I've been flirting too much with the creeps

You can't really follow Darin. I'm going to let Alexander Klaws try, though. After all, he can dance, too! Alexander won the first season of Deutschland sucht den SuperStar (the German version of Pop Idol) and then followed the grand tradition of European Idol contestants who go by their first name for his first two albums, Take Your Chance and Here I Am. For his third album, Attention!, he switched to using his full name. I don't have all of Alexander's first album, so I can't give you his cover of "Maniac." Still, today's post will probably be on the longer side, though that's not to imply that Alexander is so phenomenal that I can't leave out any of his songs.

Stay With Me--a single off Alexander's first album. It's nice and upbeat, though it probably sounds dated and teen-y now. I could almost imagine an early 2000's boyband including it as an album track, though it might be a bit too cheesy even for that.

I Don't Wanna Say That--another track, though not a single, from Alexander's first album. This song, too, has that dated pop sound going on; it might have been sort of generic in 2003, but by now this type of pop is rare enough (maybe for good reason, you could argue, though I'd like some more non-heavy guitar pop songs from guys floating around out there) that this might be enjoyable, either for its own merits or just for nostalgia purposes.

Not Like You (Long Radio Version)--We're going to go out of chronological order and skip to the most recent (second) single from Alexander's third album. It starts out with so much potential; the synthesizers in the opening make you think this could be something special (even if the lyrics leave something to be desired), but then we get to the chorus and we realize this isn't an '80's throwback or anything: it's pop-rock with too much rock. There's too much shouting or too little melody--I'm not sure which. Still, it's all right and worth a listen, but Alexander, could you please bring back some of the fun of your "Maniac" performance?

But wait, what's this?




Sunshine After The Rain

The second single from Alexander's second album! Could this be any more of a departure from "Not Like You?" This song exudes summer, sunshine, and happiness--maybe even annoyingly so, if listened to in large doses. Yes, the video degenerates into close-ups of women in bikinis by the end, but the song has "sha la la la"'s in it! That's got to win it some bonus points, right?

Alextasy--a bonus track from the limited edition version of Alexander's third album, which means it, too, is guitar heavy. The real reason this song is included, though, isn't for its quality (though it is OK), but mainly because of its title. When I first saw it, I thought there was no way it was real--surely some fan had just mashed together all of Alexander's "best moments" and given the track this title to reflect their complete infatuation with Alex? But no, it really is a studio track. I have to give major props to anyone named Alex who's willing to name one of their songs "Alextasy." Brilliance.

So, what have we learned from all this? No matter how much you embody the concept of cheese, even you are not immune to the influence of overbearing guitars and the desire to be taken seriously. You can buy Alexander's first CD physically, his second CD physically or digitally (you'll have to search for "Alexander"), or his third CD physically or digitally (search for "Alexander Klaws").

Next up: the Netherlands, though if you read Arjan Writes, you already know about our next Idol contestant.

alexander klaws deutschland sucht den superstar