Emilie Esther – Inescapable

“Everything, down to the traditional slight vocal changes on the final chorus, is good.”

Tim: Danish X Factor winner; second single; a two-part chorus I’m hopeful you’ll enjoy.

Tom: That introduction — the slight hints of what’s to come — really does set the mood well. It’s got promise. And as for that chorus: yes.

Tim: Oh yes. First part: lovely, edging towards the euphoric end of of the musical scale; second part: big and banging and entirely different but equally brilliant.

Tom: And linking them, a noise-gated drum introduction that sounds like they got Phil Collins’ engineer in. Even the verses seem to fit in well here.

Tim: The middle eight somehow manages to put both of those together and sound wonderful; towards the end, back for the final chorus, her vocals are fantastic and perfectly on point.

Tom: My one complaint is that the small samples from the introduction never really return to take their place in the final song — but that’s a minor thing. Everything, down to the traditional slight vocal changes on the final chorus, is good. I think I could have even gone for one more, bigger, bolder chorus; that ending was a bit too abrupt.

Tim: Perhaps, and I’d certainly not say no to a bit more of it either: it’s just a fantastic track.

Axwell Λ Ingrosso – Sun Is Shining

“Once it finally kicks in, yes.”

Tim: Tom, you are going to have the exact same complaint here that you had with Something New – namely, that despite being four and a half minutes, it’s only part of a song.

https://youtu.be/7V1jFh_kuWs

Tom: GET OFF THE TRAIN TRACKS. THERE IS A TRAIN COMING, YOU DICK. Anyway. Sorry. Oddly, I don’t actually have that complaint on this one — it sounds like a complete track to me, and not a bad one.

Tim: Huh, fair enough. I think for me mostly it’s the repeat to fade, because who the hell ever heard of that in a dance track?

Tom: No-one since about the mid-90s. Which, actually, is a bit what this sounds like to me.

Tim: With the exception of the post-chorus (which I would happily ditch entirely as I find it frankly quite unpleasant), it’s a great tune, though.

Tom: Once it finally kicks in, yes; that long first verse has sudden sparks of inspiration in it that keep me going, but it still felt like a long wait.

Tim: I’d love to hear a properly finished version of it, because now THE SUN IS SHINING, and, whoever ‘you’ is, I’m fairly sure that they are as well. WE’RE ALL SHINING, in fact, because that’d be nice wouldn’t it?

Only The Young – I Do

“They actually seem to be having a lot of fun”

Tim: ONLY THE YOUNG, as anyone who watched the tense parts of last year’s X Factor will know them, were one of the most promising groups of recent times.

Tom: Ha! I’m very glad I clicked that link.

Tim: Yeah, I kind of want to be friends with that guy. Despite his best efforts, though, they got booted off in week seven, quite a shame. On the other hand, if they’d won they’d still be in a recording studio somewhere and we wouldn’t have their first release for at least another couple of months, so here we are.

Tom: Interesting choice to rhyme “kiss ya” with “picture”, though. Their accents mean they can pull it off, but it’s a risky one.

Tim: They are Charlie (male with the stupid hair), Mikey (male with the sensible hair), Patsy (female with the brown hair) and Betsy Blue (female with the blonde hair), and my first thought was that it’s genuinely nice to have a mixed-gender group, because off the top of my head I can’t think of a successful one in the past several years (except for Electro Velvet, obviously).

Tom: All I could think of were much older groups: Ace of Base, Abba, and Aqua. All of which start with A for some reason.

Tim: Yes – aside from those, only Steps and S Club 7 sprang to mind immediately. One other thing that was nice was that they actually seemed to be having a lot of fun, and this seems to have made its way into this. It’s turned a song about a fairly creepy situation (turning up to the wedding of someone who’s never met him, hoping that the marriage won’t last long) into one that’s upbeat and all clap-alongy and everything with all you need for a summer hit.

Tom: I know! Imagine this performed in a more creepy-stalker voice and it suddenly seems a lot, lot worse. But then, a lot of songs do that.

Tim: Well, this is true. Particularly of note: that return from the middle eight, which is exactly what it should be – ever so slight hint of melancholy just detectable in there, but otherwise full-on rousing. Good work, let’s have an album please.

Saturday Flashback: Maggie Reilly – Everytime We Touch

“THIS IS WEIRD.”

Tim: THIS IS WEIRD.

Tom: Wow. You’re not kidding, either. That’s weird.

Tim: So, I think we can file Cascada’s track away with Torn as a song no-one realised was a cover* – I had no idea about this 1992 track until last week when I was writing about Ariana’s track, and I had to check Wikipedia to see if Everytime was one or two words.

* Verses are different, yes, but it’s apparently close enough for the writing credits to be the same.

Tom: Fair point. And it’s two words, but no-one seems to mind.

Tim: Maggie’s a Scottish singer, though this didn’t bother the charts over here at all; did get to number 1 in Norway, though, and charted in most of Europe.

Tom: Those differing verses really do make a difference. By the way, “I feel the static” is a terrible line. Have you ever got a static shock from kissing someone? It’s not pleasant.

Tim: Eurgh – no, I can’t imagine it would be, now I think about it. In all, though, I can’t pretend I enjoy this version remotely as much – aside from the genre, the video doesn’t feature librarians getting their rave on – but it was an interesting find nonetheless and I thought I’d share it with you. I’m JUST THAT NICE.

Page Four – Sommer

“No boyband debut track should be anywhere near four minutes long.”

Tim: Because there currently aren’t enough boybands, here’s a new one from Denmark.

Tim: And it’s alright, but…well, there’s a reason “don’t bore us, get to the chorus” is a thing, and this is exactly it.

Tom: Yep. It’s a shame, because that introduction was incredibly promising — but the first verse just kills that dead.

Tim: And annoyingly it’s not just the verse – the pre-chorus is exactly twice as long as it should be, and even when the chorus does finally hit, there’s still a sense of “wait for it, wait for it…” You end up screaming OH JUST GET ON WITH IT, and wondering if you might find it better if it was in English because then you’d at least know what was going on.

Tom: Well, those of us who don’t speak Danish do, anyway.

Tim: Yes, that’s true. But I don’t think it would improve matters anyway, because there’s still way too much hanging around. Basically, no boyband debut track should be anywhere near four minutes long – hell, three thirty’s pushing it, because you want people to REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY, and who’s going to do that if they’re bored?

Tom: And let’s be honest: that “summ-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-h” chorus isn’t all that much to shout about. Yes, it’s competently sung, yes, it’s catchy as all hell, and given a few radio plays it’ll most likely be in everyone’s heads. But it’s hardly a One Direction chorus, is it?

Tim: Decidedly not, but then on the other hand, 150,000 views in less than two weeks can’t be argued with, and nor can a week in the iTunes top five, so what do we know? (Don’t answer that.)

Little Mix – Black Magic

“Really creepy when you start to deconstruct it.”

Tom: This is on every damn radio and TV playlist right now, enough that it’s starting to irritate the hell out of me.

Tim: Weirdly, I’ve heard lots of good stuff about it, but have somehow never heard it myself.

Tom: And, of course, it’s not released in the UK until next month, despite it already being out in the US. Because that makes sense.

Tim: You’ll be pleased to know that may well be the last time you make that complaint – GLOBAL RELEASE DATES, as of July 10th, every Friday. Let’s see if that hangs around as long as On Air On Sale did.

Tim: Oh…oh, yeah, I have heard it. A good number of times.

Tom: Let’s skip over the video, which — as with everything that plays love potions for comedy — is really creepy when you start to deconstruct it.

Tim: And the lyrics, in that case, because yes.

Tom: The song. It’s catchy. Really catchy.

Tim: Again, yes – it’s been a while since I’ve heard quite such an instant ear worm. I’m not resenting it particularly much.

Tom: Now, I reckon that’s because the backing is basically “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” and the first bit of the chorus is “St Elmo’s Fire”, but I can’t deny it’s catchy. I just wish it wasn’t being played every bloody hour on the music video channel in the office I’m working in right now.

Tim: Hmm. If you’d like a slight change, perhaps this remix of it will help you? It’s bloody wonderful, for starters, and it comes with considerably less Cyndi Lauper.

Aldrey – Causa Y Efecto

“It’s brilliant. Apart from those Wilhelm screams.”

Tim: I got sent this video on Twitter last week with a few Spanish words; no idea if it was a spam account or a genuine suggestion, but I had a listen anyway and it’s not bad; his current single, though, is downright good.

Tom: My Spanish is basically non-existent, but I reckon even I can translate the title of this one.

Tim: Probably. You should also know that this is the first track I’ve ever heard to feature not one but two Wilhelm screams.

Tim: And yes, they’re on the studio version as well. Now, knowing nothing about Aldrey, I donned my Investigative Journalism cap, and discovered that it’s actually an aluminium/magnesium/silicon alloy; I could tell you more, but the website registration expired last month.

Tom: Full-on journalism, there, well done.

Tim: And there I’ll choose to assume you’re not being sarcastic, so thank you very much. Let’s focus on the song, shall we, and how it’s tracks like this that gets me incredibly annoyed that British radio entirely ignores foreign language music, because it’s brilliant.

Tom: Yep, I can’t disagree with that. Apart from those Wilhelm screams, mind. But I can’t help feeling it reminds me of something else.

Tim: It does, yes, and I’ll tell you what that something is in a moment, to build TENSION. First off, though, to justify its brilliance, I’ll say I always think positively about a song that tells a story, and secondly, well, just listen to it. It’s fantastic pop music – a great voice, a chorus/verse relationship that dips just enough to set a boundary but not so much that you lose the momentum, and a tune that, accidentally or otherwise, uses a similar main line to (here it comes) Live While We’re Young, and builds well on it.

Tom: And that’s it: it’s startlingly close in a couple of places — and there’s a few notes that I suspect are inspired by other big boyband tracks. But it’s certainly original enough — and there’s no shame in taking inspiration from the masters. And can we talk about that middle eight? Because it’s absolutely glorious from start to finish.

Tim: Oh, yes, it very much does deserve a mention. My only dislike at all, in fact, is those screams, because once you notice them, they really do stick out. Other than that: WONDERFUL.

Ace Wilder – Stupid

“That’s not something you hear every… BLOODY HELL.”

Tom: Well, there’s a name that makes me think of awful movies. This is a cross between Ace Ventura and Van Wilder, presumably?

Tim: Blimey, you really don’t remember most of these tracks, do you? Not even the incredible Do It, or Busy Doin’ Nothing, which missed out on going to Eurovision by a quarter of a percent? Well, anyway, what we have here is basically a total racket. But it’s a fairly well-written total racket, so have a listen.

Tom: A sitar and other Indian percussion? That’s not something you hear every… BLOODY HELL. Sorry, the first chorus just kicked in and surprised the hell out of me. Not just because of its force: but because it sounds very, very good.

Tim: Sometimes I find reading the lyrics helps me get a better grip on a song; if you do that with this one, you’ll quickly get yourself into that position where the world has entirely lost its meaning, so don’t do that.

Tom: I really don’t like these lyrics; I know they’re meaning “let’s go out and have a good time” but what they’re saying is “let’s end up in an ambulance”.

Tim: Yes, but then you recently thought the idea of me sitting atop a 600 metre precipice was a horrific idea, so forgive me if I don’t agree with you there. Instead, listen to the noise, and enjoy it, because shouty as it may be, it’s a very enjoyable shouty.

Tom: Right! This is a bold choice that really pays off: it sounds unlike any other pop song we’ve covered this year, and it sounds brilliant. Pity about the words.

Tim: NO – let’s GET stupid. Let’s WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW to ask why. Let’s have the BEST NIGHT OF OUR LIVES, and let’s make HISTORY. Though seriously, “stupid”. What sort of a word is that?

Isa – Drum & Bass

“Doing its very best to be loud and drummy and bassy”

Tim: You remember Isa, she’s the one who performed Hairspray at Melodifestivalen. She’s come straight from that to tell us all how she’s moved on from jungle and is now all drum & bass is. Enjoy!

Tom: Moved on from the jungle? Really? With a “wim-o-weh” in there?

Tim: Well, yes, that does stick out a little bit, and it’s also hard to argue that it’s remotely drum & bass – basically, just falls into our preferred category of ‘standard pop’.

Tom: Right! On the other hand, that’s the title of the song, not a description, so I can live with it.

Tim: Good answer, especially because it’s pop that’s doing its very best to be loud and drummy and bassy, and for that I can only applaud it because it’s done a very good job of it, quite literally with all the drums in that middle eight there.

Tom: Maybe I’m just in a charitable mood as I write this, but I agree. Brave putting that long a middle eight in though, and earlier than half way through the song too.

Tim: Maybe, but with lyrics like “I let you break my heart just to feel the ache” followed up by “maximise the gain just to feel the earth quake” I think we should basically just let her do whatever she wants to do; she is, after all, doing it rather well.

Saturday Flashback: Rob Cantor – All I Need Is You

“Fantastic, both visually and aurally.”

Tom: An indie musician this weekend, Tim, with one of the most interesting videos I’ve seen in a while.

Tim: Blimey, it really is.

Tom: Let’s talk about that video first. Because the first time I saw this, a year ago, I thought “oh, someone’s made a video out of GIFs”. Which, you know, was a good idea and fairly clever but didn’t seem all that much.

But look at those credits. Nearly all those GIFs were shot specially for this video. They’re the musician’s friends and collaborators. Some of them even had watermarks from completely fake GIF sites posted over them in order to make them look like they came from the web. That’s an incredible amount of effort to go to.

Tim: It really is, and it works very very well: it’s completely mesmerising, but not in a way that distracts from the sound, because it’s got thought put into it and it ties together well. You’ve got the mouth sounds on the first slow chorus, say, or the masterly punning on the re-entry from the middle eight.

Tom: And the music: well, I’m not sure quite what it is, but it very much works for me. The steady build to the distorted cry, the simple five-note chorus; they really stand out.

Tim: And for me, that MASSIVE build towards the end is fantastic, both visually and aurally.

Tom: Not quite sure about the ending — it seems to tail off rather than reaching a conclusion, and I reckon it’d be better going out on a high or on a proper fade, not somewhere in between. But that’s a minor quibble: this is enchanting, and I really like it.

Tim: For me that works fine – a final reminder of what the song is about, a quiet soulful close after that build a few seconds earlier. Sounds perfect, to be honest.