Now, I'm not exactly the biggest fan of country music, but add in some pop and a catchy hook or two-- and even the Swedes will turn their heads (or ears rather) around. Hertfordshire-based artist Chloe Swaby proves that overlapping synths and electronic sampling are no substitues for organic instruments in her country pop debut EP Gypsy Lane.

The

She's the girl all the music bloggers have been buzzing about, and with good reason. Neon Hitch is interesting, to say the least. To start off, Neon Hitch is, in fact, her real name. She's also a trapeze artist, stiltwalker, and fireswinger. Can you say WHOA?

Besides Neon Hitch's rather rich background, she's also involved in Ke$ha's Blah Blah Blah and 3OH!3's Follow Me Down, and has worked with the likes of Jason Derulo, mega-producer Cathy Dennis, Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, and ex-American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, who ended up in signing her to Warner Brothers.

Get Over U, her upcoming debut that recently premiered on ArjanWrites, is produced by Benny Blanco (Teenage Dream, Dynamite, to name a few) and co-written by Australian pop warbler Sia. With those names, you're probably wondering, "does the song live up to expectations?" Absolutely. That and more. Get Over U is like a genius blend of an incredible pop song: a sprinkle of Kylie, a dash of Robyn, a pinch of synthtastic beats, a teaspoon of Lights, and heck, throw in a good litre of mellow disco for good measure. Basically, what I'm trying to articulate, is that Get Over U is fantastic and straight away makes my shortlist for best song of 2011. And it's only January.

Listen to Get Over U below:


Neon Hitch on MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | official website

As another new year rears its enormous intimidating head, we put to rest our overplayed songs of 2010 in search of unheard quality music. POP from the Block got eerily silent in the past month (I hope someone out there misses the updates!) but things have been sorted out. Long story short, PftB is BACK!

Walking on the fine line between singer-songwriter and mainstream pop-rock, 16 year-old Sarah Solovay is quite a musical treat. You might have heard Hearts Collide(All She on popular TV drama 90210, or a handful of her other songs on NBC, MTV, and TNT. The NYC singer also opened for John Mayer and Train. Not too shabby now, is she?

Sarah Solovay's music is chock full of intense guitar riffs and solid drum beats, all laced together with contagious lyrics. It's a formula that's definitely familiar, but don't be too quick to dismiss it as typical pop-rock music because it cleverly balances the 'usualness' of mainstream sounds and the signature quirks of singer-songwriter material.

Sarah Solovay on Facebook | Twitter | MySpace

Listen to All She Could Be:

Or in this case, don't judge an artist by his name.

Hailing from the land Down Under, Ry Cuming loves nothing more than the beaches of his coastal home. Ever since he took to his father's surfboard at the age of three, he has dedicated most of his time on the water, going professional and picking up sponsorships along the way.

Though his devotion to surfing is rock-solid, music comes a close second, slowly crawling its way up. And the way his songs sound so far, Ry Cuming has every reason to put his tunes on top priority. He's achieved two Australian Dolphin Awards for Best Pop Song and Best New Artist, plus a musical appearance alongside Maroon 5 in the movie Hoot. ALL of these things happened before his self-titled album was released.

Ry Cuming's lax attitude reflects profoundly in his music. Some Kind of Love is perfect for the summer, a dashboard tune as I'd say. The album is filled with rich, feelgood, pop/rock songs that emulate a little bit of Jeff Buckley, Ry Cuming's most prominent influence. Always Remember Me is a beautiful, intimate, acoustic number with Sara Bareilles lending her ever-stunning vocals to the track. Ry turns Chris Martin-esque in Is This Love, and veers towards dark rock n' roll in the tantalizing Chemistry. Soaring choruses are nothing amiss, especially in City of Lights where Ry tugs on a few heartstrings as he croons about a long-distance relationship.

Lyric-wise, Ry Cuming asserts himself as a romantic, citing that relationships and girls have always been sources of inspiration for his craft. Ry Cuming possesses a certain 'mainstreamness' and familiarity that makes it easy for us to warm to his music.

Always Remember Me

I'm always a little late to these things, aren't I?

'Quite new' British boyband The Wanted are proving to be a very promising lot, having received tons of praises for their debut single, All Time Low. It's been floating around since May, and I seriously have no idea why I've ignored this until now, and I'm certainly glad a little boredom and curiosity urged me to give it a go.

All Time Low is a pleasant surprise. I braced myself for cheesy hooks and generic love-jabbing lines, and what came through my speakers was this mature, not-your-average-boyband, quality tune with strong lyrics. I honestly couldn't care less if they ripped off that brilliant string section! The way I see it, The Wanted represents a boyband crossbreed, one that is still eligible for fangirl-hounding and at the same time possesses enough musicality to be taken seriously.


Based on the video, let me introduce the members of The Wanted in their assigned colours (since The Saturdays aren't exactly doing this at the moment):

Max, the most vocally present one. (PHWOAR!)
Tom, Austin Drage's lost twin.
Siva, sexiest name ever.
Nathan, master of the 'boyband hand gestures'.
Jay, the victor in pulling off sad faces.

All Time Low is set for a #1 debut on the UK charts this week. This band is ace.

Get your copy from iTunes here.

Remember the little club stomper I featured way back called Blackout? Well the geniuses behind that contagious rave track have been hard at work with their protégé, Samuel, and his debut EP, I Heart NY. So who exactly is Samuel, and why does he heart NY?

Well first off, obviously he IS from the "concrete jungle where dreams are made of", and at an early age took part in a string of bands, garnering some indie label attention. But it was when he met DJ B-Roc of production duo The Knocks that Samuel decided to go solo, and I Heart NY became the product of their partnership.

The three-track EP is incredibly lush, with each track presenting a different perspective and taste, showing off Samuel's versatility. In the title track, Samuel croons an ode to New York, crafting a breezy summer anthem, ridiculously catchy and the rich production is just the cherry on top. Champagne Kisses is an old school soul number with throbbing synths and electric guitar whiffs that send me over the moon. It's got an INSANELY contagious vibe keen on keeping your toes on the dancefloor all night long. Still Here features a string section meshed with shimmery synthesizers and a soaring chorus, creating a mini explosion of pop.

It's ludicrous how this pop-star-to-be manages to pull three equally brilliant yet totally dissimilar tracks whilst preserving that 'Samuel' element essential in maintaining a certain 'togetherness' in the EP(that DOES make sense, right?). The level of potential in I Heart NY is CRAZY HIGH, and it won't surprise me if Samuel goes on to be a massive success, which I hope he does. A diamond in the rough, this one.

I Heart NY is now available on iTunes, so what are you waiting for?



Samuel on MySpace.
on Twitter.
on Facebook.

A post along these lines is way overdue. so here's a little glimpse of what's currently getting massive plays in the world of Pop from the Block...

Aphrodite. "I'm fierce and I'm feeling mighty!" Fierce and mighty are the two exact words I'd use in describing the title track (besides amazing, brilliant, eargasmic etc etc) to Miss Minogue's eleventh LP. It's THE power song of the album, and every time I hear it I have the urge to strut on my imaginary catwalk.


Sex and Violence. Taken from the Scissor Sister's 3rd longplayer, it's one of the most interesting tracks in Night Work and it's absolutely GENIUS from the captivating lyrics to the throbbing synths.


King of Anything. Ah, Sara Bareilles. After hearing snippets of some of her songs on the upcoming Kaleidoscope Heart LP, I'm buzzing with excitement (especially since there's a potential Gravity 2.0) and the first single is nothing short of a catchy, fun, fuck you pop number.


Misery. I have to admit, I didn't exactly warm to the song at first listen, but it gets better and better, especially when it's accompanied by a sexy, violent video where Adam's girlfriend toys with switchblades and rockets.


Cupid Boy. I am in LOVE with this track (along with erm, a 'couple' more). The guitar streak at the beginning sets the mood for the song, intense and sensual. Mmm...