Gives You Hell is one of those almost novelty rock tunes that surfaces every once in a while, like Nickelback's Rock Star or the all-time classic Pretty Fly (For A White Guy).

There's the comedy featuring frontman Tyson Ritter playing dual roles of rebel and geek neighbours. The pair antagonize one another throughout the video, until a bout of suburban wife-swapping seems to solve their quarrel. Hooray for wife-swapping!

As for the song, it's a decent rock tune, with the requisite lyrics about waking up in the evening (surely a rip-off of Tenacious D's "wake up at the crack of noon"?). And of course, it builds to an impressive, shouty chorus. The total effect is just a darned good fun stomp. It might never be a classic, but like the layabouts in the video, I suspect that was never the ambition in the first place!

Yes, I realise that Lady Gaga's debut is long-since released, number one-d and on its way down the charts again. But I never reviewed it, and now I feel bad :(

You see, over the past fortnight, I've totally fallen in love with Just Dance. From Lady G's rallying call of "red wi-ine" at the start to the brilliant lyric that is "I love this record baby, but I can't see straight anymore".

Is it an anthem? I'm beginning to suspect it it.

As for the lady herself, there's no denying that Gaga is a slightly trashier version of Christina Aguilera, right down to those big doe eyes. And as for the video, well we've seen plenty of house parties in pop videos before, but why does this one remind me of a sinister version of one of Mika's videos?

Anyway, top bloody marks to Gaga and her mate Colby O'Donis (surely not an Irish name?) for an excellent debut single. She's got our attention now, hasn't she? Can't wait to see what comes next!

Funny thing about Miley's latest video, Fly On The Wall (aside from it not being an AC/DC cover) is that it takes the paparazzi to book for following her around. And by extension, probably any Miley Cyrus fan who ever wanted to know more about her. Slight slap in the face for the fans, Miley?

It starts of with a Thriller-style morphing of Miley's date into a camera-toting, crazed pap who chases her into a car park. Whereupon more paps arrive and an elaborate dance sequence eventually takes place.

Someone on the Britney Spears website commented that:

From the choreographed photographer dance to the chase scene, it seems Miley has found a way to channel her inner Britney.

An unfortunate comment, considering that Miley outperforms Britney completely at the moment and doesn't feel the need to sex up her act (yet). I hope she doesn't because she's as cute as a button in the video. OK, she's only moderately funny, and the 'celebrity tired of the paparazzi' routine is getting old, but I like the way Cyrus performs and that she's a reasonably positive role model.

Can you tell I'm a dad? Would you rather have your daughter grow up to be Britney or Miley?

Anyway...Fly On The Wall is a slice of pure pop/rock goodness. It's perhaps not as memorable as 7 Things was, but still a passable effort.

If you were expecting more novelty pop goodness from Alesha Dixon, a la Boy Does Nothing, then think again. Dixon's follow-up single, Breathe Slow is a fairly slow, standard R&B number.

I'm only slightly disappointed though, because the hook in the chorus is a good one. I'd just hoped that Alesha would come out with something a bit more daring, cutting edge. Especially if the rumours of her wanting to break America are true - she's entering a saturated market if this song is anything to go by.

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Now that the door has closed for the High School Musical stars, they've got to go out into the real world and make a living. I've already spied cool-haired Corbin Bleu in a pop video. I'll have to dig that one out for you.

But let's focus on little Miss Hudgens for a moment. Without a doubt the cutest member of the HSM gang, I've always hoped that she'd do well when her role in the movies ended. The temptation to release a by-the-book tune must have been really strong, but Sneakernight is something else.

A funky piano-led jam, with Hudgens sprinkling on the sassiness in equal measure. It's bright and poppy, but unlike anything else out there at the moment. Tell you what: she's not copying anybody with this single, which is great.

Tell you something else, I've got to get me a pair of those 'sneakers' with the light-up laces!

I loved this review:

This sounds like my kind of night out. Lady GaGa can keep her "I lost my phone", "I can't see straight anymore" shenanigans.

This should be a nice introduction to solo Hudgens for British fans, who probably never heard her debut album. Second album, Identified is available in the UK from 16 February 2009.

Chris Cornell partnering with Timbaland was the most unlikely musical collaboration ever. If your experience of Cornell is through Soundgarden or Audioslave, you are about to hear the boldest move of his career.

Now, if you've been wondering where Cornell's been since Audioslave broke up, the video reveals all: he's been brooding in clubs in Puerto Rico, Texas and New York. Observing women flirting on the dancefloor while their menfolk look on in frustration. Oh yes, and hanging out with hordes of line-dancing women.

On first listen, I was skeptical. Cornell's voice is exceptionally well suited to rock. History tells us this. But initially, the combination of Cornell's voice and Timbaland's beats is reminiscent of Sexbomb-era Tom Jones. You know, when he tried to appeal to the young folks?

The thing with Timbaland though is that sometimes his influence isn't immediately likeable. Or appreciated. I find the best thing is to just accept it. I'm talking to you crusty ol' Soundgarden fans!

To listen to Part Of Me, you have to approach this as a new era for Cornell. It's a brave move, but the song is brilliant. My only issue is that the edited version removes the crucial 'bitch' word from the chorus, which ruins it slightly.

And the collaboration works brilliantly in my opinion. There's a grinding beat to it, and rather than go all-out R&B, we get some distorted guitars in the mix as a hat-tip to Cornell's roots. It's totally different, but it really works.

As an added bonus, Classic Rock have an interview with Chris, which should interest those of you with questions about his musical direction.

Therefore, I hate it.

Before all you housewives start shouting at your computer screens, hold on a minute. I'm generally a supporter of the Take That reunion. I've been to see them live twice. It's great to hear all the old tunes again.

But the new material, barring a couple of amazing singles has been dreadfully pedestrian. Up All Night falls into that category. It starts off with a folksy intro, then quickly segues into that Beatles-by-numbers sing-along chorus. Because Take That were/are as bug as The Beatles, and tunes that sound like The Beatles remind us of the frenzy of the 90's.

To make matters worse, the group further try to integrate themselves into British culture by the tried and tested route of setting the video in an old-fashioned postwar-style street party: as previously exploited by the Spice Girls in their Stop video and by Doctor Who (a lot).

The guys dress up as regular barrow-boys, all scruffy like, and play their instruments to the locals as they no doubt tuck into spam sandwiches. They lay on the cheese so thick (I'm talking about the video now, not the sandwiches) that I'm surprised they didn't have Barlow playing the washboard, Donald on an old tea chest and Orange playing the spoons.

I hate to rag on Take That like this, but I get the feeling that they won't stop until they find their Hey Jude. Maybe they should just release a cover of Hey Jude?

And to be fair, it's a decent track, infuriatingly catchy. But it sounds so much like Shine and any rousing Beatles number to be likeable. I hate it when bands repeat themselves, and that's what the boys are doing on this extremely safe track. I'm sure they're capable of better.

We're no strangers to Daniel Merriweather here on the music blog, but we're surprised that he hasn't broken through by now. It looked likely back in 2007 when he worked with Mark Ronson on Stop Me.

Change has an almost hip-hop feel to it, especially in the little piano line which feels familiar from some bygone hip-hop track I've heard before. Merriweather's voice is on fine form with a nice - if forgettable - cameo from rapper Wale.

If you can't spot Mark Ronson's signature sound on this track, you'll have been living under a rock for the last couple of years.

The video's a tad grim with the duo being bussed through a grotty neighbourhood while Merriweather waxes lyrical about people finding out who's in charge and nuthin' ever changing.

Change has all the hallmarks of a massive radio hit, and that hopefully has the effect of bringing Merriweather the solo artist to the attention of the general public. If not, it's back to providing guest vocals for other people, which isn't quite as satisfying as selling records in your own right.

Fingers crossed. The single's released on 2 February 2009.

Chart watchers will be pleased to know it's safe to come out now - Alexandra Burke and Leona Lewis have left the top 10.

Nothing against those two wonderful vocalists, of course, just that the whole Christmas period is drenched in X Factor generated schmaltz. I lose all faith in popular music when shows like X Factor dominate the charts. Oh look, you got a number one after being promoted for 13 weeks on primetime television! Hallelujah indeed.

1. Lady Gaga - Just Dance: My cynicism for the industry machine made me want to hate Lady Gaga before even hearing this song. But it's just not possible. I did think it was a Christina Aguilera video for a moment, but Just Dance is just great pop.
2. Kid Cudi v Crookers - Day N Night: My initial response to this is 'interesting'. Understated electronic groove and very repetitive lyrics, but still good. I hear this is the guy who's been influencing Kanye West to (over)use vocoders...
3. Tinchy Snider ft Taio Cruz - Take Me Back: Funky, synth-heavy (isn't all the best music these days?), but grammatically incorrect - "I'm sorry I misleaded you pretty lady" Still, we'll overlook it this once.
4. James Morrison/Nelly Furtado - Broken Strings: Just when I was losing all hope in James Morrison, he comes along with a damn fine duet with Nelly - who for the first time in recent memory isn't warbling about being promiscuous.
5. The Saturdays - Issues: I'm hoping Issues is winning The Saturdays new ground. While we were declaring the rise of the girlband a while back, it looks like this year is swaying back to strong solo females instead.
6. Kevin Rudolf ft Lil Wayne - Let It Rock: Been hearing a lot of this tune on music TV: big chorus, lacking in content elsewhere and an eye-catching video
7. Beyonce - Single Ladies: Good tune, naff Beyonce man-hating lyrics. She's like a stuck record. Stop banging on about Independent Women already.
8. Kings Of Leon - Use Somebody: I've been getting into Kings Of Leon quite a bit lately, and while this isn't the best thing they ever released, I can now appreciate it in the context of their back catalog. Hooray!
9. Pink - Sober: Another introspective Pink track. I'm told this is one of the best tracks on her new album, but it's a bit moody for my liking.
10. Kanye West - Heartless: You know in cartoons when somebody swallows a whistle, and every time they talk, they make a whistling sound? Any day now, Kanye will announce that he swallowed an autotune device, which will explain his last couple of singles.

What are your favorite chart tunes this week?

Whatcha Think About That is the third single from the Pussycat Dolls' Doll Domination album.

It looks like the phenomenal return of the Pussycat Dolls is going to continue uninterrupted for quite some time. I'm slightly surprised to be honest, but the Dolls managed to reclaim the charts almost effortlessly.

To be fair, their R&B flavoured pop is highly polished, and each single from the new album has had a great hook. Whatcha Think About That has two: the chorus, and Missy Elliott's "he got ta go" refrain.

The video's the usual PCD fare - lots of lingering slow shots on the girls which I can't really complain about. However, I've worked out that Nicole Scherzinger's abs scare me off - if she's exposing midriff, she looks a bit plastic like a fembot. If the abs are covered, she instantly looks more feminine.

Of course, there are plenty of critics, but I find I'm liking the Pussycat Dolls more this time around than I did with their debut. Far more than Nicole's solo stuff. I still think I Hate This Part is the best single from the album so far, but this has the potential to be another hit for the Dolls, and it's nice to see a cameo appearance from Missy again too.

It's going to be a cover of Depeche Mode's Just Can't Get Enough, which will fit in well with the 80's revival and synth-heaviness of the contemporary charts. The PJ crew confidently predict this will be the group's first ever #1 single, which will be an act of charity in more ways that one.

While I love this band, I'm baffled on a daily basis as to why they haven't broken through yet. It baffles me at breakfast, lunch and dinner. But hopefully the Comic Relief single will expose them to a wider audience. It seems like we've been waiting forever for The Saturdays to gain mainstream approval.

The news is spoiled somewhat by the revelation that there's a second Comic Relief single:

(We are pretending there is only one Comic Relief record when in fact there are two - the second is Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones performing 'Islands In The Stream' although that will almost certainly be utter shit.)

Ah well. It was nice to think the BBC Gods were smiling on The Saturdays, even if just for a minute.

As recently as November of last year, people were starting to sing the praises of Cleveland, Ohio's latest star rapper - Kid Cudi. OK, his real name's the slightly less glamorous Scott Mescudi.

He's making big waves with the Crookers remix of his debut single, Day N Nite. And he's under the wing of an Unreality Music favourite, Kanye West.

I have to say - Day N Nite's an awesome track, and seems to benefit from the reworking by Crookers. Arjan describes the sound as:

warped electro synths, Fedde Le Grand style noisy rave-influenced sounds and a monstrous bassline

Given that it's already soared to #2 in the UK Pop Charts, that's pretty much a runaway success for a new face. Needless to say, the video provides plenty of eye-candy in between shots of Cudi working in a corner shop.

And as if you need to ask, the pronunciation of Cudi seems to be like Cuddy - hence the little interchange with the shop manageress at the start of the video.

Brandon Flowers is back with another of those 'curious' jackets with feathers on the shoulders and another song to sing.

The latest Killers single is called Spaceman, and is very much in the same synth-heavy vein as Human was, but is a little more conventional. It's still really sonically dense, as it packs in a pulsating verse and chorus, the aforementioned synths and some distorted guitar to glue the whole thing together.

And like Human, I think Spaceman will take a little bit of getting used to, but it will grow on you. Sure, there'll be a faction of people who'll hate this. Their demographic profile is: early Killers fans who hate everything they've done since Hot Fuss.

Personally, I love this new direction The Killers have taken. It's bold and unique within our pop charts. As someone wrote on MySpace recently - "Brandon Flowers is making me rethink my lifelong aversion to the Pet Shop Boys."

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It's interesting to note when writing this particular single review that Kelly Clarkson had a brief career as a vacuum cleaner salesperson. You have to wonder if she wrote My Life Would Suck Without You with her old job in mind...

After all the rumours that Kelly was heading for a career in country music, it's refreshing to see that she's actually returned to her musical roots. My Life Would Suck is a slab of power pop/rock that many reviewers are comparing to classic Clarkson songs like Since U Been Gone.

But this is what Kelly does best - huge sounding tunes with that quiet verse, massive chorus dynamic. Perfect for another video full of overexcited people jumping up and down while Kelly tears up the stage.

To be honest, the release of this tune has been the biggest tease of the last few months. We've been drip-fed details. We still haven't seen the video! All that will be put to rest as the video apparently gets it's premiere on American Idol tonight, which will give it another massive publicity boost.

If you were one of those naysayers who was declaring Kelly Clarkson dead in the water a few months ago, you might be kicking yourself about now. This will be one of the most astonishing comebacks of 2009. Wait and see.

The only downside I can see is actually with the single cover - Kelly, heavily airbrushed and with her mouth open looks for all the world like a blow-up doll. And what is she wearing?

Anyway, if you're one of the lucky Americans who got to view the video tonight on American Idol - tell us what you thought of it below!

Here's a bunch of cool music-related blog posts I've come across recently.

10 Worst Celebrity Albums

Blowin' up in '09 | These bands will be huge this year

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2009 Inductees

One night with Prince

Top 10 Stupidest Band Names of All Time - Guitar World

Consider this your polite introduction to King Of Conspiracy - a trio of Parisian punks who are invading the UK right now, and whose debut single Youth Against The Empire is released on 2nd March 2009.

We often overuse the word 'energetic' when we're trying to describe bands, but when Youth Against The Empire started sputtering from my laptop speakers, all the excitement of the lean guitar riffing and French-accented vocals, 'energetic' was the first word to spring to my mind.

In a review reposted on their MySpace blog, one critic notes:

The members of the crowd who had not known what King of Conspiracy were about were soon taking notice and were completely sold by the time they launched into title track of their debut album.

Picking up his mic [Michael Destouches] proceeded to play his guitar with it better than a lot of guitarists can play normally. I did overhear someone comparing it to the great Jimi Hendrix and I'm struggling to disagree.

That's quite a lofty compliment of Destouches' guitar-playing style, but he's got a point: the guitar playing is exceptionally inventive and demands your attention.

And while, Youth is an excellent introduction to a fiery young band, you should go and check out the other tracks on their MySpace page. Again, the worst thing you can do with a band like King Of Conspiracy is to over-intellectualize them - I get a good feeling from listening to their music, and I think you will too.

Do check them out and tell me what you think!

Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield give the inside scoop on some classic Metallica tunes in a brilliant interview with Guitar World.

I don't know about you, but I love hearing the stories behind classic music, and this doesn't disappoint - guitar-heads will love the chatter about hot-rodded Marshall amps, and any self-respecting Metallica fan will want to hear Hetfield talking about how they converted Dave Mustaine's Mechanix into their classic Four Horsemen.

Kirk Hammett admits to having been 'inspired' by a lick from Ice-T's Power album for Enter Sandman:

You know how the guitar solo plays out, and then there's a lead guitar break that leads into a breakdown? I think the time has come to tell where I actually got that lick. It's from 'Magic Man' by Heart, but I didn't get it from Heart's version; I got it from a cut off Ice-T's Power album, where he used it as a sample. I was listening to Power a lot while we were recording Metallica, so I kept on hearing that lick. I thought, I have to snake this! I did change it around a little bit, though.

Check out the Guitar World interview for what is undeniably an essential Metallica article.

Dupree is a musician and designer (among many talents, I believe), and recorded an album back in 2006 with Richard Chartier. The album, specification.fifteen, uses the same Hiroshi Sugimoto photograph as U2 are using on their new album cover. Take a look:

Dupree quite sensibly points out that since the use of the image was sanctioned by Sugimoto, perhaps the Japanese photographer could have informed U2 that the image had been used before. Maybe he did and they decided to press on regardless?

Anyway, some people decided to sensationalise this and claim that Dupree went off on a rant about this. There's nothing controversial about this - however, he does make some good points:

perhaps Sugimoto himself, being aware of our cover, or U2's designer could (maybe) have suggested a different photograph or perhaps a different layout direction. at least, that's my opinion, coming as a graphic designer myself.. i try not to design things that are too close to something else out there (if that's possible).

Fair point. Although there are obvious tonal differences between the covers, it's clearly the same image, but as Mr Dupree says:

this minor ordeal has become more a question of a project that was small, intimate and experimental (and the chance of a lifetime for a small artist) vs. the massive pop culture machine. in the end we all know who wins.

In an unusual twist, one of my favourite bands from last year - Alphabeat - have split with their record label, EMI.

This is a brave move, especially when you consider they're on the verge of recording the follow-up to the highly successful This Is Alphabeat.

The rumour mill went into overdrive, with most people suggesting that the band had been dropped by their record label. In a blog post clarifying their position, the band say it was the other way round:

You may have read rumours about us being dropped by EMI on several blogs in the last couple of weeks. Have we been dropped? Nope ... But before X-Mas we had the opportunity to leave - and we did.

We (this means us - Alphabeat) sat down round a table before we went on X-Mas holiday and decided that we needed a change before starting recording our new album ... and one of the major changes would be a new label !

We're back in the UK and we're happy to say that we're signing with a new label as we speak

If you're a fan of the band, you'll be glad to read that last sentence - they're signing with someone else. So you will get your delivery of upbeat, fun 80's themed music this year! Hooray!

It's only a full month after X Factor wound up, and JLS have finally signed with Epic. I'm actually very pleased for the boys - they were definitely another of my great hopes to win X Factor aside from Alexandra Burke.

Now, as long as Louis 'let's put some nice suits on you and give you an Osmonds song to sing' Walsh doesn't get his hands on them, their success seems certain.

Of course, I'm curious to see how they'll be styled, and what type of music they'll be doing. It would be a shame to reduce this talented bunch into another run-of-the-mill boyband.

Here's a quotable from Epic's managing director, Nick Raphael.

"JLS are the best boy band to emerge from a TV talent show. The band already have an incredible fan base, and I look forward to launching their recording career."

In other important news, I deleted G4's debut album from my iPod yesterday. I never actually listened to it.