Sparkle “End Of Year” Music Review

Posted on 28. Dec, 2009 by Mike in Music, Reviews

2009 has been a good year for new music. Many bands have been heavily influenced by the 80´s electronic/synth-pop sound. Artists including Editors, La Roux , Calvin Harris and Empire of the Sun taking some of their inspiration from the decade that brought us Rubik’s cube and shoulder pads.

It has also been a year when female artists have taken the charts by storm, Lady GaGa, Ladyhawk , Lilly Allen, Little Boots and La Roux to name but a few.

This year online downloads have had an ever increasing impact on the sale of albums and singles; I have had an “online romance” myself with downloads this year. I also bought many rare second hand vinyl records and enjoyed discovering lost music not available on CD´s or as downloads.

Singles of the Year

It has been a fantastic year for the pop single and I still get excited hearing a new song on the radio for the first time. Here are some of my favorites:

• La Roux, In For the Kill
• Lady GaGa, Poker Face
• Editors, Papillion.
• James Morrison & Nelly Futado, Broken Strings
• Lilly Allen, the Fear
• Kasabien, Where Did All The Love Go?
  
• Beyonce, If I Was a Boy
• Calvin Harris, I’m not Alone
• Empire of the Sun, We Are People
• The Black Eyed Peas, I Got A Feeling
• Hurts, Wonderful Life
  

Albums of the year

There have been so many new and old artists’ work that I have enjoyed this year. Here is my pick of the best:

Eg White, Adventure Man

Eg White is probably best know as songwriter to the pop-stars having written tracks for Will Young, Kylie Minogue, Adele and Duffy to name but a few. But he was also one half of Eg and Alice who released the gorgeous 24Years of Hunger album in 1991.

This, only his second solo album in13 years, has more of the same lovely, laid-back songs featuring his fab voice which I have always loved; great to hear him back.

The stand out songs on the album are California, the single Broken and Weird Friendless Kid which was co-written with Louis Elliot of Rialto fame.

Sparkle Rating 9 out of 10

La Roux La Roux

This electro- pop duo brought us their debut album with the smash hit In For The Kill and the number one single Quicksand and is pure Retro synth-pop in the tradition of Electro duos Erasure, Blancmange and Yazoo. It also includes the fantastic single Bulletproof.

Sparkle Rating 7 out of 10

Lady GaGa, the Fame Monster

Lady Gaga has been the pop star of 2009 with three number one singles, a number one album and numerous TV appearances. Did you see her on the Royal Variety and X-Factor… unforgettable.

Although she released The Fame in 2008 it has now been reissued as The Fame Monster with an extra disc containing eight new songs including the latest chart topper Bad Romance .The album has spawned an amazing eleven songs which have charted. It will be interesting to see her develop over the coming years.

Sparkle Rating 8 out of 10

Shirley Bassey, The Performance

Reviewed here

Sparkle Rating 9 out of 10

Luke Haines, 21st Century Man

The great Luke Haines, one of my all time favorite artists, was back with a new album this year. This new album does not disappoint. He always manages to include Englishness, pop culture and social comments into his songs like the wonderful Russian Futurists Black Out The Sun and the title track 21^st Century Man. Other highlights include Suburban Mourning and the glam rock tinged …Wot A Rotter.

Website Here

Sparkle Rating, 8 out of 10

David Sylvian, Manafon

Sparkle Rating 9 out of 10

Esser, Braveface

Ben Esser has a great image, fresh faced with a big quiff he looks like a pop star and sounds like an updated version of Brit pop Blur from the 90´s.

The album includes the singles Braveface and Work it out and Satisfied with its piano intro that sounds very old-time musical but really works.

The stands out tracks to this refreshing album are singles Headlock and the wonderful I Love You.

Sparkle Rating 7 out of 10

The Juan MacLean, the Future Will Come.

When I was compiling my favourite albums from 2009 I checked my iPod to see which had been played most. The Future Will Come came out top. It has everything that a lot of acts were striving for this year an authentic 80´s electro feel.

The album included three infectious indie dance singles: Happy House, One Day and my favorite single Simple Life which takes its inspiration from Giorgio Morder in its sound and even pays homage to The Human League on this track .

I love the whole of the album and the best song on the album for me is the brooding Human Disaster; just amazing. This band deserved to be bigger.

Sadly I have found out that their drummer Gerhardt Fuchs has been killed in an accident after the release of the album.

Sparkle Rating 9 out of 10

Pet Shop Boys, Yes

It was great to have the Pet Shop Boys back with a new album and after watching them steal the show on this year’s Brit Awards when they received the life time achievement award and sang the track All Over the World which has Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker March woven into the song from their new album Yes.

The album is one of their best albums for years and includes the excellent Love Etc, The Way It Used to be and Did You See It Coming.

It was produced by Xenomania, the production team behind Girls Aloud, and there are a couple of songs I could imagine the girls singing More Than a Dream being one.

Sparkle Rating 7 out of 10

Re-issues of the year.

• Kraftwerk, Trans Europe Express
• David Bowie, Space Oddity
• Gary Numan, The Pleasure Principle (30^th Anniversary Edition)
• U2 ,The Unforgettable Fire

Reunion Concerts of the Year

• Mott the Hoople
• Blur
• Yazoo
• Haircut 100

Break up of the Year

• Oasis

R.I.P

• Michael Jackson
• Steven Gatley
• John Martyn
• Gerhardt Fuchs
• Willy Deville

Tags: album review, Beyonce, Calvin Harris, Editors, Eg White, Empire of the Sun, Esser, Kasabian, Kraftwerk, La Roux, Ladyhawk, Lilly Allen, Little Boots, Luke Haines, Michael Jackson, Online dating, Pet Shop Boys, relationships, Shirley Bassey, sparkle, The Black Eyed Peas, The Juan MacLean