The 2013-50: No.15 - No.11

No.15: "Begging" - Anton Ewald.

Melodifestivalen always establishes new stars every year, and Anton was one of 2013's biggest breakthrough artists from the contest.  So much so, that he's back again in 2014.  I'm not usually into computer-game-bleepy artificial 'pop' tunes, but this took some of the best bits of that genre and turned them into a memorable pop record which stood up to repeated play. 

No.14: "Alibi" - Eddie Razaz.

This, more than any other, was the moment I was waiting for in Melodifestivalen 2013.  I've been a big fan since his "Idol" days and eagerly awaited his MF debut.  Eddie performed this uptempo, generic dance-pop song very well, but he failed to make it out of a tightly-contested heat 3.  Why Eddie didn't make it and Ravaillacz/Caroline af Ugglas did remains a mystery, but that's Melodifestivalen for ya!

No.13: "Mirrors" - Justin Timberlake.

Unforgettably premiered at an otherwise forgettable Brit Awards, this immediately made an impact and proved that he was back, back, back!  Justin is another one of those artists who, for me, doesn't really make great albums but is a fantastic singles artist.  He is going to have one hell of a greatest hits album.  "Mirrors" is, musically, a sequel to the equally awesome "Cry Me A River" and is one of the best mainstream international pop songs of the year. 

No.12: " Lacht Nor Mij" - Slongs Dievanongs.

If someone had said I'd have a Flemish rap song with a kiddie chorus in my top 50 this year....oh well, here it is.  Another song which I came across by accident, checking out the iTunes charts. This was a massive hit in her home country and was nominated for the prestigious Radio 2 Zomerhit award.  It also pretty much soundtracked my summer too, and became one of my most-played songs of the year.  Yet I still don't understand why I like this song so much; I just do. 

No.11: "Ekki Lita Undan" - Magni Asgeirsson.

Magni is one of the best pop-rock voices in Europe today and although this song took a little time to grow on me, I eventually became addicted to this anthemic mid-tempo stomping tune, passionately performed by my favourite Icelandic rocker.  Magni has entered Songvakeppni on several occasions and yet again, he missed out with this one.  We all know now that he won't be competing in 2014: the contest will be a much emptier place without him. 

The 2013-50: No.20 - No.16

No.20: "Chiedi di Me" - Renato Zero.

His name sounded familiar, however I wasn't familiar with any of his music until this year.  It was only during a brief phase of listening to Radio Italia (www.radioitalia.it) during the spring that I discovered this dramatic, brassy, against-the-current pop song, passing on an older man's advice and life experience.  Having done some research, it would appear that Renato is a bit of a character and has certainly lived an exciting life!

No.19: "Ice On The Dune" - Empire of the Sun.

First (but, surprisingly, not last) appearance by my favourite Aussie duo.  This is the title track of that long-awaited album and is one of the tracks which is closest to the spirit of that debut album.  Other-worldly bright, clean, pop music not tainted by the kind of rot which marks much of this decade's so-called 'pop'.  Distinctive and unique. 

 

No.18: "Broken Parts" - Måns Zelmerlöw.

 

This was the year that Måns decided to break away from being Sweden's Mr Light Entertainment - quitting Allsång at a time when he was more popular than ever as the host of that famous 'poisoned chalice' which is always a target for the Swedish tabloid critics.  Måns also broke away from the commercial pop/dance of his first two albums and reinvented himself with this grown-up ballad.  Now I'm no ballad fan but this ticks all the boxes.   

 



No.17: "Old Flavours" - Empire of the Sun.

Here they are again!  This predominantly instrumental track, premiered at their Sydney Opera House concert, was previously the subject of a YouTube teaser video (we all thought it was called 'Discovery' to begin with).  Musically, it's all the things I love about Empire of the Sun and it would probably have been up there in my top 5 if it had been a proper 'song' rather than an instrumental with a couple of lines near the end. 

No.16: "Ti" - Rezarta Smaja.

Time to bend the rules/criteria a little, as this is a song which first came to my attention at the end of 2012.  Around this time last year to be precise, as I experienced my first ever Festivali i Këngës, a very enjoyable start to a long national finals season.  Along came Rezarta with this big old Italian-style ballad, backed by a live orchestra.  No playback or pre-recorded backing vocals here! She gave it her all, and this song immediately sailed into my heart.  She'll be back later this week at FiK 52: hope her song is as good as this one.

The 2013-50: No.25 - No.21

No.25: "This Is What It Feels Like" - Armin van Buuren.

 

This for me was 2013's equivalent of "Don't You Worry Child" (a song which, incidentally, placed at no. 32 in last year's annual countdown but went on to become one of my most played tracks of the first half of 2013).

 

This is the kind of song which gives EDM a good name, a rarity these days.  Danceable and melodic, great vocals, and staying power.  For a long time, the Eurovision rumour machine had Armin representing the Netherlands in 2014.  Turned out to be wrong of course, but we live in hope.

 

 

 

No.24: "Tomorrow" - Gianluca Bezzina.

 

Good ol' Jeremy makes it to the 2013-50!  From the 'Hey Soul Sister' template, Dr Gianluca prescribed a fun and feelgood song which deserved to do better than it did, although 8th place is very respectable indeed.  I think this is probably my favourite ESC entry from Malta, and I'd like to see him come back again and win the whole thing.  As Jade Ewen may have sung, "It's their time, it's their time" (groan).

No.23: "Ljubav je Svuda" - Moje 3.

 

Or as it's known in my world, death by styling.  If you thought the angel/devil set up was ridiculous, that was nothing compared to the horror of those semi-final costumes.  Which is a great shame as this is actually a pretty good pop song sung by three very talented solo vocalists who actually looked good as a band, although this was only ever going to be temporary.  It would appear that Serbia does better with the Zeljko-type song, which they will probably come back with after they recover from their non-qualifying strop/financial difficulties (delete as appropriate).

No.22: "L'Essenziale" - Marco Mengoni.

 

OK, regular followers of my blog know that I was none too happy at the time of Sanremo, when they made the decision to send this song rather than another one - which will appear much later in my countdown.  Moving on from that, there is nothing much wrong with a nice Italian man in a lovely blue suit singing a ballad which was a real grower.  I really hope Italy wins ESC some time soon, although I have mixed feelings about them hosting...1991 ring any bells?

 

 

 

 

No.21: "Pronto A Correre" - Marco Mengoni.

 

If "L'Essenziale" was good, then this - the title track of his 2013 album - was even better.  Co-written by none other than Mark Owen!  This is just a cracking uptempo pop-rock song which showed off Marco's versatility.  

The 2013-50: No.30 - No.26

No.30: "You" - Robin Stjernberg.

I was pretty delighted when this won Melodifestivalen - finally an Andra Chansen winner and a true underdog, although over the space of a year there were other songs from that contest which had a much longer shelf life, thus explaining this song's drop to a lower place in the 2013-50 rankings.  Anyway all these months down the line, I still wonder how such a great singer with an impressive voice was saddled with one of the most ridiculous dance routines ever seen at Melodifestivalen.  And that's saying something...

 

No.29: "Can't Hold Us" - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

 

Confession time: I like Thrift Shop.  And then this came along and I liked it even more.  There’s been a genuine excitement and vitality missing from the carefully controlled pop of 2013. Proof that commercial rap/r’n’b can still offer something fresh, exciting and enduring. Even my mum loves this, and she hates rap and r’n’b.

 

 



No.28: "Radioactive" - Rita Ora.

Winner of this year's "can't stand the artist but like the song" award.  When Rita Ora arrived on the music scene I was expecting something different due to her noteworthy origins - but instead all we got was what appeared to be a fame-hungry Poundland Rihanna with a succession of overplayed, overrated r'n'b nonsense.  Happily, Sia sprinkled her songwriting magic on this slice of space-age electropop, elevating it well above the mundane. 

No.27: "Love Kills" - Roberto Bellarosa.

OK admit it: when you first saw and heard this, you were probably underwhelmed.  Yet what an incredible transformation from when the song was originally chosen as Belgium's Eurovision entry to its great achievement in qualifying for the final.  Ridiculous choreography aside, this is just a very impressive dance-pop song which went on to have a very long post-contest life for me.

 

No.26: "You Make Me" - Avicii featuring Salem Al Fakir.

 

If you continue to follow Salem's career you will know that he's had a very successful year as super-collaborator, writing, producing and performing with Petter and Veronica Maggio and his biggest success came with his collaboration with Avicii on the follow-up single to "Wake Me Up", as well as his contribution on "Shame On Me" from the "True" album.  Oh, and he co-wrote a little song called "Hey Brother" which you might have heard of.  "You Make Me" is a great dance song however it continues to irritate me that Avicii never seems to credit his featured vocalists...



The 2013-50: No.35 - No.31

35.  Check You Out – Darin.

Upbeat, modern dance-pop worth repeated listening.  Mr Zanyar had a pretty good year – lots of airplay for “Astrologen” and “Jag Och Min Far” and that all-important ESC semi-final interval act appearance.  Unless you were at the mercy of BBC3 of course, whose powers-that-be deemed that we would not be allowed to watch his performance.  (Yes I’m still feeling very bitter about that BBC3 coverage...!)

34.  The Righteous Ones – Ben Ivory.

I loved the diversity of this year's German national final.  In this instance it was time to party like it’s 1982.  Ben sounded as if he’d just woken up from a long sleep after 31 years and sprung right back into action with an anthem for all of us who are different and proud.  This is just great, and is yet another reason to love national finals season, as you get to discover songs and artists whom you'd never otherwise hear about.

No.33: "Heartstrings" - Janet Leon.

This would be yet another one of those national finals songs which went on to have a lengthy post-contest life.  Janet was hotly tipped this year, yet couldn't even make it as far as Andra Chansen.  Perhaps it was the underwhelming live performance, because the studio version stands up as a very good pop song with a killer chorus. 

No.32: "Under Control" - Calvin Harris & Alesso feat. Hurts.

It saddened me recently when I read that Calvin Harris had disowned his early songs and refuses to play them.  Back in those days I thought he was a quirky and interesting artist before he became the ubiquitous press-play superstar megabucks EDM DJ that he is today.  You won't be surprised to hear therefore, that I haven't been too thrilled by the direction his music has taken since 2010.  Most of it has left me cold ("Sweet Nothing" surprisingly excepted), but finally along came "Under Control" which I liked immediately.  Probably the main reason for that is the inclusion of Theo from Hurts on lead vocals.  More of that kind of thing and I might start taking an interest in Mr Harris' music once again. 

No.31: "Undressed" - Kim Cesarion.

Firstly, I still hate the lyrics.  This is also the kind of song I usually hate, yet it sneaked under the radar and into my brain.  Several months after its release, I was pretty addicted to it yet couldn't explain the reason why.  I still can't.  It will be interesting to hear what he comes up with on his debut album, as he has the potential, Prince-style, to be the next big international Swedish breakthrough artist.

The 2013-50: No.40 - No.36

No.40: "We Got The Power" - Loreen.

It’s a well known fact by now that I don’t like songs on first listen, and this was one of them.  I was underwhelmed by it at ESC but it grew into something well worth listening to.  Not really much else to say about it: it's no "Euphoria", there’s nothing particularly original or groundbreaking but I like it now and it sounded very good on Rix FM during that hot summer. 

 

No. 39: "Falling" - State of Drama.

 

The haters are already out in force for the return of this band to Melodifestivalen in 2014; but let's agree to disagree as I rather liked this song, even if, again, it’s not the most original song ever written.  It’s a radio-friendly rock song with a good chorus though, and if they can come up with something equally as good next time round, then maybe there’s a good chance of them turning up in my 2014-50 countdown?

 



No.38: "Trying To Be Cool" - Phoenix.

Phoenix made a very welcome comeback this year and for me this is the best thing they’ve done since “Everything is Everything” – it’s not as good as that (what is?) but it proves once again that the hype on this French indie band is justified.

 

37. "Les Chansons de l'innocence" - Etienne Daho.

 

This was the year in which the legendary French singer-songwriter rediscovered his pop mojo, going back to his musical roots with a sound lifted right out of his 80s output.  Which is all good.  I've only heard clips of the album though it sounds pretty good.  One faux pas though: in a year of gratuitous sexism everywhere, the album cover stinks. 

No. 36: "Precis Som Jag" - Daniel Adams-Ray.

2013 was all about the comeback, wasn't it? This time, one of Sweden’s most promising artists of the last few years, and ironically, in the same year as his former Snook bandmate Oskar Linnros.  See, it’s impossible to talk about one without mentioning the other.  Anyway this wasn’t as great as anything on his first album, but well worth its position in my countdown.   I haven’t heard Daniel’s album yet either (boy, do I have a lot of listening to catch up with).

Kevin Walker is Sweden's new Idol.

The final of Swedish Idol took place last Friday night at Globen in Stockholm.  And an unexpected bonus for us: TV4 letting all of us outside Sweden watch the live broadcast.  And if that's not enough, English language commentary!

So far so good.  However, the reality was somewhat different.  The stream was consistent but blurry, and the sound mix between the Swedish language TV broadcast and the English language commentary by Greg Poehler meant that the two languages were merging into each other most of the time, thus you couldn't actually hear any of it, apart from the ad breaks when Mr Poehler and his long-suffering Swedish sidekick, reminiscent of those side-by-side American sports commentators, finally had the chance to be heard.  On with the show!

above: this year's Idol contestants - minus Kevin or Elin. 

I had managed to persuade mum to watch the final with me, after giving her a short recap of the 2013 contest.  The final was opened by a musical performance by this year's Idol contestants, minus finalists Kevin and Elin.  Then it was on to the individual performances.

Kevin: "Where The Streets Have No Name".
I had criticised Kevin over recent weeks for his safe, perma-grinning, easy-listening renditions.  So it was a pleasant surprise to hear him tackling something more rocky, and even more surprisingly, managing to hold it together for the full length of the song.

Elin: "Raise Your Glass".
Elin also managed to raise her game on her first song, backed by an army of dancers. 

Mum: Is Elin Bergman related to Ingrid Bergman?
L: No! 
M: Kevin should walk it.
L: Oh ha ha. 

The next duel featured Kevin and Elin's most popular songs of the series.

Kevin: "Say". 
A very safe version of the John Mayer song, which Kevin performed well enough and it wasn't too taxing.
M: This is a very repetitive song.  How often can someone sing 'say what you need to say'?

Elin: "Happyland".
M: Elin, wearing what could only be described as a hedge.  It's like one of those camouflage things where people have tree branches sticking out of their hats.

We spend the remainder of the song wondering just what Elin has done to offend the stylists this time.  I tell mum that her styling has been horrific over the series but this beats all. 
L: This is an Amanda Jenssen song, but she's not a patch on Amanda Jenssen. 

Mum also had a chuckle at "Admiral" Anders Bagge's costume.  I also had to explain to her that Alexander Bard's outfit was actually subdued by his standards...

More ads, more wit by Mr Poehler.  This evening's interval act is none other than Mr Robbie Williams.  Of course you would have to live on Mars to have escaped Robbie's ubiquitousness over the last couple of weeks, as he has an album to plug. 

Poehler: "Has Robbie Williams' career fallen so low to appear on this show?"  Mr Poehler then went on to make a comment about Robbie's weight.
M: You are far too sarcastic, Mr Commentator!

above: Robbie shows what he thinks of Greg Poehler's remarks.

The final task of the evening was for both contestants to have a bash at the winning song.  Prior to the final, the tabloids were reporting the finalists' disenchantment with "Belong", apparently a difficult song to sing. 

So, firstly Kevin had a go.  "Belong" is quite an uptempo-ish thing, anthemic and dancey, and clearly influenced by Avicii.  All good.  A nice change from the 'here I am standing here today' sickly winner's ballad. 

M: Not much of a song is it?
L: I don't know, it's a nice uptempo change from the usual "here I am" ballad.  This is "here I am" with beats.

In this final we were clearly on "Team Kevin" (whilst I continued to rant and rave that 'it should have been Erik') and Elin's take on "Belong" didn't do anything to change our minds. 

L: Oh, my ears.
M: That's awful.  He has melody.  She doesn't. 

Mum has also been won over by Kevin's winning smile and charisma, which has come a long way during this year's competition, even if he didn't always have the vocals to match.  I've criticised Kevin over recent weeks for being a bit too safe, but credit to him in the final for pulling off two different musical styles - rock and dance-pop - when it mattered. 

Fast-forward to the results show, which unlike our own results shows in this country, didn't overstay its welcome.  I thought it was a nice touch as each of the finalists passed on the result before it was announced.  And the winner is.....Kevin!  Yes, it may have been one of the biggest foregone conclusions in talent show history, but it's now official - Kevin Walker is Sweden's new idol. 

Now, Kevin has to decide where his main priorities lie - on the football field or the pop charts?  I reckon he should go back to football, after making the usual winner's album.  For Kevin has been the ultimate 'novelty act' - the "singing footballer" and it's all been about the back story, which has been a gift to the tabloid journalists throughout the series.  Pop fame is fleeting, and longevity as an artist, in a packed music business is another thing entirely.

The big news is that Idol will be back in 2014: which proves that you can't keep a good show down. 

 

The 2013-50: No.45 - No.41

No.45: "Unbreakable" - Mohamed Ali.

With a name like that, you're expecting "the greatest".  Well, this may not quite be "the greatest" but it managed to make it to the final three in DMGP before being pipped by eventual ESC winner Emmelie de Forest.  This modern, uptempo dance-pop song was one of those which just grew on me after the contest: unlike "Only Teardrops", which I liked to begin with but became very stale, very quickly.

No.44: "Tell The World I'm Here" - Ulrik Munther.

Ulrik was one of Melodifestivalen's 2012 successes who was hoping for second time lucky.  Singing last, in the 4th heat had him marked out as pre-contest favourite, but it wasn't to be.  Nevertheless he came 3rd, with a very good, anthemic number co-written with Team G:son.  I still feel would be a great song for an X Factor/Idol winner.  The only problem is that Ulrik, despite his vocal and songwriting talent, still looks like a little boy.  I'd like to see him back at Melodifestivalen when he has a more mature look to match his voice. 

No.43: "Sergels Torg" - Veronica Maggio.

Veronica has been warmly welcomed back to the Swedish music scene with her latest album, from which this was the first single.  She co-wrote her album with a very impressive list of musical collaborators - Magnus Lidehäll, Vincent Pontare, Christian Walz and Salem Al Fakir.  Salem's influence is audible on the music and production of this song, which gives it a very special, sparkling quality, in direct opposition to Maggio's dark lyrics. 

No.42: "I Feed You My Love" - Margaret Berger.

(adopts Bruno Tonioli voice and arm-waving): "the ice queen fronting Depeche Mode and then you do that little dance step in the second verse and the ice melts!"   Despite the ice-queen persona, Margaret had the likeability factor, and I really want to know her secret to fitting in that dress.  Forget the quite frankly rubbish lyrics and title, for this could have been a groundbreaking Eurovision winner. 

No: 41: "Wild" - Erik Rapp.

The most recent addition to my chart, a song which made its debut in 'original songs' week on Swedish Idol in November.  This song, co-written with Oscar Holter, gives a perfect indication of the direction I would like to see this young man's pop career going in.  If he plays it right he could become a male version of Robyn, with cool electropop stylings running through his veins. 

The 2013-50: No.50 - No.46

No.50: "Show Me Love" - Bressie.

I said in a previous post earlier this year that I was finding it very easy to put together my list of my favourite 50 songs of the year.  Yet my first choice illustrates a big problem with the year, as there was a lot of disappointment around too.  Bressie's second album was one of my most long-awaited in a long time, yet it failed to live up to the anticipation.  The first single from it, the glam rock-influenced "Show Me Love" only managed to scrape into my chart, and despite his continued exposure as a judge on "The Voice of Ireland" I just wonder where his solo career will go from here.

No.49: "Vi Kommer Aldrig Att Förlora" - Eric Gadd.

It turns out that my theory that it was a poor year for Melodifestivalen has been disproved, as there are quite a few entries in my chart.  That's not the reason for its low chart position, rather that it didn't really have the same post-contest longevity as some of the other songs.  It was good to see Eric in Melfest, even if my mum didn't know who he was ("who's that old guy?") and this was one of the better songs in the first heat, even if it didn't qualify.

No.48: "White Noise" - Disclosure featuring AlunaGeorge.

Regular readers will know that my annual countdown makes very few concessions to the mainstream UK chart, however there's always one or two tracks slipping through.  Disclosure have had a few hits over the last year, notably the brilliant "Latch" which I only discovered several months after it was a hit.  "White Noise" isn't quite as good as that, but it has a very distinctive hookline which made it stand out from their electronic music counterparts.

No.47: "Elevated" - Nica and Joe.

I probably watched more Eurovision national finals in 2013 season than ever before, and one of the most delightfully diverse was the enjoyable German national final.  It may have had a predictable result, but it also gave me a couple of songs which have had a good post-contest life.  Surprisingly this song, which came 5th in USFM, really grew on me although (1) it's not my traditionally favourite style of music, and (2) they were in German X Factor. 

No.46: "I Love You Te Quiero" - Sirkus Eliassen.

There is always one song in my annual chart which probably doesn't deserve to be there, but which put a smile on my face and I ended up loving it in spite of it being quite rubbish really (previous winners: Mange Makers).  Completely off topic: the other week I had a dream about Sirkus Eliassen.  I was walking down the street and who do I see walking towards me but the two lads in their leather outfits, singing and dancing, and surrounded by a herd of goats (!).  Really must stop eating (or listening to) cheese before bedtime :)

EuropeCrazy presents...The 2013-50

Yes it's time once again for my annual countdown of my top 50 songs of the year.  It's not a comprehensive rundown as I've missed out on hearing a lot of new music this year for one reason or another, so it's only based on what I've heard and liked. 

For me, 2013 was a year of good singles but disappointing albums.  Almost all my favourite artists of recent years had new material out this year, and Eurovision/national finals season brought its usual crop of songs which I listened to long after contest season was over. 

This year I'm trying yet another variation on the format: five songs at a time, and the chart should be finished in time for Christmas. 

As usual: expect the odd surprise, the odd 'released last year' discrepancy and the usual rampant favouritism along the way.  So let's get it started...

Swedish Idol 2013: Semi-Final, 29.11.13

Just a quick review of last week's semi-final as I've been very busy this week and haven't had time to post.  Of course, the final will take place tomorrow night and in a very rare occurrence, TV4 will allow viewers outside Sweden to watch the final - even complete with English language commentary!  More here: http://www.tv4.se/idol/artiklar/comedian-greg-poehler-will-comment-on-the-swedish-idol-finale-live-on-tv4play-52a0ae66c459481e51000025

Three semi-finalists and two themes this week: audition songs and number ones. 

Kevin: "Soldier" (original artist Gavin DeGraw)

Kevin is one very smart young man: he always finds the perfect songs for his pleasant voice with its limited vocal range, and this was one of his best performances. 

Erik: "Too Close" (original artist Alex Clare)

A change of hairstyle but no change in the high quality of his vocal performance. 

Elin: "Spoiled" (original artist Joss Stone)

Quite a change to see her standing still and focusing on the vocals for once, which is an improvement.  There are still a few dodgy notes which by now seem to be her trademark.

Kevin: "Home" (original artist Daughtry)

The lyrics may say "I'm Going Home" but Walker-mania ensured that he wouldn't be going home for another week.  He has found his niche and knows his audience. 

Erik: "When I Was Your Man" (original artist Bruno Mars)

Now, where would a talent show be without a bit of Bruno Mars, eh?  A lovely, restrained, almost jazzy performance of this song.

Elin: "What You Waiting For" (original artist Gwen Stefani)

Not really much to say apart from Elin giving it the usual attitude, but her vocals were yet again all over the place and there is only so much covering up with the moves/performance that she can do.  What the hell do I know, I'm a long way from that 'demographic' which she is tapping into, but for me she has neither the talent nor special charisma to win a contest like this.

So, one contestant had to go and it was Erik.  That was a real shock to me.  An Erik/Kevin final would have made for a closer and more exciting contest, whereas it now looks like a formality for Kevin to win.  I don't particularly care now who wins it: win or lose, Kevin will have a limited career as a recording artist thanks to his day-job as a footballer, whilst I can't see Elin doing much better.  All will be revealed tomorrow when we will learn who joins the Swedish Idol-winning roll of honour. 

By the way, the original song from a couple of weeks ago, Erik's "Wild" is already picking up lots of Swedish radio airplay.  I still think Erik is the real winner of this year's series and could go on to become very successful.

(All photos courtesy of www.aftonbladet.se)