Yes! Yes! Yes! It's been awhile since Crayon Pop have graced us with their uniquely quirky brand of addictive pop, but now they've returned with a track that's almost impossibly catchy. Better yet, it's paired with a music video that awakens the nostalgic 90's child in me. Though it's not specifically what's being parodied here, most western viewers are going to see a whole lot of Power Rangers and Sailor Moon in the colorful video. It's pure, giddy eye candy. But even if we take the visuals away, there's absolutely no denying the candy-coated assault going on in the music itself. The beat is big and bright and propulsive. The melody of the chorus reminds me a bit of AOA's similarly catchy Elvis, but even better. It simply doesn't let up. The girls are well and truly back.
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the mini album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.
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.
Despite loving the Killers' first few albums, I can't say I was overly excited at the prospect of another solo album by frontman Brandon Flowers. I think I assumed it would be mostly downtempo and serious. Well, it's not! The first single, at least, takes a welcome tilt back to the 80's pop direction that made me love the band in the first place. It actually sounds like something that would have been on Bleachers' excellent 2014 album. It's got an explosive, catchy hook and atmospheric synths that make it sound like a long-lost soundtrack cut to some 80's movie. Color me surprised. My interest is officially reignited (as long as the rest of the album follows suit...).
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.
After participating in this year's Melodifestivalen final, Magnus Carlsson went ahead and released an awesome pop/schlager album. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with the schlager genre, think super catchy, singalong pop music. Like, SUPER catchy. It's a hallmark of Scandinavian music, and one of my favorite things about it is that it doesn't take itself seriously. Instead, it jettisons all pretenses and goes balls-to-the-wall hardcore to make the best, most urgently awesome melody that it can muster. It's also a genre that's not as prevalent in today's cynical music scene. Too often dismissed as a cheesy "guilty pleasure," schlager deserves to be spotlighted. Magnus has always done an amazing job doing just that. Take Nej Nej Nej as an example. If you can't get in to this, I feel sorry a little bit sorry for you. Take a cue from this awesome interpreter, who provided sign language for Magnus's MF entry. It'll brighten your day... maybe even your month!
No embeddable link, but you can stream the song here
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.
...Transmissions come in from outposts all over the universe... Unfamiliar melodies stream into our radios... Fronted by colorful aliens with big voices... The music begins to catch on ... It's in our heads and it refuses to leave... And we like it...