REVIEW : Out Of Control

Each of Girls Aloud’s albums so far has sold more than 300,000 copies each in their native Britain. Their best-of, released prior to Christmas in 2006, went on to sell more than half a million copies in the UK and the success story continues – their new single ‘The Promise’ went in at No.1 and ‘Out Of Control’, their new album, also debuted at the top spot. In the UK, the five piece are one of the hottest acts on the charts, with every one of their 19 single releases hitting the top ten, four top ten albums and countless sell-out performances.
With the release of their fifth studio album ‘Out Of Control’, the girls further cement themselves as one of the most important pOp acts on the planet and perhaps with the exception of the Pussycat Dolls, are the biggest and most successful girlband in the world.
So to the album; First single ‘The Promise’ – a song that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Emma Bunton’s ‘Free Me’ set – provides the first glimpse into the 12 track journey, with it’s swinging ’60s vibe and feel-good chorus. Second track and second single, the Pet Shop Boys co-penned ‘The Loving Kind’ is trademark PSBs both musically and lyrically, “I know you may be disinclined, to find the love you’ve left behind, so kiss me then make up your mind, I’m not the loving kind”. If this is the kind of pOp that Neil & Chris and the Xenomania team has cast aside from the recording sessions from their forthcoming album, we can’t wait for it’s release in 2009.
‘Rolling Back The Rivers In Time’ is so damned familiar, you might have sent it a Christmas card not twelve months ago, it’s summery, sweet and rollicking good fun and ‘Love Is The Key’ bursts into your eardrums with it’s male choral chant, before exploding into a ’60s pOp stomper, dealing with love taking you by surprise, “not the kinda guy to catch my eye, now we’re picking out the towels and curtains”.
‘Turn To Stone’ is dark, delicious electro-pOp with a killer chorus that would hold up strongly next to the best Goldfrapp or Kylie have to offer, while ‘Untouchable’ offers up a 40 second-plus acoustic intro, before exploding into a sub seven minute anthem of pOp goodness. ‘Fix Me Up’ takes the girls into the band-room with it’s sexy, grinding beat and dirty sound.
‘Love Is Pain’ picks up the tempo, paying homage to the electro-pOp sounds of the ’80s (think New Order, Pet Shop Boys) to great effect and ‘Miss You Bow Wow’ makes you want to jump all over the place with it’s incredible energy and vibrancy.
‘Out Of Control’ is undoubtedly one of the strongest pOp releases of 2008 and it’s a crime that because of Australian radio’s penchant for all things American r&b and urban, these girls have never fully been given the chance to succeed in Australia, nor have they ever really been given the big push they need (nothing from the last two albums has even been released digitally in Australia – a travesty).
Each of the singles they HAVE released here (apart from The Show which astonishingly was released domestically two full years after it’s UK debut) have hit the top 40. It kinda says to us that there IS indeed a market for Girls Aloud in Australia, but that their albums need to be released simultaneously and they need a bloody good push from their Aussie record company within a radio landscape that is slowly but surely beginning to change it’s tune.

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Girls Aloud’s ‘Out Of Control’ is not available in Australia, but is available in the UK. A limited edition two disc version of the album is released in the UK on December 08 (pictured below).

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