Top 50 Singles Of 2013: 20-16

20. Anton Ewald - Beggin'



The big breakthrough of this year's Melodifestivalen. Some have called it out as not having much in the way of melody, but I've always defended it as the massive pop song it is.

19. Haloo Helsinki! - Huuda! (Shout!)



An unexpected gem from Finland. That sledgehammer beat made this a rock band to really pay attention to, no matter what language they sing in.

18. Girls' Generation - I Got A Boy



K-Pop's most intriguing experiment of 2013. A single whose structure is so complicated and multi-faceted that it nearly becomes its own album medley.

17. Shinee - Dream Girl 



The single that kicked off Shinee's extraordinary 2013 run. Pure, vibrant pop with a chorus so big it echoes from the rooftops.

16. Ola - Maybe 



Ola's always been a favorite, but this is when he started making music that really registered beyond pure pop. It's just huge.

Ola - Jackie Kennedy

"Now where's my Jackie?"

Continuing my catch-up from the weeks I missed while I was on vacation, I've got Ola Svensson's must-hear new single, Jackie Kennedy. This guy's doing amazing things right now. I keep hearing this upcoming album of his being called his "most important" work yet, and to be honest, it sounds like it's going to be amazing. According to his website, the album will open with an overture before carrying on to songs written in collaboration with Sweden's absolute best. The names Klas Åhlund and Patrik Berger stand out initially, but of special interest to me (and fans of this blog) is the name Kristofer Östergren. That's Kristofer from Melody Club! I can't wait to hear what the two of them have come up with. This album can't come quickly enough. I've already worn out Maybe, and I'm on the way to doing the same with this track.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the single here (if you happen to live in Italy). Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Ola - I'm In Love

"I'm a sucker when she pulls her game"

Ola Svensson never lets down pop fans. I could say that about many of Sweden's pop music exports, but I'm always paying extra attention to Ola. It used to be the fact that he was known to collaborate with the songwriting/production duo extraordinaire Tony Nilsson and Bassflow, but even now that he's moved on to new sounds, I still find myself waiting impatiently for new material from him. He's got such a cool, laid back persona and (in my opinion at least) the perfect male pop voice. It's instantly recognizable. I'm In Love is his new single and, even though it sounds a lot like his last album (which saw him moving toward a trendier, less interesting direction), it's still got the kind of incredible hook that marks his best work. The chorus is so stupidly simple, yet buoyant and much more fun than it seems on first listen. It's another great single in a discography full of them.



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

Top 50 Singles of 2010: 25-21

25. Gravitonas - Kites



Alexander Bard’s new band’s first single proved to be their best--a slowly building electro-rock grind that becomes more immense with each passing second.

24. Ola Svensson - All Over The World



He came back this year with two tracks worthy of standing beside his best work. This easily could have been the Summer’s anthem had it been released sooner.

23. Hurts - Better Than Love



I’ve known of this song for a couple of years now in its original demo form and it was such a treat to hear it as a single in 2010. This is the kind of uptempo track Hurts should be releasing more of.

22. Short Stack - We Dance To A Different Disco, Honey



I was skeptical that Planets was a one-off and these guys would revert back to their old, annoying sound, but then this came out and blew me away. A brilliant example of radio alt-rock at its best.

21. Ola Svensson - Unstoppable (The Return Of Natalie)



My favorite entry in this year's Melodifestivalen, delivered by one of the most consistent popstars in Sweden. The piano riff is absolutely insidious. But it’s that chorus that seals the deal.

Top 20 Albums of 2010: 14-13

14. Ola Svensson - Ola



He’s given us some of the best pop songs of the last decade, but I‘ve never enjoyed an entire album of Ola’s material. This changed that. If he’d stuck to the Nilsson/Bassflow combo for the entire album (they’ve penned and produced most of his hits), we could be talking about a collection of songs that could have easily made my top three. Instead, he went for a more American urban pop sound, which worried me at first. Luckily, even though most of the material doesn’t come close to matching his best stuff, this was an album of great contemporary pop. He’s still got one of the best and most recognizable voices for the genre.

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13. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream



No album on my countdown as spawned (and will continue to spawn) so many top ten hits. Like it or not, this is a career-defining pop album and will be looked back on as the sound of 2010. There are so many hits here, and so many yet to come. I wasn’t a fan of Perry’s debut at all, but she upped her game by working with the best commercial producers and compiling a tracklist of colorful, critic-proof material. I hate the term “guilty pleasure,” but I think it most definitely applies here. It’s rare in this day and age to hear an album where every song could be a single.

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Track-by-Track: Ola Svensson - Ola

In the world of Swedish pop, Ola's third album is about as long-anticipated as they come. It's been years (and several excellent singles) since his last release, and the general consensus seemed to be that he'd come back with a sound that far eclipsed his post-Idol albums of the past. Did he deliver?

1. All Over The World - A bombastic, string-laden entry to the album and one of the highest points. This is a worldwide smash waiting to happen, and a nice blend of Ola's old Bassflow sound and his new, slightly urban identity. What a chorus. 10/10

2. Unstoppable (The Return Of Natalie) -After all the dust has settled, this remains one of the strongest songs out of this year's Melodifestivalen. The paino riff, the bombast (I can't overuse that word in this context)... it's all perfection. This is the kind of music Ola should be making. 10/10

3. Y.T.G. (You're That Girl) - A lightweight, summery pop song with an emphasis on melody. It's cheesy in all the right ways, and ridiculously catchy. Not up to par with the prior tracks, but it grows on you. 8/10

4. Riot - The most aggressive dance track on the album (and in his career, I'd say), this benefits from all of the current computer/vocoder tricks. It's not particularly original, but benefits from a pure blast of energy. 9/10

5. Overdrive - I wasn't a fan of this single initially. It just doesn't suit Ola as well as those big pop songs do. But, as far as acoustic, strummy radio tracks go, this is pretty nice. It works well in the context of the album, though it's still not one of my favorites. 7/10

6. Beautiful Rain - A big, dramatic ballad. I like this a lot more than I would have expected to. The melody and vocals on the verses are particularly striking. Plus, the way that chorus builds? Very nice. 8/10

7. Busy Doing Nothing - An odd, electro track with vocals that sound more than a little slurry/drunk. The overall sound is far more interesting than it has to be, which is always a plus. It's cool to hear a different layer to Ola's vocals. 9/10

8. Still Remember - Another track I didn't like when it appeared a few months ago on the EP, but like Overdrive it's grown on me. There's a strong r&b influence here, and the sound reminds me of music that was popular about seven years ago (especially with that then-ubiquitous chipmunk voice). This, and the aggression of the chorus, makes the track a late album highlight. 9/10

9. Let It Hit You - This, on the other hand, is too forgettable and boring to make much of an impression. It could've been performed by anyone in this genre and sounded exactly the same. 6/10

10. Twisted Memories - A big ballad to end the album. It's not as good as Beautiful Rain, for sure. In fact, these last couple of tracks just seem tacked on. I would've much preferred he just add previous singles Love In Stereo and Sky's The Limit. 6/10

Album Grade: 8.2/10

Ola - Riot

"It's time to get to work"

This is Swedish popstar Ola's version of American urban dance music, synthesized and tweaked so much that the vocals sound more like a robot than a person at times. This is usually a bad thing, but it's not a part of Ola's repertoire, which makes it interesting. In fact, his new album seems like one big experiment in different popular pop styles, trying to find something that sticks. This isn't necessarily a complaint, though I'll always be a fan of his old Bassflow sound. And while this song is derivative in so many ways, Ola's voice (even warped and computerized) remains an absolute treat. There's a definite formula to this, but it's a formula because it works. Don't think too much, just enjoy it.

Ola - Riot 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.

Ola Svensson - All Over The World

"Life will never treat you the same again"

While browsing through the blogs this morning, I realized that the recently relaunched PPG beat me to this track, but I'm going to post it anyway. Ola Svensson is probably my favorite male popstar of Sweden, responsible for the epic quadruple punch of Natalie, SOS, Love in Stereo and Unstoppable. Those aren't his only good tracks, but together they represent the pinnacle of commercial Swepop. He's got the perfect voice for these glossy, larger-than-life productions. And, although his new single is a more subdued, acoustic affair, this album track goes again for the huge, bombastic sound. It kicks off with massive, synthesized strings that carry on throughout the track, and build into a soaring, anthemic hook that fits nicely alongside his best work. It's a bit reminiscent of your Taio Cruzs and Jay Seans, but Ola's vocals differentiate it from current U.S. fare. The album's out in September. It feels like we've been waiting on this one forever.

Ola Svensson - All Over The World by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the new EP here (if you're in Sweden, that is). Follow me on twitter and facebook.