I have lost all complete interest in the Sugababes for such a long time now, so long that I’m only getting around to talking about this current incarnation of the brand properly.

The thing is, this current line up could actually work and I know I’m not the first to say it. But here’s why I think it could work, provided steps are moved switfly away from anything to do with current album, the shit-stinker “Sweet 7″, which is the biggest pile of shit I’ve come across in a long, long while.

But the fact that the album’s best track is the non-available Keisha version of “About A Girl” speaks volumes about the kind of rubbish that this is filled with.

I’d like to think that “Sweet 7″ was Keisha knowing all along she was either going to destroy the Sugababes or leave and watch it crumble from the sidelines. Because Jade Ewen, Quicha’s replacement, had no input whatsoever (bar one awfully thought out track which was recorded later) in the way “Sweet 7″ sounded. There’s no print from her here whatsoever, and they’re basically playing with the ‘chosen’ drivel of an over-worked Keisha and unhappy Other Two.

I don’t think the girls are finished yet though. If they can make it through this album (it’s kinda looking almost certain that they will be making another album, Heidi’s telling anyone that’ll listen – barely anyone – that they’re absolutely not splitting up) and really think about where they want to go next, they could win back the interest of people like me (not that they’d give a shit, but hey this is a blog and apparently they matter, I DUNNO) and others who I know had called their death the second Keisha’s firing was made public.

Heidi’s reputation is on the line at the moment and I think she’s very well aware of that. She’s the new Keisha. The Sugababes are now her legacy to carry on through to the next firing, but I think Heidi’s going to be quite adamant about making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible so that there never IS another firing.

At the end of the day we all know that Heidi and Kimberley from Girls Aloud are very good friends and we all know Kimba’s partial to smoking a bit of weed every so often (over cups of tea and SKY+ recordings of “Emmerdale” and “X-tra Factor”). What I’m saying is, I don’t think a bit of that would do Heidi and the future of the Sugababes any harm.

I do still think they should change their name though.

Heidi & Ja’melle perhaps.

Because I do think that the original girls may still want to end the Sugababes legacy the way it started. The hints and rumours are probably too good to be true but fuck, I’m going to believe them because frankly there are five girls in Girls Aloud and only four of them seem to have any interest in being a pop group. I’ll clutch onto whatever glimmer of hope I can.

Anyway, from what I recall I actually did review “Sweet 7″ for the Australian edition of The Big Issue. I think I gave it two stars and immediately wished I’d given it one and a half, but justified (in print to the nation for a change – ha! I’ve never been published in anything nation-wide, so I’m a little bit chuffed and am totally gloating a bit, sorry) the extra half, perhaps, because of my love for “About A Girl.”

But the Keisha version.

Which wasn’t even on the album.

★

There are so many musical thoughts that end up on Twitter that, if I weren’t so lazy, could probably be extended into slightly longer paragraphs on the blog. I caught myself spending too much time on Twitter again this week when I could have been blogging. NO MORE!

There are things I really want to talk about, like the new Sophie Ellis-Bextor Song of the Year “Bittersweet”, or the amazing new album from Delphic (among other things I’ve got almost ready to go), but in the meantime, there’s all of this that’s going through my head.

The new Groove Armada album “Black Light” is quite rapidly going from being a three-and-a-half-star album to a near five-star one. It seems to be the most consistent album from them to date; “Look Me In The Eye Sister” is like 60’s psychedelia meets trance, “I Won’t Kneel” featuring SaintSaviour is one of their best singles so far, and Will Young (who’s still looking mighty fine and was tops in Skins, wasn’t he?) collaboration “History” and the Fenech Sole “Paper Romance” are actually perfect, aren’t they? Top stuff, I should do a proper review of it soon actually.

The debut Cassette Kids album is also incredible and, I think, will surprise a few of their doubters. Quality from start to finish, review and A NEW interview with the guys coming soon. Also, the new Rogue Traders single “Would You Raise Your Hands?” goes to radio tomorrow morning from 7AM – you’ll finally all get to hear what I’ve been banging on about for so long. It’s tops, can’t wait for everyone else to be in love with it too.

Telephone tomorrow. OMG…

The new MGMT single song abortion is so all over the place that I barely got through the whole thing. 4 minutes and 16 seconds should not feel like a really disjointed 40 minute megamix gone horribly wrong. It’s like they had 10 really good (unfinished) ideas for some great songs, and just put it all together in one. Disappointing. Make your own judgements on it though, it’s available – legally – for free over here.

The same goes for the brand new Princess Superstar single, “Ground Control.” I have a really big gripe with people whispering; it’s not a pretty sound but can be carried off quite well in very small doses in some pop songs. Every verse in this however is whispered. It grates so much that you’re just waiting eagerly for the chorus, but then – of course – it really doesn’t feel like it was worth the wait al all. And the wait has been five years for new material from this lady. It’s really upsetting because I have loved EVERYTHING she’s done in the past and not just the highly underrated “My Machine” LP from 2005. She’s an incredible entertainer live and has the smarts to pen a perfect song. Unfortunately, this is far from perfect, but I’m hoping there’s a lot more to her upcoming album “The Next Evolution” than this insinuates. Also being offered as a free download on her MySpace, if you’re interested. Immediately after you hear it for yourself, listen to this, or this, and tell me that I’m not disappointed for a reason. She doesn’t need to make an electro-fused record for me to be happy, it just needs to be good.

The new Sugababes album, “Shit 7″… I don’t think I need to say any more actually.

Blog-commenter J responded to my Ke$ha/3OH!NO remark on last weeks eTunes post by offering a link to a Ke$ha-only, 3OH-FREE version of “Blah Blah Blah.” Thank GOD. Find it here… Thanks J!

There’s a lot going on at the moment in regards to the closure of BBC’s 6 Music radio station, and whilst I’m not going to even attempt to talk about (Popjustice have done a pretty good job of that, here, here and here), it reminded me a little of the near-10-year battle Hitz FM suffered through when it was running for a full time license in Melbourne between the years of 1992 and 2001. You can read more about the station (which was never granted that full time broadcasting license) here, it pretty much cemented my passion for dance music and radio during my ‘formative years’ and the uproar being caused RE: the 6 Music closure has just brought all of those incredible, but now somewhat upsetting, memories back.

Cheryl Tweedy chose her words incorrectly during an International TV appearance and scared the shit out of hundreds of millions of their fans. It’s all been cleared up now (Cheryl’s NOT leaving Girls Aloud, nor has she left), but I really feel like we’ve gotten to a point where I almost couldn’t care less about any more Cheryl material OR Nadine’s new album because it’s all just getting in the way of having my 2010 Album of the Year picked out for me in the form of a Girls Aloud release. Bitches I am OVER this shit.

It’s been 10 years since The Avalanches released their debut album “Since I Left You”. Preposterous. Get on with it boys, who do you think you are, Kate Bush? If only it had been a 10 year wait in between Wolfmother albums… Aah yes, what a simpler world it would be.

MONDAY. x

“Oof.”

It really *IS* all about Amelle in this clip isn’t it? That outfit, that cage, that hair…

Killer song, awesome ravey bit, lots of Amelle. Easily one of their best singles for this incarnation of the group.

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