Sanna Neilsen – Rainbow

“When even the first verse can grab my attention, it’s a good song.”

Tim: Sanna Neilsen has a very good song in Melodifestivalen this year called Undo; in what I’m sure is no coincidence her upcoming EP is also called Undo, and this is one of the tracks from it.

Tom: It took me a second to realise that “Undo” is actually an English word meaning ‘to take back an action’, and not some Swedish word I didn’t know. I might be a bit tired.

Tim: Well, this’ll be fun.

Tim: I’m fairly sure this reminds me of quite a few very good tracks that are around at the moment/in the past couple of years (especially Halo, WHAT A TUNE), but not in any “hey you’ve nicked this” sense but more in a “hey this track is brilliant” sense.

Tom: It has some similarities, yes, but it’s not a ripoff by any means.

Tim: No, and suddenly I see what all the hype was about her Melodifestivalen entry, because it really is up there with the Demis and Kellys and, yes, Beyoncés of proper big pop ballads.

Tom: Agreed: when even the first verse can grab my attention, it’s a good song.

Tim: Right, though, I say ballad, is this a ballad? It sounds sing-y and emote-y enough to definitely be, but if we split power-pop into BALLADS and BANGERS it’s probably right on the dividing line.

Tom: And what a dividing line it is.

Tim: This track is basically incredible, and if you don’t like it you’re wrong. WRONG.

Saturday Reject: Shirley Clamp – Burning Alive

“A brilliantly executed powerful ballad.”

Tim: Her first Melodifestivalen entry since 2011 (when she led the pop group Shirley’s Angels), this came sixth in last week’s very strong heat.

Tim: It’s wonderful Shirley, and a brilliantly executed powerful ballad.

Tom: It’s emotional, certainly, but it sounds more like a bit of a riff on Sia’s “She-Wolf” to me — without David Guetta, I’ll grant you, but that piano riff and voice a just a bit too similar.

Tim: Hmm, you’re possibly right, though I didn’t notice it so I’m not that bothered. Unlike Thursday’s track, this deserves emotion, and she provides it in bucketloads, and then there are the backing singers, not appearing on stage because we can’t possibly distract from Shirley and her “got them so I’ll flaunt them” attitude to her legs.

Tom: I can’t fault her performance, that’s true.

Tim: It’s all complemented perfectly by the key change and the wind machine, which let’s face it would be better described as a storm-force gale machine. Basically, in any other wear this would have deserved a straight-to-final placing; on the other hand, it’s a high quality of song we’re seeing this year, so commiserations, Shirley, but what can you do.

The Fooo – King of the Radio

“Here’s a new track without proper instruments.”

Tim: Just a few weeks after I got annoyed that boybands all sounded the same, here’s a new track without proper instruments.

Tom: That’s pretty good, actually, although I’m really not sure about those verses.

Tim: With synths, clapping and shouting, I like this a lot, even if it is a tad hubristic (albeit correct). Video’s fun, because let’s face we’ve all at some point thought it would be fun to dick about in a deserted subway station.

Tom: …wait, do you…

Tim: NO NOT IN A SEXUAL WAY. OR A MURDEROUS WAY. Just in a FUN WAY, with lots of perfectly timed choreography (though I can’t help wondering if their feet at some point developed an allergy to the floor). However, I don’t like that they only showed the first part of them sliding down the escalators, and not the last part that would have inevitably involved them faceplanting the floor at the end and destroying their trousers, not that that’s something I’d know anything about because I’ve definitely never done that because it would be naughty and embarrassing. Um. Where was I?

Tom: I think we should probably talk about the music.

Tim: Right. Song. Icona Pop shouting mixed with the occasional boyband “ooh-oo-ooh”, very enjoyable indeed.

Sam Bailey – Compass

Dull, tedious, and sung with far more emotion that it could possibly warrant,

Tim: A good five months earlier than typical, here’s last year’s X Factor winner with her first proper song.

Tim: Why so early, you may be wondering

Tom: When someone wins the popular vote every single week, the record company’s wanting to make their money so quickly?

Tim: Well, there’s that, but there’s another biggie: she’s never going to appeal to teenagers, however much of a makeover she gets. The next best thing, therefore, is female, mid-30s plus. Of utmost importance, then, is to get something out there for the single most important day of the year: Mother’s Day.

Tom: Oh. Oh, that makes sense.

Tim: Yes – first track out now, you’ll have your album of covers well on the way to being wrapped up at the end of March.

Tom: And promptly there’s a number 1 album on the charts.

Tim: This, a cover of a song originally by Norway’s Didrik Solli-Tangen, of 20th-at-Eurovision-2010 notability, sits perfectly on it.

Tom: I still say he was robbed.

Tim: Absolutely – for a start, at thirty-six seconds I think he’s set the Eurovision record for a steadicam shot.

This, in remarkable contrast, is dull, and tedious, and sung with far more emotion that it could possibly warrant, but it’ll get countless dads looking at it in Asda and thinking “yeah, she’d love it if our son gave that to her”. And that, after all, is what counts.

Tom: That’s entirely cynical and entirely right. To be fair, I don’t think I can call it “dull and tedious”: it’s a by-the-numbers love song and it’ll sit in the background, but with that much big-voice it’s probably going to be the first-dance song at a couple of weddings in a couple of years’ time.

For BDK – What I Must Find

“It’s quite the track, particularly that chorus.”

Tim: Another day, another awkward name but for entirely different reasons. BDK is Body, Drugs and Kicks, and that’s apparently what they’re doing this For. Anyway, we’ve met them before, though not explained the name, so there it is. And here’s the synthpop.

Tim: And this, I think, is a happy story of what happens when two people meet in a bar, as is the case with singer Adele (no) and producer Marcus.

Tom: Wait, what?

Tim: That is, apparently, what happened – met in a bar, got talking, decided to make music together. And what a lovely idea, much better than the typical “meet in a bar, hook up, try to forget about it the next morning” story. Which is very nice.

Tom: Well, that tells me more than I need to know about your time in bars. But yes – it’s quite the track, particularly that chorus.

Tim: The choruses here are frankly stunning. We complained last time that the song overran and that the verses were too long and disappointing to make up for the still very good chorus; here, it’s a sensible length, the verses are much improved (albeit still with room for more) and shorter and the chorus is that much better. All problems sorted, this track is superb.

John Martin – Anywhere For You

“It’s like Swedish House Mafia never split up.”

Tim: A voice you’ll recognise, but likely not the name, as John was the guy that did the voices for, amongst others, Don’t You Worry Child, Save the World and Children of the Sun.

Tom: I know it’s all to do with contracts, rights, and agent negotiations, but I do feel like the vocalists should get more credit. That said: it’s not like the songwriters or producers have credit on this one.

Tim: The dance music influence seems to have paid off, and now he’s doing his own stuff. Like this.

Tom: Crikey. It’s a bit like the Swedish House Mafia didn’t split up.

Tim: And yeah – that dance music influence really did pay off, as this is, by and large, very similar to previous Swedish House Mafia tracks, and that’s a huge compliment. We’ve said in the past that he has a talent for putting hefty amounts to emotion into what’s basically just yelling and trying to be heard, and that’s as true here as it’s ever been. The production underneath: as brilliant as when he was singing on top of other people’s production – like you say, it’s like Swedish House Mafia never split up.

Tom: Perhaps he’ll manage what Ester Dean didn’t, at least so far. That’s a long article, by the way, but entirely worth the read.

Tim: This is a fantastic dance track and deserves to go huge; he just has to overcome the unfortunate fact that ‘John Martin’ is a remarkably dull name to have. Blimey, just imagine only having two first names to go by.

Tom: Thanks for that, Tim.

Eurotix – I Plead Insanity

‘A slight “you could’ve varied that bit, maybe?” feeling.’

Tim: Says the e-mail, “We’re an 80’s retro synthpop/italo disco project from Sweden.” Succinct, you’ll agree, but also accurate.

Tom: Very accurate. Have you noticed how there aren’t many 90s retro acts? The 80s had a sound all to itself, whereas the 90s were more a prototype for the pop we still have around today.

Tim: Very true, and this song really does emulate that sound well – a while back I bought a Ministry of Sound Electric 80s compilation, and this could easily be one of the lead tracks on it. Is it good for that? Yes, it is, and it also comes with hints of BWO in there which is always pleasant.

Tom: I agree with all that, although at four minutes it does seem to outstay its welcome a bit.

Tim: You’re right, and I think that’s because while that hook is memorable and easy to grasp, it does mean that I’m left with a slight “you could’ve varied that bit, maybe?” feeling. Still, it’s a decent hook, the production’s very good and we can’t ask for a whole lot more. Maybe just a little less.

Saturday Reject: NeAngely – Courageous

“An interesting one, certainly.”

Tim: We all up for a trip to Ukraine?

Tom: Данцінґ!

Tim: Of course.

Tom: Look, they’re not going to beat Verka, are they?

Tim: Well not with this, certainly, what with it having been binned off already.

Tom: Blimey. That’s a bold choice for Eurovision: picking two women with fairly deep voices, at least as female vocalists go. That certainly sets it aside from the pack, but I’m not sure the rest of the production’s up to it.

Tim: There wasn’t a huge amount of great stuff in their contest this year, but this was a pleasant schlager highlight, being as it is a Melodifestivalen rejected written by notable Swede Alexander Bard. (As for the band name – no idea.)

Tom: It’s an interesting one, certainly, but there’s no way it’s a Eurovision winner.

Tim: The winner was actually rather disappointing in comparison, but given the difference between the original and final version of Gravity, that’s not necessarily something to worry about. It does make me wonder what they could have achieved with this given time and opportunity, though. Well, probably a key change. That’d be good.

Tom: It’s certainly disappointing without.

Dario G & Dame Shirley Bassey – We Got Music

“I’m literally having trouble coping with it.”

Tom: What? No, really, what?

Tim: Oh, you read that right – Dario G, him off summery dance tunes and official football songs, and Dame Shirley Bassey, her off James Bond films, orchestras and the olden days.

Tom: To be fair, “Sunchyme” counts as the olden days now.

Tom: My face is contorting as I listen to that — not because it’s bad, but because it’s absolutely bewildering. I mean, it’s exactly what I’d expect: it’s a standard 90s-style Dario G summer track, only with Dame Shirley Bassey. I’m not exaggerating one bit here: I’m literally having trouble coping with it.

Tim: In an interview with Wales Online (obviously), the formerly trio but now solo Dario, known to his mum at Paul, says it was “unreal at times, but she’s human like the rest of us”, which is good to know. It’s interesting how iconic a voice hers is – in a genre filled with anonymous female vocalists, it’s great how there are some voices that just stand out a unique, especially in that middle eight.

And also in a genre filled with anonymous female vocalists, I love how one guy thought “sod that lark, I want to work with Dame Shirley Bassey” and then just did.

Tom: Plus, she was up for doing it! That’s just as much of a surprise.

Tim: Gives hope to us all, really.

Christina Perri – I Don’t Wanna Break

“A real sort of ‘yes, this is happening, don’t you dare switch off’.”

Tim: Back in November we heard the first track from her second album; here’s the second.

Tom: Crikey. That’s very good.

Tim: It’s less vocal-focussed than last time, though obviously with her voice there’s only so much you can do to distract attention from it. We do, however, get a lovely rising piano and drum beating instrumental underneath most of it which works wonderfully with the nature of the vocal, breaking into pieces regularly and maintaining a real sort of “yes, this is happening, don’t you dare switch off” attitude.

Tom: Agreed: it sounds like it’s going for a final chorus when it’s only half way through the track, and then it just keeps rising and falling — and that last part drags your attention back and keeps you listening.

Tim: Right – it’s not all necessary, because anyone who turns this off with all the “aahh-ah-ah-ahh”ing going on is just an idiot, and doesn’t deserve to listen to it anyway.