a hit with Lady Weeping At The Crossroads, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a great track.

I still can't quite "get" Kate Walsh. Don't Break My Heart is alright, but that's about it.

I don't care that it's quite good, that new Nelly Furtado one is still the 37th single off the Loose album so I want something new.

Finally, in a shocker to end all shockers, I "quite like" the new The Coral single. Ok, so that might seem like damning it with faint praise, but it's an amazing thing for me to even contemplate....

Seastories - Minnie Driver

Quite randomly, I've never liked Minnie Driver as an actress. Don't ask me to explain as I wouldn't really know how to. And whilst her first album Everything I've Got In My Pocket didn't exactly reinvent the wheel it was shockingly competent in terms of an actress branching out into a musical career.

And that vein continues with Seastories.

Once again I doubt it is going to sonically astound most listeners, and indeed the gentle lilting alt-country vibe (it is not for nothing that Ryan Adams' Cardinals pop up on a handful of songs) is nothing new; there is however the sense that Driver is good at what she chooses to do.

Mockingbird ramps up the bluesy kind of rock that KT Tunstall could do very well, whilst the more gentle, piano driven ballad How To Be Good shows that Driver is just as adept at that side of things as well.

Granted, lyrically Driver's efforts are a little weak, but this isn't necessarily a death knell for the album as a whole. There is a kind of earnest simplicity on this collection that works really well. Go on, give it a go. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Latest 2007 Concert List

27th January - Ben Folds - Manchester Apollo
29th January - Nerina Pallot - Manchester Academy 2
30th January - The Hedrons - Night & Day, Manchester
11th February - Sandi Thom - The Lowry, Salford
18th February - The Long Blondes, Manchester Academy
222nd February - Bat For Lashes - RNCM, Manchester
10th March - Lily Allen, Manchester Apollo
28th March - Kate Nash - Night & Day, Manchester
17th April - The Pipettes - Ritz, Manchester
20th April - Lucy Porter (comedy gig) - The Lowry, Salford
20th May - Girls Aloud - MEN Arena, Manchester
3rd June - Kate Nash - Late Room, Manchester
30th June - Suzanne Vega - Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
12th July - Bat For Lashes - Manchester Academy 3
19th July - Feist - Manchester Academy 3
16th August - Sophie Ellis Bextor - Parr Hall, Warrington
21st August - Rilo Kiley - Manchester Academy 3
9th September - Natasha Bedingfield - Manchester Apollo
27th September - New Young Pony Club - Ritz, Manchester
7th October - Frank Skinner (Comedy) - Lowry, Manchester
14th October - Editors - Manchester Apollo
19th October - KT Tunstall - Manchester Apollo
23rd October - Amy Macdonald - Barfly, Liverpool
5th November - Kate Nash - Manchester Academy 3

Teenager - The Thrills

I know I've said this in respect of a few artists lately, but really, in 2007 is anyone actually eagerly anticipating a new Thrills album? No, thought not.

Don't get me wrong; I consider Big Sur and One Horse Town to be minor classics, but to be honest, if you've heard those two songs you've prety much heard all that you really need to hear from The Thrills.

Connor Deasy's voice hasn't got any better with age by the sounds of it, and there's only so much faux-Californian melodies that this reviewer can bear. (Incidentally, the band apparently crafted this album in a Vancouver, in a conscious effort to avoid the sunny LA vibe which personified their first two albums - well all I can say is you'd be hard pressed to notice any change).

To put in into perspective, it's not a bad album and indeed it has its moments whilst you are listening to it, but 10 minutes later, when the CD is safely back in the rack I defy you to remember any of the tunes. If this is the last I ever hear of them, on this form I can't say I'll be particularly upset.

Whatever Happened To Romance? - Victoria Hart

You know how it goes; one minute you're singing at a private party in Cannes and then the next minute you're releasing your debut album. Of course it didn't really happen quite like that (the private party was three years ago and it was only a repeat performance recently that the record label interest kicked in) but it's still quite the story for Victoria Hart.

What might be even more amazing is that this sassy and exciting collection has only the one cover version (Sunny Afternoon - and what a corker it is too) meaning that thought has actually been put into this beyond her having a great voice and, I have to say it, a cracking pair of tits (that one's for you Gee!).

But all of you fearing that the "jazz" part of her oeuvre discounts you, then you should think again. There is a clear sense that she's positioning herself, or being positioned, as much more than that.

Her playful, sultry vocals are part of the allure, no question, but she carries a tune and comes up with some blinders. If you can resist the likes of A Girl Like Me, Je M’Oublie or Smooth Talker then you might want to check if your heart is still beating.

I don't think we'll be seeing her waitressing at the Naked Turtle for £7 an hour again any time soon.

Absolute Garbage - Garbage

There was a brief moment in time, right about the moment they performed I'm Only Happy When It Rains on Top Of The Pops, that Garbage were officially the hottest thing in music in my young mind. As you might expect, the feeling didn't last. But that's not to say that an overview of Garbage's musical output is an unwelcome thing.

At their best they were very good indeed; at their worst they were below even Republica. Well ok, maybe not THAT bad, but you get the picture.

So therefore for every Stupid Girl there's a Bleed Like Me, for every Queer there's a When I Grow Up and for every #1 Crush there's a The World Is Not Enough. Indeed, if I'm being honest, the only track past their first album I have any real interest in (#1 Crush aside, although that was from the same time, just not on that album) is the catchy Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go). That's not to say that everything past the first album is worthless, just that for me, having the debut album and that song is more than enough to satisfy my Garbage craving. Throw in a distinctly underwhelming new song and this is a collection I can well do without.

But if you liked their singles, and haven't yet got a Garbage CD in your collection, this might be a pleasant trip down memory lane.

Sexy! No No No

So the new Girls Aloud single is "out there", and trust me to be away when it's all kicking off.

Anyway, it's good.

But not as good as the introduction suggests it's going to be. Still, it's early days and no doubt I'll start loving it soon.

Whatever, it's a brave choice as a first single and proof that they're still going to absoultely amazing.

And it's a nice excuse to post a picture of my Daisy...

Single Releases 23/07

Mutya Vs Groove Amarda is brilliant. Song 4 Mutya is the best thing by a country mile on Mutya's new album and really has very little to do with her anyway. So what we are really saying is that Mutya's solo venture is a bit crap, but this song is a bloody blinder.

On the other hand, Mika is just very, very crap. Big Girls (You Are Beautiful) is so obviously channeled from Big Bottomed Girls, but someone really should point out to the cheeky chappy that he is most certainly not Freddie Mercury. In fact this song is so offensive that it may even be worse than Grace Kelly and that other god-damn awful single he released a while back.

Thankfully, Amy Winehouse was sober for a few days last year so her single releases aren't on the same "will she, won't she" level as her concerts. Mind you at least if you buy the CD of Tears Dry On Their Own she won't spit on you, forget her lyrics or have a domestic with the hubby in your living room.

At one point I thought it might just have been the "Edith Bowman" and "Jo Wiley" thing that made me not like Newton Faulkner, but upon closer inspection of his new single Dream Catch Me I think it's fair to say that's just an ironic side product.

BWO are still rubbish.

Oh sod it, I've had enough.

Popjustice £20 Prize Shortlist

Sod the Mercury's, this is the one that counts...my witticisms won't be as funny as Popjustice's but here are my opinions anwway;

'Acceptable In The 80s'
Calvin Harris
Yes, this is good. I hated it at first, but quick as a flash it grew on me.

'Rehab'
Amy Winehouse
Now if it was the Girls Aloud version....

'Beware Of The Dog'
Jamelia
The best number one single never to have got anywhere near number one. But Jamelia doesn't like it now, which has nothing to do with her being dropped from her record label.

'Catch You'
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Well it's better than her follow up single, but not as good as some of the album tracks.

'Don't Give It Up'
Siobhan Donaghy
The days where something can be good purely because it's "that ginger one who used to be in the Sugababes" are long gone I'm afraid. As a "pop" single this is fairly pointless.

'Foundations'
Kate Nash
I love Kate Nash. That is all.

'Overpowered'
Roisin Murphy
See this is the good version of the Donaghy "classic" above.

'She's Madonna'
Robbie Williams
Well I liked it, even if most people didn't. MEMO TO THE PUBLIC - Rudebox (the album, that is) was not that bad.

'Shine'
Booty Luv
I detest this song. This winning would be akin to The View winning the Mercury.

'Something Kinda Oooh'
Girls Aloud
Their best single since, well, erm...Biology at least.

'Stop Me'
Mark Ronson
Bringing out the not-so-latent gayness of Morrissey turned out to be inspired.

'Yeah Yeah'
Bodyrox feat Luciana
Daft, but one of the few "dance" things I've enjoyed over the past year.

So yeah, it's Calvin Harris or Kate Nash for me. Probably Nash. Because she's lovely.

Planet Earth - Prince

Does anybody really need Prince's 24th Studio Album (or indeed his 46th career album)? Or perhaps more pertinently is there anyone else left who really cares? "Releasing" this free with the Mail On Sunday in the UK was a smart move if for no other reason than the fact that his last album sold 80,000 copies in the UK, whereas the Mail On Sunday has a circulation in the region of 2 million.

But all questions of whether its a good business move for himself, or for the industry at large, is not the concern here. The concern is simply, is the album any good?

And the answer is, well, yes and no.

It had been hailed as a return to form but to be honest, I don't think it's as good as his last effort 3121. And to be honest it's much like most of his recent output; there are flashes of the old brilliance but most of it sounds, at best, distinctly ordinary.

As a freebie it has a certain curiosity value, and there are moments that any Prince fan will love but on the whole there's far too much that is simply boring for it to have any real worth.