AMAZEPOP - Issue 05 by AMAZEPOP

AMAZEPOP

ISSUE 05 august 2013 www.amazepop.co.uk

well it’s about bloody time.

Gabriella Cilmi is finally back

top 50 debut singles • lady gaga • 2013 comebacks: the highs and lows • sugababes 1

AMAZEPOP Issue 05 Editor & Head Writer SHAUN KITCHENER Contributors ROBIN DARKE BETH DAVISON BEN EGAN KIERAN FIELD WILLIAM & DARCY KITCHENER ALEX MACGREGOR SAM RIGBY with CONOR BEHAN JON HORNBUCKLE www.amazepop.co.uk www.twitter.com/amazepop

HOLLER. Welcome to AMAZEPOP. I’m very excited about the interview we’ve got lined up for this issue. Gabriella Cilmi provided one of my favourite albums of 2008 with Lessons To Be Learned, and I also had a lot of love for her electropop regeneration in 2010. But now she’s parted from her label and decided to go it alone, I was interested to hear her side of the story in terms of both campaigns - was that whole Ten era as horrible as some press quotes have made it seem? And where is she going with her new music? We chatted it out over a cranberry juice (her) and a tap water (me). Pop is much more sensible than rock’n’roll, after all. I’m also really chuffed to have so many guest contributors on board this month with some ace essays on an array of topics - from what The Voice UK needs to do before next year to the sort of thing to expect from Lady Gaga’s upcoming ARTPOP. There’s also the usual abundance of reviews, Modern Classics and general geekery. Oh, and the Big Vote Thing is a blinder as well - the best debut singles from the last 20 years. There have been shitloads. Absolute shitloads. You guys have picked a fairly solid Top 50, though some of the placements did suprise me a tad - let’s just say I wouldn’t have put ‘5,6,7,8’ and ‘C’est La Vie’ quite so highly. Take it to the bridge, Shaun Kitchener (Editor & Head Writer)

THE LINE-UP may 2013

Q&A GABRIELLA CILMI Page 6 ESSAYS THE VOICE: WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE Page 13 COMEBACKS VS THE CYNIC Page 24 THE EVOLUTION OF THE SUGABABES Page 28 PHARRENNAISANCE: THE RETURN OF PHARRELL WILLIAMS Page 30 LADY GAGA: ARTPOP COMETH Page 36 BIG VOTE THING BEST POP DEBUT SINGLES

Page 16 REGULARS FIRST VERSE Page 4 MODERN CLASSICS COLLECTION: FRANK, CATHY DENNIS, THE SATURDAYS Page 32 RELATIVELY POINTLESS QUIZ Page 48 REVIEWS SINGLES Page 38 ALBUMS: ALUNAGEORGE, SELENA GOMEZ Page 41 FILM: MONSTERS UNIVERSITY, FRANCES HA, PLANES Page 44

FIRST VERSE AND LO, LOUIS WALSH DECLARED THAT HE WILL LEAVE X FACTOR Louis Walsh finally seems to be on his way out of The X Factor, once he’s racked up his tenth season behind television’s most famous desk (?).

the-titans finale.

The boyband mogul, whose most famous contestants have included JLS, Jedward, Shayne Ward, Wagner, Tesco Mary and Union J, told TV Times in a new interview that he’s pretty chuffed with the work but Simon Cowell put me there. I’m he’s done over the years. very grateful to him but I need my life back!” He said: “I’m happy this is going to be my last year. I’ve been judging Louis has only won one of his seX Factor for ten years so I’ve done ries, the one that saw Shayne Ward it all. triumph over Journey South and Andy Abraham in a real clash-of“It was never in my plan to be on TV

Sharon Osbourne has also made no secret of the fact that she plans to make a hasty exit after this next run, and it’s also presumed that Gary Barlow will be on the run in order to make a future Take That album. As for Nicole Scherzinger, it seemed like pulling teeth trying to get a signature out of her this year, so let’s not hold our breath for a 2014 return as well. So will it be a complete panel reset, or the end of the show for good? If you’re hoping for the latter, don’t bet on it.

NEW MILEY ALBUM: ACTUALLY CALLED BANGERZ This is not even slightly a drill - Mi- that’s been heard from the new ley Cyrus’s new album is genuinely collection thus far, though by the called BANGERZ. sounds of the title it doesn’t seem like ballad fans will be too chuffed The LP follows the likes of Can’t Be with the tracklisting. Tamed, Breakout and the comparatively tamely-titled The Time Of Our Announcing the name on Twitter, Lives EP. Miley added a dreaded # at the beginning - but let’s just pray she ‘We Can’t Stop’ is the only track wasn’t being serious.

NATHAN THE WANTED WON’T RULE OUT A ONE DIRECTION DUET But it’s pretty unlikely, let’s be honest

Nathan Sykes of The Wanted has refused to rule out the possibility “I think both ourselves and One of a duet with One Direction. Direction are [cool now], as far as I’m concerned, whatever kinds of The two bands have been engaged words were said since I wasn’t rein one of the most uninterest- ally part of it, think it kind of [went ing feuds of all time over recent away now], which is awesome. months, but lil Nathan insists it had nothing to do with him. “I think it’s best people really concentrate on the success that we’re “You never know, you never know! both having and how well [we’re I think with Backstreet Boys and doing], which is always great.” New Kids [On The Block], that’s really cool what they did, and there’s On some kind of a roll, he went on: been some great collaborations. “I think ourselves and One Direction You never know,” he told MTV on have done really well to make sure the subject of a possible hook-up. the music stands up on its own.

JAMES ARTHUR’S SINGLE HAS A NAME NOW

“And I think with boybands it’s very easy for people to say, ‘Oh, they sell a lot of posters. Oh, the kids buy it because they like the look of the guys’. “I think it’s all down to the music and - it is down to the girls because they’re amazing - but I think it also helps we’ve got really great songs and we’re really lucky to work with such amazing writers.” The Wanted’s new single ‘We Own The Night’ is out on August 11.

Good news for those of you who The song has the unenviable task of like your songs with titles - James following the surprisingly huge perArthur’s new single has one. formance of winner’s single ‘Impossible’, which ended up being a chart The track, which will presumbaly hit around the globe. More than premiere in the forseeable future, could be said for Little Mix’s ‘Canis called ‘You’re Nobody Till Some- nonball’. body Loves You’.

best served cilled 6

Five years on from ‘Sweet About Me’ and three since her electro regeneration, GABRIELLA CILMI is back - and doing it her way. She speaks to AMAZEPOP about the journey so far and the road ahead.

Gabriella Cilmi has been away for a bloody long time - and she’s certainly been missed. At the age of 16 she provided 2008 with one of its biggest hits (‘Sweet About Me’), and two years later she sensationally regenerated as an electropop princess with another Top 10 smash on her hands (‘On A Mission’).

Well, it’s been a while. How are you feeling now you’re finally about to get going again? Like, finally?! I guess I’ve been away for three years, and before that, since I released ‘Sweet About Me’, I was gigging loads and loads, constantly on tour, constantly doing something. And then all of a sudden I find myself with no management, no label, and I was But when second album Ten stalled like, ‘Woah! Clean slate! What do I at the wrong end of the Top 30, it do now?’ So it’s really nice to see was time for a regroup. Gone are things have kind of started to get the synth hooks, gone is the long going again. hair, and - most importantly of all gone is the major record label. Would you say you’re more confident this time, or more nervAs she prepares to make a come- ous…? back on her own terms with new Not more confident. Probably single and album The Sting, Gab- more scared! (Laughs) I think bebers sat down, cranberry juice in fore, when I started, I still had that hand, for a chat with Shaun Kitch- child-like confidence, I was like ener in a lovely bar-pub-thing in ‘Yeah, it’s gonna be fine! Let’s go central London. And lo... and do that!’. Now I’m like… ‘Oh!

Shit! This is real-life stuff’. So I am pretty nervous and anxious. What’s the reaction been like to ‘The Sting’ so far? It’s been really good. I read some funny reviews, and I kinda found them funny. It’s been nice to see, though – I’ve had a few messages from people on Twitter and Facebook saying they really liked it. It just makes me feel like I’m doing something good. I think I got a positive reaction from ‘Sweeter In History’ (earlier buzz track) and I guess that’s kind of – that song, the feel of the album is along those lines. It’s nice to see people really like it. The lyrics are very, like, ‘oooooh, deep’. How did they come about? ‘The Sting’, I’ve been writing gradually. I had a book with this lyric, “why do bad things happen to

“When I started, I still had that child-like confidence... now, I’m like ‘oh, shit!’’’

good people”, and another lyric, “stole the honey from the hive…”. I think it was just... I like the idea of the sting of something; leaving its mark on you but not killing you. I felt like I’d been through that experience with my whole music thing. And, I guess, I’d just recently broken up with my boyfriend after I wrote that… So many layers! Yeah! It’s a layered song; the song is… what’s something nice that has layers that’s not an onion? An artichoke. It’s an artichoke. “God, that song is such an artichoke.” It’s such an artichoke! So many layers! It’s a vegetable song. Going back a bit – you’re talking to a big fan of both the previous albums – I’ve seen you saying

a few times that Ten perhaps didn’t go the way you wanted it to go. Was that something that you were thinking right the way through it? Or was it a hindsight thing? Obviously you were very young at the time… Through that campaign, there was a lot of pressure - from my label, the people around me, and that I put on myself - that the album had to be made within this amount of time. And I guess I never thought I’d make an album like that. I don’t regret it at all. But I never thought I’d make an album like that. I came from the garage, jamming Led Zepplin covers! But within it I found I was pulling a lot of my influences for that record. I listened to a lot of Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder, and I tried to take that as my inspiration for it and make it work for me. But I think I saw your tweet that you said you really liked ‘Love

Me Cos You Want To’…? Yep, was loving that on the train here. Yeah, well, ‘Love Me Cos You Want To’ is my favourite track on the record. I did a mix of it with my band and stuff, and drawing from Donna Summer… from all that. So that track is really special to me. And actually it’s co-written with Ellie Goulding. I really love that song. It’s a special song. There’s a song called ‘Superman’ on that album that I really love. I think there are some hidden gems on that album. I was listening to ‘On A Mission’ earlier, and I was thinking… obviously I don’t know how applicable the lyrics were back then… but I guess it’s probably… … More true to me now than it was back then?! It’s funny, I guess so. At the time I wasn’t really feeling

like a woman on a mission. Now with this dance routine. I just reI am a bit more. I still don’t feel member crying and crying in the like I know everything, but at the toilets, not wanting to go on. And time I was really confused; I didn’t I realised, you know, maybe this is know what direcnot the route that I “I always dreamed tion I wanted to go wanted to go down. in. I always dreamed that I’d be on the It’s funny, that althat I’d be on the bum – I don’t think front cover of Rolling front cover of Rollit was promoted for ing Stone; somehow Stone; somehow I the music. It was I ended up on the ended up on FHM’’ more the other side front cover of FHM! of things. I got to do How’d that happen? But at the some really fun things - I got to do same time, I wouldn’t change G-A-Y dressed up as an alien, which things. I don’t wanna seem bitter was really fun - but the opportuniand twisted about it. ties that were coming to me were not the ones that I wanted. So I Lessons To Be Learned did so was like, ‘I think something’s a litwell… was there a conscious de- tle bit wrong’. The label were like, cision to do something really dif- ‘Oh, you can make a covers referent? cord!’. And I was just like, ‘Well, I’m I did wanna do something differ- 19, I don’t wanna make a covers ent. And even this time around I’ve record yet’, you know? I broke up done something different from with them, then went on a trek to both of them! So I did wanna move Peru, for a charity trek for women away from it and do something with breast cancer – my mum had different to it. It turned out differ- breast cancer, so something that ent to how even I expected it! was close to my heart – and I was walking up the mountains, and I After that you obviously parted was like, (determined) ‘You know with the management and the what?’ Cliché, but – you know. label – cleansed, if you will – how terrifying was that? An epiphany? It was pretty terrifying. I think I An epiphany! After that, I came started finding myself… I remem- back, and I still didn’t know what I ber one day having to perform at was doing, to be honest. I still had a sports event in front of all these to experiment with my sound. So men. We were doing On A Mission, I started writing with my band,

who I was really close with. Then ‘Vicious Love’ came along, the first song that I did and I was like, ‘Oh! I think I can do this on my own!’. So that was a starting point for me. It was a lot of trial and error. I would start things, leave them half finished, cry, ‘I can’t do this’, ‘yes I can’, full circle, and repeat it again. And I’ll probably do it again! So the recording process for this album, was it a lot more on your watch? Yeah, there was no time pressure. Which is a hard thing and a good thing! So I have a little studio set up at home where I record, and I just work with people that I knew as some of my friends. And, I guess, as I started doing more I started meeting new people . Elliot James, who produced the record, he’s done stuff with Bloc Party before. He was so cool to work with. The sound that we came up with together, it just worked really well. And it was still keeping that “vibe” quality of it. But still experimenting with different ambient sounds, and synths… and strings! Which I love. Still got a bit of a disco element! Massive string fan. Do you ever get bored of ‘Sweet About Me’? I wonder if people with massive hits, after a few months are like ‘I DON’T WANNA

SING IT AGAIN!’. Do you know what, I’m a massive fan of Come Dine With Me. And it’s always on Come Dine With Me. And I’m a massive foodie as well! I’m proud of it. But yeah – have I sung it a million times? Yes. Would I rather be playing some new material? Yes! But, you know, I can’t tell the audience ‘I’m not going to be playing it!’ It’s got a special place in my heart but… it does get annoying after a while! (Laughs) I want to ask as well about the Ed Sheeran shout-out (on ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’). Did you know that was gonna happen beforehand? No! It was funny, people kept on calling me, like, ‘your name’s on this song!’. I remember at the time, when nobody really knew who he was, my friend rang me up and she was like: ‘You’re in a rapper’s song!’. I’m like, ‘ooh, which rapper?’. Ed Sheeran actually came on tour with me for my first record, just him and his guitar. I remember talking to him, and he’s a little entrepreneur! When I was talking to him, he was like ‘You should sell your own CDs! You should get merchandise!’ I was like, ‘OK! OK!’. Have you seen him since? I have! I was like, ‘what was it supposed to mean?!’. I think he was just looking for a rhyme. Going back to the new album... You said ‘Sweeter In History’ is a good taster of it. Are there are any other little things you can tease about it, things you’re excited to unleash upon the world? One that I love performing live is this track called ‘Left With Someone Else’. It’s quite raw, very driv-

en by guitar riff-y type stuff. My favourite track is one called ‘Don’t Look Back’. It’s got this ethereal soul side to it, and I think it’s gonna be great for remixes as well. It’s got a cool vibe. I was inspired by a lot of trip-hop. I worked with Tricky, on a track called ‘Highway’, so it was inspired my Massive Attack, Portishead kind of vibe. But also a lot of soul, Otis Redding, Minnie Ripperton. It’s all in there; I guess it’s got kind of an ethereal soul-pop kind of vibe.

of success doing it. Bands like Alabama Shakes, was it? They’ve signed a record deal, but they were doing well before. Maybe I do have a future with a major label later on. But I don’t know, we’ll see how this goes.

I have some quickfire-type things Ethereal Soul Pop. There it is. to wrap up with. We just basically come up with all Touring or recordthese… it’s just music! ing? Urgh. I don’t know, Going down your own independ- that’s really hard! At the moment ent route, I guess it’s very early touring. Both! days, but in terms of getting the word out, getting it on radio and Forced to pick – guitars or keyall that malarkey – how daunting boards? is it? Oh, this is hard. Guitar. It’s daunting, nerve-wracking; but at the same time I know everyone UK or Australia? who’s working on my record now. No! You can’t do that to me! That’s Everyone who takes my songs to horrible! I refuse to answer! I radio, who does my promotion, choose both. who does my marketing… I know them all. So it feels like more of Fine, fine. One Direction: Force a team, and I get to have a say in of good or force of evil? things. And I just like knowing the (Thoughtful pause) Force of good. people I’m working with. Before, I don’t want their fans to come afthere were a lot of ter me! “I know everyone people working behind the scenes, and who’s working on Favourite Christmas I couldn’t even thank my record now... song? people personally. ‘Warm This Winter’! Now I can, and the They’re passionate people who work on about it. That’s the My next question your record are the was ‘Why didn’t you difference.’’ people who are passay ‘Warm This Winsionate about it, and like it. That’s ter’?’, but you did, so… Are you a the difference. It’s still early days, fan of any unexpected popstars? and who knows how it’s going to I have loads. Shaggy! Shaggy is a go! I think a lot of artists will be guilty pleasure, definitely. I love doing more of it in the future. Nick him. Sisquo! Cave, Kobalt.. they’ve had a lot

Finally, daft question, but what do you think makes a good pop song in 2013? I think it has to have a nursery rhyme quality where you can’t get it out of your head. Think of the Bee-Gees in 2013. That probably would make a good pop song. Maybe…? Gabriella Cilmi releases ‘The Sting’ on September 2. The album of the same name follows on October 28. @ShaunKitchener

CILMIFEST: THE ULTIMATE PLAYLIST 1. ‘Love Me Cos You Want To’ 2. ‘Sweet About Me’ 3. ‘On A Mission’ 4. ‘Sanctuary’ 5. ‘Got No Place To Go’ 6. ‘Warm This Winter’ 7. ‘Superhot’ 8. ‘Hearts Don’t Lie’ 9. ‘Don’t Wanna Go To Bed Now’ 10. ‘Viscious Love’

voicing the issues

As vacancies arise on The Voice UK coaching panel after another underwhelming series, Sam Rigby questions whether it has any life left in it. The Voice arrived on UK screens in 2012 with a certain amount of fanfare and expectation. The public had an appetite for something new after an uninspiring series of The X Factor, and it all started out so well.

an alarming rate. Leanne Mitchell was crowned winner and show bosses vowed to fix the problems and bring the show back stronger than ever in 2013.

And here we are, twelve months down the line and another series The series debuted on BBC One of The Voice completed and we are with ratings of almost 10 million faced with the same problem. The and the Blind Audition phase of series returned with the promise of the competition saw figures rise exciting new twists and improved on a weekly basis. However, as the live shows but they failed to fix series progressed to the live shows what it is intrinsically wrong. The things began to fall apart. Rat- ‘Steal’ twist was about as imagiings halved to a measly 5 million native as it got and the live shows and the viewing public seemed to continued to be tiresome and frusfall out of love with the show at trating. However, the show is re-

turning for a third outing in 2014 but this time without coaches Jessie J and Danny O’Donoghue. A completely new panel is looking increasingly likely with will.i.am rumoured for an American Idol role and Sir Tom Jones claiming he won’t return if his co-stars don’t. The speculation over who will join the show has already begun but it is questionable whether it will make any difference to its future. Can it really sort itself out and secure a fourth series? Will any changes made to the show be too little too late? Here are some suggestions about how I think the

show can improve… Production

Unfortunately, the likelihood of producers making this happen is slim. The format of The Voice has proved successful elsewhere, especially in the US, so would they consider an overhaul of the format over here? They want to set it apart from X Factor and admittedly the current format does just that. The show has also been let down by the fact that the public never gets to know the artists in as much depth as other shows. Cowell’s Got Talent and X Factor may have their flaws but they do a brilliant job of making the public feel like they know the acts, even after little screen time. During the latest series of The Voice, it was hard to keep track of who the acts were. There were no characters or standout personalities. The show takes itself too seriously and at the expense of a bit of light relief.

If there’s one aspect of the show that lets it down it is the production values. Although the Blind Auditions and Battle Rounds are well done, when it comes to the live shows things change. In the latest series alone we had mishaps from cameramen, clunky dialogue between the presenters, acts and coaches and a general sense of confusion all round. Unlike The X Factor, it comes across that not everyone knows what is meant to happen next. Additionally, the show doesn’t require two presenters. Holly Willoughby and Reggie Yates are both good hosts but each would do better if they had the show to themselves. During the early stages we barely even know they’re there and later on poor Reggie is hidden away in The V Room for the majority of The Coaches the time. One host and no V Room would help things along. With the promise of new faces on the panel next year the issues of Format the last two series may well resolve themselves. The panel of Jessie J, One of the biggest complaints will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones and Danny about both series of The Voice UK O’Donoghue did have chemistry has been its format. The public and they worked well together. wants to see the best acts reach However, they were often too inthe final and not simply the best terested in telling viewers how the act from each team. show was “authentic” and superior to others out there. It is refreshing will.i.am’s team had two of the to see a show that doesn’t rely on strongest performers this year shock value (as has become the and two acts that could potentially case with The X Factor in recent have made it to the final two, yet years), but it would far better if the one of them had to leave. The for- coaches let the show speak for itmat isn’t fair and it doesn’t reflect self, rather than hammering home the public’s opinion. The public the point on a weekly basis. should be able to vote through the best artists and if that means the The panel may believe that they four finalists are all from one team gave constructive feedback but then so be it. too often they gave no feedback

at all. This was particularly true of the live shows this year. A number of shows went by without a single negative remark and it was only in the final that we finally saw some true opinions come to light. Jessie J and will.i.am agreed that one of the finalists was flat. It was the truth and it was a relief to finally hear some criticism delivered without sugar coating and without the promise that ‘you’re a winner anyway just for making it onto the show’. It also caused a disagreement between Jessie J, will.i.am and Sir Tom and added a bit of drama into the mix that is sadly lacking most of the time. Sir Tom boasted ahead of the second series that The Voice doesn’t need

“shock value”. It does. Every talent show needs it. The Voice prides itself on not being The X Factor but in truth it needs to take some tips from its rival on how to keep things interesting. You can still have shock value without relying on it.

first series in favour of the ‘rockier’ Danny O’Donoghue. Many think he would have been a far better choice than The Script frontman and his appointment would likely be well received. However, would the ‘Jealousy’ singer even consider returning after the way he has If the new panel of coaches are will- been treated in the past? ing to give harsher criticism than their predecessors then things Dizzee Rascal: The ‘Bonkers’ rapcould improve. However, after per would bring a new dynamic to two underwhelming series can the the panel if he joined next year and show attract judges that will help he didn’t seem averse to the sugconvince viewers that there is still gestion during a recent BBC interlife in the show yet? Such as... view. He would likely fill the chair left by will.i.am if he does depart Will Young: Young was famously the show for American Idol, as redumped from the show ahead of its cent rumours have suggested. His

presence may also bring in a new type of artist that has yet to find a place on The Voice UK yet. Paloma Faith: Since Jessie J’s confirmation that she isn’t returning to the show, many have suggested Faith as a potential replacement. She has the personality to make her an entertaining addition to the panel, with the talent to make her a credible mentor and judge. Show bosses are reportedly looking for a “young and current” female and Faith ticks that box, plus she has appeared as a guest mentor on the show before. Kylie Minogue: Minogue would be a dream signing but the question is whether the series is capable of attracting such a big name judge after two mediocre series. She celebrated her 25th anniversary in the music business last year so she could replace Sir Tom as the show’s veteran coach if he decides to depart. The ‘Spinning Around’ star has already confirmed that she will be touring with her new album (expected later this year), so could she really commit to The Voice even if she wanted to? Alexandra Burke: It would seem like an odd move for X Factor alumni to join its rival show, but Burke’s connections to the show aren’t as strong as they once were. After leaving Syco in 2011 she hasn’t got to worry about Cowell’s approval and it would give her career a much-needed boost. However, her stint as Kelly Rowland’s stand-in on The X Factor (who can forget her infamous ‘dot com’ comment?) may have killed any chance of her making TV judging a regular gig. @SDRigby

) G N I H T E T O (BIG V

best pop debuts

of the last 20 years

THE DEBUT SINGLE CAN BE A BITCH. YOU MIGHT WORK FOR YONKS TO WORK YOUR WAY UP THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, ONLY TO FINALLY BE ABLE TO PUT SOMETHING OUT AND FIND IT TANKS BECAUSE IT JUST DOESN’T CONNECT WITH THE PEOPLE WHO NEED TO BUY IT. LAST MONTH, WE PUT 100 CRACKING DEBUT SINGLES FROM LAST 20 YEARS FORWARD FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. YOU VOTED IN YOUR THOUSANDS, AS EVER, AND THE TOP 50 CAN BE FOUND OVERLEAF. IT’S A GOOD TIME TO BE RACHEL STEVENS.

BIG VOTE THING

best pop debuts 50 ’pon de replay‘ rihanna

46 ’if you had my love‘ jennifer lopez

Before ‘We Found Love’, ‘Umbrella’ or the words Chris and Brown, Rihanna was a bright-eyed youngster bursting onto the scene with this slice of Christina Millian-esque urban pop.

J-Lo established herself as a viable recording artist and actress all at once in the late-90s and early-00s, and this fondly-remembered gem was her very first release.

49 ’a moment like this‘ kelly clarkson Leona Lewis made this track famous in the UK, but it was Clarko’s winner’s single first, released to mark her American Idol victory more than a decade ago.

48 ’the a team‘ ed sheeran

45 ’five colours in her hair‘ mcfly

41 ’you bring me joy‘ amelia lily Amelia’s deal with Xenomania was a surprise to many, but - in spite of the poor performance of its two follow-ups - ‘You Bring Me Joy’ definitely justified the deal.

40 ’i’m like a bird‘ It took them a while to crawl out nelly furtado of Busted’s shadow, but the signs of the sweetness and warmth that have kept McFly going for 11 years were there right from the off.

44 ’don’t cha‘ pussycat dolls

Scherzy had previously had sucSheeran’s phenomenal upward cess on the US equivalent of the trajectory with this first main- Popstars talent show, but internastream single release; a song that tional territories first met her when spent what felt like 9 years in the the Pussycat Dolls arrived with this Top 40. anthem. And we’ve never looked back.

47 ’leave (get out)‘ jojo

Back when things were still all new and, well, successful for Nelly Furtado, ‘I’m Like A Bird’ set the pace magnificently as a lovely adult-pop ditty.

39 ’video games‘ lana del rey This, of course, was only intended to be a buzz single ahead of proper debut ‘Born To Die’, but it caught fire so much at the end of 2011 that it properly established her as one of 2012’s hottest new arrivals.

43 ’bring me to life‘ Accounting for half of JoJo’s well- evanescence

38 ’take me home (a girl like me)‘ sophie ellisknown songs, ‘Leave (Get Out)’ Goth-pop was born unto the UK bextor was released when she was just a tiny youngster.

charts in the early days of the century when Evanescence gave Poshpop got its best spokesperson angst-ridden emoteens the per- yet when, fresh from defeating fect wail-a-long anthem. Victoria Beckham as guest vocalist with Spiller, Sophie E-B marked her territory as an artist in her own 42 ’all time low‘ right with this oft-forgtten gem.

the wanted

Ed Drewett helped The Wanted be- 37 ’thinking it over‘ gin their careers with this instant liberty x No1 back in 2010 - a song which many fans argue is still their best. An odd choice, but there were a

BIG VOTE THING

best pop debuts surprisingly high number of votes for this track - released before the five-piece were legally forced to stick an X on the end of their name.

36 ’so yesterday‘ hilary duff The decade’s first superstar to come from the House of Mouse, Hilary laid out her pop-rock foundations with this inoffensive breakup track - one which her army of tween fans lapped up, even if they couldn’t even slightly relate to it.

35 ’please don’t let me go‘ olly murs After JLS proved the year before that X Factor runners-up can actually do well, Olly Murs swiftly followed suit with this summery number - an easy No1 in the summer of 2010.

They’re still recording together all these years later, but they will never top ‘MMMBop’ - the track that made the long-haired then-teens one of the most recognisable pop trios of the 1990s.

33 ’mama do (uh oh, uh oh)‘ pixie lott Pix’s second album may have gone a little pear-shaped, but her first was rammed with brilliant hit singles - not least this debut, which got her off to a flying start by de- jessie j buting at No1. Jessie’s debut came in a flurry of hype back at the end of 2011, and 32 ’katy on a mission‘ ‘Do It Like A Dude’ made such a katy b good first impression that many One of the coolest popstars of re- were actually disappointed with cent years - in fact, probably the the far poppier sound of follow-up sort of popstar who’d dispute the ‘Price Tag’. title ‘popstar’ - Katy B made a super-slick dubstep debut with this 28 ’apologize‘ track; an easy Top 5 hit.

onerepublic

Thanks to a nifty knob-twiddle by Timbaland, this otherwise quiet would-be album track became Hooking up with B.o.B. and Trav- a global smash for OneRepublic ie McCoy laid some solid ground- back in 2007 - putting a face to work, but with this Heart FM-bait- ‘Bleeding Love’ writer Ryan Tedder ing ballad Bruno was able to for the first time. properly storm the world’s charts in his own right.

31 ’just the way you are‘ bruno mars

27 ’once‘ diana vickers

30 ’in for the kill‘ la roux

34 ’mmmbop‘ hanson

She left it well over a year since coming fourth on The X Factor before she unleashed herself onto Who knows? Maybe there’ll be a the charts, but the wait was worthwhile - Diana’s ‘Once’ deservedly second album at one point. soared to the very top of the rankings upon its release.

29 ’do it like a dude‘

BIG VOTE THING

best pop debuts 26 ’212‘ azealia banks

lengthy stint at No1 back in 2003.

When this track first made its debut two years ago, there was really noHer rants on Twitter have become 22 ’all rise‘ blue where for it to go but stratospherfar more notorious than her music lately, but Azealia Banks’ first - and Duncan, Simon, Lee and Anthony ic. A bajillion sales worldwide, it’s so far only - proper single release thought they were a bit bonkers to hard to predict whether or not was a proper blinder. release a track with a harmonica they will ever top it, but then it is a on it, but it worked - the track was pretty high bar to reach. 25 ’c’est la vie‘ b*witched a smash and paved the way for a decent career. 19 ’smile‘ lily allen A surprisingly high placement for Lily’s dry delivery on this debut this semi-novelty hit from 1998, single, combined with ace genespecially seeing as it’s been a re-crossing production, made the good few months now since The track a smash with fans on both Big Reunion. But hey ho, jig on... sides of the pop/indie spectrum, and blazed the trail for many more brilliant tracks to come. 24 ’look at me‘ geri

halliwell Gezza departed the Spice Girls at the end of the 1990s and jumped straight on the solo ship, enjoying huge success for a good few years. This self-referencing single was a corker, and it’s a wonder that it never made it all the way to No1.

23 ’all the things she said‘ Tatu

18 ’swear it again‘ westlife 21 ’because we want to‘ billie

The first of 9583 Number Ones for Westlife, ‘Swear It Again’ set the pace for what lay ahead - slushy After polling highly in last month’s lyrics, stools, key changes and proMost Wanted Comebacks poll, Bilduction Louis Walsh could have a lie Piper makes a decent showing wet dream to. here with her now absurdly old debut ‘Because We Want To’. What 17 ’overload‘ sugababes do you reckon, Billz? More?

Their longevity proved to be remarkably short, but tATu’s brief 20 ’what makes you time in the sun was pretty fruitful. beautiful‘ one direction This pop masterpiece enjoyed a

what the experts reckon A cluster of bona-fide music geeks give their personal Top 5s

JON HORNBUCKLE JOURNALIST 01 ’CRAZY IN LOVE‘ BEYONCE Quite simply, it’s iconic. As soon as those horns start, everyone on the dancefloor recognizes the track and everyone is shaking their booty like their very lives depend on it. Undoubtedly the song that cemented Beyonce’s place as a bonafide superstar.

Commercially the least successful Sugababes line-up but critically perhaps the strongest, Sugababes 02 ’OVERLOAD‘ SUGABABES With the return of MKS in 2013, Sugababes have gone full circle but it all began with ‘Overload’. A song bursting with teenage style, it was lead by Siobhan Donaghy but who can forget those adlibs at the end from Mutya and Keisha!

03 ’...BABY ONE MORE TIME‘ BRITNEY SPEARS The song that gave birth to an icon and brought life back to the school girl uni-

BIG VOTE THING

best pop debuts

1.0 had a gem on their hands when they led with this back in 1999. If only they’d get back toge... Oh.

16 ’torn‘ natalie imbruglia One of those definitive cover versions that out-does its original, Natalie Imbruglia’s spin on ‘Torn’ made her transfer from soap star to pop star an easy one; appealing to a wide demographic and sounding right at home on Radios 1 and 2 alike.

15 ’5,6,7,8‘ steps

a force of good in the bubblegum pop landscape at the turn of the century, even if this excruciating novelty party tune is definitely among their worst. Evidently, you lot disagree...

14 ’whenever, wherever‘ shakira This is a bit of a cheat, as ‘Whenever, Wherever’ wasn’t technically Shakira’s debut single. It was, however, her first release in the English language, and her first attempt at success internationally - and, despite some hilarious lyrics, it sold by the bucketload.

The high placement of this track is startling, but fair dos - Steps were 13 ’beat of my drum‘

form at fancy dress parties around the globe. This is an example of when a video is as memorable as the song itself. Legendary.

04 ’WANNABE‘ SPICE GIRLS Mel B’s infectious northern laugh not only kicks off ‘Wannabe’ but the whole phenomenon of the Spice Girls. It’s hard to think of a more effortlessly fun track and it’s one that almost every girlband since have tried to emulate.

nicola roberts The most critically acclaimed solo venture from the GIrls Aloud camp came courtesy of Nicola Roberts in 2011, when her Cinderella’s Eyes album - deemed pretty good by NME, no less - spawned the singles ‘Lucky Day’ and this super-hip, completely bonkers tune.

12 ’genie in a bottle‘ christina aguilera Britney shifted a shedload of records when she made her debut at around the same time, but Christina was just that little bit cooler. ‘Genie In A Bottle’ was a transatlantic smash when it arrived in the late 90s.

05 ’PASS OUT‘ TINIE TEMPAH

01 ’goodies‘ ciara

‘Pass Out’ is an absolute gem and not just because the lyrics include a shout out to my hometown of Southampton (holler!). Labrinth is pretty good at doing his thing on this too. Just don’t come to close to me when this comes on, it makes my body do things I didn’t even know it could.

This sleek, R&B jam may have rode the now-dated “crunk” wave when it debuted in late 2004 but it still sounds as engaging and hook driven as ever.

conor behan dj, music writer, broadcaster

02 ’complicated‘ avril lavigne Pop trends have shifted since Avril arrived but this doesn’t stop this simple but effective pop rock number from still having one hell of a chorus.

BIG VOTE THING

best pop debuts 11 ’if this is love‘ the saturdays Far from their finest release, but The Saturdays’ ‘If This Is Love’ got them off to a decent Top 10 start when it was unveiled back in the summer of 2008. Feels like a lifeWith the huge platform of The X time ago, doesn’t it? Factor stage to help her along, Cheryl Cole’s solo career was nev10 ’just dance‘ er going to flop. But with a track as infectious (and relevant to her perlady gaga sonal life) as this, it went bananas. It’s odd to think now, looking back, At the time of its release it was that that Akon featured on a Lady GaGa year’s fastest-seller, outdoing her track, but he did - and ‘Just Dance’ own protegee Alexandra Burke... was just a small taster of what was and every Girls Aloud single. to come when it was released in the mid-late naughties.

09 ’complicated‘ avril lavigne

07 ’i kissed a girl‘ katy perry

Like with Cheryl, there was never really any possibility that Beyonce’s solo career would tank. And sure enough, ‘Crazy In Love’ got her off to a spectacular start, and the track still sounds fresh in 2013.

05 ’wannabe‘ spice girls Dating way back to 1996, this Spice debut made an instant phenomenon of Scary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger and Posh; establishing them as a ballsy no-nonsense outfit with the potential to dominate the world. And sure enough...

04 ’sound of the underground‘ girls aloud

A young, brilliantly bratty Avril broke records when she topped charts left, right and centre upon her breakthrough. First cut ‘Complicated’ was a sweet pop-rock affair that remains one of her most innocent, straightforward singles.

Perry had tried and failed previously to break the market under her real name Katy Hudson, but when she adopted a more colourful character she found success came pretty naturally. The playful nature of ‘I Kissed A Girl’ ensured it topped charts on both sides of the Atlantic in 2008.

08 ’fight for this love‘ cheryl cole

06 ’crazy in love‘ beyonce

03 ’sound of the underground‘ girls aloud

from her bubblegum beginnings but this single still sums up teen lust and longing brilliantly.

shaun kitchener

05 ’...baby one more time‘ britney spears

01 ’...baby one more time‘ britney spears

A shot in the arm for reality TV pop and the girlband world, this swirling cocktail of surf guitar, harmonies and thumping bass is a pop classic and an even better debut single.

04 ’genie in a bottle‘ christina aguilera Xtina spends plenty of time running away

It’s a real feat that Britney has had plenty of earth shattering smashes given just how fantastic that first single of hers was. This is sad, sexy and impossible to ever tire of. A true classic.

amazepop editor

It’s just legendary really, isn’t it? Britney struts around a high school knowing exactly what she’s doing, knowing she’s got one heck of a career ahead of her and also knowing that she’s firing out the traps with one of the best pop songs of all time.

BIG VOTE THING

best pop debuts Even now, the tradition with talent show winners is to release some Christmassy, down-tempo cack following the finale instead of a something a bit more... ‘proper’. What enabled Girls Aloud to fire out the traps with such ease was that their first outing was not a festive slushfest but an edgy, trend-setting slice of pure cool.

03 ’sweet dreams my la ex‘ rachel stevens

The poor sales figures of both Rachel Stevens solo albums are a crying shame, because she actually released some of the best pop music of the decade. ‘Sweet Dreams My LA Ex’, her first venture away from S Club 7, was exceptionally Ah, where it all began. Britney could have gone if that had been Spears was quite obviously des- the case? Obviously the follow-ups classy. tined for long-term success when would still have been amazing, but she burst onto the scene with ‘... without that first burst of adora02 ’bring it all back‘ Baby’ in 1999. It’s a rare instance ble personality and attitude in the of both song and video going down high school corridors, would Brits club 7 as iconic in the record books, but ney have become such a huge star Still a favourite at discos (barf) and legend has it (?) that the original so quickly? Luckily she did, and ‘... gay club nights, this vintage late plan was to have Brit represented Baby’ set the pace for more than a 90s gem is as bright and breezy as by a cartoon in an animated pro- decade (and counting) of basically they come. If and when the band mo... Imagine how different things flawless pop music. does ever reform, this will go down incredibly well at the comeback GREATEST X FACTOR CONTESTANTS gigs. A ten-year back catalogue of loons and stars - vote for your faves at amazepop.co.uk.

’...baby one more time‘ britney spears

next vote

02 ’sound of the underground‘ girls aloud That the girlband winners of Popstars: The Rivals were such outsiders to take the 2002 Christmas One seems ridiculous looking back, but were it not for this game-changing song, things could have been very different indeed.

03 ’fight for this love‘ cheryl cole

You don’t love Cheryl because of her voice, you love her because of her brilliant pop tunes and the show that comes with them. ‘FFTL’ had a different kind of sound to its contemporaries, and had a great video and performance package to go with it.

04 ’mama do (uh oh, uh oh)‘ pixie lott Don’t laugh. When Pixie Lott came out, I thought she was one of the most exciting

popstars for a very long time. This particular song may not have aged well, but at the time it marked the start of a brilliant debut album campaign.

05 ’once‘ diana vickers With Eg White at her disposal, D-Vix properly silenced some critics with this banger of a track. It’s a shame that its chart-topping heights will probably never be reached by one of her songs again.

Every year sees an an onslaught of comebacks, but 2013 seems to have more than ever. With artists lining up to re-assault the charts with varying degrees of success, now’s a good time for Robin Darke to get his rant on.

CYNICISM vs THE COMEBACK Launching a successful pop revival is incredibly tricky; tricker than toasting bread just after someone has used the only toaster in the office and likes theirs incinerated. Lots of factors can ruin a popstrel’s desperate attempt at flogging as much money from the corpse they call a career. For instance, if the only thing that really sold your records was your angelic good looks and you return from obscurity looking like someone dunked Bella Emberg in treacle, chances are sales won’t be as prosperous as that time you appeared just in a school girl’s outfit.

Luckily for Lady Gaga, possibly looking like Bella Emberg won’t be a huge problem when it comes to her pop comeback with her third album, cryptically entitled ARTPOP. She’s had just enough of a long time away that she’s still incredibly relevant in popular culture and has a sound that is still being imitated in the charts. Perhaps Madonna’s touch of unending joie de vivre and inability to be put down when it’s probably for the best has rubbed off on Gaga, or maybe she’s just a channel for her art to funnel through and can’t switch it off. Who knows? But even if she has a three minute remix of someone farting along to a toddler

explaining why She-Ra is better than Gwen Tennyson her career probably won’t take that much of a beating. After all, ‘Bad Romance’ is one of the greatest songs ever written. But some acts don’t have as much talent/likeability/luck as Lady Gaga, and 2013 really seems to have been the year of the Comeback Kids. With the original Sugababes now going by the acronym MKS and trying to stop potential news stories that make them sound like the same old bitches, ranging all the way to Atomic Kitten hyping up on Kerry Katona’s various life dysfunctions to keep

themselves relevant, everyone who’s had a stab at a pop career and is sick of working at the Lottery counter of the Tesco Metro is having a go.

and sound and attitude, hoping to distance herself from the cut and clean Disney export that she was for years, but, despite only having one song released (which just ticked the general boxes for a reinHeralded by ITV and their Big Re- vention; risque language and vidunion reality show, where they las- eo) she is doing interview after inso the nuttiness that was the 90s terview about how this is the new and early 00s pop market and fo- her and that this is who she really cus it into one concentrated blast wants to be. Without calling her a of awful, we’ve seen groups like liar, or an attention seeker, is it re911, B*Witched and Liberty X set ally necessary to see her twanging aside any past animosity to start on a leotard and hear her banging anew for groups of braying nos- on about doing what she wants talgic fans. With an added dose of with her body? The recent ‘furore’ cynicism. about her new out“Everyone who’s spoken attitude could The biggest prob- had a stab at a pop easily be seen as a lem of a comeback in career and is sick of media ploy to reinvigthese post-X Factor orate an ailing career. working at the heydays is that whenever something new Lottery counter is To say that the media or inventive happens, plays no part in any having a go.’’ the initial thought is area of a career in the to realise that there’s more than public stage is immature and short just an artist wanting to express sighted. The two go hand in hand themselves at work. It isn’t neces- like the Black Plague and a pile of sarily a bad thing, because if there dead corpses lining the street. You weren’t manipulative record labels can’t have one without the other. we wouldn’t have The Wanted or But whereas some comebacks are One Direction, but with every new more genuinely thought through trend in music comes with it peo- (like many of Madonna’s reinple who want to make money from ventions) sometimes they can be it. For example, one of the major more style than substance. Miley’s factors behind The Big Reunion is comeback definitely comes under undoubtedly convincing people to this bracket; basing a comeback pay money to go and see the live on one song and the promise of tours that were hyped up count- an album but talking about issues lessly during the series. And some- which aren’t really relevant to gain times it’s hard to distance yourself momentum will always seem infrom the fact that you know that credibly cynical. someone is pulling away like the strings of a marionette. Britney Spears is another act who falls under the sway of media Miley Cyrus, for example, is in the blustering. Without doubt Spears’ throes of a reinvention in which greatest era was during the initial she takes on a much older look In The Zone comeback. She had

finally left her teenybopper label behind, and coupled with bouncing from the more mature themes in Britney, had finally become an artist that it was acceptable to like. She’d hit her stride and realised her idolatry of Madonna could be turned into something brilliant. Skip forward a decade and her newest comeback is in full swing, with her appearing on some really ropey songs (with a really ropey British accent). But whereas Cyrus actively releases provocative press statements, Spears falls back on a more subdued approach to media management. It’s safe to say that Britney Spears’ recent output has been far more will.i.am influenced than what is probably healthy for a career, and this shows in the relatively subdued media attention that she has been receiving of late. This is the same woman who was rumoured by shameless US gossip rags to have allegedly shaved her hair off so the police couldn’t tell if she was on crystal meth or not, before going totally nuts on a car with an umbrella. The very same woman who married a man she barely knew in Las Vegas before a hasty divorce. Even the same woman who lost control of her monetary assets and had to be assigned a conservator. The media hasn’t been kind to her at times, but she still plugs away and releases somewhat generic dance pop records. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Spears will never get away from her past, and although she might not play on this, it’s always in the back of everyone’s minds. We remember those frantic photos of her going all Kill Bill with a brolly,

and the snaps of her being sectioned. Think of it like the foundations of a building; she’ll always have that to rely on, and these are pretty strong foundations. She has to do very little work to stay in the public eye because, combined with a somewhat bizarre stint on X Factor USA, she’s still pretty well known. So she has the ability to release really poor songs, because it doesn’t matter. She’s stopped trying to change the World of pop, and with her extensive media history, she can do whatever she wants. ‘Scream And Shout’ showed us that she clearly doesn’t give a dixie toot anymore. Comebacks don’t always rely on a big media hooplah to succeed/ fail though. If you take Daft Punk’s recent album release, there was a massive media circus around it, and it should’ve been brilliant, but just like Justin Timberlake a few months before, the reason that

Daft Punk’s comeback should’ve been better but wasn’t, was because the end product was a giant sack of crap.

polished up to seem like a plausible career move, anything is possible. It had been so long since Daft Punk had done anything of much use to anyone that almost everyone with ears was looking forward to them redefining music in the same way that they had when ‘Around The World’ and ‘Homework’ had sixteen years ago. They could’ve set a trio of Dutch prostitutes singing Gregorian chant to a Moog synthesizer and it would’ve still sold thousands of copies.

Now before you all go nuts with rage and bombard me with angry messages on Twitter (something which I’d love to debate with anyone reading this) just bear in mind that although ‘Get Lucky’ might be one of the biggest selling singles of this year, and has definitely been the soundtrack of all of our Summers, Random Access Memories (and The 20/20 Experience) When a comeback is done badwas just a turgid mess of self indul- ly, it can be a career defining, but gence and maudlin disco. when done well, like Lily Allen’s It’s Not Me It’s You or Adele’s 21, it And despite the album being a can be a thing of great beauty and mess (‘Touch’ and ‘Fragments Of excitement. It’s just a shame that Time’ excluded, of course) it still a cynical nature has pervaded into sold millions of copies and relit something that should be nothing the nostalgic flames of children of but enjoyable. the 70s and 80s. How can that be? Well, in a World where even ‘Mys@Robin_Darke terious Girl’ by Peter Andre can be

sugababes - evolution and devolution -

As a nation we have always been very supportive of girl bands, with the UK producing internationally successful groups. Take, for instance, the almighty Spice Girls, whose first album impressively sold over 28 million copies worldwide. But no band’s story is as turbulent or rocky as that of the Sugababes. Back in 1998, three young ladies formed a girl group; a red head, a wildchild and one with a remarkable set of lungs – can you guess who is who? And so, Sugababes 1.0 was established. Their album One Touch was released and showered in tonnes of praise for its much needed uniqueness and maturity. However, possibly because of the label it was released through,

the album only reached 26 in the charts and unbelievably the sensational debut ‘Overload’ only reached number 6. The album also contained ‘New Year’, ‘Soul Sound’ and ‘Run for Cover’, all of which are some of the most impressive pop songs of the last decade-and-a-bit. The band were dropped, and then the first line up change (of a few) was seen as Siobhan departed the band and was replaced by Heidi Range - and thus Sugababes 2.0 was born. Through Island Records the band enjoyed far more success than their first album. This period has been referred to as their ‘glory days’ with them enjoying four glorious years of success. Some of their best anthems come from this era, such as ‘Freak Like Me’ and

‘Round Round’, taken from arguably one of their finest albums Angels With Dirty Faces. Their third album Three was celebrated for its diversity and edgier sound and the girls enjoyed a number 1 with the addictive ‘Hole in the Head’ and another smash with ‘Too Lost In You’, featured on the soundtrack to the perfect Christmas film Love Actually, and generally racked up a number of Brit Award nominations. The cracks then began to show, with more rumours of catfights and arguments rocking the band, but it didn’t affect them too much as they went on to release ‘Push The Button’, their most successful single to date. The song featured on their next album Taller in More Ways but, just before Christmas 2005, Mutya left the

With Mutya Keisha Siobhan making waves as a reformed trio and Jade Ewen basically saying she reckons her, Heidi and Amelle are ‘done’ with the Sugababes, Ben Egan seizes the opportunity to look back over the brand’s rollercoaster time in the sun. Which line-up was the best?

band.

A small blip appeared in the form of album Catfights and Spotlights Sugababes 3.0 was then released with no massive leading singles to the world, with the replacement coming from it except the overof one wildchild for another in the played ‘Girls’ (girls, girls…). form of Amelle Berrabah. Personally speaking, this line up was by The unthinkable then happened far a favourite, with the right com- when the only original member of bination of sweetness, attitude the band Keisha left the band. Afand vocal talent. A rerecord of ‘Red ter much speculation of whether Dress’ was Amelle’s first single, and or not the band would continue, what a debut single that was! The beautiful Eurovision finalist Jade hits then kept coming in the forms Ewen was drafted in. Days after of ‘Easy’ (taken from their greatest the announcement, a video was hits album) and ‘Walk This Way’ (a shot for the brilliant single ‘About duet with Girls Aloud for Comic Re- A Girl’. The Sugababes 4.0 era has lief). The band enjoyed 4 weeks on come under much criticism and the top spot with the sensational knock backs, however the balance ‘About You Now’, taken from their of the band strangely works for sixth album Change (the second to me… even though the sales did go to number 1). The album also not exactly ignite the charts. was toured, their biggest to date.

Now, we were as excited as any gay or girl about the news of the original Sugababes members putting aside their qualms and reuniting under the moniker Mutya Keisha Siobhan. After what felt like several millenniums of teasers and studio pictures, ‘Flatline’ finally surfaced. Is the song good? Yes. Was the song groundbreaking? No. Was I disappointed? Yes. The single is one that is very listenable and sweet but in no way is it sensational and like the old Sugababes days. The MKS gig went down really well so we just hope there is more in store for the Sugababes 5.0 era. @banj_7

After several years in the wilderness here in the UK, Pharrell Williams has re-emerged as one of the most successful players in pop music this year, thanks to his chart topping collaborations with Daft Punk and Robin Thicke. But just how has he managed it? Alex MacGregor examines the career rebirth of the former Neptunes frontman and much in demand producer...

PHARRENAISSANCE Earlier this year, Pharrell Williams turned 40 - although not that you would think to look at him. He is still - in all senses of the word - as fresh and on point as he was when he was first making a big impact on pop music both sides of the pond. Since forming the Neptunes with college mates Chad Hugo and Shae Haley at the start of the nineties, he has had a career that has spanned over two decades. But it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always been this plain sailing. When legendary producer Teddy Riley signed the Neptunes on the spot to a publishing deal after

watching them play at their Virginia high school talent contest in 1992 (his studio was just up the road from there), it began a long, eight year slog to the top for Williams’ career. The Neptunes cut their teeth crafting their trademark funk and R&B laden sound on hip hop records for the likes of Mase and Nore. A chance meeting with the then up and coming Kelis at her label headquarters in 1998 however, was to give them their breakthrough. Her 1999 debut ‘Kaleidoscope’ was produced in it’s entirety by the Neptunes including it’s unforgettable lead off single ‘Caught Out There’. 2001 saw the release of the team’s first album as a group, In Search Of..., get released under the stage name of N*E*R*D, producing hits like ‘Rock Star’ and ‘Lapdance’. This work naturally caught the attention of the pop world, and the team were commissioned by Jive Records to work on the Celebrity and Britney albums for *NSYNC and Britney Spears respectively, with singles such as ‘Girlfriend’ and ‘I’m A Slave 4 U’ topping the charts worldwide, which then led to work with everyone from Beyonce to No Doubt. And it was their work with *NSYNC which was to establish one of Pharrell’s most noted collaborators. After *NSYNC decided to take a break to pursue solo projects, Justin Timberlake continued working with the Neptunes on the album that was to make him a star. With a sound making a knowing nod to Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Bad albums, Justified put Jus-

tin and the Neptunes - but more creative showcase blog ‘i am OTHimportantly, Pharrell, who was be- ER’, which aims to give young peocoming the focus of the team hav- ple in music, acting, art and fashing featured in Justin’s ‘Like I Love ion a platform to showcase their You’ video and Britney Spears’ vid- talents. eo for ‘Boys’ - on the map. Soon after, the Neptunes then released Then last year, having remixed their collaborations album Clones some singles for them during his in the summer of 2003, which time with the Neptunes, he colspawned the release of Pharrell’s laborated with Daft Punk and the solo single ‘Frontin’ with Jay-Z. legendary Nile Rodgers of Chic on Having been pivotal in making a their single ‘Get Lucky’, and then solo star of Justin, with Robin Thicke “You have to Pharrell was now befor his single ‘Blurred wonder where coming one himself. Lines’. Both immePharrell has found diately captured the But he didn’t embark imagination the patience to keep public on a solo career the with their old school, first time round on at it in such a fickle funk laden disco feel the best of terms. Af- a welcome alterbusiness.’’ ter the mega success native to the brazen of the second N*E*R*D album Fly synths of David Guetta that had or Die in 2004, label disputes at the dominated the airwaves and clubs time saw them disband as well as for too long, both topped the go their seperate ways as produc- charts worldwide and both have ers, which led to Pharrell begin- also now become two of the quickning recording on his solo debut est million selling singles in the UK In My Mind in 2005. Despite huge in recent memory. success with the first single, ‘Can I Have It Like That’ featuring Gwen In a decade where he has expeStefani here in the UK, it wasn’t re- rienced a multitude of ups and ciprocated over on the other side downs - more so now, thanks to of the pond, and the album was his recent revival of fortunes - you pushed back two times before it have to wonder where Pharrell has was eventually met with middling found the patience to keep at it in success in August 2006. such a fickle business as music. He sums up his staying power in a way After a brief and unsuccessful that only he can: ‘It’s all about inreformation of N*E*R*D for the dividuality. Fashions are great, the ‘Seeing Sounds’ album in 2008, followers are cool but I love indiPharrell focussed on his produc- viduality. I love when people take tion work again, most notably things & make it themselves.’ And for Madonna on her Hard Candy no one could accuse him of not doalbum and Mariah Carey on her ing that. Emancipation of Mimi album. He also scored the soundtrack for the @ThePensmith10 Despicable Me films, designed his own clothing range, and set up his

THE AMAZEPOP

MODERN CLASSICS COLLECTION

Released: 7th August 2006 Chart Peak: #110 Label: Polydor Producer: Brian Higgins/Xenomania Singles: ‘I’m Not Shy’

op moves quickly, doesn’t it? In a genre where artists like Pixie Lott can go from label’s finest to In Desperate Need Of A Hit mode in one swift album and Jessie J can be offered a judging role on a big-budget talent show after four singles, it’s easy to forget the classics-to-be that pass us by. But that’s what the AMAZEPOP

Modern Classics Collection is for. The mid-00s may not seem like that long ago, for example, but it’s four albums’ worth of time in JLS terms. Heck, Conor Maynard was probably only about 5 years old in 2007, right? So we’ve picked out a trio of masterpieces from bygone years for you to wipe the scratches off and play in a tatty old CD player. Or, y’know, look up on Spotify.

DEVIL’S GOT YOUR GOLD Frank Back in 2005 when Channel 4’s T4 strand was still the perfect hangover cure on a Sunday morning, it launched a new show called ‘Totally Frank’, a fictional drama about a girl group wot wielded guitars and drumsticks called Frank. It was such a hit that it even overtook US teen favourite ‘The OC’ in the ratings at one point. And, as with The Monkees, North and South and S Club 7 before them, Frank were a girl group in real life too.

bargain bins the land over before they decided to pack it all in. Touring however, was not their only connection to the mighty Aloud.

caine kisses suck’.

On the other end of the spectrum, the album’s title track and ‘Silence’ are delightfully haunting, perhaps even menacing Certain critics of Xenomania tracks that had the right degree have often argued that Brian of high octane drama to them Higgins and Miranda Coop- if Kylie Minogue had done them er’s best work at their peak was they would have been praised exclusively reserved for Girls from all corners. The real highAloud and Sugababes when they light though, is the second sinweren’t changing lineup for the gle that never was, ‘Never Left umpteenth time. This of course a Girl’, which marries the live is complete codswallop, for feel of Frank’s music to the high Frank’s sole twelve track offer- octane power pop Xenomania ing to the world was a blastingly knows how to do best. Coming good one. Two of the tracks - the two months before Girls Aloud’s Naturally, the expectation was single ‘I’m Not Shy’ and ‘Money ‘Something Kinda Ooooh’ you that the TV ratings would trans- in My Pocket’ - were rehashed can almost hear the early bluelate back into record sales. Alas, from their previous existence as print for it when listening to this. this is 2006 we are talking about tracks for Brian and Miranda’s here, when the indie band and failed BMG vanity project Ma- A year after ‘Come and Get It’, the singer-songwriter reigned nia in 2004, but still retained the but two years before The Satsupreme, and pop as we knew stroppy, sassy feel as the original urdays broke the ‘touring with it had been reduced to its very demos had done. ‘Don’t Wait Up’ Girls Aloud’ curse, Frank were foundations. So despite opening is a similarly feisty kiss off to a perhaps too ahead of their time. for labelmates Girls Aloud on dope headed boyfriend: ‘Won’t All the more reason to invest in their Chemistry arena tour that be your honey sometimes, your this superb, dead on the mark alspring, they only got their one weekend super slut/I’m sick of bum. single to #40 and this album to wasting my time, and your co@ThePensmith10

THE AMAZEPOP

MODERN CLASSICS COLLECTION

Released: 26th September 1996 Chart Peak: #78 Label: Polydor Producers: Mark ‘Spike’ Stent, Ray Davies, Guy Chambers Singles: ‘West End Pad’, ‘Waterloo’ ‘Sunset’, ‘When Dreams Turn to Dust’

AM I THE KINDA GIRL? Cathy Dennis It’s easy to forget now, but Norwich’s finest contribution to pop, Cathy Dennis aka the name on the credits of 90% of the best pop singles released in the last 20 years - was a popstar herself once. She really broke through at the turn of the 90s as vocalist on dance outfit D-Mob’s ‘C’mon and

Get My Love’ and then on her own hits like ‘Touch Me (All Night Long)’ which was also a success in the US and sold two million copies worldwide.

of mega success. She even admitted herself that she had ‘no tolerance for beer’ and preferred to spend her time practicing her guitar and growing Bonsai trees. Hardly the sort of thing you’d hear from a popstar, most However, no secret’s been made people thought. But then, Cathy of the fact that the relatively wasn’t your average popstar. Afpublicity shy Dennis didn’t cope ter a two year hiatus from the at all well with her initial burst public spotlight, she returned

To suggest an album for the Modern Classics Collection, or if you want to write about one yourself, tweet us @AMAZEPOP

in 1996 with this, her much delayed third album, which saw her change tack from the dance pop of her first two albums to a very aloof, almost slightly Britpop direction. A lot of this was down to her change of producers, as she worked with Guy Chambers (pre-Robbie Williams) and Ray Davies, the lead singer of 60’s outfit The Kinks - hence the appearance of her cover of their ‘Waterloo Sunset’, which was this album’s biggest hit - but boring this album certainly wasn’t. Lead off single ‘West End Pad’, the deliciously catty ‘Fickle’, and the very odd sounding title track and ‘Homing the Rocket’, all pre-date the work of Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Diana Vickers, both of whom Cathy has gone on to write chart topping hits for. The songs here are smart and complex yet also insanely addictive, and illustrate just how great her songwriting prowess is. It’s a shame really then, that as an artist she promoted an album as great as this with all the enthusiasm of someone who’d rather have been down the potting shed. But still, with ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’, ‘Toxic’ or ‘I Kissed a Girl’ never too far away from a spin on radio even to this day, we should still be grateful for the small pop mercy that is Cathy - and perhaps take time to reinvestigate ‘Am I The Kinda Girl?’ while you’re at it. @ThePensmith10

CHASING LIGHTS The Saturdays

Released: October 27 2008 Chart peak: No9 Label: Fascination Producers: David Eriksen, Thomas Eriksen, Josef Larossi, Andreas Romdhane, Ina Wroldsen Singles: ‘If This Is Love’, ‘Up’, ‘Issues’, ‘Work’ As a Girls Aloud fan, I was strangely reluctant to grow to love The Saturdays. It’s natural to pit similar acts against each-other and it just seemed like the natural thing to do.

sisness over to their ballads with the likeable third single ‘Issues’.

The best song on the record is obviously ‘Up’; an electronic masterstroke of bleeping synths and big Vanessa Whiteshaped vocal acrobatics. The But actually, the girls’ debut song fared significantly better Chasing Lights was pretty than debut ‘If This Is Love’ damn good. It was much more and paved the way for the girls ‘straightforward’ than your to properly make their mark average Xenomania-led Aloud as a rare girlband with staying LP, and all the more likea- power. Here in 2013, It’s this ble for it. ‘Work’, ‘Keep Her’ kind of sound that I’m really and ‘Lies’ are all attitude-lad- hoping they’ll revisit on their en highlights, and they even upcoming collection. managed to transfer that sas@ShaunKitchener

ARTPOP COMETH With the countdown to Lady GaGa’s ARTPOP growing ever shorter, Kieran Field looks ahead at what to expect. With an army of Little Monsters, a legendary rise to fame and two insanely successful albums under her belt, Lady Gaga’s third album was always going to be a big deal. Remember the build-up to Born This Way? From the moment Gaga, covered head to toe in raw steak, belted out a chorus of the title track from her sophomore album, fans couldn’t wait for more of her unique brand of pop in their lives. This time around, she has taken a more subtle approach to the announcement of her album, making use of more traditional avenues. In fact, it wasn’t until last month that she took to her website to announce an official release date of November 11.

Her debut, The Fame, focused on the quest for fame and infamy, being appropriately brash and addictive, Gaga made an impression with the catchiness of songs like ‘Poker Face’ and the lyrical flair of ‘Paparazzi’. The themes may be shallower than the girl that followed, but I would hope she returns to this kind of flashy, electronic pop on her upcoming album; who wouldn’t want to hear more along the lines of ‘I Like it Rough’ and ‘Boys Boys Boys’?

The Fame Monster is, at times, a much darker exploration of the same themes and allowed Gaga to go further, meaning bigger beats and catchier hooks; just try and get ra-ra-ro-ma-ma/ga-ga-ooh-lala out of your head after listening But ARTPOP has been on the cards to ‘Bad Romance’. The switch also much longer than that; fans have allowed Gaga to explore a differbeen waiting for this album for ent, more vulnerable side. Gaga over two years and, as such, antici- may not exactly be known for her pation is sky high. ballads and slow-tempo tracks, but when they are written as well But what should we expect from as ‘Speechless’ and sound as good Lady Gaga’s third act? Well, if the as ‘So Happy I Could Die’, there is previous two are anything to go always room for more on ARTPOP. by, I think we’ll see a completely different Lady Gaga. Gaga has a Born This Way is undoubtedly Gaknack for reinvention, constantly ga’s most excessive and indulgent changing her style and sound from album; which takes inspiration one music video to the next, one from almost every genre of music genre to the other, and from album and puts a Gaga spin on each. The to album. That is the exciting thing production is bigger and totally not about ARTPOP – I don’t think any- subtle, but why would we want it one is entirely sure of which direc- to be? The choruses are still catchy tion she will take. but Gaga moves to more personal themes and issues and the album

feels harder to categorise as a Dance/Pop album like The Fame. Disco, Opera, House and Europop all make an appearance on Born This Way so I’m not sure how many other genres Gags can rework on ARTPOP, but rumour has it she has been working on some jazz-inspired tracks. And if there’s anyone who could make me like jazz, it would be Lady Gaga. ARTPOP could go in any number of different directions, but based on the star’s second and third albums, it is safe to say that the music will only get bigger, catchier and more elaborate. I hope there will be some slower tracks thrown in there and a nod or two to the flamboyant and frivolous themes that she came out with back in 2008. I have no doubt that ARTPOP will live up to the high precedent set by its predecessors and die-hard fans will love it. The exciting thing about a new Gaga album is that there is more than just new music to look forward to; it also means that there will be plenty of cinematic music videos and crazy live performances coming our way. The album’s lead single ‘Applause’ will premiere on August 19th, with Mother Monster set to perform the dongle days later at the 2013 VMA festivities. @KieranJField

THE REVIEWS BIT

on the menu. 82%

SINGLES Titles marked with a * were reviewed in a previous issue but had their release dates moved.

Bastille - ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’: Another cracker from the excellent Bad Blood album, ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’ isn’t quite as almighty as ‘Pompeii’ or ‘Laura Palmer’ but is still head and shoulders above other indie-pop options

The X Factor USA could be on the verge of actually creating an act with pulling power with this quintet from last year’s finale. The track carries one heck of a chorus, and the whole package generally gets better and better with every spin.

Britney Spears - ‘Ooh La La’: Britney provides a quick stopgap between ‘Scream and Shout’ and her actual new album with this Smurfs 2 soundtrack song. It’s a little on the naff side, in all honesty, but nice enough to serve its purpose. 60% Kanye West - ‘Black Skinhead’: He may be among the world’s Ellie Goulding - ‘Burn’: Goulders least likeable musicians, but Kanye prepares for an obligatory album proves there is talent behind the repackage with this Leona cast-off. bravado, and ‘Black Skinhead’ is It isn’t among the whispy singer’s a big, bombastic single that sits best efforts, but is still a strong re- among his best. 85% mix-ready nugget. 76% Matt Cardle ft Melanie C - ‘Loving Fifth Harmony - ‘Miss Moving On’: You’: In Songs That Feature Mela-

SELENA GOMEZ

Selena drops The Scene and ends up being more ‘scene’ than every before [Page 42]

nie C terms, this is no ‘When You’re Gone’ - but it’s certainly a very pleasant way to spend 3-and-a-half minutes, and both parties sound in great vocal form. 73% Miley Cyrus - ‘We Can’t Stop’: The change in direction is stark in comparison to the likes of the (frankly brilliant) ‘Party In The USA’, but even though opinion of Miles as a general thing could sway either way, ‘We Can’t Stop’ is admittedly a very strong effort. Maybe steer clear of the video though. 89%

ALUNAGEORGE

The coolest pop newcomers of 2013 finally unveil their LP... [Page 41]

track - the rumbling chorus would be all over every radio station in the hands of a more prolific artist, and it’s a shame that this will probably fail to get the commercial credit it deserves. 90%

is re-recruited by Naughty Boy for this latest chart assault. It’s no ‘Wonder’, and it’s unlikely to do the same business as ‘La La La’, but it’s another solid tune from the year’s hottest producer. 69%

Mutya Keisha Siobhan - Flatline: The founding members of the Sugababes successfully meet their hype with ‘Flatline’ - a heart-wrenching masterstroke with some incredible harmonies on the chorus and some great ‘Wear My Kiss’-shaming production. 92%

Neon Jungle - ‘Trouble’: One year on from ‘Wings’, another girlband makes a sensational debut. Neon Jungle are an absolute riot here; taking the same ballsy sing-shout approach made acceptable by ‘I Love It’ and adding even more bonkers production. Should be a massive hit. 92%

MS MR - ‘Think Of You’: MS MR Naughty Boy ft Emeli Sande - Liftreturn with a right blinder in this ed: Little-known rising star Sande Olly Murs - ‘Right Place Right

REVIEWS: SINGLES Time’: Olly mixes it up again for this fourth single from the album of the same name. It’s another strong cut and sonically it’s a lot different to the record’s previous singles, so fair play. 83% One Direction - ‘Best Song Ever’: It’s just as well that the title isn’t meta, because this isn’t quite the best song ever... or even the best song in the 1D canon. It’s still a stupidly catchy effort, though, with daft lyrics (“Said her name was Georgia-Rose, and her daddy was a 74% dentist”) that sit much better here than they did in ‘Little Things’. 79% Selena Gomez - ‘Slow Down’: “I wanna steal you for a rhythm inRizzle Kicks - ‘Lost Generation’: tervention” emerges as one of the The spunky duo have plenty to best opening lines of the year on say on this first cut from their up- Selena Gomez’s latest. The fuzzy coming second album, and though electro sound arguably trumps the it’s nothing that hasn’t already anticlimactic ‘Come And Get It’, been heard, they just about have and the “ahhhh” before the final enough personality to pull it off. chorus is just divine. 86% It’s no ‘Down With The Trumpets’, though. 72% Shane Filan - ‘Everything To Me’: Westlife’s first solo venture comes Rudimental ft Foxes - ‘Right courtesy of The Singer Shane, who Here’: One of the most successful makes a thoroughly likeable start dance acts of the last year bust out with this acoustic guitar-driven another inevitable hit with ‘Right clap-a-long ditty. It’s a little SheerHere’, another well produced EDM an, a little Mraz and a little Passenaffair with plenty of chart potential. ger; and very pleasant it is too. 65%

The Wanted - ‘We Own The Night’: After the embarrassing cringe-fest that was ‘Walks Like Rihanna’, The Wanted finally lead in to their third album with this wannabe anthem. If it takes off, it could be their biggest hit since ‘Glad You Came’, but are they running out of steam now? 80% Tinie Tempah - ‘Trampoline’: An interesting one to critique given that, if you find the WOP WOP bits painfully irritating, you won’t give a stuff about anything else that’s going on. There’s a thundertune in here somewhere, but... dammit that WOP business is annoying. 58%

REVIEWS: ALBUMS

ALUNAGEORGE BODY MUSIC By SHAUN KITCHENER

starts things off on a calming, relatively low-key foot, and ‘Lost And Found’ is the kind of super-cool two-step that sits nicely alongside the work of Disclosure as a nifty example of how big hipster-pop has become in 2013.

Long established by both the pop and indie/#RealMusic worlds as one of 2013’s most interesting breakthroughs, AlunaGeorge have a The tracks that have made the duo lot riding on this long-player, and so popular thus far sound just as fortunately they deliver. gorgeous in the context of a full long-player. The pretty-old-now The interesting marriage of Alu‘Your Drums Your Love’ is still fanna Francis’s child-like vocals and tastic, and the recently re-released George Reid’s sparse production ‘You Know You Like It’ is deliciously permeates throughout the set, and catchy, and follows the comparthe singles that have come before atively subdued ‘Outlines’ quite it are a reliable indicator of what nicely at the front end of the trackelse is in store. Opener ‘Outlines’

listing. As with a lot of the best pop, Body Music’s strongest asset is its ability to merge great production with real depth; and the only dampener could simply be its sheer hip-ness. Those who like their pop a little more, well, fun may grow a little bored, and Aluna’s voice is also just about distinctive enough to be polarising. But generally this is an ace collection that justifies the fanfare and keeps fans of many subgeneres content. 83% @ShaunKitchener

REVIEWS: ALBUMS

SELENA GOMEZ STARS DANCE By SHAUN KITCHENER

I’ve always found Selena Gomez to be a tricky pop beas to get a grip on. When she first decided to launch a pop career alongside her (arguably superfluous) band The Scene, Miley Cyrus was at the top of her game and Demi Lovato was beginning to make waves as well; so when Sel launched ‘Falling Down’ I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic. With The Scene she released one bad album, one OK album and one brilliant album; steadily growing stronger with every record and developing her sound from conveyorbelt bubblegum rock to seriously sophisticated synth pop (‘Love You Like A Love Song’, anyone?). But despite all this, she still didn’t seem to have as much personality or charisma in her performance as her two most obvious House of Mouse contemporaries; and this is probably why I’ve struggled to warm to her in quite

the same way as I have towards bonus track ‘Music Feels Better’ is Miley and Demi. a rare instance of pure euphoria, as Selena wails notes that may or But anyway. That was then. Two may not be a little tricky to peryears have passed since When form live. The Sun Goes Down, and Gomez has now ditched The Scene alto- ‘Forget Forever’, which leaked gether and seems to be counting earlier this year under the name this set, Stars Dance, as her prop- ‘Rule The World’, is another exer debut. The record, led by Bolly- ceptional offering, but it’s the wood-inspired ‘Come And Get It’, set’s sole ballad that leaves one builds on what WTSGD started; of the biggest impressions. ‘Love it’s packed with dancefloor-ready Will Remember’ is a fantastically electro pop with more choruses executed mid-tempo tune with than you can shake a stick at and enough raw emotion to make obsome clever, slightly left-field pro- vious links to a certain Mr Bieber duction from a few slightly left- understandable. field producers. There’s more personality here As it happens, ‘Come And Get than on past records, but SeleIt’ - a song accurately described na’s relatively small voice is acby PopJustice as “half the song tually pretty effective as it is. It’s it thinks it is” - is arguably one of not as forceful as Rihanna’s or the weakest on the set, despite big-lunged as Lovato’s, but when having Stargate listed as chief she’s getting her inner seductress knob-twiddler. As overdone as on, the soft purr comes in pretty the sound now is, dubstep has handy. The important thing is that the best effect here - on the likes debut Kiss & Tell now feels like a of the title track and new single billion years ago, and that’s as ‘Slow Down’ in particular. Else- successful a girl-to-woman, Diswhere ‘Undercover’ is the kind of ney-to-mainstream transition as generic electropop anthem that is one could hope for. 88% amazing in spite of its lack of originality (next single, please) and @ShaunKitchener

REVIEWS: FILM

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY in animation techniques as well the narrative with not enough of as memorable characters and an the jokes or character developWhen it comes to Pixar movies, exciting narrative appealing to a ment aimed at the under 8’s. they’ve almost shot themselves wide age range. in the foot by setting the bar too That being said, from someone high! Before the release of Mon- Moving forward twelve years in distinctly older than 8, the familisters University, the last film they our world, and back roughly ten arity of this venture reminded me made was Brave the year before, in theirs, and we are introduced why I loved the first one so much. and the last good film they made to Monsters University - a prequel All of the main characters transwas years before that with Toy depicting the same two loveable late well as student caricatures of Story 3. Releasing one film every characters and how they met as themselves and the addition of a year or two since 1995, and with first year college students. With new villain is refreshing. Mirrorsuch creations as Finding Nemo the premise explained in the ti- ing the American college system and Up amongst their repertoire, tle, there should be a great deal some of the jokes might be lost on fans were waiting for Pixar to do of room for imagination and yet a British audience however, for the something truly great this year. this seems to be where the film most part, there are laughs aplenfalls short. The plotline itself is ty. The frustration comes because So did they live up to expectation? predictable, as is the fine line be- it’s almost back to the great PixIn short: No. Not that Monsters tween best-friend and arch-ene- ar we know and love, if only the University is by any means bad, my. Where the first film opted for imagination of the concept could it just lacks the originality and brave plot twists and rejected con- have stretched to the plotline. Instaying power of the aforemen- vention, it’s prequel frustratingly stead we are left with a film that’s tioned films. The first film of this does just the opposite. What’s in- good but not great; nice but not duo, Monsters Inc., roared onto teresting is the change in audience memorable - a movie that once our screens over a decade ago in- for this particular feature. With late would have been enough to suffice troducing us to the characters of showings in most cinemas proving our monster appetite, if we hadn’t Mike (voiced by Billy Crystal), Sully that the target audience is just as been expecting a little bit more. (voiced by John Goodman) and the much adult viewers as children, 71% monster world they inhabit. Work- Pixar are relying on the Monsters ing to collect the screams of chil- Inc. fan base to carry this film. This @BethBecomesHer_ dren to use as a power source this encourages the possibility that acfilm marked a huge breakthrough tually they’ve aimed too old with By BETH DAVISON

REVIEWS: FILM

FRANCES HA By BETH DAVISON

It’s really hard being a girl in your twenties. Having to think about a ticking biological clock, dedicating time to skin care routines, assigning a certain amount of your paycheck each month to shoes, and getting completely over-emotional at the most random things! So it might have been the fault of my gender that I became completely emotionally invested in Frances Ha, or it might be because it’s a fantastic film. I would like to think it’s the latter. Set in New York the film follows the life of Frances Halladay, pirouetting through her late twenties whilst the strains of financial uncertainty and professional inadequacy threaten to quash her eternal optimism. She has a best friend named Sophie and their relationship is described as that of a “lesbian couple that aren’t having sex any more”. Played to perfection by Greta Gerwig, Frances is

labeled by many people (herself included) as ‘undateable’ and therefore places a great deal of importance in her friendships. As Sophie begins to find meaning in other elements of life Frances if left to drift through the streets of New York alone and as dreams of becoming a dancer unravel around her and the rent cannot be paid on time life gets just a little bit trickier for our haphazard heroine.

a touching comedy. In Hollywood hands Frances would have a melt down, someone would scream and shout, uplifting music would play and then Frances would change her values and everything would be ok. Instead we have something much more poignant - a subtle journey relating to everyone who’s ever felt like they’re failing, or maybe just flailing! There’s no melodrama and no pretense and not once does Frances succumb to the Directed by Noah Baumbach, who woes of self-pity. Yes, the narrative gave us the previous cinematic is filmed in black and white and is gem The Squid and The Whale, at times a little bit hipster; but why Frances Ha is a character assess- waste time nit-picking something ment of a woman living in the inso warm-hearted. between world of what she hoped life could become and what it actu- Everyone who makes time to see ally is. Baumbach has said openly this film should fall in love with that he enjoys writing about life Frances. Possibly relying a little adjustment and since leading ac- more on her heart than her head tress and real life spouse Gerwig she’s as content as anyone could was a co-writer on the project, hope for. Quirky with a capital Q what shines through in the script she’s made me reflect; maybe beis how much they both love the ing a girl in your twenties isn’t so character of Frances. And therein bad after all. 85% lies the beauty of this film: It could be very depressing but instead is @BethBecomesHer_

PLANES By WILLIAM & DARCY KITCHENER

From above the world of Cars, we rise to the world of Planes. With the same jaw-dropping animation and concept, the only thing missing is Pixar. The story follows Dusty Crophopper (voiced by Dane Cook), a young, crop-dusting plane chasing a dream in a race around the globe. With added obstacles aplenty (including his own ironic fear of heights), the film is everything that you would usually expect from Disney; heartfelt and gripping feelgood fun.

drawn between the two. With a similar retired coach, lovable best friend, green-eyed enemy and rookie racer, the feel good factor is taken to the max as we take a trip to the skies.

in slightly shorter supply is that extra bit of comedy to take it to the next level. Pixar’s characters and storylines are for all ages, whereas this one appears to be just for the kids.

Unlike Cars and Cars 2 (2011), Planes is just by Disney and not Pixar, but you wouldn’t notice it… well… not really. Pixar’s esteemed director John Lasseter provides script and production as he works solely with the House of Mouse to bring the world of Cars back to us, but a bit higher up in the sky. John Ratzenberger, ever-present among Pixar casts, also still makes his traditional cameo role.

All things aside, the film is enjoyable throughout and even if a little predictable, the animated quirks with many a tractor-cow and seagull-plane keep you happily entertained. Setting itself up for a strong selling point in merchandise with the likes of flags, whistles and propeller mugs shown in the film, Planes is bound to be yet another Disney success! 70%

If you loved the storyline of Cars (2006) then you’re sure to love The only aspect that seems to be this, with many parallels to be

@WKitchener / @DarcyKitchener

RELATIVELY POINTLESS

POP QUIZ 11. What was the name of Jordin Sparks’s debut album? 12. Name the reality series Britney Spears filmed with Kevin Federline. 13. When did Ashlee Simpson release her last album? 14. Who was the youngest member of S Club 7? My Knees’ The prize? Absolutely nothing. and ‘Dumb’ before swiftly disapThe point? There isn’t really one. pearing? The fun value? Average at best. 8. Name all four members of The ALAS. Test your pop geekdom Corrs. with the below questions. 9. What song did Cheryl Cole sam1. Who won BBC Sound of 2013? ple on her 2010 song ‘Waiting’?

15. When Lady Gaga became the most-followed person on Twitter, who had she overtaken?

Look out for the answers in the next issue. Or just look them up on the internet. Last issue answers: 1. Paulina Rubio, 2. Never, 3. 2006, 4. Nicola Roberts, 5. ‘See You Again’, 2. What was the name of Natasha 10. In which US TV series did Chris 6. Jamie, 7. 2, 8. 2002, 9. 2004, 10. Bedingfield’s last studio album? Brown gain an acting credit, play- Zayn, 11. Frankie, 12. ‘Mama Do ing the on-screen boyfriend of Wil- (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)’, 13. ‘Never Leave 3. What was the name of La Roux’s la Holland? You’, 14. 4, 15. Max George only Number 1 single to date? 4. Name Ke$ha’s reality TV series. 5. Name The Wanted’s reality TV series. 6. What talent contest did Emma Bunton present on Channel 5? 7. Which girlband had hits with ‘On

UNMISSABLE AT THIS YEAR’S EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE