Last week was a landslide for the almighty Scissor Sisters, who have a whole day of Radio 1 devoted to them tomorrow… and this is the day when I get an urgent call to do an extra day of work. Disaster! Now, to take my mind of that terrifying ordeal, here’s this weeks contributors saying why their favourite single should be voted this week’s Single of the Week…
First up this week is Callum who is a big fan of Nerina Pallot and her new single Sophia:
“Considering that the very lovely Nerina Pallot released the reissue of the Fires album in April, with slightly more peppy production than last year’s incarnation, it seems an odd decision for her to completely rerecord the title track in a more radio-friendly style. Gentle drums, pulsating synths and a swirling string section put some meat on the bones of the formerly stark, intimate ballad. As ever, one of this lady’s greatest strengths are her pristine vocals which she also gets to air on the single’s B-side, a rendition of Kylie’s Confide In Me backed by a string quartet.
Nerina’s pop sensibility is a lot stronger than many of her confessional singer-songwriter kin, and this slower single is every bit as hook-laden as the previous one, Everybody’s Gone To War. Like that song, Sophia has a striking video – in this case, Ms. Pallot plays a flaming piano in a desert as the sun rises. Ignore the fact that she supported James Blunt on tour; Nerina’s the real deal, and she’s come to show the Sandi Thoms of the poposphere how it should be done.”
Next up is Michael who thinks we should all be buying London Bridge by Fergie this week:
“This time last year, the very thought of the Black Eyed Peas’ only (and only just) female member unleashing her solo incarnation and Mad Auntie vocals upon the world would have filled my little world with dread.
However, mercifully – for anyone who’s ever had the misfortune of witnessing the car crash that is Fergie’s live vocal prowess – Fergie doesn’t insist upon inflicting her whiney, hard-edged singing voice on the unsuspecting public in this, her debut solo single; rather, she shouts. Over a looped backing track that sounds as if it was knocked up during the improbably-named producer Polow Da Don’s tea break, her royal greyness barks such insights as, ‘I’m wishin’ that I didn’t wear these shoes (I hate heels)’ and ‘I’m such a lady but I’m dancin’ like a ho’.
It shouldn’t work. But it does.
There’s a fine line between genius and insanity, and Fergie Ferg wriggles her entirely unsavoury booty all over it. In heels. In a world where pop is only acceptable if it’s performed by po-faced indie ironists, someone as bat shit insane as the divine Ms Pea is what we’ve been missing. The truly unique are those who are remembered, and I only wish that there was still a pop media around to cover her ascent to pop royalty.”
Third to state his case is Swedish pop blogger Chris, who loves Jamelia’s new single, Something About You:
“Jamelia has really understood what’s hot in the pop world at the moment. While her upcoming single “Beware Of The Dog” is a raw R&B club hit in the style of “Maneater”, a style that really has gotten big this year. “Something About You” is belonging to another genre that is really hot right now; girlrock a la Kelly Clarkson. They are also two types of songs I can see Jamelia getting a hit with in the United States, and I have a feeling the producers had that in mind. I definitely think she should give it a go, she has more potential of getting big than most (if not all!) other British pop singers at the moment.
While I personally prefer “Beware Of The Dog” I still think choosing “Something About You” as the first single was a good choice. It is very easy to like, and radio friendly of course, but is also representing the content of her new album better. And while we’re on the subject, I want to add that I can’t quite understand the hype of the album, besides the singles I only like one song (and that’s “Ain’t A Love”)!
Another reason why “Something About You” should win this week’s Single Wars is because there is a remix by Linus Loves of it which I really like. You have to check it out. Excellent stuff.”
I wanted to give my support to Swedish September’s single Satellites (ooh, alliteration!) this week but then I realised it’s not out for another two weeks (as has Sophia but lets not mention that), having been pushed back in the release schedule until Radio 1 and The Box start playing it on repeat, as is necessary for it to even break the top 40. Instead I’ve gone for an act who are lovely in an entirely different way – Guillemots with Trains To Brazil:
It took me a while to fully embrace the Guillemots, as when I first came across them they hadn’t even released a proper album and most of the tracks available were demos or live recording which weren’t exactly brilliant. However, there were a few gems, so I stuck with them and eventually they released their rather good album and two really excellent singles – the previous minor hit Made Up Love Song #43 and this more upbeat and highly addictive single which has been played quite frequently on the radio (B list on Radio 1, but strangely nowhere to be found on Radio 2), although a top 10 entry still seems to have eluded them.
Guillemots are interesting in that there is no easy way to classify them. Their music is a mix of many things, but no single genre fits them perfectly. They definitely have plenty of pop tendencies however, and this is what makes them great despite being Mercury-nominated and loved by Jo Whiley. So ignore all that and give them a chance – you might just discover your new favourite band!