Baby, tell me why you wanna leave it all behind

Are you on pins and needles to hear new September material? So on pins and needles that you'd brave the world of shady low quality live performance clips on YouTube? If so, press play below to listen to "Leave It All Behind."



Edit: a higher quality clip of the performance (thanks, Damian!)



This is probably as good a time as any (well, slightly less good than when it was actually released and therefore relevant) to say that I love the UK mix of "Can't Get Over" more than the original version, despite it ditching the main instrumental hook--it's much slicker, catchier, bouncier, harder-hitting, and generally better in my eyes.

(With, once again, credit to Aces.)

You think our time apart is the problem, and I like you when you're not around

(Please do not post this song link elsewhere.)

A BIG thank you to every one who stuck around through my year end countdown. As a gift of gratitude, I'd like to offer up a brand new song straight out of the von der Burg studios. "Get It Out" is the debut single of the former Swedish Idol contestant Gathania who caught our ears with "Blackout" late last year (which isn't yet released). I quibbled with Alex last year when he asked why September-like songs were being given to artists other than September, who hasn't released brand new material since 2007 (which isn't that long ago, it's September, so I'm always wanting new material from her), mainly because Elin Lanto's "Discotheque" isn't from the people who always do September's music and she doesn't have the same management team as Petra, but "Get It Out" is from those same writers...and boy, is it September-like (second album September, I'd say). It doesn't have Petra's lovely voice on it, but given its music, it's easy to imagine her singing it.

Still, I guess if Petra is understandably distracted with promoting the reworked version of "Can't Get Over" in the UK (she's just filmed a music video for it), we wouldn't be getting new music from her for a little while, so another artist under the von der Burg wing--especially since Danny has moved on (you can imagine his voice on this, too, come to think of it)--is something I'll welcome; I've yet to feel like their output is suffering by spreading it around to some different artists. It's certainly not suffering on "Get It Out," which is, to be honest, fantastic and, at least a few listens in, addictive. Effortlessly catchy dance-pop but with that sophisticated Von der Burg edge--there's something almost haunting about the riff of the chorus and the song even flirts with the piano house style--it makes for what's got to be one of the year's best debut singles. When I heard that "Blackout" wasn't actually her first single, I was a little bit confused, but hearing "Get It Out," I think it makes perfect sense.

(Brief lyrical aside: in a song about finally arguing and both partners finally saying what's on their minds, "just let me fill your heart up with sorrow/'cause it's better than a rotten lie" is stuck in my mind.)

To buy "Get It Out," go here (physical); you should be able to buy it digitally within a few days here.

In other news, did anyone else not realize until now that apparently the West End Girls have a new single titled "A Little Black Dress" (which I think is a Pet Shop Boys track technically not released but available "out there" and done for that musical thing? Feel free to correct me or provide more information) coming out February 11?

Next up: more Swedish pop, either from another young woman or from a male songwriter.

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.)