What Would The Neighbours Say?
Finally a firm album date. November 29th! So far we've heard "The Show", "Love Machine", and the B-side but possible album track "Androgynous Girls". From these alone, it's difficult to imagine this NOT being album of the year.
Speaking of "Love Machine", this can surely join the A-list of Girls Aloud singles. The best part has to be that glamor style bridge where the beat cuts out and Nadine stands tall in a classic alone on the disco floor moment backed by a bizarre bubbling chirping noise and a gently plucked guitar. Or no, maybe the genius is in the "tag, you're it" tradeoff of all those delightfully memorable one-liners. "We're gift wrapped kitty cats. We're only turning into tigers when we gotta fight back. / Let's go, Eskimo! Out into the blue!" I haven't had this much fun with the lyrics of a pop song since, well, ever.* And let's not forget about the long overdue return of sixties style bass. Heck, when you add in the teamwork vocals and handclaps, this almost sounds like some modern day Motown update...an entirely good thing! "Love Machine" is cute, expressive, and yes even a little silly. Many pop artists, including Xenomania, have recently followed the trend of emphasizing style over all else, and while I'm as appreciative of interesting sonics and ATTITUDE as the next guy, it's always nice to see the pendulum swing slightly back towards fun every now and then. New single of the year? Maybe, we'll see...
*So that's a bit of a lie. "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)", "Thong Song", "Digital Love", and Marky Mark's "Good Vibrations" come to mind as pretty spectacular examples.
