FREE ANDY BULL!

It's a fact - here at auspOp, we love Andy Bull. He's a brilliant live performer, a cunning lyricist, knows how to tickle the ivories (when they're not being run over by a train) and has the uncanny knack of bring able to sound more than a little like the legendary Mister Elton John. An EP and debut single in and an album on the way, Andy has decided to do a little live version of MGMT's hit single 'Electric Feel' and his record company have decided that you can have for absolutely no coinage whatsoever! All YOU need to do is click the link below and get taken straight to the site where you can download it FREE! Happy days!

DIDO : Don't Believe In Love

Well let's just say she's taken her sweet-ass time with this (as she seems to have done with everything surrounding the 'Safe Trip Home' project - we didn't even get a picture on the cover for the single)... Dido's finally unveiled the video for her 'comeback' single 'Don't Believe In Love'. It's a visually superb piece of film too, but we must admit that the single itself is taking a heck of a long time to grow on us and nothing else we've heard from the new Dido record so far has set our pants on fire. She IS an albums seller moreso than a singles seller however, so we'll just have to bite our tongue for the time being and wait and see how the album goes at retail.

PANJO 5 : Move

This, ladies and gents, is Sydney based five-some Panjo 5 who were brought together via a television series, due to air on Foxtel's Nickelodeon Channel in November and on Channel 9 in December. Their names (left to right) are; Sarah Scott, Elen Menaker, Talia Di Giulio, Nancy Denis and Keiynan Lonsdale and they're all 14-17 years of age. Their debut single 'Move' is available to pre-order online now through various websites and their debut clip is included below so you can complete the picture. There's a touch of the S Club 7s about them, and it's all totally polished and slick. The Panjo 5's career is most definitely on the move. Check them out at their OFFICIAL MYSPACE.

IT'S A PINK PANDEMIC!

We're having to keep updating this Pink post as the day progresses, as demand continues for tickets to Pink's forthcoming Australian concert tour (which went on sale this morning). Pink has so far sold out a staggering 18 concerts in just eight hours. Fifth concerts for both Melbourne and Sydney went on sale due to high demand shortly after 9am, but the demand is so high that Michael Coppel has continued to add dates during the course of the day. There's now a sixth Sydney show on sale, an unprecedented SEVENTH show for Melbourne, plus a fourth concert for Brisbane and a third concert for Newcastle, taking the total number of dates to 3:00pm AEST to 24. Latest dates below;

May 22 : Perth (Burswood Dome) SOLD OUT
May 23 : Perth (Burswood Dome)
May 26 : Adelaide (Entertainment Centre) SOLD OUT
May 27 : Adelaide (Entertainment Centre)
May 30 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena) SOLD OUT
May 31 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena) SOLD OUT
June 03 : Newcastle (Entertainment Centre) SOLD OUT
June 04 : Newcastle (Entertainment Centre) SOLD OUT
June 06 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre) SOLD OUT
June 07 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre) SOLD OUT
June 09 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre) SOLD OUT
June 10 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre) SOLD OUT
June 12 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre) SOLD OUT
June 13 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre) SOLD OUT
June 15 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre) SOLD OUT
June 16 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre) NEW SHOW
June 18 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena) SOLD OUT
June 20 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena) SOLD OUT
June 21 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena) SOLD OUT
June 23 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena) SOLD OUT
June 24 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena) NEW SHOW
June 26 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre) SOLD OUT
June 29 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre) NEW SHOW
July 03 : Newcastle (Entertainment Centre) NEW SHOW

Released Saturday November 01, 2008:

Boyzone – Back Again : No Matter What (CD/DVD)
Boyzone – Back Again : No Matter What LIVE 2008 (DVD)
Mariah Carey – Ballads
Gabriella Cilmi – Save The Lies (CD single)
Tim Finn – The Conversation
Jewel – The Essential Live Songbook (DVD)
Elton John – Red Piano (DVD)
Alicia Keys & Jack White – Another Way To Die (CD single)
Leona Lewis – Forgive Me (CD single)
Alex Lloyd – Good In The Face Of A Stranger
Katie Noonan – Blackbird
OST – High School Musical 3
OST – James Bond : Quantum Of Solace
The Potbelleez – The Potbelleez
Pussycat Dolls – I Hate This Part (CD single)
Cliff Richard – The 50th Anniversary Album
Seal - Soul
Britney Spears – Womanizer (CD single) (CD1)
Various – Ministry Of Sound : The Annual 2009

THE pOp RADAR

NEW ALBUMS COMING SOON:

LILY ALLEN : IT’S NOT ME, IT’S YOU (2009)
ANNIE : DON'T STOP (2009)
MELANIE B : REIMAGINED
CDB : THE FUNK SESSIONS (2009)
CHICANE : BEST OF (2009)
ALESHA DIXON : THE ALESHA SHOW
MISSY ELLIOT : BLOCK PARTY (2009)
EMINEM : RELAPSE
FRANZ FERDINAND : TONIGHT (2009)
GIRLS ALOUD : OUT OF CONTROL
KERI HILSON : IN A PERFECT WORLD
WHITNEY HOUSTON : UNDEFEATED
LEON JACKSON : RIGHT NOW
MELINDA JACKSON : DESPERATE DOLLY (2009)
JEM : DOWN TO EARTH
GRACE JONES : HURRICANE
TOM JONES : 24 HOURS
SOLANGE KNOWLES : SOL-ANGEL AND THE HADLEY ST. DREAMS
LEMAR : THE REASON
ANNIE LENNOX : THE COLLECTION (2009)
ROBYN LOAU : ONLY HUMAN
LINDSAY LOHAN : SPIRIT IN THE DARK
JENNIFER LOPEZ : GREATEST HITS
JESSICA MAUBOY : BEEN WAITING
DANIEL MERRIWEATHER : LOVE & WAR
LISA MITCHELL : THE ATTIC SPACE (2009)
SAME DIFFERENCE : POP
THE SATURDAYS : CHASING LIGHTS
SUGABABES : CATFIGHTS AND SPOTLIGHTS
WEST END GIRLS : SHOPLIFTING

PLUS: ACE OF BASE (2009), ALL SAINTS (2009), BANANARAMA (2009), BASEMENT JAXX (2009), NATALIE BASSINGTHWAIGHTE (2009), DANIEL BEDINGFIELD, ANDY BULL (2009), ANTHONY CALLEA (2009), KELLY CLARKSON (2009), KATE DEARAUGO (2009), DIRTY LAUNDRY (2009), SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR (2009), PARIS HILTON (2009), NATALIE IMBRUGLIA (2009), INFUSION (2009), LUIGI MASI (2009), MIKA (2009), NO DOUBT (2009), SHANNON NOLL (2009), HAYDEN PANETTIERE (2009), PAULINI (2009), PET SHOP BOYS (2009), KELLY ROWLAND (2009), SCISSOR SISTERS (2009), GUY SEBASTIAN (2009), JORDIN SPARKS (2009), THE VERONICAS (2009)

NEW SINGLES COMING SOON:

ADELE : MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE
LILY ALLEN : EVERYONE'S AT IT
ALPHABEAT : WHAT IS HAPPENING
ANASTACIA : ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY
ANNIE : MY LOVE IS BETTER
SARA BARIELLES : BOTTLE IT UP
BRANDY : LONG DISTANCE
MARIAH CAREY : I STAY IN LOVE
CHICANE FTG. NATASHA BEDINGFIELD : BRUISED WATER
GABRIELLA CILMI : SANCTUARY
COLDPLAY : PROSPEKTS MARCH EP
SARAH CONNOR : I’LL KISS IT AWAY
CUT COPY : FARAWAY
MILEY CYRUS : FLY ON THE WALL
CRAIG DAVID : INSOMNIA
DIRTY LAUNDRY : HATE ME
ALESHA DIXON : THE BOY DOES NOTHING
DIZZEE RASCAL TG. LILY ALLEN : WANNABE
DUFFY : ENOUGH LOVE
ELECTROVAMP : DRINKS TASTE BETTER WHEN THEY'RE FREE
ESTELLE : COME OVER
GIRLS ALOUD : THE PROMISE
DAVID GUETTA : TOMORROW CAN WAIT
KATE MILLER-HEIDKE : CAUGHT IN THE CROWD
PARIS HILTON : MY BFF
KAZ JAMES FTG. MACY GRAY : CAN’T HOLD BACK
JONAS BROTHERS : LOVEBUG
GRACE JONES : WILLIAM’S BLOOD
KILLERS : HUMAN
LADYHAWKE : MY DELIRIUM
LEMAR : IF SHE KNEW
MADONNA : MILES AWAY
BRIAN MCFADDEN : EVERYTHING BUT YOU
MGMT : KIDS
MISSY ELLIOT : BEST BEST
JAMES MORRISON & NELLY FURTADO : BROKEN STRINGS
JASON MRAZ : MAKE IT MINE
OASIS : I’M OUTTA TIME
PET SHOP BOYS : LOVE ETC...
PINK : SOBER
SAME DIFFERENCE : WE ARE ONE
SASH! FTG. STUNT : RAINDROPS (ENCORE UNE FOIS)
ASHLEE SIMPSON : LITTLE MISS OBSESSIVE
SNOW PATROL : CRACK THE SHUTTERS
SAM SPARRO : POCKET
SUGABABES : NO CAN DO
TAKE THAT : GREATEST DAY
ROBIN THICKE : THE SWEETEST LOVE
TING TINGS : BE THE ONE
TV ROCK : HAPPINESS (I’M HURTING INSIDE)
THE VERVE : JUDAS
KANYE WEST : LOVE LOCKDOWN
AXLE WHITEHEAD : SATELLITE
WILL YOUNG : GRACE

NB - all releases subject to change & list is updated bi-monthly

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We didn't know which one of the following album covers scared the pants off us most, but given it's Halloween, the night when the spirits rise to walk the earth, we thought we'd give you a sample of three of the most frightening album covers in the history of recorded music... Want to check out more of the worst ever album covers? Check out COVERBROWSER.COM.

P MONEY FTG. VINCE HARDER : Everything

Auckland native P-Money is experiencing such success with his latest single 'Everything' in his homeland at the moment, Central Station Records has decided the success must be replicated with New Zealand's closest neighbours here in Australia. And we reckon there's every chance that it's going to succeed - it's catchy, feels good, it's got a very international (if not slightly puzzling) clip, and the story's already building in New Zealand. It's back at number one on this week's official RIANZ chart and has this week been classified gold for singles sales of 7500 copies. The video is a bit of fun, but is a reminder of the dangers of carrying the weight of the world (well, your friends) on your shoulders.

AUSTRALIA DEMANDS EVEN MORE PINK!

The anticipated demand for tickets to Pink's 2009 Australian tour, which go on sale tomorrow, is so great that on the back of extra shows announced for Sydney and Melbourne just yesterday, Michael Coppel has announced a swag of new concerts right throughout the country. There's a second concert for Perth, a second for Newcastle, a third for Brisbane and a fourth for both Melbourne and Sydney - and all these days go on sale first thing tomorrow morning. So the new Pink tour schedule, originally due to include ten concerts will now take in the following dates;

May 22 : Perth (Burswood Dome)
May 23 : Perth (Burswood Dome)
May 26 : Adelaide (Entertainment Centre)
May 27 : Adelaide (Entertainment Centre)
May 30 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
May 31 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
June 03 : Newcastle (Entertainment Centre)
June 04 : Newcastle (Entertainment Centre)
June 06 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre)
June 07 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre)
June 09 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre)
June 10 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre)
June 12 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)
June 13 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)
June 15 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)
June 18 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
June 21 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)

LADY GAGA'S REVISED EDITION

There's been a fair amount of interest in the 'comments' section of auspOp over the last few weeks regarding the updated tracklist of Lady Gaga's album 'The Fame'. Well wonder no more - 'cause as of this afternoon, we can reveal just what'll be on this new edition, out in the stores on November 15. Essentially, it adds a further two tracks to the end of the original version, which was released at the beginning of September on the back of the success of 'Just Dance'.

01. Just Dance
02. LoveGame
03. Paparazzi
04. Poker Face
05. Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)
06. Beautiful, Dirty, Rich
07. The Fame
08. Money Honey
09. Starstruck
10. Boys Boys Boys
11. Paper Gangsta
12. Brown Eyes
13. I Like It Rough
14. Summerboy
15. Disco Heaven

TINA'S SLIGHT CHANGE

Heads-up Tina fans - there's been an ever-so-slight change on the cover for Tina Arena's forthcoming album 'Songs Of Love And Loss 2' - she's getting a close-up. auspOp has now heard four songs from the album - and they are a delight. We're especially liking the Alice Cooper cover 'Only Women Bleed' in which Tina lets rip with some powerhouse vocal just after four minutes in.

MALIBU SNEAKERS : Get Down

From the team that brought you Meck's updated version of Leo Sayer's 'Thunder In My Heart' comes 'Get Down', an updated version of a Gilbert O'Sullivan classic from March 1973. We can see this track tearing up dancefloors the world over throughout the festive season, but the thing that's peaked our interest is the absolutely HILARIOUS video clip, ripped straight from 1970s TV. It features five long-haired lasses dancing around (wait for it) an assortment of dogs. It must be said that the dogs are extraordinarily well behaved throughout the completely BIZARRE dance routine - and is that a very short glimpse of respected UK TV presenter Noel Edmunds (with beard) at the end? This could very well be our new favourite pOp music clip. Absolutely hilarious.

TOURING : Fall Out Boy

Yes, 'tis true - Pete Wentz and his band of merry men are hitting our maiden shores in 2009 for a musical concert tour. The lords and ladies of the Frontier Touring Company have decreed that it shall be so, beginning on the 15th day of February. (Too much time on our hands)... The Chicago four piece will kick off their tour at Perth's Challenge Stadium, before making stops in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. They then jet off to New Zealand for a date in Auckland. The band's new album 'Folie A Deux' is due to hit stores on December 13, with tickets for the shows going on sale on Wednesday November 12.

February 15 : Perth (Challenge Stadium)
February 17 : Adelaide (Entertainment Centre)
February 18 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
February 20 : Sydney (Acer Arena)
February 21 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)

THE AUSTRALIAN pOp CD NEW RELEASE SCHEDULE:

November 08
Christina Aguilera – Keep Gettin’ Better : A Decade Of Hits
Beyonce – If I Were A Boy (CD single)
Andrea Bocelli – Incanto (CD/DVD)
David Campbell – Good Lovin’
Enya – And Winter Came
Human Nature – A Symphony Of Hits
Il Divo – The Promise
Grace Jones - Hurricane
Paul Kelly – Songs From The South : Volume 2
Paul Kelly – The Video Collection (1985 – 2008) (DVD)
Leona Lewis – Spirit (Deluxe Edition)
Ne-Yo – Miss Independent (CD single)
The Police – Certifiable (DVD)
Ricki-Lee – The Singles (CD/DVD)
Seal - Soul
Sneaky Sound System – When We Were Young (CD single)
T.I ftg. Rihanna – Live Your Life (CD single)
Various – Ministry Of Sound : The Annual 2009 (USB)
Various – So Fresh : Songs For Christmas 2008

November 15
Christine Anu & Deni Hines – Takin It To The Streets (CD single)
Tina Arena – Songs Of Love And Loss : Volume 2
Natalie Bassingthwaighte – Alive (CD single)
Beyonce – I Am
Dido – Safe Trip Home
Jason Donovan – Let It Be Me
Hilary Duff – Best Of
Melissa Etheridge – A New Thought For Christmas
Enrique Iglesias – Greatest Hits (CD/DVD)
Il Divo – The Promise (DVD)
Chris Isaak – Christmas (DVD)
Alicia Keys – As I Am (The Super Edition)
Lady Gaga – The Fame (Revised Edition)
Lenka – The Show (CD single)
Mika – Live : Parc Des Princes, Paris (DVD)
OST – Bogan Pride
OST – Top Gear Australia
Michael Paynter – A Victim Song (CD single)
September – September (CD/DVD)
Smashing Pumpkins – If All Goes Wrong (DVD)
Britney Spears – Womanizer (CD single) (CD2)
Sugababes – Catfights And Spotlights (Digital)
Various – 100% Hits : The Best Of 2008
Various – KZone : The Hits
Various – Ministry Of Sound : The Annual 2009 (Gift Box)
Various – Total Girl : The Slumber Party Album
Various – Wild Summer 2009
Various – Wild Summer 2009 (DVD)

November 22
Coldplay – Prospekt’s March EP
Coldplay – Viva La Vida (Deluxe Edition)
Miley Cyrus – Breakout : Platinum Edition (CD/DVD)
Duffy – Rockferry (Collector’s Edition)
Good Charlotte – The Greatest Remixes
Guns & Roses – Chinese Democracy
Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
The Killers – Day And Age
Labelle – Back To Now
Simply Red – Greatest Hits
Simply Red – Greatest Hits (DVD)
T-Pain – Thr33 Ringz
Various – Hed Kandi : The Mix 2009 (3CD)
Various - Heroes
Various – Now Summer 2008
Various – Now Xmas 2008
Various – Ultimate R&B 2008
Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak
Westlife – Live At Croke Park (DVD)

November 29
Akon - Freedom
Craig David – Greatest Hits
Missy Elliot – Block Party
Feist – The Reminder (Collector’s Edition)
Lovers Electric – Could This Be (CD single)
Ludacris – Theatre Of The Mind
Kylie Minogue - X : Tour Edition
Maroon 5 – Call And Response (The Remix Album)
James Morrison – Songs For You, Truths For Me (CD/DVD)
OST – Madagascar 2
OST – Mamma Mia! The Movie (CD/DVD)
Britney Spears – Circus
Take That – The Circus
Keith Urban – Love, Pain And The Whole Crazy World Tour (DVD)
Various – Rage : Most Chosen (DVD)
Various – So Fresh : The Hits Of Summer 2009

December 06
50 Cent – Before I Self Destruct
Bjork – Live DVD (Title TBC)
Brandy – Human
Busta Rhymes – B.O.M.B.S.
Ciara – Fantasy Ride
Common – Universal Mind Control
OST – Bolt
OST – Grease 30th Anniversary
P-Money – Everything (CD single)
Take That – The Circus (CD/DVD)
Various – Godskitchen
Various – Pepsi More Music : Volume 12

December 13
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah : Part II
Bow Wow – New Jack City : Part II
Fall Out Boy – Folie A Deux
Soulja Boy – Tell ‘Em

January 2009
Keyshia Cole – A Different Me
Various – Clubbers Guide To 2009
The Bird And The Bee – Ray Guns Are Not Just For The Future
Chris Cornell – Scream

February 2009
India Arie – Testimony : Vol 2 Love And Politics

NB - all release dates subject to change & list is updated weekly

HUMAN NATURE : A Symphony Of Hits

Australia's premier 'manband' returns on November 08 with their brand new album 'A Symphony Of Hits'. Accompanied (strangely) by the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the boys delve into their back catalogue, giving previous hits like 'Wishes', 'Cruel' and 'Don't Say Goodbye' a unique makeover. 'When You Say You Love Me' gets a makeover and guest vocal by the one and only Darren Hayes and there are symphonic renditions of some of their 'Motown' covers 'Reach Out (I'll Be There)' and 'The Tracks Of My Tears'. We're completely taken by the amazing cover art and the team at SonyBMG has given us this all-too-lovely media player (below) so you can preview some of the tracks right here on auspOp.
The album is in-stores on November 08.

HILARY DUFF : Reach Out

Earlier this week, we revealed that the Australian version of Hilary Duff's forthcoming 'best of' compile will include two bonus tracks not available on the US version. Now comes the (very grown-up) video for one of the two new tracks on the album 'Reach Out'. Another track to sample the Depeche Mode classic 'Personal Jesus' (Jamelia used it to great effect on 'Beware Of The Dog'), the video shows a side of Hilary we don't think we've seen before. The great thing about Hilary is that with this clip, she appears to be hell-bent on closing the door on her virgin-pOp days of yesteryear, and in doing so, she's growing up with her audience instead of staying foolishly stagnant. It's sassy, it's stylish and it'll more certainly hit the mark with the fans.

DIDO : Safe Trip Home Films

With British singer Dido releasing her new album 'Safe Trip Home' in just two and a half weeks time, she's revealed a rather beautiful surprise online - a trip around the world in video. A series of eleven short films are being produced to complement the eleven tracks on the new album - and each of the films deal with the concept of 'home'. The pieces have been created in various countries - England, Portugal, France, Brazil, New Zealand, Scotland, India, Thailand and the US. Dido fans can now get a glimpse of the films online. SAFE TRIP HOME.

IAN CAREY PROJECT : Get Shaky

With the CD single for 'Get Shaky' already in the stores (it went in over the weekend), and the track finding favour on the Nova radio network throughout the country, we thought we'd give you a little look-see at the video for the Ian Carey Project's latest release. The kids are in class being easily distracted (the dangers of skipping breakfast, we assume), when the bell rings for them to go home (the quickest school day we ever did see - just 30 seconds between the start and end of class). They all head out to the basketball court for a bit of a dance and er... well it seems to end there.

LADYHAWKE : My Delirium

So Pip's staying in this little old motel - the kind you remember staying in as kids - you know the ones that smell like Glen 20 and have waffle-weave curtains, brown bedspreads and cheaply-made wooden cupboards? Anyway, there she is, trapped in this little brown box paying no more than $70 a night when all of a sudden, the pictures on the walls start coming to life. It's a cartoon version of Ladyhawke, driving her convertible through the desert (Mariah Carey's probably on the same road somewhere, blowing her convertible up), when the car drives straight off the cliff. Though it looks relatively simple, the video obviously took months to put together under the guiding hand of illustrator Sarah Larnach. She should be taking a very well deserved bow.

MELBURNIANS AND SYDNEY-SIDERS TICKLED PINK!

Tickets for Pink's 2009 tour haven't gone on sale yet (they do so nationally on Friday), but already, the anticipated demand for tickets has forced concert organisers to add two more concerts to the schedule. Pink will now play a third Sydney show on Thursday June 09 and a third Melbourne show on Thursday June 18. The new schedule now looks like this;

May 22 : Perth (Burswood Dome)
May 26 : Adelaide (Entertainment Centre)
May 27 : Adelaide (Entertainment Centre)
May 30 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
May 31 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
June 03 : Newcastle (Entertainment Centre)
June 06 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre)
June 07 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre)
June 09 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre)
June 12 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)
June 13 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)
June 18 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)

KYLIE MINOGUE : X (TOUR EDITION) PACKSHOT AND TRACKLIST REVEALED

Warner Music has JUST released details for the upcoming Australian-exclusive tour edition of Kylie's album 'X'. The cover art borrows from the UK 'In My Arms' packshots, but the exciting thing for Kylie fans is that the release will be two discs, with the bonus disc containing full-length remixes previously unavailable on CD. We can now (officially) reveal the tracklist for disc two;

1. 2 Hearts (Harris & Masterson Extended Mix)
2. 2 Hearts (Alan Braxe Remix)
3. The One (Freemasons Vocal Club Mix)
4. Wow (David Guetta Remix)
5. Wow (CSS Remix)
6. In My Arms (Chris Lake Vocal Mix)
7. In My Arms (Steve Pitron and Max Sanna Remix)
8. In My Arms (Sebastien Leger Remix)
9. In My Arms (Spitzer Remix)
10. All I See Featuring Mims (Remix)

Kylie's 'X - Tour Edition' will be available exclusively in Australia on November 29.
Overseas readers interested in getting their hands on a copy can go HERE.

IT'S A KILLER COVER

We're actually really liking what The Killers are doing with the artwork surrounding their forthcoming release 'Day & Age' - and this is the single cover to 'Human' - though there's no word anywhere of a physical single release for it from what we can tell, apart from a picture disc vinyl in the US. We don't understand why it is, 'cause it's such a great track - and would lend itself perfectly to remixes galore.

ALPHABEAT : What Is Happening

Danish six piece Alphabeat just keep releasing singles off their debut 'This Is Alphabeat' - 'What Is Happening' is their fourth in the UK. The band takes the pace down a little more on this new single, with the video featuring heaps of Alphabeat's friends (or members of the Copenhagen extras agency) forming the lyrics of the song. We especially like what happens when the word 'tonight' comes up - aww pretty! The thing we like about Alphabeat is that they always look like they're having such a rollicking good time with it. And that's what all good pOp SHOULD be.

TOURING : Leonard Cohen

For the first time in 24 years, legendary Canadian wordsmith Leonard Cohen will tour Australia in early 2009. Frontier Touring has today announced the eight-date tour, taking in five 'A Day On The Green' events and three concerts, one each in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Promoter Michael Gudinski, who saw Leonard perform last month, said that it was an almost religious experience. “It’s one of the few concerts that I’ve seen that has kept me in one spot from start to finish – not wanting to miss a moment of what ended up being more than three hours of musical genius", he said. Joining Leonard on the tour will be Australia's own poet/musician, Mister Paul Kelly. Tickets for all events go on sale on Monday November 10.

January 24 : Yarra Valley (Rochford Wines)
January 26 : Adelaide (Leconfield Wines)
January 28 : Sydney (Entertainment Centre)
January 31 : Hunter Valley (Bimbadgen Estate)
February 01 : Bowral (Centennial Vineyards)
February 03 : Brisbane (Entertainment Centre)
February 05 : Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena)
February 07 : Perth (Sandalford Wines)

CHRISTINA AGUILERA : Keeps Gettin' Better

The divas are all breaking out their videos prior to Christmas - and Christina Aguilera is adding to the list, with the premiere of the clip to 'Keeps Gettin' Better'. She's in the studio, pushing random buttons (she must know her way around a studio, 'cause nothing is labelled...), looking at different black and white images of herself up on the big screen. But which does she choose? (It's like Play School - except she's not choosing windows). She chooses '60s mod-Xtina to kick things off, following her with 'generation flower-power' Aguilera, hot-rod drivin' Aggie and Chrissie Catwoman. It's essentially six Girls Aloud clip rolled into three pretty spectacular minutes of video, accompanied by a pretty bouncy electro-pOp track and we likey.

MARIAH CAREY : I Stay In Love

Can you believe it? Mariah Carey is still releasing singles from her latest album 'E=MC2' - and here's the video for the latest 'I Stay In Love', which had it's premiere in the United States yesterday afternoon Australian time. It's all very black and white, when Mariah steps out of her lovely old convertible. Then it explodes. No matter, she's straight back to Vegas to continue her career as a feather-clad showgirl. As the clip progresses, it's clear that Mimi's had a fling with a guy in the audience, whose eyes have now turned to one of Mariah's co-stars, poor poppet. She's not happy, so she takes a deep breath and drives out into the desert in her lovely old convertible. She steps out of the car in her 'M' emblazoned boots and well, you can guess what happens from there...

WHAT'S IN SAM'S POCKET?

We have two reasons for putting this post up about Sam Sparro; First and foremost is our little preview of the cover art for Sam Sparro's new single 'Pocket'. It's all very red, white and blue, all combined with some super-sized white-rim glasses. And secondly, we know it's more than a week ago and all, but we still can't get over just how ROBBED Sam was at this year's ARIA Awards. Single of the year - should've been his. Best Newcomer : album - should've been his. Okay, we're just having a little whinge, but we hold Sir Sparro in the highest of pOp regards...

YOU AM I : Beau Geste

We don't know quite what to make of this very well thought through piece of cinema by Aussie rockers You Am I. Part CGI, part real-action, the opening titles set the scene and let watchers catch up with what we've missed from the previous clip. It then sets the scene - Morocco. It seems that Tim is trying to get away from the "Legion" by jumping from a castle, then walking for an eternity before stumbling into a bar, exhausted. There, he bumps into his bandmates and after being unable to pay for a drink, is invited to strike up a tune. It's bizarre!

UPDATE : We've been told by EMI that the first part of this video won't be released for a few weeks, the jolly trickers.

GABRIELLA CILMI'S CD SINGLE

While we're praising Aussie record companies for giving fans a little more than just two tracks on a CD single, thumbs up to the team at Warner Music Australia too for readying a four track CD single (complete with remixes) for the domestic version of Gabriella Cilmi's forthcoming single 'Save The Lies'. It's got a different cover image to that used for the UK single and a completely different tracklisting (the UK got live songs and a cover of 'Fly Me To The Moon').

1. Save The Lies (Radio Edit)
2. Save The Lies (Out Of Office Club Mix)
3. Save The Lies (Out Of Office Dub Mix)
4. Save The Lies (Kinky Roland Remix)

BRITNEY'S WOMANIZER (DISC TWO)

It's all happening in the Britney world at the moment - what with CD1 of 'Womanizer' making it's surprise debut in the shops over the weekend (with the radio edit and instrumental), and the album (in standard and deluxe versions) hitting the stores at the end of November. But a lot's been said about what the second CD single might contain. auspOp can now reveal the tracklisting for CD2 of 'Womanizer', out on November 15.

1. Womanizer
2. Womanizer (Instrumental)
3. Womanizer (Junior Vasquez Remix)
4. Womanizer (Kaskade Remix)
5. Womanizer (Enhanced Video)

Bloody exciting - and we know this will do extremely well on export - someone in SonyBMG's Aussie head office is thinking smart!! We'll give them a gold star.

BIG (GREEN) DAY OUT

Organisers of the 2009 Big Day Out are giving party-goers the chance to do their bit for the environment by off-setting their carbon emissions while at the festivals. For a tiny $1.34 on top of the price of entry, punters can do their bit for the environment by purchasing a carbon credit. Almost 7000 trees were planted following the 2007 event and more than 9000 were planted last year. This year, organisers are hoping to easily top the 10,000 mark, with more than 20% of party-goers so far opting to offset their partying footprint for the day. Tickets are still available for the Adelaide and Perth events, and online tickets for Melbourne have sold out while tickets for the Sydney and Gold Coast events are still available, but only by ballot. For more information, hit the BIG DAY OUT WEBSITE.

TAKE THAT : Greatest Day

After teasing and tantalising their fans with stills (like the one to the left), then a two minute sneak peek online, Take That have finally released the full video to their forthcoming single 'Greatest Day', due out in Australia digitally on November 22. There's really not too much to tell about it - the boys are all stuck on top of an office building in downtown Los Angeles as the sun sets, when funny little lights start to fly in from the Angeles State Forest (okay, we googled that). The boys then dissolve into light themselves. As you do. Album 'The Circus' is out on November 29, with a CD/DVD edition out the following weekend.

WILL AND GRACE

How on top of television scheduling around the world must Will Young be to know that 'Will And Grace' is back on Australian televisions this week and how lovely of Will to release 'Grace' as the second single from his album 'Let It Go' in the erm... hope... of promoting the show... on the other side of the world...? OF COURSE. We hope this packshot (left) doesn't confuse people when they're heading into British shops, 'cause after December 01, the second single hits retail in the UK. It's a devilishly similar cover shot to the album, however, so we assume Will's wanting to see how awake the punters are when they wander into their favourite record store to find the ever-shrinking CD singles section.

SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM : When We Were Young

We afforded you an auspOp exclusive Sneaky peek at this video a couple of weeks back and now finally, it's arrived in all it's fluffy, feathery finery. The second single from Sneaky Sound System's sneakily titled album '2' hits the stores on November 08, and to whet your appetite a little more, the Aussie trio has brought you this startlingly glamorous three minutes and 44 seconds of fun. There's no Connie, Black Angus or MC Double D to be found here, just a heck of a load of CGI effects that stylistically fall somewhere between Kylie's latest clip 'The One' and 'Very'-era Pet Shop Boys. Very international.

GIRLS ALOUD NAB UK NO.1

British all girl group and auspOp favourite Girls Aloud have splashed their way into the UK No.1 position this week with their new single 'The Promise'. It's the fourth time the girls have occupied the top spot in their home country and continues their extraordinary run of chart successes, with all 19 singles they've released hitting the top ten. Their new album 'Out Of Control' hits stores in the UK on Monday next week, but there's no word on Australian releases for single or album at this stage.

HILARY'S AUSSIE TRACKLIST

Here at auspOp, we've uncovered what we believe to be the tracklisting for the Australian version of Hilary Duff's forthcoming best-of. We've been talking about this greatest hits compile since early August and the release date has subsequently been pushed back on two occasions, but it's now set down for a November 15 release. The Aussie version appears to have two tracks not found on the 12 track US version - the Aussie top 30 single 'Little Voice' and the Go-Gos cover with sister Hayley, 'Our Lips Are Sealed'.

1. Reach Out
2. Holiday
3. Stranger
4. With Love
5. Play With Fire
6. Wake Up
7. Fly
8. Come Clean (Remix)
9. So Yesterday
10. Why Not
11. Reach Out (Remix)
12. Holiday (Remix)
13. Little Voice
14. Our Lips Are Sealed (With Hayley Duff)

SNOW PATROL GOLD

Things are looking up for British indie darlings Snow Patrol on the eve of their Australian promotional tour commencing on November 16. The band will have today been informed that their fifth studio album 'A Hundred Million Suns' has been certified 'gold' in Australia after shipping more than 35,000 copies to stores around the country. What's even more impressive about this achievement is that the album was certified 'gold' one day before it went on sale. The first single from the album 'Take Back The City' is available locally on four track CD single.

TOURING : N.E.R.D

Pharrell Williams has been the creator of some truly extra-ordinary pOp music over the past few years, and now he and a couple of friends - you may have heard of them - are coming to Australia for N.E.R.D's very first major concert tour. That said, the tour is only taking in Melbourne and Sydney. After a concert in Auckland in late February, the band will head to Australia's shores in March. Tickets for the Sydney show go on sale on Monday November 10, while the Melbourne show goes on sale on Friday November 14. The band's latest album 'Seeing Sounds' is out now.

March 04 : Sydney (Hordern Pavillion)
March 05 : Melbourne (Hisense Arena)

COLDPLAY : Prospekt's March EP

November will be another big month for fans of UK group Coldplay as EMI Australia gets set to release a deluxe edition of the band's latest album 'Viva La Vida'. The new version will feature the original album, plus Coldplay's highly anticipated eight track Prospekt's March EP.
Fans who already have the album won't be disappointed, however, with EMI confirming they'll also release the EP as a stand-alone product in both CD and vinyl variants.
Both the EP and the repackaged album will hit the stores on November 22.

1. Life In Technicolour II
2. Postcards From Far Away
3. Glass Of Water
4. Rainy Day
5. Prospekt's March/Poppyfields
6. Lost + (Jay Z remix)
7. Lovers In Japan (Osaka Sun remix)
8. Now My Feet Won't Touch The Ground

SUGABABES ARE BACK

After appearing on the local release schedule, then dis-appearing again, Universal Music has today announced that indeed, the Sugababes new album 'Catfights And Spotlights' will be released in Australia after all - and perhaps sooner than we thought. With lead single 'Girls' at local radio today (and available digitally from November 08), the sixth album from the British threesome will be released in Australia on November 15.

ZIA : City Of Love

Feisty Queensland performer Zia's track 'City Of Love' has been getting a lot of attention of late - especially in her home state. Zia explains on her OFFICIAL MYSPACE PAGE that she wrote the song about the sunshine state's capital Brisbane. "(It's about) the madness of the city, the interesting faces, places and strange behaviours, love, and the bridge that tells 1000 stories." As such, the raw video features a number of images of Australia's third largest city.

CHART WATCH

SINGLES:As expected, last week's ARIA Awards have had an impact on the official ARIA charts this week - on all of the official charts. The Presets' ARIA nominated track 'My People' rockets up to a peak of No.14, The Living End's performance of 'White Noise' helps it return to the top 20 (it's in at No.16) and Gabriella Cilmi's awards sweep allows her hit single 'Sweet About Me' to return to No.17. Sam Sparro's 'Black And Gold' rises to No.19, The Preset's new single 'Talk Like That' hits position No.24, and further down the chart, there are more re-emergences for Gabriella Cilmi and The Presets, as well as the Potbelleez. BUT, not even last week's awards performance by Pink can help her regain the number one position this week, held off the top spot once again by Kings Of Leon's seemingly unstoppable 'Sex On Fire'. Further down the top ten placings, ex-Young Diva Jessica Mauboy will be over the moon with a further two place rise, this week up to No.3, while Katy Perry also moves up two with 'Hot 'N' Cold'. British act The Ting Tings have cracked the top ten with their second single 'That's Not My Name' moving into the No.8 position. With downloads counting for more and more of the singles chart these days, former Destiny's Child frontwoman Beyonce has launched herself into the No.12 position with 'If I Were A Boy' on downloads alone (shame though that the now-available-in-the-US track 'Single Ladies' hasn't made it to digital stores yet...). And another former frontwoman debuts in the charts this week - ex-Rogue Traders vocalist Natalie Bassingthwaighte comes in at No.39 with 'Alive'.
DIGITAL TRACKS: More ARIAs action here - with big rises for The Presets ('My People') up to No.14 and Gabriella Cilmi ('Sweet About Me') up to No.19. Debuts here for Beyonce (No.10) and Natalie Bassingthwaighte (No.38).
PHYSICAL SINGLES:Jessica Mauboy is now just one position away from holding the top spot on what was once the official ARIA singles chart, being kept off by Pink. Vanessa Amorosi's beautiful 'The Simple Things (Something Emotional)' moves up to No.8 and Dizzee Rascal moves into the top ten for the first time at No.9. Fans of teen band Short Stack have been hitting the stores this week in droves, snapping up enough copies of the band's physical single that it bullets to No.12. Fall Out Boy's 'I Don't Care' debuts at No.16 and Empire Of The Sun debuts at No.21 with great value single 'Walking On A Dream'. But again, movement for the ARIA hopefuls; Sam Sparro rising to No.25 ('21st Century Life') and No.35 ('Black And Gold'), The Living End hitting No.32 and Gabriella Cilmi ('Don't Wanna Go To Bed Now') finding her way to No.36.
ALBUMS: With a spectacular three times platinum rating (for sales of more than 210,000 copies), rockers AC/DC have slammed their way into the number one position on the albums chart this week. It's a sensational result and there'll no doubt be smiles all 'round at SonyBMG. But it's not just the No.1 spot the record company will be celebrating this week, with Kate Miller-Heidke's new album 'Curiouser' also coming in within the top ten (it lands at No.8). Kaiser Chiefs are in at No.12 with their latest 'Off With Their Heads' and 'Escape The Fate' are in at No. 33. But it's last weekend's ARIA Awards that have had the biggest impact on the Aussie albums chart this week. The award's performers fared best - Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu rises 24 places to No.3, The Presets are up 15 places to No.5 and Gabriella Cilmi bullets into the No.7 position (a jump of 28 places). There are also jumps for The Living End (No.47 up to No.19) and Sam Sparro whose self-titled debut re-appears in the top 50 at No.34.

MICHAEL JACKSON : Black Or White

Love him or loathe him, Michael Jackson created the kind of music videos they just don't make anymore. There were, like his record company, epic. The lead single from Michael's 1991 album 'Dangerous', 'Black And White' continued in the fine tradition of being 'event' music videos. The launch of every Michael Jackson clip was met with great excitement, and constant anticipation and the clip for 'Black And White' most certainly didn't disappoint. And while the first section of the clip used a guest appearance by child star Macaulay Culkin, groundbreaking technology, spectacular visual effects and tightly choreographed dancer routines to capture the audience's attention, it was the latter part of the video which caused the biggest stir. It features a panther morphing into Michael, who then proceeds to grab his crotch throughout the next four minutes, smashing windows emblazoned with Ku Klux Klan and nazi symbolism and repeatedly screaming. It's an epic, it was way ahead of it's time - and it seems Michael's still the only one who's capable of putting together a music video that's as grand and as lavish as this...

THE auspOp DIARY

WEEK COMMENCING OCTOBER 27, 2008

Oct 27 : MELBOURNE – Lenka (The Toff In Town)
Oct 27 : TIX ON SALE - Kylie Minogue (Sydney)
Oct 28 : CAIRNS - Dukes Of Windsor (Brothers Leagues Club)
Oct 28 : CANBERRA - Guy Sebastian (Canberra Theatre)
Oct 28 : MELBOURNE - Xavier Rudd (The Hifi)
Oct 28 : TIX ON SALE - Chill Island (Phillip Island)
Oct 28 : TIX ON SALE – The Veronicas (Nationally)
Oct 29 : BRISBANE - Lisa Mitchell (The Troubadour)
Oct 29 : BRISBANE - Snoop Dogg (Entertainment Centre)
Oct 29 : MELBOURNE - Andy Bull (The Toff In Town)
Oct 29 : MELBOURNE - Xavier Rudd (The Hifi)
Oct 29 : SYDNEY – Lenka (Oxford Arts Factory)
Oct 29 : TIX ON SALE – Franz Ferdinand (Syd, Mel)
Oct 30 : BALLARAT - Andy Bull (Karova Lounge)
Oct 30 : BRISBANE - Cassette Kids (Alhambra)
Oct 30 : BRISBANE - Shannon Noll (The Tivoli)
Oct 30 : BUNDABERG - Dukes Of Windsor (Sugarland Tavern)
Oct 30 : CURRUMBIN - Lisa Mitchell (Sound Lounge)
Oct 30 : MARGARET RIVER - Bliss 'N' Eso (Settler's Tavern)
Oct 30 : MELBOURNE - Xavier Rudd (The Hifi)
Oct 30 : SYDNEY - Augie March (Metro Theatre)
Oct 30 : SYDNEY - Tim Finn (Will & Toby's)
Oct 31 : ADELAIDE - Andy Bull (Jive Bar)
Oct 31 : AIRLIE BEACH - Potbelleez (Shore Club)
Oct 31 : BRISBANE - Rihanna & Chris Brown (Entertainment Centre)
Oct 31 : CANBERRA - Tzu (Stone Fest)
Oct 31 : COOLUM - Lisa Mitchell (Sol Bar)
Oct 31 : GOLD COAST - Cassette Kids (Elsewhere)
Oct 31 : GOLD COAST - Shannon Noll (Seagulls Club)
Oct 31 : MANDURAH - Bliss 'N' Eso (Players Bar)
Oct 31 : MAROOCHYDORE - Dukes Of Windsor (The Sands Tavern)
Oct 31 : MELBOURNE - Xavier Rudd (The Hifi)
Oct 31 : MELBOURNE - Salt ‘N’ Pepa (QBH) CANCELLED
Oct 31 : MELBOURNE - September (Crown Casino)
Oct 31 : SYDNEY - Grafton Primary (Candy’s Apartment)
Oct 31 : SYDNEY - Snoop Dogg (Acer Arena)
Oct 31 : TIX ON SALE - Pink (Nationally)
Nov 01 : ADELAIDE - September (Earth Nightclub)
Nov 01 : BRISBANE - Shannon Noll (Alexandra Hills Hotel)
Nov 01 : BRISBANE - Rihanna & Chris Brown (Entertainment Centre)
Nov 01 : BRISBANE - Tzu (The Tivoli)
Nov 01 : BYRON BAY - Lisa Mitchell (Railway Friendly Bar)
Nov 01 : CHELSEA - Vanessa Amorosi (Chelsea Heights Hotel)
Nov 01 : GOLD COAST - Dukes Of Windsor (Coolangatta Hotel)
Nov 01 : MACKAY - Potbelleez (Andergrove Tavern)
Nov 01 : MELBOURNE - Xavier Rudd (The Hifi)
Nov 01 : PERTH - Bliss 'N' Eso (Capitol)
Nov 01 : SYDNEY - Grafton Primary (Mona Vale Hotel)
Nov 02 : GOLD COAST - September (Bedroom)
Nov 02 : MELBOURNE - Snoop Dogg (Rod Laver Arena)
Nov 02 : NEWCASTLE - Fat As Butter Festival
Nov 02 : ST.KILDA - Dukes Of Windsor (The Esplanade Hotel)

NEW CHRISTINA IMAGES

THE SUN newspaper in the UK has lifted the lid on some of the images from the sleeves of Christina Aguilera's forthcoming greatest hits package 'Keeps Gettin' Better : A Decade Of Hits'. A series of seven images from the photoshoots have been uploaded to The Sun's official site and feature the singer in a variety of poses and outfits (the black and white turtle neck being a standout). Christina's greatest hits is out locally on November 08.

ENYA : Trains And Winter Rains

It's hard to believe that it's 20 years since Enya's second album 'Watermark' was selling by the bucketload the world over, spawning the hit single 'Orinoco Flow'. 68 million album sales later, the Irish composer will release her eighth studio album 'And Winter Came' in Australia on November 08. The highlight track from it 'Trains And Winter Rains' stays completely true to Enya's trademark sound, with it's stabbing synths and majestic percussion. But just as winter comes to the northern hemisphere, Australia is basking in bright summer sunshine. Nevertheless, Enya looks and sounds as youthful as she did when she first hit our screens 20 years ago.