(this should be more) POPular

You know that thing when you hear a song and you can't believe it hasn't been a massive hit? Yeah, that...

The tale of this song is a complicated one, step forward Jennifer Davies.

I first stumbled across Ms Davies in 2009 when she was the lead singer in a band called Soft Toy Emergency. They were signed to AATW and produced a few pretty good hyperspeed electropop/dance tracks including 'Critical' - see below.

The group split up soon after that and Jennifer went solo. Now going by the name Vela she had another crack at breaking through and produced some darker, more dance-oriented material including the rather wonderful 'Painkiller' (apologies for the random video it's the only one that's on the YouTubes).

Despite some exposure on Radio 1, courtesy of Welsh airwave botherer Huw Stephens, and being hotly tipped by Popjustice she still couldn't manage to get much mainstream attention.

This brings us to the present and the song in question. Re-branded again under the imaginative name of Jennifer Davies she's back for another round and sounding better than ever. Towards the end of last year Jennifer released a free EP, 'Lapse of Time', through iTunes and to download for free through her website.

Sounding fresh and vital Jenn has produced an excellent little EP that combines driving electronica with crunching guitars and interesting lyrics.

"You're the kind of advocation,

Playing on the devil's side,

You can state your good intentions,

While I find a place to hide."

(Disconnected)

For me the highlight of the RP is the title track, it builds on a pulsing looped keyboard sample and tinkling piano top line. Jenn's slightly husky vocal compliments the feather-light production and the drums kick in and drive us towards a dreamy pre-chorus breakdown. The chorus arrives in an explosion of bratty shouting and chugging guitars that boost the already uplifting sound.

It's hard to say whether this will bring her the mainstream success I think she deserves, but I feel that this is the closest we've got to seeing, and more importantly hearing, the real Jennifer Davies. You can really hear the sense of passion and joy pumped into each of the tracks on the EP, and more importantly it's bloody good pop music. It's well worth checking out her YouTube channel for the videos for this and the other tracks plus some behind the scenes gubbins, and download the EP though her website.

As a little bonus I've also attached the video for a mash-up of Madonna's 'Ray of Light' and her own 'Lapse of Time' which is really rather good!

Follow Jennifer Davies on social media

twitter - @JenniferDavies

facebook - Jennifer Davies

Instagram - jenniferdavies

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Welcome to summer!

British summertime, nuff said...

Track of the Week

It's only the bloody track of the week!

For the first 'Track of the Week' we're taking a trip to Sweden, home of perfect pop music, uncommonly attractive people and winter-time alcoholism.

The singer of said song is Amanda Fondell, I know what a name. She found fame as the winner of the 8th series of (Swedish) Idol where she lent her unique pipes to such pop atom bombs as 'Womanizer' by Dame Britney of Spears and Outkast's 'Hey Ya' (if you're not singing "Shake it, shake it, shake it like a Polaroid picture" in your head right now you're dead to me).

Her look and voice are not your average Idol contestant (if anyone mentions Diana 'Dr Claw' Vickers I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you), and neither were her song choices. In the final she was pitted against shiny boy next door Robin Stjernberg (who went on to represent Sweden in Eurovision on home turf in 2013) and her two covers were Blur's 'Song 2' and 'Made Of' by Swedish electro house act Nause (the video to which you will find cunningly hidden in this article) - beat that Leona Lewis!

Following her win she released the conveyor belt talent show winner's single and album 'All This Way', which sound exactly as you would expect. The album contained such hidden gems as 'True Colours' and '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction', I'm genuinely shocked these songs don't get covered more often - I love the smell of sarcasm in the morning.

2012 was the year that things started to change, she released the song that is our first 'Track of the Week', the lovingly titled 'Bastard'. 

Built around lovely shuffling drum beats, a glacial and suitably Scandinavian synth and a catchy-as-hell vocal line in some 'oohs', it gets extra pop points for the amazing opening to the chorus:

"Everybody tells me you're a (bastard),

Your mama even told me you're a (bastard)."

With this she started to move away from being just another talent show winner towards what she was always capable of being, a pop behemoth.

Ladies and gents I give you the first 'Track of the Week' Amanda Fondell's 'Bastard, assume the brace position.

I know, imagine if Joe McElderry had been given something like this - no words.

Follow Amanda on social media:

twitter - @lafondell

facebook - Amanda Fondell

Instagram - amandafondelll

What is 'Pop Is Not The Enemy'?

Holla! Welcome to 'Pop Is Not The Enemy' a new music blog that aims to hammer home the point that pop is not a dirty word. And by this I mean pop in all it's wonderful, and sometimes not so wonderful, forms.

There will be a variety of, hopefully, interesting stuff going on so make sure you bookmark the page to keep up to date with the musical blatherings! There will be news, reviews, journeys through back catalogs and other assorted twaddle.

Keep it tuned and remember, pop is not the enemy.