Will Young - Losing Myself

If you'd have asked someone a few years ago if they'd ever have thought Will Young would re-invent himself as an angelic synth-pop artist, you'd probably have been greeted with silence.

But that's exactly what Will managed to achieve this year, and it's resulted not only in some of the best material of his career, but some of the best pop music around at the moment.

Where previous singles Jealousy and Come On felt futuristic and reflective, new track Losing Myself has its feet set firmly in the 80s. The production is pure bliss and Will's soulful vocals suit it perfectly. This could easily be something off a late 80s George Michael album, but imbued with all the maturity and electronic glory of something New Order or Depeche Mode would have been proud to call their own.

Some people dismiss electronic music as cold and dispassionate, but Losing Myself is wrapped up in such warmth, such delicacy and nuance of emotion that it packs the intensity of any hard-wrought campfire ballad. As 2011 turns into 2012, Will Young has proven yet again he stands as an artist of continuing relevancy and one of the prime examples that reality TV prodigies can be forces for good in music.

Losing Myself is released on the 19th March.

Kaiser Chiefs - Starts With Nothing

Kaiser Chiefs remain to this date one of the bands that did best out of the immense explosion of indie acts that began in 2004. Four albums in though, and they teeter on a precipice of what to do next. Sales of their third LP Off With Their Heads were disappointing compared to previous fare.

So, in one of the most inventive moves of this year, they released a kind of pic n mix version of their new album on their website - fans could choose their own selection of tracks, creating their own unique running own.

It grabbed the attention of the music press, and it seemed to please fans - certainly, the band looked to have gone down a treat at Glastonbury.

Lead single Little Shocks (if a record released in such a manner can even have a 'lead single') didn't hold much water with me though, it felt like rather a retread of previous material. No, if there's a real gem to be found in the Kaiser's latest effort then it is Starts With Nothing.

At five and a half minutes long, it sees the band breaking out into broader, bigger, more experimental territory. Indeed, the first time I heard the track I wasn't even sure if it was the Kaiser Chiefs. But my attention was piqued though, as Starts With Nothing is actually brilliant; by far the best thing the band have put out since their debut album.

Full of sprawling 80s sounds, it touches on vast swathes of guitar and electronics to deliver something akin to Duran Duran's classic Is There Something I Should Know? - The 'yes that is my final answer' refrain is particularly Duran. In short though, the whole track is brilliant.

George Michael, please do True Faith justice...

So, what we know: George Michael is doing a song for Comic Relief, but the best thing is that it'll be a cover of New Order's 1987 hit True Faith. Now, New Order are in my top five favourite bands of all time and True Faith is one of my favourite singles of theirs, so I'm really, really hoping George can do proper justice to the track. I haven't been this excited about a Comic Relief single since Girls Aloud and The Sugababes released their cover of Walk This Way. Good ol' Red Nose Day obviously has a fancy for classic 80s hits.

Anyway, please could this be more like the amazingness that was Rihanna sampling New Order's Blue Monday on Shut Up And Drive and not some boring middle of the road Radio 2 friendly re-hash of the track. George himself has brought out some great dance-pop tracks in the past so please can his True Faith cover continue in this tradition.

Oh, and all the proceeds from the single go to charity, which is always nice.

True Faith is released 13th March.

Clare Maguire - Light After Dark

There's such an abundance of female singer-songwriters around at the moment that you're almost spoilt for choice. But Clare Maguire is the real thing. The genuine article. I've been in love with the scattering of free downloads and EPs she's released previously but now comes the debut album, the real test of her talent.

And you know what, for my penny's worth, this is a better album than those by Jessie J and Adele that are floating around in the shops at the moment. Both of those also represent extremely strong efforts, but with Clare Maguire, she makes things seem effortless. For her, the music becomes one and the same with her. Her sound is magical, deeply soulful, and comes back to the solid core of pure beauty that are her vocals. And boy are they amazing.

There's something of a Leona Lewis to Clare's voice, that husky deepness that speaks of raw passion and lends itself so well to big power ballads. Imagine the likes of Bonnie Tyler and Alison Moyet; those big female 80s voices you just don't get anymore. Clare is all this and more.

The 80s vibe manifests itself across the album which blends icy electronics and thunderous, industrial beats with piano. The Last Dance sees Clare at her most delicate and catchy, a pop gem as strong as anything Ellie Goulding can throw out.

In terms of highlights, they comes towards the end of the album; look out for the stunning You're Electric and the title track. Both see Clare at her most epic - so much so that they become almost filmic. There's this breathtaking futuristic/gothic feeling to the sound, music to sweep up and around the arches and halls of churches and cathedrals... and then on, higher and higher to the stars... onwards to the very limits of the universe.

Light After Dark is an album without bounds. It is vastly inventive, with Clare's talent laid bare for all to see. The sound is cold, but the emotions are infinitely open; tapping into memories we've all experienced. This is music on a universal scale, and Clare most definitely has what it takes to carry it.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - History Of Modern (Part 1)

OMD, as a band, are masters of indentifying the best parts of their extensive back-catalogue and skilfully re-investing them them back into their newest project – re-enhanced sounds for a new audience but with all the familiarity the long-term fans will adore too. If You Want It was the triumphant return, packed with all the epic grandeur the band could master, twinned with a knack for lyrics that at their best are pure poetry in motion.

In the case of History Of Modern (Part 1), there’s a definite vibe of perhaps their most well known hit Enola Gay. It’s got that optimistic, cheery skip to it – an almost call-and-response synth line. There’s a constant, thumping beat to it too; relentless, energetic – a reminder that even now, more than 30 years since OMD graced the airwaves, that they are still just as talented as songwriters, just as enthused about making great synth-pop for the masses.

Sister Marie Says was a slightly predictable single choice, with its impact also rather dampened by the fact a demo version of it had already been given as a free download in the run-up to the album release. So it’s something of a joy to see the band go for this, a more adventurous single choice from an album where so many of the tracks could be singles. Hey, it even has a cool title in the form of that rather marvellous (Part 1). Now how many song names have that in them?

You also get the gorgeous cover artwork too – I’ve always been a fan of all the singles from an album era having similar covers that tie together; so when those covers are made by design legend Peter Saville, that idea of cohesion is emphasised even more. There’s something inherently collectable about them all – just imagine them looking all neat and glossy next to each-other!

The CD release of the single is conveniently packed with all the b-sides from across the entire album era and a number of new remixes of History Of Modern itself, including one by Selebrities which you can hear below.

History Of Modern (Part 1) is released February 28^th.

OMD - History of Modern (part I) - Selebrities Remix by 100% Records

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Sister Marie Says

I’ve been listening to OMD’s brilliant new album History of Modern a fair bit recently, so I was rather excited to hear there’ll be a second single taken from it, coming out next month! Sister Marie Says is classic OMD, a massive synth hook propelling a track that could have come straight out of the band’s 80s heyday. And for that, the song works a treat. The band have always excelled at blending catchy melodies with quirky, witty lyrics, and this track doesn’t disappoint.

For me, it doesn’t quite reach the joyous anthemic qualities that the album’s lead single If You Want It boasted, but it’s a more than solid contribution to OMD’s stellar discography. Oooh, and the prospect of new b-sides and remixes is always rather exciting too.

Out 15^th November