Smith & Thell – February

“ENJOY!”

Tim: Says Ms Smith, about last February: “All we could see around us were hollow-eyed people on the subway walking into each other and stepping on each other’s feet, drowsy from too little sleep and too much darkness. We said ‘let’s just be honest with ourselves that life sucks for the moment.’… Sometimes you want a song to pick you up – but sometimes, at least for us, we just want to rest in our feelings and embrace the lows for a while.” So ENJOY!

Tim: And however grim and depressing you may find the message – thanks to a back injury, I’m in more physical pain as I write this than I can remember having ever been in, so I wouldn’t mind some e.g. Katy Perry Firework joy – you can’t deny that’s a fairly good piece of work.

Tom: An offhand and sudden confession there, Tim, hope you’re OK. And you’re right: the song takes its own time to build, but by the time backing vocals appeared, I was actually starting to get behind it. For a song that is deliberately Not A Banger, that takes some doing.

Tim: If we’re going to have a song dedicated to the most miserable time of the year, you could do a lot worse than this, with its minor key, moody strings and slow piano line all contributing. And those backing vocals towards the end: wonderful. I reckon this can be enjoyed however you’re feeling – to make you feel better, knowing there a whole load of people with you, or to make you feel happier, knowing that you’re doing a whole lot better that most suckers out there. It’s lovely.

Robin Stjernberg – Feed On My Love

‘It’s a mix of “eww” and “hurr”.’

Tim: Just ten days ago we were saying how we couldn’t remember much about Robin’s single releases – here’s a new one for you to try. Oh, and if you’re about to point out that ‘Feed On My Love’ sounds a bit dodgy…

Tom: I was.

Tim: …see if you can make it through the first verse.

Tom: It’s a mix of “eww” and “hurr”. I wonder if the translators did that deliberately?

Tim: Well it’d have been the lyricist, not a translator – but I really don’t know.

Tom: Good melody in the first verse, though: and even the quiet bits are melodic enough.

Tim: We’ve also a big chorus, there’s no denying that, and as for the rest of it? Well, there’s heft in that piano line, and the backing vocal, but it really is all about that chorus, and the contrast that silence beforehand brings.

Tom: And a heck of a voice too.

Tim: Indeed, and all in I rather think it works. I don’t think it’ll go down in history, but it’s definitely a track to be reckoned with, and it’s enough for me.

Martin Jensen – Solo Dance

“Hey, it’s another Galantis-a-like!”

Tim: Hey, it’s another Galantis-a-like! Ish, take a listen.

Tim: Curious video given the song’s message, really, showing at is a whole load of people all very happily dancing in a group, but never mind that.

Tom: It’s not like they’re all doing their own choreography, either. I mean, it’s still impressive dancing, but yes, you’re right.

Also, full marks to Martin for managing to pretend he’s actually doing something on the decks all the way through the video.

Tim: It’s a fun song, and who won’t like that? It is, really, a song that you might want to dance in a group to, so maybe the entire song’s wrong OH I DON’T KNOW. Either way, it’s danceable, it’s a good style, and all round I don’t think I’ll complain.

Tom: And it’s basically Galantis. They’ve had a lot of influence.

Lucie Jones – Never Give Up On You

“There is literally nothing memorable in this song.”

Tim: Tom, I have just got back from watching our Eurovision entry (this one) being chosen, and I am FUMING, for a reason I shall return to another time. For now, though, we have this.

Tim: And…it’s dull. Yes, the vocals are there, and she’s got a good howling voice on her, but there’s really just nothing else.

Tom: And as usual, we’re joining the inevitable crowd of countries who’re going to choose a song similar to the one that won last year. If we were the only country sending something like this, we’d stand a chance: but we’ll be buried among twenty other Dull Ballads.

Tim: Right – there is literally nothing memorable in this song. No big moments, no crowning glory out of the middle eight – just a very standard song, running mediocrely throughout its three minutes, and very quickly forgotten. Now don’t get me wrong, I would *love* us to do well – this year more than any other, as if we win then we’ll get to host a European love-in right in the middle of vicious Article 50 negotiations – but I really can’t see much coming from this.

Tim: It’s not actively bad or divisive this year, it’s just… it’s just a song. Good vocals though. Good vocals.

Tom: When she was on the X Factor, she came eighth out of twelve finalists. Mathematically, the equivalent would be about 17th, and to be honest – I think we’ll be lucky to do that well.

Saturday Flashback: Linda Bengtzing – Hur Svårt Kan Det Va?

“A favourite of mine for a long time.”

Tim: I went to see Magnus Carlsson performing a couple of weeks ago, but you weren’t able to; to be honest, you didn’t miss much.

Tom: I’d say “that’s a relief”, but I’ll be honest, it’s more of a “well, that’s okay then”.

Tim: He stuck mostly to his Alcazar stuff, which not only meant he didn’t play Glorious, but he didn’t even play Wrap Myself In Paper! DISGRACEFUL. However, the warm-up DJ did play this, one of the finest schlager songs of the past decade and one which I was astonished to discover we’d never covered.

Tom: Echoes of Mika’s Grace Kelly at the start there, but fortunately it goes down a… well, “original” isn’t the right word for a schlager track like this, but at least it goes down a different route.

Tim: It sailed through to the final Melodifestivalen final in 2008, as is correct, but lost out to, amongst others, the even better Hero by Charlotte Perrelli, so I’ve no problems there. Title translates to “How Hard Can That Be?”, song’s basically “I can be whatever you want, how hard can that be?” A curious message perhaps, with a mix of submission but also knowledge that he won’t want much anyway, but one I suppose works nonetheless. Particularly when you apply this sort of music to it – the big beats, the powerful voice, the key change accompanied by the screaming vocal.

Tom: It’s a bold choice to actually just do a shouted scream in the middle of your second verse, but somehow she pulls it off. And it’s a song that needs that key change — that’s not a bad thing, I’m just glad it was there.

Tim: This has been a favourite of mine for a long time, and I’m not sure it’ll ever stop being.

CoCo and the Butterfields – Battlegrounds

“Fip Fok”

Tom: Butterfields?

Tim: From Kent, some buskers that decided to form a band in the genre of Fip Fok, which is apparently a blend of folk, hip hop and pop. Fairly sure no-one else in the entire world goes by that, but all the letters are there, I guess, so why not?

Tim: Now I liked this from the off, because the first two notes are the same as the first to from Little Talk, one of my favourite songs ever, and whatever you want to call the genre, the sound isn’t that far off – brass, similar vocal sound, and even some “hey!” shouts in the chorus.

Tom: I’m not sure I hear the hip-hop influence in there — but okay, sure, pop-folk, yes. It sounds a bit like Noah and the Whale, which is roughly the same genre.

While I can’t claim to be an expert on folk music, those sound like proper folk vocals as well — the timbres and styles match perfectly.

Tim: Though speaking of the vocals, I don’t know why male/female vocal pairings are so rare, because they can work so very very well.

Off the top of my head, successful matches include Matt & Melanie, Ben & Kelly, even Gary & Agnetha. From Europe, we’ve Tor & Bettan, Oda & Wulff, and of course Eurovision victors Ell & Nikki. They sound interesting, unusual, and generally really good, and to be honest, I wish we had more of them. Because then we’d have more of this.

Elsa & Emilie – Chain of Promises

“It’s like my mind just slides off it.”

Tim: Here’s a nice one for you, a fair mish-mash that’s somewhat pleasant.

Tom: Sounds like my cooking.

Tim: I say ‘mish-mash’ – largely because I have trouble focusing on it. I’ve pressed play on it three times now, running through to the end, but each time I’ve become distracted, or found my mind wandering elsewhere, opening up a new tab or flicking over to Twitter.

Tom: It’s got a really promising introduction, but then it gets caught up in that “don’t even care” loop.

Tim: I remember enjoying it – instrumentation is nice, good vocal, and when I force myself to pay attention to it it really is good – but I can’t actually remember any specific parts of it after it’s finished.

Tom: Yes: it’s musically really nice. The instrumental after the chorus, the fast melody in the background, everything. But it’s like my mind just slides off it. The rhythm of that melody line just doesn’t change.

Tim: It’s really good, but I just…wish I didn’t have to force myself to pay attention to it.

Tom Chaplin – Hardened Heart

“Guess The Band The Singer Was The Lead Singer Of From The Solo Output!”

Tim: Via our reader, Matt, this is Tom Chaplin, who until I looked him up I didn’t realise was the lead singer of a not-too-distant fairly prominent UK band. So let’s play…Guess The Band The Singer Was The Lead Singer Of From The Solo Output! Or something with a catchier title, I don’t know.

Tim: Any guesses?

Tom: I didn’t know him from the voice. But I knew him from the face.

Tim: My first guess, or at least what I first thought the song sounded like, was Hurts trying a slightly less electro sound – the vocal in the chorus sounds very close indeed, and that backing choir at the end wouldn’t be remotely out of place. The answer, though: ‘Everybody’s Changing’ and ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ hitmakers, KEANE!

Tom: I actually thought the lead singer of Keane was called Tim Rice-Oxley — turns out that’s their other singer. I have no explanation for how my brain remembered that name in the decade or so since the last time I heard it, given that I forget most people’s names in about three seconds.

Tim: Maybe just a particular talent of yours – way back when in a quiz I did, I recall you being the only person in a room of forty knowing the lead singer of Wet Wet Wet.

Tom: But yes, okay, it’s one of the blokes off Keane.

Tim: And I’d never have guessed that, because this is quite the different sound – out with guitars, in with big strings, presenting a much more aggressive, powerful and all round dramatic output than the band’s used to be. And I love it for that.

Tom: For once, I actually agree: I was too busy searching ‘Tim Rice-Oxley’ for the first half of the song, and then I slowly realised that the music in the background was actually quite lovely. This’ll do nicely.

Gaia – New Dawns

“The pop industry knows what’ll sell across all of Europe.”

Tim: On Italian X Factor, the day after the semi-final all the acts put out their would-be winners singles to get in the public’s mind ahead of the final (or at least I think they do – original tracks from them all appeared on YouTube on that day, and got sung at the final); this is Gaia’s, who came runner-up last month.

Tom: And it’s in flawless English: no hint of an accent there either. The pop industry knows what’ll sell across all of Europe.

Tim: A calm and gentle sound running through the first verse, soon giving way to the chorus in a lovely Wrecking Ball-esque fashion, abandoning all pretence of being a melty wishy washy song.

Tom: Well, it’s less of a wrecking ball and more of a… I don’t know how to finish that metaphor, I can’t think of what a half-assed wrecking ball would be.

Tim: Swingball, perhaps? But that really doesn’t do it justice, as it’s a big track, with a powerful message. This isn’t a woman who’s going to lie back and take it, she’ll be up to get back going, and chase those titular new dawns.

Tom: Heh. Titular.

Tim: Yes, very good. But since she’ll be chasing them with a lovely synth and drum backing, and a fantastic voice, she’s very much got my blessing.

Tom: It’s nice, I guess, but it’s nothing special. As with yesterday: there’s nothing wrong with any of the parts, it just doesn’t add up to a coherent whole for me.

Train – Drink Up

“Elements for a great track are there, but somehow it’s just not right.”

Tim: Presenting, for your enjoyment, the least Train song that Train have ever released.

Tom: I… don’t know if that’s a good thing?

Tim: Well, have a listen and find out.

Tom: That’s a great introduction. Seriously, I was actually disappointed when the first verse dropped everything back to normal.

Tim: You say normal, but really nothing sounds like Train in this. Instrumentation, way out. Shouting in the chorus, nope. The backing woo-oos, what? And even, somehow, the vocal sounds unusual, although they might just be in comparison with the backing.

Tom: Yep: when I listen it’s clearly the same singer, but the recognisable edge to the voice seems to go.

Tim: Maybe there’s a bit at the start of the middle eight that’s familiar, but otherwise it could be a whole other band. I suppose it’s just a shame, then, that it’s not a particularly great song, or at least for me.

Tom: I mean, that’s Train through and through: the song doesn’t really mean anything, there’s no depth to the lyrics, but there’s nothing particularly wrong with it either.

Tim: Somehow I struggle to get a hand on it, nothing quite grabs me like I want it to. Elements for a great track are there, but somehow it’s just not right.

Tom: Exemplified, I think, by that middle eight: there’s a lovely melody lurking underneath that shouting. On their own either element might work, but together it’s just confusing. A bit like that video, really: generic stock footage that doesn’t remotely match the video. How strange.