Mike Posner - Save Your Goodbye

"You're everywhere I go"

I should not like Mike Posner's music. It's so chart-ready, so of-the-moment-soul-pop and so unoriginal. BUT... I fell for Cooler Than Me on first listen back at the beginning of Summer and the love affair continues each time I hear it on the radio. Even more worryingly, the follow up single Please Don't Go has struck me just as hard. That being said, most of the other blue-eyed-soul/electro tracks on the debut album don't scale the heights of the singles. But Posner's got a couple of things going for him. First, his voice reminds me of similar artists making hits in Sweden (a good thing if you're me!). Second, he knows how to write a hook. I usually select uptempo tracks to post, but my favorite non-single track on the album's actually an atmospheric ballad that I'd pick as an easy third single. This is a HIT. (and can anyone else imagine Darren Hayes singing this? Or is it just me?)

Mike Posner - Save Your Goodbye by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Dragonette - My Things

"Don't touch my things"

When you've written a song as fantastically titled as Get Your Titties Off My Things, why shorten it to simply My Things? It reeks of record company infiltration, but whatever. The song's still the same, and it's a good one. Taken from the band's new EP Mixin' To Thrill, the track's an attitude-filled, aggressive electro stomper. Throughout their relatively short career, Dragonette have excelled at producing extremely high quality non-album tracks and b-sides. This is no different. In fact, the entire EP's amazing. There are three new songs and a bunch of remixes (but if you add the new stuff they recorded with Kaskade and Martin Solveig, you get a nice 5-track EP of original songs). And speaking of Dragonette, I have--for whatever reason--been absolutely re-obsessed with their '09 single Pick Up The Phone recently. What a brilliant pop song. (And the album it's taken from is only $5 on amazon! Can't beat that!)

Dragonette - My Things by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the EP here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Pop Blitz 8/4/10

Robyn - Hang With Me She's two for two this year, following up the instant classic Dancing On My Own with a song nearly as strong. The beat's similar, but it's the sticky melody that keeps you coming back. A

The Wanted - All Time Low
I've never been much of a fan of boybands. They're so inherently cheesy. But this is as close to a Kings Of Leon style anthem that boybandpop gets. Adding a bit of a club beat throughout was a great touch. A deserved UK #1. B+

Ne-Yo - Beautiful Monster
If Closer was a step in the right direction, this is an example of Ne-Yo's fully realized club sound. He pulls a total Jacko in the video, and I appreciate the new sound, but something about his vocals has always left me a little cold. B-

Linkin Park - The Catalyst
In which Linkin Park extend their fame yet again by trying something totally new. This odd breakbeat/protest/anthem/experimental-rock/dance hybrid is unlike anything else on the radio right now. I'm not sure what I think about it, exactly, but it's more interesting than anything the band have done thus far. B+

Flo Rida - Club Can't Handle Me (ft. David Guetta)
I am so tired of this David Guetta sound. Flo-Rida aims for an I Got A Feeling and gets something with the same drive but no feeling behind it. A hit by default, but it'll be forgotten next year. C-

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
Like the first album, she's followed up a ridiculously catchy novelty hit with an equally catchy pop track. And also like the last album, it's a one-two punch. A perfect example of breezy, modern radio pop. A

Eliza Doolittle - Pack Up
This should be subpar Lily Allen, yet it completely works. It's all about the sample, which is the perfect hook for the summer. I don't think I'd like to hear anymore from Doolittle, but this is a great little novelty pop song. A-

Wow, this may have just been my highest rated Blitz yet!

Katy Perry - Use Your Love

"I don't wanna lose your love tonight"

Where is my newfound Katy Perry love coming from? I can't figure it out. Beyond the first two singles from her debut (which were horrendously overplayed), I couldn't stand the girl. Then a novelty hit that should have been horrific (California Gurls) turned me around, and her brilliant new single, Teenage Dream, cemented my excitement for the upcoming album. But even when I didn't quite care for her, I've always loved Katy's cover of the 80's Outfield song, Use Your Love. To me, she's at her best when she goes for the retro Cyndi Lauper vibe, so her singing an 80's cut is a perfect match. She beefs up the sound and changes a few lyrics here and there, but the vocal delivery is spot-on. I love hearing her backed by powerpop synths as well, as opposed to a more beat-driven, urban sound. Hopefully the new album will have something like this on it. Regardless, it has the potential to be one of the best pop albums of the year if she pulls everything off. We'll see...

Katy Perry - Use Your Love by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the new album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.