Move over, Little Boots–there’s a new space-age disco diva in town.

Gabriella Cilmi, the 18-year old Aussie songstress responsible for last year’s “Sweet About Me” has returned to Earth. Well, sort of.

“On A Mission” is a hectic, intergalactic neo-disco rave, where Cilmi’s raspy vocals (a kind of crossbreed between Anastacia, the Noisettes‘ Shingai Shoniwa and Amy Winehouse) are tacked onto a glitzy, ’80′s synthesized beat. Add a spritz of Little Boots’ geometric fixation and a dash of low budget ’50′s sci-fi camp, and there you have it: Cilmi 2.0.

The young singer’s sophomore album Ten is due out on March 22, with production credits from the likes of Xenomania, Greg Kurstin, and Dallas Austin. Odds of brilliance? You do the math.

Oh, 2009. What music to my ears! It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…and one of the greatest years in Pop music since–well, since 2007.

Sorting out this list was truly difficult. All I want to do is reach out my arms and squeeze all of these little albums together for one, snugly show of musical appreciation. Honestly, fabulous year in music. It’s totally not fair to list you all in descending order based on quality, but hey…people love that shit. Just remember: You’re all winners in my book!

Well, except for you in the back there. You’re ugly.

Without further ado…

—-

40. Leona Lewis – Echo
39. Electrik Red – How To Be A Lady Vol. 1
38. Rupaul – Champion
37. Esser – Braveface
36. David Guetta – One Love

35. The XX – XX
34. Kelly Clarkson – All I Ever Wanted
33. Amerie – In Love & War
32. Mariah Carey – Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
31. Blake Lewis – Heartbreak on Vinyl

30. Ciara – Fantasy Ride
29. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
28. Imogen Heap – Ellipse
27. The Gossip – Music For Men
26. Junior Boys – Begone Dull Care

25 .Cheryl Cole – 3 Words
24. Y.A.S. – Arabology
23. Amanda Blank – I Love You
22. Frankmusik – Complete Me
21. Annie – Don’t Stop

20. The Saturdays – Wordshaker
19. Little Boots – Hands
18. Pet Shop Boys – Yes
17. Shakira – She Wolf
16. La Roux – S/T

15. Nadia Ali – Embers
14. Utada – This Is The One
13. Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You
12. Sally Shapiro – My Guilty Pleasure
11. Fever Ray – S/T

10. Polly Scattergood – S/T

Painfully under-reported here at MuuMuse, Polly Scattergood’s debut is a weird, warbling pop triumph, complete with broken vocals and quivering falsetto. The album, which brings to mind a cross between Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor, and Kate Bush, takes a neurotic, autobiographical dive into the perils of pills and psychosis.

Just please…don’t touch her.

9. Miike Snow:  Miike Snow

MuuMuse Review

Looking back, the surprise wasn’t that the Swedish hit-making duo Bloodshy & Avant would come up with some brilliant tunes on their own venture into the music scene, but that the sound they would produce would be like nothing we’d ever heard before. Rock, folk, glittering electronica…throw it all in a blender, and there you have it: The debut album from Miike Snow.

8. Noisettes – Wild Young Hearts

MuuMuse Review

Trading in the screaming, carnal stomps of their debut LP, What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf?, the Noisettes have returned–and this time, they’re feeling nostalgic.

Keeping the best hooks from the doo-wop era in mind, Shingai Shoniwa and the rest of her UK troupe have produced some of the best feeling, best sounding tunes of the new century with their second LP. Combining classic melodies (“Wild Young Hearts”) with contemporary production (“Don’t Upset the Rhythm”), the band has once again proven themselves as one of the most innovative, musically intriguing acts of the new century.

7. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns

Bat For Lashes’ second LP Two Suns, is a mysterious, ethereal creature.

Inspired by landscapes and created in isolation, the album is as mysterious as it is compelling, providing enough distant howls (“Glass”) and spooky echoes (“The Last Sound”) to make the casual listener want to flick the lights on while listening at night. At the same time, warm, enveloping numbers, including one of the year’s best songs, “Daniel,” keep the album burning bright long after the final embers flicker down.

6. Peaches – I Feel Cream

MuuMuse Review

What else is in the teaches of Peaches? Apparently, a whole lot more than you’d ever expect.

Hitting harder than ever, Peaches’ went for the jugular on her raucous fifth LP, I Feel Cream. While songs like the Donna Summer-esque “I Feel Cream” and “Lose You” hinted toward a next-level variety of disco inspired music-making, the remainder of the album’s punchier numbers, including “Serpentine” and “Trick or Treat,” have since become instant Peaches classics, reminding us that the real Miss Nisker still knows how to hit it hard.

5. Tiësto: Kaleidoscope

In five words…Indie Takes to the Dancefloor.
MuuMuse Review

It’s one of the few albums that ended up sounding as good on the speakers as it does on paper: The King of Trance meets the voices of the independent music scene, from Tegan & Sara, to Metric‘s Emily Haines, to Tilly and the Wall‘s Kianna Alarid, as well as a few familiar faces (Calvin Harris, Sneaky Sound System).

A stunning, slamming body of work (and a whole fuck-load of fun), Kaleidoscope may not have appealed to Tiësto’s trance purist fans, but it sure made music sound better in 2009.

4. Röyksopp: Junior

In four words…Swedish and Nordic Delight.
MuuMuse Review

Röyksopp is probably one of my favorite electronic acts of all time, and with the release of their March effort Junior, it’s becoming easier and easier to explain why.

Perhaps the greatest definition of “smart pop” of the year, the Nordic duo have combined just the right amount of trickling, fluid electronica, heavenly strings, and pounding bass to create some of most savory pop confections of the year. Couple the beats with vocal contributions from some of pop music’s most accomplished Swedish songstresses, including Robyn, Lykke Li, and The Knife‘s Karin Dreijer, and you’ve got a nearly unstoppable collection of intelligent, dancefloor-ready musique.

3. Florence + The Machine: Lungs

In three words…The Beast Within.
MuuMuse Review

Certainly the most impressive artist debut in recent history, Florence + The Machine’s Lungs is an immense collection of macabre, magical music that transcends the limited confines of genre. Not pop, not rock….just a body of music surging with carnal energy and an insatiable rhythm, all thanks to fiery lead singer Florence Welch.

From the stampeding chaos of “Dog Days are Over” to the roar of “Howl,” all the way into the last, glittering notes of “You’ve Got the Love,” Lungs is as close to flawless as a debut could ever sound. Though the word is often overused in modern society (which is a shame), there’s nothing else that can quite describe what comes out from this album aside from “Epic.”

As time goes on, the music grows even sweeter. Just remember to play it louder, louder each time…

2. Rihanna – Rated R

In two words…Radio Killer.
MuuMuse Review

It’s tanking on the charts, it’s only bubbling under on the radio, and it’s her least hit-heavy album ever. But I’ll be damned if, two months after it’s initial leak, it’s not my most played album of the year.

This is 2009′s greatest “album” album; a cohesive product of media frenzy and pent-up emotion. The odds that this album would even be created are shocking as it is. I mean, here’s one of pop’s most commercially viable, radio-friendly artists, who’s decided to turn full circle and send a big middle finger to the label that created her by making a daring, haunted album full of anger and anguish without a trace of that Good Girl Gone Bad formula. Want to hear another “Umbrella”? Well, fuck off. You’re not finding it here.

Killer, damning cuts such as “Hard,” “Wait Your Turn,” and “G4L,” all take Riri to a darker, confident place than ever before, leading to one of the greatest surprises of the year.

It’s Rihanna’s first artistic statement, and for that, she’s earned my full attention.

One more time for the year: VIVA LA RIHANNOIR!

1. Lady Gaga: The Fame Monster

In one word…Monster.
MuuMuse Review

With the release of a certain single back in October, Gaga managed to turn my hatred on its head, cause me to issue a public apology, and quickly morph me into a full-fledged, unapologetic fan.

While I’ve already gone through it in my review of the album, it bears repeating: The Fame Monster is indeed a monster. Eight perfect slices of hook-laden pop, all wrapped in a delicious ’50′s-horror inspired visual campaign. Murderous live performances, a stellar accompanying national Monster Ball tour…it’s a beast with such bite that Alejandro’s still weeping himself to sleep at night. The Fame Monster is a stunning addition to the growing back catalog of the 21st century’s most important and influential entertainer.

In a sea of gangsters, liars and thieves, of false prophets and seedy politicians, Lady Gaga is the only public figure I can truly hold accountable for having followed through on her campaign promise: She is saving the world, one sequin at a time.

As if there were any question, 2009 shall heretofore be known as the Year of the Gaga.

Whenever a band changes up its style, the decision is usually met with jeers, hisses, lit torches, and angry pitchforks (in both the physical and digital sense).

The Noisettes are an entirely different entity. With the release of Wild Young Hearts on September 21, their second major LP, the band demonstates that experimenting with a new flavor doesn’t have to be the gateway to ruin–in fact, it can lead to the most pleasant of surprises.

Gone without a trace are the crashing drums and carnal, skittish yelps of What’s The Time, Mr. Wolf?. In their stead, catchy melodies, soulful crooning, and a solid retro-tuned-modern sound that walks the line somewhere between Doo-wop, ’60′s soul, and classic ’50′s rock ‘n’ roll. The result? A solid and cohesive collection of tunes as instant and familiar as an American Bandstand “Best Of” collection.

While the whole album is worthy of mention, favorites include “Don’t Upset the Rhythm,” “Never Forget You,” “Beat of My Heart,” and the album closer, “Cheap Kicks,” all of which prove just about impossible not to start singing along with immediately.

Offering one of the freshest and most accessible releases of 2009, the Noisettes have proven themselves now twice in a row as one of the finest breakthrough acts of the decade. Though I’d never gotten around to properly reviewing the album when it initially came out, Wild Young Hearts is one of the summer’s best, and a strong contender for one of the year’s top releases.

To celebrate the release of Wild Young Hearts, MuuMuse is giving away ONE VINYL COPY of the new album! Simply send a blank e-mail to noisettes@muumuse.com to enter. Contest ends on October 15 at noon, when a winner will be chosen and contacted at random.

Purchase Wild Young Hearts for $5 from Amazon | MySpace | Official Website

And now, please enjoy the Noisettes performing their latest single off of the upcoming album Wild Young Hearts, “Never Forget You,” live on The Wendy Williams Show. Shingai‘s quite the class act, isn’t she? Loving the confidence and stage presence. That goes for the band as a whole–it’s nice to see a group that can evolve their sound without sacrificing their quality.

So here’s what I’m really wondering, gang: Is The Wendy Williams Show the new place to be for crossover artists? God, I hope so.

Trannylicious, trainwreck-friendly programming coupled with underrated acts from across the pond in one program…how YOU doin’?

Purchase “Never Forget You” on iTunes | MySpace | Official Website

Thanks to PopJustice for keeping an eye out on things, here we have The Noisettes ‘selling out.’

Hang on to your hats and glasses everyone, ’cause this here’s gonna be a uprising of Ting Tings proportions. Yeehaw!

Band member Jamie laid down the skinny on “Don’t Upset The Rhythm” on the band’s MySpace blog:

Its the first single off the new album,the video has been made and all the new press shots are done,it all looks amazing so its going to be very very soon,i could proberly say end of january but things do have a habit of changing so when we know more so will you

and yes it is featured in the new Mazda car commercial

Capitalist sluts.

Excitement! While quietly perusing the websites of artists past that I dearly missed, I came across a new MySpace blog post from The Noisettes. Turns out they’ve just posted a snippet of their new single on their page, called “Wild Young Hearts.” It’s pretty classic Noisettes work: Hand-claps, crashing drum beats, and killer guitar riffs and vocals by Ms. Shoniwa. Click here to go to band’s MySpace and stream “Wild Young Hearts,” as well as an absolutely killer sample of a song called “Don’t Upset The Rhythm.” I defy my readers not to tap even one toe to that one. It’s level-up type of stuff.

As for the next album, it seems the band’s second full-length effort may be hitting the streets sooner than I anticipated!

The album is mixed.
It sounds brilliant.
I think we have stepped it all up from our last record in every possible way.
The wheels are now in motion with all the people involved with putting our record out,we have a title and a loose release date which we will let you all know about very, very soon.

Yay!

I know I’ve spoken about Madita roughly 400 times now, but her new album was just released on iTunes. Therefore, I took the liberty of reviewing it. Forgive me.

“I’m falling too deep,” Madita croons off of the opening track “Better Brother” from her upcoming album too, released January 25, 2008. Breathy as an Imogen Heap track and riddled with hand claps and spurts of synthesizer, “Better Brother” leads off the album with an electro-tinge of seductive energy and playfulness that threads itself throughout the entirety of the CD. But who is Madita, you ask? Why, what a brilliant question!

Born in Austria thirty years ago, Madita has only recently broken into the music scene after lending her vocal skills on dZihan and Kamien’s acclaimed album “Gran Riserva” back in 2002. In 2006, she released her self-titled debut album, and has since returned for another for 2008. As it was with her debut album, Madita continues to puzzle her listeners with often incomprehensible lyrical choices and quirky musical stylings. Take for example, the first verse of “Love Is…” in which the singer coos: “calling up to prove / I knew my goal is you / tons of butter flew /into slippery moves.” Okay, perhaps one could make a case for “butter” to be vastly metaphorical, but there’s no explanation for her constant disregard for verb tense, demonstrated both within this track and throughout the album. Grammatical nonsense aside, Madita’s music does more than make up for the occasional gaps in logic. The new album is a stronger accomplishment than its predecessor, containing developing maturity and deeper understanding of sound.

Like the album track, “Deeper Down,” the album sways unpredictably between sultry acid jazz to piano pop, similar to the music of fellow electro-jazz music makers, Bitter:Sweet. One of the largest departures within the album happens to be its lead single, “Because.” With a piano chord progression dangerously similar to Feist’s “My Moon, My Man,” some may be quick to criticize. However, as soon as the vocals kick in, Madita’s soulful vocal ability erases any lingering comparison between the two songs. Madita’s vocals are richly powerful; a combination of the sweetly affected voice of Gwen Stefani and the ripping intensity of Shingai Shoniwa, the lead singer of the Noisettes. Throughout the album, there are plenty of highlights to be found, with hardly a trace of filler. “Love Is…,” for example, starts off as a muted paper-thin ode, slowly building and eventually bursting into a deep, pulsating track, while “Fragile” and “You” conjure visions of smoke-filled bars and lounge singers swaying around their microphones. Then there’s “September,” which plays like the Bond theme you’ve never heard.

Part swing, part jazz, and always a bit electronic, Madita’s latest offering is rich in sound and beauty. The songs may be too playful for some and too frenetic for others, but for those with a sweet spot for something both eccentric and electric, Madita’s latest release should not be missed. Look for Madita’s too on iTunes, or pay a little extra for the physical release from her official website: www.madita.com.

To hear selections from the new album, check out her Myspace.

Now for some music you may not have expected. Their music is a cacophony of guitars and drums, frantic and unpredictable. By definition, I shouldn’t like The Noisettes. But I do. And very much so. Almost entirely due to the lead singer, Shingai Shoniwa. Shingai’s voice is reminiscent of Billie Holiday, Etta James, and Karen O at her finest and most vulnerable. Her personal background is perhaps more captivating. She has mentioned that her childhood growing up in a public-works housing development in London has a lot to do with the music she produces. I particularly like this quote: “I think escapism is something that connects all of us. Everybody has their own little soundtrack, and I guess I’m trying to make my own soundtrack to my escape plan. I want people to realize that there’s so much more” (Venus Zine). The songs are unquestionably melodic despite the hellish crashing sounds behind Shingai’s pleading vocals. Have your way with some samples below to see what I mean:

DL: The Noisettes – Scratch Your Name
DL: The Noisettes – Rifle Song
DL: The Noisettes – IWE

Just today, the band posted a new message on their Myspace. The little “to-do” list includes creating their new album and touring the new material. So far, they have about forty songs demoed and ready to go, so an album cannot be too far away. I love their description of the new album’s sound:

note: follow up must be a: Absolutely fucking kick ass, b; but also soulful c; familiar in some respects to what we have done before, d: but in other ways completely UNRECOGNISEABLE but as appealing as the smell of broiling Big Mac’s on the station concourse at Victoria Station at 11am after pub closing e: not rely on the shameful mass slaughter of beautiful farmyard animals that has characterised the former, f: or any dubious non-farmyard animal parts g: NOT contain any songs in the key of ‘G’, h: Absolutely NOT be called “Noisettes II” or … wait… that’s not bad actually… )

Here’s hoping that they’ll follow through. Though I’m personally hoping the aforementioned animal appendage are included in the next release.