Saturday Reject: Daze – We Own The Universe

“Isn’t that just brilliant?”

Tim: Three months to go until Eurovision, which means it’s time to kick these off – the best of the songs that weren’t quite popular enough to get to Malmö. And we start as we hope to continue, with this from Denmark. Get your watches out, people, and set them to POPPERS O’CLOCK.

Tom: Don’t do drugs, kids.

Tim: Unless you want to have fun.

Tom: Blimey. But do start playing the keytar, kids.

Tim: God, isn’t that just brilliant? Denmark had a very high standard all round this year, which may explain why this didn’t even make the top three, but just listen to it.

Tom: I can’t believe that didn’t make the top three. I try to avoid Eurovision spoilers, but if Denmark’s rejected this one, what the hell is their actual selection going to be? If it turns out that a depressing ballad’s won it, I’ll be really disappointed.

Tim: Not a ballad, no, and it is very good and you’ll see in a few months. But this, anyway – isn’t it outstandingly amazing? The music is absolutely perfect for the lyrics, or actually just the title. It’s big and intense and dance-heavy, because it needs to be, because WE OWN THE UNIVERSE. WE. That’s US, Tom. YOU AND ME. We OWN THE UNIVERSE. The whole, entire, UNIVERSE. It’s OURS.

Tom: “It’s all coming out of us, and filling us” apparently. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but the music is PUMPED UP enough that I don’t really care.

Tim: And then watch it, as well. Isn’t it even amazinger? The gazillion spotlights. The purpleness, and the perfect timing on the purple/blue switches. The around-around-around-around-around steadicam shot. The hyperactive bald bloke doing whatever it is he’s doing.

Tom: I’m fairly sure that they’ve just told a Moby impersonator that they’ve got a laser harp, and then just got him to wave a mirror in front of a few spotlights. I don’t care, because it’s brilliant. And then there’s…

Tim: The SPARKING KEYTAR. It’s ALL THERE, and it’s all part of OUR UNIVERSE. OURS.

Olly Murs – Army of Two

“A bit unconventional.”

Tom: I’ve taken to just shouting “MUUUUUURS” in the manner of an aggressive cow every time I see he’s got a new single out.

Tim: I’m sure that brings you joy.

Tom: But hold on. This one is a bit unconventional by both Murs’ standards and the pop charts. It’s all… orchestral.

Tim: I LIKE that lyric video. And the song, I suppose.

Tom: It might well stick around for one chorus too much, but I can’t say I really mind with that gorgeous backing.

Tim: I don’t think it sticks around too long at all, actually – it’s a good track, and I’ve got no problems with it.

Tom: The only downside is that they’re probably filming a video for it right now, and it’s going to involve Olly Murs swaggering around in a military hat.

Tim: Well, look on the bright side – that’ll give you an opportunity to bring out your leprechaun line again.

Three Green Trees – Pyramid Schemes

“That’s how you do a low-budget indie music video!”

Tim: These guys have been back in touch offering up their new single, and since we liked their last one, River, so much it’s probably only polite to give this one a go as well.

Tom: That’s how you do a low-budget indie music video! It’s nice to see some creativity and style put into it, rather than just “let’s dance around on a stage / in the streets”.

Tim: Hmm. It’s good, I like it. Not as much as River, I’m afraid, but it’s certainly a good track. As before, it’s the big emotive chorus that stands out so much, although to be honest I’m not so keen on it, or the main verses. I don’t know if it’s that way the words just drag out a long time, or that there’s not much going on beneath them (in the verses).

Tom: I wonder if, given our general love of cheap pop tunes and key changes, whether we’re not really qualified to review this properly. Is it that the tune’s a bit maudlin, or is it that we don’t have the attention span?

Tim: Oh, please, are we really qualified to review anything? It is a slightly maudlin tune, but, for example, my whole feelings are switched around when we get to that “all the wonders of the world” bit, because however much of a depressing message that may convey it does provide a nice hook to get into. There’s not that much of it, but when it comes along it’s really rather pleasant.

Mausi – Move

“Perfectly viable.”

Tim: A British band that flew to Portugal to shoot the video (which I promise features no beautiful skylines whatsoever). I’m not sure why that’s important, but they’ve mentioned it quite a bit so it must be.

Tom: Because, almost certainly, that’s where the budget went. Let me guess: it’s just a video of them having a good time?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNmtu_Gemog

Tim: Oh, yes, it’s about having a BIG NIGHT OUT, and I suppose since Kavos is out after that Channel 4 programme, Lisbon’s a perfectly viable alternative.

Tom: Take the band, and a guy with a DSLR video camera, to a party location. Film the results. You’ll have a decent night out on someone else’s dime and almost certainly have enough material to stitch together into a music video that is – as you said – perfectly viable.

Tim: Right, and not only is the video perfectly viable, this song is pretty much perfect as a soundtrack to a big night out. Fairly shouty (but not overly so) vocals approaching an Icona Pop level of excitement, lyrics going on about dancing all night and moving/singing like you want to move/sing and dance sections to properly lose your mind to.

Tom: Musically, it’s got some interesting bits in here too – the synth line starts about a half a beat after the percussion, and stays that way for most of the track. It’s a testament to the producers that it works so well.

Tim: Once you add in lots of crazy hijinks in the video, you’ve got more or less everything you need. So actually, sod it, I’ll ignore the STDs – TAXI TO KAVOS, PLEASE.

Tom: Kids, don’t do what Tim does.

NOAH – Over Byen

“That synth line.”

Tim: A current single from a fairly successful Danish band (and apparently the capitals in the name are mandatory).

Tom: Will you stop featuring videos that include beautiful skyline shots of foreign cities? I’m getting terrible wanderlust.

Tim: Oh, fine. I’ll try and fine something different for tomorrow.

Tom: Another video note: this is the first music video I’ve seen that includes footage from the increasingly-popular remote-controlled octocopter filming platforms: you can see plenty of tell-tale post-stabilised helicopter-like shots that they just couldn’t get any other way. As more and more directors learn about them, expect to see those shots everywhere.

Tim: Ooh, fancy. Wonder how long it’ll be before they start showing up at Eurovision.

Tom: But anyway: the music. It’s rather nice.

Tim: It is, and well, it’s synthpop – I’m going to like this. But there’s a lot out there, and this strikes me as better than many. Strangely, my favourite thing about it is actually one of the most understated – that synth line that runs throughout, right from the off.

Tom: I’ll agree with you there, but that chorus is really very nice too.

Tim: Oh yes, there’s a lovely melody through the chorus, and decent vocals (though with a disappointing helping of autotune) with lyrics about how someone’s brilliant.

Tom: It’s a big helping of autotune: stylistic, I wonder, or to cover up some less-impressive vocal work?

Tim: Not sure, but stylistically it works alright – it’s certainly not as painful as it often is. But it always just comes back to that calm, almost relaxing, base line, and I love it.

Nicole Sabouné – Conquer or Suffer

I’m reminded slightly of Florence and the Machine.

Tim: Alumnus of Sweden’s The Voice, this is Nicole’s second single and comes with quite an aggressive tone.

Tim: I’m reminded slightly of Florence and the Machine – a voice that some people won’t like, a fair amount of ‘authentic’ instrumentation and a lack of much in the way of positive feelings.

Tom: Someone I knew once declared that while he liked The Machine, he couldn’t bloody stand Florence. Now I’m not in that group – and I think the vocals here work very well – but I can see why she polarises people.

Tim: That’s not a bad thing – it’s very competent, with a hook that I had running through my head for most of yesterday.

Tom: It’s one of those drastically simple hooks that sticks in your head. And while “competent” might seem to be a bit of an insult, it’s not: I can’t see this being on my regular playlist, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with it.

Tim: I’m not so sure about the video – while the lyrics go “conquer or suffer”, we have an image of the singer seemingly running away from something, which would imply she’s given given up on the first option. Oh well, LONG LIVE THE SUFFERING!

Saturday Flashback: Jedward – What’s Your Number

“They make decent pop.”

Tim: If I remember rightly, you were amazed last year when you heard Waterline and realised that it was good. So was I, a bit. But last weekend, for no particular reason other than curiosity, I listened to Jedward’s album from last year, and found that it’s actually quite good all round. Take this, for example.

Tom: For all the fuss about Jedward being irritating, I can’t deny that they’re good. We’ve discussed this before: put them in a studio, give them decent producers, and then just let them be themselves at the fans… well, they ain’t my kind of thing, but they make decent pop.

Tim: First off, I’m aware the lyrics aren’t the best – “Do you have a boyfriend, you look like you need one” may be the worst line ever imagined – but that aside this is actually great, and I love it.

Tom: I ain’t going that far, because once you parse the lyrics of this song as being sung loudly and drunkenly at someone who really just wants the singer to go the hell away it starts being a bit unpleasant.

Tim: That…that’s actually not a bad point. Erm. Dammit, yes. But still, if you don’t imagine the singee’s viewpoint to be that then it’s fine.

Tom: Plus, frankly, anything that includes DTMF dialling tones in the background seems just a bit too kitsch, and that seems to bleed into the rest of the track in a kind of mid-2000s Busted-but-worse way. But you’re right, it’s not bad.

Tim: It’s very good pop rock, written by people who know what they’re doing (that key change is sterling work) and, credit where it’s due, performed by people who have somehow got the right mix of popstar-ness and bellendry to make it work. WELL DONE TO THEM.

A Great Big World – This Is The New Year

“Doesn’t Glee mostly just cover Big Pop Tunes?”

Tim: Tom, you may not like how I’m going to introduce this, but I don’t care: I first heard this on last week’s episode of Glee, and thought it was strange – it was presented almost as a separate music video rather than fitting into the show like normal.

Tom: You’re right, I don’t like how you’re introducing that. Doesn’t Glee mostly just cover Big Pop Tunes, though?

Tim: Almost exclusively, yes, but I didn’t recognise this, and I realised I wanted to look it up.

Tim: So I looked for the original and found this. They’re a new band, who describe themselves as doing theatrical pop, and I reckon that fits almost perfectly.

Tom: I can see where they’re coming from there – it sounds like it’s a track from a musical. I suppose that’s basically what Glee used it as.

Tim: More or less, yeah – an uplifting closing track to one of the occasional very good episodes it has. It’s a lovely piano song, and even if you’re not listening to the lyrics you pretty much what it’s about. Structurally it’s unusual – aside from the one line “I will give the world to you” there’s no real chorus – just a big build-up in front of each verse. Much as I’m generally opposed to any variation from the standard formula, I have to admit that it works brilliantly here, as it places a lot of focus on that upbeat power-chord melody that really makes this song.

Tom: It’s basically a piano-led, instrumental chorus. I can live with that – particularly when it’s this deliberately, massively, heftily uplifting. If it weren’t this damn good, it’s come off as trite – but it is this damn good.

Tim: It really is. It’s worth noting, as you did earlier, that it’s very, very rare that Glee features new music or bands – the only previous example was We Are Young, and, well, look what happened to that. Based on this track, I do hope success isn’t far off for this band.

Tom: I can only agree.

Avicii vs Nicky Romero – I Could Be The One

“It’s not ‘feat.’, it’s ‘vs’. Because that makes it EDGY.”

Tom: Yep, it’s not “feat.”, it’s “vs”. Because that makes it EDGY. Now, before I listen to this, I’m going to make a prediction. This is genuinely written before I’ve listened to the track, incidentally.

Tim: Okay, let’s hear it.

Tom: Here goes: Avicii’s piano-pop hasn’t changed, Nicky Romero provides some meaningless vocals over the top, and it makes a pleasing piano-dance album track that’s starting to seem a bit stale. The video is some kind of road-trip type thing that vaguely reaffirms the value of life.

Tim: None of that sounds too unlikely; let’s see.

Tom: Not much more to say, really.

Tim: No – you pretty much covered all the bases. Though I would add: what sort of person puts a used condom on the table? And also, that ending actually made me laugh out loud. I’m not sure wat sort of a person that makes me.

Moa Lignell – You Had It All

“It’s certainly catchy enough.”

Tim: Last time we featured Moa, it was so generic and dull I felt compelled to write a template that we could use for future tracks, about how it was hard to pay attention to and just a bit tedious all round. Let’s see if that can be applied here.

Tim: No. It can’t.

Tom: You’re not wrong there, but – well, I swear I’ve heard that chorus before. I can’t think where. Is it just that it sounds like plenty of other tracks? It’s certainly catchy enough, though.

Tim: Not sure I recognise it, and musically that variety’s a good thing, although it does mean more effort on our part trying to think of something to write when all I can really think about is the line about halfway through that sounds like “this hymen’s all you win,” which would be a pretty horrible metaphor for something not often touched upon in pop music.

Tom: Blimey, Tim.

Tim: I KNOW. I’M SORRY. Erm, so what’s right about this. Music is lovely and sparkly; the voice is soulful and all that stuff which is meant to be good, and, erm, dammit all I can think of is that lyric. I’M REALLY SORRY. Here, have a proper video for it here to make up for that.