We were thinking about this earlier when we were listening to Olly Murs' new single Oh My Goodness and finding ourselves enjoying it quite a bit, but we can't help liking him. We know we shouldn't, but we do. As Star Trek's Borg say: resistance is futile.
And the thing is, the b-side Don't Say Goodnight Yet is sort of tolerable too. Sure, it's nothing to write home about, but as always with Olly, he sort of strides that borderline MOR zone where his music seeps into your subconscious and you subtly find yourself enjoying it in an 'oh this is sort of alright way'.
We're not sure how we feel about this, but what we do know is that he needs to release another track as brilliant as Heart Skips A Beat.
The humerous cocked-eyebrow presumption would be that Oh My Goodness is the kind of thing your average Olly Murs fan might say as they engage in some kind of fictional romantic liason with the X Factor star. Or, alternatively, it could just be a statement of shock at how the bloke has actually managed to come up with a half-decent track.
While Oh My Goodness isn't up there with the electro-popping hook-heaven of Heart Skips A Beat (surely a one-off singularity of brilliance within Olly's career), it's horn-riffing snazzy rhythms recall a Robbie Williams at his prime. It's a harking back to a more innocent age of pop, and unlike the tepid Dance With Me Tonight, actually sounds like Olly's having genuine fun singing the track.
He'll have his haters, and he'll have his lovers - but at the end of the day, Olly's cheeky chappy routine holds at least a fair share of merit to it. The UK needs a big male solo star of his scale - in a market dominated by empowered female stars, there's certainly space for a shot of testosterone now and again - and Oh My Goodness is as good a record as any to do it.
When Olly first stepped up to the X Factor plate, he won the nation over with his cocky bravado-filled performance of Superstition, and here - channelling that same lad-apotheosis - is where he finds his niche.
I can still remember the day, ten years ago, when I rushed out to buy Will Young's debut single Anything Is Possible/Evergreen (back when Woolworths stocked the entire Top 40 singles). Fresh from Pop Idol, Will had ushered in a brand new era of pop - the age of reality TV dominance. He set the stage for X Factor to follow, and the UK charts have never been the same since.
In the 10 years since his victory, Will has also released some absolute gems - from the eternally popular Leave Right Now, the lovely Who Am I, right down to the soundtrack to a million Natwest adverts: Grace.
His new track Jealousy is something tantalisingly new and exciting - delving into the world of shiny synth-pop with top producer Richard X, the track is a storming exercise in why Will very much still deserves his place amongst pop's higher echelons of stars.
Currently, the track lies at Number 4 on iTunes - a remarkably strong showing considering so many of Will's contemporaries have long since faded away. Standing at Number One however is a male reality star of a newer age - and standing between these two, the makings of good old fashioned chart battle.
As it stands, Olly Murs is undoubtedly the true winner of X Factor 2009 - while Joe McElderry has spiralled perilously first out of the charts and then into reality tv doom via Popstar to Operastar, Olly has nabbed himself three Top 20 singles and a double platinum debut album.
Very well done indeed. To be honest, he remains one of the more likeable X Factor contestants - his early audition of Superstition remains one of the show's high points and his everyman honesty and charm without a doubt played a part in his snaring the Xtra Factor presenter role this year. Oh, and his songs are half-decent too.
New singleHeart Skips A Beat is easily Olly's most adventurous record to day, spinning his cod-reggae off on a dance-pop tangent with a guest rap from Rizzle Kicks. Oh, and the track is co-written by Preston from The Ordinary Boys.
It's like an exercise in laddishness - in the month where The Inbetweeners movie has surged to such immense success in cinemas, it seems only right that a song of such boyish enthusiasm and sturdy love-cliches is on its way to the top too.
A few weeks ago I saw new band The Kixx supporting Olly Murs on tour at the prestigious Hammersmith Apollo and came away truly impressed by what they had to offer. Their debut single Already Goneis a fizzing, immensely energetic bit of pop/rock and a storming introduction to a group who are sure to be making waves in the music world shortly.
Listening to The Kixx's album sampler, the first thing that strikes you is the sense of energy - like a lightning storm trapped in a bottle and then suddenly let loose.
Tracks like Already Gone are at that moment of release, propelled on a jet-stream of catchy hooks and passion that was plain to see for anyone who caught them on tour. Dashing around the stage, guitars swinging, they played like it wasn't just a support slot, but their own headline show.
A real favourite of mine is Standing Where You Left Me - another massive upbeat track, full of bonkers techno synths, but also a surprisingly real grit to the vocals too.
With lyrics of 'Pretty lies are no concern, when we love we never learn', the song details a pessimistic outlook on the dangers of a fractious relationship. This isn't a Disney-fied sugar and smiles account of love and life, but rather something far more visceral and real.
Another thing The Kixx do really well? Laddy chants - they're stamped all over the album, especially on the punky There She Goes Again.
On a slower note though, there's Breathless, a lush piano ballad with real maturity to it. With a song like this, the crux of it is really believing the band means what they sing, and Breathless feels thoroughly authentic. Throughout the song, and the album as a whole, there are little quirks of melody as well as the overall scale of the sound that really help to elevate this into something truly alive.
When I saw them live at Hammersmith, you got a sense of the real benefit gained from them functioning as a complete band who all play their own instruments and who know exactly what they're doing. There's just a much fuller sound, and that's something reflected here on the album sampler too. Listening to Begin At The End, there's a satisfying throb of the bass in the verses, a real crunch to the guitar in the chorus - a musical intricacy that you just don't get with other boy bands.
A lot of comparisons have already been made with bands like Busted or McFly, but in truth the similarities don't really go much further than that they're all groups of guys playing catchy pop/rock tunes.
The Kixx's sound is their own and where they really shine is that they seem to have really pinned down what that unique sound is for them. Whereas other bands might spend their first album or two trundling along in first gear, The Kixx are already kicking it up to fifth.
If you're not already aware, Girls Aloud's delightful Kimberley Walsh writes a very entertaining column every week in OK Magazine where she lets us, the dear readers, know what she's been up to. She also uses it as a platform to share her views on various celeb dilemnas and to clear up any important Girls Aloud-related issues when they arise.
The new issue of the magazine is out today, and I've got to say, this week's column is Pure Win. It's literally jam packed with everything you could want. Let's have a little run-down:
Cheryl and The X Factor - 'Cheryl's fine - it isn't a huge deal for her'. This is very good to hear - we like to know that everything is all ship-shape and hunky dory in CherylWorld.
'From a selfish point of view, I'm glad I can pop round again for a cup of tea!' - What will it be? Milk and two sugars Chezza?
Nadine and Jason's split - 'Nadine is a strong person and a strong woman in relationships so I know she'll be ok' - This is also very reassuring. This is the GA girls sticking together and backing each-other up - they are, after all, a force to be reckoned with.
Simon - 'Simon displayed some almighty hevage recently' - OMG what is hevage?! I have to thank Kimberley for introducing this word to me - because reading this about Simon had me in fits of laughter. It's so true too! I think every one of us who's ever sat down to watch Britain's Got Talent or X Factor has been full of critique over Simon's 'style' choices, so it's fun to imagine our Kimba sat there too doing the same.
Olly Murs - Here Kimberley talks about those rumours that she was being considered for a role on the Xtra Factor. She says 'I think it would've been fun but I couldn't have seen myself doing it with Olly'. Yes - Because we all know Kimberley and Matt Edmondson would have been the best combo by far for the show.
In this age of social media and internet-savvy teens, 15,000 fans on Facebook is a pretty sure sign you're on the right track. And that's exactly what new boy-band The Kixx have gone and got themselves. Comprised of David, Robbie, Dave and Jack, the band are set to join Olly Murs on his UK tour in the coming months - something sure to see that number of fans grow and grow.
Their debut single Already Gone is an electro tinged pop-rock stomper; a buzz-saw synth bassline and machine-gun beats setting the pace before the track launches into a full-throttle chorus. Electric energy lies at the heart of this track and it whips you along at a roaring pace.
Fans of The Wanted will lap The Kixx up, they present that same confident, powerful brand of lad-pop. But what marks them out as different? Well, they play their own instruments for a start. Then there's the more clinical, precise feel stamped all over Already Gone - It's a song that knows all the right buttons to press, presenting a more refined, modern breed of track. Imagine the swagger and youthful energy of McFly in their prime mixed in with the dreamy New Wave of Duran Duran and you'll have a fair idea of what the band sound like.
And if all that wasn't already enough to convince you to check them out, the video for the single features Emily Atack AKA Inbetweeners hottie Charlotte Hinchcliffe.
I really love some of Kixx's early YouTube cover versions too, in particular their take on Linkin Park's Numbwhere they transform the track into a beautiful chilled out ballad. It showcases a real rock edge to the boys' voices, a nice touch when so many competiting boybands head more for the R&B vibe. Take That's SOS and The Script's For The First Time also get an outing - one thing that really wins me over with these guys is simply the song choices displayed here, they go for less obvious songs and it allows them to fully come into their own. This is a band that place themselves in an increasingly crowded market and who aren't afraid to try something a little different to get heads turning their way. I'm impressed.
So, Parade's brilliant single Louder is out in the UK and as I write, it currently stands at No. 8 in the iTunes chart. For any band, this is a great achievment, but for a new group, breaking into the ever competitive pop scene, this is frankly amazing.
I went to see the Parade girls perform at GAY on Saturday night and they most definitely gave it their all. Opening with a feisty cover of Cee Lo Green's Fuck You, they had the crowd whipped up into a frenzy of excitement (best of all, it was the expletive laden album version and not the mild-mannered radio edit of the song). The girls' look is perfect too, striding the vital balance between street-smart trends and poppy flash. Continuing on to their performance of Louder, it was plain to see just how much fun they were all having - and it's this enjoyment that really shines through in their music, taking it up to the next level. As for the rest of the night and Olly Murs stripping on stage, I'll leave that to your imaginations... but let's just say it involved him wearing a cow-shaped thong.
The next day, Parade held a signing at that temple of retail enlightenment, Westfield. So it was off on the tube to Shepherd's Bush! The centre's HMV branch had the Louder singles pride of place at the front of the store as well as conveniently placed by the till-points themselves. It made for a refreshing change from music stores who have become so alienated to the CD single format in recent years.
The signing itself was brilliant, well organised and packed with eager fans. Everyone seemed really up for the event and the cheery faces all round definitely inspired a sense of strong community amongst the fanbase. It's bonds and memories like these that'll get the fans sticking with an artist right through their career. Parade are well on their way to dazzling their way across the UK pop charts and this weekend was a energising reminder of how Britain gets it SO right when it comes to girlbands.
If you haven't already, join the Parade and download Louder from iTunes here!
