Gillingham, Kent, UK (By Mikey:
[email protected])
RECORD OF THE WEEK Siobhan Donaghy - Overrated Overrated is Siobhan's debut solo single, the first to come from an album due in September 2003. After three and a half years with Sugababes - leaving in late 2001 - it's easy to forget that she's still only 19, and Overrated is a classier piece of writing than most teens are producing. Co-written by Donaghy, producer Cameron McVey and Paul Simms it's a pleasant if not profound guitar-led song that gives pride of place to Donaghy's powerful and persuasive voice. "Will I ever lose / these catholic blues / that direct my shoes�" Not sure what it's all about, but it's catchy and it sounds good. It also suggests the album might be a cut above some other solo debuts.
HOT SHOT RECORD
Foo Fighters - Low Lifted from the Foo's brilliant 'One By One' album, new single 'Low' also displays a slight change in sound for the usually upbeat rockers. Mining slightly darker, heavier, although it has to be said, no less catchy territory, this single touches on an exciting new direction for a band that continue to get better and better with each release.
Anotherside - This Is Your Night A tune with both feet planted firmly in, sorry, make that dancing in, the now, Anotherside's 'This Is Your Night' also draws heavily on past influences to create a track that's all set to blow up on all kinds of dancefloors. Hitting on 80's electro boogie, elements of Prince, Chaka Khan and even Chicago House, it's an infectious hotch-potch and one that's set to put this bunch firmly on the UK's musical radar. Whilst the two DND mixes on offer add a slightly tuffer, more urban feel to the track.
Athlete - Westside Now firmly ensconced in their 'most promising new in Britain' position, Athlete return this week with more proof, if it were needed, of exactly why their causing such a furore amongst the UK's muso types. Already a live fave, not-to-mention an album standout, 'Westside' shows the band in all their eclectic splendour.
Blazin' Squad - We Just Be Dreamin' A long-awaited new single from their forthcoming album, 'We Just Be Dreamin'' also heralds the Blazin' Squad's welcome return to the kind of catchy urban pop that they did so well on first single 'Crossroads'. One of those rarities that'll appeal to a wide range of pop fans, with its combination of smooth summery vocals and unmistakable Blazin', this is also the first chance to sample anything new from the band since the release of their 'In The Beginning' album.
Flaming Lips - Fight Test Grammy-winners and gold-selling UK album artists, the Flaming Lips release new single 'Fight Test' test this week, the latest from their brilliant, universally praised album, 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots'. Another classic Lips single, it also comes sprinkled, across three formats, with a whole bunch of mouth-watering supporting features. Both the CDs include some excellent bonus tracks, whilst the DVD CD has the Flaming Lips' infamous cover of Radiohead's 'Knives Out' alongside another striking video
Metallica - St. Anger Steaming back into the limelight with an album that sees them reclaiming their metal crown (was it ever lost?), new single, and title track, 'St Anger' finds Metallica at their most fearsome and most powerful. A powerhouse tour-de-force, that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the album, it also kicks the genre up the backside and takes metal to the next level.
Moloko - Forever More One of those quirky bands that always seem to be able to take things to another level whilst at the same time remaining effortlessly accessible, Moloko return this week with yep, another eccentric pop nugget in their own unique style. One of the best from the band's recent album, 'Forever More' is another classic Moloko single.
Panjabi MC - Jogi / Beware Of The Boys (Jay-Z Remix) The follow-up to the man's Top 5 debut single, the genre-bashing 'Mundian Te Bach Ke', Panjabi MC's latest is already looking like the single to take the Bhangra rhythm even further into the UK's mainstream. A double-header of massive proportions, not only does it include the excellent 'Jogi', but it also comes with the highly sought after Jay-Z remix of last single 'Mundian...'.
Scooter - The Night The new single from their latest album, 'The Stadium Techno Experience', 'The Night' should see the Scooter rave-pop phenomenon continue at full steam ahead. Another irresistibly catchy fusion of trance, pop and full-on, breakneck dance, it's a must for anyone that's bought anything from the trio before, and should also see the lads' kick-start the summer in real Scooter style.
Simple Plan - Addicted Montreal-based quintet Simple Plan return this week with another infectious slice of bounce around like a loon power-pop in the shape of the brilliant 'Addicted'. If you've not heard them before, the bands probably best compared to the likes of Sum 41 and Blink 182 only, well, catchier... if that's possible! A must for the fans (it's released across three formats with some brilliant bonus tracks), it's also a good way to discover this promising and very up-for-it band.
Tommi - Like What Debut hit from an all-girl 5-piece band, I hope they don't have a short shelf life, not bad for a debut song. New teenage sensations on the block Tommi release their long-awaited debut single this week; a deft mix of catchy pop and straight-up r'n'b, 'Like What' also has incredible pedigree. It was written by T-Boz from TLC and Kandi (writer of TLC's 'No Scrubs' and Destiny's Child's 'Bills Bills Bills') and produced by Bloodshy (Miss Dynamite, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Milian, TLC) and is one of those rarities that should crossover easily to both pop and urban fans.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Pin Now that the dust has settled and much of the media furore calmed down, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs return this week with their brand new single, the brilliant album highlight 'Pin'. Another furious garage-punk cocktail, with Karen O sounding as hot as ever, this single's already a bit of a popular one when the band play live and now gets the full release it deserves with an exclusive new track and a remix of 'Rich' in tow
OTHER SINGLES RELEASED THIS WEEK
3 Doors Down - When I'm Gone
Cosmic Rough Riders - Because You
DJ Shadow - Mashin' On The Motorway / Walkie Talkie
DJ Shah - High
The Donnas - Who Invited You
Fi-Lo Radio - Cracked Bones Cheap Skin
Har Mar Superstar - EZ Pass
The Hommos - Hommos Cosmos Rock
Ima Robot - Public Access
Minimalistix - Magic Fly
Moco - Miss Mantaray
Morcheeba feat. Big Daddy Kane - What's Your Name
Gary Numan Vs Rico - Crazier
One Minute Silence - I Wear My Skin
Erlend Oye - Sheltered Life
Peppercorn - Hyperventilating
Bonnie Raitt - Silver Lining
Tahiti 80 - Soul Deep
The Warlocks - Shake The Dope Out
Barratt Waugh - Skip A Beat
SINGLE RELEASE SCHEDULE
June 30
50 Cent ft. Nate Dogg - 21 Questions
Bent - Stay The Same
Beyonce ft. Jay-Z - Crazy In Love
Black Box Recorder - The School Song
BoySetsFire - Last Year's Rest
Michelle Branch - Are You Happy Now?
Delerium - After All
Rob Dougan - Furious Angels
The Foundation featuring Natalie Rossi - All Out Of Love
Peter Gabriel - Growing Up
David Guetta vs David Bowie - Just For One Day
Whitney Houston - On My Own (12" only)
Ladytron - Evil
M Factor - Come Together
Mario - C'Mon
Mis-Teeq - Can't Get It Back
Keith Murray featuring Def Squad - Yeah Yeah U Know It
N-Trance ft. Kelly Llorenna - Destiny
NRC - Here Comes The Rain Again
Ocean Colour Scene - I Just Need Myself
Lisa Marie Presley - Lights Out
Sinead Quinn - What You Need Is
S Club 8 - Fool No More
Something Corporate - If You See Jordan
Star Spangles - Live For Speed
The Thorns - I Can't Remember
Paul Van Dyk featuring Hemstock & Jennings - Nothing But You
The Warlocks - Shake The Dope Out
July 7
The Bangles - I Will Take Care Of You
Blur - Crazy Beat
Harry Brooks - Dance With Me
Joe Budden - Pump It Up
Echoboy - Lately Lonely
Eminem - Business
Goldfrapp - Strict Machine
Javine - Real Things
Kaci - I'm Not Anybody's Girl
Kraftwork - Tour De France '03
Avril Lavigne - Losing Grip
Longview - Further
Madonna - Hollywood
Makoto featuring Cleveland Watkiss - Time
Kym Marsh - Come On Over
Pink featuring William Orbit - Feel Good Time
Planet Funk - The Switch
Rocket Science - Being Followed
Simply Red - Fake
Super Furry Animals - Golden Retriever
Tricky - Antimatter
Vitamin C - Last Nite
Zena - Let's Get This Party Started
July 14
Alkaline Trio - We've Had Enough
Appleton - Everything Eventually
The Barndance Boys - Yippie-I-Oh
Benny Benassi presents The Biz - Satisfaction
Burning Brides - Arctic Snow
The Cardigans - You're The Storm
The Coral - Pass It On
D-Side - Invisible
Fabolous - Can't Let You Go... Damn!
Harry - Follow Me
Emma Holland - From Now On
Intenso Project featuring Laura Jaye - Your Music
Jane's Addiction - Just Because
Jinny - Keep Warm 2003
LC Anderson vs Psycho Radio - Right Stuff
Cerys Matthews - Only A Fool
The Moony Suzuki - In A Young Man's Mind
Murderdolls - White Wedding
Polyphonic Spree - Soldier Girl
Train - Calling All Angels
Triple Eight - Give Me A Reason
Yomanda featuring Ultra Nate - You're Free
July 21
The All American Rejects - Swing Swing
Daniel Bedingfield - Never Gonna Leave Your Side
Lucy Carr - This Is Goodbye
The Dandy Warhols - The Last High
Deepest Blue - Deepest Blue
Discovery - Missing
Flint - Aim 4
In-Grid - Tu Es Foutu
Lamya - Black Mona Lisa
Mario Lopez - Always & Forever
Moby featuring Princess Superstar - Jam For The Ladies
Laura Pausini - Surrender
RZA featuring Xavier Naidoo - I've Never Seen
Sash! featuring TJ Davis - I Believe
Space Cowboy - Just Put Your Hand In Mine
Stereophonics - Maybe Tomorrow
Unkle - Eye For An Eye
Maria Willson - Chooza Looza
July 28
Blu Cantrell featuring Sean Paul - Breathe
Craig David - Spanish
Deftones - Bloody Cape
Dejure - Sanctuary
Erasure - When Will I See You Again?
Dana Glover - Rain
The Hiss - The Clever Kicks
Hot Hot Heat - No, Not Now
Junior Senior - Rhythm Bandits
Lisa Maffia - In Love
Lumidee - Never Leave You (Uh-Ooh!)
Kate Ryan - Scream For More / Desenchantee
Voodoo & Serano - Overload
Wheatus - American In Amsterdam
Pharrell Williams featuring Jay-Z - Frontin'
Robbie Williams - Something Beautiful
August 4
Alien Ant Farm - These Days
Melanie Blatt - Do Me Wrong
The Cheeky Girls - Hooray Hooray (It's A Cheeky Holiday)
Culture Beat - Mr. Vain Recall
Elbow - Fallen Angel
Graffiti - What Is The Problem?
Mark Joseph - Fly
Jason Nevins presents U-K-N-Y featuring Holly James - I'm In Heaven
Kosheen - All In My Head
Nio - Do You Think You're Special
Stacie Orrico - Stuck
Mark Owen - Four Minute Warning
QFX - Freedom 2003
Kelly Rowland - Train On The Track
State One - Forever And A Day
Y Traxx - Mystery Land
August 11
Abs featuring Nodesha - Miss Perfect
Audio Bullys - Way Too Long
Mary J Blige - Love At First Sight
Busted - Sleeping With The Light On
Liberty X - Jumpin'
Courtney Love - Mono
Monica - So Gone
Phixx - Gett Off
David Sneddon - Best Of Order
Venus Hum - Soul Sloshing
Crystal Waters - This Is My Time
Richard X featuring Kelis - Finest Dreams
August 18
4 Strings - Let It Rain
Electric Six - Dance Commander
Foo Fighters - Have It All
Girls Aloud - Life Got Cold
Good Charlotte - The Anthem
Jewel - Intuition
Nightlife - Shining Star
Elvis Presley - Rubberneckin'
Radiohead - Go To Sleep
Stain'd - So Far Away
Queens Of The Stone Age - First It Giveth
The White Stripes - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
August 25
A - Good Times
Mariah Carey - Bringing On The Heartbreak
Cooper Temple Clause - Promises Promises
Groove Armada - But I Feel Good
Lemar - Dance (With You)
Lemonescent - Unconditional Love
Love Inc - Here Comes The Sunshine
Mya featuring Missy Elliot - My Love Is Like... Woo!
Snap! vs Motivo - The Power Of Bhangra 2003
Svenson & Gielen featuring Jan Johnston - Beachbreeze
Justin Timberlake - Senorita
September 1
Christina Aguilera featuring Lil' Kim - Can't Hold Us Down
Big Brovaz - Baby Boy
Tim Deluxe - Less Talk, More Action
Harry - So Real
Ainslie Henderson - Pretty Girls And Boys
Marilyn Manson - This Is The New Shit
Seal - Get It Together
September 8
The Ataris - The Boys Of Summer
Kelly Clarkson - Miss Independent
Dido - White Flag
Ian Van Dahl - I Can't Let You Go
September 15
Gareth Gates - TBA
Finley Quaye - Dice
September 22
Blondie - Good Boys
Emma - Maybe
