Lopez Blogs

Let's not discuss the awfulosity that was today. Let's just get straight into some proper bonza Scandanavian pop genius. Smashing...

Alphabeat ~ Heatwave:

Basically, this is the fourth single from Alphabeat's very good indeed second album "The Beat Is..." The album has taken on a bit of a second life for me this summer as many of the tunes are perfect for the sunshiney stroll to work. Heatwave is definitely a brillo summer single, but I am still yearning for the astounding Chess (it's like A*Teens never split up) or brillo The Right Thing as a single. Anyway, here's what they did with the video...

• It's one of those filmed themselves jobbies, which can either be a bit of a disaster or utterly charming. They are lucky that this is definitely the latter...
• The opening shots are of their tour bus, and they all exit it in a slightly speeded up fashion - much like as if they were in a carry on film. Carry On Popping...
• You then see the tour set getting ready. You can tell Alphabeat are proper pop stars because they sit around looking gorgeous while lots of beefy and bear-like roadies haul their stuff onto the stage.
• The band are fiddling with their hair. I don't say this as a criticism because, as long time readers will know, pop star hair is very important indeed. basically, Stine and Anders look proper good. They then huddle in a prayer circle...
• The concert is now in full swing, there are lots of bow ties worn by the band (as nu-Dr who says "bow ties are cool") and Stine is singing her little socks off.
• The REAL draw here is the banging that Anders is enthusiastically giving that tambourine. Oh. My. God. I've never wanted to be a tambourine more!!
• Pause at 54s and there are some enthusiastic fans going bonkers - and quite rightly so - for the music. One of them is in an ironically cool Empire Strikes Back t-shirt. And has potentially good pop star hair. Amazing.
• Pause at 56s and there is a rather lovely and tender Stine/Anders moment. It is like Titanic but without the horrible fear and death at the end...
• Lots of fans do things like kiss the camera, take pics, raise their sunglasses and get on their fella's shoulders, which is sometimes quite annoying if you are the person behind them (depending on how yummy their bottom is) :P
• There are then some good shots of people's grubby dancing footwear juxtaposed (love that word) with Stine's lovely black heels. Make the effort grubby festival people! Stine has shown you right up ;)
• Oh no, apologies. I take back the grubby footwear "diss" - the band are all in comfortable foot couture too and the drummer has some amazing zebra patterned socks on. I want them. Washed, unwashed, I don't really care :)
• The band are now doing a meet and greet and signing lots of things. how nice. I never go to these things, I always end up in dork mode - when Nerina Pallot signed a cd for me, all I could talk about was the Bette Midler song Otto Titsling. What was I thinking?!
• ICONIC POP SHOT ALERT - 2m6s - Anders is doing an amazing Christlike pose, and the tambourine could be his crown of thorns. His face is all sorts of emotions. Passion Of The Anders.
• Then he's off again, making me want to be a tambourine. The crowd are eating out of the palm of their hands. Putty, if you will.
• Ok, surely it must be near the end of their set as they are all very sweaty. Except Stine, who has clearly got the superhuman ability to not sweat at all. Or uses driclor.
• am loving the close-ups of the stage. The pulsing drum. The glittering disco ball. The keyboardist's fingers working a mile a minute. The game of tambourine catch.
• And then the bow. And copious amounts of applause. back on the bus. The game starts all over again.
• Really engaging and fun video that brings the outdoors inside as you want to sing the song all over again. Heatwave indeed :) Love it.

Eric Saade ~ Masquerade:

I feel another eric-tion coming on! Look, ok I would have basically swapped Break of Dawn til Christmas and had It's Gonna Rain as the summer smash, but that's over and done with now and the perky pop goodness of Masquerade is exactly the single needed from Eric at the moment. The boy has become a genuine pop treat and I hope he reaches a wider audience outside Sweden with his next album. You'll need to read the breakdown for Break of Dawn first because Masquerade is the sequel. Thanks to scandipop for the heads up!

• Ooo the video starts with some sort of exciting carnival and a girl being twirled around. How fun!
• No it doesn't you twazzock, that's just the advert at the beginning of the video, but oh my, I do quite like the look of that little camera. No, the video begins with Eric sweeping the floor all barefoot and humble. Just as Break of Dawn ended. It's cinderfella!
• Saucy Michele Deliche walks in and Eric Cinderfella looks all concerned but soon gives in as she pushes him against the wall and goes in for some lip nibbling, which when i was growing up was number 6 on the sauce-o-meter!
• Oh no! Eric Cinderfella was right to look all worried. Her gentry friends are already looking for her and she has only been gone a few seconds. The aristocracy are SO needy...
• I love how as she leaves, she runs her fingers down Eric Cinderfella's swan like neck, and he puts his hand up where she has touched. I'm sure it's for romantic reasons but it looks more like "damn! Bitch better have not robbed mama's good luck charm necklace!" Michele turns round and gives the best "sssh" fingers to lips this side of Ari in Pretty Little Liars...
• And the song hasn't even started yet! Amazing!
• Oh now it starts. Basically gentry friends give Michele a filthy look, while back in the barn Eric Cinderfella pulls out a suitcase, strips (oo-er) and starts to put on his fine clobber.
• Pleasingly, it takes him a good few seconds to do up his fancy shirt. Buttons can be tricky can't they? He also has a mask and I sense he is going to go in disguise to a masked ball! This IS Cinderfella!
• Eric Cinderfella enters the masked ball and does what anybody trying to blend in would do - draws attention to himself by barging in singing his catchy chorus, throwing his coat at someone who clearly isn't the servant boy and grabbing people looking for Michele. Eric, dear, you are dangerously close to entering Lois Lane Doesn't Recognise Clark Kent Is Superman territory. It's obviously which one Michele Deliche is. Silly billy...
• He finally finds her and drags her off to a private little room. Actually it's just like he's travelled back in time and entered the set of Steps' It's The Way You Make Me Feel (still a brillo song)...
• Eric Cinderfella is clearly a bit angry and getting a bit shouty. Michele is a bit patronising and goes in for the snog. Her feminine wyles won't get her out of this situation will they? Surely coming clean rather than using him as a sex toy is the best option (*ponders that for a minute* :P )
• Noooo! He spends most of the second chorus smooching the face off her and going for some sexy thigh grabbing action. Meanwhile the party carries on and Michele is distracted by what happens next. Ooo I am liking her less and less...
• The church elders are not happy when Eric runs out to the party sans mask. He gets dragged away - it's not clear whether it is because he is not wearing his mask and this is the rule, or whether it is because he has pitched above his station?!
• But who cares because it leads to Eric In Bondage! Oh my. All chained up and nowhere to go. Qu'elle domage :P
• Oh blimey! He's going to be beheaded. That's a bit harsh isn't it?! Perhaps a good spanking might sort him out instead! But the drama is delicious...
• Oh my Christ. He sings a last plea to Michele, who doesn't save him and we are left thinking that Eric has been beheaded. The End pops up on the screen! Oh Eric. We barely knew thee... life can be so cruel :/
• For a happier version of the song, check out this exuberant and lovely live performance instead here :)