BRITAIN: Alison Goldfrapp & John Grant Cover Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood

Synthpop artist Alison Goldfrapp and gay singer/songwriter John Grant (Pale Green Ghosts) teamed up at Royal Albert Hall last night to perform a cover of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's strange and dark 1968 classic, Some Velvet Morning, which in 2003 was ranked by the Telegraph as the best duet in British pop chart history. Hazlewood's line "some velvet morning when I'm straight, I'm gonna open up your gate," might take on a less drug-drenched meaning when sung by Grant.


(Tipped by JMG reader Peg)

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the Karpel Group, today's Swag Tuesday prize is the album from Goldfrapp, Tales Of Us, which is on sale today online and at physical retailers.

Enter to win Tales of Us from Goldfrapp! Tales of Us - the stunningly beautiful sixth studio album from the iconic English duo, Goldfrapp. A sumptuous body of work, Tales Of Us has been two years in the crafting and is Goldfrapp’s most narrative, cinematic and intimate recording so far. Nothing in their accomplished back catalogue has hinted at the new lyrical breadth that the band have introduced to Tales Of Us. All the songs bar one are named in the first person with a cast list of evocative character sketches, the contrary love affairs, the suspense, hallucinations, fairy tales and modern folklores documented and the traces of redemption they find in song take the poetry of Goldfrapp’s delicately considered music somewhere brand new.

We have three copies of Tales Of Us to give away. Enter by commenting on this post and please remember to leave an email address in the text of your comment. Entries close at midnight on Thursday, west coast time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

Goldfrapp - Drew

(Tipped by JMG reader Bill)

Goldfrapp - Yellow Halo

Reminds me of Saint Etienne.

Open Thread Thursday

What were your favorite pop singles for 2010? I think it was actually a pretty good year for pop music as the charts returned to being dominated by catchy pop/dance numbers, the scourge of auto-tune notwithstanding.

My top ten:

1. Tightrope - Janelle Monae
2. I Feel Better - Hot Chip
3. Credit Card Babies (Stereogamous Remix) - Men
4. Wonderful Life (Freemasons Remix) - Hurts
5. Amazing Grace - Boy George feat. Ana Lains
6. Rolling In The Deep - Adele
7. Rocket - Goldfrapp
8. Any Which Way - Scissor Sisters
9. All The Lovers - Kylie Minogue
10. Je Ne Sais Quoi - Hera Björk

Dr. Jeff previewed this list and screamed at me for not including any Robyn, but I couldn't even name one of her records. Minus gay points for that, I was told. And I'm sure I'll facepalm later today for forgetting something else that I found major at some point during the year. Anyway, now you.

Billboard Issues 2010 Year-End Charts

Billboard Magazine has issued its annual rankings of the biggest hits of the year. Here's the 2010 pop Top Ten.

1. Tik-Tok - Kesha
2. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
3. Hey Soul Sister - Train
4. California Gurls - Katy Perry
5. OMG - Usher
6. Airplanes - B.O.B.
7. Love The Way You Lie - Eminem/Rihanna
8. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
9. Dynamite - Taio Cruz
10. Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz

Other list toppers: Artist Of The Year: Lady Gaga. Album Of The Year - Susan Boyle, I Dreamed A Dream, Dance Single Of The Year - Goldfrapp, Rocket.

Goldfrapp - Alive

(Tipped by JMG reader Seattle Mike)

Goldfrapp - Rocket

New single from Goldfrapp to be released on March 8th.