(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.
Friday, 31 May 2013
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.
Thursday, 30 May 2013
"Got me dizzy by the way that she moves"
Anton Ewald was probably the best surprise to come from this year's Melodifestivalen. In fact, I think he would've been the right one to represent Sweden and undoubtedly would've done better in Eurovision than Robin did. I still much prefer Ulrik Munther's song, but I've also been a longtime supporter of Anton's Beggin'. That song appears at the end of his just-released EP, and definitely holds up outside of the MF/Eurovision world. Releasing an EP instead of an album was a really smart decision, as such a short track list makes it much easier to keep the quality up. Honestly, the kind of music Anton's making isn't particularly groundbreaking. That's fine, but to an certain extent these songs could've come from Eric Saade, Danny, Darin or any other of his fellow Swedish popstars. Much of this kind of music often feels pretty anonymous, which makes quality control all the more important. And I'm happy to say that the five tracks on the EP are all at a high level. It's straightforward, trendy pop/r&b/dance, but the production and hooks are very solid. Other than Beggin, Can't Hold Back is the danciest of the songs, and even if it feels slightly familiar, there's no resisting a song like this. It's pretty massive.
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the EP here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
"You're like the sun in California"
This song has been kicking around for awhile now, and I've been meaning to feature it. It's been somewhat of a staple in the Scandinavian charts for weeks and I can see it absolutely blowing up this Summer. Whatever we may feel about it, for now and the foreseeable future, DJs and production teams are the new rock stars. As such, just getting this track's name and feature list out of your mouth is a doozy. However, here at alienhits we are quite familiar with Mohombi, who's released some great music in the past. It was his name that first drew me to this track, and his vocals are the standout here. It's obviously quite a bit more club/dance than we're used to from him, and if I'm being honest, the production basically just follows the template set out by every other club track, but with the weather getting nicer, we can never have enough of songs like this.
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
"We can do anything we want to"
Though I've been familiar with the Limousines in the past (and even posted about them three years ago), for some reason I never really gave them the full attention they deserve. Then I heard this song, and I started wondering why they'd fallen off my radar for so long. This is the first single from their new, upcoming kickstarter-funded album, and it's sonic bliss. Sometimes you a track just hooks you the first time you hear it. The dreamy, synth-drenched production, the anthemic (yet not overpowering) melody and the character-laden vocals combine to produce something quite epic. It reminds me of Swedens The Sound Of Arrows, who released my favorite album of 2011. This song is also a little reminiscent of MGMT before they got all weird (think Time To Pretend, but remixed to fit in a John Hughes movie). Brilliant. I can't wait for the album.
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.
Thursday, 23 May 2013
"After all these years, don't know who I am"
I'm surprised that this track hasn't received more online attention. I chalk it up to the fact that there are dozens of like-minded dance tracks fighting for attention at any given moment. Plus, UAO have pretty much no online presence. I can't figure out who they are, where they're from or if they've ever done anything else. All I know is that I like the song, and sometimes that's enough. I'm a big fan of unusual vocals on dance/club tracks. In a rock setting, there'd be nothing unexpected about the scratchy tone to this guy's voice, but coupled with the production here, it really stands out. It sounds to me like what Ulrik Munther would come up with if he was collaborating on a dance track.
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Decent solo male popstars are few and far between, especially in America. By all accounts, Darin should be the world's number one conquering pop idol. I really do think he's that good. Unfortunately, like many other amazing popstars, his music has only really sustained popularity in Sweden. In a way, that's fine, because it keeps him a bit of a secret, but I think some would be surprised to know that he's been releasing albums and singles for nearly a decade now. Here are my favorites:
10. Perfect (2006) - Up until this point, Darin had been a pretty typical r&b singer. With this song, and the accompanying album, he branched out to explore more of a pop/rock angle and laid the template for his best work (which would come a few years later). I consider this track to be very underrated.
9. Astrologen (2012) - Part of his stint on Så mycket bättre, this classic Magnus Uggla ballad was given a real touching update. Darin's vocals match the melody perfectly and this has quickly become one of his best ballads.
8. Breathing Your Love (2008) - A duet with singer Kat Deluna, and perhaps his biggest hit outside of Sweden. It would mark his last big RedOne collaboration before he adopted a somewhat new style.
7. Want Ya! (2006) - Most would probably put Step Up on their top ten list, but I much prefer this follow-up, which is less trendy in sound but far more indebted to the vocal tics and production of Michael Jackson (clearly one of Darin's biggest influences). It's one of his best videos, too.
6. You're Out Of My Life (2010) - His big Melodifestivalen ballad, and the first taste of his collaboration with renowned songwriter/producer Tony Nilsson. Unsurprisingly, it's huge on melody and big pop drama. Yeah, it's overblown, but in the best way possible.
5. Money For Nothing (2005) - His debut single after coming second on Swedish Idol, and still one of my favorites. Part of that is down to the fact that it was written by fellow-Swede Robyn, and part of it is that carefree, bubblegum pop sound. It holds up!
4. Viva la Vida (2009) - I consider this to be the definitive version of the song. I can't even listen to Coldplay's original any more. Darin's delivery and production gives it a dramatic flourish that takes the melody to a new place. It's truly transcendent pop.
3. En Apa Som Liknar Dig (2012) - The second of his Så mycket bättre songs on this list, En Apa is another cover, but completely twisted and reimagined from the original. It's one of the best dance tracks of the year, in any language.
2. Lovekiller (2010) - Taken from my favorite album of his, Lovekiller is pure drama. We're talking soap opera lyrics, choirs and notes that hit the stratosphere. This was an utter shock when it came out. Up to this point in his career, I had no idea what he was really capable of.
1. Nobody Knows (2012) - One of the biggest POP moments of the past few years. It's hard to imagine that a song can sound this big. From start to finish, it's an unadulterated blast of energy and marks the high point (thus far) in his career.
So there you go! But here's the thing, no list is complete without hearing what you think! Leave your top ten Darin songs in the comments!
10. Perfect (2006) - Up until this point, Darin had been a pretty typical r&b singer. With this song, and the accompanying album, he branched out to explore more of a pop/rock angle and laid the template for his best work (which would come a few years later). I consider this track to be very underrated.9. Astrologen (2012) - Part of his stint on Så mycket bättre, this classic Magnus Uggla ballad was given a real touching update. Darin's vocals match the melody perfectly and this has quickly become one of his best ballads.
8. Breathing Your Love (2008) - A duet with singer Kat Deluna, and perhaps his biggest hit outside of Sweden. It would mark his last big RedOne collaboration before he adopted a somewhat new style.
7. Want Ya! (2006) - Most would probably put Step Up on their top ten list, but I much prefer this follow-up, which is less trendy in sound but far more indebted to the vocal tics and production of Michael Jackson (clearly one of Darin's biggest influences). It's one of his best videos, too.
6. You're Out Of My Life (2010) - His big Melodifestivalen ballad, and the first taste of his collaboration with renowned songwriter/producer Tony Nilsson. Unsurprisingly, it's huge on melody and big pop drama. Yeah, it's overblown, but in the best way possible.
5. Money For Nothing (2005) - His debut single after coming second on Swedish Idol, and still one of my favorites. Part of that is down to the fact that it was written by fellow-Swede Robyn, and part of it is that carefree, bubblegum pop sound. It holds up!
4. Viva la Vida (2009) - I consider this to be the definitive version of the song. I can't even listen to Coldplay's original any more. Darin's delivery and production gives it a dramatic flourish that takes the melody to a new place. It's truly transcendent pop.
3. En Apa Som Liknar Dig (2012) - The second of his Så mycket bättre songs on this list, En Apa is another cover, but completely twisted and reimagined from the original. It's one of the best dance tracks of the year, in any language. 2. Lovekiller (2010) - Taken from my favorite album of his, Lovekiller is pure drama. We're talking soap opera lyrics, choirs and notes that hit the stratosphere. This was an utter shock when it came out. Up to this point in his career, I had no idea what he was really capable of.
1. Nobody Knows (2012) - One of the biggest POP moments of the past few years. It's hard to imagine that a song can sound this big. From start to finish, it's an unadulterated blast of energy and marks the high point (thus far) in his career.
So there you go! But here's the thing, no list is complete without hearing what you think! Leave your top ten Darin songs in the comments!
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.
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