Lily Allen's Back In Black

The marvellousness of Lily Allen strikes again. She recently leaked another new demo, 'Who'd Have Known', which apparently didn't make the cut for her new album, supposedly called 'Stuck On The Naughty Step'. So far, all the leaked demos have been very very good. I like the new direction. I like vulnerable Lily. And she has dyed her hair black again. If a throwaway is this amazing, and I'm prepared to be blown again all over again. ('Alright, Still' was my number one album for 2006, fact!)

Lily Allen - Who'd Have Known

Groovin' To Róisín

Groove Armada should whore themselves out to other artists more frequently. 'Soundboy Rock' was a letdown, but the outstanding track on it clearly was their collab with Mutya Buena, 'Out Of Control (Song 4 Mutya)' (with no help from the horribly dull video). And now, they've teamed up with ex-Moloko-vocalist Roisin Murphy for her second single off the new album 'Overpowered'.

The result is glistening with AMAZINGNESS.

I'm finding it hard to figure out if 'Let Me Know' is better than 'Overpowered' or not, however, one thing is for sure that like the latter, it's getting non-stop rotation on my iPod. She's clearly aiming for a more direct, commercial sound this time and she handles it with such class that she never appears to be selling out.

I haven't been this excited about an electropop album since 'Trip The Light Fantastic', and so far, the marketing campaign has been flawless. Just imagine that cover above on a vinyl sleeve. At this rate, lyrics on the cd booklet is no longer necessary as long as they have a dozen of brilliant pictures of Roisin in ridiculous designer's clothes in random normal places.

The video should be bonkers, too, I assume.

I guess you've heard it all by now, but anyway, for those who's missing out, here's the radio edit of 'Let Me Know':

Let Me Know (Radio Edit)

And as a bonus, a live performance of 'Overpowered':

Overpowered (Live from BBC Radio 1 'Global Gathering' 27.07.07)

And here's her anthemic collab with Boris Dlugosch back in 2001, worth a revisiting.

Boris Dlugosch feat. Roisin Murphy - Never Enough (Radio Edit)

'Overpowered' drops this October in the UK.

There's also a free track called 'Modern Timing' available at her MySpace.

*EDIT: The Joey Negro remixes are quite epic, too.

Cloetta Paris

What we see here is not a scan of a grainy, vintage photo from someone's grandma's album. She's Cloetta Paris, the italo disco princess from Stockholm, Sweden.

There's little known about Cloetta Paris for now. The only source of information is her MySpace and she doesn't talk much there. We don't know if Cloetta Paris is actually her real name (in which case, it'd be pretty cool), whether Cloetta Paris is just her or many people, whether she's unsigned or with a label. Well, it's only a matter of time.
Last year, I was quite infatuated with Sally Shapiro, and the resurrection of a short-lived genre long gone that I knew nothing about, italo disco. And now, Cloetta continues to bring the past into the presence.
'I Miss You Someone' is what I'd expect from her, cheery disco beats against melancholic, lonesome girly voice singing sad sad lyrics. I'm not sure if this is just a demo or not, but for an all-new act like her, it sounds exceptionally good and melodic. When listening to the song, my mind painted a picture of this girl who sits in the backseat of a black cab, looking outside, where the city's basked in night lights, and quietly lets out a little sigh (this will work for the music video!). The chorus goes like this: "Take me back home, to Paris and Rome. I miss you someone...". It's just so good that I couldn't get enough of it. 'I Miss You Someone' is one of the best songs of 2007. Period. I highly recommend it to those who loves pop, synth-pops, italo disco, or just plain beautiful music. If you happen to love it (which you should), then check out the rest, they may not be as good as 'I Miss You Someone', but enough to hold your attention until there's more to be announced.


Cloetta Paris - I Miss You Someone (highly rec'd)

Bonus:
Cloetta Paris - Broken Heart Tango
Cloetta Paris - St. Elmo's Fire (Cover)
Cloetta Paris - Save Your Love


Visit Cloetta Paris's MySpace
And if you like Cloetta, you really should also listen to Sally Shapiro.

And it hurts with every heartbeat...

Apparently, it took me about six months to be fully absorbed in the brilliance of this song. Around the time of my first listen, I did not know much about Robyn and 'Konichiwa Bitches' was my only favorite song from her then. To be honest, I was a bit unpatient with the song, quickly deemed it as 'overrated' and moved on. A few months later, as I was strolling down my iTunes library looking for forgotten tracks, this came up. This time, I finally felt the connection, from the lyrics, her vulnerable vocals to the synths swimming under. I guess it's just one of those songs that require you to be in a particular mood to fully enjoy it.
Well, maybe I'm not the only one arriving late to the party. To be released as Robyn's second UK single off her self-titled album, the song lately has been picking up airplay since it was 'Record of the Week' on BBC's Radio 1. And judging by the number of mostly positive comments for the video on YouTube, I think she's just one commercial deal away from a belated, glorified mainstream comeback. I assume most of you have played the original version to death already, so I will just give you three quite awesome remixes. My favorite one out of the bunch is the Tong & Spoon one, which is perfect for summertime, but the other two is just as good.

Kleerup & Robyn - With Every Heartbeat (Tong & Spoon Wonderland Remix)
Kleerup & Robyn - With Every Heartbeat (Meat Boys Remix)
Kleerup & Robyn - With Every Heartbeat (Rory Phillips Remix)

And here's the video for the song, for those who wants to listen to the original version:



Still one thing that makes wonder though, it's clear that this is a collaboration of Robyn and producer Andreas Kleerup, but I'm not sure how it should be called, 'Kleerup feat. Robyn', 'Robyn with Kleerup', or 'Kleerup & Robyn'?

Kleerup's MySpace
Robyn's MySpace

Chungking - Slow It Down

Chungking, whose name made me immediately me think of them as some obese, sleazy Chinese rapper, is in fact, not some obese, sleazy Chinese rapper. Evidence is in that picture above.
Chungking, however, is a Brighton-based duo, which consists of Jessie Banks & Sean Hennessey. They make quite delicious electropop.
My first impression upon hearing the slick, Richard X-produced track 'Slow It Down' is its Goldfrapp-meets-Kylie-esqueness (badly worded, but works).
As implied by the title, it's not so much a nauseously pulsating track. It just works its way slowly, in a snake-charming kind of way. Jessie's vocals are both seductive and suggestive enough to fill the song with sensuality. I can see this being played on a dancefloor, and suddenly people in animal masks, all sweaty, start doing naughty things to each other. It's like halfway between gutter and the stars. Amazing piece of sexy electropop done right!


Chungking - Slow It Down


Chungking is signed to Institute Recordings, and their new album 'Stay Up Forever', which will include this track, is set for an August 13 release date in the UK. Apparently, Richard X worked with them on another track called 'Itch Scratch' but I haven't heard that one yet. Hopefully, the album will sell well enough, so Jessie can hire a new, better airbrusher for their press pics.

Go visit their MySpace for more tunes

Sneaky Sound System - UFO

I was flipping through channels and somehow my fingers stopped at MTV. The Australian Video Music Awards was on. I knew it was on, but chose not to be bothered for the fact that Fergie and the Madden brothers hosted the show, followed by performances from Good Charlotte and, um, Avenged Sevenfold. However, what I was seeing was neither of those crappy bands. On the screen was an afro-haired, fierce-looking woman in a black dress belting out tunes while dancers were rollerskating around the stage. "Must be an Aussie act", I assumed. The song caught my attention, and I swore I had heard it before.
Later, thanks to the miracle that is 'the internet', I managed to find out who they were. The band in question is Sneaky Sound System, and the song is UFO, which I indeed had heard before on a podcast. So amazing was 'UFO' that I kept pushing the repeat button. I searched for some more of their singles, and the more I listened, the more I dug them. Sneaky Sound System makes this kind of storming, catchy, 'outer-spacey' electropop that I just happen to love these days. I highly recommend their stuff if you have a thing for danceable electropop, and if you like what you hear, also check out the quite good Van She Tech remix.

Fave bit: At the 0:48 minute mark, when she pronounced 'beating' as 'bea-yee-yee-yee-ting'.

Sneaky Sound System - UFO
Sneaky Sound System - UFO (Van She Tech Remix)


Buy their cd.
Visit their MySpace.

Electropop Goodness from Roisin Murphy & Nerina Pallot

Two new pop songs from two British women got the PopJustice approval stamp and here is my verdict on both...

Roisin Murphy, the former vocalist of Moloko, is ready with her second solo album to be released soon this summer, and 'Overpowered' is the lead singer off it. If I could describe the track in few words, it'd be Goldfrapp meets Daft Punk. It's club-friendly electropop laced with haunting synths. Though I wish the song could be a bit more singalong, it sure is a tasty teaser of what's to come from her. Apparently, Stylus Magazine's Singles Jukebox has found a way to sneakily let us download the high-rated tracks under the form of a podcast. So thanks to them, you can click the link below, download the 'podcast', skip the talking beats in the beginning and check out the song in full.

Roisin Murphy - Overpowered (from Stylus Magazine podcast)

Roisin Murphy's Myspace

Fires was a fine pop album, and it provided a string of amazing singles that were criminally ignored by the record buying public in the UK. Having seen that matter, Nerina Pallot decided to team up with Richard X (!!!) for a cover version of 'Peg', for she's in need of another hit single beside 'Everybody's Going To War'. And I think she's got another Top 20 hit coming her way! (Let's stay positive, guys).
The result is this catchy summer jam. It's nothing like what you'd expect from her or Richard X, but there's this eazy breezy feel to it and those 'doo-doo-doos' are way fun to mime too. Might not get you at first listen, but it will grow on you. Refreshing for her, but I hope she won't abandon her old pop-rock sounds if this becomes successful. The mp3 is of 56kbps quality (blame PopJustice), but it sounds just fine.

Nerina Pallot - Peg

Nerina Pallot's Myspace

PS. Did you notice my newly-added music player on the sidebar? For now, you can hear Tracey Thorn's beautiful song 'By The Piccadilly Station I Sat Down And Wept' over there!

Stuck On Repeat: Pleasure - Out Of Love

This song has been on high rotation on my iPod for a while now. (thanks to Mr. XOLondon for the heads up!).

Pleasure is the one-man-project of Fred Ball, hailed in Norway. His sophomore album 'Pleasure 2' has been released in Scandinavia in early 2007 and the lead single 'Out Of Love' has been making quite a stir in the blogosphere.
The song itself is a tasty slice of bubbly electro synth-pop, with a very infectious chorus to hook. I love the contrast between the upbeat synths and the undertone of sadness in the lyrics/vocals (by Heidrun Bjornsdottir). It's definitely one of the great pop songs I've heard this year so far. I've listened to some other tracks on the album, including the ex-Suede Brett Anderson collaboration 'Back To You'. But so far, this is the track that keeps me coming back for more and it's just so damn catchy it's hard to leave it out of my head. If my words aren't enough, I should mention that it's Pop-Justice-approved, if that means anything to you. Pop lovers should not miss this gem.

Pleasure - Out Of Love

You can watch the music video below.




Check out Pleasure's MySpace for more songs