Lopez Blogs

Jonah Hedqvist ~ If you have been paying attention to Don’tStopThePop lately, you will know that they are quite partial to a bit of Mr H. As quite rightly they should be. He has lots of things going in his favour. Let me examine them one at a time. First up, he knocks out some corkingly super pop tunes that invade the mind, fill the heart and inspire the feet to get right on up there and boogie. It’s not just pop, it’s pop that sends goosebumps up and down your arms, tickles the sphincter and leaves you feeling gloriously warm. Secondly, he’s absolutely flying the flag for gay artists with his views and absolute acceptance of who he is and what he represents (check out the comments on DSTP for quite the debate that is going on…). Thirdly, he is quite good looking and wants to sleep with BWO. Finally, his single Summer High enters the Swedish top ten this week and quite rightly so. I’m quite excited and a little bit enamoured by Mr Hedqvist. A-

Cassette Elektrik~ Oh ok, one of them is a girl, but does that really matter in today’s elightened age? They can fit into my lets hear it for the boys category anytime. They are an electro-pop group that instantly draw comparisons to Ladytron, Fischer Spooner, Erasure and Human League. Before you run away and think “oh no not more fucking electropop”, stop and listen to some tunes ~ they manage to inject their cover of A Little Respect with a healthy homage to an Erasure remix as well as enough evocative vocals that really highlight what a hearbreaking song it is. Their other songs are infused with melody and persistent beats, but never lose their own original take on a classic sound and never forget the beating heart of a tune. Quite lovely if you are in the right mood. B

Erasure ~ Storm Chaser EP:

Much like The Magic Numbers (see below), Erasure are trying to bolster flagging album sales with an EP of new and remixed materials that allows their die hard fans to get some additional tunes that would normally just end up as an mp3 file on Vince Clark’s casio keyboard. Which is a shame, because again, like The Magic Numbers (and Sophie Ellis Bextor), Erasure can be relied upon to put out solid, well crafted pop tunes. The standout tracks from the good but not great Light At The End Of The World album are reswizzled for this release (the title track and Sucker for Love) and it’s one of those that is the highlight here. When A Lover Leaves You should have definitely been a single in it’s own right with its tender lyrics and gentle percussion (reminiscent of Scissor Sisters Just Might Tell You Tonight). Still it gets a decent airing for fans here, and as a bonus the duet with Cyndi Lauper is featured – Early Bird, which is about as perky and poppy as either of the acts get.

The Magic Numbers ~ Undecided EP:

I may be a little bit in love with Tom Baxter. Not only is he quite good looking in a gruff beer drinking sort of way, but he has the type of voice that can send goosebumps flying up your arms and be perfectly controlled at the same time. His aces album Skybound was recorded in just five days and is an emotionally dense opus that is both concise and deliciously evocative. Lead off single Better should be one of the tunes of the year as it showcases Tom’s voice perfectly and is about as upliftingly glorious as a song should be. Comparisons to Jeff Buckley are inevitable but as with his debut album, Feathers and Stone, Tom injects his own personality and vocal style into each song he performs and luckily, Better is no exception. Beautiful melody, lovely orchestration and a soaring chorus make this an essential tune for anyones iPod...