Candy Girl

I have to profess that Hard Candy is my favourite Madonna album since Ray of Light (1998)! That said, she's pretty much guest starring on cool cuts produced by Timbaland, Neptunes and friends! At times Madonna sounds like Timbaland muse Nelly Furtado and one-time rival Paula Abdul on Candy Shop!

Hard Candy is more a sequel to Justin Timberlake's awesome Future Sex / Love Sounds, which, in my view, is a good thing, even if it doesn't push the envelope and Madonna is a trend follower in this instance!

Is Hard Candy as good as Mariah Carey's blockbuster E=MC²? I'd suggest not!

Temposhark 'give-away' competition

Temposhark are an English electronic rock band, formed in London by singer and songwriter Robert Diament with programmer Luke Busby. Temposhark are best known for their songs Joy, It’s Better To Have Loved and Not That Big, a duet with singer Imogen Heap, which features on their 2008 debut album The Invisible Line.

Here's what the press has to say about Temposhark:

“The excellent Temposhark have been causing a stir with their gritty synth lyrics in electrotrashy nights across town. Ace newcomers.” – Time Out London

“The Invisible Line fades back and forth between interesting and extraordinary.”
– Rhadish.com / The Y! Radish

“Hipsters will be sinking their teeth into UK electronic act Temposhark.” – Next

“The group delivers its material with precision and passion and Diament's crystal clear voice effortlessly segues from a pleading quiver to an angry snarl” – Textura

A torrent of accolades has rained down on Temposhark's new album The Invisible Line:

- Came in at #16 most added on CMJ’s in their first week
- Debuted in their second week at #172 on CMJ’s Top 200
- Got 7 out of 10 stars in an NME review “…they could be your favorite band” – NME
- Hit number 20 on iTunes top 100 electronic albums
- Had prominent placement in it’s first week of release on iTunes, Zune, MSN, Spinner, Rhapsody, Napster, Walmart (I know, they aren’t so cool, but…) and InSound.

Robert from Temposhark was invited by iTunes USA to create his very own 'artist playlist', 18 of his favourite songs that have inspired him including artists like Tori Amos, The Cardigans, Pet Shop Boys and Kate Bush. Check it out now to find out more about the artists that influenced the Temposhark sound.

On April 16th Temposhark embarked on a US tour! To celebrate this momentous event I'm running another 'give-away' contest that includes t-shirts, stickers, buttons, and albums!

To enter for a chance of winning these really cool prizes, please leave a comment on this post. The competition closes May 31st 2008 and 5 winners will be randomly selected by me. My decision will be final! Good luck.

Special thanks to Two Sheps That Pass for supplying the competition prizes.

You can buy The Invisible Line from iTunes, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com today.

For further information:

www.temposhark.com
www.myspace.com/temposhark
www.bebo.com/Temposhark
www.last.fm/music/Temposhark
“Crime” (download link)

If you enjoyed reading this post subscribe by RSS! I'll be running further 'give-away' contests throughout the spring and summer.

The Invisible Line

UK electronic rock act Temposhark to release debut album
The Invisible Line

On March 25, UK electronic rock act Temposhark celebrates the North American release of its critically acclaimed debut album The Invisible Line. A massive hit on London’s Uber fashionable electro scene (Bjork, Placebo and Darren Hayes are notable fans), Temposhark creates a slick and sexy sound comprised of synthesised pop, underground electronica, angst rock and film score soundscapes.

Two-time Grammy nominee Imogen Heap provides guest vocals on “Not That Big” and helps to take this record to another dimension with her operatic harmonies. Diament and Heap sing this ‘male vs. female’ duet to create the ultimate anti-love song, loaded with heavy bass guitars and rock angst. Elsewhere, “Knock Me Out” and “Crime” (download link) are full of sexy electro sleaze while “Little White Lie” is a darker, rockier number with razor sharp lyrics. Then there are beautifully crafted electronic ballads such as “Battleships” and the spellbinding melodies of “Invisible Ink” which offers the perfect come down.

For further information:

www.temposhark.com
www.myspace.com/temposhark

Stay tuned for a cool competition to win a CD copy of the album in March!

Send SMS for free iTunes UK Store Music

Time's running out and I've only just learnt about this offer!

Apple is offering UK residents a free iTunes song! That'll include me then and, sure enough, I've downloaded the Sugababes sensational new single About You Know! Pure retro-infused electro-pop class.

UK readers send an SMS with the words "ROCK," "POP," "LIVE," or "ITUNES" to 85100 before midnight tonight!

The redemption code expires on September 30th! Send that SMS now!

“On The Verge Of Something Wonderful”

DARREN HAYES *THIS DELICATE THING WE’VE MADE

25 Tracks of Epic Music Telling Tales of Hayes’ Journey in Life, Love and other Mysteries

Superstar and critically-acclaimed artist Darren Hayes has put together a collection of 25 bold and intriguing Pop songs that are being compared in scope to the work of musical icons such as Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel and David Bowie. Hayes co-produced with the likes of Justin Shave (Etherfox, [Love] Tattoo) and Robert Conley (Hayes’ Tension and The Spark) and mixing with the great Ash Howes (Nelly Furtado, Dido, Kylie Minogue).

Hayes, best known by the world as the voice of multi-platinum pop duo SAVAGE GARDEN, has made himself a solo artist to reckon with. While this album’s brace of potential hit singles will sit perfectly next to Natasha Bedingfield and Maroon 5 on the radio, they come replete with a sense of danger not often heard within the genre-led pop field. They are built from truthful sentiment and a sense of their own individuality.

Inspiration for this record is multi-faceted, from icons in music and Victorian Science Fiction. Hayes has managed to craft an album of intricate narratives and personal confessions that simultaneously document his arrival at peace within himself. Freedom has never tasted so good to Hayes, having this in his personal, professional and creative life for the first time in 10 years. This masterpiece is a daring, theatrical, wise, wounded and wonderful epiphany that represents his true maturation as an artist. At 35 years old, Darren Hayes had turned into just the pop star he always wanted to be, himself.

Darren Hayes is no stranger to success with over 25 million records sold and five #1 singles. Now back with a new double-disc album, Darren has just stepped off of a sold out tour, and will be appearing in Entertainment Weekly, In Touch Weekly, People Magazine, and on Extra! among others. The fun, up-tempo first single, “On The Verge Of Something Wonderful” also stars icon Janice Dickinson in the accompanying video.

* This Delicate Thing We’ve Made will hit shelves August 21st.

For additional information please log onto www.darrenhayes.com or www.myspace.com/darrenhayes.

Stayed tuned for a very exciting competition to mark the release of Darren Hayes' new double-disc album, which I will be announcing soon!