...and today you accidentally called me "baby"

A bit of a mish-mash post for the moment.

"Sound Of Music," a song sung by Velvet which I posted on here a little while ago, will apparently be on Velvet's new album, despite the fact that I wrote at the time that the song was a demo for Lutricia McNeal. I can only guess that it was decided the song fit Velvet so well she should keep it (well, that and the fact that with her appearance in Melodifestivalen and Lutricia's still-stalled release of any new single, it seemed like there was more forward motion with Velvet's career). Even though the song's inclusion means we've heard at least six songs on the album ("Fix Me," "Chemistry," "Déjà Vu," "Take My Body Close," "Come Into The Night," and "Sound Of Music"), definitely know the title of one more ("The Queen," which we'll first get a taste of on February 20, since she's competing in the third Melodifestival semifinal), and have heard a track that we can guess is on the album but I don't think was every a proper single and so can't be sure about ("My Rhythm"), I'm thrilled about the news--it's a fantastic song. In celebration, here's another demo sung by Velvet, though this one really isn't for her, just her providing vocals on a track so it can be promoted to other artists. It's not quite as classy as "Sound Of Music," but it's fun if you're into everything dance-pop. Hopefully the date Velvet's official site announces as "preliminary," March 18, gets stuck to--we've been waiting forever for this album.

Johan Krafman's "Chain Reaction" is now officially released as a single. I'm incredibly nervous about how it'll do for him after "Disarmed"'s failure to properly take off, but I've got my fingers crossed for him. Buy it here (digital).

Lily Allen's new album is too fantastic to do a rushed write-up job for right now, but ahead of a proper review I have to mention that listening to songs like "Who'd Have Known" and "Chinese" makes me wish I was in a steady relationship in the most lovely wistful real world way possible, something even the lyrical content of "I Could Say" (almost unspeakably lovely) and "Not Fair" can't impede.

#22 Johan Krafman, "Disarmed"

Put your hands where I can see them
Don't make any sudden moves

It was love at first listen. How could it have been anything else? Tony Nilsson and Bassflow--with Bassflow this time not just producing but also co-writing--are a dream team. Add on top of that that what they've basically done here is combine elements of what I chose as my favorite and sixth favorite singles of 2007 by combining the sound of the music they've done for Ola ("S.O.S.," "Can't Get Enough," "Love In Stereo," "Natalie," "Feelgood") and the remixes Bassflow's done for Martin Stenmarck, and you've got an even better idea of the fact that I stood no chance of resisting this song.

Mix Megapol contest winner Johan brings something to the mix, too, though, sporting a voice that works perfectly for "Disarmed." It's a voice you can easily imagine being turned to a more guitar-filled sound but that luckily isn't here; I love guitars (I love McFly, for heaven's sake), but I love more the way Johan's pop-rock voice gets to cut through the electronically created background here as opposed to potentially being lost in a case of overburdened singer-songwriter guitar-icide. It's a good pop voice, one that has a lovely quality to it and has just the right amount of ability to sell the shoutier (though not really that shouty) moments of "Disarmed."

As always, Tony and Bassflow know just when to make beats pound, just how to fill out a song so it's never empty but still clear-cut enough to never distract from the most important elements, be they the up-tempo pure pop sounds, the haunting backing effects, or just that great melody itself. It all makes for a song that's as catchy and powerful as it can be.

Find it on: Disarmed (Single)

A good beat never hurt no one

I was going to try not to have any more interruptions of my countdown until it finished, but I can't help it--I need to take a moment to talk about some things I'm listening to.

Remember Johan Krafman and his Ola-meets-the-Bassflow-remixes-of-Martin-Stenmarck song "Disarmed"? Well, he's uploaded another Bassflow-produced song onto his MySpace. It's called "Chain Reaction" and, though it's not instantly as addicting as "Disarmed," I'd eagerly buy an album in this sound.

Speaking of songs you can listen to on MySpace, I also noticed today that the full radio version of Jeanette's "Undress To The Beat"--a kind of Holly Valance-esque song (I say "kind of" partly because that's not a perfect comparison but also because I don't want you to get your expectations too high) I mentioned my interest in a little while ago--is playing on a MySpace site here. It'll need some time for me to decide its long-lasting value, but I'm willing to give it that time. Its co-writers include Johan "Kermit" Bobäck (Cyndi Lauper's "Into The Nightlife" and "Echo," Elin Lanto's "Speak 'n Spell," Darin's "Seasons Fly") and Måns Ek, I think.

Do you ever wonder to yourself how you've been missing out on an artist all this time? That's how I'm feeling about Swedish artist Kocky (the artist name for David Åström) at the moment. I've always known of him, for sure, but I've never really paid proper attention to him, so yes, it's all my fault for not picking up on him earlier. It's his connection to Rosanna, whose new music I've been excited about since Robpop wrote about it some months ago, that got me to check him out now. I'll be writing more about him in the future as I digest everything, but I just wanted to give you the heads-up--he may have multiple moments of amazingness. Basically, HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE. Check out his MySpace in the meantime.

"4-Ever Juvenile," a Kocky single, features Tinchy Stryder, and Frankmusik is reporting that his first "proper" single (apparently "3 Little Words" wasn't it) will be "Better Off As Two," will come out in March, and will have a rap from Tinchy added in. A supposed tracklisting for Complete Me has popped up on a British CD retailer site as well as a supposed release date, June 22. A March release date, as had originally been reported, probably would be too quick, so I can live with the wait. The tracklisting:

1.) 3 Little Words
2.) Better Of As 2
3.) Confusion Girl
4.) When You're Around
5.) Complete Me
6.) Boyfriend
7.) Your Boy
8.) Wonder Woman
9.) Vacant Heart
10.) Done Done
11.) Run Away From Trouble
12.) Olivia

My first reaction was "oh thank goodness, 'Vacant Heart' is on it." My second was "aww, no 'Questionable Times.'"If "Boyfriend" is "Gotta Boyfriend"--and it might not be, I've got no idea--I think I've heard versions of all but "Your Boy" and "Wonder Woman," but that's fine; this is Frankmusik, so much of what we've heard will probably have been tweaked anyway and his album should be made as great as possible, so I can hardly hold him sharing songs with us early against him. Plus, there's always b-sides to look forward to. The kind of but not totally ballad title track is uploaded on Frankmusik's MySpace at the moment and it's worth your time.

I've now had two different lines from Daniel Merriweather's as yet unreleased material running across the top of my blog, if that's any indication of my interest in the soul singer's upcoming Ronson-produced material (though oddly neither from his new proper lead single, "Change"). I adored "Stop Me," so I'm hoping he'll end up with something to rival that cover.

I've been meaning to mention here on the blog and not just in comments elsewhere that I really like "Boys And Girls" and "The Fall" on young British singer Pixie's MySpace. "The Fall" is catchy light-on-its-feet British pop and "Boys And Girls" is a little heavier, with verses kind of influenced by that popular '60's sound, but with a bit of electro-without-actually-being-electro crunch in the chorus to cancel that out; let's put it this way: I'm exhausted of that sound, and I love it, so it's not really in that style. She's got some great songwriters behind her, so hopefully her teen pop will end up with a great year both in quality and commercial success.

While I'm on a MySpace roll, I might as well write about Jasmine Baird, who I've loved for quite some time...once again, since DSTP introduced me to her! I need the full version of "The Truth" like you have no idea. I've got absolutely no idea how to describe it, beyond AMAZING. It's got a huge opening, maybe somewhat '80's a la Cyndi Lauper but modern, too. Listen to it on her MySpace here. I'd really love for it to be her who releases it--it's the sound of a brilliant songwriter and artist creating a new space for herself in the world of pop.

Different is Dangerous's list of 2008's best remixes has me listening to the Designer Drugs remix of Mariah Carey's "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" over and over again. It has so much more energy, sparkle, and ...vroom reworked like that.

You know what someone really needs to turn into a proper pop song? "Heavy Leather," this made for TV commercials and shows song. It's got this deep bass groove, kind of a little bit like a Goldfrapp song or Christina Aguilera's "Keeps Gettin' Better" (though it's older than that song). Listen to it in the background of this video clip or this video clip. Someone turn that riff into a real song, please.

Daggers have uploaded a less joyous synth filled ballad to their MySpace. "Death It Feels," "Money," and "Lost In The Distance" are still this synth-pop group's key tracks for me, but when are they going to conquer the world like they deserve to? I'd go groupie for these guys.

Courtesy of Worrapolava, I've been playing Adam Ant's "Playboy" today. I've always loved "Goody Two Shoes" (which was just written about by the much-missed CFB Goes Pop girls), but I think I may feel a proper listen to the greatest hits of his I own coming on soon.

If you're interested in what albums I'm excited about in the coming year, you couldn't do better than read #1 Hits' and MuuMuuse's lists of the albums they're most excited for--together, they cover everything I would have included that we definitely know about (well, I'd probably throw on a few more artists participating in this year's Melodifestival).

The list could go on, but I'll cut it off there for now. Oh, wait, one more thing: Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You." As I've said elsewhere, I'm nervous about how this song will hold up in the long run for me, but right now I'm playing it a lot. Dan Priddy's electro "The Truth" fits in that same category, though I'm playing it a lot less than the very easy to listen to "My Life Would Suck Without You."

Put your hands where I can see them, don't make any sudden moves

I've written quite a lot about Tony Nilsson and Bassflow on here--probably more than anyone besides me cares to know, but they really are a dream team for me; their work for Ola alone deserves to win them hall of fame-type awards and Elin Lanto's "Discotheque" is brilliance incarnate, to list some of the things they've done. You better believe, then, that I am going to take any opportunity I can get to praise their work, especially if said opportunity comes from a great new song.

Disarmed--imagine Ola's best songs crossed with the Bassflow remixes of Martin Stenmarck's singles and I think you've got an idea of what "Disarmed" sounds like. It's sung by Johan Krafman, who won a Mix Megapol contest tied into Ladies' Night (that show Martin Stenmarck's a part of) that gave him a recording contract. He did a live performance of "Disarmed" that shows that he really does have a lovely quality to his voice and that the song, even stripped down, has a strong melody. In the studio version, though, we get a Bassflow backing beat (yes, it's distinctive enough at this point that we can call it that--I mean, go listen to the chorus of Alexander Schöld's "En Historia" and tell me you don't think "oh, that's got to be Bassflow on production") underneath it that propels the song forward. It's a song that's full of electronically created noises and yet that still has more of a pop-rock feel to it than, say, "S.O.S.", though that could just be Johan's voice making me say that. Is it too much to hope that, when Johan releases his album, it's got a bunch of songs from this team on it? Well, I'll probably be interested in it either way if it's an album that this single can comfortably sit on. For now, though, I'll be playing the fantastic catchy "Disarmed" on repeat and miming along with the ridiculous over-the-top gestures this song deserves.

(Incidentally, finding a picture for this post was near impossible; put some promo photos on somewhere besides Facebook, Johan!)

To buy Johan Krafman's debut single "Disarmed," go here (digital).

Speaking of miming along complete with ridiculous gestures, I have to repost this short clip I was introduced to by Oswalds Popcorn of Danny introducing his song "Radio." Total goofball stuff--and sadly pretty much what I'm like when listening to songs I love. 35 seconds that are near guaranteed to make you smile. I love it when popstars can be just as dorky as I can.



Next up: maybe an Italian or British song.