Rixton – Me and My Broken Heart

“And the game we’re playing is…”

Tom: These chaps just popped into the office where I work for an interview. Despite their eight million YouTube views, I haven’t heard of them – so here’s their lead single from a couple of months ago.

Tim: You know, when I first read that sentence, I was all ready to jump in with a smart-arse “actually, you have heard of them” and link to the post we wrote about them that I presumed you’d forgotten about, because I’d swear blind we’d done one. But no, so let’s.

Tom: And the game we’re playing is: where have they ripped all the elements of their song from?

Tom: I spotted some of Rob Thomas’ Lonely No More (he’s got co-writing credit), and Dido’s Thank You — but more directly, those opening lines are almost a straight rip from Rhythm of Life from Sweet Charity.

Tim: The first and last, agreed, but I can’t hear Dido. Really?

Tom: Listen to the last line of that chorus: “me and my broken heart”. Doesn’t that sound familiar?

Tim: Eeehhh, ever so very slightly. For the other two, I’d say yes to the first, given the writing credit, but to the last, well, it’s a bit obscure to cry rip-off from, isn’t it?

Tom: Obscure? Hardly. It’s lasted a lot longer than most boy bands. And remember that Guinness ad?

Tim: Hmm…

Tom: I know, it could be a coincidence. I know, it’s a good melody. But it’s just too damn distracting; I can’t think of anything else but those other songs. Because professional as it sounds: this surely ain’t their song.

Tim: Well, I’ve not heard either of those two songs, so I’ve got no problem. I think it’s a great track, and really do rather like it.

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.

Zedd feat. Foxes – Clarity

“A big, brash dance CHOON, for it is indeed one of those”

Tim: Yes, I know, this track’s eighteen months old, but in that time Foxes has gone from being ‘Who?’ to ‘Oh, her.’

Tom: And Zedd’s done the same, thanks to that collaboration with Hayley Williams.

Tim: So, let’s cash in on that with a re-release.

Tim: Some say a re-release is cheating, of a sort, because you’re not doing any extra work but you’re hoping to get a whole lot more cash from it. Others would argue quite whether there’s actually such a thing as a re-release in the era of downloads, when songs from a full century ago are still just a few clicks away.

Tom: I was expecting that to be a comedy click, but you’re right: any of those could make it to the top 40.

Tim: Well, at least in theory. But whatever the thoughts are, I’m not bothered, because it’s given us another opportunity to have a chat about this song, which is bloody brilliant. An initially understated first verse, soon building and then giving way to a big, brash dance CHOON (for it is indeed one of those) of an instrumental chorus.

Tom: That’s what Zedd’s good at: EDM choons with strong, repetitive female vocals. It’s odd for a producer like this to break through into the full mainstream: for every Zedd, there are literally tens of thousands of home producers who just didn’t get there. But yes: big, brash.

Tim: Quiet bits return, as is their wont in a structured track, but throughout this is a very very good track, and deserves a release for it to get higher than the 29 it reached last time. Let’s just check…ah. 31. Oh well.

Ed Sheeran – Sing

“He’s literally ripping off Timberlake’s style.”

Tom: Oh, no, really? We’re doing this?

Tim: Yes, but there’s a reason: said you, yesterday, on Nico & Vinz’s potential to be a hit: “If Ed Bloody Sheeran can manage it, these guys can.” And yes, he can. But actually, his current track is, in a surprise move, not completely shit.

Tim: I mean it’s still not particularly my cup of Horlicks, but it’s more Timberlake than slumber-make (yes, it works) we became accustomed to on the last album, and rather deserving of the number 1 position it scored last week.

Tom: That’s because he’s literally ripping off Timberlake’s style. 808-alike percussion, Doobie Brothers-alike guitar, falsetto oh-oh-ohs, half-singing half-rapping bit.

Tim: He is copying the style, yes, and it gives that something that, much as I’d like to, I still can’t quite describe.

Tom: That “something” is “Justin Timberlake”.

Tim: And as for the video? Well, a vomiting Ed Sheeran puppet isn’t the first thing I wanted to see, but at least it has Beats headphones in it, as every video is apparently legally required to. So that’s nice.

Tom: Oh crikey. Just imagine where the puppeteer is during all those shots.

Nico & Vinz – Am I Wrong?

“I don’t see it being huge here.”

Tim: A pair of Norwegians, with a song that’s been out basically everywhere except the UK for a while now, and gone top 10 in all of Scandinavia, America and Germany, but has only just now been given a UK release date. Have a listen, why don’t you.

Tom: Oh heavens, it’s a music video with credits. Much as I like seeing music video directors get their due, it still seems pretentious.

Tim: I’m going to be honest: I don’t see it being huge here. I’m very willing to be proved wrong (and I may just be saying this based on only listening to Radio 1), but it doesn’t really strike me as the sort of thing that ‘we Brits’ would buy.

Tom: Hmm. Is that based on style, or based on it being decent? It’s not bad — although I’ll admit I did get bored half way through.

Tim: It’s a good enough track, and there’s not a lot to say against it, but at the moment British charts seem to favour more stuff that is fairly out and about and confident and, gah, I don’t know how to put it, but just something that this doesn’t have. Take this week, top 10 entries include Ella Henderson at 1 and Tiësto at 3, Little Mix’s power-pop Salute and that awful Wiggle song by Jason Derulo. This just doesn’t seem to have, I don’t know, it. I like it, but, well, personally? I wouldn’t buy it.

Tom: See, I think you’re wrong: I’m not guaranteeing it’ll actually hit the top 40, but I can see it up there. If Ed Bloody Sheeran can manage it, these guys can.

Tim: As a positive to finish on, though, a thing I found out whilst researching: Let It Go is still in the top 20, after 27 weeks. Wonderful.

Saturday Flashback: Mika – We Are Golden

“I’m annoyed I ever really forgot about it.”

Tim: Mika’s not up to much musically right now, what with being a coach on The Voice Australia (yep, the logic escapes me too) —

Tom: I’ll just assume it’s an exchange program with Kylie.

Tim: Not entirely inconceivable, I suppose — but I heard this in the pub the other day and was reminded of how brilliant it is.

Tom: Oh dear. Really?

Tim: And there we go – you’re welcome.

Tom: Gah, thanks. For some reason this grates on me: too shouty, just… too much. It didn’t the first time I heard it, but much like a lot of Mika’s tracks, after a while I just start to get a bit tired.

Tim: What? See, I was going to leave it at that, but now I want to say more about it – it has a great two-part chorus, with two great hooks and few other memorable ones stuck in for good measure, Mika’s voice going up and down playing to the idea of doing whatever the hell like because WE ARE GOLDEN – but overall it’s a fairly flawless track, and to be honest I’m annoyed I ever really forgot about it. Basically, you’re wrong: IT’S JUST THAT GOOD.

Tove Styrke – Even If I’m Loud It Doesn’t Mean I’m Talking To You

“I’m in two minds about it.”

Tim: Tom, I’d like to apologise in advance, because I’ve a feeling you won’t be keen on this (though I’m happy to be corrected), but I’m in two minds about it so I think a discussion is worthy.

Tom: “Hey Mickey, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey.” Repeat.

Tim: Hmm. Good point. Collection of other thoughts in no particular order, though: it’s loud. It’s shouty, almost to the extent of being a bit of a racket. It’s like Icona Pop but with even less melody. It has aggression and ATTITUDE and a clear message, much as previous Tove track Brains Out did.

Tom: So here’s the strange thing? I do actually like this. Because it’s not tuneless-loud; it proves that you can do this type of song without just screaming. It’s got a really, really brilliant hook and instrumentation. It is, for want of a better word, incredibly catchy. And I like that.

Tim: Good, because so do I. Other thoughts: he video is a bit ‘out there’, with big bright graphics and slightly racket-y dancing. That middle eight, or certainly the second half of it, is very good indeed. I find it to be a grower, because I’m liking it a lot more now than I was when I first heard it, though I think if I didn’t like it I’d just dislike it more and more with every listen.

Tom: I suspect it may be the opposite for me: as it goes on, I’ll find it grating. But on first listen, I reckon this is one of the strongest tracks we’ve had in a while.

Tim: And finally, I know it’s just the record label’s name, but I like the way the video ends with the word ‘epic’. Nice confident statement, for a very confident song.

5 Seconds of Summer feat. Scott Mills – Hearts Upon Our Sleeve

“He’s very much The Third Wheel here.”

Tim: It has been noted in many, many places, including here and many radio stations, that the Pitbull/J-Lo official world cup song is, to be blunt, utter cack. So, went the idea, let’s rope in one of the biggest not-a-boyband boybands around and get them to write a decent one.

Tom: Let me guess: half-decent track ruined by the need to fit Scott Mills into it?

Tim: Well…

Tim: But a very decent track overall, with all the necessary woah-ohing, commentary(ish), crowd noises and rap that’d probably be better brushed under the carpet.

Tom: I always think that these Scott Mills songs, while decently produced, don’t quite overcome the inherent awkwardness involved in them. Let’s make sure Scott’s in the song somewhere even though he objectively makes the track worse. Let’s rope in anyone we can, even if they don’t know what’s going on.

Tim: Oi, what you saying about Tinie Tempah standing around gormlessly?

Tom: Scott’s certainly a competent DJ and radio host. It’s just that he’s very much The Third Wheel here.

Tim: Perhaps, but by and large it is a genuinely good track – not very ‘Brazil’, but definitely one that I’d rather listen to than, to be honest, any of the other football tracks we’ve had. And, with the cheeky self-referencing final chorus, the various goings on in the video and the number of times ‘shirts’ sounds like some other word–

Tom: Oh, damn it.

Tim: –I think we can safely describe this one as fun, much like yesterday. What a pleasant couple of days these have been.

Tiësto feat. Matthew Koma – Wasted

“Dancey, singable, and most of all just fun.”

Tim: Turns out that Icona Pop/Tiësto track is just an album track, at least for the time being; this here is the current single, just out, with a video featuring a load of posh girls getting pissed. Sound good?

Tom: It ain’t my idea of a good time, but let’s hope the music’s decent.

Tim: Sounds good, and I can’t help but be reminded of Ida Maria’s 2008 insta-classic, I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked.

Tom: Possibly because of that connection, I assumed that the vocalist was female — Matthew’s range is relatively high. Got to admit I prefer the melody here, though.

Tim: Mostly because there’s a lot more of it, yes, and so I reckon those two would work quite well in conjunction. As well as this being a narrative prequel, it works well stylistically too – this here is a track you’d dance to in a club or at a party, singing along pleasantly when you’re bored of talking. Then, you get home/up to a room, and you don’t really care what music you’ve got on as long as its loud and energetic.

Tom: Welp, there’s slightly too much information about your sex life.

Tim: You know me, I like to share. This is a damn good track – dancey, singable, or at least chantable, and most of all just fun.

Tom: Agreed: not quite sure about the verses, but who cares when the chorus is that good?

Tim: Right, and we don’t get many songs that are just fun, so this is nice. Well done everyone.

Celine Dion feat. Ne-Yo – Incredible

“A lot better than I was worried it might be.”

Tom: Who featuring who?!

Tim: Yes featuring yes. You may remember back in November, when we looked at Loved Me Back To Life, the first single off Celine’s most recent album, I briefly mentioned the Ne-Yo collaboration on it. Well, now that has a video.

Tim: And that there is a heck of a lot better than I was worried it might be. Ne-Yo typically comes with bucketloads of autotune, rapping & hip-hop stuff and naughty words, none of which should be visited upon a Celine song.

Tom: Agreed. Crikey, they’ve both got good voices, haven’t they — even if Celine’s is a lot more instantly recognisable.

Tim: Right – what we end up with is a lovely duet between two lovers, which to be honest I initially thought would be a little icky but then I checked Wikipedia and the ages are a lot closer than you’d probably imagine.

Tom: Half age plus seven… huh. All right, carry on.

Tim: So in the end my worries proved to be all unfounded, because this is a great track, right from the first time we hear that soaring oh-oh-oh-o-oh right through until the final ‘amazing’. Love it.