The Fizzypop Chronicles 2010 Vol Four (Part Two; plus weekly chart)

Oh what a (night) weekend it's been! I've packed Darren off on holiday for a week; I have the next week off from work; I'm still addicted to Russell T Davies' The Writer's Tale and now have my own version of "the great correspondence"; I watched all of series 1 of the Inbetweeners today in one sitting and laughed my arse off; I'm now watching the new season of The Tudors and fear that it does not bode well for silly nymphette Katherine Howard; and I met up for blogest ("tweetmeet") 2010 with lovely XO, Jessica, Jams, Dan, Phil, two Rods and Richard which was quite the enchanting evening! Anyway, here is the remainder of the fizzypop chronicles and the weekly chart (poor Robbie. I just barely listened to Morning Sun this week!)

• Bright Light Bright Light ~ A New Word To Say: A popjustice song of the day on Monday (and deservedly so), BrightLightX2 is one of the Rods I met on Saturday night. Not only is he an intensely charming and well spoken chappie, he has worked my beloved Nerina Pallot but he produces eminently smart and well written pop music that delight the soul and tingles the senses. A New Word To Say (available as a free legal download on his website here) is a warm, lush, electro tinged track that is built around the constructs of some of his folk music and soars with the addition of some synths, a luxurious beat and a dreamy skybound chorus. Featured artist (from Neon Neon) Boom Bip works seamlessly with Rod and together they have conjured up one of the most engaging lovely songs of the spring. More to come soon on the debut album, Make Me Believe In Hope.
• Sound of Arrows ~ Into The Clouds: Much like my resurrected interest in Le Kid, I'm refreshing my love affair with the lovely synth-pop duo Sound of Arrows in anticipation of a new album fairly shortly. This track was out last year and while isn't quite as delicious and amazing as the always wondrous M.A.G.I.C, it is still a top notch tune - and the Fear of Tigers remix whips it into a disco frenzy that Giorgio Morodo would be jealous of. And although it's no crime to remind yourself of these tracks, I am hoping the new album won't be too far away now...
• Dirty Disco ~ Sista: I've written about Dirty Disco a couple of times, so it should be no surprise that their punchy, feisty single ends up on the monthly playlist. It's an energetic romp that is strong on dance beats, infectious melody and a heavy dollop of leaning towards theatrics - all things that make up an incredibly brilliant, smashing pop single. And one that deserves mighty success because it's a song that loves itself. That might sound a bit odd, but it's a tune that knows it is deliriously fun and plays on that, rather than tries to tame the fact. Play multiple times daily to cures the blues...
• Ryan Ferrada ~ Chemical Connection: Keeping the memory alive, I continue to mine Ryan's lovely album (Room 501) for singles and find the pickings rich in choice. Chemical Connection is a dark electro-dance tune that matches fuzzy synths and effects with Ryan's vocal style. It's definitely one of the most "pop" moments on the dance oriented album and a lovely - if now saddened - glimpse into the star Ryan could have become...
• Adam Lambert ~ Whadaya Want From Me: The sign of a good song is that it works quite well in a number of formats. So there is the dramatic, gothic-meets-glam original album mix that is quite nice (though not as brilliant as some of the BWO singles in the same ilk). There is the acoustic version which reins it in a little bit and is very pleasant (though not as brilliant as Darin, Danny or Mans turning their uptempo epics into acoustic ballads) and there is a fine dance mix floating around that works quite well. And it all works well and it's quite good, but I can't help but feel that it could be just that bit better...
• Hugh Sheridan ~ All About Me: Ah Hugh. I sometimes wonder whether I like his songs because he is actually incredibly pretty to look at at and yet looks quite gruff & rough in a denim shirt and tie. Heavy long sigh. But actually, I do quite like this song - it's an uptempo jangly number that is reminiscent of early Robbie Williams and is all about what a selfish tosser he has been in the past. Also it has some nice piano and sumptuous strings and a nice singalong chorus. Plus he also looks quite brilliant in a tux looking all tired after a night out. Oh I'm so shallow...
• Stan Walker ~ Think of Me: Australian Idol Stan looks like Bug from Life UneXpected. And then he has to suffer the indignity of having an album released that is mainly covers (although The Climb puts Joe's to shame). There are a couple of new songs that sparkle - Black Box is a corker (on the Jan Fizzypop Chronicles) and this one is nearly as good and well worth a few minutes of your time. It's a summery slice of soul that is smooth as silk and tasty as a galaxy caramel.
• Music Go Music ~ Just Me: Oh how I continually adore the music of, er, Music Go Music. Light of Love was the most abba-esque song since Benny Andersson Band. They have this exquisite knack of bridging the gap between the lovely 70s melodies so favoured by Abba and their ilk, and a more critical analytical blogging world of the new millenium. It's an ace chirpy, hook laden, marvelous four minutes and something that should be making lives sparkle across the world :)
• Todd Alsup ~ Let's Have A Party: I'm in full adoration mode of Todd Alsup. Mainly because he creates these genuinely inviting pop ditties that are full of uplifting melodies, great piano riffs and big singalong choruses. Let's Have A Party is a brilliant example of that type of tune and feels like it should be played loud on a Friday night as you grab a six pack of beer (= wine coolers/zima) and head on over to your friend. And how lovely that the song can help you create some lasting memories with your pals as it did me this week :)
• The Candle Thieves ~ We;re All Gonna Die: Oh, it's getting silly now. I can't really keep saying nice things about Candle Thieves, yet they keep providing me with such joyful music that I'm compelled. Their album review is coming later in the week and is going to be more of a love fest. Prepare for that with this heavenly track that is all chirpy melody and quirky instruments, with an excellent and memorable chorus. The title makes it seem bleak, but trust me - three plus minutes with this song and you'll feel better than you have in ages. Oh and check out this free remix - it turns it into a bloody brilliant synthtastic epic...
• The Sparkling Arrest ~ Skyman: I first fell (and fell hard) for Sparkling Arrest when I heard their ever so good song Skyman. It's an instant epic that mixes crashing piano chords with some brilliant guitar work, all the while driving the song forward with a vocal melody that weaves in and out of the instrumental drama going on. The performance below that they performed in their own home shows that it works in an intimate environment as well as it's most deserved place - a massive outdoor stage with people singing it back.

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 ~ The Candle Thieves, We're All Gonna Die (NE/VID)
20 ~ Simon Curtis, Diablo
19 ~ Marina & The Diamonds, Hollywood
18 ~ Diana Vickers, Once
17 ~ Boyzone, Gave It All Away
16 ~ Sergey Lazarev, Alarm
15 ~ Alex gardner, I'm Not Mad
14 ~ Mika, Rain
13 ~ Ola, Unstoppable
12 ~ Magnus Carlsson, A Little Respect
11 ~ Music Go Music, Light of Love
10 ~ Donkeyboy, Ambitions
09 ~ Darin, You're Out Of My Life
08 ~ Alcazar, Headlines
07 ~ Elouise, Fireman of My Dreams
06 ~ The Pipettes, Stop The Music
05 ~ Neo, Human Frontier
04 ~ Bjorn Johan Muri, Yes Man
03 ~ Simon Curtis, Super Psycho Love
02 ~ Gabriella Cilmi, On A Mission
01 ~ Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Bittersweet (NE/1 Week)

Coming this week: Elouise interview; Simon Curtis mammoth feature; album reviews for Candle Thieves, Sparkling Arrest, The Pipettes and more!