Krista Siegfrids – Better On My Own

“Boy, has she developed.”

Tim: You’ll remember Krista, Tom, she’s the one that haunts your nightmares. But boy, has she developed.

Tom: This is what happens when you rush into a marriage, Tim. Anyway, why do you say “developed”?

Tim: Because sound-wise, that could come off the next Taylor Swift album.

Tom: You’re right. In fact, I’d be willing to say that someone, at some point along the process, said “make this sound like Taylor Swift”.

Tim: It’d very much be an album track, mind, because there’s not enough of Swiftian glory about it.

Tom: And the lyrics aren’t anywhere near as good: “it sucks to be me”? Really?

Tim: The verses are adequate, the chorus is catchy while it’s playing but forgettable once it’s over, and the music beneath it is competently produced. Yes, that all sounds negative, or positive in the same way that a drop in the sink is a tidal wave, but let’s not miss the bigger picture: it’s a modern sound, with a lot of potential, so Krista let’s keep going please.

Krista Siegfrieds – On & Off

“Keep one hand hovering over your Alt+Tab.”

Tim: Finland’s favourite bride-to-be is back with a rather good pop song, presented here for your enjoyment.

Tom: Oh heavens, not her again. Hopefully she’s getting a divorce.

Tim: Well, if her husband sees this video, they may well be headed that way: it’s not technically NSFW, but when they’re On they’re very very On, so you might want to keep one hand hovering over your Alt+Tab.

Tom: I was about to ask if that was a euphemism, but crikey, you’re not kidding.

Tim: Verses: 8/10 – pleasantly tuneful and melodic, with just the right amount of energy for the scenes and settings it’s describing. Chorus: also 8/10 – opposite of the verse, really, with a whole lot of energy but not much in the way of melody.

Tom: I’d rate both of those a little bit lower: that chorus is good, but the “on-and-off” bit just doesn’t work for me.

Tim: Middle eight: 7/10, mostly losing points for that “sh-” which sounds annoying, fools no-one, and since it’s not like you’re realistically going to get any English-speaking radio airplay, why bother?.

Tom: I can forgive them the censorship, but again: it’s just not quite working for me.

Tim: Post-chorus, though: SO MUCH/10, because that “on and off and on and off” is really very good indeed – lyrical genius it might not be, but it’s sure as hell immediately sing-alongable, memorable, and basically the highlight of the song.

Tom: And the trouble is, you’re absolutely right. I can remember it. I don’t want to, but I can remember it, and I suppose I’ve got to give it a few marks for that.

Krista Siegfrids – Cinderella

“I couldn’t criticise her for not giving it everything”

Tim: Tom’s off again today, but he will no doubt remember Krista, the bride-to-be who’s been haunting his dreams for the past twelve months. Over the weekend, she appeared once again on Finland’s Eurovision selection program, but this time just to show off her new single. (Performance here.)

Tim: There’s not a massive amount to it, or at least there doesn’t seem to be, and that’s kind of a problem. There’s no way I could criticise her for not giving it everything she’s got with those big notes, but I think the song almost needs someone with a voice to handle those better. Compare this to, say, Unconditionally, and I can’t help feeling that her vocal hasn’t quite got the capability this song deserves – the big drawn out bits stop too quickly, really, when I’ve got a feeling they’d sound better if they were held out for a few more seconds. I don’t know. It’s decent enough, but may have had a little more potential.

Krista Siegfrids – Amen!

“She’s divorced and back out on the pull.”

Tim: Tom, you’ll be glad to heard that Finland’s somewhat manic wannabe fiancée has given up on the whole marriage idea, largely because it didn’t work out for her – two months later, she’s divorced and back out on the pull. Let’s see how she gets on, shall we?

Tom: Crikey, you know the intro with that distorted version of her Eurovision track? That’s pretty much how I heard it the first time.

Tim: Well, as far as I’m concerned that divorce has done wonders for her, musically at least, because I really like that.

Tom: Really? Sounds to me like she’s trying to be a Gwen Stefani knockoff, and she’s not really managing it.

Tim: You think? Obviously it wouldn’t have suited a Eurovision entry (though as it turned out, neither did Marry Me, which was a bit of a shame), but it’s a big pop number with a lot going for it.

Tom: I suppose the Big Pop Bits aren’t all that bad, but those verses just clunk so badly that I can’t say it holds together as a track.

Tim: I disagree – I reckon it works well. Sounds almost Gaga-ish, or at least round about 2010-era with verses taken from Ke$ha back around then as well.

Tom: Which means she’s about three years too late. You’re right with both of those comparisons, it’s just that they seem to have lost a lot in translation.

Tim: Hmm. All your negativity’s got me slightly worried again about an issue I’ve mentioned before – would I like this if it was a Ke$ha track? I don’t know, but I do know that, whatever you say, I like it as a Krista Siegfrids track, which is what it is. Amen for that.

Tom: I’ll just pray it doesn’t get airplay over here.

Tim: Well, that’s probably a given.