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

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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?

Read More