Author: tom

Alex Weit – By Your Side

“Wow, that starts well.”

Tim: New Swede (well, not new, he’s 20, but new at music anyway).

Tom: “New Swede” is also a good name for a band.

Tim: And this is “a story of two people that really fancy each other, but one of them is scared of love. So they cancel their first date and, instead, they both stay home, fantasising about what could have been if things would have played out differently.” Enjoy.

Tom: Wow, that starts well. That’s such a good intro. I realise I’m talking about three seconds of mostly synth effects there, but still.

Tim: And that is a song with a lot of promise, that’s builds and builds and then just…plateaus. Verses, first two choruses, middle eight, all decent and regular, but then towards the end you’ve just got a repeat of the chorus (admittedly not unheard of, but also not particularly inspiring), and a segue into what’s basically in a TV chat show theme tune.

Tom: Huh. You’re right. A lot of good ingredients, but not quite mixed together right.

Tim: And that’s harsh, but…it’s also true, and I really wish it wasn’t.

Tom: It’s a really, really good TV chat show theme tune though.

Klara & Jag – Poetic

“I did not expect ‘Mr Hemingway’ to be a reference in a pop song, let alone a Swedish one.”

Tim: We’ve all been there – sitting in a bar where a guy breaks away from his mates and comes over to you, spouting some deep nonsense and thinking it makes him sound clever and romantic but actually he just sound like a bit of a knob. Alright, maybe not all of us, but that’s who Kara & Jag are singing about.

Tom: I did not expect “Mr Hemingway” to be a reference in a pop song, let alone a Swedish one. But, sure, that works.

Tim: Very first things first: in my mind, this song has a great introduction. That single guitar line, with just that liiiittle bit of extra something underneath, was somehow enough to get me hooked, and then when that extra high part and brief vocal bit came in, we’re suddenly not far off yesterday, in the sense that this is just a great pop song. It’s structured perfectly, the melody and energy are all there, and it leaves absolutely nothing wanting.

Tom: I know we’ve established over the years that I’m significantly less easily impressed than you: but calling two songs in a row flawless? Come on. They’re good, they’re competent… but I “nothing wrong” doesn’t necessarily imply “everything right”. It’s okay! It’s reasonable! It’s pleasant! It’s just not spectacular.

Tim: Fair, I guess. The thing is, the formula we have can help you get a long way, but it all comes down to the variables – melody, backing, vocals and so on. And right here I think it has all those necessary parts sounding good together, and for me at least that all makes for one very good track.

Icona Pop – Rhythm In My Blood

“And that is Good.”

Tim: So Robyn’s new album is as dull as really, really dull ditchwater, but last Friday wasn’t all bad news. For starters, for the first time in YEARS Lady Gaga is at number one in both the singles and albums chart, and for seconds this one appeared.

Tim: And that is Good, because it takes the traditional Icona Pop shouty vocal sound, which is already very enjoyable, and throws in a fair amount of decent melody.

Tom: Oh, I didn’t expect to like that. It’s got a minimalist sound, the kind that I don’t usually like, but then I realised half way through that I was already humming along with the chorus.

Tim: We’ve musical vocals in the verses and a surprisingly earwormy hook in the chorus, which now I’ve heard this track three or four times I’m not sure I’ll ever lose. Nice one ladies, good to have you back.

CHVRCHES – Graffiti

“This is a really good track, light years ahead of yesterday’s.”

Tim: Weird thing of modern times, probably brought on by streaming: my assumption that now Love Is Dead has been released, there wouldn’t be any more singles that come from it. Pleasingly, I’m wrong, so here’s a new video.

Tim: Bit of a downer on the lyrics, but the video’s nice and fun, and obviously the sound is good.

Tom: You know how I was grumpy the other day about a dull song? I just realised how much higher I put the bar for a proven act like CHVRCHES. This is a really good track, light years ahead of Cherrie’s, but because I’m now expecting something as good as ‘Empty Threat’, I listen to this and think “yeah, it’s okay, I guess”.

Tim: Now that’s interesting, because I saw this and almost had the opposite idea: I’m fairly sure my attitude and enjoyment of this actually improved knowing it was them. Admittedly, I’ve heard the song many times previously, so it was already well woven into my brain, but still.

To be honest, now we’re approaching the end of October, I feel confident in saying that Love Is Dead is probably going to be my favourite album of the year (and yes, I’m taking into account Cher’s ABBA album). It’s just that good, and if you’ve not listened to it yet you’re only letting yourself down.

Tom: Yeah, it’s okay, I guess.

Julie Bergan – U Got Me

“CYNICAL MODE: ENGAGED”

Tim: At the risk of turning you overly cynical here, I’ll quote from Julie: “Recently I fell in love for the very first time, and I realised how that actually feels… I’ve always been a person that’s been in control of my feelings, but in this song I let go of that. It’s amazing and terrifying all at the same time. Just like being in love.”

Tom: CYNICAL MODE: ENGAGED

Tim: And I’ll be honest, I was all ready to dislike this from the drippy nature of the intro, but I really really like it.

Tom: Why on earth? It’s not just the intro that’s drippy, it’s the entire first v… hmm. There is something about that chorus, isn’t there?

Tim: Yes, but also the whole instrumentation, and how unusual it is. I can’t, off the top of my head, think of another strings and piano ballad that also includes distorted vocal samples and those synth patches, and yet now I hear it, they seem to work really well together.

And it’s nice, because the song would probably work perfectly fine without them – it wouldn’t be anything special, but it could have been released and as a love ballad would have been entirely adequate. Adding those in, though, and you’ve got a ballad style that’s been updated for the late ’10s, and it sounds great.

Tom: I’m not on board with it to that extent. If I say it’s all a bit too Fisher-Price, does that make sense? A lot of the composition feels like a kid just going plink-plink-plink on a piano. I recognise there’s actually a really talented pianist playing that — it’s not a slight on the talent, just on the melody itself.

But yes, I’ll grant you there’s something about the instrumentation. It’s got a string section, so yes, sure, I’ll agree that it sounds good.

Tim: However sickening you might find the message.

Cherrie – Samma Flagga

“The video description describes this as a ‘ny banger hit’ and I really hope that’s a loanword.”

Tim: Cherrie’s off Sweden, currently in the run up to releasing her third album, and here’s the first track in that run.

Tom: The video description describes this as a “ny banger hit” and I really hope that’s a loanword.

Tom: Pity it’s not an accurate loanword, though. This certainly has some good ingredients, but somehow they just don’t seem to add up to much. It’s a bad sign when I check the progress bar on the video, less than two minutes in, and I’m disappointed that it’s not even half way through yet.

Tim: I managed to last a bit longer before checking, but yeah, aside from that I’m not entirely sold on it. It’s not bad, per se, as you’re right that it has some good ingredients, but it doesn’t really do much with them.

Tom: The chorus is just two notes, back-and-forth. It even repeats the same syllables. The rest of the song just isn’t exciting enough to pull that off.

Tim: BORED.

Tom: Yep.

Eric Saade – Så Jävla Fel

“It’s ambiguous from the lyrics whether they’ve actually broken up or if she’s just popped out to get some milk.”

Tim: Eric’s back after what feels like years, with a song titled ‘So Damn Wrong’. Make your own jokes…

Tim: The titular Så Jävla Fel is how it feels when he’s not around his woman, though it’s ambiguous from the lyrics whether they’ve actually broken up or if she’s just popped out to get some milk; either way, standard message for what is, let’s face it, a somewhat standard song.

Tom: I was going to say: there’s not much here to spark interest. There’s just too many long, dirge-like synths in the background, and the song just seems to plod along.

Tim: Having said that, I do like the chorus here, mainly because it comes as quite a surprise – the verse and intro and stuff is so different from what I like to associate with him that it’s almost a relief to hear it, as it’s a bit closer.

Tom: The only part that stands out for me is the introduction to that chorus. It’s good, but it’s surrounded by so much dull that I just can’t get into it. But yeah, to damn with faint praise: at least that chorus is a relief.

Tim: As well as being not bad in its own right, mind. Just, a bit of a shame about the rest of the song.

SANNI – Kautis Koti

“If in 2022 we’re all nostalgic for screechcore, I won’t be surprised.”

Tim: Title translates as ‘Beautiful Home’, but first a quick clarification, because I had to check: this is not Sannie (Danish, previously known as Whigfield), but is instead SANNI (Finnish, not previously known as Whigfield). You’d probably have got that from the sound, anyway, but still.

Tim: Nice sound, isn’t it, and not one that we’ve heard much before – starts out like so many ballads do, but then you get unusual sounding instruments and synths, and voice that may or may not have had some sort of effect applied to it and it all makes it so much more interesting.

Tom: Mm. My thoughts weren’t “nice sound”: that distorted screeching just doesn’t sound good to me. I’m hoping this isn’t the start of a new trend: I’m not sure I want my brain to get used to that. Still, if in 2022 we’re all nostalgic for screechcore, I won’t be surprised.

Tim: Top that off with the gradual build that comes in throughout the song, and from the halfway point I am all in, because just sounds so great.

Tom: I’m with you there. Even the screeching in the middle eight can’t distract from just how good the composition is.

Tim: As for the lyrics, well, Google Translate’s never been all that when it comes to Finnish, but as best I can tell we’ve something like “we’ve a beautiful, but our love’s not exactly what it once was”. A fairly sad message, sure but the first line of the chorus talks about going to Ikea, so that redeems it for me. All in: I really like this.

Astrid S – Emotion

“I’m sure that it’s good noise.”

Tim: NOISE.

Tim: Is it good noise? I’m not sure. I think it is.

Tom: I’m sure that it’s good noise. What I like is that these are chord progressions and melodies that you could hear in schlager, and drums that you could have heard in a Phil Collins track decades ago, but they’re applied to a really Intense Big Dark Modern Production.

Tim: It almost, in fact, reminds me of the dark days of dubstep five or six years ago, where we’d get a nice melodic verse and chorus before suddenly a HRRRRRRNNKK VWOMP VWOMP VWORP NEEEEEEEOOOOOWWW would come along and ruin everything. It’s not nearly as bad as that here, of course, not least because the only time it really happens so suddenly is after the first chorus – after that, I’m slightly prepared for it, and it has vocals layered on top which calms it down somewhat.

Tom: My only complaint — and let’s take a moment to appreciate how rare those words are here — is that because everything’s compressed so hard, the mroe subtle instrumentation gets swamped under the BIG NOISE. But overall, yeah, I really like this. It’s not BIG VWORP DUBSTEP, it’s something much better.

Tim: It’s also, obviously, nowhere near as harsh a sound, so, yeah, overall I think it’s good noise. Positive, at least.

Tom: I hit replay immediately after listening, and I sang along with the chorus. That’s everything I want in a pop song. This is great.

Anna Bergendahl – Raise The Vibe

“You just know the singer will clap their hands above their head in every single live performance.”

Tim: Hello Tom and welcome back!

Tom: Thanks! I’m just about coping! Let’s talk about music!

Tim: You may (or may not, I’d completely forgotten) that Anna came back earlier this year with a slightly country-esque number with occasional synths; it didn’t chart anywhere but why let that spoil anything?

Tim: And THAT THERE is one of those songs where you just know the singer will clap their hands above their head in every single live performance to get the crowd going along as well.

Tom: I’m not sure, but I think all the drummer has to do, through all the verses, is stomp on the kick drum pedal every beat. Frankly, the crowd clapping along would perk it up a bit.

Tim: In fairness, though, it’s a perfectly decent song to clap along to, and one that does indeed raise the vibe of what might otherwise have been a dull gig. And for that, I’ll take it. Particularly that nice background vocal and drumbeat back from the middle eight. That’s very nice, that bit.

Tom: It is. But I’m not sure the middle eight being very nice is enough to make a barnstorming pop hit.