This song comes via a request, but truth be told I've been feeling the urge to post it anyway (I wouldn't usually post a song that I discovered when another blog posted it, but The Eye-Pod has gone invited readers only, meaning you can't even see the original post anymore, let alone get the song from it).As far as I know, British boy band Hyrise's only flirtation with fame came from participating in the UK's national final for Eurovision, Making Your Mind Up, in 2004. They didn't win, but their song, "Leading Me On," was, in my eyes, by far the best of the entries in MYMU that year, though I've got no idea if they could have actually sung it live at Eurovision; it's also one of my favorite boy band songs around. The four person group included one Scott-Lee, Anthony, previously a member of 3SL (who released the fantastic "Take It Easy," a song with a little bit of a Five "Keep On Moving" vibe and that I would have adored an album in the vein of, before apparently deciding to throw that away with the disappointing "Touch Me Tease Me," after which they disappeared); his brother Andy, another former 3SL member, would go on to compete in MYMU the following year. Maxwell Roche, another member, had previously been on the second season Pop Idol and, though he made it through some eliminations, wasn't a finalist...unlike Andy Scott-Lee, who did make it to the finals that year.
The now-biggest former member of the group? Ben Barnes...a.k.a. the guy playing Prince Caspian in the new movie. Random, right? And, if I'm venturing a guess, I'd say that's the reason for the revived interest/request.
(I can't find the fourth member's full name online--his first name is Matt, but if someone knows his last name, please let me know; it feels wrong to go over all the members except one. And if he's got some connection to Andy Scott-Lee, so much the better.)
Leading Me On--I mentioned not too long ago that I can't ever really put into words what distinguishes a great boy band song from a not-great one; whatever it is, though, this song has it. And that's enough for me. Plus, I'm not sure whether it's my imagination just putting the song into context, but there's just something about the song and the group that seems so much less off-putting than most of the boy bands people are attempting to launch nowadays. It's sweet, it's catchy (really really catchy, but not in a hit-you-over-the-head way), it's endearing...it just works for me.
I don't know of anywhere where you can buy this song...I guess the closest thing I can do, music-wise, is link you to 3SL's "Take It Easy," the single for which you can buy here (physical).
Next up: maybe a Belgian singer.
