Tag: Velvet

Velvet & Therese – Heart of Glass

“What could go wrong?”

Tim: A cover of a Blondie classic from two Swedish dancepop veterans, what could go wrong?

Tom: I mean, honestly, a lot of things, but sure, let’s tempt fate. What could go wrong?

Tim: Very little, it turns out. When I first heard it, I thought “hang on, have they actually done anything to this”, but then I relistened to the original for the first time in ages and realised that it’s a lot less energetic than I remember it being, and this has taken what was there and dialled it up enormously, and it’s utterly fantastic.

Tom: Whereas I disagree: to me, this sits in that uncanny cover-valley where it’s too close to the original. We’ve lost a lot of that great bassline, we’ve lost the interesting vocals and instruments, and it’s all been replaced with something a bit more generic. It is, as Jarvis Cocker would say, like the last days of Southfork. And what’s going on with those time signatures in the outro? That’s just uncomfortable.

Tim: This may well be slight heresy, but much like The Saturdays’ cover of Just Can’t Get Enough, part of me think this is what the original should have sounded like. It’s just that good.

Tom: I agree with your heresy about the Saturdays; but this, not so much.

Saturday Flashback: Velvet – Déjà Vu

“Somewhat distracted by her outfit.”

Tim: On Tuesday, you said of Velvet: “She’s quite good, isn’t she?” Well, yes. I present a Melodifestivalen 2008 entry.

Tom: Full disclosure: during this review, I was somewhat distracted by her outfit.

Tim: I would expect nothing less. Formula-watchers will be somewhat horrified by the fact that the chorus proper doesn’t start until almost a minute in, leaving – SHOCK HORROR – no room for a proper middle eight once we’ve got the second verse/chorus out of the way as well.

Tom: That build to the first chorus makes up for it, though!

Tim: It does, but I can’t help wondering: was the lack of middle eight, and its associated crazy and original dance moves, the reason for the somewhat disappointing fifth place in the semi-final? Well, who knows.

Tom: Fifth in the semis, even with that key change? Blimey, that must have been a good Melodifestivalen.

Tim: All I’ll say right now is that the final winner was Hero, by Charlotte Perrelli. Enough said. Back to this song, what I do know is that, middle eight or not, it’s a cracking piece of work.

Velvet – Love Struck

A solid middle-of-DJ-set track.

Tom: It takes more than a minute for the beat to drop on this, but when it does, it’s worth it.

Velvet – Love Struck (Pitchline radio edit) by Cosmos Music Group

Tom: It’s not spectacular, but I reckon it’s a solid middle-of-DJ-set track that won’t make anyone leave the dancefloor. It’s by-the-numbers, but they’re very good numbers.

Tim: They are, aren’t they. Just straight-down-the-middle, this-is-what-you-dance-to stuff.

Tom: That clock-tick bridge out of the middle eight? With full speakers and lighting on a dancefloor, and a good crowd, I might even go so far as to justify ‘epic’.

Tim: Ooh, high praise indeed. I’m surprised we haven’t yet featured Velvet, despite her releasing many excellent tracks over the years, including an interesting cover of Eddy Grant’s Electric Avenue.

Tom: I’m surprised I haven’t heard of her before. She’s quite good, isn’t she?