After a wondrous decade of remarkable revolutionary mainstream pop hits with an edge, Girls Aloud (@GirlsAloud) have decided to call it quits after the Ten Tour. With the quintet gone for good, my love affair with the girls' quirky commercial pop and devoted partnership with production powerhouse Xenomania (@XenomaniaRCRDS) has ended in dire heartache. While I mourn and tweet (@LamTang) the loss of Britain's greatest girl group in a drunken-like stupor and await amazing solo records, it's time we celebrate the very best of Girls Aloud according to
10. On the Metro
Nicola (@NicolaRoberts) and Nadine (@NadineCoyleNow) take the lead in The Invisible Men's synth-tastic dance delirium of a track, outlandishly irresistible with a drop of northern humour. The noise polluted and nonsensical happenings of a night out and public transport makes for an oddly touching and personal anecdote about 'the one that got away', set to the hectic and heavy electro beats of the nightclub.
09. Androgynous Girls
As the hidden b-side to fan favourite Love Machine, the undeniably nonchalant and unapologetically mod track taking a swipe at the the expensive lifestyle is inconceivable and ostentatious for a girl group from reality TV. With a rock star attitude and offhand expletives, Xenomania proves pop innovation and Girls Aloud come hand in hand.
08. Something New
After the three year-hiatus, Girls Aloud returned with the massive pop record of the year, adopting Calvin Harris's (@CalvinHarris) heavy electronica sound and teeming it with Xenomania's quirks. The odd structure of mixed solos and pseudo rapping, with catchy pro-feminism chanting and a colossal chorus on top of a modern dance beat akin to David Guetta (@davidguetta), is a celebrated return to the girls' signature sound.
07. Can't Speak French
With silly school girl lyrics, swirling swing beats and jazzed up guitars accompanied by 80s synthesizers, the girls impress in an effortlessly cool and sultry record made up of either pure idiocy or a stroke of genius. The fun mid-tempo number with the nonsensical yet catchy chorus and impressive loving middle 8 by Cheryl Cole (@CherylCole) is an enticing work of ingenuity.
06. Miss You Bow Wow
Xenomania came through with one of the most exciting songs of the last decade, ludicrously danceable from brisk start to finish and with an unforgettably soaring chorus made up of Sarah Harding's (@SarahNHarding) glorious roaring screams. The surrealist lyrics and rampant guitar strumming make for a remarkable experience from the Out of Control era.
05. Call The Shots
The tasteful electronic Euro-pop track with a bittersweet edge is a mature departure for Girls Aloud, a surprisingly restrained and catchy pop hit of the 21st century from Tangled Up. The enchanting melody and captivating chorus is wonderfully moving, reminiscent of an arty electronic duo, with a hauntingly touching middle 8 sung wispily by Nicola Roberts.
04. It's Magic
The hidden highlight of Chemistry, Nicola shines solo in a delectably sweet and sultry sound surrounded by beautifully enticing synth melodies for her lover. The treacly sweet tone of Nicola's voice is gratifying against the cold gloom of a heavy electronic track, evocative of a hard hitting experimental 90s hit.
03. Graffiti My Soul
The daring 21st century pop record, turned down by Britney's (@britneyspears) people for lack of a chorus, is a frighteningly feisty and sassy offering where raw guitars, blazing horns and volatile stuttering are rife within the pandemonium of Graffiti My Soul. Sampling Peplab's It's Not the Drug, the standout track off What Will The Neighbours Say? compared to an imaginary collaboration between Madonna and the Prodigy is ingenious pop.
02. The Loving Kind
The finer result of Xenomania's collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys for Yes, the beautifully tragic synth-pop ballad is a poignant dance record for the broken-hearted. The shattering sadness of waning love makes for the group's maturest attempt at melancholy, with Nicola Robert's beguiling teary-eyed pleas of affection taking centre stage in the massive pop ballad dragged onto the dance floor.
01. Memory of You
Originally known as Japan, the b-side of The Loving Kind is an epic and uplifting 90s inspired glossy love affair with angelic synth-pop melodies and the nonsensical writings of the broken-hearted. The tender chorus from Kimberley Walsh (@KimberleyJWalsh) is breathtaking, hauntingly sweet with an edgy electro-tinge. How this pop masterpiece never made it onto Out Of Control is uncertain, but the euro-rave up record is a dancing beauty.
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