Des mots qui deviennent obsolètes

I never thought I would think the following song is as great as I do now, but I do--I've really come to be in complete love with it since I first posted it back in September.



In fact, we might be able to say I'm addicted to it. I know, I know, there's something kind of inherently non-classy about Lorie and it's not cool at all to like her (she's got a reputation as being just for little kids), but really, "Je vais vite" is fantastic dance-pop and (predictably) I've ordered the full album--the previews of it just sounded too good to pass up (I'll definitely write about it at some point after I get it), and I had to get the physical version if only to satisfy my curiosity about the credits for "Play" and to have any sort of chance at understanding the lyrics, as one site said (though possibly in jest) that the song "2Lor en moi?" was like her "Piece Of Me." As attempted reinventions go, Lorie might be "borrowing" pretty heavily from other artists, but she's hit on a pop subgenre that I enjoy too much for me to pass up. Plus, the video is nicely glossy and I like the dancing.

In preemptive celebration of the album, here's one of the more dance-pop sounding songs from her previous album, Rester la même.

On chante--this is rushing upbeat dance-pop that kind of bridges the gap between Lorie's earlier material and her new stuff (well, what I've heard of it, anyway)--it's got the dance influences of her latest album, but the kind of youthful unselfconsciouness of her earlier music (though even Rester la même was an attempt to "mature" her image and sound, I think). I do think Lorie is trying to make herself cooler now, and even if I'm amused by her definition of cool and really looking forward to hearing 2Lor en moi, there's something to be said for this bright style of music that's really all about fun. The lyrics may be cheesy, but they're very "aww" in a power-of-music kind of way as well. I love the little tossed off "on chante"s and "obsolètes". Pure pop greatness.

To buy Lorie's album Rester la même, go here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: maybe something off a just-released and surprisingly very good Swedish album.

J'oublie le monde autour juste 5 minutes

Lorie continues to try to sell her incredibly underrated 2Lor En Moi? album (my second favorite album of 2007), today releasing the video for new single "Play," and...

LOOK AT THIS. LOOK AT THIS, WORLD. This album has been Lorie becoming an amazing popstar right in front of your eyes, and this video proves it.

I'm not going to brook any more of this ridiculous "oh, she's just for kids" nonsense--that may have been the case before last year, but "Play" was one of the best songs I heard in all of 2007, a stomping dance-pop song backed by strings and with lovely sweet-sounding verses that make the punchy chorus all the more amazing, and Lorie's gone and made yet another glossy video for it, one that's even better than the one for "Je Vais Vite," full of wind machined hair, flashing club lights, fantastic outfits, the very best sort of posing, and an incredible sense of dynamism.

If one of the Minogues or Britney had made this people would be praising it or at the least paying attention to it, but no, because it's Lorie she's destined to a future of being mocked by people from France and being ignored by everyone outside of France (and quickly rejected if they do notice her).

Those references I just made, though, aren't to say that Lorie sounds like those artists--in fact, that's another reason 2Lor En Moi? is even more deserving of attention: sure, it's got a track with Richard X on it, but the most exciting thing of all about it is that it's primarily French-created and manages to carve out its own sound. If I was French, I'd be proud of that--that our songwriters and producers can create top-quality dance-pop that doesn't have to shamelessly ape another artist's sound.

This song and video are the stuff international pop fans dream of. Please, France, make it a hit.

#21 Lorie, "Play"

Une love, une love song

2007 was the year that French singer Lorie turned herself into a proper popstar, but the beginning of 2008 may have brought us the epitome of that transformation. With "Play," the second single released from her dreadfully underrated dance-friendly pop album 2Lor En Moi?, Lorie, with the help of the song's brilliant writer Fred "Asdorve" Chateau, gave us a string-featuring electronic pop masterpiece. It's a bit Kylie, a bit Rachel Stevens, but mostly and most impressively of all, it's original--you can draw comparisons to other artists, but it's never an exact match. Why on Earth she isn't much more popular than she is in either France or Internet world is beyond me. The video alone should have had people tripping over themselves to sing her praises--along with Charlotte Perrelli and one other female popstar yet to come, Lorie here did 2008's best job of personifying "iconic."

Two incidental notes: I've got 10 remixes of this song (though many are a case of full version and radio edit), which I think is more than I have for any other song, and if it's true that Lorie's boyfriend Garou is the one doing the male spoken parts during this song (I don't have my CD with me to check), then it's the first time I really am thankful for his deep voice--it complements the song to a T.

Find it on: 2Lor En Moi?

Que 24 heures c'est trop court dans ma journée

If you're looking for young-sounding French pop by a female singer, Alizée is the more credible option--and that's certainly no bad thing; anyone who can give us a song as amazing as "J'ai pas vingt ans" is a popstar I have a lot of time for (and speaking of Alizée, she's back as well--check out the lead single for her upcoming non-Mylene Farmer assisted album over at Into The Groove). However, I have to admit I'll probably always (well, at least for the near future) have an interest as well in Lorie, the more bubblegummy, less credible, and yes, more cheesy of the two. Anyone who can create as fantastic a pop song as "Fashion Victim" is someone worth having around (and the dancey "On chante" is great as well, among some of her other good songs--I'll really have to post that at some point)! She's back now, releasing a new single in the lead up to her fifth studio album, and, though it's not going to change the world, I really like it.

Je vais vite--like most of Lorie's songs, this is pretty much straight-up danceable pop, though maybe with a little electronic influence. It opens with noise from an airplane (helicopters and airplanes in the beginning of songs: always a good sign!) and proceeds into a nice chorus that's a little bleepy but far from minimal. It also throws in some piano, spacey sound effects, the word and sound "beep," noise from the people on the plane, and strings, all the while keeping that pop-with-some-dance-and-electronic-stuff core. Basically, it's catchy and makes me wish I knew French to sing along with it. I wouldn't argue by any stretch that it's a revolution in Lorie's sound, but I do think it's slightly more grownup-sounding (not that that really matters to me), thought from what I've heard (I don't have all her albums) I think Rester la meme included a little growing up as well; I think that's certainly what she's trying to do with her sound, anyway (it's obvious even down to the new image she's gone with for this era).

Lorie's fifth album 2lorenmoi (which I've also seen written as 2lor en moi) isn't out yet (it's due out November 19), but you'll be able to order it from here (physical).

Speaking of French singles, here's a mini-update on some artists I like or have written about:

Nyco has wisely gone with "Paura," one of his album's stand-out tracks, as the second single. Has he had much success so far? If not, I don't see this turning around, but that'd be a shame.

Nâdiya of "Tous ces mots" (which I wrote about last year) and "Roc" has a new single for a new album; it's called "Vivre ou survivre" and marks somewhat of a changed sound; I'd say it's more Eurodance-influenced (thought it's not really that Eurodance-sounding; the hard beats just remind me of that). Sadly, at the first few listens, I'm not all that impressed--maybe I want it to be faster or something. Still, I'm hoping I change my mind later; I still listen to and love "Tous ces mots," which is this fantastic aggressive '80's-sounding pop song that should soundtrack The Fast and the Furious--if those movies deserved a song that good. The chorus of "Vivre ou survivre" just doesn't feel hooky to me yet. There's a montage video to listen to it on YouTube if you want to. I think you're just better off listening to "Tous ces mots" below, though. If you don't think Nâdiya is an ace popstar by the end of this video, something may be wrong with you.

Oh, what the heck--here's the video for "Roc" as well. The song isn't as strong as "Tous ces mots" mainly because it feels more pasted together, but watching the video somehow manages to make you completely forget that and feel like you've been swept into a huge cheering stadium at the best '80's revival ever (even better is that the song itself actually contains those crowd noises, which alone pretty much make it amazing)--and really, I love it and think it's fantastic (though not as good as "Tous ces mots"), though I know it's not really all that strong a song. I guess it's sort of a song that gets by on sheer attitude and craziness.

(By the way, I keep seeing references that imply that she's shouting "Roc" as in "Rock" as in "Rock n Roll," and they could be playing on that, but I think--though I could be wrong--it's actually referring to a rock as in a stone--lines like "solid like a rock" make me think so, at least.)

I think there was someone else I wanted to write about here, but I've forgotten now--I'll mention it tomorrow or later if it comes to me.

Next up: look, two days without posting a Swedish song! Which probably means I won't be able to resist and I'll go back to Sweden tomorrow. Or maybe another Lorie song. Or Nâdiya.

Dans mon sac j'ai des mots de ma vie d'avant

Reallly quick post today! I know I just wrote about Lorie's new album a few days ago, but I really believe in its quality and so I thought I'd feature one more song from it, just in case anyone was on the edge about getting it...and also because I think, so far, it's my favorite (besides "Je vais vite," anyway).

L'amour autrement--opening with handclap-like beats and male "oh-ohh-oh-ohh"s, this uptempo catchy song is just perfect. It's lovely and danceable and just too floaty and slightly revvy and heavenly for words. Lorie refers it as the "80's song" of her album. Perfect light-but-not-too-light dance-pop--if Lorie can keep making songs this good, with this much quality (and she's got almost a whole album full of them at the moment), she really has arrived.

To buy Lorie's album 2Lor en moi?, go here (physical). There are a bunch of other great songs on the album--I really recommend it.

Next up: maybe that Swedish singer I've been meaning to write about.

#17 Lorie, "Je Vais Vite"

Que 24h c'est trop court dans ma journée,
Et mon bonheur oh je cours après

If you're French, I'm sorry; I know she's seen as just for kids and she's not much liked, but Lorie released one of my favorite albums of the year. It's full of pop-dance that marks a significant step forward for Lorie in actually growing up musically, not just saying she was as she did with the last album. Lead single "Je Vais Vite" at first sounded pretty basic, disposable, maybe just kind of kitschy, but as time goes by, you find yourself listening to it again, and again, and again...and pretty soon, you realize that it's a great pop-dance single, full stop and unqualified. It's more stop-start than swooshy and it's kind of sparse, despite the many beeps, electro-y noises, and airplane sound effects, but on the count of bringing out a desire in me to break into a music video-friendly dance routine, it succeeds in spades. It's really just a lot of fun to listen to.

Find it on: 2Lor En Moi?

J'oublie les paroles de la love, de la love song

I'm really enjoying Lorie's new album at the moment--it's got some great dance/pop/ electronic stuff on it and is probably get slightly unfairly overshadowed at the moment; it'll be one of my favorite albums of the year, I expect. This'll be kind of a quicker post--I may or may not end up writing more about the album at some point. Choosing which song to post was difficult, to say the very least.

Play--a dance song in which I sometimes wish the chorus was a little harder-hitting so that it could be a complete stormer, but instead the song--and maybe smartly--doesn't go in that direction. It's still a big dance track, though, with an interesting contrast between the sweet beautiful verses (musically) and the stronger chorus. The male backing vocals in the chorus are a big part of the song's success for me--they really add to its power. I also love how just when you think you know where the song will be headed for the rest of its duration, you get big falling strings.

To buy Lorie's album 2Lor en moi?, go here (physical). I definitely recommend picking it up if you're into this type of pop-dance; it's a big step up for Lorie and a truly great album.

On another front: I was just saying something about this in an e-mail a few days ago (though in a broader perspective), and here it comes all over again--I'm not sure which of the two quoted statements (there's also a link to read the full interview, if you so care to) bothers me more: the first one for the way it both sets him up for the comebacks you can already envision in your head and comes off as arrogant or the second one for the "very straight" line. Because we couldn't just say "straight," could we? Nooo...sigh (actually, I do know which bothers me more, and it's the second one). Boy has got to grow up, and preferably soon--this isn't exactly the first time he's given bad responses (note that there the announcers have a lot to do with going on and on about whether he's gay or not, but his put-on high voice in the "I'm straight" part bothers me) on this topic. And on other topics and just in general as well. I adore his music, found him really endearing on Idol, and am convinced that that "side" of him is still there, but his recent interviews have often been off-putting. As I've said elsewhere, I really hope this is just from youth and temporary post-beginning of fame and that this posturing/posing goes away soon.

(Am I being hard on him? Maybe. I don't want to overstate all this [or ignore his statements like "Gender or sexual preference doesn't mean anything to me"] and he's definitely doing better than lots of other stars that are pretty awkward about this too--heck, even beyond stars, lots of teenage/young adult boys are, and are often far worse than this. But I think I love his music so much that I just want to be able to rave about him as a whole without restraints, which does--for better or worse--mean that I end up kind of judging against kind of personal standards of what I'm looking for in a popstar. And for me, he's not dealing with this the right way whatever the truth is.)

Next up: I'm not really sure--maybe that Australian song!

Esclave du tee-shirt pop, accro aux bijoux hip-hop

All right, as promised, something truly poppy; it's fun, fast, and danceable. French pop singer Lorie, if Wikipedia can be believed, beat Lily Allen and the Arctic Monkeys to the punch; in the early 2000's, it was Internet buzz about her song "Près de moi"--which originally no record company had expressed interest in, leading her producer to decide to release it for free on the Internet--that first brought her to fame and allowed her to get a record deal. She's released four albums of original material so far, as well as three live albums and a greatest hits. She also has about a million fan sites all over the Internet, from what I can tell. As for her music, from what I've heard (which isn't that much), it's pretty much straight-up catchy pop or dance-pop, though that may be less true recently. I love the description for her most recent album, Rester la même, that her record label put on Amazon: "2005 Fourth Album from the French Singer Showcases her Transformation from Pop Tart to Serious Recording Artist. It's a Radical Musical Evolution from One of the Biggest Youth Pop Icons Into the Scene of Rebellion a La Bob Dylan with Serious Lyrical Invention and Social Commentary" (capitalization is all theirs). Now, not that pop can't include serious commentary, but seriously? You're going to use Bob Dylan as your point of comparison? Wouldn't it have been a good idea to find some recording icon that at least sounded a little like Lorie? Or did I just miss out on Bob Dylan's epic dance-pop stage? Anyhow, however they want to dress it up, she's got some really fun songs on the album.

Fashion Victim--the fourth and most recent single from Rester la même, "Fashion Victim" (which is in French) is also being used to promote the DVD and album of her most recent tour. "Fashion Victim" is pretty much as pure pop as you're going to get, though I guess you could say it's a bit electro-pop. It's got a super-catchy fun chorus, complete with "oooo"s, and, though I think the song might benefit from the single edit (presuming there is one), it's still far from boring. It's also got a middle section that, though it slows down the song, feels like it was designed to be a dance break, which I can't really argue with. Still, though the break works (and I like it), it's a relief when the song returns to its fun and faster side. As for the lyrics, I think they're a commentary on society's (and individuals') image obession, though, since I don't speak French, I can't comment on how well it's done. Still, this seems to be the way forward with social commentary songs--make them as brilliant catchy pop songs, and the kids'll learn without even noticing it! Or, if nothing else, it'll give you a good excuse for some interesting costumes when you go on tour.

To buy Lorie's album Rester la même, go here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: maybe an American album I keep meaning to write about, or another French song.

Why don't you score me?

How many times do I have to say it? I LOVE LORIE. Just look at this poster:



Iconic. I need that picture without all the writing on it ASAP, so it can get filed right next to this one:



In other news, she's got a bunch of remixes out to go along with the release of "Play" (listen to clips of some at her MySpace [of note because it's surprising is the last track in the player, a "UK Dub" that actually finds Lorie singing in English--I'm 99.9% positive I'll end up preferring the French version, but I'd still be interested to hear an English version] or on French iTunes here [long remixes] and here [radio length remixes]), which happened just this week. The track is so amazing on its own that it doesn't really need remixes, but I love that she's spoiling us with them (well, if by "us" you mean people who are French). I've got no idea what's up with "Lonely," a dance track by 2 AM that she features on--is it out? serviced to clubs? ever getting released?--but you can listen to the whole thing below. It's more pure dance than what's actually on her album; it's also in English. Ian Masterson is one of the people behind 2 AM, I think.



What's up with the music video, though? Are we ever getting the full thing, or will we just have to make do with this clip?

I blame you for the moonlit sky and the dream that died with the Eagle's flight

All right, so yesterday's "next up" description wasn't quite right (as usual, it seems).

I can be kind of hypocritical about covers. As a general rule, I say I'm not in favor of them--I'd rather have an original song and often (though certainly this could apply to original songs as well) they just seem lazy (see a certain future Sir Robin's second non-holiday album). On the other hand, I'm fascinated by the recycled songs circuit (even if I'm not always a fan of it) and there's a good chance that if a current singer covers a song from the '80's or earlier or even probably early '90's, I'll prefer it to the original (though that might have something to do more with production techniques and so on). I know, like any sort of song, there are both good and bad covers, but I just have a particularly complex relationship with them.

Bryan Rice's first album was a prime example of that recycling of songs I mentioned earlier, and I kind of have a mini-obsession with documenting all the originals and covers of the songs on it.

His second album, released this fall, is a different story. I haven't yet pinpointed any "recycled" songs on it, but there is definitely a cover, and it's one of my favorite songs on the album. I imagine if you're a true fan of the original, which was a hit for British singer Tasmin Archer in 1992, there's a good chance you won't like this version, but I do. We still have the original artist who co-wrote the song and the other writers to thank for its quality, and whether I like this version as a companion to the original because it's more modern sounding or (knowing me, probably more likely) it's got a male singer, I'm not sure. You'd think, in this version, the song would be a bit one man boy band ballad sounding, but I don't think it is, and it still keeps the mysterious edge of the original. Plus, I have a relationship with Bryan similar to the one I have with Anders Johansson--something about them just rely endears them to me, even while I know their music will be too bland for some.

Sleeping Satellite

To buy Bryan Rice's second album Good News, go here (physical) or here (digital).

On a completely unrelated note, French singer Lorie's new album, 2lor en moi?, just came out and, while I freely admit that it's probably just overproduced shiny dance-pop, I'm really intrigued--heck, that probably just makes me want it more. I may pick it up as soon as I have money again; I'm really liking some of the preview clips of it, especially "Play" (is that a sample?), and I still love "Je vais vite." Apparently (maybe) she's also involved in a single theoretically being promoed to the rest of Europe and the U.S. called "Lonely." You can listen to a clip of the song, credited to 2AM feat. Lorie, here.

When you spin that record round and round

Responding to an e-mail earlier today, I couldn't help thinking something: 2007 was the year that French popstar Lorie remolded herself into a fabulous popstar. We'd had glimpses of that potential before, but it wasn't until "Je Vais Vite" that she really hit her stride. She's moved from strength to strength since then and into this year, releasing a brilliant album, a second single even better than the first, and continuing to nail the visual aspect in her videos. There are few things more exciting in the world than watching an artist you liked before suddenly kick into some sort of higher gear and reach levels of excellence you'd never even imagined before.

I think, at the rate she's going, 2008 is going to be the year of Elin Lanto becoming a fabulous popstar. She'd been good at various times in the past before, but I wasn't much of a fan of her 2007 Melodifestivalen entry, "Money." With her new record deal, though, she's unstoppable--well, in every way except sales, which should be far better than they are. On the most superficial level, her outfits, promo pictures, and music videos have reached a whole new level, one conveying a serious desire to be a popstar.

Most importantly, though, her music has just become almost unthinkably amazing. The sleek, sexy, somewhat Kylie-like "Speak 'n Spell" (co-written by Linda Sundblad) showed that all those photos she'd teased us with were a sign of a new sound, and a welcome one. "Discotheque" (posted for a very short time only, as we all need to support this new direction she's taking by buying the song, especially if we ever want to hear an album!), her new single, is also capable of inducing Kylie flashbacks as well; as Resa points out, there's something about the song and the video that makes you think back to the Light Years era. It's a little bit disco diva, too, and for some reason makes me think just a little bit of Alcazar, though that could just be because it's got the world "discotheque" in the title. It's fully danceable, complete with spacey background effects, the phrase "bang bang," and those strong electro pulses we got in "Speak 'n Spell," but it's got a big uplifting disco-pop chorus instead of of a slinky dance-pop one. My favorite bit of all, though, may be those backing vocal "oh"s, especially just before the middle 8. As a whole, "Discotheque" is a big, glitzy, catchy (need that even be said?) song about the power of music, unabashed about all that, and, yes, brilliant.

Next up: I may continue the raving trend by writing about an album.

I made Blake Lewis's new video in my spare time

OK, not really, but I might as well have. You know how I was complaining that Linda Kiraly's music video was the cheapest I'd ever seen for an artist releasing in the U.S. that supposedly had major label backing? Well, can I correct that? The video for "Break Anotha" has taken that title.

Let's back up a bit first--sitting as a draft in Blogger was a post from me about an ad for Blake's album. Here it is, copy and pasted:

**********************

I don't use the expression often, but this really deserves it: LOL.



What was the budget, $5? It's like a fanmade video--"well, here's some still pictures, and what if I made the cover float around in OUTER SPACE? But outer space was PURPLE?!!!"--collided with a a video of some random fan miming along to "Break Anotha"--but the random fan is BLAKE. What else do I love (i.e., find hilarious in a better laugh or you'll cry way) about this commercial:

• Announcer voice: "Blake Lewis, the American Idol favorite of millions" It's the "of millions" that gets me there--like someone was thinking, "well, we can't technically say he was the favorite since Jordin won, but maybe if we add this in no one will catch on."
• "Featuring the smash single 'Break Anotha'" Well, that's optimistic.
• No music video to feature scenes from?* No problem! Film your artist from some odd angles, zoom in and out a lot, make him bounce around the screen like a Pong ball, toss in some floating speakers, and voila! Commercial is set!

I tease because I love.

*Unless these actually ARE scenes from the music video, in which case we are all in trouble.

****************************

Then, last night, I saw a clip of the music video in Blake's interview on The Sauce (who knew Jared Cotter was a TV host now?) and got really worried--as I mentioned over at The Zapping, it did not look good. Realllly cheap. And guess what it bore more than a little resemblance to? Yup, that ad. Different background, but same everything else.

Now, the full video is out. And seriously, I'm not sure whether to laugh or be really mad. There is no excuse for this. Not only do the green screen parts with the colors in the background look incredibly cheap, the scenes with the actors basically look like they were filmed on a cameraphone on a night out. By someone about two feet tall. Whose ability to film in color kept shorting out.



I mean, really? Who approved this? Who budgeted this? Given the single's failure to take off at radio, if you wanted Blake's album to stand a chance of going at all beyond the immediate preexisting fanbase, I would've thought you need a good video that'll get played a lot.

Its only redeeming feature in anyway is the bit during the music breakdown, where the band shows up and Blake and it go into that weird outline effect. And I'm not even sure it's that good--just compared to the rest of the video.

In better news, my Lorie album arrived today. Which I guess sadly means I do have to take a short break from playing the Blake album nonstop. After literally spending ten minutes trying to figure out how to open it (you have to pull on both sides of the internal part, FYI), I'm starting to listen to it. "Play" is KILLER and I'm in the middle of "L'amour autrement," which is great so far.

Back on the subject of Blake, my review (i.e., me saying "I LOVE this song! And this song! And this song!" in various ways over and over again) of the album may be up today. Please don't let the video turn you off of the album if you're at all thinking about getting it.

I don't know if this is what it seems

Well, I never would have seen this coming...

The composers and song titles for the Norwegian national final, the Melodi Grand Prix, were announced today. All of the composers are Norwegian, and I have to admit I'm not all that up on my Norwegian songwriters, but a few names jumped out at me.

The one I'm kind of most surprised at? Fred Ball and Hannah Robinson have a song called "Baby, Don't Stop The Music." You might have heard of Fred Ball through his Pleasure project--the song "Out Of Love" got some blog buzz for a while. He's also worked with Bertine Zetlitz. Hannah Robinson has done stuff with Rachel Stevens ("Some Girls"!), Annie ("Chewing Gum"!), and Sophie Ellis-Bextor ("Me And My Imagination"!), among others; for the sake of my continued attempts to promote Lorie's new album 2Lor En Moi?, it's also worth mentioning that she (along with Richard X and a bunch of others) co-wrote the fantastic "Le Bonheur À Tout Prix !" (though interestingly, she and Richard X [as well as Thierry Sforza] are only credited as "auteur," not "compositeur"--that's Paul Harris and Ian Masterson--which is the opposite of what I would have expected; I kind of think that can't be right...I must be misunderstanding it or something). "Baby, Don't Stop The Music" will definitely be a song to look out for, even if you don't usually pay any attention to the whole Eurovision thing.

Other names I recognize? Anne Hvidsten has written a song ("A Little More") for the contest--she released a solo album some years ago and has written songs outside of that, too. The songs I know her from are pretty much ballads, but she has a great way with ballads.

Paul should be pleased to see that Christian Ingebrigtsen has co-written a song for the MGP; it's called "Eastern Wind" and was written with Eivind Rølles.

I've heard of Mira Craig, but never gone out of my way to listen to her. Anyway, she's got a song called "Hold On, Be Strong" in it; she's definitely got her own very...distinct style.

At least two guys from 70's/'80's-sounding rock band Wig Wam have songs in the competition; guitarist Trond Holter has a song in it called "Get Up" (he wrote last year's "Wannabe," performed by Crash) and singer Åge Sten Nilsen has a song called "Would You Spend The Night With Me."

Moving beyond songwriters, it looks like Lene Alexandra must really be in the MGP--really, "Sillycone Valley," which I remember reading about (can't remember whether it was rumor or confirmed at the time), can't be for anyone else. There's been some talk about who's performing what, but there's been no big announcement of all the performers as of yet.

Right back where we started, falling apart at the seams

Music: Blake Lewis - How Many Words

'80's revival is big now. If you're a pop artist looking for some credibility for your pop, the easy thing to do seems to be to cite the '80's as your inspiration. Rarely, though, is '80's-cribbing done as well as it is on Blake Lewis's electro-influenced debut album. From his earliest performances on Idol to the year's "watercooler" moment, his chopped-up rendition of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name," it was obvious that Blake was one of the most interesting contestants Idol has ever had, and with Audio Day Dream, he's proved he's not just the most interesting American Idol contestant around, he may very well be THE most interesting artist around, certainly the up-and-comer most worthy of your attention.

Lead single "Break Anotha" is a fantastic attention-grabbing piece of music. The biggest-sounding track on the album, the song is screaming out to be danced along with in a completely spastic way--that opening siren is the sort of thing that, in an ideal world, would cause everyone on the floor of a packed club to go crazy, and those falling "ohhh"s during the chorus demand to be sung along with. Unfortunately, it's a little too "out there" for radio to probably pick up on it, which leaves the dilemma of what to release as the follow-up single to really launch Blake's career. And there we run into trouble. Fantastic and commercial as this album is, nothing really screams "smash hit" besides maybe "Break Anotha," which really doesn't even scream that until U.S. radio DJs are willing to try something new. If one song--besides "Break Anotha," because there's really no true follow-up to that song on the album--manages to take off, many should be able to as well, because all are of similar quality and have kind of a similar vibe, but can anything capture the radio presenters' and public's attention?

If the album sinks with little trace, though, one of the year's biggest pop crimes will have been committed, because A.D.D. is a tour-de-force. "End Of The World" shows that Blake's frequent collaborator Ryan Tedder has learned from Timbaland's remix of of his song "Apologize" and realized the power of a slow handclappy/stompy beat underneath a ballad, though this song has its heart in Erasure-esque synth-pop. The fantastic "How Many Words" is another ballad with Erasure similarities, with Blake even bearing a vocal similarity to Andy Bell. It would be difficult to overstate how gorgeously sad and "instant classic" both of these songs are and how wonderful it is to have a popstar willing to make music like this.

In fact, the ballads on the album may way be the standout songs. "Without You" and "1000 Miles" are both electro-washed mellower tracks, with the former getting positively over-the-top epic in its final third and the latter inevitably drawing Police comparisons, while the mid-tempo "I Got U" is the song you'd have playing in your head the morning after, when you wake up first, make a cup of coffee, and just smile, if every relationship was a perfect one out of a PG movie. It's surely one of the cutest songs of the year--boy bands would kill for a song this good.

It's not all slow, though. "She's Makin' Me Lose It" manages to sound like it's simultaneously influenced by Prince, 'N Sync's "Pop," and JC Chasez's solo album. "What'cha Got 2 Lose?", Blake's seeming personal choice for the next single, is "She's Makin' Me Lose It"'s younger brother, with less Prince and more Daft Punk-as-sampled-by-Kanye robot voices; the "what'cha got to lose, not tryin' to be rude" section of it is deceptively catchy.

Earlier in the album, "Surrender" goes for a harder edge, maybe a little drum and bass influenced, and the piano-and-pop-rock undercurrents of the upbeat (musically if not lyrically) "Hate 2 Love Her" make it an irresistable ode to that relationship you know is bad for you but just can't break away from. "Here's My Hello" is in a similar vein, but without that rolling piano, slower, sadder, more electro, and with more longing, which makes it sound like it's not at all like "Hate 2 Love Her," but with an album this willing to pursue different sounds--though it never feels less than cohesive, except during the "interludes" of beatboxing tacked on to the end of some songs--and that sounds this little like anything any other mainstream American pop artist is releasing, you take the reference points you can get. "Gots To Get Her" amazingly makes its interpolation of "Puttin' On The Ritz" seem not gimmicky but rather a perfect fit for this ridiculously catchy horns-punctuated hip-pop song.

Those worried about an excess of beatboxing don't need to be. With the exception of those interludes and the all-beatboxing track "Bshorty Grabs Mic!", it's only ever one of many effects, an effective tool which Blake uses to help enhance the distinctiveness of the album but that never feels forced in. Lupe Fiasco's rap on "Know My Name," on the other hand, otherwise a funky mid-tempo track that has Blake deliver the verses in this languid, stop-start manner that's the verbal equivalent of a tease, feels pretty phoned-in. Maybe a quicker rap wouldn't have fit the not exactly rapid pace of the song, but the rap feels shoehorned in and lacking in energy.

As whole, though, the album is fantastic, full of ideas, hooks, a voice that perfectly fits the music being made, and a sound that no one else has at the moment which, though drawing many of its influences from the '80's, is wholely modern. Perfect pop that both means Audio Day Dream is a must-buy and that Blake Lewis as a man to watch. Let's just hope the rest of the world realizes it.

Note: (U.S.) iTunes also has a bonus track, "Human," an energetic electro track that is very much worth your time.

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Right, so that's my review for the moment. I'm not thrilled with the opening/closing parts (I'll probably be messing around with them for a while; for one thing, as much as Blake seems intent on mentioning that he sees this album as his "2080s mixtape" in every interview, not every song sounds '80's-influenced, although that's a major theme), there's not enough talk about the overall feel of the album, and I attempted to be restrained in my praise for it (yes, that was my idea of restrained) when really I just want to run around screaming how a-maz-ing this album is, but really, I can't say enough good things about it. I have not lived an album this much since--well, I'm not sure ever. If we exclude beatboxing track "Bshorty Grabs Mic!" (which is really just an extended interlude) there is literally no track on the album I ever feel inclined to skip, and I can't emphasize enough how rare that is for me--I've never been an albums person, much as I'd like to be. This is by far my favorite album from the past two years--and when I say that, I mean out of everything I heard in 2006 or 2007, not just what came out in those years (and considering I had zero interest in music until about May 2005 and the beginnings of full-on obsession didn't really crop up until January 2006, that's really saying something)--and is currently contending to become my favorite album, period. I had such high hopes for this album and it even exceeded those. It completely lives up to the expectations and hopes I had when he was back on Idol (and can I just say that no one in the real world got why he was by far my favorite, even if I was under no illusions that he was technically the best singer; the promise of an album like this--which sounds like what I wanted and yet completely surprises me at the same time--is exactly why--this album sounds like Blake). I LOVE it.

As I said a few days ago, that's not the reaction I expect everyone to have, so if you've not heard it yet, you're better off putting my over-the-top praise out of your head and just hoping for a good album, because that you'll definitely get. Seriously, even if you think you've got no interest in it, give "How Many Words" and "End Of The World" a listen.

You can buy Blake Lewis's debut album Audio Day Dream here (physical) or, if you live in the U.S., from iTunes. I'm still worried about how it's going to sell, both first week and long run (it deserves legs, but promotion so far has been mishandled to say the least).

Next up: Lorie.