I wish I had more time to update the blog. There's so much great music to write about at the moment - it's just hard to keep on top of it when you have to do annoying things like work and study. As a result, things slip through the cracks (like my 3 months in the making Best Singles Of 2010 countdown!) but I couldn't let these three gems pass by without giving my two cents. The first diva off the rank is my old friend Medina. Denmark's improvement on Robyn has become a
Pop Trash Addicts staple over the past couple of years with her morose electro-pop anthems. I love her depressing lyrics and bleak sound. While other bitches try to get the party started, Medina belts out miserable tracks like "Lonely", "Execute Me" (I'm not joking!) and her latest single "Gutter". This wouldn't have been my first choice for the 4th single from "Welcome To Medina" but the #43 German smash suits my mood and worms its way into your head after a couple of listens. I keep hoping she'll release "Sundown" - a stunning Ke$ha knock off - but this will do nicely. As usual
the video is a classy affair and Medina looks stunning with her new blond hairdo. If you don't already own it, her album belongs in your collection.
Next on your must-listen list is the second single from Natalia Kills. I have to admit I was very skeptical about the woman formerly known as Verbalicious. "Mirrors" got a lot of blog love but, to be honest, I thought it was shit. Lady Gaga comparisons usually don't bother me. Every girl with structured sleeves and an asymmetrical hemline is lumped with that insult but Natalia's debut was a line for line re-work of "Just Dance" - only with a cheap video and utterly pointless lyrics. But just as I was about to jump on the NK hate train, the dark diva dropped "Wonderland" and it was love at first listen. This is more like it! Eerie sound effects, clever production and a killer chorus make "Wonderland" one of the best songs of early 2011.
The disturbing video, which plays like a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale directed by Michael Haneke, is also a triumph. Like Medina, Natalia Kills is successfully focusing on the German market before making a push into the UK and America. Time will tell if it pays off but if she keeps churning out tunes of this quality, you have to think she has a good shot.
Last but definitely not least is French icon Mylène Farmer.
I featured "Oui Mais Non" on the blog last year and that RedOne produced club banger went on to set sales records in France and became the stunning 49-year-old's 10th number one hit. I love that women of a certain vintage can still have hits in Europe. To underline the pop legend's popularity, her latest album has already sold 500,000 copies in her homeland alone. Those numbers would make Nicole Scherzinger's head spin! The latest single from "Bleu Noir" - another brilliant album that you need to own - is the title track. It's very different to "Oui Mais Non". This time Mylène has pared back her sound for a beautiful mid-tempo ballad. Produced by Moby, the song has a wistful quality that I love despite only being able to understand about a third of the lyrics. The video (below) is equally subtle and pretty. It will be interesting to see how the single performs in France but I've already ordered CD1 and CD2, so I'm convinced it will be another smash! I think Mylène should jump on Google translator and re-record "Bleu Noir" in English. Just for shits and giggles.
I wish I had more time to update the blog. There's so much great music to write about at the moment - it's just hard to keep on top of it when you have to do annoying things like work and study. As a result, things slip through the cracks (like my 3 months in the making Best Singles Of 2010 countdown!) but I couldn't let these three gems pass by without giving my two cents. The first diva off the rank is my old friend Medina. Denmark's improvement on Robyn has become a Pop Trash Addicts staple over the past couple of years with her morose electro-pop anthems. I love her depressing lyrics and bleak sound. While other bitches try to get the party started, Medina belts out miserable tracks like "Lonely", "Execute Me" (I'm not joking!) and her latest single "Gutter". This wouldn't have been my first choice for the 4th single from "Welcome To Medina" but the #43 German smash suits my mood and worms its way into your head after a couple of listens. I keep hoping she'll release "Sundown" - a stunning Ke$ha knock off - but this will do nicely. As usual the video is a classy affair and Medina looks stunning with her new blond hairdo. If you don't already own it, her album belongs in your collection. 
Next on your must-listen list is the second single from Natalia Kills. I have to admit I was very skeptical about the woman formerly known as Verbalicious. "Mirrors" got a lot of blog love but, to be honest, I thought it was shit. Lady Gaga comparisons usually don't bother me. Every girl with structured sleeves and an asymmetrical hemline is lumped with that insult but Natalia's debut was a line for line re-work of "Just Dance" - only with a cheap video and utterly pointless lyrics. But just as I was about to jump on the NK hate train, the dark diva dropped "Wonderland" and it was love at first listen. This is more like it! Eerie sound effects, clever production and a killer chorus make "Wonderland" one of the best songs of early 2011. The disturbing video, which plays like a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale directed by Michael Haneke, is also a triumph. Like Medina, Natalia Kills is successfully focusing on the German market before making a push into the UK and America. Time will tell if it pays off but if she keeps churning out tunes of this quality, you have to think she has a good shot. 
Last but definitely not least is French icon Mylène Farmer. I featured "Oui Mais Non" on the blog last year and that RedOne produced club banger went on to set sales records in France and became the stunning 49-year-old's 10th number one hit. I love that women of a certain vintage can still have hits in Europe. To underline the pop legend's popularity, her latest album has already sold 500,000 copies in her homeland alone. Those numbers would make Nicole Scherzinger's head spin! The latest single from "Bleu Noir" - another brilliant album that you need to own - is the title track. It's very different to "Oui Mais Non". This time Mylène has pared back her sound for a beautiful mid-tempo ballad. Produced by Moby, the song has a wistful quality that I love despite only being able to understand about a third of the lyrics. The video (below) is equally subtle and pretty. It will be interesting to see how the single performs in France but I've already ordered CD1 and CD2, so I'm convinced it will be another smash! I think Mylène should jump on Google translator and re-record "Bleu Noir" in English. Just for shits and giggles. 
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