Like trying to catch a star

A fairly quick post today (note to the world: procrastination = bad), and we're going with something simple, upbeat, catchy, and, maybe most importantly, energizing. I've been in a mood to listen to a certain type of song more often than usual lately--in general, I think we could describe them as modern '80's or early '90's-sampling dance/dance-pop songs with an emphasis on just being ridiculously danceable--Ferry Corsten's "Fire," for example, though good at times, doesn't quite fit the bill for this; it's not quite throw-you-hands-up-in-the-air-and-dance enough. Eric Prydz's "Call On Me," Sunblock's "I'll Be Ready" are both getting there and generally work, Dancing DJs' reworking of "Fading Like A Flower"is good, but probably my favorite of these songs is the one I'm posting today.

Falling Stars--in which the Sunset Strippers take Boy Meets Girl's great late '80's song "Waiting For A Star To Fall" and make it a complete anthem. For what? Well, dancing, I guess, but just about anything you want it to soundtrack. Yeah, part of a sampling battle back when it came out in 2006 (Cabin Crew also released a song sampling "Waiting For A Star To Fall" around the same time)--this is the one I love, though.

To buy Sunset Strippers' single "Falling Stars," go here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: I'm not sure. But I do know the edit/clips of Enrique's "Tired Of Being Sorry" video they showed on America's Top Model today--the ones with the models in it--are definitely not in the original. I wonder...what's the point in refilming (for Enrique) if the single's already been released everywhere it's going to be released? Does that mean it's getting a U.S. release? I haven't bothered looking it up, but last I heard we were getting "Somebody's Me"--heck, he even got a guest spot singing the Spanish version of it on another TV show earlier on. "Tired Of Being Sorry" is by far the better song, but I don't really expect anything on the album to take off here...sadly. Wish something would.

I'm not playin' any games

There was one name I've been surprised to see crop up twice in the "composer" section for Iceland's national finals for Eurovision: Svala Björgvinsdóttir. Good for her, though. I thought we might as well stick with the whole circa-2000 style of pop from yesterday's post, and Svala's debut album, The Real Me, is definitely in keeping with that. I think there was some attempt to launch her in the U.S., but I don't think it ever got much one single, her album's title track (though given the significant number of low-priced copies of it in Amazon's "new and used" section, the album must have been at least partially released here). Still, the 2001 album is, among other things, noteworthy for receiving a frankly shocking 4 1/2 out of 5 stars from All Music. Svala would go on to release another album in her native Iceland, the more country-influenced Bird Of Freedom. Her MySpace makes it sound like she's join a hipster-styled band now, but she must still have time to write up some potential Eurovision entries on her own--assuming it's the same Svala Björgvinsdóttir!

The Real Me--this isn't classic-level teen pop, but it's a good enough example of bandwagon jumping on the teen pop trend that it's worth listening to. Slick, produced, and with a little R&B-influence, "The Real Me" doesn't quite have that same smack-you-in-the-face strength or attitude that, say, Britney's "(You Drive Me) Crazy" does--it doesn't have the highs and lows for that--but it's good pop nonetheless. Actually, that's not the right comparison to make--"The Real Me" is more from the "Genie In A Bottle" school of teen pop than it is the "Crazy" or "Oops!...I Did It Again" school--that'll give you a better idea of what to expect and, with that in mind, it's a really good example of that type of song.

To buy Svala's debut solo album, The Real Me, go here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: maybe that Swedish duet.

Tokyo or New York City; Canada, Paris, Miami

The song everyone remembers from Miss Congeniality is Bosson's "One In A Million," and with good reason--it's a fantastic song. That's not the end of the movie's good pop songs, though--it also features an A*Teens song and the song I'm posting today, which, granted, isn't as good as "One In A Million," but is still a cute little pop song. It's performed by American girl group P.Y.T. who released their only album in 2001. They also got a few songs featured on movies out at the time, including Bring It On, Center Stage, and Miss Congeniality.

Anywhere U.S.A.--let's be honest: from the first time I heard the last minute of this song, I've never been able to listen to the beginning without wishing the whole song was more like that. The beginning is nice enough bubblegum pop with apparently random use of vocoder, but there's just not enough energy or strength or enthusiasm--yeah, I think that last one's it; not enough enthusiasm--in the girls' voices. However, after we get past their obligatory pop-rap thing, chanted backing vocals come in to provide that needed extra strength and fun, and even the main melody line feels stronger for it.

To buy the Miss Congeniality soundtrack, go here (physical), or you can get the same song on the Bring It On soundtrack, available here (physical).

Next up: maybe that Swedish duet.

Hallja meg a világ!

Hungarian singer Lola's latest single may be an ill-advised cover of Transvision Vamp's "Baby I Don't Care," but it'd be a shame if that's all you took away from her music, since she's released at least one truly great single. The nineteen year old singer does have a Eurovision connection--she participated in Hungary's national finals in 2005--but that's not really what she's associated with now, having released two albums and had several big hits. The following song is one of them and was her second single (excluding that national final song).

Hallja meg a világ--for her second album, Lola may have taken to imitating Ashlee Simpson in her videos and covering Transivision Vamp, but if anything, this song from her first album is a little early Hilary Duff-ish. "Hallja meg a világ" is a light bright upbeat pop song, young-sounding but that only adds to its charm. It reminds me just the tiniest bit of Alizée's "J'ai pas vingt ans," but definitely more innocent-sounding. Maybe that shouldn't be surprising, though, since apparently this song was written especially for her and I definitely get the feeling her photographers and stylists were trying to work the Alizée angle during this era, though you can't see that in this more recent photograph (and Lola could very well not be her original name; if it isn't, I'm sure the Lola/Lolita thing isn't a coincidence). Any attempts, successful or not, at fashioning a Hungarian Alizée have been tossed out now, though, in favor of "generic rock chick" styling (though to be fair, her styling in the endearing video for "Hallja meg a vilag" was Avril-influenced) and frequently songs.

Lola's official site has a place to order her debut album Álomtánc, but it's in Hungarian and I have no idea where they ship to.

On an unrelated note, I heard Blake's "Break Anotha" while I was out for a little bit last night and PRETTY MUCH FREAKED OUT, so I think it's safe to say I'm still loving it.

Next up: an American girl group.

So put your hands up in the air

Maybe it was because it came on after what seemed like an endless number of Romanian dance-trance songs--don't get me wrong, Romania does those well, but without having a huge affinity for the genre, I can only listen to so many before they all start to blend together. Maybe it was because it was such an unashamedly stupid catchy song, with its faux-urban vocals, crowd noises (chanting and claps), and electronic beeps lifted from dance music and mixed with some catchy "ohhh, ohhh-ayy"s. Whatever the reason, I was hooked on Romanian group Fly Project's "Tasha" from the first listen. Do I know anything more about Fly Project than their country of origin and that they appear to be made up of two guys? No, and I don't need to. "Tasha" puts a goofy grin on my face, and that's ultimately all that matters. It's not as if this sort of thing has never been done before, but this particular dance-plus-stadium-effects-and-ridiculous-poser-type-singing combination is too much fun for me to pass up. What can I say, I loved Danzel's "Pump It Up" as well. Plus, "I like your sexy on my car" is a line for the ages, no?

Tasha (Radio Version)

To buy Fly Project's second (I think) album, K-Tinne, go here (physical). I should mention that I've never used that store before, but their record label recommends it, so it should be legit. Of course, the album is currently out of stock at that site, so it won't really do you much good. If anyone else has any other recommendations for where to buy Romanian music, please let me know!

Next up: maybe something Swedish and very poppy.

Sorry's not good enough

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I have to. I truly hope other people disagree with me (well, the majority of people will disagree because they don't think this group has ever been any good to begin with), but I am very worried about McFly after hearing their latest material. Preface: for as long as I've cared about music, they've been one of my favorite bands, only ever rivaled by the Click Five, and, after the Click Five's second album and McFly's third album, McFly were very clearly in the lead. In short, I love them. But I'm very worried I may not in the future.

Part of the problem may be that, though conventional McFly wisdom is that Wonderland is their best album, if they had to make a sequel to anything, I wanted a sequel to Motion In The Ocean, not Wonderland--or at least to the best songs on Motion In The Ocean ("Friday Night," "Transylvania," "We Are The Young," "Sorry's Not Good Enough," "Please Please," and maybe you could throw "Little Joanna" and their cover of "Don't Stop Me Now," maybe "Bubblewrap," into the mix; they fit with that style and are pretty good...and though I sort of see why "Don't Wake Me Up" is being called a sequel to "Little Joanna," it's nowhere near as good--it doesn't have any of the playfulness). I don't think that's really it, though--Wonderland's songs are much more enjoyable to listen to than the new tracks on their greatest hits. Where is the fun, the color? Gone.

They're losing their pop. This isn't really what I meant--see comments for more.

I was initially worried by "The Heart Never Lies," but as a one-off, it could work. I just didn't want that to be an indication of their new direction. The style they adopted for their cover of "Umbrella" worried me even more--I didn't even recognize them to begin with. And now neither of the other two tracks on their greatest hits or new Dougie b-side "Ignorance" has that spark for me. "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Don't Wake Me Up" aren't bad songs, but compared to, say, Motion In The Ocean album track "We Are The Young," they just seem pedestrian. Dull. Mild flashes of interesting ideas covered up in pleasantness but nothing that I'd want to hear a whole album of.

I got worried when they revamped "5 Colours In Her Hair" for the U.S. market, but "Just My Luck" and "Please Please" assuaged my fears. I really hope something similar happens this time. I thought the new greatest hits songs might do that. But they haven't--they've made it worse.

McFly, you are on notice.


Prove me wrong.

Edit to say that it's worth checking out the comments for this post!

Knowing she'd be better off way out of sight

Fact: I do not own a Bertine Zetlitz album. Not because I don't know of her or don't think I'd love her, though. Partly it's because of the whole "too many artists, too little time" thing, but I think "too little money" would be more accurate. Norwegian CDs always seem to be ridiculously expensive to import and if ever there was an artist for whom you should buy the actual physical CDs so to have the whole package--especially the artwork--I would bet it's Bertine. The Norwegian artist has released five studio albums so far, making beginning to catch up on what she's done a little intimidating...which means her upcoming "best of" album, due out December 3, is very welcome.

Ashamed--there's not much point in me writing too much about this, really, when it's been covered so eloquently and completely elsewhere, so I'll just say this: classy catchy electro-pop that takes Bertine's young daughter (born in January) as its starting point and goes on to create lyrics a lot darker than what you'd expect with a topic like that.

(Posted only for a short time since it's a new single.)

I'm not sure of anywhere where you can preorder Bertine Zetlitz's upcoming best of album, but I imagine Zailor will have it, though I've not used them since they stopped selling CDs and then started to again (all my Norwegian stores seem to disappear).

Next up: maybe an old-ish song from Sweden.

I'll get from you what I can take

I somehow ended up listening to (American group) the Bum Out Eternal's "Promises and Hearts" a few minutes ago and was reminded of how much I enjoyed that song during the summer of 2006. Curious as to what ever happened to them, I decided to look them up and, a few clicks later, was surprised to discover that, though it doesn't seem like they've done anything recently (who knows if they're still nominally together or not), there's a connection with a band I wrote about not long ago: Blake, the guy in charge of "sequencing" (I presume writing the music and programming) in the Bum Out Eternal, now does synths for Metro Station. Well, even if we never hear anything from them again, at least we get this little gem of a pop song out of it.

Promises and Hearts--can I get you to promise you'll make it through at least the first verse? OK, well, let me put it this way: if the first 30 seconds, with their adorable synth beats and "ohhh"ing, don't appeal to you at all, you can probably stop there, but if you like those, keep going through the first few lines of the first verse--which could be off-putting and atypical (it's bleepier and less melodic and sweet than the chorus)--before reaching a final conclusion on the song. Still no guarantees you'll like it, but I think the bridge into the chorus is probably the best part.

I don't know of anywhere where you can buy this particular song, but iTunes has an EP by them.

Next up: maybe two Swedish singers.

Trips to London and Paris

Random bits of music news or information:

I was thrilled to finally find out the date of release of Páll Óskar's new album; given how great I thought "International" (check this song out if you've missed it so far) and "Allt fyrir ástina" were, I've been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to hear more from this album, being billed as "his first dance album since 1999." Even better? The fact that it's being released November 7--that's practically here already! Even better than that? You can pre-listen to the whole album in good quality here. I can't wait--as soon as I get a chance, I'm definitely doing that (so far, I'd say it sounds more...restrained than the two lead singles, more dance-electronica as opposed to dance-pop).

Speaking of albums from Icelandic artists (and Páll Óskar, for that matter, who mentored them on X Factor), Hara's debut album was supposed to come out today, but I haven't seen it available yet. Still, for some reason, I'm interested to hear it--it could be really bad or it could be really good, or at least have some good songs on it. I think the first thing that intrigued me about them was the fact that they did "Wild Dances" for one of their X Factor performances--not that I think that's the best of Eurovision songs and not that the performance came off as I would've hoped (it sounds better in theory than I think it worked in reality), but can you imagine a world where someone in the UK or the US performed something like that--complete with wild dancing? Our singing shows would be a lot more entertaining.

The video for Swedish singer Måns Zelmerlöw's latest single, "Brother Oh Brother," is out. Watch it here, with thanks to Oswald's Popcorn for the heads-up. And then cue debate on his latest look.

As XO's Middle Eight and Tremble Clef both point out, Norwegian artist Bertine Zetlitz has a new electro-pop song up on her MySpace, "Ashamed," which will lead into her greatest hits.

Don't forget that Martin Stenmarck's new album, Det är det pojkar gör när kärleken dör (interesting title), comes out November 7. Ginza's got the tracklisting up:

1.) Rubb och stubb
2.) 100 år från nu (blundar)
3.) Det skall vara fest den dagen jag dör
4.) Liten man på jorden
5.) Psalm nr 2
6.) Det är det pojkar gör när kärleken dör
7.) Ful
8.) Som en sten
9.) Dagen D
10.) Den långa vägen hem (4 km-sången)
11.) 100 år från nu (blundar) (could be the remix of it?)

You can preorder a signed copy of it here.