MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS. Marina Lambrini Diamandis is off to a good start, placing #2 on the BBC Sound of 2010 poll. losing only to Ellie Goulding. An advocate of wonky pop, Marina delivers Regina Spektor/Mika-esque records with twists and quirks of her own. The Family Jewels, her debut LP, is a solid effort with a handful of standouts such as the theatrically glam Shampain, Marina's Stateside obsession Hollywood, and the upcoming quirky fast-paced single Oh No!, among others (Obsessions, I Am Not A Robot, Seventeen, Rootless, Guilty). She's looking to crack the US with The Family Jewels, and if you're up and raring for something different from the generic songs on American radio, I highly recommend Marina.


SCISSOR SISTERS. Jake and the gang haven't exactly been well-received in their native America in terms of chart success, but Europe, particularly the UK, welcomes their sad disco records with open arms (and why shouldn't they?). It pains me to say that I've just found out about the Scissters and I feel like I've missed a lot in music because of it! Nonetheless, Jake Shears and Babydaddy have co-written and produced one of my favorite Kylie Minogue singles back in 2004, I Believe In You (I just love plugging Kylie, don't I?). The first single off their upcoming third album Night Work is mind-blowingly good. I've already said enough about Fire With Fire ("mini-explosion of disco", "brilliance") so just give it a listen.


KELIS. "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like, it's better than yours!" Sounds familiar? Kelis is definitely back with a bang this 2010. Garnering positive reviews for her Flesh Tone LP, the Milkshake singer raised the standards for electropop dance albums. Kelis is avant garde without being excessive, and it shows in the Acapella music video which totally blew me away. Who knew gray hair could look so attractive? Anyway, have a listen to her upcoming single 4th of July (Fireworks).


NATALIA KILLS. Actor/director/singer/songwriter/puteverythingelsehere Natalia Cappuccini is a total breath of fresh air. Early 2008 she reached #1 unsigned artist on MySpace with just two demo songs, and eventually got discovered by Will.I.Am and signed to Cherrytree Records where she coined her stage name. Both buzz singles off her upcoming debut album Perfectionist emulate a dark, electro pop sound which is more than welcome at my doorstep. The later one, Activate My Heart has a very dramatic feel, slightly robotic yet lush. Aside from her wonderful music, Natalia also has a video series going at the moment called "Love, Kills xx" with a new episode airing on YouTube every Monday. Natalia describes the series as a glimpse of her dark imagination and a visual counterpart to Perfectionist. Amazing.


JANELLE MONÁE. Yet another great artist I've just found out about. American indie pop soul singer, critically-acclaimed and Grammy-nominated Janelle Monáe blew me away with The Archandroid, showing great artistry and setting herself apart from the rest of the R&B scene. Tightrope, the first single released from the LP, is an old school R&B funk number that I found myself loving more than Janelle's bombastic pompadour (which I ADORE). It's fun, it features OutKast's Big Boi, and the verses are slightly tongue-twisting.

CATCH PARTS I & II HERE.


MINI VIVA. To put it bluntly, I LOVE these girls. From the atrociously infectious club banger Left My Heart in Tokyo, Britt Love and Frankee Connolly have been winning the hearts of critics (and mine) with their always-funtasmic videos and vibrant songs. Mini Viva has been gearing up the yet-to-be-titled album for a December 2009 release, but it was pushed back for understandable reasons (I've heard an August release is coming our way). So far, they haven't released a horrid single (don't pay attention to the charts), and judging by their album sampler, the LP is going to be great at the very least. Here's One Touch (Do You Want A Candy?).


ALPHABEAT. The Danish dancepop band released their second album The Beat Is... late 2009 in their native Denmark, peaking at #6 on the albums chart. The Spell, their very contagious dancepop number, reached #1 in Denmark and also made the UK top 20. Their music takes a stab at the late 80's with heart-pounding synths, heavy dance vibes, 'whoa's, THE WHOLE SHEBANG. SO HAVE A LISTEN SO I CAN STOP TYPING IN ALL CAPS.


EXAMPLE. I'm not exactly a big fan of rappers, but Elliot John Gleave blends it with wonky pop (and who doesn't like that, eh?) and while a massive lot of rappers cover either sex, booze, or something grim/broody, Example dabbles into fun electropop territory warbling about treating girls right or being magnetized in an instant. I seriously can't choose which is better between Won't Go Quietly and Kickstarts, so here's both. Oh, and get a free track from him here.

Won't Go Quietly

Kickstarts



LOLENE. This lovely Bristol babe (please stop me from abusing that phrase) showed some potential back in '09 with first-but-not-official release Sexy People, reaching #5 on the Billboard Dance chart. "Miss Foo Foo" is on her way on becoming a proper popstar with her blunt, infectious electro records and very warming persona. Don't take it the wrong way though, because this girl can WRITE. She has collaborated with award-winning writers such as Chris Braide (Cheryl Cole), and also worked with Christina Milian on Teairra Mari's track Diamonds featuring Kanye West. Rich (Fake It Til You Make It) is no less than brilliant, and I have a feeling The Electrick Hotel (album) will be as good if not better. I was also lucky enough to have a Q&A with the lovely lady (where I professed my love for her).


DRAKE. Okay, a handful of rappers with actual talent (and versatility) have emerged, and seeing as I made the "not a big fan of rappers" statement (which is true, mind you), Canadian rapper/actor Aubrey Graham aka Drake (along with the aforementioned rappers) almost urged me to retract it. ANYWAY, let me go back to versatility. He recently showcased his smooth-as-silk brilliant vocals and ditched rapping altogether in Find Your Love, which I've already said enough about. As of now, two singles from Thank Me Later have been released, and though I naturally prefer Drake's break from rap, Over is a pretty good hip hop tune.

Over

Find Your Love

SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR. This lovely lady has been around the music industry for nine years now, and that's after she disbanded with theaudience (for Pete's sake all I knew back then was Steps). She's had three commendable albums, and now working on her fourth called Straight to the Heart, which features Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) with Freemasons, and her current single Bittersweet (whose video I have broken into itty bitty pieces here). Have a listen to the amazing track.


DIANA VICKERS. Oh, the claw. THE CLAW. To those who remember D's signature move back when she was in The X Factor in 2008, well... those days are over! Even if the hype over her #1 debut single Once and album Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree hasn't subsided, Diana is already working on her second (soon to be smash) single, The Boy Who Murdered Love. I've praised the track enough, so I'll let you be the judge.


SKY FERREIRA. Ridiculously blunt. Atrociously infectious. Definitely one to watch. Disregard all the buzz you've heard about Sky being some sort of Ke$ha clone, because she is NOT. Please, this girl can actually sing her arse off (as I've said countless times), 17 is one damn good song, and I got to do a Q&A with her. She hates mayonnaise too, which is a plus for me.


PLAN B. Rapper turned soul singer Ben Drew made quite an impact with The Defamation of Strickland Banks, a concept album based on the decline of "a soul man" and his experiences in prison. The album debuted at #1 on the UK charts, and both his singles Stay Too Long and She Said have hit the top ten. He was labeled as "the male Amy Winehouse", and it suits him pretty well.


DELPHIC. Placing third on the BBC Sound of 2010 poll, these lads from Manchester pack quite a tune in their alternative dance LP, Acolyte. The combo of their fast-paced drumming, guitar riffs, and electrosynth dabbles makes one very interesting and brilliant record praised by many a critic. Doubt is one of the standout tracks of the album, being radio-friendly while still keeping a certain distinction (and class) from the generic mainstream songs forced down our throats by evil DJs.

If you've been missing out the past few months on the music scene, then I oblige you to keep on reading. If you DO know what's been happening, or you just think you do, read. Because you might have missed out on something. So what exactly has been circling 'round the radio waves?


HURTS. The very polished-looking duo from Manchester are making pretty great music with their slick back hair and snazzy suits. Which would probably appear strange at first, but if you ride on with it and give a listen to Better Than Love, they're actually proper artists however formal their attire goes. Even if they finished fourth in the BBC Sound of 2010 poll, these lads are taking slow steps in releasing their album, much unlike their peers (Does Ellie Goulding ring a bell? How about Marina?)


ELLIE GOULDING. Speaking of the poll topper, she's still gasping for air with current single Guns and Horses (this is only because she'll be going on tour soon). After releasing her much-anticipated, highly-pressured debut album Lights on March, it went straight to #1 despite the mixed reviews from critics. Her best-charting single to date is Starry Eyed, peaking at #4, so why don't you go ahead and and hear it for yourself.


B.O.B. Oh, come on. If you haven't heard Nothin' On You by this rapper and Bruno Mars, you must be living in some sort of cave! The Adventures of Bobby Ray debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 despite leaking days before. It (momentarily) rekindled my love for hip hop, and the artists featured on the tracks are quite the eclectic mix. For starters, there's Hayley Williams of Paramore on Airplanes, Eminem joins in for Airplanes Part II, heck, even Rivers Cuomo of Weezer is in the track Magic.


GABRIELLA CILMI. A very different girl emerged from the studio with her sophomore effort, Ten. The Sweet About Me Aussie songstress took on the 80's in the said LP, with singles On A Mission and Hearts Don't Lie giving off these vibes. To be honest, I wasn't much of a fan at first, but the change grew on me and I found myself bopping along to Hearts Don't Lie more often than not. (Also I heard Defender is being considered as the next single so it's a good change in pace for those who haven't gotten used to this "new Cilmi")


ROBYN. Fembot is great in all its glory—but when you hear Dancing On My Own, you're bound to throw all your cares away and dance to this wistful disco track that "manages eurotrash dabbles here and there without coming off cheap and annoying". (Oh look I'm quoting myself.) Anyway, after five years of sitting around, the Swedish sensation will be releasing, not one, not two, but THREE albums this year. Watch out.