Mutya Keisha Siobhan - Flatline (preview)
So it would seem the release of the Sugababes’ (let’s not overcomplicate things) new single is very near, although you can never be to sure with the pace they’ve been moving at thusfar.
Either way, today they released a preview of Flatline, their first single in 12 years.
Apart from it probably not sounding exactly like their ’00s output, nor sounding like Wear My Kiss ‘13, we are not sure exactly what we were expecting of it, but we definitely weren’t expecting the Coldplay-ish beats and ‘woh’s’. We’ll reserve final judgement for the full thing. As for now, we’re blown away nor disappointed, but it is nice to hear their voices together again.
The Lovely Wars - Young Love
It’s like popstars got a memo that we’re back, because it’s been raining nice pop videos ever since we announced it. The newest, and our favourite of today, is the 2nd single from The Lovely Wars.
In case that doesn’t ring a bell: it’s the new band of Ani Saunders, one of The Pipettes (or actually The one and only Pipette, since Gwenno left the band).
Although The Lovely Wars definitely got their own sound, there’s loads to love here for any Pipettes fan. For starters, the vocals. We’re ashamed to admit that we were so busy seeing Ani as the ‘new Pipette in town’ that we never quite realized how fond we’d grown of her voice.. or maybe it just never got the chance to shine like it does now. Either way, we love it. Second: despite some misleading synths at the start, the whole retro/’50s influence we’ve always loved from artists like The Pipettes, Lucky Soul and the early Cardigans is still there with all its (literal) bells and whistles.
We don’t think Ani put The Pipettes on a break to go out and do the exact same thing with another band, and there obviously are some differences as well, but the fact that the sound isn’t a huge departure from her previous material shows a genuine fondness of the genre, which we, as fellow fans, can only appreciate.
Young Love is the title track of the same-titled EP, and will be out on the 1st of July.
The Lovely Wars on Twitter
The Lovely Wars on Facebook
TheLovelyWars.com
Catching Up:
Booty Luv - Black Widow
Entered our weekly song chart in: November 2012
Peaked at: #6
We’ve been gone for 7 months. We can’t go back in time and change that fact. However, we cán go back and catch up on the things we really should have posted about. Because they were too good to miss. Because we think you might like them. And because we do love to reminisce.
If there’s any pop act that seems to have 9 lives, it’s Booty Luv. As a part of Big Brovaz they got dropped, then resigned, and as a duo they lost their band name, but then got it back again. Meanwhile, despite their last single the general public was aware of stemming from 2009, they’ve kept churning out singles.
Black Widow is their 4th non-album single, and, keeping with the trend set with their previous ones, it’s once again a little less disco, a little more dance than it’s predecessor. Then again, it’s not 2007 anymore, and this song does sound current, while remaining a true Booty Luv song.
Considering how dance has been ‘the new pop’ for a while now, it’s pretty ridiculous that an act who does pop friendly dance as well as Cherise & Nadia can’t seem to get a hit. Black Widow definitely deserved to have at least a chart position. ‘Gonna be the last last love of your life’ is one amazing lyric and hook. Had this been a Rihanna track it probably would have been everywhere. But it’s not, and so we’re here to remind you of its existance.
FIY, the acoustic version is pretty fantastic as well.
Next up: Another stripped down performance that took our breath away.
Eros Ramazzotti ft. Nicole Scherzinger - Fino All’Estasi
As far as duets go, this one is about as random and unexpected as that Kelly Rowland / Tiziano Ferro one a few years ago.
We also can’t help but think Eros is getting a bit too old for some of those outfits and thát hair, and that the video looks like it was shot during lunch breaks on the day of the Boomerang shoot. But… we actually dó like the song, and especially Nicole’s parts. This is definitely no Cosa Della Vita, but it sure tops I Belong To You.
Catching Up: XELLE - Queen
Entered our weekly song chart in: October 2012
Peaked at: #3
We’ve been gone for 7 months. We can’t go back in time and change that fact. However, we cán go back and catch up on the things we really should have posted about. Because they were too good to miss. Because we think you might like them. And because we do love to reminisce.
XELLE are the world’s first girl group with a drag queen member. Mimi Imfurst first found fame on the third season of Rupaul’s Drag Race, so the drag queen angle obviously has always been part of the appeal of the band. Not for us though. It might have played a part in peaking our initial curiosity, but after we’d seen Party Girl they were first and foremost an exciting new girl band with a killer first song and video.
With their third single being called Queen, and its video featuring various other Drag Race contestants it seemed they were milking their unique selling point to the max. This might have bothered us a little if the release had been all gimmick, no subtance, but this song actually had the tune to back it up.
With great vocals and production slightly reminiscent of Rihanna’s S&M, Queen is a huge floorfiller that should make even the straightest male feel the urge to unleash their inner queen on the dancefloor.
Following up on the mesmerizing, if sometimes slightly scary, video, the american trio released their all killer debut EP Queens, which, unlike its title might suggest, is also quite a treat to any pop fan who isn’t particularly into drag queens. In march they finished production of the long anticipated interactive video for their 2nd single Hologram.
XELLE on Twitter
XELLE on Facebook
XELLEmusic.com
Our 2011 interview with XELLE
Next up: The last last great girl group single of 2012.
