Sophie Ellis Bextor is officially back and brilliant with 'Bittersweet' - listen to the premiere now!

A while back we brought you the Freemasons' mix of Sophie Ellis Bextor's brand new track 'Bittersweet.'  Needless to say, it was very good.  Now the original has finally come out, and even though we didn't think it possible, it is A BILLION TIMES BETTER.  It has a proper verse and a proper chorus and then it does both those things again and then there is a skippy bit where a producer has done something very neat. 

Hopefully its chart fortunes will be better than her last single, which although it hung around the top 40 for ages and ended up being quite a sizable hit, only ever managed to peak in the top 20.  If Sophie's good at anything it's flinging good songs into the top ten without the buzz and drama that her pop diva compatriots employ.  Let's hope this continues the trend.



Out May 2.  Buy it because it must be huge.

Kelis has unexpectedly become a HUGE GAY DIVA - watch the video now

So when we heard 'Acapella' a few months back we knew Kelis was going for a....different market... than she was in her previous work.  A rave-up anthem with soaring vocals and tight harmonies, it was worlds away from anything she had done before, but somehow fit her to a tee. 

Well if this video is anything to go by, she is well on her way to ruling the gay scene in a big way with her new album.  As weird as it might sound, we're predicting the sound of the summer to be the new Kelis album.  Remember, you heard it here first. 

Here's Kelis at Club 57 in NYC to promote her forthcoming album 'Flesh Tones.'  Don't let the dodgy video or crap sound put you off - look at the hat, the outfit, the dancing, and tell me she doesn't 'get it.'



"Flesh Tones" is out May 4

Robyn would like to tell you that 'Fembots' have feelings too - listen to the first track from her new album!

Robyn.  Is.  Amazing.  After the whole "giant comeback during which she topped the charts with literally phenomenal music" thing, her new album is being awaited with quite palpable anticipation.  For good reason too, it seems, if this track is anything to go by.  'Fembots,' posted on Robyn's official site yesterday, is an electro masterpiece with a heart, and combines Robyn's trademark hip wordsmithery with her superior tune writing skills to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts and clearly better than anything Avril Lavigne has ever released.  Avril has nothing to do with this discussion, but we just like to remind everyone that she is terrible.



'Fembots' will be on Robyn's new album later this year, which will actually be THREE albums according to an interview she just did with Pitchfork:
“They’re albums with enough songs to make them feel like real bodies of work. They are shorter than usual, but still closer to ten songs than five… Right now I’m finishing the first one, which is going to come out in June. I’m already working on the second album so I hope that’ll come out sometime after the summer."

Amazing.

Hot Chip and some shirtless men say 'I Feel Better' in their...bizarre new video - watch now!

Hot Chip are hardly the most mainstream of pop bands.  This is a fact that goes without saying.  ScopiSat was under the impression 'Ready For The Floor' was sung by a woman (think that lady from Everything But The Girl who sang 'Missing') only to find some weeks later that it was actually warbled by a bearded hipster with an affinity for stripy clothes.  So in the end we weren't really far off the mark, but that's neither here nor there. 

The point is, Hot Chip are a bit strange and their new video is sort of a brilliant incarnation of everything they stand for.  It also features some very fit men taking their tops off.  Do with that what you will.

For its part, the song is a pretty standard Hot Chip affair.  A thumping but hipster-friendly beat layered with a shaky vocal that leaves the listener thinking 'I'm sure he could actually sing if he would just TRY, for chrissake,' and, when taken as a whole, is actually quite good.  Not quite as good as some of their other tunes, but the band has been busy writing for Kylie so we'll give them a pass for phoning this one in. 




Hot Chip - I Feel Better

Hot Chip | MySpace Music Videos

Out as an album download now

Mika's new video is 'Kick Ass' - watch now!

Mika's comeback hasn't gone 100% to plan, as he has fallen victim to the sophomore slump in a big way.  This probably isn't a surprise to anyone, as a large part of his success the first time around was his novelty.  With his current album, Mika stuck to his formula but added in some nice touches, and met with a resounding 'meh' from the charts.  So what is a flailing popstar to do?  Chuck out a soundtrack jam produced by Gaga's musical sherpa RedOne, of course. 

It's a step in a different, chav-friendly direction, but we're not here to judge.  In any case, the song isn't terrible by any means, and serves as a kind of theme track to the new film 'Kick Ass.'  See what they did there?  With the names?  Clever, right?



"Kick Ass" features on the soundtrack of the new film of the same name

Sign of the Apocalpyse #9: This is the UK's Eurovision entry this year

It's that time of year again.  When the Page 3 models, "not gay" West End stars, and all the girls that have been chucked out of Sugababes come out of the woodwork to vie for the chance to represent the glorious United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest.  With all that raw, stunning talent (this process gave us Scooch, remember) we are sure to have a winner on our hands, as some guy named Josh walked away with the "honor."  He will be singing a thing by Mike Stock and Pete Waterman (2 of the 3 guys in Stock, Aitken, Waterman - the team that gave us masterpieces by Bananarama and Kylie, and frankly, gentlemen, we expected a bit better) and is certain to get....about 5 points total. 



The final is on May 29. 

Robyn's new album preview sounds very very promising - watch the video now!

Robyn, the same Scandi-songstress that gave us 'Show Me Love' back in 1996, went away for a while and then staged an epic comeback a couple years ago with 'Every Heartbeat' and the absolutely sublime 'Be Mine!', has been working on her brand spankin new album.  Expectations are high, since her last album was an instant classic, but from the sounds of the tracks on this video she has pretty much delivered. 




And just in case you've forgotten just how LITERALLY SPECTACULAR she can be, here's Robyn's 'Be Mine!' in all its glory:


Robyn - Be Mine 2006
Uploaded by chicethautaine. - Explore more music videos.

There's no release date yet for the new material, and no word of what the lead single will be, but expect an announcement soon.  We'll have all the details for you when it happens.

Dragonette (the band no one knows but everyone should) are 'Easy' - watch the live video now!

We love Dragonette.  We worship them, in fact.  We sometimes wonder, in our darkest moments, if we can really continue to live in a world that does not also love and worship such an OBVIOUSLY SPECTACULAR band.

They've been on the cusp of breaking out for about three albums now, but we hold out hope that one day, somehow, it will actually happen.

Until then, here is their new single, performed live on CBC Radio One's GO:



"Incredible."

Because the live session isn't the highest quality, here's the original taken from their current album, 'Fixin To Thrill.'

"INCREDIBLE."

The single is out this spring.