Saturday Flashback: State of Drama – Fighter

“They’re good instrumental breaks.”

Tim: Tuesday’s track got me thinking about this lot, and wondering what they’d been up to since their 2014 Melodifestivalen performance. Sadly, the answer is not much, but I did find this from April 2015, with a peculiar sort-of-key-change-but-not-technically, and this, from October 2013.

Tim: I’m glad I found it, because I think that’s just marvellous.

Tom: There are some lovely parts in this: the 2000s-retro-eurodance synths mid-chorus, and the transition back into the verse were both excellent.

Tim: Weren’t they? It should be noted that the “fighter/fire” rhyming is both slightly iffy and tediously obvious at the same time, quite an achievement, and the chorus really could do with a few more lyrics, but otherwise this is just great. It doesn’t even feel too long, which as a four minute song means it’s doing something very well indeed in my book. I think it’s because a lot of that time is taken up with instrumental breaks – and they’re good instrumental breaks.

Tom: Yep, the bit before the middle eight is, I think, just half a chorus without the lyrics. When it’s this energetic, and this well written and produced, you can get away with it.

Tim: This is a Great Song, and it’d be even better if there was an extra lyric or two in the chorus.

Saturday Reject: State of Drama – All We Are

“Three great things about the song.”

Tim: You may remember a while back I said my top four Andra Chansen songs came in the top five; this here was number 5.

Tim: The old “don’t bore us, get to the chorus” adage is clearly something they take seriously, which is a good thing because the chorus is by far and away the best of the three great things about the song.

Tom: And the other two?

Tim: Well, without the chorus we’d still have the key change and loudhailer gimmick, but as it is we have all three, and they all come together a great track.

Tom: He does appear to be genuinely using the loudhailer too, which is… well, it’s something.

Tim: Lyrically it’s basically “we’re young people, we get pissed and party, we’re awesome” which, well, it’s not particularly endearing, but it’s at least something most people will have identified with at some point in their lives. Musically, it gives a very similar impression, and all summed up it’s a schlager-rock track that’ll suit me very well.

Tom: If I’m honest: that middle eight completely loses it for me, and even with a key change and a three-minute duration it seems to go on a bit.

Tim: Hmm, now you mention the middle eight, it does somewhat break the momentum; I reckon it hangs together well enough throughout the three minutes, though.

Tom: It’s probably not a Eurovision track, but it didn’t deserve to do too badly.

Tim: As indeed it didn’t. Nice one.