As you all know, POP from the Block has been M.I.A. for the past few months, and eager to get back on track. So I've put together a juicy little playlist of poptastic tunes you ought to take note of.

Three years, four singles, and many rumoured release dates later, English pop warbler Sophie Ellis-Bextor has finally disclosed her much awaited fourth studio album Make A Scene. Even by just its title, a little buzz fills the air with the promise of a glorious pop record.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor is no stranger to the word 'quality', and it certainly shows on the LP. Although the timing of Madamoiselle EB's releases are sloppy at best, the appetizers that have come in the form of Bittersweet and Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) inter alia kept us from giving up on Make A Scene.

With amazing producers such as the Freemasons, Richard X, Calvin Harris, and Greg Kurstin present in the LP and given the span of three years in recording, Make A Scene set high expectations upon itself. The main question remains: was it worth the wait?

The LP kicks off with a "bang bang" in Revolution, and the highly energized track is quite a head turner, even giving a nod to one of Sophie's previous hits, Murder on the Dancefloor. Lead single Bittersweet is a pop treat reminiscent of Girls Aloud's Untouchable-- both being elegant songs bursting at the seams with brilliance. The superb intro coupled with the push-pull chorus in Off and On possess such magnetism that you won't be able to stop yourself from shimmying ever-so-slightly while listening.

Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) is an excellent collaboration with the Freemasons, and the bridge instrumental is incredibly climactic and infectious. Not Giving Up On Love, although too 'trance-y' for my tastes, holds its own ground in the LP. Can't Fight This Feeling with French dj Junior Caldera is lackluster, average, and fails to keep up with previous tracks. Starlight is another album standout. It feels slightly ethereal, lush but light at the same time, creating an alluring mystique to it.

Under Your Touch lacks the appeal of Off and On and the momentum of Revolution, falling in the 'decent but not entirely great' category. The title track, Make A Scene, is a total disappointment. It's messy and the parts of the song don't fit together properly. The verses actually remind me of Kelis' Flesh Tone, but the odd instrumentals and the awkward flow drags the song down.

One of the more interesting tracks in Make A Scene is Magic, produced by Richard X, who is also responsible for Starlight. True to its title, Magic possesses an enchanting quality that hoists up the song from great to outstanding. The 80's synth bursts in Dial My Number keep the energy going, but overall it's just a teensy notch above average at best. The same goes for Homewrecker, the blunt and direct lyrics further driving the song into the ground.

No matter how downtempo the ballad Synchronised may be, it doesn't stall the flow of the LP. It's one of those rare tracks that can generate both joy and melancholy simultaneously. Cut Straight to the Heart is a less pleasing ballad, and while flashes of brilliance sporadically turn up, it remains underwhelming.

Make A Scene is a compact collection that presents the Sophie Ellis-Bextor we're all familiar with. It may not cross new territories, but that doesn't mean that the LP is devoid of bold tracks (Magic, Bittersweet, Revolution). Even with a song about mistresses and whatnot, the LP stays tasteful. Another feat that I'd like to commend is the album consistency and how one dance track after another doesn't wear it out.

FINALLY something from Sophie Ellis-Bextor has officially arrived! Even if it's only a VS track with top trance DJ Armin van Buuren, it's enough for us SE-B fans to fuss about. I'm not the biggest trance music fan, so it took quite a few listens for me to... absorb its 'throbbiness' (this description fails, I know). Not Giving Up On Love sounds like Sophie on foreign territory. There's no mistaking those vocals, definitely, but it doesn't fit the pulsating synths to a 'T'. Let's hope Sophie does well chart-wise this time around.


The piano tinkles at the beginning are not-so-trancey but brilliant nonetheless.

Fans of the lovely English pop warbler are no strangers to this question. After releasing two singles in 2009 (Heartbreak with the Freemasons) and early 2010 (Bittersweet), to say that Sophie Ellis-Bextor is going at a snail's pace would be an understatement.

The Straight to the Heart LP, originally set for an August release has been pushed back to an indefinite* October, and it wouldn't be much of a surprise if it's delayed even further, sad to say.

But not all is doom and gloom in Sophie land, as the Groovejet singer unleashes an acoustic version of upcoming single Not Giving Up, a 'VS' track with Armin van Buuren, a Dutch trance producer and DJ, who's been ranked at the measly spot of #1 for three years now. It sounds really solid in acoustics, and I'm quite excited (oh no**) to hear the studio version, with accompanying synthesizers and all.

So it's a happy day for SE-B fans, but I'm saving the celebration until dates are confirmed and promo is being carried out. This isn't pessimism, folks. I'm just being realistic.


*She actually took back what she said and just went with "autumn"
**SLIGHT hunch of the whole thing being scrapped

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.

To get things started, I've chosen a very artistic video courtesy of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Bittersweet. Blimey, I admit that this got me started on the whole segment. Because of the amazing song, SE-B had to match it with an even more amazing video. It starts off using a slow motion shot, which is very present throughout, and I find the utilization of very simple props creative. Who knew that throwing paint at SE-B's face would lead to a shot like this:


Bittersweet is a very electro, cool, smooth song, and Chris Sweeney (director) did a hell of a job emanating these very elements. The parts with the six dancers are superb and I love the build-up of the scenes as the video gets to the chorus.



The beauty of it all is that everything was shot on plain backdrops, and they made use of light play, glitters, bubbles, a hula hoop, petals, cloth... basically stuff you find in birthday parties!

Bittersweet is a track about an irresistible albeit unhealthy love affair, and the video celebrates the former, which SE-B described as "the sensual side to the lyric", though the first bits delve into the "good Sophie" as Chris Sweeney says.


The video is definitely on the artistic side, but it tells a little story as well when you read between the lines. The thing I love about this the most is that it's not over-the-top. Simple yet dramatic.

Sky Ferreira, my first featured artist, released her video for 17.



Bittersweet (TBR May 3rd) has been circulating around for a while, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor FINALLY gave us a peek at the greyscale but COLOURED (YES.) single sleeve. Amazing.
(via Pop Justice)







Marina & the Diamonds is releasing I Am Not A Robot. YES, it's a re-release, and yes, THERE WILL BE A BRAND NEW VIDEO.

In the world of American Idol, Big Mike got the least amount of votes, but the judges decided to use their save on him! Too bad Bowersox will make a mistake next week and end up getting booted.

In other Idol news, Rihanna "rocked" the stage with upcoming single Rockstar 101. And I say "rocked" because a) quotation marks symbolize sarcasm; b) she would have been better off with an air guitar than fake playing one; c) the backup singers did better than her; d) the song itself sucks.