Sophie Ellis-Bextor‘s been busy lately. If she isn’t too occupied poppin’ em out two months before their due date, she’s off releasing singles from all directions.

Well, not entirely: Previously recorded collaborations is slightly more accurate.

Two days ago, the Freemasons announced on the MySpace that their next official single will be “Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer,” an immense, dark disco Bextor collabo many have already deemed quite worthy of following up her last release, Trip The Light Fantastic.

What we didn’t already know is that the song, which first made rounds around Fall of last year, was actually a demo. In fact, the boys are still working out a final version at the moment! With any luck, they won’t glitch and glam it up too too much, seeing as the mix we’ve been given has already set the blogosphere ablaze.

Additionally, Bextor’s collaboration with French DJ Junior Caldera, “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” is about to see a proper release sometime in March. To hear the original version, click here.

The pros?
It sounds a bit like the Paul Oakenfold edit of Madge‘s “Give It 2 Me” in places, Kaskade in others, and includes the line “I just can’t fight this feeling…We should be lovers, we should be lovers.”

And as for the cons?
A bit generic.

Nonetheless, I look forward to the Glorious Re-Uprising of the Great Mizz Bextor.

DL: Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer (Demo Version) (Sharebee)
DL: Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Can’t Fight This Feeling (Mischa Daniels Remix) (Sharebee)

Obnoxious I know, considering that I’ve only just posted the Best Albums of 2008. But alas, it’s snowing…Hard. And when it’s snowing this hard, there’s only one thing to be done.

BLOG. IT. UP.

Somewhere after the top five single reviews, I wondered about how I would write up the remaining ten tracks (read: got lazy). Suddenly, I thought up the genius idea of making my reviews correspond to their song’s ranking in word quantity! And so, the idea has now been brought into fruition. And yes, I’m counting hyphenated words as one complete word.

I’ve had myself some fun. And now, I present…The Top 15 Tracks. Err, well…20.

I couldn’t resist!

Squeezing in…
20. Sia – Soon We’ll Be Found
19. Janet Jackson – Feedback
18. Will Young – Changes
17. Myl̬ne Farmer РDegeneration
16. Madonna – Give It 2 Me

15. Hercules & Love Affair – Blind
Pitchfork proclaims it top dog, but the “coming out” corker merely sizzles beneath the surface.

14. Girls Aloud – The Promise
Slowing down the tempo, the Girls don’t always need Hi-NRG tracks…just some glitter.

13. Britney Spears – Womanizer
New Britney is on a mission, plaguing your dictionaries for years to come.

12. Sugababes – No Can Do
Fabulous track from a fabulous album, the Babes’ sassiest release in years.

11. Santogold – L.E.S. Artistes
Hipster’s delight, mashing genres and crunchy beats. Where’s my skull necklace?

10. Namie Amuro – WHAT A FEELING
Spine-tingling electro reinterpretation, still paving the way for J-Pop.

9. Danity Kane – Damaged
Do, do you, got a first aid kit handy?

8. Sam Sparro – Black & Gold
Slow burning electro gold, never truly grows old.

7. Radiohead – Reckoner
Chanting bliss, especially within the middle eight.

6. Moby – Disco Lies
Purest dance, shame about the video.

5. Kaskade – Move For Me

Easily the finest trance track of the year, Kaskade’s “Move For Me” remains as gorgeously ethereal as it did upon the very first play. Late night synth sounds elevate the track into intergalactic proportions, while breathy, world-weary vocals weave disillusionment in between the beats: “Where do we come from? / Do I know your name? / Doesn’t really matter / In this life, we’re all the same.” Luscious! To this day, my post about the track is still the most searched track of the entire blog…Now that’s saying something.

In five words: Crying at the discotheque.

4. Kylie Minogue – The One

“The One” is, without question, the highlight of Kylie Minogue‘s 2007 album, X. A classic, timeless moment of New Wave warmth and echoey ooh’s and aah’s, the single is the epitome of electro-pop perfection. And despite initial disappointment upon learning the track had already been semi-formed in 2006 under a different artist, its initial impact remains unscathed. In the greatest pop injustice of 2008, “The One” saw a digital release in only a scattering of territories, a phoned-in kaleidoscopic video, and a scrapped-last-minute physical release, completely and utterly gutting the track’s full potential. It will remain one of Minogue’s greatest missed opportunities…We will never forget!

In four words: Love me, love me.

3. Lady Gaga – Just Dance

Prior to the release of the Girls Aloud and Britney albums, Gaga’s debut single was determined to remain my number one track for the year. As simple as it is instant, “Just Dance” was responsible for ushering in a torrent of artist requests for Lady Gaga’s writing skills and RedOne’s electro beats, “Just Dance” is a thoroughly crafted work of chiseled pop perfection. Through and through, the song is solid. I believe I’ve said it before, but “Just Dance” is the first track in years that has given me the “Since U Been Gone” effect–That instant vibe that a track is about to be colossal. Though its rather annoying that the song is only now climbing the Top 10 and gaining national attention (as it was originally released in April), it is a deserved amount of recognition nonetheless.

In three words: Dance all night.

2. Girls Aloud – The Loving Kind

In the Girls’ most tender track to date, this dream team collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys is truly the stuff of dreams (that glitter!). Five seconds short of being a four minute masterpiece, “The Loving Kind” is 2008′s “The One”: A timeless synth stomper intermixed with lyrics of longing. There are dozens of moments of brilliance interspersed throughout the track, though nothing will top Nicola’s show-stealing shouting bits in between the choruses. And sure, they can’t sing it live yet, but give the gals some time…After all, Perfection always takes some practice.

In two words: Love me.

1. Britney Spears – Circus

In her finest moment since 2004′s “Toxic,” Britney Spears takes back the reigns as the true ringmaster of this circus in this whip crackin’, adrenaline packin’, booty smacking stomp fest. “Circus” has already proved to be a massive smash, landing #3 on the singles charts despite establishing a formal release date. Seriously, this is a fully functioning performance piece, bursting with energy, sound, and movement. Was I influenced after having seen this go down live? Probably, but this isn’t getting old for me, and I sure don’t see it running its course anytime soon. Run that ship tight, bitch!

In one word: Perfection.

DL: Kaskade – Move For Me (Mediafire)
DL: Kylie Minogue – The One (Freemasons Vocal Club Mix) (Mediafire)
DL: Lady Gaga – Just Dance (Mediafire)
DL: Girls Aloud – The Loving Kind (Video Mix)
DL: Britney Spears – Circus (Junior Vasquez Remix Edit) (Mediafire)

Here’s a bit of top pop mindedness for you. I received an e-mail a few days ago that completely caught me off guard. It was a brief, if not frantic analysis of Kaskade‘s “Move For Me,” the moody trance track that’s been haunting all of my summer playlists. It read as follows:

Is it just me, or is there an underlying sadness to this song. Or at least a wistfulness. Maybe it is lines 4,5,6. (“Do I know your name/ Doesn’t really matter /In this life we’re all the same”)
Now read “The Love Song of J Alfred Prufock” by TS Elliot.
Here is a link with good commentary attached. It is not 9th grade poem, because hell, it is ts Elliot.
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/eliot/section1.html
Also, I have noticed, in addition to the words themselves and the minor or incomplete chords, the sheer repetition of the phrase ‘Another night out, another dancefloor weighs on me. By about the 7th or 8th time you hear it, you get the sense that her search for meaning and love has been going on for months, if not years.

I was so taken by his sincerity that I immediately went and read over the poem, which is brilliantly written and captures rather familiar feelings of haunting and hopelessness echoed in the lyrics of Kaskade’s shimmering single. I’ve always found a great degree of sadness within the track, and the poem seems to add some possible depth to the emotion. Go on and read the poem as well to see what you think.

Many thanks to T. Johnson for this e-mail, and for providing oodles of food for thought!

Here’s a nice Sunday find I’ve been keeping in my back pocket for the past week! Riding high off of Kaskade‘s dreamy Strobelite Seduction (which is still providing the soundtrack to my summer!) it’s Oceanlab‘s debut album, Sirens of the Sea.

The group is composed of the brilliant trio behind Above & Beyond (Jonathan Grant, Tony McGuinness, Paavo Siljamäki) plus one: Jessica Suissa, an adept singer with a drifting vocal quality that is positively trance ready.

The thirteen track compilation, a side-project by the group, is an engrossing experience. The main goal here seems to be a conjuration of all the sensations of the sea. Granted I’m a bit biased in my love for all things marine, but this album is a quality effort. Oceanlab’s entire album is intricately layered with ambience, echoing sea-like tones and driving pulsations of modern trance sounds. Judging by one of their only interviews, this wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill beat mashing job: “One of the tracks we’re working on right now features a 56 piece mouse choir. We went diving in Formentera too to record some noises from the dolphins.” That’s right, a mouse choir. Not sure where they got all the mice from, or if they wore coordinated outfits during recording, though I do believe it’s the same choir that did the lead vocals on Katy Perry‘s new album.

But back to good music. A majority of the album is, in fact, somewhat slow: The increasingly soaring “Ashes” and current smash single “Miracle” are examples of this. Yet in many instances, the album provides the BPM of a modern club track while retaining a sleepy nature, like the Dannii-esque “Come Home,” “If I Could Fly,” and title track “Sirens of the Sea.” The collection that the group provides is impressively disarming, providing an enveloping nature as fluid as the ocean itself.

To order Sirens of the Sea, please head over to Amazon or check out their official page here.

Seems like just a few weeks ago I was posting about his 2006 release, Love Mysterious. Now, Kaskade has returned to the floor with the release of Strobelite Seduction. On his fifth solo effort, Chicago-based Ryan Raddon makes all the right moves in transforming and evolving the personality of his sound. Utilizing some ethereal textures, glittering synths, and angelic vocal performances, Kaskade’s latest release may just be his finest yet.

One of the finest moments of the album, opening track “Move For Me,” was constructed entirely via AIM with fellow electro artist, Deadmau5, though you’d never guess it. The song is a lush, entrancing experience that captures the entire feel of the album in a span of four minutes. Beyond, there are countless stand-outs from the tracklisting. It’s actually difficult for me to specify certain songs from this album–which is a crushing blow to mediocre albums, and a sweeping victory for high achievers. This one belongs in the latter category.

It’s also well worth noting that the vocal delivery on album tracks such as “Back On You,” “Step One Two,” and “Pose” is simply top notch. Each song’s performer deserves accolades in their own right for their impressive, dance-ready tone.

Perhaps more so than previous releases, Strobelite Seduction performs as a cohesive and comprehensive collection of lighter house and electro samples. Some have even been toying with the idea of Kaskade’s rise to impressive heights among the house scene. Some reviewers have been throwing around names such as Armand Van Helden and Junior Vasquez in comparison. Rightfully so. Check out Kaskade’s MySpace here, and order his new album here.

DL: Kaskade – Move For Me

Did you see it? See? Nothing big! Just a cute little cameo as a nerdy, needy secretary for a tattoo-removal clinic. Nothing major.

But you know what is major? Not only did she manage to bring How I Met Your Mother it’s highest rated episode ever, but last night’s episode ranked as the fourth most watched program of the night. Power of B.

Additionally, Brit was spotted at Alleycat Recording Studio yesterday afternoon. No word on what that was all about yet, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon.

EDIT: According to various reports, Fabolous was called into the studio to work on an upcoming track for Miss Britney Spears! Though they didn’t record together, Fabolous says he was called in by her management to make a track for her “forthcoming album.” After some speculation, fans have come to the conclusion that it’s really just the vocals for the newest “Break The Ice” remix ft. Fabolous, which you can hear right here.

In celebration of things to come, I present a serving of “Break The Ice”-ness. It’s more than you can shake a defroster at, that’s for sure.

- – - – - – - – - – - – -
DL: Britney Spears – Break The Ice (Kaskade Remix)
DL: Britney Spears – Break The Ice (Soulseekerz Edit)
DL: Britney Spears – Break The Ice (Tracey Young Remix)
DL: Britney Spears – Break The Ice (Wideboys Club Mix ft. Riff)

No, it’s not Blake Lewis’ new CD. Looks a lot like it though, doesn’t it?

This is Kaskade. He is currently promoting his fourth solo album release. His Wiki says that he is a Mormon DJ. I’m not sure if thats supposed to affect his beat making, but it sure hasn’t inhibited his selection of music to remix (Paris Hilton? Really?) You may have heard the name from the songs he’s remixed, including Britney’s “Gimme More” and Justin’s “LoveStoned.” But Kaskade has a solo career of his own dontchaknow, and it’s very nice. His album, Love Mysterious, is full of club-ready hits and bright electro-anthems. I’ve uploaded a few samples: He sounds a bit like Junkie XL lite with “The X,” an intergalactic, floating dance track, while the mood moves jazzy with “Distance.” “4 AM” is mesmerizing, like a track off of Goldfrapp’s Supernature.
“Be Still” is probably the strongest track, featuring guest vocals by a lady going by the name of Sunsun. The actual song goes back and forth from intimate guitar strumming to sweeping dance beats, but it’s the tender vocals floating above make it difficult to ignore and tempting to sing along with.

Check em’ out below:

DL: Kaskade – 4 AM
DL: Kaskade – Distance
DL: Kaskade – The X
DL: Kaskade – Be Still

And you, what do you think?