Lopez Blogs

Good grief. I'm suddenly very into the whole Eurovision thing this year. I mean it's always been on my periphery before, but this year I'm actually quite excited about it! Clearly the Swedish are miles ahead on my list of brilliant eurovision potentials this year with some excellent tunes in their melodifestivalen (more on those below), but Norway gave us a rocking new Coldplay-Jr tune from A1 and of course the song that knocks lovely Elouise off the top slot, Bjorn Johan Muri's Yes Man. And as I reported friday, Sammy Taylor is throwing his hat into the UK arena as part of UNI5 (I'll be blogging Your Country Needs You each Friday in Sammy support!) It all the potential to be very pop-mazing, so I'm keeping tuned in. And! Perfectly genetically engineered pop-doll Mans Zelmerlow kicked off the "ansen chanser" stage of Melodifestivalen with a brilliant cover of View To A Kill. It's brilliant for several reasons - a) it could potentially be released in studio version as a single b) Mans looks blooming gorgeous in his ensemble and c) the finalists are all trying to kill each other. Imagine if UK's X Factor or American Idol invited back a former winner to do something this brilliant, with a massive scrap-hinting video going on? Brillo. Anyway, on with some ace music...

THIS WEEK'S NEW ENTRIES:

• Magnus Carlsson ~ A Little Respect: Sigh. It's ever so minorly disappointing that a new Magnus song is a cover version of the Erasure classic. But it's so gosh darn festive and chirpy, that it's hard not to be swept along in the general perky S/A/W-esque beat of it all. Part of it the production and some of the video indeed looks like this should have been a Christmas single, it's practically all whistles and bells and slots nicely alongside Darin's Viva La Vida. Oh and the video is quite bizarre and bonkers - it basically seems to be a concept built around the fact that the song begins with the line "I tried to discover..." with Magnus hunting around some desolate wasteland and then re-animating that Michael Jackson HiStory statue for a bit of a boogie. Completely nuts, but very camp and engaging...
• Ola ~ Unstoppable: You can pretty much always rely on Ola to come up with something entirely kooky, totally loveable and brilliantly catchy. Built around a simple yet magnificent piano riff, this soaring pop tune is a sequel of sorts to his earlier song Natalie yet not a complete replica of that tune. Plus I love that Ola looks like he is having an absolutely ace time while he performs this song (click link above). And the "oh-oh-oh" in the chorus with the cheesy rhyming totally appeals to me. Mint! (oh dear...)
• Alcazar ~ Headlines: You know Disco Defenders made me completely fall irrevocably head over heels in love with Alcazar (and it's the sort of album I'm hoping Same Difference will come back with later this year). Headlines is going to be tagged onto a reissue of that and it totally fits. It has a lovely string laden start (reminiscent of Viva La Vida) and then launches into a slowly crescendo-ing song (with hilarious lyrics "got your number on my underwear" Really! Oh my...) before that killer chorus kicks in with it's steps-esque dance routine. What more could I want from a pop song?! How about one of those key changes that starts with an almost acapella song pause before re-launching the song into one of those frenzied celebrations of all things disco? Check! Amazeballs as the kids on the street are saying (not my street - those little tykes have a vocab that would make a sailor blush)...
• Neo ~ Human Frontier: This has overtaken Headlines as my fave melodifestivalen song of the moment. Sure he's a little Mika for some tastes, but he's a Hi-NRG Pete Hammond type remix of Mika and this song is a right little charmer. Plus he's using a cane in his performance of the song which is clearly a very good thing in pop, because it hasn't really been seen since Liberty X perved over tv screens for Just A Little. I just absolutely adore Neo - he has a falsetto high enough to make dogs wince, but I think he's a little bobby dazzler and this song has some remixes doing the rounds that are just dandy. I think an albm re-issue is due with this song too, so that's something to look out for (Higher and Bachelor are just fabbo)...
• Darin ~ You're Out Of My Life: After the utter splendidness that was the popalicious Viva La Vida and the Gaga before G'Gah was around sounding Flashback album, lovely elfin faced Darin returns with a classic smooth pop ballad. Basically the lad has had the career Shayne Ward should have had if 19 had spent any decent time with him. This song is just so dreamy and heavenly, it gets better with each listen. There's something so classic and timeless about it, and the type of song that just soars in it's simplicity. Great vocal too.

Others: Of course gabriella charts on top with the effervescent On A Mission; Sergey debuts with the generic but fun packed Alarm; bubbling under are that magnificent Blake Lewis (Love or Torture) and Erik Saade's bizarre but bonza Manboy (which I keep singing Manwhore too for some reason)... Probably a massive Simon Curtis debut next week too.... :)

Top 21 Songs of the Week:

21 ~ Leona Lewis, I Got You
20 ~ Sergey Lazarev, Alarm (NE)
19 ~ Diana Vickers, Once (VID)
18 ~ Hurts, Blood, Tears & Gold
17 ~ Ola, Unstoppable (NE)
16 ~ Alex Gardner, I'm Not Mad
15 ~ Darin, You're Out Of My Life (NE)
14 ~ Magnus Carlsson, A Little Respect (NE)
13 ~ Robbie Williams, Morning Sun
12 ~ Alcazar, Headlines (NE)
11 ~ Donkeyboy, Ambitions
10 ~ Simon Curtis, Diablo
09 ~ Neo, Human Frontier (NE)
08 ~ The Pipettes, Stop The Music (XO review)
07 ~ Marina & The Diamonds, Hollywood
06 ~ Mika, Rain
05 ~ Boyzone, Gave It All Away
04 ~ Bjorn Johan Muri, Yes Man
03 ~ Music Go Music, Light of Love
02 ~ Elouise, Fireman of my Dreams
01 ~ Gabriella Cilmi, On A Mission (NE/1 week)

You can always tell when it's going to be a good weekend. I finished work early. There was hardly any queue in Starbucks. I got some great new I've got great boots boots. A backlog of Entertainment Weekly all arrived at once. Ruthiepoos & LoobieLoo and BurnIce are coming over tomorrow. Monday is two whole days away. Yes, it's all feeling quite right and proper. So here are lots of things that you might want to investigate should you have a few minutes this weekend. By the way, I heard a new song this week that is a secret. It is brilliant though.

THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE:

The Hurly Burly Show: Miss Polly Rae isn't a new pop act per se; more of a new experience that must be seen. She launches her west end burlesque show this very weekend and with people like Steve Anderson & Terry Ronald involved (creative types that I really admire), it promises to be something quite marvelous indeed. Channelling the spirit of the amazing Ruth Wallis, but with a more curious rack, Polly Rae (Miss) has whipped up (literally I'm sure) a show full of titillation, sensation and musical delights and packed it with a stageful of buff and bronzed dancing boys and girls, whose every shimmy will have the audience tingling in delight. I hear the musical arrangements are quite magnificent so if you're in London this week, you absolutely must pop along and let me live vicariously through you. Oh, and of course fizzypop fave the gorgeous Elouise is providing a stunning support set and I have it on good authority that the Steve Anderson arrangements of her music would have sent me into a cardiac tizzy. The Stardust EP review is coming...

Diana Vickers: I wrote about her quite fine Once single not so long back so you know my admiration of her music is a bit of a turnaround for me. Well betcha by golly wow, like Alex Gardner, her album sampler promises some really exciting stuff ahead. The amazingly titled Boy Who Murdered Love is a punchy little number with a driving beat, restrained wistful verses and then it's all in for the feisty chorus with it's "shot shot shot like a bullet" refrain; My Hips is a million miles removed from that indie-rocker and places Diana in a euro-dance vein, one that she handles incredibly well - it's a lot more lively than I expected her to be and a lot more fun. And of course anything Nerina Pallot touches (in this case, the mid tempo Put It Back Together Again) is five by five with me. 4 out of the 5 songs on the sampler are more than strong enough to be future singles and I suspect I'll be quite enamoured of her full debut proper.

Heidi Cullinan: The name probably rings a bell (wife of Dan, writer of her own blog and other amazing things). What you might not know (but should) is that Heidi currently has not one, but two novels currently in print. Now I've been a bit limited in my reading of gay fiction (it's usually David Levithan or Alex Sanchez), but Heidi has lured me with tales of escaping reality through fantasy (and threesomes) in Special Delivery and mystical forces at play in Hero, a story so engrossing you are pulled in and left satisfied yet with a strange craving for more. And as they are available for e-download, you can grab them straight away. Whaddya waiting for?

QUICK BITZ PLAY LIST:

• Screaming Maldini ~ I Know That You Know That I Would Wipe A Teardrop From Your Eye: From the song title along, this new indie-esque band get a huge thumbs up from me. On their EP (And The Kookabura Sings) they have weaved an eclectic mix of sounds through their tunes that shows they are not afraid of taking chances and spicing things up with a bit of variety. For me, this song was a stand out and one i've had on repeat all week. The song is positively thrust forward by some persuasive drums and an upbeat sultry sixties brass section. It's juxtaposed with some rather sad lyrics making it a giddy, yet heartbreaking experience over all - while it works incredibly while, I yearn for a stripped down acoustic version to compare it to. Rather special indeed.
• J Marie Cooper ~ Kissing A Porn Star: Frankly I'm a bit bored of everyone trying to copy Lady G'Gah and failing to deliver anything remotely interesting. J Marie (who has recently been played on Larry Flick's Sirius OutQ) doesn't have that problem. Her ace pop tune is delivered with such verve and energy, that her personality absolutely shines through both in the energetic almost rawk verses, and singalong chorus. It's got a hook that keeps on giving and an overall feel that carefully balances the rock chick and playful pop elements of the song. Tsk on the dude who kissed a porn star, though we've all been there haven't we?! :P
• 2AM Club ~ Worry About You: 2AM Club are another act offering free downloads the more their twitter followers increase. Their latest offering remind me somewhat of Maroon 5 inasmuch as it's an instantly radio friendly, laid back band driven pop tune (with some jarring rapped middle 8 that becomes better each time you hear it) and a knack for creating a great melody and chorus. Elements of funk, hip hop and a soulful vocal performance from Marc Griffin all permeate the song and make it an utterly enjoyable after dinner treat. More please.
• Capra ~ Low Day: OK, i keep pretty quiet about loving shows like MI High, Half Moon Investigations and Aaron Stone. But I can stay silent no longer - Kelly Blatz (star of aforementioned Aaron Stone) has a band and their song Low Day (which I found about courtesy of Nick) is pretty darn corking. It's not exactly the tune you'd expect from a disney star - it's actually a confidently swaggering handclapping feel good tune reminiscent of The Days. It probably sounds absolutely immense live - it has a real "audience participation" feel about it, which is always a winner in my book. Totally made for brightening up these gloomy winter mornings...
• Jimmy Robbins ~ Gonna Get Better: Another pleasant surprise. Jimmy has the perfect face for a cheesy pop star career, ideal for churning out one faceless forgettable tune after another. Stand by to be stunned because Jimmy actually has a solid collection of guitar-centric pop tunes that rely on all the elements good pop should have - a hooky chorus, strong vocal, smidgeon of novelty in the melody and something that just makes you want to smile. His album See Through Secrets is chock full of songs like this, but if you want to check out one prior to investing, be sure to look up Gonna Get Better. It will wiggle it's way into your brain, kickstart your synapses and make sure you don't forget it in a hurry.

Back sunday with a melodifestivalen themed weekly round up!

In an effort to at least be ever so slightly more up to date, I'm trying to do the monthly musical compilations mid-month (ooo what lovely alliteration, oh I am clever, etc) rather than right at the end of the month when half of it is old news anyway. Plus these compilation cds have always been for my core circle of friends, none of whom are particularly internet savvy (only Bernice has twitter, and she scarcely uses it!) so don't really know about new acts til they hit the charts. So I seem a lot more innovative and clever among them :P But I quite like posting them here too for "posterity"!! (I did have a lovely text from my friend Cat at the weekend saying she was listening to a cd of mine from October 2005 and it was brillo - i fair was skipping about with a happy after that!)

• The Pipettes ~ Stop The Music: Our Love Was Saved By A Spaceman may be a mariachi meets Baccara slice of genius pop, but this lovely first single proper after far too long away is a heavenly fusion of sumptuous disco, a warm 70s vibe, a delicious hook and harmonised vocals. They may not be polka dot princesses anymore, but their new sound is equally as inviting (and they are almost out viva-ing Mini Viva)!
• Simon Curtis ~ Super Psycho Love (above): I was reluctant to include the amazing Simon at first particularly as this track isn't on general release yet... However, he has previewed it on youtube and it's so immense that I can't sit on it any longer. Hopefully this will be his next "free" release as he is so close to the next twitter follower requirement! It's a dark, insiduous beat with a dangerously insane chorus that shows he really is Lord Gaga rising...
• Mini Viva ~ Do You Want A Candy?: Sigh. They really should be flying high now, shouldn't they rather than sinking into a Reynolds Girls type obscurity. Tokyo was perky, I Wish was lovely - so thank the pop gods there is a third chance in the offing. It's a tremendous new track they performed at the Jazz Cafe and live it already sounds like a fluffy piece of brilliance, so one can only salivate in anticipation at a magnificent studio production...
• Diana Vickers ~ Once: Oh I'm just as surprised as you that this has made the list. I wasn't the most ardent fan of hers during the X Factor... However, I'm always open to a little bit of musical persuasion and Once has done just that. I'm always a sucker for a Cathy Dennis composition and this one is just a nice slice of Ellie Goulding-lite pop for the masses ie, me! Plus The Boy Who Murdered Love may be the best pop song of it's ilk since Sugababes 3.0 Every Heart Broken!!
• Alex Gardner ~ I'm Not Mad: The other xenomania project worth investing in at the moment is lovely Alex. As I mentioned on Sunday, his album sampler is quite simply the bees knees and lead off single I'm Not Mad is a lovely laxidaisical slice of rock driven pop that ingratiates from the first second you hear of it. It has a beautifully layered chorus that just jangles along and Alex delivers a most pleasing vocal performance. Plus he's not too shabby on the eye either...
• Bjorn Johann Muri ~ Yes Man: Love, love, love. Simply one of the most glorious songs I've heard this year. Foolishly Norway decided this wasn't good enough to be their eurovision entry but still sent it to the top of their charts anyway. It's basically an updated version of an 80s up-tempo synth ballad - delivered so sincerely that it absolutely launches skybound and stays there from the first chorus. The word anthemic was made for songs like this. Joe McElderberry would give his left nut for something as amazing as thing - and yes, it would sound bloody brilliant in an episode of Glee.
• Elin Lanto ~ Love Makes Me Stupid: Oh who hasn't been a bit of twat because of the person they are temporarily infatuated with? For example, I'm missing the Brits for a night of rumpy pumpy with darren :) Elin Lanto - swedish songbird extraordinnaire - has put those into one of those brilliant angry sounding disco songs that The Veronicas do so well. In fact it's nearly as marvelous as Revenge Is Sweeter Than You Ever Were and so aggressively in your face that you can't help go back for seconds. That's love.
• Alexandra Burke ~ Bury Me: Yes, I know that ballad is the official next single, but to me it feels like the arse-end of an album campaign and I'm not really ready to give up on the Bezerker just yet. So I'm opting for the ever so 60s girl band vibe of the pretty Bury Me instead to tide me over. The video could be quite good too - Alexandra with big hair, and three others of her all doing a sweetly innocent little shimmy for the cameras. None of these crotch riding outfits from Broken Heels. Best funeral song ever.
• Jordin Sparks ~ 911 Emergency: What the piddle are Jordin's record company doing with her album? Bugger all that's what. Really she should be on the fourth single by now (after the quite nice Snow song at Christmas) and this would just shoulder-shake it's way into the top 20, where it would linger for 3-4 weeks around the number 14 mark. In other words, it's quite good but if they'd aggressively launched the right songs in succession on the public it would seem much better (I'll be having a similar rant about Blake Lewis in part two of this volume). Quite good song though!
• Dragonette ~ Easy: I often lay awake at night pondering what the world would be like if Simon Curtis were actually launching his 8BitHeart as his second smash album proper and then as I drift off, I imagine Dragonette are world wide superstars. That would be quite justified in my eyes as they keep churning out top drawer material like this simply delectable mid-tempo tune that charms and woos you with every note and nuanced syllable. I remain in despair at their fringe status because Easy is divine.
• Alphabeat ~ MonsterMash (below): Dear lord, what has come over me? G'Gah songs on my playlist? Has hell frozen over? :P Alphabeat have done this rather brilliant mix of Telephone and mixed it perfectly with the (yes) epic Bad Romance. And it's as if Black Box were still doing Strike It Up because it's a 90s disco extravaganza that transforms both songs into something that takes me back to the heady days of my sixth form discos. And it's equally as dramatic in it's new format. Alphabeat - reigniting 90s brilliance one song at a time...

Back tomorrow with part two...