You already know how I feel about Queen Cassie‘s game-changer, “King of Hearts.”

You already know how I feel about King Richard X, the brilliant producer behind pop masterpieces like Rachel Stevens‘ “Crazy Boys” and “Some Girls,” Annie‘s “Anthonio” and “Songs Remind Me Of You” and Will Young‘s Echoes.

The two have now joined together in the form of Richard X’s long anticipated remix of “King of Hearts,” and I just…

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~BLAH BLAH BLAH, LOOK AT ME: MY NAME’S WILL YOUNG AND I JUST RELEASED THE PERFECT VIDEO FOR THE PERFECT LEAD SINGLE FROM MY (PROBABLY) PERFECT UPCOMING FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM BUT I’M LIKE TOTES BORED RIGHT NOW SO I THINK I’LL JUST RELEASE A SONG THAT ISN’T EVEN ON MY ALBUM FOR FUNZIES JUST BECAUSE I CAN. PS: I LOOK TOTALLY FLAWLESS ON THE COVER ART, LOLOLZ.~

And that–if I had to guess–is exactly what flashed through Will Young’s mind before unleashing the completely free, completely amazing Pascal Gabriel co-penned (Rachel Stevens, Kylie Minogue) “The Way I See” onto Amazon.co.uk today.

The song is nothing short of a flawless pop gem: It sounds a bit like if you cracked open Britney‘s “Scary” and poured the bright ’80′s synthesizers into a bowl of Rachel Stevens’ Come & Get It, smoothed the mix over a lush Sophie Ellis-Bextor disco-encrusted mold and then sprinkled some sweet, sweet Will Young crooning on top to garnish.

Mmm…I’m going to be stuffing my face with this one for a while. Echoes truly cannot arrive soon enough!

DL: Will Young – “The Way I See”

Echoes will be released on August 22. (iTunes UK)

Straight boy lust? Join the club.

Inspired by 1956′s classic Trapeze, the UK’s original Pop Idol Will Young finds himself strapped into some spandex and swinging on poles (of the gymnastics variety, that is) in the gorgeous video for his new Richard X-produced single (and one of my favorite tracks of 2011), “Jealousy.”

Along the way, the singer remains hopelessly devoted to a sexy, strapping young hunk of ambiguous sexual orientation spending all his time twirling about with some blonde bimbo (okay, so he’s totally straight but no one wants to admit it).

With all the choreography, underlying sexual tension and crazy stalker ‘feathers-are-sprouting-from-my-skin’ eyes he’s supplying, Young is serving some major Black Swan realness in this clip! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SWEET WILL?!

But wait–a stolen glance at the trapeze! Is it love? A bittersweet fantasy? Trust me, Will: If it’s anything like I’ve ever experienced, grab a bottle of wine and quit while you’re ahead: It looks (and feels) like a whole lot of jealousy to me.

Like the single, Young’s highly anticipated fifth studio album Echoes–due out on August 22–was produced entirely by electro-pop extraordinaire Richard X (Annie, Goldfrapp, Sophie-Ellis Bextor), along with co-writing credits from some of pop’s cutting edge scribes. Accordingly, the album finds Young breaking into new territory by incorporating dance and electronica elements. From the album’s press release:

Will has sidestepped some of his traditional sounds to move more into the world of electronic music, making an album of sophistry and gentility that pulses with the undercurrents of the dance-floor. The sweeping strings and key changes of his hit ballads have made way for synthesised melody, towards something sparer and more controlled. ‘I had to learn to undo my musical muscle memory,’ he explains. ‘To allow space into the music.’

Will has written all but one song on ‘Echoes’ along with a personally assembled roll call of collaborators including Jim Eliot & Mima Stilwell (Kylie), Andy Cato (Groove Armada) and Pascal Gabriel (Ladyhawke).

One of my most anticipated albums of the year? Oh, methinks yes.

“Jealousy” will be released on August 21. (iTunes UK)

And now for something completely amazing.

“Jealousy” is the lead single from Will Young‘s fifth studio album Echoes, which is due to be released in late August–nearly a decade after his win on the UK’s Pop Idol.

Produced by one of Brit-Pop’s very best, Richard X (Rachel Stevens, Sugababes, Annie), “Jealousy” is a haunting torch song of sorts, equipped with a dreamy, inoffensive electronic throb–or, as The Guardian so astutely put it, “polite dance music.”

Like all other perfect pop songs, “Jealousy” has all the makings of a proper “sad disco” stomper: Chilly vocals, unrequited love and a pulsating, shimmering beat. Young’s haunting, echoed vocals evoke a certain kind of ’90′s affect–something like a cross between Annie Lennox and Billie Myers–set atop warm, dreamy synthesizers that would have M83 beaming.

“I’m tired of waiting / I’m tired of thinking / And it feels like jealousy,” Young cries out.

And while it does indeed feel like jealousy, it also feels like an instant classic.

“Jealousy” will be released on August 21. (iTunes UK)

Breathe in, breathe out.

Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Londontown, there lived (lives, but now in L.A.) an enchanting Jewish pop princess named Rachel Stevens recorded one of the best electro-pop records of the 21st century in 2005: Come And Get It.

“Nothing In Common” is one of the earliest known recordings from Stevens’ Come And Get It sessions with British purveyor of all things Pop Perfection, Richard X (Sugababes, Annie). As is widely known in popular Stevens lore, the song has never seen the light of day.

Until today, that is.

“Nothing In Common” is a stunning, chilly electro ballad that finds the former S Club 7 crooner lamenting a relationship limping on its last legs: “So we play to the crowd every time we step out / We sit at opposite ends of the table,” she sadly masquerades.

Apart from the gorgeous sad disco production throughout, the subtle Pet Shop Boys-esque tribal beats that bang before the blink-and-you-miss-it bridge (Stevens’ distant howl of “Who are we fooling?”) are a particularly brilliant touch.

Although it’s clear that the song was never mixed to final form, “Nothing In Common” would have made for a perfect addition to the already flawless tracklisting of Stevens’ second studio album.

And now, MuuMuse presents: “Nothing In Common.”

Nothing In Common (Demo) by muumuse

And now, I DIE.

Come And Get It was released in 2005. (iTunes)

Well, here’s one press release I never saw coming!

Sophie Ellis-Bextor‘s long awaited, much anticipated fourth studio album has finally been granted a solid release date in the UK: June 6.

On the same day, La Bex will release her latest single “Starlight,” an utterly lush mixture of chilly vocals and warm Italo-disco pulsations that first leaked a few weeks ago.

Haven’t heard it yet? Click below to hear the upcoming single streaming in full, courtesy of Purple Entertainment!

And now, the full press release:

Sophie Ellis-Bextor will release new single ‘Starlight, the follow-up to the international hit ‘Not Giving Up On Love’, on 6th June followed by her new album ‘Make A Scene’ on the same day.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor is back with album number four, after baby number two, looking and sounding better than ever. With a sound that is a mixture of pop, Disco, Nu-Disco and 1980s electronica, Sophie Ellis-Bextor has become established as a multi-platinum selling artist over the past decade. With hit singles such as ‘Take Me Home (A Girl Like Me), ‘Get Over You / Move This Mountain’ and ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ under her belt, Sophie still remains one of today’s most exciting British female solo artists.

‘Starlight’ is a perfect chilled dance anthem that is instantly catchy with a soft but edgy beat. It is a track that can easily take you from sun lounger by day to nightclub by evening and is the perfect summer anthem.

Sophie’s new album ‘Make A Scene’ is an exciting and energetic pop juggernaut on which Sophie was heavily involved with all parts, including co-writing much of it and working with an in-demand team of writers and producers that includes Freemasons, Greg Kurstin, Calvin Harris, Cathy Dennis, Metronomy, Richard X and Armin Van Buuren.

Two songs on the record come from the renowned Freemasons. The first, ‘Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)’ was not just a massive success in the UK but also went on to become one of Sophie’s biggest successes on the continent, particularly Russia where it reached number two in the chart. The second song is the single ‘Bittersweet’ which is a euphoric and emotive epic track with dramatic drum machines and cold eighties synths.

The albums opener ‘Revolution’ was written with Greg Kurstin (Kylie, Lily Allen and Ke$ha) and Cathy Dennis and with its catchy gritty bass and crunching beats it is the perfect upbeat introduction to ‘Make A Scene’. Sophie also worked with Calvin Harris on the album on track ‘Off & On’ which is an edgy, electro track which has the trademark Calvin Harris sound mixed with Sophie’s smooth vocals, and is sure to be a hit.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor emerged ten years ago with rare poise amidst the most memorable chart scuffle since Brit pop. ‘Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)’ with Italian producer Spiller, her debut solo release (after splitting with rock band The Audience), has recently been awarded the astonishing accolade of the decade’s most played track on radio.

Sophie will be touring the UK this summer alongside both Erasure and Bryan Ferry as well as performing at a host of boutique UK festivals.

I’M SO EXCITED!

God, I love press releases. New photo alert!

Sophie Ellis-Bextor‘s fourth studio album, now titled Straight Through the Heart, will be released this summer.

Along with the new Freemasons produced single “Bittersweet,” the album will include tracks with Calvin Harris, Richard X, Metronomy, Liam Howe from the Sneaker Pimps and Cathy Dennis. There will also be another new Freemasons collaboration on the album.

No word on whether or not “Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)” will make the album, but its lack of mention makes me suspect that it will not see the final tracklisting.

This album is going to be without flaw.

Fun fact in advance: This post was inspired by the fact that
I absolutely had to post this new photo. Vavavoom!

From Sophie’s new-and-improved website:

The first single is released early April. It’s called `Bittersweet’ and with it I have once again collaborated with the lovely and very talented Freemasons. It’s a good introduction to the fourth album because, as with the majority of the record, it’s a song you can dance to. The new tracks feature collaborations with Calvin Harris, Metronomy, Cathy Dennis, Richard X and Ed Harcourt. It’s been a lovely experience to make this album and I am so looking forward to sharing it with you all.

As we’ve come to find out, Bextor recorded the track while undergoing a rare condition known as BPO, or Brilliant Producer Overload. The song was written by the Freemasons (“The One,” “Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)”), Richard Biff Stannard (“Love At First Sight,” “New York City Lights”) and Hannah Robinson (“Chewing Gum,” “Me and My Imagination”), according to her newest post.

I am beyond excited by the very possible chance that “Bittersweet” will consist of Sophie monotoning the word “Biii-tahhh-sweeet” over a thumping, sparkly Freemasons synthesized beat.

Furthermore, I am beyond ready to hear something that can be described as nothing less than ‘amazeballs.’