Franz Ferdinand - Michael
This video is not at all how I expected and is not half as good as the song, but it is not terrible. I just think it should be more fun for such a fun song. I'm not exactly sure what is going on but it seems that Michael is in some military group and they are all sitting around while he dances in the middle of the room then near the end the man in charge reaches out for his hand then yanks it meanly. Then everything spins round, perhaps to portray Michael's confusion about his sexuality. Or something. Still a truly brilliant song, my favourite bit being the "Hey you good looking" in the chorus that you can only hear well on headphones.
90% Poptastic

Sugababes - Caught In A Moment
This is the first 'Babes ballad single that I've liked but the video is a bit of a let-down. I thought they could do something really dramatic but this is just boring. It is stupid of them not to release the fabulous Whatever Makes You Happy but if they're going to ruin their songs with rubbish videos then perhaps it is best that it stays an album track.
75% Poptastic

The 411 - Dumb
I don't quite get why everyone says this is so good. The "dumb-diggy-dumb" bit is very catchy but the song as a whole is not that great. The video is also really tarty. It manages to look quite American but quite cheap at the same time and there's one bit which shows silhouettes of the girls from below which makes them look McManus-size!
67% Poptastic

French Affair



Who? Group responsible for the brilliant Euro hits My Heart Goes Boom, Sexy and Comme Ci Comme Ca in 2000.
Nationality: French
Best song: My Heart Goes Boom

Groove Coverage



Who? Owner of one of the year's biggest and catchiest dance hits in Europe, a cover of Poison by Alice Cooper.
Nationality: German
Best song: Poison

H.I.M



Who? Currently one of Europe's biggest rock bands, who celebrated a top 10 hit with their single Solitary Man earlier this year.
Nationality: Finnish
Best song: Join Me (In Death) (the dance remix of course)

Ivana Brkic



Who? Looks like the Croatian Britney, sounds absolutely nothing like her.
Nationality: Croatian
Best song: Njezno njeznije

Jeanette (Biedermann)



Who? Jeanette is a bit closer to her own country's Britney and has made some fantastic pop songs. And a duet with Ronan Keating which we don't talk about.
Nationality: German
Best song: Rock My Life

Please visit the ladies at The Pop to view yet another excellent example of Usher hating:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/cfbgoespop/309311.html

He is evil. Don't let yourself be the next Darren Hayes/my sister/the record buying public.

Here is part 2, B to E!

Band Ohne Namen



Who? Male duo (Guy and Claus) also known as b.o.n or the guys who did the slightly naughty video with the nuns for their brilliant single Boys.
Nationality: German
Best song: Boys

Bodies Without Organs



Who? Also from the Army Of Lovers stable, BWO are Popstars reject Marin Rolinski, electro singer Marina Schiptjenko and Army member Alexander Bard.
Nationality: Swedish
Best song: Living In A Fantasy

Boris (Titulaar)



Who? Winner of Idols 2 in Holland, his songs are like Justin Timberlake with a more soulful jazzy voice. I don't know what's going on in that photo but I rather love it. Boris for World Idol 2!
Nationality: Dutch
Best song: When You Think Of Me

The Cardigans



Who? A little less poppy but still worthy of a mention are this group best known for their hit Lovefool from the soundtrack to Romeo an Juliet.
Nationality: Swedish?
Best song: My Favourite Game

Da Buzz



Who? Popular dance-pop act who plan to take over the worlds this Autumn (or at least release something in America) and are currently playing their biggest tour yet in Sweden.
Nationality: Swedish
Best song: Dangerous

Elisa



Who? A big star in Italy thanks to her beautiful songs and voice. Her only UK release Come Speak To Me sadly flopped.
Nationality: Italian
Best song: Come Speak To Me

Erik Faber



Who? Pop/rock male singer responsible for a few minor but excellent hits in Norway, the moving Century being his most famous.
Nationality: Norwegian
Best song: Century

People keep saying to me they wish they knew more about Europop so I thought I would write a basic guide introducing all the best acts. I started making a list but found that so many of the important bands began with A that the whole first post will be dedicated to them. The 'best song's are just my personal favourites rather than their biggest hits so if you disagree don't get cross. And this feature is probably going to go on for ages so sorry if you don't like this kind of stuff. Now, let's begin!

Abba



Who? Pioneers of Europop and one of the most famous pop groups ever. I don't think they need an introduction!
Nationality: Swedish
Best song: Impossible to choose!

Ace Of Base



Who? Probably the most internationally successful Europop group of the 90s with big hits in the UK and US.
Nationality: Swedish
Best song: Waiting For Magic

Alcazar



Who? Young girl/boy band created by Army Of Lovers star Alexander Bard, famous in the UK for the big hit Crying At The Discotheque.
Nationality: Swedish
Best song: This Is The World We Live In

Alexia



Who? Female dance-pop star Alessia Aquilani, massive in Italy.
Nationality: Italian
Best song: Uh La La La

Alice Deejay



Who? Group of DJs fronted by singer Judy, who collected five top 20 UK hits in 99/00.
Nationality: Dutch
Best song: Better Off Alone

Alizée



Who? French teen sensation best known for her top 10 2002 hit Moi...Lolita.
Nationality: French
Best song: Moi...Lolita

Antique



Who? Boy and girl duo, once Eurovision entrants for Greece.
Nationality: Swedish/Greek.
Best song: List Of Lovers

Aqua



Who? Cheesy pop group responsible for huge no.1 hits Barbie Girl, Dr Jones and Turn Back Time, fronted by the fab Lene Nystrom.
Nationality: Norwegian/Danish.
Best song: Cartoon Heroes

Army Of Lovers



Who? Crazy boy/girl group most famous for their early 90s single Crucified but also had a small dance hit last year with Let The Sunshine In.
Nationality: Swedish
Best song: Crucified

ATC



Who? Girl/boy foursome responsible for the top 20 hit Around The World (La La La La) in 2002.
Nationality: Italian/British/Australian/New Zealand (but based in Italy)
Best song: Around The World (La La La La)

A-teens



Who? Started out as a teenage Abba tribute group but have become one of Sweden's top pop acts.
Nationality: Swedish
Best song: Perfect Match

V - Can You Feel It
I don't know if this is actually the b-side to the amazingly brilliant Hip To Hip but I believe it is on the single and the video has today been released to The Box. This is of course V's cover of the Jacksons' classic from the Discomania CD/TV show and sadly it is nowhere near the standard of Hip To Hip, Blood Sweat & Tears etc. In fact it's quite rubbish, but they are impossibly lovely and cute and they do their best with it. The video is good fun as each member dresses as a character delivering things to people in a street - Mark is a milkman, Aaron a paper boy, Leon a salesman, Kevin and ice cream man and Antony...I was too busy admiring his dimples and I can't remember so you'll have to watch it and find out for yourself.
68% Poptastic

Jojo - Leave (Get Out)
Most people's reaction to this song seems to be that Jojo at only 13 years of age is far too young for a pop career. Although I do think Jojo should have waited a few more years before launching her career, her age is a talking point, she's got a great voice and now she's here there's not much we can do about it. I didn't want to like this at first but Jojo does seem likeable enough and the song is just the kind of catchy, girly pop that the charts are severely lacking. This is a 13-year-old's (and I should know, I live with one) dream video and song, she looks and dresses just how pre-teen girls would love to and this is spot on for the target market. I only hope they aren't too pretending to be cool to find time to make up a dance routine for this song.
75% Poptastic

Nightwish - Nemo
I expected to like this because I love their Dutch equivalent Within Temptation and as you know I am rather fond of the crazy Euro types. This lot are certainly strange (think goth rock that sounds more like deranged classical music) but sadly this is not really exciting me as yet. I feel I should support them just because they are European and I want more Europop in ourcharts. Hopefully their success, if it happens, will help out Alcazar and Maria Mena when they bring their far superior singles to our shores in September.
38% Poptastic

I loved this Times article (linked from NYPLM) about how cool is not cool anymore and instead people are beginning to prefer honest, unpretentious pop and a new culture of 'post-cool'. The writer's main reason for thinking this is the popularity of the Scissor Sisters and the Darkness, even among the types of people who would usually turn their noses up at 'novelty' records, and the demise of The Face. Basically, indie is out and pop is in. Of course this is no news to me, a pure pop girl to the core, but it is exciting to see it being reported like this. The report ends asking for the songs we are most ashamed of loving - I hope you will join me in e-mailing in the most indie song you've ever enjoyed, as those are the only songs we should ever be ashamed of liking. Except, perhaps, the Cartoons.

Recently I was wondering how Usher had managed to sell so many terrible records and even persuade my poor sister and her friends to want his album but now he has taken his evilness a step too far! Read this excerpt from a recent online chat transcript to see the gory details:

FluffyMalteserGirl asks "Darren what's your favourite love song at the moment and why?"

Darren Hayes: Burn by Usher..

Even this young man who normally has great taste has been taken in by evil Usher! Who will be next to fall for his charms? Certainly not me - I will stay strong, and I hope you will too.

If you want to put a button link to Dirrrty Pop on your site here is the new one I have made:


 
A work of art, I think you will (not) agree!

Click here to watch the video to Darren Hayes' new single, Popular! It is well worth seeing, as my review below will tell you.

In traditional stars out of 5.
 
Darren Hayes - Popular
As you might just have noticed I am incredibly excited about Darren's return due to being a fan of the supersized nature, but even I, having never disliked a single Darren/Savage Garden track, could never have imagined that the song and video would be this good. Both have so many brilliant parts to them so I notice something new every time I listen or watch it. The song is electro-pop with a capital POP and as the title suggests it's about what it takes to be popular in the music industry. The video is Darren going around London forcing people in places such as a bus, street, supermarket and train station to listen to the song on a very ace ghetto blaster. My favourite bit is during the "My friends are all celebrities" section of the song he is (in the video) posing with the waxworks at Madame Tussauds. It is fun to think that I have been to all the places in the video - I was on the set! I could have been on that bus or in that supermarket... 
***** 
Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved
It's a bumper fun pack of videos this week with 2 of my top 3 favourite acts premiering at once! SWBL had a lot to live up to after the utter brilliance of both the song and video of This Love but the 5 have done themselves proud. Lead singer Adam shows even more flesh this time and gets to cavort with tow pretty ladies - a mother and daughter! The other members of the band aren't shown much (as usual) but the glimpses of Ryan prove him to look very good in sunglasses. The song itself is one of their slower, sweeter tracks with lovely lyrics and is in fact the song that made me buy Songs About Jane so I'm hoping it will make many other people do the same.  
***** 
Busted - 3am
As you know I'm not exactly the no.1 fan of Busted's music but I do think they are nice boys and I don't mind them being popular, as they are about the only band even resembling proper pop music left that kids actually like. This song is quite good as it's a more authentic American rock sound, only suffering from the fact that Busted are singing it. The video is mostly a performance video from their recent arena tour, interspersed with backstage clips and some dizzying specials effects such as multiple spinning Charlies. Either that or he thinks the only way to be the top posh boy in pop is to have a twin.
***

Jamie Scott - Just
MTV Hits are playing the exclusive of the video by this new young male singer. He is a pretty boy, probably about 19 or 20, with a voice very much like that of Jay Kay from Jamiroquai. The single, Just, is sadly not up to much but he could be good with a better song. The video is on a beach with female extras and his band sitting on the sand. He sits a bit and walks around but the video doesn't really have a story. In fact it is rather rubbish. I've heard his name mentioned a few times as a big new star this year but I can't really see it happening from this single.
Poptasticness out of 10: 6

Mario Winans - Never Really Was
Mario is putting up a good fight for the title of worst artist of the year with this new track. I Don't Wanna Know was alright compared to some of this years no.1s (Step forward Frankee) but this is just terrible. He obviously thought sampling the backing from Papa Don't Preach would mean he wouldn't have to write an actual tune, but the problem here is that he isn't even singing along to the tune of the sample. It's like he wrote this song, realised it was rubbish and suddenly thought, "I know! I'll just sing it over this sample and it will be great!" Wrong!
Poptasticness out of 10: 1

Today's midweeks bring us another chart disaster as Rachel Stevens fails to join the highly exclusive club for singers of worthy no.1s in 2004. So far it only has 2 members, Britney and McFly - and even McFly are feeling pretty lucky to be there. I am not terribly suprised at the predicted no.1, Lola's Theme by Shapeshifters, as it's had huge radioplay for the past month or more and the UK is unable to live without a dance 'anthem' at no.1 at least every 2 months these days. However, I am quite shocked at the no.2 and beating the brilliant Some Girls position of Morrissey new single, First Of The Gang To Die. How has he got so high when he is clearly not a singles artist and has 2 albums (current and greatest hits) in the charts at the moment. I think someone typed out the top 3 backwards!

It's a pretty good week for singles this week, with Rachel Stevens and Jamelia both deserving of the top spot, but here are two more songs that deserve some success. Click the titles to buy or the covers to listen.

Snow Patrol - Spitting Games



It's impossible to choose a favourite from the 3 SP singles so far as they've all been perfect choices. This single is definitely worth getting if you haven't heard their fab version of Beyoncé's Crazy In Love.

Phoenix - Everything Is Everything



Phoenix are a French indie-pop group that have been around for a few years now and this catchy single is from their new album Alphabetical. You may know them for their last single Run Run Run which was also very good.

1. Darren Hayes - Popular
Darren takes the top spot for unveiling his fabulous new single and proper buffness to the general public and doing another excellent rendition of this and his other tracks. It's just a shame Popular wasn't shown on TV, I only heard it on the radio.



2. Will Young - Your Game
It was great to see Will showing off some new dance routines at the start and I am pleased I haven't heard any comments about the extreme gayness of it. Your Game is such a great live track, but all 4 of his songs were really good today and he seems to feature in lots of people's favourites. I was very proud to see him sat next to Prince Charles at the end too and I bet Charles was pleased to see as he is know to be a big fan. Let's hope he didn't catch Will's masturbation joke earlier in the day...



3. Anastacia - Sick And Tired
I'm not a huge Anastacia fan, but she does have a brilliant voice and she seems like a really fun and nice person, if a bit mad! This is probably my favourite of her songs so I hope it does well.



4. The Calling - London Calling
An inspired choice by The Calling, combining their band name and the place they were in the title of the song. Their albums are a bit boring but they've done some great singles so I'm very much in favour of The Calling. Plus Alex is looking cuter than ever!



5. Beverly Knight - Come As You Are
This deserves to be the biggest hit of her career so far cos it's by far the best single. She's a brilliant singer and did a really good job on stage today. I can't wait to see her do even better with her next single Keep This Fire Burning, which is all kinds of ace.



6. Sugababes - Hole In The Head
The 'Babes set was a bit dull I must say, but they seemed to brighten up when singing this track. They looked pretty good (even Mutya was quite classy) and seemed quite happy together in the interview.



7. Jamelia - Superstar
Another that was criminally not shown on TV but it sounded fab on the radio and I felt rather proud of her as she has come so far this year - I bet she never dreamed she'd be in the royal box at PITP!



8. Nelly Furtado - Forca
As I said yesterday this is the perfect song for big concerts and today's crowd was even bigger. I think she was better yesterday though - the DJ's mixing seemed to put her off a bit.



9. McFly - That Girl
Didn't like this track much at first but with more listens it's very catchy and would be an ideal 3rd single if they don't go for their very best track Room On The 3rd Floor. They were so cute and bouncy and Tom and Danny seem like such nice, normal boys that I definitely prefer them to Busted. I loved the "Undo your McFlies!" sign in the audience!



10. Lemar - I Believe In A Thing Called Love
Believe it or not Lemar is the first FA graduate to play PITP, so it was quite an exciting moment for the FA addict in me. I love his version of the Darkness hit from 2003 - much better than the rubbish rockers ever did it.



Special mentions go to Natasha Bedingfield - These Words, Lenny Kravitz - California and Lionel Richie for Dancing On The Ceiling, which was heaps of fun. Overall I enjoyed most of the performances, there was a good selection and it was nice to see some of the people I saw yesterday a bit closer up this time.

Today was just as good as I expected and I'm very glad I went. It was really exciting to hear the first ever performance of Popular by Darren and to see acts like V, The Calling, Nelly Furtado and Lemar who I love but have never seen live before. Some acts, like Nelly and Gabrielle, really impressed me with their singing talents and others like Girls Aloud and McFly were just great fun.

First to play was Rachel Stevens but sadly we missed her and only heard Some Girls as we were walking into the park. We were under the impression that the show started at 2pm but she came on at 12.50!

The Sugababes were on at 1 as we arrived and sang loads of songs: Freak Like Me, Overload, Round Round, Too Lost In You, Caught In A Moment and Hole In The Head - it was half a concert!

The 'Babes were followed by Peter Andre who appeared to a few boos from the crowd but actually went down quite well when he launched into Mysterious Girl. Then he totally embarrassed himself by ranting about the fickle media ("but the public aren't fickle, they're great!") and the bizarre "no more war!" he usually inserts in Insania became "and I say no more war!", highlighting how out of place it is even more.

Then we had The Calling who sang Our Lives, Things Will Go My Way and Wherever You Will Go. They were very good live and Alex looked lovely as ever, although his hair did cause an argument with my sister's friend.

McFly were next and sang catchy album This Girl followed by singles Obviously (one of the best recieved songs of the day) and 5 Colours In Her Hair. A lady near me mistook me for a mega McFly fan (probably something to do with me jumping up and down saying "I can't see Dougie!") and asked me if I wanted to stand on their stool but it looked very wobbly so I declined in case I broke it or it broke me.

Next were the always ace V who did Blood, Sweat And Tears and their Discomania cover, Can You Feel It. It was a shame they didn't do Hip To Hip or their amazing ballad You Stood Up though.

Today was the 3rd time I've seen Girls Aloud live but the first to hear Jump or The Show. Shame they didn't do NGA (still my fave) though they did SOTU which was good. Nicola had a very nice t-shirt that I want.

>

Then we had Blazin' Squad who luckily only sang 3 songs, Here 4 One (which went down well as people joined in with the "oh-oh"s), Flip Reverse and the horrid Shorty from their last album which may or may not be the next single (they can't seem to decide).

Javine was next on getting the crowd singing and dancing along heartily to Real Things, then puzzling everyone with Don't Walk Away. Seems the original was not such a classic as no-one around me remembered it, which is a shame for the ace Javine, who incidentally sang very well indeed.

Then it was time for my top boy Darren Hayes to make his return to the pop scene. No-one else seemed to notice the momentum of this occasion but I sang along to every word of Popular, which sounded excellent live and has some extra fun bits not on the record, and Insatiable ("This song is so rude!" exclaimed a girl near me) and danced like a loonywoman to the fantastic Affirmation (4th time hearing that song live and as fab as ever!).



Then we had Deepest Blue, obviously nothing in comparison to Darren but quite good and singer bloke looked quite good. They only sang Deepest Blue and Give It Away which was a shame as I much prefer Is It A Sin and the great forthcoming single Shooting Star, neither of which made an appearance.

Bellefire came next and were generally just boring. They sang Say Something Anyway and new single Spin The Wheel which wasn't too bad, and confirmed their position as the Corrs without instuments, Jim or fans.

Then I suddenly found myself surrounded by excited mums and even a few grannies as Lionel Richie (who arrived and left by helicopter!) took to the stage. The over 16s were singing and grooving along to Dancing On The Ceiling and All Night Long (although his new single was mostly ignored as it was terribly dull) while I even spotted one young girl engrossed in Harry Potter on a sun lounger whilst her brother was fast asleep!

Up next were VS who sang Call U Sexy then announced that we would definitely know their next song. Love You Like Mad began to a chorus of "What is it?" After explaining what it was to everyone else I accidentally let slip my scary love of Marvin VS. How embarrassing.

As the rain began to pour down our umbrella was almost knocked across the park by a stampede of young girls in flourescent rain macs screeching, "Did they say Sam and Mark?" The cheery duo had indeed turned up to chat at us for a few minutes then launched into With A Little Help From My Friends. Surely The Sun Has Come Your Way would have been more useful at this point?

S&M were followed by the lovely Shaznay who sang Never Felt Like This Before and a new track, Dance, which was rather good and groovy. She sounded great and didn't look nervous like she did when she first began promo for the single. Perhaps the good chart position has given her more confidence.

Mark Owen was next, reminding us all of his utter loveliness and getting everyone singing along to Four Minute Warning despite the rain that was still coming down. He even tipped water over his head so he could join us in our wetness. Mark also treated us to a rendition of his new song about boogieing (can't remember exact title) which was fun with lots of "oh oh oh oh oh"s.

Then was Natasha Bedingfield who looked lovely and not at all wet (bitch) and sang her annoying single Single and the much better jaunty new one These Words.

She was followed by surprise guests The 411 who must have replaced Mania and were a bit boring actually, singing new "from that advert with Not Sarah Jessica Parker" single Dumb and the hit On My Knees. The fact that I know not one of their names (and I should by now with me being a pop addict and all) and wouldn't recognise them in the street even if they were all together, says a lot I think. And one of them has turend into Jordan!



Ronan Keating was next and was not bad despite sound problems on stage - he couldn't hear himself and the backing vocals could not be heard by us. He sang Turn It On from the album, Last Thing On My Mind (But no sign of LeAnn Rimes...or Steps), Lovin' Each Day and Life Is A Rollercoaster. I realised I have seen him live 6 times or perhaps more. Eeek!

After him was Gabrielle who did 4 songs and sounded fab. She has to join Mark Owen in the nicest people in pop club. She sang When a Woman, new single Ten Years' Time, Out Of Reach and Dreams, which even got the pikey boys near me singing along and excaliming their undying love for it.

Lemar completed my collection of the FA1 top 3 to see live and was really great. I know some people don't like his singing but he I love him and his voice and songs very much. Lots of people were shocked to hear his version of I Believe In A Thing Called Love but it went down well and is in fact the song that has been stuck in my head ever since. He also sang 50:50 and Dance (With U).

Finally Nelly Furtado was the closing act and a brilliant one at that. She sounded great and looked cheery and glowing in pink. She sang I'm Like A Bird which was the biggest sing-along of the day, Forca which is such a perfect song for singing live with a big audience, Try, Turn Off The Light and Powerless (Say What You Want). A great end to a great day!

In Wills out of 5, cos he has a new single out now!

The Rasmus - Guilty
This is a different single to the 2nd and 3rd releases from Dead Letters in Europe so I hadn't heard it before today. It's not as fun or catchy as In The Shadows but I still rather like it and think it will grow on me. It really reminds me of the fantastic Lambretta single Kill Me - the way he sings "guiiiiltyyy" sounds just like Linda singing "kiiiill meee" in that song. I'm pleased that the Rasmus have made it over here as I always knew that if they released In The Shadows it would undoubtedly be massive, but when it was almost a year after I'd heard of them and still no sign of them in the UK I thought they weren't coming so it's great that they did.


Cherie - Number 1
Cherie and this song remind me of old-style Beverly Knight and it has a dance break Janet Jackson would be proud of, plus some fun squeaky sound effects. She's got a good voice, it's a good song and although it's a bit too r'n'b for me I still quite like it. I don't think it will be a massive hit but could easily go top 10 and almost certainly top 20.


Anastacia - Sick And Tired
There was something about Left Outside Alone that meant, despite it obviously being a good song, I was still a bit unsure, so I much prefer this one. I think what I like about it is that the song isn't just about her singing, but it's actually a really nice song too. I like the bhangra-esque "ya-di-la-da" bits too.


Natasha Bedingfield - These Words
I didn't think much of this song on first listen because I think it sounds a bit messy. I can hear a good tune, it just doesn't seem to fit very well, however it's really catchy and I can't stop singing it and it sounds much better with the video. Natasha looks very pretty in the video, which has lots of funny bits in it, although there is one rather odd outfit. It's also nice to hear her not shouting as much. Her brother should be scared!


Kimberley Locke - 8th World Wonder
It's several months since I first heard this song and I'm pleased that it's getting released cos I think it has potential to be quite big with fans of the Corrs, Anastacia etc. as it will sound perfect on the radio because it's nice and fun without being intrusive. Look out for the far superior Euro pop remix. Kim looks really great in the video although I don't remember her singing so high on American Idol! In fact she is the first AI2 contestant to release in the UK, although Ruben and Clay's debuts were available on import and Ruben's Sorry 2004 has received some video play on MTV Base. I hope this does well so Ruben or Fantasia might get a chance here too, but please keep Clay and Diana well away!