Danes and Brits and Pop Oh My!

Fight for This Love-Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole of brilliant Brit girl group Girls Aloud is recording a solo album and here is her first single: Fight for This Love. It's a mid-tempo-ish song, a slightly odd choice for a debut single, but it really sticks in your brain and gets better and better with every listen. At first, I was underwhelmed and thought it was pretty meh, but I really enjoy it now. The music ripples and washes over you. The whole song really sneaks up and charms you. It's not an instant club banger as one might have expected from a Girls Aloud member, but it suits Cheryl well. The lyrics are pretty cheesy though. The leopard print pants in the video are cringe-inducing, but the soldier uniform almost makes up for it.

Link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMiy_UsrPDs

The Spell-Alphabeat
The greatest thing to come out of Denmark since the danish is this wonderful pop group, Alphabeat. I first heard about them last year when they were on the UK charts with their first album. Now they are back with a new, sleeker image and a super catchy single called The Spell. I didn't love it at first finding the chorus a bit of a let down, but now I'm ever so slightly addicted. Female lead singer, Stine Bramsen, gives a great, belting vocal performance and the touches of piano just make this song more infectious. Stine (only woman, far right, in pic above) has gotten a makeover. She has darker hair and is slightly more vampy now. Just look at the tank top she rocks in the video (it's very 40's pin-up). Her chemistry with male lead singer and resident tambourine player, Anders, is delightful. Altogether irresistible.

Tidbits

-The Saturdays' new single, the melodramatically titled Forever is Over, will be played for the first time on BBC Radio 1 this Sunday night. I'm really excited for this song which is supposed to be more rock-tinged than their other songs. Their first album was a good debut with some memorable gems (If This is Love and Up) and their cover of Just Can't Get Enough was spirited and fun, but this album will be the real test. I have high expectations. Bigger and better I hope.

-A snippet of Alphabeat's new song The Spell was posted on Popjustice a few days ago, and it sounds promising and super poppy. I can't wait to hear the whole thing. Stine, the female singer, has got a new dramatic hairdo that kind of looks like a wig. It's fantastic though. Hopefully the gang play some new tunes at their V Festival appearance in England this weekend. Maybe we'll get some YouTube clips.

Update: The new album called The Spell too will be released on October 19th in the UK I assume and the single of the same title will be out October 12. Very exciting.

-Norwegian pop wunderkind Annie finally has a release date for her delayed second album, Don't Stop. It will be released in the US on November 17! The first single from the album after many leaks and false single starts (see I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me from last year) is Songs Remind Me of You which has awesome cover art: Annie wearing a lipstick necklace. It's a wonderful image.

-Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole may debut her first solo single on British TV show, The X Factor (kind of like American Idol). Cheryl is a judge on the talent competition. She better be good. Good luck, Cheryl. Hope the album is full of pop wonder.

-Head over to the Dolly Rockers Myspace page to hear a snippet of what sounds to be another delicious and sassy new song from the gals, Boys Will Be Boys. It reminds me a bit of The Veronicas.

www.myspace.com/thedollyrockers

Tidbits

-According to the wonderful Popjustice.com, Danish wonder band, Alphabeat will have a new album and single out in Sept. The single is called The Spell, and from what Popjustice says about the song, it sounds like a winner.

-Leighton Meester has recorded a song with RedOne!! Yay! According to her twitter, it's called What is Love. Please be a banger.

-Kesha's debut single TiK ToK will go to radio in September. Fingers crossed it does well. It's raucously delightful.

-Apparently Dizzee Rascal's latest beast of a summer jam, Holiday, was originally intended for The Saturdays to record according to the song's writer, pop maven Calvin Harris. Holiday would have been a completely different song with The Saturdays doing it. Dizzee has made it his own. Very interesting.

-Last night, on the finale of TV's best competition show, So You Think You Can Dance, bubbly gal Jeanine took the title of America's favorite dancer. I'm glad she won, but I was pulling for Kayla. Kayla came alive with every number she did. Jeanine is very worthy though. Guest judge Debbie Allen (she is hilarious) picked the group number the top 16 did to Calle Ocho by Pitbull as one of her favorite routines of the season. It's understandable why: the song is hot, the beat is hot, and the routine is smoking especially the part with the girls dancing on the tables, kicking the water around. Spicy!

New Music!

Lady GaGa-Poker Face
My favorite Lady GaGa song finally has a video, but it's a little bit of a disappointment, for me at least. There are fierce moments especially when she gets out of the pool in the beginning, but it doesn't capture the raw energy of a party the way the Just Dance video did. I like the part in the end where's she's in the room with the guy, and she's wearing a bow. Her album came out on Tuesday!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdpSmNMg1is

Alphabeat-What is Happening?

Danish band Alphabeat's new single is so good. It's such a rousing song, but I didn't expect you could dance to it. The video really matches the song's energy perfectly. I love the concept of the video, and the lead singer really throws himself into the song. I love that. Around the 1: 50 minute mark there's a great part where they sing "ooooo" really softly and dance around. It's beautiful.


The Saturdays-Work

The Saturdays' debut album was released this week in the UK and from the clips I heard, it's very good. This is supposed to be the third single from the album. It's called Work, and I like it a lot, but not as much as Up which is absolute genius and one of the best songs of the year.

Alphabeat Alert

One of my favorite new bands, Alphabeat, performed on England's The Charlotte Church Show the other night, and they did a cool, funky rendition of Sam Sparro's Black and Gold.