Released Saturday May 31, 2008:

LADYTRON : VOLICIFERO
JESSE MCCARTNEY : DEPARTURE
PRESETS : THIS BOY'S IN LOVE (CD SINGLE)
RADIOHEAD : BEST OF RADIOHEAD
VARIOUS ARTISTS : EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2008 (2CD)

DVD : The Campest Clips Ever

Hot on the heels of Central Station Records' "Campest Campaign Ever" around Mardi Gras time comes the visual version, the Campest Clips Ever DVD. No word as to which tracks have made the cut at this stage, but given this promo video...



...we'd say it could very well live up to it's claim!

RELEASED JULY THROUGH CENTRAL STATION RECORDS

THE POP RADAR

NEW ALBUMS COMING SOON:

ANASTACIA : MY VISION FROM MY GLASSES
ANNIE : DON'T STOP
BOYZONE : GREATEST HITS
MELINDA JACKSON : DESPERATE DOLLY
JESSE MCCARTNEY : DEPARTURE
DANIEL MERRIWEATHER : LOVE & WAR
BETTE MIDLER : JACKPOT - THE BEST BETTE
PUSSYCAT DOLLS : TO THOSE WHO WAIT
SHAPESHIFTERS : DO NOT DISTURB
SHARLEEN SPITERI : MELODY
AXLE WHITEHEAD : LOSING SLEEP

PLUS: ACE OF BASE, LILY ALLEN, ALL SAINTS, BANANARAMA, BASEMENT JAXX, DANIEL BEDINGFIELD, KELLY CLARKSON, DIDO, SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR, WHITNEY HOUSTON, NATALIE IMBRUGLIA, INFUSION, NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, NO DOUBT, PINK, PUSSYCAT DOLLS, ROYKSOPP, SUGABABES, WILL YOUNG

NEW SINGLES COMING SOON:

LILY ALLEN : EVERYONE'S AT IT
ANNIE : GIRLFRIEND
BASSHUNTER : ALL I EVER WANTED
BOYZONE : WE CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT YOU
MARIAH CAREY : BYE BYE
GABRIELLA CILMI : SAVE THE LIES
CRAID DAVID : OFFICIALLY YOURS
DUFFY : SERIOUS
ESTELLE : NO SUBSTITUTE LOVE
FREEMASONS : WHEN YOU TOUCH ME
GOLDFRAPP : CARAVAN GIRL
HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR : YOU BELONG
JANET JACKSON : LUV
JEM : IT'S AMAZING
MADONNA : GIVE IT 2 ME
KYLIE MINOGUE : THE ONE
PUSSYCAT DOLLS : WHEN I GROW UP
MISSY ELLIOT : BEST BEST
ROISIN MURPHY : MOVIE STAR
RIHANNA : REHAB
KELLY ROWLAND : BROKEN
SAM SPARRO : 21ST CENTURY LIFE
BRITNEY SPEARS : RADAR
WILL YOUNG : CHANGES

FORTHCOMING pOp CD RELEASES IN AUSTRALIA:

June 09
Cyndi Lauper – Bring Ya To The Brink
Alanis Morissette – Flavours Of Entanglement
Potbelleez – Are You With Me (CD single)
Donna Summer – Crayons

June 16
Coldplay – Viva La Vida
OST – Sex And The City
OST – Skins 2
Rihanna – Good Girl Gone Bad (Reloaded Edition)

June 23
Mariah Carey - Bye Bye (CD single)
Mika – Relax, Take It Easy (CD single)
Sam Sparro – Sam Sparro

June 30
Alphabeat - This Is Alphabeat

DELTA GOODREM : Delta

SonyBMG couldn’t make Delta work Stateside, but her new label Universal Music is going to have a fair old crack. This is the cover for the brand new US version of Delta’s third album, “Delta”, to be releases in the States on July 15. The album features everything that was on the Aussie edition, except for “The Guardian”. It’s been replaced (bizarrely) with “Born To Try”. Shuffle the tracks around and voila – new album!
Not content with a simple track shuffle and some spanky new artwork, Universal America has also shot a stylish new clip for Delta’s first single “In This Life”. It shows what’s become a staple for Delta clips – the piano. And this time, it’s not on fire. No this time, it’s on a BEACH!



Disappointed, however, that there’s not even one tiny shot of Anna Paquin or Holly Hunter.

Also, as you’re probably aware, the album is already out in Japan (with slightly different artwork);

It contains two bonus tracks, a new original track “Breathe In, Breathe Out” and “Together We Are One” (which Ms G performed at the opening ceremony of 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne). BUT, they’re re-releasing the album in Japan on June 11 with yet another bonus track called “Live! Together – Tokyo Girls Anthem”, an up-tempo pOp stomper duet, recorded with Japanese pOpster Juju!
It seems the world’s gone Delta MAD!

Album Release:

AUSTRALIA – OUT NOW
UNITED STATES – OUT JULY 15
JAPAN – OUT NOW, DELUXE EDITION OUT JUNE 11
UNITED KINGDOM – TBA

THE PRESETS : This Boy's In Love

Oooer! What’s going on here, then? Two boys splashing about in some kind of milky-style liquid to an awesome track that almost sounds like it could be from the remixing studios of Above & Beyond. What would their mothers say…?
Meanwhile Julian and Kim, reluctant to join in this semi-naked wrestle-fest, look like they could both do with a damned good wash;



It’s all a bit homoerotic, isn’t it?
It’s the second single release from the boys’ awfully good second album “Apocalypto”, which topped the Australian album charts in April. The single is out now (Aus).

Album Release:

AUSTRALIA – OUT NOW
UNITED STATES – OUT NOW
JAPAN – OUT NOW
UNITED KINGDOM – OUT JUNE 23

MADONNA FTG. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE : 4 Minutes

It's been weeks since Mother Banda released this (admittedly catchy) piece of Timbaland pOp. Since then, it's topped singles charts the world over except, sadly, in the US, where she plainly thought that with the assistance of Justin Timberlake and his bulging... er... female fanbase, she'd be a shoo-in for the top spot. Given she had just four minutes to save the world, we'd thought we'd have a quick look to see how she was faring six weeks on...

THE CHECKLIST:

Cure disease (x)
End famine (x)
End all wars (x)
Solve global warming (x)
Curb US recession fears (x)
Legally adopt Malawian boy (√)
End Sudan humanitarian crisis (x)
Resolve world oil crisis (x)
Announce world tour (√)
Release pOp album (√)

Seems that time's still waiting... And we think that (as we did then) 4 minutes might just have been a little too ambitious. Don't give up, Madonna - keep trying!

Album release:

AUSTRALIA – OUT NOW
UNITED STATES – OUT NOW
JAPAN – OUT NOW
UNITED KINGDOM – OUT NOW

RICKI-LEE : U Wanna Little Of This

Now look what happens when Ministry Of Sound and Hed Kandi in the UK get hold of former Idol star Ricki-Lee’s monster chart hit “Can’t Touch It”.
They turn it from a bonafide pOp hit into a bonafide club hit! Already doing big things on the UK club scene (hitting number one on some charts), this version (with the new name) will make it’s way onto the Australian club circuit mid-year through boutique dance label Vinyl Pusher Records.
In the meantime, see what you think of the original video in it’s sped-up, chopped up Ali Payami edit guise;



Album Release:

AUSTRALIA – OUT NOW
UNITED STATES – TBA
JAPAN – OUT NOW
UNITED KINGDOM – TBA

CUT COPY : Hearts On Fire

Ever had one of those days when just nothing seems to be going right?
Enter the video for the second single from the amazing Cut Copy’s scintillating second album “In Ghost Colours”;



That can't be good for one's laptop...

Album Release:

AUSTRALIA – OUT NOW
UNITED STATES – OUT NOW
JAPAN – TBA
UNITED KINGDOM – OUT NOW

VANESSA AMOROSI : Somewhere In The Real World

You’ve got to feel sorry for Vanessa circa 2000 – an extraordinarily gifted vocalist with the world at her feet, reportedly trapped in a contract with a record company that was going nowhere following the release of her debut “The Power”.
That debut contained a mismatch of genres - from the angsty-rock of “Have A Look” to the dance-pOp spectacular of “Absolutely Everybody” to the classic power ballad “Shine”. It was a No.1 hit in Australia and also saw Vanessa find massive fame in Germany. She was just 19.
Fast forward eight years and with a new look, new manager, and a new sound, she stands ready to once again conquer the globe with that same extraordinary voice she was revered for.
Hidden within the trademark clean, instantly recognisable Pierre Baroni artwork (though a spell-checker on the inner and back sleeves might not have gone astray), lies the body of work which with great vocal assurance, announces Vanessa's re-arrival into our musical psyche.
The album opens with “Start It”, a track the 7 Network is using in advertisements for it’s AFL coverage. Like a strong bloody mary, it’s the perfect heart-starter for what’s to come.
Aptly titled second single Perfect, which is ensconced in the Aussie top ten as we write is pretty much the ‘perfect’ pOp song with killer hooks, chorus and a sensational video clip to boot;



The title track showcases the incredible range and power this woman possesses, the vocal strength here alone all but ripping the speakers out of the wall. Similarly the first single, Kiss Your Mama.
It’s far less pOppy than her 2000 debut LP, but it’s strong, it’s assured and marks the long-overdue but very welcome return of one of Australia’s finest singers.

Release:

AUSTRALIA – OUT NOW
UNITED STATES – TBA
JAPAN – TBA
UNITED KINGDOM – TBA

HOLLIE SMITH : Long Player

Remember the old adage of “quality, not quantity”? 25 year old New Zealander Hollie Smith seems to have adhered faithfully to said philosophy with this, her first fully-fledged, record company-signed ‘long player’.
And while not pOp in it’s purest sense, this slow-burning, soul-drenched blues soundtrack is one of the most divine ‘local’ offerings you’re bound to find.
It’s no wonder, therefore, that she was signed to an off-shoot of one of the most respected music labels on the planet – Blue Note.
Hollie’s smoky vocals glide over a blend of some of the purest ambling soul sounds you’re likely to hear. And equally impressive is the fact that not only did she write or co-write every track on the album, but she also co-produced it. You get the feeling that this young lady will be around for a long, long time.
Picture yourself in a dimly-lit jazz bar, sipping creamy cocktails on a cool winter’s eve – it’s this live and intimate feel, coupled with the joy, strength and assuredness of the piece that really captures you.
She’s mesmerized audiences in New Zealand for years – it’s now the turn for the rest of us to fall under Hollie’s soulful spell.

Release:

AUSTRALIA – OUT NOW
UNITED STATES – TBA
JAPAN – TBA
UNITED KINGDOM – TBA

DONNA SUMMER : Crayons

Part of us still can’t get over the fact that it’s been the better part of two decades since Ms Summer released her last album of original material!
Part of us still wishes the heady Stock-Aitken-Waterman days of “This Time I Know It’s For Real” and “Love’s About To Change My Heart” never really came to an end.
Part of us knows we're getting old!
However, pOp moves on, and so it seems has Donna Summer.
The new album is very polished, very now.
Though the track “I’m A Fire” in it’s various remixed guises has been doing the rounds in the clubs for the better part of three months, the first official radio single from the album is “Stamp Your Feet”, a limited edition remix single of which has been made available in the US.
And while it lyrically celebrates Donna’s return to the world of pOp (“I’ve been ‘round so many times before”), musically it fails to break new ground, sounding more like a direct copy of Nelly Furtado’s 2006 hit “Say It Right”.
There are other musical comparisons to be made here – the title track sounds suspiciously like Gia Farrell’s feel-good Happy Feet single “Hit Me Up”.
“The Queen Is Back” borrows from the sounds of JT, “Fame” is trademark Janet Jackson, “Drivin’ Down Brazil” could’ve been ripped from Emma Bunton’s startlingly good album “Free Me”.
Could Ms.Summer have had spies planted in studios around the world to find out “what the kids were into these days”?
Crayons is a pretty strong release from someone who knows what makes music great, but you do come away feeling that you might just have heard it all before from different vocalists.

Release:

AUSTRALIA – OUT JUNE 7
UNITED STATES – OUT NOW
JAPAN - OUT JUNE 25
UNITED KINGDOM – OUT JUNE 23

SAM SPARRO : Sam Sparro

He’s already taken the UK by storm with this, his self-titled debut album and his single “Black And Gold”. Australia has also started succumbing to his uber-now brand of cool dance-pOp charms. Don’t be mistaken - this is a man destined for top-of-the-chart greatness and he possesses all the tools that will help him get there.
But if you’re fearful that it’ll all come crashing down in a haze of disco balls and LED-lit vests after just one single, think again! Rumoured follow-up single, “21st Century Life” is another pOp corker with a chorus that’s catchier than bird flu.
This Sam Sparro debut is a delicious blend of Prince meets Jamiroquai meets Goldfrapp funk/soul/pOp that’ll make you wanna chill, make you wanna sing, make you wanna drop your designer undies and dance around naked in the loungeroom with your bits on show for all to see.
Debut albums don’t get much stronger than this.

Release:

AUSTRALIA – OUT JUNE 21
UNITED STATES – OUT JUNE (TBA)
JAPAN – TBA
UNITED KINGDOM – OUT NOW

CYNDI LAUPER : Bring Ya To The Brink

Extraordinary, isn’t it?
Two amazingly talented women who’ve been at the top of their game for more than two decades, both of whom have current albums lacking the pOp lustre they’ve been previously celebrated for. The princess of pOp tried to pander to the US market once again earlier this year with a two-a-penny track that could’ve been stripped straight from the charts of yesteryear. Her queen, preferring not to rock the boat stylistically, roped in the generic producer-of-the-moment and stickered her name on it. Neither album has afforded the pOp royals the sales and accolades of their previous outings.
Enter Cyndi Lauper. With her new album “Bring Ya To The Brink” (pictured) she’s darted to the complete opposite side of the musical spectrum from her previous release. And she’s put together an album that would be making her royal peers seethe with jealousy.
BYTTB could possibly (with the exception perhaps of Mister Sparro’s offering) be the album of the year thus far.
It’s dripping with top name producers; Dragonette, Kleerup, Basement Jaxx to name a few. It’s packed with pure pOp nuggets like “Same Ol’ Story”, “Give It Up”, “Set Your Heart” and rumoured second single “Into The Nightlife” which sounds so fresh it could’ve been hermitically sealed not two days ago.
Given Ms Lauper has been treading the boards for the best part of 25 years, this album, if anything, proves she’s still ready, willing and more than able to challenge for a position in the upper reaches of pOp royalty!

Release:

AUSTRALIA – OUT JUNE 7
UNITED STATES – OUT NOW
JAPAN – OUT NOW
UNITED KINGDOM – OUT JULY (TBA)