Nostalgia is a powerful force, and when I first listened to M83's 2008 song 'Kim + Jessie' I immediately fell under its spell. It captured and condensed a nostalgic 80s aesthetic that seemed almost more authentic than music from the actual 80s might (In the way I guess only hindsight allows). When their 2011 album ' Hurry Up, We're Dreaming ' came out, I was again entranced by that poignantly nostalgic 80s feel, while simultaneously inspired by their trilogy of video clips they produced with it, rife with a lost 80s dark imagination. Clearly inspired the breakthrough anime 'Akira' (1988), one of my favourite films, the videos and music remain some of my all time favourites, and I never fail to be instantly transported to a lost, sad, yet fantastical world whenever I hear those opening synths of Midnight City .

Oh Google, could you do me a little favour please? I know you have a lot on your plate, what with Google Plus and whatever company your probably planning on buying next, but I really think it would be worth your while. You see, I’m a fan of Android, I like that adults are allowed to use it, as opposed to the mollycoddling iOS, but there is an area it falls short on, and that’s music. You’ve been making all the right gestures, but unusually Google, you just don’t seem to be thinking in the right direction. People have ranted before about how poor the standard Android music player is, and clearly you’ve listened. It really is quite pretty now (even if it does still occasionally just stop playing mid song), and functions pretty smoothly and intuitively. The big problem is, which you don’t seem to have noticed, is that I don’t want to just listen to music on my phone, I want to listen to it on my pc too – and that’s where Apple resoundingly trumps you. It might be a lot easier to create ...

In contrast to my somewhat long-winded Hard Candy rant, let me keep this short. Cyndi Lauper kicks Madonna's hard candy ass. 'High and Mighty' is an awesome track, produced by Amsterdam's Scumfrog, who has remixed Kelis, Bowie and Kylie among others. Below (audio only) are two of my favourite tracks, 'Echo' and the Basement Jaxx produced 'Rocking Chair'. Cyndi has apparently done vocals on one of the track's on their new album too, which excites me no end. (Still wish they would work with Annie Lennox, but Cyndi is almost as good!) 'Same Ol' Story' is brilliant too, unlike the big M, who droppd the f-word into 'I Love New York', Cyndi sings it with every chorus of 'It's the same old fucking story'. Also below is the first video from the album, 'Into the night life', by the same producer as 'Echo'. Have to go get my groove on now.

You've probably heard at least some of Madonna's newest album Hard Candy . Lucky you. That means you've turned on a TV or Radio at some point in the last couple of weeks. There are a few tracks on Hard Candy that aren't all that bad, but as a whole the album is determinedly average. '4 Minutes' has got to be one of the most irritating tracks on the album. The whole track sounds like it's just about to get started, but never actually does, even with the enjoyably ominous backing. If Madonna was a Sith Lord this would be her Imperial March. Wait, maybe she is a Sith Lord. She never seems to die, and you only see her wrinkles when she reveals her evil side. In one song he even claims to be able to recognise people better then the devil. Unfortunately no Sith Lord would ever be satisfied with lyrics as stupid as those in '4 minutes'. "If you want it, You already got it; If you thought it, It better be what you want; If you feel it, It must be real...

Try as I might, I can't help but fall into sync with the gay stereotypes of musical taste. Yes, I like Madonna and Kylie. I posted a mash-up of Dolly Parton. Now I must admit that I quite like Bette Midler too. It's her swing stuff that I just adore, like Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy . That's how I came across The Puppini Sisters, and by gosh, they are just faaaaaaabulous! fucking awesome! They do classic swing songs, their own songs and covers of pop songs in the swing style. Their version of Beyonce's Crazy In Love has to be just about the best song I've ever heard. My body twitters uncontrollably whenever I hear it. Though the quality of this YouTube version isn't the best and doesn't capture their amazing voices, you'll still get the idea. They also do delicious covers of Wuthering Heights , I Will Survive and Walk Like An Egyptian among others.