In the media (for some really strange stuff)

Sophie Ellis Bextor regrets buying lots of the clothes in her wardrobe. The 'Murder on the Dancefloor' singer - who has two children Sonny, five, and four-month-old Kit with musician husband Richard Jones - cringes when she looks back at outfits she wore just weeks before. The 30-year-old star said: "I often look at things I wore a month ago and think, 'What was I thinking?' But you can't take it too seriously. Everything I wore when I was pregnant with Sonny was crazy. I had blonde hair, fluorescent red earmuffs, a purple tartan scarf and a baby blue coat. I just looked mad. I said to Richard, 'Why did you let me go out?' and he said, 'I thought it was funny!'"

Sophie is trying to stop buying clothes and accessories online because she is spending hundreds of pounds a month."Nowadays, I mainly buy online. I love Urban Outfitters and Net-a-Porter.com, but I think I need to start calming that down a bit. You go, ‘Wow, £400 for a dress!’ Then you get acclimatised and start thinking, ‘Hmm, £250, that’s not bad.’ But it’s still a lot of money."

Despite being in the public eye for nearly a decade, Sophie claims she’s only just started to develop her own personal style. She explained to Company magazine: "I’ve always loved fashion, but lately I’ve got more confident about pushing the boundaries and realised that style isn’t always about looking pretty, it can be edgy too. I wear vintage and high street. I still have things I bought 10 years ago."

Now that she is in her 30s, Ellis Bextor finds it much easier to look stylish and sophisticated. She explained to Company magazine: "I think 30 can be a really good time for women. You feel much more secure. It's more empowering, sexier. In your 30s, you're more of a woman than a girl, and people take you more seriously."

SOURCE:
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/sophie-bemoans-clothing-buys-416704.html

The singer recently admited that her school days weren’t really the most popular time of her life. It seems that during that time, Sophie Ellis Bextor actually had to deal with the existence of an “Anti Sophie Club”, as she relates: “Was I popular? No, complete opposite. There was an ‘Against Sophie’ club. It’s pretty cruel, but they were interested at first, ‘Oh your mum’s on TV,’ and then it was, ‘Hang on a minute, she’s the only one who’s got that so we can all gang up on her,’ and stuff like that. That was in my infant school so I think I was about five or six. I can’t say it was brilliant, but at the same time I probably was a bit of a show-off about it because I thought it was brilliantly glamorous.” Well, all kids are show-offs at some point or other of their lives… Sophie Ellis Bextor was no exception by the looks of it. Hopefully it hasn’t rubbed off on her adult life… too much.

SOURCE:
http://www.icelebz.com/gossips/sophie_ellis_bextor_recalls_unpopularity_in_school/

Sophie Ellis-Bextor thinks her features "floated around" her face until she was 18. The 'Murder on the Dancefloor' singer felt "weird-looking" throughout her childhood and adolescence, and only started to feel comfortable in her own skin when she'd left school. The 30-year-old star explained: "I think when I was about 13 or 14, I felt like this face with all these features just floating around on it, unsure of where to stop. It just wasn't a happy time. I looked weird." Her looks weren't the only thing Sophie had trouble dealing with in her teenage years - she was also socially awkward. She said: "Being a teenager is really hard work. I did have friends, and luckily a lot of my girlfriends now are the same ones I've known since I was 11 and so we've remained pretty close. But teenage years are just awkward. I remember girls around me being slimmer, prettier, and going out with boys. I didn't really feel like I'd found my own space until I was 17 or 18." When it comes to her own children Sonny, five, and Kit, four months, with husband Richard Jones, Sophie just wants them to feel loved. She added to Heat radio: "I just want to give my children a happy childhood really. Their future is not about being my child, is it? It's about doing whatever they want to do."

SOURCE:
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/sophie-ellisbextors-floating-face_1107585

SOPHIE Ellis Bextor spent ages getting ready - but she still forgot to wear a bra. There was some definite nipple action going on underneath this frilly see-through number. And she told us: "I took more than two hours to get ready and just when I thought I could slip out, I had to read a bedtime story to my little one." We hope she's talking about her son!

SOURCE:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/3am/2007/02/15/she-s-soph-forgetful-115875-18624190/

updating you (again) about the fourth album...

Everytime i think of the producers for this album i think "oh my god she's got the entire shebang in there"...
Kish Mauve (Supersexy and Whispers On The Street), Groove Armada, Richard X (I Still Believe In Magic), Calvin Harris (2 songs with him - Calling It Love and Off And On), Freemasons (Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer and another track), Richard Biff Stannard, Metronomy, Sneaker Pimps (Under Your Touch, Give Into Love, Dial My Number) , The Hoosiers, Dimitri Tikovoi, Christopher Rojas (Sophia Loren), Hannah Robinson

She's short of Bloodshy & Avant to make this X (Kylie's album) pt. 2. I do wish for the album to be as creative and bloody entertaining as X or any of her (Sophie) previous albums..

She's been co-writing with Cathy Dennis and Ina Wroldsen (Synchronised) who has also penned songs for Kat DeLuna, The Pussycat Dolls, Lindsay Lohan, Hayden Pannetiere and The Saturdays...

Some really random titles like Immune To Love and In The Name Of Lust had also surfaced, but there was no proof about them, so they were phased out as rumours. One of Sophie's friends said that there would be two songs on the album from the TTLF sessions - Still Mixed Up (not sure if this is a TTLF reject) and Music Took My Man (this definitely is a TTLF reject, i've seen this much before plans of the 4th album came up)

She's in the studio with Biff and Calvin now who are doing the finishing touches for the album. Hopefully it will be done soon, and in two months we should have the second single out.. can't wait!! All the best Sophie!! And hurray for Heartbreak, its doing well on the charts!! FANS KEEP YOUR SUPPORT GOING!!!

The GMTV Performance

Click on the link to watch the performance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKevG44R1HU

Not very fond of her hair though, its very Groovejet era, i like the big hair that she's been flaunting all these days, oh and the fringe, very very sexy. I'm so bored of this normal look that she has now..

Her previous performance of this song on the Lottery Show - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVBqPWFyC-c

YAY!! The backup dancers are still there... will she use them for her tour!?!?

GMTV & PopJustice! Interview with Sophie...

(GMTV in blue, PopJustice! in red, by the way, the PJ interview had an amazing picture of Sophie, thanks for the beautiful pic, i'm borrowing it lol)
GMTV Direct Link - http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=35618&articleaction=sendformemail#message
PopJustice! Ditect Link - http://popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3757&Itemid=9

Katie: How much harder is it having two babies than one?
It's a lot more tiring and I think the whole thing of going from nought babies to one and you think 'oh what did I do with that spare time I had before I had children?' and when you have two you think 'what did I do with that spare five minutes I had before I had two children?' I do want more children though. Three or four I think. Well, I'll have one more and see how I feel.

Sara: Has it been tough leaving the little one this morning?
It wasn't too bad this morning as I knew he was with his daddy. I was annoyed with myself as I wanted to say a big hello to them during my interview on the sofa but it just flew by! Richard did the night feed for me so I managed to get four hours sleep! He usually sleeps for six hours though, which is great for such a tiny baby! And his big brother loves him at the moment. He's a bit besotted. Don't know how long that will last! Once Kit starts moving around he might find him annoying.

Mark: Will it be some time before you tour again?
I want to tour with this album I'm working on at the moment so if everything goes really smoothly, I'll finish the album in the next couple of months and hopefully tour this autumn but I always get in trouble because I say on my fan sites that I'll be touring at so and so stage but things come up and everything takes longer than I think! But my album's three quarters done so the final quarter could be really brilliant and quick. Or I might want to change a few things and keep going.

Ray: Who worked on your album with you?
Loads of folk! Obviously the Freemasons, Calvin Harris, a Leftfield dance act called Matronomy and the guy from the Sneakerpimps. Lots of dance folk actually!

Penny: Were you really into dance music and clubbing when you were younger?
Not really actually. I was more of an indie kid. But I got the taste for it with Grooverider!

Rachel: How was turning 30 last month?
Fine, no trouble! I think I went through that transition at about 27, 28. I don't really think of 30 as being such a big thing. It's more just letting go of the early bit of your 20s. I guess I have two kids as well, so that you get grown-up in terms of responsibility but I had Sonny when I was just 25 and in some ways part of you sticks at that age and you don't lose that immaturity, which isn't a bad thing!

Charlie: Can you describe the sound of your new single? And how has it been collaborating with the Freemasons?
Contemporary disco.
They're very sweet and really funny and quick-witted, which is vital. Writing songs without humour is horrid. Pop music should have a sense of fun. Singing songs is actually a slightly absurd medium, when you think of it. It's ridiculously camp! I find when I'm songwriting it's important to keep things fresh and if you're working with people who are really serious and introspective it can almost suck the air out of the room a little. It doesn't mean you can't write a song that hasn't got meaning or soul to it. It's quite a private thing so it needs that easy atmosphere. I love it!

Stevie: Which is the friendliest city in the world you've performed in?
I have to say London is one of the friendliest places, despite its bad reputation. You get these little pockets in London that are so community-based and people do say hello and are lovely. Copenhagen's really great too and I absolutely love practically anywhere in Italy.

Alice: You look fab in the Rimmel ads! Was it hard following in Kate Moss' shoes?
I didn't really think of it like that – if I'd thought of it that way I'd have gone crazy. She's one of the most iconic faces of our generation. She's still doing Rimmel so I like to think of it as my interpretation.

Harriet: How do i get your look? Your make up's amazing!
I've worked with the same hair and make-up people for nine years and I've had a lot fun. I don't really like to repeat things and I love bright colours and to try stuff out. I like to change my lipstick and eye shadow colour as much as possible. Although I've got a couple of things I like to keep, such as my 1950s eyeliner tick.


Now Sophie. You’re back on popstar duties now.
I know.

You don’t sound very happy about that.
I quite like juggling it all. It’s alright.

That’s the spirit. It seems people are quite interested in your new single this time, though. Less of a struggle, perhaps, than usual…
Yeah everything seems to be going alright. It’s strange for me because whilst I am still working, it’s not really where my head is at. I’m still in a slightly hormonal bubble with the baby. It all seems to be looking after itself very nicely, actually…

Good. After this many years ‘on the job’…
(Sound of Sophie guffawing)

Oh dear, is that the right phrase? That might be a very wrong phrase actually. Now thoughts are drifting to the phrase ‘on the game’ but that’s wrong as well. Let’s start that again. After this many years ‘in the game’, can you tell when you’re about to have a hit record and, by the same token, when you’re not?
You can definitely tell when things aren’t going to plan and I’ve had a couple of those experiences but that’s alright as hardly anyone has an unblemished record. So it’s okay. But I think we’ve deserved a bit of a break this time and it seems to be going alright.

There seems to be a certain amount of natural enthusiasm for the single this time round… In a way that perhaps there wasn’t the last time you were on ‘the comeback trail’.
Firstly I don’t ever see myself as a comeback kind of person – it’s just that I have a life where sometimes I’m doing one thing, and sometimes I’m doing another. Even when I did my third album it wasn’t like ‘the comeback’ kind of thing. Fashions have changed loads – there was a time when there were lots of bands and boys with guitars and I’m just proud that I’ve weathered that really. It hasn’t always been easy putting out the records that I like to put out but I just stuck to my guns and now hopefully I can enjoy coming back into vogue again.

This does seems to be the year where a lot of female solo artists are making quite diverse music, but music that’s similar at least in the sense that it doesn’t sound like it’s been recorded by four blokes called something like ‘The View’.
Completely. And it seems like the dance thing has come back a lot with people like Lady Gaga and La Roux - eighties influenced electro and dance. I think it’s all good really. The wheel is turning again.

This may be tempting fate in a quite horrible way but one can’t help but feel that if you can’t make it in this climate, Sophie, you might as well pack up and go home.
(Laughter) I don’t want to do a Lisa Scott-Lee ‘if it’s not top ten I’ll quit’ speech but I think you’re right - if my next album doesn’t do well in this climate then I am a bit buggered really. Having said that, you should always feel that there’s a lot of good stuff out there and that you need to keep raising the bar. You should never feel you are entitled to be successful.

It must be tempting for you to knock it all on the head, as there are other things you are good at and that people could like you for...Are there?
I’m not so sure actually. (Laughter) I think my bow’s only got one or two strings to it really.

What strings have we got? First off: warbling.
(Laughter) Yes, warbling. And the other one… (Pauses for thought) Well, wearing make-up I think, probably.

So basically modelling, singing or maybe being on Loose Women.
Eurgh! Oh God. (High pitched squeal) Haven’t I got to wait another couple of decades before I’m that annoyed with the world?

You see what they’ve got to do is like a junior version of it. ‘Loose Girls’. But then I think we’re back to you being accused of being ‘on the game’ again. And now the interview’s all gone wrong.
Hm…

So it’s good that the new single is gearing up to sort of ‘do a ‘Groovejet’’, crow-barring you into the public consciousness before you go ‘actually while I’m here, I happen to have an album up my sleeve’. Very crafty. Some would say devious Sophie.
Devious? Don’t credit with me so much! I’ve got to finish the album first!

How close are you to finishing?
I’m about three quarters done, I’ve got a little bit more work to do.

What’s the big idea for the album?
I haven’t got a title or anything like that. It’s more genre-specific than the other albums - it’s more of a dance-pop and electro album than the other ones. With songs like ‘Heartbreak’ and ‘Off & On’, which Calvin did, they kind of set a bit of scene for the album and from that point I worked with Joe from Metronomy and the other songs needed to follow suit. I’ve also been working with Ed Harcourt, who’s an amazing songwriter, and Alison Clarkson, who’s so lovely…

You’ve said that this album doesn’t have the indie sound which you may have explored in the past, but by working with people like Ed Harcourt who are writing for it if not producing, then it seems that kind of influence is still in it somewhere. Indie-influenced dancefloor pop.
Exactly, yes. Plus artists like that quite like working on stuff takes them out of the genre that they do. So they bring those sensibilities to it but kind of take it off on a different tangent. I think that’s quite healthy and that’s kind of what happened when I did ‘Groovejet’, actually, as I’d never done anything like that before.

Lyrically, is there a theme that pulls everything on the album together? Or is it just a load of ‘woo I’m a carefree teenager going out dancing all the time’?
(Laughter) I’ve just turned thirty, I can’t sing about that any more!

Well that’s the problem, isn’t it – dancefloor pop tends, quite often, to resort of songs about actually being on dancefloors, and it isn’t always very convincing.
Let me think. (Thinks) I suppose they’re quite assertive, ‘you can’t mess with me’ sort of songs. Or sexy dance tracks, I guess. But sometimes I don’t notice any lyrical themes until I step back from it.

Are there any personal songs on the album to go along with the ‘I’m going out to have a sexy dance’ kind of stuff?
I haven’t written any songs about having babies, if that’s what you mean.

Well it doesn’t have to be a total ‘Ray Of Light’ kind of moment, but it’s just that on the last album, tracks like ‘The Distance Between Us’ did seem quite personal and were properly brilliant. And it comes back to this misconception that if you make a dance record the lyrics just have to be about going out and dancing.
Oh no that’s boring. Really boring. One of the really dancey songs is all about a stalker I had. He sends me texts now and then, sometimes late at night. They put the whole lyrics to one of my songs in a text which was pretty unnerving and quite annoying as well. So there’s a song about that.

How bad would a text message from your stalker need to be before you changed your number?
I think if they knew where I lived and started making comments like “I saw you leave you’re house at 9:59”. That would unnerve me. I do also get phone calls with a load of drunk people laughing in the background and then they hang up. That’s pretty annoying as well.

That’s the price you have to pay for being an international warbling celebrity Sophie.
(Laughter) It is a very small price to pay. I don’t feel too encumbered.

The plan moving forward now, then: the single’s out shortly. Then another single in the autumn perhaps? And then a nice album?
That is the plan. Another single and then the album. I just hope I’ve got enough time to do it. I was supposed to have finished the album in February but then I had my baby. But I’m a hard worker and I’ll get on with it. Well, I’m not a really hard worker. I’m a moderate worker.

What new music would you like to recommend to Popjustice readers?
Erm, well apart from the people I’ve been working with...? Er… (Pause) I’ll go home and think, ‘why didn’t I say that, that and that?’. The last album I remember really getting into is Vampire Weekend but that’s really old now. I genuinely have been listening to the people I’ve been working with but I can’t say that. I’m really failing here.

You are failing the most basic pop test.
My mind has gone blank. I can’t think of a single thing.

Moving on from this slightly awkward flailing around in search of recommendations, have you been keeping an eye on the chart development of La Roux?
Yes, partly because she had that song that did well and it wasn’t on Radio 1. Is that right?

Yes.
And then they had to play it.

Yes.
Good for her.

She seems a bit similar to you in a couple of respects, firstly in that she has a slightly eccentric voice that seems to divide people, but secondly in that you both have a kind of authentic spirit which you’re using to make pop music.
It’s hard for me to be objective, I suppose, but I like that song and I’m glad she’s around.

It’s hard to get a feel of where you fit in with the charts, and with your fans – you seem to fit in with the older, more old fashioned idea of pop music but you also have a foot in the newer parts of it...
I’ve never been someone who’s good at knowing their public perception and that in some ways is why I’ve steered clear of some of those celebrity reality shows. I also don’t really like the idea of entering into a popularity contest and I quite like the ignorance of not really knowing, and just getting on with making music that I think is good quality. I care about pop music enough that I just want to make quality stuff that earns its right to be part of what’s going on. Ultimately, you can’t be too proud about it. You put the music out there and whatever will be will be. If it all goes really badly then it’s probably because it wasn’t very good.

Do you really think that? That’s a very strange attitude for a musician to have – the idea that if something didn’t do well it was because it wasn’t any good. Usually it’s ‘the public didn’t understand me’ or ‘it was the label’s fault’ or something.
I’ll just continue to put out stuff that I think is genuinely worthy of being released. That’s the way you have to think. For example we’ve just sold our house and we had all these offers coming in that were much lower than the asking price because of the state of the market at the moment. So we ended up selling at a price which was probably not as good as we thought we would get. But that was obviously just what it was worth at that moment and you have to let go of all those things like ‘what could have been or should been’. It’s a bit like that with music as well in so far as you put out your music and it’s got its own destiny. Of course there are other factors as well and I do believe the good will out so if things are good enough they will find their way. I just want to put out stuff that I think is worthwhile. Remember when Oasis put out an album and someone asked Noel, ‘what’s it like?’ and he replied ‘oh, it’s the same old shit as the last one’. Well that obviously means that they don’t have a very high opinion of the people buying their music. And I don’t really like that attitude.

You were talking about the idea of people passing judgment on you. Have you ever seen any market research into what people think of Sophie Ellis-Bextor?
Funny you should say that - I once had a meeting with someone who does that kind of thing and she said ‘we could do all this for you’, just before the third album. She wanted some stupid sum for it and I just thought, I don’t really want to know. Maybe it would be beneficial but I’m hoping that the people who I’ve leant on for years, the people around me who have supported me like my manager, family and friends, I’m hoping they’ll help me out with that kind of stuff. I sometimes think too much self-awareness is not very healthy.

You can imagine Johnny Borrell, for example, sitting down for hours with all the graphs and pie charts relating to what people think of him…
I just don’t think it would suit my mindset. I’m not one of those people who would really benefit. Maybe I would look at it in ten years’ time and kick myself thinking ‘oh, if I’d known that!’ But no, I really hope that the people I go to for advice give me what I need rather than a big pile of market research where I can go “God that’s really startling! I never realized they loved that about me so much!” (Laughter)

Sophie on the sofa tomorrow, email your questions

http://www.gm.tv/entertainment/35618-ask-sophie.html - CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION TO SOPHIE


Sophie will be interviewed, so submit your question NOW

Sophie's original unreleased second album (with theaudience - Quiet Storm)

Sophie is actually not recording her 5th album (including theaudience), but actually her 6th. Her original second album with theaudience was unreleased. I call it QUIET STORM...

theaudience - Quiet Storm - Read My Lips - Shoot From The Hip - Trip The Light Fantastic - 6th studio album (in process)



When theaudience were recording their second album, they didn't have Billy with them in the studio. In fact, he didn't contribute to lyrics on any of the songs either, except two or three older songs which he had written which they recorded. The band were on the verge of losing their contract, so they decided to convince their label by coming up with some really catchy pop tunes instead of experimental intelligent indie songs. Their self titled debut album saw a band which was grammatically correct, flaunting songs about glory, alcohol and the mundanity of life. But the second album, in terms of sound, took a whole different direction. Britpop is the sound the adopted, catchy tunes and modern sounds. The band still wrote "intelligent lyrics" (i'm always going to keep saying this, cos when i compare theaudience's lyrics to that of other artists, i see a difference. Everything is so metaphorical, so deep, there always a phrase or two in each song which you use you would in a regular conversation, but you wouldn't really think of putting it into a song. And even though most of the songs come out of personal experiences of the band members, you can see that its concealed quite well behind Sophie's icy delivery!)

So as i was saying, brilliant work. The lyrics, the sound, the melody. Everything is very nice. Ten years ago this was recorded, but its still is so fresh. That just goes to show that the band were way ahead of their time. Had this been released back then, maybe the band would have survived the split and Billy would have rejoined the band (this is my guess, its not real information).

The Greatest Gift, Day And Night, How It Should Be Done, Repetition Kills, King Of Action, Headcase, You Will Do For Now are all tracks which can rock out a show if they performed it live. But you should know, these are only demos. There would have been changes if the songs were to be released, and they would sound so much clearer and sexier!! You'll notice that the guys have done a lot of backing vocals on most of the songs.

Anyway, I made this tracklist, cos the flow of the songs is good this way
1. The Greatest Gift (Mollett/Butler/Ellis-Bextor)
2. How It Should Be Done (Mollett/Butler)
3. Day And Night (Butler/Mollett/Ellis-Bextor)
4. Headcase (Butler/Hedgens/Hannon)
5. Out With The Old School (Mollett/Smith)
6. The Fool Will Rise Again (Mollett/Butler)
7. So Clever (Boyd/Ellis-Bextor/Ross)
8. Twiligt Of The Teenage (Boyd/Ellis-Bextor/Ross)
9. Grey With Dusty Rain (Butler/Mollett)
10. You Will Do For Now (Ellis-Bextor)
11. King Of Action (Mollett/Butler)
12. Repetition Kills (Butler)
13. Two Way (Mollett)
14. Sanctuary Hill (Butler/Hannon/Smith)

The Fool Will Rise Again is definitely a cool track. Its got a cool attitude. And Sophie's dry icy delivery is perfect for a song with that much attitude. Cleverly written, and they decided to keep the instrumentation simple - very clever! The song, by itself speaks a lot, you wouldn't want to overdo it, now, would you..

Then there's Grey With Dusty Rain, the most experimental song on this album, the I Got The Wherewithal of album #2. Why am i saying this? Sampled drumbeat. Looped vocals. Amazing production. Sophie sounds superb on this song. Heck, if i could tell her, i would ask her to re-record this for one of her albums in the future, its single material! And its a song about a relationship with a drug addict! Lol, where the hell do they come up with lyrics that are so bizzare that they don't even hint what its about and keep the mystery running in your mind, till you go mad discovering what it is all about!

Out With The Old School is also an amazing tune. This is the only song that actually got an official release 10 years ago, from all the 33 songs that were recorded for the album. Its about a breakup. Dark, emotional, and also has a bit of dark humour. But its all well concealed behind a light-hearted melody and Sophie's crisp vocals. Cleverly arranged background music, with no harsh sounds make the song sound more like a sarcastic joke about missing a loved one! Brilliant!!

The Greatest Gift is a rock tune. Again a song about a relationship. "I will be the complication in your plan" - very tongue-in-cheek. Sophie's vocals have improved over the years, but if you listen to this song, concentrating carefully on just Sophie's vocals, it seems like its a small girl singing this.. Cute. There's one downer in the song though. There's a line in the song which goes "the look in your eyes is a sight for all the others to see" but originally, it was "the look in your eyes is a sight for all the suckers to see", but Sophie changed it cos she felt it was too strong. I wonder why?! She was quite a bitch when she was in the band, and it wouldn't really have upset her image, cos she was just fronting an indie band. Anyway, i would have loved to hear the original lyrics. It's better off that way.

How It Should Be Done is amazing!! Probably the 3rd best track. Its got simpler lyrics, a very simple melody, and the instrumentation is just perfect. Good use of the guitars. Its an almost-perfect song, i think this would have sounded brilliant if it was finalised.

Day And Night, is pop genius!! A love song basically, with a touching melody. The production on the song is simply superb! It has a fade ending though. Thats one thing you will notice on quite a few songs on this album. I didn't expect that. I find it quite odd for theaudience to fade out their songs. They were masters at ending songs perfectly, if you listen to their debut album, you'll see what i mean. Their instrumentation was always superb!!

King Of Action is the first song where the keyboards are more evident. Its the Running Out Of Space on this album. But its a whole lot longer than that song. Its a brash piece, but the sound suits the lyrics. Its got a difficult melody, but it catches on after a few spins.

Two Way is the only song which took the longest time to grow onto me. The problem (which is not so much of a problem anymore) is probably the chorus. The melody of the song has such a beautiful flow through the verses and the bridge. Then suddenly the chorus snaps in and you're like "whoa".. But its actually very very good. If you keep listening to it, you'll actually fall in love with the song, its very cleverly written. Its a song about frustration about departure (i'm screaming a hint.. ahem cough cough). Again here, the lyrics were supposed to be:
"Not pleased with the lot you've been given
but you make it clear you're on the hunt
for new talent, and that Jesus loves you,
but everyone else thinks you're a cunt"
but Sophie changed it to:
"Not pleased with the lot you've been given
You make it clear you've got the eye
For talent, and that Jesus loves you
but wolf is to easy to cry"
Both the lyrics are fine, i wish we could have them both on the song, cos i can't decide which version i would like better..

Headcase is a hardcore pop tune. Its very tongue-in-cheek. Sophie's vocals are screechy in this. Not something that she would be proud of now, for sure. But its still a nice song. I think the production on this song is bad, especially with the tambourine and the cymbals. They're overlapping the word "headcase" on the song, and its very jarring to the ears. That apart, the rest of the song is good. Good use of keyboards.

You Will Do For Now is one of the two songs which has this Manic Street Preachers sound to it. If you've heard their songs, you'll know what i mean. Is that an organ they're using on the song!? It's got this psychedelic vibe to it. I want to keep listening to the track forever. The guitars are brilliant!!

Twilight Of The Teenage got me to think (and i still keep thinking) what the hell it is all about. It sounds delicious enough to eat, but i have no clue what its about. So i'm not going to comment, except that the production on the song could have been better. But its a demo, so maybe they had plans of changing the sound later.

Repetition Kills is the second Manic's influenced song. The chorus is what made me decide that they must have been inspired by the Manics. I swear i can hear James Dean when they go "repetition kiiiillss". So Manic's.... Brilliant production. Brilliant lyrics. Who the hell would have used "cul de sac" on a song except them!? Sophie sounds ace

So Clever is a love song. Its a rough demo with hard beats. A small filler of a track..

Sanctuary Hill is actually a very good song. I underrated this initially. Probably because Sophie's vocals were too difficult to listen to. But it has grown on me now. Its got brilliant lyrics. But there's some instrument on the chorus which upsets me. Its a keyboard generated sound which i'm not really too impressed with. Maybe they tried to experiment with it. Sounds like the processed sound of bells ringing..

In all, i think the album is beyond amazing!! I wish it would have gotten a release back then. It would have definitely done really well on the charts! Good work guys!! Really good work, all of you - Nyge, Dean, Kerin and Patch... oh and i forgot. Sophie started with some co-writing on this album. Kudos! Of course, the songs wouldn't sound this good without her voice on it. So equal credit goes to her as well....

P.S. - If anyone wants these in HQ mp3, leave a request in the comment section

FABULOUS: Sophie Ellis-Bextor

DIRECT LINK - http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/fabulous/celebs/355053/Sophie-Ellis-Bextor-Fabulous-magazine-interview-Shes-survived-traumatic-pregnancies-but-itrsquos-made-Sophie-stronger.html

Sophie talks about her fourth album, Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer, Kit, her brother etc., She's working with a few different people on the 4th album, she mentioned Calvin Harris, Metronomy and the Sneaker Pimps, and she said that there were some collaborations in the offing, but it was too early to talk about them.

SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR
STRONGER. BOLDER. BRAVER. HOTTER

She's survived traumatic pregnancies and her baby's illness, but it's just made Sophie Ellis-Bextor stronger

Many things can change in 18 months, just ask Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The last time Fabulous caught up with pop's queen of cool, she was on a high, bursting to tell us how motherhood had chilled her out, how happy her marriage was and how life was very peachy, thank you very much.

Fast-forward a year and a half and the Sophie we meet this time is very different indeed. The trademark jet-black hair is still the same, as are the killer pins (yes, even after giving birth just four months ago) - but now there is a quietness about her, a more contemplative air. Today she's not trying to push the "my life's just perfect" line, and in fact shakes her head at the mere suggestion.

"I honestly can't imagine anyone wanting to swap places with me. Not unless they have a very strong stomach" she says.

This is not just pop star hyperbole. The past few months have been nerve-shredding and, ultimately, the toughest she and her husband, The Feeling's bass guitarist Richard Jones, have ever had to face.

After suffering complications with the premature birth of her first son Sonny five years ago, Sophie had to relive the emotional ordeal when her second baby, Kit Valentine, was born nine weeks early, weighing just under 3lb. In short, Sophie's been to hell and back.

But if the traumas of the last few months have taken their toll, Sophie's not showing it. She arrives at the north London studio looking anything but careworn, with immaculate hair and perfect porcelain skin. Only the dark circles under her eyes and the fact she's come armed with a breast pump give away the fact she's mum to a newborn.

Free of post-baby body issues, she's even happy to slip out of her Topshop floral dress and wriggle into a pair of hot pants that would make Lady GaGa blush. So what's her secret? Macrobiotic food or liquid diets? In truth, Sophie has more important things to worry about than her waistline.

"I'm exercising about three times a week at the gym," she says. "But I'm not in a mad panic. I'm usually a size 8 so I'm a good size off that, but I don't care. To be honest, the focus of putting weight on is more of a big deal to me."

Her subtle reference to Kit, who's now almost 7lb, drop-kicks all our figure envy out of the window. Who cares about your dress size when you've got a little miracle at home? But Sophie's keen to point out how many other mothers have gone through what she has - that and "so much more".

Pre-eclampsia, a common but serious complication of pregnancy, causes dangerously high blood pressure in the mother, and is one of the leading causes of premature birth. And it blighted both Sophie's pregnancies.

"With Sonny it was my first experience of pregnancy and I think nature gave me some sort of protective bubble that didn't allow things to really hit me," she says. "A lot of it was touch-and-go and nothing happened as it should. I had post-traumatic stress afterwards. You put a lot of your feelings and panics on hold and then later it all rewinds in your head over and over and you can't believe what you've gone through. It's like being hit by a train."

"Then in the middle of it all, when Sonny was four months old, he got meningitis, which was terrifying. I thought that was it, and I went to pieces. He was so hot and getting hotter and hotter. It was incredibly frightening."

Despite this traumatic experience, Sophie wasn't worried when she fell pregnant again after doctors assured her that it was highly unlikely her pre-eclampsia would return.

"Statistically, it wasn't an issue. I was really excited and felt completely fine," she says. "Then, at 28 weeks, I was due to do a show in Russia and needed a doctor's note to fly. There was part of me that knew something was up. I'd tested my blood pressure and it was quite high. Then the doctor said she had a bad feeling. "

"Within days of being diagnosed with pre-eclampsia again, the consultant decided they needed to get my baby out."

"I didn't at any point allow myself to imagine anything bad. You have a moment where you think: 'Oh God, no!' but you just have to push through that. Richard was with me and at least both of us had been through it before so we knew what to expect."

Sophie describes Kit's birth - an emergency C-section at London's Chelsea And Westminster Hospital on February 7 - as lovely but scary at the same time.

"When he came out he was so tiny," she says. "He was like a little doll. We didn't have a whole lot of baby, but what we had was amazing. The next day I got to hold him once. Then we had a week where Richard and I were able to put our fingers through his little incubator and stroke him."

"Sonny came to see his little brother too. He'd already been back to visit the neonatal unit so he could see where he was born, so he wasn't shocked by the tubes or Kit's incubator. He just took it in his stride."

In between sitting with Kit, quiet meals with Richard or her mum, TV presenter Janet Ellis, Sophie worked on her new album in her home recording studio off London's Portobello Road.

"Music has always been the best therapy for me," she admits. "I had one bad moment where my blood pressure shot back up and I was admitted to the high-dependency unit. It was full of mums who'd just had Caesareans. I could hear all the crying babies through the closed curtains. At one point a nurse opened my curtains, looked for a baby, saw there wasn't one and closed them again. I did cry then. I kept thinking: 'I have a baby too. He just isn't with me.'"

For a brief moment Sophie breaks, before regaining her composure. She simply won't have it that she's been unlucky.

"You just deal with the reality you have," she insists. "Neonatal units are surreal places. They're not cutesy. Lots of the parents don't even speak to each other - everyone is just focused on their baby getting better. Premature babies look like little aliens because they have big heads compared with their bodies. To me, Kit was a beautiful little alien. He was our baby, Sonny's brother, our family."

"It's weird. Richard and I had only been together a few months when I got pregnant with Sonny. We went through all of that and now this. It brought us closer together. There were lots of times we needed to lean on each other and we did. Richard has so much strength. He is such an honourable man and I love him very much. We got through it our way and I'm proud of us for that."

"Everything's fine now." she says, turning round to find some wood to touch. "Kit has passed his sight and hearing tests. Babies are tough. My babies are tough."

Despite Sophie's 30th birthday passing last month in a blur of hospital visits and breastfeeding, she has no plans for a belated celeb-packed party. With a nod to her tattoo - a red heart crossed with the word Family - she reveals: "That's what my life is about. My family and my music."

Her parents divorced when she was four, but she's still close to her dad, Robin, and her five half-brothers and sisters.

"I have no problems - my parents got divorced because for them, it was the right thing to do," she says, while hinting that she and Richard, who got married in Italy four years ago, are in this for keeps.

"My mum gave me the best piece of advice before I got married. She told me that your children are the most important things in your life, but you have to remember your husband too. We definitely make sure we do date nights: meals, trips to the cinema, the very occasional night in a hotel. And you always have to remember to be kind to each other. If you aren't happy, how can your children be?"

"Whatever has happened to me, I love how my life has turned out. I'm happier, more confident and stronger now than I've ever been. I've lost a lot of insecurities and I have my boys and a man who really loves me."

And what about the possibility of another baby? "Yes. Definitely. Absolutely," she grins. "Whatever we've been through it's been so worth it. I just need a bit of a break first!"

HAVE YOU EVER...
Googled yourself? When I'm feeling masochistic I Google 'I Hate Sophie Ellis-Bextor' to see the horrible things people say about me.
Been arrested? Never. But I always feel guilty if I see a policeman.
Pretended to be someone else? Yes. If someone in the street asks me if I'm Sophie Ellis-Bextor, I often put on a French accent and say: 'Non'.
Stolen something? I was a total kleptomaniac as a kid. I had a thing about taking mementoes from parties. I stole the white ball from a pool party once.
Gone commando? I like pants.
Used your fame in a bad way? I got to jump the queue at Legoland.
Been mistaken for another celebrity? Martine McCutcheon, lots of times.
Read something about yourself and thought I wish! That I'd got a part in Friends as Ross' girlfriend.
Looked up your exes on Facebook? No.
Kissed a girl? Yes, but it didn't go anywhere

Sophie's new single Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer is released June 22. It's also included on the Freemasons' album Shakedown 2, available on CD and download from June 29.

Sophie's 4th album - more song titles

Those of you who were wondering what in heavens name that tracklist on wikipedia was, here's the answer. Those are actual song titles, registered with ASCAP as well. But i don't think Sophie has recorded them yet, she must have just written the songs

Dial My Number Two
(Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Liam Howe, Hannah Robinson)
(Title Code: 343177173)

Give Into Love
(Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Liam Howe, Hannah Robinson)
(Title Code: 371786837)

In My Taxi (Supersexy)
(Jim Elliott, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Gabriel, Hannah Robinson)
(Title Code: 393530517)

Under Your Touch
(Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Liam Howe, Hannah Robinson)
(Title Code: 510685459)

Whispers (On The Street)
(Jim Elliott, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Gabriel, Hannah Robinson)
(Title Code: 532935218)

Sophie also confirmed that she is working with the Freemasons on another track for the album.

So now we have these:
1. Sophia Loren - with Christopher Rojas
2. I Still Believe In Magic - with Richard X
3. Off & On - with Calvin Harris
4. Calling It Love - with Calvin Harris
5. Synchronized
6. Music Took My Man
7. Still Mixed Up
8. Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer - with the Freemasons
9. the other freemasons collab
10. the groove armada collab
11. the sneaker pimps collab
12. the metronomy collab

Sophie to work with the Freemasons again

Apart from the 17 theaudience tracks that recently leaked onto youtube, there's more exciting news. Sophie is going to work with Freemasons again!!

You read it here, first, some days ago, and now she confirmed it!

In her ten years in the music industry, Sophie Ellis-Bextor has gone from chic indie starlet to purveyor of the finest disco bangers. And thanks to her endless charm and those world-class cheekbones, she's nabbed quite a following along the way. Teaming up with the Freemasons for 'Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)' - another opportunity to over-enunciate that word - she's back and raring to go. We caught up for a chat about the song, her new album and some rather exciting collaborations.

Are you feeling confident about the single's chances?
"Haha! I don't think I've ever felt really confident before a single comes out. I know enough to know that you don't really know anything about how it's going to go! I'm optimistic but not smug. I've had a lot of good feedback from people coming up to me and saying they like it, but I'm not going down the bookies just yet!"

How did 'Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)' first come about?
"I was working on some new material with a guy called Biff (Stannard), who's good friends with the Freemasons. They sent over the instrumental to 'Heartbreak' and we wrote the lyrics. The single remix has changed a bit from the original demo, but it was always their song to start with."

Why did you decide to team up with the Freemasons?
"The thing I love about them is that whilst they've got a lot of dance sensibilities, they've also got pop sensibilities. With them there's always an appeal from a melodic point of view as well as just the basic four-to-the-floor beat. Their songs feel like they've got a bit more texture and shape to them. I think they respect the fact that people want a song to tell a story as well as make them boogie."

Will they be doing any more songs on your new album?
"Yeah, we will be doing a bit more, definitely. There's another song we're working on at the moment. I think if something works then it's worth perservering with."

How's your new album coming along?
"The album's pretty much done - we've got about three quarters of the way through it. I was supposed to have finished it earlier in the year but then I had my baby so my schedule changed somewhat."

How would you describe the album's sound?
"If anything the album's going to be a bit more dance and a bit more electro. In the past my albums have featured quite a broad range of genres - a bit of indie, a bit of electro - but this one definitely feels like it's more dance-centric. I've done tracks with Calvin Harris, Metronomy and Liam from the Sneaker Pimps, which is maybe why!"

Have you thought of a name for it yet?
"You know what, I seriously need to think of a title! Usually with albums I come up with something before I've finished half the songs, but this time I've neglected the name so I need to get on it. Maybe I should just use Trip The Light Fantastic again or go down the eponymous route?"

Has your husband Richard had anything to do with the album?
"Well, we've got a studio at home, so if he's free one afternoon and we need a bassist I'll give him a shout. We tend to go back and forth playing everything that we do to each other anyway. He's got very good instincts for what works so I like his advice."

How similar are your musical tastes?
"I think they've gotten more similar over time. He introduced me to a lot of stuff when we first met. He would say that he's got broader tastes than me because he likes everything I listen to but I don't like everything he plays. Recently he's managed to get me into some of the old country stuff like Vampire Weekend and Sigur Ros, while I've hounded him with disco classics."

There were plans to release a fourth single from your last album, but it never happened. Why?
"I wanted to release 'If I Can't Dance' but I ended up going on tour instead. Then we were planning on doing a greatest hits and releasing a new track from it but I felt that was maybe a bit premature. That's where 'Heartbreak' originally came about. It's all been a bit higgledy-piggledy, but I think we made the right choice."

Are you worried that there are so many other female pop artists at the moment?
"I don't think the music industry really works like that. It tends to be better when there are things out that complement each other. Over time I've weathered a bit of a storm with what's in vogue. When I first released 'Murder On The Dancefloor' and 'Take Me Home' I would always have dancers, but by the second album it was almost unacceptable to acknowledge pop. It's great that it's come full circle once again."

Finally, how is family life treating you?
"Having two children now is twice as much work but in a nice way. I thought we wouldn't notice the difference quite so much, but it's great as it feels like we have a nice little family now. Sonny is really quite besotted with his baby brother!"

'Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)' is out on June 21. Check back on Monday for our interview with the Freemasons.

SOURCE: DIGITAL SPY

unissued & untitled...

If you're a youtube addict, you'll probably find some treasures there. Tracks from theaudience's second album have been uploaded for all those fans who have been waiting for this day from ten whole years. Get onto youtube, do a bit of searching, and you will find these:

1. theaudience - The Greatest Gift (3:39)
2. theaudience - Day & Night (4:09)
3. theaudience - Headcase (3:33)
4. theaudience - Out With The Old School (3:31)
5. theaudience - So Clever (2:35)
6. theaudience - Twilight Of The Teenage (3:22)
7. theaudience - Grey With Dusty Rain (4:42)
8. theaudience - You Will Do For Now (3:31)
9. theaudience - King Of Action (4:06)
10. theaudience - Repetition Kills (3:42)
11. theaudience - How It Should Be Done (3:51)
12. theaudience - The Fool Will Rise Again (3:47)
13. theaudience - Sanctuary Hill (3:39)
14. theaudience - Hey 17, Am I Off My Head Again (5:07)
15. theaudience - If You Don't, Someone Else Will (2:56)