Albums:
Goldfrapp - Tales of Us - Ponderous and soul-searching, this mostly gentle collection of songs hews much closer to the lost-'70's-circus-waife feel of Seventh Tree and further from the group's more raw and voracious offerings (Felt Mountain, Black Cherry) or their poppier side (Supernature, Head First). Luckily, no matter which version of Goldfrapp you get, it's a win-win proposition. Tales of Us guides us through a series of deceptively soft meanderings wherein trouble and hazard loom dark and ominous. From the "blood-red mornings" of opening track "Jo" to the timelessness of love and life in the more optimistic album closer "Clay," this is a lovely and rewarding listen.
9.5 pink flowers out of ten.
Oh Land - Wishbone
Seamlessly blending splendidly insightful philosophical observations with glisteningly pretty pop sensibilities, Wishbone continues Oh Land's perfect record of...well, perfect records.
Like her debut, Fauna, and her self-titled sophomore album, Oh Land's third outing piles the irresistibly catchy and intriguingly twisty tracks high, making for a delectable audio confection.
10 pink flowers out of ten.Diana Vickers - Music to Make Boys Cry
If you're a regular SugarRushed reader, you're aware that I consider Diana Vickers to be among the upper echelon of current pop artists, in company with Florence and the Machine, Ellie Goulding, et al. Her first album, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree, was a masterwork of clever cuteness and ballads of such eloquently expressed vulnerability as to give one pause. To me, it seems as if Music to Make Boys Cry is just too short and wispy to be a satisfying follow-up, especially after several of its tracks have already been online for quite a while.
"Music to Make the Boys Cry," "Cinderella," and "Boy in Paris" are as charming as ever, and all of the other tracks are endearing too, especially the sweetly surprised "Lightening Strikes." Most of the songs here are based around the single theme of enjoying love and dance in Paris, in the most candy-coated sense of the concept. As pleasant as "Dead Heat" or "Postman" are, or as coquettishly smirking as "Mad at Me" is, it seems as if more tracks are needed to fill in the blanks where the deeper material belongs. There are no songs in the tradition of "Chasing You" or "Notice," and that leaves an odd hole in Music to Make Boys Cry.
However, if you're looking for some well-executed, straight-ahead girly-dreamy pop fun, you're not going to do much better than this.
9 pink flowers out of ten.
The Naked and Famous - In Rolling Waves
Okay, so I don't really "get" this album. After an intriguing, arresting debut like Passive Me, Aggressive You, with its instaclassix "Punching in a Dream" and "Young Blood," I fail to see the need for this promising band to rest on its laurels with a half-asleep-sounding sophomore album. In Rolling Waves is a whole lotta passive, and I miss the aggressive.The better tracks, such as opener "Still" (whose rollicking guitar promises a more alive collection of songs than will follow), current single "Hearts Like Ours" (which sounds so much like what the band should be doing for the rest of the album that its use as a single feels like a deliberate falsehood), and shoe-gazing puppy-dog lurve song "What We Want," are just barely able to buoy the near-disastrous selection of over-produced, under-sung, and underplayed mess that occupies the rest of the tracklisting. Not sure what happened here, but I hope the band is able to relocate their '80's pop-rock influences and their pulse for their next album.
6 pink flowers out of ten.
Alexandra Burke - #NewRules (E.P.) - An indeterminate smattering of songs marks Alexandra' Burkes return to the pop scene after her fabulous sophomore album Heartbreak on Hold was met with a tepid chart reception. The need to find a new foothold / identity is palpable throughout X-Factor-tastic cover "Fix Me" and a few predictable R and B numbers. Thank goodness for "Try," a beautiful ballad filled with the emotive vocals that make Alexandra special - this is a fantastic track that makes the whole gambit worthwhile.
7 pink flowers out of ten.
Singles:
The Saturdays - Disco Love - Truthfully, I don't know if this feels like a hit in today's ruthless pop environment, but it sure is a sweet and catchy callback to a musical world unfettered by over-the-top attitude and posturing. Obviously, these girls can do no wrong in my book, but that's because they never have and never will. I can't wait for their new album Living for the Weekend!
Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball - Whatever you think of the Mile-ster's alternatively amusing and somewhat frightening foray into shock-pop of late, this is just a stunningly great ballad.
5th Harmony - Miss Movin' On - Another girl group, another solid, suitably harmonious break-up anthem that you'd have to be from Planet Hatesthepop to ignore.
Kat Graham - Power - Building on the strength of her impressive E.P. Against the Wall, The Vampire Diaries' actress is flexing her musical prowess again with this delightful single. It's an ode to love-wrought confidence that feels refreshingly effortless.
Zendaya - Replay - Given the rather unimpressive musical output from the Disney Channel ladies of late, I'm very impressed with this splashy mainstream pop debut from the Shake it Up starlet. It displays a clever smoothness and pure charisma that speaks well of what Zendaya may have in store on her first album.
Cher Lloyd - I Wish ft T.I. - I love that the notoriously egocentric Cher Lloyd has just released this massively insecure and exquisitely catchy new single. It ingeniously blends the sassiness that she's always owned with a certain sense of romantic klutziness that pays off brilliantly.
