UK Chart Roundup: Miley's "We Can't Stop" Starts At the Top

Over on the UK chart, Miley Cyrus manages to do one better than she's been able to here in the States by taking "We Can't Stop" to #1. (It's been stuck at #2 for the past month on the Billboard Hot 100.) The song also happens to be Miley's first Top 10 hit in the UK, besting the #11 position "See You Again," "The Climb" and "Party In The U.S.A." each peaked at.

What a glamorous achievement, Miley. Pack your nose and stick your ass up in celebration, gurl.

The UK Top 10:

1. "We Can't Stop" - Miley Cyrus *new* *1 week*
2. "Wake Me Up" - Avicii
3. "Trampoline" - Tinie Tempah feat. 2 Chainz *new*
4. "Summertime Sadness" - Lana Del Rey
5. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell
6. "Love Me Again" - John Newman
7. "Holy Grail" - Jay Z feat. Justin Timberlake
8. "Thinking About You" - Calvin Harris feat. Ayah Marar
9. "Best Song Ever" - One Direction
10. "I Love It" - Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX

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Ayah Marar's "The Real" Is A Really Good Song You Should Know

While everyone's just getting up to speed with singer Ayah Marar, thanks to her feature on Calvin Harris' current UK Top 10 single "Thinking About You," you should know that her dance-pop album The Real was quietly released in the US by Radikal Records in July.

The LP is a bit of a grower, with a few cookie cutter numbers weighing it down a bit. Still, the title track is definitely one worth checking out.

And here 'tis:

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Katy Perry's "Roar" Leaked: Listen

This is okay. I think it would come off better if it was some lesser slag moaning it. But to be honest, I expected a bigger jam to come flying out of Katy's tiger pussy. Instead, it's a mewing kitten pawing lazily at her left boob.

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It's 12 Seconds Of Lady Gaga's "Applause"

These 12 seconds of "Applause" have me back aboard the ARTPOP train, after being slightly derailed by "Aura/Burqa" last week.

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Lady Gaga Gets Naked, Shows Off Fake Arm & Preps For "Applause" And Other Stuff

Lady Gaga has been quite a busy broad lately, tossing out promo pics left and right. And lookee here — it's her boobs and hoo hoo on full display, in this art! pop! video where she practices the method of performance artist Marina Abramovic! (Basically, just an excuse to get her cans out and cause a fuss.)



I'm pretty jazzed about the upcoming single ("Applause" is out August 19), and so far the pretension of this whole ARTPOP thing isn't pissing me off too much. Maybe she'll straddle that prosthetic arm in the music video?

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It's Katy Perry's "Roar" Single Cover

Maybe Katy didn't get the memo that the '80s are out and the '90s are sexy?

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It's Avril Lavigne's 'Avril Lavigne' Album Cover

Avril Lavigne Instagram'd the cover art for her upcoming self-titled album, and I can get down with the Black Swan whore look displayed here.

A funny thing happened on Idolator this summer when we posted our annual Song Of The Summer poll — the choices being Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," Daft Punk's "Get Lucky," Mariah Carey and Miguel's "#Beautiful," Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" and Avril's "Here's To Never Growing Up" — and Avril won. The most floppy of them all.

Abbey Dawn forever.

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Lady Gaga's "Aura" (Or "Burqa") Demo Leaks

For more than a minute, Internet rumors had a mysterious yet-to-be-heard song called "Burqa" being pinpointed as Lady Gaga's lead ARTPOP single. We now, of course, know that's not true, as "Applause" is going to clap its way into your consciousness on August 19 (or, honestly, probably several days before that, when it leaks). Still, what of "Burqa"?

The song in question, now possibly titled "Aura," finally made its way online last night. Upon listening to it, it's clear that it's a demo — the vocals are too uneven in volume, the intro beat is pretty basic and the song seems to be missing a second verse. It's all very reminiscent of that day in spring 2011 when snatches of a rough version of "Judas" kept leaking left and right.

And speaking of "Judas," "Aura/Burqa" throws a bit of an initial wet rag on the notion that Gaga was going to be a little more "Poker Face" and a lot less Born This Way this time around.



There is something to be said for letting go of conventions and structure and being Art! Pop! Still, would it kill Lady Gaga to just give us another good old-fashioned verse-chorus killer, circa Fame Monster?

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UK Chart Roundup: Calvin Harris & Ayah Marar's "Thinking About You" Goes Top 10

I've said it before, and here it is again: "Thinking About You" is simply the best song on Calvin Harris' 18 Months album. And now it's hopped into the UK Top 10 at #9. The vocals are by Ayah Marar, who also chirped on Calvin's best Ready For The Weekend track, "Flashback."

"Thinking About You" now gives Harris his eighth (!) Top 10 hit off 18 Months (or his ninth, if we're to count Rihanna's tacked-on "We Found Love").

The UK Top 10:

1. "Wake Me Up" - Avicii *3 weeks*
2. "Love Me Again" - John Newman
3. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell
4. "Summertime Sadness" - Lana Del Rey
5. "Best Song Ever" - One Direction
6. "I Love It" - Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX
7. "La La La" - Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith
8. "Let Her Go" - Passenger
9. "Thinking About You" - Calvin Harris feat. Ayah Marar
10. "Bang Bang" - Will.i.am

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Lady Gaga vs. Katy Perry: "Applause" & "Roar" Promo Gone Wild On Social Media

I'm pretty jazzed about the return of Lady Gaga, at least for new single "Applause," which is to arrive on August 19. But what's hilarious is how now Katy Perry is trying to one-up her with her own swing back into the pop scene.

These two broads' back-and-forth promo antics on social media yesterday played out like two hoes in the high school playground trying to vie for riding the same dumb jock's pole — which is actually pretty brilliant, considering the dumb jock (that would be us, pop fans) is likely to pay more attention and, ultimately, fuck both at the same time.

So above is Gaga's tease for her "Applause" lyrics," while below you'll find Katy Perry's "Roar" teaser clip, where she burns her goddamn "Teenage Dream" wig. Up next: wrestling braless in a jello-slathered kiddie pool.

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Everything About Annie's "Back Together" Video Makes Me Smile

The not-real chart show countdown at the beginning...can we get a full length version of Deejay Jesu's "This Ol' House," please?

If you've not yet bought The A&R EP (it came out this week), hop to it. This is some straight up '90s realness. Thanks, Annie and Richard X.

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Katy Perry's Next Album Called 'Prism', First Single Called "Roar"...Maybe

Here's a photo of a gold truck that drove around Los Angeles on Monday with the words Katy Perry Prism on it, and the date October 22, 2013. One would therefore assume that this is a somewhat legit announcement of Katy Perry's post-Teenage Dream album, with its release date...or the mad actions of a loony Katy Perry stan.

Anyway, some site called Idolator also spilled the tea that the leads Prism single is called "Roar" (or "Rawr"), and it's apparently another Dr. Luke/Max Martin/Bonnie McKee concoction. Because there really aren't enough of those, you know?

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It's Justin Timberlake's "Take Back The Night" Video

Justin Timberlake has never masked his inkling for all things Michael Jackson, and with new single "Take Back The Night" — the first from his upcoming The 20/20 Experience - 2 Of 2 (out September 30) — he holds a magnifying glass up to those tendencies.

The song, which sounds not unlike a mashup of "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Off The Wall," probably falls at a 6 on the 1-to-10 JT Scale Of Pop ("Mirrors" being a 10, of course). It's a bit more than enjoyable than "Suit & Tie," with an irritatingly catchy chorus, but overall, it's not really pushing the envelope much, is it?

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Richard X On Annie's 'The A&R' EP, Pet Shop Boys' "Fugitive", Rachel Stevens' "Some Girls

Longtime Chart Rigger sidekick John Hamilton (aka Moogaboo) interviewed Richard X, the producer behind Annie's just-released The A&R EP, among dozens of other massive pop jams, and you can read their chat over at Idolator.

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Lady Gaga's "Applause" Single Cover Art: Talk About Scary Monsters

I'll admit it, I'm very excited to hear what Lady Gaga comes up with when she reaches up her Monster snatch and yanks out new single "Applause" on August 19. But, Jesus — does this broad always have to be so derivative?

The "Applause" single artwork premiered last night via WWD, and she had this to say about it:

"It’s the end of the night after the show. When I look at it I see that there is a longing for the applause. I see that there is a void that is leaking onstage, that the performer is leaking, that the art is sort of becoming something else in front of your eyes. Something more human, something more honest."

All I really see is Bowie.

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UK Chart Roundup: Shitevicii

The UK Top 10:

1. "Wake Me Up" - Avicii *2 weeks*
2. "Best Song Ever" - One Direction *new* 
3. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell
4. "Love Me Again" - John Newman
5. "I Love It" - Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX
6. "La La La" - Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith
7. "Let Her Go" - Passenger
8. "Bang Bang" - Will.i.am
9. "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk
10. "Come & Get It" - Selena Gomez

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US Chart Roundup: Pet Shop Boys' 'Electric' Is Their Highest-Charting Album Since 'Very'

With everything on the Billboard Hot 100 remaining pretty much hooker meat, let's instead turn to the Billboard 200 album chart, where Pet Shop Boys' Electric goes in at #26. Like in the UK this past weekend, the duo have now landed their highest-charting album since Very. Here in the States, 1993 pop masterpiece Very peaked at #20, and eventually snagged a Gold certification.

Electric is now the Pet Shop Boys' seventh of their 12 studio albums to make the Top 40 in the US, and their first to do so since Yes clocked in at #32 in 2009. (It's follow-up, Elysium, made it to #44 last fall.)

Below is the full listing of how the duo's studio albums have charted in America. (Go here to see how they charted in the UK.)

1. Please (#7, 1986)
2. Actually (#25, 1987)
3. Introspective (#34, 1988)
4. Behaviour (#45, 1990)
5. Very (#20, 1993)
6. Bilingual (#39, 1996)
7. Nightlife (#84, 1999)
8. Release (#73, 2002)
9. Fundamental (#150, 2006)
10. Yes (#32, 2009)
11. Elysium (#44, 2012)
12. Electric (#26, 2013)

A job well done with their first outing on their own new label, x2. Now, roll on the tour — I've got tickets to see that laser fest on both nights they're playing in New York.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell *7 weeks*
2. "We Can't Stop" - Miley Cyrus
3. "Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
4. "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams 
5. "Treasure" - Bruno Mars
6. "Can't Hold Us" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton
7. "Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly
8. "Holy Grail" - Jay-Z feat. Justin Timberlake
9. "Cups" - Anna Kendrick
10. "Mirrors" - Justin Timberlake

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Lady Gaga's First 'ARTPOP' Single Is Maybe Called "Applause"

Lady Gaga's lead ARTPOP single, out August 19, is looking to be called "Applause" — at least as far as we can surmise from this photo posted last night on LittleMonsters.com — and is said to be produced by DJ White Shadow.

So take that, all you Monsters who thought it was going to be "Burqa."

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I Interviewed Goldfrapp Again

Yesterday Alison Goldfrapp became the only artist to-date that I've interviewed three times. This one was all about upcoming album Tales Of Us (out in the US on September 10). I'll post the link once the interview is up, sometime in August.

Last week the gorgeous, Lisa Gunning-directed short film for "Drew," the first Tales Of Us single, premiered, and it absolutely blew me away. It looks like some lost Merchant Ivory film. And it has a pair of hot, naked dudes in it. What's not to love?



My previous interviews with Goldfrapp can be found below:

* 2010: Head First
* 2012: The Singles

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Annie's 'The A&R EP': Listen To "Hold On" And "Invisible"

It's sounding like you could do a lot worse than pick up Annie and Richard X's The A&R EP when it's released on August 5. You've already heard "Back Together." Now get a load of the light and breezy "Hold On" below, and hear edgier dance track "Invisible" over at the Guardian's site.

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Icona Pop Release "All Night" Single, Reveal Release Date & Tracklist For 'This Is...' Album

Geez, it's been a long minute since Icona Pop first became a thing, hasn't it? And believe it or not, they've yet to release an album in America. (Their self-titled Swedish debut LP came out last November.)

That will change on September 24 with the arrival of This Is..., which is set to contain previously released songs "I Love It," "We Got The World" and "Ready For The Weekend," plus new single "All Night."



The latter was released on iTunes this week, and is currently at #35 on the digital store's daily chart.

This Is... tracklist

1. I Love It
2. All Night
3. We Got the World
4. Ready For the Weekend
5. Girlfriend
6. In the Stars
7. On a Roll
8. Just Another Night
9. Hold On
10. Light Me Up
11. Then We Kiss

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UK Chart Roundup: Pet Shop Boys' 'Electric' Is Highest-Charting Studio Album Since 1993's 'Very'

The Pet Shop Boys let the cat out of the bag a little early ahead of the publication of the official UK single and album chart today, by posting the following message on their official site:

In the UK, Electric has today entered the albums chart at number three. This is PSBs' highest album chart position since Very entered at number one in 1993. 

Electric is the duo's 12th studio LP, and now their 15th overall Top 10 entry on the UK album chart. (And, technically, B-sides collection Alternative made it to #2, in 1995 — so Electric is their highest chart position overall on the UK chart, studio albums or otherwise, since that one.) Their last studio album, Elysium, marked the lowest placing for the Pet Shop Boys in the Top 10 when it debuted at #9 last September.

Here now is the breakdown of all Top 10 entries by the PSBs on the UK album chart:

* Please (#3, 1986)
* Actually (#2, 1987)
* Introspective (#2, 1988)
* Behaviour (#2, 1990)
* Discography (#3, 1991) — hits collection
* Very (#1, 1993)
* Disco 2 (#6, 1994) — dance compilation series
* Alternative (#2, 1995) — B-sides collection
* Bilingual (#4, 1996)
* Nightlife (#7, 1999)
* Release (#7, 2002)
* Fundamental (#5, 2006)
* Yes (#4, 2009)
* Elysium (#9, 2012)
* Electric (#3, 2013)

SOME LINKS:

* My full review of Electric
* My interview with Neil and Chris
* PSBs' 12 Greatest Collaborations, by John Hamilton & myself


The UK Top 10:

1. "Wake Me Up" - Avicii *new* *new*
2. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell
3. ""Love Me Again" - John Newman 
4. "I Love It" - Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX
5. "Bang Bang" - Will.i.am
6. "La La La" - Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith *new*
7. "Reload" - Sebastian Ingrosso feat. John Martin
8. "Come & Get It" - Selena Gomez *new*
9. "Jack" - Breach *new*
10. "Let Her Go" - Passenger

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The 'Clueless' Soundtrack Is 18, And My Friend Wrote This Great Retrospective On It

My pal Alex wrote an amazing look back at the Clueless soundtrack, which came out 18 years ago today. (Old enough to be a high school senior!) He even interviewed Jill Sobule ("Supermodel") and music supervisor Karyn Rachtman, who also did Reality Bites, Pulp Fiction, Romeo + Juliet, Boogie Nights, etc.

Check it out!

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Pet Shop Boys 'Electric' Might Be The #1 UK Album This Week (+ My Review)

Electric, the new, Stuart Price-produced album by Pet Shop Boys, was just released this week, and is currently only 1,500 copies behind Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines in the race for the #1 album in the UK. All of Neil and Chris' studio LPs have charted in the Top 10 in their home country, but their only #1 album to-date is Very, which was released 20 years ago. It's pretty fitting, then, that Electric is doing so well, considering it's the PSBs' best album since Very.

Up above you'll see my vinyl and CD copies of Electric, which just arrived yesterday. Super glamour.

Anyway, here's a nice roundup of Pet Shop Boys writing I've done in the past month:

* My full review of Electric
* My interview with Neil and Chris
* PSBs' 12 Greatest Collaborations, by John Hamilton & myself

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US Chart Roundup: Capital Cities, Lorde & Justin Timberlake Are Royals

Two songs I honestly never anticipated becoming major US hits have cracked the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week: Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding's "I Need Your Love," which is up to #17, and Capital Cities' "Safe And Sound," now at #20. I like to think that my interview with Capital Cities back in May is what helped propel their single to such great heights. You know — Robbie Daw, hitmaker.

Just outside of the Top 40, Justin Timberlake's controversial, disco-fied new single, "Take Back The Night" — off the upcoming The 20/20 Experience - 2 Of 2 (out September 30) — debuts at #47 after being made available as a download with pre-orders of the new album.



Moving along, Britney Spears' trashy Smurfs 2 track "Ooh La La" is $omehow up to #54, while the Cedric Gervais remix of Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness" debuts at #72.



On a final note, 16-year-old New Zealand native Lorde — somewhat of a Lana Del Rey for the tween set — sees her debut single "Royals" climb from #90 to #74 in its second week on the chart.

Sexy.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell *6 weeks*
2. "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams 
3. "We Can't Stop" - Miley Cyrus
4. "Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
5. "Can't Hold Us" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton
6. "Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly
7. "Treasure" - Bruno Mars
8. "Holy Grail" - Jay-Z feat. Justin Timberlake *new*
9. "Mirrors" - Justin Timberlake
10. "Cups" - Anna Kendrick

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UK Chart Roundup: Robin Thicke Is Back At #1...And Shirtless

After a two-week interruption by Icona Pop's "I Love It" and John Newman's excellent house jam "Love Me Again," Robin Thicke's goddamned "Blurred Lines" is back at #1 in the UK. And that makes me want to push a hooker off a bridge.

It's an offense that I don't even think the above shirtless photo can make up for. Well, maybe. No. Yes. No.

The UK Top 10:

1. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell *5 week*
2. "Love Me Again" - John Newman
3. "Reload" - Sebastian Ingrosso feat. John Martin *new*
4. "I Love It" - Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX
5. "Bang Bang" - Will.i.am
6. "Brokenhearted" - Lawson feat. Bob *new*
7. "La La La" - Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith
8. "Let Her Go" - Passenger
9. "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk
10. "The Other Side" - Jason Derulo

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Lady Gaga Announces 'ARTPOP' Release Date, New Single Out In August

Lady Gaga ate dinner with a bunch of people in New York last night and announced the details of her new album ARTPOP, which she's only been blathering on about for half as long as she publicly flapped her gums over Born This Way before it was released.

The main, important details — the ones you'll care about — are these:

1. The first single is out August 19.

2. You can pre-order ARTPOP and some app or other on September 1.

3. ARTPOP and said app are to be released on November 11.

Below the full gist, via Gaga's Facebook. Get ready for HausRaveTechGaGaARTappPOP, everyone!

Here's hoping it's way more The Fame Monster than Born This Way.

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Pet Shop Boys 'Electric': Hear The Full Album

In case you missed it, Electric, the new Pet Shop Boys album (out next week) is streaming in full through the duo's official website and Pandora.

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Annie's 'The A & R EP' Now Has Cover Art

You may recall that last week Annie premiered her pretty rad new single "Back Together" as a preview of her upcoming Richard X-produced release, The A & R EP (out August 5). Now there's some late-'80s/early-'90s-looking cover art to accompany the five tracks.

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Britney Spears Looks Quite Un-Smurfy In Her "Ooh La La" Video

I thought for a split second recently that I might have been on board for this whole Britney Spears "Ooh La La" business, but I think that was only when I'd only heard the song one time, in passing — and it was definitely before I saw the music video.

In the clip, Louisiananey prances awkwardly in heels and a red dress while hanging out in the Smurf village. The song is, after all, from the soundtrack to Smurfs 2. And it took seven writers and three producers to put together (of course, none of which were Shakespears herself).

The visual that accompanies this Pitbull-level fare aims at being cute by having Matriarchney's sons Jada and Jethro take part, sitting in a movie theater audience, eating pop corn and watching Mom jiggle on the big screen.



Where's Hogatha when you need her for a little comic relief?

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US Chart Roundup: "Blurred Lines" Silence

Is it humanly possible that "Blurred Lines" has been #1 for five weeks and I have never heard it on the radio? I mean, it could be because I've only driven a car once in four months — since moving to Manhattan — and that one time I listened to Bjork's Debut instead of the radio.

Hopefully Robin Thicke is able to get by, financially, with the loss of my radio impression.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell *5 weeks*
2. "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams 
3. "We Can't Stop" - Miley Cyrus
4. "Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
5. "Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly
6. "Can't Hold Us" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton
7. "Mirrors" - Justin Timberlake
8. "Treasure" - Bruno Mars
9. "Come & Get It" - Selena Gomez
10. "Cups" - Anna Kendrick

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UK Chart Roundup: John Newman's "Love Me Again" Kicks "I Love It" Off The Top

I kept meaning to write about John Newman's housey "Love Me Again" back in May when I first heard it, but I'm a busy fucker. Anyway, here we go — the song has debuted at #1 in the UK, and that's a pretty well-deserved accomplishment if you ask me.



John featured on Rudimental's "Feel The Love," which also topped the UK chart, last June.

The UK Top 10:

1. "Love Me Again" - John Newman *new* *1 week*
2. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell
3. "I Love It" - Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX
4. "Bang Bang" - Will.i.am
5. "La La La" - Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith
6. "Lights (The One)" - Gabz *new*
7. "Let Her Go" - Passenger
8. "The Other Side" - Jason Derulo
9. "Lost And Not Found'" - Chase & Status feat. Louis M^ttrs
10. "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk

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US Chart Roundup: Happy 4th Of July

Blowing apart packs of firecrackers for my secret white trash husband Macklemore as I type.



The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell *4 weeks*
2. "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams 
3. "We Can't Stop" - Miley Cyrus
4. "Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
5. "Can't Hold Us" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton
6. "Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly
7. "Mirrors" - Justin Timberlake
8. "Treasure" - Bruno Mars
9. "Come & Get It" - Selena Gomez
10. "The Way" - Ariana Grande feat. Mac Miller

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It's Mutya Keisha Siobhan's "Flatline"

New Pet Shop Boys music and new music from the original members of Sugababes equals one sexy fucking summer. Mutya Keisha Siobhan, who it feels like have been in the studio working on this new album since at least 1936, finally premiered their single "Flatline" today, ahead of its official September 1 release.

I'm glad these broads are all back together, too. This is a proper jam — one that sounds like something whipped together in 1986 and then teleported to 2013 for our summer enjoyment. (Credit producer Dev Hynes for the perfect pop track.)



More of this, please, ladies.

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Pet Shop Boys' "Thursday" Gets Teased With A Video Featuring Example

Pet Shop Boys have been teasing their Electric tracks ahead of the album's release on July 15. And today, on Thursday, we get "Thursday" — at least the bit featuring Example's and a little of Neil Tennant. (Missing is Chris Lowe's countdown of the days.) You may recall that Example came in at #6 on Chart Rigger's 10 Best Pop Singles Of 2012 roundup, courtesy of his feature on Calvin Harris' "We'll Be Coming Back."

"Thursday" truly is one of the most commercial-sounding singles the PSBs have recorded in eons. Enjoy these 30 seconds:

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Annie Premieres "Back Together" From Richard X-Produced 'The A&R EP'

It's funny how we don't realize the lengths at which we all need new music from Annie and producer Richard X in order to survive in this weary world until we actually get new music from the two of them. Added bonus: Little Boots wrote the tune in question — Annie's bouncy new single "Back Together."

The track is from the upcoming The A&R EP (out August 5), which contains five songs. And one of them is called "Ralph Macchio." The others are "Hold On," "Invisible" and "Mixed Emotions."



It's been a moment since Richard X turned out Will Young's breathtaking Echoes album, so this should be a real treat.

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Pet Shop Boys' 'Electric': A Roundup Of Song Clips + "Paninaro"/Dior Fashion Show

By now clips for several of the nine songs on the upcoming Pet Shop Boys album Electric — aside from singles "Axis" and "Vocal" — have found their way online. Below is a roundup of those, plus a video clip of the duo's "Paninaro" being used in the Dior Homme Spring - Summer 2014 fashion show in Paris.

"Bolshy"



"Love Is A Bourgeois Construct"



"Shouting In The Evening"



Dior Homme Paris Fashion Show — "Paninaro"

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UK Chart Roundup: Icona Pop Kick Robin Thicke To The Curb, The Wanted Debut In Top 5

And so it's Chart Rigger's top pick for Best Single Of 2012, Icona Pop's "I Love It," that puts the guillotine to Robin Thicke's four-week reign at the top of the UK chart with "Blurred Lines." ("I Love It" previously peaked at #7 here in the States.) I dig that this happened, but, to tell the truth, both songs can take a hike at this point, and I never really need to hear either for at least 17 more years.



This brings us to The Wanted, whose gimmicky Dr. Luke production "Walks Like Rihanna" has just become the boy band's third consecutive Top 5 single, and eighth overall. The song goes in at #4 this week — not bad, by any means, but maybe an underscore on the fact that the lads' days of having #1 hits seem to indeed be in the past at this point. By contrast, chart rivals One Direction have scored two chart-topping singles in the past seven months alone.

Oh, well — keep gettin' that p***y while it's hot & free, kiddos.

The UK Top 10:

1. "I Love It" - Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX *new* *1 week*
2. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell
3. "Bang Bang" - Will.i.am *new*
4. "Walks Like Rihanna" - The Wanted *new*
5. "La La La" - Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith
6. "Let Her Go" - Passenger
7. "The Other Side" - Jason Derulo
8. "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk
9. "Goin' Crazy'" - Dizzee Rascal feat. Robbie Williams
10. "Dear Darlin'" - Olly Murs

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US Chart Roundup: Miley Cyrus & Her Ass Have A 7th Top 10 Hit With "We Can't Stop"

With Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" clogging up the top of every chart in the world yet again (it's not that sexy, everyone), it's best that we instead turn our eyes to Miley Cyrus' twerking, gyrating ass. It's hard to believe that five-and-a-half years have gone by since the onetime squeaky clean Disney chirpstress initially charmed her way into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 with "See You Again." Her last foray into the upper tier of the chart was three years ago, when "Can't Be Tamed" was a minor blip on the radar at #8. But here we are, seeing Miley again, as "We Can't Stop" grinds its way to #5 this week.

I can't say that I'm not still a little burned to see Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" continuing its descent, after peaking #2 a few weeks back. (Sigh. The song is now down to #7.) But sometimes life comes along an sticks your tits in a deep frier. What can you do?

This brings us to the other two songs on the Hot 100 worth championing this week: Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding's "I Need Your Love," now up to #24, and Capital Cities' "Safe And Sound," which, at #43, is close to finally cracking the Top 40.

All in all, as we reach the halfway point in 2013, it's been a pretty solid year for pop so far, no?

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell *3 weeks*
2. "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams 
3. "Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
4. "Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly
5. "We Can't Stop" - Miley Cyrus
6. "Can't Hold Us" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton
7. "Mirrors" - Justin Timberlake
8. "Treasure" - Bruno Mars
9. "Come & Get It" - Selena Gomez
10. "Just Give Me A Reason" - Pink feat. Nate Ruess

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It's Club 2Gethr's "Livin' The Dream" Video ... Starring Nicki French!

If you're a casual pop music observer and have been wondering what producer Mike Stock and British songstress Nicki French have been up to since they paired up nearly 20 years ago for their globally successful cover of "Total Eclipse Of The Heart," then wonder no more!

Stock's new project, Club 2Gethr — a themed teen trio akin to Fast Food Rockers, 10 years later (this time it's all about camping, kiddies) — just premiered their music video for "Livin' The Dream." And Nicki plays their mom.

Enjoy. And if you're like me, you'll be wondering which of those two young ladies ended up with the hot dog.


"Livin' The Dream" is on iTunes for pre-order.

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UK Chart Roundup: Robbie Williams And Dizzee Rascal Are Riding High

I can totally co-sign with Dizzee Rascal and Robbie Williams' new pair-up "Goin' Crazy," which debuts this week at #5 on the UK singles chart. It's actually a fun jam that's way better than it has any right to be.



Aside from his participation in charity singles and, of course, his work with Take That, this marks Robbie's sixth collaborative effort to make the Top 20, following "Kids" with Kylie Minogue (#2), "Somethin' Stupid" with Nicole Kidman (#1), "My Culture" with 1 Giant Leap (#9), "She's Madonna" with Pet Shop Boys (#16) and "Shame" with Gary Barlow (#2).

The UK Top 10:

1. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell *4 weeks*
2. "The Other Side" - Jason Derulo *new*
3. "La La La" - Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith
4. "Let Her Go" - Passenger
5. "Goin' Crazy'" - Dizzee Rascal feat. Robbie Williams *new*
6. "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk
7. "Dear Darlin'" - Olly Murs
8. "Wild" - Jessie J feat. Big Sean & Dizzee Rascal
9. "Everything Has Changed" - Taylor Swift feat. Ed Sheeran
10. "Another Love" - Tom Odell *new*

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My Frankmusik Interview

No rest for the wicked. In addition to posting my Idolator interview with Pet Shop Boys on Friday, I also published a recent chat I had with a very emotional, candid Frankmusik, whose album Between was released two weeks ago. You can watch it here.

My video producer Alex and I really put some time in to make this interview have a documentary feel, and I feel like it turned out pretty great.

This marks his first album since parting ways with Interscope, and he's still a bit bruised from the whole experience of living in Los Angeles for three years. (He's since moved back to the UK temporarily, and is in the midst of touring the States before relocating again, this time to New York).

Anyway, the interview is on camera, and it's nice to see a pop singer being honest, and setting aside all the polite PR bullshit. It's the first of two parts with him.

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Pet Shop Poster

Just caught this Canon-sponsored feature in the latest (June/July) issue of Details, which spotlights Fab.com founder Bradford Shellhammer's upstate New York country home — and, more importantly, his Pet Shop Boys poster in his country home.

It's provided inspiration for me to frame my own PSB Very poster, which I recently picked up off eBay in an effort to jazz up the Idolator office. I feel like I outgrew hanging posters on my walls at home about 15 years ago, but...

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My Pet Shop Boys Interview

As promised, my interview with both Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys is finally seeing the light of day! The rather lengthy chat I had with them for Idolator is now online. (We spoke for roughly 55 minutes.)

I'll post a link to the Instinct piece — which offers up different highlights from the conversation — once it's online, as well.

Pet Shop Boys speak to @idolator about the inspirations that drove them when recording new album #Electric - http://t.co/nPHHrhpJAA
— Pet Shop Boys (@petshopboys) June 22, 2013

Needless to say, this was definitely a career highlight. And I'm very thankful to Wayne Studer, curator of the highly informative Pet Shop Boys Commentary site, for linking to the piece and citing it in several of his Electric album track write-ups.

PSBs' new album Electric will be released on July 15.

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US Chart Roundup: Miley Cyrus And Her P***y Have A Video Now For "We Can't Stop"

Hmmm. Mariah Carey and Miguel's "#Beautiful" seems to be stuck in a holding pattern at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it's eerily reminiscent of MC's lead Emancipation Of Mimi single "It's Like That" a million years ago (eight, actually). That one, if you recall, got sidelined at #16. But here's the good news! The song is a Top 10 hit...in Croatia. And South Korea.

Anyway, Avril Lavigne, another frequently hit-strapped ho, is up to #20 with "Here's To Never Growing Up." Good for her, I say. The business has been unkind to poor Avril, what with radio not playing her material from the past few years and circumstances allowing for her to meet and become engaged to the singer from Nickelflop.

Another broad who can use a hit: Miley Cyrus. Her "comeback" single "We Can't Stop" is a tad grating — and this week it plunges from #11 to #27 — but at least there's this naughty music video for it, which prominently features Miley's tongue, ass and p***y bouncing around feverishly:



We'll end with Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding's "I Need Your Love," which has risen to #30. In Croatia, however, it doesn't seem to have charted. So Mariah's got that.

The U.S. Top 10:

1. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell *2 weeks*
2. "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams 
3. "Can't Hold Us" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton
4. "Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
5. "Mirrors" - Justin Timberlake
6. "Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly
7. "Just Give Me A Reason" - Pink feat. Nate Ruess
8. "Come & Get It" - Selena Gomez
9. "The Way" - Ariana Grande feat. Mac Miller
10. "I Love It" - Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX

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Meeting Kylie Minogue, Being A Fanboy

I've had the good fortune to interview Kylie Minogue twice over the telephone — once for Instinct and once for Idolator — over the past three years. I even drafted up questions for a co-worker last summer, who chatted with Kylie on camera (and the result was this mind-blowing, personal video I received). But unfortunately, I had never met her in person...until yesterday.

The Aussie pop doll was signing copies of her photo book Kylie Fashion at Sak's Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, and, despite two sprained feet I sustained last week (seriously, don't ask), I waited in line for an hour-and-a-half (with MuuMuse) to get some face time with her.

It was great to simply feel like a fanboy. And ever nicer when Kylie said, "It's nice to put a face to the name, for the next time I see you." (!!!)

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