Flashback Friday: Gemini - T.L.C.



"Won't you give it to me"

After Abba disbanded, members Benny and Bjorn turned their attention to other projects, one of which was writing tracks for Swedish pop duo Gemini. They provided the brother/sister pair with a few 80's hits, including T.L.C. I'm a huge fan of 80's Swedish pop and, of course, of Abba, so this is right up my alley. It sounds like a lost 80's era Abba track, though of course it would have been elevated quite a lot if the band had actually sung on it. Still, it's a really fun, instantly catchy bubblegum pop song that deserves to be more well known internationally than it is. I could take or leave Gemini's actual albums (this track's from their second release), but they have some great tracks, and this is right on top of that list.

*And oh my god you have to watch the video. Crazy funny. Why didn't that dance craze catch on? Or at least the glasses! Come on!!

Gemini - T.L.C. (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

Flamingo Crash - Shoot The Lights Out

"Ain't no comin' around today"

I don't know how exactly to describe the genre of music that Australia's Flamingo Crash present, except to say that it's sort of a mish mash of different sounds tied together by a strong pop presence. There's an electronic influence, as well as rock, but some of the stuff reminds me a bit of jazz fusion as well. Whatever they are, they're fantastic. Each song I've heard is different and new sounding, which is a difficult feat in today's market. They're yet another great new Australian band with an album coming out soon. I tell you, Australia's starting to give Scandinavia a run for their money when it comes to exciting new pop bands.

Flamingo Crash - Shoot The Lights Out (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

The Orion Experience - Obsessed With You

"I wanna get close to you"

I heard this track for the first time on the radio a few days ago and the first thing I thought was "Alphabeat." Upon further listens, there are definitely differences between the two bands, but the girl/boy vocals on the chorus and the general insane catchiness is something they have in common. The Orion Experience is from New York City and this track was actually released, along with their album, two years ago. But, some bands take a while to marinate before achieving success and it looks like The Orion Experience may be one of those such bands. Obsessed With You, with its almost reggae beat and quick lyrics really is undeniable. It's one of those songs that you only need to hear once before you're singing it to yourself over and over again. I was really surprised to hear such a summery pop sound like this on U.S. radio because in some ways it sounds very European.

The Orion Experience - Obsessed With You (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

Ali Dee & The Deekompressors - Go, Speed Racer, Go!

"Hit the gas, smell the rubber burning"

I'm proud to be in the short line of people who would trumpet the merits of the new Speed Racer movie despite its dismal box office performance pretty much ever. I've long since discovered that my entertainment tastes are (more often than not) completely opposite of mainstream America. Hell, I liked Racer better than Iron Man, and I've been a Marvel fan for most of my life! But, enough talk about the movie. Today's post is about the song that plays over the end credits. It's a giddy remake/remix/reimagination of the original series' theme song, and my friend and I had a hard time sitting still the first time we heard it. In fact, we sat through the whole credits because of it! Not everyone's gonna like this (just like not everyone'll like the movie... though please don't judge the movie based only on this song!), but you can't deny that the faux rap/dance hybrid is a ton of campy fun. Just as it should be.

Ali Dee & The Deekompressors - Go, Speed Racer, Go! (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the soundtrack here.)

Universal Poplab - The Way Things Work

"Should we uphold tradition just because it is tradition?"

Sweden's Universal Poplab has a new album out (who knew?) and though it's mostly more of the same, it does contain what may be their best song yet. The Way Things Work is slightly more aggressive than most of their output, and it's got that and two other things going for it. First is that amazing, hard hitting beat. Then, to make things better, there's the instantly hummable, unique melody highlighted by some transcendent "no no no" bits. Trust me, you'll love it if you're a fan of great pop music. I'll be surprised if this doesn't become a single in the future. It's already better than the single choices that have been made so far from the album. As much as I like Universal Poplab (and I really, really do) they've always been a second or even third tiered group in my eye. This track opens up a new attitude for them that could potentially raise their game and change my opinion.

Universal Poplab - The Way Things Work (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)