FIRST LISTEN!! Katy Perry - Prism

In a promo for Prism, we saw Katy Perry burning her iconic "California Girls" wig. A fairly bold commercial statement, given the colossal success of her consciously sickly sweet Teenage Dream record, but then the ultra-poppy "Roar" seemed like something of a back-track. Was the wig-burning just a red herring, an empty statement to cover up the fact that Prism is just in fact Teenage Dream Pt.2?

With Idolater kindly streaming the record in the days leading up to the release of Prism, I gave Katy Perry's third record a listen to see just how much Katy Perry has managed to shake off her teenage dreams, or whether she's still the same old California girl.

- TRACK BY TRACK -

ROAR
"Roar" is a rare thing. It's a song that's so immediate that you get sick of it very quickly, but then after constant exposure it grows on you again. A boomerang-grower of sorts. Totally feel good, would've fit on Teenage Dream perfectly. When the final chorus hits, it's a joyous ray of sunshine that only a Katy Perry song really manages to pull off.

LEGENDARY LOVERS

Awesome bhangra vibe to this one. Thanks to "Wide Awake", we know Katy can pull off a dark pop ballad, and "Legendary Lovers" is no exception. There's a hint of Florence and the Machine in the tribal pounding of the chorus.

BIRTHDAY
Disco guitars begin a song called "Birthday", and we're wondering when this 'dark' Katy is going to appear. No complaints though, as "Birthday" is catchy and Madonna-esque. A little bit anonymous, but good fun none the less. "It's time to bring out the big balloons, I'll get you in your birthday suit..." - Good to see she's still as subtle as ever.

WALKING ON AIR

Good ear for trends Katy! "Walking On Air" shamelessly ticks every early 90s rave revival box, and it strangely suits her. It sounds a BIT like Cher at times, but it has enough choppy samples to just about ensure it's the right side of cheesy.

UNCONDITIONALLY
Something for Teenage Dream Katy fans. After "Walking On Air", "Unconditionally" unfortunately comes off as filler. Despite Katy's trademark melodramatic yelping, it never quite grabs your interest on such an ambitious record.

DARK HORSE FT. JUICY J

The track that's caused the most buzz, the "Trap-pop" track, is actually relatively tame. The verses succeed in being relatively sexy and sleek thanks to Katy's breathy vocal, but the track never quite goes anywhere. "Dark Horse" is still too pop-cautious to really create the vibe it thinks it has. Saying this, in a club, this would probably be a different matter.

THIS IS HOW WE DO
A bit of a Skrillex edge to the production, and a late 90s R&B edge to the songwriting, and as much of a car-crash as this could've been it actually turns out to be a highlight of the record. Typically dorky Katy Perry lyrics, and like "Walking On Air", she sounds like she's genuinely having fun. Could've done without the "shout out" middle 8 however. Save it for the arena Katy.

INTERNATIONAL SMILE

A nu-disco sound on this one. Sounds like it was produced by the French Dr Luke, and it's gorgeous. Manages to be "lush" in a way that Katy never managed before, and it's another highlight. My god, even the keyboard solo works.

GHOST
Starts off promisingly with warm, bubbling synths, but it's ruined once it decides to go off on a techno tangent. It sounds like a Teenage Dream b-side. Shame, everything was going so well.

LOVE ME

Another one of Katy's ballads-with-a-beat that I'm really not fond of, but it wins me over once the chorus hits. It has a pretty and understated melody sung majestically by Katy, and the steady rolling drums and Avicii-lite pianos make it subtly epic in a way that we've not seen Katy pull off before.

THIS MOMENT
Oh hi Robyn, I didn't know you were at the Prism party! Chill, the Swedish popstress is not featured, but the burbling bassline and jittery electro beat on "This Moment" are straight from Body Talk. Shame the track itself isn't anything special.

DOUBLE RAINBOW

More elements of Swedish pop on this one too, dare-I-say a hint of bands like MS MR and CHVRCHES. It's pleasant, but where a band like MS MR would keep things exciting with their raw energy, Katy's voice and the production are both just too polished on "Double Rainbow" to really pull this off.

BY THE GRACE OF GOD
It's a ballad, would you have guessed? There's not a lot to say about this, you could interchange this with "Pearl" on Teenage Dream and it would still fit. If you like Katy Perry ballads, you'll love this. It's very "Wide Awake".

SPIRITUAL (BONUS TRACK)

Katy goes a bit Massive Attack, and bloody hell it works. It's surprisingly UK trip-hop sounding, with another one of Katy's new found subtle vocals. It could've easily made the non deluxe Prism better by punctuating it's mid-end album semi-slump.

IT TAKES TWO (BONUS TRACK)
A throwback to One Of The Boys with it's piano and guitar singer/songwriter based approach, which is quite refreshing. It's not spectacular, but a nice reminder that Katy is more than just a pop singer, she's an artist.

CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES (BONUS TRACK)

Another epic Europop number, and probably stronger than its sound-siblings "Double Rainbow" and "This Moment" that actually made the record. Katy does a great job, but I'd actually love to hear Florence Welch sing this. Maybe it's time for Katy to start giving away some tunes?

- VERDICT -

The experimentation on Prism is it's greatest asset, and a risk that has been taken cautiously but not timidly. As a result, it's not only her best record but probably the best pop album by a major artist this year.

It's not without it's flaws. The album's phenomenal party hits are bunched together in the first half of the record, leaving the much subtler tracks exploring her spirituality to unfold one after another in the second half, until the record fades out with a whisper, when it began with a "Roar". The weaknesses in Prism are amplified by this emphasized duality, and a more diverse track order could've distracted.from this. At 13 tracks non-deluxe, a couple of tracks could've been omitted also.

I should probably make it clear I'm nit-picking at what is essentially the most exciting pop record in years. It manages to juggle a fair few sure-fire hits with an artistic progression that has eluded her peers such as Rihanna and Britney Spears. Bear in mind this is Katy's 3rd record, whilst Rihanna and Britney are each approaching their 8th, neither of them with much artistic integrity to show for it.

Prism may be a hit and miss record, and perhaps a little self-indulgent when compared to the tight-commercial-mindedness of Teenage Dream, but it gives us hope that Katy could still be going and evolving in 10, even 20 years. With Prism, Katy Perry has just taken her first step out of pop stardom towards potential pop legend status. It'll be a long road, so don't let us or yourself down Katy.

- Joe Copplestone, 19/10/13
@JoeCopplestone

#GiveXFactorAChance: If Joe Copplestone was mentoring "Love and Heartache" week...

It's "Love and Heartbreak" week this week. A total cop-out week if you ask me, surely resulting in a nauseating stream of power ballads, tearful "personal" confessions and subsequent standing ovations from judges. However, such a broad spectrum surely makes it easy to choose the right songs - belty for belters, romantic for the crooners, and adorable for the young'uns. However, there's absolutely scope to pick a disastrous song too. 

So judges, if you're reading, I'm throwing you a lifeline. Here are the songs you need to make sure your acts break a few hearts. You're welcome.

LOUIS WALSH

The odds of Louis going down a tasteful route with this theme are laughable, but his boys could definitely do with a bit of stripped down singer/songwriter credibility this week.

LUKE FRIEND

Ed Sheeran - "U.N.I"

After singing a song totally beyond his emotional understanding last week, Ed Sheeran's university breakup song could allow Luke to tap into emotions much more relevant to his age group. Sadly, the odds of Louis having even heard this song are slim to none.

NICHOLAS MCDONALD

Keane - "Somewhere Only We Know"

Since Nicky is destined to be a mini-crooner with or without Louis, and I think this watery, inoffensive indie anthem would to be a good song to show off his range and keep him on the right side of cheesy.

SAM CALLAHAN

Coldplay - "The Scientist"

This could allow Sam to go back to basics after the shaky, over-energetic performance last week. Singing standing still with a guitar would allow him to concentrate on his vocal, a much needed endevour, and even flex his falsetto muscle. How well he'd do would remain to be seen, but it's a gorgeous song that surely no half decent singer could screw up.

SHARON OSBOURNE

After having two acts in the bottom two last week, Sharon could do with some sure fire vote-winning performances. But her two acts are in very different places, needing very different approaches...

SAM BAILEY
Roberta Flack - "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"

Just the idea of Sam singing this is breathtaking. To hear her try something a little less dramatic and more heartbreaking would also allow her to show us not just her physical range but her emotional range, which has yet to really be stretched any further out than "melodramatic".

SHELLEY SMITH

Beyonce - "Love On Top"

After 2 very serious performances last week leaving voters a bit uninterested, Shelley doing an uptempo, modern and fun song like "Love On Top" could remind us of the theatrics and personality that set her aside from being just-another-Over. I'm pretty sure her odds of surviving another flashvote are pretty much zero.

GARY BARLOW

Choosing love songs for groups can end up terribly sappy and often dull, so it's time for Gary to get creative to save his acts.

KINGSLAND

One Direction - "Little Things"
I assure you I am not a fan of this song. BUT, I think it's time Kingsland showed off a little bit of boyband diversity. If they can pull of a shitty sitting on stools ballad, they can pull off anything. Plus the 1D fan votes would definitely save them from a tricky week for them.

MISS DYNAMIX

Beyonce - "Irreplaceable"
After their anonymity last week, the girls could do with a song that allows them to display a little swagger in their heartbreak rather than a ballad that drowns them.

ROUGH COPY

Justin Timberlake - "My Love"
Allowing the boys to be sexy rather than big babies for once would be refreshing. They could definitely get hearts racing with the right routine for this.

NICOLE SCHERZINGER

Traditionally, any theme involving "Love" is easy for the Girls catagory, as they can just play the vulnerability card. Nicole's pretty much got this in the bag, but I have some interesting choices nonetheless... 

ABI ALTON

The xx - "Angels"

This would be a huge risk, but if Abi could pull off a haunting piano version of this, she would increase her credibility three-fold.

HANNAH BARRETT
Rihanna - "Stay"
A safe choice, but one that will allow Hannah to play up to her sob story (any one of them!) as well as lend her deep, husky voice to a song that Rihanna herself sings so nasally.

TAMERA FOSTER

Drake - "Marvin's Room" (JoJo Version)
This would be seriously cool, but a definite no-go - JoJo has a potty mouth. I still feel I know nothing about this girl, so this is a song I feel would play well with her image and allow her to show off a vulnerable side. She has support for some reason, so I figure she doesn't need a belter.

- Joe Copplestone, 18/10/13

@JoeCopplestone

#POPDAR - Bossy Love, Mercedes, Lea Lea

Bossy Love - Wind Me Up

By chucking her sugary AlunaGeorge-esque vocal over a jittery beat and dubby brass hook, Bossy Love is onto a winner with "Wind Me Up". If the idea of AlunaGeorge collaborating with Major Lazer excites you (as it does me), then Bossy Love WILL be your thing no question.

For Fans Of: AlunaGeorge, Wild Belle, Dirty Projectors





Mercedes - Full Tilt

Mercedes is a young UK rapper with ambitions of a US sound. With the creativity of Azealia Banks and the bite of Angel Haze, the early 90s Beastie Boys rave-vibe of "Full Tilt" could well be Mercedes' very own "212".

For Fans Of: Azealia Banks, Angel Haze, Beastie Boys






Lea Lea - Wonderer
Lea Lea (Pronounced Li Li? Le-ah Le-ah?) brings some East London edge to some ultra-sleek back-to-basics South London dubstep. Her voice is light and husky, bringing to mind Lauryn Hill and perfect for this kind of R&B/dubstep crossover. Benga would kill to work with this girl, and indeed, boost up the bass a bit, and you could be fooled into thinking that "Wonderer" was that very collaboration.

Her self titled debut album is out now.

For Fans Of: Delilah, Katy B, Lauryn Hill

- Joe Copplestone, 16/10/13

Give X Factor A Chance - Live Shows 1

As of today, GivePopAChance! will be giving you our take on the week to week triumphs and tragedies of the UK X Factor's live shows. We'll be sharing our thoughts on the performances, judges' comments, the winners and losers each week and finally offering up a weekly ranking of all the contestants from Win to Bin.

Despite somewhat mediocre 2013 Auditions, Boot Camp suddenly showed an inundation of talent out of the blue that hadn't been represented in the first stages. But cut forward to the first week of live shows, and we're missing the stunning voices of Paul Akister, Ryan Mathie, and Zoe Devlin, and instead watching the foundation-lathered faces of Sam Callahan and Luke Friend grinning at us as each week. So basically, business as usual at X Factor headquarters. 

Saying that, with the stunning pipes of the Over-25s and a couple of way-above-par boybands overshadowing the surprisingly weak boys and girls, this year boasts no clear front-runner. However, despite this promise, the opening live weekend of X Factor UK 2013 gets off to a shaky start.

- SATURDAY NIGHT - 

The judges dress weirdly for a start, Sharon and Nicole looking like curtains and Gary looking like a sad divorced man on the pull without a tie, and they end up bring more cringe-factor than the contestants. Sharon is overbearing and excruciatingly camp, Gary still has the appeal of a wet fish and Louis is as clueless as ever. Caroline Flack hosting a painful backstage segment doesn't help matters (probably to get her cougar-claws into Sam C and Kingsland). 

Nicole's melodramatic and inappropriate comments luckily still provide some entertainment, and despite their total inability to give decent feedback to contestants, Sharon and Louis' friendship is strangely heartwarming, and even amusing. Thank God for Dermot though, whose subtle digs at the judges and the programme itself keep proceedings at least slightly grounded.

An X Factor 80s Night surely sends a collective groan across the UK, suggesting predictable choices from Louis and Sharon, at least a dozen songs you wish would just stay in the 80s, and tough weeks for some contestants whilst totally suited for others. However, as the night progressed, some of our favourites let us down, and those we'd written off re-introduced themselves in a brand new light. Read what Joe Copplestone thought of the contestants below, with marks out of ten for song choice, vocal and performance.

HANNAH BARRETT

Hannah played it safe

Hannah is X Factor producer's dream contestant - a constant crier with a sob story but an upbeat nature, who we're constantly reminded is only 16. The girl's likable and talented, but never struck me as anything particularly special. However, on 80s night, there's no denying a deep, husky, black voice like hers is ideal. Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With it" is a safe choice, perfectly in Hannah's range; she knows it and Nicole knows it. So although she performs pitch perfectly and confidently, I don't really know anything more about Hannah's capabilities than I did before.
SONG CHOICE - 8
VOCAL - 8
PERFORMANCE -  6

NICHOLAS MCDONALD

Nicholas didn't pull it off

Nicholas was adorable early on, but in week 1, singing a song written 12 years before his birth, his lack of experience is glaringly obvious. Louis tops himself with an appalling song choice, which is ruined further by a dreadful production. A token big note shows off the potential in Nicholas' voice, but otherwise, Spandau Ballet's silky ballad "True" doesn't work for him at all, trying to force a crooner out of a quiet teenage boy. Don't even get me started on the 80s prom night car crash going on around him. God help the boys with Louis at the helm.
SONG CHOICE - 3
VOCAL - 6
PERFORMANCE -  3

MISS DYNAMIX

**GIVEPOPACHANCE'S BOTTOM TWO**

Ms D. lacked personality

The token chucked-together band of 2013 have got 'Kicked out week 3' written all over them. The producers seem to have decided to uncomfortably manipulate one of the member's pregnancies into a sort of anti-sob story, and then chuck her into a high octane performance of "Jump". Awkward. The performance itself isn't great. Pre-recorded backing vocals drown out the girls and any personality in their voices. There is little difference between this version and Girls Aloud's version, except GA's cover probably has more character. Nicole's comments about the 'Glee Factor' were bang on. 
SONG CHOICE - 3
VOCAL - 4
PERFORMANCE -  5

SAM BAILEY

**PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK**

Sam stunned the judges

There's no doubt Sam Bailey is incredible. She looks gorgeous with her make-over, has a totally humble nature and could sing the phone book to a standing ovation. Robbie Williams' observation that she has little commercial appeal is sadly accurate, but for now it's just a joy to hear her sing. Even Sharon couldn't balls this up, and gives Sam the perfect song to show us what she can do. Performing after 3 artists with all the usual X Factor minimum requirements -potential, youth, back story, blah blah blah - Sam's "The Power Of Love" eclipses them all with just a vocal. One of the best X Factor performances in memory. 
SONG CHOICE - 10
VOCAL - 10
PERFORMANCE -  10

SAM CALLAHAN

Sam's voice was strained

Sam Callahan's position in the final 12 shows just how far a baby face and good arms will you in a singing competition. However, his first live performance stands out as distinctly below-par, and it might be time to pull out a different kind of big guns. To his credit, he does a pretty good Bryan Adams impression, and has clearly worked hard to pull off singing "Summer of '69" whilst bouncing around the stage, but his voice is strained and shaky. His fan base in the audience also seems to be limited to a group of about ten screaming girls at the front - maybe he hasn't got the female support that the X Factor producers think he has.
SONG CHOICE - 6
VOCAL - 4
PERFORMANCE -  7

KINGSLAND

Kingsland played to their strengths

There's great chemistry between the Kingsland boys, and the group have chosen great songs for themselves so far. Saying this, one wrong song choice could crush them. So it's probably wise that the boys sing the energetic, crowd friendly and vocally undemanding "I'm Your Man". It's a safe song choice, and the boys' laddish chemistry, probably their biggest strength, allows them to pull it off. 
SONG CHOICE - 7
VOCAL - 6
PERFORMANCE -  7

SHELLEY SMITH

Shelley played it straight

Only Sharon would've put Shelley Smith through. I'm glad she did, because regardless of her X Factor success Shelley has a career ahead of her as an entertainer. Which is why I was apprehensive at the prospect of "Serious Shelley". There is no serious Shelley - she's got 'Cabaret' and 'West End' written all over her - so by taming her fun side, this wasn't as entertaining as it could've been. It perhaps even damaged the power of what could've been a great vocal. As it was, Shelley, the least anonymous performer in the world, came off a little cruise ship. Off on a tangent  how long do you think Louis' been sitting on "Shelley, you gave it some welly"?
SONG CHOICE - 7
VOCAL - 7
PERFORMANCE -  6

ABI ALTON

Abi was a revelation

I didn't 'get' Abi before Saturday night. To me, her voice was the vocal equivalent of a leaf falling off a tree. "She's sweet", I thought, "but we already have Birdy". However, Abi's performance of "Living On A Prayer" was a revelation. Her voice broke out of its shell, and I finally saw a glimpse of what everyone else saw. Even the bum notes, previously uncomfortable, now sounded human. Maybe it was the ambitious song choice, maybe it was the pressure of live shows, but Abi showed us something interesting I'd not seen before from her - some real passion.
SONG CHOICE - 9
VOCAL - 7
PERFORMANCE -  9



LORNA SIMPSON

Lorna wasn't pitch perfect

Lorna described herself as an underdog in the competition, and although it's a bold claim to make about oneself, with Lorna, its totally accurate - spectacular vocals, anonymous persona. Taking on Whitney Houston was perhaps slightly over-zealous of Lorna - slightly shaky beginnings did lead to some incredible upper range flourishes, but pitching wasn't as perfect as it needed to be for a song this size. On a tanjent, I still think she looks like Rachel Adedeji's bigger sister, although no one agrees with me.
SONG CHOICE - 9
VOCAL - 7
PERFORMANCE -  8



TAMERA FOSTER

Tamera failed to impress

Until the final 12 was announced, I honestly thought Tamera was one of Miss Dynamix. "Ain't Nobody" seems like a safe choice, but her voice is still slightly shaky. I personally just don't get what makes Tamera special. I remember her forgetting the words to "I Have Nothing" and screeching like a cat straining to hit high notes, and here there's no screeching but there's no soul or fireworks either. Someone enlighten me?
SONG CHOICE - 6
VOCAL - 5
PERFORMANCE -  6

LUKE FRIEND

**GIVEPOPACHANCE'S BOTTOM TWO**

Luke was out of his depth

Unwashed hair will get you through to the final 12 of the X Factor guys, you've seen it here first. Luke seems like a great kid an' all, but for a song as dark and emotional as "Every Breath You Take", 17 year old Luke is way out of his depth. He didn't butcher the song per se, but I actually got angry when the arrangement doubled in tempo. I blame Louis for ditching two incredible but slightly chubbier singers for a weaker singer who, every week, will be asked if he's washed his hair yet. I would love to have heard Paul Akister sing this song.
SONG CHOICE - 2
VOCAL - 4
PERFORMANCE -  5



ROUGH COPY

Rough Copy showed their passion

I wasn't sold on Rough copy initially, finding them a bit schmaltzy and try hard, but I was won over by this performance. Although not the strongest vocalists, the trio are surely the most passionate act in the competition, and this comes through on the big stage more than ever. Their harmonies are sometimes off, but the last one in their performance of "In The Air Tonight" was electric.
SONG CHOICE - 8
VOCAL - 7
PERFORMANCE -  10

- SUNDAY NIGHT -

I'm not a fan of the new 'Flashvote' on the Saturday night. It unnecessarily complicates the elimination process, and humiliates one contestant. In this case it was poor Shelley, although the revelation is not unexpected.

On the Sunday itself, we are 'treated' to the typically awkward group performance, followed by even more awkward performances from off-season pop stars, punctuated with quips and time-killing from Dermot, who has become a pro at hosting a show where very little content is stretched out over an hour. This sunday featured an appauling performance from Ellie Goulding, whose meek, flat live vocal was hilariously mullered by oppressively loud backing vocals. The icing on  the shite-cake was Goulding scrambling for a lifeline to convince Dermot she'd actually watched the show.

The bizarrest X Factor opening night booking ever, Cher's performance was thankfully downtempo, and thus relatively cringe-free, and even impressive at points. It was begging for one of the judges to go "what you need to remember is this woman is SIXTY EIGHT YEARS OLD!" It even managed to produce a rare moment of poignancy when Cher offered the advice to contestants "just don't believe the word 'no'", advice that inherently goes against everything the X Factor stands for.

The whole show could easily be whittled down to the 10 minute sing-off, it's the only thing the audience really cares about. In this first week, Shelley was an obvious choice for the bottom, an act who probably has very little left to show. On the plus side, she's probably already shown enough to get her a role in a West End show. It's an absolute crime that she was joined by Lorna in the bottom two, but given Lorna's anonymity, this is also not unexpected.

Shelley sang the best we'd ever heard her sing, her usual cartoon sassiness replaced with a fierceness as she belted out "One Night Only". This was a genuinely convincing "Serious Shelley", and it was a knockout that probably saved her place. When Lorna took to the stage, she once again showed off her range, but still couldn't dodge the odd pitchy warble. 

Shelley and Lorna were in the bottom two

As Nicole finally chose to save Shelley, securing Lorna's fate, you could tell up until 120 seconds prior, she had fully expected to send Shelley home. Say what you like about Shelley, Sunday night's performance proved she's a fighter. That's the best thing about 
the live shows - anyone can surprise you.

However, the unfortunate two were upstaged by a seemingly/definitely battered Mrs O, in probably the highlight of the otherwise tedious Sunday show. I wonder if someone had to remind her which of her acts left the next morning?

- Joe Copplestone, 14/10/13

Betty Who in Remix-Better-Than-Original Shocker! - Somebody Loves You (FM Attack Remix)

Betty Who is amazing, ok. I want to make it transparently clear that "Somebody Loves You" is the Aussie-cat's pajamas  It doesn't need a remix for it to max out on its potential. In fact it's one of those rare pop songs that radiates an effortless pop perfection that renders 99% of remixes null and void.

Which is why it comes as such a wonderful surprise to find a producer that manages to tap into that 1%. The main reason FM Attack's remix works is because it doesn't stray too far from the nest. "Somebody Loves You" is a 1980s throwback pop nugget, so when FM Attack ushers it into a nu disco extended club mix, the song shrugs its shoulders and takes two steps to the left, and voila! No muss, no fuss.

But whilst "Somebody Loves You" itself represents total, unadulterated love and almost a sickening level of joy, FM Attack's sparkling keys and burbling synth-peggios twist the track subtley into a minor key and, over the course of 6 minutes, allow it to thoughtfully breathe. If the original track is aimed at those already blissfully in love, the FM Attack remix recognises the desperation in the hearts of those still looking.

- Joe Copplestone, 10/10/13

#POPDAR - Sam Sparro, Frank Hamilton & Lucy Spraggan

Sam Sparro - Quantum Physical Volume 1 EP


After flirting with camp chicago house on his underrated Pink Cloud EP, before returning to his disco, soul and funk roots on impressive second album Return To Paradise, new EP Quantum Physical Vol. 1 meets comfortably in the middle. The rolling electropop basslines of "Fascism" are particularly addictive.

FOR FANS OF: Frankmusik, The Presets, Disclosure

Frank Hamilton - Teenage Dirtbag


A surprisingly tender and textured acoustic cover of the teenage rock hit. Frank's voice shivers with meekness in this quintessentially British reinterpretation of the track.

FOR FANS OF: Bombay Bicycle Club, Ben Howard

Lucy Spraggan - Mountains

The X Factor probably think of Lucy as the "one that got away", after she was forced to drop out of the competition due to sickness, a competition she was comfortably leading I might add. Her debut album Join The Club is everything you could for from the intelligent and talented Spraggan, but "Mountains" is its crowning glory. First heard on the X Factor, as a result of a brave choice to sing an original song in the first week of live shows, "Mountains" is touching and inspiring lyrically, and soothing and majestic musically. Few X Factor alumni have needed to X Factor less to succeed; Lucy was the whole package from day 1.

FOR FANS OF:  Haim, Chloe Howl, Kate Nash

- Joe Copplestone, 10/10/13

Campy Remix of the Week - The Saturdays - Disco Love (Wideboys Remix)

As if "Disco Love" wasn't already suitable enough for gay clubs, Wideboys turn the girl's 80s cheese delight into an almighty 'throwing-up-on-the-G-A-Y-dancefloor-at-2am' number, complete with hands in the air glitterphoric chords and a throbbing ab-synth breakdown. It's rather ridiculous, and rather marvelous girls.

The "Disco Love" single is out October 6.

'Late-To-The-Party' Anthem of the Week - Western Disco - The Sun ft. Lura (Black Box Remix)

The biggest problem with Western Disco's "The Sun", remixed for radio by Black Box, is summarized in the top comment of its YouTube video. User usscience muses "Makes me happy! I wish it had started the summer instead of ending it."

Although sometimes a big, euphoric summer track that misses the 'May-August' peak period can redeem itself by converting to an winter club anthem, some songs are just meant to be enjoyed in the sunshine - particularly those that reference the "sun" directly. So whilst this season-specificity means Western Disco's debut single is twice as effective in the summer months, it looses its momentum when there's nothing but grey sky and drizzle outside the window.

Of course, that's not to say the track will be swept under the rug for good. A good deal of our summer hits are slow burners that become big the summer after their release - look at "212" in 2011/12 and "I Love It" in 2012/13. So although Western Disco are left to clean up the party poppers after summer 2013, I've a sneaking suspicion that come May '14, we'll be hearing "The Sun" everywhere.



- Joe Copplestone, 4/10/13

FIRST LISTEN! Miley Cyrus - Bangerz

What with Miley’s drastic abandonment of teen idol-dom, not to mention the one-two KO of her tumblr-happy, nudey, twerky videos for “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball”, it seems very few of us are even considering that Bangerz could possibly be any good. But there's something about the personal and shallow nature of the hype surrounding Miley's coming-of-age record that suggests the real surprise of her comeback could lie in the actual music. 

Leaving my judgement and preconception hats on the shelf, I sat down to listen to the iTunes stream of Bangerz. My findings did indeed surprise me, but perhaps not as you might think.

- - - 

“Adore You”
No one could’ve expected this. It is a frankly genius move to open Bangerz with "Adore You". It is far and away the album’s most tender and surprisingly subdued track - a perfectly formed and convincingly delivered ballad, certainly better than anything Demi Lovato’s ever done. Its sheer critic-silencing beauty leaves you totally open to anything that could possibly follow it. Which is conveniently and ironically (and probably purposely)…

“We Can't Stop”
The ultimate grower of the year, slying gaining the repeat plays it needs with the meme-come-to-life video, couple of instantly infamous druggy double-entendres, and by now it's gained it's status as one of the most brilliantly provocative yet laid-back pop tunes of the year. For the little effort the track seems to put in, it somehow manages to deliver something new every time.

“Bangerz” (feat. Britney Spears)
A feisty, very old-school-Britney number, which makes sense considering the pop princess herself makes an appearance. The prominence of relatively unknown producer Mike-Will-Made-It, here and elsewhere on the record, is another clever choice, giving a musically credible edge to Bangerz. Oh, and the title track provides the third almost-subtle drug reference on the album, with “You know I’m on that Miaow". The track doesn’t need it, but it’s cheekily thrown in anyway.

"4x4" (feat. Nelly)
The country stomp should by rights be unbearable, but Miley, having already seemingly pulled out every stop already so far, pulls it off, with her voice revealing its natural country gal twang. The track would be better without Flo-Rida’s dishonorary older brother Nelly, but he seems timid next to the ultra confident Miley. When Nelly’s suddenly bearable, you know something’s going very right.

"My Darlin'"
Although this sub-Wrecking Ball power ballad is the least impressive track so far, it shows off Miley's not unimpressive silky pop voice when she doesn't bounce her ass fat up against some poor awkward soul.

"Wrecking Ball"
The most grandiose track by far, clearly an obvious choice for a single. But without the video (or even with it - for those of us not looking to complain about nudity) the song is like the climax of a West End show with a super-pop production sheen.

"Love Money Party" (feat. Big Sean)
A low-key hip-pop party anthem, and somewhat filler, but Big Sean's playful and relaxed flow suits the album's house party feel.

#GETITRIGHT
Taking a production leaf out of Justin Timberlake's book of modern funk, this is another laid back number. Punctuated once again by another 'say-whaaaaat' lyric, as she rolls "I feel like I've got no panties on" off her tongue, just casually. It's the second track of a slight mid-album dip, but this dip would be a highlight on Selena Gomez's record.

Drive
A surprisingly dated dubstep throb is soon redeemed by a big ol' power ballad beat and a gorgeously understated "you can drop your keys off in the morning" chorus refrain. Like "Wrecking Ball"'s more in-control older sister, but no less emotional because of this.

"FU" (feat. French Montana)
By this point you realise that Bangerz-Miley doesn’t do things by half measures. She’s either entirely chilled, or melodramatic and grandiose. "FU" is another pop goliath that could bless (and I mean *bless*, it’s a stonker) a West End Show. You can picture French Montana donning in a tuxedo, top hat and cane as he lays down his brief rap.

Do My Thang
The clubbiest track so far. Featuring sharp, exciting Trappy production, and a delicious scrunch-face drop, Miley rides this track just as comfortably as she carried Mike-Will-Made-It‘s “23”.

Maybe You’re Right
Another Wreckin’ Ball, this time with an Alicia Keys piano-pop edge.

Someone Else
Like Do My Thang, the track is super slick Trap-Pop that suits Miley’s youthful swagger to a T, boasting one of the most infectious beats on the record. It’s a surprisingly but effective closer, leaving the more-ish taste of Bangerz on your tongue.

- - -

All in all, Bangerz lives up to it's name more accurately than anyone could've predicted. An album called Bangerz could've been a vacuous and appalling record based around a big US record label's idea of what makes a hit. Instead Miley delivers 13 defiantly provocative and almost obnoxiously confident tracks, clearly without a thought towards what her critics are saying. As a result it's humanly flawed, but carefree and seriously good fun.

About halfway through "Maybe You're Right", Miley tries yelling out an ultra high note that she doesn’t quite hit, and even the autotune has a hard time correcting it. But that’s all part of the what makes Miley ‘13 such an engaging pop star - her overconfidence leads to her taking risks that are ridiculous on paper. Her eagerness is charming, and her charm on Bangerz is infectious. 

And enough charm can convince the general public to buy into anything. Miley may have been a (perfectly willing) victim to all sorts of critical and public vitriol after her shamelessly bold rebrand, but once these detractors actually hear what Bangerz has to offer, the massive teddy-bear backpacks and twerking in Miley's past will be all but forgotten. 

...then again, maybe she'll go on to sexualize line-dancing in her next video and open herself up to a whole new wave of disgust. We can only hope.

- Joe Copplestone, 3/10/13

#POPDAR - Hey Ocean! - Make A New Dance Up

Hey Ocean! are a blast of Canadian-indiepop joy, whose album Is reaches us in the UK a few months too late to hit summer, but just in time to keep us cheery throughout Autumn.

With its contagious Two Door bounce, ska-friendly brass and chirpy Haim-esque vocal hooks, "Make A New Dance Up" is far and away the brightest beam-of-sunshine on a still-pretty-sunny album. Dual vocalists Ashleigh and David hiccup their way through a kooky samba chorus, and you can almost hear the dorky grins on their faces.

By next summer, hopefully we'll all have made up our very own dance to take to their shows. Or at the very least, have butchered an existing one.

Their new album Is, um, *is* out now on iTunes.

FOR FANS OF: Two Door Cinema Club, Haim, Best Coast



- Joe Copplestone, 2/10/13

Annoyance Of The Week - Jessie J: Sexy Lady

I guess I'm wrong and the masses are right - Jessie J has already made the transition from credible songwriter to big ol' superstar. And therefore, out of all the album tracks of Ms Cornish's sophomore effort Alive (or as I like to prefix it with, "barely"), it's clearly the insipid "It's My Party Pt. 2", track-listed as "Sexy Lady", that deserves to jump to #22 in the UK charts, over genuinely thrilling pop tunes "Thunder" and "Gold", and guilty pleasure 80s throwback "Daydreaming". 

Maybe it's just my intense dislike of the bloated, self-important "It's My Party" that drives this annoyance, but I still think Jessie J is so much better than just another "put your drinks in the air" pop diva, with so much more to say. She can write a killer hook without setting all her phasers to 'drunk-friendly' (i.e. three notes and lyrics drawn from the 'hands-in-the-air' hat), so why is it that the generic anthems "Wild", "Domino" and "It's My Party" are the ones that get the success?

Still... Alive could have been a lot more generic than it was - there's thankfully a little creative spark left in her yet.

- Joe Copplestone, 2/10/13