The Gossip

Tomorrow, some people from OPB's "In House" are coming to the Bitch office to ask us about our top five favorite albums of 2009. This means that we have been spending a fair amount of time racking our brains to come up with a serviceable top five list that won't reveal to the public radio-listening public that at least one of us (hi, that's me) has been mostly jamming out to Linda Ronstadt records from the 70s for the past six months (I guess you can't submit a 2009 top five list unless the albums actually came out in 2009?). At any rate, today's B-Sides is a test run of our top five list, expanded into a top ten. Read on to give us your thoughts!

If you tuned into Dancing With The Stars last night, you got a real (feminist?) treat – and I'm not talking about Donny Osmond's Viennese Waltz. I'm talking about the cheesy cover of "Standing in the Way of Control" by feminist fave The Gossip!

Lady Sovereign arrested for spitting at a bouncer? Lily Allen quits music? Any good music news coming out of Europe? ..Yep!

Nabiha Born and raised in Copenhagen, and influenced by reggae, disco, rock, R&B, and then some! No news of an album release in the US, but if you're in Denmark look for it in February. Til then you'll have to tide over with her first single, "Deep Sleep" about staying in bed, which is ironic, cause it's a song that makes you want to get up and dance! It's a got a boppy sort of teenage feel but there is a really great interlude that incorporates a Malian lullabye.

La Roux Elly Jackson is half of this duo who've established themselves in England but have yet to make it big in the States. Between her lungs and Ben Langmaid's synth they are makings some impressively infectious electronic pop! (And she's cited David Bowie, Madonna, Annie Lennox, and Molly Ringwald as influences.) When I heard "Bulletproof" it reminded me of the Gossip(!) at first, but and then it made me think of Ace of Base (!!), and then and by the time it over I realized that La Roux is awesome on their own was and striking out to make their own sick version of synthpop.

Noisettes: This trio started out punk, but bassist Shingai Shoniwa had too powerful a voice to play London's warehouse-squat scene forever (so I'm told by the New York Times. Also check out Venus Zine's 2007 interview with them!). You might recognize the dance-y "Don't Upset the Rhythm" but they've got a whole album of pop-electro-punk that just got released in the US last week (which hopefully means they'll be heading back here soon for a tour!).

In response to a Gold's Gym marketing campaign that declared July "Cankles Awareness Month" (WTF, douchebags?!) Imagine Today deemed August Self-Esteem Awareness Month. To celebrate, I've put together a few songs about standing up for yourself, being yourself, celebrating that self and flaunting it. And for the record, I think your calves and ankles look fantastic.