Ola Salo & Peter Jöback – Sing Me Out

I briefly revive this dead blog because Sing Me Out demands it. Whatever you might be doing, stop immediately and click below to see Ola Salo and Peter Jöback resurrect The Ark's trademark (ie: perfect) sound. Written with dream collaborator Peter Kvint, I honestly gave up hope that Salo would ever craft a song like this again.

I haven't felt particularly connected to Melodifestivalen this year (and can't stand the frontrunner), but this is by far my favorite thing to have come out of it. Brilliant. A+ pomp bombast, and the exact type of thing this blog was founded on ten years ago.

Sing Me Out 

And don't forget to check out my new kpop (and a little bit of jpop) site. You never know, you just might find yourself traveling down the rabbit hole and discovering a whole new musical world you never knew existed...

Top 50 Singles of 2015: 30-26

30. GD and Taeyang (ft. Kwanghee) - Mapsosa



Quite the unlikely collaboration, recorded as part of Korea's biggest reality show. It's a prime example of Bigbang members having fun, without worrying about the need to project a "cool" image.

29. Ola Salo - How I Kill



The Ark's frontman went solo with a track that sounded a lot like his old band. In the glam rock wasteland that was 2015, this is a very good thing. This is also the highest ranking English-language track on the countdown. My, how things have changed!

28. iKON - Airplane



YG's newest group blitzed us with five singles in three months, but this emotion, midtempo pop ballad was the best.

27. Bigbang - Bang Bang Bang 



The successor in many ways to the group's epic Fantastic Baby, the only thing that prevented this from being higher is that letdown of a chorus.

26. News - Chumu Chumu 



Cheesy? Yes! But that's okay when the best and most fun elements of Bollywood are so expertly translated to bombastic J-Pop.

Top Albums and Mini-Albums of 2015: Number 8

ALBUMS

8. Ola Salo - Wilderness



The Ark's frontman finally went solo in 2015 with an album that hearkened back to some of his past band's strongest elements, while continuing to uncover more of the complicated psychology that characterizes Salo's persona. It's all wrapped up in some of the catchiest, classic rock music of the year. I had my doubts going in, but the album won me over in an instant.

MINI ALBUMS

8. HongKi - FM302



Another solo project, this time from the lead singer of Korean rock band FTIsland. Breaking expectations, Hongki went for a more dance and electronic influence for this album, which paid off big time. That said, nothing is quite as powerful or awesome as the theatrical, bombastic rock ballad that was chosen as the lead single.

Ola Salo - Standing On The Edge Of The World

Somehow, this week has gifted me with two of the best English-language pop albums I've heard in months (years?). First we got Brandon Flowers' surprisingly epic The Desired Effect, and now we have the first solo album from Ola Salo (formerly of the Ark). Though the Ark remains my favorite rock band ever, it's been nearly a decade since they released their last great recording. Because of this, I was convinced that Ola's solo work would end up as a parade of diminishing returns. While his commercial peak is likely past him, I am SO happy to report that the album itself is fantastic. It's everything I liked about the Ark, plus added choral and experimental elements. Lyrically, the songs are not nearly as accessible as they used to be. There are a lot of obscure, intellectual/philosophical musings throughout the record. But musically, Ola's writing is just as strong and universal as it always was. Standing On The Edge Of The World is him in total It Takes A Fool To Remain Sane-mode -- a skyscraper anthem that hits you like a sucker punch every time. I just live for this kind of bombast and melody. The track has an excellent, dramatic build to it, finally exploding as it hits that last chorus. Get your lighters ready and sing along. Ola is back and his music is everything. I can't believe I ever expected less.



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

Ola Salo - Hamartia

Ola Salo's debut EP was released yesterday, worldwide, and I'm happy to report that it's actually pretty good. We've already heard the best two songs, Go On Go On and the fantastic How I Kill. Beyond that, we get the dark and glammy Calling On The Curious and the more bright sounding, string-infused Hamartia. Though I still maintain that Ola's higher register has become a bit shrill of late and his music needs vocal arrangement that accounts for that, I adore this song even so. I'm just overjoyed that Ola is releasing solo material that I actually like. The Ark was such a huge musical touchstone in my life, and it's fun to see what its frontman has evolved into. It turns out, thankfully, that it's not all that different from what I loved so much about the Ark. A full album is out in May, and I'm anxiously looking forward to it! And by "anxiously," I mean that I need it now.



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

Ola Salo - How I Kill

"You will rise again from your grave"

Ola Salo is back again! Ahead of an imminent EP release, he's treated us to another single, How I Kill. This time, we've got a dramatic, Meat loaf-esque chorus that I'm already obsessed with. The rest of the song doesn't hit quite as hard, but I'm super happy to hear the reemergence of the female choral vocals in the background. That had always been one of my favorite aspects of the Ark's music. But seriously, with this song it's all about that hook. It has such an old school feel to it and I really hope that this is the sound we'll be hearing on the rest of the EP. As usual, Ola worked with Nicklas Stenemo (of The Mo and Melody Club) for this song, which is pretty much a match made in heaven. I've been critical of the production of Ola's other solo songs, particularly the way his vocals sounded, but this is meaty and epic and he sounds amazing. Honestly, it's the first time since the Ark broke up that I feel that spark in his music again.



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

Ola Salo - Go On Go On

"My panic has become a dependable friend"

This is the way to start out the new year! After a long wait, Ola Salo (of the Ark fame, as if you didn't know) is finally releasing his solo album this year. Now, I've made peace with the fact that I'll never love his solo work the way I loved the Ark's discography. For instance, I tired of last year's I Got You pretty quickly, while I have listened to the Ark's songs more times than I can count. It's just different. That said, Go On Go On is a pretty nice surprise. While the production is a bit softer, the track shares the sense of bombastic bliss that characterized the best Ark singles. It definitely sounds like the work of an older artist -- more reflective than galvanizing. The lyrics are, of course, outstanding, and the track was co-written with Nicklas Stenemo, who is another longtime legend according to this blog. If the rest of the album is in this vein, I can't wait to hear it.



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

Ola Salo - Vi Va Dom

Finally! It took four attempts, but Ola Salo has created the type of cover song that I'd been waiting for during his stint on Sweden's Så mycket bättre. And honestly, the reason I like it is because it basically sounds like something he would've performed with the Ark. Vi Va Dom is a track originally performed by off-kilter electro artist Familjen. The original's already pretty damn good, but Ola's given it that glam rock pomp that he's legendary for and turned it into a total anthem. This is what I hope, hope, hope his inevitable solo album will sound like, but I'm preparing myself for something much more subdued. Seriously, though, who can resist that hook with the background vocals and epic guitars? Even the vocal production and arrangement, that I've been complaining about when it comes to Salo's more recent work, is on point. More of this, please. Yeah, I'm one of those annoying fans that never wants the guy to change. When you've already captured perfection with the Ark, there's really only no where else to go beside what's been proven awesome.



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

Ola Salo - Trouble

"I know that I should've known better"

Another season of Sweden's amazing Så Mycket Bättre has started. I was particularly excited about this one because Ola Salo, lead singer of now-defunct band The Ark, was participating. It's no secret that the Ark were, and are, my favorite band of all time. That said, I'm not sure what has happened to Ola's vocals since the band broke up. It may be the production techniques he's using now or maybe just a new singing style, but for the past few years I've found his vocal production to border on shrill--something I would've never said during the Ark's heyday. It's a bit of a pity, because those shrill bits keep Trouble (the song he covered on 80's singer Orup's day of broadcast) from being a total homerun. It's still an awesome slice of old-school glam, because pretty much everything Ola touches turns to awesome, but I feel like it could've been even better if he'd covered it about 8-10 years ago with his band. Still, it's a blast for a fan like me to see Ola participate in this series and I can't wait to hear the music he releases in the coming weeks.



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

Ola Salo - I Got You (ft. Kleerup)

"People may say whatever they do"

My birthday is on Thursday, but I got an early, unexpected present this morning when this track made its way online. I Got You is a collaboration between Ola Salo and Kleerup. How's that for a dream team? Of course, Ola Salo was the lead singer of The Ark, my favorite band of all time (as if you didn't already know). I didn't expect to hear solo stuff from him until his stint on Så Mycket Bättre this Fall (which I'm so excited about). Then there's Kleerup, a frequent collaborator with Robyn (aka: the best female popstar on the planet). The final product sounds more like Ola than Kleerup, but it's also much different than anything he's done in the past. It's a strange hybrid of 90's trip-hop and rock anthem, with a huge hook and even a choir! I feel like the treble on the production is a little overwhelming... but it could just be my lame computer speakers. Or maybe I'm just used to bass, and there really isn't any to be found here (which I guess is probably the point). It's a little messy, but each time I listen to it I like it more than the last. And, my god! Ola is back!!!

*Edit: Got a chance to listen through decent speakers and, yes, it's a thousand times more effective.



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