Gimme some Sugababes

MP3 BLOGS

We live in dark times. But if you think the Bush administration's constant attempts to pull the wool over our eyes are serious cause for alarm, be warned there's an almost equally sinister conspiracy afoot in the United States.

For years Americans have been increasingly deprived of our right to purchase the world's greatest pop music, deluded into believing this country's record companies have our best interests at heart each time they put out another mind-numbingly lame single by, say, the Pussycat Dolls. But we're clearly being lied to, as anyone who's traveled abroad can attest. In 2005, overseas artists such as Girls Aloud, Rachel Stevens, Robyn, and the Sugababes released the smartest pop recordings since, like, ever. They just never made it to these shores.

How, then, are we supposed to know such fab music even exists, much less demand to hear it?

Thanks to an explosion of Net-savvy Europop aficionados in the past year, it's getting easier to keep informed.

Posting MP3s of domestically unavailable songs, bloggers behind the fantastic Web sites Catchy Tunes of Sweden, Don't Stop the Pop!, Into the Groove, Spark*Pop, Girls on Pop!, and Swedes Please, among others, are giving geographically challenged listeners a chance to sample what we're missing.

And after downloading their selections, which include everything from current hits to classic obscurities, it's enraging that we're expected to settle for so little here in comparison. The Dolls' "Don't Cha"? Uh, no, I don't. Destiny's Child's "Stand up for Love"? Let's sit this one out, actually. (England, however, recently shat all over us with James Blunt's putrid "You're Beautiful," proving no country's taste in pop is perfect — except, of course, Sweden's.)

Really, these blogs should inspire Stateside pop fanatics to take to the streets, protesting the oppressive label politics that keep such consistently great music out of our reach. In recent weeks, they've posted must-hear gems like the Ark's insta-camp classic "Clamour for Glamour"; Girls Aloud's B-side "I Don't Really Hate You," a nod to the glory days of Stock Aitken and Waterman; cheeky glam tracks by Rogue Traders and Pay TV; and West End Girls' brilliant covers of the Pet Shop Boys.

That's just a small sampling too. The more these sites post MP3s, the more obvious it becomes that this country is getting massively shortchanged in the pop department — and, really, it's not like we need another reason to seriously consider the life of an expat. (Jimmy Draper)

www.soundsofsweden.blogspot.com

dontstopthepop.blogspot.com

poptastic.blogspot.com

sparkpop.blogspot.com

girlsonpop.blogspot.com

swedesplease.blogspot.com