Tooji - Rebels

"We used to carry the fire"

I was never really a fan of Tooji's debut Eurovision single a couple of years ago. It felt like he was trying to be Norway's answer to Eric Saade, but falling short. In truth, I'd almost forgot about him until this new single made its way onto the internet. With Rebels, Tooji has made me a convert. The song fits in with the current trend of massively produced EDM anthems, but its a stellar representation of the trend. To put it in Alienhits terms, it sounds a bit like Martin Rolinski singing a poppier version of a Sound Of Arrows track. This is a very good thing, and makes me excited for where Tooji will take his music next.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Robin - Boom Kah

"Boom kah, boom boom kah"

Like most of Robin's songs, Boom Kah has gotten better and better with every listen. Finland has really seen a resurgence of excellent, teen-oriented pop, and Robin was at the forefront of that at a very young age. Now that he's growing up, his music is maturing along with him. This is still a fun, seize-the-day party song, but it feels like it was written more for a mainstream audience than exclusive to tweens. I've found that I love the sound of the Finnish language and accent in pop music. It lends a unique style to what could have ended up being normal pop fodder. That and the repeated "boom kahs" make this completely addicting. I liked it on first listen, but it's crept up throughout the week and taken over my brain, on its way toward complete obsession.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Icona Pop - On A Roll

"I know you like what you see"

This new Icona Pop album is surprisingly good. I mean, I enjoyed their Swedish album, but this one feels leaner, meaner and full of intent. I love how many of the new tracks have a strong 90's rock edge. It really sets the duo apart from other pop music on the radio. They've definitely taken their success with I Love It and used that song as a template, but it doesn't feel like they're simply repeating it over and over. Instead, the cohesive sound gives the album a strong consistency. On A Roll is one of the strongest new tracks, with its mammoth production and uber-catchy "doo doo doo doo doo doo doo" bits that run throughout. It has an electro heft to it and undeniable attitude.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

G-Dragon - Crooked

I'll be harping on and on about this guy from sometime. I know I just featured a song by him before my vacation, but honestly, his outstanding new album Coup D'Etat has been soundtracking the past couple of weeks of my life. And no song more than Crooked. As a huge G-Dragon fan, it's hard for me to pick out his best track, but if I was forced, this might just be it. It also happens to be his most recent single. Crooked is everything I love about music. A driving rock beat, a chest-pumping, anthemic hook (my god, is that spectacular), a punk aesthetic and an overall sense of desperation and melancholy (translated, the lyrics depict a man driven to stray from a broken relationship). It's really a genius piece of pop music, and quite unlike most K-Pop. Then there's the video, where GD once again proves he's the coolest, most charismatic singer in the world right now. If all my blustering hyperbole hasn't convinced you to check out his music yet, this should be the song to do it. It translates, English or no English.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Natalia Kills - Trouble

"We don't need to be forgiven"

I'm back! I've spent the last few weeks cavorting around London, Stockholm and Copenhagen (and seeing Billy Elliot the Musical for the 6th and 7th times haha), so I feel like most of the stuff I'll be writing about for the next week or so will be the songs that soundtracked my adventures. This inevitably means that they won't necessarily be hot-off-the-presses new, but I still need to put my word on them. Kicking these off is the terrific Television by Natalia Kills. I'm extremely impressed by all of Natalia's new album. It's ten times better (and more consistent) than her debut. But none of the tracks matches the ferocious awesomeness of this opening song. I loved it from the get-go. It's melodically amazing (that near-acapella bit at the end? dear lord) and lyrically biting. It does a great job of framing the concept around the entire album, which appears to be a (semi?) autobiographical chronicle of a gritty, misspent youth and adolescence. Natalia used to be a poor man's Lady Gaga. No longer. This is brilliant.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.