Top 20 - 5 February, 2012



Of Monsters and Men!



1. Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks (NEW)





2. Santigold - Big Mouth





3. Shaun Brennan - Stay





4. Ladyhawke - Black, White and Blue





5. M.I.A - Bad Girls (NEW)

Song of the Day - Give Me All Your Luvin'

Madonna ft. M.I.A and Nicki Minaj - Give Me All Your Luvin'

Album: MDNA (2012)


So... everything about 'Give Me All Your Luvin' cracks me up. In a good way. I think. Madonna's latest release is set to be another monster hit with its contagiously fun/borderline ridiculous sound. Adding M.I.A and Nicki Minaj almost comes across as a desperate bid to appeal to a younger market, with both contributing the world's shortest rap segments. When you see how much fun they're having in the video you'll learn to embrace their presence, especially M.I.A. Seeing her in a cheerleader outfit made me laugh out loud. Literally. Speaking of the video, can you tell that Madonna's excited about her Super Bowl halftime show? No? Just me then...

Catchy and harmless are probably the two words I'd use to describe 'Give Me All Your Luvin.' That second one, 'harmless,' feels a bit weird to describe a Madonna song with. What do you think, kids? Does the Queen of Pop's reign continue?


Rating: 3/5

Madonna, Queen of Pop, #5 - 1

Long live the Queen!

And now... the moment you've been waiting three long, agonising, nerve-wracking days for... it's the top five Madonna songs! February 3 aka tomorrow marks the release of her new track, 'Give Me All Your Luvin' featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A, the lead single to MDNA, the twelfth studio album to be released by the most successful female artist in history. Coming up are five extremely good reasons to get excited for tomorrow, but make sure you check these out first...

#20 - 16

#15 - 11

#10 - 6

#5 - Frozen

Album: Ray of Light (1998)

Now there's no point in placing the blame,

And you should know I suffer the same,

If I lose you, My heart will be broken.

Embrace change. It's not easy for many of us to do and yet, change can often lead us in exciting new directions. No one in the history of music had adopted the mantra 'embrace change' as openly and successfully as Madonna. From the material girl to 80s punk-princess, sex icon, disco diva and beyond, Madonna has pulled off every distinct persona she's created. Without a doubt, the past and future classic pop songs in her catalogue have played a huge part in allowing her fans to embrace the changes. The fact that she was able to release a song like 'Frozen' and take it to the upper echelon of charts worldwide is a testament to her ability to create musical magic. This ain't no standard pop number, oh no... 'Frozen' is firmly rooted in the sounds of trip-hop, chill-out and electronica. Released as the lead single for Ray of Light, this deliciousness went on to top the UK charts (her first #1 since 'Vogue') and would have made it to #1 in the US if not for that damn amazing Celine Dion super smash hit, 'My Heart Will Go On.' You love it, don't even think of denying it!!! Laced with haunting string arrangements, middle eastern influences and a completely different vocal range for the leading lady, 'Frozen' marked Madonna's most dramatic transformation to date. Sealing the deal? Chris Cunningham's striking music video, one of the greatest of all time.  

New To The Scene - Double Lined Minority



Double Lined Minority

Australia has a huge wealth of emerging talent breaking into the music industry. Aussie Hip-Hop is on the rise, Matt Corby looks set to dominate the indie and pop charts this year and there's always some random X-Factor contestant releasing something from that dance-electro-pop-like genre all the kids are iTunesing. You like rock? You've got The Jezabels. Country? Lanie Lane. Where does that leave post-punk lovers? Are they to be left out of the rise of Australia's new wave? Nay! Why not try Gold Coast locals, Double Lined Minority.

If you're a fan of JJJ Unearthed, you've probably already heard some of their catchy, Blink-182 inspired tracks like 'Fireworks' and 'My Confession Puppet.' You might have even seen them rocking the Hot Produce Stage at the 2012 Big Day Out in what would surely have been a dream come true for the four young lads that make up the band. They've also released their debut album, With Fingers Crossed, independently in 2011 to a positive response. The post-punk/pop-punk genres are areas of music that most people learn to love in their teens. They then grow out of it and put on some trousers that don't hang way too low. I think Double Lined Minority show a lot of potential to enjoy their current sound now and as they grow up, mature the music they're making for an audience that will grow up with them.

Clearly, pop-punk isn't my favourite genre. I believe I've just reached the point in my life where I'm too old for it. Still, I'd much rather listen to Double Lined Minority on the radio then those wanks from Short Stack. Who's with me?

Madonna, Queen of Pop, #10 - 6



Late 90s Madonna... the best kind of Madonna.




Top 10 time! Yeah, you're excited. If you missed our first two acts of this Madonna only countdown, check them out...

#20 - 16

#15 - 11

Now, let's get straight into some most excellent pop music!

#10 - Drowned World/Substitute For Love

Album: Ray of Light (1998)

I travelled round the world, looking for a home,

I found myself in crowded rooms, feeling so alone.

It's the oldest story in the book. Girl from humble beginnings gets extraordinarily famous, conquers the music world, but longs for the simpler days of years gone by. Yep, oldest story in the book. This ain't no 'Jenny From the Block' though, this is chilled out deliciousness. By dwelling on the pitfalls of fame in a subtle manner instead of flat out saying, "I'm famous, life's so hard, WAHHHH," you never once feel the desire to slap this multi-millionaire across the face. You just enjoy a really memorable and kinda beautiful track. Expect nothing less from Ray of Light Madonna.

Song of the Day - Bad Girls

M.I.A - Bad Girls

Album: TBA (2012)

Looks like we'll be seeing twice the M.I.A on February 3. Not only is she part of Madonna's new single, 'Give Me All Your Luvin,' we've just received word that she's releasing a video for 'Bad Girls' on the same day. Fans who downloaded the free Vicki Leekx mix-tape will be familiar with the track, but it's been amped up for single release and has got me just a little pumped for new M.I.A. Reportedly, her untitled fourth studio album is set to be released in the middle of the year. Get excited! 

Rating: 3.5/5