Tove Styrke - Even If I'm Loud It Doesn't Mean I'm Talking To You

"Sophisticated ain't helping you to do the dance"

Tove Styrke was a contestant on the second season of Swedish Idol that I watched (season 6?) and I absolutely adored her. Honestly, no reality show spits out stars with as much reliability as Swedish Idol. It helps that Sweden has an excellent framework for up and coming pop stars, what with Melodifestivalen and all. But Tove has always been a little different than her peers. She's certainly no cookie-cutter fill-in-the-blank pop starlet. She's cool, like fellow swede Robyn is cool. And it's such a treat to hear new music from her. Her new track, the impossibly long-titled Even If I'm Loud It Doesn't Mean I'm Talking To You, is a bit jarring at first. It's more bratty Ting Tings/Avril Lavigne chant-pop than her older, icier synth-drenched music. If I'm being honest, I'm not quite sure what I think about it yet. It seemed so repetitive upon first listen, but I'm already beginning to unearth little things in the production and lyrics that are impressing me. We'll see. Either way, it's amazing to have her back (finally!).



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

Top 50 Singles of 2011: 15-11

15. Martin Rolinski - Blame It On A Decent Matter



I never had any doubts that this would be brilliant after Rolinski's work with BWO. But it was even better than I'd expected!

14. Studio Killers - Ode To The Bouncer



A welcome shot of Danish electro cool in a year without enough of it. The fact that we're still waiting for a follow-up makes it a little frustrating, though.

13. Patrick Wolf - The City



His most uplifting single in ages, and a track that set Summer off on the right foot.

12. Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend



The Swedish pop queen continues her dominance of my countdowns with yet another brilliant song. Even in a year without an album release, she ruled.

11. Tove Styrke - Call My Name



And hot on Robyn's heels is the ultra-cool Tove, who gave us a taster of future work with this fantastic single, a big jump in quality from her first album.

Top 50 Singles of 2011: 20-16

20. Nero - Crush On You



It took me awhile to get into the dubstep bits, but once I did, this song quickly became one of my favorite dance tracks of the year. The sample (cover?) is just brilliant.

19. Caotico & Tove Styrke - Brains Out



This just drips cool. From the very first listen, everything about this struck me. It's like 80's Prince reincarnated.

18. Darren Hayes - Bloodstained Heart



Even though I wasn't a fan of the album, this is one of the best, if not the best, solo single by Darren Hayes. Stunning track.

17. Adele vs. Robin S - Show Me In The Deep



The original was a huge hit this year, but I much prefer this remixed mash-up. My most-played remix of the year, and one of my favorite remixes of all time.

16. Foster The People - Helena Beat



Pumped Up Kicks was their breakthrough, but this second single is what really made me fall in love with the group. Such a cool indie rock track.

Caotico & Tove Styrke - Brains Out

"The air was filled with the scent of dumb lovers"

Sorry about the lack of post yesterday. It was my Book Launch Author Event, so it was a very busy (but fun!) day. But now I'm back with a song. A SONG, all in caps. It's that good. This is the kind of single I listen to and I just wanna run to the nearest rooftop and proclaim its brilliance. This reminds me of the Swedish alt pop music I fell so deeply in love with all those years ago. It's just brilliant. Half of that brilliance comes from the always reliable Tove Styrke (when the hell is her new album out?) and the other half is thanks to newcomers Caotico. They're the kind of cool pop band (they look awesome in the video, might I say) that only Sweden can produce. Like an edgier the Similou. The subject of the song is absolutely filthy and the chorus is not something that you're gonna want to play in front of your kids, but none of that really matters to me. It's not about the lyrics (as funny/direct as they are). It's totally the melody and production. There's a huge Prince influence, but it's set against a bubbly electo-pop beat that's just dripping with attitude. Honestly, this song might single-handedly restore my faith in the Swedish indie scene. Do yourself a favor and listen!! The video's pretty damn awesome, too.



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

Tove Styrke - Call My Name

"I'll be waiting over the border"

I am so proud of Sweden for embracing Tove Styrke. She was so obviously the highlight of her year of Swedish Idol, but my favorites don't always become the country's favorites. In this case, even though she finished third, she's carved out quite a nice little career for herself. Her debut (despite being uneven) spawned three hits, and now we're ready for round two. If this (I'm assuming it's the lead single?) is anything to go by, then I am very excited for the new album. She's gone just a bit rockier with this track. Gone are the icy, experimental electronics that characterized many of the older tracks. Instead, this is pure, BIG pop music. It's built on a repetitive hook but doesn't rest on it. In fact, the verses may be my favorite part. Like most Swedish pop songs, they just get it right.

Tove Styrke - Call My Name by NOiSEiT

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

Top 50 Singles of 2010: 45-41

45. The Dirty Disco - Sista!



One of my list’s newer bands, these guys burst on the scene in the best possible way with this rock/electro/glam/hybrid.

44. Hurts - Stay



The first of several songs on the countdown from the group formerly known as Daggers. This is a big, dramatic ballad done right.

43. Example - Last Ones Standing



It’s all about that thundering opening. He found a way to make what can be a niche sound into something stadium-filling. His best single.

42. Tove Styrke - White Light Moment



The Swedish Idol alum proves that she’s the coolest of the cool with this stately electro anthem. Best thing she’s done by far.

41. Marina & The Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot



So good it was released twice. This delicate, icy ballad pushes “quirky” to just the right level. I love it when it takes off at the end.

Tove Styrke - High And Low

"Where's the truth when I need it?"

Time for a belated Tove Styrke post. I had meant to write about this song a few weeks ago when I first heard the album, but it (wrongfully) got lost in the shuffle. As a whole, I've been a little underwhelmed by the album. It's perfectly nice, but the standouts are definitely the singles (especially the closing track). High And Low is my favorite non-single by a mile. It's got a subtle disco-sheen and one of the catchiest melodies on the album. It manages to be slinky and poppy and kind of cold at the same time. Tove's music isn't anything strikingly different than most electro-pop, but she's got the coolest aura about her. From the vocals to image to performance, she is way too cool to come from a reality show. Maybe that's why the album hasn't quite hit me the way I hoped it would. If it's possible, it might just be a little too cool.

Tove Styrke - High And Low 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.

Tove Styrke - White Light Moment

"I want a perfect moment"

Tove Styrke was hands down the best thing about Swedish Idol last year (exhibit a, exhibit b, etc) and now she's set to release what could be one of the best albums of the year. I loved her first single, Million Pieces, more and more as the Summer went on. And this new one? Wow. This is super impressive, especially when you consider that this is her first album. It combines the best elements of Robyn-esque Swedish pop, though the vocal delivery is all Tove's. She's a born star, plain and simple... and not the sort that shows like Idol usually discover. The chorus is just massive. Strangely, the track is the last selection from the album (you can hear clips here). It's a pretty ballsy move, and a testament to how consistent the album's bound to be. It's a shame that she's not getting more attention outside of Sweden because an artist with this much potential doesn't come around too often. We throw around the word "x-factor" all the time. Tove's definitely got it.

Tove Styrke - White Light Moment 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.