WHAT ARE THE PET SHOP BOYS DOING WITH THAT GIRL?

Hang about... it's not the Pet Shop Boys at all! It's PALEDAY!!

Paleday are good because they don't record political songs about the evil doings of Tony Blair and that American one with his eyes too close together, they sing about having a good time and cool party people and cruising.

We have never been on a cruise ourselves, but you know what, we might just book one online right bloody now! That's the kind of influence Paleday could have on your lives, dearest readers. Do check out their MySpace page and official website.

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

Siobhan Donaghy's back!

HOW TO RUIN A BEAUTIFUL DAY

We're having a wonderful afternoon tidying the office and listening to The Hits digital radio, when suddenly... what's this? A U2 song on our favourite station? Oh well, best get up and flick over to 1Xtra (oh dear!). But wait, Bono's usual death drone seems to be layered with a familiar female voice. Who could this be? A backing singer trying to make a name for herself? No, no it's definitely someone we recognise... and loathe. She's - she's doing gospel on an old U2 song... it's, IT'S MARY J BLIGE!! TURN IT OVER BLOODY TURN IT OVER NOW

MIMI TURNS 36: riiight

Still harvesting the attention gathered from her latest 'comeback album' like a crackhead on the lookout for cheap smack, Mariah was recently spotted out and about (jeans firmly tucked in boots) celebrating her 36th birthday. Now, call us cynical, but hasn't girlfriend been in her mid-30s for about two decades? She certainly looks like it. We miss the days of Charm Bracelet ("of what?" - exactly), when no one bought her music and she totally lost the plot.

JOURNEY SOUTH: are so beige

WILL YOUNG'S NEW VIDEO: "refreshing"

"It's so refreshing to see an artist not take themselves too seriously and coming up with really quite imaginative concepts for their pop promos, rather than the egocentric nonsense found in so many of today's videos. Ooh not so sure about the 60s hair though! But what do I know - I'm just a young housewife with two children hoping neither of them will turn out queer. Now where's that darn garlic press?"

Watch Who Am I here.

SPUNK SPINS: james and corinne can f off

This week, providing a controversial alternative to James Clunt and Corinne Bailey Bore!

1. Jentina - Mysterious

2. Fallout Boy - Dance Dance

3. Kate Bush - Sunset

4. Hot Chip - Over & Over

5. Telepopmuzik - Yesterday Was A Lie

ARE FALLOUT BOY THE NEW BUSTED?

Yankee bum-chums Fallout Boy emerged onto the 'nu rock' scene (or whatever the kids are calling that racket these days!) with a distinctly forgettable debut single called We're Not Quite Sure What. In a predictable market where the daring is ignored and the middle-of-the-road is consistently rewarded, the song stormed the American singles chart and sold millions.

"Yeah, and?" - we hear you ponder. Well it seems that the aformentioned safe and middle-of-the-road recipe for success employed to promote Fallout Boy was shaken to its very core when, two weeks ago, a string of hilarious naked self-portraits of (rather gay and well buff) guitarist Pete Wentz leaked onto the intranot for all to see. Becoming suddenly interesting, we decided to keep tabs on the band's next release. AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW!! IT'S A CORKER!!!

Dance Dance is everything that great pop should be, should you foolishly choose to drain it of all its fun by adding layer upon layer of 'hardcore' guitars. Which means it's good but kind of wrong, but really quite good. The video is a bit lame, favouring the overly exploited highschool Freaks & Geeks versus The Popular Kids-theme. It does however have some great 50s dancing and, as expected, a lot of Pete (with clothes on) smiling at the camera and kissing a girl. That's GIRL.

RIHANNA: pisses on beyonce

Fairly average popstar Rihanna has done more than deliver the goods by releasing S.O.S. (Rescue Me) as her next single. We've mentioned it before on SPUNK SPINS and figured enough radio airplay would ensure a satisfactory dose of this truly amazing pop song in our lives.

BUT IT HASN'T!!! Our iTunes play-count doesn't lie, and it screams that we have officially become obsessed. Every now and then we think to ourselves "if I had to become deaf from listening to one song so loudly my ears would bleed until they disintegrated, it would be this one". Well dearest readers, at this very moment in time, it's this one.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO: jentina

In what was possibly one of our favourite releases of 2004, Jentina's Bad Ass Strippa got us all excited at the prospect of a new pop act on the market that didn't entirely suck. With an LV dirt-bag-fabulous styling that would have Rachel Stevens squirm in her pleather boots, this london scally doll worked with the industry's best (Stephane Sednaoui on videos, Cathy Denis on lyrics) and saw more money being thrown at her in the first two months of her 'career' than Westlife's entire promotional budget. Two disapointing chart entries later (the second being AMAZING POP SONG French Kisses), and Jentina was officially off the radar, probably back in the same family trailer she escaped to become a table dancer-slash-rapper at age 16 (oh how we do love a well written biog!).

Somewhere in the world, her album Do Not Disturb is sitting quietly, raking up dust and yellowed memories of what pop ingenuity could have been. We'll give you a lung in exchange for a copy if you can find one.