Nicole Sabouné - Must Exist

Something a little different today. Instead of one track, I've got a whole album, because Swedish artist Nicole Sabouné has been kind enough to stream her entire new album on soundcloud for the next ten days. Now, Sabouné's track Conquer Or Suffer cracked my top five of last year's singles, so I was definitely excited for this release. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet (I haven't had enough time to give a very thorough listen). I mean, since the Ark's Ola Salo and the Mo's Nicklas Stenemo are involved in writing and production, my interest is piqued to the max. Sabouné's delivery does seem a bit forced at times--affected in that new wave punky way--but that might just be a tiny quibble. I also crave more choruses as huge as Conquer Or Suffer and less of what sounds kind of icy and distant on first listen. Right now, So This Is It is the non-single standing out to me the most. I don't know... the verdict's still out. I could end up loving the album. I can sense that it might be a grower. What do you guys think?



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

Top 50 Singles Of 2013: 10-6

10. Lady Gaga - Do What You Want (with R. Kelly)



After the underwhelming Applause, this grower of a track stood out as exactly the type of thing Gaga needed in 2013. Sounds ever better as part of the album.

9. Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop



The song that transformed Cyrus' career, and one of the best pop songs of the year. It's just effortlessly cool and doesn't even seem to try.

8. One Direction - Best Song Ever



Is it their best single? If it's not, then it's definitely second best. If they can keep putting out big slabs of pop rock like this, I think they're in it for the long run.

7. Kang Seung Yoon - Wild & Young 



Perhaps the most surprising (and little known) inclusion in my top ten. This Korean rock track sounds a lot like The Ark to me. I played it out this year.

6. Nicole Saboune - Conquer Or Suffer 



Speaking of sounding like The Ark, I was instantly taken with this glam/punk/rock track by Saboune, an alum of Sweden's The Voice. I mean, that hook!

Midnight Boy and Nicole Saboune in concert!

I've got something a little different for today, because two of Sweden's (and the world's) most exciting new stars recently gave awesome, intimate mini-concerts in their home country and both are available to stream online! I was especially impressed with the unheard tracks from Midnight Boy. Sounds REALLY good, especially Security and Butterflies. I need to hear the studio versions ASAP. Hopefully, we'll get some news on when both of these acts' debut albums/EPs/etc come out. Sweden is on the rise once more!

Midnight Boy


Nicole Saboune

Nicole Sabouné - I Surrender

"Every happy story ends"

I'm a bit behind and meant to post this last week, but I think it's worth the wait because Nicole Saboune is one of my favorite new artists of the year. She's already dazzled us with two singles, and for the third it's time to move on to something more pensive. I Surrender, like Conquer Or Suffer, was co-written by Nicklas Stenemo (formerly of the Mo and currently with Melody Club and Kite). This instantly gets my attention, as he is one of the absolute favorites on this blog. I'm so happy to see him working with so many other artists -- particularly ones as interesting as Saboune. I Surrender might not hit you as instantly as her faster tracks, but it's definitely a grower. The production is fantastic.



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

Nicole Sabouné - Unseen Footage From A Forthcoming Funeral

"The gate is wide and the road is straight"

Have you ever been in one of those phases where you just keep going back and replaying the same two songs over and over again because they're so amazing but also the only two songs that the artist has released so far? I am in this phase with Nicole Sabouné. Her music is really just becoming an obsession for me. It's the exact style of pop/rock that first drew me to Swedish music a decade ago. Conquer Or Suffer is my favorite new song of the year, and her previous single Unseen Footage From A Forthcoming Funeral is nearly as good. It's a fantastically retro slice of 80's alternative rock (with a cool/creepy video). Sometimes the most simple melodies are the most effective, and this is especially true with this song. Taken together, her two singles are an amazing statement of intent that I hope carries forward to a full length album soon. This woman needs to become massive, and I need a debut album ASAP, if only so I don't wear out these tracks.



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

Nicole Sabouné - Conquer Or Suffer

"They don't care for us, or anyone"

This is just a wonderful surprise. It reminds me of the kind of music by bands like the Sounds, the Ark and Surferosa around 2004/05 that first inspired me to start this blog. I don't know a whole lot about Nicole Sabouné, except that she was in Sweden's version of the Voice on none other than Ola Salo's (lead singer of the Ark) team. That explains the sound of this song, which almost seems as if it could have been produced or written by Salo. Maybe it is... I haven't been able to find any info on that. Regardless, the song is an absolute stunner. The chorus, in particular, is that kind of big, brash anthemic refrain that we don't hear enough of in rock music anymore. Its production is very similar to one of my favorite Ark songs, Absolutely No Decorum. It's fuzzy, yet polished. Bratty, yet super pop. I'm totally smitten. It's definitely in my top three favorite new singles of the year so far.



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