Author: Tim

Lawson – Learn To Love Again

When you said “boyband”, this isn’t what I had in mind.

Tom: Who?

Tim: Lawson, the UK boyband that somehow always get overlooked when One Direction and The Wanted are mentioned. Even though they have proper guitars.

Tim: I say ‘somehow’, it’s because Radio 1 have never ever playlisted them, and that is obviously definitely not because they’re managed by the owner of direct competitor Capital FM.

Tom: Interesting how that works, isn’t it? If only INJU5TICE had gotten themselves a slot at the Jingle Bell Ball.

Tim: Two and a half years on, and we’re still talking about them. That’s got to count for something, surely?

Tom: Whoever said “there’s no such thing as bad publicity” had never heard INJU5TICE.

Tim: Aaanyway, despite Radio 1’s best efforts, Lawson have still got three out of three singles in the top 10, and are presumably hoping to keep that up. And this will probably manage it.

I say that – it’s good and I like it, but I’ve listened to it five times in a row and still I can’t really think of much to say about it. Which is a shame, given the point of this site, but it’s probably just sort of the whole ‘more of the same’ that comes around every now and again.

Tom: Now, see, I disagree – when you said “boyband”, this isn’t what I had in mind. It’s heavier than most tracks of its kind, and while – yes – it is basically just “The Wanted Only Playing Their Own Instruments”, it’s still pretty damn good.

Tim: Oh yes – ‘more of the same’ isn’t a bad thing. And while they’re marketed as a boyband they’re quite a way from One Direction in terms of, well, pretty much everything. This has got a nice ‘woooahh-ooahh’ bit in the middle eight that seems to be everywhere (including, now I think about it, most One Direction tracks), and it’s generally quite enthusiastic, and there’s fire in the video and all that which is fun, and, oh, well it seems I have got stuff to say. Hooray.

Bastille – Pompeii

This one’s got guitars as well.

Tim: As the risk of dragging this out too far: this one’s got guitars as well. Although they don’t come in for a while.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQPSQ1EpLDI

Tim: I know, and have found out, next to nothing about this band.

Tom: We’re dedicated to research here, folks.

Tim: Hey, I tried – there are at least two of them, because two is how many were being boringly interviewed on the radio last week, and they speak with English accents; that’s all I could get, apart from that they enjoy doing odd mashups at their live gigs.

Tom: I can’t even work out where that odd pronunciation of ‘close’ comes from.

Tim: Well, let’s just enjoy it, because I think there’s a lot to enjoy.

Tom: Yep, this is a cracking track, although I’m generally a sucker for fake-Latin chanting put into pop songs.

Tim: In which case, check out the first and last tracks on the first Hurts album. But back to here, instruments: starts out with some basic synth-work, add in the drum beats and it quickly speeds up. Get to the chorus, and that slightly epic chanting from the beginning makes a nice return, and the (ever-important) guitars jump in for a bit. The vocals are good as well – along with the aforementioned chanting, we have nicely paced verses and then some high energy choruses which all work very well.

Tom: Yep: all the little touches are there, and it’s bloody marvellous. And how about that middle eight? It’s not often you get a good drumline going on in pop.

Tim: It is indeed very good. There is, unfortunately, a disappointing as ever fade-out ending, but that’s nothing we cope with by pushing the ‘skip track’ button a few seconds early. So, good.

I also know there’s an album out in March. But I don’t know what it’s called.

Tom: “Bad Blood”. I bothered to look that up. And if it sounds like this, then I may well be getting a copy of it.

Tone Damli – Smash

A good example of what pop music should be.

Tim: Let’s bring in 2013 with a good example of what pop music should be.

Tom: A bold claim. What are you bringing to the table?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HmoV8BWSRQ

Tim: Decent chorus, catchy ‘vibe’ (people still say that, right?)

Tom: Nope.

Tim: Oh.

Tom: You’re right, though – I can’t say the melody grabs me, but it’s certainly happy. Although “I won’t let you smash it again” does sound a bit dodgy out of context.

Tim: It’s an upbeat sound despite the negative message, and…well, it’s good. Honestly, there’s not a lot more that I can think to say about this, though that’s not a bad thing – there’s certainly nothing wrong with it. Given all this, and the extra bit of effort she puts in for the closing section, I will give it something like 69%.

Tom: Is that an innuendo?

Tim: Maybe 70%.

Tom: Better.

Suvi – Clovers

A nice dreamy little number for you.

Tim: A nice dreamy little number for you, in case you’re feeling worn out by a hefty week of feasting, partying or arguing.

Tom: Nice job covering all the bases there.

Tim: And, rest. That’s a lovely little tune, isn’t it? Calm, relaxing, ever so slightly hypnotic, drifting and falling over you as you lie on the floor, either utter exhausted or horrifically angry from the events of the past few days.

Tom: It is: with enough drums in it to keep it interesting. It’s not all soothing choirs and synths – and that return from the middle eight is beautiful. Full marks for taking two of the oldest camera tricks in the book – slow motion and reverse – and combining them with bubbles to make something rather stunning.

Tim: Stunning is the right word there. I don’t know much about this Suvi person, other than that she’s Stockholm-based and has a surname of Richter, but for now, that’s enough. Because this music’s just what I want right now, and I’ll take it just as it is.

Matt Cardle – Anyone Else

It’s the Curse, you see.

Tom: We keep covering Credibility Cardle’s singles as if they’ll get anywhere.

Tim: ‘We’ do? I don’t think I’ve ever brought one of his to the table. The only way I know he’s still alive is your consistent posting of every track. You’re not on his mailing list or something, are you?

Tom: Don’t worry, I’ve not gone off the deep end.

Tim: Good, because if there’s one thing I could never forgive you for, it’d be being on Matt Cardle’s mailing list.

Tom: It’s interesting – they’re still tracked by the music business because of his history, but the last three didn’t trouble the top 40; heck, two of them didn’t trouble the top 150. Which seems a shame, because he has that nice-guy look around him.

Tim: Ah, the Cheapest Video Method Ever™. Always a good sign.

Tom: But the singles are only ever sort-of-good. With the exception of his winner’s song – a cover – they’ve all been just OK. He’s talented, he’s got a voice that vaguely reminds me of Bruno Mars, and there’s nothing wrong with the music. He will no doubt maintain a core of dedicated fans for years, tour the country successfully, and attain more than most aspiring stars will.

It’s just that… well, he won the X Factor. Olly Murs didn’t manage that. One Direction didn’t manage that. Shouldn’t he be the one breaking America?

Tim: Absolutely not. It’s the Curse, you see. The Curse of The X Factor Male Winner, which takes the form of a destiny. A destiny in which there is never a second number one, and only very rarely a third top 20 hit. Never a second Syco album, and never a sell-out tour. An arena tour? You must be joking.

You’ll be invited back to the show once, to perform your first ‘proper’ single, already destined for obscurity. And then you’ll be forgotten about, and erased from history, as far as the producers are concerned. Erased and forgotten about, like a bowel movement from the day before yesterday. And about as welcome.

Tom: (Oh, the song? It’s OK, I guess.)

Tim: Doesn’t matter what the song’s like. That’s the tragedy of the Curse.

Ms Trez – Sweet Liar

It’s a lot better than Girls Aloud’s.

Tim: A couple of days ago we had Girls Aloud’s most recent slightly-banging ballad; now let’s have one from Ms Trez, Sweden’s current notable girlband.

Tim: It’s hard not to compare them, really, but fortunately for them this comes off very well indeed.

Tom: It does, although I’m automatically a bit biased against it: generally, girl-band ballads don’t tend to grab my attention. I’ll admit that it’s a lot better than Girls Aloud’s offering though.

Tim: For it, we have more of a beat, its not waiting until the second chorus to get going, and a lack of slightly irritating ba-baby.

Tom: I know it didn’t annoy you quite as much as it did me, but bloody hell I’m glad there’s nothing similar here.

Tim: Against it, well, there’s a more downbeat tone to the lyrics, and then there’s the fact that, well, they’re just not Girls Aloud. Still, I think these things all balance out, and this tracks gets a decent seal of approval from me. And that’s what really matters in today’s music industry.

Tom: (Don’t correct him, readers. It keeps him going.)

Whigfield – Jeg Kommer Hjem

For someone who started with “Saturday Night”, she’s come a long way.

Tim: I’m giving nothing away.

Tom: For someone who started with “Saturday Night”, she’s come a long way.

Tim: Yes – this is dubstep-inspired Whigfield, and I for one think it works. Unexpected, yes, but not too out of place, and I like it.

Tom: I agree, but it’s the kind of track where the vocalist is mostly interchangable: Whigfield could be happily replaced by any session vocalist or guest star here, and it’d sound much the same. This kind of track is normally credited to the producer rather than the singer, so it’s a bit strange to see something this, er, “dubsteppy” credited to Whigfield.

Tim: It couldn’t really be more different from her last track, 4Ever, which was all sweet and happy which rolling harpsichords, whereas this carries the standard harsh tones that can kind of grate a bit (and are expressed vividly so in that video).

Tom: As I’ve said before: I’ve grown to like them as they’ve become more and more influenced by pop.

Tim: Me too: I really like this, and it’s a sound that brings Whigfield up to date and playable on a modern dancefloor, unlike any other recent track of hers. This is good stuff. Very good indeed.

Saturday Flashback: East 17 – Stay Another Day

This song is very, very Christmassy

Tim: Yes, we’re doing this. Because you’ll recall that last Friday we were at a pop night and you expressed doubts that this was a particularly festive song. So now we’ll probe further.

Tom: Christmas 1994. I was ten years old. You know, I think this was just after the point when I figured out that pop music existed. There’s still a copy of Now 30, on double cassette, somewhere in my parents’ house.

Tim: I will accept that this song has flaws: it has an excessive number of chorus repeats at the end, the video is utterly ludicrous and “I touch your face while you are sleeping” is one of the creepiest lyrics that’s ever been written.

Tom: It does just keep going, doesn’t it? But at the same time: that timpani roll at the start sets the scene for what’s to come so well: it’s a very, very, good pop track. I don’t think it deserves quite such an outro, but at least it doesn’t repeat-until-fade.

Tim: This is true. But you may still say that as a Christmas record, it’s flawed: the bells at the end, after all, were only added at the last minute when the cynical producer realised it would be released in December, the snowy video was made after this when they realised it had become a Christmas hit, and if you think this is a typical romantic “please don’t leave me” song, please don’t look it up on Wikipedia, because it may well ruin Christmas forever.

Tom: You know, I’ve never seen that video before, and one thing strikes me: what on earth is going on with Brian Harvey’s earrings? I know it was the 90s, but… blimey.

Tim: Strange, yes. But regardless of any of these issues, this song is, undeniably, very, very Christmassy. Why? Those bells. That’s all it is – just the bells. Because those chiming bells are more than enough to get absolutely everyone at the Christmas work do, without exception, to put down their drinks and head to the dancefloor, either with a loved one to hold onto, or as a group, arms round each other, shouting along merrily. This happened last Friday when it was the last song of the night, and it will happen at every single Christmas party from now until the end of time. And that is what makes it a festive song.

Tom: I’d forgotten about those bells. And I can’t help but agree with you.

Scooter – 4AM

You’re probably thinking, “Hang on, I’ve heard this a lot.”

Tim: Their newest one, Army of Hardcore, is a bit crap, so we won’t talk about it. This previous one’s still only two months old, though, so let’s have a listen. (Couple of gratuitous F-words up ahead, if you care.)

Tim: Let’s get the small things out of the way. First: his yelling. Heard it all before, standard fare, but to be honest it’s a bit distracting.

Tom: The yelling is part and parcel of Scooter – you couldn’t have them without HP Baxxter BRINGING THE NOISE.

Tim: Second: female vocalist. Not sure we’ve had one before (at least not on a single release), but I like it – works well.

Tom: Not without it being extensively reprocessed, certainly. But then, Scooter went jumpstyle for a while, and they seem to change direction every now and then: having actual vocals is fine by me.

Tim: Now let’s talk about the big thing. The massive thing. Which that you’re probably thinking, “Hang on, I’ve heard this a lot. How is a new Scooter track so big in 2012?” Well, sorry to disappoint you, but it isn’t. The lovely Million Voices by Otto Knows, though, is. Was. Whatever. The point is, theft.

Tom: Well, let’s not be so hasty. Scooter has always sampled or re-made tracks: I’m Raving was Walking in Memphis, Rebel Yell was Rebel Yell, and Ramp! was The Logical Song.

Tim: Sort of, but those were all direct covers (although I’m Raving has a slightly convoluted legal history – they covered “Raving I’m Raving” by Shut Up And Dance, although not before that track had been banned and proceeds been directed to charity following intervention by Marc Cohn’s people).

Here, though, it’s different – they’ve just tweaked it enough not to get sued, and now I’ve got a dilemma. We’ve established before that I’m happy to take the ‘probably a coincidence’ view, but this is such a blatant rip-off that anyone with an ounce of moral conviction can’t help but feel a little queasy.

Tom: I’d find it difficult to believe that there hasn’t been some kind of agreement about sampling or remixing here.

Tim: Well, this tweet from Otto Knows would suggest otherwise.

Tom: Ouch. It’s up to the lawyers, then.

Tim: But yet. BUT YET. Much as I love it, I always felt that Million Voices could do with a bit more – three minutes of “ey ey ey ey ey, ah ah ah ah ah” is fine, but after a few plays it gets a bit, well, samey, and I’ve occasionally wondered what an added vocal layer would sound like. And dammit, it turns out it sounds great. So, I shouldn’t like this because it’s evil stealing and all that, but I do like it because it sounds really good. Oh, God.

Tom: It’s an improvement. That’s not even an ironic statement, which is saying something for Scooter. But you’re right: it’s a ripoff.

Sally Shapiro – What Can I Do

I’m not sure I can support anything with pan pipes.

Tim: You may recall Watch The World Go By from about 18 months ago; Johan, who did that, got in touch again to alert us to this. Sally does the vocals, he does the music, and it’s rather good music at that.

Tom: Are… are those pan pipes? I’m not sure I can support anything with pan pipes.

Tim: It’s gentle, it’s harmless, it’s sweet – if you’re offended or not happy with it, there’s got to be something wrong with you.

Tom: It is pleasant enough, but then it’s a generic, gentle four-chord song – I helped pass the time during it by singing the lyrics to “Forever Young” over the top of it. And I did have to pass the time during it, sadly; it’s nice, I agree, but it just seems a bit half-hearted.

Tim: It’s the soundtrack to a nice morning, probably spring or summer, lazing around in a field not doing much. Not a particularly wintery track, then, but it’s still got a nice air about it and that’s just about enough for me right now.