Zowie's Smashing New Single

I can't believe this is the first time I've featured Zowie on the blog. "Broken Machine" was one of my favourite songs from last year and I'm always ranting about her on Twitter. The Kiwi diva is making huge waves in the music world with her unique blend of retro-synth pop and electro. Think Ladyhawke meets Luciana to get some idea of her sound. Or, better yet, just check out "Smash It" - the fourth (by my count) buzz single from her forthcoming debut album. The perky party anthem took a couple of listens to click with me but now I'm completely obsessed. I love the infectious chorus and Jimmy Harry's deceptively layered production. The hype surrounding this chick is definitely justified. And while "Smash It" is probably not the radio smash Zowie needs for mainstream success, it cements her status as one of pop's hottest emerging talents. For more proof, check out the video (below). Those Lady Gaga shoulder spikes belong in the nearest bin but the rest of this stylish extravaganza is bang on the money. More please!

The Second Coming Of SSS

Ok, that headline is a little dramatic but "Big" is so breathtakingly brilliant that it feels like a whole new beginning for Sneaky Sound System. Over the years, the electro-pop pioneers have been a regular feature on the blog - I still maintain that "2" is one of the best Australian albums of the noughties - but I almost lost interest with "We Love". The song isn't as jaw-droppingly awful as Rogue Traders' "Love Is A War" or Vanessa Amorosi's "Gossip" (two notable hari-kari lead singles from hit acts) but it was a generic bore with the year's most pretentious and embarrassing video. It was enough to put me off their whole third album until I randomly heard "Big" in a shop and stopped dead in my tracks.

This is the kind of euphoric electro-pop that sets Sneaky Sound System apart from the competition. Miss Connie and Black Angus deliver a sweeping dance-ballad with dreamy synths and a devastatingly gorgeous chorus. It's easily one of the best songs of 2011 and a stunning return to form. I'm just not sure how a soft and pretty love letter of a song like this will compete against the formulaic club bangers and cheap RedOne knock-offs currently clogging the airwaves. "Big" is probably too refined and sophisticated for its own good but all of a sudden I'm counting down the days until "From Here To Anywhere" drops. If the rest of the album is this good, we're in for something special. And happily, the video is also a step in the right direction. Basically Miss Connie stands on a balcony looking wistful but at least there are no anal beads this time around.

Bag Raiders - Big In Germany!

Some of you might remember Bag Raiders' amazing "Shooting Stars", which was a surprise Pop Panel winner back in 2009 and went on to become something of a sleeper hit in Australia. It never broke into the top 50 but the song hung around the iTunes top 200 for the best part of a year and turned up in the strangest places - most recently as a warm up song at Katy Perry's Sydney concert. The band went on to score a top 10 album and tear up the summer festival circuit but I had no idea they had broken into the European market until a friend in Berlin asked me about them. Their recent single "Way Back Home" is being used in a commercial over there and is currently rocketing up German iTunes. I'm excited about this! I love the song and was pissed when it stiffed at #77 in Australia. Not only that but it's getting a physical release over there, so I'll have something to add to my rather pathetic Bag Raiders collection. Now that I think about it, Empire of the Sun were also huge in Germany. I think Gypsy and the Cat, Miami Horror and Muscles need to jump on the next plane to Hamburg because Deutschland is clearly the way forward! Fingers crossed, "Way Back Home" gets a re-release at home.

Parralox pay tribute to Elisabeth Sladen

I was never a huge fan of Dr Who but it was impossible to avoid when I was growing up. Repeats of the show were a staple of ABC programming in the late 80s and I found myself watching it almost by default. From memory it came on after Inspector Gadget and I was just too lazy to change the channel! Anyway, like most (gay) boys - I had a bit of a crush on Elisabeth Sladen, who played the glamorous Sarah Jane. Her recent death from cancer was a blow for fans and has even inspired one Australian band to record a tribute song. Parralox is one of my favourite homegrown pop acts. They have featured on the blog previously and churn out icy electro-pop anthems at an alarming rate. I know that frontman John von Ahlen is a huge sci-fi fan, so I'm not surprised he's pulled out an absolute gem for Elisabeth. "Companion", with its bleak synths and haunting chorus, is a fitting tribute to the TV icon. This is their best song since "I Am Human" and I really think they should release it as a single. Check out "Companion" below.

Gypsy & The Cat - Jona Vark

My friends have been raving about Gypsy & The Cat for ages but I wasn't really blown away by their first single ("Time To Wander") and kind of forgot about them until I saw their album on special in JB Hi-Fi a couple of weeks ago thought I'd give them another try. It turned out to be the best $10 I've spent all year. "Gilgamesh" is one of those rare debuts that actually lives up to the hype. Hailing from Melbourne, the boys sound like a cross between mid-70s Fleetwood Mac circa and fellow antipodean electro-pop duo Empire Of The Sun. Their dreamy brand of retro-electronica is perfect for a sleepy Sunday afternoon but also has immense crossover appeal.

Take "Jona Vark". I can't believe this hasn't been a "Walking On A Dream" sized smash. The production is gorgeous and that chorus is unforgettable. It is starting to climb iTunes, so with a bit of luck it could turn out to be a slow burn hit. If not, I'm sure the boys will have more luck overseas. I can see this taking off in markets like the UK and Germany. You know, places that actually embrace Australian produced electro-pop. They might need to brush up the video a bit though because this looks like it was filmed for less than Empire Of The Sun's make-up budget. Not that it really matters when the music is this good. Very highly recommended.

Medina's Addictive 3rd Single

When are people (outside of Denmark and Deutschland) finally going to get correct and jump on the Medina bandwagon? The Danish pop star has released two stunning singles and a brilliant English language debut album yet continues to wither in Robyn's overhyped shadow. It's so unfair because "You & I" would have been a worldwide smash for the Swedish troll but was roundly ignored outside Germany, where it became a much deserved top 10 hit. This is like Janet and La Toya all over again! Why must the pretty, talented one always come off second best? But I digress. Medina isn't going let something as insignificant as having no hits keep her down. The striking diva recently unveiled her third single and it's another throbbing electro-pop anthem with melancholy lyrics and laser sharp production. "Addiction" isn't as epic as "You & I" or quite as devastating as "Lonely" but it's a grower. I love the drugs metaphor and she works the bleak yet still catchy chorus for all it's worth. I really don't know why Medina is always so depressed but it kind of suits her. She is the Queen of pissed-off-and-over-it electro! The Danish delight also turns it out in the video. She plays a supermodel and spends most of the clip looking sad in a glamorous kind of way. "Addiction" is released physically in Germany on the 26th of November. A deluxe two disco edition of her album "Welcome To Medina" hits stores the same day. I want!

Watch "Addiction" HERE

Sorry, I couldn't find an embeddable link.

James Leon - Caught Up In Your Vanity

How often do two of your friends release fabulous electro-pop singles on the same day? This is surreal! Hot on the heels of Peter Wilson's Italo-tastic "Intoxicated" comes James Leon's triumphant second single "Caught Up In Your Vanity". The Englishman's stunning debut caused quite the stir online last year and, from memory, appeared on my very first Pop Panel. As much as I love "Purple Heart", his latest electronic adventure is in a completely different league. "Caught Up In Your Vanity" has a raw honesty and vulnerability that you're simply not used to hearing in catchy pop records. The personal lyrics strike a chord with me - "I pushed the button for self destruct, I guess we make our own luck" - and I love the restrained production. Fans of the Pet Shop Boys (or their tribute act Hurts) should lap this up like Neil Tennant's semen. James is a real talent and I think it's only a matter of time before a major label realises his huge potential. If you're still not convinced, check out "Bad Guy" - one of the best unreleased pop songs ever! "Caught Up In Your Vanity" is available to download from iTunes, Amazon and 7Digital now. Get downloading!

Kimbra Goes Electro

Kimbra is currently being hailed by the street press as Australia's next big thing. Which is amusing because she's actually from New Zealand. While I'm not ready to throw away my Dannii CDs and jump on that bandwagon just yet, I do love her debut single. "Settle Down" is one of the quirkiest pop songs of 2010. It's cute, kooky and (after the third or fourth listen) very, very catchy. More importantly, the amazing video features a wall of dolls and a creepy little girl doing housework - so I'm sold! Kimbra has spent the past few months working on her album but also found the time to lend her golden pipes to Miami Horror's new floorfiller "I Look To You". Though sadly not a Whitney Houston cover, the track is still a rather lovely shot of disco infused electro. It's a nice change of pace for the eclectic diva. Usually a purveyor of Kate Miller-Heidke/Sarah Blasko-esque organic pop, Kimbra takes to her new genre like Lilo to cocaine. I just hope there are some harder remixes because "I Look To You" is perhaps a little too dreamy for radio and the clubs. The video is also well worth a look. Sure, it owes a large debt to Empire of the Sun but the trippy colours and spacey special effects suit the track perfectly. I can't wait to see what she does next!

Sunday Girl - The New Ellie Goulding?

I still haven't posted my review of Ellie Goulding's "Lights". For the simple fact that I can't reconcile the bravura production and brilliant songwriting with the diva's lacklustre voice and complete lack of charisma. It's a challenging combination that I just can't seem to get my head around. So what does all this have to do with Sunday Girl? It seems the 21 year old London based pop star is being hailed by critics (and to a lesser extent marketed) as the next Ellie Goulding. There are similarities - they share the same soft electronic palette and both write poetic pop songs - but judging from her debut single, Sunday Girl has a distinctively warm and pretty sound that I actually find more appealing than Ellie's sterile iciness. "Four Floors" is as simple as it is beautiful. I love the rich vein of romanticism than runs through her lyrics, while the crisp production perfectly frames her words. And more importantly, Jade's (her real name) voice has character. She brings a sense of whimsy to "Four Floors" that Ellie could only dream of. There's a touch of Sarah Cracknell about this girl that should endear her to Saint Etienne fans. The video (below) is cheap even by today's standards but effortlessly captures the spirit of the song. Finally a next big thing I can get behind! Check out her Myspace for more details and hunt down the brilliant Russ Chimes remix.