LNKAY – Overload

“I don’t think I can fault that chorus in the slightest.”

Tim: LNKAY is the stage name of Ellen Stoksted, who’s from Stockholm and was apparently “raised in a house where ‘No-singing-during-dinner rules’ were necessary”. Probably enthusiastic, then.

Tim: And enthusiastic with good reason, it seems – aside from that slightly unpleasant electro bass line in the intro when it’s on its own and attention seeking, I like this a lot.

Tom: Huh. We have a completely different opinion. For me, it’s sometimes too harsh but mostly just… generic. What stands out for you?

Tim: The vocal comes along and is great, and I don’t think I can fault that chorus in the slightest – it has all the hallmarks of some of the greats like Robyn and the unsung heroes like Minnie-Oh, especially that final chorus which just brings together so many great elements. So aside from the first ten seconds or so, I love this track.

Tom: Whoa. That’s a strong comparison. I can hear the comparisons you’re going for, but somehow it just doesn’t gel together into a coherent whole for me. I’m not sure why: that’s a subjective “don’t like it” opinion, and I’m not sure I can back it up with anything.

Tim: Well, that’s the beauty of subjectivity, that you don’t need to. Since the rest of you are all sensible people, though, and now want to hear more from her, she brought out Hurricane last year and I’ve not idea why we didn’t feature that because it’s almost as good as this. ALBUM PLEASE.

Joe & Jake – You’re Not Alone

Tim: SO, first public vote the UK’s had in six years; here’s what we came up with. Couple of notes: Joe’s the one who looks like a young Louis Tomlinson, while Jake’s got the guitar, and also one of the writers is in fact Siva off The Wanted.

Tim: And, well, hmm.

Tom: That’s… that’s not terrible? I don’t think it’s a winner, mind, it might not even be top of the table, but it might do better than last year? I guess?

Tim: It wasn’t the best one of the bunch (we’ll save that for another day), but it’s decent enough, as long as we can sort out the vocals in the second pre-chorus. I’ll say this for them: that broadcast clip doesn’t do the song any favours whatsoever – it sounded incredible when I was there watching it be performed, but that just makes the vocals sound weedy.

Tom: Ooh, good gig-drop there, well done. Then yes: it sounds a bit weedy here, that’s the right word. (It’s notable, though, that Katrina sounds positively messianic: what a voice.) But give it proper Eurovision production, and make that final chorus a bit bigger, and it might… well, it might do okay.

Tim: Those aside, there’s nothing wrong with it – vocals are on point when they’re there, it’s got a decent tune and good backing music, with my favourite part being the electric guitar that’s clearly audible throughout despite the only one on stage being Jake’s acoustic one.

Hopefully the levels can be sorted properly for May, because then we might have a chance, and to be honest we’ll need it – it’s a decent song, but it’s boyband pop, and there’s no small amount of that this year.

Saturday Reject: Anja Nissen – Never Alone

Tim: Picture the scene: you’re a Danish voter, three songs to choose from (previously whittled down from ten by a mixture of televotes and jury).

One is a pretty good song sung by a very competent lady, one’s a very good song sung by three remarkably good looking men, and one’s an incredible song. GUESS WHICH ONE 42% PICKED.

In second place, with 36% of the vote, was the last of those three. Denmark, you screwed up.

Tom: Are you sure about that? Because this isn’t a bad song, but it’s not incredible.

Tim: Well okay, not incredible, but it’s certainly a hell of a lot better than “not bad”. Anja’s credentials are decent enough: half-Danish and half-Australian, she won the 2014 Australian series of The Voice and has since had, well, more success than your average winner of The Voice has had.

Tom: But her vocals aren’t flawless here. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good, and those soaring notes at the end are just spectacular — but there are some dodgy bits, particularly in the opening verse, and a televote is going to punish you for that.

Tim: You know, watching it back those weaknesses so become more apparent, but in the heat of the moment, and when everything’s finished off with the catchiness of the melody, the strength of the vocals, the wings effect shamelessly lifted from Conchita and ALL THOSE DAMN SPARKS, I was sure it was a shoe-in for the entry.

Tom: That’s because it’s basically “Only Teardrops”.

Tim: Can’t deny there are similarities, admittedly, and it was up against some tough competition. But OH WELL.

It’s not as if I’ve never voted for a weaker entry because of a singer’s looks (OH HI BEN HAENOW), so I can’t exactly cast much admonishment in that area. Guess we’ll just wait and see.

Frances – Borrowed Time

“All it needs is Ringo Starr quietly narrating the lyrics.”

Tim: This was introduced to me recently as “that one that sounds like Thomas the Tank Engine,” and I said “what?” and then I heard it.

Tim: And as it turns out, yes, there are slight similarities in that chorus and middle eight.

Tom: Oh, that’s a bit of a stretch, but I can see where they’re coming from. All it needs is Ringo Starr quietly narrating the lyrics and you’re there.

Tim: It’s probably safe to say, though, that much like Jess Glynne’s version of She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain (second half of the chorus, you can’t miss it, you’ll always hear it from now on, you’re welcome) —

Tom: Damn it, Tim.

Tim: — it’s most likely not an actual theft, more an unfortunate coincidence that I’ll never be able to unhear. That aside: lovely vocals, decent melody, so all perfectly enjoyable really. Nice one.

Zara Larsson – Lush Life

“Like the producer was idly playing a videogame at the same time.”

Tim: The track’s been out elsewhere since last June, but it’s only now, following her success with MNEK on Never Forget You, that it’s getting a push over here.

Tim: I’m going to be honest: right now, not much of a fan of this. On the other hand, I couldn’t stand the MNEK collaboration until a few months after first hearing it, for many of the same reasons as I don’t much like this, so maybe this’ll grow on me as well. There are, after all, a number of good things about this track – vocal’s as on point as ever, and there are moments of pleasant melodic singing where that comes through.

Tom: I’ll normally slate something with distracting, odd, bleepy-bloopy synths the background — particularly when they sound like the producer was idly playing a videogame at the same time. But for some reason, these really work for me, and I can’t explain why. Less sure about the odd squelchy, scratchy sound just left of centre, though.

Tim: The occasional post-chorus that appears is particularly catchy, although I think that might be because the rhythm’s the same as Ms. Jackson.

Tom: That’s why I know it! Yes, you’re right.

Tim: But in any case, it’s always nice to celebrate foreign success in British music, so hooray! And apparently she’s got a new single coming out in the next few days, though that’s as a feat. with Tinie Tempah, so I think it’s best if we just try to ignore that.

Mørland – Skin

“A perfectly respectable grown up ballad.”

Tim: Last year, Mørland helped bring Norway to ninth placed at Eurovision with A Monster Like Me; this year’s he’s giving that sort of thing a miss, though, choosing to release music the normal way, with a lovely pretty video.

Tom: That is a pretty video. Very well done to that director, and to the drone team.

Tim: Now, it might just be the high notes in the chorus that remind me of Take That’s Shine, but that stands out to me as a perfectly respectable grown up ballad that a guy in his mid-thirties would put out.

Tom: He also looks rather like what would happen if you put photos of all five of Take That into a face-morph program. There’s a bit of Robbie in there, and a bit of Gary, and a bit of the other three that I can’t remember.

Tim: There’s a Jason, I think? And a Marc as well, I know that because of the unusual spelling. But anyway, I’m not entirely sure what I mean by “grown up”, but, well, that second part in particular after it’s all gone quiet, doesn’t really seem like anything just you’d get from a younger artist – there’s too much…I don’t know what.

Tom: Pathos, I believe is the term, and I reckon that’s the first time I’ve ever described a pop song with that word.

Tim: You know, that’s exactly the sort of word I was wanting, because yes, it’s there in buckets, and the song is very much the better for it – deep and meaningful, and beautiful to listen to.

Sandra Lyng – Moonrise

“It’s like we’re steadily going back in time.”

Tim: We featured Sandra last month after she put out a video for a previous track; here’s a new track with a video for it right from the off.

Tim: And, last time we reckoned it sounded like it came out of 2013; this one I’m going to date to 2012, when everyone was jumping on the bandwagon led by Mr Saxobeat, and I’ll rate it about the same as most of those – good, but seeming to rely too much on that say than anything else.

Tom: Yep. It’s like we’re steadily going back in time. That sax-sample wasn’t quite a novelty genre, but it was pretty close.

Tim: It’s funny – take out that saxophone (which is admittedly perfectly decent enough) and it might improve the song. The way I see it, it mainly serves to takes the attention away from the (very good indeed) rest of it, and turns it into “just another sax-based dance track”.

Tom: Ah, see I’m not sure the rest of it works well enough on its own. The sax is, sadly, the only notable thing for me here.

Tim: A shame, especially since we’re now four years on from its heyday.

Alan Walker – Faded (Restrung)

“Take a seat, love, everything’ll be alright”

Tim: First there was Fade; then there was Faded. Now, we’ve an orchestral version that’s been released separately; I wouldn’t normally bring a remix of a track we’d already featured, but (a) that original really was fantastic and I’ll take any opportunity to bring it up and (b) just listen.

Tim: Because it completely changes the song. Yes, the melody’s the same, and the vocal’s not even been re-recorded, but it’s suddenly gone from being a big pumped-up jump around floor filler to a relaxing, “take a seat, love, everything’ll be alright” track.

Tom: It is: that’s a really good orchestration. The fact it’s been released by the original artist is a big point in its favour too. It’s not all that big a genre switch given the state of the original, but it’s done well.

Tim: What that mood switch may state about the point of the lyrics of any particular song is up for interpretation, but somehow it’s just as wonderful. Strings, piano, full orchestra, all beautiful.

Tom: But here’s the thing: I wanted just some percussion. Not much, not the synth patches of the original, but a little timpani roll here, or some subtle drums going into the final big chorus would have worked well. Even some other instrument in the lower frequencies would have worked. Without it, it feels a little anaemic — still good, but not as good as it could be.

Tim: Incidentally the (still uncredited) vocalist is called Iselin Solheim; we’ve not featured her here previously, but she’s got some great tracks in her back catalogue.

Saturday Reject: Mimi Werner – Ain’t No Good

“This song deserved to go so, so far”

Tim: Sweden owes this lady an apology, because they voted both Victor & Samir and a less good Victor & Samir through in heat one, but shamefully cast this one aside.

Tom: That’s because the verses are basically the verses from “Jolene”. I’ll grant you the chorus is a bit more original, though. Why do you like it so much?

Tim: Because oh, this song deserved to go so, so far, and I would happily have put money on that actually going directly to the final. Maybe hoedown isn’t the biggest genre in the world right now, but dammit it’s still a whole lot of fun, and mixing that big chorus with the slightly gentler pop vocals in the verses for me just works very well indeed.

Tom: It does — and that middle eight and key change are just wonderful.

Tim: Maybe it’s the fact that she’s a new artist – first EP’s not released for another month or so, and incidentally was recorded in Nashville.

Tom: Maybe? But I’ve got a different theory. We’ve seen this before: it’s what Texas Lightning did ten years ago. That is to say, catchy, country, key change: but not remotely a vote-winner.

Tim: True, perhaps, but first round exit? Just harsh.

Tom: Incidentally, how good was 2006’s Eurovision? Lordi. The mad Lithuanians with “We Are The Winners”. And the bizarre British entry of which we do not speak. Let’s hope it’s that good this year.

Tim: We do not speak? Mate, Daz was GLORIOUS. You’re thinking of 2008. In any case, you’re forgetting the best of all: the incredible Charlotte Perrelli performing Invincible with Those Trousers and That Dress.

John Dahlbäck feat. Stockholm Syndrome – Untouched Hearts

“Shall we have a Friday BANGER?”

Tim: Not sure how we’ve not featured Stockholm Syndrome before, or at least not in their current form – they’re basically a rebranded, restyled and slightly trimmed Love Generation. HOWEVER, they’re here now, so shall we have a Friday BANGER?

Tom: Naming a band after a horrible psychological condition. Normal for a death metal band, a bold move in the world of pop.

Tom: Oh! For once, we’ve got a song introduced as a BANGER here, and it actually is. That’s really good.

Tim: Isn’t it? Although, I know it’s not the most important thing to focus on, but I’m really rather disappointed by how little effort was put into that YouTube ‘video’ – perfect opportunity, given the flickering, to have it be like a visual version of those word puzzles where you change one letter at a time and at the end it’s a completely different word.

Tom: The thing is: as someone who does graphics, I know there’s actually quite a bit of effort gone in there: all sorts of subtle movement and flicker effects. It’s just the result is so underwhelming.

Tim: Right – and even if you’re not doing that you could at least have it flickering in time with the BEAT, because that is quite the BEAT we have there. In fact, it’s quite the track all round, really. Big tune, big production, easy imaginable alongside a stunning laser/fire visual in a club, and big competent vocals.

Tom: Agreed. This is a floor-filler.

Tim: In short, LET’S HAVE A WEEKEND.