Single Selection: The Pop Heaven of Bright Light Bright Light (Love Part II) & Darin (Lovekiller)

I was very tired yesterday (shocker) so decided not to do a blog, even though I had a nice boyband one semi written in my head (which this morning has merged into something even more glorious). But then just as I was ready to curl up for a couple of hours of Withering Tights and season 5 of Weeds, I discovered a few new pop songs that made me want to weep at the near perfect musical majesty that was coming out of my headphones. So two different artists and two different songs, but both completely worth many many minutes of your time...

Bright Light Bright Light, Love Part II:

There has already been lots of much deserved buzz about the Rod Thomas led musical act Bright Light x2. He is beloved by bloggers, gotten so much attention on Larry Flick's Morning Jolt and has now been signed to Popjustice's new music label Popjustice HiFi. This is very pleasing news indeed because his first single "proper" (read my thoughts on A New Word To Say - still in my top twenty most played songs - here) Love Part II is all sorts of brilliance. It's a synth-dance beat driven love song about a boy who has made our Rod realise that love and all its associated risks are totally worth putting your heart on the line. The verses are bass heavy, being powered forward by a drum beat and a sincere, sweet endearing vocal before being lead into a gloriously swirling chorus - the music seems to let go and be free just at the same time as the lyrics ("Do what you want with me/let everybody see/that i'm in love again"). It's almost the boy version of Hearts Don't Lie by Gabriella Cilmi - deliriously gleeful, packed with melody and a huge sing a long chorus that makes you feel better just knowing it exists in the universe. It's all stripped back a little during the middle 8, but then the chorus comes back in and magic happens all over again. AND! If that wasn't enough, you can download the b-side for free over at PopjusticeHifi - Cry At Films (only featuring Del Marquis of the Scissor Sisters on guitar! Crikey!) reminds me a little bit of a modern take on Halo James or Breathe. It's a more melancholy track than Love Part II as Rod questions where he went wrong in the relationship - god, if it's because he cries at films, then I'm screwed. it's delivered so earnestly and there is an innate sadness in the vocal delivery that it's hard not to get swept into the emotion of the song and feel a little blue. Heavenly though, and you can always flip Love Part II back on to cheer yourself up again. One of 2010's most amazing new pop heroes...

Darin, Lovekiller:

While the world was waiting for the new Darin single, he quickly whipped out the absolutely delightful, romantic, swoon-fest that is my number 3 most played song this week, Can't Stop Love. he may have mimed in his performance of it, but he looked just adorable in his modern take on a tux and lip synched with such passion and sincerity that it gave the song an extra layer of excellence. I thought he may have delayed this song based on the success of that, but no - here it is and dare I say it is better than the brilliance of Can't Stop Love. It's a freaking pop masterpiece. It starts off as a string lead, dramatic reading with the occassional crashing boom and some direct and to the point lyrics as it all builds up to the largest chorus this side of a BWO comeback. "You're a cold blooded murderer" sings Darin as a choir belts out "MURDERER" and instantly it puts the quite good actually Diana Vickers, The Boy Who Murdered Love to shame... The fact that it's all set over a slightly updated musical instrumental that is more than reminiscent of Richard Marx's Hazard only adds to the bonkers genius of the song. In an alternative universe, Joe McElderberry would come back with a song like this and prove his "theatre boy only" critics wrong. However, this moment belongs to Darin and it bodes incredibly well for his upcoming album. Joy of joys :) (Scandipop loves it too! Poppostergirl is Darin-amoured; SwedishStereo is all over it like a rash :P)

Coming soon: Some delightful indie-pop; boy bands; perhaps that Pipettes-TheLike-Rose Elinor Dougal album reviews triple threat post that has been bobbing in my head for weeks...