Remember: Never judge a Fox by it's cover.

Confession time. I've done that thing that I absolutely hate seeing other people do. I've become a music snob. After hearing about this new British male artist, being likened to Justin Bieber and Conor Maynard, I instantly ignored everything more I heard about him.

Listening to the music channel, up pops Elyar Fox. I thought I'd give it a listen, and what came after completely changed my opinion. I was wrong to make assumptions about an artist before hearing their music. His debut single "Do It All Over Again" is an incredibly solid pop song.

From the instant 'whoa-oh-oh' opening production to the brilliantly addictive "Hey girl, why you hesitate girl" hook, it's the most straight up piece of pop I've heard so far this year. Yes, some of the lyrics aren't the most mature, ground-breaking ones you'll ever hear, but what more can you expect from an 18 year old guy who's only just taking his first steps into the music industry. And with a Top 5 single now safely under his belt, he's well on his way to establishing himself.

Let's hope that he's given the time to grow as an artist, and develop his song-writing ability. I'll certainly be watching with great interest, and looking forward to plenty more Pop anthems in the future.

So I think the moral of this story, Ladies and Gentleman, is that age-old one of not judging a book by it's cover. Bring on single number 2.

Here's the video for you to watch:

***
And download "Do It All Over Again" right here!

NEW PALOMA FAITH ARTWORK IS STUNNING.

PALOMA HAS DONE IT AGAIN. THE ARTWORK TO HER NEW ALBUM IS INCREDIBLE. 

Right, now that's out the way. I guess you should see the artwork for album #3 "A Perfect Contradiction":

So there it is. I'm going to run out of adjectives to describe how brilliant this artwork is. But I'm just speechless. She's done it time and again, with her singles, but more importantly (the area that many artists get it wrong) with her album sleeves. 

Here's her debut and sophomore efforts respectively: 

"Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?"

"Fall To Grace"

There's just something great about an artist getting the artwork right, I'm sure you'll agree. The music can be of the highest quality, but without a good album sleeve, it'll never feel quite right. 

Well done Ms. Faith. 




The tracklisting was also announced as the following:
1. Can't Rely On You
2. Mouth To Mouth
3. Take Me
4. Only Love Can Hurt Like This
5. Other Woman
6. Taste My Own Tears
7. Trouble With My Baby
8. The Bigger You Love (The Harder You Fall)
9. Impossible Heart
10. Love Only Leaves You Lonely
11. It's Not The Knowing

The album is due for release on March 3rd. And can be pre-ordered by clicking here. 

Miley's doing MTV unplugged!

BANGERZ is a very good album. Last year's Miley Cyrus LP got a lot of people talking, and not just because of her antics outside of the music, but because the music is good itself. She produced an album that trumped many other huge stars's own highly anticipated attempts (Gaga and Katy; I'm looking at you). It was a very solid pop effort.

That's why I'm very excited to hear some of those songs in an acoustic setting. For every crazy moment of madness from Miley of the past year, there has been an equal number of brilliant ones. She's shown that she really does live and breathe the music, co-writing much of the album. So it'll be interesting to see how she turns those Bangerz into acoustic jams.

The whole thing will be shown on MTV on Jan 29th, and if nothing else, it's provided one hell of a promotional picture. It's a thing of true beauty.

I for one can't wait to see what she comes up with, it's bound to be a spectacle. 

You can buy the brilliant Bangerz for the bargain price of 4.99 here!

Does the Little Mix Sport Relief single live up to expectations?

So, this morning it was time for the new Little Mix Sport Relief single premiere. You may recall us blogging about how amazing it would be. Well, it doesn't quite live up to expectations. "Word Up", due for release on March 16th, puts in a good effort, but we can't help but feel a bit let down by the end result. It's not really of any fault of Little Mix themselves. Their vocals are on point, their harmonies are very much on point, and their personalities are more present than ever before. The song is ridiculously catchy, and yet something just doesn't quite click. Of course, it may be a grower, and it's by no means bad, but it's just not quite there yet.

That said, the vocal harmonies to open the song are a complete triumph, and show Little Mix as the force to be reckoned with that they truly are. Plus, it fits wonderfully into that throwback Little Mix sound that is beginning to become something of a trademark for them. So hopefully that missing thing that we can't quite put our finger on, we'll be wiped aside with repeated listens.

Take a listen here and let us know in the comments what you think of the cover: 

Pre order the Sport Relief single here!

Why is this year's Sport Relief single going to be amazing? (A Day In Pop- 16/01/14)

Little Mix

So today's most exciting news comes in the form of this year's Sport Relief single, which is being done by Little Mix. Tonight they announced that they'll be covering Cameo's 80s hit 'Word Up'- which just so happens to be one of my favourite songs. It's a brilliant choice, and I'm sure the Little Mix version will bring great vocal harmonies and an abundance of sass to the table. Plus it'll fit perfectly onto their latest album 'Salute' if they choose to re-issue it. Well done everyone involved.




If you need reminding on the song, here's the brilliant Mel B cover, complete with bizarrely animated video: 

And here's Jodie Prenger's iconic performance from last year's 'Let's Dance For Comic Relief': 

Nicole Scherzinger

Other exciting happenings included Nicole Scherzinger confirming she's back in the studio through the means of an Instagram photo. Let's hope that she gets a move on because, quite frankly, it's been far too long since the release of her (sort of) debut album- 'Killer Love' and that was a very solid album that deserves a decent follow up. The fact that she's managed to be on The X Factor panel two years in a row without utilising it by releasing an album is truly shocking. Even Tulisa managed that one. Just about. 



Also, Charli xcx only went and forgot her password for Soundcloud, so she couldn't upload a new song! Luckily though, she soon remembered it, and unleashed a very shouty song indeed. So hopefully, that was just a day when she was angry and feeling experimental, rather than an indication of what her sophomore album's going to sound like. Here's a link so you can take a listen, but remember to turn down the volume a bit first. 

'Allergic To Love'-Charli XCX

Sophie Ellis-Bextor

And finally, Sophie Ellis-Bextor revealed in an interview with Digital Spy that despite her latest album (to be released on Monday) containing a whole new sound, she does feel that she'll one day return to her old dance-pop sound, which would be very nice indeed. 

That's a round-up of the pop news for today. Feel free to comment below with any thoughts you may have about the stuff discussed here, or anything else for that matter. 

It's make-or-break time for Neon Jungle. Their new single 'Braveheart' is out next week and it's brilliant!

It's always been difficult for for new girlbands to break through. Time and again there's been one girlband casualty after another. Soundgirl, Parade, Girls Can't Catch, Mini Viva and plenty more, all tried and failed to make any kind of real dent on the UK music scene, despite making good pop music. Of course, that makes it all the more difficult, as a pop music fan, to properly invest in a new girl group. 

Neon Jungle

But at the end of last summer, only a matter of months after signing a deal with RCA, the 2 minutes and 33 seconds of ballsy, in-your-face pop was unleashed in the form of Neon Jungle's debut single 'Trouble'. Entering the charts at #12 and gaining support from Capital FM, as well as entering the Top 100 on the US iTunes chart. Not a bad start all things considered. 

A few months later and we find ourselves in 2014 with a brand new single from the girls, called 'Braveheart'. Second singles traditionally tend to be make-or-break time for most girlbands, so it'll be a tentative week seeing how the song does on the charts, after little radio support from the two biggest stations in the country. 

As for the song itself, well it pretty much takes off from where 'Trouble' started and doesn't look back. It's loud, it's brash and it doesn't pretend to be something it's not. The production resembles something that Example might come up with (though you shouldn't let that scare you off). Yes it is generic, but that isn't always a bad thing. 

The song does take a slight dip in the form of the slightly odd rap, which needn't really be there. But apart from that it's all go go go. It's got a bridge to die for, and when the 'BRAVEHEARTTTT' chorus comes in, followed by the 'show me what you got' hook, you'll soon find yourself singing along. The best moment of the song though comes in the form of Asami's counting in Japanese- 'ichi, ni, san, kaesu' before the beat drops. And it's one hell of a drop. 

This song is absolutely huge, and so will Neon Jungle be if they're just given a chance. 

****

'Braveheart' will be released 19/01/14. Download here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/braveheart-single/id740624466

If you'd like to download their debut single 'Trouble' here's the link: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/trouble-ep/id670016727

REVIEW: Clare Maguire- EP

Ever since the release of her huge debut 'Light After Dark' in 2011 it was clear that Clare Maguire had all the ingredients of a huge star: well-crafted pop lyrics, anthemic songs, and soaring vocals. For some reason she just never caught on with the general public. 'Light After Dark' was an album with many a good pop hook, and some real gems. ('Freedom' remains one of my most-played songs of all time)

So when, unannounced, a new EP appeared, I was eager to download it straight away. 

It certainly wasn't what I was expecting. Everything that made me fall in love with Clare's music was gone. It had been stripped of all the gloss; not a hook in sight. 

But somehow, it still works. I don't know if it's those instantly recognisable vocals, or the true sense of vulnerability to each song. But it does still work. The EP feels classy, moody, and honest. 

From my initial disappointment, I've already grown to love this hauntingly beautiful, minimalist body of work. All I want and crave now is another full-length set to fall in love with. Full of hooks, or none at all- it doesn't really matter, because Clare Maguire has proven she can pull either off. 

****
Download the EP here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/clare-maguire-ep/id789501884?ign-mpt=uo%3D2