Category: Dance

Merely – Forever

“What a very odd track.”

Tim: Interesting artist name, I know, but no worse than at least one other act around at the moment. And this song is…well, hard to describe succinctly, so have a listen.

Tom: What a very odd track.

Tim: In parts ghostly, soulful, beat-heavy, gentle, swooshy and towards the end just plain BANGING, the PR stuff describes it (somewhat accurately for once) as a mixture of “banging euro techno from your adolescence and the angel choirs from your funeral.”

Tom: Hmm. I can see where they’re coming from, but I’m not sure that the two match entirely. It sounds like a mashup, even though it isn’t — those vocals don’t quite fit with the backing.

Tim: I think this is a lovely track, if only because it showcases all the possibilities that dance music like this can bring right now. It’s varied, it’s almost exciting, it’s just great to sit back, listen to and appreciate. There’s not much of a structure to it, but there doesn’t need to be – just hear it and enjoy it.

Tom: Yes, I can agree with that. It’s a bit like the difference between high fashion and regular fashion: you’re not supposed to wear what’s on the catwalk, but it’s supposed to show just what you can do with clothing. This, to me, isn’t massively listenable: but it does show off what you can do with music.

Tim: Going back to the PR, though now we’re back to the usual over-inflated guff, it’s “like a therapy session with the higher powers, that ends when the phone dies.” Though you know what? I kind of know where it’s coming from.

John de Sohn – You Only Love Me

“When the instrumental hits, who the hell cares about the verses?”

Tim: We featured John about eighteen months ago; I couldn’t remember that, or the song, but then after watching this I noticed one of the related videos, which, and I can’t possibly think why, has stuck with me. Still couldn’t remember the song, though, but here’s his new one.

Tim: Now, I’m fairly sure I’ve heard that first verse before; in fact I spent the entirety of it running through Olly Murs songs in my head, never a pleasant task.

Tom: Bruno Mars for me. I reckon you’re thinking of the “to give me all your love / is all I ever asked” bit from Grenade.

Tim: Oh yes, that’s it. But when the instrumental hits, who the hell cares about the verses if you’ve got that going on?

Tom: Yes, yes, yes. I couldn’t agree more. Everything from that subtle arpeggiated build onwards: it absolutely works.

Tim: Is it brass, or is it just synths? Probably the latter, but damn it sounds good. Sure, vocals are good as well, but really it’s all about that post-chorus. It’s over-and-over-again stuff, and I LOVE it.

Tom: I know that every BANGING CHOON needs to have calm bits in it too, but I can’t help feeling that the verses let this down just a little bit. It is really all about the chorus.

Saturday Flashback: MAGIC! – Rude (Zedd Remix)

“I couldn’t remember the original, but this is much more likely to stick in my head.”

Tim: Sort of a flashback, this: you may or may not remember the reggae-inspired original from last year, which as far as I’m concerned was a bit take-it-or-leave-it. This here is a little bit different.

Tom: Bloody hell, Zedd knows what he’s doing, doesn’t he?

Tim: He really does. It’s a lot bit different, in fact, because it’s been turned from something people would sing around a campfire once some bellend with a guitar has made his way through all the standard Oasis/Robbie Williams/Bryan Adams necesseties into a proper four to the floor banger, and it doesn’t sound completely and utterly wrong. It does, in fact, sound like it could have been written like this originally.

Tom: Agreed: I couldn’t remember the original, but this is much more likely to stick in my head.

Tim: Right, and if you’re going to judge a remix, I think that would be a decent criteria to start with, so this is basically top notch stuff, and a good example of why Zedd is gradually becoming one of the biggest DJs around. Top work.

Bros of Lash feat. Rabih Jaber – Chasing the Lions

“That sounds like the worst college night out in history.”

Tom: “Bros of Lash”. Bloody hell. I hope that means something different in Swedish, because that sounds like the worst college night out in history.

Tim: Ha, just imagine the bants going on with those lads. But yes, it does – more on that later, along with Rabih Jaber: a Lebanese/Swedish singer. First, though, this track.

Tim: FIRE in the video, which I got so engrossed in watching that the first time I played it the song was pretty much over by the time it had started, which was a shame, because it’s both a brilliant song and a brilliant video, and I’d happily go for another round of the verse/chorus beat.

Tom: I discovered you can sing a lot of other songs over the top of that verse. “Timber”. That 5SOS song from yesterday. That chord progression makes the verse about as generic as it can be, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing when it’s produced this well.

Tim: The lyrics tell of a man who just wants to experience life, which is entirely right, and the music provides the backing for him to do exactly that, with as much fire and excitement as is appropriate; i.e. ALL OF IT. You may be wondering if there’s some sort of symbolism to be had in the burning Eye of Providence; I felt there might be, but was buggered if I could guess what it was, so I e-mailed to ask, and was told that it “doesn’t symbolise anything or does it? ;)” So that clears that up then.

Tom: Hard hitting RESEARCH there, Tim, well done.

Tim: Oh, thank you very much. Further research brought forth details of the name you were wondering about: I’m told that two of the three Swedes that comprise the act are brothers whose surname is Fransson, and Frans is Swedish for eyelash, hence, suggested by a friend, Bros of Lash.

Tom: Oh, that’s a relief. Still, there are some connotations there, for certain.

Tim: As for Rabih, he has quite the TV contest pedigree: finalist of The Voice: Ahla Sawt 2014 (i.e. Arab World), 7th placed in Swedish Idol 2009 and contestant of Sweden’s Let’s Dance 2010. Also, previously featured on these pages, as part of a double act.

Information dump over, THIS TRACK IS LOVELY.

Alesso feat. Tove Lo – Heroes

“Well, that’s a near-perfect dance track.”

Tim: New track here off Swedish dance producer Alesso; play it please.

Tom: Well, that’s a near-perfect dance track.

Tim: It is, though I’ve one caveat: I’m sure it’s entirely coincidental, but that backing line is very, very similar to Music to Make The Boys Cry.

Tom: And “we could be heroes” is sort of David Bowie’s shtick.

Tim: And while that’s a great track, this similarity is a tad annoying, because I don’t really want to think about crying when I’m dancing. On the other hand, it really wouldn’t stop me dancing much, and everything else about this track is great, so actually I’m not all that bothered.

Tom: Maybe it’s just my headphones or the YouTube compression, but I could use a bit more bass: there’s a whole load of low frequencies that seem to be mostly ignored. But when the rest of it sounds this good, I can’t complain.

Tim: GOOD TRACK.

Saturday Flashback: Porter Robinson – Sea of Voices

“It’s five minutes long, and most of it’s build, but…”

Tom: I need you to listen to this one without distraction, Tim. Headphones on, sit back, and listen. It’s five minutes long, and most of it’s build, but…

Tom: …it has been a long, long time since a song has made me exclaim out loud, and this did that. That build, that drop, everything, absolutely bloody everything to do with this.

Tim: Good lord, man, do you need to go somewhere to clean yourself up now?

Tom: Oh, come on, compared to the gushing praise you’ve given tracks before, that’s practically restrained.

Tim: Maybe, though I do often need to go and clean myself up. You’re right, it is very nice. Pretty, almost. The sort of music a developer might use in a trailer to show off the beautiful artwork in a new game.

Tom: Ouch, that’s harsh. It’s pretty good to listen on its own.

Tim: Oh, it’s in no way a criticism – actually meant as a compliment, because some trailers are lovely.

Tom: Porter Robinson dropped this, his own track, in the middle of his two-hour, astonishing, genre-clashing Essential Mix a few weeks ago, and it’s been haunting me since. I don’t even want to listen to it too much, in case it spoils the magic. Right now, listening to it as I write this, it sent shivers up my spine one more time, and I don’t want it to lose that ability.

Tim: Hmm. I see exactly why it would do that, and why you’d feel that. Can’t say it grabs me in exactly the same manner, but I’ll grant you it’s a very nice listen.

Tom: This isn’t dancefloor EDM — this is the pinnacle of electronic music as art, and it’s beautiful.

Tim: This is not just music. This is Porter Robinson music.

3Logy – The Banjo

Just as good as Wake Me Up.

Tim: Let’s pretend we plan this sort of thing in advance and follow up from the past couple of days with this. Much like Wednesday, it’s Norwegian and a tad silly, and like yesterday it features a typically irritating instrument.

Tom: “Play that banjo” and “lose control” are not really phrases that go together.

Tim: The verses are comprised of entirely standard and generic lyrics, and then we hit the chorus and start singing rapturously about the banjo. Because, in this age of farmhouse music, that’s exactly what we’re meant to do. Is it silly? Of course it is. Does that stop it being a decent track? Not really, no.

Tom: It’s a moderately good track, sure, but ‘standard and generic’ still sums it up — apart from that banjo part, which admittedly sets it apart.

Tim: If you get your kicks listening to Avicii’s Wake Me Up, then as far as I can tell this is just as good so you should be fine.

Tom: What the hell? No it’s not. It’s no Wake Me Up. It follows the same formula, but in much the same way as a 1980s Lada follows the same “four wheels and a steering wheel” formula as a Porsche.

Tim: Maybe, but wherever you gets Porsches, you’re going to get Ladas – this is what society gets if it starts embracing genre mix-ups, isn’t it. SLIPPERY SLOPE. You only have yourselves to blame, all of you.

Tim: But anyway, the intro also sounds a bit like Aqua’s My Oh My, and that’s always a bonus.

Zedd feat. Foxes – Clarity

“A big, brash dance CHOON, for it is indeed one of those”

Tim: Yes, I know, this track’s eighteen months old, but in that time Foxes has gone from being ‘Who?’ to ‘Oh, her.’

Tom: And Zedd’s done the same, thanks to that collaboration with Hayley Williams.

Tim: So, let’s cash in on that with a re-release.

Tim: Some say a re-release is cheating, of a sort, because you’re not doing any extra work but you’re hoping to get a whole lot more cash from it. Others would argue quite whether there’s actually such a thing as a re-release in the era of downloads, when songs from a full century ago are still just a few clicks away.

Tom: I was expecting that to be a comedy click, but you’re right: any of those could make it to the top 40.

Tim: Well, at least in theory. But whatever the thoughts are, I’m not bothered, because it’s given us another opportunity to have a chat about this song, which is bloody brilliant. An initially understated first verse, soon building and then giving way to a big, brash dance CHOON (for it is indeed one of those) of an instrumental chorus.

Tom: That’s what Zedd’s good at: EDM choons with strong, repetitive female vocals. It’s odd for a producer like this to break through into the full mainstream: for every Zedd, there are literally tens of thousands of home producers who just didn’t get there. But yes: big, brash.

Tim: Quiet bits return, as is their wont in a structured track, but throughout this is a very very good track, and deserves a release for it to get higher than the 29 it reached last time. Let’s just check…ah. 31. Oh well.

Tiësto feat. Matthew Koma – Wasted

“Dancey, singable, and most of all just fun.”

Tim: Turns out that Icona Pop/Tiësto track is just an album track, at least for the time being; this here is the current single, just out, with a video featuring a load of posh girls getting pissed. Sound good?

Tom: It ain’t my idea of a good time, but let’s hope the music’s decent.

Tim: Sounds good, and I can’t help but be reminded of Ida Maria’s 2008 insta-classic, I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked.

Tom: Possibly because of that connection, I assumed that the vocalist was female — Matthew’s range is relatively high. Got to admit I prefer the melody here, though.

Tim: Mostly because there’s a lot more of it, yes, and so I reckon those two would work quite well in conjunction. As well as this being a narrative prequel, it works well stylistically too – this here is a track you’d dance to in a club or at a party, singing along pleasantly when you’re bored of talking. Then, you get home/up to a room, and you don’t really care what music you’ve got on as long as its loud and energetic.

Tom: Welp, there’s slightly too much information about your sex life.

Tim: You know me, I like to share. This is a damn good track – dancey, singable, or at least chantable, and most of all just fun.

Tom: Agreed: not quite sure about the verses, but who cares when the chorus is that good?

Tim: Right, and we don’t get many songs that are just fun, so this is nice. Well done everyone.

Tube & Miller feat. Szen – Winding Road

“How about some full-on summer trance?”

Tom: How about some full-on summer trance, Tim?

Tim: BRING IT.

Tim: Oh, you BROUGHT IT. That’s glorious.

Tom: The middle two minutes of this track, as far as I’m concerned, are wonderful. Full-on CHOON, albeit based mostly on the melody rather than the production.

Tim: I disagree – I think the production has just as much to do with it, because yes, the melody and singing is lovely, but the second half of that main section is has a total focus on the production, and that’s great.

Tom: It’s just the strange intro and outro section that let it go for me. I know that trance needs a stedy in and out to let DJs mix it, but it’s unrepresentative and lacklustre compared to that lovely middle bit.

Tim: Yeah – it’s curious, because typically the intro and outro bits would be substantially trimmed in a mix, so we’ve only really got a two, two and a half minute song here. Which is a shame, because I’d love more of that.

Tom: Long story short: keep the songwriter, change the production team, and maybe get a video that isn’t just timelapses of traffic.