The vixen in me

Thank goodness for P!nk and Christina, is all I'm saying. I'm not properly sold on Christina's new song, but that's how you perform--finally, some choreographed group dancing action! And really, though I thought P!nk did a great job (she was the exception), there's just a certain energy that comes from actually being on that stage that's been lost by having so many people perform elsewhere.

(Her look is totally going to get compared to Lady GaGa, isn't it?)

Edit: I should say that's only in regards to performances, not in between stuff (and also note the time stamp on this--show's not over yet.)

We think too much then we're gonna get caught

(I know a lot of people might be inclined to skip over this post because of who the artist is, but really, please give the song a try.)

Can I confess something? I never got around to listening to Ryan Cabrera's last album. Yes, I read Paul and Thnairg's reviews of it with interest, and yes, I've written about him--music I liked from his first album, bizarre styling choices I didn't--a pretty fair bit, but I was so frustrated with "Say," a song with a BRILLIANT verse, bridge, and middle 8 that I felt was completely let down by the beginning of the chorus, as well as a bit turned off by what I thought the styling change implied--the usual teen pop-artist-goes-serious-musician and forgets all about actually bringing good songs with them--that I just never made the effort to listen to anything besides "Say."

I hadn't thought about that album, The Moon Under Water, at all again until I was catching up on posts I missed while I was away. Poptext is such a well-written blog that, even when I don't agree, I'm interested in what Abby has to say...meaning that, though I feared the worst when I saw a picture of Ryan (I may not have properly listened to his second album or--at that point--listened to any of his third beyond one song, but I genuinely enjoy multiple songs from his first), I went ahead and read the post anyway. I really recommend doing the same, but, just in case people won't click over, I had to write something about she was talking about anyway.



(You don't have to watch the video, but I know that sometimes people are more likely to listen to a song if doing so is one click away, as opposed to the couple of clicks it'd take to listen to it via SpeedyShare--and I really want people to hear this.)

Enemies

Wow. I know I just used the word "brilliant" up above, but I really have to use it again: brilliant. Who knew there was something this...synthy on his album? Sparkling synth-(pop-)rock, to be more specific, a little '80's but also '00's. If Ryan failed to deliver that killer chorus on "Say," he doesn't here: that opening line that gives the song its title as well as the "well keep your hands up so I can see 'em" (love that line) are a perfect explosion, the kind of thing that makes me think of a mob of hipster-styled kids with their hands in the air, jumping up and down in a half-dark club as the lights flash in slow motion. It's even got that divine-if-often-used middle 8 technique of going all quiet, submerging the voice in an eye-of-the-storm music moment before finally building to a final, more powerful than ever go-round of the chorus.

This is the sort of song I've been listening to on repeat for most of today, the sort of song that I've been just bubbling over to write about since I first heard it, to write about and share because really, more people need to hear this song. And that's a pretty rare and special thing. Now, where's my list of the contenders for my favorite singles of 2008...?

To buy Ryan Cabrera's third album The Mood Under Water, go here (physical).

Next up: maybe that post about demos. Or, you know, not.

I'll getcha getcha on your worst behavior

Several other blogs have already written about German singer Sarah Connor's (best known in the U.S. for "Bounce," her Mary J. Blige "Family Affair"-sampling single) latest lead single, "Under My Skin," on which she finally moved away from the soul she's been big on lately and replaced it with throbbing electro-pop, so let's skip over that for the moment. I'm not going to vouch for the whole album, but there's at least one song on it that I think is at least as good as "Under My Skin."

See You Later--as I said, I think this is at least as good as "Under My Skin," but, despite the fact that it fits well with "Under My Skin"--it has a similar electro-pop sound--it's got a bit of a different feel to it; less of that deep grinding electro underneath and more of a "medium" level of electro...which means it's also a little more on the "just pop" side. "See You Later" is a great catchy up-tempo pop song not afraid of a little attitude, as well as a song that I think is good enough to have been on the album of multiple more "international" artists.

To buy Sarah Connor's 2008 album Sexy As Hell (that title, I know, right?), go here (physical).

Next up: maybe that demos post, finally.

Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets

In the ongoing "best brilliantly ridiculous lyrics of the year" contest which I've been documenting, we've had several really good entries so far:

I won't attend your pity party
I'd rather go have calamari
-Ne-Yo, speaking to a girl upset over a breakup on "So You Can Cry" (album track from the yet to be released Year of the Gentleman)

Not only does your body bang,
But I miss the conversation too
-Jesse McCartney, singing to an ex-girlfriend on "How Do You Sleep" (album track from Departure)

We only got one night--
Double your pleasure,
Double your fun
-Chris Brown, incorporating the Doublemint Gum catchphrase (before going all the way and just releasing an ad based on the song's instrumental) in his brilliant "Forever" (single from the re-edition of Exclusive)

We may very well have two new entries, though, and both from none other from New Kids on the Block. Beyond "Summertime," one of the first new songs I heard from them was "Dirty Dancing." In addition to tossing in a catchy little piano run amidst their synths, NKOTB manage to work in this particular lyrical gem in the midst of their usual talk about how all these hot girls hitting on them are making it hard for them to remain faithful.

Ooo, it's so crazy
She's like Baby
I'm like Swayze

That's made about a million times better by the fact that it's not just some tossed-out one-off line, but actually the key phrase of the bridge. I love it. No, this isn't just going to be some song (an actually pretty cute one, somehow) about dirty dancing, but one that's actually working an analogy with the movie.

HOWEVER.

I couldn't believe my ears when I actually got around to listening to "2 in the Morning" (a significantly less good song than "Dirty Dancing"), a song about how the guys' girl (and I do mean "girl," because they're certainly not dating people their own age in their "Summertime" video) won't talk to them from the time she comes home at 6 PM and that then runs through various times at which the girl still won't talk to them.

Girl, it's almost ten
Gotta know if you're mad at me
Before Grey's Anatomy

It really has to be heard to be believed (it's before the first chorus, so luckily you won't have to listen to that much.)

(Would you believe that there's actually a really good chance I'm going to write about this album again? It's true. Some songs because I actually really like them--"Twisted"--others because of sheer ridiculousness--"Lights Camera Action"--and others just they inspire in me the desire to actually say something about them--"Click Click Click.")

To buy New Kids on the Block's new album The Block, go here (physical) or here (digital; only available to American residents).

Next up: maybe that demo-related post. Or me living up to the above threat.

Nobody else will do

Bananarama - Your Love Is Like A Drug

This is so great. To be fair, the first twenty seconds or so, with their dance-electro-pop blips and building swooshes, leave you thinking it's got potential, but will it live up to it? Luckily, it's just then we reach the no-nonsense bridge, the first hint that the song's creators aren't content to simply toss off any old melody with a dancefloor patina glossed over the top to cover up for the lack of actual, you know, good musical ideas (though the production is certainly fantastic). It's still building up to the big delivery, though--but is that big delivery actually the dissolved-into smooth-as-silk chorus or the punchier chopped-up vocals and electronic piano-a-like beats that follow it up? The combo, really, in all likelihood.

Don't get me wrong--there's nothing revolutionary here. To go with the work of a modern counterpart, there's no fizzy champagne bubbles-plus-drum-progression like "Some Girls" has, no pure undiluted fun, Amii Stewart-mimicking modern electro-disco beat a la "I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)" constantly pushing the song forward, but "Your Love Is Like A Drug" comes more from the slick side of dancefloor pop anyway, the side of that smooth groove, commercial club--and as far as that school goes, "Your Love Is Like A Drug" has all the needed elements so perfectly in place that you can't help but enjoy the ride.

To buy Bananarama's 2005 album Drama, go here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: maybe Americans and demos, or something else American.

Out of our minds

Man...I'm finally listening to McFly right now--boy, was I wrong! And I'm only the second track so far...

Sigh.

(And that's a happy, contented sigh. A thrilled, swoony sigh. I'm falling in love all over again.)

Edit: hmm. Let's see...

Don't need strings attached to keep it together

I don't know that much at all about Finnish duo Kendi, except that they're made up of one man and one woman--and that I really like what is, to the best of my knowledge, their debut single (well, and that they've got JS16 behind them).

Connected--the group bills itself as a dance duo, but this is the sort of dance with rap-talking over the top. In fact, the closest we get to singing comes from the male half of the duo, a bit of the change from the usual verse-reciting deep voiced talky male/chorus-singing female structure of some dance songs. The instrumental part to this is great, revvy and attention-grabbing right from the beginning, with a constant feeling of pushing you forward; especially during the verses and bridge, it's really catchy. Add in the attitude-conveying delivery there, and you've got something pretty fun.

To buy Kendi's single "Connected," go here (digital). Interesting and worrying fact: I initally tried to buy it from 7Digital before being told that it was only available to UK-based buyers. When did 7Digital institute region restrictions? I mean, I've never understood how they didn't have to implement them and other digital music stores did, but what an awful shame...

Next up: maybe that post on American singers and demos.

Hey beauty queen, you've gotta be...

For reasons beyond my understanding, Zshare continues not to work for me (while it's in the process of uploading the file, it'll eventually be unable to connect to some Greek lettered-sub-site of itself), so I've uploaded the song to SpeedyShare. Unlike Zshare, the first screen it takes you to isn't a stream of the song but, if your computer works like mine does, clicking on the song title on that first screen will load the song for you to listen to without yet having to go through the "where do you want to download this to" process.

Danish model, Deal or No Deal girl, and singer Cara Dove's (the stage name for Carina Due) latest single, "A Daydream Nightmare," is a piece of moody-Infernal-lite pop, but as of right now, I think I prefer her 2006 single "Freak For Love." I know she's got an album in the works, but I've got no idea when it's coming out. Her MySpace does have some songs that I presume will be on it, though.

Freak For Love--Cara's voice is a lot lighter here than it is on "A Daydream Nightmare," which makes it a perfect fit for "Freak For Love," a delicate, almost intimate dance song. I was going to go in depth about why I can like this song but not tolerate the lyrics of a certain other song we've all heard recently--about how, much as you could make the case that this song is designed for some sort of straight male electronica-listening demographic and so is ultimately male fantasy fulfillment, the song itself doesn't have that same strong catering towards the Girls Gone Wild set that others do (speaking not of anything beyond the song itself for the moment)--but I think I can leave it at what I just said for now in regards to that and instead go back to the music, which is really pretty lovely. Sweet. But still dance.

You can buy Cara Dove's single "Freak For Love" from all iTunes stores and her latest single, "A Daydream Nightmare," here (digital).

Next up: Finnish dance or demos from American singers.

You're the only one I ever need

Zshare isn't letting me upload any songs at the moment, so here's the post minus uploads for the moment--I'll update this message when the songs are added in. Update: ZShare still isn't working, so I've uploaded the songs to--ugh--YouSendIt for the moment. Is it just me that can't get uploading to Zshare to work?



I've been waiting for David Tavaré to release an album since 2006, when he had one of Spain's biggest summer of 2006 hits with "Summerlove," a song I adored for its ability to perfectly capture the beachside scene its video portrayed so perfectly in musical form. And yes, it was a cover/reworking of another song, but David's version eliminated or altered the strongest, most energetic beat and a deeper two-part beat that ran underneath the song, meaning that the song lost a little of that "just dance music" feel and suddenly felt more like the pop soundtrack to a fading memory of summer. I loved the idea of an artist giving us an album full of stuff like that--summery dance-Europop that doesn't have a hugely high BPM but isn't lounge either.



Unfortunately, we had to wait a whole year before we got another song from David and, once again, it wasn't a totally original song either--this time using a sample from 2 Eivissa's "Oh La La La"--but I loved "Hot Summer Night (Oh La La La)"--only just released in France this year, and doing quite well--as well, if more reservedly so; in addition to giving me another song to enjoy, it served to increase my desire for an album from him. I had no expectations of a masterpiece, but a great summery not-quite-dance album? That, I thought, we might just get. Sure, David himself might be not much more than a frontman, a face and suitable voice, but I'll take music like this from whoever is willing to be a vehicle for it.

I wouldn't be surprised at all to learn that most of the songs on his debut album, La vida viene y va, released this summer, use samples, are covers, or were thrown together from some bits of songs the studio had sitting around. The album abounds in vocal hooks sung by women, and in at least one case--"Centerfold"--the "hook girl" has actually released the song herself (in a non-David featuring version). Still, if the female part in the very enjoyable "If You Don't Know My Name (You Can Call Me Baby)" isn't a sample--like it sounds like it is--it's great work by the producer and a part that you could easily imagine being part of its own song.

Possibly the song that surprised me the most, though, was "I Never Go Home Without You," unassumingly situated near the album's end, shortly before what I assumed was David degenerating into covers "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and "I Wish You A Merry Christmas" (in actual fact "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" is not the Elton John song, but actually an African-flavored dance-pop song. "I Wish You A Merry Xmas" is also not the song I thought it was, but it totally skipworthy). Maybe it was just the shock of low expectations being surpassed, but I'm in total love with the uplifting Europop/dance chorus of the song. Really, give it a try--see if this little Spanish (but English language) pop song doesn't make you smile. I'm so pleased that David gave us something like this; I don't know that it would make sense as a single, certainly not the next one, but it works fantastically as a hidden treasure.

I don't know of anywhere you can buy David Tavaré's album La vida viene y va beyond Spanish iTunes, so the best I can do is point you to 7Digital, where you can buy a digital version of his single "Hot Summer Night (Oh La La La)." If you're a sucker for male-sung light Europop/dance of this sort, though, you might want to seek out the album--it's certainly not all killer no filler, but there are several other songs on it you'll probably enjoy.

Next up: some Danish dance, I think.