#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

Jessie J - Excuse My Rude (feat. Becky G)

Since we constantly watch her drift from style to style, both musically and in image, it sometimes baffles me as to what Jessie J's "thing" is. However, with the release of "Excuse My Rude", an album track from Jessie's upcoming sophomore effort, I'm encouraged by her return to her roots, and to a sound I most associate with her.

It's a sound that dates back to her debut single "Do It Like A Dude" - a dirty rock/soul/hip hop hybrid, which introduced us to a gutsy, tongue-in-cheek, yet slightly crazy singer called Jessie J. Maybe she came across a little try hard, but it was a fun and endearing personality and sound, and it's one that we see rehashed on the similarly brash and direct "Excuse My Rude".

Goofily phrased yet characterful verses unfold over slick Trappy beats, recalling some of the geeky charm and feisty delivery of Jessie's early days. It's unexpected drop into a soulful, lush chorus is a surprising move that Jessie shies away from in most of her other music. The vocal histrionics are shelved, and we hear a rare warm tone to her voice.

It's such a shame to see her new high profile singles -  "It's My Party" and "Wild" - beginning to further mould Jessie's identity as a 'pop diva'. It might please a chart-hungry American market, but it won't please her core fanbase. Mainly because it's not the sound of "Jessie J" - It's the sound of a British Katy Perry.

We can only hope that we see many more songs like "Excuse My Rude", "Do It Like A Dude" and "Who's Laughing Now" on her second record - songs that showcase her personality and, most importantly, her individuality. Otherwise, without the quirkiness and bite that she used to be known for, she's destined to lose all the credibility she earned in her early days as a rising singer/ songwriter.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Kelly Rowland - Talk A Good Game

For an artist last seen playing the clown on the UK X Factor 2 years ago (a role much better suited to actual clown Nicole Scherzinger), Kelly's recent single "Dirty Laundry" seemed to come from a much less mass-appealing place. An uncharacteristically cold but characteristically sparse production from The-Dream provided an empty canvas for Rowland to paint a brutally honest and squirmingly blunt account of her experiences of post-Destiny's Child life, particularly dealing with Beyoncé's rise to solo fame and simultaneously an abusive relationship. It was as refreshing as it was uncomfortable to listen to, and the first real sign of Kelly Rowland stepping out as a solo artist.

The subsequent album "Talk A Good Game" speaks even further volumes about the importance of fearlessness and self-expression as a solo artist, as opposed to the terrifyingly  shallow and money hungry US pop market Kelly has often associated with. "Talk A Good Game" takes less to nothing from the Guetta Dance or Schmaltzy R&B of her past and associates more with organic, soulful and gorgeous Post-R&B, and before you disregard this as a sad attempt at maintaining relevant, consider that Kelly has the songs to back up the choice. Not to mention the style suits her simmeringly sexy lower range down to a T.

It's not perfect, the album begins somewhat colourlessly with tracks like uninteresting first single "Kisses Down Low" and the anonymous electropop of opener "Freak", but it warms up considerably as "Dirty Laundry" ushers in a string of heartwrenchingly gorgeous tunes including the glorious Dreamgirls-sized "You Changed" featuring her old band mates, the fragile and ethereal Europop of "I Remember" and the seductive "Red Wine", which showcases a aching and emotional depth to Rowland's performance that the showy, worldwide brand Beyoncé could never quite perfect. And it comes from a long-standing personal struggle and insecurity that the most successful Destiny's Child member couldn't possibly relate to.

BEST TRACKS: Dirty Laundry, You've Changed, I Remember 
FOR FANS OF: Drake, The-Dream, Beyoncé

The Presets - Fall

For a band who focus so intently on their less melodic, minimalistic rave numbers, I personally wonder why The Presets don't just stick to melodic dancepop numbers like "Fall". As with the unfathomably brilliant duo of "This Boy's In Love" and "If I Know You" from their last record, 2008's Apocalypso, "Fall" encapsulates a warm, euphoric-pop space with hooks so perfect one could even call them timeless.

Latest record Pacifica is their most accomplished to date, not at all unrelated to the fact that it's their most melodic. Keep going guys, you've almost got it!

FOR FANS OF: New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Delphic