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Friday, April 10, 2009

"It's strong and it's taking me over"

First off, I apologize for the lack of posting yesterday. I was in Canada all day and came home exhausted (and with a cold!). Now onto today...
Johan Palm was one of the contestants in last year's Swedish Idol. He was my personal favorite, even though he only came in fourth. I knew that he'd make some interesting music, and while his first single may not be "interesting" it's far more professional and hit-worthy than I expected. Despite some stupid lyrics, Emma-Lee is a ridiculously catchy rock/pop track that I can see doing great things for Johan. It's already a hit on itunes, supporting my prediction that he will end up being the most commercially successful 2008 contestant. He's already got a big fanbase and sounds great on record... much better than he sounded live some weeks. I'm pleased to hear some synths in the mix as well. My hope is that the producers/team will steer him in sort of an "Ark Jr." direction, since that's the kind of music I picture him making, especially given his androgynous looks and fashion sense. The full album is out on the 20th of May and a video will be released soon. I didn't really expect anything from him until the fall, so this is a pleasant surprise.

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

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

"I will love her better, but I'm no Romeo"

As a listener who thinks the only good song Swedish boyband E.M.D. have released so far was Jennie Let Me Love You, I am really excited to write about the sequel. I despised Baby Goodbye more and more with each listen and performance at Melodifestivalen. It was just so irritating to me, including the ill-conceived top hat and cane routine. But enough about that, because they've completely redeemed themselves with the poptastic I'm No Romeo from the reissue of their debut album. Despite having dancepop artist extraordinaire Danny Saucedo as a group member, one of the biggest problems I've had with E.M.D. is their lack of uptempo material. I'm No Romeo is a straight-up dance track, exploding with a catchy (and not annoying) hook right from the beginning. It totally owns Baby Goodbye. I could do without the overly boyband-ish vocals, but the song's too good to be spoiled by cheesiness. It sounds like an amped up version of Jennie Let Me Love You, which is appropriate since it seems to be about the same girl these guys were obsessed with last time. Only this time they seem a little more unsure about snatching her away from whoever she's with. If you like this track, check out another uptempo addition to their album called Youngblood. It's pretty good too.

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

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

"I don't like falling behind"

I've been very lax about mentioning Danish popsters Oh No Ono's latest work. The new album, Eggs, comes out on the 20th of this month. Part of the reason that I didn't write about their new tracks yet is because it's honestly taken me awhile to wrap my head around them. I loved the band's debut record, which introduced a bizarre herky-jerky pop/new wave sound that was unlike anything else out there. From hearing a handful of their new songs, their sound has changed quite a bit. It's not as immediate anymore, forgoing pogostick hooks for alien soundscapes and prog melodies. Lead single Internet Warrior is a perfect example of this new sound. It's not what I was expecting to hear (or honestly wanted) from the guys, but it's very good in an MGMT type of way. I also quite like a few of the other songs they've got on their myspace right now, so it'll be interesting to see what the album's like.

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

Monday, April 06, 2009

"Nothing really matters when we're out of control"

I have this weird premonition that Tommy Sparks' brilliant single, She's Got Me Dancing (video below), is going to the be the UK's song of the spring/early summer. I hope I'm right. It's been added to radio one's upfront list but needs to be a-listed in time for the album. I'm a little obsessed with Tommy Sparks' music right now, hence another post about him. The songs I've heard from the album have got me anticipating the May 11th release date like crazy. The Cars-ish These Things Happen and the bombastic debut single I'm A Rope have got me going especially mental. Today, however, I'm posting a song that won't be on the album. Messages is a track that Sparks did with Filthy Dukes for their album, and it's a standout 80's dance song. I can't help but think that this is what Scissor Sisters' comeback single should sound like (or Alphabeat's, for that matter). The hook is simple, the beat is intense, and the vocals (as usual) are perfect. Oh, and despite residing in the UK, he was born and raised in Sweden, which I guess explains why everything sounds so amazing.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the Filthy Dukes album here. Preorder the Tommy Sparks album here.)