Sunday, November 08, 2009
Norsk MGP 2010: no news, only rumours
VG reports that NRK won’t be confirming the names of any participants until December. In the meantime you can check out all the rumours and gossip at http://www.vg.no/musikk/grand-prix/
Idol 2009: 'World's best songs' week
Mariette: "Because The Night": She does have a good voice and she performs effortlessly week after week, but I still can't 'connect' with her for some reason. I'm still not sure if this competition is the right forum for her talent.
Erik: "The Show Must Go On": he is vocally for me the most consistent performer this year - give him anything and he will sing it well. The judges loved him - and I will be very happy if he wins it.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Retro Saturday: Joe Jackson
It's just over 30 years since the singer-songwriter Joe Jackson had his first UK chart hit with the (still wonderful) new wave classic "Is She Really Going Out With Him". This was followed by "It's Different For Girls" which gave him his biggest chart hit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKr2n-9p7WM
My favourite Joe Jackson song is "Steppin' Out" from 1983 which is a true classic. (My definition of a true classic is a song which still sounds as fresh and wonderful today as it did back then). Jazzy and uptempo, with a distinctive piano hookline and a very memorable video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnbj0w8iOeM
Retro Saturday: Jump The Gun
Back in 1988, Ireland hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, thanks to Johnny Logan's second win the previous year. They chose the band Jump The Gun to defend their title with "Take Him Home". Looking back, it was a pretty ambitious choice of song, starting off as a piano ballad and then it turns into as near to a rock song as you could get in Eurovision back in those days. For me it's one of the most underrated entries in Eurovision which I can remember, but I've always liked it. I wonder what became of Jump The Gun?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeiLkzqNcXY&feature=PlayList&p=7CC94C8B9D7E70C1&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=62
Retro Saturday: P.M. Dawn
And so it was this week that somewhere along the way I heard a clip of P.M. Dawn's "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss" which of course was based around that memorable sample of Spandau Ballet's "True".
"Set Adrift..." reached no. 3 in the UK chart in 1991 and still sounds incredibly fresh today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AOVf9p9ht4
In 1992, which was for various reasons a pretty incredible and memorable year both for musical and personal reasons, I loved "Reality Used To Be A Friend Of Mine" (that lyric was already mentioned in "Set Adrift...") and was particularly partial to the CJ McIntosh club mix which someone has very kindly posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9pTU2i1k4g&feature=related
Friday, November 06, 2009
EUROPE music awards????
Oh, and "Halo" - best single? I'm seriously worried about the musical taste of the MTV-viewers :(
Rant over!
Thursday, November 05, 2009
This week's Idol songs
Rabih Jaber – ”All my life” (K-Ci & Jojo).
Mariette Hansson – ”Because the night” (Bruce Springsteen).
Reza Ningtyas Lindh – ”Summertime” (Fantasia Barrino version).
Calle Kristiansson – ”With a little help from my friends” (Joe Cocker version).
Tove Östman Styrke – ”In the ghetto” (Elvis Presley).
Eddie Razaz – ”If you're not the one” (Daniel Bedingfield).
Erik Grönwall – ”The show must go on” (Queen).
By the look of this list, everyone is firmly within their comfort zone and therefore it should be a solid week and I expect some great performances. Can't even predict who will go this week.
This week also presents me with a major challenge, as I have such an aversion to that Bedingfield man ("Gotta Get Thru This" excepted) that it's going to be very difficult to listen to Eddie singing that awful song....!
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Album Review: "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" - Mika
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Strictly halfway

Above: Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna - they deserve better than the bottom two.
Above: Craig Kelly & Flavia Cacace - when will the nine lives run out?
Above: Natalie Cassidy & Vincent Simone: she's not that great, but she's having fun.

Above: Jade Johnson & Ian Waite: as Brucie would say, 'you're my favourites'. They deserve to do really well.
Above: Phil Tufnell & Katya Virshilas: he's the anti-Craig Kelly - he never stops grinning.
Above: Ricky Groves & Erin Boag: we like him, he's good fun. Those facial expressions in the beginning were hilarious.
Above: Ricky Whittle & Natalie Lowe: go to the top of the class. Rrrrrrrrrrrricky!!!
Above: Laila Rouass & Anton Du Beke: he can't dance Latin for toffee. She deserves better.It's November already!
And then on 19th November - big fanfare - the 2009-50 countdown begins. Suffice to say that I already have a definite top 30 list written down, and I'm not going to change my mind about it now. Not giving too much away, but regular readers will know what to expect, and the majority of the songs come from the first half of 2009.
Alejandro's back!

Album Review: "Metamorfoz" - Tarkan
Tarkan is probably the world’s best-known Turkish pop star and it’s no surprise as he’s got it all - looks, vocal and songwriting talent and lots of star quality. But "Metamorfoz" is a very telling title for it’s a definite change of musical style. It’s not just a musical change but visually it’s a very different Tarkan too if the cover is anything to go by - shaven hair, bearded, dressed in a smart suit, shirt and tie. He looks more like an office manager than a hot pop star! Of course it’s all about the music, so on with my review...
"Vay Anam Vay" kicks the album off. This was, I believe, the first single released from the album and it didn’t really bode well for me as it’s more in a very contemporary electro-r’n’b style. Now I know that style is hugely popular, and I know musicians have to change their sound to keep it fresh, but if we’re honest, we like Tarkan doing the more traditional style of Turk-pop so I wasn’t too keen on this opening track. Happily the foot-tapping "Dilli Düdük" finds him in more familiar territory. This is probably my favourite track on the album.
I mentioned Max Martin earlier - well, the opening notes of "Çat Kapi" brought to mind Lucy Street’s "Girl Next Door" (one of the great lost European pop hits of all time!) - and this has a little electro-vibe running through it which makes it very contemporary. It’s also very catchy too, although it’s in a definite Western pop style than the traditional Turkish pop you expect.
The album closes with "Pare Pare" which is another very nice, piano-driven ballad.
Verdict: "Metamorfoz" is not the album I expected from Tarkan, but having said that it’s not all bad. It’s Tarkan, but not as we know him: if you want him to try different styles of music then you will probably love this, but if you expect more of the high-energy Turk-pop which made him famous then you may feel a little disappointed.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Idol 2009: you're just too good to be true
Tove: Mack The Knife. Backed by dancers in white shirts and braces, and you know how much i love that look. She seems to be this year's Amanda Jenssen and I think it would be fair to say by now that she has it in the bag, as she definitely has the cheeky charm and charisma to win it. This week she did enough and did it well.
Calle: It's Not Unusual. Great fun to see the rock singer in a suit and bow tie. After his good performance last week he deserved to be here, however there was nothing special or spectacular about his version of the Tom Jones hit and I can't help but reiterate my view from a couple of weeks ago that his days are numbered and he will go in the next 2 weeks.
Reza: New York New York. She is really growing in confidence, talent and stature as this contest goes on and this week she embraced the challenge. Unfortunately the last note was a bit off, but she deserves to stay for another week.
Eddie: Can't Take My Eyes Off You. Looks-wise, Eddie is the kind of guy that I would probably create in a lab as a scientific experiment if I had to create a perfect-gorgeous-man-hybrid of reality-talent contestants, for example Mathieu Johann and Darius Danesh. But looks aren't everything and unfortunately, for me Eddie vocally took a step back this week and he seemed to get the lyrics wrong at various times. Not one of his best weeks, and probably best watched with the volume down.
Erika: Sway. There was nothing too wrong with this but she has no charisma and I think that's the main reason why she went. She will probably turn up in Melodifestivalen 2010 if the rumours are to be believed though, so Erika-fans may get their fix early in the new year.
Erik: You Don't Have To Say You Love Me. One of the most difficult songs that anyone could be given to sing, but he did it well, as he has done week after week. If this competition is based on vocal talent and consistent performances then he is way ahead of the pack and for that reason I hope he wins. However we know what these contests are like by now...
Mariette: You To Me Are Everything. The Real Thing's soul/disco classic. Like Calle, Mariette seemed to be in very unfamiliar territory this week. As ever, she was good but there is still something missing - I can't really warm to her, even though she is very talented, and I think that may be her downfall.
Rabih: That's Amore. Unintentionally hilarious and embarrassing. Imagine Michael Jackson singing Dean Martin and you get the idea. Is there some kind of "vote for the worst" thing going on here? This was rubbish. It's time he went.
Erika and Eddie in the bottom two: Erika leaves this week. I'm not too bothered that she's gone as I've never really warmed to her, but Rabih should really have gone this week.
The Turkey Diaries: Day 8 - Monday 21st September 2009
NOT!!!!
Eventually in the wee small hours we board our flight home, which is a lot quieter than the flight going out. We try to sleep but fail miserably as it’s too cold and uncomfortable, but we must have got some sleep along the way as the next thing we remember is the pre-landing announcements.
This has been a holiday filled with lots of laughs, new experiences, surprises and happy memories. Icmeler is a clean, safe resort and despite being targeted mainly at British tourists with the "full English" breakfasts, Sky Sports and "three for a tenner", we managed to get enough of an authentic Turkish experience and you never forget where you are. The people have been polite and courteous and always made you feel welcome.
As people who don't do package holidays, we found Icmeler to be a surprising revelation. I haven't stopped talking about this holiday since I got back home - and I'm sure it won't be our last time on Turkish soil. Verdict: highly recommended. If you want "the buzz" then head for Marmaris, but if you want something a bit quieter with a mix of tourist-appeal and a unique Turkish touch, then Icmeler is the place to be.
This weekend....
It'll be nice to get the Swedish Idol results live too! (Good luck Eddie!!!!)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Grammisgalan 2010 TV blackout shock!
The annual music industry ceremony has not recently enjoyed high viewing figures, and the decision has also been made to move the Stockholm venue for the ceremony from the large Hovet arena to the much smaller Münchebryggeriet which holds only around 1000 people, therefore there will be no tickets made available to the public. Source: Musikindustrin
This week's Idol songs
I always look forward to reading Martin Söderström's excellent weekly analysis of the song choices - this week's article is at http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/tv/idol2009/article6031271.ab
I have to agree with practically all of what he says. Erik's 'gimmick' has been to turn every song he sings into a vibrant rock song. For me, he has been faultless week after week but could this week be his undoing? And I agree that Rabih could be on shaky ground. Eddie (cue swooning outbreak at EuropeCrazy HQ) has a very appropriate song title as we can't take our eyes off him (groan)
Tove Östman Styrke – ”Mack the knife”.
Calle Kristiansson – ”It's not unusual”.
Reza Ningtyas Lindh – ”New York, New York”.
Eddie Razaz – ”Can't take my eyes off you”.
Erika Selin – ”Sway”.
Erik Grönwall – ”You don't have to say you love me”.
Mariette Hansson – ”You to me are everything”.
Rabih Jaber – ”That's amore”.
All will be revealed on Friday night!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Turkey Diaries: Day 7 - Sunday 20th September 2009
I wanted to mention one particular thing about Icmeler - everywhere is so clean and there is no rubbish lying around the street yet you very rarely see public litter bins!
Today it was time to get out and about again, but in another direction. Whilst Marmaris lies to the left of Icmeler, there is a smaller, prettier resort to the right hand side, it's called Turunc, and that was where we were heading today. The best way to get to Turunc is by taxi boat rather than taking a hair-raising journey by road. It’s probably the most hilarious boat trip we’ve ever been on (I won't go into detail, but it was great fun!) and we arrive in Turunc 25 minutes after leaving Icmeler. It’s also a very scenic trip past all the stunning rocks and mountains, and the sea is beautiful.
Turunc is lovely and small and is a bit like Icmeler-in-miniature, it even has its own little canal - just like Icmeler!
Afterwards, well what else but a bit of shopping! In one shop we receive the usual polite service and the owner tells us that today is the end of Ramadan which means that there are lots of treats and goodies around so he offers us some sweets too.
Lunch at the Sahin Restaurant, which is a real Turkish place so let's have something distinctly Turkish - pide, which is the Turkish version of pizza.
Faithful travelling companion finally gets his elusive Galatasaray home top at a "good price". The seafront here is very nice and has a few bars and restaurants - very handy for another stop off in the afternoon for the usual apple tea (can you guess that I'm addicted to it by now?) By this time the weather is now very very very hot.
Later in the afternoon we take the taxi boat back to Icmeler and we take in more of the stunning scenery on the way.
We grab some more purchases including an expertly-haggled deal on boxes of Turkish Delight (I don't like the stuff myself but I know a lot of people who do!!) I have my own little haggling triumph as I buy a T-shirt with the Turkish flag on it and get a very good deal.
Unfortunately the gloom is starting to gather with the realisation that we're approaching the end of our holiday. Back to the hotel to start packing and get ready for our last night out. Tonight I want to go to Dream Boys again for one last time to see the gang (specially the legendary Yahya and his balancing fish bowl cocktails) for one last time. Get the hankies out - it's going to get emotional....
But before that it's time for dinner, which is usually determined by a meet-and-greet waiter catching your eye and by that time there is no escape! Tonight it was another set-menu deal with mezes, nan bread, chicken, chips and veg. Dinner is accompanied as ever by a very nice Turkish wine (served as ever by a very nice Turkish waiter!) Needless to say we also have the legendary Turkish coffee to finish. I liked that big nan bread....
It’s "Kalinka" time in some of the bars on the main street. We pass one bar and one guy asks us "You like that music? Are you Russian?"
So for the final time we head to Dream Boys which is very very busy tonight. Anyone for Turkish folk dance/Grease/Dirty Dancing/Michael Jackson/Stavros Flatley? Yes it is groundhog day once again, but when it's this much fun then we don't care. For our last night in Turkey we tried a Turkish spirit called Raki, which tasted of aniseed and was ok.
As usual the party ends at midnight and we finally leave at 12.15. Hugs, kisses, tearful farewells.... In the immortal words of the MC, "Dream Boys we love yoooooooooooo!!" We don’t go anywhere else but go straight back to our hotel. On the way I breathe in that last late-night Turkish air, as this time tomorrow we will be in the airport for our night flight home. Maybe feeling a little sad tonight at leaving Icmeler behind, but I just want to say that this holiday has been great fun, full of new experiences and different situations. The smiles never left our faces tonight, nor for that matter on this holiday.
Only one more day to go: I'll put the final part of the Turkey Diaries on the blog before the end of the week.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Turkey Diaries: Day 6 - Saturday 19th September 2009
Faithful travelling companion decides to go for another Turkish shave, and all the resulting facial carnage (!) whilst I stay back at the hotel and go for a swim. It's been nice to swim again on this holiday. Where I live it is only about a 10 minute walk from the local baths, so I should have no excuse, but you know what they say - the spirit is willing, but....
Monday, October 26, 2009
More Melodifestivalen rumours....
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The Turkey Diaries - Day 5: Friday 18th September 2009
We then go up to the castle, where you pay a small entrance fee of 3 lira (just over £1) to go in. It also has a small museum with lots of old artefacts and stuff from the Sultan/Ottoman Empire era, and it’s quite fascinating too. There are also amazing, stunning views over the bay from the top of the castle.
Stop off at a cafe on the seafront which is very good for people-watching. We don't really venture too far from the harbour/old town area as we've already seen other parts of the town on our journey to the Turkish bath and the Turkish night. Marmaris is very big, with countless massive hotel complexes and all-night bars and discos. It may be ok if you like that sort of thing, but I'm glad we chose Icmeler over Marmaris. Icmeler is smaller, quieter and dare I say, less 'tacky'.
Anyway I digress. What's happening in Dream Boys then? Well, it's the usual script - dancing waiters, tributes to Stavros Flatley (!!!), Grease, Dirty Dancing etc and dancing to the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull, Lady GaGa and David Guetta. It may be Friday night but rules are rules and at midnight the party music is switched off as usual and replaced by slow tunes with the volume down. We leave shortly afterwards. Although Icmeler isn’t exactly jumping at this time of the night, there are still a few people out and about, and it still feels a very safe place.
The Turkey Diaries: Day 4 - Thursday 17th September 2009
We're staying in Icmeler again today, chilling out (if that's an appropriate phrase to use in this excessive heat) anyway the good thing about this holiday is that the pace has been slowed right down. Which is something we're not used to, as we don't really do relaxation on holiday - trying to fit everything in. So this is good, and we've established this little tradition of a Turkish apple tea stop at 11.30 am. This is a picture of Turkish apple tea, which is a very wonderful thing indeed.
One of the really nice things about Icmeler is the canal. There is a number of shops/stalls/bars/restaurants alongside. I took this picture of where the canal meets the Mediterranean Sea.
After this we do the Turkish shopping experience once again. Faithful travelling companion, being a Galatasaray football fan, haggles his way to the purchase of an away strip - which I like, because it is purple (my favourite colour) although he really wants a home strip. Meanwhile I buy lots of bracelets in different colours with the 'evil eye' which is a particularly Turkish speciality. Everywhere you go you are met with what I call the "Turkish Inquisition" - a regulation set of questions: what's your name, where are you from, what hotel are you staying in, when did you arrive, are you married, do you have children etc etc. Initially I thought I'd have found this intrusive but when you are in Turkey it seems to be the most natural thing and is a nice, friendly gesture. The shopkeepers/waiters seem to be taking a genuine interest and the amazing thing is that they always remember your name, or where you come from!
More shopping. I buy a box of apple tea: I really love this drink and was very happy to see that Whittards sell it at home so when my Turkish box is finished I'll be investing in some more.
We spend the day exploring, lunching, exploring some more, having a mid-afternoon coffee and cake stop at a cafe where I spot the most gorgeous guy I've probably seen all year (!) and then we make our way back to the hotel to get ready for our trip this evening to the Kervansaray Turkish Night in Marmaris.
If you go to Turkey on holiday you have to go to 'Turkish Night' which is basically an evening's entertainment of music, folk dancing, belly dancing and some audience participation (a belly dancing contest followed by some Eurovision-style nationalistic voting). There is some food and wine too! Here is the Shakira-lookalike belly dancer who was rather fabulous, like all the other acts in the show. I want to learn how to belly dance now!!
At midnight it was time to head back to Icmeler after yet another very enjoyable day and night.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Retro Saturday: Pluto Shervington
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqRYVp3hpKw
Retro Saturday: Johnny Hates Jazz
JHJ were a pop band and "Shattered Dreams" was their debut hit in the UK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX-8MHKuQ5I
I liked that, and I liked "I Don't Want To Be A Hero" even more. For a pop song of its time, the anti-war sentiment is as relevant today as it's ever been: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKSgxQSk2UM&feature=related
Retro Saturday: Off
Anyone for a bit of musical nonsense from 1986? I haven't heard this song for many, many years but as usual, most of my Retro Saturday picks end up on here as a result of totally random musical flashbacks which pop into my mind in the strangest of places. I was walking to work yesterday and this, inexplicably, popped into my mind on the way.
I remember my local radio station playing this a lot, in a time when local commercial radio stations weren't strangled by rigid playlists, the way they are today. It's silly, it's fun, it'll bring a smile to your face.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFoaKeETWsI
Idol 23.10.09: Rock Week
My verdict this year: good. Mainly because there is quite a high quota of 'rock' voices this year, and for them it was another day at the office. It was effortless for Erik as usual, for example, and even though I'd predicted Calle to go this week, he was firmly in his "comfort zone" (as they say on these reality-talent shows) and needless to say he sailed through. As for Tove, she was good although not spectacular. Reza meanwhile goes from strength to strength.
The bigger challenge in a rock-flavoured week was for those whose vocal style is not suited to the rock style. Before you accuse me of favouritism, I'll just say that Eddie Razaz was, for me, the most improved contestant this week. Since the live shows started, it would be fair to say that Eddie 'could do better' and finally, surprisingly, this week of all weeks, he did it. He took on U2's "Beautiful Day"....and of course it was :))
SO WHY WAS HE IN THE BOTTOM TWO???
The other inhabitant of the bottom two this week was Nicklas. To use another over-used Louis Walsh-type phrase, "the song was too big for him". I don't know whose idea it was for him to sing "Black Hole Sun", as vocally Nicklas is no Chris Cornell; and the end result was a disappointment.
Rabih should have gone. I will probably repeat this phrase every week until he goes!
Friday, October 23, 2009
This week's Idol songs - Rock week
Erik Grönwall – ”Why can't this be love” (Van Halen)
Eddie Razaz – ”Beautiful day” (U2).
Erika Selin – ”Here without you” (3 Doors Down).
Mariette Hansson – ”Just a girl” (No Doubt).
Rabih Jaber – ”Driving one of your cars” (Lisa Miskovsky).
Tove Östman Styrke – ”Living in America” (The Sounds).
Nicklas Hocker – ”Black hole sun” (Soundgarden).
Reza Ningtyas Lindh – ”Don't stop me now” (Queen).
Calle Kristiansson – ”Are you gonna go my way” (Lenny Kravitz).
I still think Calle will go this week, I'm expecting strong performances from Erik & Tove, and as for Eddie....he might struggle or he might surprise us!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Turkey Diaries: Day 3 - Wednesday 16 September 2009
Visitor number mystery?
Edit 20.10.09: I got a bit carried away this afternoon when I discovered this - then I checked back my blog posts from Saturday and realised it might be the mention of Michael Jackson in the post title which might have been the reason. Or maybe not.
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Turkey Diaries: Day 2 - Tuesday 15th September 2009
The Turkey Diaries: Day 1 - Monday 14th September 2009
Day 1 is more of a prologue than an actual diary entry, given that most of it was spent travelling to the airport, waiting at the airport, flying, arriving, travelling by coach and arriving at the hotel in the middle of the night. We had a bit of fun with the chav-tastic experience of waiting in the check-in queue with numerous underdressed and over-tanned bleach blondes called Chantelle and Danielle (yes!), and various men who could be mistaken for beached whales. The overdressed, pale redhead and the man with the flat stomach stuck out like a sore thumb!!! Welcome to the package holiday experience!! Of course we’re more used to DIY book-it-yourself flights and booking the hotel separately, so for once it was nice to have it all done for us.
After an hour’s flight delay (not too bad as holiday flights go) it was time for one of our longest flights ever - four and a half hours. I try to sleep but it’s impossible thanks to the constant stream of travellers going up and down to the loo. Now I am partial to the odd glass of wine (!) But one thing I can’t stand is people drinking alcohol before or during a flight. On the one hand, airlines don’t want to let drunk people on a plane and put us all at risk of "air rage" - so why do they sell alcohol on planes?
Anyway we eventually arrive at Dalaman airport....taking our first steps off the plane into warm, late evening air and onto Turkish soil. One unusual aspect of arriving in Turkey is that you have to pay £10 for a visa stamp. I was quite excited about this as the only other time I had my passport stamped was in Canada, 12 years ago. You know me by now, I can get excited about the most mundane little things!
After a further episode of the Chantelle/Danielle experience at the baggage carousel - how do these people survive beyond their front door, let alone in a foreign country? - it’s a two hour journey from Dalaman to Icmeler by coach, a journey broken up by a stop off at the "comfort stop" which is as far removed from the usual motorway service stations as you could ever imagine, as it looks more like an exotic old bazaar. The one thing it probably shares with its British counterparts is the overpriced food and souvenirs, but it did give me my first sighting of all the things I wanted to buy in Turkey. Here is a picture which I actually took on the way back to the airport, one week later:
Back on the bus on the way to drop off passengers in Marmaris and Icmeler. Although it’s the middle of the night, I am still mesmerised by the new and unfamiliar sights, like the illuminated mosques and the all night cafes. I’m a bit scared by the descent into Marmaris, but the coach driver ensured we had a safe journey. Eventually we arrive at our hotel in Icmeler, and after checking in and unpacking it’s time for bed: 5.30 am. We will be back up again in two hours. Tick tock, tick tock....nighty night.
The Square-Eyed Couch Potato: September-October 2009



You can’t accuse "Later With Jools Holland" (BBC2 Tuesdays/Fridays) of lacking in diversity - for example, a recent episode featured Calvin Harris, Echo and the Bunnymen, and the Spaghetti Western Orchestra in quick succession. It’s the only music programme on terrestrial television at the moment that we can still watch at a reasonably decent hour, and which (thankfully) has no risk of Cheryl Cole appearing on it.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
"Beli Jablan" lives on....in Spanish.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Swedish Idol 16.10.2009: Michael Jackson Week
Tove Östman Styrke now has a real chance of winning this, and she poured her usual passionate performance into "Will You Be There". For someone so young, she has a great talent, but again I got the feeling that Jackson-week wasn't really the best showcase for it.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Erik Hassle's "Hurtful" on the BBC Radio 1 playlist
"Hurtful" is of course, one of the best songs of the year, in what (for me) has been a quite spectacular year for Swedish music releases.
I'm crossing my fingers for this to be his big breakthrough, but I fear that the timing is all wrong and I'm thinking his record company in this country should maybe have waited till the beginning of 2010 to give him that all important 'new year new artist' push?
This week's Idol songs - Michael Jackson week
2. Camilla Håkansson - Human Nature
3. Reza Ningtyas Lindh - The Way You Make Me Feel
4. Mariette Hansson - I Want You Back
5. Eddie Razaz - They Don't Care About Us
6. Tove Styrke Östman - Will You Be There
7. Nicklas Hocker - Black or White
8. Rabih Jaber - You Are Not Alone
9. Erika Selin - Beat It
10. Erik Grönwall - Thriller
I don't know if I'm looking forward to this or not?????
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Melodifestivalen 2010 songs announced
Courtesy of Aftonbladet here are the song titles (and my speculation about who may be singing them in italics - I know I'll be completely wrong but it's only a little game)
1. "A place to stay", text och musik Torben Hedlund.
2. "Doctor doctor", text och musik Tony Nilsson och Mirja Breitholtz. (Ola? Or maybe Velvet again?)
3. "Headlines", text och musik Tony Nilsson och Peter Boström. (Another Tony Nilsson song, another guess at Ola or Velvet?)
4. "Heaven and hell", text och musik Håkan Larsson, Jörgen Svensson, Björn Lönnroos.
5. "Hippare hoppare", text och musik Vlatko Ancevski, Vlatko Gicarevski, Mats Nilsson, Teddy Paunkoski, Otis Sandsjö, Stevan Tomulevski och Douglas Leon. (Andra Generationen again?)
6. "Human frontier", text och musik Tobias Jonsson och Anneli Axelsson.
7. "Hur kan jag tro på kärleken", text Kenneth Gärdestad, musik Tony Malm och Niclas Lundin.
8. "I did it for love", musik Lars "Dille" Didriksson och text Kristian Wejshag.
9. "Idiot", text och musik Niklas Jarl och Per Aldeheim.
10. "Innan alla ljusen brunnit ut", musik Stefan Moody, text Danne Attlerud. (Maybe a dansband? One of the Dansbandskampen contestants maybe?)
11. "Jag vill om du vågar", Pontus Assarsson, Jörgen Ringqvist och Daniel Barkman.
12. "Magisk stjärna", musik Micke Wennborn och text och musik Py Bäckman. (An 'old star' making a comeback?)
13. "Manboy", Fredrik Kempe, text och musik, Peter Boström, musik. (?????? Can't see MZW, Charlotte or Malena here, but you never know?)
14. "Manipulated", text och musik Sarah Lundbäck, Iggy Strange-Dahl, Hayden Bell, Erik Lewander.
15. "Never heard of him", Figge Boström och Anna Engh text och musik.
16. "Road salt", text och musik Daniel Gildenlöw.
17. "Run", text och musik Niclas Arn, Gustav Eurén och Karl Eurén.
18. "Singel", musik Hamed "K-One" Pirouzpanah och text Håkan Bäckman.
19. "Stopp", text och musik Mikaela Stenström och Dimitri Stassos. (Maybe Sofia or Elena Paparizou - Greek connection?)
20. "This is my life", text Kristian Lagerström och musik Bobby Ljunggren.
21. "Thursdays", musik Thomas G:son och Peter Boström och text Sharon Vaughn.
22. "Tonight", text och musik Sharon Vaughn och Anders Hansson.
23. "Underbart", text Lina Eriksson och musik Johan Moraeus.
24. "Unstoppable", text och musik Dimitri Stassos, Alexander Kronlund, Hanif Sabzevari, Ola Svensson. (Ola?)
25. "We can work it out", musik Bobby Ljunggren och Marcos Ubeda och text Andreas Johnson. (Andreas Johnson?)
26. "Yeba", text Getty Domein Mpanzu och musik Tuomas "Tiny" Pyhäjärvi.
27. "Åt helvete för sent", text och musik Nina Eriksson, Mårten Eriksson och Susie Päivärinta. (Lili & Susie again?)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
"Körslaget": Week 2, Saturday 10 October 2009
Team Pontare: "Go West" - I liked the flags and the blue outfits and changing the lyrics to "Go North" was inspired and funny.
Team Rigo: "La Bamba" - lively but all over the place vocally. I just wanted this one to end. They'll need to improve or I can't see them lasting beyond next week.
Team Amy: "Fairytale" - gold lame outfits and a very lively performance. Very well done - I enjoyed it.
Team Ola: "New York New York" - the all-male line up did very well, dressed in matching outfits - and Mr Svensson was looking very nice too!
Team Andreas: "Poker Face" - started ok (choir members all wearing Calvin Harris/Kanye West shades) but it got pretty messy vocally towards the end.
Team Caroline: "800 Grader" - like Team Rigo, they are dressed in red and black. They are definitely enjoying it and as Ms af Ugglas seems to be flavour of the month they will probably stay in for a few weeks.
Team Stefan: "Inget Stoppar Oss Nu" - are you sure this isn't Dansbandskampen? :)))
Result: Team Andreas go home, but it really should have been Team Rigo, who stay in by the skins of their collective teeth for one more week.
Eurovision 2010: some more good news
I think this is extremely good news as the jury vote brought some long-overdue integrity to a contest which (for me) was on its last legs thanks to the partisan neighbour-voting which was turning the contest from a once enjoyable entertainment show into a complete sham.
This news might also inspire a few countries to send some better entries too, as there's now a possibility that where previously, they might not have bothered as they were probably never going to make the final....here's hoping that will all change now.
R.I.P. Stephen Gately
Stephen of course found fame in the 90s as a member of Boyzone, the Irish boy band, and his distinctive soft vocals provided a contrast to those of Ronan Keating. Stephen will always be remembered for "coming out" at a time when this still seemed to be frowned upon within the pop community - he was the first boyband member to ever publicly express his lifestyle.
Happily he received lots of support following this announcement and when Boyzone took a break he went on to have a brief solo career and he starred in various musical theatre productions and also got his skates on to appear on "Dancing On Ice".
When Boyzone reunited, Stephen was part of the line-up which made a comeback tour and album. In recent years he married his partner Andrew in a civil partnership ceremony and his latest venture was writing a children's fantasy novel.
By all accounts Stephen was happy and healthy, and his final message on his Twitter page (http://twitter.com/stephenofficial) posted on 06.10.2009 read "still busy - lots going on. Focussing on finishing my book next so may be quiet here".
Rest in peace Stephen.
Idol 2009: Friday Finals Week 1 09.10.09
Bottom two this week: Eddie (noooooo!) and Karolina: it was Karolina who went home. This (IMHO) was very wrong: Camilla should have gone this week.
Next week the theme is songs by Michael Jackson. Cha'mone!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Retro Saturday: Monaco
Back in the 90s there were various NO side-projects - Barney had Electronic, Steven and Gillian had The Other Two, and Hooky had Monaco, who, let's face it, filled the gap very nicely in the absence of New Order. I bought their "Music For Pleasure" album the week it came out - it featured "What Do You Want From Me" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwk5oKU4Dr4 and "Sweet Lips" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAjEmCmtu7I which were both deservedly top 20 hits.
(While we're on the subject of that album I also liked the Oasis/Charlatans hybrid of "Buzz Gum" too)
Retro Saturday: Fad Gadget
Real name Frank Tovey, I'm not familiar with any of his other songs but I always liked the controversial "Saturday Night Special" which was a fixture on the John Peel show on Radio 1 in 1982. Here's a clip of Mr Gadget doing the song live....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7fMcNTB75A
...I found this live performance of the song on the TV show "Riverside" - Mondays on BBC2 wasn't it? - which I used to watch back then. I remember (my favourite band of all time) New Order playing "Temptation" and "Chosen Time" on that show. I also remember the presenters were Mike Andrews and Steve Blacknell if I remember rightly. Wonder what happened to them?
Sorry but I've completely gone into nostalgia mode now :))))
Retro Saturday: Nick Kamen
His biggest hit in the UK was his debut "Each Time You Break My Heart" although probably my favourite song of his is "I Promised Myself" from 1990. Despite failing to break the UK top 40, it did become a big hit in Europe and even today it's still a regular feature on oldies playlists on European radio stations.
If you're not familiar with this song, find it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiC5BdIVfm8
The other day I discovered that none other than Basshunter has done a cover version which will be the follow-up single to current hit "Every Morning", which is inevitably be in the style of "Now You're Gone" - and (IMHO) vastly inferior to the original.
Friday, October 09, 2009
This weekend...
I'm glued to "Strictly Come Dancing" so might write something about that too. Standard is a lot higher this year, although there's always Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Groves to give us a laugh.
I don't watch "X Factor": that ship sailed for me a long time ago when the musical talent took a back seat to the sob stories - cue "Chasing Cars", enough said, no thanks. Although faced with the possibility of all my workmates discussing who's best I may take the easy way out and cut out the tears and just watch the clips of the contestants (singing) on YouTube, so that I stay in the loop.
I also recently discovered "Doobidoo" which is yet another of those Swedish TV celebrity music quizzes, quite good fun, so might watch that too this weekend.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
This week's "Idol" songs
In his article in Aftonbladet about this week's song choices, Martin Söderström memorably describes the combination of Camilla Håkansson and Lionel Richie's ”All Night Long” 'as attractive as mumps' !! He is a bit more inspired by Tove singing Katy Perry and Mariette tackling the Eurythmics though.
It's a pretty diverse selection this week and hard to predict, although Reza should maybe start worrying because of the "curse of Superstar" - I remember watching other reality talent shows over the years and anyone who sings that song isn't in the competition for very long.
And I really don't know how I should feel about Eddie singing "Release Me".....I only hope he gives a much better vocal performance than last week.
Here's what they're all singing this week:
Nicklas Hocker – ”Get the party started” (Pink).
Rabih Jaber – ”When love takes over” (David Guetta).
Karolina Brånsgård – ”Just dance” (Lady GaGa).
Erika Selin – ”About you now” (Sugababes).
Calle Kristiansson - ”Destiny calling” (Melody Club).
Reza Ningtyas Lindh – ”Superstar” (Jamelia).
Erik Grönwall – ”Leave a light on” (Belinda Carlisle).
Camilla Håkansson – ”All night long” (Lionel Ritchie).
Eddie Razaz – ”Release me” (Agnes).
Mariette Hansson – ”When tomorrow comes” (Eurythmics).
Tove Styrke Östman – ”Hot 'n' cold” (Katy Perry).
(list reproduced from Aftonbladet)
P3 Guld 2010
No info yet re: nominations but keep checking www.sr.se/p3 for info in the coming weeks...
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
The EuropeCrazy Holiday Hit List: Turkey 2009
I took my radio with me and played it constantly in the hotel room, where we had a brilliant soundtrack of lots of radio stations playing uptempo Turkish pop tunes - Power Turk was probably my favourite station and thanks to the good old internet, the experience continues at www.powerturk.com. There was also Metro FM (http://www.metrofm.com.tr/) which played more international chart pop.
So here's my summer holiday soundtrack for 2009!!
Hotel Room Service/I Know You Want Me - Pitbull (Hotel Room is probably the song for us from this holiday - great party fun)
I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas (soundtrack to party time in Dream Boys)
Sexy B**** (not the "Chick" version!!) - David Guetta & Akon (ditto)
Poker Face - Lady GaGa (she's the new Rihanna - every holiday we go, she's everywhere)
Alice, Who The **** is Alice - Gompie (it never fails, does it? Even after all these years)
Country Roads/I Will Survive - Hermes House Band (tonight we're gonna party like it's 1998)
Turn Me On - Kevin Little (For very personal and hilarious reasons. All I'll say is, it involves a very hot waiter...!!!!)
Angels - Robbie Williams (you know it's after midnight when they play this :( )
Kalinka (this turns up in every waiter-show in town)
Ayo Technology - Katerine (IMHO not a patch on Milow's version, but heard it a few times)
I've Had The Time of My Life - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes (another song from Dream Boys' big Dirty Dancing finale)
Cha Cha Slide - DJ Casper (I should feel very ashamed that I know all the words???!!!)
Bu Böyle - Sertab Erener (yes the one and only 2003 ESC winner. Classy pop song)
Evlenmeliyiz - Hadise (can't be bothered with Dum Tek Tek, but this is very catchy)
Oh and we even heard Alexander Rybak's "Fairytale" at a stop-off on our last night on the way to the airport!
Monday, October 05, 2009
The return of Kent

Sunday, October 04, 2009
"Sounds of Europe" back tomorrow!
Anyway, it's a new term, a new series and a new timeslot for the show: it'll be broadcast live from 9.00 - 11.00 pm (UK time) on Monday nights, starting tomorrow. If you can't listen live, the show will be available to listen back on the website.
Swedish Idol 2009: now let battle commence

Young rocker Erik, who famously turned Yohanna’s "Is It True" into a rock ballad earlier in the competition, was putting his rock stamp on Jacko’s "Beat It". Of the rockers this year I probably prefer Calle to Erik, who sounded a bit strained here, but I think he’ll go far and could be this year's Johan Palm!
2. "Son of a Preacher Man" - Reza Ningtyas Lindh
Rough, gritty, croaky. I really can’t stand this song and it should be banned from all idol-type competitions. She gave it all she had though, I suppose.
Another song which I’d be happy to see the back of, I don’t really have a problem with her although she probably over-sang this one.
If they want a rock-Idol in the style of, say, Chris Daughtry or Bo Bice then here’s your man. You’d never get anyone like him in X Factor, more’s the pity. I like him.
Another rocker. I’m glad he got through as a wild card and hopefully he’ll be given the chance to develop as the weeks go on.
OK so this is one of my all-time favourite songs and should not be messed with! She messed this up a little, but in a strange way she could be worth watching and could potentially be this year’s Amanda Jenssen?
What happens when you’re the year’s favourite based on outstanding auditions, Lars Eriksson-style? Well....you fall at the final pre-contest hurdle. Although Jon did himself no favours on "Don’t Look Back In Anger" which really wasn’t a suitable song for him, he should have been given a few more weeks before outliving his usefulness?
Massive swooning outbreak at EuropeCrazy HQ. Eddie Razaz is, for me, the hottest looking guy in Idol since Sebastian Karlsson. Yes, that hot. With the volume down though, as his vocal ability doesn’t match his looks and he didn’t make a good job of one of the best songs of 2009. Must do better. But I hope he lasts a few weeks, for completely shallow reasons.
Unfortunately this was at odds with the backing track throughout and was in the wrong key. This did not float my boat at all. She should have been sent home.
Rabih, bless him, is another boy in search of a boy band. He’s like all the worst kind of talent show singers all rolled into one, but I probably fear the worst that he’ll go further than he deserves to.
Confident, assured, she already looks and sounds like a star. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have a winner here?
In one of those great D’oh! moments, Camilla is the Idol-contestant who mistakenly thought she heard her name called as a finalist. She did get a wild card though, and freakily turned the dreaded "Hallelujah" into an all-or-nothing rock-out, a gamble which bizarrely paid off.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Bisbal's back!

Monday, September 28, 2009
Songs of the decade countdowns....
I haven't really thought about doing a "songs of the decade" rundown but I'm kicking around a few ideas at the moment so I'll probably do something towards the end of the year, in addition to the 2009-50, which is rapidly filling up!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Mwah!
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the lovely Tarkan with "Şımarık" (a.k.a. the original version of "Kiss Kiss"):
By the way I bought Tarkan's latest album "Metamorfoz" whilst on holiday and will eventually get around to reviewing it on here. :)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Idol 2009: gå vidare
Andreas Johansson
Carl Chapal
Camilla Håkansson
Clara Hagman
Eddie Razaz
Erik Grönwall
Erika Selin
Jon Sindenius
Karolina Brånsgård
Mariette Hansson
Moa Carlebecker-Forssell
Nicklas Hocker
Nicolle Walles
Patrik Öhlund
Rabih Jaber
Rasmus Ingdahl
Reza Ningtyas Lindh
Sabina Täck
Tove Östman-Styrke
Competing for a final place:
Piotr Pospiech
Calle Kristiansson
Retro Saturday: Tracey Thorn
Retro Saturday: Joe Crow
Retro Saturday: Thomas Leer
Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLZ4ObI8-d4
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Two people become one?
I don’t know, but a week can be a long time in the world of music. As if the continuing Sugababes game of line-up musical chairs (Jade "It’s My Time" Ewen in, last remaining original member Keisha Buchanan out) and the earth-shattering news of the Chas and Dave split wasn’t enough, now here is a strange one.Regular readers of this blog will know that I’m a big fan of Aussie duo Empire of the Sun, so I’m somewhat perplexed by the news that one half of the band, Nick Littlemore, has allegedly been "missing in action" for five months and will not take part in the band’s forthcoming debut live shows in Australia. Singer Luke Steele told an Australian newspaper that he has been left "holding the baby" and that he will be backed by a group called The Swiss for the live shows starting this weekend.
There is more about what can be expected from the weird, wonderful, conceptual live EOTS experience and the myths that surround the ‘band’ at http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/music/stranger-than-fiction/2009/09/24/1253385071568.html
Where all this leaves the future of Empire of the Sun, nobody knows. It would be a shame if Luke Steele didn’t continue with this magical musical adventure though.
Back from Turkey!!
Anyway we had a fantastic and relaxing time. Weather was 33 to 35 degrees most days but we managed to cope. The initial culture shock of shopping Turkish-style took some getting used to but by the end of the trip we were expert hagglers - great fun :))
Went on some very good trips/activities, ate brilliant food all week, and enjoyed the warm Turkish hospitality which truly deserves its good reputation. And let's just say I fell in love with many of those lovely Turkish men...!
As usual I'll be publishing my holiday diaries/holiday hit list on here over the next few days as I'll have a bit more time - yes I have almost another week off before going back to work next Tuesday, so expect some regular posts between now and then.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Blog break time once again
I'll be back on here on the evening of Tuesday 22nd September - in the meantime if you wish to leave any comments on any of my posts I'll respond to these when I get back.
See you all soon :))))
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Retro Saturday: Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe also had a UK hit with "Cruel to be Kind": audio at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqWjyvgLYfI
Retro Saturday: John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkYOZyNocrw
Retro Saturday: OMC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfJe8hQ8ha0
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Hallelujah! Swedish Idol is back.
Yes of course there may be some genuine talent but let's forget about that and focus on the undisputed greatness of Philip Damberg, whose version of "Ring of Fire" had me almost collapsing with a fit of the giggles for about half an hour...and will probably have Johnny Cash spinning in his grave.
Also worth a mention: Sami Piipanen's, um, enthusiastic "Boten Anna", and Sebastian Rönnberg's, um, less than enthusiastic "To Be With You".
You know how certain songs should be banned from Idol auditions? Well can we ban "Hallelujah" now? (Having said that, I thought Joseph Assaly's version was rather nice).
Jon (who sang his own composition) seemed to be a big hit with the jury. I was trying to think who he visually reminded me of....and then it just came to me - Stefan Raab on ESC singing "Wadde Hadde Dudde Da"!!!
I guess this will be my new Tuesday night obsession now that my summer singalong-shows have ended :)
Sunday, September 06, 2009
The increasingly blurred worlds of....
All except one of this year's choir leaders have been in Melodifestivalen - Caroline af Ugglas, Roger Pontare, Ola Svensson, Andreas Lundstedt, Amy Diamond, Rodrigo "Rigo" Pencheff - only Stefan Nykvist from Larz-Kristerz hasn't (yet) but his band of course won another reality-talent show "Dansbandskampen".
Talking of which, there will be a new series beginning on 24th October on SVT -expect the Swedish tabloids to get excited about another Saturday night ratings battle between SVT and TV4. Thanks to the internet, we'll be able to watch both shows.
And then there's the new series of "Idol" which starts this coming Tuesday on TV4. Who will succeed last year's winner Kevin Borg? (Kevin hasn't done too badly for an Idol-winner, landing the lead role in the Swedish stage version of High School Musical.)
Retro Saturday: Brecker Brothers
I refer to "East River" by the Brecker Brothers, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mgig-GNx4c, a fabulous jazzy, funky, exciting concoction which sounds as good today as it always did :)
Retro Saturday: Patrick Juvet
People "of a certain age" who grew up in the 1970s will remember a mega-cheesy dance group called The Young Generation, (one of their members was none other than Popstars/Pop Idol/So You Think You Can Dance guru Nigel Lythgoe!) and that's what the "Got A Feeling" video makes me think of when I watch it :)
Retro Saturday: Voyage
Here is a little disco classic - "From East To West" and I guarantee you will be tapping your feet in no time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es3Ark-As38
Then there was "Scots Machine" - everything was set to a disco beat back in those days, and just when you thought no-one would dare to do bagpipe-disco then Voyage came along to prove us all wrong!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNDxxVguDwE
Retro Saturday: The Cars
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Retro Saturday: A Taste of Honey
Next up is the irresistibly dancey "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey, which was another one of those disco one hit wonders I think. What was notable about this band was that it was fronted by two women, Hazel Payne and Janice Johnson, who didn't just stand at the front, dance around and look good, but they also played their own instruments too - which was a bit of a rarity back in those days. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvIydHPhb98
Retro Saturday: Eye to Eye
Unfortunately I can't find the David version anywhere on YouTube or elsewhere on the internet for that matter, so I'm not able to post a link. IMHO I preferred the David version to the original, but having said that, the original's pretty good too :))
One of the members of Eye to Eye was Julian Marshall who was half of the duo Marshall Hain - they had a UK hit with "Dancing in the City" in 1978: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lmfpnv_eLY - hard to believe this was 31 years ago!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Rewind: Swedish summer telly
2009 was just that little bit different. We didn't just have Allsång on SVT, but also Lotta Engberg's show, Monday nights on TV4. Both shows have now ended their summer runs.
Allsång, the established favourite with its usual pick & mix format brought the usual highs and lows. The best show of the series was the first one, on 23.06.09, which featured Tomas Ledin and Måns Zelmerlöw, the latter being instantly acclaimed as a possible successor to the under-fire Anders Lundin, who was consistently a target for the Swedish press from day one. As I don't live in Sweden I'm not sure what the reason is for all this criticism, as I think he's ok for that sort of thing, although (IMHO) he's no singer, which is ironic as he's the host of a singalong show!
Other guests I enjoyed during this series: Magnus Uggla, John ME, Magnus Carlsson and Wille Crafoord (a very nice duet of the Swedish 1973 Eurovision entry), H.E.A.T. and Bjorn Skifs.
The mythical backdrop of Skansen and the Stockholm skyline makes watching Allsång a very special experience, even if the line-up of guests isn't always your cup of tea. That's what probably edged it in front of TV4's rival "Lotta på Liseberg", which was televised weekly for the first time this year. Still, I thought she had some very good guests - Ola Svensson, Brolle, Scotts, Agnes (an excellent "Release Me"), the new-look (and very glam) Linda Bengtzing, and for me the icing on the cake on the final show....Salem Al Fakir. Now you all know by now that Salem is my favourite singer, but he also has such a lively and infectious personality that you could imagine him hosting Allsång one day in the future as he relates so well to his audience and had so much fun here. The same could not be said for fellow guest, Paul Potts who sat squirming on the sofa whilst being interviewed by Lotta Engberg, and was then subjected to an "English Allsång" - "The Laughing Policeman". The irony was not lost on me, given Mr Potts' consistently sour-faced expression during the show!
But I digress. The other big hitter on Swedish summer TV is TV4's "Sommarkrysset" from Grona Lund in Stockholm, which I have also enjoyed greatly this summer, although I need to catch up with the latest editions. Again the highlights this summer for me were (goes without saying) Salem again, also Moneybrother, Brolle (again), Erik Hassle, Darin, Star Pilots.
"Sommarkrysset" finishes its current run this coming Saturday with a cracking line-up of guests including Fibes, Oh Fibes! and Kim Wilde, Europe, and Ola. Don't miss it.
Rewind: Eurovision Song Contest 2009, four months on...
If Norway's Alexander Rybak's win was "predetermined" like many recent pre-contest favourites, no-one could have predicted the landslide victory which followed. Juries and televoters, from every part of the continent, awarded maximum scores to "Fairytale" (apart from the foregone conclusion of the Bosnia-Croatia, Greece-Cyprus, Azerbaijan-Turkey, Moldova-Romania 12 point love-ins, to name the most significant). It wasn't just the "Nordic bloc voting" much derided by Terry Wogan over the years....it takes much, much more than that to win Eurovision these days.
The major change this year was the introduction of jury-televoting split, to save a contest which was losing the last little bit of credibility it had, thanks to the neighbour voting which had dominated/ruined the show (delete as appropriate) in recent years.
I think it worked.
It all started with 2008 winner Dima Bilan walking in the air, catching his jacket along the way (oops) and -points deducted here - miming to "Believe" whilst auditioning for "Hole In The Wall". All together now...."Bring on the wall!!" Nice chap though.
I grew to like those postcards featuring the Russian 'Miss World', she was very pretty wasn't she?
So on with the show....
- Lithuania: Sasha Son sang this very well, but he was a good singer in need of a better song.
- Israel: It was a little contrived but a nice idea nonetheless, and I didn't hate it.
- France: Patricia Kaas did what she did best, stood on a stage and was mesmerising for 3 minutes, although my mum didn't like this. Faithful travelling companion, a self-confessed Eurovision-phobe, broke the habit of a lifetime and watched the contest this year because Ms Kaas was there. Of course he voted for her. Quelle surprise!!
- Sweden next. For some reason it still left me cold, and the wonky vocals before the big finish didn't help, although there was that big note at the end. Mum: "there's something unsettling about her, isn't there?"
- Croatia: We both hated this. And probably still do. Mum: "Baloney. Chronic".
- Portugal: this on the other hand was just lovely, she was lovely, the very colourful flowery staging was memorable, and the song was very nice and cheerful.
- Iceland: A simple song, sung in a simple style, with virtually no gimmicks. The kind of thing which used to be enough to win Eurovision, from the days before the dance routines and the drumbeats took over. This wasn't my favourite Icelandic entry of all time, but credit to Yohanna for a nice performance anyway....and a fabulous result.
- Greece, and the understated performer that is Sakis Rouvas. Mum: "Is he miming?" This also still left me cold, and by the end of it I wished he'd got swallowed up by that giant stapler.
- Armenia: They would appear to be another one of those winners-in-waiting countries, although the visual impact of this - two girls looking like something from Camelot - outweighed the song in my opinion.
- Russia: in the "defending champions trying our best not to win again" trend (Sweden 1992, Ireland 1995 for example) here was a woman dressed in a towel, wailing a load of old rubbish.
A word at this point for the BBC's Graham Norton. Terry Wogan in his prime would have been a hard act to follow, but he had gone stale and past his sell-by date in recent years, and sounded as if he didn't want to be there. Norton did well in his first year: subtle, agreeable, funny - but respectful too. Eurovision fans would have found much to like here. Back to the songs....
- Azerbaijan: this had the Swedish "Boro Boro" guy on it so post-contest top 10 success and maximum radio airplay was assured. One more thing: faithful travelling companion was very impressed by AySel. Mum: "it's beauty and the beast!"
- Bosnia-Herzegovina: I thought this had top 5 finish written all over it, although 9th is still a pretty decent position. Passionate and emotional, but not in that forced, manipulative way which had maybe characterised Balkan entries in the past. I still love this and it's one of the very few songs from this year's contest which I still play.
- Moldova: I missed most of this as I was putting my potato wedges in the oven at the time. Her visual similarity to Shirley Clamp had escaped me first time round, but it was extremely obvious here. A novelty song which did better than I expected.
- Malta: Chiara yet again. Graham Norton: "She never met a Malteser she didn't like!!" A good singer, yes, but a duff song. She needs to be give something decent to sing.
- Estonia: We like!! Understated and extremely hypnotic, and well deserving of its 6th place. Glad to see them doing well again after a few off-years.
- Denmark: Tonight, Matthew, Brinck is going to be Ronan Keating! Although we liked this, we maybe had played it too much before the contest and had got a bit bored with it. Vocally he wasn't at his best, "a bit pitchy, dawg" as Randy Jackson might have said.
- Germany. Oh the shame of it. As I transferred my potato wedges (McCain Salt and Black Pepper wedges, the undisputed world champions of the potato wedge IMHO) from oven to plate, I thankfully missed most of it. A low point from beginning to end, and just when you thought it couldn't get any worse..."ladies and gentlemen, Miss Dita Von Teese".
- Turkey: to use an over-used word, dare I say "meh"? This was like Turkish-Eurovision-by-Numbers, and not in a good way. "For Real" it definitely wasn't, but a top 5 placing was guaranteed. Could do better.
- Albania: She was like a rabbit caught in the headlights, and we found it so interesting that we spoke all the way through it.
- Norge! Victory for Norway! He did enough, although those dancers continued to annoy me. I liked the stage set for this one though.
- Ukraine: I never thought we'd get anything cheaper than Deutschland tonight but here you have it. Me: "She's had 'work'". Mum: "And it's not made much difference". Top entertainment though if nothing else, and you'll remember the centurions.
- Romania: Yuk. This was one of our most hated qualifiers. Cheap, tacky rubbish. Possibly the worst song of the night, on a night with a lot of contenders for that title.
- Royaume-Uniiiiiiiiiiiii!!! Wow! Now you know I famously described "It's My Time" on here as a pile of mince, but on the night it was an excellently performed pile of mince and you could hear it being cheered throughout. Yes they milked the Lloyd-Webber factor for all it was worth, but 5th place wasn't bad going for the UK (a.k.a. "no one likes us") and may just have saved this country's Eurovision future.
- Finland: I'm glad they made it to the final, but for some strange reason this lost its impact for me on the night although it was still one of my favourites. Mum: "they could have done without the flame-throwers".
- Spain: After all the bother they go to with their elaborate qualifying process, this was the best they could do? They shouldn't have bothered, and I can't really see them hanging around Eurovision for too much longer.
So then there were recaps, and Dimitry (yum!) in the green room, and an interval act called "Fuerza Bruta" which was all water and art and swimming pools and was unusual and quite breathtaking. There was an interview with ALW who was very proud of Jade Ewen's performance, while Jade herself was also very euphoric. Sir Andrew commented before the voting that "it's a close run thing and not a shoo-in for us at all".
Despite what felt like 17000 countries casting votes, the voting skipped along smoothly and I had lots of fun identifying the jury spokespersons. Sadly no Bjorn Gustafsson for Sweden this year, but look! it's Sarah Dawn Finer! Duncan James gave the votes for the UK, DMGP host Felix read the votes for Denmark and finally....that sweet little package of Norwegian cuteness, Stian Barsnes Simonsen, delivered the Norwegian jury vote. How much would I love it if he hosted the semi-finals and/or the finals next year!!
Norway were runaway winners and earned the right to host next year's contest which will take place at the end of May in the Telenor Arena in Oslo. What we know is that Georgia will be back (I liked their Putin-bashing song and it was a sad loss to the contest when it was disqualified); whilst the Czech Republic have quit due to lack of interest.
The political nature of the ESC is well documented but recently took an even more sinister turn in Azerbaijan, as recent press reports stated that Azeri citizens who voted for arch-rivals Armenia were being taken in for questioning for being unpatriotic. Hey, it's only a song contest remember????
Whether you love or hate "Fairytale" you can't deny that it was a deserved winner, and its high placings in the charts across Europe - shock horror, it even made the UK chart - proved that it was also a very popular one. Thanks to the participation of established international acts (Patricia Kaas) and songwriters (Andrew Lloyd Webber) the contest's profile has never been higher, and I can only hope that this is reflected in better quality entries next year. It'll be no time till it's "on-season" once again....
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Rewind weekend: Tour de France 2009

Some Swedish music news: Melodifestivalen, Agnes, Fibes
06.02.10 - Örnsköldsvik
13.02.10 - Sandviken
20.02.10 - Gothenburg
27.02.10 - Malmö
Andra Chansen:
06.03.10 - Örebro
Final:
13.03.10 - Stockholm
Aftonbladet reports today that Agnes has signed a $1 million deal with Interscope/Geffen Records in the USA and she will be launched there with "Release Me" the song that has been a big hit in the UK and Europe this summer.
I'm getting very excited because the new Fibes, Oh Fibes! album "1987" will be released next week and received a 4 star review in Aftonbladet today, which is saying something as they're not always too generous with their review marking.
Ready to check into the Tokio Hotel again?
Their latest album "Humanoid" will be released in October, with its first single "Automatic" - described as an 'epic' - set for release in September.
There's something missing this autumn....


It all started back in 2001. Jenifer Bartoli was the first Star Academy winner and is arguably the most successful of all the Star Ac winners over the years, but I didn’t get into the show till 2002 (during my holiday in Biarritz) and that for me is still the best ever series. Star Academy 2 was of course won by Nolwenn Leroy, despite every effort made by the programme and the French media for her rival Emma Daumas to win the show. (Nolwenn & Emma pictured above, picture courtesy of http://www.tele7.fr/)
It was inevitable that series 3 in 2003 would be an anti-climax: despite Michal and Sofia being the best contestants, it was Elodie who triumphed. Where series 2 had appeared natural and genuine, series 3 was planting the seeds of viewer manipulation and effective editing, the tools which have become commonplace in reality/talent shows. Therefore Elodie was shown to be fragile, almost bullied by the ‘profs’ whilst her rival Sofia was continually shown in a bad light despite being the most talented of that year’s contestants.


Year 6 - 2006 - finally brought the first black winner of the show: Cyril Cinelu, who originated from Martinique. Since the contest began, there had been much debate in France that there had never been a non-white/mixed race winner of Star Academy, or any other reality-talent show for that matter, despite the rich racial mix within the country. He beat my favourite Dominique Fidanza, (pictured above, with Cyril) former Italian 'Popstars' winner in the final. Earlier in the series it looked as if the 'chosen ones' were Cynthia and Marina, the latter being a singer-songwriter who was favoured by the "prod" from the beginning and who was allowed to sing her own compositions on the "Prime".


Album Review: "Hassle" - Erik Hassle
I mentioned in my previous post about Neil McCormick’s article on the rise and fall of the next big things, and how that fate may or may not befall Erik Hassle. Big in blog-land this year, and tipped for Robbie-sized success (Guardian’s new band of the day), Erik Hassle had a lot to live up to before his debut album was released.On the evidence of "Hassle" recently released in Sweden - the British version, with a different title ("Pieces") and album cover, is out later this year - he needn’t worry, because he delivers.
I initially didn’t understand why "Hurtful" wasn’t the first single in the UK, but thought some more about it and realised that maybe that was quite a smart decision, as releasing "Don’t Bring Flowers" has got him some publicity and some press coverage, so maybe by the time "Hurtful" is out, the recognition will already be there and - hopefully - the charts will be there for the taking.
"Bump in the Road" is a powerful opener. "Hurtful" is still the standout track on the album. "The Thanks I Get" is also impressive: it’s a teary-eyed lovelorn ballad. Now you know I don’t like ballads but I find this one genuinely touching.
"Wanna Be Loved" comes on like a cross between EMD’s "Baby Goodbye" (the whistling hookline) and The Beatles’ "Eleanor Rigby" (the "all the lonely people" lyric) yet is an uptempo pop-rock track which succeeds on its own merits. The lyrics on "First Time" recall teenage memories and will feel very relevant to anyone in that age group, whilst the more mature "Bitter End" is reminiscent of Coldplay and Keane’s big sweeping soaring anthems.
There’s another pretty acoustic ballad, "All I Wanted Was You" - what particularly struck me about this track (and the album in general) is that young Mr Hassle isn’t following the crowd and is just making the music he wants to make, whilst having the potential mass appeal of an act like The Script for example. My worry is that in the cureent UK musical climate, there doesn’t seem to be any room for quality pop music, and I return to the "next big things" debate.
In Sweden, Erik Hassle will be allowed to develop as an artist: that isn’t such a certainty in this country. A young man with big hair and big talent, Erik Hassle deserves massive success. I only hope that he will be allowed to have it.
Rating: 7½ out of 10.
Big in Japan / Next big things
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/aug/27/big-in-japan-daniel-merriweather which interestingly examines why home-country popularity can totally pass an act by, yet they can become huge abroad. "Big In Japan" syndrome in other words. They completely hit the nail on the head about Charlie Winston: yet further proof that the movers and shakers who dictate British musical tastes continue to have an aversion to artist development in favour of the next big thing.
Which brings me on to an article in the Telegraph. Now you wouldn't catch me reading that newspaper in a million years, but I found this whilst searching for articles about Erik Hassle:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/neilmccormick/100002668/why-pop-music-is-a-cruel-business/
Mr McCormick makes some very relevant points indeed: and I fear the worst for Erik's career in the UK if he's going to be bracketed alongside pop's next big things, rather than being allowed to develop as the talented artist which he undoubtedly is. Album review to follow....
Saturday, August 29, 2009
This week's playlist: And I feel like taking off
Warning Sign - Nick Heyward: obscure maybe, but I've been listening to this a lot lately. Catchy and underrated track from his post-Haircut One Hundred solo repertoire.
Kylie Said To Jason - The KLF: Hard to believe that this is 20 years old, but still sounds so fresh. I previously gave this a mention on Retro Saturday (which is back with a vengeance next week!) Nonsensical lyrics + an irresistible chorus = excellence.
Lala Song - Bob Sinclar featuring Sugarhill Gang: I still don't understand why UK chart success passed this one by this summer, when it's just got such a sunny, happy vibe about it. Great stuff for anyone who likes old-school rap music.
Say It - Booty Luv: Very very nice to have them back. They make rather fab commercial-dance music, and this is a pretty good comeback.
The Rain/Ready For The Weekend/Stars Come Out/Flashback - Calvin Harris: did I ever mention that "Ready For The Weekend" is my most-played CD of recent weeks? Top dance music which has soundtracked everything from bathtime to housework.
Trippin' On You - Cahill featuring Nikki Belle: this was played a few times on Galaxy Radio (which is otherwise the home of vocoder-hell) and I realised how much I still liked it after all this time.
Sweet Dreams - Beyonce: Now you know that I can't really stand Beyonce ("Halo" is currently my undisputed most-hated-song of 2009) but for some strange reason I like this.
Don't Bring Flowers/Hurtful/Wanna Be Loved/Bitter End - Erik Hassle: Swedish pop's latest brightest new talent releases a very impressive album indeed. Here are four songs from it.
Release Me - Agnes: yes I know it's old news by now, but I still like it. 2009-50 place guaranteed by now. I don't know how her UK chart career will go now, but this is a pretty good start.
Been to the movies today....
Faithful travelling companion suggested going to see the latest Quentin Tarantino epic, the title of which I won't mention here in case it messes with my blog-filter at work....although I didn't know anything about it and hadn't read any reviews beforehand, so I didn't know what to expect."IB" turned out to be a very good movie indeed, set in World War II with the usual parallel-storytelling that you would expect from Tarantino by now, and a fine international cast.
The film begins with a German colonel Landa, known as "the Jew Hunter", who kills off a Jewish family being hidden in a dairy farmer's home. The daughter of the family escapes, takes on a new identity and is subsequently seen running a cinema which is chosen to host the premiere of a film made by Goebbels about a German war hero - played by an old favourite of this blog, Daniel Brühl of "Goodbye Lenin" fame - and this gives her the opportunity for revenge against the Nazi hierarchy attending the premiere, as she plans to burn down the cinema during the film.
None other than Brad Pitt, as Aldo Raine leads the "B******s", a fearless group of Jewish-American scalp-hunters who will stop at nothing to get revenge on the Nazis, carving a swastika into the forehead of the Germans whom they do save. Although I've never quite understood Mr Pitt's popularity, I have to admit that he sparkled in this role.
Despite the serious subject matter, it wouldn't be a Tarantino film if it didn't have some very black comedy: the scene when Raine's fellow fighters reinvent themselves as Italians only for the multi-lingual Landa to rumble them is a particular treat.
The ending of the film sees Tarantino taking liberties with history as only he can; and of course, it being a Tarantino movie means there's lots of look-away-from-the-screen-now violence.
The fact that I sat and watched a 2½ hour movie without dozing off says a lot for my attention-span: it's a relentless and compelling war movie reinvented as spaghetti western, and it's well worth seeing.
Rewinding and starting with a clean slate
Anyway I want to start my autumn/winter season on this blog with a clean slate, so between now and midnight on Monday 31st expect a bit of a blogging extravaganza. I always think that the end of August signals the end of summer, as the days get shorter and the nights get longer, so this is a bit of a "goodbye to summer" weekend on EuropeCrazy. Once I get these posts out of the way it will also free up some time for me to devote to September's pre-holiday preparations (16 days to go!!!!!) and then from the end of September it'll be full speed ahead for this little blog once more.
I never did get around to posting that Eurovision review either so I may just post that too, with a little benefit-of-hindsight twist. :)
Onwards!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
New BWO video.
http://www.expressen.tv/noje/1.1676706/bwo-rise-to-the-occasion
Album Review: "Ready For The Weekend" - Calvin Harris
It’s that age-old dilemma once again: can dance acts make good albums? In many cases the answer is a definite ‘no’. But Calvin Harris is not just any old dance act. Regular readers of this blog will be well aware that I’ve liked his music a lot since his debut - "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls" were never off my stereo at the time, and with "Dance Wiv Me" (also featured here) he managed to do the impossible and get me to like a Dizzee Rascal record. The first time I heard "I’m Not Alone" (which is officially the most searched-for song on this blog, ever!) I absolutely loved it and couldn't wait to hear this album.At the moment, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve been time-transported back to, say, 1982: we’re deep in recession, three million on the dole, the record companies are falling over themselves to sign one electro-pop act after another, and the British charts are full of rubbish.
But here is Mr Harris to cheer us all up with a dose of euphoric dance-pop which, even if most of it sounds "acceptable in the 90s" then what’s wrong with that? (I happen to think that the 90s was an underrated musical decade which will someday get the positive re-evaluation it deserves).
The album starts off with an absolute cracker - "The Rain" had me hooked immediately. Despite its title it’s a dance anthem filled with positivity and sets the tone for the rest of the album. The title track (and follow-up single to "I’m Not Alone") is a hands-in-the-air dance anthem with a great chorus.
"Stars Come Out" is like two songs in one: to these ears it’s got more of an 80s electro-house vibe than a 90s feel, and I love the way it changes about halfway through. "You Used To Hold Me" doesn’t float my boat so much, purely because its repetitive chorus really annoys me, but this is one for the electro-dance crowd.
"Blue" shows off a more reflective side to Calvin, and is probably as near as he gets to a ballad, well an electro-one anyway (!) I do like his vocals, even if a lot of the time he chooses to feed them through a vocoder/autotune thingy, but he even does this in a more positive way.
Next is "I’m Not Alone" which is my favourite single by a British artist in 2009 so far. Euphoric, commercial dance at its very best, which recalls Faithless at the top of their game, and that unforgettable chorus - "If I see a light flashing, could this mean that I’m coming home?"
I read somewhere that "Flashback" is to be the next single: it's perhaps more trancey than its predecessors and probably won't do so well as a result, although artistically it's a triumph I guess.
"Worst Day" reminds me, for no particular reason, of N.E R.D.'s "Maybe" and is a diversion from the stadium dance concept of this album. Like many other albums of late, "Ready For The Weekend" loses its focus a little in the latter tracks but is still very much worth a listen. Despite its title, "Burns Night" isn’t an electro-bagpipe piece of haggis-house but is a reflective instrumental; "Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La" won't ever win any prizes for lyrical genius but reminds me of Bob Sinclar, for some reason.
The ‘rich kids’ in the media who dictate and force-feed us with musical trends may not like this album and prefer to push on with hyping this year’s thing, but Twitter-rant aside, I doubt if Calvin Harris should really be too bothered about their criticism, as he's made a commercial dance album to be very proud of indeed, and has brought some long overdue musical sunshine into these dark, rainy days.
Hello again....
Still addicted to Flight of the Conchords: so much to love but we're still obsessed with "If You're Into It" because it's daft, silly, funny and Jemaine is just on top form, "doing stuff with the food" :) I promise you will love this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY8jaGs7xJ0
Monday, August 10, 2009
Another blog-break week (or two)
I'll be back when I'm ready - hopefully a few early nights should sort me out!! I'm not giving a return date but I think two weeks off should be enough.
(Of course Planet Salem will continue in the meantime, as I find that blog so much easier to update!)
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Dutch Charts Update
A bit of Dutch-language summer-reggae at no. 1 in the Mega Top 50 this week. "Mi Rowsu" by Damaru & Jan Smit is a very pleasant laid-back little tune, which, apparently, is sung in a Volendam accent.
It's not the only Dutch-language song in the top 5, as there is also "Slaap Lekker" by Diggy Dex featuring Eva de Roovere. It's a more contemporary rap/r'n'b song but I think being sung/rapped in its native language makes it so much better. I quite liked this too.
There's also a German artist in the Dutch top 10: Peter Fox's "Haus Am See" has been in the chart for 10 weeks. The great thing about continental Europe is that they have no boundaries to music in another language, unlike here in the UK where not even a song with a couple of German words (Polarkreis 18's "Allein Allein") could get any airplay (Radio 2 excepted) and needless to say, failed to make our singles chart.
A summer dance tune next."La Mezcla" by Michel Cleis is climbing the charts. The Netherlands of course is a significant player in the European dance music scene - as you know, I like commercial dance music but this instrumental is repetitive to the point of deeply annoying.
At no.11, climbing from last week's no.30, is "Mr Light" by Bertolf. I don't know anything about him apart from he's a Dutch solo artist - I must investigate further. A nice mid-paced pop-rock tune, which is very pleasant indeed. Here's a link to the official video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqVwpU_YN9c
Krezip is a band which has been going for the last 12 years but now they're going their separate ways. Their appropriately named "Sweet Goodbyes" has been in the charts for the last 26 weeks. It's a sweet little inoffensive acoustic number, quite nice. I've heard of them but never really heard any of their music so I don't have anything to compare it with.
The Square-Eyed Couch Potato: July-August 2009
Good old BBC-4 is still showing a series of the original Swedish-language version of "Wallander" which I find compulsive viewing. I’m not a fan of cop shows but I love the way the little complexities of the plot are unravelled, with the back-story of the relationship between the lead character and his daughter.
One thing I recently got into and now can’t get enough of is "Flight of the Conchords". If you haven’t seen it before, it’s a deliciously dry comedy about a New Zealand folk-parody duo in New York. Their manager Murray is total comedy gold - imagine a hilarious version of (unfunniest man alive, IMHO) Ricky Gervais’ David Brent. After seeing a couple of episodes of season two on BBC-4, I rushed out to buy the season one box set, which I’m working through at the moment. The series is of course now over and it would appear they won't be making any more of it - that should guarantee the show classic comedy status by leaving us all wanting more.
Good comedy on British TV is very very hard to find, but "The Kevin Bishop Show" (Channel 4) is an exception. Its quickfire sketch format pokes fun at the celebrity world which he and his chums already did brilliantly on "Star Stories" and if you get the jokes you’ll find it very funny indeed.
I love "Come Dine With Me" (currently off-air). Watch that format go.....for dinner party read wedding, and voila - you have "Four Weddings" (Living) where four brides attend each other’s weddings and mark them, "Come Dine"-style. On paper, it sounded good but based on the shows I’ve seen so far, it missed the mark. And it doesn’t have the hilarious Dave Lamb doing the voiceovers either.
A couple of programmes about hotels: "The Hotel Inspector" (Five), used to be one of my favourites but is now past it’s sell-by date. I’m not too keen on that new woman Alex either - preferred the old one. The show was previously quite interesting but has now turned into a bit of a "Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares"-meets-makeover format and the end result leaves me cold.
You can have cash coming out of your ears but it doesn’t always mean you’ll get things done: "Rock N’Roll Hotel" (BBC-1) is quite an interesting documentary series about Mark the nightclub owner’s hotel project - and if anyone’s thinking of opening a hotel then you might want to think twice after watching this.
After watching "Hollyoaks" (E-4) for two years, I recently decided to give up watching the show purely for the reason that it’s in terminal decline. The final nail in the coffin was Newt, Lauren and Theresa’s camping trip, a week of my life which I’ll never get back.
"Coronation Street" - recently, controversially wrenched from it’s 7.30 Wednesday night slot on ITV and moved to Thursday nights at 8.30 - isn’t much better these days. When the major storylines revolve around the Platts, you know there may be trouble ahead. Add to that Rosie Webster - possibly the worst non-Platt character in British soap today, and the tiresome Fiz/John Stape/Chesney and you have one very unwatchable half hour.

Just a brief mention about "Strictly Come Dancing" (BBC-1) - there’s controversy already before the first quick-step has been taken, thanks to Arlene Phillips’ dismissal from the show and replacement by former winner Alesha Dixon. Now much as I like Alesha, she is no expert choreographer and it looks as if she’s been brought in purely to provide some Cheryl Cole-style judging panel eye candy. With the show already reeling from accusations of ageism, then came the news that former winner (and one of my favourite professionals) Karen Hardy would not be among the professional dancers in the new series. Ms Hardy is 39 years old. Imagine the drop in viewing figures if the BBC banned everyone over 39 from watching the show? Pity they can’t apply their recruitment criteria to, say, Bruce Forsyth or "Uncle" Len Goodman, who in TV terms are a long way over that hill. How about replacing them with some younger eye candy....? (Talking of which...not that we need an excuse for another picture of Mark Ramprakash, pictured above with Karen Hardy in that unforgettable series 4 win in 2006). Note to BBC: if you really want to make "Strictly" better, then scrap the tedious dance-off and stupid Sunday night results show...
Finally it was good to see Louis Theroux (pictured above) back on BBC-2 tonight, with his latest documentary "The City Addicted to Crystal Meth" focusing on the drug epidemic and its effect on the citizens of Fresno. The best thing about Louis is his refreshing lack of sensationalism, as he easily persuades the interviewees to tell their own story, rather than punctuate the show with drama and "previously on..." recaps. One very sad aspect of British TV in this disposable decade is the decline in quality documentary making, so there's all the more reason to treasure Theroux’s deceptively simple and effective style.
Retro Saturday: Mink De Ville
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWHc8ZoVdOk&feature=related
The Round-Up
Recently I’ve been pretty depressed with the state of the music scene in this country, particularly the dominance of over-hyped, under-talented female acts, and the very low profile of male pop stars. So I was genuinely happy to read this week that Robbie Williams is on the way back with a new album to be released in October. The news that Trevor Horn has produced it is a mouthwatering prospect alone. And even if it’s not a return to past glories, then we can always take comfort in the fact that it will be better than "Rudebox". It wouldn’t be hard....
I’m still dealing with the aftermath of the disturbing sight of seeing Mika in his big white underpants in his new video: "We Are Golden" (or should that be "Heaven Is A Place On Earth") didn’t really impress me the first time I heard it, but having heard it again it’s beginning to work its way into my brain. Nice to have him back, if only for the fact that he will be back on the radio which means one less playing of Pink, Rihanna, Beyonce blah blah blah.
The weekly Friday night ritual of watching the music channels with faithful travelling companion at EuropeCrazy HQ has been rather frustrating of late, with the increasingly depressing parade of one dire autotuned r’n’b or tedious electro song after another. Last night wasn’t much better: that Tinchy Stryder/Amelle song is like r’n’b by numbers and might as well have been written by a computer - and as for the Sugababes’ new song....needless to say, faithful travelling companion enjoyed the video, but as for the ‘song’, well it’s unspeakably bad. Time for the Right Said Fred revival?
Last night I leapt up and yelled when I saw Milow’s "Ayo Technology" on The Box, or Chart Show TV or one of these channels....this song has been a big favourite of mine on this blog for the last 4 months although I still think the video’s a bit unsavoury, with a nod to the song’s hip-hop origins. Still, I’m glad it’s being released here, so fingers crossed that it will be a hit. Bizarre fact: Milow bears a startling similarity to someone who works in my office!!
That's where the truth is, that's where the lie is: You may have heard of someone called Peter Andre, I think he’s been involved in some high profile marriage breakup or something? :O
The man at the centre of that breakup has conveniently chosen a good time to relaunch his career. I saw the video of "Behind Closed Doors" which plays it very straight indeed. The video features a Jordan lookalike...a bit of the "Cry Me A River" thing going on eh? I was quite surprised by this on first hearing as it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever heard, although I still can't help but think that the whole thing is one great big orchestrated publicity stunt.
There's a she wolf in the closet: Shakira - one of the few female pop artists I can actually stand - is back with "She Wolf" which is quite catchy although a change of musical style. Even she has succumbed to the dreaded autotune. Anyone think the melody in the verse sounds like RHCP’s "Californication" though??
It’s too late to apologize, Ryan Tedder: much of the 2008/2009 dreary-pop vintage has been written by the OneRepublic frontman. Don’t get me wrong, I like "Apologize" and "Stop and Stare" but I really can’t stand stuff like "Bleeding Love", "Battlefield" and the song that is my most hated of the year, "Halo" by Beyonce which redefines the meaning of dire. So the news that Tedder gave Kelly Clarkson virtually the same track is not good news at all. Even Kelly herself is, to say the least, a bit miffed as her record company now want to release the song. This blogger is also seriously annoyed, as it means we will now have to suffer "Halo II" every five minutes on the radio. Wake me up when it’s all over, although that will probably be a long long time away.....
Hopefully by that time Erik Hassle will be a big star, although I’m still puzzled by the choice of "Don’t Bring Flowers" as his big UK debut, when "Hurtful" (or "Bump In The Road" for that matter) was a more obvious choice. Don’t get me wrong, I like this song though and I really want it to do well.
The whole September situation is equally baffling, firstly the excellent "Until I Die" was scheduled to be her follow-up single to "Can’t Get Over" then was pulled from release by her record company due to a lack of radio airplay support. Now it would appear that "Cry For You - The Album" will not get a physical release in the UK and will be download-only. I can’t really understand this - is it maybe because her target market is more likely to download songs than buy CDs? Also, as there is no physical CD format it means that the album won’t show up in the album chart. :(
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Retro Saturday: Hipsway
"Tinder" came to the public's attention thanks to its use in a TV commercial for a certain brand of lager, and I always thought this was a great record. Top stuff!! No video but enjoy the audio at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XDatGBIQN8
Retro Saturday: Laban
I never realised this was a cover version of a German song called "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" by Heinz Rudolf Kunze until I started investigating YouTube tonight: that site is an education!!
Retro Saturday: Nick Heyward
After our short summer break it's time to jump into the Saturday night YouTube time machine once more, starting off with a long-forgotten tune by Nick Heyward.
To begin with, I liked "Favourite Shirts" and "Love Plus One" but after that, Haircut One Hundred frankly annoyed me, with their twee image, big guitars and cricket jumpers. Nick Heyward's solo career didn't fare much better in my book, but then along came "Warning Sign" in 1984, a song which I liked a lot. The song and the video are very 80s, but don't let that put you off. Quite an underrated gem, which deserved a better chart position than it got. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRAU97-94x0
Friday, August 07, 2009
This weekend (and beyond)....
A review of this summer's Swedish TV singalongs!
Tomas Ledin's new album reviewed!
My (very belated) look back at the Tour de France!
A couple of charts updates!
"Square-Eyed Couch Potato" for July and the beginning of August!
The return of Retro Saturday!
This week's playlist!
All of the above will be appearing on this blog from tomorrow night onwards...
EDIT 09.08.09: OK, OK, I knew it was too ambitious and a bit premature - Swedish summer TV review's been postponed for yet another week as I need to watch some more of them, whilst I had written that Ledin review but then misplaced it so I'll have to do it again :( also I haven't got the playlist together yet. Mañana, mañana....!
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Turkey here we come!
Yay!!!!
So let's celebrate with a top Turkish tune shall we? The brilliant "For Real" by Athena from 2004.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Just been checking the new release schedule...
10.08.09
Bob Sinclar featuring Sugarhill Gang "Lala Song"
24.08.09
Erik Hassle "Don't Bring Flowers"
31.08.09
BWO & Velvet "Right Here Right Now"
Jason Mraz featuring Colbie Caillat "Lucky"
07.09.09
Milow "Ayo Technology"
28.09.09
Agnes "On and On"
However, given the dire state of the UK singles chart, I'm not building my hopes up :(
Monday, July 27, 2009
This week's playlist: One, two, three, four, uno, dos, tres...
Ready For The Weekend - Calvin Harris: Another slice of dance-pop awesomeness from this very talented DJ. If the album's as good as its first two singles then it will be a monster.
Diamond Rings - Chipmunk: Not usually into this kind of thing but it escapes the dumper and appeals to me purely because of its sampling of "Pipeline" in the vocal hook.
The Only Ones - Melody Club: I've probably said this before, and if I have (or haven't) I'll say it again anyway: they remind me of the Ark. And that's a good thing.
Fire - Kasabian: still sounding fresh after all these weeks. I really will need to get listening to that new album...
You Can't Kill Rock & Roll - Sugarplum Fairy: more retro-tastic melodic rock from another musically fab branch of the Noren gene pool.
Youngblood - E.M.D.: took a while to grow on me but now it's a firm favourite. Nice catchy Swedish pop, nothing more, nothing less.
Joyride - The Killers: I'm well into their music again and this is one of the high spots on their "Day and Age" album.
Lala Song - Bob Sinclar & Sugarhill Gang: catchy singalong summer dance tune. Mr Sinclar continues to make some inspired choices of collaborators.
Right Here Right Now - BWO: They've had a bit of Swedish TV exposure over the last couple of months. But apart from that opportunity to drool at Martin, they also make great pop. Like this.
Album Review: "Now 73" - Various Artists

Sunday, July 26, 2009
"Grattis Kronprinsessan" : my review
It was at this concert two years ago that I first discovered my favourite singer, Salem Al Fakir. Mans Zelmerlow was also on the bill that night; so I was very interested to see both of them on the bill for this year's concert.
This year there was an extra seat in the front row, with the added ingredient of Victoria's new fiancé Daniel Westling along for the festivities.
Host Mark Levengood - is he Finnish? he seemed to speak Swedish with a Finnish accent - brought a calm and respectful tone to the proceedings, which includes fundraising appeals for the princess' charity fund which supports disabled children.
What interested me most of course was the music - Lena and Orup got the party started with "Nu När Du Gott". Of course these two have been particular favourites of mine over the last 20 years - and their professionalism remains in no doubt. I still got the feeling though that the parts are greater than the whole, as I didn't get the same enjoyment from their album as a duo that I did from their solo albums.
Was very excited to see Måns Zelmerlöw next. He seems to be developing a tradition of alternative-acoustic-versions of his hits, and he did the same with "Hope and Glory" although my mum thought that this was inferior to the original. He is still a very good artist though and I can see him having a long career.
Kalle and Bengan next with a bit of folk, which was ok if that's your bag. Swiftly followed by Jill Johnson, who firstly came to our attention in 1998 when she represented Sverige @ ESC, but since that time she has reinvented herself as Sweden’s queen of country music. Again this isn’t really my type of music, but she is a very good singer and very good at what she does.
Next up, Malena Ernman who IMHO got a bit too much time on this concert....again she is very good in her field (opera) but I get the feeling she probably wouldn’t have got the same exposure if she hadn’t won MF.
So, to the real star of the show, Salem Al Fakir. For those not familiar with this underrated Swedish musical genius, he was as ever a very appealing vision with his messy curls, dressed in a white shirt, black trousers and of course his trademark braces. He got Vicky & Dan clapping, and commanded the stage like the true showman that he is, and vocally he was perfect on a confident version of "Astronaut".
Back to Måns, who performed a lively "Cara Mia" which got everyone smiling and clapping - what an entertainer he is. Malena again, backed by Kalle & Bengan. Time to fast forward....to Salem Al Fakir, who was back with my favourite song of his - "Good Song" which again got the crowd clapping along. Salem looked as if he enjoyed every single minute of this, and his enjoyment was infectious. His pop/soul/jazz vocals have never sounded better: the man is a true star.
After Victoria dishing out her annual-stipendiet it was time for Malena and "La Voix" which left me cold. Then Jill again, then MZW with a kids’ choir, entertaining us with his latest single "Hold On". I've probably got a few songs on the album which I like more than this one, but he never disappoints.
Finally, the return of Lena and Orup with a very enjoyable medley of their hits. (It would have been more intriguing if they had sung each other's songs, but maybe that's just my wishful thinking?) The show closed with Bengan and Kalle and all the performers back on stage to sing a couple of songs for to the princess.
Rumour has it that this annual celebration will no longer take place following Victoria and Daniel's wedding in June 2010. I hope this won't be the case, as I look forward to this event every year.
You can watch this year's "Grattis Kronprinsessan" at SVT's website: http://svtplay.se/v/1625278/kungahuset/grattis_kronprinsessan. The show will be available to watch until 14th August 2009: well worth watching too, especially at the 35 minutes and 50 minutes mark :)))
I put on my shoes and I'm ready for the weekend
So three cheers for "Ready For The Weekend" which presses all the right dance-pop buttons for me. I can only reiterate my previous view that he is breathing fresh new life into dance music. The single is out on 10th August; the album of the same name is out one week later. Have a listen to the new single at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Z56le7-H4
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Holiday news...
This year's been a bit different though. With the Euro exchange rate still totally rubbish, we made the decision a little while ago to go 'non-Euro' in the southern half of the continent. My initial favourite was Croatia, but there were a few practical problems getting the deals/hotels/dates we wanted etc, so that's been put on hold yet again - we'll get there eventually but not this year.
Anyway, after a great deal of discussion and debate we settled on another new country: Turkey. Initially a very unlikely choice for us, if only for the reason that we're not "package holiday" people, but as time goes on it seems to make more sense. It's a new country, a new culture, and we like Turkish food. That haggling scares me though :))
Will try and get booked within the next couple of weeks - more news soon...
Friday, July 24, 2009
This weekend...
One of these days, normal service will be resumed :)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Album Review: "A State of Mind" (Deluxe Edition) - E.M.D.
Having seen their very nice performance on last week’s "Sommarkrysset" I thought it was time to finally post my review of this album! That first single "All For Love", a decent remake of what was initially (IMHO) an unspectacular song anyway, is also included on this album. In fact it may be better than the original, if only that we don’t have the three egos jostling for space on the song!
For the remainder of the album they come on like a chirpier version of Westlife on the standard boyband fare - "Run to You", "Alone", "I Lied". "We Can" manages to be saved by Danny’s strong vocals on the chorus, whilst "For You" includes the very bizarre line "For you I’d set my house on fire". Bit extreme eh lads?? :)
"Give Me Some Time" is better because it’s in my preferred uptempo style, "Look At You Now" is an 80s power-ballad meets Take That’s "The Garden", that’s the best way I can describe it.
Unfortunately the album ends on a low note - "She’s My California" is like Westlife-on-stools at their very worst, with the most laughable cliched lyrics.
On the whole, though, I’m more positive than negative about this deluxe edition of the album. A bit more of the "Jennie"-style tracks might have boosted its rating even higher.
German Charts Update
Something a little bit different at number one. Not Michael Jackson or Lady GaGa, but "Jungle Drum" by Emiliana Torrini. Is there a particular reason for this, or is it just one of those songs that's gone big anyway?
At no.2 is a song which I immediately liked on first hearing whilst on hols in Dusseldorf: "Stadt" by Cassandra Steen, featuring the very distinctive voice of Adel Tawil. Nice mid-paced song which doesn't go down the boring r'n'b route.
Elsewhere, there aren't too many surprises with the usual suspects - Lady GaGa, Black Eyed Peas, Cascada, Beyonce blah blah blah. And yes of course lots of Michael Jackson, the Jacko tunes of choice for German record buyers would appear to be "They Don't Care About Us", "Thriller", "Earth Song" and "Heal The World" (whereas the UK's favourite seems to be "Man In The Mirror", a song which was never a favourite of mine).
The good old tradition that is the latin-flavoured European summer hit lives on in "I Know You Want Me" by rapper Pitbull, with it's "one two three four" hookline. This song had completely passed me by but it's all over the European charts (including the UK top 40) so I suppose people are hearing it on holiday and buying it on their return home?
Speaking of Latin-flavoured pop, with a German twist, inevitably brings me to an old favourite of this blog: Marquess, the German band who sing in Spanish. "Arriba" is more of their good-time summery pop, although I think it's getting to the diminishing-returns stage with them now as this is nowhere as great as "Vayamos Companeros" for example.
Another song that's been around the German chart for a while is "Foot Of The Mountain" by A-ha. Their new album has been quite well-received by the critics. This single is very Keane-influenced IMHO, with its strong piano hooklines. Rather nice, if not earth-shattering.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Bring back the boys!
You may think that what I'm going to say is a bit strange, given that I'm female myself, but here goes....
I'm sick of female singers - bring back the boys!
If you've been listening to the radio over the last few months and looking at the chart rundown it can't have escaped your notice that the mainstream music scene at the moment is dominated by female acts of varying quality, and male singers can't get a look in.
Don't get me wrong - there are some new female acts I do like, most of them are of course European, and of the British contingent VV Brown and Little Boots to name two, but they haven't really had the massive airplay/overexposure of the usual suspects....
Category A: Landfill R'N'B. Start the conveyor belt.
Beyonce, Ciara, Shontelle, Rihanna, Keri Hilson, and too many others to mention.
Category B: Eye candy (a.k.a. why can't we have a girl band which looks normal/slightly overweight/not dressed like slappers for once?)
The Saturdays, Girls Aloud (the latter IMHO are now past their sell-by date, but at their peak they were great)
Category C: Post-Winehouse
Arguably the worst category of all: Duffy, and worst of all Pixie Lott. What would my mama do? Like, who gives a ****?
Category D: Ooh, aren't I quirky and don't the critics just love me? (a.k.a. this year's PJ Harvey)
Florence and the Machine. Previous winner still doing the rounds: Lily Allen. (Although credit to her for being opinionated, and "The Fear" is a very good record indeed)
Category E: Rock chicks (a.k.a. radio programmers think they're sooo edgy)
Pink (I liked her once, but I can't listen to her anymore cause she's played to death); Kelly Clarkson (my life would suck if I hear this any more...); Katy Perry.
Category F: 80s revivalists
La Roux = nails down a blackboard. We've heard it all before, and better....
You'll have noticed I've left this year's most-played act Lady GaGa off my list. Strange as it may seem, I like her in a bizarre way, even though I probably shouldn't. "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" are good pop records which I think will have some longevity. The fact that they are played 17 times a day, every day, and I never tire of them, must mean something.
Yet another female fronted act, Cascada, has topped the British charts for the last two weeks with "Evacuate The Dancefloor", which is a significant departure from their usual chavvy-dance into GaGa territory.
But it will all change tomorrow, as X Factor runners-up, boy band JLS, are tipped for no. 1 with "Beat Again". OK so it's more of the same landfill r'n'b which is polluting our singles charts and radio playlists, but I thought I'd mention the significance of this anyway. Firstly they're male. Secondly, they're a boy band, which is very significant indeed, since recent years have seen tough times for boy bands in the British charts, so this might just be the start of something!
What concerns me most is the lack of decent male popstars/talented male singer-songwriters who are being overlooked in this country. The only thing giving me hope is that pop music goes in cycles, so hopefully this year's thing will soon be last year's thing and we can bring the boys back to the airwaves and the charts once more.
Album Review: "Real Control" - Moneybrother
Last weekend I had my usual weekly ritual of watching TV4's "Sommarkrysset" on the internet. A rather enjoyable show it was too, with Moneybrother and E.M.D. among last week's musical guests. Suddenly it struck me that I had never posted my reviews of their most recent albums due to other commitments at the times of their release, so let's get this sorted right now :)There's something reassuring about another release by Anders Wendin and his merry men, and even major line-up changes haven't changed his signature sound, which to these ears always sounded like a cross between Bruce Springsteen, The Clash and some other post-punk bands, whilst always retaining his own distinctive style.
First single "Born Under A Bad Sign" opens the album with its singalong chorus. You wouldn't expect a song with a title like "We Die Only Once (For Such A Long Time)" to be a cheery little reggae-flavoured foot-tapper, but amazingly it is.
"6 am" (the song he performed on last week's "Sommarkrysset" has a very disjointed 3-songs-in-1 approach, but despite this it seems to work and it has a strong chorus. "Never Ever (I've Been Kissed)" seems to channel Wendin's inner Roy Orbison, if the vocals are anything to go by. Anders Wendin mainly sticks with his usual croaky, gruff Springsteen-style vocals on most of the songs, but "Not That Old" is very surprising with its falsetto vocals, well as near to falsetto as you're likely to get from Mr Wendin!!
"Just Another Part Of Me That Breaks Down": Long song title - check. Stop-start musical-energy - check.
The pace slows down for a big ol' croaky ballad "Young Faithful Love" but then we're soon back at home in Moneybrother's high-speed territory. "Here Comes The Vain Again" has a driving beat whilst "Feel Like Hurting Somebody" seems to mix soul and punk and strangely enough reminds me of early Dexy's Midnight Runners (!)
There is nothing on here as classic as, say, "Reconsider Me" or "...Joanna" or even "Just Another Summer", but many of the tracks stand up to repeated listening as it doesn't take long for them to eat their way into your musical brain :)
Six years on from his debut album, Anders Wendin continues to make the music he wants to make, timeless good old fashioned rock n' roll, filled with excitement and urgency. He makes no concession to here-today-gone-tomorrow musical fashions or trends, and we should be eternally grateful to him for that alone. If "Real Control" is more of the same, then that's just fine by me.
Killjoys on the rampage part 3: Goodbye Teletext
And I'm rather gutted about this. Yes I know you can find out anything on the internet, but it's been a daily ritual for me, for many many years at EuropeCrazy HQ to visit my favourite teletext pages, from local news and sport to ITV's entertainment pages with the soaps round-up and viewers' 'talking points', to my favourite of all - Channel 4's music section "Planet Sound" with its news, reviews, interviews and 'The Void' letters page (ok I'm showing my age now....texts, then!).
And let's not forget Bamboozle with Bamber Boozler, the pixellated quizmaster ;)
They will all be much missed.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Le Tour: Cav's got the other sprinters green with envy

Friday, July 10, 2009
This weekend...
During my house clear-out I've been rummaging through some old tapes and unearthing some obscure musical gems as I go, so I'm discovering more material for my trips back in time on "Retro Saturday" - which is also taking a break this month and will be back at the beginning of August.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
On your bike

Tuesday, June 30, 2009
UK Charts Update
"I don't understand why you're number one"
If I may borrow a lyric from the recent (ironically) number one hit of the same name by Tinchy Stryder....I don't get La Roux. And I don't know anyone else who likes them either. Maybe it's because they remind me of the Eurythmics, and I used to hate the Eurythmics. "In For The Kill" is my joint-top most hated single of the year, it makes my ears bleed equally with Beyonce's "Halo", my other joint-top most hated single of the year. Anyway, today I was off work and off to the big city for some retail therapy. Almost every shop we went into was either playing Michael Jackson or La Roux. I don't object to Michael Jackson, but La Roux on the other hand....anyway, why is that "Bulletproof" song no.1? (Probably because it sold the most downloads this week, duh)
Whilst I'm on the subject of overrated female acts - Pixie Lott. If I hear that "Mama Do" song on the radio once more I might just scream. Still, she's much less objectionable than Duffy....
Back to number ones. David Guetta was no.1 last week with "When Love Takes Over" featuring Kelly Rowland, which is a great dance track. And by a French act too! Apparently he was the first French act to reach no. 1 in the UK since Modjo (which was also a great dance act - I loved their album). Anyway I digress...David Guetta's released a lot of quality dance music over the last few years so he finally deserves a no.1 at last.
I was disappointed by the poor chart showing of Little Boots' "New In Town". She may be yet another one of those over-hyped female electro acts, but I think she actually deserves her success, as her album is full of memorable pop songs. (I'll get round to reviewing it here someday). Maybe the follow-up "Remedy" will do better?
If you want some serious UK chart analysis (as opposed to these ramblings) then check out the wonderful James Masterton's chart blog which is updated weekly at http://new.uk.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chartwatch/
(Mr Masterton is also responsible for a blog of such musical-statistical-fabulousness and total quality that once you start reading it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. http://blog.masterton.co.uk/)
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Square-Eyed Couch Potato: June 2009




Sunday, June 28, 2009
The 2009-50: halfway there
I've been checking my list of favourite songs of the year so far and my list already has 40 songs in it.
Only 10 of the songs have been released in the UK; and some of these songs are likely to drop out of the final listing as some (hopefully better) European tracks enter my chart over the next few months.
If the British charts have been pretty dire, then it's been an absolutely amazing year for European music so far - all my favourite acts have released new material, and there's so much more to come...
I'll begin unveiling the 2009-50 from Thursday 19th November - two tracks per night, you know the formula by now!
(and yes, there may be one or two Salem songs in there :))) )
Swedish Charts Update




Saturday, June 27, 2009
Album Review: "Walking On A Dream" - Empire of the Sun
"I'm just in awe of what's in front of me"Firstly, can I just say that this album review is 6 months late, as I ordered the album back in January and it was delivered on its initial release date: but due to circumstances, time went on and one month turned into another...so here we are at the end of June 2009, with EOTS finally having broken into the UK singles chart with "We Are The People" so I thought it would be a good time to publish my review. Better late than never.
The unique selling point about this Aussie duo is that they neither look, nor sound, like anyone else. They have a distinctive image, which once seen will never be forgotten. Their music is almost always compared to another duo who achieved fame over the last 12 months, MGMT, but in my opinion EotS are much much better.
The main thing about this album - dare I say a stumbling block - is that the first four tracks "Standing on the Shore"/"Walking On A Dream"/"Half Mast"/"We Are The People" - are so stunning that they overshadow everything that follows, to such an extent that it could be described as an album of two halves - the outstanding first four tracks are probably the only ones you will need, and if they are to define EotS' career, then that would be a fine quartet to remember them by.
The lyrics of "We Are The People" make reference to 1975. There is perhaps a retro feel to some of EotS' music which sounds as if it could have come from that time, and that's maybe what makes it special for me. I'm really glad this song made the UK top 20 - but I was also pleasantly surprised too, that something of such considerable quality could break through into a chart mainly consisting of dire tedious rubbish.
If you do manage to get beyond the first four tracks, then well done. The bad news is that there is nothing to match their greatness - although "Delta Bay" is weird and wonderful with its falsetto vocals; instrumental "Country" is reminiscent of the Twin Peaks theme (remember that?); "Swordfish Hotkiss Night" has the duo channelling their inner Prince; and closing ballad "Without You" definitely sounds as if it was lifted off an 80s film soundtrack.
Empire of the Sun is a unique act with lots and lots of promise for the future - they've delivered a great (if uneven) album but if they keep on developing their musical vision then they will become a real force to be reckoned with.
Special by name, special by nature
Absolutely fantastic. The band recently reformed for a 30th anniversary tour (we weren't quick enough off the mark for tickets) but despite the passing of time, it could have been 1979 all over again, such was their freshness, energy and enthusiasm. The set included "Gangsters", "Rat Race", "Blank Expression", "Monkey Man", "Concrete Jungle", "A Message to You Rudy", "Do Nothing", "Too Much Too Young", "You're Wondering Now" and last but never least, "Ghost Town". That song for me summed up the turbulent summer of 1981 and is every bit as relevant today. And yes, Terry Hall kept a straight face throughout....nothing ever changed :))
Their set was the highlight of the festival for me so far. I didn't see much else apart from bits of Little Boots, VV Brown, Ting Tings, and notably Lady GaGa - I never thought I'd see the day when someone like her would wow a festival crowd, but that's indeed what she did do.
Neil Young headlined last night, but I gave him a miss as he's not my cup of tea.
Tonight: Bruce Springsteen, Kasabian, Franz Ferdinand. Off to set the video....!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Michael Jackson
Predictable things followed....notably those phoney showbiz obituaries, and his songs were, unsurprisingly, all over the radio.
Everyone's talking and writing about him today. I don't have anything new, or original, to add. All I will say is that MJ made two fantastic albums which still sound so fresh today - "Off The Wall" and "Thriller", and nothing recorded after them came anywhere near their greatness. As a performer, his influence lives on in many of today's artists.
Just like Elvis and John Lennon before him, Jackson's records will sell again in their millions -so you can expect every top 40 singles and album chart in the world to be dominated by him this week.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
"Allein Allein" finally getting a UK release!
Hopefully it will be a big summer hit!
(Just in time for you coming back Rachel - it'll make you feel like you're back in Germany again!)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Allsång versus Lotta: Round 1
Well, the people (OK the Aftonbladet readers) have spoken, and there's a clear winner: the established summer favourite, SVT's "Allsång på Skansen".
Lotta Engberg kicked off with a couple of singalongs including "Välkommen till Göteborg" which I guess was their answer to "Stockholm i Mitt Hjärta". She appears to be an enthusiastic enough hostess, but as I watched the show I couldn't help but get the feeling that this show is just a (slightly inferior) Allsång-copy, and there's a bit too much of Lotta in the show and not enough of the other guests, which wasn't helped by the commercial-breaks cutting out their extra songs which were only available later at TV4's website.
This week's guests -
Nanne Gronvall - I'm not really a big fan of her's, and I don't particularly like that "Du Är Min Man" song either, but she is a crowd-pleaser;
Christer Sjogren - his "Bossa Nova Baby" was way off the cheese-scale lol but I liked the dresses the girls were wearing, and as for "I Love Yoo-rup", well this song came into my head at work today despite my best efforts to hate it!
Ola - "Sky's The Limit" was ok on first listen and I think it'll grow on me, although I can't really say the same for his new look though. Yes I did say that, and you know how much I adore my curly-haired boys...!
Brolle - complete with his new trademark big glasses - is going through a phase. Last week it was Buddy Holly (on Sommarkrysset) this week Elvis: he's definitely going back to his rock n'roll roots.
I did like the part at the end when all the guests sat on the stairs and sang that old Ulf Lundell song (which incidentally, faithful travelling companion has on an Ulf album he bought a few years ago in Sweden)
The real fun in these shows, whether it's Allsång or Lotta, is seeing the younger pop stars throwing themselves enthusiastically into the singalongs - (excuse me while I get a little misty-eyed at the memory of Salem Al Fakir's "Nu Är Det Gott Att Leva" on Allsång in 2007...!)
But I digress....
If "Lotta..." is a new show which needs to settle and grow into its own skin, "Allsång" is the daddy. The stunning Stockholm backdrop, with the Viking Line ship in port, just sums up a Tuesday summer night for me. The minute "Stockholm i Mitt Hjärta" starts up, that's me hooked. And so it was yet again this week.
Tomas Ledin proved that he can still keep the crowd happy, whilst Henrik Dorsin had everyone singing along with "Tingeling" (I love this - I know I shouldn't but I do) and then Måns Zelmerlöw completely set the standard for the rest of this summer's series. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the future king of Swedish light entertainment. He is (rightly) being acclaimed by the Swedish press for his performance this week - and also putting forward his credentials as a future presenter of the show! One thing's for sure: he's a better singer than Anders Lundin.
After watching both shows I'd have to award round 1 to Allsång: more natural, less forced and just an overall better product. Having said that though, I'm glad both of these shows exist: there is no equivalent here in the UK (it would be considered far too 'uncool' sadly) and I think there's just something really nice about getting people of all ages together in the open air in the summertime to sing along and have some fun.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Grrrrrrr.....
Someone please please please upload this show (and Sommarkrysset for that matter) to YouTube, the sooner the better. Tack.
I'm off to bed now, I've had enough of this. Fingers crossed that SVT Play doesn't let me down tomorrow night. Promise I'll be in a better mood tomorrow :)
EDIT 23.06.09: Black mark to TV4 (part 2): Although all artists sung two songs on the show, Swedish TV viewers only got to see one song each - as ad breaks were shown during the other song. Understandably, the Swedish press and public are not too happy about this fact, and I know that the 'extra' songs can be seen at TV4's website (which isn't much consolation as all you get is that little circle going round and round) anyway TV4 needs to get its act together and broadcast all the songs in future shows.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
This week's playlist: I sing now for all of you
Untouched - The Veronicas: there's something quite addictive about this song - a UK top 10 hit in recent weeks although I've never heard it once on the radio. Girlie pop-rock it may be, but it has an edge and urgency about it which Kelly Clarkson & co. just don't have.
Fire - Kasabian: I still like this, and will need to get round to hearing that album in full!
Touch You Right Now - Basic Element: music to dance around the room to.
Skylark - Körsbär/Karlsson: unreleased but streaming over at their MySpace (www.myspace.com/korsbarkarlsson) this is an absolute treat. Jeppe has just the most beautiful voice and he sings like an angel.
Click/New In Town - Little Boots: I wanted to file her away in the hype-over-talent section but I've been pleasantly surprised by her poptastic debut album - review to follow here soon.
Album Review: "MZW" - Måns Zelmerlöw

But Måns Zelmerlöw is more than just your average Idol/MF-contestant - he’s a man of many talents who is probably aware that his pop-fame won’t last, so he’s already diversifying into other areas where he can develop his career further - songwriting, musical theatre (a forthcoming stint in "Chicago" in London) and TV presenting ("Sommarkrysset")
But in the meantime, he’s still hot pop property and to prove it, here’s his second album.
"MZW" kicks off with "Hope and Glory", his Melodifestivalen 2009 entry which was (IMHO) cruelly robbed of a place in Moscow at the last minute. It’s dependable Fredrik Kempe schlager pop although is not really reflective of what’s to follow. There is a more contemporary sound on the album which at times verges upon the Ne-Yo/Chris Brown r’n’b pop style which has been popular over the last year or so. Let’s just say on first listen I was a bit worried about this, as "Freak Out" and "Find Love" seemed to go down that road, yet the difference is that these songs have grown on me over time in a way that those other examples of r’n’b pop could never do.
Although "One Minute More" and "Impossible" haven’t grown on me, I have to say :( these are probably my least favourite tracks on the album.
Surely "Rewind" will be a future (autumn) single with its "rewind/rewind/back to summertime" hook. It’s a very good example of contemporary pop which he does very well. "Forever" meanwhile immediately jumped out and was an early favourite - think catchy schlager-pop-meets-Basshunter (!). "Home" is another particular favourite of mine - it grabbed me from the beginning with its ‘Black and Gold’-style backing track and again it’s a very strong song indeed with hit potential.
"Whole New World" has perhaps arguably some of the cheesiest, corniest lyrics of 2009 - "I’ll be wishing for a contribution, to my you-fund"; "There’s no kiss and make-up/well there’s some make-up but it’s on your skin"; "I reckon with time we’ll grow older too/but my wrinkles will look better with you". Yet despite all this it’s a warm and likeable track - I guess he wrote it for his girlfriend Marie Serneholt? (Who gets a dedication in the sleeve notes, by the way)
Current single "Hold On" closes the album - the lyrics are a little bit predictable in a ‘make the world a better place’ kind of way, but he manages to avoid being too sickly-sweet. I don’t understand how this was chosen as a single, though? Maybe it’s just to show another side of Måns I guess, but there are many other tracks which I’d have chosen over it.
So what's been happening then?
- The fallout from Britain's Got Talent continues as the media is now giving us daily reports of Susan Boyle's meltdown on tour, resulting in her being unable to appear every night. I don't know whose idea it was for this lady to enter BGT in the first place - but whoever it was, they should share the blame for what has happened to her. Yes she has a very good singing voice, but it's very clear by now that the limelight is not the most appropriate place for her to be. For her own sake, she should take some time out, go home and chill with her cat. At which time the media should also leave her in peace.
- Wimbledon starts tomorrow, and as usual I won't be watching as I lost interest a long time ago, around the time of John McEnroe's retirement :( Anyway, expect Murray-mania, a bit like Henman all over again, the only difference being that Murray might have a realistic chance of winning.
- Summertime is in full swing, and despite our usual quota of rain I'd have to say that it's probably been better than the last couple of years. We should be booking my summer holiday within the next 4 weeks - we've made our decision about the destination. Can't reveal anything yet, but I'll tell you more when we're booked. (Clue: it's outwith our usual comfort zone!)
- It's Fete de la Musique in France today, which I always thought was a great idea - 21st June every year brings a national celebration of music across France. French TV usually broadcasts a big outdoor concert from Paris and this used to be televised on TV5 a few years ago then they stopped doing this for a couple of years. I checked TV5's website and it looks as if it's back on this year, so I'll set my video later tonight and will review the show on here in the next couple of weeks. This year's line-up of 30 French and international stars includes Calogero, Jason Mraz, Eros Ramazzotti, Milow, Christophe Willem, Seal, Alesha Dixon and James Morrison.
- Both Anders Lundin and Lotta Engberg are playing it down, but the Swedish tabloid press is enthusiastically talking-up the impending Allsång-war between "Lotta på Liseberg" (starting tomorrow night on TV4) and "Allsång på Skansen" (Tuesday on SVT1), Lotta is firing out of the blocks with Nanne Gronvall, Christer "I Love Yoo-rup" Sjogren and something which is more up my street - Brolle and Ola. As if that's not enough Swedish summer TV entertainment, "Sommarkrysset" is also back on TV4. Talking of Brolle, he appeared on last week's season-premiere of the show doing a tribute to Buddy Holly! Unfortunately - I've said this before and I'll say it again - TV4's webstream gives me internet-rage as it takes so long to get the video clips going (and this is with super-duper fast Broadband too!), unlike SVT Play which I never have any bother with. So get your act together TV4 because I want to watch Sommarkrysset and Lotta without any problems!!! Allsång kicks off its new season on Tuesday with special guests Tomas Ledin, Henrik Dorsin, Måns Zelmerlöw, Anna Maria Espinosa and Owe Thörnqvist. Not that we need a reason for a gratuitous pic of Måns of course....here he is in a publicity pic for this year's Allsång, picture courtesy of www.svt.se.

Album Review: "Cafeine" - Christophe Willem

Second album time for (arguably) the most inventive and original of France’s reality TV-created pop idols. "Inventaire", his debut, took us on a journey from the wonderful bright pop of "Elu Produit de L’annee", "Double Je" and "Kiss The Bride" to the quite-frankly-bonkers "La Tortue" and provided much to enjoy along the way.
To say that "Cafeine" is one of my most-awaited albums of 2009 is an understatement. My worry with most second albums is that they inevitably lead to disappointment, but this is still well worth a listen.
"Cafeine" is, if you’ll pardon the coffee-pun, less "instant" than Christophe’s debut, and you may not enjoy some, any, or all of it on your first hearing. First single "Berlin" for example struck me as a good but not great track on first listen, with its falsetto vocals over the bleeping electronic background. Several listens in and I’m now firmly hooked. It’s certainly a very "contemporary" sound as that electro-pop style is in fashion at the moment.
"L’Homme en Noir" is an atmospheric opening, and builds into a very ‘warm’ sound if you know what I mean. "Sensitized" is my favourite track from the album at the moment. A bi-lingual duet with Kylie Minogue, it’s a cover version of a song from her last album, which I wasn’t familiar with, but I was very familiar with the "Bonnie and Clyde" sample that the song is based around.
The frantic "La Demande" perhaps could have done with more of a tune, but "Entre Nous et Le Sol" redeems things, slows down the pace and again has a lovely atmospheric chillout vibe which kind-of reminds me of Etienne Daho, which is only a good thing.
The tempo’s slightly raised on "Plus Que Tout" which is a little mid-paced and r’n’b in places, but it has a decent pop chorus and probably wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Mans Zelmerlow’s new CD, for example.
Christophe indulges his slightly crazy side on "Coffee" which is one of the album’s most distinctive choruses and the whole thing is very addictive. A bit like coffee itself dare I say! And you won’t be able to get that "no you can’t stay for coffee" sample out of your head.
"Fragile" is a more traditional ballad, and he sings very well on it. Another very good track, and I’m not a fan of ballads.
"Trash" is like Christophe’s little musical tribute to Prince and the Revolution. A duet with Skye, it’s very catchy and danceable, and trash it most certainly isn’t. "Tu Te Fous de Nous" meanwhile relies a little too heavily on the electronic beats and is one of the poorer tracks.
"Heartbox" is another of my favourite tracks - I love the way Christophe switches between his native language and English. Like the wonderful "Kiss The Bride", this track is sung in English and has a very light, summery pop feel. The vocals are slightly reminiscent of George Michael and the only thing I don’t like about it is the dreaded autotune. :(
"Yaourt & Lavabo" is another atmospheric ballad although it’s not as good as "Fragile", needless to say I’ll probably change my mind! "Si Je Tombais" leaves the electronic sound behind and is just piano and vocals to bring the album to a graceful and dignified end.
Unless of course you’ve got the special edition of the album, which has alternative versions of "L’Homme en Noir", "Berlin" (including an English version no less, called "Lost In Berlin" - although I much prefer the French version). "La Demande", "Si Je Tombais"...worth getting if only to compare the different versions of the songs.
In typical second album style, there is nothing on it as good as the aforementioned classic trilogy of "Elu Produit"/"Double Je"/"Kiss The Bride". However, it’s bold, different and experimental and as French pop stars go, he certainly has a very distinctive musical style and you get the feeling that he makes the music that he wants to make, rather than what someone thinks he should make. Therefore if you’re looking for instant pop satisfaction you might be a little disappointed, but if you take the time to get to know this album, it will bring rewards.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Retro Saturday: Jim Diamond
Jim Diamond previously had hits with PHD - "I Won't Let You Down" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5prT2qiiWY which for some reason always reminds me of listening to Irish pirate radio stations in the mid 80s (!) and "I Should Have Known Better" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4A4UnFi2C8 all together now "I-yi-yi-yi-yi....."
Retro Saturday: Chaz Jankel/Quincy Jones
It was Quincy Jones who went on to have the big hit version of course....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Vi40fVC-0
Retro Saturday: Adeva
I always liked Adeva's cover version of "Respect" which I used to dance around to 20 years ago, and wouldn't need much persuading to dance around to right now, if I'm honest.
Top stuff! Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t21dMFdA0NU
I'm back, y'all.....!
Yes I've missed blogging on here (although Planet Salem has maintained reasonably normal service!) anyway I've just been "spring cleaning" (ok then, "summer cleaning") at EuropeCrazy HQ, along with working my way through my backlog of CDs and DVDs - only to buy some more last weekend, I guess I'll never learn....!
So there are several album reviews, chart updates and random other things on the way, but it's that night of the week again so let's get Retro Saturday under way once more.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Summer in blog-land....
For once I'm not going away, but I just need a bit of time to do some stuff at home and there's also a massive pile of CDs to listen to and DVDs and TV shows/films which I've taped off the telly, which I'm going to make an effort to catch up on, as staying in would appear to be the new going out as we're due a spell of horrible weather over the next few days. Unless we do get some good weather, in which case I'll be out and about!
I had planned the blog's "big relaunch" for when I returned from Dusseldorf but that never really happened, so I'm trying another relaunch date of Monday 22 June when this blog will be back with a few reviews and articles which I'll be working on during the blog-break.
I'll still be visiting all my blogging-friends and reading all your comments and emails though, you don't get rid of me that easily!! :))
See you on the 22nd!
Album Review: "Fairytales" - Alexander Rybak

Certainly that’s the vision I got with the bouncy opening track "Roll With The Wind" and its catchy "i-yi-yi" hookline.
Admittedly most of the songs are variations on the title track - which of course is the album’s best song - I guess that’s why the album is called "Fairytales" hehe. :)))
The lyrics of "Funny Little World" may have spookily predicted his rise and rise to fame - "Suddenly I’m famous and people know my name/got a thousand girls just waiting..." Anyway this has a similar vibe to Jason Mraz’s "I’m Yours" going on, and it’s already topping the chart in Norway so I guess it’ll go across Europe as the follow-up single? It’s off the cheese scale, but it’s also extremely charming.
Across the length of an album Alexander’s voice, distinctive though it may be, can become a little annoying, and the boy-meets-girl lyrics often too simplistic, but on the whole this is a much more distinctive effort than something you’d expect from, say, an X Factor winner or here-today-gone-tomorrow Eurovision winner, with the usual cover versions of "I Believe I Can Fly" and "Unchained Melody" etc. So let’s be thankful that Alexander hasn’t gone down that road but instead created a very distinctive sound all his own - and he wrote most of the songs himself
On big hands-in-the-air ballad "Abandoned" and epic number "13 Horses", Alexander sounds as if he’s channelling A-ha at times, the latter is perhaps a more daring and mature glimpse of the performer this young man can become if he continues with his musical career. Instrumental "Songs From A Secret Garden" shows off his considerable ability as a violinist - and in a unique coincidence, is a cover version of a tune by Secret Garden, the last Norwegian act to win the Eurovision Song Contest.
But then something very strange happened. There is, inexplicably, a cover version of The Proclaimers "500 Miles" (It’s funny to hear a Norwegian singing a Scottish word like ‘haver’!) - this version is played so straight that it is completely absurd and he really should have left it alone. Anyway you can’t listen to this song without thinking of Brian Potter, Andy Pipkin, "Chaka Khan" and "Bobby Davro" :)
The Dusseldorf Diaries: Day 5: Friday 8 May 2009
We stroll down to the riverside and spend some time sitting watching the Rhine, which is a busy "working river" with all that container traffic making its way up and down this long waterway.
We walk from Heinrich Heine Allee to Konigsallee, where the mustard-jacket count dramatically increases. For men of a certain age and annual salary, beige/mustard is the new black. Olive green is big here too. And his and hers matching raincoats! Although the raincoats aren’t required today, as it’s another lovely day.
But all good things have to come to an end and it’s time to head back to the hotel, collect our luggage and take a taxi to the airport.
In a strange twist, whilst we were getting ready to take off, the skies became darker and the rain came on. It was as if Dusseldorf was saying goodbye to us, you’re going home, back to reality, back to swine flu and Susan Boyle, back to the cold rainy weather......now when’s our next holiday????
Monday, June 08, 2009
The Dusseldorf Diaries: Day 4 - Thursday 7 May 2009
If we needed any proof that the world is in terminal decline, look no further than Dusseldorf train station this morning. The 11.30 am train to wherever-it-was via Cologne, was delayed, and it didn’t appear before 12.00 when we got on the next train which was going to Koblenz.
(A quick word about European trains, which are marvellous of course, but why do they persist on the first and second class system? I know we have it here too but it’s usually only one carriage, and not half a train like the ones we travelled on today)
Arriving in Cologne is a feast for the eyes - the first thing you see when you come out of the station is the massive Cologne Cathedral (part of it pictured above - I could never fit it all into one picture, it's so massive) which looks even bigger than I remember it from last time. We make our way down to the riverside (pictured below) and have lunch outdoors at one of our old faves, the Lowenbrau. It’s a warm, sunny day and I’ve got my shades on!
After lunch we walk along the river and up through the old town and then stop for coffee at Heumarkt (above) which has a very good selection of restaurants and cafes. Then up through the shopping area which is still as busy as ever. You can’t go to Cologne and not have a Kolsch - the legendary local beer which is to Cologne as Alt is to Dusseldorf. Stopped for a couple of beers at Fruh, which is a very famous brauhaus, which we missed out on three years ago. Local cuisine is also being served here - someone at a neighbouring table is having half a pig on his plate! Here's a picture of a Fruh Kolsch....
This week's playlist: visualise like it's '75 again
Release Me - Agnes: talking of which, here's another song I like in the UK chart. It has really grown on me.
Bluest Eyes - Salem: "Astronaut" is still a consistent fixture in my home and on my iPod. This may be one of the lesser-known tracks, but it has a lot of depth and every time you listen to it you hear something new.
Sensitized - Christophe Willem and Kylie Minogue: I wasn't familiar with this track previously (it was on a Kylie album), although I was familiar with the "Bonnie and Clyde" sample. I'm working my way through Christophe's album at the moment and will eventually review it here someday!
We Don't Wanna Put In - Stefane & 3G: Disco-tastic and disqualified Georgian ESC entry. Still sounds great.
Hurtful - Erik Hassle: is it true that his album release has been delayed till August in Sweden? It's one of my most eagerly awaited albums of the year, if it's anywhere near as good as this song.
Nature's Law - Embrace: Something old (ish) which I put on my iPod and played a lot this week.
Take On Me - A-ha: for reasons only that we've been loving that Weebl and Bob "Paper" cartoon :)
Fire - Kasabian: New album out today - I must check it out.
Ayo Technology - Milow: Still a favourite, although I may now give it a rest for a while.
