Lopez Blogs

NOTE: I wanted to write much more extensively about all of these albums, but time prohibits. So i thought i would at least get some rambling thoughts out there...

BWO - Big Science: It's no secret that I think that BWO are one of the most amazing pop groups of the new millenium, and despair that they are not revered on the same level as Girls Aloud are in Britain (imagine Alexander Bard as a judge on the X Factor instead of Cherevyl and watch viewing figures rocket!). I know many people enjoy BWO but do not worship them in quite the same way I do. That's absolutely hunkydory, and i get their reasons for that, but for me they are consistently enjoyable - hence (ooo fancy) You're Not Alone spending four weeks (to date) at the top of the Fizzypop charts. I've been enjoying their fourth album for a couple of days now streamed on the web, and my physical copy is hopefully winging it's way across Europe to me right now. Right here right now in fact (see what I did there?!) - for that is the song that kicks off the album, and will be the marvelous second single. It seems very understated at first - a mid tempo song with a dance beat, some glorious Marina whispery bits and a subdued chorus, but listen to it a few times and it totally transforms into something monstrously huge. Love Came Crashing Down has a great chorus, piano and strings all over the shop and a strong hook - somewhat (though not massively) of a departure for the group and refreshingly so. Great backing vocals too in the last chorus. Now, i love BWO ballads (Destiny of Love, We Could Be Heroes and Open Door are some of my favourite BWO songs) so the current single You're Not Alone and Kings of Tomorrow work well for me in both ballad form and disco remix. The latter reminds me a little of Pet Shop Boys and The Killers yet i'm not sure why. It's very elegant and well constructed and beautifully performed. Quite lovely in fact. As are the lush slower tracks In Too Deep (a lilting melodic number that certainly doesn't get the praise it deserves)and Singing In My Car (which could quite easily be an amazing Westlife comeback single - imagine the power with which they would get up from their stools!!) Burning Down The House is a delirious almost sixties pastiche song that is part The Promise and part Ace of Base song (can't place which one!) - if The Saturdays came back with a song like this, the charts would go into meltdown with popgasmic joy. Possibly. In other words, it's a great song, but almost sounds like a demo for another act. Rise To The Occasion is back to a more Prototype BWO sound and Electronordica are tipping this as a future single. I would be quite happy with that, although I could quite easily pick about 6 singles from this album (or any BWO album for that matter). Rhythm of the Night (not the Corona song!) does what great pop songs should do - think MYOB by Deborah Gibson, Light Years by Kylie, Stay The Night by Alcazar - all have these great expansive choruses, a little bit of quirkiness in there, a hint of novelty, some uplifting disco beats. This song has all of those and yet seems so simple and accessible - like no effort was put into the genius. That's a compliment by the way. Shoot From The Heart and Thunderbolt are just insanely fantastic. Both are massive epic dance numbers, huge choruses, great catchy hooks, much stronger shades of electro-pop than on other tracks and sound more progressive than any of the other tracks. Overall, a very strong album with some variation on the BWO theme. It may not be enough to win over new fans, but it should hopefully appease those who didn't appreciate Fabricator as much. Quite quite euphorically amazing. (I await more cohesive thoughts from PPG!)
Potential singles: You're Not Alone; Right Here Right Now; Rise To The Occasion; Kings of Tomorrow; Shoot From The Heart

Mans Zelmerlow - MZW: I liked Mans' first album. A lot. Then he did the really really cute duet of All I Want For Christmas and I got a bit obsessed. Then he came back with Hope and Glory (check out the utterly brilliant acoustic version above - totally transforms the song into a wistful ballad that may push BWO from the top of my charts this week) and I am utterly hooked. His new album is Very. Good. Indeed. Plus the git looks utterly amazing even in bad lighting. It's like he's been genetically engineered to show aliens what the perfect human should look like. The album has also been genetically engineered to please lovers of great euro-pop songs and ballads like myself, poppostergirl and yuri! Home would be a brilliant follow up to Hope and Glory with it's insistent Black and Gold-esque beat; Forever is one of the best things he's ever recorded (it's on constant repeat!) - the strings, the chorus, the middle eight, his seductive vocals. It's very yummers and very lush and absolutely must be the third single. It must be quite difficult carving out a niche as a male vocalist in Sweden - Danny has the dance-pop thing down, while Darin has dived into the pool of r'n'b electro. Mans strips down to his swim shorts but only flirtatiously dips his toe into the pool of either of those styles and his refusal to commit leads to a more rounded album. Rewind could easily be a Danny track, though Mans vocals make it soar. And don't worry, if for some baffling reason all the dance is getting you down you could try the very beautiful and elegant A Stranger Saved My Life it really is quite wonderful. And the lovely mid-tempo track that closes the album (Hold On) is prettiness indeed. So overall, a solid pop album from Mans that quite rightly delivers the goods in a variety of genres and all while looking bloody amazing! Fantasmick.
Potential singles: Hope and Glory; Home; Forever; Rewind; A Stranger Saved My Life

Kevin Borg - The Beginning: On Swedish Idol, the adorable young Kevin Borg was - much like Shayne Ward 2 years earlier on X Factor (remember Shayne? He was/is fine! RAR!) - a model of diversity, fun, accessibly stylish, excellent pop star hair and powerful vocals. Just check out his Abba cover (Gimme x3) above. However, much like Shayne Ward, not all of those qualities made it to his debut album. The Idol winners album is probably much more analysed than the runners up - and Kevin suffers ever so slightly for it. However (again with the Shayne comparisons!) like Shayne, his utter likeability makes up for the albums (not particularly significant) faults and it is quite the enjoyable listening experience. It's a mixture of emotive ballads, such as the Glenn Mediros tribute With Every Bit of Me, the swooning Out of Time and lush as freshly laundered sheets The Last Words. Kevin pours himself into the songs and makes them shine (like the top of the Chrysler building). Street Lights isn't a particularly inventive single but it works again because it's catchy enough, strings always make a pop song and the delivery and enthusiasm is faultless. There are hints of greatness here (Paint It Black is wonderful and The Light You Leave On has a certain darkness in it's production that's ironic considering the title) that I firmly have hope will manifest on a second album that will have more time spent on it. Just to be clear though - i really like this album! I just think it could have been even more marvelous had it been delayed a couple of months :)
Potential singles: With Every Bit of Me; Street Lights; Paint It Black; Out of Time