Category — Introduucing…

Meet (the) Sirens, a girl group from Newcastle, England. You’ve probably never heard of them, but maybe you have.

The sirens of Sirens have actually been around ever since 2003, although their music has never really struck a chord with the general public. In fact, their greatest chart success was a single called “Baby (Off the Wall)” that peaked at #49 on the UK Charts, though the group did go ‘big in Japan.’ (For the record, so did Jennifer Love Hewitt. Make of that what you will.)

Don’t remember the song? Me either. Let’s review together, shall we?

As you can see, there was room for improvement.

Turn to 2010: The girls are back (can a girl group truly be ‘back’ if they were never here to begin with? I digress), and vastly better than ever thanks to a brand new single coming out later this year called “Stilettos.” You can now treat yourself to thirty seconds of the song below:

INCREDIBLE.

“Stilettos” was produced by Danish production team Deekay, responsible for tracks by JLS, the Sugababes, and most importantly, Paula Abdul‘s global smash, “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow.”

Yes, it’s a bit of obvious ‘modern sounding’ dance pop. And yes, the image and sound are all very heavily “inspired” by Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue. But who’s going to turn down an electro-stomper about a pair of pumps? I mean, come on.

Note: The full track is ALL shades of amazing. There’s lots of talk about inches and stomping and clicking. All good things.

Girls, welcome back. Or…well, welcome here in the first place.

“Stilletos” will be released on October 4 via Kitchenware Records.

This is Kristine Elezaj. She is an up-and-coming 24-year-old pop artist.

According to her official biography, Elezaj is “fierce, fun, edgy, and brave,” which I believe accounts for approximately 74.3% of the total ingredients necessary to concoct the Perfect Pop Star.

As far as comparisons are concerned, I’m seeing Holly Valance with a little bit more rhythm, hearing Heidi Montag with more talent (a bit of Alesha Dixon in moments as well), and recognizing Godney Spears and the Pussycat Dolls as the singer’s most obvious influences.

Kristine Elezaj has some promising songs and she’s made music videos with some fairly solid dancing (see above), but we’re here today to discuss “Warpath.”

“Warpath” is Elezaj’s upcoming single due out in September. It also happens to be amazing.

The song is what I would refer to as a proper ‘trash pop banger.’ It’s basically all about triflin’ men (“man whore”) and revenge and doing the daily chores (“taking out the trash”). There’s a chorus, but then there’s sort of a post-chorus chorus that’s arguably even better. There’s also some swearing here and there.

Now here’s a random list of amazing lyrics, sorted in order:

3. “You’re so dirty–should have known by now you’re a man whore.”
2. “You’re so dirty–should have known by now that this means WAR!”
1. “I saw that trick that you was with tonight / She was Justin Bieber‘s lookalike.”

There’s also a really genius Autotuned, “Disturbia”-esque “AH!” sound after each verse line which is brilliant.

And now, click above to hear an official snippet of “Warpath,” courtesy of Kristine Elezaj’s management. It happens to feature ALL THREE AMAZING LYRICS listed above.

See? It’s a stormer.

Kirstine Elezaj’s debut album will be released toward the end of 2010. For more information, check out her official website.

This is Kimbra, a 20-year-old singer from New Zealand. According to my calculations, this makes Kimbra a kiwi.

“Settle Down” is the debut single from the debut album of Kimbra, Vows. It is about commitment (“Won’t you settle down with me?” “Won’t you have a child with me?”), sung with plenty of hand claps and plenty of silly mouth sounds.

Combine 70% of the look and 30% of the sound of St. Vincent, a bit of Regina Spektor, and the quirk-pop of Róisín Murphy‘s first album, and there you have it–the Kimbra sound. Sort of.

Most impressive of all is the gorgeous accompanying video, which you can watch above.

While there are many, many things to love here–the mannequin man, the glamorous ’60′s plastic sheen a la Mad Men–it is, without a doubt, the jaunty choreographed dance with the twins straight out of The Shining performed in front of the shelves of burning dolls that really seals the deal for me here.

Like all good things, it’s a little weird. Basically, here’s hoping she goes the way of Róisín–first banging out some weird, organic tracks, and then diving headfirst into unapologetic, next level disco.

I expect good things.

My best blog buddies–from Hard Candy Music to Sheena Beaston to The Chemistry is Dead have already spouted on about the singer for months. I just happen to be coming to the party fashionably late. What else is new?

This is Florrie. You may not recognize her, but if you’re a MuuMuse reader, you’ve no doubt already heard her in action.

As the 21-year-old house drummer for production team Xenomania, Florrie’s had the honor of performing in tracks for likes of the Pet Shop Boys, Girls Aloud, and Kylie Minogue. Need proof of her skillz? Here’s a clip of her being generally amazing at the drums.

Currently, the singer/songwriter/drumming sensation has been busy carving out her own niche as a solo entertainer. In collaboration with italo-pop production superstar Fred Falke (a MuuMuse approved mega-favorite), Florrie has churned out a number of high quality solo tracks, including “Call 911,” “Panic Attack,” and most recently, “Fascinate Me.”

As with what we’ve come to expect from Xenomania, Florrie’s songs are characterized by hooky pop melodies, crunchy riffs, and complex lyricism.

With a frantic, breathy delivery similar to Norwegian electro superstar Annie, the singer tackles skittish electronic beats and rapid-fire riffed verses that simply beg to be replayed time and time again. There’s a lot being offered in each one of her songs, making Florrie one of the more intriguing pop acts lobbying for the public’s attention this year.

As the singer does not yet have a proper label deal (WHY?!), Florrie’s been releasing these brilliant Xeno-disco numbers for free on her official website, which you can snag right here.

Additionally, Florrie’s first CD release can now be found on Kitsuné x Ponystep, the latest compilation CD by uber-trendy French record label, Kitsuné, which includes “Call 911 (Beataucue Remix – JBAG Edit).”

With any luck, this is but the tip of an iceberg of chilly Italo-disco cuts simply begging to be released from this promising newcomer.

I cant wait to hear what comes next!

Meet Jessie Malakouti.

Having already established herself as a Xenomania songwriter, opened on tour for The Saturdays, and sung back-up on the Pet Shop Boys‘ latest record, Yes, it’s hard to say that Malakouti requires an “Introduucing” post. It’s her latest musical endeavor, Jessie and the Toy Boys, however, that merits the formal welcoming.

As evidenced in the snippets posted on her newly created website, Jessie’s got a knack for sugar coated, ’80′s-inspired electro pop confections; her voice and sound lying somewhere in between the likes of Gwen Stefani (2004 onward), Linda Sundblad, Kylie Minogue, and Heidi Montag. (The last comparison may sound like an insult, but trust–it’s not.)

Featured tracks including “Push It” and “Hitman” are instant pop stormers, while “Like You Better,” her dizzying electro-fluff take on the classic chorus from Romeo Void‘s “Never Say Never,” bubbles over with glitchy delight, a la Stefani’s “Crash.”

Most noteworthy of all the clips however is “Eyes Closed,” a shimmering mid-tempo in which Jessie laments the fact that her lover’s refusal to lock eyes during the deed: “You fuck me with your eyes closed,” Jessie woefully sings during the choruses, hovering above a slightly sad, twinkling melody.

Now that, dear Muusers, is exactly the kind of over-the-top pop I love to pieces.

Thanks to Muuser Alex for introduucing me to Jessie’s new music!

Say hello to my latest obsession.

This is I Blame Coco, otherwise known as Coco Sumner (plus a band), otherwise known as the daughter of Sting and Trudie Styler.

The burgeoning talent, just 19 years old at the moment, has been diligently plucking away at her debut record, The Constant, for the past five years now. Ironically though, there’s hardly anything constant about it, given that she apparently re-wrote the entire record in the fall of 2009.

The record was produced with the help of Klas Åhlund, the genius Swedish powerhouse behind Robyn‘s sublime self-titled 2005 record, as well as dozens of pop productions including Britney‘s “Piece of Me” and several tracks off of the under-appreciated 2008 Sugababes album, Catfights & Spotlights.

Sumner’s second single, “Self Machine,” is the next tidbit to be released from her debut.

The blaring, ’80′s-inspired beats of the song sparkle with shades of Åhlund’s pop sensibility, yet Sumner’s deeper voice suggests something far darker: “I saw the mirror staring back at me, and it told me I’m a self machine,” Sumner croons, sounding appropriately lonely as she tackles the personal void missing in today’s digital age.

In short: Think a less obnoxious La Roux, mixed with The Killers and a touch of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ new electronic sound, a la “Zero.” The result is nothing short of alt-disco brilliance.

The video for the song was just recently released, which you can now watch above. It’s very high fashion (though I may just be biased by Coco and her gorgeous, moody model friends), a bit magical (floating in an abandoned pool!), and quite beautifully shot all around.

If the two singles hadn’t already won me over, her spot-on thoughts on Robyn (who happens to be featured on Coco’s debut single, “Caesar”) certainly cemented the deal.

From her biography:

She is a pop star worth looking up to.’ She says it as if there aren’t many. ‘She has control over every aspect of her music, from the sound to the presentation to the artwork. It is all directly coming from her. And,’ she notes, ‘she is a bit mental.’

I predict very good things, indeed.

“Self Machine” will be released on July 12. To learn more, check out I Blame Coco’s official website here.

I first heard of Joseph Birdsong about a year or so ago after happening upon his YouTube video about bruised fruit.

I found Birdsong to be both cute and quirky. He seemed to ‘get’ my sense of humor and/or similar neuroses, and so I began following him on and off throughout the past few months while he slowly gained momentum on the interwebs. (He’s now an active member of the YouTube channel, 5 Awesome Gays). We e-gays have to stick together, amirite?

A few months ago, Birdsong announced to his viewers that he would be releasing music. Starting out with the song “Modern Science,” Birdsong began to embark on a goal: The release of one new song every month for an entire year on iTunes.

What’s resulted from these sessions is a kind of textbook example of modern D-I-Y pop, featuring hand-layered vocal tracks recorded in his kitchen and piano melodies translated into Logic Pro.

Birdsong’s tracks are cute, nerdy lo-fi ventures into the same intergalactic terrain as acts like Little Boots and Ellie Goulding, though knowingly humble and cheeky at the same time. With his songs, Birdsong makes no pretense about his vocal abilities, instead using the production to carve himself an interesting, unique musical niche that I’ve come to appreciate and enjoy.

In a few weeks, he’ll be unveiling his new single for June, “I’m Ready.” While his fans wait for its release, Joseph was kind enough to send over an excluusive preview of the track for streaming here at MuuMuse, which you can now hear below:

And there you have it.

To preview and purchase any of Joseph’s music, click here.

Okay, I get it now.

Just in case anyone wasn’t in the know quite yet, Hurts is an up-and-coming English dark disco duo (composed of Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson) who’ve been the subject of much praise over the past few weeks/months in the blogosphere. (See XO, see PopJustice.)

After seeing a tweet from Sony Records announcing the limited sale of their signed debut single, I decided to finally give a proper listen to the song, entitled “Better Than Love.” (I wasn’t kidding about being a sucker for anything ‘signed’ or ‘limited edition’–I’m such a collector’s edition nerd.)

While it’s never a good idea to get too wrapped up in anticipation or hype, what I’m hearing is a mixture of the damning electronica chills of Violator-era Depeche Mode and moments of clever lyricism a la the Pet Shop Boys. And as for the video’s visuals? I’m convinced this is a merely a behind-the-scenes clip of a Louis Vuitton spread set to sound.

Their whole campaign is simplistic, moody, and wildly pretentious (I don’t believe color–I’m sorry, colour–exists in their vocabulary), but I kind of adore everything about it.

Now go ahead and cry your eyes out at the discotheque.

“Better Than Love” will be released on May 24. For more, click here to visit their official website.

I first heard of Tiffany Page a few months ago when I received the rehearsal video for her song, “Walk Away Slow.” She seemed genuine and raw; a rockstress-in-the-making with a touch of Courtney Love. Three months later, and she’s now opening for Hole in the UK. I guess there was reason for that comparison!

The English singer’s new single, “On Your Head,” is a more pop-friendly affair than her other tracks, incorporating sunny elements reminiscent of Santigold‘s “I’m A Lady” and a bit of country and classic rock swagger.

While I’m not at all well versed in the references that should come to mind with Page’s music, I can appreciate the fact that Page is talented, and that her songs are indeed good and catchy. Therefore, she gets the MuuMuse seal of approval.

“On Your Head” will be released on May 24.

I KNOW. I KNOW. SO LATE ON THIS.

Okay, so I’ve been really bad about properly introduucing Alex Gardner, the sensational (and gorgeous) 18-year-old who’s career is being helmed by Xenomania. Since everything Xenomania does is perfect, everything Alex Gardner does is perfect. Think Girls Aloud sung by a dude. Easy to get, right?

The singer recently uploaded a video behind-the-scenes of his latest photo shoot, as well as his current promo tour around the UK, which reminded me that this boy must be mentioned immediately before he blows up any further.

Gardner’s debut single, “I’m Not Mad” was just released on March 28, which you can order from iTunes UK right here. It’s a sublime Xeno production, moody and full of intergalactic synths and soaring vocals. Delicious. And now for the video:

It’s basically a lot of mirrors. Job well done.

Also, OMFG HE’S SO HOT.

I’m sorry. Incredibly unprofessional.