One Night Only - Hurricane

"I'm young, I'm on the rise"

So, last year the UK band One Night Only apparently released a third album. It's mysterious, though, because its availability seems to be scarce and tied (weirdly) up with Coca Cola advertising. In fact, more than anything it appears to be a tie-in to their little-known Coke single Can You Feel It Tonight. It's all very strange. That said, it's also got some great songs on it. Now, full disclosure: while I've loved the band's singles, I've never really enjoyed one of their albums start-to-finish. This one's no different, but there are definitely a few standouts worth mentioning. Hurricane opens the album in a stunning fashion, with epic instrumentation and an overall sound that reminds me of Keane in their Perfect Symmetry days. One day I'm going to compile the perfect One Night Only album. This would definitely be on it.



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

Top 50 Singles of 2010: 35-31

35. Taio Cruz - Break Your Heart



His North American breakthrough and the first song that made me stand up and take notice of his way with hooks. Listen to the original Ludacris free version, though.

34. Goldfrapp - Rocket



The year’s best “up yours” kiss-off song, set to a synth beat with enough pep to power a spaceship. It was Summer come early.

33. Timoteij - Kom



Laughed it off originally, then backed it to win this year’s Melodifestivalen. There’s no resisting that ethno-synth stomp.

32. One Night Only - Say You Don’t Want It



A reinvention that worked wonders. It wasn’t able to be sustained through an entire album, but here it’s three and a half minutes of pop bliss.

31. Hurts - Wonderful Life



The song that represented the shift from the Daggers to the Hurts sound. Began life this year as a charming mystery of a song. Ended it as a solid hit.

One Night Only - Can't Stop Now

"Don't despair, don't give up"

As usually happens, One Night Only's new album doesn't quite live up to the potential of brilliant first single Say You Don't Want It. It's full of fine, synth-assisted brit pop, but nothing really stands out as unique or completely memorable. Pleasant. That's the word. It's very pleasant -- and recommended -- but I can't say that I'm jumping up and down over it. Oddly, my second favorite track after the single is the closing song, an uptempo with the strongest hook on the entire album. It begins as an atmospheric, beat-free anthem before chugging right into a tense electro beat that doesn't let up. In fact, after a few more listens I might even prefer it to the single.

One Night Only - Can't Stop Now by alienhits

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

One Night Only - Say You Don't Want It

"Love don't really mean a thing round here"

A couple of years ago, UK indie band One Night Only released the brilliant single Just For Tonight. It did well for them, but was their only major hit (and by far the best track on their underwhelming album). Now they're back and all I can say is WOW. Their sound is fuller, poppier and better in every conceivable way. It's like they took the blueprint for Just For Tonight and expanded it tenfold. Say You Don't Want It has shades of Pet Shop Boys, Melody Club and many other great synth pop bands. Add to that a melody that yanks you out of your seat and whips you through the air a few times before throwing you down again. This is an anthem in waiting, and one of the best singles I've heard this summer. Be sure to check out the fun video as well, an ode to Lady & the Tramp featuring Harry Potter's Emma Watson (who's dating the lead singer). And keep your eyes out for the self-titled album, which is released next month. I'm counting down the days!

One Night Only - Say You Don't Want It 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.