Biffy Clyro return, and four other songs you may have missed...

It's been a busy week at Discopop Towers (we were off to the Olympics on Tuesday, for starters) so the pile of new releases has been growing and growing, like a fairytale beanstalk of music.

As I work my way through, here are five of the tracks that stand out.

1) Biffy Clyro - Stingin' Belle
Bagpipes? Check.
Ball-breaking riffs? Check.
Unusual time signature? Check.
Removal of shirts? Check.
It's Biff-o-clock.



2) Mariah Carey - Triumphant (Get 'Em)
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from Mariah's comeback single, but Triumphant is surprisingly catchy. While the younger generation of R&B stars are rubbing themselves up against David Guetta like dogs in heat, Mariah is sticking with 'Get Your Number' hitmaker Jermaine Dupri for an old-school soul jam. There is also rapping.



3) Air Traffic Controller - You Know Me
Boston's Air Traffic Controller are the brainchild of singer-songwriter Dave Munro who used to be... yes, an Air Traffic Controller. Stick with what you know, kids. Stick with what you know.

You Know Me is a jangly indie version of Opposites Attract. Dave and bandmate Casey Sullivan sing through a shopping list of their differences, but in the end they declare: "a lot of folks can sing in harmony, but no-one will ever know me like you know me". Awwww.




4) Amelia Lily - You Bring Me Joy
Her boyfriend brings her joy; Amelia Lily brings us an exceptionally dull video. There is no justice.



5)Parade - Light Me Up
The much-predicted (by me) girl band resurgence of 2012 has failed to materialise. War Of Words have split up, the Girls Aloud reunion continues to be rumour, and Oh My! are more "Oh No!". So congratulations to Parade for persevering with the whole idea, and for doing it independently after they were dropped by their record label.

Light me Up is a frothy pop track, where the melody cruises slightly ahead of the drum loop, giving everything a propulsive thrill. Produced by Tim Powell (Round Round, Call The Shots, Sweet About Me) you can download it for free. It's worth it, too.

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The Killers on a super neon highway and five other songs you may have missed

A semi-regular round-up of videos and songs I haven't had the chance to blog about over the last seven days. This week's all-star cast includes.

1) The Killers - Runaway
"Urgh," you will think, "this video is as uninspired and dull as the song". But stick around - what begins as a tedious studio performance slowly goes all sci-fi, with the band perched atop intergalactic floating platforms and zooming down a Tron-inspired highway, all designed by former Lucasfilm employee Warren Fu.

I am particularly jealous of Brandon Flowers glowing red mic stand (not a metaphor).




2) Yeasayer - Longevity
More trippy neon graphics abound in this video from Brooklyn's Yeasayer. "Live in the moment, never count on longevity," intones Chris Keating over a drawling funk beat, apparently inspired by Aaliyah. . The band have always straddled the line between experimental and accessible, and this song is no exception. Much love for the middle eastern strings in the fade out.




3) The Veronicas - Lolita
Australia's most successful twins since Gayle and Gillian are back with their first new material since 2007's Hook Me Up. Apparently its taken so long because the sisters fell out during their last tour. "We couldn't stand being in the same room as one another," Jess told The Music Fix. "I just needed to go and read some books, she [Lisa] needed to go and hang out in Nashville and play some blues music."

As you can hear, there is absolutely no blues influence on Lolita, which sounds like Tatu frenching Marilyn Manson in the bondage club from The Matrix Reloaded.





4) Hot Chip - How Do You Do?
This is just odd.




5) Amelia Lily - You Bring Me Joy (WestFunk Remix)
Basically Amelia Lily's fantastic debut single with added lasers. Put your hands in the air like you just don't etc.

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First single from X Factor's Amelia Lily

In the vast pantheon of pop, there are a striking number of people with two first names: George Michael, Billy Joel, Les Paul, Cliff Richard, Ray Charles, Bob Marley, Dean Martin, Paul Simon, Carly Simon, Ricky Martin, Toni Basil, Paula Abdul... I could go on.

Thanks to my brilliant mathematical mind (Grade B in AS-Level statistics, suckers) I can conclusively state that having two first names guarantees chart success. How do you account for the bewildering success of Take That? It's not the seductive compositional stylings of Sir Gareth Barlow OBE, it's the full-throttle assault of three double-firsters: Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Robbie William(s).

Given the overwhelming body of evidence, I predict X Factor graduate Amelia Lily will be number one for three months. And if it all goes wrong, she has a hidden trick up her sleeve: A third first name (she was born Amelia Lily Oliver).

Happily for your ears, Ameila's debut single, You Bring Me Joy, isn't an utter crock of shit. Produced by Xenomania, it's an "uptempo dance number" with a repetitive but unshakeable melody.

This is the part where I'd normally say Amelia's come a long way since her TV debut (Tulisa: "You performed like a 30-year-old woman") but, to be honest, her voice was as stunning then as it is now. I really hope this does well. Radio programmers, it's up to you now.



Amelia Lily - You Bring Me Joy

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