If you do not usually tune in to Melodifestivalen, Sweden's contest to select an entry for cross-Europe song contest Eurovision, today is not the day to start watching.
Usually, Melodifestivalen--literally, the Melody Festival--is a reliable source for well-written songs, most often of the pop type. Tonight's semifinal, the third of four that introduce new songs before a second chance round and a final, is a disappointing step back in song quality compared to both this year's previous two semifinals and the contest's previous editions.
That's not to say you won't be in for a good time if you tune in to the web stream that will be available at 2 PM EST. At this point, Melodifestivalen is a slick entertainment production. Sure, the artist introduction packages have sometimes been running a bit long this year, but tonight's semifinal will feature what reports say is the best intermission act yet: Lena Philipsson, 2004's winner, performing an English hard rock version of her classic '80s Melodifestival track "Dansa i neon."
You'll also see one of the top contenders for this year's top placing. Young Eric Saade, the breakout star of last year's Melodifestival, will be performing "Popular," an uptempo pop song that is practically unnecessary in terms of him making it to the finals--Eric advancing is the closest you'll get to a sure thing in Melodifestivalen this year. Whether you fall for "Popular"'s pulsing hard beat or not, the best thing about Eric has always been his eagerness and dedication to putting on a show. Eric's strong dancing skills and a glass-shattering stage gimmick promise a strong overall performance package.
The problem viewers will run into this week, though, is that the songs are generally enjoyable but not exceptional; there isn't anything to stir up the fiery, passionate devotion that promises heartbreak when one's favorites don't advance. Most of the players--including Linda Sundblad, Sebastian, Shirley Clamp of Shirley's Angels, and Sara Lumholdt of A*Teens--have been involved in better songs in the past, even if their offerings this week are not bad per se. It's instead a matter of songs that, one suspects, will in the long term reveal themselves to be three star affairs instead of the four and five star songs one hopes for in a contest of such prominence.
Still, even in an off week, Melodifestivalen will be must-watch viewing for me. A good performance can make you temporarily overlook a song's shortcomings. Most of all, though, even when the songs fade down the stretch, the contagious enthusiasm surrounding the online conversation about them rarely does.
This week's semifinal, the third of four that will introduced new songs, features a couple of big names. There's also a little bit of a course correction in presentation--I'd forgotten that I used to focus on live performances where available, to give an idea of what acts' live singing skills and stage presence are like, and have now switched back to that approach.
Linda Sundblad, "Lucky You" (Linda Sundblad/Johan "Kermit" Bobäck/Fredrik Thomander/Anders Wikström) The lead singer of rock band Lambretta-turned-solo-act has bounced back and forth between pop-rock and '80s pop, but she enters the contest this year with what she describes as a happy, warm pop song which, though sounding at home in 2011, has ABBA influences. Her co-writers have worked with her before: Fredrik and Anders (the producing duo Epicentre, best known for their early '00s teen pop work) contributed "Let's Dance" to her latest album and Johan has co-written many songs with her, among them "Pick Up The Pieces," "Serotonin," and "Damage."
To watch: Linda performing "Let's Dance," the second single from her latest album.
Simon Forsberg, "Tid att andas" (Fredrik Kempe) Sweden's current Mr. Gay, a former Fame Factory participant, will be singing what he calls a warm, powerful ballad that allows him to show his voice. He notes that it's challenging and has lyrics he relates to.
To watch: well, since "Tid att andas" is a ballad and there aren't that many choices, here's Simon performing "The Christmas Song."
Sara Lumholdt, "The Enemy" (Niclas Lundin/Anton Malmberg Hård af Segerstadt) The former A*Teens member makes her third attempt at launching a solo career, having earlier found little mainstream traction with her R&B-dance sound or her singer-songwriter style. This time out, she's performing a mid-tempo mix of rock, pop, and R&B. It's written by one of the members of Le Kid, Anton, but don't let that affect your expectations--it won't be in keeping with their super-poppy sound. Niclas's discography is a bit more eclectic; he's one of those songwriters whose work pops up as random album tracks in a number of different countries. There's a demo collaboration of a song called "Saturday Or Sunday Night" between Niclas and Anton on Niclas's MySpace if you maybe want to get a feel for the mood they were in when collaborating.
To watch: there aren't very much recent performances from Sara. Here's forty seconds of her singing Michelle Branch's "Everywhere."
The Playtones, "The King" (Fredrik Kempe/Peter Kvint) The winner of Dansbandskampen 2009, this rockabilly-influenced dansband sold more albums in Sweden in 2010 than anyone else. They've described their song, written by Fredrik Kempe (best known in the contest for schlager/pop uptempos and ballads) and Peter Kvint (best known for his pop-rock work with acts like Andreas Johnson), as rock-based with a touch of rockabilly and a big tougher than their previous work. They say it has a touch of the Stray Cats (the '80s rockabilly group behind songs like "Stray Cat Strut" and "Rock This Town").
To watch: their cover of Alexander Rybak's "Fairytale" would be the obvious choice, but I never really fell for their interpretation. Instead, I'm cheating and sharing something from the lead singer's earlier incarnation as Boppin' Steve; truth be told, from the little I've heard from both eras, those earlier performances did a better job of selling them as an appealing musical proposition. Plus, their entry this year is said to be rockabilly in sound and this performance of Jerry Lee Lewis's "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" show more of that rockabilly sound than their Dansbandskampen performances did.
Shirley's Angels, "I Thought It Was Forever" (Robin Abrahamsson/ Alexander Bard/Bobby Ljunggren/Henrik Wikström) Shirley Clamp, much-loved by many schlager fans for songs like 2004's second placed "Min kärlek," returns to the contest after a disappointing last place in her semifinal in 2009. This time, she's performing as part of a trio (though she's definitely the frontwoman). "I Thought It Was Forever" is said to be a catchy pop song with a streak of melancholy. It's not slow, says Shirley, but it's not a disco song either and it's either very happy or very sad. Bobby and Henrik frequently appear in Melodifestivalen doing all sorts of work, Alexander is well-known for his usually pop work with acts like BWO, and Robin's previous entries have been ballads for Suzie Tapper and Cookies 'n' Beans.
To watch: easy choice--Shirley singing the fantastic "Min kärlek" in Melodifestivalen 2004. This is one of those schlager songs that creeps up on you until one day you wonder why you didn't fall for its semi-mysterious-sounding charm right off the bat.
Sebastian, "No One Else Could" (Andreas Alfredsson Grube/Sebastian Karlsson) Former Idol contestant Sebastian returns to the contest with a track that he describes as quite different from the sound of his first three pop-rock albums: "No One Else Could" is an up-tempo synth song. He's suffered a drop in popularity since his 2007 appearance Melodifestivalen, though, meaning that he probably hopes to relaunch his career. Co-writer Andreas appeared in Melodifestivalen 2009 as part of Lasse Lindh's band.
To watch: even though he's been going around saying that his entry this year sounds totally different from his previous Melodifestival entry, here's "When The Night Comes Falling," a direct-to-the-final qualifier from 2007.
Sara Varga, "Spring för livet" (Sara Varge/Fredrik "Figge" Boström) Sara is taking her singer-songwriter sound to Melodifestivalen and a bigger audience with "Spring för livet," a slow song with personal lyrics. Sara is an unknown quantity to most of the Swedish public, so for her this is a big opportunity for a breakthrough.
To watch: the music video for her song "Always Have"
Eric Saade, "Popular" (Fredrik Kempe) Following on his breakout performance with last year's "Manboy," former boy band member Eric Saade returns to Melodifestivalen with another uptempo pop song, this time with lyrics about wanting to be the best. He emphasizes that he only wanted to return if his song was better than last year's (though that's what every back-to-back entrant says) and that "Popular" has an international-friendly sound. He adds that "Popular," written by Melodifestivalen veteran and co-writer of "Manboy" Fredrik Kempe, is clubbier and funkier than "Manboy." Eric has also talked a lot about how big his stage show will be. He's definitely one of the most anticipated contestants in this year's contest.
To watch: well, last year's "Manboy," of course. As you might be able to tell, my feelings towards Eric run considerably cooler than those of most Melodifestival fans, but he does at least win points for using the V performing-in-the-rain technique.
I don't know that my excitement is quite as strong as last week, but the general trend may be the reverse and I think Christer Björkman may surprise us with what he's packed into these next two weeks.
I'm looking forward to Linda Sundblad's entry--I have a few worries it could verge into overly cutesy and be too fluffy, but I generally love her work and those songwriters give me confidence; with Epicentre, you can usually count on a strong poppy hook. I'll be worried for her even if it is good, though.
Sebastian's reinvention intrigues me. I've never loved a full album of his, but he usually has at least one fantastic song per disc. I just hope his entry has a strong enough song at its core to go with the nice new stylistic trappings.
Shirley doing the sad-non-ballad thing is an enticing prospect.
SaraLumholdt's song could go either way and I'm not too confident about her performance, but maybe we'll end up with something fun in studio.
I don't expect the Playtones to surpass Brolle in the rockabilly sweepstakes (in terms of quality), but I'd like to be proven wrong with a nice energetic rockabilly-pop song.
If Sara Varga made it into the contest, you'd think her entry would be a particularly nice version of her singer-songwriter sound.
Eric's song will probably be great-to-fantastic and I'm certainly quite interested to hear it, but I just can't work up the level of excitement for him it feels like I should have given the style of music he works in (mainly for tone of his voice reasons, I think). Hopefully this will be when he finally wins me over, though. He's certainly an energetic trier.
The third album from Swedish Idol runner-up Sebastian, who lost to Agnes back in 2005, didn't make much of an impact this year. It yielded a few songs I liked, but nothing approached 2006's "Words And Violence," the lead single for his second album. Ultimately, it was "When The Night Comes Falling," his 2007 Melodifestival entry, that got the most attention from that album (though not that much, compared to his Idol friend Måns Zelmerlöw, who was the breakout act from that year's competition), but "Words And Violence" picked up where "Indifferent," his second single from his debut album (his first is better off forgotten), left off: kind of like a mini-the Ark a la "Calleth You, Cometh I" or "It Takes A Fool To Remain Sane." The simple, low budget video doesn't really do any justice to a song that strives towards grandeur; there's no sense of the drama, the outpouring of emotion that Sebastian is supposed to be conveying in the chorus, no sense of the way the shiny pop-rock song both pushes forward and soars. That's OK, though; in the end, it's enough that the song, based on nothing but a live performance, was able to hold me transfixed for months--enough to guarantee that, come what may, I'll probably always have at least some interest in Sebastian.
Erik Hassle has a new video for "Hurtful" out. Not much happens in it, but it's much better than the original one: Erik's music is far more accessible than that first video made it seem, whereas this video strikes a much more accurate balance between arty and accessible.
That review of the album I've been promising and promising for forever really is coming.
In other Swedish music news, Fibes, Oh Fibes! have a new single, "Love Child," out (well, out soon). It's '60s-ish (though not in the Amy Winehouse/Mark Ronson way--it's more pop-rock-ish, emphasis on the "ish") and semi-jaunty. Listen to it here. On the first listen it passed me by, but on further listens my opinion has improved so much that I'm now wondering when the rapid upward trend is going to stop.
Sebastian's new single is "Stay Forever." I like "Wake Up Where Your Heart Is" a lot more, but as we all know my taste doesn't usually align with the Swedish public's.
Diva extraordinaire (in the best possible way) Lena Philipsson releases her duet with Orup, "Nu när du gått," digitally September 22. Oswalds Popcorn has the review (lukewarm at best) and the single cover. Sigh. Why can't you just give us another amazing solo album, Lena? The album of duets, called Dubbel, comes out November 12.
Speaking of songs released digitally on September 22, Sebastian (Karlsson) releases his new single, "My Getaway," then, with an album, The Most Beautiful Lie, following on November 5; he says it's "more personal" than his previous albums. "Words & Violence," the lead single for his last album, remains an amazing track, so I'm really hoping he'll give us something that good again.
Agnes's new album, Dance Love Pop, comes out October 29. They played about half of another song from it on the radio a few weeks back; I've forgotten most everything about it by now (it was something about love or kissing or something, I think), but it sounded OK--it'd make sense on the same album as the electro-disco-pop "On And On."
Sonja Aldén has a new single called "Du får inte" out. I don't own it (yet), but should you want to buy it, you can do so here, as well as preview the whole track piece-by-piece.
I'm not sure if this is worth mentioning, but since we've got so many other Idol graduates in this post...Daniel Lindström's got a new single called "Saturday Night" out--listen to the semi-disco sounds of it here, if you're interested. Possibly of more interest is that one-half of the Attic, Michael Feiner, has remixed the track--listen to the remix at the same place. Now that's something I may end up buying... Speaking of the Attic, are we ever getting a real version of "Flash In The Night," one that's not a six minute long remix?
Rachel of Work Your Magic might be interested to know (if she doesn't already) that Brandur released another single, "Lifelong Lovesong."
Sophia Somajo released her debut album, The Laptop Diaries. From the preview clips, I don't really think it's going to be the sort of album for me--most of it might be too "out there"--but "Warm Blooded Murder" (embedded below) remains great (time's actually been much more friendly to it than I would have expected) and it sounds like there might be some real keepers amongst the left-field electronically created pop there too. Then again, it's a nineteen track album (if bought via iTunes), so that's a lot of songs to sort through--both an opportunity for lots of filler and more chances to get it right. Would it interest people more if I mentioned there's a track featuring Juvelen?
There's been sort of an overdose of Swedish music going on here recently, I know; I'll try to move away from that somewhat soon, but for now, at least one more song. It also fits in with the other theme that keeps cropping up: summer. It features three different Fame Factory contestants, Ida Hederg, Hannah Westin (who I've featured once before), and Markus Landgren.
100% Sommar--if you're looking for something deep and sophsticated, you won't find it here. On the other hand, this bouncey song--the rhythm reminds me a little bit of what you'd call "reggae-influenced," I guess, for lack of a better phrase--couldn't sound more like summer if it tried. It's cute, it's simple, and it's catchy in a laid-back sort of way. Throw in some "ay-oh-ay-oh"s, and you've got a harmless but pleasant summer song.
To buy Fame Factory Summertour 2003, go here (physical) or here (digital).
While we're on the subject of Swedish music, I've been meaning to mention for a while that both Sebastian and September seem to have new singles out; Sebastian's is "I Can Feel You" from his second album The Vintage Virgin and September's is "Can't Get Over," which I presume is from an upcoming album. More important, though, is the fact that Ola's "Natalie" continues to be excellent and may soon be rivalling Enrique Iglesias's "Do You Know (The Ping Pong Song)" for the title of my favorite summer song released this year.
Next up: maybe an American singer. Probably a Swedish one, though, though hopefully with a song in English.
I got back just in time! The final is just about to start! I'm hoping for a Måns victory, but expecting the Ark to win.
If you want to watch, you can do so (through Windows Media Player--there's also a Real Player feed) here.
Edit: acoustic version of "Evighet." Andreas up first. I might not write that much, unless I start to lose my feed and start complaining (which I'm very worried about).
Edit: thank goodness someone restyled Sebastian--he couldn't really look worse than he did during the semifinal. I really like his song--a lot. I always liked it, but it's been a grower, too. I felt Anna Book seemed a little...off, or something, maybe vocally. I like Sonja's song as well. The stream was pretty bad during Sebastian's song, but it seems to have improved.
Edit: that acoustic guitar part in Marie's song really is lovely, and it's a nice song. Since I'm not worried (that much) about it winning, I think I'm able to enjoy it more. But Måns is up next!
Edit: oh. Maybe I've just listened to the studio recording so many times, but...is it just me, or did this not seem as good as his semifinal performance? I felt like he dropped some letters or words, some of the gestures just seemed a little off, sounded breathy at bits...I think I'm always harsher on what I'm supporting the most, though. Don't get me wrong--I love the song, love the performance, but... Still, Måns to win! Up next we have the one song I absolutely under no circumstances could live with as the winner.
Edit: thank goodness we have something exciting after that performance from Tommy--Sanna's up next!
Edit: for a big ballad, Sarah's is good. I think I heard somewhere that Andreas Lundstedt is supporting her? Sanna's performance was full of strutting, fireworks, and general fun. The Ark up next.
Edit: boy, they put on a good performance, don't they? They make it look effortless. Now, how long do we have to wait for the results?
Edit: vote for song 6, Sweden! 099-239 06!
Edit: I love this musical. I wish I could understand it. Now they're singing "Alla Flickor."
Edit: the first set of results is in...and Måns wins the first 12 points! The Ark get the 10 and Sarah gets 8. Andreas only got 1--I'm surprised; isn't he predicted to be in the top 3?
Edit: Måns gets 6, Andreas gets 8, and the Ark get 12. Sarah's doing well.
Edit: is this going to going to end up being Sarah vs. Andreas vs. the Ark? Sarah gets 8, Andreas 10, and the Ark 12, with Måns only getting 6.
Edit: Magnus Backlund presenting results. Måns only gets 2 points! Oh no...the Ark only get 6 here...strange....Sarah gets 8, 10 to Sanna--that's nice to see. Andreas gets 12. I'm getting really worried.
Edit: 2 for Sarah, 8 for Måns, 10 for Andreas, 12 for the Ark. Is Måns no longer a contender? Magnus Carlsson to present the next results--bring some good ones!
Edit: only 1 point for Måns! Shock. 8 for the Ark, 10 for Sarah 12 for Andreas. Total, Måns has 33, the Ark 60, Sarah 46, and Andreas 53.
Edit: oh goodness--Jessica's hair! Only 2 points for Måns. 4 for Sarah, 8 to the Ark, 10 to Sonja, 12 to Andreas. Sebastian's catching up to Måns.
Edit: 4 for Måns--is there even any point in me reporting what he's getting? Total, the Ark have 80, Andreas 73, Sarah 60, Måns 39, and Sonja and Sebastian tied at 31.
Edit: points are all over the place, but it seems to be a pretty set Ark victory. I'm so surprised (and disappointed) Måns isn't doing better, though.
Edit: Marie gets her first points (4). 8 for Andreas, 10 for Måns, 12 for the Ark.
Edit: Carola's presenting now...brings it all up to Andreas at 101, the Ark at 116, Sarah at 78, and Måns at 61.
Edit: we're seeing the phone numbers again. Sebastian's song is so much better than Andreas's.
Edit: telephone votes in, and the Ark win! I am happy for them, and my mood is somewhat improved by the fact that poor Måns got the second highest number of the public's votes. Andreas got the third highest and Sarah the fourth. As for overall results, Andreas came 2nd with 189, Måns 3rd with 171, and Sarah 4th with 122. It's probably just as well for any breakable objects nearby me that Mans didn't win--I think they would've ended up thrown up in the air in excitement. Can I hazard a guess that Måns would've got more votes from the public if he'd been in the top 3 after the juries' results? I would've thought the lead the top 3 had would've encouraged people to vote strategically for one of those, not for Måns. Congratulations to the Ark, though! The stream was generally great, too--skippy during Sebastian's performance, but that's about it.
A few months ago (can it really have been that long already?), I wrote about Danish singer Mukupa. As part of a group, she was one of the pioneers of women in hip-hop and rap, but her solo album 2nd Base is incredibly poppy, with the occasional Verbalicious-esque rap thrown in. When I first wrote about her, one of the songs I featured was "Stop Stop," a pop song with a little bit of faux-R&B mixed in. Her album also features a remix of it, and--somewhat unusually for me--I think I prefer it to the original.
Stop Stop (Fu Tourists Remix)--I know those first five seconds aren't hugely promising, but stick with it, because once you get the real beat and swooshing background effects, it'll be a hard song to resist. The verses are sped up and this remix smartly keeps (and plays up) the "aahhh-aahhh"'s, but it's those moments like the one just after the beginning that make this song worth listening to--they're "throw your hands up and forget you troubles" moments.
To buy Mukupa's album 2nd Base, go here (physical) or here (digital).
Matt Willis's new single is out in its physical version on April 2, with the digital release a week beforehand. It's a cover of the Primitives' "Crash" and he's got a clip of it on his MySpace--it doesn't sound better than Shebang's version and it's not about to beat "Up All Night" (not much does), but it's not bad. My hope that he succeeds may be influencing my perspective here, though.
The video for Gareth Gates's new single "Changes" comes out this Sunday--hopefully, it'll be on YouTube soon afterwards!
Edit: I forgot--Jimmy Jansson and Sebastian's new albums come out today (and maybe others I've forgotten about, too)! You can listen to clips from Sebastian's album The Vintage Virgin on the Swedish iTunes here (I haven't really gotten to do so yet, though I will say that trigger metaphors are overused in music); I haven't found anywhere to preview Jimmy's album Sån E Jag yet (besides his official site, which has clips of two of the songs on it--click on "Musik"), but I'll let you know if I do. Incidentally, someone seems to have made a mistake, because a lot of the digital music sites selling Jimmy's song "Amanda" have, instead of a picture of Jimmy, the cover of Jessica Andersson's "Kom" accompanying the song--slight difference. You can buy Sebastian's album here and Jimmy's album here.
After my computer basically breaking at 2:03, I managed to get it up and running again just in time to see the beginning of Måns's performance...not as fab as the studio version, of course, but such an amazing song!
Edit: you know, I do like this MissMatch song, even if one of the girls is looking rather wide-eyed. Plus, they've got pyrotechnics! The fact that it's only sixth or so in my ranking of this heat is a testament to how strong this semifinal is.
Ahhh! Magnus is up!
Edit: leather! oooo!
Have I used the word brilliant to describe this song yet? Well, it is! To the final, along with Måns, please!
Edit: I think I may have to go buy all albums Therese has been involved in. As a performer, she is, to borrow a British word, "ace." She's spinning around on a platform! Oh, and now the shot cuts to looking down, and she's lying down on the platform, which is revealed to look like a CD! While the Attic stand in the middle and do very little, she has to provide the show...and I think she does a good job. Really, the spinning and the CD is enough for it to win my approval.
Edit: the Schlagerboys are so right...Sebastian has totally taken one of the Alcazar boys' costumes from 2003, but it doesn't quite fit him. As much as I love Måns's song, and I love Måns for singing it, Sebastian seems to be more of a solid performer--vocally, yes, but there's also just a certain presence he has.
Edit: Sonja, where are the seagull sound effects? They were totally taking your "my song washes over you like a wave" statement to the next level.
Edit: I want platforms like Nanne's. Nanne, you're such a great singer and performer--I just wish the instrumental part of your song had some extra punch, some more "oomph," was less acoustic.
Edit: the top 5--Nanne, Magnus (yay!), Sebastian, Måns (double yay! triple yay!), and Sonya (I'm afraid she's going to end up making the top 4...). I'm actually very happy with that, though, but that's conditional on the final result.
Edit: I really need to learn Swedish so I can understand this musical--I really like the idea of it.
Edit: wait, what's happening? Why are the credits rolling? Ohhh...maybe it was a joke?
Edit: Sebastian to the final...which normally I would be sort of pleased with, because I like the song, but Nanne will certainly take the other spot, which means, even if my two favorites both make it to the second chance, they can't make it to the final. Sad...but I'm still hoping!
Edit: oh no! Sonya to the second chance!
Edit: no way! Nanne to the second chance! Who beat her?
Edit: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!
I'm shocked and thrilled Måns is in the final, but Magnus's song is out of the running? Are you joking?
I'm starting my own alternative Melodifestivalen. Andreas, Cosmo4, and Magnus are all going to be in the final. Boooooo!!!!!
Edit: I don't like to look for alternative reasons for placings, but is the Swedish public just sick of seeing Magnus and Andreas? I don't understand at all how "Live Forever" could fail to make at least the second chance round. Seriously. I am hugely excited about Måns going straight to the final now, though (and I can't believe he and Sebastian beat Nanne), and how excited he was was adorable--he even jumped on the announcer's back! It does make me wonder about whoever is selecting the songs for Melodifestivalen--"Cara Mia" wasn't originally selected, only making it in because two other songs were disqualified. I just don't understand how a song as brilliant as "Live Forever" could fail to do anything in the competition.
After a night of barely being able to sleep because I kept feeling compelled to go listen to the songs from this semifinal, I've reached a few conclusions.
My two absolute favorites that I'm desperate to see do well are definitely Magnus and Måns. Their songs are both bounce-around-the-room-like-a-crazy-person tunes that are instantly amazing (I know, now I'm overusing that word more than last year's Eurovision hosts) and I've run out of adjectives to describe them.
After that, I think my favorite is the Attic feat. Therese, though I don't expect it to do too well. Still, in my dream world, it would make it to the second chance round. The second second chance slot--well, I'd probably give it to Sebastian, just narrowly beating out Nanne, but, with performances, I'm sure Nanne will deserve to do very well.
Some random news about some Melodifestivalen contestants:
Jimmy Jansson and Sebastian have both updated their sites and have albums coming out in early March, both I've which I'm planning on buying. Jimmy's got a bunch of pictures on it (not necessarily new), but I think this one is the classiest:
Sebastian's new album is going to be called The Vintage Virgin (really?) and he'll be previewing some of the songs from it on his site.
Also on the subject of photos, this is definitely my favorite one of Måns:
So, anyhow, Magnus and Måns! Please, Sweden! I'm most worried about Måns--I could see him not even making it to the second chance, but, based on song along, he unquestionably deserves to be in the final, as does Magnus. Their songs--I can't even express how good they are.
Ohhhh, yes. It is on. At this rate, this semifinal is going to be better than the actual final. The songs...they're amazing. I'll update in just a couple of minutes.
I am incredibly impressed. All predictions were that this was going to be the best semifinal round, and so far it easily is, but I had no idea it was going to be this good. Wow. In no particular order, the best:
Magnus (opening with Bosson-esque "ohh"'s, this song is sogood. It's fast, it's poppy, it's got everything you could possibly want in a song. My favorite of the round, I think, though there's so much quality here that title could end up shifting around a lot, but this was the song I found myself wanting to listen to while I was sitting around waiting for my computer to do some stuff, so it wins out for now. It's one of the favorites to make the final, and it better! To quote someone else, though--I can't remember who, or I'd cite it--it might be very Melodifestivalen but maybe not very Eurovision. I don't care, though--it's sensational. Really. I can't even begin to get across how good it is--just listen to it already!)
Nanne (I was a little worried at first because it's acoustic-sounding, but she is going to perform the heck out of this, I'm sure, which will really elevate the song. Catchy vocal part, catchy guitar, and some lovely orchestral-ish punctuation of the song...I just sort of wish it wasn't so acoustic. As I said, though, I'm sure my opinion of it will climb immensely when I see it performed--she's such a powerful performer and really makes you see how brilliant her songs are.)
Måns (I'm hoping Mans does really well with this song and then decides that he wants to continue with this musical direction, as opposed to the "singer-songwriter" direction he's threatening. Nanne's a singer-songwriter, too, but I suspect he means something less fun, and this song is AMAZING. He's probably singing "When someone loves like I do, dreams can true," but to me it sounds like "When someone looks like I do, dreams can come true," and that's what I'm going to imagine he's saying instead. I'm not sure how well he'll perform it, but on quality of the song, I'd love this to at least make it to the second chance and the final from there. Please, Måns, release a full album of music like this! He seems a little emotionless at points, but oh gosh...I love this song. It starts out dark and slower, with Mans's voice muffled, but it breaks out into fantastic dance-pop. As if that wasn't great enough, out of nowhere, we get handclaps. Handclaps! Oh my gosh, is it good. It may, ignoring the performances, steal the title of my favorite from Magnus.)
Sebastian (ahh, this is great as well, up there with some of the best of his work. Don't let my lack of words here fool you--I love it as well.)
The Attic feat. Therese (it can't be a coincidence that this song opens up with a reference to "human rights" when the theme song for Melodifestivalen last year, also made by the Attic, was called "Human Rights," can it? Very clubby, very good. Even it fails to make the final--and I wonder if it being so clubby might hurt it--I don't know how it couldn't be a club hit...I love it a lot.)
MissMatch (these girls will probably be overlooked, cursed with being in the toughest semifinal and not being famous ahead of time, and I have a feeling a lot of Melodifestivalen fans might not like it, but I like it--I hope we hear more from them. It's a little rocky without being what I would necessarily call pop-rock. Plus, it's got panting.)
Sonja also has a beautiful ballad that is growing on me, but with this much amazing up-tempo stuff, there are so many other songs I'd rather see make it through. The Shieda song is nice enough, but can't compete when up against songs like these. You can listen to all the songs here.
Please, please, please let the stream work tomorrow! My hopes for the final and second chance--well, it's tough. I'm narrowly going to go Magnus and Nanne based on the reports that Nanne's performance easily tops everyone else's (otherwise--and I can't believe I'm saying this--it'd be questionable for me as to whether she should even make the second chance. Oh, saying that feels awful!), but Måns is close, and I definitely want him at least in the second chance and making it to the final out of there (or maybe in the final instead of Nanne...I love his song so much!). The second second chance spot--between Sebastian and the Attic feat. Therese, for me. There are five absolutely top-quality songs in this round, though, and it's such a shame more can't make it to the final. In fact, given the new structure of the second chance round, there's no way more than three songs from this semifinal will end up being in the final, which is ridiculous.
I'm in music paradise! I can't believe how great this round is. It really is going to be better than the final, I think.
My incomplete guide to this week's Melodifestivalen semifinal.
I'm far from an expert on Swedish pop, but I thought I'd give some brief background based on what I do know about the artists who'll be competing this Saturday. (If any of this is wrong or you know more, please let me know!) Since Melodifestivalen seems to take over this blog on the weekends, I thought some information ahead of time might be a good idea to give a better idea of what to expect and what's happening.
1.) Måns Zelmerlöw--a former competitor on Idol (he took fifth) and later the winner of Let's Dance, Sweden's version of Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing With The Stars, so, even though he's only twenty, he's practically a veteran of televised performance competitions. Originally, he wasn't going to be in Melodifestivalen, but after Agnes's (who beat him in Idol) song and another one were disqualified, he was called in. He's described his song, "Cara Mia," as danceable, with some ABBA and BWO influences, starting out sad but building up to something much happier. Enjoy it while you can, though, because he's also said his CD will be in a more singer-songwriter style.
To watch: he hasn't released any music yet, but you can watch him singing Roxette's "The Look" on Idol.
2.) MissMatch--I don't know anything about them except that they're made up of two girls--does anyone know more? All I've got from their Melodifestivalen profile is that they're best friends and neighbors. Their song is called "Drop Dead." Expressen compares them to t.A.T.u, though I'm not sure why, and there's a reference to schlager, though the girls do say they're not typical schlager.
3.) Magnus Carlsson--former Barbados and Alcazar member turned solo artist. He competed in Melodifestivalen last year (he's actually competed in it every year since 2000 except for 2004) with the great "Lev Livet" (one of the three happiest songs of last year), making it to the finals and placing eighth. I think I've heard that there's been a lot of positive buzz around his song this year, "Live Forever," which he's said is '80's-ish (he compared it to a-ha, among other things), happy, and fast, and has said it's typical of his upcoming album (which he's also said will be pop and disco).
To watch: his performance of "Lev Livet" at Melodifestivalen 2006
4.) Shieda--I don't know anything about this group--does anyone? Their song is called "I mina drömmar" and, from what I can understand from their Melodifestivalen profile, is sung in three languages. From what I can understand from Expressen, their song is "ethnic" or "world" music.
5.) The Attic feat. Therese--the Attic released a brilliant album last year which they described as pop-house, and that's about right. They've been around for longer than that, though, releasing singles and remixing songs for other artists, and they made the music for Lena Philipsson's entrances at Melodifestivalen 2006 (she was the host). Therese, too, does really danceable music; she might be most famous for "Put 'Em High," which she did with Stonebridge, but her song "Time" is also great. Together listed as "The Attic feat. Therese," they'll be singing "The Arrival."
To watch (for the Attic): or actually, don't...just let it play so you can hear the music, but it's a typical dance video featuring a bunch of scantily clad women...which is a shame, because a truly brilliant song like this one deserves so much more. The album version is much better than this video mix, too (that quiet part in the middle doesn't exist). You don't see the two members of the Attic until the end, in the police line up.
To watch (for Therese): the music video for "Time."
6.) Sebastian--a former Idol contestant, he's a little bit of a rocker and was in the same season as Måns, ultimately placing second. He released a debut single that I couldn't stand ("Do What You're Told") but followed it up with the good "Indifferent" and the excellent (as in, one of the best singles of last year/this year) lead single for his new album, "Words And Violence." At the rate his singles are improving, his song for Melodifestivalen, "When The Night Comes Falling," should be absolutely out of this world. However, if I'm understanding his interview in Expressen correctly, he compares the song to Bruce Springsteen circa 1975, and I think it's also saying a lot of people have criticized it, but I could be completely wrong.
To watch: his live performance of "Words And Violence" on the Idol 2006 finale (not the season he was competing in).
7.) Sonya--or Sonja Aldén, as I guess she is going by. She used to be one of Shirley Clamp's backup singers. Sonya competed in Melodifestivalen 2006 with "Etymon," but didn't make it out of the semifinals. She also co-wrote the Poodles' fourth-placed "Night Of Passion." She's contrasted her song this year, "För att du finns," with "Etymon," saying that while the latter was energetic and wild, this year's is calm and will contrast with the many uptempo songs she's up against; it's a lighters-in-the-air sort of song, according to her. The co-writer of her song also worked on "Etymon," Carola's "Invincible," Shirley Clamp's "Min kärlek," and Alcazar's "Not A Sinner, Nor A Saint," among other songs.
To watch: her Melodifestivalen 2006 performance of "Etymon."
8.) Nanne Grönvall--brilliant and maybe crazy, Nanne's competed in Melodifestivalen a bunch of times, sometimes as part of a group and sometimes solo, and also tried to represent the UK once, too. In 2005, she was the viewer favorite with "Håll om mig", but the jury's votes were enough to give Martin Stenmarck the win. Her song this year is "Jag måste kyssa dig," which means "I Must Kiss You." She's definitely one of the contestants to beat, and with good reason; given her history in Melodifestivalen, her performance is sure to be entertaining and her song should be great.
To watch: her Melodifestivalen 2005 performance of "Håll om mig."
It's been a little while since I've done a real news round-up (though I know I've done a lot of "breaking news" sort of posts lately), and there's a lot I'd like to mention, so today will just be some random thoughts and news.
In the "news I should have brought to you yesterday but didn't want to mention" file is information about Gareth Gates's new single. It's confirmed for an April release, and he's also confirmed which song it will be: "Changes." It's the latter that resulted in my hesitation to mention it yesterday. I haven't heard the whole song yet, let alone heard the whole studio version yet, but from what I've heard of the song, I'm not sure about the choice. Well, that's not entirely correct--it would be more correct to say I have an opinion which could be totally wrong, but I'll throw it out there anyway: I see this as the sort of song that might be loved by fans, but isn't a good choice for lead single. Facts about "Changes": it is a ballad. You can't view it as anything else--it's not a Shayne Ward "No Promises" or Anthony Callea "Rain" song that you could maybe make a case for it being something else. I'm trying not to let my own preference for the uptempo influence my analysis of this decision, but that might seep in somewhat, which is why I'm so leery about actually saying much. It's also a very intimate-sounding ballad. Very singer-songwritery sounding. And (I can just hear the screams of derision coming from the PJ Forums already) it's co-written with one of the writers of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful." Ballads can do very well, but I feel as if normally they tend to be catchy, or less..."rambling" isn't the right word...less hushed? More commanding of your attention? As I said, I haven't heard the whole thing, so I could be utterly wrong on this (and I hope I am), but to me it just doesn't feel like the super-strong comeback single he needs. I don't expect anyone to want to download these, but if anyone wants to listen to them, here are a couple of clips (taken from the documentary) of "Changes": longer clip (the song's beginning, I think) and shorter clip (probably leading into the chorus). Anyone else have any thoughts? And be honest--I can take it!
Also, speaking of singles, Sebastian (Karlsson)'s latest single "Words and Violence" (which I wrote about and posted a live version of back in December) is finally availabe to purchase in a physical format, meaning we non-Swedish residents can finally get hold of it. I'm not sure if anyone else has grown as obsessed with this song as me recently, but if you want to, you can buy the single for it here.
No news from Go:Audio (except that they keep redesigning their MySpace), but I just wanted to mention again how great their song "Made Up Stories" (which you can listen to on the aforementioned MySpace) is.
Also on the guitar-pop tip, the Click Five's song "Time Machine" is being used to advertise Orlando--that's lovely, boys, but when do we get a new album? (Rumors say fall 2007, but that's based off of nothing.) Those live performances of some of your new songs are too low quality for me to stand listening to, no matter how intense my withdrawal symptoms get.
What has happened to Veto Silver? According to their MySpace, they still have shows coming up, and it looks as if they've lost and replaced a member, but when are we getting new music?
My reporting that Anthony Callea's single "Addicted To You" would have two new b-sides was wrong--one will be "Meant For Love," previously only available on the Australian iTunes. The other is called "Try," and is, as far as I know, new.
Ever since Kevin recommended Sondre Lerche in the comments, I've fallen in love with him. His upcoming album, Phantom Punch, might be more hipster than what I normally listen to, but it's so much fun...I definitely recommend picking it up when it comes out in early February! I really want to write more about him later, but if I do, Kevin gets all the credit (and huge thanks!) for introducing him to me. In the meantime, if you like well-done music videos, check out the one for his song "Two Way Monogue" (also courtesy of Kevin's recommendation).
I'm a horrible comments lurker, but I do it in hopes of finding new blogs. A couple of blogs new to me: Give Your Ears A Taste Of The Visual and PopMusicWorldWide. I only just found out about PopMusicWorldWide this morning, and I absolutely adore it already; when its creator says "world wide," that's the complete truth. Incredibly thorough, it's already introduced me to artists I'd never heard of before and given me a lot more information about artists I only knew in passing. I only wish I'd known about it sooner. Give it a visit--you'll love it!
Other excellent blogs have relocated: Digital Technique is now at the All New Digital Technique and Aria of Pop is now at Synth Me Spaghetti. Both are top-quality blogs that I adore.
Do you know what? Disregard my entire "we're not going to get to that Swedish singer until Friday or Saturday" speech--why not do it today? You all know me--I absolutely love the Click Five, McFly, and Busted--well, if you love those bands (and Hanson's song "Lost Without Each Other") as much as I do, there's a very good chance you'll at least like Jamie Meyer. Don't let my mentions to those bands throw you--he doesn't sound quite like any of them, and I'm sure there's a closer reference point out there somewhere, but it's escaping me at the moment. Jamie was on the Swedish version of Popstars, and, if I'm not mistaken, he was competing against future BWO singer Martin Rolinski. Though his official website makes no mention of this connection, they must still be on decent terms, because his website links to BWO's. Since releasing his first album in Sweden, he's spent a lot of time in the U.S. trying to make it here, and he's also released another album (or, probably more accurately, an EP).
Good Girl--the moment I heard the title of this song, I was pretty sure I wouldn't like it--I was expecting a response similar to the one I had to Sebastian's "Do What You're Told." However, several things changed my opinion:
The video. If you have time, I really really recommend watching it; though it's nothing artsy or too creative, and though it seems too be trying a bit too hard to be cool in some parts, it's really endearing. You can stream it here, courtesy of his official site.
The lyrics. Message-wise, it's nothing like Sebastian's song (side note: before you all get the impression I don't like Sebastian, that's not the case at all; as I mentioned when I wrote about "Words And Violence," I love that song, and it's sort of shocking how quickly I've gotten excited about him and his participation in Melodifestivalen based solely on the quality of "Words And Violence" and "Indifferent"). While "Do What You're Told" is about Sebastian wanting control of the relationship and includes lines like "I'm the man, gimme control" and "You've been wearing the pants/It was cool, but I'm taking them back,"Jamie's song has lines like "baby, tease, tease, tease/come put my heart at ease"--basically, nothing serious and nothing that's going to limit my ability to have fun listening to the song.
The music. Possibly most important of all, "Good Girl" is catchy, upbeat pop-rock done really well--exactly the style I love.
All around, it's both the sort of song and video I'd like to see on the TV more, but it's also the sort of fun pop-rock great for putting on in your room and just jumping up and down and miming along to (though it's not as jump-around-worthy as Busted's best energy-filled songs--those tend to be more spastic than this).
I bought his album through Skivhugget, but they don't seem to carry it anymore; however, you can get information about how to buy Jamie Meyer's debut album, It's All About Me, from his official site, as well as find information about purchasing the followup. His first two singles, "Psycho" and "Good Girl," were, quality wise, a great (seriously great--top-notch) one-two punch; if you like "Good Girl," I really recommend getting It's All About Me, if for no other reason than to also own "Psycho" (there are definitely other good songs on the album, too, but "Psycho" is another excellent fun song like "Good Girl"). You can watch the video for "Psycho" here (courtesy of his official site). Also in terms of his official site, he's put several songs from his first album and his newest album/EP up for free download, so it's worth checking out.
By the way, there's another great pop blog out there for you all to consider visiting: You Don't Know Pop (which is going in the sidebar soon)--it's already featured some groups and singers I love (the Attic, Savage Garden, and lots of others), and introduced me to some new ones (German singer Sasha--I especially like "Rooftop" and "This Is My Time," which reminds me of/samples "Gimme Some Lovin'"--once again, among lots of others). Very poppy (Bardot, Six, Nina & Kim), which is perfect!
Your problems don't exist when music feels like this.
Songs are posted only for promotional purposes (I love them and want others to know about them, too)--if you like them, please "go out and buy the record"! If you are an artist, represent one, or are a songwriter/producer and would like your songs removed, I'll gladly do so (just let me know).
If you do not usually tune in to Melodifestivalen, Sweden's contest to select an entry for cross-Europe song contest Eurovision, today is not the day to start watching.
