Category: Electropop

Giorgio Moroder feat. Britney Spears – Tom’s Diner

“What?”

Tom: I was looking through the list of upcoming singles, spotted this, and let out an audible “what?”.

Tim: Erm, yeah. What’s going on?

Tom: Because Tom’s Diner is one of the canonical capital-T Tracks. It’s where that sample came from. You know the one. It’s an acapella that was used to tweak the original MP3 algorithm, for crying out loud. And suddenly it’s being covered by one of the greats of electronic music, featuring one of the greats of pop on vocals.

Tom: And the result is… well, it could be worse, it’s no Madonna’s American Pie. It ticks every box that you could want for: Moroder’s production is pretty much flawless, Britney’s vocals, filtered through all the robotic synths, seem similarly perfect.

Tim: They do – as an electropop cover of that track, it’s great. You’ve still got the melody from the vocals, fleshed out very well indeed by the production. Like you say, pretty much flawless.

Tom: The trouble is: removed from that original, acapella production, the lyrics and melody just sound trite. They always were, but they were in such a folk-song context, decades old now, that it seemed okay. And now: there’s something a little bit Fast Food Rockers about it. Which is a shame.

Tim: Hmm…I disagree somewhat – you’re right about them sounding trite, but the production is good enough that that’s not so much of a problem. It’s certainly no worse than the original, and I reckon it’s not as bad as it seems you think the Fast Food Rockers were. I’m enjoying it. For a bit, before it gets too repetitive, anyway.

NGHT – Redefine

“Space Disco. Enjoy.”

Tim: New in the Europlop inbox, NGHT (no idea on the pronunciation of that) are a new project from some of the members of The Ark, off Eurovision and much other Swedish success.

Tom: I’m going to choose to pronounce it as a sort of strangled scream. Nghhht.

Tim: Extra guff tells that they take inspiration from New Order and The Human League, and they reckon they’ve got a Galantis-style sound. Saving the best for last, we have a new genre: Space Disco. Enjoy.

Tom: That’s not a new genre, that’s the worst excesses of the 80s. Oh dear.

Tom: Yep. Worst excesses of the 80s, repackaged for the nostalgia-heavy 10s.

Tim: Okay so first off we need to talk about those lyrics, because I don’t know what the sod they’re going on about with heads full of lead, technocolour blindness or synergy becoming the enemy.

The chorus kind of makes sense, or at least it would if this came across as a usual boy to girl song, except with stuff like spinning wheels having new deals I can’t help feeling a bit like they’re trying to redefine actual humanity.

It’s a laudable goal, I guess, since you clearly think there’s something wrong with it, but while pop music is very powerful and important, there really are better mediums to use.

Tom: They’re not so much nonsensical as anti-sensical. That’s a word, right? As for the music: I don’t know. Yes, it ticks all the boxes needed for the 80s-revival that’s going on, and that will continue to go on about every ten years from now until the heat death of the universe, but it’s not actually all that entertaining.

Tim: That aside, it’s a whole lot more of an interesting lyric video than yesterday, and musically it’s exactly what it’s setting out to be, so I’ll have it; I just can’t help feeling that they’re aiming a bit high.

KOLAJ – The Touch

“Oh! I didn’t expect that beat to kick in”

Tim: KOLAJ are a new pairing of two people calling themselves Teesa and Mighty Mike, who’ve both worked with a variety of musicians in one way or another recently; now they’re getting together, though, and releasing this lovely debut.

Tom: Oh! I didn’t expect that beat to kick in half way through the first verse.

Tim: It’s a lovely fusion of genres – the electropop that makes up the verses seems a little standard, almost, especially with the breathiness of the chorus vocals, but then the big electric guitar on top of that post-chorus gives it that first indication that something else is happening.

Tom: Yep, without that I think it’d be lost — and even with it, I don’t think there’s enough going on in the early parts of the song.

Tim: You could be right there, but then when every part is more or less just piled on top of another in the middle eight and closing, well, it’s just marvellous really, isn’t it? It’s a glorious track, showing an incredibly amount of promise, and I can only hope that any future releases will be as on point.

Sherpa – Broken

“That’s a statement.”

Tim: Sherpa’s Danish, and this is a song by him, and listen to it all before you read the rest of this please because you’ll see why.

https://soundcloud.com/sherpamusicdk/broken

Tim: So normally I’m not so keen on a fade-out ending, but, well, that’s not just any fade-out ending. That’s a statement – very much a proper “I’ve made my point, and now I’d like you to think about it please” a bit like when films have something going on during the end credits to keep people hanging around and in the zone.

Tom: If it wasn’t for that chorus, that beautiful soaring vocal on the chorus, I’d have been wondering exactly what that statement is. But what a brilliant chorus. And then, yes, there’s that fade-out.

Tim: And as far as that goes, I think it’s a brilliant feature, especially since by the time it starts we’re already thinking “okay, where’ll you go from here”.

Tom: Yep, it’s pretty full-on. I’m still not convinced by those verses, but there’s so much going on — and so much in the rest of it — that I don’t think I really mind.

Tim: Helps, of course, that the production is fantastic (though I don’t think it would have hurt to have those drums in a bit sooner), which means it also provides that extra bonus of a fade-out: making you want to push play again. Because I do.

SILVA – É Preciso Dizer

“It mostly washes over me.”

Tom: Another one in from CB in Brazil here, who describes it as “Brazilian synthpop done right”. Now, to be fair, I’ve never heard Brazilian synthpop done wrong, or indeed at all, so I’m not sure what to expect here.

Tom: Now, we’ve talked about music like this before. It mostly washes over me, as indeed this has, but you tend to get excited about it. What d’you reckon?

Tim: Not so much this time – it’s nice, sure, but this isn’t one I find myself getting excited about – the chorus instrumental melody is fairly simplistic, and the lyrics and verses don’t really do anything for me. I don’t think it’s a language barrier thing, as that’s never presented a problem before, so it might just be a sense of almost tedium.

Tom: That’s a shame: there’s clearly potential here.

Tim: I get a feeling, especially in the final vocal section coming up to the three minute mark that there’s just a sensation of “okay, let’s just keep the words coming, almost there now”. Doesn’t really do it for me, unfortunately.

The Voice and the Snake – Children of the Sun

“Pet Shop Boys album track.”

Tom: Our reader, Michelle, sends us this bit of synthpop, writing: “It’s got a very Pet Shop Boys melodic chorus hook, and the general tone also brings to mind Depeche Mode and Colony 5.”

Tim: Sounds fun. Anything else of note?

Tom: You might know the producer, Ricardo Autobahn, from the Golden Age of Video.

Tim: I remember that! It was very entertaining. I have high hopes for this.

Tom: Michelle’s right: it’s got a very Pet Shop Boys style about it — but it’s a “Pet Shop Boys album track”. I was all ready to dismiss it, but then that guitar (or perhaps even keytar, who knows?) came in for the middle eight, and suddenly I found myself rather liking it.

Tim: I actually really liked it from the get go, but that might be because I’ve been watching back to back episodes of 24 all day and so am in a rather excitable mood. To be honest I’d be good with anything that’s vaguely energetic, which this is, in spades. Helpfully melodic and well produced as well, which just added to it.

Tom: I was ready for that final chorus to be explosive, though, and didn’t quite get there: it was like the track had been dialled back down. Missed opportunity, I think, but all in all not a bad track.

Tim: There, I will agree with you – that was the one disappointing moment, which is a shame because it’s that single moment that has the potential to be jaw-dropping as well. Still, the rest of it, right from the first notes, is very good, so I won’t complain about that.

Boy With Strings – Play Pretend

Quiet, downtempo stuff

Tom: Occasionally, we’ll get a track suggestion in from someone who’s blatantly trying to “astroturf” — to create a fake grassroots movement, and to promote a track while pretending they’re not involved.

Not this time: in the box asking for their thoughts on the track, Saara writes “well, I wrote the lyrics and my friend who sings it is fabulous. So I am a bit biased but I think it is awesome”.

Now, to manage your expectations: “cold and cool, with looped violins” is the shtick. This is quiet, downtempo stuff here, so Saara may well have misjudged who to send this to.

Tom: Because all I can think is, that’s one hell of an introduction. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that FULL-ON PERCUSSION ain’t the aim here, but it gave me the feeling of experiencing the beginning of a track without the end.

Tim: I spent the first two and half minutes of song worried that I’d not be able to describe it as anything other than ‘remarkably dull’, because my word I couldn’t really have been interested if I’d put every bit of energy I had into it. The pause where you think something’s about to drop, and then absolutely nothing doe? That’s just cruel. Two minutes twenty-six, though, and it picks up, slightly.

Tom: There are some lovely moments in here: the multitracked “make-up” and “shake-up” in the first verse are wonderful, and the last minute or so is gorgeous. But our ears are trained for CLUB BANGERS and DROPS, Tim; I’m left wanting a kick-in that never actually arrives.

Tim: Right – the later part with the deep vocals and heavier strings is alright, and typing whilst listening to that part I’m currently finding quite enjoyable. The first part, though, I just found tedious.

Tom: But that said: my word, this is some gorgeously produced, ethereal indie-pop here. If that’s what you’re looking for, you could do a lot worse.

Eurotix – I Plead Insanity

‘A slight “you could’ve varied that bit, maybe?” feeling.’

Tim: Says the e-mail, “We’re an 80’s retro synthpop/italo disco project from Sweden.” Succinct, you’ll agree, but also accurate.

Tom: Very accurate. Have you noticed how there aren’t many 90s retro acts? The 80s had a sound all to itself, whereas the 90s were more a prototype for the pop we still have around today.

Tim: Very true, and this song really does emulate that sound well – a while back I bought a Ministry of Sound Electric 80s compilation, and this could easily be one of the lead tracks on it. Is it good for that? Yes, it is, and it also comes with hints of BWO in there which is always pleasant.

Tom: I agree with all that, although at four minutes it does seem to outstay its welcome a bit.

Tim: You’re right, and I think that’s because while that hook is memorable and easy to grasp, it does mean that I’m left with a slight “you could’ve varied that bit, maybe?” feeling. Still, it’s a decent hook, the production’s very good and we can’t ask for a whole lot more. Maybe just a little less.

Erasure – Loving Man

“It doesn’t have a Big Pop Hook anywhere.”

Tom: It seems like every band’s chucking out a Christmas album this year in an attempt to rake in the cash. And Erasure, who’ve been going for nearly thirty years now, have provided with a new Christmas album called “Snow Globe”.

The first single is called Gaudete, and it’s an electro cover of a traditional Latin hymn. It’s also a bit dull, as are most of their Christmas covers, so instead here’s something a bit more, well, a bit more pop.

Tom: It doesn’t have a Big Pop Hook anywhere — have you noticed how all Top 40 songs are all about the hook now? — and so it feels more like the album track it is rather than the big single.

Tim: I don’t know, maybe not a Big Pop Hook, but it’s a got recognisable chorus line to it, and the “I’ll be your loving man” is fairly memorable. And it a good way – it’s decent, even if it is just a hook with a small h.

Tom: But it is a lovely album track, even if it is sitting oddly between much more calm Christmas fare.

Orion – Beginning of My Heartbreak

“For your delectation, a cracking synth tune.”

Tim: For your delectation, a cracking synth tune.

https://soundcloud.com/oriononline/beginning-of-my-heartbreak

Tom: Crikey, that’s good.

Tim: Or, to put it more precisely, a cracking synth tune somewhat in need of a vocal. Last time we looked at Orion, I wanted an instrumental version; now, I want a vocal on this.

Don’t get me wrong – as a synth line, it’s good. It’s very good indeed. But it’s a backing track. That build and then release at around 2:30? Great, but imagine how much better it would with someone singing their heart out on top of that.

Tom: Now, I was all set to disagree with you during the first minute of the track, but you’re right: there’s not enough variety in here (let’s face it, the melody is pretty simplistic) to sustain four and a half minutes.

Tim: In the SoundCloud comments, it’s been compared to various tracks by Vangelis (composer of, amongst others, Chariots of Fire and the phenomenal Conquest of Paradise, though that one’s nothing like this track). That’s not remotely unfair, as there are a lot of similar elements, but part of me thinks that there’s still room for more.

Of course, I could be wrong – maybe there’ll be a release with words stuck on the top and it’ll sound awful, in which case I’d be begging for this back again. Either way, as the composerer, Orion has done a fantastic job, and if there’s a singer out there he fancies teaming up with, why not give it a go?