What's new in the pop spotlight?

This week's new songs are mostly debuts in the UK again--especially since Fuse TV is once again not updating their Oven Fresh web page. I think it's pretty obvious if you compare the BBC top 20 with the Billboard top 20, the British have a much more volatile chart and hence, more debuts.

• Alphabeat is the big debut, invading the UK with their single, "Fascination". It's sugary, bouncy pop that seems to be a Scandinavian specialty and I like it. The track is very retro, sounding more like 1983 than 2008, and it reminds me of Elton John's hits from that period--except for the woman's voice.
• Also on the UK charts is a new track from Westlife, "Us Against The World". This is an act from the empire of Simon Cowell, trying to evolve from a boy band to something more mainstream. It's pure commercial product, a sweeping ballad with strings, delicately plucked guitars, and a somewhat overwrought vocal. Not brilliant.
• I'm kind of surprised to see a refugee of the techno music boom of the early 1990s return to the charts. Utah Saints have updated an old hit of theirs, "Something Good", now titled "Something Good "08". The piano sample of the old days survives, and the track is a standard commercial dance tune anyways. It's a little dark, and not well-conceived.
• "After Hours" marks the return of We Are Scientists with their latest. I'd like to hear their singer vary his tone and expression more, but they're a solid example of the indie-rock sound in Great Britain. It's not their best work, but they're pretty good.
• "My Destiny", by Delinquent, fooled me. I thought it might be a cutesy hip-hop track from an underage MC. It's a dance track with a booming synthetic bass, but her voice is thin, like Janet Jackson or Jennifer Lopez . You would think that such a weak singer would be better-looking, but I'm not sure why she's got a big hit. It's not the singing and it's not her looks. Well, the production is pretty good.
• I can't believe Girls Aloud has another hit in England. "Can't Speak French" uses a not-quite swinging beat to evoke a kind of bizarre music hall vibe. When something has so little substance, such an indistinct melody, and such a heavy sheen of production, it's passing strange to then evoke some long-lost style. Well, unlike Delinquent, the five women in this pre-packaged, soulless group are all gorgeous. I'll bet they're more popular on TV than on radio!

CDs listened to today:

• Sydney Hodkinson: The Edge Of The Olde One