Tag: Anna Abreu

Anna Abreu – Räjäytä Mun Mieli

“It just falls into that giant valley of ‘meh’”

Tim: BLOW MY MIND, says Anna in Finnish, and it’s…interesting.

Tim: You see there are bits in there I like, and other bits that I’m really not. That distorted accordion-ish instrumental second half of the chorus in particular really doesn’t do it for me; on the other hand the first half before it is exactly what I want to hear, and the verses are very serviceable, as far as standard pop verses go in this line of music.

Tom: Blimey, Tim, that’s a hell of a run-on sentence there.

Tim: It is, now I read it back. Sorry about that.

Tom: Yes, the accordion thing is disappointing — and sadly, so is the rest of the chorus for me. There’s nothing specifically wrong with it, it just falls into that giant valley of “meh” that alas contains far too much pop music.

Tim: Maybe, though I think it’s just that at the moment I don’t really know what to think – if it was in English I’d probably make up my mind by judging the lyrics; as it is, we don’t even have a video to judge narrative structure and the like. For the time being, then, I’m going to have to stand firmly on the fence, until we receive MORE.

Anna Abreu – Ra-ta ta-ta

“That is a stunningly bad first verse.”

Tim: Imagine someone singing a snare drum. That’s basically the chorus of Anna’s latest.

Tom: That is a stunningly bad first verse. “This is my update two point oh” would have been dated ten years ago, but now? Eugh.

Tim: Yes, a distinctly uneasy first verse (and second, but it’s okay then because you know what’s coming), but then there’s a pre-chorus that’s totally great —

Tom: Oh heavens yes. That pre-chorus is easily the best part of the song.

Tim: — and a chorus that’s unusual and possibly gimmicky the first time out, growing on you the second time and then when it’s back at the end with the electric guitar underneath? Well that’s just wonderful. PLAY IT AGAIN PLEASE. Oh, there’s a button that does that already.

Tom: Mm. I’ll admit that it did grow on me, and with a few more listens I’d probably get over the gimmick. If someone could build a song just out of that pre-chorus I’d be very happy indeed.

Tim: If only there was a button that chopped the last quarter out of the middle eight. Because we could go STRAIGHT BACK TO THAT CHORUS.

Anna Abreu – Be With You

Almost New Wave-y synths.

Tim: Now if I remember rightly you recently didn’t like it when the track title got repeated a lot. Well, good luck with this, the fourth and final release from last year’s album Rush.

Tom: Ooh, it starts well, doesn’t it? Almost New Wave-y synths on there, which is a good thing with modern pop production.

Tim: I like this, sort of. Really, actually, and right from the first few notes, because everything that’s there is great. It’s just what’s not there that’s the problem – there’s a continuing sense of build, right up to the first half of each chorus, and then it suddenly drops down, to pretty much nothing. Now that’s not really a problem – we hear anti-climaxes all the time, and I can generally cope.

Tom: That said, the first half of each chorus is lovely – almost a climax in themselves.

Tim: True, I suppose, but here that’s just not good enough. You see, here we have those three underlying notes, repeating. To me, they sound like the ticking of a bomb hidden somewhere in a car. You can’t see the timer, so you don’t know when it’ll happen, but you know it’ll explode. Even when (perhaps especially when) there’s just the very calm ‘just want to be with you’ over them, those notes could go off at any time. And you know they will go off. The song will go from ‘good’ to ‘immense’, because of that inevitable explosion. There’s just no way it can’t. Except, it doesn’t. And I think that’s a bit rubbish.

Tom: I think we need a new category on this blog: “Musical Blueballs”.

Tim: Hmm. Can’t quite see that getting picked up by mainstream music journalists, but it’ll do for us.

Anna Abreu – Stereo

Lesbian antics, dancing and gambling nuns.

Tim: Last time we met, if I remember correctly, you asked of me, “Tim, why aren’t there more Swedish music videos featuring a combination of lesbian antics, dancing and gambling nuns.”

Tom: You don’t remember correctly – but I do enjoy all those things, so I’ll run with it.

Tim: Really? You couldn’t just have said, “Why yes, Tim, I did. Why do you think it is?” Anyway, it seems Anna Abreu is here to answer the question you didn’t ask: because they’d all be bloody weird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMQT5B3quto

Tim: I mean really, what is going on here. This is all getting a bit ridiculous, isn’t it. Anyway, music, I suppose, is all dancy and fun.

Tom: There’s a bit of Pet Shop Boys influence in there, I think – although that might just be the bell sample reminding me of some track of theirs.

Tim: Yeah, well maybe, but I really can’t focus much on the music what with that video still in my head. What on earth, please, was going through the mind of whoever came up with that?

Tom: I don’t know, but I’m trying to work out a “bad habit” pun now. You know? Habits? They’re what nuns wear.

Tim: Yes, they are. And?

Tom: Oh, suit yourself.

Tim: The lyrics are basically her ranting to an ex-lover about how he crushed her and tore her soul to shreds and all that usual rubbish, but here we’ve got her singing and dancing like there’s not a trouble in the world.

Tom: Which I’m not sure that chorus really deserves. It does go on a bit, doesn’t it?

Tim: Bloody silly, it really is. I demand a return to sensible videos.

Anna Abreu – Hysteria

Now, this is proper pop.

Tim: Despite only coming third, this lady is the most successful artist to come out of Finnish Pop Idol. Here’s an example of why.

Tom: She sounds just a bit like Cascada. Just a bit.

Tim: Now, this is proper pop – it has loud music, loud singing, lots of ‘oh-oh-oh’s and just generally lots of fun. After the first verse it never really calms down, and I don’t have much of a problem with that.

Tom: It’s a long first verse, and I couldn’t actually tell when it transitioned into the chorus. I’m assuming it was at the bizarre Casio keyboard tom-tom fill.

Tim: Somewhere around that, but does it matter exactly? It’s plenty vibrant enough anywhere, and while it could perhaps do with something new happening towards the end, it’s got so much to it already there’s not a lot that could be added without breaking music.

Tom: I’d actually cut it a bit – it does go on.

Tim: You think? Normally with a song like this I’d be the first one to hurry it along to finish, but even at four minutes it doesn’t seem too long, partly because there isn’t any filler there – there isn’t even really an instrumental part of the bridge that could be cut.

Tom: I disagree, but it’s not like I’d leave a dancefloor in disgust if it came on.

Tim: Well, I think: top notch.