Lopez Blogs

Oh there has been a smorgasboard of quality releases from Europe this past week or so. I've been itching to write about them, but needed time to give them their due and let them marinate with me for a little while. Or some such shit. However, heed my warning kiddies - it's important not to get behind during this fiercely competitive last quarter of 2010. There is going to be such a high volume of mammoth new albums for your enjoyment, so do please try and keep up :)

The boys:

• Ola ~ Ola: I've always been partial to a bit of Ola, but for some reason he's never been up there with my swedish boypop majesty (Darin, Mans Zelmerlow and now of course Eric Saade - talking of whom, can we please have the excellent Charlie Mason penned Upgrade as a single at somepoint with some deliriously brilliant robotic video?). No, much like Danny and Magnus, he's delighted me with his output but i've never been totally obsessed. Until now. Everything about his latest album comes across like a glorious declaration of independence - the charming versions of Ola on the cover (nerdy Ola is my fave) and the varying styles of music contained within the album that mesh wonderfully together. There's the ones we already know about - soaring, uplifting pop epic Unstoppable, Jason Mraz-esque (a perkier I'm Yours) Overdrive & international-hit-in-waiting All Over The World; alone these would be enough to send your pop sensibilities wild. Yet of course there's more - the Dr Luke produced Riot comes across as a Ke$ha type tune (if Ke$ha had an iota of class of course), and has an absolutely banging chorus. It's effortlessly fun and has massive potential to be a smash single in so many territories, given the right opportunity. YTG is just out and out pop at it's finest and guaranteed to put a smile on your face, if only for the year's most outlandish lyric "hold it in your hand for every bitch to see" (his heart you filthy urchins). Beautiful Rain is one of several ballads, but stands out for being slightly more uptempo and having a beautiful electro-torch song type arrangement that sounds just lovely. Of the other ballads, Still Remember absolutely has to be a single despite being on the Overdrive EP (they really put so many great tunes on that one EP, and this one has really grown on me since my first review!)... A fine fine collection of songs that has elevated Ola from tres bon to magnifico in my eyes :) See Scandipop review/interview also per favor...
• Bjorn Johan Muri - Airwaves: fade to grey because the visage inspired (to an extent) Bjorn solo album is finally here! I sort of feel that Bjorn hasn't had the record company support he deserves after the amazing Yes Man single so I'm pleased an album is finally here (though ridiculously hard to get outside of Norway). Yes Man is still a definite highlight and a deserved success in his native Norway (surprised Joe McElderry hasn't nicked this song too) and his later singles, Circles and Once Upon A Time sit much better within the context of the album than they do on their own. It's like they finally make sense. Bjorn often comes across as a cheeky chav of a performer, but his music is firmly 80s based with big drums and beats weaving through his songs. The title track definitely needs to be a single - and is similar to the increasingly engaging Once Upon A Time (that rap is still entirely needless). There's also a gorgeous ballad duet Nobody Knows which really highlights what a great vocalist Bjorn is. It falls apart a bit towards the end but is bought back together with his pleasing debut single The Beauty Of Who You Are. Certainly a good debut and I'm eager to see how Bjorn develops...

Ola singles: Unstoppable; Overdrive; All Over The World; Riot; Still Remember
Bjorn singles: Beauty Of Who You Are; Yes Man; Circles; Once Upon A Time; Airwaves

The groups:

• Ace of Base - Golden Ratio: Blimey. La base are putting out albums about as quickly as Debbie Gibson (her last one was 2003; theirs 2002). never mind, they are back and overall, it's exciting to have them in the 2010 pop landscape! And not only because Ulf has become a style icon for DILFs everywhere (rar, etc). All For You was/is a delightful reintroduction to the group that perhaps echoes their Beautiful Life sound rather than The Sign, but wonderfully welcome all the same. The (new) girls take most of the vocal responsibility on the album, which is a bit of a shame - i'd have liked it spread around a bit more, but the tracks that work (and there are many) are quite marvelous. If you want the sound of The Sign, then you could do a lot worse than the enticing Bla Bla Bla (lyrically a modern day Reynolds Girls "I'd Rather Jack") or the previously leaked Mr Replay, with it's superb chorus (but dreadful rap). More dance inspired goodness a la All For You comes in the form of the title track (which is a little bit Poker Face/Cascada attempt to do Lady gaga sound, but very good with it - though the pronounciation of ratio leaves something to be desired :P); Black Sea (which is all sorts of immense, a proper pop classic in the making and should absolutely have been the first single, but oh well) and Doreen (another incredibly strong pop creation that simply soars from first listen). I'd have placed Vision In Blue at the end of the album myself - it's a pretty song to end on and quite charming. This could be milked for singles for months. No wonder Simon Curtis cites them as one of his main influences for his upcoming album. Immensicles.
• Infernal ~ Fall From Grace: A bold album title that could backfire a bit, as there's nothing on here that is quite as brilliant as Redefinition or Punk Disco. However, following a couple of listens, it's actually a solid pop album that should sustain their loyal following for a good while yet. Love Is All remains a strong, if not outstanding pop-dance single that bubbles along nicely. New single Alone Together has shades of Abba with Please Yourself era Bananarama and that can only be a good thing. it's a much stronger option than Love Is All and a decent reminder of how great they can be. The rest of the album weaves together a pop tapestry of danceable numbers including the scintillating title track and frankly quite bonkers Weird How You. There are flashes of brilliance in the final four tracks of the album when the duo pull out the stops to complete their journey on a flaming high. Nice to have them back :) More Paw photoshoots please :P

Ace of Base singles ~ All For You; Black Sea; Golden Ratio; Doreen; Vision In Blue
Infernal singles ~ Love Is All; Alone, Together; Bite The Bullet; Fall From Grace

It was sort of inevitable that the week would end on a glorious note no matter what you were doing. It seemed that everyone was holding their breath, tuned to Radio 1 for Kylie Minogue to premiere her new single All The Lovers. It seemed also that there was far more anticipation to this track than there had been to the X lead off single 2 Hearts... perhaps because it was easy to hear Kish Mauve's version prior to Kylie's not entirely different version, so people had a sense of what was coming. This was brand new and transported me back to the time when I was glued to the tranny (that's what my grandma called the radio at her house back in the old days i.e. 1989; i wasn't literally glued to a transvestite or anything) at me granny's house waiting for Wouldn't Change A Thing to premiere. There's something quite magical about hearing a song for the first time with the rest of the world rather than it dribbling onto the internet for download when ever anyone choses to discover it. Then of course... "Dance... it's all I wanna do, so won't you dance?" happened and there was no seeming about it - the world had changed irrevocably and an epic new Kylie anthem was being birthed right before my ears. It's beautifully seductive, it crescendos throughout until a brief pause in the middle 8 - which then explodes like a shower of glitter, it's delightfully romantic, it feels warm like a totally enveloping hug and it's timeless while being totally relevant for today's pop market. I can't think of how any other comeback tune would have pleased me more and of course for that reason, she storms to the top of my chart this week, doubling the plays of the no.2 song (which is still vair bon). I'm entirely and completely obsessed... However, if you need a break from playing there are a few other new songs worthy of your attention to...

Other songs that are ace new this weekend:

• Dirty Disco ~ White Room: I was heavily in love with Sista! and Vulture, so I was excited to hear the official single from the glam-electro pop posse but apprehensive in case it didn't live up to my expectations. I'm pleased to say that it's an absolutely amazemont song and a brilliant choice of single - it's actually quite a dark subject matter (set to a zippy beat) about people trying to fix you when you don't quite fit in, but it's you that has to accept you are ok with your place in the world. It's placed over a bonkers synth and guitar riff, has an instantly memorable chorus and the most genius middle 8 that the world will want to chant over and over again. Effortlessly engaging, this deserves to be very very huge indeed. Check out their blog with free remixes here...
• Infernal ~ Love Is All: There's more summer anthems this year than you can shake a stick at (whatever that means) and it's only bloody May! The ace Danish duo are back with a tune that, granted, isn't as immensicles as Punk Disco or the stunning Redefinition but it is pretty much their take on When Love Takes Over and is quite pleasing from start to finish. It's got that classic rave element to it and bodes well for the upcoming album. Paw still looks delicious of course :)
• Armand Deluxe ft Adam Tyler ~ Demented: Hurrah! More new Adam music and this is dirty little groove that is vaguely reminiscent of Britney's Slave 4 U and it's a darker more insistent vibe that I've heard from Adam in the past. That's not to say I don't love it because I do - it's very insiduous and each listen draws you deeper into the darkness of the song. Great lyrics, a tremendous vocal and that hypnotic beat makes this a total winner. I love a slice of ominous, obsessive love in a smart boy-pop song and this delivers in spades. More more more please. PS, Armand Deluxe has also done a remix of the former fizzypop number one Friction that is proper stomping!

Top 21 Songs of the Week:

21 ~ Darin, You're Out Of My Life
20 ~ Alcazar, Headlines
19 ~ Neo, Human Frontier
18 ~ Ola, Unstoppable
17 ~ Mariah Carey, 100%
16 ~ Simon Curtis, Super Psycho Love
15 ~ Donkeyboy, Sometimes
14 ~ Gravitonas, Kites
13 ~ Kimberley Locke, Strobelight
12 ~ Mika, Kick Ass
11 ~ JLS, The Club Is Alive
10 ~ DeeDee, Endure
09 ~ Sophie Ellis Bextor, Bittersweet
08 ~ Adam Tyler, Friction
07 ~ Maria Mena, All This Time
06 ~ Gabriella Cilmi, On A Mission
05 ~ Josh Dubovie, That Sounds Good To Me
04 ~ Lovestoned, Thursdays
03 ~ Eric Saade, Manboy
02 ~ Scissor Sisters, Fire with Fire
01 ~ Kylie, All The Lovers (1 week/NE)

Hello folksies! Had a lovely weekend away in the north (ie, Blackpool)... had lots of fun birthday/anniversary/cured stuff going on - a bannicursary if you will :) Turned round at one point and there was Darren chatting to Sir Nathan of Moore of Brother Beyond/Worlds Apart/Totally Scott Lee "fame"! How exciting, etc. The most exciting thing about travelling of course is making the essential playlist of tunes. Darren always rolls his eyes because he knows that I am going to subject him to all sorts of things. and I do :P Anyway, here are some of the newer magnificences that made this weekend's list (in between almost non-stop Steps remixes)...

• Tino Coury - Diary: available today on iTunes is this brillo debut single from singer-songwriter-producer Tino. The track has this excellent layered feel to it and is imbued with the type of storytelling that remains timeless through the pop ages, whatever the current trends. Add to that a rather catchy hook of a chorus and lovely vocal delivery and Tino is onto a winner. Plus he's rather good looking and that's always a plus :) Anyway, it's the sort of track that you get from someone who has grown up on loving pop music and wants to replicate that in their work. And that ALWAYS sounds good to me...
• Sophie Ellis Bextor - Sophia Loren: I mean good god! Heartbreak Makes Me A Dancer should have been top ten for weeks. Bittersweet is currently 41 (41!!) in the early midweeks which is utterly depressing considering my love for the song and this super b-side. Anyway, this is brill and bodes well for the upcoming album, even if the chart position doesn't :(
• Miley Cyrus - Can't Be Tamed: I had to listen to this a few times because I thought it was a mistake or something. Let's face it, Miley has had a few brillo singles (See You Again, 7 Things, Fly On The Wall, Party In The USA) but not much else. This has rather good verses. It also has a rather good bridge. The only thing missing is a bit of melody from the chorus. Perhaps it will grow on me. It's been known to happen. I just hope she doesn't do a Mandy Moore and reject her back catalogue at some point. it's like disowning a bastard child!!
• Katie Melua ~ The Flood: Essentially this is a bit of a posh person's version of Biology. It's a gloriously sweeping song that then changes into another song, then reverts into something a bit different again. I suspect a lot of this wonderfulness is down to the William Orbit production, but who cares when it is as satisfying as this. When she performs it live, she starts on piano, gets up for a boogie then back to the piano. This is quite impressive, no?! Anyway, do put aside prejudices and check this out - it's a bit Moloko, a bit Madonna Frozen and very very good!
• Kelly Rowland - Commander: Ooo this is getting very "today's pop is presented to you by the letter K" isn't it? This is all sorts of "amazeballs" - very summer smash. The production is brillo, the chorus is appropriately soaring, the verses, well they are not quite as memorable, but the whole thing works as a package most satisfyingly. It will no doubt suffer from being eternally compared to When Love Takes Over, but as a new single from presumably a new album it's rather splendid indeed.
• Nerina Pallot - I Just Don't Want To Go Out (BrightLightBrightLight remix): I'm obsessed with Nerina ever since I bought Dear Frustrated Superstar on the strength of it's title in a Heat magazine advert (back when Heat was good). And i'm increasingly the smitten kitten with the output of BrightLightx2. So having him remix a jolly good Nerina single into something that amps up the pep and danceability is ever so smashing and exciting. Check out both artists. And check out this collaboration. It's immensicles.
• Josh Dubovie - That Sounds Good To Me: Nobody, save for D'Luv, seems to like this. In fact there is quite a lot of vitriol surrounding it. True it's not the best representation of England's songwriting, but it's rather enjoyable in a dated s/a/w-what-would-the-next-One-True-Voice-single-sound-like sort of way... And let's face it, poor Josh has hardly raped a puppy has he?! Plus, again, a bit boffable in a posh lad sort of way...

More things I'm looking forward to...

• The debut album from Eric Saade not only has a rather sordid f***ed-hard-in-the-back-of-a-limo look to it, plus great pop star hair, but a song by Charlie Mason who is fast becoming a rather good pal of mine. it's out May 19th!! Aces
• Charlotte Church has a new single being debuted on that Rainbow show on the BBC on saturday. It's called The Actors and I am quite excited because I still adore Tissues and Issues...
• Finally, Infernal are following up their amazing Electric Cabaret album with a new single called Love is All. You can hear a little preview on their website and it sounds bloody bonkers brilliant and barmy. Can't wait for the full release sometime this month!!

Time to catch up on some album reviews. This one borrow styles and techniques from the past yet make them sound totally fresh and delightful. I realised recently that history is totally sexy. I was slightly attracted to Jeff Colby yesterday. But i've moved on. It's about being fresh and delightful!! Haha. Oh god, i laughed at my own joke. How embarrassing.

The bar has been raised. It's true, I have raved about Same Difference without even hearing their tunes - yet they are just so loveable that my level of hope and faith remains high. However, their almost guaranteed status of producing "favourite duo album of the year" is in jeopardy thanks to the incredibly marvelous new album from Infernal. It's a mix of synths, beats, retro and modern, mixed into a fully flowing funky batch of tunes that just get better with each listen. Their last album which was issued, reissued, tweaked and reissued again was packed with about 8 singles in different territories; this album is full of potential singles, barely any filler and will probably not only end up challenging Same Difference for favourite duo album (sorry Ting Tings you are nowhere close) but putting up a decent fight against Alphabeat and BWO for my fave european pop group. Downtown Boys is both a brilliant lead off single and a brilliant opening album track. The opening bars are dramatic, operatic and poptastic before leading into a proper disco stomper that is both catchy and cool. Yet this isn't representative of the album as a whole at all. And that's where the album's title is most appropriate - it's a veritable cabaret of styles, eclectism and terrific production values, all led by the lovely Paw and Lina (whose voice, it has to be said, has rarely sounded more ethereal and lovely). Whenever You Need Me is likely to break them back into the UK - it's a beautiful polished pop track with a flawless piano intro. You can never have too much piano in pop tunes if you ask me. Which you sort of were just by reading this blog ;) Electric Light is rumoured to be the third single and is a lovely almost acoustic track with another polished pop chorus that is different again to the two tracks before it. It's a definite grower, which for me ultimately means it lasts longer than the instant gratification of some other pop tracks. And then Punk Disco comes in and blows away the already high quality of the first three tracks. Nick at Alien Hits has quite rightly picked up on the sheer orgasmic nature of this track. It's 45 seconds of build up before launching into what many hoped the Scissor Sisters second album would sound like - quirky club music that sounds equally at home blaring top volume out of your mp3 players headphones (at a sensible volume of course so you don't get your eardrums damaged). If this isn't a single and a worldwide hit, then it's a travesty of the legal system. TRAVESTY! And they have stolen "best pop song every titled Burning Up" from Madonna (Sorry Jonas Bonus brothers) with a little melody before each chorus that sounds suspiciously like an Inspector Gadget sample! I could easily go on and on about each track on the album, but the best way to experience it is to hear it. Be sure to look out for standout other tracks in Silver Surfer, which nearly got me killed today when the beeping car horn sounded at the start of the track. I stopped in the middle of the road thinking something was going on! And nearly got run over. I can see the headline now "Above Average Infernal disco stomper nearly kills virtually unknown blogger" Perhaps that is what they wanted. Redefinition is mega. Mega! It's a little bit Your Disco Needs You meets classic 70s disco meets summer anthem. It will be a nice capper to their album next summer refreshed with some stunning remixes. Preferrably from Jadion. But we;ll see. he will be massive by then of course. And finally there is the lovely trancey instrumental that closes the album and is a stunning piece of work. So yes, indeed. The bar has been raised and Same Difference has got some major catching up to do. Not that Same Difference are likely to be the same as Infernal, but quality is quality, and I trust that Popjustice have got it right with raving about Turn It Into Love :)