A quiet summer for new singles seems to be leaving the way clear for a number of tracks with pre-release hype to trade the number 1 slot before rapidly flaring out.  “All Time Low” by the Wanted, with first week sales bolstered by the obligatory promotional tour targetting teenage girls, dropped to number 5 in its second week – not exactly a ringing endorsement of its broad appeal.

This week’s number 1 looks to be in a similar vein.  As the lead single from an album, it has the advantage of pre-release hype on its side (something that doesn’t work once the album is out, and the track is available for download while it’s being promoted).  And according to the midweek charts, it will be dropping to number four tomorrow.  Perhaps lower.

The single in question is “Beautiful Monster” by Ne-Yo.

One of those competent but instantly forgettable records that I can stare at for a week without identifying any features worthy of comment.  I can only assume that either there’s a lot of Ne-Yo fans out there who’ve been on tenterhooks for his first single as a lead artist since 2008, or there really is a massive demand right now for Yet More Of This Sort Of Thing.  The fact that it’s dropping out of the top three in its second week tends to suggest the former.

This is Ne-Yo’s seventh UK hit as a lead artist – if you count his featured artist credits, he gets up to ten.  It’s his third number 1, following “So Sick” in 2006  (hey, remember when everyone was doing videos in letterbox format with landscapes in the background?), and “Closer” in 2008.  Both of which, for my money, were much better singles, and certainly more memorable ones.

Anyhow.  It’s another very quiet week for new releases, with only three other singles making the chart.

• “Choices” by the Hoosiers at number 11.  The Hoosiers are a self-consciously quirky power pop trio who had three hits in 2007/8, and after an extended gap, this is the lead single from their second album.  They’ve discovered an 80s influence and have made a video that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the song (which, you’ll be surprised to hear, has nothing to do with making adverts in Japan and fighting ninjas).  Unfortunately it’s not embeddable, but oh well.  The song itself is really growing on me.  Their biggest hit remains “Goodbye Mr A”, which reached number 4 in 2007 despite being a song about how Steve Ditko’s creator-owned work was relatively unsuccessful due to its somewhat preachy qualities.  You think I’m kidding?  I’m not kidding.




• “Gold Dust” by DJ Fresh at number 24.  Top 40 debut for a drum and bass DJ who’s been around for years, and scraped the lower end of the top 75 a few times circa 2003.  He’s British, but try telling the video director that.

• And finally, “Oh No” by Marina and the Diamonds at number 38 – her third and smallest hit.  Melodramatic to put it mildly, but it’s a got a great chorus.  Not sure about the dayglow video at all.