The Darkness - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us

"You were pulling my hair"

Earlier today, the Darkness revealed their comeback single. I'm thrilled that they're back, though it doesn't really feel like they left since Justin Hawkins' side project Hot Leg sounded so similar. Still, I've always had a soft spot for the band and can't wait to see them performing with Foxy Shazam later this month in Seattle. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us (wouldn't it be awesome if it was a cover of the Starship song?) has the classic Darkness sound to it. It's short, at well under three minutes, and honestly took me awhile to get into. It feels incredibly slight for a comeback single, but as the melody begins to click, it becomes exactly what I'd hope a 2012 Darkness would sound like. Hopefully, the upcoming album will expand on this sound and offer something a bit meatier. I have faith in them, for sure. Right now I'm just going to enjoy this teaser.



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

Countdown to the Countdowns: An Alienhits Christmas!

Next week kicks off my annual year-end countdowns. Top 20 Albums and Top 50 Singles, here we come! But first, I've got a week-long countdown to my countdown, starting with this requested feature on Christmas music!

While Christmas is definitely one of my most favorite times of the year, when it comes to music I'm more of a Halloween songs kind of guy. Still, there are quite a few of lesser known tracks that I love to listen to around the holidays. Here, in no particular order, are a few of them:

Darren Hayes - Last Christmas
My favorite version of this track, captured during his Savage Garden days. It ups the tempo and pretty much perfects an already perfect pop song.

Melody Club - I Don’t Believe In Angels
The kind of Christmas track I could (and do) listen to all year long. It's got everything: bells, cheesy lyrics, a singalong chorus and that indelible Melody Club charm.

Girls Aloud - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (or anything off their EP)
Leave it to Girls Aloud to camp up Christmas. This is them at the height of their powers.

The Who - Christmas
From the best rock opera ever, Tommy, it's not the happiest of tracks, but it's freaking brilliant. I've gotta say, though, I prefer the movie version to the Who's version.

Aqua - Spin me a Christmas
Christmas the euro-pop way! Aqua 2.0 basically can do no wrong, and this follows suit.

Lady Gaga - Christmas Tree
She may have a new, more traditional Christmas EP out now, but I prefer this smutty oldie recorded back when she was still hungry for fame.

Sparks - Thank God It’s Not Christmas
An epic song anyway you shake it, this is just ridiculous bombast. Not the cheeriest of lyrics, but they're amazing anyway.

Hurts - All I Want for Christmas is New Year’s Day
It's about as downbeat as you'd expect from these guys, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. The bells make it.

Billy Elliot Soundtrack - Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher
From the absolute best modern stage musical, this is the show's catchiest track. I listen to it all year, but it's especially festive (in a vitriolic, down-with-Thatcher way) this time of year.

Pikko - The Ghost of Christmas Future
An icy electro track by one of my favorite indie Swedish artists. It's not high on melody, but has a sound that compliments the chilly season.

The Darkness - Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)
Pretty much what you'd expect from a Christmas song by the Darkness. It's got everything stuffed into it. And it's highly melodic to boot.

And some songs that sample Christmas. Can you tell which classics these tracks use?

Prozzak - It's Not Me It's You
The Mo - Rats on the Radio
JLS - Do You Feel What I Feel

Meat Loaf - California Isn't Big Enough (Hey There Girl)

"I know you're a queen... I'm just a pawn"

This has one of the most audacious, did-he-just-say-that hooks that I've ever heard in a mainstream rock track. I won't spoil it for you. You'll just have to listen. It was also written by the Darkness' Justin Hawkins and (coincidentally) Foxy Shazam's Eric Nally. This explains not only the line but also the fact that it's the best song on Meat Loaf's new album. I mean, is there a bigger dream team than those three? They were made to be together, basically. Meat Loaf's pretty much a rock god to me, though album-wise he's far past his prime. The new one's better than the last, but I prefer to return to his prime period of the 70's to early 90's. Still, it's always nice to hear something new. More importantly, this track has an amazing hook. It probably fits a band like the Darkness more than Meat Loaf (mostly because I don't want to hear him going on about what he goes on about here), but it's a punch of adrenaline either way. And, unlike some of the album's clunkers, it's restrained to under five minutes.

Meat Loaf - California Isn't Big Enough (Hey There Girl) by milproj2

(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.