Cheryl Cole announces Call My Name and new album A Million Lights!

It's the news we've all been waiting for. That's right, the details for Cheryl Cole's new single and long awaited third album are finally out! Hurrah!

You'll be hearing Calvin Harris produced track Call My Name all over UK radio at 8.10am on Friday morning (20th April) and it's safe to say we're going to be subsequently playing it on repeat again and again and again. Going by the Calvin production, if it's a uber dance behemoth of We Found Love proportions, we're in for a real summer smash from our Nation's Sweetheart.

What's more, we'll be getting that tantalising video for Call My Name (we've all seen those simply gorgeous pics from LA in all the papers) on the 2nd May.

Call My Name is released on the 10th June, followed by new album A Million Lights on the 18th June.

Nerina Pallot - All Bets Are Off

All Bets Are Off has long been one of my favourites from Nerina Pallot's latest LP, so it's great to hear it'll be getting a full single release early next year.

Revolving in the languishing string-laced grandeur of strings and classy retro-pop flavours, the track is the crystallisation of everything the album stands as - a beautiful personification of human emotion and every aspect it can betray of ourselves.

Currently busy in Germany on their version of The Voice (don't worry, we'll be getting our very own version of the show in the UK next year), Nerina has been beguiling the hearts of people everywhere. If there ever was a female star that summed up in such simple prettiness what it means to be a quality singer songwriter, it's Nerina.

As the unexpected little harp refrain creeps in at the tail end of the track, you're left with an intense, aching longing. It's like the last days of Christmas, as the tree comes down and work beckons again - those few dreamy weeks cut short once again. For just that short while, everything was 'just right'.

All Bets Are Off is released on the 30th January.

Nerina Pallot - All Bets Are Off by Nerina Pallot

Lacuna Coil - Trip The Darkness

A bit of everything - that seems to be the order of service at Lacuna Coil these days. Sky-high church organs and rumbling guitars that sound like they've been expelled straight from the guts of the Earth and a weird techno bit that Enter Shikari would be proud of - it's all here in new single Trip The Darkness.

Thoroughly evil sounding from end to start, Trip The Darkness is everything you'd ever want in a big comeback single. Massive choruses that plough right into your very senses and end-of-the-world lyrics about awaiting madness, it's a chaotic thrill-ride into the most shadowy realms of the human mind.

Within the same couple of months that Evanescence have made their triumphant return with new material, Lacuna Coil are more than keeping pace - Trip The Darkness is a suitably sombre wraith-like journey into the blackest kind of anthemic rock.

November sees Lacuna Coil touring the UK with Straightline Stitch as support - their new album Dark Adrenaline is to follow presently...

Trip The Darkness is released on 23rd January.

Tanya Lacey - Letter To My Ex

She co-wrote Loick Essien big hit How We Roll, but for her own debut single, hip new R&B artist Tanya Lacey goes for a far slicker, retro-tinged vibe.

Riding on crisp beats and a cute piano motif, Letter To My Ex strikes the perfect balance between sugary pop sweetness and feisty female attitude.

The track strikes out with a confident message as Lacey boasts 'Letter to my ex, moving on to my next, couldn't care less...' - It's an empowered kiss-off to possessive guys, putting the girl firmly in charge.

With the likes of Emeli Sande already swiftly moving up the pop ladder from songwriter to bonafide artist in their own right, the stage is set for Lacey to do likewise - and with a lead single like Letter To My Ex, it's clear the passion and drive is already burning away there.

Definitely one to keep an eye on in 2012. For more info visit Lacey's official Facebook page where you can download the Roni Size mix of her track Born To Fly for free.

Letter To My Ex is released on the 4th December

Pet Shop Boys announce tracklisting for b-sides album 'Format'

B-sides. To cut to the chase, the Pet Shop Boys are one of the best acts in the pop game at making them, conjuring up crystalline gems of melody that many other artists would kill for to have as lead singles.

The sheer ease that Neil and Chris can come up with these tracks is evidenced in a bountiful new 2 CD compilation CD collecting together their b-sides from the mid 90s up to know.

As with the previous PSB b-sides compilation Alternative, consistency and quality is assured. And for us long time fans, this makes for a lovely treat to revisit old favourites.

Format is released on the 6th February.

The full tracklisting is as follows:

CD1
1. The truck driver and his mate  
2. Hit and miss
3. In the night (1995)  
4. Betrayed  
5. How I learned to hate rock 'n' roll
6. Discoteca (New Version)  
7. The calm before the storm  
8. Confidential (Demo for Tina)  
9. The boy who couldn't keep his clothes on  
10. Delusions of grandeur
11. The view from your balcony
12. Disco potential
13. Silver age
14. Screaming
15. The ghost of myself  
16. Casting a shadow  
17. Lies
18. Sexy Northerner  

CD2
1. Always
2. Nightlife
3. Searching for the face of Jesus  
4. Between two islands
5. Friendly fire  
6. We're the Pet Shop Boys  
7. Transparent
8. I didn't get where I am today
9. The Resurrectionist
10. Girls don't cry
11. In private (7-inch mix): Pet Shop Boys with Elton John  
12. Blue on blue
13. No time for tears (7-inch mix)
14. Bright young things
15. Party song
16. We're all criminals now  
17. Gin and Jag  
18. After the event  
19. The former enfant terrible
20. Up and down

One Direction reveal new single title - Got To Be You

What's going on in the world of One Direction? Well, they've just announced their new single: It's called Got To Be You and comes out on the 13th November, a week before their debut album.

If it's anything as catchy as What Makes You Beautiful then it'll be a guaranteed smash - more lines about flipping hair please, guys!

The video for the track was recorded in New York and apparently the lads got told off while filming it - typical boys eh!

Leona Lewis - Collide

You can't accuse Leona of not taking chances - well, in this latest incarnation at least. You see, it would have been so easy for her to come back with another epic ballad of the kind she clearly does so well. The trouble is, it would never be as good as Bleeding Love.

That track, both her making and her undoing. Bleeding Love stands as one of the greatest pop tracks of the last decade, spending an incomprehensible amount of time at Number 1, and enchanting a host of people on both sides of the Atlantic.

But it also means that everything Leona has done afterwards will be compared to it and weakened due to the simple fact that it just won't live up to those dizzying heights of Bleeding Love.

What to do then for her third album? Traditional the make or break point for most pop acts, Leona has made the spot-on decision by going and doing something completely 'out there'. Well, as 'out there' as you can get with Leona. And you know what? It's damn good.

Collide is pure dance-floor beauty, the summer club anthem with class. Riding on an enchanting piano hook that repeats again and again throughout the song, there's a music-box-like quality to the track, a mechanical precision that rather than sounding overly-produced, seems so exquisitly crafted and buffed to a sheen that you find yourself asking, is this the same Leona?

But then, that's the point. This is Leona proving all the doubters wrong, proving that she has more than one trick in her bag. Collide is like Coldplay given the 200% dance overhaul, accentuated beautifully with African-esque chants that remind me of Dario G's Sunchyme.

I'll admit, I wasn't convinced initially; but as the track builds and builds, properly kicking in with the second chorus, you know what you're looking at - a bonafide smash hit. And Leona pulls it off with considerable aplomb - well done indeed, Miss Lewis.

Collide is released on the 4th September.

Metronomy - The Bay

As one of the catchiest tracks from The English Riviera, in many ways The Bay was the logical choice for Metronomy's next single. With that rubbery bass bounce and a classic Joe Mount vocal, the track also proved to be a real live highlight too when I caught the band on tour a couple of months ago.

The video for the track fits so well - opening with a sweeping panoramic shot of the camera surging over the ocean. Indeed, if any track from the album encapsulates in one go the essence of what The English Riviera stands for, it's this one.

With its clever cinematography and glossy montage of shots, the video at times looks more like a TV ad or movie trailer - and that's what makes it so brilliant. It's that glossy 'riviera sheen' nailed down to perfection.

Built on a foundation of inherent Metronomy quirkiness, The Bay remains a standout track by the band - but now with added video delights, we can really see them riding a sleek, streamlined wave to the top of their game.

The Bay is released on the 27th June.

(Video) Parade - Perfume

What a lovely day for a trip down the Thames! If you've ever wanted to see a music video where a hot new girl band gets on a boat and takes it on a ride down a river, all the while dancing with pinpoint precision, then Parade's Perfume is most definitely the video for you.

I read a recent interview with the band where they said far more akin to the Spice Girls than they did to contemporaries Girls Aloud or The Saturdays, and I can see where they're coming from. There's a real up-and-at-'em girl power attitude to Parade, a relatability that their fans can tap into. They look cool, their style is distinctly street-smart and you feel like you could be their best friend.

Perfume is one of those classic songs that shout 'summer anthem' louder than the sun itself. From the first few bars of those glorious, buzzing synths in the intro you can already imagine getting the shades out and strolling down to your local park; kicking back and escaping the daily grind.

The chanty 'If you wanna get it, get it...' vocals in the chorus again radiate the whole girl-power ethic - you feel like it's not just them chanting away, but each and every one of their fans too. And it's also so wonderfully British too - a fitting sound for a song that so casually places the Houses of Parliament in the background of its video.

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner myself... (resists temptation to burst out into song), but there's such an inherent beauty in the shots of the Thames, all dreamy pink and gold. And when you add that to someone as effortlessly stunning as Parade's Jessica singing Perfume's middle-eight, you're onto a winner for sure.

Every year there are a handful of tracks that rise above the rest and enter the hallowed halls of genuine pop classics, and Perfume, for me, is easily one of those.

Now, where's that ball-pond? We want to jump in too... here we go... here we go...

Perfume is released on the 20th June.

Nicola Roberts joins Twitter! Best news of the week!

Oh My God. Just need to catch my breath for a moment. Nicola Roberts. On Twitter. To any Girls Aloud fan, this is quite possibly the most exciting news of the year. The adorable and totally awesome singer and style-queen has finally signed up for an account on the social networking site and can be found @NicolaRoberts

Not only that, but she has a new official site too, sporting a stunning new photo of the singer. Nicola's site also sports a handy hash-tag: #beatofmydrum - backing up previous reports that her debut single will be the Diplo & Switch-produced Dance To The Beat Of My Drum.

Nicola proceeded to re-tweet Henry Holland's message "4 days to go... RT @henryholland: Check it out.... #BeatOfMyDrum http://bit.ly/nrmusic http://twitpic.com/4sehpu", suggesting that we may hear the track in four day's time! We literally cannot contain our excitement!

Beat Of My Drum (as the song now appears to be re-titled) is apparently scheduled for a June 5th release. Further rumours suggest it will be accompanied by b-side Porcelain Heart and this cover artwork: