Frontpage items from history's greatest pop music website. http://www.popjustice.com Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:33:48 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.popjustice.com/images/M_images/rssimage.gif http://www.popjustice.com Frontpage items from history's greatest pop music website. http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4965&Itemid=9 Are you familiar with noisy Alesha Dixon single 'Drummer Boy'? You should be by now. Here it is. WLpse9Uqwng Now clearly someone somewhere has had a listen to this song and gone "do you know what, this song isn't quite scary enough for fans of the Barlowballad-wailin', mountain-climbin'-for-charity Alesha Dixon. How do we make this so noisy that Alesha's Saturday night telly fans have tears running down their faces as the blood trickles from their ears?". To this end there are various remixes, none of which could be described as 'very subtle' but precisely half of which can very easily be described as highly listenable. Blimey. Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:56:08 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4964&Itemid=9 We featured putting out (http://neongold.bigcartel.com/) 'Young Blood' as a single next week and have given us the Sound Of Arrows mix to give away to You The Popjustice Reader for zero pence. Here is the MP3 download link. (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/789456/Downloads/Young%20Blood%20%28The%20Sound%20of%20Arrows%20Remix%29.mp3) That was the MP3 download link. Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:00:39 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4962&Itemid=9 1. Ed Drewett We had Ed in the last PJ Almighty but he wasn't at Number One even though he sort of deserved to be, so here he is 'atop' the Almighty today. One of the things we've quite enjoyed watching over the last week or so is Ed linking to YouTube clips of his new single 'Champagne Lemonade', only for his label to then have them taken down. Such is the life of the modern popstar. (We'll try to embed the most recent YouTube clip at the bottom of this post but it might have disappeared by the time you read this.) More Ed Drewett (http://www.myspace.com/eddrewett) 2. Hurts On one hand their place in this Almighty is nothing to do with the box (index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4952&Itemid=9) that arrived last week. On the other hand their place in this Almighty is everything to do with the box that arrived last week, in much the same way as it is possible to enjoy their album as much for its attention to detail as for its sweeping command of the pop lexicon. More Hurts (http://www.informationhurts.com/) 3. Robots With Rayguns We have been enjoying the music of Robots With Rayguns for a little while now. They (he) make(s) and remix(es) tunes that sound like this... ...and this... ...and this. Amazingly, loads of it (including a full length album of their original stuff) is available on their Soundcloud for free download. More Robots With Rayguns (this is the Soundcloud we just told you about) (http://soundcloud.com/robotswithrayguns/sets/electro-isnt-dead-1) 4. Alexandra Burke Recently we heard Dead Or Alive's 'You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)' soundtracking the new TV ad for a breakfast cereal and were forced to consider the irony of Alexandra Burke recording a 2010s pop single that sounded like an 80s Coco-Pops ad jingle, only for a 2010 Coco-Pops TV ad to opt for the soundtrack of... Something from the 1980s. More Alexandra Burke (http://www.alexandraburkeofficial.com/gb/) 5. Katy Perry Her album is around 50% absolutely brilliant. More Katy Perry (http://www.katyperry.com/) 666. 'Travie McCoy' Still responsible for one of the worst singles of 2010. More 'Travie McCoy' (http://www.myspace.com/traviemccoy) This is (or isn't) the 'Champagne Lemonade' video we mentioned in the Ed Drewett bit. hTIyGh068dk A good song. Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:30:45 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4956&Itemid=9 So in June this happened... ...and a couple of weeks ago Shakira shot the video in Barcelona. The Sun had some pictures from that (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/3102801/Shakira-goes-to-hell-with-Dizzee-Rascal.html) but the interesting thing is this fan video of the shoot in which you can hear the song. It is literally a Shakira song with some Dizzee Rascal in it. yZQ2zzJ1Iys You might be wondering why we have not really mentioned this before now (and why now is the right time to mention it) and there is no clear answer we can give you but we thought it was sort of 'of interest' so there you go. Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:03:37 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4955&Itemid=9 » 'Shine On Forever (Photo Frame)' is the new Same Difference single and it is out this week. » Same Difference, you may recall, were responsible for one of the most demented X Factor performances of all time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-wDloW8Mfk). » Remember, at the time of that performance both members were legally entitled to vote. » The brackets in the title of 'Shine On Forever (Photo Frame)' work because someone might remember the "photo frame" bit of the lyrics but not the "shine on forever" bit, so if they are browsing in iTunes on a Saturday afternoon and they see 'Shine On Forever (Photo Frame)' on the shelf they will know it is the song they have heard. This also works for people who remember the "shine on forever" bit but not the "photo frame" bit. » The band have had a makeover for this release. Same Difference are now SEXUAL. There is a bit in the second verse of the video (which appears to have been shot in the Lightbox bit of alarming London discotheque Fire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idOop2ByUJc&feature=related)) in which Sean is sort of grinding with a lady up against a wall. s59AwI7xGEE » "I had never had to act like this before," notes Sean on the Same Difference website, "but after about 2 minutes it became quite natural and let's face it, who wouldn't want to dance with a beautiful girl!" Well quite. Unfortunately, despite his new found SEXUALNESS, Sean is still the sort of person who pulls off dance moves like this. Not sexual. » There are various mixes upon iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/shine-on-forever-photo-frame/id384941876) but the Matt Pop (http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/shine-on-forever-photo-frame/id384941876?i=384942121) one is the best of the lot. » And there we have it. Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:44:41 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4953&Itemid=9 Vi2V4uEueNw It's basically Radiohead's 'Just' except IN A NITESPOT. Amazing. Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:46:17 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4951&Itemid=9 Either compilation album ads are getting better or we're becoming more easily pleased, but barely a post-9pm Channel 4 ad break goes by without us shouting THIS ALBUM LOOKS FUCKING AMAZING at the television. Here's the ad for Scott Mills' 'Big Ones' compilation. oPgdLGofI3U Is this actually the greatest album of 2010, or does the advert just make it look that way? Does the truth lie somehwere in the middle? Even watching it in the cold light of a Friday morning we're almost weeping with excitement. This one, for the Ministry '80s Groove' album, also excited us. TS1z2KrBpV8 Somewhere in our Big Unordered Heap Of Compilation Albums we almost certainly have this exact album (just under a different name and with the tracks in a different order), but the ad makes us want to buy it all over again. There's an R&B one as well that got us 'all a quiver' but we've forgotten its name (ADVERTISING FAIL) and can't find it on YouTube so you'll have to use your imagination. Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:25:34 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4948&Itemid=9 We felt a little whoosh of excitement when we opened the envelope with this in it. It's some sort of anniversary of George Michael's 'Faith' being released so they are releasing it again. We do not know why there was a whoosh of excitement because it is not really a very exciting album so we can only begin to imagine how exciting this CD packaging would be for someone who thinks 'Faith' is really brilliant as opposed to, say, quite good with some flashes of amazingness. Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:06:08 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4947&Itemid=9 Obviously it pulls things back around in its final sentence by bringing in the single title, record label and release date, but Christ alive that's not exactly the sort of opening line you get on your average press release. Mind you, your average press release being so average is probably the reason it's so easy for something like this to stand out. Oh and guess what? The track, 'Few And Far Between', is really good so we've made it Song Of The Day. Well done Woman E. This is what it sounds like. sotd/womane.mp3 Blimey. Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4944&Itemid=9 It's all happening (there's not much happening) in the world of Soundgirl. HAPPENING THING ONE We now have a photograph of the band without that rubbish 'on tour with Pixie Lott graphic'. We're not going to lie, readers, the reality of a photograph without the graphic is not as exciting as we'd been hoping. HAPPENING THING TWO We heard three (THREE) more Soundgirl tunes on Friday. They were done in LA and they were amazing. Well one was a bit boring but two were really good - they were basically 'Rated R: The Girlband', except one of them is about 14 or something so it's more like 'Rated PG-13'. Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4942&Itemid=9 We were just having a clearout of CDs over the weekend and found this release by Skandal, which came out last month. u8vL9U7AZF0 'Everyday' is clearly a fairly unremarkable tune but we thought it probably important to state very clearly that the Skandal above - 'featuring Black The Ripper' - is not (that's NOT) the same Skandal who ten years ago wowed the lower reachers of the Top 100 with their sort-of-hit 'Champagne Highway'. mCI12Lp6BUI We always felt that the phrase 'champagne highway' sounded deeply pervoramic, in the "what happened with the girl you went home with last night?" / "oh it was awful, she tried to let one out of the champagne halfway through" sort of sense. Perhaps that was just us. One begins to suspect that Skandal is an artist name cursed to land upon a mediocre musical artist or act once every ten years. What, we wonder, will the 2020 version of Skandal look and sound like? We will have to wait and see. Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:58:43 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4941&Itemid=9 We would have done this as a Song Of The Day if we hadn't already done Shontelle's 'Impossible' as a Song Of The Day a few months ago, so instead we will just give the Jonas Jeberg mix of the aforementioned tune some front page treatment because it is just completely brilliant and might actually be better than the 'proper' verison. PNY9hwGNQXI Brilliant. Well done to every single person involved with these three minutes and eleven seconds of popular song. Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:34:46 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4940&Itemid=9 "Meet Nicole, Olivia and Izzy – the new girls on the block." That is what it says in the biog for Mercury's new girlband, SoundGirl. "All hailing from London town, Izzy and Nicole hung out at school and began singing together before hooking up with one of their neighbourhood friends, Olivia – SoundGirl were born." It says that as well. "Influenced by the sounds of TLC, Salt’n’Pepa, Aailyah, Destiny’s Child and Rihanna, the girls are bringing back the classic sounds of Old School R’n’B while keeping it fresh with Epic songs and even bigger beats." And that. And this. "Working with the people behind Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Beyonce, Cheryl Cole and Fergie, the girls are preparing to take over the airwaves." Here is that it doesn't mention in their blurb: THEY ARE FUCKING AMAZING. We don't really know anything else about them but it looks from Twitter as if Betty Bloody Boo might be involved in some capacity (amazing). Here are two of their tunes. Very nice. As you can hear this is a VERY 90s-influenced sound and style and that is all very agreeable as far as we are concerned although we have our fingers crossed that the trio have an all-conquering enormohit waiting in the wings for their first single because while 'The Game' and particularly 'Walking On Air' both set out their stall brilliantly we wonder whether the band might benefit from appearing with a little more of a bang. Then again, what do we know. Absolutely nothing, that is the answer to that. Anyway never mind all that because here they are a-warbling near a window. SBTCollP5CQ The trio are off on tour with Pixie Lott later this year on the so-called 'Crazy Cats' tour. Crazy Cats is what Pixie calls her fans. We don't think Crazy Cats is really up there with eg 'Little Monsters' but perhaps it will just take a while to really take hold. Further reading: Soundgirl on Twitter (http://twitter.com/soundgirlhq) Soundgirl in MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/soundgirlofficial) Soundgril official (http://www.soundgirlofficial.com/) Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:58:42 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4938&Itemid=9 Disappointingly, given the mid-80s TV ad 'soundscape' of the song itself the video for 'Don't Let Me Start Without You' doesn't discuss fruit drinks enjoyed in the Congo. Nor does it feature a talking monkey trying to sell a breakfast cereal that turns the milk chocolatey. Nonetheless this is, in its own way, an era-defining popcultural artefact. WATCH THIS AND GASP. oyBq21FtL1s We actually don't know what to say. This is a video that somehow manages to go beyond traditional ideas of good and bad and exists instead on a different plane where concepts of positive and negative no longer exist. Astonishing. Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:19:02 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4937&Itemid=9 Released: Nine weeks ago Best song: Tinie Tempah - 'Pass Out' Worst song: We'll get to that in a minute We had this on in the car over the weekend in the hope that a blast of eg Cheryl Cole's 'Fight For This Love' (Crazy Cousins mix) would make us appear more 'cool' and 'urban' and 'not the sort of person who gets laughed at in Halfords'. WE WERE VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE OUTCOME. There was, however, a treat towards the end of the album in the shape of Vega 4's 'Life Is Beautiful'. It's not a very new song, but we hadn't heard it before and we think it might be the worst piece of music we have ever heard. KVrwcG3PV1w Only in our wildest nightmares will we ever be able to guess what heavy-handed, trite 'n' pathetic 'sensitive' scene this soundtracked in Street Dance. And the length! It's so long. It goes on forever, like death. Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:17:05 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4935&Itemid=9 Hello. So we know dubstep isn't really suppose to be amusing, per se, and we know that knocking out pop remixes for major labels is a good way for The World Of Dubstep to keep its head above water financially, but perfunctory dubstep mixes of pop tunes just seem completely hilarious. For example, over the last couple of weeks, we've been cheering ourselves up with the BAR9 mix of Sky Ferreira's 'One'. The bit where the marauding dubstep gloomwobble appears over the horizon at 0:48 is just comedy gold. 0yi6bjVeC2U Dubstep remixes of pop tunes remind us a bit of Johnny Nice Painter from The Fast Show. wj84tfS7ag4 Readers! Have you spotted an amusing tenuous dubstep remix? Get in touch at the usual address (mailto:website.contact@popjustice.com?subject=I have heard a dubstep remix that is amusing). Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:55:20 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4934&Itemid=9 Amazing. (You can still listen again (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnmr) to Kathy Burke's Desert Island Discs - it was the best one since Barry Manilow's (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mtqyr) .) Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:00:21 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4933&Itemid=9 We are big fans of Example's upcoming 'Last Ones Standing' single (the video, if you haven't already seen it, is something of a 'romp' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qklFpvW7IME)) and there are a couple of cool (ie the tune is taken out) remixes but we are kind of in love with Manhattan Clique's bombastic rework. FORkv18G8FI As you can hear, it has an amazing hands in the air moment at 1:29 followed by ANOTHER hands in the air moment at 1:45. This isn't really practical in a real life rug-cutting scenario but we suggest that the best way around it is to put one hand in the air at 1:29 and the other hand in the air at 1:45. Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:41:01 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4931&Itemid=9 We managed to put a lid on an almost daily impulse to be friends with famous people in our late teens but it's hard not to see THIS list of Kathy Burke's Desert Island Discs and not feel the urge to crack open the floral stationery and start scrawling slightly unnerving daily love letters. Of 'Bad Romance', Kathy notes: "when I'm on my island, I want to dance". Listen again here for the next week or so. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnmr) Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:26:11 +0100 http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4929&Itemid=9 What is the best line on the Kano album? "She looks into the mirror don't like what she sees, she's curvy but she wants the Cheryl Cole physique." Is it actually the best line on the Kano album or just the only one that mentions Cheryl Cole? It's just the only one that mentions Cheryl Cole. Fri, 13 Aug 2010 07:29:26 +0100