All I know I learned today

I mentioned--what, back in May, I think?--a while ago, anyway, that one of my albums of the summer was the Tough Alliance's A New Chance. I meant to write about it back then, but somehow it never happened. I'm sort of reluctant to do it at this moment--I don't think I'm in the state to come up with anything clever or significant to say about it and I have a feeling I'll end up choosing the wrong song to post--but I guess I am anyway!

The Tough Alliance are indie. But they're also Swedish and do electro-pop, which--especially when the group's made of two guys--seems to be a recipe for success, or at least good music. Basically, them being "indie" here only means that they're a little bit left-field, but along with those hipster stylings, they also happen to make really catchy music which I guess you could also say is pretty cute. Maybe not quite as cute as Lo-Fi-Fnk, but definitely enjoyable, even if I sometimes surprise myself by liking them. A New Chance was their latest album/EP/whatever and it sounded exactly like summer, though in retrospect maybe it's a good thing it's actually a good thing I'm writing about them in the middle of the summer--though their sunshiney tunes are perfect for making me imagine the beach in the middle of a rainy (still) fall day, it can sometimes be a bit much when you actually are out in the middle of the summer heat on a beach.

1981--the album's closing song, and I was hooked on on it from those opening instrumental notes. I know this is an odd comparison to make, given that there are a plethora of Swedish male duos making electro-pop and consequently surely much more accurate comparisons available, but for some reason this song reminds me of what I imagine the Attic might sound like if they ever decided they wanted to be "hip" or more left-field. It's lovely and lush and a change of pace from the rest of the album--more "typical song"-like, I guess, though still not exactly standard pop structure (for the closest you'll get to that, look to the album's lead single and most commercial sounding song "First Class Riot"), and literally slower as well. If the duo's voices ever get on your nerves, this song tones them down a bit; they spend most of the time doing backing vocals (yes, backing vocals when there's no main vocals; if you can think of a better name for those "ahhh"s, let me know) and creating the fantastic, slightly exotic sounding music.

To buy the Tough Alliance's A New Chance, go here (physical) or here (digital). It's also available on iTunes stores worldwide.

This reminds me: do well all know Le Sport's "Your Brother Is My Only Hope"? Now that's a great Swedish male electro-pop duo song! (They've also done a song called "If Neil Tennant Was My Lover," for what it's worth.)

Next up: I'm not sure--maybe a poppy Dutch Eurovision song.

Work? No way

I am still in a very summery mood and, with the weather now cooperating, I've got two albums currently competing for the title of my "summer album"--not necessarily the summer's best album, but the one that just feels like summer, that's perfect for having on while you're doing whatever. The latest release by the Tough Alliance is putting up a good fight and may win out in the long run (more about them in the future; in the meantime, check out thoughts about the lead single on Worrapolava or #1 Hits From Another Planet--in general, blippy catchy pop from Sweden that is very impressive), but for the moment, Same Difference is holding onto the title.

It frustrates me that if I walk into a music store around here and head over to the international section, the only music I'd find from most countries is "traditional" or "folk" music, and that's especially true for South Africa. I'm certainly not condemning that sort of music--everyone has their own taste--but that's such a poor reflection of the actual music scenes of these countries. Without a greater range of music being portrayed, people are missing out on a lot and a certain image of countries is definitely being portrayed. Given American radio's lack of friendliness towards non-English language tracks, Same Difference would probably never have stood a chance at mainstream radio success, but if there was justice in the world, some of these songs should have been international hits.

I am definitely not an expert on South African music, so please correct me if any of this is wrong. Mandoza is one of South Africa's leading kwaito stars (kwaito is a type of music that I instinctively want to say is the South African version of hip-hop or rap, but that's not right, as there is rap there; picture rap with dance or house beats and strong percussion, and you're a little closer) while Danny K is--well, I guess you could say he's an R&B singer, though he can be more pop or more hip hop influenced (though he's not a rapper) depending on the song. Both are well-established artists in the own right, but 2004 found them teaming up to release Same Difference, an album I'm fulling prepared for no one else to enjoy but that I'm loving. Though I still maintain that it has songs that should have been hits outside of South Africa (or outside of Africa--I'm not sure how it did in other African countries), for the pop fan, your enjoyment of the album overall will probably be affected by your opinion of Mandoza's singing (or speaking). It's gruff, rap-like, and not in English. For my own preferences, I'd probably cut down on some of his more extended parts, but he's vitally important to this album--he provides a nice crunch here and, without the sort of music he brings to the table, many of these songs wouldn't really stick for me.

I was fully expecting myself to fall for one of the albums dance hall tracks, but the songs I've found myself returning to most are the more laid-back ones. They are such perfect summer songs--"breezy" is just about the perfect word for them, but they're not free-floating, instead being brought back down to Earth by the beats Mandoza brings. There are so many great songs on Same Difference--if I had a section listing my music idols, this album would've elevated Danny K and Mandoza, working as a team, into that list.

I know some people will say this is R&B (or whatever genre of music you want to call it) for people who don't listen to or don't like R&B, but, though with my background I can't address that, 1.) there's nothing wrong with appealing to new audiences, and 2.) I don't care. I don't care if this doesn't have hardcore kwaito or is a shameless attempt at crossover market success--it works, bringing the best of both singers' worlds together and creating something that I'm probably far more likely to enjoy than either of their solo works.

The song I'm posting was chosen partly because it's one of my favorite songs on the album, but also because the back-and-forth between Danny K and Mandoza, who's basically doing quick answer-backs for most of the song, might be more likely to appeal to people who don't want to hear extended stretches of rapping (there is a rap break, but it's got Danny K's interjections in it). The song is so breezy and so summery, though, and not just in the title--it makes me want to hop in a car and drive to the beach with this song--really, the whole album--soundtracking my drive.

Summertime

You can buy Mandoza and Danny K's album Same Difference here (they can take a long time to ship the item, but once it's shipped it doesn't take long to arrive and the shipping is the cheapest I've found for South African music). Amazon.co.uk sells it as well. Though it is not an album for everyone (it does feel very mainstream, which is a good thing, but it's distinctive), I very much recommend it--it is just about the perfect summer album. If you want to hear more from it before buying, this site has minute long clips of each of the songs. Plus, I love their logo:



I'm not sure why I love it so much, but I do.

Next up: probably Måns.