2008 Preview Part Two

This year’s first candidate for the prize of Best Record Ever Made is 'A&E’ by Goldfrapp. My love for this was taken to an even higher level by the Hecules and Love Affair remix (still loving the promo which looks like it’s been directed by artist/twigg fiddler extraordinaire Andrew Goldsworthy).

Two of the big hitters from 2005/2006, The Feeling and The Kooks, are back with their second albums. The Feeling set out to fuse Donna Summer and The Who into a hit single and they have almost done this with their single ‘I thought It Was Over’.
Every Lower 6th form’s favourite band, The Kooks, are also back with the brilliantly-named album ‘Konk’ which follows on from their rather good cover of the Ace of Bass hit ‘All That She Wants’ last year. Hopefully they won’t succumb to the disappointing second album sales which hit many of the Brit Boys in 2007.

Up for a dusting off in 2008 are Rave Scholars Utah Saints with their 1992 hit ‘Something Good’. This I seem to remember is the only time that Kate Bush has allowed a track of hers to be sampled. This time, the brilliant Aussie remixers Van She turn in a great remix and the Top 5 beckons again. The Kate effect can also be heard on the Royworld single ‘Man In The Machine’ which also manages to bring in a bit of Daft Punk and Buggles.

Also, rather magnificently wearing their influences on their bat wing sleeves are the new(ish) duos on the block: The Ting Tings (The Sonny and Cher of Salford Precinct), The Kills (The Sonny and Cher of Hoxton Square) and The Crystal Castles (The Sonny and Cher of ummm Canada). A few of the Eighties Super Troupers also have a flurry of activity throughout 2008, with both Morrissey and Madonna releasing Greatest Hits and new albums. The first single from the Madonna album, ‘4 Minutes To Save The World’, is a Timballand/Furtado-esque affair, but it's all about the second single, ‘Give It To Me’ where, as per usual, Madonna is at her best when singing about nothing in particular e.g. 'Hung Up', 'Into The Groove' and 'Deeper and Deeper'. Michael Jackson releases the 25th anniversary edition of ‘Thriller’ which is basically a few bobbins remixes from the likes of will.i.am shoved on the end... but hey, it is ‘Thriller’ at the end of the day. Little Sister Janet Jackson is back with her new album, ‘Discipline’, but much more impressive is the new Mariah album, 'That Chick', which will no doubt become the best-selling album globally of 2008 - packed full of Thrillers with no Fillers whatsoever. The best stomping pop song of winter 2008 comes from the Guillemots with ‘Get Over It’. Their first Commercial, with a Capital C, record and all the better for it. One of my favourite song of last year, Girls Aloud’s ‘Can’t Speak French’, is at last released as a single with their bestest video to date. Let's hope that this isn’t their last ever single as they’ve become the most perfect 360 degrees pop group by ticking every single pop box. A couple of rather genius collaborations to look forward to later this year are... The brilliant Xenomania (Girls Aloud producers/writers), have just entered the recording studio with Franz Ferdinand and the results of this will be heard in September. Also in the studio at the moment is the lovely Daniel Merriweather, last heard on Mark Ronson's 'Stop Me', with the brilliant Cathy Dennis. Come October there will be street parties galore when Warner Brothers plan mass celebrations for the 20th anniversary of Enya’s ‘Orinoco Flow’... What a cracking year we have all have ahead of us!

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By Nick Neads - T4's Head of Music

T4 Music Maestro Part One featuring Girls Aloud, Leona Lewis, Alicia Keys and The Ting Tings.

T4 Music Maestro Part Two featuring Duffy, Spice Girls and The Brit Box.

T4 Music Maestro Part Three featuring Goldfrapp, HotChip and Shayne Ward.

T4 Music Maestro Part Four featuring the best 40 songs of 2007.

T4 Music Maestro Part Five featuring the first part of his 2008 preview.

Watch exclusive performances from The Ting Tings and The Courteeners at T4