Europop – Page 60

Wiktoria – Save Me

Tom: Look, I’m a sucker for songs like this, okay? But this was my favourite of the Melodifestivalen final.

Tom: Hell of a voice. Country guitar on a pop song. Jump-around chorus. Amazing projection design. But unfortunately, much as a I like it, I have to say that the Melodifestivalen judges and televoters made the right decision.

Tim: You sure? Because I agree with every single one of those four points, and anyone who’s confident enough to bookend the performance with Wonder Woman’s logo shining bright on her top has got to be worth something. What’s wrong with it?

Tom: Because I don’t think this is a Eurovision winner: top half, maybe, and it’d stand a decent chance of getting my vote. But I’ve never voted for a Eurovision winner, save for Lordi: the public at large generally likes something a little more mainstream.

Tim: Is this not mainstream, though? It’s certainly a hell of a lot closer to current chart hits than the dirge Sweden actually ended up with.

Tom: It’s a great song. It’s just not the right song.

Samir & Viktor – Bada Nakna

“Swedish Jedward.”

Tim: I didn’t realise until I looked it up just now, but the song title translates to “Skinny Dipping”, which suddenly brings a whole lot more sense to the performance.

Tim: That’s the performance from the final, there, which differs from the first heat and from Andra Chansen in that here they pull their trousers off as well as their tops, getting even more in the mood.

Tom: My assessment of them as Swedish Jedward holds true.

Tim: Another thing non-Swedes might not get: the first line of the chorus talks about getting your kit off in Sergels torg, a location that’s basically Stockholm’s version of Trafalgar Square. So now we know what sort of song it is, we’re in a better place to judge it.

And you know what? Despite their decidedly off point vocals, it’s a pretty good song, as we’d expect from the writers: one of them had a hand in Undo and another brought us Guld och Gröna Skogar, so we shouldn’t really be going wrong.

Tom: Yep, you’re right. But this got zero points from the juries. It shouldn’t be going wrong…

Tim: …and yet, it is. The problem, of course, is that it’s being sung by two guys who, while admittedly being very good looking and energetic, manage to hit approximately a quarter of all the notes.

Tom: Which is such a shame! I looked up the studio version of this and — when they’re not doing the vocals live — it’s actually a really good track, in the same way that Jedward’s “Waterline”, with its similar staging, was a really good track. If they could sing, this would have been among my favourites.

Tim: We’ve pretty much got a song that only one act could pull off, and yet they can’t sing particularly well. You’re right – Jedward all over again. Oh, well, into the dustbin of musical history you go.

David Lindgren – We Are Your Tomorrow

“Zelmerlïte”

Tim: We watched the Melodifestivalen final together, Tom, and while the winner was dire (silly Swedes), there were a lot of highlights, so let’s have a few this week. We both had our favourites, and here’s mine, just clinching it ahead of a couple of others.

Tim: Ooh, we’ve got a lot of things going on here. Hand controlled lighting first seen on these pages a couple of years back, but it’s all GREEN with LASERS so it’s automatically better – think my favourite and weirdest movement is at 0:57 when he pulls an imaginary very heavy lever inwards before releasing the beams WIDE OPEN.

Tom: I called this “Discount Måns Zelmerlöw”.

Tim: Zelmerlïte, then.

Tom: Because it’s the same structure, the same down-the-lens look, the same scripted movements and interaction with the set design. He’s even got Måns’ lean with the green lasers.

Tim: You’re not far wrong, I suppose. But speaking of green, David takes inspiration for this performance from, of all possible places, the widely panned 2011 Green Lantern film.

Tom: Wait, what? Really?

Tim: Yes – he says, “I love these movies because they are easy to absorb. It’s quite nice and important to have a background story to the number.” I’ve no idea how that works — I’ve never watched it and have no immediate plans to.

Tom: Don’t.

Tim: Duly noted — but there are parts of this performance I love. There’s the aforementioned gestured lasers, and then the walk forwards through the middle eight, with the fist bump and the hugging reinforcing that message. It’s BANGING and UPBEAT and there’s a big YEAAAAAAAHHHH moment, it’s ALL GREAT.

Tom: And unfortunately, it was done better last year. It is banging and upbeat, yes, but it’s just dialled the cheese a bit too high.

Benjamin – Body

“Good chorus. Can’t remember any of it afterwards.”

Tim: Since we’ve currently got two Scandinavian Benjamins coming out with dance music, I’ll clarify: more notably and recently there is Benjamin Ingrosso, cousin of proper Ingrosso and full on Swedish. This is Benjamin who has ditched his surname (Feltonen, incidentally) and is half-Finnish, half-Swedish. And has this as his new one.

Tim: Which is admittedly a tad generic, and coming out a good couple of months before anybody is really likely to be up for listening, but on the plus side contains a good chorus and a well-produced lyric video.

Tom: Good chorus. Can’t remember any of it afterwards, though.

Tim: The focus on the body and nothing else does put me in mind of of Sean Kingston/Pit Bull/that lot style song, which is a bit annoying, especially because stylistically it’s not that far away.

Tom: That’s true: replace that guitar-led middle eight with a rap bit “feat. Pitbull” and it’d improve a few places in the charts.

Tim: May be sacrilege to say this, but it might even improve the track. Nonetheless, that ayayayaya bit is decent enough I’ll pretty much forgive that. It’s okay, but let’s have a bit more effort next time, yeah?

Mavrick – Funeral

“I was properly confused by that.”

Tim: From Sweden, Mavrick brings up this, his second single, so have a listen, it’s only polite.

Tim: And that’s certainly a track that wants your attention, even if it is just to get annoyed at the “I can’t respond it properly” line.

Tom: Here’s something I don’t often say, Tim: I was properly confused by that. Things seemed to come in half a beat early or late, with no warning at all. I had to listen to it twice, and then I think I got it.

Tim: I’m glad. The “same thing over and over” lyric is quite appropriate, given that it has possibly the longest set of repeating lyrics I’ve seen —

Tom: Try this.

Tim: Yep, I guess that might clinch it — but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as long as the music’s good enough, which I think it is here. The chorus is very enjoyable, right from the “it all makes a little more sense” lead in, and what follows from there with the backing vocals I love.

Tom: Agreed: once I worked out what was going on, I really enjoyed this.

Tim: All in: wouldn’t mind some extra lyrics, but I’ll allow it this time.

Ola Salo & Peter Jöback – Sing Me Out

“Two great vocalists harmonising.”

Tim: This was one of the interval performances on Saturday’s Andra Chansen; I’ve no idea if it’s going to get a proper release, but it does seem a bit of a waste if not, particular with a number of people hoping it could be voted through to the final as well.

Tom: Oh, that’s excellent! Two great vocalists harmonising, some good black-and-white styling, and even a couple of gurning-into-the-steadicam shots. That’s a really good song, too.

Tim: Ola Salo, of course is best known as the lead singer of glam rock band (and former Eurovision representatives) The Ark; Peter is less well known, working as he mostly does with musical theatre, though he did compete in Melodifestivalen back in 2011. ANYWAY, I don’t know if it was just that this was a rock-oriented track coming after eight pure pop tracks in a row, but this sounded great.

Tom: It does sound great. That chorus! That astonishingly good middle eight! Trim it to three minutes, this could have been a really good Eurovision contender.

Tim: The glam rock stylings look fantastic as well, and that backing vocal line that comes in towards the end just bring it all in to create a perfect ending to a great track.

Hanne Leland – Keep On Movin

“When that chorus hits there’s just nothing to be faulted whatsoever.”

Tim: It saddens me to tell you that Hanne has not chosen to cover the Five classic; it pleases me to tell you that actually, this might be even better.

Tom: Really? That’s a bold claim.

Tim: Because what a fantastic piece of pop music that really is. The production is absolutely spot on, just as it should be.

Tom: Yep, can’t fault that. Better than the Five classic, though? Definitely not. What stands out for you?

Tim: Those slightly breathy vocals are excellent from the off, and when that chorus hits there’s just nothing to be faulted whatsoever. The post-chorus continues that run of triumph, with a song that all in all is just superb.

Tom: I can’t disagree with anything you say there — but I think the song itself, the melody and lyrics, just aren’t all that much to write home about. Now if it was produced this well, and also a cover of Five? Then I’d join you.

Tim: And I’d be even more excited. I know I do often get overexcited by tracks and sometimes that’s not entirely justified, but here, I think it’s entirely appropriate.

LNKAY – Overload

“I don’t think I can fault that chorus in the slightest.”

Tim: LNKAY is the stage name of Ellen Stoksted, who’s from Stockholm and was apparently “raised in a house where ‘No-singing-during-dinner rules’ were necessary”. Probably enthusiastic, then.

Tim: And enthusiastic with good reason, it seems – aside from that slightly unpleasant electro bass line in the intro when it’s on its own and attention seeking, I like this a lot.

Tom: Huh. We have a completely different opinion. For me, it’s sometimes too harsh but mostly just… generic. What stands out for you?

Tim: The vocal comes along and is great, and I don’t think I can fault that chorus in the slightest – it has all the hallmarks of some of the greats like Robyn and the unsung heroes like Minnie-Oh, especially that final chorus which just brings together so many great elements. So aside from the first ten seconds or so, I love this track.

Tom: Whoa. That’s a strong comparison. I can hear the comparisons you’re going for, but somehow it just doesn’t gel together into a coherent whole for me. I’m not sure why: that’s a subjective “don’t like it” opinion, and I’m not sure I can back it up with anything.

Tim: Well, that’s the beauty of subjectivity, that you don’t need to. Since the rest of you are all sensible people, though, and now want to hear more from her, she brought out Hurricane last year and I’ve not idea why we didn’t feature that because it’s almost as good as this. ALBUM PLEASE.

Saturday Reject: Anja Nissen – Never Alone

Tim: Picture the scene: you’re a Danish voter, three songs to choose from (previously whittled down from ten by a mixture of televotes and jury).

One is a pretty good song sung by a very competent lady, one’s a very good song sung by three remarkably good looking men, and one’s an incredible song. GUESS WHICH ONE 42% PICKED.

In second place, with 36% of the vote, was the last of those three. Denmark, you screwed up.

Tom: Are you sure about that? Because this isn’t a bad song, but it’s not incredible.

Tim: Well okay, not incredible, but it’s certainly a hell of a lot better than “not bad”. Anja’s credentials are decent enough: half-Danish and half-Australian, she won the 2014 Australian series of The Voice and has since had, well, more success than your average winner of The Voice has had.

Tom: But her vocals aren’t flawless here. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good, and those soaring notes at the end are just spectacular — but there are some dodgy bits, particularly in the opening verse, and a televote is going to punish you for that.

Tim: You know, watching it back those weaknesses so become more apparent, but in the heat of the moment, and when everything’s finished off with the catchiness of the melody, the strength of the vocals, the wings effect shamelessly lifted from Conchita and ALL THOSE DAMN SPARKS, I was sure it was a shoe-in for the entry.

Tom: That’s because it’s basically “Only Teardrops”.

Tim: Can’t deny there are similarities, admittedly, and it was up against some tough competition. But OH WELL.

It’s not as if I’ve never voted for a weaker entry because of a singer’s looks (OH HI BEN HAENOW), so I can’t exactly cast much admonishment in that area. Guess we’ll just wait and see.

Mørland – Skin

“A perfectly respectable grown up ballad.”

Tim: Last year, Mørland helped bring Norway to ninth placed at Eurovision with A Monster Like Me; this year’s he’s giving that sort of thing a miss, though, choosing to release music the normal way, with a lovely pretty video.

Tom: That is a pretty video. Very well done to that director, and to the drone team.

Tim: Now, it might just be the high notes in the chorus that remind me of Take That’s Shine, but that stands out to me as a perfectly respectable grown up ballad that a guy in his mid-thirties would put out.

Tom: He also looks rather like what would happen if you put photos of all five of Take That into a face-morph program. There’s a bit of Robbie in there, and a bit of Gary, and a bit of the other three that I can’t remember.

Tim: There’s a Jason, I think? And a Marc as well, I know that because of the unusual spelling. But anyway, I’m not entirely sure what I mean by “grown up”, but, well, that second part in particular after it’s all gone quiet, doesn’t really seem like anything just you’d get from a younger artist – there’s too much…I don’t know what.

Tom: Pathos, I believe is the term, and I reckon that’s the first time I’ve ever described a pop song with that word.

Tim: You know, that’s exactly the sort of word I was wanting, because yes, it’s there in buckets, and the song is very much the better for it – deep and meaningful, and beautiful to listen to.