...and the other Swedish pop-related thing I was looking forward to seeing this morning: the music video for Darin's "Breathing Your Love." Take notice, UK/US record labels: embedding isn't disabled despite the fact that it's posted on Darin's official channel.
I'm still completely addicted to this song, a fact which isn't alleviated by the fact that possibly my favorite part are those almost gasped-out "love"s which close out the song.
Don't lie--I know that you can hear me
(Updated)When I woke up this morning, I was hoping to finally be able to hear Magnus's new single via Flipp eller Flopp (no way I was waking up to hear it on Rix Morronzoo); it wasn't played, but I was surprised to find that something I didn't realize was coming out this early was (that's a radio rip, obviously, and therefore not full audio quality). It's an interesting choice for lead single, especially since if it's not played he's setting himself up for some awful puns. I don't know that it's as big and statement-like as "Tokyo," but I love this style of song--big swooshy dance-pop--enough (and repeated nonsense syllables--here, "oh oh ohoh"--enough) that I think I was always going to be at least partly on board with any followup in the same style as his debut. I'll probably have a more thought-out and lived opinion and judgement in a little while.
This single comes out November 12 and can be preordered here (physical), but in the meantime, you can buy his excellent debut album here (physical) or here (digital).
Edit: as a bit of an update, Aftonbladet ran an article about him today. He says E.M.D. definitely haven't split up but his solo album will come out Christmas Eve. "Radio" is written by Michael Zitron and Andreas Carlsson has written and produced a track on the album, "Utopia."He has written several of the tracks (including one called "Turn Of The Sound") and says the album is "more him," but he still describes it as a party album, music to dance to, but just with more meaningful lyrics.
Next up: maybe that Spanish song or British song.
Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes now
I think I've made pretty clear in the past that I both have severe reservations about K.P. (and that was before I even heard "I Kissed A Girl") and ADORE "Hot 'N Cold" . All the buzz I'd heard about her album was that there was nothing to rival "Hot 'N Cold" on it, which meant I dodged the majority of the "well, is it OK to listen?" dilemma; all I had to do was be frustrated whenever she appeared on TV singing "I Kissed A Girl" or newspapers ran thinly-veiled promotional articles about, say, her style or something and I felt fairly free to enjoy "Hot 'N Cold" in peace.Last weekend, though, I was forced to listen to her debut album--well, saying "forced" makes it sound a lot more extreme than it was--just being in the car with someone who was listening to it. As I said on Fizzy Pop, I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe I shouldn't have been (surprised, that is), since I'd found out earlier on that she sang the demo for Miley Cyrus's "Breakout," a song I like (despite some offputting first verse lyrics) in a style I'm generally open to hearing more of from anyone--kind of Go-Go's-esque. I wouldn't say the album is all killer no filler by any stretch, but--though the "no rival to 'Hot 'N Cold' statements are right--there are things to enjoy there, though slightly more on the pop-rock side of things than either of her first two proper singles are.
I think "Waking Up In Vegas" is my (non-"Hot 'N Cold") track of the moment from it; the bridge and chorus are just the right kind of melodic power pop/pop-rock. It's not propelled forward quickly like "Breakout" nor electro-buzzy and jumpy like "Hot 'N Cold" and any "shake shake shake" is far from the gleeful chant of Metro Station's "Shake It," but it's no ballad either. If Miley isn't going to be our next Go-Go's, could (gulp) Katy? Or maybe she's the morning after the Go-Go's, when, with the previous night's parties over, you're left putting the pieces back together. Most of them are still whole, enough for the melody, the attitude, and some of the fun to be recoverable, but a few--that sugar rush and some of that untameable backing beat--are too shattered to be saved, and added into the mix are a few new pieces which you're can't figure out if you're proud of or regret.
To buy her latest album, go here (physical) or here (digital).
Next up: maybe that British song or Spanish song.
You're gonna see me again
There's a good chance some of you out there remember the amazing pop blog Catchy Tunes of Sweden. Sadly, it closed up a few years ago, but...
Alexander (one-half of the CTOS team) has opened a new blog! S.O.S. Revival is dedicated to the best of Swedish pop from the '80's, '90's, and '00's. This is pretty much the best blog news I can imagine at the moment, so add it to your bookmarks and leave lots of comments so he'll keep going. My addiction to Swedish pop would never have reached the full-blown level it's at now without CTOS and I'm almost positive that most readers of this blog will end up loving S.O.S. Revival.
(As a P.S., that quotation giving the post its title? It comes from the altered version of "Cry For You" playing on Jonas von der Burg's MySpace. And while you're there, listen to the clip of [former Idol contestant] Gathania's "Blackout," which starts out kind of ballad-y and with piano but ultimately reveals itself as the quality Swedish dance-pop we expect from him.)
Alexander (one-half of the CTOS team) has opened a new blog! S.O.S. Revival is dedicated to the best of Swedish pop from the '80's, '90's, and '00's. This is pretty much the best blog news I can imagine at the moment, so add it to your bookmarks and leave lots of comments so he'll keep going. My addiction to Swedish pop would never have reached the full-blown level it's at now without CTOS and I'm almost positive that most readers of this blog will end up loving S.O.S. Revival.
(As a P.S., that quotation giving the post its title? It comes from the altered version of "Cry For You" playing on Jonas von der Burg's MySpace. And while you're there, listen to the clip of [former Idol contestant] Gathania's "Blackout," which starts out kind of ballad-y and with piano but ultimately reveals itself as the quality Swedish dance-pop we expect from him.)
I feel so dizzy, oh boy, every time you're near me
Before we get into today's post, let me just say that the music video for Darin's "Breathing Your Love" will debut on YouTube two days from now (October 31).
(The PopJustice forums get total credit for my knowledge of this song.)
I was a little skeptical about German singer (and Sarah Connor's younger sister) Lulu Lewe's single "Crush On You." I'm not sure what it was--maybe the chorus didn't connect on first listen, maybe it was a little skepticism I bring to some German pop acts--who knows. Once I started that second listen, though, I was hooked. Somewhere in between teen-pop and the electro-pop of Sarah's better recent tracks like "See You Later" and "Under My Skin," "Crush On You" is based on a sample of Giorgio Moroder's "The Chase." That sample gives the song a lot of what makes it great, but it's got appealing elements of its own that make it more than just "The Chase" with some vocals slapped on top. That chorus that I initially wasn't sure of? It's actually great, with its backing "crush crush"s and what I'm tempted to say--simple as it is--is one of the best teen-pop melodies of the year (then again, how many of those songs have we actually got this year?). In fact, "Crush On You" is kind of what you'd get if you pulled the teen pop I grew up with, that late '90's/early '00's boom, into now--oddly enough, it can thank that sampled backing what's modern about it.
To buy Lulu Lewe's single "Crush On You" (as far as I know, she's not released anything beyond this single--which includes the original version, a remix, and a b-side--so far), go here (physical) or here (digital).
Next up: maybe that Spanish song or digital song.
(The PopJustice forums get total credit for my knowledge of this song.)
I was a little skeptical about German singer (and Sarah Connor's younger sister) Lulu Lewe's single "Crush On You." I'm not sure what it was--maybe the chorus didn't connect on first listen, maybe it was a little skepticism I bring to some German pop acts--who knows. Once I started that second listen, though, I was hooked. Somewhere in between teen-pop and the electro-pop of Sarah's better recent tracks like "See You Later" and "Under My Skin," "Crush On You" is based on a sample of Giorgio Moroder's "The Chase." That sample gives the song a lot of what makes it great, but it's got appealing elements of its own that make it more than just "The Chase" with some vocals slapped on top. That chorus that I initially wasn't sure of? It's actually great, with its backing "crush crush"s and what I'm tempted to say--simple as it is--is one of the best teen-pop melodies of the year (then again, how many of those songs have we actually got this year?). In fact, "Crush On You" is kind of what you'd get if you pulled the teen pop I grew up with, that late '90's/early '00's boom, into now--oddly enough, it can thank that sampled backing what's modern about it.To buy Lulu Lewe's single "Crush On You" (as far as I know, she's not released anything beyond this single--which includes the original version, a remix, and a b-side--so far), go here (physical) or here (digital).
Next up: maybe that Spanish song or digital song.
How can I put into words?
With all credit to the lovely Cheiron Songwriters forum, here's Darin performing a song from his new album, "Runaway." Can I judge it based on this clip? No. Is that going to stop me from posting new Darin stuff? Of course not.
Did you think I'd wait forever, baby, like the others did before?
I was reminded of Australian singer Amy Pearson's underrated "Don't Miss You" (sorry for the low quality) recently when I found out that South African girl band NKD are launching their new acoustic (ugh--why, girls, why? You had some great pop of the very much non-acoustic sort on your debut) direction off the back of a cover of it. It's kind of a Stacie Orrico-esque song, one with a very catchy radio-friendly chorus, the sort of thing that works perfectly as a sing-a-long, and with just a hint of pop-rock to it. It's arguably generic, but if "generic" sounds this good, who cares? In my opinion, there's a general lack of songs with this sound at the moment, at least in the U.S. and from female singers.To buy her debut album, Who I Am, go here (physical).
Next up: maybe a British, Spanish, or German song.
In this prison that we made, we both know where we belong
When Swedish Idol and Melodifestivalen contestant Sibel released her debut album The Diving Belle there was some excitement and surprise over the fact that she'd included an uptempo, more dance/disco-pop song, "Don't You Wanna Know" on it, but I found myself feeling lukewarm about the song. It felt kind of...well, token uptempo song to me. There was potential there, but it never burst through and the chorus kind of felt like a non-event when, given the verses, something bigger was needed there. It was an OK one, but, for me, it didn't feel like more than that.Luckily, though, Sibel gave us the iTunes bonus track of "The Night Is Still Young." I'm not going to claim it's the song to end all songs, but I think it's more fun than "Don't You Wanna Know." Also dance-disco-pop (though of course not full-fledged hands-in-the-air dance-pop ridiculouslessness; this is Sibel, so there's that certain element of grown-up-ness to it, despite the lyrics that you could easily be sung by someone young, as Sibel is), it's got a chorus that feels like a chorus instead of a bridge still leading up to something.
To buy Sibel's album The Diving Belle, go here (physical) or here (digital). "The Night Is Still Young" isn't included on most versions, though; head to any European iTunes store for that edition of the album.
Next up: maybe that British song or that Spanish song or that boy band.
I know it's wrong, so why I am with you now?
You might not guess it from the mini-explosion of posts around here today, but I've actually not been able to find the words to do justice to the one song I most want to write about. Bits and pieces, yes, but nothing coherent yet. That post may come tomorrow (or never, you never know), but for now, here's something that's a little easier to write about.Release Me--talk about a joyous album opening. As I mentioned below, I'm a sucker for strings in disco-pop songs (cue my long-running affair with Beyoncé's "Ring The Alarm" in Freemasons remix format) and "Release Me" uses them wonderfully. The chorus is a breath of fresh air, sweet, smooth, and strong, just breezy enough to bring a smile to your face but with enough of that beat to stay firmly danceable. I have trouble imagining Swedish pop lovers not being at least a little bit enchanted with "Release Me"--fun, adorable, sweet, catchy, pretty, melodic...I think it'd be at the least a pleasant diversion for pop fans in general, too, though it's far more than that for me. I could be wrong, but I think this is going to be the big long-term favorite for me from this album. "Love Me Senseless" and "On and On" may be slightly...cooler, but "Release Me" is just such a rush of musically uncomplicated (though that doesn't mean unsophisticated) yet just classy enough joy that it's won my heart. Despite its lyrics, it's the soundtrack to the best day you ever had.
Dance Love Pop is available for purchase right now in all European countries iTunes stores here (including in the UK) and the physical version can be preordered here.
Next up: maybe more up-tempo lovely Swedish music or, preferrably, I'll figure out what to say about that transcendently amazing British song.
Why do I keep coming back?
Do you know what happens when you're stalling doing actual work and instead googling for information about upcoming releases? You stumble upon random things.
Today's example?
All of Agnes's new album Dance Love Pop is streaming in high quality here (well, I assume it's the whole thing--I'm only partway through it right now, but it's full tracks so far). Great news! I'll write more about it later, probably. Given my complete adoration of the use of strings in disco-pop, I'm a pretty happy camper as I listen to "Release Me" right now.
Today's example?
All of Agnes's new album Dance Love Pop is streaming in high quality here (well, I assume it's the whole thing--I'm only partway through it right now, but it's full tracks so far). Great news! I'll write more about it later, probably. Given my complete adoration of the use of strings in disco-pop, I'm a pretty happy camper as I listen to "Release Me" right now.
Sono un grande falso mentre fingo l'allegria, sei il gran diffidente mentre fingi simpatia
Clips of Tiziano Ferro's upcoming album Alla mia età (out November 7) are available for listening on Italian iTunes (though you can listen wherever you live) here. If judging albums based on thirty second clips is near impossible, judging non-English language albums on thirty second clips is (for me) even more so. There are hints of the electro he's dabbled with in the past, though nothing as sweeping in that regard as "Stop! Dimentica." I have a feeling I'll be avoiding the English language version of "Indietro," though.I haven't made up my mind about the video yet. It feels like it should be better than it is, especially given how much I like the concept for it of the room filling with water.
Not being a soccer fan and being an American, it's a little difficult for me to imagine being where a mistake in soccer game can be that devastating; I know it's just an analogy (once could presume for some hot water Tiziano found himself in after some comments), but I go back and forth on whether it's the most effective one possible. I know it's more clichéd, but I wonder if I might have felt its emotional impact more if the scenes surrounding the water-filled room were about a relationship, even if that widened the distance between the lyrics' intent and what the video displayed. That said, it does give the song some added impact as is and I've oddly found myself returning to it, despite its (perceived) flaws.
I feel love
As other blogs have covered, Magnus Carlsson has a greatest hits album coming out. Much as I'd love a new album from him, begrudging him a hits collection is hard given the length of his career so far--I mean, Barbados to solo career to Alcazar to solo career has given him more than enough time to rack up a good number of singles. It's a two CD set (I feel like I'm on an informercial); if you want to see the tracklist, go here.The most important thing for our purposes, though, is that he's now got another single coming out. It's called "Walking In My Shoes" and he's put a clip of it on his official website (for a direct link, click here). It's very disco and probably more than a bit Alcazar, down to going into a sample at the end of that clip (it's something very famous and it's going to be driving me crazy until someone tells me what it is); at the same time, I've been worried he's going to start moving into casually tossed off disco covers (in addition to the previously released "I Was Born This Way," the album features "Y.M.C.A.", though from the looks of it it's not new), so, uh, though I've got no problem with some disco amazingness, let's keep up with making modern day disco-type classics if we're going to go the full-on disco route (though samples are OK), please?
"Walking In My Shoes" comes out November 3, but it gets its first play on Rix FM this coming week, I think.
Taboo
There's a shameful lack of music from Asia on this blog and, considering that I can usually manage to post songs from Sweden twice a week, having covered, what, one artist from that entire continent in several years is pretty ridiculous. I haven't properly "grown into" Asian music yet, I think, both in terms of finding artists I like and in growing accustomed to its own traits and quirks and, yes, languages. Japanese singer Namie Amuro's "What A Feeling"--the one song/artist just mentioned--is still my favorite song from Asia this year so far (which is really a pretty ridiculous kind of frame to establish--I mean, the entire continent? Choosing your favorite song from it for the year should be really difficult. I'll get there eventually).
The middle 8 on that is just too good. Really one of the best songs of the year.
I've enjoyed Ami Suzuki's "Free Free" (via Mike of PTA) as well.
Today's song more than earns its place on that list.
Taboo--I can't put this song's singer in any more of a context than one paraphrased from Wikipedia, so let's get to the song, which is basically just catchy dance-pop that's probably trying to be at least a little bit edgy (much like the video)--you know, that dance-pop with bite to it. The verses may have that to some degree, but they give way to a fairly smooth (though still uptempo and danceable) chorus. I don't speak the tiniest bit of Japanese, but the flow of the lyrics is catchy enough to keep my attention anyway.
To buy this single, go here (physical).
Next up: maybe that boy band. And hopefully posts with more words in them (or at least a better video-to-words ratio). Oh, and I need to write about a new song from my Spanish singer.
The middle 8 on that is just too good. Really one of the best songs of the year.
I've enjoyed Ami Suzuki's "Free Free" (via Mike of PTA) as well.
Today's song more than earns its place on that list.
Taboo--I can't put this song's singer in any more of a context than one paraphrased from Wikipedia, so let's get to the song, which is basically just catchy dance-pop that's probably trying to be at least a little bit edgy (much like the video)--you know, that dance-pop with bite to it. The verses may have that to some degree, but they give way to a fairly smooth (though still uptempo and danceable) chorus. I don't speak the tiniest bit of Japanese, but the flow of the lyrics is catchy enough to keep my attention anyway.
To buy this single, go here (physical).
Next up: maybe that boy band. And hopefully posts with more words in them (or at least a better video-to-words ratio). Oh, and I need to write about a new song from my Spanish singer.
Where in heaven have you been all my life?
Do you know who's back?
Christian Walz! Of the BRILLIANT "Wonderchild."
His new single is "What's Your Name?" and you can listen to it here. I'm not madly in love with it yet, but one and a half listens is way to early to judge a song and I'm still glad to have him back (and I could see myself being won over by its sweetness with time). "What's Your Name?" is kind of a little more twee indie-pop sounding than "Wonderchild," but then, something that bouncy, upbeat, and full-sounding was kind of always an anomaly for him. It does have a kind of clever conceit of cycling through some of the cheesiest pickup lines you can imagine ("I'm no Flintstone/But I'll make your bed rock"). Sound-wise, it's very much a trip back in time, too--'60's, I'd guess, though maybe that AM pop-rock from the '70's, too? I'm so out of my league, trying to know anything about music beyond the past few years. The era you'd expect to hear the line "What's your sign?" in.
Oh, and do you know who else is coming back, though admittedly not quite yet? Danny--as a solo artist (thanks to Bas for the tip)! Listen to a brief message from him as well as part of the eventual new single, "Radio," below. I'm breathing a sigh of relief that we're getting a return from Dance Danny. Please let the song be good. It's written and produced by 2N Productions (much of Kate Ryan's best stuff and Danny's song "Only Wanna Be With You," one of my favorite tracks from his debut album). Now, when is it coming out and when are we getting the album?
Christian Walz! Of the BRILLIANT "Wonderchild."
His new single is "What's Your Name?" and you can listen to it here. I'm not madly in love with it yet, but one and a half listens is way to early to judge a song and I'm still glad to have him back (and I could see myself being won over by its sweetness with time). "What's Your Name?" is kind of a little more twee indie-pop sounding than "Wonderchild," but then, something that bouncy, upbeat, and full-sounding was kind of always an anomaly for him. It does have a kind of clever conceit of cycling through some of the cheesiest pickup lines you can imagine ("I'm no Flintstone/But I'll make your bed rock"). Sound-wise, it's very much a trip back in time, too--'60's, I'd guess, though maybe that AM pop-rock from the '70's, too? I'm so out of my league, trying to know anything about music beyond the past few years. The era you'd expect to hear the line "What's your sign?" in.
Oh, and do you know who else is coming back, though admittedly not quite yet? Danny--as a solo artist (thanks to Bas for the tip)! Listen to a brief message from him as well as part of the eventual new single, "Radio," below. I'm breathing a sigh of relief that we're getting a return from Dance Danny. Please let the song be good. It's written and produced by 2N Productions (much of Kate Ryan's best stuff and Danny's song "Only Wanna Be With You," one of my favorite tracks from his debut album). Now, when is it coming out and when are we getting the album?
Shadows of you
Another of the "how did I not know about this?" releases of the past few weeks is the latest from the Attic. They put out two long remixes of "Flash In The Night" a while ago, but in mid-September they finally released the proper radio version (as well as extended mixes), though as far as I know not in Sweden itself. I'm thrilled to be getting new material from them, though, and hopefully this means we'll get the other songs on their MySpace eventually, too. The Attic are brilliant makers of electronic pop/dance/house music; if you don't own their previous album, I highly recommend picking it up (it comes in two versions, both of which I love, but I think I'd have to go for the second version, Remember Tomorrow).Flash In The Night (Radio Mix)--a cover, but a great one. If you know the Attic sound, this single's sound won't be surprising to you, but that doesn't make it any less great or less welcome. Unlike their Melodifestivalen entry but like the majority of their songs, "Flash In The Night"'s vocals actually come from them (well, one-half of them). Far beyond just doing great remixes, they make original material (and yes, I realize how much this song--which a welcome updating of an '80's song--fits into that category is questionable, but even if you don't want to count it, they've got more than enough songs fully of their own) that's even better, and they do it so well and so easily--thank goodness they're around. Please let them never go away!
To buy the Attic's single "Flash In The Night," go here (digital). Remember Tomorrow (which does not include this song) can be bought here (physical).
Next up: maybe a boy band or one man boy band.
För i dina ögon
I've been meaning to write about today's song for months and months and yet somehow haven't done it yet. Please don't take that as any indication of the song's quality, though; it really is brilliant.Swedish artist Arvid is signed to the lovely label Wonderland Records (lovely both because of the acts they have--Universal Poplab, Emmon--and because they are so incredibly amazing about letting you have mp3s of their artist in hopes that if you love the song you'll buy it afterwards). He's several singles into his career so far, but by far my favorite one was released last December (though I can't say I've known about it since then).
I Dina Ögon--you know that type of crisp electronic pop that incorporates piano? And that has too much of a beating heart beneath it to qualify as chill but that you're more than willing to let just wash over you in all its gentle gorgeousness? That's "I Dina Ögon" ("In Your Eyes") in a nutshell. This is the sort of priceless gem of a track that I fell head over heels in love with on first listen and has lost not a bit of its sheen--glossy and yet still emotional--in the listens since. Top-class synth-pop (and not any sort of knockoff of some trend popular at the moment), and that's no exaggeration. Music to lose yourself in.
You can buy physical versions of Arvid's singles here and a digital version of his second single, "Hur kunde jag låta det ska?", here. Visit his MySpace here.
Next up: more electronic pop music from Sweden, but this time from a group you've heard of.
Try to find some more stars
While I'm engaging in pointless ways to evaluate an album, the tracklist for the Alesha album, The Alesha Show, looks pretty great. Special shout-out to track 12.
1.) Welcome To The Alesha Show
2.) Let's Get Excited
3.) Breathe Slow
4.) Cinderella Shoe
5.) The Boy Does Nothing
6.) Chasing Ghosts
7.) Play Me
8.) Hand It Over
9.) Do You Know The Way It Feels
10.) Can I Begin
11.) Italians Do It Better
12.) Ooh Baby I Like It Like That
13.) Don't Ever Let Me Go
14.) I'm Thru
15.) Mystery (hidden track)
I hope the cover is as awesome as it should be.
In other news, why on Earth did no one tell me Martin Stenmarck had recorded a new English language song? Granted, it's for charity--the Scandic Sustainability Fund, run by this hotel chain--but still, any Martin at all is always more than welcome. It's called "A Million Candles Burning" and you can stream it here or buy it from Swedish iTunes (if you're from Sweden) here (possibly the best thing about this whole project is that whoever came up with the remix name decided to call it the "Sustainable Mix." Brilliant). It's at #2 in the Swedish singles chart, but that means absolutely nothing in terms of how popular the song actually is. Maybe of more meaning is its entry into Sverige Topp 40 (which mixes albums and singles, so I really don't what it actually means either), which combines sales and TV and radio play, at #17.
I know I'll probably never get around to actually writing about it like I should, but the new Sugababes album is great. Really, it is. And I've still not written about the fantastic Ladyhawke album yet, have I? Needs to be done. Albums that I found (to steal a phrase) worthy were pretty scarce in the first half of the year, but that's been changing over the past few months luckily. So far, I think I'd put Ladyhawke, Sugababes, Kate Ryan, probably Will Young on the list, though there are a couple of albums I've only just bought/got that I'll need to properly listen to a few more times before I make a judgment call (and I may be forgetting something).
My favorite album of the year so far, though? It's never been challenged since March. I've never done a proper write-up of it and I don't think I could even come close to doing it justice if I tried, but that may not stop me from trying at some point in the next few months, if I can ever figure out how to put into words my adoration of it, how exciting I find it. It's an album I'll recommend to anyone and everyone (recommendation was in fact how I first listened to it), but, oddly enough, it's not an album I can ever envision myself listening to with someone else unless it was in the most intimate of circumstances.
What is it?
In other news, Darin and David Jassy wrote American boy band (and My Fizzy Pop post subjects) V Factory's new single "Love Struck." Listen to it here. I could be completely wrong on this, but doesn't it even sound like you can hear Darin on the backing vocals sometimes? Speaking of Darin, you can also watch a video (in Swedish) of the making of the video for "Breathing Your Love" here.
According to an interview, he's got a record contract in France now.
1.) Welcome To The Alesha Show
2.) Let's Get Excited
3.) Breathe Slow
4.) Cinderella Shoe
5.) The Boy Does Nothing
6.) Chasing Ghosts
7.) Play Me
8.) Hand It Over
9.) Do You Know The Way It Feels
10.) Can I Begin
11.) Italians Do It Better
12.) Ooh Baby I Like It Like That
13.) Don't Ever Let Me Go
14.) I'm Thru
15.) Mystery (hidden track)
I hope the cover is as awesome as it should be.
In other news, why on Earth did no one tell me Martin Stenmarck had recorded a new English language song? Granted, it's for charity--the Scandic Sustainability Fund, run by this hotel chain--but still, any Martin at all is always more than welcome. It's called "A Million Candles Burning" and you can stream it here or buy it from Swedish iTunes (if you're from Sweden) here (possibly the best thing about this whole project is that whoever came up with the remix name decided to call it the "Sustainable Mix." Brilliant). It's at #2 in the Swedish singles chart, but that means absolutely nothing in terms of how popular the song actually is. Maybe of more meaning is its entry into Sverige Topp 40 (which mixes albums and singles, so I really don't what it actually means either), which combines sales and TV and radio play, at #17.
I know I'll probably never get around to actually writing about it like I should, but the new Sugababes album is great. Really, it is. And I've still not written about the fantastic Ladyhawke album yet, have I? Needs to be done. Albums that I found (to steal a phrase) worthy were pretty scarce in the first half of the year, but that's been changing over the past few months luckily. So far, I think I'd put Ladyhawke, Sugababes, Kate Ryan, probably Will Young on the list, though there are a couple of albums I've only just bought/got that I'll need to properly listen to a few more times before I make a judgment call (and I may be forgetting something).
My favorite album of the year so far, though? It's never been challenged since March. I've never done a proper write-up of it and I don't think I could even come close to doing it justice if I tried, but that may not stop me from trying at some point in the next few months, if I can ever figure out how to put into words my adoration of it, how exciting I find it. It's an album I'll recommend to anyone and everyone (recommendation was in fact how I first listened to it), but, oddly enough, it's not an album I can ever envision myself listening to with someone else unless it was in the most intimate of circumstances.
What is it?
In other news, Darin and David Jassy wrote American boy band (and My Fizzy Pop post subjects) V Factory's new single "Love Struck." Listen to it here. I could be completely wrong on this, but doesn't it even sound like you can hear Darin on the backing vocals sometimes? Speaking of Darin, you can also watch a video (in Swedish) of the making of the video for "Breathing Your Love" here.
According to an interview, he's got a record contract in France now.
You like my hair brunette, but I like it blonde
Clips! Girls Aloud! New album!
(Alternatively, stream the clips individually here.)
Obviously judging the album based on these is premature, but I am intrigued by the fact that the kind of electronic sound of "It's Magic" seems to pop up in slightly altered ways a few times. Also, "The Loving Kind" is sounding no less brilliant.
(Alternatively, stream the clips individually here.)
Obviously judging the album based on these is premature, but I am intrigued by the fact that the kind of electronic sound of "It's Magic" seems to pop up in slightly altered ways a few times. Also, "The Loving Kind" is sounding no less brilliant.
Can no longer go on without you here
Soundtrack for this post
Over the years, I've been fond of saying the best original Idol winner's song ever is Aleksander With's "A Little Too Perfect," a song I posted on this blog in its first few months of existence. While traditionally the song that fills this role is a big ballad about having overcome obstacles and finally achieved something, "A Little Too Perfect" is a mid- to up-tempo piano-pop-rock song--guaranteed to lift your mood any time you listen to it--about a relationship . A perfect catchy pop song.
To be fair, as time has passed, I've had to qualify that statement--"well, I guess I love Boris's 'When You Think Of Me' an awful lot"--only to later be allowed to retract that qualification later on--"When You Think Of Me" is actually (as Resa pointed out) a cover of an American country artist's song. Kjartan Salvesen's "Standing Tall" is still in the running and a contender, though not winning--those Norwegians, eh? And come to think of it, I loved "Dreaming" and "This Is Life," the songs released by Norway's 2005 and 2006 Idol finalists. They really know how to do direct-from-Idol music there, I guess.
Anyway, to try to veer back on track to the point of this post, in the past few days I've been able to remove another possiblly-hindering-though-still-not-winning threat to "A Little Too Perfect"'s title: South African Idol winner Heinz Winckler's "Once In A Lifetime." Another catchy feel-good mid/up-tempo song, "Once In A Lifetime" is apparently a cover, a fact I didn't know until a few days ago. Who did the original?
Norwegian singer and former Eurovision contestant Van Eijk. If you watched ESC 1999 and can remember anything beyond the Charlotte and Selma battle, you might remember "Living My Life Without You," an uptempo one man boy band type of song written by Van Eijk and one-half of now big name writing/production team StarGate, Mikkel Eriksen. Van Eijk, 18 years old at the time, apparently had some technical difficulties with his earpiece that he said hindered his singing; the song ended the night in about the middle of the table. There's a bit just before the chorus that sounds very first album Backstreet Boys/'N Sync.
He released a platinum-selling album, Where I Belong, by the way (something I didn't know until Can't Stop The Pop wrote about it), which StarGate also worked on, and I kind of love the more ballad-y but still kind of mid-tempo-ish "Still In Love" from it. I definitely recommend giving that song a listen if you liked that 1999 boy band sound.
Once again attempting to leave tangents behind, "Once In A Lifetime" (co-written by Van Eijk) was apparently recorded by him for release back in 2000 as the lead single for a new album. The odd thing is that, though his version was recorded, several presumable b-side alternate versions were made, and Norwegian newspaper VG reports that his version of the single was set to be released in October 2000 (I don't know whether it actually was or not, but I would presume so since it and the aforementioned alternative versions are out there), when Heinz released it, it was claimed that the song had never before "been recorded for commercial release." Even if for some reason Van Eijk's version was pulled before actually release, it very obviously was planned to be (i.e, recorded for) commercial release. Hmm. At any rate, Heinz's version would go on to sell double platinum in South Africa and launch a career that so far has extended to three albums.
So, what have we learned from this really pretty rambling post? 1.) Swedes may be winning the overall music-made-by-Idol-contestants sweepstakes, but Norway seems to be the place to go for the music-released-while-still-on-Idol factory. 2.) Van Eijk was an underrated songwriter. 3.) Pop Eats Pop should come back :(
I don't know of anywhere where you can buy Van Eijk's music, so the best I can do is point you in the direction of the MySpace of his latest group, which has a very different sound.
Next up: maybe music from an actual boy band. Or one man boy band stuff. Or that Japanese dance-pop.
Over the years, I've been fond of saying the best original Idol winner's song ever is Aleksander With's "A Little Too Perfect," a song I posted on this blog in its first few months of existence. While traditionally the song that fills this role is a big ballad about having overcome obstacles and finally achieved something, "A Little Too Perfect" is a mid- to up-tempo piano-pop-rock song--guaranteed to lift your mood any time you listen to it--about a relationship . A perfect catchy pop song.
To be fair, as time has passed, I've had to qualify that statement--"well, I guess I love Boris's 'When You Think Of Me' an awful lot"--only to later be allowed to retract that qualification later on--"When You Think Of Me" is actually (as Resa pointed out) a cover of an American country artist's song. Kjartan Salvesen's "Standing Tall" is still in the running and a contender, though not winning--those Norwegians, eh? And come to think of it, I loved "Dreaming" and "This Is Life," the songs released by Norway's 2005 and 2006 Idol finalists. They really know how to do direct-from-Idol music there, I guess.
Anyway, to try to veer back on track to the point of this post, in the past few days I've been able to remove another possiblly-hindering-though-still-not-winning threat to "A Little Too Perfect"'s title: South African Idol winner Heinz Winckler's "Once In A Lifetime." Another catchy feel-good mid/up-tempo song, "Once In A Lifetime" is apparently a cover, a fact I didn't know until a few days ago. Who did the original?
Norwegian singer and former Eurovision contestant Van Eijk. If you watched ESC 1999 and can remember anything beyond the Charlotte and Selma battle, you might remember "Living My Life Without You," an uptempo one man boy band type of song written by Van Eijk and one-half of now big name writing/production team StarGate, Mikkel Eriksen. Van Eijk, 18 years old at the time, apparently had some technical difficulties with his earpiece that he said hindered his singing; the song ended the night in about the middle of the table. There's a bit just before the chorus that sounds very first album Backstreet Boys/'N Sync.
He released a platinum-selling album, Where I Belong, by the way (something I didn't know until Can't Stop The Pop wrote about it), which StarGate also worked on, and I kind of love the more ballad-y but still kind of mid-tempo-ish "Still In Love" from it. I definitely recommend giving that song a listen if you liked that 1999 boy band sound.
Once again attempting to leave tangents behind, "Once In A Lifetime" (co-written by Van Eijk) was apparently recorded by him for release back in 2000 as the lead single for a new album. The odd thing is that, though his version was recorded, several presumable b-side alternate versions were made, and Norwegian newspaper VG reports that his version of the single was set to be released in October 2000 (I don't know whether it actually was or not, but I would presume so since it and the aforementioned alternative versions are out there), when Heinz released it, it was claimed that the song had never before "been recorded for commercial release." Even if for some reason Van Eijk's version was pulled before actually release, it very obviously was planned to be (i.e, recorded for) commercial release. Hmm. At any rate, Heinz's version would go on to sell double platinum in South Africa and launch a career that so far has extended to three albums.
So, what have we learned from this really pretty rambling post? 1.) Swedes may be winning the overall music-made-by-Idol-contestants sweepstakes, but Norway seems to be the place to go for the music-released-while-still-on-Idol factory. 2.) Van Eijk was an underrated songwriter. 3.) Pop Eats Pop should come back :(
I don't know of anywhere where you can buy Van Eijk's music, so the best I can do is point you in the direction of the MySpace of his latest group, which has a very different sound.
Next up: maybe music from an actual boy band. Or one man boy band stuff. Or that Japanese dance-pop.
It's so calm and quiet without you
For lack of time, I'll just say that this song, which I've written about several times before, continues to only get better and better with time and is just fantastic to shout along with at the top of your lungs. Fantastic. There are even a few lines I can imagine Kelly singing, much as it is the opposite in sentiment of a song like "Since U Been Gone."
Is it all about the money?
Before they were writing songs like "Don't Stop The Music," "Irreplaceable," and "Closer," Norwegian production duo StarGate was giving us songs like Samantha Mumba's "Always Come Back To Your Love" and Blue's "All Rise." Even before that, though, they were writing and producing for some Norwegian artists that most people outside of Norway probably aren't familiar with. Noora was one of those. StarGate was the driving force behind her 1999 debut album, Curious. As far as I know, there was some sort of attempt to launch Noora in the UK, but I don't think it ever took off.What About Love--a bonus track from Noora's album, "What About Love" is an ultimately feel-good pop-R&B song fairly typical of StarGate's work at the time; it's probably more on the pop side, I guess. The chorus is great catchy stuff--it is a very 1999 sound, but it's still more than enjoyable today, and even the production is part of that. It's just a fun, fairly bubbly track, one that's catchiness flows so easily that you can easily spend three and a half minutes listening to it.
To buy Noora's debut album, Curious, go here (physical) or here (digital).
Next up: maybe one of the things I said yesterday I'd write about.
What about saying that we'll never give up?
I'm in a particularly good mood today since I finally found a Finnish digital music store that I can buy from (well, and ZShare is letting me upload songs, though I think that's because I'm somewhere besides where I usually am). I've been eager to hear today's song in full since February or March, but was reluctant to buy the whole album when it came out because, beyond that song and maybe one other, it didn't sound very good.
So, what's the song in question?
Tuulee
Yes, it's in Finnish, and I know that will be a turnoff for some people (there are languages I'm still accustoming myself to listening to), but if you think there's even a remote chance you'd love a boy band power ballad in another language, give this one a listen.
"Boy band" might be a bit of a deceptive term, in the same way that it is for Take That, New Kids on the Block, or Boyzone. XL5 were a Finnish boy band from the '90's who broke up when the boy band wave peaked, reunited recently, and released "Tuulee" as their comeback single this year, and it's really far better than it has any right to be. I mean, how is it possible that the members of the band wrote a song this great? Given that I've heard absolutely nothing else from them of this quality? Lightning in a bottle, I guess.
Actually, Take That or the Backstreet Boys would be a more accurate comparison than a group like the New Kids. "Tuulee" mines a similar guitar-and-piano-using power ballad comeback single territory as the one Take That used for "Patience" and the Boys went for with "Incomplete," complete with a chorus that feels perfect for those big clenched fist hand gestures. If anything, though, I think the chorus is even more dramatic than that of "Incomplete"; the vocal melody itself is bigger in sound (it doesn't have the strings punctuating it and adding extra drama, though). If I'd managed to hear the whole song in the first half of the year, I think I'd have said it was the best actual boy band ballad of the year so far and, do you know, it just might--might--still be. It's the sort of song that makes paying attention to all those non-English language charts worth it.
To buy XL5's comeback album X, go here (digital).
While we're on the topic of Take That and strong boy band (or boy band-like) ballads, I'm sort of madly in love with the Gary Barlow-penned "What About Us," the lead single from John Barrowman's upcoming album Music Music Music (see also: PopJustice's and Paul's posts about it).
Did I mention I love this song? Head-over-heels in love? The chorus is unfightably lodged in my head.
Next up: possibly sweet boy pop from Sweden, pop-rock from the Netherlands, or dance-pop from Japan.
So, what's the song in question?
Tuulee
Yes, it's in Finnish, and I know that will be a turnoff for some people (there are languages I'm still accustoming myself to listening to), but if you think there's even a remote chance you'd love a boy band power ballad in another language, give this one a listen.
"Boy band" might be a bit of a deceptive term, in the same way that it is for Take That, New Kids on the Block, or Boyzone. XL5 were a Finnish boy band from the '90's who broke up when the boy band wave peaked, reunited recently, and released "Tuulee" as their comeback single this year, and it's really far better than it has any right to be. I mean, how is it possible that the members of the band wrote a song this great? Given that I've heard absolutely nothing else from them of this quality? Lightning in a bottle, I guess.
Actually, Take That or the Backstreet Boys would be a more accurate comparison than a group like the New Kids. "Tuulee" mines a similar guitar-and-piano-using power ballad comeback single territory as the one Take That used for "Patience" and the Boys went for with "Incomplete," complete with a chorus that feels perfect for those big clenched fist hand gestures. If anything, though, I think the chorus is even more dramatic than that of "Incomplete"; the vocal melody itself is bigger in sound (it doesn't have the strings punctuating it and adding extra drama, though). If I'd managed to hear the whole song in the first half of the year, I think I'd have said it was the best actual boy band ballad of the year so far and, do you know, it just might--might--still be. It's the sort of song that makes paying attention to all those non-English language charts worth it.
To buy XL5's comeback album X, go here (digital).
While we're on the topic of Take That and strong boy band (or boy band-like) ballads, I'm sort of madly in love with the Gary Barlow-penned "What About Us," the lead single from John Barrowman's upcoming album Music Music Music (see also: PopJustice's and Paul's posts about it).
Did I mention I love this song? Head-over-heels in love? The chorus is unfightably lodged in my head.
Next up: possibly sweet boy pop from Sweden, pop-rock from the Netherlands, or dance-pop from Japan.
Me and you belong?
This could be completely 100% wrong, but does anyone else think there's a chance "Smash Into You" from Beyoncé's upcoming album might be a slightly reworked version of Jon McLaughlin's "Smack Into You"? Both have Tricky and The-Dream as writers and Beyoncé could have just altered, say, "smack" to "smash," few other things and got a writing credit. And it is a ballad that you could imagine fitting in on the I Am Beyonce part of the double album. Would also explain the song not making it onto Jon's album...
Once again, I could be totally off on this. Just a thought.
Once again, I could be totally off on this. Just a thought.
You said you will never give up on us
Given that Enrique Iglesias was one of the best popstars of 2007, I feel obligated to let you know that you can listen to his new English-language greatest hits-promoting single "Away," which features Sean Garrett, here in very good quality. It's an almost mid-tempo ballad which the production (very Sean Garrett-esque) is really trying to take up to epic level; that backing just builds and builds and BUILDS.It's a bit frustrating to be getting another greatest hits (he just released a Spanish language one), but if you don't own an Enrique album, this really will be something worth getting--he's had some excellent (and very underrated) singles over the years. In addition to "Away," it'll feature one other new song, "Takin' Back My Love" featuring Ciara. It comes out in the U.S. on November 11. British site Play.com gives the tracklisting and cover as follows:
1.) Bailamos (Wild Wild West/Soundtrack Version)
2.) Away
3.) Hero
4.) Be With You
5.) Takin' Back My Love
6.) Rhythm Divine
7.) Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)
8.) Tired Of Being Sorry
9.) Escape
10.) Could I Have This Kiss Forever
11.) Not In Love Radio Mix (Dave Aude Vocal Edit featuring Kelis)
12.) Don't Turn Off The Lights
13.) Love To See You Cry
14.) Maybe
15.) Addicted
16.) Somebody's Me
17.) Can You Hear Me
18.) Hero (presumably a remix)
Once you've tasted love, can never have enough
Random songs to listen to elsewhere:
The clip of Girls Aloud's "The Loving Kind," taken from their upcoming album Out Of Control. BRILLIANT, from the sounds of it. The best kind of melancholy in the world.
"Encore" by Danish singer Heidi, off of X Factor--listen here, but that link will open Windows Media Player. The song isn't quite as over-the-top-excellent as I was hoping it would be from the clip I'd heard, but it's an interesting half-dark synth-washed pop song, with the chorus probably being the stand-out part. It would be nice to be able to buy it from somewhere, though.
The clip of Girls Aloud's "The Loving Kind," taken from their upcoming album Out Of Control. BRILLIANT, from the sounds of it. The best kind of melancholy in the world.
"Encore" by Danish singer Heidi, off of X Factor--listen here, but that link will open Windows Media Player. The song isn't quite as over-the-top-excellent as I was hoping it would be from the clip I'd heard, but it's an interesting half-dark synth-washed pop song, with the chorus probably being the stand-out part. It would be nice to be able to buy it from somewhere, though.
So super fly
I can just imagine J.R. Rotem sitting around, thinking, "You know, 'S.O.S.' was a big hit for Rihanna...if I've got this other pop-R&B chick who had some decent success with her first album [author's note: which had three good-to-great singles taken from it] and is looking to really break through with this second one, maybe all I need to do is go find another '80's hit to sample."So, if you're J.R., what do you do? Go search for another '80's anthem with a dark bassline that you can use for a unfightable dancefloor-ready pop track? Nope. You go straight for Nena's "99 Luftballons." And turn that into a bouncey mid-tempo song (about, say, Mariah's "Heartbreaker" in tempo) about how fantastic the singer looks with her sunglasses, skinny jeans, and Gucci bag. If you think too much about, your head might start spinning at the thought of "flossy, flossy, baby, I do it right" covering over the synth hook from Nena's song about the dangers of nuclear weapons, but really, for most people, was the joy of Nena's song--a hit in the U.S. in its German form and surely unintelligible to most Americans--really about the lyrics or that can't-get-it-out-of-your-head and actually pretty joyful music? "Stunned Out" is kind of ridiculous, but it somehow manages to keep that joy, albeit in a transformed urban-synth-pop version that feels perfect for the summer. Is it kind of goofy? Yes (and some people are going to hate it for what it does to a classic), but only in the best possible way.
This song is not yet available for purchase, but you can buy the artist's self-titled debut album here (physical) or here (digital; only available to U.S. residents). "Walk Away" (best in its rap-free form) is underrated, as is "Easy," and "Doing Too Much" is fun mid-tempo urban pop fluff.
Next up: probably a Dutch song I've written about before.
I never wanted to be the cause of your misery
(I'm now having trouble with both ZShare and Sharebee, so it's back to SpeedyShare--which does let you preview before you download--for now.)
There are a bunch of songs out and about at the moment that I'm itching to write about (and hopefully soon there will be even more), but for now, let's go with something ripped straight from the Swedish iTunes top 10 (speaking of which, I more write more about it later, but Winding Stairs' "Shadow Stripes," on sale in all countries' iTunes stores and even the U.S. Amazon mp3 store, may appeal to a lot of people who aren't hardcore Swede-pop addicts; it's got a little bit of the indie-pop aura around it as well as possibly one of the most interesting musical compositions of the year, with its more lush, melodic, serious, and string and piano-centered base overlain by jaunty "la la la"s). Daniel Karlsson is, yes, another boy from Swedish Idol, but unlike many of the Idol boys of recent years, he's deliberately setting himself up as more of an artist type (for lack of a better phrase). "Would You Believe?" is his debut single.
Would You Believe?--as with "Shadow Stripes," I think this is a song those of you less prone to loving the uber-bouncey poppy commercial side of Swedish pop (which I adore) may love. It's tough to know where to focus on first, given that both the lyrics and music are interesting enough that it takes a few listens to all sink in. Some stop-and-go verses with harp plucks have a musical accompaniment that makes it obvious pretty quickly that Daniel doesn't want that created-by-electronic-equipment sound, that he wants a slightly more "organic" sound, though that's not to say at all that he's forsaking all such equipment--we get some tweaking with vocals more than once over the course of the song to elongate and layer them. The chorus manages to seem both breezily, expansively simple as well as not at all so. It's kind of halfway towards sounding very "big," like it should be played in a hall where the sounds will bounce around and reverberate for an almost orchestral feel. There's even a lovely middle 8 as well, with Daniel's stretched out "misery" being pretty catchy in and of itself. Like that chorus, the music of the song as a whole works through its contradictions: a certain pop-rock breezy jauntiness (to reuse two words) and melancholy at the same time.
If we switch back to the lyrics for a moment, we'll find a breakup story told from the party doing the breaking up after he's "caused a lot of pain" to his partner--a bit unusual, but certainly not unheard of. There are enough little lyrical twists, though, that I find myself getting more and more captivated with the story. I think Daniel definitely wants to be seen as clever, and that can sometimes come across the wrong way, but with some of the lines he comes up with, including my favorite--We could've had it all, I know/But it's so much more than I need"--he just might be. Daniel's come up with something great with "Would You Believe?", a song with a great musical background and with a lyrical cadence and delivery that suits that background perfectly.
To buy Daniel Karlsson's single "Would You Believe?", go here (physical) or here (digital).
Next up: maybe another Swedish song or a dark dramatic song from an American singer...or something Danish. Or Japanese dance-pop. Who knows?
There are a bunch of songs out and about at the moment that I'm itching to write about (and hopefully soon there will be even more), but for now, let's go with something ripped straight from the Swedish iTunes top 10 (speaking of which, I more write more about it later, but Winding Stairs' "Shadow Stripes," on sale in all countries' iTunes stores and even the U.S. Amazon mp3 store, may appeal to a lot of people who aren't hardcore Swede-pop addicts; it's got a little bit of the indie-pop aura around it as well as possibly one of the most interesting musical compositions of the year, with its more lush, melodic, serious, and string and piano-centered base overlain by jaunty "la la la"s). Daniel Karlsson is, yes, another boy from Swedish Idol, but unlike many of the Idol boys of recent years, he's deliberately setting himself up as more of an artist type (for lack of a better phrase). "Would You Believe?" is his debut single.If we switch back to the lyrics for a moment, we'll find a breakup story told from the party doing the breaking up after he's "caused a lot of pain" to his partner--a bit unusual, but certainly not unheard of. There are enough little lyrical twists, though, that I find myself getting more and more captivated with the story. I think Daniel definitely wants to be seen as clever, and that can sometimes come across the wrong way, but with some of the lines he comes up with, including my favorite--We could've had it all, I know/But it's so much more than I need"--he just might be. Daniel's come up with something great with "Would You Believe?", a song with a great musical background and with a lyrical cadence and delivery that suits that background perfectly.
To buy Daniel Karlsson's single "Would You Believe?", go here (physical) or here (digital).
Next up: maybe another Swedish song or a dark dramatic song from an American singer...or something Danish. Or Japanese dance-pop. Who knows?
My world
I've just updated yesterday's Melodifestival post with a lot of information from Aftonbladet and QX. If you want to read about Linda Bengtzing singing on a demo, a likely return for Shirley Clamp, a probable Melodifestival debut for Jonathan Fagerlund, or a bunch of other artist predictions and song descriptions, it's worth a revisit. As we get new information, there's a good chance I'll just continue editing it all into that post so I've got somewhere where all the information is gathered (well, once we hit February, we'll get the usual pre-semifinal posts with descriptions), but I'll make sure to make a mention in a recent post when I do that.
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