The 2011-50: No.23 - We're not listening and we're not blind

"Called Out In The Dark" - Snow Patrol.

Back in 1997 I blamed this band for their role in 'dreary-pop' thanks to the dreadful (IMHO) "Chasing Cars".... http://europecrazy.blogspot.com/2007/08/europecrazy-declares-war-on-dreary-pop.html however I would just like to clarify that I do not judge a band on one song alone. Snow Patrol proved that again this year, coming back with an electronic-flavoured stomper which was anything but boring.

The video for the song was good fun too, featuring none other than Jack Davenport as the band's frontman! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwTXwJg6_VE&ob=av2e

The 2011-50: No.24 - You're at the gates of human evolution don't you understand?

"Love Love" - Take That.

The all-conquering legends continued to prove they're still a force to be reckoned with, although if I'm honest, I wasn't so keen on the Progress-phase of their career. This was in similar style to "Kidz" but in my own opinion it's much better than that song. We'll even forgive them for kidnapping Jenny Silver's illuminated microphone stand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxEVPe7XMcs&ob=av2e

The 2011-50: No.25 - One to a hundred, multiplied by you

"Love In Rewind" - Dino Merlin.

We're at the halfway point of the chart already - doesn't time fly! The Bosnian music legend returned to the Eurovision stage with this very charming, feelgood song which was maybe a bit too old-fashioned for the modern Eurovision Song Contest, but became a very popular number here at EuropeCrazy HQ and a regular post-contest fixture on my iPod. Sito!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPyVQCmGsYo

The 2011-50: No.26 - I thought I'd save my breath for you

"Rope" - Foo Fighters.

At a time when guitar bands/rock bands appear to have become extinct in the eyes of TV and radio, it’s nice to see the Foos still flying the flag. I’ve always seen them as a great singles band and this continued that trend, with its stop-start hooks and just the right amount of restraint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbpqZT_56Ns&ob=av2e

The 2011-50: No.27 - Why does your love hurt so much?

"Don't Know Why" - Soundgirl.

The summer hit which inexplicably never was. This is just a great pop record which joyfully plunders Carly Simon’s "Why" and places it in a contemporary girl band context.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqd3CkkYAsE&ob=av2e

The 2011-50: No.28 - Nu är allt sagt och gjort och jag kommer aldrig att få tillbaka dig

"Kärlekens Tunga" - September.

She was the breakthrough artist from last year's "Så mycket bättre" of course, and her success deservedly continued throughout this year. After the massive "Mikrofonkåt" this was her follow-up single - her very own inimitable electro take on the Eldkvarn song.

If you want to hear a completely different version of the song, check out this video clip, from when Petra performed with Salem Al Fakir at his Norrköping orchestra show back in March. ("Kärlekens Tunga" is at 3.55.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEZ-oiuJq1I

The 2011-50: No.29 - I've had it with shame, I've had it with sorrow

"Breaking Up With God" - The Ark.

This year we said goodbye to one of Sweden's greatest bands of the last few years - no, make that one of the world's greatest bands - The Ark. Ola and the guys decided to call it a day and bowed out with a phenomenally successful final tour, with a final concert in September at Gröna Lund. Along with "The Apocalypse is Over", "Breaking Up With God" was one of two new tracks on their terrific greatest hits compilation "Arkeology" released earlier this year. This song basically sums up everything the band was about - catchy, singalong glam rock loaded with just the right amount of irreverence. I will miss The Ark, but I hope that Ola Salo will continue to grace us with his immense musical presence in the future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo-u3vQCYHE - video from their interval act appearance on this year's Melodifestivalen.

Melodifestivalen 2012: remaining acts announced today

The remaining artists appearing in next year's Melodifestivalen were announced this morning.
Here is the line-up for semi finals 3 and 4.

Seni-final 3 - Leksand - 18th February

"Förlåt mig" - Mattias Andréasson
"I mina drömmar" - Maria Benhajji (webjoker winner)
"Just A Little Bit" - Love Generation
"Lovelight" - Andreas Johnsson
"Mirakel" - Björn Ranelid & Sara Li
"Sanningen" - Carolina Wallin Pérez
"Why Am I Crying" - Molly Sandén
"Youngblood" - Youngblood

Semi-final 4 - Malmö - 25th February

"Allting blir bra igen" - OPA
"Amazing" - Danny Saucedo
"Don't Let Me Down" - Lotta Engberg & Christer Sjögren
"Goosebumps" - Hanna Lindblad
"Kyss Mig" - Axel Algmark
"Land of Broken Dreams" - Dynazty
"The Girl" - Charlotte Perrelli
"Why Start A Fire" - Lisa Miskovsky

The 2011-50: No.30 - Det e fest nu, hos Mange Mange Mange

"Fest Hos Mange" - Mange Makers.

In a year characterised by bad music, some may think this is among the worst. You probably wonder why something like this would end up in my annual top 50.
In spite of (or because of!) its obvious off-tune awfulness, Fest Hos Mange and its low-budget video immediately took up a place in my heart. I defy anyone to listen to this and not have a smile on their face. Årets sommarplåga, as they say in Sverige.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoVRPngoLHM

The 2011-50: No.31 - Don't you spoil my sweet charade

"Lifeline" - Jamiroquai.

Ideally I'd have had the title track of "Rock Dust Light Star" as it was one of my most played songs during the first half of 2011, however it is disqualified due to my rule that if it was released the previous year, it doesn't get in my chart if I was aware of it last year. "Lifeline" is in the chart on a technicality that it was released as a single this year, therefore meeting my 2011-50 chart criteria. Just thought I'd clear that up!!

Whilst on holiday in Pisa in May, I frequently heard this song on the radio and that's what made me rediscover it. "Lifeline" continues in the same mellow mood as previous single "Blue Skies" but has a more jazzy feel to it. The song never troubled the UK chart (surprise surprise) but thankfully they still have a huge international fanbase and that is clearly reflected in the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4wvO9yT5hk

The 2011-50: No.32 - This is the end of the rainbow

"Hollywood Hills" - Sunrise Avenue.

Good to see this Finnish band are still around. Although I didn't really like the song to begin with, it eventually grew on me (thanks again to Rix FM for the extensive airplay!)

Following their pan-European breakthrough with "Fairytale Gone Bad", they have continued to enjoy success in several European countries, notably Germany, with their accessible, melodic pop/rock and Samu's distinctive vocals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIzEEhZkthY

Retro Saturday (revisited): Fredericks Goldman Jones

It's been a while since I listened to this multinational trio whom I loved in the 1990s, and I decided it was time to rediscover them all over again thanks to the excellent Verves of Europe (http://vervemedia.org.uk/) which played some FGJ a couple of weeks ago.

I'd forgotten just how much I loved "Peurs" from their first album, which I bought in 1998, so I thought it would be a good idea to share this with you tonight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9RK_1-0WDY

The 2011-50: No.33 - I know the sun's set to rise

"Paradise" - Coldplay.

You'd think that I'd be very familiar with the long-awaited and recently released Coldplay album from beginning to end by now. Well, no, actually - my life is just one great big backlog so I'll probably catch up with it during my pre-Christmas holiday.

"Paradise" may not lyrically or melodically be the best thing they've ever done, but it's one of those songs that grows on you eventually and wears you down after prolonged exposure to it (thank you Rix FM). That and a very entertaining video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G4isv_Fylg

The 2011-50: No.34 - Will we be together, will it be now and forever?

"Something In Your Eyes" - Jenny Silver.

Or as I like to call it, "the great lost Abba song". It took me a long time to really appreciate this song, as I never really paid too much attention to it during Melodifestivalen. However, the song got a whole new post-contest life on my iPod and I eventually realised that everything about her routine is pretty fabulous really - red hair, glittery dress, Kate Ryan-microphone stand and that hand signal!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG7NznM9fOU&feature=fvst

The 2011-50: No.35 - Kill me with killer kiss

"Angel In Disguise" - Musiqq.

Contemporary (in a pleasant sense of the word) Latvian Eurovision entry which I liked from the first time I heard it. Unfortunately some bad styling and inappropriate use of stools killed its chances of progressing beyond the semi-final stage. A particular shame, when you think of some of the more inferior songs which made it to the final.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBTMLCloxBw&ob=av3n

The 2011-50: No.36 - Stranger things are starting to begin

"Taken By A Stranger" - Lena.

Ms Meyer-Landrut returned to the Eurovision stage to represent Germany for the second consecutive year, however couldn't repeat her winning form two years running. Maybe because this fell short of the greatness of "Satellite" - however it does have an appeal of its own, thanks to its brooding, dark feel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoRPuk756qU

The 2011-50: No.37 - Fear is like your best friend

"Warrant" - Foster The People.

In a year where exciting new musical discoveries were extremely rare, and bands seemed to become an endangered species, then let's celebrate a band who landed on our radar with a highly acclaimed debut album which got played a lot here at EuropeCrazy HQ. There is one well-known track from it which may make an appearance later in my chart...however, this piano-driven track is a particular stand-out on the album and if any of you out there are pining for the return of Salem Al Fakir's solo material, then this should fill the gap nicely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nt4Lujk9NE

The 2011-50: No.38 - That's good enough for me

"Good Enough" - Father McKenzie.

They're a Finnish-Swedish band who caught my attention earlier this year when they supported Salem Al Fakir at his Helsinki gig which was also webcast. They also competed in the Finnish national selection for ESC with this song, which was "good enough" (pardon the pun) to come third in the contest. It's an appealing mix of Britpop style and piano-pop - two of my favourite genres, and was one of the best songs in any of the national finals this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=937jLNWZ5AI

Melodifestivalen 2012 - Semi-Final 1 & 2 act announced

This morning SVT revealed the names of the acts who will be singing the songs in the first two MF semi-finals.

Semi-final 1 - Växjö 04.02.2012
Loreen - Euphoria
The Moniker - I want to be Chris Isaak
Thorsten Flinck & Revolutionsorkestern - Jag reser mig igen
Dead by April - Mystery
Abalone Dots - På väg
Marie Serneholt - Salt & pepper
Sean Banan - Sean den förste banan
Afro-Dite - The boy can dance

Semifinal 2 - Gothenburg 11.02.2012
Andreas Lundstedt - Aldrig aldrig
Top Cats - Baby doll
Mimi Oh - Det går för långsamt
Thomas Di Leva - Ge aldrig upp
Sonja Aldén - I din himmel
David Lindgren - Shout it out
Ulrik Munther - Soldiers
Timoteij - Stormande hav

The 2011-50: No.39 - Sleep, baby sleep, stars are shining above you

"Depend On Me" - Babel Fish.

Yes it was slushy and over-sentimental, but this father-to-son lullaby surprisingly thawed my hard heart during MGP 2011. Typical of 2011's long line of disappointments, this year's MGP was a very disappointing contest. And whilst "Haba Haba" was an uplifting, vibrant winner, one can only wonder how this defiantly timeless pop ballad would have done at ESC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdItdPhwSJo

The 2011-50: No.40 - You always come through, you always stay true

"No One Else Could" - Sebastian.

It was one of my most long-awaited moments of the year: the return of Sebastian Karlsson to Melodifestivalen. And whilst the end result (IMHO) fell short of the greatness of "When The Night Comes Falling" and didn't have a very long post-contest life on my iPod, it was still great to see him back again with this Killers-lite piece of pop-rock. It didn't lead to an album...but that could hopefully be something else to look forward to in the next 12 months.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJi1BnRHvzE

The 2011-50: No.41 - Everyday I'm shufflin'

"Party Rock Anthem" - LMFAO feat.Lauren Bennett & Goon Rock.

Yes I know. At this point you're probably thinking that I've completely lost the plot. Well: I lost the plot a long time ago, and sometimes you can't help enjoying certain tracks even though you probably shouldn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ6zr6kCPj8&ob=av3e
285 million people can’t be wrong. Or can they?

The 2011-50: No.42 - You'll never catch me on the Jeremy Kyle Show

Traktor - Wretch 32.

One of the few rap songs I could really be bothered with this year. It's one of those records which I've never been able to work out the reasons why I actually like it at all, I just do. The lyrics are a bit cliched and had to be seriously censored for public consumption, but there is this great little moment at 2.30 in the song which makes the whole thing worthwhile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCivYv4HqiI

The 2011-50: No.43 - We'll be OK, just keep the faith

"Fade Into Darkness" - Avicii.

You will probably recognise the riff here. Yes, this is the original vocal version of the song which sparked all that late summer hoo-ha, when Leona Lewis sampled the instrumental version - "Penguin" - for her comeback single "Collide". Anyway I prefer this original by Avicii - aka Tim Berg, the Swedish DJ/mixer whose international reputation continues to grow.

(By the way, I've not included "Silhouettes" in my 2011 list, much as I wanted to, for the simple reason that it hasn't been officially released yet, Which therefore makes it eligible for next year's list. If it ever gets released of course....!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yg3dLEDWqs&ob=av2e

The 2011-50: No.44 - Hello, hello, remember me?

"What You Want" - Evanescence.

A rockin' comeback which immediately grabbed me from first listen, but predictably missed out on an appearance in the UK singles chart.

It's good to have them back again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVWazHTunSI&ob=av2e

The 2011-50: No.45 - And now we are slammin'

"Wall of Sound" - Bressie.

First (but not last) appearance in my chart for one of this year's brightest new solo artists. Of course Niall Breslin isn't really 'new' at all, having fronted The Blizzards, but the London-based Irish singer launched his solo career earlier this year, and released his rather fab debut album "Colourblind Stereo" in September. Whilst his musical style is mainly in the pop-rock genre, "Wall of Sound" conjures up fond memories of old-school rave, which is always close to my heart. In a different musical climate, he'd be a megastar.

The 2011-50: No.46 - Save it for someone who likes it like that

"Not A Love Song" - Wonderland.

On paper, this girl band formed by Westlife's Kian Egan and Louis "you made that song your own" Walsh should have zoomed up the charts, helped along by a behind the scenes ITV2 series. But if there was proof that you can lead a horse to water, then Wonderland is the perfect example. "Not A Love Song" was their debut single, a nice piece of country-flavoured pop which would probably appeal to Taylor Swift fans for example. But it all went horribly wrong, and their lack of commercial success led to the band being dropped by their record label and ultimately led to a split. They were talented as well as pretty, but their attempt to swim against the current musical tide was their downfall. Right band, wrong time.

The 2011-50: No.47 - Jag är "Lucy in the sky", jag är högt över molnen

Jag Kommer - Veronica Maggio.

Veronica made her long-awaited comeback this year to both critical and popular acclaim. This catchy pop song was the first single released off "Satan i Gatan", and was co-written with another one of my fave Swedish artists, Christian Walz. By the way, look out for an appearance from Mr Walz later in my top 50 ....

Veronica always manages to combine the worlds of commercial pop and credibility, and no doubt she will do very well when award season comes round.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjZwz3yxS9I

The 2011-50: No.48: Your love pours down on me, surrounds me like a waterfall

"Feel So Close" - Calvin Harris.

Did someone mention Calvin Harris????

'Disappointment' was one of the most appropriate words to sum up 2011, as many of my favourite artists failed to deliver. Disappointment followed disappointment, and unfortunately one of these was one of my favourite dance artists of recent years, the one and only Calvin Harris. Nothing he released this year approached the greatness of his "Ready For The Weekend"-era releases. "Bounce" was OK, but that's all. Even Calvin had to resort to a Rihanna-collaboration, which totally pushed me over the edge, as I've had enough of this over-exposed (in every way) songstress. (Faithful travelling companion will disagree, I'm sure). So I'm going for this one, which doesn't rely on any collaborations, and which is as close to the euphoric house sound which has served him well over recent years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGghkjpNCQ8&ob=av2e

The 2011-50: No: 49 - But now I want off this ride cause you're scaring me

"Changed The Way You Kiss Me" - Example.

Apologies to the man here, but I'd always viewed Elliot Gleave - a.k.a Example - as a low-budget version of Calvin Harris. Despite that, he achieved massive success with his catchy electro-pop-rap tunes this year, and this was the most successful one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLXt3yh2g0s

The 2011-50: No.50: I mean honestly, you lied to me like I'm not there

"Yeah Right" - Dionne Bromfield.

15 year old Londoner Dionne Bromfield is probably best known for being the god-daughter of the late great Amy Winehouse, who sadly passed away in July this year; and significantly, Amy's final live performance on stage was with Dionne, three days before her death.

The Winehouse connection may have opened the door to the music business for Dionne; however the young singer has enough talent of her own to guarantee a potentially successful career to come. For the moment though, "Yeah Right" shows immense promise; she's a young soul singer with a voice beyond her years, and thankfully this timeless soul song managed to avoid all the obvious cliches of 2011, with no David Guetta, Flo Rida or Pitbull in sight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiXCpP-B7bU&ob=av2e

The 2011-50: introduction - and EuropeCrazy's 2000th post!

Firstly, this is my 2000th post on EuropeCrazy, so it's highly appropriate that it should be devoted to introducing what has become an annual feature on this blog - my annual countdown.

Unfortunately, 2011 has personally been a bad year in so many ways, with very little in the way of redeeming features. This also extends to music, as I found so little to excite me. A lot of this had to do with spending much of the year not actually listening to new music, but rediscovering lots of old forgotten favourites in the course of filling my iPod. One more thing...2010 had been such a busy year for me, particularly with regard to my other blog, that by the time 2011 arrived, I needed some time out to read books, watch TV, de-clutter EuropeCrazy HQ....everything but listen to new music.

So I'm surprised that I actually managed to gather 50 songs together for my top 50 songs of the year. Usually I have over 100 songs to short-list down to the final 50: this year I only had 55. That said it all really. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy my "final countdown" to say farewell to a year which, in the words of the great philosophers Steps, is "better best forgotten".



Above: EuropeCrazy HQ's resident Swedish moose contingent, Salem (left) and Måns (right) help me choose the playlist :)))

Eurovision 2012: something old, something new

Today Serbia and Belgium announced the names of the singers who will represent their countries at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.

Due to financial constraints, there will be no Serbian national final in 2012, but instead they have decided to internally shortlist some songs and the singer will choose which one he wants to sing.

Serbia will be represented by a very familiar name to ESC fans: Željko Joksimović, who represented Serbia & Montenegro in 2004 with the big fan favourite Lane Moje. I know I'm probably going to be shot down in flames for even suggesting this, but I always thought this song was overrated and boring. He came back two years later, as writer of the Bosnia & Herzegovina song, Lejla. There's a pattern developing here: another fan favourite, and (IMHO) another overrated and boring song. He wrote the 2008 entry Jutro (ditto fan fave/boring song) when Belgrade hosted the contest, and this was a particularly annoying outcome as there was a perfectly wonderful poptastic song that year which would have made a great Serbian entry - "Beli Jablan" by Aleksa Jelić & Ana Štajdohar.

So in this blogger's opinion there is a very strong case against Mr J. However I have not completely written him off and would hope that he might try something a bit different this time - I'm not expecting him to go all Ovo Je Balkan on us, but something more uptempo would be nice.

Over to Belgium now. It's Flemish-speaking VRT's turn to choose the Belgian entry, which in recent years would mean one of my favourite national finals - Eurosong. However two years ago, VRT went with an internal selection which resulted in a very successful result for Tom Dice's "Me and My Guitar". So they probably thought, why change a winning formula? I had hoped for a big Flemish star name this year (I was hoping for a return for Kate Ryan) but it was a rather surprising choice - Iris, a.k.a. Laura van den Bruel. Of course all of us Lauras have to stick together, so I guess I'll have to support her!

16 year old Iris' musical style is a little reminiscent of Taylor Swift if her hit single "Wonderful" is anything to go by: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QGIT9kklEY and her song will be chosen from a list of songs submitted by a number of top songwriters.

Over in Slovakia, they also revealed their singer two days ago. Or did they? Their choice for 2012 was supposed to be big-haired rock singer Miro Šmajda, but now his participation is seemingly in doubt, due to an alleged 'misunderstanding'. Either way, it's sad news for faithful travelling companion as the TWiiNS won't be making a return visit....

Musikförläggarnas Pris 2011

The annual Swedish Music Publishers awards took place on Friday 11th November at Berns in Stockholm, honouring the country's most successful songwriters and composers covering the period 1st July 2010-30th June 2011. The ceremony was hosted by Niklas Strömstedt.

The big winner was Veronica Maggio, who took home the awards for best composer, best lyricist and song of the year for "Jag Kommer".

The honorary prize went to Mikael Wiehe, who's been making music for the past 40 years and is currently starring in season 2 of Så mycket bättre.

Songwriting duo Max Martin and Shellback were awarded for another year of international success.

Big congratulations to two of this blog's favourite artists: Daniel Adams-Ray voted best breakthrough artist, and the year's most played song was "Från Och Med Du" by Oskar Linnros.

List of Prizewinners:
Composer of the Year
Veronica Maggio/Christian Walz

Lyricist of the Year
Veronica Maggio

Honorary Prize
Mikael Wiehe

International Success of the Year
Martin "Max Martin" Sandberg/Johan "Shellback" Schuster

Song of The Year
"Jag Kommer" - Veronica Maggio/Christian Walz/Stefan Olsson

Breakthrough of the Year
Daniel Adams-Ray

Most Played Song of the Year
"Från Och Med Du" - Oskar Linnros.

Melodifestivalen season is underway!

Today brought the exciting announcement of the song titles and songwriters for Melodifestivalen 2012. This is the guesswork stage, where we all try to match the songs to the possible performers! One very noticeable thing is that almost half the songs are in Swedish, which is very nice.

Aldrig aldrig (Niclas Lundin, Maria Marcus, Randy Goodrum)
Allting blir bra igen (Michael Sideridis)
Baby Doll (Mårten Eriksson, Lina Eriksson, Susie Päivärinta)
Det går för långsamt (Anton Malmberg Hård af Segerstad, Niclas Lundin)
Don't Let Me Down (Lasse Holm, Lars "Dille" Diedricson)
Euphoria (Thomas G:son, Peter Boström)
Förlåt mig (Mattias Andréasson)
Ge aldrig upp (Thomas Di Leva)
Goosebumps (Hanna Lindblad, Linda Sundblad, Tony Nilsson)
I din himmel (Sonja Aldén, Bobby Ljunggren, Peter Boström)
I mina drömmar (Nanna Svensdóttir, Thomas Cars)
I Want To Be Chris Isaak (This Is Just the Beginning) (The Moniker)
Jag reser mig igen (Thomas G:son, Ted Ström)
Just A Little Bit (RedOne Team)
Land Of Broken Dreams (Thomas G:son, Thomas "Plec" Johansson)
Lovelight (Andreas Johnson, Peter Kvint)
Mirakel (Fredrik Andersson, Björn Ranelid)
Mystery (Pontus Hjelm)
Porslin (Björn Olsson, Martin Elisson)
På väg (Abalone Dots, Viktor Källgren)
Salt & Pepper (Lina Eriksson, Mårten Eriksson, Figge Boström)
Sanningen (Michael Clauss, Martin Bjelke)
Sean Den Förste Banan (Sean Banan, Joakim Larsson, Hans Blomberg, Mårten Andersson)
Soldiers (Ulrik Munther, Johan Åberg, Linnea Deb, Joy Deb, David Jackson)
Stormande hav (Kristian Lagerström, Johan Fjellström, Stina Engelbrecht, Jens Engelbrecht)
The Boy Can Dance (Figge Boström, Catrine Loqvist, Johan Lindman)
The Girl (Fredrik Kempe, Alexander Johnsson)
To the Sky (Fernando Fuentes, Tony Nilsson, Danny Saucedo, Peter Boström, Figge Boström)
Kyss mig (Axel Algmark, Mattias Frändå, Jonathan Magnussen)
Why Am I Crying (Molly Sandén, Aleena Gibson, Windy Wagner)
Why Start A Fire (Lisa Miskovsky, Aleksander With, Bernt Rune Stray, Berent Philip Moe)
Youngblood (Fredrik Kempe, David Krüger)

First thoughts: I can't wait to hear "To The Sky" and "Förlåt mig" of course. Hope the other Peter Boström songs might be big dancey tunes too! The Lisa Miskovsky song also sounds interesting, with its Norwegian writing team. Also looking forward to "Goosebumps". Of course there are some very familiar names in there - schlager royalty G:son, Holm and the ever-present Kempe, to satisfy the schlager fans. Is it too much to ask for the return of Jenny Silver? I'd prefer her to Charlotte, to be honest. And much as I've liked Johnson/Kvint's contributions in the past, the thought of Andreas competing again would probably be a step too far....and I'm completely underwhelmed by Thomas Di Leva.

I wouldn't mind seeing another Andreas (Mr Lundstedt) back at MF though! And I wonder if the mighty Magnus Carlsson is in there, as previously rumoured? H.E.A.T. have also been mentioned - it would be nice to see them back, hopefully with a song as great as "1000 Miles".

There are also some very familiar song titles in there as well...."Youngblood" just makes me think of E.M.D., and I wonder if RedOne's entrant will be channelling Gina G???

Finally, run for cover - The Moniker is back! And who let Sean Banan in????

Time for another break....

The backlog of blog posts are all written and posted, and my work here is done.

Yes, I'm going to take another blog-break until mid-November, during which time I'll sit down, get my thoughts together and try to come up with the 2011-50 as well as some other end of year stuff.

I'll still be hanging around Twitter though :)

Melodifestivalen 2012 rumours...

...yes it's that time again to start reading the Swedish tabloids and guessing how many of the rumours are true.

Today Aftonbladet posted a list of some of the artists said to be competing in next year's MF - http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/melodifestivalen2011/article13827444.ab

I froze in terror at the news of Charlotte Perrelli returning with a Fredrik Kempe song - no offence Charlotte or Fredrik, but isn't it about time someone else was given a chance??

Danny Saucedo will also be back as a solo artist, but his E.M.D. bandmates Mattias Andréasson and Erik Segerstedt have also submitted their own songs in different musical styles. I'm quite surprised about this as I'd hoped/expected E.M.D. to return to MF next year.

Molly Sandén will also return, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her boyfriend Eric Saade and be chosen as Sweden's representative. I wonder if she'll get a big ballad or an uptempo song?

There is also someone called Thorsten Flinck, allegedly with a G:son song?! This could either go straight to the final or totally bomb.

Finally where would Melodifestivalen be without a dansband? This time it's Top Cats, although I thought Elisa's might have been a more obvious choice?

Of course it's all a mix of rumours and leaks at this stage so anything is possible! As usual the most interesting entrants at MF can be the ones you didn't really expect anything from - like Loreen or Swingfly from this year's contest for example.

Verves of Europe!

Regular readers of this blog will be aware of how much I loved "Sounds of Europe" which was a weekly radio show on student radio station GU2. The show, presented by superstar DJs and blogging legends Rachel and Keira, ran from 2008 until 2010 and was essential listening every week. The show introduced me to a lot of European singers and songs which I hadn't heard before.

Yesterday Rachel introduced me to "Verves of Europe" a weekly radio show hosted by James and Fey who are students at London Metropolitan University. I had a listen last night and was hooked. This show resurrects the spirit of "Sounds of Europe" and if you loved that show, you will love this too.

If you go to http://vervemedia.org.uk you can hear the show online by selecting it on the radio player. It is broadcast weekly for an hour and a half. More info at http://vervemedia.org.uk/radio/verves-of-europe

Album Review: "Colourblind Stereo" - Bressie

I previously blogged about London-based Irish singer Bressie (Niall Breslin) back in September, http://europecrazy.blogspot.com/2011/09/introducingbressie.html and decided to buy his just-released debut CD "Colourblind Stereo" during our recent trip to Dublin.

Bressie was previously the frontman of a very popular Irish rock band The Blizzards, however he is now getting in touch with his pop side on a very good debut. The album kicks off with "Can't Stay Young (Forever)" which was his debut single as a solo artist.

The radio-friendly "Breaking My Fall" (not sure if this is going to be a future single) and "She Ticks All The Boxes" keep the momentum going.

Fans of The Script may enjoy Bressie's mix of big anthemic pop-rock songs, although Bressie avoids that over-wrought trap which The Script fall into at times. The mood is consistently upbeat and positive.

I particularly want to highlight "Android Heart" as one of the album's highlights - the robot metaphor lyrics may be a bit too cheesy, but it's a very pretty song. Bressie is a clever lyricist, although some of his lyrics can be a little on the cheesy/corny side at times. Nevertheless he knows how to craft a good pop song.

"Good Intentions" was of course the song which brought Bressie to my attention, and it's the one which still stands out on this album. It's the kind of song which would sound great on British radio, if they removed the endless urban rubbish and "the new boring" and go back to a time of good quality pop music which didn't need to resort to lyrics about being on the floor, in the club, 'featuring' all the usual suspects. This album is refreshingly free of any of that.

Amongst the pop-rock there are some electronic touches, and "Wall of Sound" particularly evokes some old-school dance memories. It just proves Bressie's talent and versatility that he can turn his hand to different musical styles. He has co-written all of the songs on this album and his compositions may soon be turning up on other artists' albums too, as he's currently part of the 19 Entertainment stable and is involved in songwriting and production there. Bressie cites Dr Luke and Max Martin amongst his production heroes so there's no doubt that there's a very strong pop heart beating inside this rock star.

To date, "Colourblind Stereo" has only been released in Ireland however I wouldn't bet against an international release at some point - especially when the tide eventually turns away from the dross which has passed for "pop music" over the past couple of years. Hopefully we will hear a lot more from this very talented guy in future.

The Square-Eyed Couch Potato: October 2011

If the rumours are to be believed, this could be the last series of "HARRY HILL'S TV BURP" (ITV1, Saturday). I suppose all good things should really come to an end, so maybe it would be the right time. So far, this series isn't really vintage Burp, but it's not a disaster either - maybe somewhere in the middle, on automatic pilot.



One of Harry's recent targets was "SHOWBOATERS" (Sky 1, Sundays) which was a must-see for me as over the past year I've developed an obsession with going on a cruise. Basically this is X Factor at sea, with a group of hopefuls are all fighting for one place in the Thomson Dream's show team. They missed a trick though, as the eliminations should have befitted the theme, i.e. man overboard/walk the plank :) Anyway it's pretty unmissable, if only for the reason that none of them were particularly good...the series is nearing its end so hopefully they'll make the right choice.

Whilst on the subject of cruises, I enjoyed the first part of "PAUL MERTON'S ADVENTURES" (Channel 5, Wednesdays) which saw him take to the Caribbean on the Allure of the Seas. It was a pleasant travelogue and pretty favourable about the ship itself. I'm looking forward to his forthcoming adventures.

I would never have called myself a Steps fan, although will admit to particularly liking a couple of their songs ("You'll Be Sorry" and "Deeper Shade Of Blue" to be specific). Anyway, body language/psychology experts would have had a field day if they watched "STEPS REUNION" (Sky Living, Wednesdays) an addictive fly on the wall documentary series,where the five members of the band were reunited, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. The tension was cranked up as the five members of the group confronted the issues which led to their split. Acrimonious didn't even begin to describe it. As we all know, H and Claire famously quit the group on the last night of their tour and the band announced their split on Boxing Day 10 years ago. Now they're back together, their new greatest hits compilation went straight to no.1 and their reunion tour is selling out. Although on the evidence of this TV show I wouldn't be too confident buying a ticket, as it couldn't be more obvious that Claire Richards doesn't want to be there. Or is this maybe fodder for a follow-up series - Steps Split II?

A few months ago I wrote about STV's decision to axe "THE HOUR" from its daily teatime slot. In September, the show relaunched in its new 8.00 pm Tuesday slot - which was a disastrous scheduling decision to begin with, since it clashed with the long-running Scottish soap River City on BBC1. Then they teamed up existing presenter Michelle McManus with sharp-witted radio presenter/journalist Tam Cowan, and the format completely changed from the easy-going teatime magazine with a lot of different features, to a bog standard low-budget chat show. 4 weeks into its run, STV axed the show for good.



After the axe fell, Tam Cowan let rip in his Daily Record column:
http://blogs.dailyrecord.co.uk/tamcowan/2011/10/darkest-hour-tv-bosses-barely.html

STV have no-one but themselves to blame. It wasn't perfect, but if the format had remained the same, and broadcast in a different slot, the show might have survived, instead of being consigned to the telly dustbin of history.

Ironically, STV's other Tuesday night programme has been must-see TV over recent weeks. "SCOTLAND'S GREATEST ALBUM" has featured a different decade each week, starting with the 70s, and the basic premise of the show is for the viewers to choose three tracks each week from the list of 12 pur forward by a panel of experts. It's been a pretty enjoyable and surprisingly credible journey so far.



OK we couldn't have a review at this time of year without mentioning "STRICTLY COME DANCING" (BBC1, Saturdays). As usual I start off every year with no favourites, but events conspire to make me change my mind, as in most cases I end up resenting the "chosen ones" (except last year, when Kara Tointon and Matt Baker totally deserved the praise). This year's recipients would appear to be adopted-national-treasure Jason Donovan, and the charisma-free zone that is Holly Valance. Here at EuropeCrazy HQ we are throwing our support behind the underrated Chelsee Healey and her professional partner, Stictly newbie Pasha Kovalev. The couple have been consistently good since the beginning, and Chelsee is a bubbly little firecracker who seems to be genuinely enjoying the experience. And of course it goes without saying that we're also supporting the always-wonderful Flavia Cacace, who's been teamed up with none other than the legend that is Russell Grant :)))

Russell was expected to be this year's John Sergeant/Anne Widdecombe, but the ultimate car-crash this year is Nancy Dell'Olio, whose fame is solely based on dating that Sven bloke. I never thought I'd ever say this, but poor Anton. Although I'm enjoying the show as usual, I'm getting a bit concerned about the number of 'theme weeks' being introduced, with all the accompanying silly props and costumes. As a result it feels like the show is moving away from the basic dances towards show-dances, and that's not a good thing.

Finding music on TV is so rare these days (apart from the dull and repetitive music channels) and finding intelligent discussion about it is even more rare. So three cheers for "THE JO WHILEY MUSIC SHOW" (Sky Arts). I enjoyed the first one, maybe a bit too much chat about Nirvana though. Anyway, thanks to this show, my mum has now become a Maverick Sabre fan!

Good old BBC Four never lets us down with its theme nights, and recently we had an evening devoted to Creation Records, the label founded by Alan McGee. "UPSIDE DOWN" was an absorbing feature-length documentary about the label's history and the bands signed to it. The most depressing thing about it was seeing my beloved Mark Gardener from Ride, who had wonderful floppy hair back in the day. Now he's hardly got any. :(

The Dublin Diaries: Day 3 - Wednesday 21st September 2011

On the second day of our holiday, poor faithful travelling companion was floored by a very nasty stomach bug which made him very ill, he couldn't eat or drink but thankfully was well enough to get out and do some exploring.

Today it was time to go north of the river, for a walk up O'Connell Street, as far as Parnell Square...

On the way back down we came across an amusing art installation which invited the public to write what they're afraid of. "I'm afraid of Jedward" particularly raised a chuckle!

Needless to say we wandered into Carrolls Gift Store yet again and purchases were made. Of course you can't resist the looped soundtrack of Irish classics, although I doubt whether the shop assistants would share our enthusiasm for "Seven Drunken Nights" if they have to listen to it about 3 times per hour every day of their working lives :)

If you go to Dublin you'll inevitably find your way back to Temple Bar. Here is a picture of one of its mega-pubs, the Oliver St John Gogarty. However we didn't have a drink in there this time, so that's on the to-do list for next time, as is Gallagher's Boxty House!



Last time we were in Dublin, we had coffee at Insomnia Coffee, which is like an Irish version of Costas/Caffe Nero, but one definite 'must-do' for this holiday was a trip to Bewley's Oriental Cafe on Grafton Street. It's big, but there's lots of different rooms/areas and we managed to get a seat and enjoy a cappuccino.



Tonight was the last night of our holiday, we decided to keep it very low-key. It was also a very cold night, yet that didn't deter some very hardy people from alfresco dining in Temple Bar.

Despite my poor man getting sick, we did have an enjoyable time and the hotel was fab. We resolve to return to Dublin next summer, all things being well, when the nights are lighter and the weather is warmer, and hopefully in happier and healthier times.

Exciting times ahead...

We are only 7 days away from the launch of the 2nd series of one of the most exciting reality TV formats ever!

http://www.tv4.se/1.2137245/2011/05/14/har_ar_artisterna_i_sa_mycket_battre_2011

Jason "Timbuktu" Diakité
Laleh Pourkarim
Martin "E-type" Eriksson
Tomas Ledin
Mikael Wiehe
Eva Dahlgren
Lena Philipsson

Go Tomas & Lena!

The Dublin Diaries: Day 2 - Tuesday 20th September 2011

Lots of good intentions to get up very early failed to materialise. (Oh, and talking of 'good intentions': my plan for today was to hit the record shops in search of the Bressie CD. More about that later).

Until this morning I hadn't tried the much-hyped soda bread. My verdict: disappointingly stodgy, and my view is prejudiced due to the fact that I'm no fan of brown bread. Disappointment aside, we have some exploring to do and head out past the very busy Trinity College area. Nope, still haven't seen the Book of Kells and won't be doing it this time either. Maybe some day when we decide to do all the tourist haunts. Ditto the Guinness Storehouse.

Anyway you won't be surprised to hear that the main thing on my agenda was shopping! And there are lots, and lots, and lots of shops and shopping malls in the Irish capital, with something for everyone.

When in Dublin, you are possessed by this irrational urge to make repeated trips to Carrolls Irish Gift Stores, of which there are many, many branches in the city. Walk through the door and your ears are assaulted by the rolling soundtrack of Seven Drunken Nights, and Molly Malone, and Whiskey in the Jar, Lord of the Dance etc etc. All day, every day. There is this subliminal voice inside your head telling you to buy daft leprechaun hats/Guinness souvenirs - everything from Y-fronts to Guinness flavoured HP sauce, and the ubiquitous, colourful, Wacky Woollies multicoloured sheep which you'll already know about if you saw this post http://europecrazysrandomramblings.blogspot.com/2011/10/wacky-woollies.html

Anyway, whilst Carrolls perpetuates the Irish myth of leprechauns, fiddly music, sheep and Guinness, modern-day Dublin is a different place altogether. The service industries seem almost exclusively staffed by young Eastern European males and females and so far we've hardly heard an Irish voice! The mix of tourists and migrant workers makes for a very cosmopolitan city which is refreshingly different enough from the UK, even though we're only an hour's flight away. The same goes for the radio stations which I tuned into - sure there's the top 40 fodder but there is also a refreshing variety of music, including lots of rock music which you never seem to hear on mainstream British radio.

We explore the area around Trinity College and Merrion Square and check out the parliament buildings, which have some neat topiary going on...


There's a good selection of eating options on and around South William Street, so we have lunch there.

Visitors to Dublin will encounter some well-known statues of the likes of James Joyce and Molly Malone, but I wasn't aware that there was a statue of a more contemporary icon - Phil Lynott - which you can find in Harry Street (off Grafton Street, outside the Bruxelles bar)




After lunch we head back down Grafton Street and inevitably end up at HMV, where I finally purchase Bressie's "Colourblind Stereo" CD. I also buy "Domino Effect", a CD by The Blizzards which is the band he was previously in. Yes, I'm suffering from Bressiemania. I notice that dreary acoustic guy Ed Sheeran will be making an appearance at the store the next day, but I decide to pass on that one.


Eventually we return to St Stephen's Green, where we watch the ducks, and the seagulls pretending to be ducks, and hilariously go in search of a non-existent waterfall. It's a lovely park though and a great place to escape from the city buzz.

St Stephen's Green also boasts a big, fab shopping mall called the St Stephen's Green Centre.

Lots of walking today meant very sore leg muscles by the end of the afternoon, so back to the hotel for a rest before going out for dinner tonight. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst, as poor faithful travelling companion was about to be floored by a nasty stomach bug/food poisoning-type-thing....

This week's "Idol" songs

Courtesy of Aftonbladet, here's what the contestants will be singing this week...you'll have guessed that the theme is Swedish-language hits.

ANDRÉ: Lilla Lady - Daniel Adams-Ray
MOLLY: Satan I Gatan - Veronica Maggio
ROBIN: Alla Vill Till Himmelen Men Ingen Vill Dö - Timbuktu
AMANDA P: Utan Dina Andetag - Kent
MOA: Vem Ska Jag Tro På – Tomas DiLeva
AMANDA F: Det Hon Vill Ha – Plura
EMIL: Jag Är En Vampyr – Markus Krunegård
OLLE: 17år - Veronica Maggio
LINNI: Om Sanningen Ska Fram - Eric Amarillo
DENISE: Från Och Med Du - Oskar Linnros

I'm still not too excited by this year's line-up of contestants, but it's early days and that might change. Or maybe not. They are all extremely young - especially this year's favourite Molly Pettersson Hammar, who is only 15 years old!! When did this become Junior Idol???

If you force-feed it, they will come

Lots of thoughts going round in my head today which I thought I'd pull together into some kind of blog post.

Been thinking about my annual top 50 rundown (the 2011-50), which is due to start in precisely five weeks' time. Usually at this time of year I would be filled with excitement at having to narrow about 100 songs down to a shortlist of 50. This year, however, things are very different indeed. The main reason being that I haven't listened to as much new music as usual, having spent the year rediscovering a lot of old, forgotten favourites, and feeling a general sense of disappointment at the new music which has been on offer. At the moment I'm sitting with approximately 38 songs so will need to find another 12 in the coming weeks; it also has to be said that if some of the contenders had been around 3 or 4 years ago they'd have struggled to get anywhere near my top 50.

It's nothing to do with getting older, but I've never felt so disillusioned/disenfranchised with the music scene as I am now. I'm tired of radio and TV stations force-feeding us the same style of music, the same 'artists' day in, day out. And it's not just a British problem either - go to any European singles chart, for example, and you'll see the same names time and time again, the international superstars who dominate the airwaves leaving no opportunities for decent new local artists to break through, with the only outlets being the now very stale format of talent shows. The problem with force-feeding is that eventually you will surrender and that's what's happened, worldwide. But I'm not waving the white flag just yet.

Having suffered through the 'urban' music explosion of the past couple of years, this has now mutated into a repetitive parade of songs about being in the club/on the floor/put your drinks in the air/party all day/party all night (delete as appropriate) mainly orchestrated by the three-headed monster that is Pitbull, David Guetta and Flo Rida. I'm particularly disappointed by David Guetta's lowest-common-denominator output at present, as I used to be a fan of his music, but now he's right up there with Rihanna in the ubiquity stakes. I have always loved dance music, but this current variation has nothing new to offer, and will be forgotten in a few years' time when the DJs are still playing 'old school' and 'rave classics'.

I wanted to write something about how the 'alternatives' to the current club-obsessed sound have also failed to excite us. However, I'll just point you in the direction of none other than Popjustice legend Peter Robinson. Whilst on my break at work today I was browsing the Guardian's website and discovered this post which he had written and which I would encourage you all to read: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/oct/08/adele-new-boring-ed-sheeran?commentpage=3#start-of-comments

Admittedly, there was that 'wow' moment during the Brits, when Adele's performance came as a welcome contrast to all the urban nonsense which dominated that ceremony. Here was a "proper singer" who didn't need to cavort around with minimal clothing and maximum dance routines. However, all these months down the line and we are still under assault from "Someone Like You" at every turn. A song which, to quote its own lyrics, turned up out of the blue uninvited and couldn't stay away. It has taken over from "Chasing Cars", (which I previously declared on this blog in 2007 to be the national anthem of Dreary-Pop) soundtracking every mournful, tearful moment on every reality show.

Adele's massive worldwide success could initially be viewed as a reaction to all those empty international pop superstars - yet ironically she has now become part of the problem rather than the solution. Her music has been promoted as aggressively as, say, Rihanna or Katy Perry, but is tapping into the "adult" music market, "music for couples" as I used to call it - the kind of people who don't really like music but buy those stupid 'acoustic'/'feelgood' compilations. Which presumably include the likes of Ed Sheeran a.k.a. the new James Blunt with added collaboration-credibility bells on. Most of the current crop of tedious artists are only popular because we have been force-fed them. It's time for a change!

Scandipop comes to British TV!

One of my favourite blogs is Scandipop. Now the blog is about to become a TV show from tomorrow.

Dance Nation TV (channel 376 on Sky) will broadcast an hour of the finest Scandinavian pop and dance music on the following days/times:

Fridays at 10.00 am
Saturdays at 4.00 pm
Mondays at midnight.

I never thought I'd see the day when we'd ever see a Linda Bengtzing video on British TV, but one of the videos this week will be none other than her duet with Velvet - ‘Victorious’!

Must remember to set my HDD recorder tomorrow morning :)

The Dublin Diaries: Day 1 - Monday 19th September 2011

Three years on from a chilly November weekend, we returned to the Irish capital for a brief late summer break. It may be a long way from the boiling temperatures of Turkey, but it didn't matter as we were just lucky and thankful to be there at all.

Weather? Well, the previous week, Ireland and Scotland had been hit by the tail end of a hurricane, and judging by the high winds on our arrival it was taking its time to blow itself out!

One of the best things about a short break in Dublin is that it's a short flight - it takes longer to get to the airport than it does to fly over - and you only need hand luggage, thus avoiding the inconvenience of checking in baggage and all the rip-off of the extra charges involved.

After checking into our hotel, it wasn't long before we headed out into a dry (but still very windy) Monday evening from our base in Dublin 2. If you haven't been to Dublin before, I'd recommend that you are based south of the river, which is within walking distance of all the nightlife, restaurants and shops. Of course there's plenty of these north of the river, where accommodation may also come cheaper, but let's just say it's a bit more "gritty" up there.

South of the river, the main nightlife is centred around the Temple Bar area which is packed with pubs and restaurants from beginning to end. At the weekends this is stag party city and is absolutely jumping....but what's it like on a Monday night? Empty? Deserted? No way! Even on a Monday night in September, it's jumping. And there was a particular buzz in the city that Monday night, after the city's Gaelic football team 'The Dubs' won the national cup final at the weekend. Thousands of fans gathered in Merrion Square to salute their heroes, and we spotted a few of these jubilant fans on the way.

Above: one of the city's most photographed pubs, Temple Bar's very own....Temple Bar.

One of our unfulfilled Dublin ambitions was to get a table in the famous Gallagher's Boxty House, but tonight it was no can do. Nothing changes around here :)

Ireland has been particularly hammered in the current financial recession, and the restaurants in Dublin have had to offer meal deals to get the customers in. 'Early Bird' menus (pre-theatre as we know them) are now commonplace in what is still a massively expensive city. However, there are limited choices on most of these menus so if you're a chicken-eating almost-veggie like myself you end up resorting to the a la carte. But when meals are as good as this one, the money doesn't matter.


One of the best restaurants in Temple Bar is the Quays Restaurant, upstairs from the bustling Quays Bar, and serving some good quality fare to an appreciative clientele of mostly tourists. We were certainly appreciative of our meal and left with our stomachs filled to capacity!

But Dublin being Dublin, you have to try out some of its legendary bars. We managed to fit in a couple before bedtime - one of these being the famous Arlington Hotel near O'Connell Bridge, which puts on a nightly show of Irish music and dancing. The best seats are saved for those who have paid for dinner, but you can still see and hear the show from a more restricted view even if you've just popped in for a Guinness (faithful travelling companion) or a Bulmers Irish cider (me). By the way, why is it Bulmers Irish Cider in Ireland yet it's Magners over here? Just wondered. Anyway we took in some Irish folk music and a bit of Riverdance/Lord of the Dance. Yes it's a tourist trap but so what? It's Dublin after all, soak it up.

Talking of soaking, the rain had come on by this time so we headed to another bar before ending our first day in Dublin. It's good to be back.

Part 2 to follow over the weekend...

Book Review: "Mylène Farmer: The Single File" by Steve Cabus

In the "old days" when I had much more time to blog than I do now (although I really don't know why I don't have as much time anymore!) I wouldn't have taken my eye off the ball when it came to celebrating the 50th birthday of my most favourite French female singer of all time. But unfortunately that's what happened this year and I've only recently remembered that she reached this big birthday milestone on 12th September. So a belated happy birthday Mylène!

However, as I was searching the web for Mylène-related stuff last week I came across the first-ever book to be published in English about the notoriously reclusive superstar. Needless to say I bought it! I have only just started reading the book so can't really call this a proper review, but I wanted to tell you all about it in case you didn't know about the book's existence.

"Mylène Farmer: The Single File" by Steve Cabus avoids the traditional biography format and instead takes an intensive look at the singer's career from the beginning in 1984 right up to the present day, single by single. Steve Cabus is a native French speaker but in his introduction he tells us that he has been speaking English exclusively for the past 23 years. Therefore he is perfectly qualified to convey all the aspects of what it's like to be a Mylène fan in the English-speaking world. Don't expect a big professional presentation - there are no pictures of Mylène, for example, just front and back cover art illustrations, and the title font in good old Comic Sans MS. But the old saying goes "don't judge a book by its cover" as it's what's inside which really counts.

The author is without doubt a superfan who is very knowledgeable about his subject. He spends a lot of time in each chapter listing the various formats/remixes etc available for each single, and vividly describes the making of each video and what it's about. Of course if you're a Mylène fan you will know that her music and videos are loaded with controversy, dark themes and "after-the-watershed" content - this is an excellent reference book about each song/video and will definitely be a "go-to" book whenever I'm listening to a Mylène song or watching one of her videos.

You can buy the paperback book (priced £12.99) on Amazon in the UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Myl%C3%A8ne-Farmer-Single-Steve-Cabus/dp/190810578X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317570241&sr=8-1
there is also a Kindle edition available if you're that way inclined - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Myl%C3%A8ne-Farmer-Single-File-ebook/dp/B005EQ86K6/ref=kinw_dp_ke?ie=UTF8&m=A3TVV12T0I6NSM

Also if you Google the book's title and author you should be able to find other online bookstores which stock this book in your country.

Retro Saturday: Riverdance

In keeping with the Irish theme which has dominated recent weeks, I thought it would be very fitting to feature the ultimate Irish music/dance phenomenon which was premiered at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin 17 years ago. Music by Bill Whelan, and fantastic dancing by Jean Butler and Michael Flatley.

What else but...Riverdance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWyhH5z92ps

(Oh and by the way, I haven't forgotten about the Dublin Diaries: they will be published on here at some point this week.)

Tomas Ledin - it's "Showtime"!

On 22nd September, Tomas Ledin began his 55-night residency at Rondo in Liseberg, Gothenburg. The 1 hour 50 minute show mixes live performance of Tomas' hits from 1969 to the present day, clips from Tomas' lifestory, and anecdotes from the man himself. The Swedish press have been reviewing the show as follows:
Svenska Dagbladet - http://www.svd.se/kultur/scen/projektioner-ger-lyft-at-ledins-scenshow_6495948.svd#after-ad

Aftonbladet: http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/rockbjornen2011/article13669326.ab

Expressen: http://www.expressen.se/noje/musik/1.2569390/tomas-ledin-klar-i-sin-mogna-rock

Göteborgs-Posten - http://www.gp.se/kulturnoje/musik/1.730237-tomas-ledin-rondo here is the setlist which is also courtesy of Göteborgs-Posten.

Vi är på gång
500 dagar om året
Helt galen i dig
Medley 1969-1980 (Too many days, Då ska jag spela, Knivhuggarrock, Festen har börjat, Minns du Hollywood, Vi ska gömma oss i varandra, Never again, Just nu, m.fl)
Genom ett regnigt Europa
Atlantkustens kyliga smekning
En dag på stranden
Blå blå känslor
Äl u oäten
Sommaren är kort
Hon gör allt för att göra mig lycklig
Det ligger i luften
Du kan lita på mig
Encore:
En del av mitt hjärta
Sensuella Isabella
Knivhuggarrock
På vingar av stål
Snart tystnar musiken
I natt är jag din

(picture courtesy of Svenska Dagbladet http://www.svd.se/)