The Nine Songs You Should Be Listening To Now! (Part 3)

Here is the third and final part of the songs you should be listening to at the moment!

The Baseballs - Born This Way

Not on their excellent second album, here is the German band turning Lady GaGa's song into a rock-a-billy tune.



Kaiser Chiefs - Heard It Break

One of the best tunes from their latest album with a great Caribbean sound and emotive lyrics. Please be one of the next singles!



The Lancashire Hotpots - You Could Get Hit By A Bus Tomorrow

The hilarious Lancashire Hotpots are back with this song about take-aways and drinking. It's not their best tune but any hotpot is good hotpot.

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The Nine Songs You Should Be Listening To Now! (Part 2)

Here are the next three songs in my songs you should be listening to at the moment!

Scouting For Girls - Love How It Hurts

It might not be radically different from what they've done before and does occasionally drift into soppy sentiment, but it's well constructed and touching and ticks all the boxes you'd expect from a SFG single.

I also want to know - is it filmed in Bournemouth?



Take That - The Day The Work Is Done

I don't know if it'll be a single but this is the best track from their expanded album and deserves to be. Building up to a great chorus and with the interesting production that has been embroidered into all their recent material, this is a perfect example of what a band can pull off when they escape their boy band roots.



Party Ben - Every Car You Chase

It's an old song but one that has re-surfaced recently. A marvellous mash-up of the Police and Snow Patrol it's difficult to see how it wasn't originally two different songs.



Part three coming tomorrow!

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The Nine Songs You Should Be Listening To Now! (Part 1)

Over the next three days I'll be doing something a little bit different, bringing you the best nine new tracks around at the moment for you to listen to...

The Feeling feat. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Leave Me Out Of It

First heard by me live on Lee Mack's saturday night show on the BBC this is quite possibly one of the most beautifully sounding tracks of the year. Weirdly there doesn't seem to be a video yet but this deserves to do well in the charts with its simple but emotive lyrics about love that say far more than an of your r'n'b sex-on-the-dancefloor tunes.



'Weird Al' Yankovic - Perform This Way

The master of parody is back with this great pastiche of Lady GaGa's fashion over her hit 'Born This Way'. The song is great, the video is both funny and technologically amazing, and it stands up as a tune on its own.



Aqua - Fuck Me Like A Robot

The title might be so un-Aqua it's unbelievable but it's still a nice slice of catchy pop that bodes well for their album, which looks to have a bit more credible theme, if credible means shoving some potty words into it.



Part two coming tomorrow!

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Job Application

Wanted: a group of people, £6 an hour, to go to Glastonbury to help with the clean up.

"Kate Moss loses ring at Glastonbury"

Oh. She found it. Never mind.

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Hitler sees the line up for Glastonbury 2011

I suppose it was inevitable...

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The Lancashire Hotpots are back with a new album; here are their best bits!

There are only a few things that will cheer me up on a quiet Sunday morning and one of these is the shock announcement that tomorrow a new Lancashire Hotpots album is available... I should really keep on top of these things!

Oh, and the album cover is a great spoof of the U2 album of the similar name...





For those of you who are not familiar with them they are a band that take the mick out of the North, new technology and the world in general, over original material or riffs on classic folk tunes etc.

In celebration of their new album ("Achtung Gravy" - a bargain at £5.99) here are five of their best tunes from a massive selection of great tunes... check them out today!

Chippy Tea

From their first album it's an ode to friday nights and fish and chips. Possibly their most famous hit to non-fans, I would be amazed if you didn't sing this everytime you order a take-away.

Best line: "Her inspiration's Ready Steady Cook / Am I eating it? / Am I..."



He's Turned Emo

The first song I heard by them. A great video that belies its low budget and a song that is both singable and witty and showcases their mixture of old sounding tunes with modern lyrics and a tongue-in-cheek attitude.

Best line: "You're not an emo, let's forget this misdemeanour / come with me and see Cliff Richard at the MEN Arena."



Me PSP

The best thing to play to anyone without telling them the title and watch their face as the realisation dawns. Some great jokes and just on the right side of dirty.

Best line: "Just sitting on the shelf / now I get so much pleasure playing with myself."... and, of course, the ending revelation!



I Fear Ikea

From the second album, it just about removes the memory of that old Clover butter advert. A great catchy chorus and a hilarious look at the shop.

Best line: "It's the size of Belgium / But there's no bloody staff".



Here I would like to have posted Chav but only a live version is available... check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBLpdDd8ezE.

Perks of the Job

Their EP 'Criminal Record' is the best of the bunch with eight fantastic tracks and I could recommend them all. Sadly the pirates of music haven't got onto YouTube so you'll just have to deal with this live version of the album closer.

I would heartily recommend them all but especially 'Identity Fraud' and 'Released Without Charge' along with this one, that crosses a ballad with their usual inspired lyrics.



All their albums can usually be found quite cheap - so pick them up and have a laugh!

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Chris Packham's Manic Street Preacher Springwatch lines

From the BBC website:

"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13903721"

I'm going to go and shoe-horn more song titles into my daily life. Honest.

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Have Aqua become all potty mouthed?

Before I expanded my music tastes and went onto like a wider range of music my favourite band growing up was Aqua, you know, of 'Barbie Girl' fame.

I'm sorry. I shall confess my sins for this love at a later date. Don't judge me, OK!

Even though I moved on after their second album "Aquarius" onto different things I still feel a bit of child-like glee everytime they release something new, as they have recently with 'Back to the 80s', their greatest hits containing 'My Mamma Said' and 'Live Fast Die Young' and then 'Spin Me A Christmas'.

When they then announced they were going to be releasing a third album I was excited and, though it's been delayed from this month to September, some live versions of tracks have appeared online.

And let's just say I'm a bit surprised, as the next single is entitled 'Fuck Me Like A Robot'.



Though the classic catchy Aqua is there and I think the track will definitely be a grower but... fuck me like a robot. Fuck me? Swearing in an Aqua song? Mentions of tequila shots? Well that's brave. It's almost as if you've gone round to your gran's to find her taking drugs or seeing your local vicar performing a drive-by.

And this might not be the end as seen by 'Dirty Little Pop Song'.



It's certainly continuing Aqua's change from a band signing about happy boys and girls, candymen and bumble bees to something more credible with straight up songs about the 80s, death and now mechanical sex. Even their comedy videos seemed to end with their festive single, with the video to 'How R U Doin'' being surprisingly mature as seen in their video for 'My Mamma Said', which I hope appears on the new album even if it has been on their Greatest Hits compilation.



Could well be an interesting album. But will the direction alienate their younger fans and will 'cooler' music listeners want to listen to Aqua no matter how serious or adult they become?

No Party People



Viva Las Vegas



And there previous come-back single, How R U Doin?

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The Trials and Tribulations of U2 at Glastonbury

Yesterday Bono and his crew landed onto the Pyramid Stage to peform at the world famous 'Glastonbury' festival. But as well as bringing with them a selection of classic rock tunes and some sunglasses there was also a band of protestors attempting to let off a balloon saying that the Irish band should pay taxes in Ireland, rather than worldwide as they do, which naturally saves them money.

Now I'm fully sympathatic to the bands like U2 and Adele, who recently also complained about having to give over a lot of her revenue in tax, and I'd be equally annoyed if I had to give over 50% of what I earned over. However, they do make millions of pounds out of what they do so they can't really complain about being out of pocket - you make lots of money; you pay lots of tax. It shouldn't be up to the rich and / or big businesses to be able to be creative with the figures and move their money round, depriving countries of tax that could be put to good use, such as, you know, schools and hospitals.

Perhaps Bono should do a deal with the Irish government and, instead of saving the money by making tax dodges around the world, should donate that 50% to the Band Aid he's always talking about. That way the tax definitely goes to a good cause.

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Japanese culture or a clever metaphor of pop culture?

"Japanese pop star revealed to be computer generated, fans in shock" reads this article in which the newest member of the band was revealed to be a composite of all the other members. To be honest, as the article says, I couldn't tell which one was CGI even when I knew one was.

Is this what all bands will become following the Archies and Gorillaz with the technology or maybe it's a high brow look at the manufactured nature of lots of bands. Though, actually, it is Japan so it's probably just them combining technology with weirdness.

There are some boy band members we've known for ages that could do with being more animated though...

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Today's Music News: Killers and James Bond

On a day that's a bit quiet on the news front we find "Brandon Flowers: I was nervous before The Killers' UK comeback gig" and the pleasing announcement they are working on their fourth album.

Elsewhere you might be shaken and / or stirred to hear that "Kings Of Leon, Lady Gaga, Adele [are] Favourites For Next James Bond Theme" though, in actual fact, the article is just a list of the bookies suggestions and I doubt it will be any of them; they do tend to have a habit of picking big names but not when they're at the peak. Recent ones such as Madonna, Alicia Keys and Jack White are balanced by Chris Cornell, a not so familiar name but one of the best ever Bond tracks.

I dread to think what a Lady GaGa bond song would be like. It would be certainly about his sexual contests in the film. ("Let's see your gun, your talk is slick, I wanna take a ride on your MI7-stick")

Kings of Leon would be something gloomy and miserable. ("Why don't you kill somebody?")

Adele I can see sitting in a room singing about the hero or the villain.

The article goes on to talk about the best and worst Bond themes. I would put my hat into the corner of 'You Know My Name', 'We Have All The Time in the World', 'Goldfinger' and 'The World Is Not Enough' as my favourites. As for worst, 'Die Another Day' takes a lot of flack but I don't think any of them are particular bad as far as songs go, though I don't think the most recent song of 'Another Way To Die' sounds at all like a Bond song.

Though trying to make a song called 'Quantum of Solace' would make anyone tear their writing pad up in frustration.

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Facebook set to become MySpace with music: here are my ideas...

"Facebook music is coming!" shouts 'TechTalk' as it reveals Facebook is to link in with Spotify to offer music on the site. Will this mean they will be going down the MySpace route and offering the ability for you to have your favourite tracks on your profile for people to listen to, or maybe have samples of artists linked to your favourite artists box?

Perhaps they'll do something different. Here are my ideas:
> Poking. Everytime you poke someone it plays a cartoon voice going 'Ow'.
> Everytime someone de-friends you the funeral march plays
> Music to relationship statuses. The wedding march when people get engaged or married; music from the Bridget Jones OST when you split up
> Happy birthday. On your birthday. Of course.
> The Greatest Hits of the Wurzels everytime someone plants some crops on your Farmville
>'Mr Postman' when a message arrives
>'Let's Go Outside' by George Michael when Facebook realises you've been on it all day and should, you know, get some fresh air.

Music on Facebook. Should make things far more interesting.

Click here to see how else music could be used on Facebook. A lot.

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De-dee-dee-dee-diddly-ee-dee-dee (A mobile phone going off)

"Sir Peter Maxwell Davies says fine phone users at shows" reads the BBC website as the Master of the Queen's Music wants to fine people whose phones go off during live theatre productions.

Though it sounds rather draconian I support it. It seems that, though there are people who are very considerate when it comes to phones and putting them to silent or vibrate, there are some people who are just ignorant.

Tied in with using mobiles while driving (what could possibly be so important you'd need to use your phone?) and people playing games on phones in meeting (it's just rude), if you're watching a live performance at least show the performers and audience some respect. It's bad enough in the cinema when you're watching an emotional part of the film and suddenly the Crazy Frog tune echoes round the room. Maybe theatres need to do a sponsorship deal with Orange to do a live comedy sketch before hand telling how a phone could ruin your Shakespeare play? ("To BM or not BM", "Shall I compare thee to a celebrity - using this special app", "Roaming Profile, whereart though Roaming Profile", "Is this an iPhone I see before me?" etc)

Recently I was touring a radio station with a group of other people and we entered a radio studio. Now, having been doing radio for six years I knew to have my phone on silent when in a radio studio because of people going live without much warning (never mind being quiet as it's rude when in a meeting) but someone clearly had no sense of politeness.

Not only did their phone go off in the studio they didn't do anything about it... they just let it ring. No sign of a panicked 'Oh sorry I thought I switched it off'. They then let it go off two times more before having to be told by the organiser of the visit. It's just plain ignorant and rude.

So, yes, I support fines to people who let their phones go off in theatres. Clearly the embarrassment of having the people and cast turn to them isn't enough. We can then use the money raised to send them on a course to get them some common sense.

Hmm... that was quite a ranty article with only a few jokes? Must find a funnier topic to talk about!

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The Power of the Additional Tracks and the latest from Rebecca Black

After my earlier post ("The Return of the Beefed Up Album") this technique of adding some extra tracks to an album then re-issuing it has clearly worked for Take That who have seen their adapted album 'Progressed' hit the top of the album charts this weekend.

Clearly we won't have seen the last of the re-release with such success, though any band should remember that dropping a couple of tracks on the end won't cut it. Take That have only achieved this success through the multi-million pound tour tied in with it and the publicity it has generated.

In other news there are some interesting developments in the world of Rebecca Black but there's no point me covering it again when friend Liam has summed it up so well over on his blog ("Friday, Friday, Taking Videos Down On Friday"). Enjoy.

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REVIEW: Lady GaGa - The Edge of Glory

Like singles from Rihanna, it's at least two days since we had a new Lady GaGa single and video, so here is 'The Edge of Glory'.

Starting with a slowed down version of the original 'Super Mario Kart' track countdown sounds, it's a much more sober and straightforward affair than her usual ditties, with a quite subdued video even if subdued for Lady GaGa means flaunting on an American fire escape in a revealing costume that looks like a cross between a snooker player, pearly queen and a bondage artist.

Wearing its dance roots on its sleeve its catchiness is difficult to ignore but the chorus is so repetitive it's like YouTube is stuck.

Throw in a saxophone solo half way through and it makes an unusual Lady GaGa experience: a song that is disco, not controversial and a video that it's mildly acceptable in polite circles. Perhaps not up to the standard of 'Poker Face' or 'Born This Way', but thankfully not as formulaic as her single 'Judas' which sounded like the answer to the question 'can you write a song that's so typically Lady GaGa you could mash-it-up with any of her other previous hits?'

In summation a refreshingly different track from GaGa that's much more disco and dance than previous hits.

6.5/10

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Apple's new technology to stop people recording live gigs

Over on the BBC ("Tinie Tempah rejects Apple film ban") there's an article about a purported patented technology by Apple that would allow them to theoretically disable a smartphone camera / video app when at a live gig to stop people recording gigs and uploading them to the internet.

Aside from the fact I don't think people who record the gigs would buy a phone with that enabled, it does throw lots of questions and arguments and counter-arguments out. Recording live gigs obviously does have some legality questions attached to it but is a way of connecting with your favourite artist and, like is mentioned in the article, is a good form of publicity. However, that said, the majority of videos uploaded are a mess of bass and badly heard vocals and can't compete with seeing them live or an official release.

There's also the aspect of being stuck behind someone at a gig with their smartphone up recording it. I confess to having done it before and there is an element that you're missing the actual live performance to make a sub-par keepsake.

I definitely don't think Apple some utilise such technology. Firstly it would be impractical for the software to know what can and cannot be filmed and what happens if someone wanted to record a key moment or something in their personal life but the camera felt it was a scene that shouldn't be recorded? That would certainly upset a lot of people.

Perhaps there should be more education that a lot of people would enjoy the live gig more if they just watched it unfold rather than thrusting an iPhone in front of your face to upload a shoddy piece of grainy video with tinny sound to youtube.com.

What do you think?

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The Return of the Beefed Up Album

In the past week we've seen Take That re-release their 'Progress' album with a second CD of hits and now Scouting For Girls are re-releasing their last album with some extra tracks - including a single - bolted onto the end. This follows a trend for several years of albums doing so to make even more sales. There's too many to name but they also include Ke$ha's 'Animal and Cannibal' and Lady GaGa's 'The Fame Monster', though she did have the courtesy of insisting that the second CD was also released separately.

There are two levels of this cash-in. There's the Take That style. For less than the price of a normal CD release (£6.99 on Amazon) you can buy the double CD album. If you don't have the album you're getting a bargain; if you do then you are basically getting an extra 35-minutes of music, almost a full album, for less than the cost of an album so it's not a massive problem. I don't see an issue with this.

However, take the bonus track edition of 'Everybody Wants To Be On TV' by Scouting For Girls. There you get only four bonus tracks and three remixes tagged onto the end at a price more expensive than the Take That album. That's not worth the extra purchase.

Also, it begs the question, if they like this material so much, why not put it towards a new album; or do a one-off EP? Or, if they really must do the cash-in to re-release the album, at least mix the tracks up a bit so the album flows better?

Well done Take That. Boo to Scouting for Girls. But at least in this day and age of music downloading we can get hold of the extra tracks.

What do you think?

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A mis-fire from Nicole?

I'm not sure which is worse about this new song from Nicole Scherzinger... the dodgy lyrics such as 'me like...' etc on the alleged fashion on display. Poor after some great hits, but let's see what you think...

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Great New Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH2-TGUlwu4

Sorry.

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REVIEW: Take That - Progressed

In the tradition of modern albums and, I imagine to boost sales in the wake of their successful tour, Take That have released a special edition version of their latest Robbie-including album 'Progress', throwing eight tracks onto a second CD, with the original, called 'Progressed', an EP in name but, with thirty-five minutes of music, just a couple of songs off a full album. It's already supposed to be topping the charts this weekend, which is impressive for what is basically a beefed-up re-issue.

Opening track 'When We Were Young' is a Robbie-led ballad that, though not the most astounding track on the album, is an emotive song with a pleasant, swaying chorus. 'Man' continues the album's trend of interesting and dark production effects with a song that sounds so unlike one from a boyband I'm surprised the record label didn't think it had been put on by mistake. With a catchy beat and stuttering vocal it's very dancey for the band and equally very good even with yet more apocalyptic themes included.

Lead single 'Love Love' bursts into your ears with one of the most memorable opening riffs of the year with both Gary and Mark sounding like they puffed out their chests to sing it, adding a very big level of bombasticness (if that's a word) to the recording, which is one of the most singable on the EP.

My favourite track on the album, though, is 'The Day The Work Is Done' with its great chorus, almost operatic feeling, sounding very indie in its aims and objectives whilst not allowing its lyrics to be covered up by its impressive music and production.

'Beautiful' is another pumping track that flirts between pop and dance and ticks both boxes and, like the other tracks on both sides of the CD, sticks in your head.

'Don't Say Goodbye' sounds like a marriage between a song and the soundtrack to a factory level on a 16-bit console and though not the strongest track on the album the lyrics are touching but overall the vocals are not the best and it lacks the oomph found elsewhere.

Robbie takes lead vocals with Mark on the, naturally, sci-fi enthused 'Aliens' complete with spoken synth parts, autotune and a racing music tune that leads to a very experimental track that is enjoyable even if the title is repeated a little too much for my liking, though never truly outstays its welcome, but I love how varied the band have made this album that's so far away from their roots or even their last album.

EP closer 'Wonderful World' is an ethereal tune with a long musical intro and 'this would be the closing track' written all over its DNA. As the finisher for the album it does tick all the boxes and can't be berated for being a sickly sweet end, but it's not in the top half of the album.

Overall Take That have pulled off a great complimentary EP to 'Progress', one that builds on the themes and ideas of that album and adds some really memorable and single-worthy tracks to their roster. I just hope this sound is a sign of things to come and we have more exciting production effects and lyrical content rather than their boyband attempts of the past.

7/10

Read my earlier review of the first CD of the 'Progress' special edition.

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Today's random news stories

If ever there was a day for random and varied news stories in the press, today is one of them.

Morrissey continues to demand veggie in his venues ("Morrissey bans meat at tour venues") as he enters Scotland. So no haggis for Scots at his gigs then, but at least he'll be able to tuck into a deep fried Mars bar.

"Joss Stone 'murder plot': celebrities targeted by criminals" sounds like possibly the most surreal news story ever but seems true.

It's better news for the Geordie with "'Bring back Cheryl,' Tulisa is jeered at X Factor auditions as audience chant for Cole's return" as the N-Dubz star was jeered and calls for Cheryl Cole to return were made. She's probably already busy filming Celebrity Geordie Shore or something.

And finally the boyband turned man band Take That reach Wales on their tour ("Take That wow fans at Millennium Stadium"). I bet they had a Wales-of-a-time. Groan!

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Review: Katy Perry - Last Friday Night (TGIF)

Got eight minutes eleven seconds spare? Then you could watch the new video by Katy Perry - Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.). Filmed as a spoof of American teen dramas it sees a braced up Katy Perry (does anyone ever really wear braces that big outside of TV?) waking up to find her house in disarray, a man in her bed and no clue about what happened. Cue a flashback to the night before and her being disturbed by a party and going round to complain, finding out it's been hosted by Rebecca "Friday" Black and finding herself joining it, getting made up by Black (though I'm sure she looked better before to be honest!)

Cue a dance off, sax solo and some more singing of the chorus, including references to breaking the law, skinning dipping and, er, menage et trois. If there was anything to turn your stomach more than Katy Perry - sorry, Kathy Terry - vomiting in a shoe it's the thought of Russell Brand and her in a threesome.

Inspired by a mostly real-life experience apparently, the song is quite catchy but the atmosphere is ruined by a video that constantly stops and starts, and I hate that in videos. Throw in some actually really rubbish humour poking fun at people with braces, it only redeems itself with a nod and a wink to Rebecca Black and her hit and an appearance by Hanson after years of being hidden away.

Overall it's not a bad song, but not up to her previous hits, and any music video that boasts a two-minute credit sequence is stupid.

My last friday night was better... I think!

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Is 'Suck It And See' appropriate?

Apparantely the UK number one album by the Arctic Monkeys has seen its title censored in American supermarkets for being inappropriate. Obviously the original phrase means, like you would with sweets, you could suck it to see if it's nice. Naturally, there is possibly a rude definition for it, of course, but then again did you know the phrase 'Nosh', slang for food, also has a rude meaning. Then again, I think everything does on 'Urban Dictionary'.

Expect the following albums to soon be covered up in America:

Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Head (Can't mention head)
Anything by Dickie Valentine
Steve Harley and the Cockney Rebel albums

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Top Desert Island Discs

Last month BBC Radio 4 invited you, me and everyone to submit their own desert island discs so they could choose their top songs to take away to the island with them.

Back then, when I was having a break from blogging, I picked the below:

Electric Six - Dance Epidemic
Moby - Slipping Away
Aqua - Cartoon Heroes
Richard Marx - Hazard
Faure - Pavane
Elton John - Your Song 2002
Culture Beat - Mr Vain
Sparks - Dick Around

I do confess to throwing the piece of classical music in as more of a nod to the tradition of them doing classical music. Though it was tricky for me to pick just eight tracks and I wouldn't be surprised if I was the only person to suggest those seven pop songs.

So what were the top most chosen songs?

Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending
Elgar - Enigma Variations
Beethoven - Symphony No 9 in D minor Choral
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor
Handel - The Messiah
Holst - The Planets

The concentration on classical music doesn't surprise me but, without wanting to stereotype people but doing so anyway, those that filled it in were probably the more older type of person hence the level of classical music in it. I can't find fault with Queen's inclusion but 'Comfortably Numb' by Pink Floyd? It's an OK track but the Scissor Sisters camper cover of it is far better. It's hard to argue against the original being a bit tedious after a couple of minutes.

What do you think of the top eight, and what would you submit if you were given the chance to do it?

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REVIEW: Take That - Progress Live 2011

City of Manchester Statium, 10th June 2011
Supported by: The Pet Shop Boys

*** Warning: spoilers below. If you're going to the event or planning to watch it on the inevitable DVD release, don't read any further ***

After a big adventure in getting hold of tickets to see the boys (disclaimer: I went to see them because I enjoy Robbie's music and their excellent 'Progress' album, not because I fancy any of them. Honest) and thanks to Katie for securing them, it was off to Manchester to do two things I'd never done before: firstly go into a football stadium and secondly see a gig on such a scale, having only seen bands in Academy style venues before. And I'm glad I picked Take That as the first big show to see as it was definitely worth every penny.

Landing in Manchester I soon realised how confusing Manchester Piccadilly station is for such a small one with signs that point you seemingly in circles. After scratching my head for a few minutes over an over-priced Burger King meal I eventually decided to stop trying to find one of the twenty buses I could have caught at the seemingly mythical bus stops and walk the mile-and-a-half to Manchester City's football ground. Luckily, once I'd found the throng of people heading there, the signage was clear to the ground and getting there was fairly simple, even if walking through some parts of it with its fenced off areas and eerie hoardings looked like parts of Manchester had gone through the apocalypse. But at least I could get to experience the cash-in Lancastrians trying to flog me ponchos (seven in total) for the rain that thankfully wouldn't come, and people trying to buy or sell tickets to the event, some sounding like they'd said it so many times without luck I almost felt like buying them a pint to cheer them up. But not quite.

Getting into the stadium was a piece of cake. I considered buying a programme but at £20 a pop thought better of it, and a walk up the spiral towers into the stadium was quiet. At a quarter to six the stadium was only still filling up, giving me time to take in the stage and getting climatised to the height of the place, something I wasn't too comfortable with at first. Heights aren't really my thing. Like £7 burgers.

The stage was impressive to look at: a massive fibreglass humanoid figure towering over a large video screen and two smaller ones, with coloured squares attached to grids between. From the stage extended a long run to a smaller square stage two-thirds along the venue.

*** Part 1 - Support ***

At around seven thirty, with the venue pretty full but still not crammed (those who didn't turn up until Take That missed a cracking support, more on that now), the show began.

The event kicked off with a typical mad-scientist walking down the stage and to the smaller jutting stage, where a keyboard stood. There he tried to use it but failed until he plugged in a massive USB port allowing a message to appear on the screen greeting Manchester and introducing the Pet Shop Boys, who appeared subsequently on stage: Neil Tennant in the centre, Chris Lowe in the DJ booth and two dancers with cubes on their heads. To much applause, mainly from the older crowd as the younger ones probably weren't as familiar with them (the group of young girls next to me took the opportunity half-way through the set to go for burgers), they began with 'Heart', beginning an incredible forty-minutes where the London-duo flew through most of their massive hits. It was a well rounded performance. Neil Tennant's voice was as fantastic as ever and tackled the songs brilliant and Chris Lowe, though as seemingly anonymous as ever, provided some cracking fresh interpretations of the songs that boomed all around the stadium.

Recent come-back single 'Love etc' came second, the singable sections and bass being amazing in such a large venue. The performances of the songs, which included fan-favourite 'Go West' and new single 'Together' after, were accompanied with a variety of dancers with, erm, some rather revealing tight clothing that the camera close-ups seemed to enjoy, plus some great video effects that mixed up archive footage with the official videos, with some video effects that perfectly matched the videos, especially in the key sections of 'Always On My Mind', the next song performed, where the images collapsed down on the screen. The dancers live performances were also mixed and edited on the screens.

'Always On My Mind' was as excellent as ever, with Neil's voice holding up well and the crowd singing it back to him. The video effects continued to be great and were used in interesting ways. For instance, during 'Together', a track that many were probably not so familiar with, the flying camera in the venue kept catching people in the crowd and the inevitable five-second realisation from them they were on the screen. A particular highlight was someone standing still but putting up the hand rock gesture.

'Left To My Own Devices', possibly the weakest song in their set, was followed by a great digital drums solo by Chris, before 'Suburbia', the sun-drenched 'Se La Vida E' and 'It's A Sin' followed, all excellent renditions that sounded as good as the studio versions but with much more power from the stadium sound system. In fact, several songs were made even better in the live environment. The duo ended their set with more dancers appearing on stage, to the hit 'West End Girls' which got all the ages in the stadium singing along.

Overall to get an act like the Pet Shop Boys supporting Take That was incredible as I'd expect to pay to see them separately. Neil Tennant's voice was as great as ever and Chris Lowe translated the songs perfectly to a live environment. For a support performance they crammed in a great mix of hits old and new and I can't find fault in their song choices. A perfect start to the show even if it was annoying having to constantly get up as people walked back and forth to get drinks, food and go to the toilet. Couldn't people sit still for thirty bloody minutes?

Set list:
Heart
Love etc
Go West
Together
Always On My Mind
Left To My Own Devices
Suburbia
Se La Vida E
It's A Sin
West End Girls

*** Part 2 - Take That Part 1 ***

After a break of about half-an-hour or so the mad scientist returned on stage to chat about evolution, recreating the change from ape to human on the long walkway and introducing the band, switching on the computer on the main video screen which began a 2-minute countdown for the band to come on which got the young Liverpudlian girls next to me in an almost cliched-tizzy with one declaring she was having heart-palpatations and muttering to herself to 'breathe'. Clearly the boyband effect is strong in people even not old enough to remember them from their original time. The graphics on screen were great with a nod to the album with a progress bar.

To much screaming the four members of the re-formed Take That line-up appeared on stage to 'Rule The World' from the 'Stardust' soundtrack, tackling it perfectly and kicking off the show. Running down to the second stage they performed 'Greatest Day', recreating the video with a shower of golden ticker tape at the crescendo, before being joined by dancers holding lights to perform, well, 'Hold Up The Light'. 'Patience' followed' and all tracks were performed slickly to the delight of the crowd. The performance took a surreal break, to an excerpt from the ELO classic 'Mr Blue Sky', as Alice in Wonderland-style characters appeared, plus a massive caterpillar, which Mark Owen rode on to perform 'Shine'. Not sure what it had to do with the song or indeed the theme of 'Progress' but it was a sight to see.

Then it was time for the first amazing piece of stage direction. The four members headed over to the big screen and disappeared into it, appearing in video footage of it with a certain Mr. Williams in a 'You Know Me'-style rabbit costume who performed an adapted version of the Beatles 'Sergeant Pepper' song but now 'Robbie Williams and the Take That band'. There was then some excellent footage of Robbie pretending to be trapped in the screen before emerging, in time with the video, through a door in the screen and onto the stage to possibly the biggest cheer from the audience ever.

Set list:
Rule The World
Greatest Day
Hold Up The Light
Patience
Mr Blue Sky (Music excerpt)
Shine
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band (Short Adaptation)

*** Part 3 - Robbie Williams Solo Set ***

It's no secret that I was really at the gig to see Robbie, and he did not disappoint. Displaying all the energy and cheekiness that we've come to expect, he was even more a showman live than he is when you see him on television. Kicking off with 'Let Me Entertain You', his set was mainly 'classic Robbie'. Though it's a shame that there wasn't some newer material I understand his choice of his bigger hits. 'Let Me Entertain You' got the crowd immediately on their feet and singing along with the stage effects and live adaptations of it being excellent.

This energetic start was continued with my personal favourite 'Rock DJ', performed perfectly with the crowd joining in at sections. Robbie was joined on stage by lots of girls on rollerskates, mirroring the video (though thankfully he didn't strip down to his bones). For all of the spectacle coming up in the show, see below, with robots and dancers and aerial work, it was Robbie's set that most captured the audience in my opinion. He didn't need any visual distractions, aside from the excellent complimentary video screen effects, with his stage presence and crowd interaction getting everyone going. I could easily have just watched Robbie for the whole thing.

Taking a break in songs with a hilarious poem about Ryan Giggs, super injunctions and Mancunians (sample: "you could learn Shakespeare and join the elite, or be like a Manc lass and piss in the street") he hit into a powerful version of 'Come Undone', mixed in with a sample of 'Greatest Day' and Lou Reed's 'Walk On The Wildside', both designed to get the crowd involved once more.

There was another brief pause as he joked with a member of the audience leaving to the toilet just before he would appear on stage with the other four ("is it the Menopause, dear?") before hitting into 'Feel', being moved on where the collapsed walkway now was on a small crane, allowing him to reach out and touch the crowd. Again, another great performance, before returning to the stage to do fan-favourite 'Angels', dedicated to those who have passed on, which got everyone singing along and was made all the better by a great video playing at the back with chinese lanterns.

Overall Robbie's set was as great as expected with his eschewing a lot of the spectacle coming later for some good old-fashioned showmanship, singing back sections and cheeky humour. Oh and great energy.

Set list:
Let Me Entertain You
Rock DJ
Come Undone
Greatest Day (Short)
Walk on the Wildside (Short)
Feel
Angels

*** Part 4 - Take That Part 2 ***

With Robbie's set finished, he disappeared off stage whilst some trickery went on with the main stage and platfrom. It was an excellent show of dancers coming down the back of the stage doing acrobatics, eventually forming the album cover evolution picture using their bodies, which was a sight to see. After a few minutes of this the band appeared on the parapit above to perform five-piece comeback-single 'The Flood', complete with water effect flowing down the backing. It was great to hear them all together and as they performed selections from their 'Progress' album they really brought them to life and made me immediately want to listen to the album again which, in my opinion, is their best as it's much more adult and musically interesting than their previous ones.

'The Flood' was followed by arguably the best song on their new album 'SOS' which was very impressive on stage with the group dancing around and performing it. 'Underground Machine' was the next interesting choice, not one I would have done, but was excellent live, built against a cult-setting with the small robot, now appearing on stage, that was being coaxed into life. Single 'Kidz' was next and was one of the best live adaptations in this part of the show, even if something went wrong at the start with Mark Owen being out of time for a few lines.

The song saw a marvellous dance-off between Howard and Jason, giving them something to do, whilst Robbie rapped over the top with excerpts from controversial hit 'Rudebox' which worked perfectly and was a great use of the track in among the newer hit; can't wait to see if they release this live version on CD.

As expected all these songs were accompanied by great visuals and displays on the screens and on the stages with all sorts of dancers, pyrotechnics and, of course, the giant robot which, over the course of the show, moved out from inside the stage to moving through the crowd to, at the end, standing up in the centre. It was a marvellous technological feat and looked great on stage. But that's skipped ahead a bit.

'Pretty Things' was the final song from 'Progress' for a while before the band moved into their impressive back catalogue. Though the hug and conversations about Robbie leaving the band seemed too staged and scripted, there were excellent sights with everyone encouraged to take photos of them, with lots of camera flashes filling up the stadium.

The band moved onto a quieter, more reflective, section around the piano, each member performing a snippet of a variety of songs, with a fair bit of 'A Million Love Songs', 'Babe' and 'Everything Changes' being performed to the enjoyment of the crowd. There was also a nice skit where everyone got a glass of wine on stage, apart from Mark and Robbie, who got milk.

It was then onto the old songs proper, with the band spoofing their past selves with their old boy band dances. 'Back For Good' and 'Pray', performed without the stage-based pizzazz of previous songs, were sung back to them by the crowd before, as a short sample of 'Happy Now' from Progress was played, as the Robot made its impressive way to the centre of the stadium, stood up and put out its hands.

The tempo was kicked up with brand new single 'Love Love', from the 'X-Men First Class' film, performed with lots of energy after two hours of a great show, before the anthem of 'Never Forget' brought the show to a conclusion.

But, of course, the band had to give us an encore, the whole band signing the opening verse and chorus of 'No Regrets', famously Robbie's song about his time in the band, given a new twist by the band now singing the words. This bleeded into a great version of 'Relight My Fire', complete with flame effects, naturally, before ending on a more subdued nature with 'Progress' almost-closer 'Eight Letters', bringing the show to an end after 130 minutes of old, new and older hits from the band.

Set list:
The Flood
SOS
Underground Machine
Kidz (feat. Rudebox)
Pretty Things
Million Love Songs (Short)
Babe (Short)
Everything Changes (Short)
Back For Good
Pray
Happy Now (Music Short)
Love Love
Never Forget

Encore:
No Regrets (Short)
Relight My Fire
Eight Letters

Overall, I don't think I could have picked a better first stadium gig. The set list was an ideal mix of old and new tracks. The Pet Shop Boys as support act were amazing and led into a great spectacle by the band that tranversed quiet, reflective sections at the piano, to full all-out dance sections, moving robots, acrobatic displays and stunning video effects.

But, in the end, it was Robbie's show. His solo set, with its lack of bombasticness but high on showmanship, was the highlight of the event for me, with his contributions to the band's hits bringing them up a notch when performed. The mixing in of Robbie solo material into Take That hits, the cheekiness and banter he brought, was something that the rest of the band couldn't match, but complimented them. It was, in effect, a perfect show for them as it encompassed so many musical styles from so many eras, and I find it difficult to fault the set list.

A marvellous show for everyone of all ages with both musical brilliance and great spectacle, and I can't wait to relive it on the inevitable DVD release in the autumn.

10/10

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REVIEW: Status Quo - Quid Pro Quo

The Quo are back with their 29th studio album, now almost fifty years old. For those who expect Status Quo to finally break their now cliched guitar riff style will be sadly disappointed but also stupid for expecting them to do so. Sure, 'Quid Pro Quo' sounds like every other Quo album ever but it's actually quite good amongst its familiarity.

This deluxe edition, released exclusively at Tesco, comes with a second CD (dubbed an 'official bootleg' which is surely an oxymoron if ever there was one) but it's CD one that I'll be concentrating on.

Kicking off with 'Two Way Traffic', a speedy and memorable song, and lead single 'Rock n Roll n You' (the best song on the album), the album manages to mix in their typical riffs with some interesting synth and production effects, but the Quo sound is never far away. 'Dust To Gold' is a slower number and one of the more different sounding tracks but, like many of the others, seems to hide Francis Rossi's vocals underneath a mud of music. 'Let's Rock', track number four, cannibalises keys lines from past hits (I like it, I like it / down, down, down) in a track that almost writes itself with a few too many song cliches for my liking. 'Can't See For Looking' is a passable inclusion but 'Better Than That' is, er, better than that with a much better chorus even if, like 'Movin' On' that follows is so within the formula I'm such there must be a mathematician somewhere composing the ideal Quo track.

'Leave A Little Light On' is a little different and, like many of the inclusions, is built around a repetitive but catchy chorus. 'Any Way You Like It' leads into a quick singable tune in 'Frozen Hero' before the pun-title of 'Reality Cheque' continues the theme. 'The Winner', 'It's All About You' and 'My Old Ways' conclude the album without really amazing but being perfectly pleasant to listen to. And just for old times the band conclude the album with last year's 'Hope For Heroes' version of 'In The Army Now' complete with changed lyrics to make the army seem a much rosier occupation.

Overall Rossi and Parfitt have stuck to their typical, cliched style: what else would the fans want? Though you could criticise them for resting on their musical style it's a perfectly servicable album with several highlights and it's a more than happy way of spending almost an hour in the company of the aging rockers.

Just maybe try something a bit off the wall for album #30 please?

5/10

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Is On Air, On Sale A Good Idea?

There's an interesting article on the BBC website this morning about 'On Air, On Sale', basically where tracks are released for download at the same time as they get air-play and whether this is good or bad for the music industry and good or bad for the artists.

My opinion of it is that it's great for me as a music fan and part-time radio DJ; it means I have access to the latest tracks at the same time as major radio stations and can hear songs from my favourite bands quickly. Equally, though, it's bad news for radio as the average fan in the street can download the music and not have to wait until they appear on the radio.

I fully understand the comments in the articles about publicity though. It was only thanks to Facebook that I knew the Kaisers had released a new album; it was only on reading this article that I realised that Coldplay have a new single out. It also seems that Lady GaGa's label is having a fit in releasing more singles than Rihanna does in a month.

Overall I think it's a great idea for fans but maybe not for the artists as the downloads don't add up to a good chart position which, at the end of the day, is key. If the single doesn't chart well then people aren't going to know about it and aren't going to download it, the reverse snowball effect.

And as for combatting piracy? Those who download music illegally will continue to do so, continuing to justify their reasons with more and more obscure reasons, so let's just drop that reasoning now.

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REVIEW: The Baseballs - 'Strings and Stripes'

Having released their debut album 'Strike!' in 1999, basically an album of rockabilly covers of modern hits, that saw singles of great re-imaginings of Rihanna's 'Umbrella' and Katy Perry's 'Hot 'n' Cold', the German rock and roll band are back with a second album, 'Strings and Stripes' that basically takes that idea and updates it for tracks released this year, plus some older favourites. It might be a one-trick joke in the style of spoof bands like 'The Lancashire Hotpots' and 'Richard Cheese' but like the Lancastrian band and American lounge-music adaptor, it works for a whole album.

Kicking off with a cheesy Scott Mills opening (was he listening to Mark Goodier's appearance on Richard X's album perhaps) that should not have really been included, we get into their cover of 50 Cent's 'Candy Shop'. Already been adapted in cut down form in one of Wierd Al's Polka, it's where such pastiches are best in adapting a track that's wholly inappropriate to another style of music, in this case the rapper's 2005 track about sex. But, like most of the songs on the album, it really works.

Britney's 'Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman', Backstreet Boys' 'Quit Playing Games' and Alanis Morrisette's 'Bitch' all translate across well, though it's lead single 'Hello' (Martin Solveig), Paparazzi (Lady GaGa) and 'TikTok' (Ke$ha) that work the best by putting a new spin on a familiar track. 'Ghetto Superstar' is arguably better than the original, making the verses sound interesting, and their adaptation of 'California Gurls' finally bridges the gap between Katy Perry's ditty and the Beach Boys classic. I'm sure Brian Wilson will regret missing a trick.

The same could be said about their version of 'Coming Home' which probably surpasses the already excellent Puff Daddy track, and even Uncle Kracker's 'Follow Me' is resurrected to appear in its doo-wop splendour. Not quite sure about their version of Will Smith's 'Miami' though as a closer with it's great chorus but less effective verses. They even throw in what seems to be an original composition in 'Hard Not To Cry'.

With a few updated lyrics here and there this album is the perfect listen for the summer providing the weather keeps out. If you don't like their first album or hate these sort of one-trick adaptations then you won't find much to enjoy here, but if you loved 'Strike!' or enjoy hearing familiar songs given a fresh lick of paint then visit your local music shop now!

8/10

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Heaven Knows I'm Marrow Burger Now

Morrissey inspires Lokerse Feesten meat ban

I respect vegetarians and vegans, but if a meat-free diet makes you write such depressing songs then can someone feed Morrissey some kebabs now?

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Regretting You're A Womble

According to Michael Eavis, he regrets one of his managers booking the Wombles for Glastonbury - BBC - Glastonbury boss Michael Eavis regrets Wombles booking.

It does beg several questions:
1. Did they mean to book the Wombats instead?
2. Surely the Wombles is the sort of eclectic act is known for?
3. Why has he gone on record to apologise? Is someone really going to turn around and go - "well they may have U2, Coldplay and Beyonce but the Wombles? Well I'm going to protest and not go". Unlikely.
4. Surely those who take drugs will find this the most enjoyable act of all? (Not that I'm suggesting that festivals have people consuming large amounts of alcohol and other substances of course! :-p)
5. Can I see the look on the faces of Chumbawumba, Barenaked Ladies and KT Tunstall when they find out they're sharing a stage with men in bear suits singing?

If you want to see the Daily Telegraph's article on some other bad acts at the festival throughout the years go to http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8566404/Glastonbury-festival-the-worst-acts-ever.html.

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Google Celebrates Les Paul's birthday

Celebrate the famous Guitar creator's birthday by strumming on the Google logo over at http://www.google.co.uk.

Wonder if anyone can record a song using it?

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REVIEW: Blondie - Panic of Girls

1999's 'No Exit' spawned the no. 1 smash 'Maria' and to this day the opening four tracks of Blondie's comeback stick in my head, even if I can't remember the rest. Criminally, though 2003's 'The Curse of Blondie' lead single 'Good Boys' was a corker, I never listened to the album even though it sits in my dad's music collection.

I can't believe it's eight years since that single but now we have a new album by the 1970s-80s group, 'Panic of Girls'. Released, uniquely, as part of a magazine published by Future Publishing (add that to the list of ways people now release music!) and with some of the most disturbing artwork known to man, 'Panic of Girls' is surprisingly good and in parts stands up easily with their hits back in their prime.

Opening tracks 'D-Day' and 'What I Heard' are as catchy and memorable as any of their big hits and really kick off the album well, especially the second song that really announces that the band are here with its cracking chorus.

But it's lead single 'Mother' that shows the band can still write a fantastic tune in 2011. With some echoes of 1999 no. 1 'Maria', it's high-octane opening, singable chorus and general modern-sounding synths it deserved to do better in the charts than it did.

Fourth track 'The End The End' sounds very Caribbean and 'No Doubt'-like, though arguably it should be that Gwen's band sounds very 'Blondie'-like. And this summery feel continues through 'Girlie Girlie' and any minute you expect a young woman in a hula skirt to appear in your living room to serve you up a drink in a coconut.

'Love Don't Frighten Me' is probably the next big cut from the album with the return of guitars and a chorus pleasing to the ears. 'Words In My Mouth' is an average track that doesn't really do much for me, but 'Sunday Smile', which sees the return of the sunny shores of Barbados, is more my thing with a tune and chorus that washes over you like a nice warming tide.

'Wipe Off My Sweat' sounds like Aqua's 'Cuba Libre' but with an electronic makeover as if Fatboy Slim stumbled into the studio, told Debbie Harry to sing some words in another language, then returned to pick up his wife from Radio 2. But it's good enough.

'Le Bleu' announces itself with a lot of horns then descends into a very French-sounding tune with Debbie singing in French over a tune that sounds like it's the Continental version of Poirot, though I don't know if the lyrics are about a detective solving a murder, but the foreign lyrics do make my mind wander that she's asked for 'two 99s' in the bridge, but I doubt it's about chocolate flakes in an ice-cream. It's a great tune and I'm sure the lyrics are equally as good. Can't really complain about the track.

'China Shoes', the closing song 'bonus tracks' aside is a relaxing end to the album even if it's nothing incredible. 'Horizontal Twist' is Daft Punk wandering into the studio this time, asking Debbie to spew out lyrics in the style of 'Technologic', put some flanger on it, then disappearing in their robot suits. That said, the effect is actually effective (but does she sing 'Pop that Weasel'?) and the juxtaposition between the rapping verses and eerie chorus really works and makes this one of the top tracks on the album. So then it's back to Europe for the final song 'Mirame' with more brass, foreign lyrics and synth. As an instrumental, which it practically is, it's an ear-pleasing way to end the album if nothing outstanding.

Overall Blondie have managed to pull off a really great album, released in a unique way, that deserves to get heard widely even if it probably won't. 'Mother' has received a lot of air-play on Radio 2 and it really is one of the best singles of the year, and there are at least four great tracks on 'Panic of Girls' that could follow it. Even those tracks aside there's no real dud on the album and I approve of the band's experimentation in different styles throughout the 49 minutes of music. Definitely worth a listen and purchase and puts a lot of newer band's music to shame.

7/10

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The Kaisers are Back

Hello! It's been a while since I posted on here... over six months in fact... but now it's time over summer for me to kick start my blog posting again on the world of music, and I'm going to kick off with a look at the Kaisers Chiefs recent novel way of releasing their album.

Instead of buying a traditional 13-track or whatever album you can head over to http://www.kaiserchiefs.com/ and create your own album, taking 10 of the 20 tracks, of which you can hear a 30-second sample of each, ordering them as you wish and creating a front cover for it from a selection of images which you can rotate and zoom in on etc. Then all you need to do is pay £7.50 and you get your own custom downloadable album, complete with correct formatting of track order. Oh, and of course collections can buy all 20 tracks (for another payment of £7.50 of course!)

So is this the future of albums? Although downloads are now the more prevalent way of getting songs now I still prefer buying albums as a whole pre-packaged in the way the artist wanted the album to sound, preferring to save downloads for singles. However, the opportunity to get hold of far more tracks than you would on a normal album plus have the God-like ability to order them is great, even if it was frustrating that it's difficult to know how songs can flow with just 30-second versions. However, I think it's a novel idea and one that definitely gets the Kaiser Chiefs some good publicity after a few years in the wilderness.

However, this idea is still not good enough to mean they're not going to release a proper CD copy because they are later in the month.

But what tracks did I pick?

1. Problem Solved
2. Can't Mind My Own Business
3. Little Shocks
4. Saying Something
5. Out of Focus
6. Child of the Jago
7. Heard It Break
8. Man on Mars
9. Coming Up For Air
10. Starts with Nothing

Probably the best track in the 20-song collection starts of the album: classic up-tempo Kaisers with a great beat and singable lyrics. 'Can't Mind My Own Business', though a close cousin to 'Can't Say What I Mean' is another strong track to continue and is once more their typical poppy track. It's third track and lead single 'Little Shocks' that is a change of pace for the band with a much more experimental, almost ethereal, ditty that seems very off-the-wall on first lesson but the chorus soon hooks into your head.

'Saying Something' is a mixed-up track and a little break before getting onto a three-pronged musical attack. 'Out of Focus' is another ethereal track but lodges into your head well with the chorus; 'Child of the Jago' is another one of the standout tracks, including the album title in its lyrics, and takes 'Love's Not A Competition (But I'm Winning)' and 'The Angry Mob', mixes them up, and kicks in a bit of attitude, and 'Heard It Break', definitely in the top three of their selection with a Caribbean steel-drum feel and some touching lyrics.

'Man on Mars' takes a bit to get going and its the music that definitely makes it. 'Coming Up For Air' is almost a perfect closure to an album with some beautiful piano and instruments and some heartfelt lyrics, and deems to be a live lighters-out song, which I hope they play when they come to Leeds in September.

The track I chose to close is in fact 'Starts with Nothing' which does also have an album-ending feel with a theme of death which, though it is a slower song, doesn't mean it's too maudline.

Overall it's an album that is better when you get used to it; though that said the album is what you make it depending on which songs you choose and in which order. Overall, evaluating all 20-tracks, it's certainly up there as a good album. Maybe lacking the appealing poppiness of their first two hits and definitely no 'I Predict A Riot', 'Ruby' or 'Never Miss A Beat' on it, it's definitely worth a listen, even if it's just to give the band some kudos for trying something different.

However, I found out this morning that there is indeed an actual physical release coming, and it's expanded tracklist is below, including three tracks not in the selection of 20, which does make you wonder...

1. Little Shocks
2. Things Change
3. Long Way From Celebrating
4. Starts With Nothing
5. Out Of Focus
6. Dead Or In Serious Trouble
7. When All Is Quiet
8. Kinda Girl You Are
9. Man On Mars
10. Child Of The Jago
11. Heard It Break
12. Coming Up For Air
13. If You Will Have Me / Howlaround

In that I chose seven from the selection, with four appearing in my 'part two' album. It's a shame that 'Problem Solved' and 'Can't Mind My Own Business' are not included as they are two of the strongest tunes, but luckily 'Out of Focus', 'Heard It Break' and 'Coming Up For Air' are, the latter rightfully near the end. Thankfully they haven't included the God-awful 'If You Will Have Me' but songs such as 'Dead Or In Serious Trouble' and 'Things Change' do deserve a place, and would appear on my album if I'd been able to do more than 10-tracks, but not as replacements for some others not in it.

But maybe that's the whole purpose of the exercise: the download option creates an album unique to you with the tracks that you like, which will probably have another fan scratching their head. So therefore this has probably been a success.

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