Eric Amarillo – 50kvm

“Is this the way to… oh. No. Sorry.”

Tom: Is this the way to… oh. No. Sorry.

Tim: Yeah, no. Last time he was synth-heavy and somewhat mushed-up (go with it). This time? Well, let’s find out.

Tom: Ooh, I do like that opening. That’s… well, am I being blasphemous if I say that opening is a bit Pet Shop Boys? I mean that as a compliment.

Tim: No, I don’t think so. This song certainly sounds more connected than the previous one – there’s a tune and a melody, and he’s singing with it properly. This is a good thing, and I like that. We see an interesting tactic when he decides not to bother with lyrics or words or anything and just goes with a somewhat generic ‘ha-a-aah-ahh-ah-ahh-uh-uhh-uh’ thingy, which does at least help with the whole language barrier thing.

Tom: It does change up properly for the middle-eight, although the return from it is a bit lacklustre. It seems to have a chorus that’s uplifting in tone, but delivered in a fairly calm way. Perhaps the lyrics could help?

Tim: Well, perhaps they could, but, I’m not entirely sure what this is about. Google helps out a bit, but completely falls down on the choruses, arguably the most important part. Apparently ‘kvm’ means ‘square meters’, but I have no idea if this is too much, or too little, or entirely unconnected to the guy’s feelings. Still, who care? It’s good music, so I’m happy.

Saturday Flashback: Example – Watch The Sun Come Up

Adds up to a good track.

Tim: His released-tomorrow Stay Awake is sort of alright and earlier-this-year’s Changed The Way You Kissed Me was pretty good, but as far as I’m concerned nothing of his beats this, from 2009.

Tim: The rolling piano, the rapping that’s more like speaking and more than bearable, the singing in the chorus, nice bit of fun with all the unexplained drawing in the video – all adds up to a good track.

Tom: I’m going to assume it’s in the same universe as A-Ha’s Take On Me.

Tim: Don’t really like the message of the song, though. It’s all ‘I wish I could have stayed with you, and I wish this wasn’t a one night stand’, but he never really gives a reason for his leaving aside from a flight, which he says he wanted to miss anyway, so we’re sort of left ‘Actually, I only ever do one night stands, and even though I don’t want to now it’s just who I am so tough.’

The length it took me to explain that means that in terms of word count this is an overwhelmingly negative review. It really shouldn’t be, because the song’s great.

Hot Chelle Rae – Tonight Tonight

It’s a joyful party song. And I like it.

Tom: Not troubling the UK charts yet, but it’s on the Radio 1 playlist so it probably won’t be long until it is.

Tom: Tim, this song makes me very happy. It’s very simple. It’s a joyful party song. And I like it.

Tim: That is a bit good, innit? Chirpy and all that.

Tom: I defy you not to have those ohh-ohh-ohh choruses in your head after a couple of listens. They might not stay in there tomorrow, or next week, and I suspect it’ll be forgotten next year – but I reckon that this track, if it takes off, will be on the playlist of whatever replaces those ‘School Disco’ playlists in fifteen years.

Tim: Confession: I have never been to a party on a rooftop. And this song makes me want to go to one. Don’t suppose you know of any coming up, do you?

Tom: Alas, no. The last one I know about was on New Year’s Eve, and I missed it.

As for the song: admittedly, the first “la la la, whatever” does annoy me a bit. This track’s a bit like eating ice cream: it’s very nice, but have too much of it and it’ll stay on your metaphorical hips forever.

Nero – Promises

Not remotely in our comfort zone, but I think we should discuss this.

Tim: Now, I know this is not remotely in our comfort zone, but since you recently claimed you ‘must be getting used to dubstep’ and this prime example went straight to the top of the UK charts last week (albeit with the lowest sales of a number one single in almost two years), I think we should at the very least discuss this.

Tim: Because as it happens, I really like it. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a style that’s perhaps become more mainstream than the dubstep that was around a year ago, or because it’s just a question of getting used to it – God knows it’s gets played enough at work when any of my colleagues hijack the speakers – or perhaps just changing musical tastes, but I do really like it.

Tom: I think it’s all of those. Dubstep is becoming more mainstream (purists, no doubt, would argue that this barely counts), and we’re becoming more used to its sound. It’s like Dylan going electric, only much, much worse.

Tim: Much, much worse, you think? The vocal comes with a pitch and tone that make it somewhat charming, with a chorus perhaps described as ethereal, were I tempted to use a fancy word like that.

Tom: It’s a bit La Roux, in a very good way.

Tim: Mind you, the sounds that lie under the vocal probably wouldn’t be up to much without it, but the instrumental bits when the music’s there on its own are very enjoyable. I definitely like this. My name’s Tim, and I like this track.

Tom: My name’s Tom, and I like this track too.

Tim: Actually, I’ve just listened to Innocence, a Nero track from last April. I think it’s a combination of ‘used to it’ and ‘more mainstream’, because that one is manageable but not hugely enjoyable. Most importantly, my musical tastes seem to be as ever they were, so this site won’t be changing any time soon.

Gabrielle – Ring Meg

Repeatedly surprised by bridges.

Tim: Welcome to London, Norwegian X Factor 7th-placer! While you’re here, why not film your next music video?

Tim: Now, we’ve featured our fair share of tracks with foreign lyrics here, but for the first time right now, I feel I’m actually hearing this as a load of random syllables. Not sure why, because it’s fairly obvious what the song’s all about – well, I assume it is, given the the title translates to ‘Call Me’ and there are phones all over the place – but I just can’t help it.

Tom: I reckon that’s because the quality of her vowels, with the autotune effect she’s got, is very close to English – so rather than parsing it as ‘foreign language’, your brain hears nonsense English.

Tim: Well, whatever the reason is, I’m not so bothered about that, because the music’s good, chirpy, upbeat and all that, and it’s nice and sunny in the video – my personal highlight of which, by the way, is her utterly ridiculous purple and red car which I would LOVE to see someone actually driving around London in.

Tom: I like how she seems to be repeatedly surprised by bridges. Every time her boat goes under one, she stares up like it’s the first one she’s ever seen. A road! Over water! AMAZING.

Yolanda Selini – Like A DJ

Now, don’t let the first thirty seconds put you off.

Tim: Now, don’t let the first thirty seconds put you off.

Tom: I think I must be getting used to dubstep, because I quite like the first thirty seconds.

Tim: Thomas Scott, what on Earth is happening to you? Still, I’m glad to hear it. And speaking of things I’m glad to hear, that chorus right there is proper club banger stuff, that is, and I like it because it GETS ME GOING.

Tom: I’m not sure I wanted to know that.

Tim: Well, tough. I think it’s good to share. As for the rest of it, though? Hmm. Verses aren’t really all that special, and there are a couple of shockers: as is to be expected, the overly long and overly shit rap bit goes a long way towards pushing this into the dislike category, and I’m very much unsure about the first lyrical couplet involving private hos (or is it hoes?) and junk touching.

Tom: “I’ll let you touch my junk” is a bold lyric if ever there was one.

Tim: But if one can put those aside, we have an enjoyable track. Fairly big ‘if’, though.

NEO – Toxicated Love

Last seen getting run over multiple times and generally destroying the laws of physics.

Tim: Last seen getting run over multiple times and generally destroying the laws of physics, he’s now gone back to releasing music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFpj6ULxpPY

Tim: I must confess that one of my thoughts on hearing this was “Is toxicated actually a word, because I’ve not heard of it?” The answer, should any readers be thinking the same, is: sort of, but not really. We do have toxication, which is something to do with drugs and metabolism and stuff, but I think we can safely put this title down to “more or less sounds like it makes sense and fits the rhythm.”

Tom: Well, we also have “toxic”, but Britney got there first.

Tim: Pedantry aside, though, I think the song’s fairly good. Obviously it’s not as amazingly brilliant as One Direction’s track,* nor is it quite up to the level of Underground, but I really like the ways it’s got proper instruments under it, rather than just your standard guitar/drum/keyboard/synth blend.

* Just so you know, for at least the next fortnight What Makes You Beautiful will be my favourite ever track, and every other track will pale in comparison. Only until I get bored of it, though.

Tom: Are those proper instruments under it, or just really good synths? I’m not sure I can tell.

Tim: Well, they sound good, which it what matter really. I’m a bit disappointed by the long ‘just you wait and see what comes next because it’s going to be something special’ pause that turns out to be there just so he can catch his breath, but that doesn’t spoil it too much.

Tom: I was really expecting a WHOOMPH back in there – it is a bit disappointing.

Tim: All in all, I will give the song a nice round 68%.

Tom: Well, at least it’s a rational number.

Saturday Flashback: Micky Modelle v Jessy – Dancing In The Dark

A certified Clubland Classic.

Tom: A certified Clubland Classic here, Tim. Mind you, with all the dancing, the music video is practically a restrained art piece by Clubland’s standards.

Tim: Huh. Not what I expected from Micky Modelle, who almost rivals Almighty when it comes to amazing/terrible/amazingly terrible dance mixes. (For those without Spotify, a version of Love Is All Around on an album entitled “Scottish Club Anthems”. Definitely on the terrible side.)

Tom: Now, I think this is absolutely fantastic: it’s taking a slow, Belgian piano-and-vocals track and adding well-produced new stuff to it. And yes, there are dozens of harder remixes of it out there – but this first remix has the rare ability to get the hell out of the way when it needs to.

Tim: Fantastic, not so sure about. It is at the very least respectable, which, compared to other stuff from him (which admittedly isn’t always bad), does I suppose make it at least very good.

Tom: It must have been quite a change for Jessy: starting out as a Proper Singer and ending up working with Micky Modelle and Sash. Still, she seems to have kept most of her dignity.

Dionne Bromfield feat. Tinchy Stryder – Spinnin For 2012

If you hear the words “Official Olympic Torch Relay Song”, I’m guessing your reaction would be the same as mine.

Tom: If you hear the words “Official Olympic Torch Relay Song”, I’m guessing your reaction would be the same as mine: automatically cringing.

Tim: And, erm, ‘Spinnin’? Really?

Tom: Now let’s add to that an unnecessary rap bit.

Tim: Well, naturally.

Tom: Can even Dionne Bromfield – her of the incredible neo-Motown voice – save this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5StF0UJ_lI

Tom: …er, well yes, it appears she can.

Tim: Official Tim reaction: ehh.

Tom: I was expecting something a bit more, well, Brittas Empire. Okay, so it’s all worthy, and the video clearly ticks all the ‘approved by the Olympic organisers’ boxes – British car, shots of London, torch images, street dance groups, and so on.

Tim: With the obligatory Union Jack dress. Well, obligatory since a certain girl band arrived.

Tom: I just didn’t expect the song to be good. It’s not going to get anyone dancing in the streets, but equally – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – except for that appalling middle eight, it’s not a national embarrassment.

Tim: I quite like that bit – the whole ‘music is healing’, everybody getting on nicely idea. Makes me realises that we are Great Britain, a GREAT country. Huzzah!

Calvin Harris – Feel So Close

Your usual Calvin Harris beat-piano-and-lyrics track – that’s a good thing.

Tom: I really like this track, but I can’t work out whether it’s because of the music or the brilliant Americana video that goes with it.

Tim: Well for me, the music’s enough.

Tom: The track’s your usual Calvin Harris beat-piano-and-lyrics track – that’s a good thing, of course – and the video is just beautifully-filmed shots of people in California. But somehow, the two of those together, when that massive pre-chorus build kicks in… somehow it all just comes together.

Tim: Hmm. Reminds me a bit of that Where The Hell Is Matt? thing from a few years back, which was brilliant. And now I’ve just watched that several times.

Tom: I thought that perhaps my wanderlust was getting the better of me, and I was just a sucker for scenes-from-America videos. But I’ve since disproved that, because I don’t rate Noel Gallagher’s new track at all. It’s not the video, Tim: it’s definitely the song.

Tim: I had no idea Noel Gallagher was doing new stuff. Turns out: don’t really care, either.