Kudu - Love Me In Your Language

"I don't have to understand if you say it like a man"

I've got a weird, fun track for Friday. It starts with a Hey Mickey beat before segueing into an almost frustratingly catchy melody. There are foreign mumblings, soul-pop verses, a new-wave hook and some strange electro-noodling all thrown together in this quirky dance track by New York trio Kudu. It's lifted from their 2006 release Death of the Party, a CSS-type indie-pop album that's pretty under-known. Heavy on the quirk, for sure, which probably limits its audience, but this song in particular is worth knowing. Anything you can hum back to yourself after one listen is okay in my book. I have a feeling that this was a case of "wrong song at the wrong time," because something like this could do very well in the current climate.

Kudu - Love Me In Your Language by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Eric Saade - It's Gonna Rain

"Nothing matters now that you're here by my side"

In a relatively short time, Eric Saade has become one of Sweden's biggest popstars. Bow down to the power of Melodifestivalen, I guess (and the power of Manboy, which I never thought would be so popular). Now the full album's out and, although I've yet to delve into it too much, I can say that it's a real treat for pop fans. Saade's not trying to be cool or critically-acclaimed. Instead, he's decided to record an album of bombastic, catchy-as-hell dance pop. Sweden's one of the only countries left that produces male artists like this (Danny, Ola, Mans, Darin etc.) and Eric's up there with the best of them. It's Gonna Rain is the album's immediate highlight--a huge dance track remeniscent of Madonna's Hung Up. Pop like this doesn't exist in the States, unfortunately, which makes me even more thankful that there's a wider world out there, unencumbered by self-consciousness when it comes to writing radio hits. In a way it takes me back to the big teen pop boom of the late '90s, though this seems smarter and more streamlined than a lot of the stuff that came out in that era.

UPDATE: Giving the album a real proper listen and, as far as straight-up teen pop goes, this is amazing stuff. Full review sure to come soon!

Eric Saade - It's Gonna Rain by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Pop Blitz 5/19/10

Katy Perry (ft. Snoop Dogg) - California Gurls
This should be horrible. It's got a lame title, some dubious lyrics, and a general Ke$ha-ness about it. Yet the summer beat washes all the shortcomings away and makes this one of Perry's strongest tracks. It's gonna be inescapable. B+

Muse - Neutron Star Collision
This Eclipse single is stronger than most of the stuff on Muse's last album. Sure, it's basically a Queen soundalike, but it's a very good one. And it only gets better as the beat speeds up. B+

Natasha Bedingfield - Touch
Unsurprisingly, she's gone the electropop route. The chorus, as with most of her songs, is slightly irritating and the song as a whole isn't particularly memorable. I'd rather have her brother back, honestly. C

Yeasayer - One
By far their danciest single to date, and one of their best. It comes off a very strong album, too, and has a great video. Very 80's, in the best possible way. A-

Christina Aguilera (ft. Nicki Minaj) - Woohoo
The worst thing I've heard her do (and that's including the last single). It's a thoroughly unsexy "sex" song and by far the most irritating thing in this week's blitz. In fact, it just may be the most obnoxious thing I've heard this year. It's that bad. What a fall from grace. F

Travis Garland - Believe
A budget-rate Jason Derulo/Jay Sean, who themselves are inferior versions of greater artists, this will be here and gone in the blink of an eye. The only thing that saves this song is Garland's voice, which could actually be spectacular given the right production. C

Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love
A huge hit in mainland Europe, and now the UK, this is certainly an interesting club track. All swishy noises and exotic strings, without much of a melody. I really can't make my mind up about this one. I'll probably like it better the more I hear it, but for now it's a B-

Scissor Sisters - Isn't It Strange

"Isn't it strange that your face is deranged?"

Before recording the upcoming Night Work, Scissor Sisters scrapped an entire album's worth of material. Rumor is, it was much more Ta Dah (their last album) than their new stuff. Isn't It Strange is a cut from the soundtrack of the new Shrek movie (which looks abominable, by the way), and will not be on Night Work. I wouldn't be surprised if this was one of those scrapped album songs. And it's not because it's bad. Quite the contrary, actually. It's because it sounds very Scissor Sisters circa 2006. It's about as honky tonk as the band gets, with a bit of an ELO and Abba influence in the chorus. Very Waterloo-esque, old-school country-glam. Clocking in at just over two minutes, it's short and sweet and perfect for a soundtrack. I don't think it's memorable enough for an album (and certainly not a single), but I personally love it. I'm going through a huge SS resurgence right now. Can't really get enough.

Scissor Sisters - Isn't It Strange by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder Night Work here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Kylie Minogue - All The Lovers

"All the lovers that have gone before, they don't compare to you"

We're really getting spoiled lately with all of these fantastic comebacks. Add Kylie to that list, because All The Lovers absolutely lives up to the hype. I was very disappointed by her last album (and lead single), but this feels like a brand new era. She's releasing exactly the type of music I hoped she would. All The Lovers, with its shimmery, otherworldly synths, hearkens back to her last great single (and one of my favorite Kylie tracks ever), 2004's I Believe In You. I can't think of any artist that can make this type of bittersweet disco melodrama as convincing as Kylie can. She feels completely plugged in this time around, treating the song as a theatrical, life-or-death paean to true love. If comparing the two (which is inevitable) I think I'll always prefer her to Madonna. The fact that she can bust out a single this epic this late in her career is actually pretty astounding (especially considering Madonna's recent output). If the album follows suit, we're in for a massive Minogue resurgence.

Kylie Minogue - All The Lovers by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.