Thanks to a quick hint, hint, nudge, nudge from my good friend over at XOLondon, I was able to come across the five track sampler from Annie‘s album, Don’t Stop. Plus “Loco,” which suspiciously opened for download on iTunes earlier this week for no apparent reason. Regardless, that’s six new tracks for inspection. So how does it all boil down?
“Songs Remind Me Of You” – I was clamoring on about this one last night, and I’m still digesting it in full tonight. A wonderful, storming throb of electro-electricity, hauntingly thin vocal work, and plenty of minor glitches and bleeps. Put them all together in a glittery blender and hit “pulse.” It follows the winning formula that J. Timberlake outlined when “SexyBack” first came out: Create a chorus that could stand on its own. Then, make it your bridge and create an even better chorus. The result is instantly infectious, and a sure-fire win. I’ll be unable to forget this one for a long time. I’m thinking ringtone?
“Loco” – PopJustice was truly on the money with this one. It’s the Girls Aloud track that was never recorded by the girls. “Long Hot Summer” is the most obvious similarity here, but it plays like a true What Will The Neighbours Say? album track. I think this one would be more fun if it were sung by the 
group, but that’s not fair to say really. It’s a 8/10′er for me.
“I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me” – This is the first single. We’ve all heard it before. It’s “Chewing Gum” redux. That’s not a bad thing, but there’s no growth here. You could mash the choruses together effortlessly. Moving on….
“My Love Is Better” – Fantastic, driving beat that acts as another Aloud track that never was, especially considering this was the axed collaboration effort. It’s actually a grower for me. Even though it was solid to begin with, the chorus is getting more playful by the minute each time I listen. It’s a lot of sass, “You know you’ll never/ Have my hips / I’m so much better / So eat this.” Now, now Annie…A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. Or is that her plan all along for her unnamed arch enemy? Dirty!
“When The Night” – Here’s the ballad. Sounds as if Annie is singing through a single stream of dripping water in the last hour of prom night. An interesting effect that brings Dannii‘s “Disrememberance” to mind briefly, as well as a droplet of Cyndi Lauper‘s “Time After Time.” A very pensive, beating track that slips away quickly. I approve.
“Marie Cherie” – A seductive bossa nova-tinged track about a shy little girl that slips away from society. Quite spooky. It works well for Annie’s barely-there-vocals, and brings Emma Bunton‘s cover of “Life In Mono” to mind instantly. Sort of haunting, sort of creepy…yet warm, at the same time. A welcome change from the often overbearing pop ditty-ness of her previous work. A bit…mature, even.
That’s almost half the album–A solid A effort. Next most anticipated album of the year? More than likely, it seems.
Well hey there, it’s the video for the dance song of the week, “Daddy O” by Wideboys!
Things you need to know here:
Firstly, the singer’s name is Shaznay Lewis. Shaz. Nay. Yes, it’s pronounced as deliciously as its spelled.
Shaznay’s got a snazzy tattoo on her tatty and hails from the almighty All Saints. A persistent bunch of lassies though they are, they were dropped from Parlophone after failing to crack the UK with their second single “Chick Fit,” (which really wasn’t all that good to begin with) and have since begun looking for a new label. Godspeed.
The label spent more money on Wideboys than Dannii. Again.
The song sounds like every dance-based reggaeton song ever, except it’s climbing the UK charts at break-neck speed for no apparent reason. Good on them.
Shaz’s voice (I’ve decided it an appropriate nickname at this point) is basically that of Alesha Dixon. Yes, pure cat.
This may be old hat for most of you, but for some, a joyous occasion. When D. Minogue released her super perfect release last year, Unleashed, she included a bonus track in the iTunes edition of the album called “Viva L’Amour”. It’s super slick and hardcore rock & roll, because we all know how the Minogues like to keep it–all metal, no mercy. If you haven’t had a chance to grab it at some point, you’re a poor excuse for a homosexual–and to a greater extent, a human being.
Included in this post, my favorite Dannii picture of all time. Glammy bitch.
Girl-On-Girl Action.
Background tidbits:
Dannii is a judge on England’s X Factor (Similar to America’s Got Talent/American Idol).
I swear, this is my last Minogue related post for a while. It’s becoming an illness, and for that I apologize.
And you, what do you think?
I’m at work. Somewhere between the third and fourteenth visit to Perez, I realized that no one else has followed suit. I am alone in my cubicle, surrounded by dark offices. Apparently, some people take holidays during the holiday season. To quench my boredom, I’m now listening to the almost perfect track, “Nervous” by Dannii Minogue off of her essential re-issue of “Neon Nights.” Usually I am doing my 200 lb. bench presses at the gym during this CD’s rotation, but I suppose a few toe taps and neck rolls in my comfy office chair will suffice for today. By the way, here’s my favorite Dannii look featured in the Put The Needle On It video on YouTube:
On Christmas Eve, I meant to post in detail about the greatest Dannii album of all time. Blame it on the eggnog. I will now quote it in its entirety:
I was driving around town today, listening to Dannii Minogue’s new outtake album, Unleashed, when an unreleased version of the sickeningly genius track “Hide & Seek” came on. As I began swerving slowly into oncoming traffic trying to nail those long notes in the “falling down like rain” bit of the song, I realized with a jump: I hadn’t heard Neon Nights in almost a year. What a fool I am!! To think, I could neglect my favorite albums EVER? The title of the CD alone suggests musical and lyrical perfection, and trust me, it is. She will never do better than what Neon Nights was; this is fact. Sad fact, but fact. It remains one of the most under-appreciated and overly essential sophisticated dance pop gems of all time. Each song is unapologetically catchy. The sounds are industrial and the production is ahead of its time. If only she stayed with London Records. And don’t you damn ninny-fans try and justify All Around the World Records as a real record deal…you ALL know that any Neon Nights track beats 94% of Dannii’s latest releases. I’m looking at you, “Touch Me Like That.” I don’t want to be touched like that ANYTIME.
Buy Dannii Minogue’s A+ album, Neon Nights, at Amazon.
And you, what do you think?
Good evenin’, fellow bloggers and blogettes! I hope you and yours had a smashing Christmas. I know I did. I don’t remember it, but the gifts in my room remind me that something must have happened. As I had hoped, I received the latest albums from the Minogues! Kylie’s X, and Dannii’s Neon Nights and Girl re-issues. Perfection.
Right now, I’m listening to Kylie – X for the very first time. Sure, I’m exactly one month later than the album’s actual release date, but no one in America knows that Kylie makes music right now, so I think I’m still in the clear.
Starting now is Like A Drug. I love the urban beats. I have to say, this really is the perfect release following Body Language (2003). It combines the sophisticated dance-pop that won critical acclaim in Fever, while holding on dearly to the urban edge that Kylie’s record company clearly wants her to maintain.
Gasp! She just said “radar,” like in Britney’s “Radar.” Take note songwriters, the word “radar” often improves a song’s performance, as just documented. I love the chorus going on in this track. Here’s Kylie – Like A Drug:
Oh my God. Speakerphone? This is the next step in electro-pop. All of the sounds and nouns being flung about, it’s so layered and wonderful! This one could make some mean remixes as well. I love the vocoder! Too many people complain that the vocoder is an excuse for artists not to sing. I think it only enriches the song, makes it more fun. I can’t wait to learn all of the lyrics to this one.
Oh, and about “The One.” It’s rapidly becoming my favorite track from Kylie, ever. It’s got everything I need, plus an impeccable performance from the Kylie Show that aired during Thanksgiving break. It’s absolutely heavenly. I cannot speak more highly of this song, so I shall provide the link to watch the performance:
X, though often dismissed by more hardcore fans with years of fan-ness under their fannies, complain heavily about the “try-too-hard” lyrics and sexified overtones; Because Kylie is older now, she should be moving on to more appropriate material, etc. As far as the music is concerned, I have no issues with Kylie continuing to sing about disco moves and rude suggestions. Sure, substance is appreciated, but that’s not what a comeback album should contain. Even the missteps that her fans claimed on the album, such as “Heart Beat Rock,” are a lot of fun. The only slip-up I can see is “All I See,” which is a rehashed R&B jam that I’ve heard many times before. Otherwise, I don’t see what all the fuss was about. I know many people expected this to be an album about overcoming cancer, and while there are tidbits thrown into assorted songs, I have a feeling Kylie had no desire to intermingle her personal life with her pop life persona. Yet another reason to admire both her strength as a person and showmanship as an entertainer.
No, X is not confessional. This is sheer funk pop, and occasionally gay-glam, fooling around with sound and testing the limits of pop. She needed to prove that she’s still got “it,” and she does. I love this much more than Body Language, and it’s almost on par with what Fever was. Next step, another Impossible Princess perhaps? I could only dream.
Please do yourselves a favor and buy Kylie Minogue’s X at Amazon.
Suggested Rating:A
And you, what do you think?
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