Tag: Anton Leuba

Anton Leuba – My Heart Blows Up (Explosions)

“I think they got that beat from an early-90s Casio keyboard.”

Tim: The last time we met Anton Leuba, it came with a slightly over the top e-mail and a track that was a bit uninspiring. The PR e-mail for this track, though, blows that one out of the water, because here, “the cute love story is matched against a heavy beat and a harsh and almost hostile soundscape”.

Tom: Man, I hope someone got paid properly to write that.

Tim: Presumably – you wouldn’t write that it’s “a song about repressing your emotion and putting work first. Until your heart blows up,” unless you were getting properly remunerated would you?

Still, with that description it’s got to be worth a listen, no?

Tom: I’m not sure, but I think they got that beat from an early-90s Casio keyboard.

Tim: So it still doesn’t live up to the e-mail, but never mind, because if it had done it would have been “dressed in grimy drums and angry synthesizers” and I probably wouldn’t have liked it. This, though, I do like.

Tom: It’s not bad, but it doesn’t really get me going. The melody’s a bit monotone – although how you make a song about explosions dull I have no idea.

Tim: I wouldn’t say dull – it’s not hugely exciting, but it’s got a decent drop into the chorus, which is loud and energetic enough to dance to in a club. A nice gentle middle eight for everyone to have a quick break to, and then we’re back for a final section that’s ALL IN and PROPER.

Tom: It’s not going to light up the charts (or the YouTube hit counter, judging by its success so far) but it’s… well, it’s competent. I’ll give it that.

Anton Leuba & Distortion Unit – Machine

It’s a bit slow, isn’t it?

Tim: “Being raised on mainstream pop, [Anton] knows the rules well enough to break them.” Worth a listen?

Tom: With a healthy dose of skepticism, yes.

Tim: It apparently comes with “reggaeton-inspired verses and a kick-in-the-gut chorus”, and is about “wanting it all, giving it all, and getting it all”. Also, bear in mind that he “wrote his first song in green crayon at the age of six.”

Tim: Now, I’ve never heard any reggaeton, or even heard of its existence before now, so I can’t judge the first part.

Tom: It’s a bit slow, isn’t it?

Tim: Yeah – I’ve certainly no inclination to check out reggaeton based on these verses, but then there is that chorus, while perhaps not reaching kick-in-the-gut levels, does at least get up to tickle-on-the-tummy, so I’m all for this. It’s got quite a machine-y vibe to it, so it works on that level, and it’s varied enough that it never really gets dull.

It is definitely the choruses that make this, though, what with the slightly uninspiring verses. Those choruses are enough, though. Just about.

Tom: That sums up my thoughts: it’s a bit sparse, which is – as they say – fine if you like that sort of thing.

Tim: Anyway, he’s competing in the Metro On Stage competition, so you can vote for him here if you want. And see all the other entrants, and even submit your own should you be so inclined.