Lopez Blogs

Effective energy kick for everyone who just woke up or extremely needs to be musically cheered up!
Treadstone, new Swedish rock-band, is ready for release debut album "A New Day Sun" already this September and the first sneak peek we've got is the first single "Six Feet Under".
Band was formed in 2007 and since that hardly worked on material inspired by 60's rock and some modern American rock-bands getting support of producer Peter Månsson (Darin, Neverstore, Markus Fagervall, Kevin Borg, Erik Grönwall, etc.) and were signed by big label Bonnier Amigo. In 2009 they've made some final touches on the album with band's friends Mats Levén (Yngwie Malmsteen, Therion, etc.), Eric Dubowsky (Weezer, Taylor Hawkins, etc.), Johan Carlsson (Carolina Liar) and started touring and prepare public for very close release of forthcoming album.
"Six Feet Under" is very dynamic powerful song with Foo Fighters' vibes, nice tune and whole bunch of energy highly recommending band as one of the last most interesting and promising rock-formations of Sweden.

It was really tough year for Alcazar. First time in their career they've failed to reach final of Melodifestivalen that turned to a big shock for the band, however their song "Headlines" has become another Top-10 hit in Sweden and band started to prepare for Summer Diggiloo-tour when Lina's problems with health turned to be critical and bleedings causing collapce during one of rehearsals forced her to stop work and Andreas with Tess had to keep giving planned concerts without her. However Summer turned to end happily for the band. Andreas has made marriage proposal to his boyfriend Niklas Hogner during interview on the radio and has got confirmation in a few minutes by phone (they plan to get married next year). Lina has got better, come back to work and moved with Nassim al Fakir in their new love nest in Stockholm. So finally they are back, Gods of glamour and disco - Alcazar! Check their performance at Bingolotto (though I never was a fan of this song, Alcazar lifts every song by performance 10 feet higher).

If you've missed earlier few weeks ago Annikafiore (amazing ex-part of Alcazar) debuted as solo-singer singing Official Copenhagen Pride Song 2010 "Forbidden Love" - dark electronic experimental track that got video-treatment that you can watch below (you can also check new Annnikafiore's site). It's difficult to call hit-stuff but every step of this brilliant artist will always be very welcome in Swedish pop fans community and hopefully we'll get other new songs from Annikafiore soon.

Finally I'd like to share with you these few funny old videos which I've discovered recently made by drag show Diamond Dogs, in first one you can see day of Diamond Dogs with Alcazar and in second Andreas protecting his privacy from Diamond Dogs following every his step.

Polar Music Prize is annual event organized by Royal Swedish Academy of Music when two notable musicians (in popular and classic music) from different countries are awarded already more than 20 years. This year awards were given to Björk and Ennio Morricone. Robyn as one of the most successful Swedish artists were chosen to perform cover of Björk's hit "Hyperballad". Robyn as well was invited to perform on VMA-2010 on September 12, by rumours she's gonna perform completely new mix of "Dancing On My Own" in collaboration with Deadmau5 and now you can enjoy this touching performance at Polar Music Prize.

For those who wants to hear something completely new from Robyn here is brand new collaboration "Bad Gal" with Savage Skulls & Douster that by rumours must be released as bonus-track on "Body Talk Pt. 2" and for sure on Savage Skulls & Douster's EP "Get Rich or High Trying" already tomorrow. It's a little funny electonic experiment that should sound very welcome and proper on new Robyn's album.

And I've got something for dessert. Remember I told you about virtual Live-löpet concerts recently? Have missed Robyn's gig? Don't get upset as you can find some of her performances on youtube and right here.

Robyn - Dancehall Queen (Live-löpet)
Robyn - Dancing on My Own (Live-löpet)
Robyn - Hang with Me (Live-löpet)
Robyn - With Every Heartbeat (Live-löpet)

Every year a lot of Swedish artists represent country in two huge Polish festivals in Sopot (both are very spectacular and you can see many European big international stars there). This year plans of both festivals were broken with reconstruction of Opera Leśna which was always a place for these events. However though Sopot Festival had to be cancelled, another one - Sopot Hit Festiwal was moved to Bydgoszcz and surprisingly visually it almost didn't affect beauty of this show featuring such stars like Ameerah, Locnville, Lou Bega, Safri Duo, Tom Boxer and others.
This time we could see Sopot-veteran Velvet on the stage, I think Jenny performed almost all tracks of her second album for the last few years of her participance so now it was turn of "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" that she presented in a torn bridal veil, not that we know for sure but obviously it was made by her jealous rivals and isn't it great that Jenny was able to show such a flawless vocals and nice performance after it? Another Swedish contestant was Pauline with one of her latest hits "Never Said I Was An Angel", it was sweet and funny performance with Pauline walking around the stage like she came out there ocassionally, she was waving to audience and asked "How are you?", audience obviously felt fine and Pauline probably even better. Third Swedish contestant was newcomer Carina Dahl with debut single "Screw" and this performance was otherwise overfilled with concentration and energy of the singer, Carina looked and sounded like she was ready to tear stadium to pieces, very appreciated confidence for newcomer! Though Poland didn't appreaciate it enough and Carina took 13th place, Pauline - 8th and Velvet - 7th. However Ameerah with Didrik Thott's written "The Sound Of Missing You" won first round of voting with Anders Bagge's written "Drip Drop" by Safura on 5th and final voting was won by another Scandinavians - Safri Duo so let's hope next year will be more successful for Swedes as every year they try to provide really worthy artists and songs.

Another famous Swedish artist competing in Polish music contest these days was Anna Bergendahl who performed her hit "This is my life" at Orange Warsaw Festival and took 3rd place, watch fan's recorder performance here.

The rural retreat continues - and I managed to get the internet connection to work well enough today that I caught the delightful Elouise have a chat with my beloved Larry Flick on The Morning Jolt. It was serendipity - the connection had been down all day, but just as we were having a yummy lunch, the gods smiled and it lasted all through to the second play of Winner Takes It All. Aceballs. Here's my thoughts on the two new Elouise tracks that will keep me going until Stardust live on 11th September (follow Elouise on twitter here)...

Stardust ~ ever wonder what happened to snow white, belle, princess jasmin et al after the Disney movie had finished? Stardust is their tale. It's 10 years later, the bloom has faded on the rose, they don't look at the prince the same way and he doesn't see her as a doe eyed cheerleader. But there is still magic and sparkle in their world and they are going to sing it out at the Princess bar downtown...Stardust the song feels like it's part of a greater musical canvas that Elouise will reveal as part of her debut album. In that sense, it's like Liza Minelli's Cabaret or Barry Manilow's Copacabana - a song that tells it's own tale, has it's own pathos and passion, yet also fits in as part of a greater aural musical theatre. It begins with an acapella vocal by Elouise prior to some lush piano coming in. This works amazingly well for her voice - you can visualise that Princess bar, a slightly smoky atmosphere, the tinge of sadness in the air but the absolute power and passion in the delivery that makes you feel that a) she doesn't regret these sad memories for they have made her who she is and created her musical aura and b) she's ready to take these experiences and let other people learn from them - and from this, there's a joy in the sadness that eventually gives Stardust a somewhat playful feel. At 90s or so, there's a big drum roll and the song takes on a more jazzy feel with a gorgeous brass section that has a great rhythmic beat to it and perfectly frames Elouise and the swooning backing vocals. Beautifully produced, it soars as an antidote to some of the more soulless concoctions that pervade radio and takes the listener back to a time where gimmicks weren't needed - an impassioned delivery that matches (rather than is swallowed by) the instrumentation and tells a story that is both graceful and yearning. Absolutely heavenly. As an album/show opener (or closer), this is nigh on perfection in the world Elouise (and her musical team) have created.

The Winner Takes It All ~ Weirdly, before I even knew Elouise had recorded this song, I was asking her some questions for an upcoming interview that make me feel quite prophetic right about now. There's always a danger in ANYONE covering an Abba song, no less one that has had it's place most recently in Mamma Mia and a Kylie & Dannii duet. This is a different concoction and rather than producing something lazy that would more than have sufficed (I suspect whatever arrangement there was, Elouise would have carried it off vocally), this production feels uniquely created for Elouise, her album and her show. There is a lot going on in the background, but it doesn't feel cluttered, neither does the stunning backing track take over. It works seamlessly to complement Elouise's vocal delivery... She knows when to show restraint, when to let loose and when to temper her voice just in time to let the song holistically shine. Essentially, the instrumental builds and is continually layered as the song moves and breathes. The second verse is particularly gorgeous with piano chords playing off against strings and a lilting piano melody with an amazing ascending crescendo of notes bringing back the crashing drums. Fireworks explode in the sky with this song. It's instantly become one of my very favourite versions of the tune I've ever heard. "No self confidence - but you see..." becomes a five second menagerie of emotions from fragility, humility and sheer determination. To deliver that perfectly is a testament to Elouise's understanding of the song and her knowledge of how and when to control what comes out of those powerful singing lungs of hers. Expect this to debut high on my chart this Sunday. I'm stunned...
More Elouise at her own site and interview at Bobbypops...
Coming soon: Gravitonas! Darin! Their new videos and interviews :)

Kim Kardashian 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Arrivals Kim Kardashian arrives at the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on August 29, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.

Katy Perry Splash Bar

Katy Perry Visits Splash Bar Singer Katy Perry arrives at Splash Bar on August 27, 2010 in New York City.

Kylie Minogue 3rd Annual Watermill Center Concert

3rd Annual Watermill Center Concert Kylie Minogue Singer Kylie Minogue performs at The Watermill Center dated August 28, 2010 in Water Mill, New York.

Jessica Alba Daughter Honor

Jessica Alba and Honor at the Griddle Cafe daughter Honor to The Griddle Cafe dated August 28, 2010.

Britney Spears and Jason Trawick

Britney Spears and Jason Trawick Hotel in Hawaii boyfriend Jason Trawick wedding ceremony balcony of their luxury Hawaiian dated August 28, 2010.

Blimey. A lot has happened in one week regarding le factor de X. There has been a big autotune row. Shirleen may not be well enough to continue on the show. Katie Wassail (who I adore) may be disqualified because she has a recording contract in America. Sweet Michelle McManus! The controversy! I'm sure all of this will do nothing but further drive up the ratings. A fifth of the country watched last Saturday. Astonishing. Let's see if this week's installment of the best scripted show on television is as amazing....(Ps, i'll try and add youtube clips but I'm in deepest darkest countryside and my internet "dongle" isn't the most reliable with no signal!!)

• The guest judge is Katy Perry this week. She irritates me almost as much as Lady Gaga (and future judge Pixie Lott) so god knows how I will be able to cope with her of the paper thin vocals dishing out critiques to other people with marginally better vocals than her...
• Apparently the whole of Ireland has turned out for this week's auditions in Dublin. I'm sure there must be a nice cute Irish boyband out there somewhere...
• Temple Fire ~ ooo i swear I didn't know they would start with a boyband when I typed that sentence. However, I don't think I would have ever have typed "cute" if I had known this boyband was next. Miaow. (Dermot however once again looks rather delicious). They think they can sell more records than Take That. This is a dubious claim but it's such a blooding leading question and another X Factor Cliche. Jesus, I can't even watch. It's beyond dreadful - it's Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. The most entertaining thing about it is that one bloke nearly falls over everytime he does a spin around. GHASTLY.
• (Lots more dreadful auditions happen and Katy Perry says "i came all the way here for this?" What a mare. She got paid didn't she?!)
• Stephen - is a beach lifeguard and is quite pleasant to look at. Louis naturally says yes, and Katy does the only good thing she is likely to do in her career; she asks Stephen to take his top off. What is beneath is also quite pleasant to look at. He's through, but Simon hated his vocals. Honestly, I didn't really pay much attention to what he sounded like :P Simon says no to a lot of people after poor Stephen, including a weird girl group called Sugar Tits or something...
• Mary ~ she is 50 and works on till four in Tescos. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this at all, but something about how she is always on the same till all the time makes me want to weep with sorrow. She sings a Tom Jones number, which is a risky little game, but one that actually pays off. I'm not always a fan of the older contestants, but I quite like Mary. No doubt everyone will compare her to Susan Boyle, but she has a much less hairy top lip and a much nicer line in smart pants suits. She has a nice husky tone to her vocal and I'm quite taken by her. Though I suspect I wouldn't buy an album from her, because I thin Elouise would do it better. Ooo, X Factor Cliche - sad plinky plonky piano music as the audience cheer her. Marvy. Simon basically tells Katy to shut the hell up because she doesn't know what she's blathering on about. Not in quite those words but I choose to read between the lines.
• Dublin is over now and we are "back" in London with no guest judge "again" (ie, they are not back in London at all, but it's the same auditions from last week)... first up is Matt, a painter, which means he is used to be sprayed with magnolia goo all over his face. He's quite scruffy, but there's a charm behind all his desperate need for a makeover. A shower, haircut and shave would go a look way to making him look quite presentable. I quite liked his rendition of Amy Housewine's I'm No Good. Not sure if it's good enough yet for live shows, but maybe he'll shine at bootcamp. I'm willing to give him a bit of a go. (Stephen takes this week's X Factor cosmic horn alert though!)
• Michael - he looks like Adam Lambert dressed as Michael Jackson. Michael feels Michael Jackson's spirit. Honestly, he's been in heaven barely two minutes in the eternal scheme of things, and already he's popping down to some nobody from London to help him spread love, magic and positivity. Simon quite rightly rolls his eyes. Mine are rolling so hard, I'm pretty sure I'm having a seizure and have to call to Darren to bring me a revitalising Mars drink. As I knew he would be, not-MichaelJackson is rubbish vocally and dancewise. Why oh why do they let him sing for so long? Though his dancing in the chorus makes me laugh quite a lot. I think deep down I must be some sort of awful human being..."It was a bad Michael impersonation - it was Latoya" says Louis in his wittiest quote ever. NotMichaelJackson has a right queeny strop. Even I am screaming off off off off. Someone get SImon's burly security guard to physically remove him.
• The Reason - potentially decent and fairly attractive boyband alert!! One of them has those earrings in that leave a big hole in your ear, which always terrify me for some reason. They are a bit older than your average boyband, but they are packing some wicked guns and a nice line in hair styling (well two of them) so it's all boding well. They essentially do The Wanted's b-side Fight For This Love (a la Cherevil Cole) and like The Wanted b-side, it's nice enough. Some of their harmony choices are a bit dubious, but the harmonies work well if that makes sense (ie, I wouldn't have quite harmonised it in that way, but what do I know?!)...It sort of never really gets going, but i'd really like to hear more from this group so I'm pleased that they are through to the next stage...
• Seven do a very Glee version of a Lady Gaga medley. They seem very pop group and i would probably like them quite a lot if they got through; Hustle do a very cool electro version of Walk Like An Egyptian; Princes & Rogues (love the name) do Forever Is Over better than The Saturdays (not saying much) so I quite like them to. God I'm easily pleased today aren't I? I think it's cos I'm on holiday :)
• Annastasia - got through to judges houses in 2008 (X FACTOR CLICHE ALERT) and completely fell apart when Cheryl said she was a bit shit. My god, she is only 21 - she looks so much older. She does Proud Mary and Simon stops it before it gets to the good bit (not that she would have done it well, and Simon compares her to a tranny which is up there with Louis' LaToya quip). X FACTOR CLICHE ALERT - she has another song prepared, nails it (in the judges opinion, not in mine - it's unremarkable, I was more scared that she would inhale the mike), and gets through (though Louis says it is night and day. I choose to hear that he thinks it is like Knight and Day, the Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz fiasco). Yawn. I preferred Proud Mary. I guess I just like it rough :P oh. that's the end of the show. What a disappointing ending performance. More next week :)

Tomorrow ~ ELOUISE!!

That boyband blog I keep wanting to do keeps getting pushed further and further back. By the time I get round to it, it will be completely irrelevant. Having said that, after yesterday's love spaff over the Robbie & Gary duet (Robbary? Garobbie? Gobby?!), I've been listening to the greatest hits of Take That (post 2006) while packing for a lovely week away in the cottage down in the hidden countryside of East Sussex. Cannot wait. All this Robbie love has reminded me that it's nigh on 10 years since the appearance of my second favourite male singer of all time (Simon Curtis, you're third!) William of Young, so this week's update is mainly focused on what the charming chappie is up to...

William of Young - the latest:

William has been seriously dabbling with his acting for a while now, hasn't he? There was Mrs Henderson Presents (with some music. Yay!); then he was rather spiffing as Nicky Lancaster in Noel Coward's The Vortex on the very boards of London's own West End Wendy theatre district (which as someone quite rightly pointed out wasn't in the West End at all but rather in Manchester. A Manchester Theatre Mandy!); you may have missed him voicing Roald Dahl's Danny Champion Of The World but it's still available at all good audio book emporioums as we speak; and of course most recently he's guested in Skins and uh, Miss Marple (surely Doctor Who must be needing him soon?!) Anyway, early in 2011, William will be back on UK screens in a spooky new drama called Bedlam. Apparently it's about residents in an apartment block that is the former site of a victorian mental asylum. Lordy. It's bound to be utterly terrifying. I'm quaking at the horrors of the wardrobe already :P

And, though this isn't 'new' news, William of course has been knocking around with Groove Armada and recorded a song with them called History. The track seems to have been around forever and a day, but is finally getting a release - and a rather good video has popped up on youtube (thanks Dan Project 76!!). It gives William a bit of a boot into the world of dance that he's always been threatening to delve into rather than the toe-dipping that has gone on in the past (mainly with Fred Falke remixes)... It's essentially Small Town Boy by Bronski Beat for 2010, but so very well done that it's hard to complain. If you search around you will probably come across a Grum remix here or there, and both mixes are a real testament to how versatile William is as a vocalist. Utterly delightful and quite shameful that I haven't blogged about this properly before. Oh and the "viral video" above is a proper clever piece of work :)

Top 21 songs of the week:

21 ~ Eric Saade, It's Gonna Rain
20 ~ Kylie, All The Lovers
19 ~ Same Difference, Shine On Forever
18 ~ Brandon Flowers, Crossfire
17 ~ Gabriella Cilmi, Love Me Cos You Want To
16 ~ Alesha Dixon, Drummer Boy
15 ~ Bright Light x 2, Love Part II
14 ~ McFly, Party Girl
13 ~ Ace Of Base, All For You (VID)
12 ~ Amy Meredith, Lying
11 ~ Sophie Ellis Bextor, Not Giving Up On Love
10 ~ Maroon 5, Misery
09 ~ Maroon 5, Give A Little More
08 ~ Eric Saade, Masquerade
07 ~ Scissor Sisters, Any Which Way
06 ~ Kelly Rowland, Shake Them Haters Off
05 ~ Robbie Williams/Gary Barlow, Shame (NE)
04 ~ DeeDee, Balls
03 ~ Kylie, Get Outta My Way
02 ~ Darin, Lovekiller
01 ~ Gravitonas, Religious (1 week)

Next week: Some interviews (ooer!); The X Factor - auditions week two; possibly the boyband post; the embargoed thingy! MY HOLIDAY!!!