You make everything simple with the greatest of ease

Before Heinz Winckler, winner of the first season of South Africa's Idols (previous posts here and here) decided he wanted to rock out, he was content to make cheesy little pop songs that never fail to lift my mood. You could argue that they're dated, but they're still adorable, and for that reason, I love his first album (which this post was almost about). However, it was on his second album, Come Alive, that I think he reached his artistic peak (that's a relative term--it's still not a particularly "artistic" album, though it's beautiful in parts). There are fewer songs on Come Alive that I listen to regularly, but those songs are some of my favorites of his. While the first album was cheesy happy pop and all the production you would expect for such songs, the second went for an uplugged feel (though that's not why I think it's his peak) and songs on it had some surprising twists. The following song may not have any twists, but it is, in my opinion, one of Heinz's best. It's also the song that took him (or appeared to take him) beyond one-album wonder, a fate many Idols fall into.

Can't Lose With You--as I think I've mentioned before, "Angel" is probably the best indication on the first album of the direction Heinz would take for this second album. Though thematically not similar, "Can't Lose With You" could be seen as Come Alive's "Angel" (though it gave no clue as to what the third album would sound like), but if it is, it also shows the growth in Heinz's material. When this song, the album's lead single, hit the radios, people were surprised that it could be Heinz singing it. One site I read jokingly suggested that Heinz must have gone off and taken singing lessons between the first and second albums and, although any young singer would be foolish not to work on improving their voice between albums, that just goes to show what a surprising comeback this was for Heinz. I'm not saying this is a particularly impressive (or demanding) vocal performance, but, listening to the song, you get the sense that Heinz had to really work to sing as well as he did for it. That sense of effort and struggle, though (even if only imagined on my part), only enhances the song, given its subject--it's like the boy who, in love with a girl, writes her a song and sings it in front of an audience in hopes of impressing her, desperate to do as well as he can. In real life, that situation would most likely be creepy or boring, but here, with a song this good, it works--it makes Heinz, or the character he's playing, more endearing. As for the song itself, it's basically just a simple acoustic guitar-based ballad--a pretty one, but one that probably shouldn't be as good as it is (though it's still nothing boundaries-shattering or life-changing). I think a lot of its appeal has to do with Heinz's delivery and tone; this could easily have been saccharine or dull, but it's not--instead, there's something achingly pretty about it.

(When I complained about Heinz's voice on the third album, it was somewhat related to this--it's not that he has a bad voice, just that it's better suited for certain types of songs than others, and for me, there are better male voices to accompany rock-out pop than his.)

To buy Heinz Winckler's second album, Come Alive, go here (physical). Incidentally, "Can't Lose With You" and "Drowning Me," another song on the album, make a perfect matched set, so, if you like this song, you might want to consider looking for the other.

Next up: something poppier, I think, or sort of dance-pop.

Si vives sin pena ni gloria

Víctor Estévez Polo, or just Víctor, took third in the fourth season of Spain's Operacion Triunfo, the original Star/Fame Academy. In 2005, he released his debut album, Rock & Swing. Now, before you all go running away screaming at the "Swing" part of that title (swing night is never one of the better ones on a reality show), we're not going to be looking at the latter, swing-filled half of the album at all, and the first half has some good pop-rock (rock? no. pop-rock? yes.) on it. For a while, I was convinced Víctor's debut single, "Juguemos Fuerte," had to be a cover--it just seemed too good and, given the nature of these post-TV debuts, it wouldn't have been surprising; amidst covers of well-known songs, Rock & Swing also has a cover of Swedish singer Jamie Meyer's "Good Girl" (more on that song in the near future), renamed "No me busques." Despite all this, though, I haven't found any evidence that "Juguemos Fuerte" is a cover (please let me know if it is, though!), but I wouldn't be surprised if someone else covered it later, especially given that it sort of flopped, peaking at #28 and only helping the album get to #39 (which is probably why his second album, due to come out in 2006, was never released).

Juguemos Fuerte--I'm not sure why this flopped; maybe Spain just wasn't in a pop-rock mood. It's a song that probably wouldn't be hugely popular in the Popjustice forums, but it's exactly of the sort I like. It's not revolutionary, but it's pretty catchy pop-rock (plus, I can understand the chorus--bonus points!). If I was a native speaker of Spanish, the rhymes in the chorus might come off as too easy and the lyrics as really cliched, but, as is, they work well. There's something about this song that feels familiar (another reason I wondered if it was a cover), but maybe that's just because it's relying upon some of the basics of pop-rock.

To buy a physical copy of Víctor's debut album, Rock & Swing, go here. If you live in the U.S., you can buy a digital copy from iTunes here; it's available in other in other countries' iTunes stores, too.

Next up: maybe more pop-rock, this time from a Swedish singer I've written about before.

Don't let this moment pass you by

I had a certain plan for today--it's this blog's sixth month anniversary (woo! though that's nothing compared to three years), and so I had a song that sort of, at a stretch, tied in thematically to whatever I might decide to write today. But, you know, I think I've changed my mind...and what I'll be writing about instead doubly ties in today: not only is it sixth months after I began this blog, it's one year and two days after my interest in music completely exploded into an obsession. I think I've told this story half a million times, so feel free to skip ahead to the music!

Anyhow, the story of how I discovered music comes in two phases. Before either phase began, I had no interest in music--I had some songs I had a nostalgic attachment to in the past, but I really never voluntarily listened to anything. I'd listen to the radio, but pretty much strictly NPR (especially for when they switched over to the BBC World Service at night! Oh gosh...the memories are rushing back). That began to change when I won an iPod (green iPod mini, to be specific) in a random drawing in May 2005. I'd never wanted an mp3 player before, but the moment I won one, things began to change. Sure, at first I saw it mainly as something I could put audiobooks on (though I never actually did that), but thing slowly began to change. Pretty soon, I was sorting through my parents' music collections and checking out CDs from the library. Me with my iPod on became a normal sight.

Phase two, though, is where things really exploded and, just like I can pinpoint phase one on an exact moment--when I won that iPod--I can identify the exact event that triggered phase two: watching BBC America in late December 2005--the Kumars at No. 42 Street, in fact (why? I don't know), and, in particular, the episode with Mark Owen and Darius Danesh. At the time, though Mark seemed adorable, I didn't really make a connection to the fact that he might have music I could go look up (they spent a lot of time talking about his Big Brother experience, I think)...but, despite the fact that Darius didn't sing at all until the episode's final moments (and then, it's in the midst of chaos, not some big performance), something must have clicked in my brain--"you mean there's music being made in countries besides the U.S.? That's not being released here?"--because I decided to go look him up online to find out what his own music sounded like.

I can't believe I still remember all these details, but I do. Thanks to a Darius fansite (which has changed since then), I was able to hear clips of his first three singles...and from then on, I was completely hooked. I ordered Darius's first album through eBay but, while I waited for it to arrive, I spent forever trying to find more music from outside the US--looking at the UK charts (McFly's "Ultraviolet/Ballad of Paul K" was still floating around...the beginning of another addiction!), browsing the UK iTunes, even looking through Wikipedia for other Pop Idol contestants (-->Gareth Gates and Will Young) and UK pop groups (from McFly, it was only a short leap to Busted; oddly, considering my order of discovery, I would end up owning a Busted album before I bought any from McFly).

January 5, 2006: Dive In, Darius's first album, arrives, and I am officially addicted to and in love with music. Without the strength of those online clips, though, I would have missed out on an entire world--lots of worlds.

Onto the songs (finally!). I've posted them before (in my third post ever, as m4as; they're mp3's this time), but they're the most appropriate for today. They're by--of course--Darius, the third-place finisher on the first season of Pop Idol. He's released two albums so far and is still in the songwriting/demos phase for the third one.

Rushes--it was a clip of this song that gave me no choice but to buy his album. I never watched Pop Idol, so I have no idea what Darius is really like, but I do know he's made some amazing pop songs, this one among them. There's a sound that characterizes Darius's first three singles that I haven't yet figured out how to describe, but I love it. Honestly, if anyone has any clue what it is--what, musically, makes them sound unlike so much out there--please let me know; it's this sort of glittery, shining thing...the instruments...whatever that is at around 2:14...all the things going on that just have this amazing feeling of build...I just can't figure out how to describe it, or even really figure out what it is for myself. Anyhow, this was Darius's second single. I love it, though it's not the song I would use to introduce someone to Darius (I might go with "Incredible" for that). I've consciously avoided watching any of Darius's music videos--songs like this are just so gorgeous and fun and catchy that I'm worried the video might somehow ruin the experience. And what an experience it is--even if you're not fond of Darius or the lyrics, how can you not love the amazing music in this song?

Dive In--the first three singles from Dive In were amazing (I know, I'm using that word a lot)--in fact, I think they're my favorite lead three singles from an album ever. However, if Darius had released this song as the fourth single instead of "Girl In The Moon," he would have easily made that my favorite four lead singles from an album and would have been pretty much untouchable in that competition. Why on Earth this was passed up as a single, I have no idea--it's one of my favorite songs on the album, possibly my favorite. It's got that same undefinable musical quality the first three had that made me love them so much, and is a similar upbeat acoustic-guitar-but-lots-more sort of song.

To buy Darius's debut album, Dive In, go here (physical) or here (digital). It could use a better album cover, but it has some gorgeous, catchy, happy (as well as not so happy) songs on it. It's hard to know where to begin with recommendations, but, if all you know are the singles and "Dive In," "Sliding Doors" is another great song to check out. If you want something a little slower, maybe try "Simple Like The Truth." "Better Than That" is great, too. Umm...really, pretty much the whole album is great and a worthy purchase if you like these songs!

So...there you have it. Love him or hate him, I owe my music addiction and my awareness of music outside the U.S. to Darius. I know he's not exactly popular with pop bloggers (except, thank goodness, for Electroqueer--who did a much better and less self-indulgent feature about Darius here), but not only do I like him for nostalgic reasons, I think he makes great pop music. I don't mention him nearly often enough here, but I can't wait for his next album (let's just hope it's not in the vein of "Devil In You"!).

Next up: something with far less talk about me. Probably a song in Spanish.

I got no reasons left to please you

Another song in English today! And tomorrow's will be, too! I don't know how I got into a streak of so many non-English language songs lately--maybe I'm getting better at appreciating those than I thought. Today's song comes from Swedish band Clark. They've spent a lot of time in Japan and China, trying to get big in those countries, but this song also did pretty well in the Swedish charts, even if it was no chart-topper. It took several years for the album (including the single) to come out. They've moved on to material from their second album now, though, and their most recent single, "Whatever," entered the charts at #17; their new album will come out February 2. I don't think Clark have the biggest financial backing (judging from, among other things, their low budget-looking but endearing music video; edit: and apparently they're signed to an indie label), but that hasn't stopped them from making top-quality songs like this.

I Don't Need You--don't be thrown off by that unassuming title--"I Don't Need You" is a great song. Big and powerful but beautiful, it's got a chorus (and pre-chorus/bridge) to die for--so catchy and gorgeous that any label would be foolish not to think "Hit!" when they heard it. I guess some people might think it's "dad rock," but I don't care (and completely disagree); I love this song. There's not really much I can say about it--it's just amazing. For some reason, I want to say that songs like this are proof of why we don't need the Fray, even though I can't think of a logical reason I should be comparing the two--but still, that's what it brings to mind. "I Don't Need You" is the sort of song that should be a hit everywhere.

To buy Clark's debut album, Two Of A Kind, go here (physical) or here (digital). Since "Clark" isn't exactly the most googleable name, their website is here and MySpace is here.

Next up: another song in English, also by a group, but not one that played their own instruments.

You were holding all the cards

It is 1:22 AM here. Note to self: in the future, when you get back, just go straight to bed; don't think you'll "just check something really quick," because you will inevitably get caught up in something else. Anyhow, somehow or other, I ended up listening to previews of Markus Fagervall's new album, Echo Heart. I don't know why, since I didn't follow him in Idol this year, and, though his debut single isn't awful, I don't love it (though, since he's off an Idol show, that single is never an indication of future direction...actually, that's probably why I was listening to the album, hoping there would be some shockingly amazing song on it). Anyhow, I was listening to the thirty second preview of the first song on the album, "All The Way," when I realized it sounded really familiar; not necessarily the voice, but the words and melody--the lyrics featured were pretty distinctive: "you should have bit your lip/instead of biting mine." That sort of thing sticks in the mind, y'know. Anyhow, thank goodness for the iTunes feature that lets you type in words and look at all the songs that include those words, because it allowed me to figure out where I'd heard the song before: on the MySpace site of Alex Vargas, a singer whose song "Diamonds in the Dirt" I absolutely love and have featured several times before. I haven't heard the whole Markus song, but it has to be the same song as Alex's! Lyrics searches didn't bring up any other songs besides Markus's, which is making me think it's not a case of them both covering the same song (but please let me know if there is an original!), but maybe Alex's song getting used! I don't know for a fact that he wrote it, but I'm guessing he did--he's a singer-songwriter. "All The Way" isn't my favorite song Alex has done, but, if all this is true, I'm so excited! Granted, it's not as if I have any special connection to him, but he's someone I'd really love to see succeed. "Diamonds In The Dirt" should be a hit...Alex, if you're not going to release it yourself, license it to some Idol show and let it be the winner's single! I think it'd be perfect for that.

Anyhow, here's Alex's version of "All The Way," up for a limited time, because I'm desperate for details. Does anyone actually have an actual physical copy of Markus's album and so the songwriting credits? Keep in mind, "Diamonds In The Dirt" is so much better, though!

All The Way (Alexander Vargas)

You can visit Alex Vargas's MySpace here (but "Diamonds In The Dirt" isn't up anymore). Does anyone know if his EP was ever released? Did I just miss it?

I'm really so excited about this (of course, it'll probably end up being just a cover or something I didn't recognize, but I hope it's not)!

Next up: this might end up being my real post for Friday (technically, it is Friday now), depending on how busy I am. Maybe a Spanish or American singer next.

(Footnote: I know this probably won't mean too much to people who aren't 1) following Alex, or 2) following ex-Swedish Idol contestants, but I'm really excited by stuff like this!)

Hei me heilutaan taas mutta ei me kaaduta

Today will not be about my favorite album from last year--that will come later (though I don't think it will surprise anyone). Instead, today's song comes from Finnish girl band Tiktak (also known as Tik 'N Tak during their failed attempt to break the U.S.). Tiktak, made up of six girls (who, yes, do play their own instruments--they met at music school), is pretty popular in Finland, I think--maybe their most popular girl group. They've also been around for a long time; their first album came out in 1999, and they're still together, with their most recent album coming out in 2005. Tiktak have always mixed pop and rock (they were covering "Kids In America" on their second album), but the rock has increased over the years. I guess the easy comparison would be Vanilla Ninja--in both cases, the rock being mixed with the pop is that hard-edged rock--but there's something different about them; I'm not quite sure how to put it--maybe that Vanilla Ninja have more drama in their songs? Regardless, Tiktak are a lot of fun, judging by the one full album I've heard from them. That album, Ympyrää (Tiktak sing in Finnish, with the exception of their one album designed to break them in the U.S.), is what today's song comes from.

Heilutaan--there are about a million things this song sounds like--"My Sharona" and that children's chant Jibbs turned into a rap song, to name a couple. It also sounds like the girls are having a great time, though, and the song is so much fun that I can't help but love it. This is one of the songs that isn't so rocky, though it's definitely got guitars in it; it's poppy and fun and incredibly catchy. I have no idea what they're singing (Wikipedia says the title means "let's sway"), but I find myself making up words to sing along with them anyway.

As usual with Finnish albums, I have no idea where you can buy Tiktak's 2003 album Ympyrää (if anyone knows where to buy Finnish music, please, please let me know!), but, if you live in Europe, you can buy their most recent album (as well as some of their other albums) from CD On here.

Next up: probably another singer from a Spanish-speaking country.

Mírame a los ojos

Chilean rock (or pop-rock) band La Ley have a huge back catalogue that I've only recently started to hear some of, so I can't speak for their overall output so far. I recently heard one song by them, though, that really caught my attention. It's from their last non-compilation album, Libertad ("Liberty" in English), which apparently deals with the theme of war, and is in particular influenced by 9/11. Libertad came out in 2003 and was followed by a greatest hits in 2004 before La Ley, whose first real album came out in 1991, broke up. Over the years, they'd lost three original members, one to death. If you're interested in hearing more from them, the albums Invisible and Vértigo seem to be the places to start (though, as I said, I haven't had an opportunity to listen to them yet, so I don't know anything about quality or style).

Ámate Y Sálvate--my atrocious Spanish tells me the title translates to "Love Yourself and Save Yourself," but please correct me if I'm wrong. For songs that sound like they need a music video set in a big sweeping desert, I still have to go with Ricky Martin's amazing "Til I Get To You," but La Ley's song is a nice attempt. It begins a bit strangely--very stop-start--but it's attention-getting. Still, you might not really be grabbed by "Ámate Y Sálvate" until the chorus hits, big but not with rock-out shredding guitars. I'm not so sure about the lyrics; they're well-intentioned, but sort of a bit trite. Luckily, the vastness that this song, in sound, seems to cover--probably not quite as vast as hoped, but still sufficient--makes up for that. From the little I've heard, nothing else on Libertad sounds like this, which is a shame.

To buy La Ley's album Libertad, go here (physical) or here (digital).

Some long overdue additions to the sidebar links:

Kurt's Krap. I've been faithfully reading this blog for months (I think I found it when I was looking for information about Martin Stenmarck's amazing debut album One) and love it. It's only just appearing in the links now, though, because...well, let's just say though I love his blog, he probably wouldn't like mine (the cheese here is pretty abundant, and some of the music I like is far from rock), so I've been a bit scared. I think a lot of you would enjoy Kurt's Krap, though; it's dedicated to rock, so of course it covers all the classics you would expect (and some of which you might be surprised to find out I love, even if only on a very shallow knowledge basis), but Kurt's also featured the Feeling, the Veronicas, Orson, the Click Five, Maroon 5, the Rasmus, and Savage Garden, among lots of others. Check it out; I think you'll love it.

BsMx's Music Pleasure. I have no explanation for why I haven't already added this blog to the links; it's another one I'm lurking around without leaving comments (in this case, because of how horrible my attempts to write in Spanish would be). Yes, it is in Spanish, but even I can manage to read it, and you can always use something like Google Translate.

A Random Mix Of Music. Yet another amazing blog from the creator of Digital Technique--what more do I have to say?

Not new to the links, but a huge thanks to The Razor Wire for linking to me; I'm so glad it seems to have been reenergized lately! Great entertainment, and often pop music, commentary.

Next up: possibly a song from my favorite album of the year.

I'm standing on the sun with nothing else to hide

Are you all ready? Today: the brilliance (and tragedy) of Mexican singer Fey's album Vértigo.

I've written about Fey once before, but then had only heard her adorable most recent album, Faltan Lunas (which is still a great album). Since then, I've started to do a bit of catching up (though I'm still far from hearing all of her work), and wow--it's a complete shame that she's not more famous in the U.S. and Europe. Since I'm still new to her, if I get any of the following information wrong, please correct me!

Fey began her career as a '90's pop sensation with a series of albums that were huge sucesses--her first album went triple platinum, her second album went diamond, and her third album went five times platinum (now, granted, those weren't the U.S. standards for platinum, but that's still huge success, since you really have to look at the size of the markets she was releasing in). Then, worn out by all the work and touring, she retired in 1999.

In 2002, she returned, with a goal of finally breaking Europe and the U.S. as well as, of course, still doing well in her home country and the rest of Latin America. Vértigo, the new album, marked a change in direction for Fey--more mature, more electronic, and often darker. It came in two versions: a one disc version, all in Spanish, and a two disc version, which included a second disc in English that was mainly English versions of the original songs but also several other songs. It is, in all seriousness, one of my favorite albums, and I've only been listening to it for a couple of months.

So what happened to this masterpiece of an album, the album both critics and fans viewed as her best ever? It sold one time gold, and then disappeared, with only one single, "Sé Lo Que Vendrá" (or "The Other Side" in English, though that's not what the title actually translates to), ever really launched. Promotion for the second single was poor and Fey broke up with her long-time manager and record company. (One fan site says that the album was later relaunched and sold platinum--does anyone know? Most sites don't mention that.) It's such a shame that this album isn't better known--there's a lot on it I think people would really enjoy.

Post-Vértigo, Fey has released two albums, one, La Fuerza Del Destino, featuring covers of Mecano songs and one that I've previously mentioned, Faltan Lunas, which is that pop-electronica mix filled with really adorable songs.

The Other Side--the lead single. Fey's English isn't unaccented, but, if you don't mind Eurovision, then it should be no problem whatsoever, because she speaks it much more clearly than many contestants in that do. "The Other Side" is still pop, but it's also heavily influenced by electronica and dance. The backing is just gorgeous--I don't even know how to put it into words--spinning and remote and just generally amazing; it's like dancing in outer space. In all honesty, I think "The Other Side" might just be perfection encapsulated in song form (small side note: there are many kinds of perfection; McFly might create a perfect song, too, but it would sound nothing like this).

Dressing To Kill--choosing the second song was so difficult--do I go with one of the sweet, beautiful songs? The darker songs? A slow song? A fast one? Ultimately, I chose "Dressing To Kill" because it's immediate and catchy, but trust me, these two songs can't even begin to show the depth and breadth of this album. "Dressing To Kill" (or "Noche Ideal" in Spanish) was the second single and, while "The Other Side" reached #1 on the charts, "Dressing To Kill" only made it to #67. "Dressing To Kill" might not be quite as gorgeously sweeping as "The Other Side," but there's no reason, quality-wise, there should have been that great a disparity between their chart performances, which to me shows that something really must have (I know, the fallback explanation for all underserved music failures) gone wrong with the promotion.

You can buy Fey's two most recent albums on iTunes (Faltan Lunas seems to be available in most of the countries, and some of the songs on it are just so cute and happy that they are must-buys; "Me Has Vuelto Loca," "Faltan Lunas," and "Tres Razones" would be good starting points), but Vértigo isn't available there (I'm guessing it's because of the record company switch). I'm still not sure where you can buy the special Mexican two-disc edition besides hoping to get lucky on eBay, but you can get the single disc (all in Spanish) version here (physical). I really can't recommend it enough!

Next up: maybe an American "group" I've written about once before.

Nunca me amó, solo me usó

This group is perhaps not the best to listen to post-New Year's Eve, nor is it whatever I had originally planned for today. If we were to go by iTunes reviews, Mexican group Allison (who don't really look like they do in that picture) seems to have been introduced to a lot of American students in Spanish class, and the fact that they like what they've heard might give you an idea of what they sound like. Comparisons tend to fly fast and furious--some people have said they sound like Blink 182, others like Fall Out Boy (neither of those comparisons are mine); if they were releasing in the UK, I'm sure they would draw Busted comparisons (though they're not as good and they don't have quite the same sound...Allison are maybe punkier or less exuberant or something, and the lead singer's voice is nothing like that of any of the Busted boys). There's at least one comparison that's probably apt, in at least one respect: lead single "Frágil" has a guitar line that sounds (as pointed out at Last.fm) ripped straight out of Good Charlotte's "I Heard You." That's not going to win them any points in terms of being a good, creative band, but I still prefer "Frágil" to "I Heard You." In terms of Allison itself, I couldn't tell you that much--I don't even know if the band has an official website (though they do have a MySpace; the Spanish Wikipedia lists this as their official site, and it probably is, but why don't all the links work and why do they have such an abundance of non-band related advertising on it? Pop-up ads on an official site?!); I can't even tell if they have three or four members--their MySpace lists four, but a lot of their promotional pictures (and even their album cover) only show three; I think one member may have just been added.

Me Cambió--this song proves the power of "woah"'s (which are also used to great effect in the slightly less crazy but great "80s"). There are an awful lot of them in this song--heck, they're pretty much the entire chorus!--but they're also probably a good portion of the reason I enjoy this song. Think blazing guitars, catchiness, and punky energy to spare, all packed into under three minutes. Of course, given the "borrowing" from Good Charlotte in "Frágil" and the fact that a guitar part in another of their songs reminds me of part of Martin Stenmarck's "The Cure For You" (though I'd be surprised if that was intentional), it wouldn't surprise me if this song is...remiscent of others, but I don't know what those others are, if they exist. "Me Cambió" is a lot of fun, though.

Frágil--the lead single ("Me Cambió" hasn't been a single yet, I think, but it should be!). Sadly, fewer "whoa"'s, but an abudance of guitar riffs, and that main one--the one that sounds like the Good Charlotte one--is great. All the songs don't sound like this; there are some slower-paced songs on the album, and mid- to up-tempo songs that aren't full of shredding guitars. I do sometimes wonder if I'm less harsh on bands--especially slightly punky ones--that aren't American, but, after thinking about it a bit, both these songs are pretty good, maybe (especially in the case of "Me Cambió") even great.

And, for comparison purposes:

Good Charlotte - I Heard You

To buy Allison's debut album, Allison, go here (physical) or, if you live in the U.S., go to iTunes. It's no Busted album, but it is pretty enjoyable, and it'll be interesting to see where the band goes from here.

Next up: maybe more songs in Spanish, or songs from an American band.