I am obsessed with creating themed playlists on Spotify. I don’t go more than two days without some form of alcohol touching my lips and I don’t go more than two days without updating a playlist.
So here are four of my favourite and, I suppose, well liked Spotify playlists.
People often step to me and say, ‘Limmy, it must be so hard deciding your Top 10 songs of the year. I mean, gurl, you listen to so much shit.’ I then pat their head gently with all the love and sagely kindness of Yoda and say, ‘A Top 10 song you will know, when you hear’.
And usually that’s not just with one listen. It’s with multiple listens – over and over – everywhere you go. You start making up situations in your daily life so you can mention the song to a friend or quote its lyrics on Twitter. You sneak it into mixtapes for friends and in multiple playlists. You get really fucking upset when people rubbish it or clearly haven’t watched the video for it even though you’ve posted it on their Facebook wall, like, a thousand times this week.
So having said that, my Top 10 songs of 2012 are actually pretty obvious to people who know me. Unlike the albums of the year countdown where there were a few outer-pop forays, this countdown is a no-brainer.
I left y’all scratching at the post a little last week because I took my ass on a little vacaycay to Brisbane.
Bitch, you should’ve seen me lounging on the beach in an island that was practically deserted on a Monday arvo. I was having a Mariah moment frolicking in the sand, trying to look cute for my Instagram photos. But hey, I am back now and here comes your chart feed – which might cover some things I didn’t get to touch on last week.
This has been a good week for Robbie Williams who scored his first simulatenous UK #1 album-and-single action in 11 years. Elsewhere, the following chart showboaters can’t complain either: Taylor Swift, Calvin Harris, Little Mix, Of Monsters and Men, The Wanted, and to a certain extent, Christina Aguilera. SAY!
Gotye and Kimbra‘s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ is once again on the edge of chart-defining glory. As y’all know, I don’t usually care to report on serial #1 space invaders but when they clock a major milestone, it’s only polite to acknowledge and golf clap. ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ is now the longest staying #1 ARIA single by an Aussie artist since Savage Garden‘s ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ in 1997. If it remains at #1 this time next week, it’d be an equal tie with ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ which reigned for eight consecutive weeks at #1. ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ has also gone #1 in Netherlands and New Zealand. Gotye‘s Making Mirrors is perched at #3 on the ARIA albums chart this week while Kimbra‘s own Vows slides to #8. The Kiwi songbird’s third single ‘Good Intent’ becomes the eighth most added new song to Aussie radios this week.
Adele has now clocked over 10 million sales worldwide for her defining 21 album. That’s 10 million copies in the nine months it has been out – three million of those coming from the US alone where she has experienced unprecedented chart success this year. It is quite easily the best selling album in the UK,US and Australia this year with Lady Gaga‘s Born This Way being the next best contender. 21 hangs on to #1 in Australia this week, beating off five new entries in the Top 20 who all fell in line accordingly: The Jezabels Prisoners (#2), Lady Antebellum Own The Night (#5), The Funkoars The Quickening (#11), Opeth Heritage (#12) and Pearl Jam‘s Twenty soundtrack (#14). Over on the Aussie singles chart, Adelegend is turning tables on her three Top 20 hits. The newest one ‘Set Fire To The Rain’ leaps to #11 while past glories ‘Someone Like You’ and ‘Rolling In The Deep’ slide off to #12 and #14 respectively.
I know I normally embed performances or music videos in my Chart Feed but today I’m feeling like a little Adele cacklefest. Y’all don’t mind, right? It’s Monday. Treat yourself to this side-splitting compilation of her funnies:
Coldplay‘s ‘Paradise’ rises to #37 on our ARIA charts this week but y’all can expect for shit to pick up because it was the third most added new track to Aussie radios this week. Over in the US, ‘Paradise’ is the biggest new entry debuting at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band’s much-hyped new album Mylo Xyloto arrives on 21 October in Australia – the same day as Darren Hayes‘ Secret Codes and Battleships, Kelly Clarkson‘s Stronger and Washington‘s I Believe You Liar/Insomnia repackage. It’ll be a hectic week for new releases, won’t it? Well, it depends on who you ask.
Darren Hayes‘ second Aussie single from this era – ‘Bloodstained Heart’ – is still a no show in the ARIA Top 100. I don’t see it slapped on the front of our iTunes store beside new releases from the aforementioned artists. Do people actually know it is out? ‘Bloodstained Heart’ is understandably not in our Aussie iTunes Top 200 and I am a little startled to see it overtaken by other new tracks like Demi Levato‘s ‘Fix A Heart’ and Emeli Sandé‘s ‘Heaven’. Well, if it’s any consolation, at least he’s still got a cracking loyal fan base.
Bryan Adams‘ new album Bare Bones enters at #38 this week after shocking the nation with his X Factor appearance last week. The general Twitter consensus was basically, a) “he hasn’t aged well” and b) “how good is ‘When You’re Gone’ – like, still?”
Jessie J‘s Who You Are album cops a surprise sales surge this week, possibly thanks to renewed interest via her current Top 10 single ‘Domino’ – which mind you, isn’t actually included on the album. We can also weigh in on the X Factor bump – remember Young Men’s Society performed her smash ‘Price Tag’ last Monday night? Meanwhile, if one is to forecast – ‘Who You Are’, her major tear jerker ballad, is set to impact UK markets on 7 November. It’ll serve as the album’s fifth overall single.
The Wanted‘s ‘Glad You Came’ breaks the Aussie Top 20, as I predicted last week. This is some well deserved success for the lads who came out on a promo trip two weeks ago, pretty much building mainstream awareness from scratch after a year of online buzz from the UK.
Check out the video for The Wanted‘s next single ‘Lightning’, which will arrive on British store fronts on 30 October:
Vanessa Amorosi‘s ‘Amazing’ drops to #20 on the ARIA Australian singles chart. Well, we can expect for things to pick up after her AFL Grand Final warble this week, right? Meanwhile, ‘Amazing’ is nowhere to be found in the ARIA Top 100 and neither is another new smash ‘Big’ by Sneaky Sound System, which appeared at #15 on our ARIA Australian singles chart this week. At least the ‘Big’ remixes are tearing up the club charts. They just moved to a new peak of #4 there.
Altiyan Childs‘ new single ‘Ordinary Man’ – which was penned by Ryan Tedder – shows up at #159 on our Aussie iTunes chart. Was anyone actually notified of its release? This promo campaign really could be a whole lot better. Can I just say, I know the song’s sounding more contemporary than the old school rocker vibe he normally gives but I really dig it. ‘Ordinary Man’ was despatched to Aussie radios last week alongside current Aussie X Factor judge Natalie Bassingthwaighte‘s new single ‘All We Have’ and Sophie Ellis-Bextor‘s ‘Starlight’ [Editor’s note: !!! at the latter].
Take a look at Altiyan‘s video for ‘Ordinary Man’, which was directed by Peter Ireland who has admittedly done far more exquisite clips for Aussie artists like Brendan Maclean (‘Cold and Happy’) and Scott Spark (‘Fail Like You Mean It’):
Dev‘s ‘In The Dark’ ascends to #46 in Australia this week, making this her first solo appearance here. The single also rose to #16 over in the US, which is probably sufficient to help the girl shed her feature creature persona. You wanna have hits of your own, don’t you? Meanwhile, a similarly styled track – ‘Mr Saxobeat’ by Alexandra Stan – makes a belated leap to #19 in Australia this week, carving itself a new peak while over in the States, success is mirrored in a new position of #29 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Side bar: call it premonition but I sense something wicked this way comes. If some Dev and Havana Brown collabo is to eventuate over the next 12 months, please remember you heard it here first. Dev‘s next appearance will be on Demi Levato‘s single ‘Who’s That Boy’.
Check out Dev‘s stylish video for ‘In The Dark’ here:
Alexis Jordan returns to our Top 50 via Sean Paul‘s ‘Got 2 Luv U’ this week at #48, almost a month ahead of its UK release. The single also managed to debut at #99 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Look, I’m really not wild about this song in any way shape or form. I still don’t get how the world slept on her stunning last single ‘Hush Hush’ but as far as I’m concerned, we’re done with Ms Jordan’s album. Well, apparently it’s not up to me because the project’s yielding its fourth single ‘How You Like Me Now’ in the next month or so. There you go.
Wynter Gordon‘s flawless ‘Buy My Love’ is set to hit the UK on 24 October while the long-awaited With The Music I Die album arrives 7 November. Both single and album are nowhere to be found in our Aussie Top 100 at the moment which is extremely tragic. Just like Alexis, Ms Diana Gordon found solo success in Australia with her first two singles, went to notch a Top 50 charting collabo, but failed to see their ace third singles do better. I refuse to believe it’s the end of an era for With The Music I Die here but I feel like I might be only one left stanning.
Florence + The Machine‘s roof-raising new single ‘Shake It Out’ becomes the fourth most added new song to Aussie radios this week. By the looks of things, this should have no problem bettering the success of its predecessor ‘What The Water Gave Me’. The flame-haired warbler will launch her sophomore Ceremonials next month.
Y’all can listen to ‘Shake It Out’ here:
Jason DeRulo‘s cringeworthy ‘It Girl’ enters at #4 in the UK, ahead of his sophomore album’s arrival. Future History will come out in stages around the globe – first arriving in Australia last Friday, then it’ll hit US stores tomorrow, before finally coming to UK audiences on 10 October.
The Saturdays‘ ‘All Fired Up’ tumbles to #15 in the UK this week. Look, I didn’t actually expect for it to stick around the Top 20 for this long, given the band’s reputation as front-heavy sellers. The girls’ next move is said to be a track titled ‘Heart Takes Over’. Meanwhile, Sugababes 4.0 seem to have given up on their ‘Freedom’ campaign, offering the single up for a free download. The tale of two British girl bands – watch this space.
Nicola Roberts‘ utterly irresistable new single ‘Lucky Day’ debuts at #40 on the UK charts, easily becoming the lowest charting solo Girls Aloud release since Nadine‘s ‘Sweetest High’ which by the way didn’t enter any Top 100 whatsoever. This embarrassing floppage really shouldn’t be happening. I see Team Ginge going hard on promo with various TV appearances but with virtually no radio support for ‘Lucky Day’, it’s no surprise that it charted where it did. Nicola’s Cinderella’s Eyes comes out in the UK today and despite being one of the best pop album’s I’ve heard all year, I’m really not holding my breath for a Top 20 entry. I don’t think my heart can handle charting this era any more. I’m just gonna excuse myself now and rock back ‘n’ forth in a corner listening to ‘Yo Yo’ on repeat.
Check out Nicola‘s G-A-Y performance of ‘Beat of My Drum’ last Saturday. It kicks in at the 1:30 mark or so.
Kasabian‘s Velociraptor enters the UK charts at #1 this week, leading a string of notable new album entries – ie: Tony Bennett‘s Duets II (#5 – his much-hyped Amy Winehouse collabo ‘Body & Soul’ sits at #67 there and debuts at #97 in Australia this week), Christina Perri‘s completely forgettable Lovestrong (#9) and Tori Amos‘ rather orchestral Night of Hunters (#27).
Will Young‘s Echoes is still holding tight to the UK Top 10 as radio support for the album’s first smash ‘Jealousy’ still stays strong. Meanwhile, for those looking ahead, the project’s next single ‘Come On’ will arrive on 21 November. That gives us something to look forward to, right? I secretly want for Will to release ‘I Just Want A Lover’ as a sly club promo. Y’know, just as a little treat on the side while he satiates the adult contemporary crowd with stuff like ‘Come On’? Side bar: ‘Come On’ is a cover of a 2009 Kish Mauve single. The British electro pop duo’s last mainstream crossover was when Kylie covered their track ‘2 Hearts’ some four years ago.
Melanie C appears to have picked the next single to set sail from The Sea [Editor’s note: this album title is the pun-gift that keeps giving, innit?] ‘Weak’ has appeared on the UK release schedule with a drop date of 7 November. This whole era is floundering so bad and frankly, I feel that ‘Burn’ would’ve been the stronger choice of ballad. Why the ominous ‘Weak’?
Check out Old Sporty performing her current single ‘Think About It’ on Alan Tirchmarsh. So very plain.
Leona Lewis scores her very first US Billboard Dance/Club play #1 with ‘Collide’. Meanwhile over in the UK, she drops to #18 on the singles chart and nope, she’s nowhere to be found in our Aussie ARIA Top 100. Thanks for asking, though. I know if it had been adult contemporary slash Ryan Tedder-aided Leona track then Aussie radios would have no problem spinning it but LeLew doing Ibiza-fashioned dance? It’s a tough pitch. Even though our Top 40 is arguably more dance inclined than ever before, it’s a certain sleazy and frenetic kind of dance music that thrives – not the wholesome, euphoric vocal pop variety that ‘Collide’ or even Kylie‘s ‘Put Your Hands Up’ (another US #1 dance smash) is. Side bar: Avicii is set to drop his “version” of ‘Collide’ titled ‘Fade Into Darkness’ next week in the UK – perhaps that will conquer the dance charts over there?
Jennifer Lopez‘s brilliant ‘Papi’ ascends to #19 on the US Billboard Dance/Club play charts. With all hopes dashed for a full scale tour after she signed on for another season of American Idol, I really don’t know what the future holds for ‘Papi’. Let’s hope her delightful set at the iHeartRadio festival yesterday inspired some kind of sales action.
Take a look at her first ever live performance of ‘Papi’. The jury’s still out on whether she’s just getting better with singing live or if it’s merely a pre-recorded live vocals we’re hearing here:
Lady Antebellum‘s Own The Night debuts straight in at #1 in the US this week, dislodging the almighty Adele with 347,000 first week sales. This is the biggest first week sales for a country record America has seen since Taylor Swift‘s Speak Now dropped last year.
Beyoncé‘s gonna have to do something fast – her shit’s sinking like dead weight. The platinum-selling new album 4 took a major drop from #9 to #20 on the US Billboard 200 while the dazzling track ‘Love On Top’ is anything but, plummeting to #96 on the US Billboard Hot 100 after just three weeks. Looking on the US Hip Hop/ R&B charts – things aren’t nearly as dramatic: ‘Best Thing I Never Had’ clings to #4, ‘Party’ moves up to #33, ‘Countdown’ pretty much remains at #80 while ‘Love On Top’ charts at #86. Meanwhile across the Atlantic, ‘Countdown’ and ‘Love On Top’ are both slated for UK release on 30 October.
First we saw a US Top 10 singles chart without Katy Perry for the first time in over a year, now the album’s Top 20 is clear of the pyro-titty popstar too with Teenage Dream plunging from #12 to #38. Her California Dreams tour just wrapped its first North American leg last week and now she’s almost through with her first ever concert dates in South America. The second leg of her US tour will kick off in November with a new opening act – Ellie Goulding – after Jessie J recently pulled out due to prolonged foot injury.
Kelly Rowland needs to motivate record buyers a little harder while she’s on tour with Chris Brown. Her current album Here I Am continues to tumble two months after it was released in the States, landing at #85 this week. She’s not opening for the F.A.M.E. tour at every single North American show due to X Factor commitments but damn, you’d think things would pick up now with ‘Lay It On Me’ on the up and coming, right? The new urban single moves up to #47 on the US Hip Hop/R&B charts.
On the flipside, Kelendria shan’t be denied of British chart action for too long. Her first international Here I Am single, ‘Down For Whatever’, will hit UK stores on 30 October. Let’s pray to Her Holiness Michelle Williams for some Aussie radio success. Speaking of Kelendria and Tenitra, y’all need to check this shot of them former children of Destiny backstage at Kelly‘s show with Ms Jennifer Hudson.
Our new priestess of cool Britannia pop, Nicola Roberts, will dazzle y’all in this brief acoustic set she did exclusively for MSN. If it sounds like I’m stating the obvious then thankfully, you’re one of the few who are already in on Nic’s brilliance. Skeptics, please walk this way.
The Girls Aloud siren’s eagerly awaited debut album Cinderella’s Eyes came out in Ireland first yesterday and much to the interwebs’ delight, some generous Irish fans were kind enough to pirate share the love three days ahead of the UK release. Needless to say, Nicola’s material has once again earned more overwhelmingly positive reviews than say, anything Cheryl or Nadine put out.
Ginge’s underground electro pop persuasion serviced with fluorescent hooks and honest lyricism is an absolute force to be reckoned with. This whole solo project has been a delightful proper introduction to the porcelain-complexioned star we’ve watched for nine years but never really got to know.
Nicola Roberts‘ vocal tone is something of a multi-faceted and highly textured beast – as you’ll discover with this acoustic set. It really makes you grip your chest with indignation to think that for years she was only ever allowed to sing in a soft tone when she was with Girls Aloud. Behold – because I haven’t hyped this up enough – La Roberts’ acoustic set for MSN:
‘Yo-Yo’ – the potential third single from Cinderella’s Eyes:
Nicola Roberts‘ Cinderella’s Eyes will arrive on UK store fronts on 26 September. As for the rest of the world, no other release dates have been confirmed as yet – y’all will just have to import it like I have. PS – I got an email advising that my autographed copy was despatched yesterday. Panties were soiled etc.
Is it possible that Nicola Roberts is becoming more confident on stage on her own now with single number two? Don’t be daft, of course it is.
It’s been nine years in the game for the Girls Aloud siren and yet this feels like the first time we’re getting properly acquainted. With her quirky debut single ‘Beat of My Drum’ now put to rest as the sleeper pop single of the year, I honestly can’t wait to see how people react to something more radiant like, say, ‘Lucky Day’.
Here’s Nicola rocking the new single like a boss at Super Saturday – complete with some well-festive explosion of streamers on stage:
This is about 250% better than the first time I watched her perform ‘Lucky Day’ at some random festival months ago. Her vocals are on point, she’s moving about, and best of all, it actually seems like she’s enjoying it. But will the kids go wild for ‘Lucky Day’? Bitch, I’ve been lip synching for my life all week in my car to the song and you can’t help but crack a smile when she goes, “MWAH-MWAH-MWAH-MWAH”. This has to be huge.
In case you haven’t noticed, her team is going all out with the ‘Lucky Day’ digital campaign. They’ve launched a month-long ‘Lucky Day’ prize give away spree on her official website and best of all, an animated scratchie shows up when you enter. Kudos all round for cuteness.
The single will drop this coming Sunday, a week before the album. It’s no secret that Nicola‘s the dark horse of the British girl band and everyone’s just gagging to see what she pulls out of the bag for her debut Cinderella’s Eyes. There was never any mystery or allure to what Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle or Sarah Harding was gonna do musically. Can’t wait to hear it!
Footnotes:
Nicola will release ‘Lucky Day’ on 18 September in the UK. The digital single bundle will come with a karaoke version of ‘Lucky Day’, the amazing Digital Dogs remix and a b-side ‘Fix Me’. Those who pre-order the single on iTunes will also cop an exclusive Cinderella’s Eyes album mini sampler.
Oh look. It’s Nicola with all the knick knacks she’s gathered for the Nadine 2.0 Fundraiser. It’s all going to be auctioned off for a worthy cause, I’m told.
I don’t need to tell you why this is already one of my most anticipated pop albums of the year. Side-barring the inherent interest because she’s a member of Girls Aloud, Nicola Roberts has actually done a killer job of securing some proper A-grade, game-changing pop choons that has both pop music junkies and hipsters alike gagging for more.
Ginge has co-written every song on the album (bar the cover of The Korgi‘s ‘Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime’) with a carefully selected crop of producers known for delivering quirky, oft-uncommercial yet accessible pop. She teamed up with Diplo (MIA, Robyn) for her addictive lead single ‘Beat of My Drum’ and did her second single ‘Lucky Day’ with Canadian electro pop duo Dragonette. Elsewhere she hooks up with Jo Mount of Metronomy for a track titled ‘i’ and The Invisible Men (team behind Gabriella Cilmi‘s Ten album and Jessie J) produced ‘Say It Out Loud’ and ‘Take A Bite’. But overall, the bulk of the album is hemmed by Dmitri Tikovoi who’s known for contributing several brilliant tracks on Sophie Ellis-Bextor‘s Trip The Light Fantastic album.
I know it’s been a few too many moons ago since Popjustice ran their insightful interview with Nicola about these album tracks but now might be a good time to get it out of the dark and refresh your memories.
Check on the final tracklisting for Nicola’s debut solo album Cinderella’s Eyes:
1 – Beat of My Drum
2 – Lucky Day
3 – Yo-Yo
4 – Cinderella’s Eyes
5 – Porcelain Heart
6 – i
7 – Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime
8 – Say It Out Loud
9 – Gladiator
10 – Fish Out of Water
11 – Take A Bite
12 – sticks + stones
Footnotes:
Nicola Roberts will release Cinderella’s Eyes in the UK on 26 September. I’ve already put my pre-order for a signed physical copy months ago – absolutely can’t wait to have that come in the mail.
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