Europop – Page 63

Studio Killers – Jenny

“That third chord in the chorus”

Tim: So, you know how sometimes there’s a few weeks, or maybe sometimes month or so, between a song coming out and its video? Well, this lot have taken it to something of an extreme, finally showing the video of a song that first appeared way back in May 2013. I KNOW, RIGHT?

Tom: Hey, that’s really nicely animated. Good animation’s rare for a music video these days — that’s artistic, apt, and watchable.

Tim: And, well, that occasional accordion styling does bring back a sound from a year or so ago, but the rest of it sounds as fitting now as it did back then, and very very enjoyable as well.

Tom: I can pinpoint exactly what sold me on the track: that third chord in the chorus. I know, it’s a specific thing to point out, but it seemed to change the whole tone. Yes, the accordion’s a bit old hat these days — and I’m not sure this has all that much replay value — but this’ll do nicely.

Tim: To be honest, I’m feeling sick as a dog as I’m writing this and I have been for the past two days – somehow this has cheered me up no end, though. I think it can best be described as just fun, really, and that’s what I’ll look for in a dance track.

Tom: It’s an unusual message, interesting vocals, and great production. More like this.

Tim: Well, since you asked, we’ve had an album since then, so you may want to give that a go. Incidentally, despite what I said earlier about timing, 2013 is the single year we’ve actually never mentioned the word accordion, but my word does that search bring up some cracking tracks.

Sannie – How Long

“I can see why she chose different branding”

Tim: Well here’s fun – new artist, or rather a new name. Full name is Sannie Charlotte Carlson, aka only bloody Whigfield.

Tom: WHAT? Really?! Okay, I am immediately excited for this.

Tim: And…well, I can see why she chose different branding, because that’d be a decidedly low-key track to come from Whigfield.

Tom: Hmm. I’m not sure about low-key. It’s not bubblegum pop, I’ll grant you, but let’s be honest, Saturday Night wasn’t exactly the most exciting track to ever come along. It was — and I realise this is sacrilege — actually a bit repetitive and dull too.

Tim: Repetitive, yes, but dull? Hell no. Much as I love her for her work on Saturday Night and Last Christmas, I can’t help but think that this really is just, yeah, dull.

Tom: You forgot Big Time, but yes: it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

Tim: It does absolutely nothing for me – do you get anything from it?

Tom: To my surprise, I do. But I suspect most of that is down to the production, at least for this radio edit: it’s exciting enough to keep me interested, and that middle eight’s lovely. That said: you could put pretty much any session vocalist in her place there and it’d be much the same track. A decent mid-setlist track, but it’s not going to get anyone on the floor.

KIM – Bleeding Hearts

“At the cutting edge of music journalism, as usual.”

Tim: Here’s one for you off Denmark, formerly with the now-disbanded Colourkaleido. I’ve not got much more info for you – the main two themes that crop up on a Google search for it are Your Bleeding Heart, an old song by a guy called Kim Taylor, and some weird Kim Jong Un photoshop.

Tom: At the cutting edge of music journalism, as usual.

Tim: Anyway, see what you think.

Tim: And that certainly starts strong, and is, I think, one of the most enjoyable tracks I’ve heard in a while, at least if we’re not counting Christmas ones.

Tom: There are certainly some good bits in there, but I’m not sure it’s marked out as particularly enjoyable for me. What stands out for you?

Tim: It starts as it means to go on, with drumbeats and synths all very much present as they should be. The vocal comes in nicely on point, and from there it keeps going strongly.

Tom: I’ll grant you the chorus is interesting: the harmonies, and the percussion that’s anything but four-on-the-floor are good. And the middle eight stands out for me as the best part. But it doesn’t really get exciting: it’s not singalong, it’s not exceptional, it’s… okay.

Tim: Maaaaybe it goes on a bit too long – not really sure it needs quite all that extra at the end, although with the level it’s pumped up to there, I do enjoy it very much. In any case, we have here a very good track. Nice one.

Chinook – Dancing In Flames

“Does seem to go on a bit.”

Tim: Chinook, veteran of Norwegian Idol 2014, presenting a video for this, a song which first came out a few months back. Have a listen, you might enjoy it.

Tim: And that there, for me at least, is a song that while very enjoyable and actually not particularly long, does seem to go on a bit.

Tom: I couldn’t work out quite where it was going at start: it seems to change genre between verse and chorus, and the percussion, synth and vocal lines seem almost to be following completely different tempos in that first pre-chorus. That’s a heck of a trick to pull off, and it certainly makes the song interseting — I’m just not sure if it makes it listenable. And yes, perhaps it does go on a bit.

Tim: I don’t know why – like I say, it’s very enjoyable, and I’m perfectly happy to push play again once it’s finished, as those vocals are excellent, production’s good, melody’s nice and the chorus is fine. It’s just, after three minutes I look over at it and think “blimey, is this still going?” Maybe the chorus just isn’t quite fine enough – sure, it’s got a decent beat behind it, but maybe if that was lifted up an extra 20% or so I might get more enthused. Or at the very least add something new and exciting to the final chorus.

Actually, yes, that’s exactly it – bring in a proper bit of excitement after the middle eight, and I’d love this. As it is – fairly good.

Sophia Somajo – Klein Blue

“A slightly wonky metaphor, but it’s better than a lot we hear here.”

Tim: New one off Sweden’s Sophia, who’s been away for a while but has now returned with a song about if you look at her up close you’ll see that she is blue (presumably metaphorically so, but you never can tell really).

Tom: With a blue little window, and a blue Corvette, and everything is…

Tom: …oh. No, then. Never mind.

Tim: Sorry, no. Let’s delve deep: when there’s no light she’s like a bottomless abyss of an ocean, which really is very dark indeed, but when you get closer and see her in the light she is in fact klein blue (which is an actual colour, taken from a very interesting and not at all pointless painting).

Tom: Don’t you sass International Klein Blue! That’s someone who can successfully invent, and then name, a colour — specifically one that’s difficult to reproduce — after themselves. That’s a skill, and, yes it makes this a slightly wonky metaphor for a song, but it’s better than a lot we hear here.

Tim: Oh, fine. Slightly wonky metaphors aside, though, that’s a pretty good song, isn’t it? Bit loud, bit raucous, and mostly a brilliant chorus, doing justice to her insistence that people just need to LOOK AT HER, DAMMIT. Well, I’m not bothered whether people do look at her or not, but I do hope peopler hear her, because I’d like more of this.

Tom: It’s not bad, is it? Not going on regular rotation for me — a bit too dark and introspective for my tastes — but I can see the appeal.

Tim: EP’s out in February, so let’s wait and see.

Maria Hazell – Golden Boy

Tim: This here from Maria, who is off Sweden —

Tom: I’m really not sure that’s how you say it.

Tim: — is 200 seconds of synthy excellence, so I hope you’re ready.

Tim: And there you go – a whole lot of just plain superb components.

Tom: She sounds like Rihanna in the verses. In terms of vocal quality, I mean; it’s rare for an artist to have someone else’s “recognisable” voice.

Tim: A strong voice, a great synth backing, and a chorus that verges on being outright brilliant, with those high pitched vocals.

Tom: Mm. I don’t feel it myself: it constantly feels like it’s waiting to kick in, and then it never does. The chorus never goes big enough. And then there’s that middle eight.

Tim: I even don’t find the rapping bit off-putting, actually, which says a lot about the track because it takes a lot to make that happen. That final chorus, though – yep, that’s everything a track needs. Fantastic.

Anna Lidman – Jacob

“An unfortunate coincidence.”

Tim: Anna has previously competed at Melodifestivalen as part of group EKO; now she’s heading solo, though, and here’s her debut, which I’m hoping will help out a bit with your mediocre-itis.

Tom: “Hello. It’s me. I was wondering if after all these years…”

Tim: Well, indeed – I don’t know when this was written, or recorded, but it strikes me as being a very Hello style song.

Tom: Agreed: if it had come out a few months later I’d claim it was a ripoff, but as it is it’s just an unfortunate coincidence.

Tim: Vocals in the verse quite modest and slow, with an instrumental underlay just about peeking its head up every now and again, giving way to a chorus that wants to get you sitting up to pay attention. Does it achieve that? For me, yes – there’s enough of a difference between the two that you can’t really fail to notice it.

Tom: I did actually perk up. It’s an odd, and Biblical, name to choose for a song like this — and the organ (synth?) and choir that pop up in the background understore that. In fact, it’s a bit strange to have a name here at all. It does sort of work, but it also sounds a bit like a rejected song from Jesus Christ Superstar.

Tim: Lyrically, perhaps, though to be honest I’m having a hard time identifying a good majority of them anyway with her vocal style. Musically with the chorus, though, there’s still very much the downbeat element, but it needs and wants to be heard above the verses, and it succeeds in a very good way.

Tom: Yep: it’s doing something different, and I can respect that.

Jesper Jenset – Never Coming Back

“I think I’ve caught some kind of mediocre-itis, Tim”

Tim: This is this guy’s second song; I won’t remind you what you said last time, as I don’t want to unduly influence you; put simply, it’s more of the same.

Tom: You’re right: it’s more of the same. At least it doesn’t sound like Train this time.

I think I’ve caught some kind of mediocre-itis, Tim. But all the songs we’ve been talking about lately have left almost no impression on me. They’re just… more of the same. Wait, is that what you meant?

Tim: Well, typically when you describes music as “more of the same”, you generally mean stylistically, that they’d play well next to each other. Here, though, they’re ACTUALLY IDENTICAL well not quite but still, check out the chorus of Superhero and then compare it with this one, and then tell me it doesn’t get you bouncing in your chair in exactly the same way.

Tom: It really doesn’t. Superhero charmed me, even despite its tweeness; I knew that if I kept listening to it, it’d get stuck in my head. This doesn’t have that same style to it: why do you think it’s identical?

Tim: It’s the chorus, mainly: the lead in there is the same with the “and we sang…” and “if not I’m…”, the post-chorus is there in exactly the same chanting fashion. Just too many similarities for me not to notice it.

Tom: Hmm. Well, yes, but I don’t think they’re that close in style. And perhaps I’m being a bit too dark: I’ll grant you the middle eight, and the run into the final chorus, is pretty good — but if the best I can say for the song is that “the bit that sounds different is okay”, then it doesn’t speak well for the song.

Tim: I almost feel cheated, and in fact I definitely would if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s just SO FREAKING CATCHY, and that my overriding thought is that I HATE THAT I LIKE THIS UTTERLY TWEE NONSENSE. DAMMIT.

Tom: Just develop a harsh, cynical armour that means you have a ludicrously high standard for pop songs.

Tim: Yeah, but that doesn’t sound as much fun.

Benjamin Ingrosso – Crystal Clear

“I am… not sold on that. Not even close.”

Tim: When we looked at his debut last month, you stated that “he’s either got an exceptional ability for switching between notes accurately and instantly, or there’s a bit too much autotune on here”. Today, we find out which it was.

Tom: Is it autotune? I bet it’s autotune.

Tom: CALLED IT.

Tim: Well, yes. But despite the vocal coming straight out of a 2009 R&B track, I still really like it, mostly because of absolutely everything else.

Tom: I am… not sold on that. Not even close. The best I can say about it is that the synth in the middle eight’s interesting. What stands out for you?

Tim: The melody, the string line that pops in every now and again, the heavy beat, the vocals that don’t have the auto-tune on them (and sometimes the ones with it)…just, all of it, really. Much like last time – it’s all good (as long as you don’t count that bits that aren’t good).

Tom: And my reaction’s much the same as last time. It’s competent, sure, and the production’s graet — it’s just that the composition’s a bit poor. But, as we said, before, I’m a bit more cynical than you.

Erik Rapp – Louder

“It’s not exactly all that loud, is it?”

Tom: Erik Rapp? Brilliant name.

Tim: Isn’t it just? He was a contestant on Swedish Idol 2013 who has chosen this year to make it big, hoping that this will help him on the way.

Tim: And I certainly don’t think that’ll hinder him, being as it is a very competent piece of dance pop.

Tom: It’s is, but for something that has “louder” in the title, it’s not exactly all that loud, is it? I’d have scarcely noticed that first chorus if it wasn’t for the weird door-creak in front of it. Come on, put some oomph into it, even if it is only at the start.

Tim: Fair, but there are still good bits: I’m a particular fan of the return from the middle eight, which does an excellent job of sounding like a key change, even though it technically isn’t,and all the rest of it is perfectly enjoyable as well. Keep them coming, I’ll say, and you could end up being fairly successful (which probably sounds less of a compliment than it’s meant to, but there you go).