Lopez Blogs

My posts often start off with a singular topic in mind (no, really they do) and then a stream of consciousness evolves and I end up writing about 10 different things that are tenuously linked in my brain but perhaps a mishmash of casserole type nonsense to everyone else. So when I planned to do a Pipettes album review (about 6 weeks ago), it then got lumped with a The Like album review, then some stuff about ex-Pipette Rose Elinor Dougal. And from there it has taken a life of it's own in my brain, like one of those monsters whose heads keep growing back each time you chop one off (or something). So here in my own lumped together "unique" never-gonna-change sort of way, are a bunch of lady singers who are all quite good (and who could all do a nice Lilith Fair festival somewhere pleasant and grassy in the UK)...

The Pipettes ~ Earth vs The Pipettes:

Has this album even been released yet? It should be tout de suite if not. The fact that the Pipettes are not one of the UK's foremost pop acts is a constant wonder to me. Their transformation from 50s inspired pop moppets to S/A/W-esque Bananarama-like duo (whilst keeping their knack for creating a whopping melody firmly in tact) has been an interesting & joyous ride to watch. The album is full of charm and disco - Our Love Was Saved By A Spacemen is probably the best transitional song to ease fans in from the brilliant We Are The Pipettes album, while Stop The Music is a lush, sumptuous dance track that Sophie Ellis Bextor would be proud of. Current single (with video above) Call Me is a fun slice of summer pop, with a ridiculously catchy chorus and more than a whiff of glorious eurotrash about it. But to really make people sit up and pay attention to this album, the best two tracks need to be the next two singles ~ Ain't No Talking is an aces jangly guitar piece with a modern, forward thinking chorus; I Need A Little Time is a delicious poptastic groove with a completely "poppers o clock" middle 8 breakdown that just screams bonkers dance routine. Entirely enjoyable and more-ish. Can't wait for more live shows :)

The Like ~ Release Me:

Much like The Pipettes, The Like's second album is a very different kettle of fish to their first. However, it's probably more of a successor to We Are The Pipettes than Earth vs. is as it goes for a 60s girl group vibe, and pulls it off admirably. Song writing, harmonies, melodies, instrumentation and vocals all work together to produce a delightful affair that takes you back to a more innocent bygone era. It's jam packed with some lovely retro-pop nuggets (no surprise that Mark Ronson has a hand in the production of it) with some zinging kiss-off lyrics, particularly in Wishing He Was Dead, He's Not A Boy and the effortlessly amazing Walk Of Shame (which now sounds like something completely inviting). It's a themed album that completely works because they focus on the strong harmonies, lovely melodies and a simplicity that makes you totally fall in like with The Like.

Rose Elinor Dougal ~ Without Why:

Former Pipette Rose (she sang lead on Dirty Mind) has been on my radar mainly to support from smart people like XoLondon and Dan Project 76. Her solo music shows a maturity and sophistication to her work that is both satisfying and rewarding for the listener. Her debut single from 2008, Another Version of a Pop Song is both clever in title and delivery - it's got a raw energy pulsing through it and an insistent refrain that soon weave into your brain synapses like every good pop song should. Conversely, Start/Stop/Synchro has a more timeless, eerie feel to it - all baroque keyboard and twinkling bells. There's more melancholia (is that even a word?) with tunes such as piano/string based Goodnight, with gorgeous and morose lyrics that come alive as musical poetry. Carry On definitely deserves to be a future single with a thumping bassline and infectious use of guitars, mixed with a wonderful chorus. And it's the melancholy juxtaposed with the energy that allows the album to be a freeflowing of creativity that entertains and thought provokes from start to finish.

See also:

• Cookie n Beans ~ Beg, Borrow & Steal: Remember Frida Öhrn, whose gorgeous vocals bought a magical beauty to songs like Release Me & It's Raining In New York by Oh Laura? Well she's now in Swedish country group Cookies n Beans, and their new album features the ever so heartbreaking title track, Beg Borrow and Steal. The added vocals of Charlotte Centervall and Linda Ström add a rich blend to the delivery, and the song is so achingly haunting that it's hard not to be swept up in the raw emotion of it all. A timeless tune that evokes memories of Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and even contemporaries Lady Antebellum - could be massive worldwide given the chance...
• Marit Larsen ~ If A Song Could Get Me You: I've written about this song many times. It was number one on my charts for several weeks in 2008. And it's still bloody brilliant. such a simple, amazing concept of a song that continues to grow and crescendo until those bombastic crashing piano chords in the middle 8 bring it to a gloriously pensive pause before a lyrical lilting melody propels the song to it's romantic, sweet conclusion. Finally released in the UK in September by the very good PopLife folk, it must be huge. Or I will weep.