Hey boys, here we are

Last year Sweden's boys really brought it with the music--which I loved. That does mean, though, that it's time for some brilliant pop for the girls, and it's looking like Elin Lanto might just be leading the first charge. Elin released an album back in 2005 (which had some great songs on it), but there's a good chance more people (in blog world) know her for her 2007 Melodifestivalen entry, "Money," which wasn't exactly one of my favorites (I put it as my third favorite in its semifinal). Luckily, though, she seems to have gone in a new direction, and one that makes me very excited to see what else she's got in store for us.

Speak 'n Spell--co-written by Linda Sundblad, and I think you can hear that. "Speak 'n Spell" is a very slick catchy pop track, incorporating a little electro and a little dance, kind of like (in style) a faster "Lose You," in terms of the proportion of each of those genres you'll find in the pop mix. That's probably a very deceptive comparison, though, since it's not going for that vulnerability and I guess there is a little more dance in Elin's track--but it's that kind of cool aloof sort of dance, not the big swooshy kind like, say, Velvet's "Fix Me." You could probably say the track is Minogue-esque. This is such an improvement from "Money," and I like how Elin's voice sounds a lot more here, compared to on "Money." "Speak 'n Spell," sound effects and all, is genuinely a fantastic track and, for itself and for what it represents, a very exciting one.

As far as I know, the only stores from which you can currently buy Elin Lanto's (or Elin, as her single cover says) new single "Speak 'n Spell" from are country-restricted digital music stores, but should you have a Swedish credit card, you can buy the song here (digital). The song will only be posted for a little bit because I really want Elin to do well with it.

Next up: that South African singer or American singer.