Fridae

Ms Scary nearly choked on her mini-croissant when she read that 80s pop princess Debbie Gibson will bare all in the March issue of Playboy. Honestly, I didn't realize that an ageing Electric Youth such as Ms Gibson would have to go to such extremes to alienate what's left of her dwindling fanbase.

Fortunately, not all pop-stars from the 80s feel the need to transform themselves so radically (or shamelessly). Case-in-point: British pop duo Erasure who have remained ever-so-faithful to their signature synth-pop sound.

Released after singer Andy Bell's revelation that he had been living with HIV for more than six years, Nightbird is pure vintage Erasure and the perfect package to commemorate the champs of camp's 20th anniversary.

Buoyed by Andy Bell's soaring vocals, Nightbird is awash with ecstatic electronic pop the likes of "Let's Take One More Rocket To The Moon," "Don't Say You Love Me," "All This Time Still Falling Out Of Love" and the first single "Breathe."

While detractors may complain that Nightbird merely remixes and rehashes the usual Erasure-isms, faithful fans will definitely enjoy the feel-good electronic melodies (Monsieur Mirwais take note!) and verse-chorus-verse chant-ability of lead songwriter Vince Clarke.

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Having heard Erasure's ebullient Nightbird, Ms Scary fortified herself with dainty sips of Camomille before taking a listen to the headache inducing urban dance sounds one would expect from The Chemical Brothers.

Ms Scary had barely inserted Push The Button into her rhinestone encrusted CD player when the first single "Galvinise" came blasting out with what sounds like a demented Vanessa Mae trying to out-compete guest collaborator Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest) and the Brothers' cacophony of block rockin' beats.

With the exception of the brilliant chillout track "Hold Tight London" featuring Annie-Lynne Williams' pervasive vocals and the roof-rattling "Believe" featuring Kele Okereke, the rest of Push The Button delivers knock-them-deaf type of breakbeat music utterly unpalatable to a lady with a serene constitution such as Ms Scary.

However, the ever professional Ms Scary would add that if you happen to be a pill-popping party boy who enjoys fist-pumping beat-based dance music popularised by The Prodigy and Fatboy Slim, then Push The Button is definitely a must-buy as it is the Brothers' best offering since their 1997 breakthrough Dig Your Own Hole.

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Reeling from the sonic assault of The Chemical Brothers, Ms Scary found sweet salvation in Missy Higgins' debut album. For an album entitled The Sound of White, Ms Scary declares it to be red, red-hot.

A most talented and fetching musician, the Melbourne singer/songwriter wrote all the songs on her near perfect album which features soft piano strains gliding through serene yet sorrowful mid-afternoon meditations about love, loss and longing.

The first single off the album - the upbeat and catchy "Scar" - has already topped the charts in Australia and achieved the impressive feat of beating Kylie Minogue and Delta Goodrem for "Best Pop Release" at the ARIA Awards.

Having said that, the strength of Ms Higgins' The Sound of White rests in the soul-aching balladry of "Nightminds," "The Sound of White," "They Weren't There" and especially the ode to a past relationship "The Special Two" which speaks about how "� we will only need each other, we'll bleed together/ Our hands will not be taught to hold another's/ Cause we're the special two."

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With an album like The Sound of White, Ms Scary would love to spend the rest of her day in Sapphic bliss listening to Ms Higgins croon in her charming Australian accent - however, there's still Natasha Bedingfield's Unwritten waiting to be reviewed.

On her CD cover, Ms Bedingfield comes across as an icy blonde bombshell capable of shooting off Atomic Kitten-type come-hither looks and is touted by her label as possessing "a voice to melt radios (don't laugh) and a decade long passion for writing and singing."

The album opens well with the UK No. 1 "These Words" and its infectious "IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyous", the R & B romp stomp "Single" which celebrates singlehood (what else?) and the title track written especially for her younger brother Daniel's birthday.

Unfortunately, the rest of Unwritten offers run-of-the-mill filler tracks with insipid titles such as "I Bruise Easily" "We're All Mad" and the prophetic "I'm A Bomb," and features cringe-inducing lyrics such as "I'm looking for a guard dog, not buying a Chihuahua" ("If You're Gonna�").

Fortunately, when confronted with an album like Ms Bedingfield's Unwritten, Ms Scary thanks her lucky stars that her CD player comes with a feature that allows her to pre-programme her track selection.

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