Song of the week:
Steps — 'Scared Of The Dark'
You'd have to be a total cloth-eared wanker to get to the end of 'Scared Of The Dark' and not think "fair play, that's a pretty good song". This is a song so majestic that it pulls off a modern day pop miracle: bringing the art of the key change back from the dead after its grisly murder at the hands of Lady Gaga last September. Of course this is a song that sticks out like a sore thumb on our New Music Friday playlist, and all the other New Music Friday playlists, but that's no bad thing at a point when the majority of artists seem so fearful of being skipped that they bend over backwards not to stand out at all.
Wrong of the week:
Alex Ross, Dakota AND T‑PAIN — 'Dreams'
Our selection of this woeful tropical rework of Gabrielle's semi-ancient hit 'Dreams' wasn't a done deal by any means — don't forget, this is a week in which Matoma and MAGIC have collaborated on a song called 'Girl At Coachella' — but credit where it's due, Alex Ross, Dakota and T‑Pain have really pulled it out of the bag with this one. More specifically they've pulled it out of the bag, placed it carefully on the ground and done a big shit on it.
Additional notes:
- Charli XCX's mixcxtape 'Number 1 Angel' is out today; we've included our favourite two songs on this playlist. We're still not entirely sure what makes Charli's new ten-song collection a mixtape instead of an album. We suppose it's just a mixtape because Charli says it is.
- The Louisa Johnson song we wrote about yesterday really is quite brilliant isn't it?
- The more you listen, the more you wonder if in spite of being solid and High Quality the Stargate single maybe needs a little something, probably a better chorus.
- ionnalee's first post-iamamiwhoami release, 'Samaritan', is a decadent pop moment 'and no mistaking'.
- The artwork for Jaded's 'In The Morning' features an owl in a bath robe so make sure you check that out.
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