Tag: Icona Pop

Steve Aoki feat. Icona Pop – I Love My Friends

“Well, that’s an interesting teamup.”

Tim: I’d never seen the video for Shanks & Bigfoot’s Sweet Like Chocolate until now, and it really is quite something. Anyway, that’s not why we’re here, we’re here for Steve Aoki’s new one, where he’s teamed up with the frequently reliable Icona Pop.

Tom: Well, that’s an interesting teamup: they’re both known for being Loud and Interesting.

Tim: And, yep, that’s very much a Steve Aoki feat. Icona Pop track. Slightly yelly vocals, hefty beat, no real melody in the verse but a decent (if not entirely original) melody in the chorus and breakdown. To be honest, it’s pretty much expected to hear when I pressed play, and that is no bad thing at all, for anyone who likes that sort of thing.

Tom: I’ve said this before, but: if you’re going to base your entire chorus on one repetitive melody line, then you’d better make sure it’s brilliant, and couldn’t possibly grate on the audience. I don’t think they’ve pulled it off here. Or at least, they haven’t for me.

Tim: Incidentally, both this and his last one with Backstreet Boys have an enormous number of writers – credited here we’ve got him, both of Icona Pop, Sigala, her off SHY Martin, and four other less recognisable names – and yet no-one thought to say “hang on, I recognise that melody”.

Tom: I do hear Shanks & Bigfoot in there now you point it out, but I’m also not convinced that it’s an original enough melody to even justify copyright: it’s more like something a small child would pick out on a piano.

Which, now I think of it, is just a different indictment of the songwriting. Ah well.

Icona Pop – Next Mistake

“This isn’t a track I’d much choose to listen to, outside of, say, a genre compilation album”

Tim: Something today I think you’ll like: bit of 90s-sounding piano house, with some nice 90s Winamp visualisers in the video as well.

Tom: Nineties?! Mate, I still use Winamp.

Tim: Seriously? Wow.

Tim: Hitting your buttons there?

Tom: It is, if the buttons in question are “sure, I guess that’s a piano-dance track” and “wait, why am I tapping my feet to this”.

Tim: I personally really quite like it – at least, as a 90s dance track. Weirdly, although I’ve no problem with the genre at all, this isn’t a track I’d much choose to listen to, outside of, say, a genre compilation album if I was properly in the mood. Is that weird? I’m not sure.

Tom: No, it’s basically how I feel about this. This wouldn’t be on a playlist for me unless I specifically wanted to hear this genre of vaguely-retro music. And if I want that, then I probably want nostalgia, and tracks I’m mostly familiar with, rather than modern stuff.

Tim: Basically, it’s good, and fits the genre perfectly, so well done Icona. Just, not for me right now.

Icona Pop – Rhythm In My Blood

“And that is Good.”

Tim: So Robyn’s new album is as dull as really, really dull ditchwater, but last Friday wasn’t all bad news. For starters, for the first time in YEARS Lady Gaga is at number one in both the singles and albums chart, and for seconds this one appeared.

Tim: And that is Good, because it takes the traditional Icona Pop shouty vocal sound, which is already very enjoyable, and throws in a fair amount of decent melody.

Tom: Oh, I didn’t expect to like that. It’s got a minimalist sound, the kind that I don’t usually like, but then I realised half way through that I was already humming along with the chorus.

Tim: We’ve musical vocals in the verses and a surprisingly earwormy hook in the chorus, which now I’ve heard this track three or four times I’m not sure I’ll ever lose. Nice one ladies, good to have you back.

Icona Pop – Girls Girls

“It’s upsettingly tedious.”

Tim: Icona Pop, purveyors of loud brash music, here with a new one. Last track wasn’t so great, but can’t they pull it back?

Tim: Ah. See, you might not have particularly liked their style, but at least you could never accuse them of being boring. This, though – well, it’s upsettingly tedious. The message is one that’s been done hundreds of times over, typically much better, and the music doesn’t have too much going for it either.

Tom: You’re not wrong. Whatever those instruments in the verse are — they sound half way between cowbells and steel drums — they’re almost discordant. And as for that chorus…

Tim: The vocals are as we’d expect, but what the hell is that oooh-ing all about? It’s not following a particularly massive build, but it still feels like a horrible let down, and it goes on for so, so long.

Tom: How is this song less than three minutes? It sounds so much longer. And then it just… ends.

Tim: This – this is just dull. UGH.

Icona Pop – Brightside

“Cutting back on the usual just to blend in? No thanks.”

Tom: That’s a bold title. “Brightside” as one word belongs to the Killers, surely? What’ve they done?

Tim: Well, here’s their recipe: take your typical Icona Pop track, realise any shoutiness needs to be toned down a bit to fit on the palm tree bandwagon, throw in a quick tropical post-chorus. Stir well, allow to settle until way after the party season’s over, because seriously, how is this still a thing, and press play to experience.

Tim: And I’m not happy, Tom. I mean, it’s not a bad track, but it’s not a great Icona Pop track, is it?

Tom: I guess not, but as someone who never really liked Icona Pop’s overly-shouty style, I think it might be better for it. Not that the half-assed coconuts they’ve added really help.

Tim: I don’t know how much of the toning down the shoutiness I mentioned above was something that went through their heads when they were writing it, but if it was that’s a big disappointment, because I’m properly bored now of bands jacking in their usual style just so they’ll fit on some bland Tropical Beats playlist and get all the streaming money when people put it on an a party because it’s got a couple of their current favourites on it.

Tom: That’s harsh, but not unwarranted. I doubt that’s the conscious motivation, but yep: this seems very much ‘chuck in what’s popular right now’.

Tim: I hear the words ‘Icona Pop’, I want either their usual or heading out it a new direction. Cutting back on the usual just to blend in? No thanks. Really, no.

Icona Pop – Emergency

“Because Electro Velvet couldn’t make it sound bad enough, Icona Pop had their own go.”

Tim: So, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but electro swing is really big right now?

Tom: Five bloody points. I know it wasn’t a winner, but only five bloody points.

Tom: I don’t think that’s electroswing. That’s just a poorly-chosen, repetitive sample: electroswing requires… well, something with some actual swing to it, but generally some actual, skilful remixing. But yes, okay: in the same way that dubstep is “anything with a wub in it”, electroswing is now “any 20s sample”. Fine.

Tim: Yeah, and possibly because Electro Velvet couldn’t make it sound bad enough, Icona Pop come along and had their own go.

And bloody hell, I wish I’d never pushed play on that, because WHY CAN’T I UNHEAR IT? That UTTERLY INSIPID two-bar sax loop, it’s just HORRIBLE. I eat my dinner, it’s there. I watch TV, it’s there. I close my eyes, it’s there. I try to think back to all the amazing stuff I heard at Radio 1’s Big Weekend, AND I CAN’T HEAR IT BECAUSE THAT SAXOPHONE IS THERE.

Tom: That’s like the gig equivalent of name-dropping there, Tim.

Tim: I KNOW! Isn’t it great? Yes, yes it was.

Tom: I can’t disagree though, it’s a terrible track.

Tim: Moral of the story? Electro swing should be BANNED and ILLEGAL and ERASED FROM HISTORY.

Icona Pop – Get Lost

“This is so much better than the Saturdays.”

Tim: Since we mentioned them yesterday, we might as well have a listen to this, the first track off their upcoming second/third/whateverth album, depending upon your country, and we start with a bit of electric guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0d7_pWrmJk

Tom: My god. It’s full of hooks.

Tim: It is, yes.

Tom: Also, that’s really good electric guitar.

Tim: Also true. It turns out it’s not actually an unpleasant a title as you might first have thought, and is a nice-ish message – as long as you’re the person they’re singing to, because otherwise you’re left with a slight feeling of “yeah, well, sod you.”

Anyway, it’s as rackety as ever, so I’m guessing you’re not so keen, but: how does it compare with The Saturdays?

Tom: Actually, I’m very keen on this.

Tim: Really?

Tom: Perhaps I’m getting more used to their style — or perhaps their style is becoming a bit more mainstream. There’s more melody here than you might expect. This is so much better than the Saturdays.

Tim: You think? Because for me, to be honest, it’s actually very similar – in fact, I don’t think there’s much I said yesterday that I couldn’t say today. It’s fun enough, I’d dance to it, but as with you yesterday, not melodic enough for me to hit the Play Next button.

Tom: Speak for yourself. This has a much better message, a much better melody, and, crucially, a much better electric guitar.

Tiësto feat. Icona Pop – Let’s Go

“One big loud shouty dance tune.”

Tim: Tiësto, manufacturer of big dance tunes. Icona Pop, manufacturer of loud shouty pop songs. Together?

Tom: I think I can guess.

Tim: Together, as you likely guessed, they make one big loud shouty dance tune. It is, basically, exactly what you’d expect to get if you combined the two, and as far as this track goes, that’s a good thing.

Tom: Damn right. It’s not a regular playlist track for me, but I’ll be damned if this wouldn’t get me up on the dancefloor in a club. It suffers the usual problem of having a slightly dull verse, but that’s made up for by a lovely middle eight.

Tim: For a while, there’s a moment of doubt as it brings in some guitars and threatens to go all country, but it very much pulls up and, well, lets go, and brings absolutely everything out in force.

Tom: Whoa there. Farm-house music is still pretty good for me; I reckon the middle eight might be the best bit of this track.

Tim: Oh, you’re not far off there – it’s when we break out of the dance and get just with the acoustic guitars break it for me. This here is absolutely great.

It is, in fact, a cracking dance tune, albeit in a very different way from yesterday’s – one’s a get ready to go out and party, this here is very much a LET’S GET ON THAT DANCEFLOOR track. And I love it.

Tom: I see what you did there.

Icona Pop – Just Another Night

New video from Icona Pop for you.

Tim: New video from Icona Pop for you.

Tom: Blimey. They can sing.

Tim: Yeah, I didn’t write much in the intro because I didn’t want to spoil that for you; I’m guessing it’s not remotely what you expected?

Tom: Not at all.

Tim: They played it when I saw them live; it wasn’t a massive crowd-pleaser, but I’m not surprised they’ve made a video for it, just to demonstrate that they’re not just shouty girls but are actually talented singers. It still is a bit shouty, because that’s what makers them them, bit it’s probably as close as we’ll get to an Icona Pop ballad any time soon.

Tom: And you know what? I want more like this. Icona Pop’s regular style is always a bit too shouty and dissonant for me: this is brilliantly realised, wonderfully melodic, and just plain pleasant to listen to.

Tim: You say that, and it is, but I don’t really know when I’d ever choose to put it on: if I want Icona Pop stuff, this isn’t it, and if I want ballads, I wouldn’t put this on my playlist. So I’m going back to my earlier theory: to prove that they’re not just shouty. And for that, it works.

Icona Pop – In The Stars (Galaxy Mix)

“It’s actually somewhat melodic.”

Tim: Icona Pop have a new single out – it’s called My Party, it’s a re-recording on a track that was on their first debut album but with a different guest vocalist and it’s basically the shouty stuff that we all know.

Tom: You say that, but I reckon it’s bloody awful: an unnecessary screwing-about with a not-particularly-good classic track, backed by mostly noise.

Tim: This, though, has also just been released to promote their second debut album, on which it will feature (as will the new It’s My Party), and it’s actually somewhat melodic.

Tom: Well, that’s much more like it.

Tim: Now, I’m not really sure what Icona Pop are doing at the moment when it comes to releasing stuff – I had to check various sources for that introduction, and I’m still not certain it’s entirely correct, but there you go.

Tom: Downloads should have completely knackered the singles “release schedule”; yet somehow publicity and airplay still wins out. I don’t understand it either.

Tim: The main thing is that they’re making music, and branching out a bit from all of their main international tracks. This has more to it than just a chorus shouted loudly, which – actually, it’s good and bad. Because the truth is, it doesn’t strike me as particularly memorable. That’s not too bad a thing – it’s a plenty decent enough track to dance to – but it does mean that it might sink a bit, because people will think Icona Pop, they’ll think I Love It and My Party, which both have massive repeating choruses, whereas this just doesn’t. Hmm. Oh, well, still good.

Tom: It’s a nice mid-playlist track, which sounds like a bit of a backhanded compliment but wasn’t meant as one.

Tim: Oh, and if you’re thinking it’s called the Galaxy Mix because of a reference to a producer, or anything vaguely artistic, you might want to prepare yourself for a massive, massive disappointment.

Tom: Bloody product placement. It gets everywhere.

Tim: You say that, but as the first ten seconds of the Rock N Roll video show, it can be quite entertaining.