Europop – Page 91

Gravitonas feat. Army of Lovers – People Are Lonely

“Reassuring miserable folks everywhere”

Tim: Two Alexander Bard projects joining forces here, coming out with a sound that’s exactly along the lines of what you think it’d be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5O9_gMMLaQ

Tim: “People are lonely.” What a wonderful message to send out, reassuring miserable folks everywhere that actually everybody’s the same. I suppose there are two ways to play it out – very upbeat and happy, with a “we’re all like this, let’s revel in it!” or a gloomy number that just plays to the nihilist in us all. Since neither Gravitonas nor Army of Lovers typically go in for happy pop, we get this, which works just as well as any smile-on-your-face track would, right down to the Pet Shops Boys style spoken bit in the middle eight. In fact, the whole thing’s got a slight Pet Shop Boys feel to it, and it’s really very enjoyable indeed, despite it also being thoroughly miserable.

Medina – Jalousi

“Despite being quite acousticy it doesn’t actually ever really get dull”

Tim: Danish for you now, with a title that translates as, believe it or not…

Tom: “Yes, lousy”?

Tim: Jealousy.

Tim: It’s very much not standard Medina, who typically does either big dance numbers or big downer tracks.

Tom: Huh. This is almost exactly in the middle of those two.

Tim: It is, yes – considerably middle of the road, and despite the other two options possibly being more enjoyable for us, this is still enjoyable enough. Certainly stands up to multiple plays, which is generally what matters. A good pop track, which despite being quite acousticy doesn’t actually ever really get dull, so well done there.

Tom: There’s some lovely moments in that chorus, enough to keep the song going — and that middle eight’s an interesting choice that works really well.

Tim: Indeed. Though if you want to bring back the big dance numbers, do feel free at any time.

Naomi Pilgrim – Rainmakers

“I have a lot of time for the chorus on this.”

Tim: So here’s some typically melancholy electropop for you, from Sweden, and it’s the title track of Naomi’s debut EP.

Tom: Strong, almost MGMT-like beat on there. That’s pretty good.

Tim: I have a lot of time for the chorus on this, which is nice because to be honest the rest leaves me feeling a bit cold.

Tom: I can see how you have that reaction, but it worked fairly well — perhaps, again, because it sounded like MGMT at first glance.

Tim: In fact, I was all ready to give up on it by the time we got halfway through the first verse, but then the lovely chorus came along and suddenly made things alright again. It’s arguably a bit too long, with the primary culprit being that middle eight, somewhat tedious as it is. On the other hand, when that lovely chorus comes back in and gets swaying all over the place I can’t help but somewhat forgive it.

Krista Siegfrids – Cinderella

“I couldn’t criticise her for not giving it everything”

Tim: Tom’s off again today, but he will no doubt remember Krista, the bride-to-be who’s been haunting his dreams for the past twelve months. Over the weekend, she appeared once again on Finland’s Eurovision selection program, but this time just to show off her new single. (Performance here.)

Tim: There’s not a massive amount to it, or at least there doesn’t seem to be, and that’s kind of a problem. There’s no way I could criticise her for not giving it everything she’s got with those big notes, but I think the song almost needs someone with a voice to handle those better. Compare this to, say, Unconditionally, and I can’t help feeling that her vocal hasn’t quite got the capability this song deserves – the big drawn out bits stop too quickly, really, when I’ve got a feeling they’d sound better if they were held out for a few more seconds. I don’t know. It’s decent enough, but may have had a little more potential.

Jannika B – Jääkausi

Those must be some very impressive lyrics.

Tom: Jacuzzi?

Tim: Not quite, no – if you can’t guess from the dots in the title (and you apparently can’t), this is Finnish pop, somewhat on the melancholy side but rather enjoyable.

Tom: Now, see, I’m in the US right now, and that appears to be pretty comprehensively geoblocked for me. Care to sum up?

Tim: Well, if you’d heard it you’d probably be thinking, what the hell happened there to make that key change happen, and those must be some very impressive lyrics. Well, I was, and fortunately there’s a rather competent Finnish lyric website and online translating tool available. Well, sort of – it choked a bit and is somewhat incomprehensible, but I did get that Jääkausi means Ice Age, and she’s singing to someone who she’s just realised isn’t going to change, and because of him she’s the goddess of persuasion.

I don’t really know, but basically, DRAMA. In case you didn’t get that from the music, and OH WHAT MUSIC. Nothing really happens until the first chorus (as is standard), but then it KICKS OFF. We all know I’m not generally one for an extended outro, but here I could listen to that last minute for at least another five.

Tone Damli – Heartkill

Tim: We’ve featured Tone Damli quite a bit up until now, and generally been impressed. BUT CAN SHE KEEP IT UP?

Tim: Pretty much, yes. Good things in particular include the lead in to the chorus from the verses, the instrumental melody underneath the chorus and the “just another hea-a-a-a-artkill” at the end of the chorus.

Tom: I agree with everything apart from that digital stuttering: it was so incongruous that it completely took me out of the song. Maybe it’d get better over time, but I’m not convinced.

Tim: Huh. Fair enough, see where you’re coming from. Those two bits aside for me, it’s, well, actually just about above average, but I really do like the end of the chorus bit. So well done for that.

NONONO – Hungry Eyes

“That chorus made me a lot happier than I thought it would.”

Tim: Not a cover of the Eric Carmen classic (though there’s an astounding one here if you want it).

Tom: That is exactly the cover I was hoping it was. But I’ve never seen that video before. That… that is quite something.

Tim: Isn’t it just? Almost make’s Zlata Ognevich’s one (always worth a watch) look tame. But no, this is a follow-up to last year’s nice and whistly Pumpin Blood.

https://soundcloud.com/shewentpop/nonono-hungry-eyes

Tim: Pleasant enough, I think you’ll agree?

Tom: Agreed, and that chorus made me a lot happier than I thought it would.

Tim: I’m glad. Chirpy would be an appropriate word, I think, because it is – all happiness and smiling, at least certainly once the chorus hits. Verses could perhaps be a bit more exciting, but the chorus has a lovely hook to it and the instrumental has just the right amount of tinkliness that makes an already quite happy song very happy. So I like it. Two out of two, good stuff.

Laleh – Stars Align

“It departs from the pop formula just enough to be new and interesting.”

Tim: We haven’t featured Laleh for a while, which is a bit of a shame because her last single, Colors, was really very good. But here’s the second single off her album of that name, and fortunately it too is really very good.

Tom: I wouldn’t go as far as “very good” — that wha-hoo in the chorus doesn’t work for me, and the transition back to the verse really grates — but it’s certainly putting a decent effort in. It departs from the pop formula just enough to be new and interesting.

Tim: Hmm. I actually have no problem with either of the issues you mentioned, although I will say that I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with the lyrics, what with “walking in the town like a ghost” being significantly different from “the world that I’m so much a part of”; on the other hand I suppose stars aligning is a good thing? Sounds a bit like horoscopey guff, but using it is fine by me if you’re going to produce a tune like this from it. It’s brilliant – almost a cross between the drums of Emmelie de Forest and heading towards the vocals of Icona Pop, combined to form wonderful results.

Tom: That’s a good analogy, particularly in that middle eight.

Tim: Video’s good, too, especially the blend thing when she talks about walking like a wolf, although that does bring back the heavy disappointment that arrives whenever I realise I’ll probably never be a werewolf. Oh well.

Lili & Susie – Would You Be Mine

“Could be said to descend into a bit of a mess, but I rather like it.”

Tim: Pop greats of yesteryear arriving and sounding entirely 2014; not Kylie’s new single, which we’ll get to when I can find a link that hangs around long enough, but Lili & Susie. Have a listen to this.

Tom: Crikey, that comes in hard.

Tim: HA – JUST LIKE YOactually let’s keep this grown up. Yeah, it certainly gets going quickly, and at times, particularly the middle eight, it could be said to descend into a bit of a mess, but to be perfectly honest I rather like this, for a floor-thumping heavy beat electro tune.

Tom: Agreed: I think I wouldn’t be as enthusiastic if it hadn’t been for that opening — it was enough to get me through the first verse and into that chorus. And in particular, that odd down note before the chorus, and that first line, both of which are just glorious.

Tim: Right – it isn’t just floor thumping and beat heavy, it’s got melodic and emotive vocals, a nice instrumental line every now and again and, well, actually those are the two good things that stop it being just a bit tedious. But those are there, and the chorus in particular combines those and is properly great.

Tom: I can only agree.

Tim: Good. Well done everyone.

Mariette – If Only I Can

“A piano, some lovely ahh-ing and is that an accordion in the background?”

Tim: Mariette’s been through several names in her time; originally as Maryjet, then Mariette Hansson in Swedish Idol 2009, and now plain Mariette, a name which bring with it a lovely piano ballad.

Tim: As we all know too well, piano ballads especially have a potency to be entirely dull and dreary. This, fortunately, stays well away from that, because that chorus is very big, given that we only have a piano, some lovely ahh-ing and is that an accordion in the background?

Tom: I think so? It’s certainly accordion-esque. I wouldn’t put the chorus as “very big”, but it’s certainly emotive, and in a ballad like that, this is what counts.

Tim: It’s rather slow, even for a ballad, but that strangely doesn’t work against it – while there’s no time for a middle eight or closing section, it still feels like a fully fleshed out song. Which is good, because that’s exactly what it is – a lovely tune that’s gentle yet still full of emotion and feeling. Not an easy thing to do.