Tag: Roxette

Tim: It’s just over thirty years since Roxette’s first single, and yet here they are, still banging out the tunes. The third off the tenth album, which so far we’ve quite enjoyed. Care to press play?

Tim: It’s no It Just Happens – think the time’s coming up to guarantee that a place in the shortlist for Tim’s Favourite Track of 2016 – but it’s a solid third track from an album. To be honest it’s a track I have difficulty pinning down.

Tim: The ah-ah-ah-aaah-ah-ah-ah-ah running throughout is very pleasant, and there’s no disputing the quality to production, but then the quiet openings to both verses are an odd choice, though – the pacing of the first vocal couplet seems very odd without the backing underneath to give it a bit of context.

Tim: Sure, and also the slow-paced portion of the first chorus is lovely, in a Cara Mia style – though with the weird structure of the song it seems almost like the middle eight got dropped in 90 seconds too early. In fact, I think that’s my main issue with it – it doesn’t quite follow a structure I’m used to, and now I feel a bit disconcerted. It’s very nice, though.

Tim: I don’t know why, but I always get really excited when a new Roxette track comes along – I’d never think of them if asked what my favourite band was, but they do have a tendency to produce great tracks. So let’s push play and see.

Tim: Still going with the repeat to fade, which is disappointing, especially when it takes up a full third of the song; on the other hand, that chorus itself is very enjoyable, the verses also entirely hit the spot, and all in all I’m put in mind of a Pet Shop Boys, BWO style track, and for that reason I like it a lot.

Tim: Yes, I’d have liked a lot more coming out of it than a standard chorus repeated and slightly building until the fade, mind, but the first two thirds: jolly excellent.

Tim: Yesterday Rick Astley, today Roxette. Apparently we’ve fallen through time so, as ever, be careful around your parents and all that.

Tim: And talk about don’t bore us, get to the chorus. It takes guts to open a song with the chorus – it’s a bit like starting a TV episode with a shocking scene and then showing a “48 hours earlier” caption, because if the rest of it doesn’t measure up then your audience will switch off fairly quickly. Here, though, I’ve no qualms with it – it sets up the scene nicely, blasts us in the face with the message and then steps back a bit to explain it.

Tim: Another nice thing, which is exactly the same that was present during their last revival: a mixture of their originals 80s sound and modern sounds in there as well.

Tim: Hopefully, yes. Modern pop backing, but some distinctly previous vocals in the chorus (to the extent that I’m sure I’ve heard that “if it’s right or wrong”/”will always find a way” lead in to the chorus before in another old song).

Tim: I haven’t listened to that song in ages, so can’t remember it; I won’t play now in case it ruins this. Also from the 80s, and less welcome here: the fade out, as it really doesn’t belong in a 2010s song. Basically, that aside, this is more or less exactly what I didn’t know I would have wanted from a new Roxette track. Excellent work, everybody.

Tim: The original of the song is on the album; the single version is this, which is quite a bit more energetic. And my word, does it have a chorus and a half.

Tim: Isn’t it good? You hear it, and it’s just, YEAH. It’s a closing chorus, really, all the way through, and it’s great. Annoyingly, the verses don’t get anywhere near it in terms of quality – they’re just a bit dull and fillery.

Tim: The weird thing is that when you put those together, you sort of get the impression of three final choruses, each being preceded by a somewhat lacklustre bridge, which is interesting – as though the song’s on repeat but the first half is missing. I don’t mind so much, though – the chorus is really what the song’s about, and it’s a belter.