Top 25 Pop Albums of 2011

December 26, 2011 in Music with 0 Comments

Here are our 25 favourite “commercial pop” albums of the year.

They’re not ranked strictly on the star ratings they’ve been given as the year has gone on, but rather in a post-Christmas “ahhh but it was a corker, wasn’t it” kind of way. For example, Lady GaGa’s Born This Way was given 4 stars when we reviewed it back in May, but in this list it features above a couple of records we gave 5 stars to because, as time has gone on, it has stayed amazing to the point where, in a situation where all music ever was about to be deleted off the face of the Earth and it was either BTW or, say, the 5-star Florence album we were allowed to keep, we’d actually probably take BTW. MAKING SENSE?

There are also a couple of albums that have the odd corker on them, but were just too disappointing as a whole body of work to be classed as a highlight of 2k11. The artists responsible – Beyonce and Pixie Lott – have therefore featured in our Top 50 singles list, but not on the albums list. Along similar lines, there are LPs from artists we are fond of that we’d love to have squeezed in, but 25 is quite enough thanks very much and they’ll just have to try even harder in 2012. Still, honorable mentions are in order for The Wanted, Emma’s Imagination, Melanie C, Alexis Jordan, Example, Jennifer Lopez and Matt Cardle.

But anyway, that’s enough of that. Here are the best 25 albums of the year in pop. A better list than the 2010 one, we think you’ll agree.

LOOK AWAY NOW, LMFAO.

25. Nicole Scherzinger – Killer Love
March, chart peak #8
It takes a lot for an album housing a song titled ‘Club Banger Nation’ to be considered one of the best of the year, but in spite of ‘Right There’ Killer Love was a well-produced pop record. Opening with the explosive ‘Poison’ and closing with the piano ballad ‘AmenJena’, via amazing midtempo corkers like ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’ and ‘Desperate’, The Scherzinator didn’t deliver the perfect solo disc but she certainly hit the ground running, packing more than enough punch to earn a place on the outskirts of our year-end highlights.

24. Jessie J – Who You Are
February, chart peak #1
If there’s one thing Jessie needs to do for her second album, it’s CALM DOWN A BIT. The two factors that hindered Who You Are were her tendency to comically over-sing every last crotchet, and the annoying way of over-pushing every ‘message’ she wants to get across – i.e. “HAHAHA I’M REALLY GOOD” on ‘Who’s Laughing Now’. Of course this is all sounding negative and we’ve made Who You Are the 24th best pop album of the year, so obviously the rest of it is all very good. Note especially ‘Price Tag’, ‘L.O.V.E.’ and the platinum edition’s ‘Domino’.

23. Cher Lloyd – Sticks + Stones
November, chart peak #4
The person who decided to release ‘Swagger Jagger’ as Cher’s lead single needs both a raise and a swift firing. The latter because, obviously, the song is bad, but the former because, for one reason or another, it got to No. 1. But whatever you think of that particular track, the rest of the album does actually make a lot of sense. It’s far from perfect, but the songs on which she doesn’t take herself too seriously and embraces her spunky youthfulness are commendable. ‘Grow Up’, ‘Over The Moon’, ‘End Up Here’ and next single ‘Want U Back’ won’t be to everyone’s liking, but credit where credit’s due – the girl did good.

22. Ed Sheeran – +
September, chart peak #1
After centuries of honing his craft, Ed finally made his mainstream breakthrough in 2011 with a handful of radio-friendly singles and a rather lovely debut album. + sagged a bit in places, but it certainly had its highlights. ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’ had some smart lyrics despite its biting-the-hand-that-feeds-it theme, and ‘Lego House’ is simply one of the best singles of the year. At times Ed’s tuneage sounds like it could soundtrack those annoying  dating website ads where the girl’s on the other platform and the guy serenades her, but generally the record has far more + than – (GEDDIT?).

21. Susan Boyle – Someone To Watch Over Me
November, chart peak #1
SuBo put out a surprisingly brilliant third album, and yes, you could say “Well she’s always been a  good singer, hasn’t she?”, and you’d be right, but if you’re going to say that then you may as well say “well Jade Ewen’s got a good voice, ergo Sugababes’ ‘Freedom’ is brilliant”. The (tenuous) point is that it was the production that made STWOM a really good record, and a restained vocal from Susan that complemented it. The way that ‘Enjoy The Silence’ and even ‘Unchained Melody’ were made to sound was commendable and, at times, this was a disarmingly haunting listen.

20. Rizzle Kicks – Stereo Typical
October, chart peak #9
Among the very few good things Olly Murs has done for pop music over the past couple of years is the boost he gave to Rizzle Kicks on summer anthem ‘Heart Skips A Beat’. The cameo allowed the duo to gain more exposure for their brilliant ‘Down With The Trumpets’ and album Stereo Typical. It’s a riot – their lyrics are both clever and fun (take note, Dappy!), with ‘Miss Cigarette’, ‘Prophet’ and ‘Mama Do The Hump’ being particular faves. Interviews give the impression that they were talked into “going commercial” for their debut by their record label, so let’s hope that when they inevitably “mature” on their second album the quality doesn’t drop.

19. Kelly Rowland – Here I Am
November, chart peak #43
Yes, yes, how dare Kelly be featured but not Beyonce etc etc. Well the answer is that, as an overall body of work, Here I Am works a lot better than 4. The UK edition united the club and urban sounds a lot better than the original US release, with tracks like ‘Lay It On Me’, ‘I’m Dat Chick’ and even ‘Down For Whatever’ stringing together nicely in a non-stop tirade of ‘putting it down’. The sheer horniness of ‘Motivation’ isn’t for everyone, but the fact it performed better in the US than any of Beyonce’s 2011 singles speaks volumes.

18. Katy B – On A Mission
April, chart peak #2
Typically speaking, there isn’t really room in the mainstream market for any more solo females, so it says a lot about the appeal of Katy B that she’s made such a great start for herself in a hugely saturated market. ‘On A Mission’ was one of the best club hits of late 2010, and set a good tone for the album of the same name. ‘Broken Record’, the third single, is arguably the best song on the set, but the whole blend of garage, dubstep and just the right amount of pop to keep “serious” critics happy got the LP rightly nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.

17. Selena Gomez & The Scene – When The Sun Goes Down
July, chart peak #15
Selena Gomez being Selena Gomez, the brilliance of When The Sun Goes Down went by largely unnoticed – especially, it must be said, by the rather critical Trash Lounge review. But actually, it’s really good. ‘Love You Like A Love Song’, ‘Bang Bang Bang’ and ‘Whiplash’ (written by Britney!) have got the same kind of muted brilliance as some of the recent Kylie Minogue stuff, and even though ‘Who Says’ is a load of shit, Pixie Lott collab ‘We Own The Night’ is one of the year’s best pop songs, full stop.

16. The Saturdays – On Your Radar
November, chart peak #23
The Sats are the definition of a manufactured pop group, but as long as they have the right producers and songwriters at their disposal, they’ll also be one of the best. On Your Radar may have had the odd filler – not least the Travie McCoy collab ‘The Way You Watch Me’ – but the Xenomania-produced amazingness of ‘All Fired Up’ and ‘Get Ready Get Set’, the gloriously camp ‘White Lies’ and the euphoric ‘Faster’ made it their best album since Chasing Lights. Of course the challenge now is continuing to stay on the A-game despite the record’s weak chart reception, and the arrival of “next big girlband” Little Mix.

15. Bruno Mars – Doo-Wops & Hooligans
January, chart peak #1
‘The Lazy Song’ was so polarising that many preferred ‘Friday’, but take that to one side and Doo-Wops is what you’d call a “solid debut”. ‘Just The Way You Are’ and ‘Grenade’ are both brilliant, ‘Count On Me’ is sweet and ‘Runaway Baby’ is bang on where Bruno should be as an artist. Oh, and late addition ‘It Will Rain’ is a slightly under-appreciated stroke of goodness. One of the UK’s Top 5 best-sellers of the year, it’s easy to miss (what with Adele n’all) the impressive fact that the record has never been out of the Top 15 in the almost-a-year since it was released. FACT.

14. Natasha Bedingfield – Strip Me Away
May, did not chart
Who knew Natasha Bedingfield bought an album out this year?! Absolutely nobody, that’s who.  But it’s so good to hear her again. Ryan Tedder masterpiece ‘Strip Me’, the uplifting ‘Weightless’ and the heart-wrenching ‘Can’t Fall Down’ all show her at the very top of her game, and there’s a lot to be said for ‘Little Too Much’ (as featured on the Something Borrowed trailer) and ‘Neon Lights’ as well. Those who found her strong empowerment themes a little over-wrought in her earlier stuff won’t change their minds now, but the fact she’s still the same girl she was back in the 00s is lovely and somehow re-assuring to hear.

13. One Direction – Up All Night
November, chart peak #2
It’s easy to dismiss One Direction as a bunch of unugly boys shamelessly targeting the teen market, but lest we forget that behind the loudly-coloured trousers and romances with older women there is a team of highly qualified songwriters and producers who are more than capable of bashing out the occasional smash hit. ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ hits the nail on the head, as does the title track, next single ‘One Thing’ and the Kelly Clarkson-penned ‘Tell Me A Lie’. Up All Night does fall flat on its arse occasionally, but it’s the best boyband LP of the year by a fair distance.

12. Rihanna – Talk That Talk
November, chart peak #1
Six albums in six years is an impressive work rate, and Talk That Talk kept the tunes coming thick and fast for restless hitmaker Ms Fenty. ‘We Found Love’ is a career highlight, thanks to Calvin Harris, and there’s more amazingness to be found in ‘Where Have You Been’, ‘Talk That Talk’ and ‘Farewell’. Lyrics like “suck my cockiness, lick my persuasion” are becoming a little laborious now, but play TTT on a good stereo system with massive fuckoff speakers and you’ll find the urge to move hard to beat.

11. Will Young – Echoes
August, chart peak #1
If Will Young could literally never stop making music, that would be great. Echoes is top-notch from start to finish, opening with the incredible ‘Jealousy’ and continuing onwards via the brilliant ‘Come On’, ‘Happy Now’ and ‘Silent Valentine’ to name but a few. Beautifully under-stated and marvellously produced by the likes of Richard X, it shows that even after a decade in the business there is absolutely no sign of the quality dipping or the willingness to take risks fading. WHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S A WAY, ISN’T THAT RIGHT LADIES AND GENTS.

10. Avril Lavigne – Goodbye Lullaby
March, chart peak #9
After letting her hair down on 2007′s The Best Damn Thing, Avril returned after a four-year wait with her ‘Serious Singer-Songwriter’ opus, Goodbye Lullaby. Fun trailer single ‘What The Hell’ was a one-off: the rest is all no-dancing-please straight-facedness, but it’s still very good indeed. ‘Push’ is one of the best tracks she’s ever recorded, ‘Wish You Were Here’ is right up there with ‘When You’re Gone’ and ‘I’m With You’ in the Avrilballad stakes, and finale ‘Goodbye’ is a thing of wonder. If anyone affiliated with her record label is reading this, please don’t make us wait another four years for Album Number 5.

9. Demi Lovato – Unbroken
September, no UK release
It’s all well and good saying Demi “arrived” with Unbroken after two LPs obeying the strict Disney pop-rock rulebook, but even when she was aiming squarely at the tween market she still showed flashes of potential brilliance. And this record is fantastic – ‘Skyscraper’ deserved all the hype it received, ‘Lightweight’ proves that Timbaland hasn’t run out of tricks just yet, ‘Hold Up’ is the kind of loud down-the-line pop music Katy Perry or Ke$ha would be proud to put their name to, and next single ‘Give Your Heart A Break’ is a simple, no-frills-attached slice of gold. OK, so the collabs with Iyaz and Dev could have been done without, but the rest is all incredible.

8. Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials
October, chart peak #1
What was great about 2011 was the way so many artists (Pixie Lott notwithstanding) avoided ballsing-up the notoriously difficult second album. Florence Welch was no different, offering up another platter of wailing wonders on Ceremonials. ‘What The Water Gave Me’ sent everyone outside the NME readership to sleep, but it’s on its own – from the haunting ‘Never Let Me Go’ to the hands-aloft ‘Shake It Out’, Flo was simultaneously all over the place and impressively cohesive on her sophomore set, and even though it went to No. 1, it deserved much higher sales figures.

7. Kelly Clarkson – Stronger
October, chart peak #4
The brilliant thing about Kelly Clarkson is the way she disappears for an infuriatingly long time, then returns with an album of 17 tracks (none of that pathetic 10-track bullshit, no sir!) that never slip below par. Most of Stronger is of a typically high standard, with the three songs produced by Greg Kurstin – ‘Dark Side’, ‘Honestly’ and the title track – being the runaway favourites. The strong suit of the record is the way the classic Clarkson pop-rock has matured rather than drastically changed, for instance ‘I Forgive You’ is like a grown-up ‘what happened next’ sequel for the likes of ‘Since U Been Gone’ and ‘Behind These Hazel Eyes’. It’s SO good to have her back.

6. Nicola Roberts – Cinderella’s Eyes
September, chart peak #17
Critics agreed unanimously that Cinderella’s Eyes is by far the best Solo Aloud album to date, but sadly the essential radio stations didn’t seem as enthusiastic. But thanks to some effortless cool from Nicola and some quality production from the likes of Diplo and Metronomy, the Team Ginge frontwoman’s first foray into lonesome hitmaking was a triumph, with tracks like ‘Say It Out Loud’, ‘Lucky Day’, ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Sticks + Stones’ contributing to an honest, original, self-assured and above all confident record.

5. Lady GaGa – Born This Way
May, chart peak #1
This time two years ago, GaGa was the latest American fad working her way over the Atlantic, with her debut single ‘Just Dance’. Now, she’s not only one of the world’s biggest-selling artists but also one that critics generally agree is fucking ace. Born This Way is packed with massive choruses, strong vocals and unique lyrics: ‘Americano’ is a song only GaGa can pull off, ‘Heavy Metal Lover’ is darkly brilliant, ‘The Edge Of Glory’ is just exceptional… the whole thing is exceptional. It’s loud, it’s proud and its shortcomings are more than compensated for by the simple fact that, as a whole, it’s amazeballs.

4. Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto
October, chart peak #1
An album so commercially-friendly even Rihanna’s on it, Mylo Xyloto has led to many people who didn’t particularly give a shit about Coldplay to begin with claiming they have “sold out” just by adding a few more swishy electronic sounds to their music. But that bollocks doesn’t seem to have dented their selling power in the slightest: housing two of the year’s best singles, Mylo is different to their earlier work without being any less sensational, and one that packs a fair amount of emotional punch, too. As affecting and heartbreaking as it is euphoric, it’s bound to sound even better live than it does on record.

3. Britney Spears – Femme Fatale
March, chart peak #9
Giving Britney all the credit for Femme Fatale is like giving Dermot O’Leary all the credit for The X Factor. She may be at the front of it all doing a good enough job of linking it all together, but it’s the knob-twiddlers that make this one of the best records of her twelve-year career. Perhaps her first ever LP to feature absolutely no bad songs, it’s the classy night out to Blackout‘s tits-out booze-fest, and the Deluxe Edition extends the amazingness by exactly four songs. ‘Till The World Ends’ is officially our favourite single of the year, and the rest of the set is pretty epic too. If there is to be a fifth single (unlikely), might we suggest ‘Inside Out’?

2. Rebecca Ferguson – Heaven
December, chart peak #3
So much has been made by the broadsheet critics of Rebecca Ferguson’s debut being “really, really good for an X Factor contestant” that focus has been lacking on the fact that, X Factor or no X Factor, Heaven is exceptional. Each of its ten tracks is sensational, from the restrained anguish of ‘Shoulder To Shoulder’ to the wistful glee of ‘Mr Bright Eyes’, and from the vulnerability of ‘Teach Me How To Be Loved’ to the confident finger-wagging of ‘Glitter & Gold’. It’s all capped off by the no-frills beauty of its lead single, ‘Nothing’s Real But Love’, a song that perfectly justifies Heaven‘s status as the best début album of 2011.

1. Adele – 21
January, chart peak #1
Who else?! Labelling 21 as Album of the Year may be a bit predictable, but there’s a reason why critics have loved it and it’s sold over 12 million copies around the world: it’s phenomenal. Themes of love and heartache are so common across most genres of music that it’s fantastic how Adele has managed to make all 11 of the songs on her sophomore album so refreshing, emotionally satisfying and easy to relate to. Its two squillion-selling singles sum up the variation nicely – book-ending the whole disc are the venomously wrathful ‘Rolling In The Deep’ and the utterly devastating ‘Someone Like You’, two songs that do perfect justice to the album they represent. ‘Turning Tables’, ‘Rumour Has It’, ‘Take It All’, ‘I’ll Be Waiting’, ‘One and Only’… genuinely every single song is incredible. It’s so rare for an album to connect with so many, and though it may be an obvious choice for 2011′s best pop LP, there really is no alternative.

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Top 50 Singles of 2011: 5-1

December 24, 2011 in Music with 0 Comments

It’s been emotional, but the time has come for the best of the best. We’ve had some Beyonce, some Coldplay and, fuck it, even some Matt Cardle. Along the way, there has been applause and there has been uproar. But above all, there has been no Dappy. There’s always 2012, eh.

Catch up on 50-41 here, 40-31 here, 30-21 here, 20-11 here and 10-6 here.

IT IS TIME.

5. Will Young – ‘Jealousy’
August, Peak #3
In career terms, apparently life begins at 10. Will Young marked the landmark anniversary of his first Pop Idol audition with one of the best tracks of his entire career. Richard X twiddled the knobs on ‘Jealousy’, a spine-tingling electro-ballad with a vocal performance tinged with a restrained heartache we haven’t heard Will properly ace since ‘Leave Right Now’. The trailer single from the brilliant Echoes album, this was a career highlight for Young and an annual highlight for pop in general.

4. Adele – ‘Rolling In The Deep’
January, Peak #2
Not a bad year for Adele, all in all. In fact, wipe out the small matter of serious vocal chord surgery and it’s pretty much flawless. ‘Rolling In The Deep’ was hailed by critics in territories all over the world as a masterpiece, and we’re gonna have to join that bandwagon and agree. It doesn’t sound like your typical Big Hit Single but the Great British Public came through and made it one of 2011′s best-sellers. Just one of the 11 highlights from the 21 album.

3. Lady GaGa – ‘The Edge Of Glory’
May, Peak #6
Despite the success of album Born This Way, GaGa hasn’t been the definitive singles artist this time around that she was with The Fame back in 2009. But the quality control has in no way dropped. ‘The Edge Of Glory’ is right up there with ‘Bad Romance’ as a master-class in good pop music. The Kitty Brucknell-enticing chorus and the ball-busting sax solo are the best bits, but its always a good sign when a track with a killer refrain is just as amazing in the verse department, too. We’re probably in a minority when we say ‘Judas’ was a disappointment, but ‘TEOG’ pulled the seemingly unstoppable GaGa firmly back on course.

2. Adele – ‘Someone Like You’
February, Peak #1
THIS is how you do a ballad. No frills, no string section, no gospel choir, no key change – just a piano, a voice, some cracking lyrics, and a performance so heartstring-tugging its impossible not to recall your own past heartbreaks. It’s so rare that a song of any kind, let alone a restrained piano ballad, can appeal to both critics and millions of record buyers at the same time, but with both her record-shattering album and this song in particular, Adele did it. From the original album version to that unforgettable Brits performance, ‘Someone Like You’ will be covered by many but replicated by none. It’s a masterpiece.

1. Britney Spears – ‘Till The World Ends’
March, Peak #22
With Ke$ha on the writing and Dr Luke and Max Martin on production, ‘Till The World Ends’ is a Britney Spears classic. With a healthy burst of ‘Wo-ah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-OH-oh’s and a chorus that explodes with euphoria, it’s arguably also the year’s most under-rated single, and a huge victim of the On Air/On Sale release system. Abandoned by radio when it charted at No. 22 immediately after its première, the track was cruelly robbed of the opportunity to rise any further. Ke$ha says she’s “never been more proud of anything in my career”, Digital Spy dished out a similar accolade to ours and Rolling Stone praised its “sky-sucking synths”. As for us, it had passed the 100 plays count on iTunes within weeks (dread to look now). The only thing left to do is bust out the never-gets-old Spearsism of the century: “It’s Britney, bitch”.

But hey, that’s just our opinion – you guys have been picking your faves too over on our Reader Poll. A few weeks ago we paused voting and narrowed it down to your Top 5 in every category, and now the final round of the poll will close on Boxing Day. Vote here if you haven’t already done so.

Also next week – our 25 best commercial pop albums, 25 best films, TV highlights, the best music videos, and – of course – the 2011 Shitlist.

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Top 50 Singles of 2011: 20-11

December 22, 2011 in Music with 0 Comments

Catch up with Nos 50-41? Catch up with Nos 40-31? Catch up with Nos 30-21? Good. We’re firmly into the business end of the year’s list now, and before we crash into the all-important Top 10, here are the pop hits from the past twelve months that make it as far as Nos 20-11.

Check back tomorrow for Numbers 10-6, and Christmas Eve for the all-important Top 5.

20. The Saturdays – ‘Notorious’
June, Peak #8
The Sats leapt on-trend in 2011 with their most floorfilling efforts to date. ‘Notorious’ wasn’t everyone’s cuppa, but with a chorus that kept on teasing right until the unashamedly auto-tuned finale, it stilleto-stomped its way towards being one of the year’s most repeatable anthems. Like a greasy burger, it ain’t healthy or particularly good for you, but it’s miiiiighty tasty.

19. Lady GaGa – ‘Born This Way’
February, Peak #3
GaGa made her triumphant return in 2011 with new album Born This Way and this lead single. It split opinion upon its release, but it remains a must-play on radio stations and commercial club playlists on both sides of the Atlantic. It gets a tiny bit of extra merit purely for Kitty Brucknell’s last-minute rendition of the chorus upon her elimination from The X Factor – all kinds of horrifimazing.

18. Nicola Roberts – ‘Lucky Day’
September, Peak #40
NicRo went a little 60s for her second solo outing, and despite an outstanding critical reaction the track could only limp as far as No. 40 upon its release in September whilst Dappy simultaneously went to No. 1. OH THE INJUSTICE. ‘Lucky Day’ is, like ‘Beat Of My Drum’, bonkers in all the right places – she “wa wa wa”s to her heart’s content and lets her accent seep through on lines like “‘Ow com’ ya tease me?” An under-appreciated few minutes of perfection from the best Solo Aloud.

17. Nicole Scherzinger – ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’
March, Peak #1
Who’d have thought this time last year that the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Nicole ruddy Scherzinger would be able to bag a No. 1 single?! For The Scherzinator, topping the charts was more a case of it being a quiet week for big new singles more than anything, but that’s not to say ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’ isn’t arguably the year’s best rave-ballad. The title line in the chorus demands a finger-wagging dance move to match, and the video where everything needlessly starts getting blown around a bedroom is just… brilliant.

16. Nicki Minaj – ‘Super Bass’
May, Peak #8
Nicki Minaj must be one of the cleverest artists to hit the scene since Lady GaGa. She’s got her image and her musical styling perfected, and she’s got buckets of personality to go with it. ‘Super Bass’ is certainly her best single release to date, with a sweet and infectious hook and vocals that allowed her to prove she can sing just as well as she can rap. Boom badoom boom boom badoom boom brilliant.

15. Coldplay – ‘Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall’
June, Peak #6
Chris Martin and co teased their epic opus Mylo Xyloto a few months prior to its release with this euphoric masterpiece. ‘Every Teardrop’ was a must-see for pretty much every single festivalgoer over the summer,  and proved that, even after all these years, the band still know their way around a fantastic alt-rock-pop melody. Of course, there will be some who will never be Coldplay fans, but for the rest of us, this was epic.

14. Adele – ‘Set Fire To The Rain’
June, Peak #11
2011: the year Adele took over the world. The queen of the break-up’s sophomore album 21 is now owned by pretty much every single person on the face of the planet (twice), and third single ‘Set Fire To The Rain’ was just one of many highlights. A big, sweeping chorus and some big instrumentation helped it become an anthem that demanded to be played at top volume. Hands up who tries to add the extra sass on “WAAAAtch it pour…”…?

13. Bruno Mars – ‘Grenade’
January, Peak #1
One of 2010′s hottest emerging singer-songwriters cemented his place as one of the world’s most lucrative crooners in 2011, with another couple of No. 1s and one of the year’s Top 5 best-selling albums. ‘Grenade’ is arguably his strongest single to date; a little melodramatic to say the least (all that grenade-throwing and train-jumping is a bit OTT) but production considerably darker than ‘Just The Way You Are’ and ‘Marry You’ made for a kind of haunting listen.

12. The Saturdays – ‘All Fired Up’
September, Peak #3
And lo, Xenomania vent all the musical energy they’ve been saving since Girls Aloud “went on hiatus”, and vomit all over The Saturdays what could easily have been a cut from 2007′s Tangled Up. The verse/chorus structure you’d come to expect from a conventional dance-pop tune is out the window, the lyrics are somehow generic in an original way (“We make the party super naughty” really shouldn’t work as much as it does) and all in all it’s a lot classier than you’d expect from knowing The Sats are “going dance”.

11. Florence + The Machine – ‘Shake It Out’
October, Peak #12
Succeed in listening to ‘Shake It Out’ without having your hands firmly aloft for the entire duration and you’re a stronger person than I. The arrival of ‘What The Water Gave Me’ didn’t particularly set pulses racing ahead of Flo’s second album Ceremonials, but ‘Shake It Out’ made up for it in spades. Like Coldplay above, Florence has her detractors, and her wobbly vocal certainly isn’t for everyone. But fuck it: ‘Shake It Out’ is uh-may-zing.

Check back tomorrow when we veer into the lower half of this year’s Top 10. In numbers 10-6 you’ll find one song that made waves worldwide despite never being released in the UK, one of the most critically acclaimed X Factor finalists ever, and three acts who have already appeared with other songs elsewhere on the list.

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Top 50 Singles of 2011: 30-21

December 21, 2011 in Music with 0 Comments

Beginning with Jennifer Lopez at No. 50 and pausing with Rihanna at No. 31, we’re around half-way through our countdown of the year’s 50 best pop singles. Catch up on 50-41 here and 40-31 here.

In 2009 we deemed Jordin Sparks’ ‘Battlefield’ the most amazingest piece of amazing, and then last year Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’ got the same honour. Soon, a track from 2011 will join them – but before any of that, here is the bottom third of our top 30.

IT’S GETTING EXCITING, LADIES AND GENTS.

30. Pixie Lott – ‘All About Tonight’
September, Peak #1
To say Pixie came back with a bang would not only be an understatement but a downright lie. Her second album absolutely tanked and its second single ‘What Do You Take Me For?’ failed to match the radio-hogging success of most of its predecessors. The one silver lining? ‘All About Tonight’, the infectious No. 1 song that sounded a little beige on first listen, but maintains to this day an uplifting feel-good treat. The success of this song may be all that’s keeping Pixie’s record deal from being ripped up.

29. The Saturdays – ‘My Heart Takes Over’
November, Peak #15
The Saturdays were having such a good year until they decided to launch their third album in the busiest time of the year with this non-commercial slowie as its lead-in single. BLUNDER. ‘My Heart Takes Over’ may not sound like your everyday chart-topper (probably why it’s their lowest-selling single ever), but it’s fantastic; a marching drum beat undercuts a touching chorus and the song stands out among the the annual onslaught of winter ballads.

28.  Pink – ‘Fuckin’ Perfect’
February, Peak #10
If Pink’s not shouting about how empowered she is, she’s singing a ballad about how vulnerable she is. Cue ‘Fuckin’ Perfect’, a track that had its controversial video heavily edited for daytime TV but became a (censored) radio hit and one of her best-loved singles so far. With lyrics just crying to be turned into angsty tweets and Facebook statuses, the track became an unexpected anthem and proved that, despite becoming a mother and releasing a Greatest Hits, Pink’s got plenty of fire left in her.

27. Christina Perri – ‘Jar Of Hearts’
July, Peak #4
If you haven’t heard this song, congratulations on being the only person on the planet to have avoided it. Since its low-key release six months ago, it’s become inescapable,  be it on Glee, on The X Factor, or on every single radio station nationwide; and its popularity has made it one of the year’s biggest-sellers. With a sound similar to (but slightly darker than) the work of heartbreak queen Adele, Christina Perri debuted with a bang. Her uphill struggle now will be following it up.

26. Ke$ha – ‘Blow’
April, Peak #32
Ke$ha chatted her way through another brilliant floorfiller on ‘Blow’, a provocatively titled minor hit that had Mr Dawson’s Creek in the video. Somehow managing to be both on trend and non-commercial, the track stalled outside the Top 30 in the charts, but as the 18th (or something) single from her debut album it did well to get that far at all. It also says something that the umpteenth single she releases with a “fuck-it-let’s-party” theme can still be as addictive as ‘Tik Tok’.

25. Coldplay – ‘Paradise’
October, Peak #2
Coldplay went poppier than ever in 2011 with two amazeballs singles. The other one may or may not be yet to appear in our rundown, but let’s not lose focus on ‘Paradise’ – a hands-aloft festival-baiter that maintained the classic Coldplay vibe whilst introducing them to a whole new audience. Their amazing performance of the track at Wembley Arena for The X Factor’s final will make their live gigs a must-see for thousands more people than were already fans.

24. Jessie J ft. B.o.B. – ‘Price Tag’
January, Peak #1 
Back before Jessica Cornish began precariously treading the thin line between confident and annoying, she marked her arrival good and proper with ‘Price Tag’, perhaps the best example ever of how the On Air/On Sale release system can actually be a good thing. Even the rent-a-rapper cameo from B.o.B. sounds good, and it’s easily Jessie’s best – and least annoying – song so far. She doesn’t over-sing it, she doesn’t push her ‘message’ too far in-yer-face (though it is undeniably obvious), and the result is one of the year’s best chart-toppers.

23. Kelly Clarkson – ‘Mr Know It All’
October, Peak #4
The original and still the best, American Idol Winner The First returned in 2011 with her long-overdue fifth album… and made it all worth the wait. ‘Mr Know It All’ took a few spins to take off, but it’s Clarkson at her best – kissing off a bad boyfriend and giving herself a ballsy fuck-you-I’m-worth-it persona in the process. She’d been absent for two and a half years, but good grief was it great to have her back. DON’T EVER LEAVE AGAIN.

22. Lady GaGa – ‘You And I’
September, Peak #23
GaGa stormed back in 2011 with five new singles and one of the year’s most hotly-anticipated albums. ‘You And I’ stood out as a fave on Born This Way and made a natural choice for Single #4, despite not really setting the charts ablaze in the same way The Fame/Monster‘s late-campaign cuts ‘Alejandro’ and ‘Paparazzi’ did. The ‘NEBRASKA NEBRASKA ILOVEYAAAA’ is dying to be shouted at top volume, and the production is nicely different to the been-there-done-that anticlimax known only as ‘Judas’.

21. Avril Lavigne – ‘Wish You Were Here’
October, did not chart
Avril seemed to hit the rocks in 2011, despite kicking off her Goodbye Lullaby campaign with one of her best songs ever and following it up with two more gems. ‘Wish You Were Here’, probably the final single from the album, is everything you want in an Avrilballad – an epic chorus, an I’m-not-so-tough-after-all cluster of lyrics, and a big soaring finale. As with all other of her recent videos, the promo clip for this song was bad; pushing the emotion a bit too far towards being over-wrought. But judge the song as just a song and it’s fucking brilliant. What a shame it never took off.

Coming up in Nos. 20-11, we enter the upper end of the list with two more tracks from an act who have appeared once in our list already, the fourth of only five male solo artists on the entire countdown, and a bit of that boom badoom boom boom badoom boom bass.

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Lady GaGa’s 14-minute Marry The Night vid: The 7 best bits

December 2, 2011 in Music with 0 Comments

If there’s one person who’s not satisfied with a simple down-the-club music video, it’s Lady GaGa.

Her 14-minute EPIC for ‘Marry The Night’ is a short film in which a song happens to come on towards the end.

Don’t have the time to sit through the whole shebang? Here are the best bits.

The Monologue
Gaga opens the clip with a voiceover monologue, accompanied by footage of her, unconscious, being wheeled through a hospital-like building by two nurses. She jokes that she chose to have them wear mint caps because she’s got a feeling mint will be in next season. Deep AND funny.

“I’m gonna make it”
A conversation with a nurse sees Gaga reveal that she’s “gonna make it”, but it’s more likely to be in the “star” sense, rather than the “I’m gettin’ outta this hospital alive” sense. There IS crying at this point *SERIOUS ACTING ALERT*

“YOU WHAT MATE?!”
Gaga gets bad news on the phone. Given that the vid is about being dropped by Def Jam before she “made it big”, I’m gonna assume the bastard at the other end of the line here is LA Reid. SHAME ON YOU, LA.

Cheeriogate
Rather than go for a Bridget Jones style being-eaten-by-alsatiens, Gaga copes with her bad news by staying naked and covering herself in icky Cheerios. Fair play.

IT ALL KICKS OFF
Cars! Explosions! Saturdays’ ‘Ego’ video but better!

Geri Halliwell ‘It’s Raining Men’-gate
What I can only assume is a tribute to Geri Halliwell’s ‘It’s Raining Men’ video (which Gaga is obviously VERY aware of), we have a dance scene in a dance hall. Amazing.

And some dancing in the street to finish
Complete with stompy dance steps that get stompy (?) for last notes of the song. YES.

BUT DON’T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT

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Listen: Lady Gaga adds a verse to White Christmas

November 23, 2011 in Music with 0 Comments

Lady Gaga is releasing a holiday EP entitled A Very Gaga Christmas in the US on Saturday, and this cover of ‘White Christmas’ features on it alongside acoustic versions of ‘You and I’ and ‘Edge of Glory’.

She’s as amiably jazzy here as she was on her Tony Bennett duet, and even chucks in an extra verse of her own.

Enjoy:

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Watch: Lady Gaga storms X Factor stage to console Kitty Brucknell

November 13, 2011 in TV with 0 Comments

A lot of people would have missed this what with I’m A Celebrity all kicking off, but isn’t this Xtra Factor moment a TV classic and a half?!

Also, bless Caroline for trying to get the scoop…

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Jonathan Ross with Lady Gaga: Not haymazing

October 9, 2011 in TV with 0 Comments

Lady Gaga’s latest stint with Jonathan Ross went the total opposite way to how I was expecting – to the non-obsessive Gaga fan, she appears quite aloof and not exactly a chatty talkshow guest. The prediction wasn’t helped by the fact she’d completely taken over the set with barnyard hay.

But she surprised me with how chirpy and relatively fun she was on the show. It’s just a shame Jonathan Ross is such a terrible, terrible interviewer.

To be fair, the programme doesn’t exactly commit any crimes of false advertising. It’s called The Jonathan Ross Show and it is the Jonathan Ross show, and his guests are only ever supporting players. They think he’d rather hear their voice instead of his own, they’re mistaken.

He’s a witty and occasionally funny guy capable of some clever observations, but it’s just a shame he also comes across as incredibly arrogant and more concerned with pleasing the audience with his own banter than he is with inviting his guests to provide insightful interviewers.

Still, bizarre hats off to Gaga…

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Bath out loud

September 9, 2011 in Music with 1 Comment

With the arrival of Avril Lavigne‘s ‘Wish You Were Here’ music video today, we are assured once and for all that no, she will never make an amazing video to an amazing song ever again. The emotional close-ups are certainly a bit less in-yer-face than in Demi Lovato’s ‘Skyscraper’, but generally it’s another average clip to match a really great song. This means that, out of three good singles from ‘Goodbye Lullaby’, she has released precisely no good videos.

BUT LET’S LOOK AT THE POSITIVES.

At least ‘Wish You Were Here’ conforms to one of the optional music video requirements for amazing pop songs, in that it features a scene in a bathtub. Popstars in baths  have formed a central part of many amazing pop clips, from this…

… to this …

… to this …

… and also Pink’s ‘Perfect’, but it’s a bit too graphic, especially if we’ve already got blood from the head of Britney.

Remember anymore popstars in bathtubs? You know where to put it. (Below, btw).

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So was the Edge Of Glory video worth all the fuss?

June 17, 2011 in Music with 0 Comments

Director Joseph Kahn and Lady Gaga had a major spat on the set of the video for ‘The Edge of Glory’, with the former going all diva on Twitter and the latter allegedly giving him the boot mid-filming.

Was it worth all the fuss? Not really. This is perhaps her dullest video to date. Nice set, but there’s not a lot happening.

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