Over here (in our charts)

TUNE OF THE WEEK
Hellogoodbye - Here (In Your Arms)

Releasing your best song as a lead single might seem like common sense to most of us, but after a year when people have been quite happy to “do the Rudebox” (Gwen), or push brilliant songs right down the release schedule (Amerie, Scissor Sisters), it comes as some relief that Hellogoodbye are doing the decent thing and bunging us ‘Here (In Your Arms)’ just in time for summer.

The rest of Hellogoodbye’s songs might be fairly mediocre and vocoder-free but the same goes for most bands these days, and we don’t see any of them getting naked at the drop of a hat.

‘Here (In Your Arms)’ is brilliant, and not least because it sounds like it’s going to morph into T.a.t.u.’s ‘Malchik Gay‘ at any moment. Synths, heartthrob vocals and those Xenomania-style backwards cymbals are all on the menu as the band rip through a fine appropriation of boybandiness that would put most real exponents of the art to shame.

Very good indeed.

Pot, Kettle, Mediocre

Apparently Mika has said that the Scissor Sisters are “so mediocre I can’t believe it”.

Now, we’re no experts on irony, but isn’t that a bit rich coming from a man whose best song sounds very much like a mediocre Scissor Sisters album track? And one off their second album at that?

There was a time when Mika seemed like quite a good pop star. Not as good as some people were trying to make out, but competent nonetheless. Recently though he’s been on a slide towards rubbishness that's culminated in a ridiculous, six-year-old-kid-on-acid performance at the South by Southwest music festival and the release of his new single ‘Love Today’.

Everything you need to know about Love Today:

1) It is probably one of the worst songs ever.
2) That’s it.

Mika: Shhhhh!