Tag: Janet Leon

Saturday Reject: Janet Leon – Hollow

“It’s just not right.”

Tim: On the night, this was one of my predictions to go straight through to the final; in the end, it came eighth. That’s disappointing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_Jt6TWyOF8

Tim: Now, I don’t want to be as rude as I was a couple of weeks ago, but really, last place? This is, as far as I can tell, a genuinely spot on piece of pop music, and surely one that even non-pop fans can appreciate as a possible victor.

Tom: And again, I’m not hearing it. It’s slow, the vocals don’t seem to properly harmonise, and the chorus is basically a dull version of Little Boots’ Remedy.

Tim: Oh, come one. Admittedly, that week we had Janet, Linda and the awful Ellinore competing for female pop vocalist of the night, so some vote-splitting may be inevitable, but seriously, last place for this versus an Andra Chansen placing for Ellinore? It’s just not right. To be honest, if Alcazar hadn’t qualified straight through to the final I think I’d have entirely given up hope.

Tom: Speak for yourself: it seems about right to me.

Janet Leon – New Colours

“That absolutely, totally, works with my brain.”

Tim: You, incorrectly, didn’t think much of Janet’s Melodifestivalen entry, Heartstrings; others apparently did, or at least enough to pay attention to her, as her follow-up is the official single of Stockholm Pride 2013, coming with an appropriately colourful lyric video.

Tom: That is excellent. To the point where I immediately downloaded it after listening through once.

Tim: Crikey.

Tom: It’s that good. It’s a very rare song that makes me do that, but this is that rare song. This is the kind of pop that absolutely, totally, works with my brain.

Tim: High praise there, for what is indeed a lovely lovely song. The lyrics don’t really tell the happiest story, although they sort of do because when a desire is sung like this then let’s be honest it’s going to happen, isn’t it. Janet is going to get her new colours, whatever they may metaphorically be, and then she’s going to parade around with them all and shout about it. Until then, though, she’s just going to make music like this.

Tom: She’s welcome to. Seriously, I don’t think I have any criticisms about this song. This is certainly the best pop song of the year so far — at least to me.

Tim: Powerful, beat heavy, club friendly, and happy. A good chorus that we can all sing along to. A massive closing section that everyone can go crazy to. Basically, music that is FUN.

Saturday Reject: Janet Leon – Heartstrings

“Knocked out in the first round. How?”

Tim: RIGHT. Now as I’m writing this I’ve just finished watching the show, so emotions are slightly involved, but this came FIFTH. FIFTH. KNOCKED OUT IN THE FIRST ROUND. HOW?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_UlSnxC2HM

Tom: Because it’s only a middling Eurovision entry?

Tim: And blimey, when you compare it to some of the utter tosh that got put straight through, it’s JUST NOT RIGHT.

Tom: Man, it must have been a pretty poor Melodifestivalen this year. I mean, it’s not bad, but this sounds about like a fifth place to me.

Tim: Well, now you mention it, yes, it’s not great at all. There’s a near-complete absence of schlager, a massive amount of generic EDM and an annoyingly large number of ‘quirky’ songs. Final heat tonight, so it might pick up, but I’m not holding my breath. But regardless of all that, however, this song is fantastic – it’s pure pop. A great and very catchy na-na-na, it’s not even let down by the verses as can happen to many songs of its type. A middle eight that almost got close enough to heavier dance to keep it even more appealing to people who might otherwise be put off by it.

Tom: The backing’s as generic as it comes, and I’m not sure I could repeat the chorus even after listening to it twice. This ain’t a winner, not by a long way.

Tim: In a good year, no, but this really should have at least made it through, to Andra Chansen if nothing else. It’s even got all the extra bits – the catsuits, the strutting, the hairflick at the end. It just adds up to something that’s so right, that when I saw it I thought it could have actually been the Melodifestivalen winner. Sweden, how could you have let this happen?

Tom: Were we listening to the same song?

Tim: Hmm. Maybe you need to see what it’s up against to appreciate it.