YES. Go to the Girls Aloud’s Myspace NOW to listen to a sample of their essential new B-side, “Hoxton Heroes,” an all-out attack on the Indie front. It’s overdriven, fabulous, and as always tongue-in-cheek, and I simply cannot wait to hear the whole thing.

Fight the good fight ladies. And keep it trashy classy.

The anticipation is simply getting ugly at this point. PopJustice has revealed that Annie’s new album, due in a few months, will include COLLABORATIONS with Franz Ferdinand, Datarock, and…are you ready? Girls Aloud. GIRLS ALOUD. And the lead off single shall be the Richard X produced “I Know Your Girlfriend Hates Me.” This sounds like several scoops of perfection showered in chocolate sprinkles!

I really need to get out more often.

Source: PJ!

In case anyone else is interested in various British affairs, here are the list of the nominees for the 2008 Brit Awards. Oh, if only the Grammy lists were like this. And hell to the yes for Girls Aloud finally getting some well-deserved recognition. Pop’s dying, people. Resuscitation is found only in the form of golden statues and awkward speeches. Anyway, get on with it and read the list, remembering to boo and hiss when needed. Additionally, just in case you thought this list was to be posted without bias, I’ve taken the liberty of providing catty commentary regarding the possible winners within each category.

British male solo artist: Jamie T, Mark Ronson, Mika, Newton Faulkner, Richard Hawley.

I’ll go with Mika, because he is a homosexual and sometimes I feel like we have to work together to beat the system. Also, I know none of the other candidates besides Mark Ronson, who is genius but should probably be more responsible for producing music than performing it (Reading this, Timbaland?)

British female solo artist: Bat For Lashes, Kate Nash, KT Tunstall, Leona Lewis, PJ Harvey.

This is difficult, but I believe Bat For Lashes will take this because of her whole “Björk-ish” vibe. My personal favorite from the list is Kate Nash, however. Leona, I appreciate the Mariah-vival, but I can do without.

British group: Arctic Monkeys, Editors, Girls Aloud, Kaiser Chiefs, Take That.

Uh, duh. Girls Aloud. Artic Monkeys are wonderful at times, but I can’t go and disrespect my ladies. Besides…Cheryl really wants one, she said.

British album: Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare, Leona Lewis – Spirit, Mark Ronson – Version, Mika – Life In Cartoon Motion, Take That – Beautiful World.

Tricky, tricky…I’ll have to say Arctic Monkeys will take it, but perhaps Leona, but maybe Mika. Oh, and Take That had a massive little comeback, didn’t they? Unless the judges get all strange and decide that Mark Ronson’s is the most well rounded what with the collaborations and all. And there’s my hard-set opinion on the matter.

British breakthrough act: Bat For Lashes, Kate Nash, Klaxons, Leona Lewis, Mika. (Winner chosen by BBC Radio 1 listeners)

Kate Nash. Screw you all.

British live act: Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs, Klaxons, Muse, Take That. (Winner chosen by BBC Radio 2 listeners)

Arctic Monkeys. Based entirely on the performance two years ago by the Sugababes of “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor,” which wasn’t on their latest album. That’s all I’ll have to say about that. Unless Muse takes it.

British single: Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love, Mika – Grace Kelly, Take That – Shine, Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby, Sugababes – About You Now, Mark Ronson Ft Amy Winehouse – Valerie, Kate Nash – Foundations, The Hoosiers – Worried About Ray, James Blunt – 1973, Mutya Buena – Real Girl. (A live public vote will decide the winner on the night)

Oh, fuck me. I mean, Leona kind of ate the U.K. with Bleeding Love, which is bleeding onto the entire world shortly. Although songs in falsetto such as Grace Kelly tend to stay in the voter’s mind well after they’ve chosen not to listen to the song anymore. Foundations is brilliant, but I can’t say that it can win over these powerhouses. Sugababes and Winehouse, I’m sorry, but your hearts weren’t into it. I wonder if Mutya feels a bit strange to be recognized along with her ex-bandmates. I hope they get grouped together for a blissfully tense nominee photo.

International male solo artist: Bruce Springsteen, Kanye West, Michael Buble, Rufus Wainwright, Timbaland.

Ummm, give a black man a chance. And by that, I mean Kanye. He’s said it himself. So let’s give it to him. That, and the others don’t really stand a chance when sales are compared. Although Rufus’ CD is pretty lovely.

International female solo artist: Alicia Keys, Björk, Feist, Kylie Minogue, Rihanna.

What are you trying to do to me? You can’t just go ahead and place Björk and Kylie in the same competition and expect me to simply accept that sort of analysis?? I can’t decide. If I had to, I would go with Kylie, because her CD delivered more than Björk’s did. I’m sorry. Oh, but as for the actual winner? Probably Feist or Rihanna. Bitches.

International group: Arcade Fire, Eagles, Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, White Stripes.

Care level decreasing. I’ll go with White Stripes because they make him out to be so damn epic, and they make her out to be improving with each album. I haven’t heard any of their work, and so I am 100% confident in my decision.

International album: Arcade Fire – Neon Bible, Eagles – Long Road Out Of Eden, Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Kings of Leon – Because Of The Times, Kylie Minogue – X.

Eesh. I’m actually more confident in a Kylie win for this one. What a strange bunch to pit against each other. Eagles may take it because they secretly crept up and stole the #1 chart position (for which I will never forgive them) from Britney back in October. I’ll go with my love and blindly believe in Kylie. Because I believe in you, I believe in, I believe in you, I believe in…you.

As promised, I present my picks for the top tunes that did a fair share of tickling my fancy throughout 2007. As a result, my fancy is currently in the process of pressing charges. This list involved a lot of thinking, which is usually against my better judgment. But in the meantime, I shall present the culprits (in no particular order, but just assume any and all Britney entries to be considered first):

Flavor of Life – Utada Hikaru – Don’t be fooled by the CD art. This song involves neither pastel colors, nor rice balls, NOR sheep (a bit disappointed by the latter exlusion). Nay, Flavor of Life was a major tickler during the first quarter of 2007. Floating on top of simple piano chord progressions and string accompaniment, Utada’s breathless vocals made the song both haunting and beautiful.

Gimme More – Britney Spears
I can’t actually describe what happened when I heard the song for the first time, besides a lot of jumping, followed by complete stillness to listen closely, followed by giddy hand clapping, again by intense silence, and then manic laughter. No need to introduce this one. It’s not her best, but it’s damn good. Even the haters couldn’t shake the impossibly catchy chorus. If only she was aware. Come back BB.

. The One – Kylie Minogue
Sometimes I wonder if Kylie wrote this little ditty especially for me. I wrote about this song a few entries ago. It’s timeless, iconic, and especially hypnotizing.

Cry For You – September / I Won’t Be Crying – Infernal
During the lonely winter months of the first quarter, music was a bit dire. By now I’ve learned, there’s only one multi-vitamin supplement jam packed with cheap thrills to fill the void of talent: Euro-Dance! Fun, defiant nothings about getting over him and being the bigger man/lady. September’s entry is more heartfelt, but the vocals in Infernal are much more raw sounding. Equally distracting until the pop wheels began to churn once again.

BUT – Koda Kumi – Wait, why isn’t she lyrically gyrating and riffing nonsensically?? I don’t know, but I think I like it…a LOT. It’s as if she’s trying to make a new sound, instead of regurgitating her songs over and over. Dark, broken electronic beats and vocal aerobics. Now this is the kind of Kumi I want.

Umbrella – Rihanna
We’re tired of it. Accept its brilliance, nothing else to see here.

Declare Independence-Björk
Volta was not good. At least, not to me. Too much ballad, and the ballads were too monotonous. It sounds very harsh and judgmental, but Björk has produced “Joga” and “Hidden Place” for goodness sake. She isn’t exactly dull. This one rocked the socks off of the album, though. Using a new instrument called the ReacTable, Björk elicited electric noises never before used in such an interesting way. Her inherently guttural voice is wonderfully excitable throughout the song. Watch a live performance of this to understand how cool the process actually is.

Bamboo Banga – M.I.A.
I’ll admit. I don’t love Kala as much as everyone else does. I myself am an Arular advocate. But I do happen to enjoy many of the tracks off of her second album. Most notably (XR-2 is perfect, but I heard earlier versions for almost a year already), Bamboo Banga. When I heard the song, I was ecstatic to think that the album would build off of this more jungle-esque electro. However, it just doesn’t flow for me like Arular did.

Foundations – Kate Nash
Didn’t want to like it. Didn’t want to like anything by someone who shared similarities to Lily Allen, but lo and behold, I was addicted. It’s like a much more lemon tart-filled version of Lily, with more tongue-biting and less egotism. The spoken bits are genius, and bonus points have been added for the opportunity to sing with a British accent. A pissed off British accent, no less.

Sober – Kelly Clarkson
If only the album could live up to its impossible expectations, this song would have received so much more deserved attention. It truly is the rawest experience on the album, and one that was sorely misrepresented in the public atmosphere. Though at the same time, it would have never performed on radio. The song is by far the most haunting and riveting song of the year. By the end, the listener’s ears are practically pleading for that oh-so-necessary shouting that only Kelly could provide. But as a favor: Please stop straining your voice so much on every other song Kelly. Save it for the best moments, such as the finale of this very song. Thank you. I love you. Why don’t you call?

True Believer – Dragonette
I didn’t get it at first. But then I kept listening. I absolutely love the carousel effect of the chorus, dizzyingly obnoxious and catchy at the same time. The track picks up and slows down, but it was a great tune to relax with during the last of the summer.

Lips Are Unhappy – Lucky Soul
Around the same time as Dragonette’s release, I discovered Lucky Soul. The throwback -band’s album contains many care-free songs resembling great pop music from the 1960′s. This pleading number, though short, is one of my favorites. The intro is pretty much representative of who they are as a group: a simple tambourine intro followed by the ever-increasing drum lead-in, leading up to the ultra-delicate vocals of lead singer Ali Howard. The lyrics are unapologetically dated. However, the shake-shimmy breakdown after the two minute mark is particuarly impossible to resist.

State of Grace – Britney Spears
Without a doubt the injustice of the year, Britney’s true soul-searching and almost-adult mid-tempo love croon is without a doubt one of her best works. Yet it was left of the album in order to keep the Donna Summer vibe afloat. The song is beautiful and sincere. The background sound is somewhat Bohemian. VERY Ray of Light Madonna. I’m thinking “Frozen”-ish. And she uses words that are way beyond her vocabulary like “transient” (not a stretch, but work with me). You have to hear it. Such a shame that the song was not released. It’s not B-Side material, so I fear this track may never see the light of day. And P.S. I would add nearly all of the Blackout tracks and outtakes to the list, from the blip-filled “Radar” to the over-sexualized “Pull It,” but that would be too expected.

Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis
I don’t particularly find her interesting, nor did I bother to catch her debut album, but I could not ignore the massive success of her first single. Well, except for the United States. But seriously, it was so big that she’s even being released here. That’s hard to do nowadays. It’s a page out of the Mariah hand book, but the craft is immaculate. I know Leona’s voice is near perfect…if only she’d do something unexpected.

Call The Shots – Girls Aloud
I’ve spoken about this track already as well. Haunting, convincing, and heartfelt. It’s nice and wintery, yet I see purple and pink when the song plays. Which may be the signs of looming epileptic episodes. Just saying.

And you, what do you think?

For God’s sake ladies, get it together. You all know it’s not the best track for the next single, so why bother? The song is too low in register! Here’s the Girls warbling “Can’t SingSpeak French” on the Friday Night Project.

You can buy Girl’s Aloud fantastic Tangled Up at Amazon..

And you, what do you think?

My face is being strange today. The muscles next to my nose are spasming, causing me to involuntarily snarl for seconds at a time. I’m not sure why it’s happening, but this wouldn’t be the first time my body did something without my consent. At this point, I can tell that my co-workers are silently trying to decide if I’m trying to be “Mr. Funny” by impersonating Elvis (they don’t call me that, but they should), or if I’m just openly expressing my deep-seated hatred for them. So while I sit here disgusted (according to my face), I’ve decided I want to do a track-by-track for one of the best albums of the year.

Tangled Up, the Aloud girl’s fourth studio album was released November 13th. But if you were a 13-year-old fan-girl real fan, you probably ordered the fan edition off of their website like I did, which features a bonus cover, postcards, and lyrics. I’ll let you marinate on that thought for a moment. More importantly: the tracks!!

001. Call The Shots – The CD opens up with their widely popular second single off of the album. The mid-tempo chugger is arguably one of my favorites off the album. The backing track is dreamy, and the girls sing lazily about being in charge, and pheonixes, and dreams that glitter (These a few of my favorite things!). It’s a big hit in the U.K. at the moment.

002. Close to Love – Another Aloud track with lyrics to kill. Literally. “Got so close to love / I can almost taste the kill / Barely close enough / But I just can’t close the deal” The track is pure Girls Aloud, so it’s obviously perfection. Disco gloss with a crunchy rock punch, along with nonsensical lyrics about needing wood and getting all tangled up. Watch for the breakdown at the end, shooing away the would-be suitors. Fierce.

003. Sexy! No, No, No – With what sounds to be an entire radio’s stuffed into one hellacious, chugging beat, the Girls attempt to conquer this fast-paced and chaotic track. It was a warmly received first single, but it failed to generate much attention. Rightly so. The track is too much to handle. There’s no proper construction…each section of the song sounds like a new bridge. Too hard to dance to, too slow to run to…it’s difficult to place and difficult to enjoy for me.

004. Girl Overboard – HEAVEN. ON. EARTH. No doubt about it. Their songs about getting caught up in the wrong crowd and hitting rock bottom (“No Good Advice,” “Life Got Cold” and countless others) always seem to have a special place in my heart, and this is no exception. I often relate. Euro-trash snyths, and the repeated cries of “Girl Overboard / I thought I had it but
I tumbled.” This is a real mover. Too gay for commercial radio though, probably never be a single. Check out this fan video on YouTube:

005. Can’t Speak French – I must admit upon hearing the track name, I was overly excited. I was a bit too enthusiastic for this one though, as I was left wanting more. It’s a nice, swinging mid-tempo, but the lyrics outshine the production. “I can’t speak French / So I let the funky music do the talking, talking,” the girls declare. Sounds brilliant, oui? (See what I did there?), so it’s unfortunate that the song never really takes off from where it begins. Rumored to be the fourth single. I wouldn’t mind it, but there’s better to be found here sadly.

006. Black Jacks – In true Girls Aloud fashion, you couldn’t interpret these lyrics if you had an Oxford English Dictionary and the Xenomania writers tied to a chair, injected with truth serum. There’s absolutely no sense here, when the chorus comes chugging into this Pipettes-esque stormer, “There’s black jacks running down my back and I said Stop! / ‘Cause I love you, Baby.” It’s good. The best part of course would be the whole “New York nothin’, come and get stuck in” post-chorus yell.

007. Control of the Knife – Is that reggae I hear? Once again, the track title had me quite excited before I gave it a listen. Domestic violence? Count me in. Actually, the track reminds me of “Can’t Speak French.” It’s another mid-tempo, and could have easily gone down the same path. However, the track is redeemed with the fantastic horn solo, followed by the always dependable vocoder to shake things up a bit. And trust me, if you thought Black Jacks was unintelligble, the nonsensical vocoded breakdown is “Got sweet hassle, sweet talking me / got cheap babble, cheap talking free.” WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN? Pop goodness, that’s what. Third single off of the album.

008. Fling – Oh, I knew this would be classic after the very first line. “It’s just a fling baby, fling baby.” Then they all get a bit sassy with their respective lines in the electro-stomper about the various hotties and fellas that they are checkin’. It all sums up to be a glorious ode to adulterous flings and promiscuity, which is simply noble. All in good fun, the Aloud are never expected to be taken seriously. The hands-in-the-air beat makes this one particularly fun song.

009. What You Crying For – Everytime I see this one pop up, I’m always expecting Garbage’s “It’s All Over But The Crying.” This is one of the darker tracks of the album, but it’s still tame. The “You don’t care, it’s cold out there / You don’t mind, anytime” breakdown is a moment of beauty. Otherwise, this is a fairly subdued track.

010. I’m Falling - This took me a few spins to finally “get it.” At first, I was too preoccupied by the distanced effect on their voices during the chorus, but I realized how crucial it was later on. The strange video-game noise that paces the song (I’m going with the sound of a shell spinning in Mario), along with the ridiculous lyrics about…God, I couldn’t even tell you. Either Nicola has a fetish for electricity or enjoys having a man invade her in rather unconventional ways:”And I was sure that if I eva’ had a shocka’ / The same ol’ folks would say go.” Well now we know. It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it?

011. Damn - I’ve seen other blogs refer to this as “Real Life” redux, and I’d have to agree..the beats are pretty dead on. But, just like “Real Life,” this one’s pretty good. Also care free, but it’s got a bit more of that Pipettes-crunch which is a newer concept. The song’s about the morning after a night of bad decisions: “She said ‘Damn! I lost my number and I lost my head! Now, I thought about it and I could be dead.” …I think, anyway.

012. Crocodile Tears – Finally! Some semblance of a ballad. I’m not usually one for the slow songs (takes the edge off my E-trip), but the Aloud have proved to be excellent balladiers (invented). This is really heartfelt…but the word “crocodile” still doesn’t sound natural to me. It’s probably one of the lesser used nouns in pop music today, along with “succubus.”

All in all, the album is wonderous. It takes a few listens to get where they’re at, but hey, so did Chemistry. And that’s a damn good gem. This one is too, just in different ways. Nice job, ladies.

Buy Tangled Up by Girls Aloud at Amazon UK.