Well, it's safe to say that things didn't go quite as planned for winner of the BBC Sound of 2009 Poll, Little Boots. Planned to be one of the biggest artists of the year, debut single New In Town missed the top ten (care of one of the worst video concepts in recent memory) before the stormer of a follow-up, Remedy, just about saved some blushes by becoming a fairly decent-sized top ten. However, the uneven album, Hands, went top five only to fall to the foot of the top forty the next week, and barely managed to shift 100,000 copies, and third single Earthquake peaked at a rather embarrassing #84 for an artist tipped to be rivalling the likes of Gaga, and instead ended up rivalling the likes of VV Brown whilst Florence and the Machine and La Roux took the glory for the UK.
Poor woman. The album was actually alright, although it suffered a bit from 'YOU'VE ALREADY LEAKED ALL THE AMAZING SHIT' Syndrome - and as such has gone down as being remembered as a disappointment while we all forget that the songs she had leaked were among the best of the last couple of years.
Fast forward to September 2010 and Popjustice feature a track from a Belarussian group named Mmadcatz on their front page, with a track named 'Puppets'. The production and the harmonies are very reminiscent of some of the darker stuff on Hands (Mathematics, in particular) - and, if they didn't know the actual artists beforehand, I'm certain you could trick somebody into believing Miss Hesketh herself was singing that chorus. It's uncanny! Anyway, I'll let you all have a listen. Let me know what you think!
What angers me more is that Belarus were sending shit like Butterflies to Eurovision this year when THIS was available. OUTRAGE.
Thursday, 23 September 2010
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...
After winning the X Factor, (just about) getting a #1 with his cover of Miley Cyrus's (horrific) The Climb, taking the post-Leona requisite nine months out to record an album and 'realising' he was gay in the meantime, what's Joe decided to launch with in the hope that he will go down amongst the ranks of Alexandra and Leona rather than Leon and that middle-aged cabbie who won years back?
Yes, dear readers, a cover.
But wait! It's not just any old shit, he's decided to actually go with something good!
In true X Factor male-winner fashion, Joe's decided to launch with something that was HUGE in Europe to begin with - and is also, coincidentally, one of my favourite tracks from last year (and one of my favourite videos!).
Donkeyboy - Ambitions
Amazing, yes? They spent about 12 weeks at number one in Norway last year with the track (and a similar amount of time at number one with the follow-up, Sometimes. So yeah, basically the Norwegian equivalent for the Black Eyed Peas in America last year), and were due to launch in the UK with it in March this year, but nothing came of it - bizarre, seeing as you'd have thought the track at least warranted a token BWO-esque playlisting on Radio 2 which went nowhere. However, that all makes a lot more sense when you find out that Joe's team, well...
Joe McElderry - Ambitions
I know, those live performances are going to be truly painful to behold. Overall though, I'm not quite sure what to think. I adore the track, and getting more stunning overseas tracks picked up and recognised is no bad thing (think Natalia Imbruglia's classic reworking of Ednaswap's otherwise anonymous Torn, for one), but if this is what stopped Donkeyboy from getting a proper push in the UK I can't help but be a little bit annoyed. Still, as long as it doesn't flop I'll be happy - hopefully it'll pave the way for more foreign classics being picked up! (If I don't get a cover of Margaret Berger - Will You Remember Me Tomorrow? smashing in the near future I will scream, let that be said.)
So, the best of luck to Joe. Knowing the great British public though, it'll probably flop in at #4 before crashing out while some shit like Start Without You reigns eternal. Alas!
Yes, dear readers, a cover.
But wait! It's not just any old shit, he's decided to actually go with something good!
In true X Factor male-winner fashion, Joe's decided to launch with something that was HUGE in Europe to begin with - and is also, coincidentally, one of my favourite tracks from last year (and one of my favourite videos!).
Donkeyboy - Ambitions
Amazing, yes? They spent about 12 weeks at number one in Norway last year with the track (and a similar amount of time at number one with the follow-up, Sometimes. So yeah, basically the Norwegian equivalent for the Black Eyed Peas in America last year), and were due to launch in the UK with it in March this year, but nothing came of it - bizarre, seeing as you'd have thought the track at least warranted a token BWO-esque playlisting on Radio 2 which went nowhere. However, that all makes a lot more sense when you find out that Joe's team, well...
Joe McElderry - Ambitions
I know, those live performances are going to be truly painful to behold. Overall though, I'm not quite sure what to think. I adore the track, and getting more stunning overseas tracks picked up and recognised is no bad thing (think Natalia Imbruglia's classic reworking of Ednaswap's otherwise anonymous Torn, for one), but if this is what stopped Donkeyboy from getting a proper push in the UK I can't help but be a little bit annoyed. Still, as long as it doesn't flop I'll be happy - hopefully it'll pave the way for more foreign classics being picked up! (If I don't get a cover of Margaret Berger - Will You Remember Me Tomorrow? smashing in the near future I will scream, let that be said.)
So, the best of luck to Joe. Knowing the great British public though, it'll probably flop in at #4 before crashing out while some shit like Start Without You reigns eternal. Alas!
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