Category: Europop

Dolly Style – Upsy Daisy

“I don’t think this is a truly terrible song.”

Tim: In case it’s left your mind in the five months since Melodifestivalen, HELLO HI! Here’s a third track from Molly, Polly, Holly (members have changed, names stay the same).

Tom: That’s an easy thing to make a joke about it, but, hell, there’s plenty of bands who’ve done that in the past, particularly in the weird Eurobeat-slash-J-pop twilight world they’re inhabiting.

Tim: Well, anyway, press play and enjoy the fact that they’ve calmed down a bit.

Tim: Haha, no of course they haven’t, so quite where that first verse came from I’ve no idea. I also have no idea where that banjo in the middle eight came from, but hey, now that Avicii’s stopped with that someone else might as well pick it up, right?

You know what? I don’t think this is a truly terrible song.

Tom: You’re right. Despite your joke earlier, this is actually a bit calmer: the instrumentation in that last chorus could come from a much more serious pop act, even if the vocals over it are ridiculous. (The “like, whatever” bit isn’t even ironically good.)

Tim: It’s certainly better than their sophomore track Cherry Gum, with the lyrics being a vast improving on the cherry popping nonsense, and laughable banjo (as in I actually did laugh when I heard it) aside, this is not an awful dance track. It’s very, very heavily towards the bubblegum end of the dance spectrum, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad.

Tom: Yep, I’ve happily listened to much worse. This could go on a playlist.

Tim: It knows what it wants to do, and it does it well – I can’t fault it that.

A-ha – Take On Me (Kygo Mix)

“It’s got new stuff that sounds modern and Kygo-like! It’s got the brilliant chorus!”

Tom: A bit of a strange one here: Kygo appears to just have gone out remixed a classic track in his own style. And I wouldn’t normally cover this, except: it’s really good.

Tom: Listen to that!

Tim: Blimey – that’s pretty much an entirely new song.

Tom: It’s got new stuff that sounds modern and Kygo-like! It’s got the brilliant chorus!

Tim: Yeah, though that’s about all it shares with the rest. I’m not sure when you go from being a remix to a new track with samples, but this’d be on the boundary.

Tom: It’s really, really… nice. Nice is the word I’d go for.

Tim: Nice is an excellent word to describe this.

Jeremy Folderol feat. Tilly – Little Sister

“The verses pale in comparison”

Tim: Little more for you on the ‘slightly harsh dance’ front, this time from Finland.

Tim: Interesting one, this – the first time you hear it, it’s entirely adequate, with the first verse being a fairly good level, knocking things quite a way up for the chorus, The second time, though, you’re very much (or at least I was) in full “don’t bore us, get to the chorus” mode, because there’s a fairly hefty disconnect between the two, and I sure as hell know which I prefer.

Tom: Except, sadly, I’m still bored by that chorus.

Tim: WHAT?

Tom: You’re right about them being different, but it still doesn’t work for me at all: the pre-chorus, if anything, is the best part, promising much more than actually gets delivered.

I’ll grant you, that part is good, but it’s still the chorus that stands out for me. Mind you, don’t get me wrong, as there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the verses, they’re very, very competent – they just, annoyingly, don’t seem great, slightly paling in comparison to the excellent chorus. GREAT TRACK in all, though.

Robin – Yö Kuuluu Meille

“Well, that’s properly good and loud.”

Tim: Remember Jimi Constantine? If you don’t, go back here and wonder how on earth you forgot him. Anyway, he’s written this and and Robin’s picked it up, with a heftier sound that is entirely appropriate when young artists put out their third album.

Tom: Well, that’s properly good and loud.

Tim: I’m gonna be honest: I have very mixed feelings about this song. Title translates roughly as “The Night Belongs To Us” and yeah, I get that vibe from it. Thing is, I have very, very mixed feelings about this. The chorus is great – raucous, well sung and with exactly the right amount of attitude. The pre-chorus, also showing up intermittently between the rap bits? Also good. BUT, those rap bits. Well, they’re rap bits, and we know how I generally feel about those in songs.

Tom: It’s also “Walk This Way”. Seriously. Listen to that middle eight: the guitar riffs, the drums, the cadence of the lyrics. It’s not close enough to be actionable, I’ll bet, but that sounds really rather familiar.

Tim: WE’VE RUN OUT OF MUSIC, TOM. And on the other hand, I was able to keep myself from switching it off, because of the knowledge that the chorus would be returning, so I’m guessing that gives an overall positive view. Basically, the chorus is better than the crap is bad, so it’ll do.

Say Lou Lou – Hard For A Man

“It never really peaked above “slog” for me.”

Tim: You were bored by the first track of Say Lou Lou’s that we featured, and only mildly enthused by the second – let’s see if this’ll push any buttons.

Tom: Well, it’s caused a reaction at least, but sadly it’s “well, that’s a racket”.

Tim: Oh.

Tom: I don’t think I ever recovered from that seemingly-discordant introduction.

Tim: See, I kind of agree there, because that and the first (and only) verse may be a bit of a slog, but it quickly picks up for that first pre-chorus, carries on and by my favourite moment, when the second chorus kicks in, well, it just keeps going.

Tom: I’ll grant you that by the final chorus, at the end of the middle eight, perked me up a bit, but it never really peaked above “slog” for me.

Tim: I wouldn’t mind a bit more variation in the lyrics – yes, love’s hard for a man like me, I GET THAT so can we move on please – but I can’t fault the production on here at all. Overall, very happy.

Cape Lion – Oh Girl

“It’s noisy, but I like it.”

Tim: No, I don’t know what the name’s all about either, but they’re Swedish and they’ve come out with this.

Tom: Well that kicks in right from the first beat, doesn’t it?

Tim: Oh yes, and then my first thought on hearing that chorus was “bloody hell, NOISE”, partly because of the constant wall of sound rather than just standard drumbeats, and also the way it starts out almost sounding a bit white noise-y.

Tom: Mm. I wonder how much of that is MP3 and YouTube compression, and how much is the producer absolutely crushing all the sound? It’s not quite so bad that it sounds like all the other instruments get quieter every time there’s a bass kick, so I’m going to suspect the former.

Tim: I guess you could be right, but anyway it soon becomes a bit more melodic, and come the second chorus (alright, second listening) I’m prepared for it and it all sounds pretty good.

Tom: I’m surprised how catchy I find it: with slightly different production, I could see myself liking this a lot.

Tim: Well all in all I like it as is. It’s noisy, but I like it.

a-ha – Under The Makeup

“An exceptional string section.”

Tom: I missed this coming out a couple of weeks ago. Yes, this is still the original A-Ha, with the original members, even thirty years on.

Tim: Huh. Okay.

Tom: They’ve got a new album, and the lead single appears to be a Bond theme. Well, a second Bond theme anyway, they’ve already done one.

Tom: I nearly wrote this off during the introduction, but I’m glad I kept going: that chorus is wonderful. I know I’m a sucker for string sections, but this is an exceptional string section.

Tim: Yes, it is…but I there’s a reason you almost switched off, which is that there’s not much else to it. I don’t mind, because you’re right, and with the strings it really is very very good, if we ignore the Feeling Good similarity.

Tom: Is it the incredible synthpop that everyone associates them with? No. Will it still be played thirty years on? Probably not. But as a lead single, yes, this will do nicely.

Tim: Yeah, I’ll take it, with the caveat that I’ll want more from the album than a lot of violins.

Moa Lignell – We’re Still Young

“About as subtle as a sledgehammer with a great big “I AM NOT SUBTLE” sign on it”

Tim: In case you, like me, weren’t entirely convinced by yesterday’s cheer yourself up track, I bring you this: just press play, lie back, and listen to one of the most reassuring tracks you’ll have heard in a while.

Tim: You see? About as subtle as a sledgehammer with a great big “I AM NOT SUBTLE” sign on it, and almost as effective, if (and probably only if) you’re just the right sort of person.

Tom: “Take your time with me, because we’re still young.” For a moment, I thought this was some sort of abstinence anthem.

Tim: Oh now don’t be silly. Thing is, it all does depend on who you are. If you’re too old? Probably won’t help much, and all you’ll want to do is come out with a get off my lawn speech about how young people these days just need to take responsibility and have a career path and stuff. If you’re too raucous and fun-loving? “Oh, shut up, I know we are, now put your guitar aside and get with the rest of the party, there’s beer pong over here.”

On the other hand, if you’re in just the right place, or can remember/imagine being in just that right place, this could be really lovely.

Tom: It is, but if you’re not in that place — and, let’s be honest, I’m not right now — it’s just a bit of a slow, sub-Corrs album track, trying to be an anthem but never making it. Incidentally, is there a better reference for “middle-of-the-road bland Irish guitar pop” than the Corrs? Because that’s an old referene now.

Tim: It is a bit old, but it still works, I reckon – she’s gentle enough to get through and relax, the choir’s coming along to really make you smile. I’m happy to think it is really lovely.

Molly Petterson Hammar – Something Right

“I would posit that that’s pretty good, mostly because it is.”

Tim: There seem to be a lot of “we’re young and great and awesome” tracks around at the moment; in case you’ve not had enough, here’s another one.

Tim: And I would posit that that’s pretty good, mostly because it is.

Tom: Yep. With your introduction, I was all set up to dislike that — but that’s an excellent chorus.

Tim: What are we meant to call that style that it has? I feel there should be a name, because it’s here and with Jess Glynne and Charlie Puth and with all sorts of other tracks, and it’s not exactly funk but it seems a not too distant relation.

Tom: It’s not “neo-soul”, but it’s certainly got a little bit of DNA from there — albeit mixed with a lot of pop and R&B as well.

Tim: Yeah, I guess that sums it up. Whatever we’ll end up calling it, though, I’m enjoying its presence (even if it probably does owe its resurgence to Blurred Lines) – it seems to add a chirpiness to everything, and even though this song here doesn’t need it on top of everything else, it provides it in spades and this song just works. Also there’s that woman with the hat in the video, who’s just fantastic and I’d quite like to throw her a surprise birthday party.

Loreen – I’m In It With You

“Can confidently be described as soaring.”

Tim: And another her off winning Eurovision, of course, but without a different sound.

Tom: Still can’t believe she hasn’t covered “Jolene”, really.

Tim: Truly disgraceful.

Tim: And that there is lovely Loreen fare, I hope you’ll agree?

Tom: Yes! For once, I’m right with you: when even the first verse — albeit only the second bit of it — makes me pay attention, I’m probably going to like the song. This is exactly what you’d expect from her, and it’s good.

Tim: Perfect vocals, nice melody below it and then a hefty but not overpowering bass. Verses with her trademarks breathiness all over them, a pre-chorus that sets the tone nicely and then a chorus that can confidently be described as soaring. It’s not another Euphoria, but then what would be? What it is is a great all-round track, clearly from her who sang Euphoria. And for that, it’s great.