Europop – Page 85

Anders Nilsen – Salsa Tequila

“Oh I shouldn’t be laughing at this, but I am.”

Tim: Right, thinks this Norwegian. Let’s have the summer’s biggest dance tune, with all the right bits: accordion, saxophone, Spanish, the works. Except I don’t really speak Spanish. Oh well, no-one else really does either, do they?

Tom: Oh I shouldn’t be laughing at this, but I am. Maybe it’s just that it’s late and I’m sleep deprived.

Tim: So, with this just about coming down on the right side of the ‘likely to cause offence’ line, here we have all the Spanish words that everybody knows (though I’m fairly sure that calamari’s Italian, but never mind), which means we can also sing along.

Tom: It’s that Pitbull-style “Dale” that gets me.

Tim: Yes, I think the vocals in that section are my favourite too. Thing is, novelty though it may be, I really like this as a proper track. Because it does have everything the summer’s biggest dance tune would need, really, and while we could extrapolate a whole load of cynicism from that conclusion about commercial music being nothing more than a set formula with a little bit of variation here and there, this is actually done pretty well. And best of all, it’s funny without being annoying.

Tom: It still fails my main criterion for song parodies, which is that the longest they should last is one verse and one chorus — unless you’ve got really, really good jokes. Repeating it into a full song only works if you’ve got an absolutely cracking track. This nearly hits that mark. Nearly.

Tim: See, I think it is an absolutely cracking track. Top marks.

Dream Lake – Let Us Stay In The Light

“”Soft and fluffy” is my criteria for a pillow, not for a song.”

Tim: Tom, stop what you’re doing, push play, sit back and close your eyes.

Tom: This had better not start screaming death metal at me ninety seconds in.

Tim: Don’t worry, just relax.

Tim: And isn’t that lovely? Actually, I don’t really know why I wrote that as a question, because it is.

Tom: Well, yes, but “soft and fluffy” is my criteria for a pillow, not for a song. And even then, it’s possible to be too soft and fluffy.

Tim: Lovely, wonderful, dreamy synthpop, with gentle piano, easy drumbeat, vocals that sound like they’re coming from some higher plane, video that’s not out yet but going by this teaser for it will be along the same lines. It’s just all wonderful.

Tom: This sounds a bit like…

Tim: Relaxing, charming, dreamy dreamy dreamy I WANT MORE STUFF FROM SOUND OF ARROWS.

Tom: …and there it is.

Miss Li – I Finally Found It

“It’s big, it’s full-on brass bandy, it’s JOYOUS.”

Tim: This is off the soundtrack for a new Swedish film, and it’s bloody brilliant.

Tom: Brass section! There’s a brass section!

Tim: There’s a BIG brass section, and it’s all HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY. It’s big, it’s full-on brass bandy, it’s JOYOUS. On my first hearing, I did think the first chorus, especially the first part, sounded a bit off – she’s shouting ecstatically at the top of her voice, but the backing isn’t quite there enough to match it.

Tom: Really? Because…

Tim: Well, yes, on hearing it again, I’m wondering how I could have thought that because of course it is, but anyway.

Tom: Right. The Björk-like vocals could be incredibly grating, but somehow they’re not; they’re a perfect match for the song and instrumentation.

Tim: The rest of it just keeps building up and up; by the time the second chorus arrives we’re right in the swing of things and nothing could be ever possibly of being too quiet. The middle eight gives exactly that sense – a feeling of being swept along, moving forward, just CAN’T STOP THE MUSIC and when we get to that triumphant climax there’s literally nothing I can think of that would improve this song. As the song is, it’s perfect.

Isac Elliot – Baby I

“He’s basically a foetus.”

Tim: I’ll warn you, the first 15 seconds are not a good start to the song from this 14½ year old, but fortunately nor are they much of an indicator of what’s to come so be sure to stick with it.

Tom: Literally half my age. For crying out loud. He’s basically a foetus.

Tim: Yep. But, while he’s not yet learned to shave, he does have some fairly generic things to say about a possible break-up.

Tom: And those are a terrible fifteen seconds, enough for me to strongly dislike that first verse as well. I was about to dismiss it entirely, and then…

Tim: And then, once those rubbishy r&b autotuney bits get out of the way, this is a thumpingly good pop track, led by that wonderful descending line in the chorus and backed up by the good beats behind it, the rest of chorus surrounding it, the earnest middle eight and even, dare I say it, the vwomping bits in the background which link the song all together.

Tom: “Vwomping bits” is a good name for the mock-dubstep production we’re seeing lately. And I completely agree: after that chorus, even the verses were suddenly much more interesting. It’s a really good pop track. I found myself nodding my head along in the office, which is unusual for me.

Tim: Normally I’d want to write a bit more, and to be honest this probably deserves a good few more words, but really, I’ve said all that needs to be said: it’s just brilliant.

Tom: One more note: interesting use of what appears to be a 1980s cassette dictaphone and non-smartphones in that video, too. He probably wasn’t born when they came out.

Icona Pop – Get Lost

“This is so much better than the Saturdays.”

Tim: Since we mentioned them yesterday, we might as well have a listen to this, the first track off their upcoming second/third/whateverth album, depending upon your country, and we start with a bit of electric guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0d7_pWrmJk

Tom: My god. It’s full of hooks.

Tim: It is, yes.

Tom: Also, that’s really good electric guitar.

Tim: Also true. It turns out it’s not actually an unpleasant a title as you might first have thought, and is a nice-ish message – as long as you’re the person they’re singing to, because otherwise you’re left with a slight feeling of “yeah, well, sod you.”

Anyway, it’s as rackety as ever, so I’m guessing you’re not so keen, but: how does it compare with The Saturdays?

Tom: Actually, I’m very keen on this.

Tim: Really?

Tom: Perhaps I’m getting more used to their style — or perhaps their style is becoming a bit more mainstream. There’s more melody here than you might expect. This is so much better than the Saturdays.

Tim: You think? Because for me, to be honest, it’s actually very similar – in fact, I don’t think there’s much I said yesterday that I couldn’t say today. It’s fun enough, I’d dance to it, but as with you yesterday, not melodic enough for me to hit the Play Next button.

Tom: Speak for yourself. This has a much better message, a much better melody, and, crucially, a much better electric guitar.

Amanda Fondell – Keep The Love

“Out with the harsh antagonistic lyrics, and in with major-key dance beats”

Tim: The previous two Amanda Fondell tracks we’ve mentioned – Dumb and Bastard – were both fairly melancholy affairs. This? Oh, hell no.

Tim: It is, in fact, more or less a total U-turn.

Tom: And while it’s certainly more upbeat, I found that I was still fitting into the “generic Ellie Goulding-alike” bracket in my head: I’d expect it to the background for a teen drama and not really a decent musical choice.

Tim: Out with the melancholy music and the harsh antagonistic lyrics, and in with major-key dance beats and “keep the love coming”, and I for one think it’s a great choice. Not that her previous ones weren’t appreciable, they just weren’t entirely enjoyable. This, on the other hand, is entirely enjoyable, and precisely the sort of upbeat, cheerful, happy dance tune I want to listen to on a night out, or a loud night in, or in fact any time at all, really.

Tom: You’re just more enthusiastic than I am: it just keeps slipping away from me for some reason.

Tim: Oh, that disappoints me. My view: just, great.

Diandra – Paha Poika

“We’re really down in some dark territory here.”

Tim: Here’s the new one off one time Finnish Idol winner Diandra, with a lyric video that makes me really wish I knew Finnish.

Tim: I reckon this is, by all standards that really matter, a really good track. The title translates to ‘Bad Boy’; Google falls down a bit on the one lyrics site I can find, but fragments that are vaguely comprehensible include “I always fall for a bad lad”, “what are you doing to me”, “my desire to honour the feelings of a gangster” and “I guess I should be afraid to wake up”, so we’re really down in some dark territory here.

Tom: Sounds a bit like a Finnish version of Alexandra Burke’s “Bad Boys”.

Tim: The music, though, is fairly good at keeping that part mostly hidden (aside from the slightly disturbing inclusion of bagpipes).

Tom: Yep. It’s got a jaunty synth line in the background, hasn’t it?

Tim: It does, yes, and I don’t know if there’s specific arty meaning behind the mood disconnect, but I think it really works – even those bagpipes sit nicely in the mix by the end. So, cutting a long story short – very enjoyable, but I wouldn’t want to be the person who came up with those lyrics.

Ace Wilder – Busy Doin’ Nothing

“Right, people, here’s the thing.”

Tim: Right, people, here’s the thing. This was the already-briefly-mentioned very very close runner-up at Melodifestivalen this year, and everybody loved and…and I don’t really get why. Now it’s been tarted up (very very) slightly for a UK release, so let’s focus on it.

Tim: Is it the message? I can understand that, I suppose, with its whole “sod off and stop making me do stuff” routine that’s admittedly quite attractive. The music doesn’t do all that much for me – the gentle guitar strummy bits in the verse are a little dull and initiate a gut “oh do get on with it” feeling from me; the similar bits in the chorus make me realise her shouting over light guitars isn’t a particularly pleasant sound, and the loud post-chorus gives me an “OKAY YOU’VE GOT ON WITH IT NOW STOP”.

I don’t want to give it a complete drubbing, as there are bits I do really like. Specifically, the second half of each verse, when the instrumentation picks up and she sings nicely, and the bit in the middle eight that starts just after two minutes in, where it all strikes a really great balance. Those aside, though: it’s really not for me, but I really wish it was.

Eric Saade – Take A Ride (Put Em In The Air)

“I’ll admit that the chorus worked very well for me”

Tim: Eric’s back with some new music; here it is, and a rather jolly track too.

Tom: Oh, that tin-whistle intro put me off so much.

Tim: Really? Well, I guess it could be a bit divisive, but otherwise, isn’t it? Often, the first half of that chorus would be considered enough, and many artists would be tempted to leave it there and move on after the “go ahead”s. But NO, instead we get a full on jump around section after that, or at least if you don’t want to jump around you at least have to drum your hands on the table because it’s mostly brilliant.

Tom: I’ll admit that, yes, the chorus worked very well for me – and “air” is a damn good word to repeat like that, but you can basically just yell and it’ll sound okay.

Tim: My one niggle with it that the naughty word sticks out a bit, especially with the whistling afterwards, which to me makes it seem like a little kid who knows he’s done something wrong but is trying his best to look all innocent, and doesn’t work so well.

Tom: I think that might be a cultural thing; if you’re not a native English speaker it doesn’t stand out so much. Remember the original version of Cliche Love Song?

Tim: Yes, I suppose. And that aside it’s all great, so like I said, BRILLIANT.

Tove Lo – Not On Drugs

“But then that chorus hit, and WOW.”

Tim: Thanks to one particular two-lettered mobile phone company, I’m in a bit of a bad mood right now, so what I’m looking for is something fairly loud.

Tim: So when I pushed play on this, I wasn’t immediately enthralled, and soon found my eyes wandering to that there Twitter.

Tom: That’s pretty much what I did too. Those first few notes are dull, dull, dull, but then the end of that first verse starts building properly…

Tim: But then that chorus hit, and WOW. It’s nothing huge, admittedly, or particularly novel, but it’s almost reminiscent of Wrecking Ball (and, I suppose, Undo), what with the big lengthy bass notes coming out of nowhere, suddenly whacking you right in the eardrum.

Tom: I wouldn’t give it that much of credit: it’s interesting, sure, but it’s not backed up by the vocal emphasis that it needs — that build just isn’t followed through on.

Tim: Listen to the lyrics and you’ll find they sort of fit, with the tone, but not actually all that much because yes the music has a desperate ‘listen to me’ sensation, but it’s also exactly the sort of music that you could imagine getting utterly off your face to, so, well, I dunno, maybe that’s the point. Anyway, this is great.