Monday, May 28, 2007

If You're Looking For Vegas...


Last year Canadian radio was buzzing with a track from new artist 'Bianca' and her debut single 'Vegas.'

For a couple months you couldn't listen to the radio without hearing the song... it was a fun, upbeat summer track that was great to blast while driving out in the summer.

Turns out Bianca is an American singer who started out in Canada, where pop music is generally more accepted than down in the US. But despite the early success, the song never made a big impact in the charts and her album sold about 15 copies!

So we may never hear from Bianca again... but here is her fun, summer tune - Vegas.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Tell Me It's Not Worth The Chance We Take...

I'm starting a new feature called "Shoulda Been a Single..." where I'll feature an album track that SHOULD have been released as a single. Record companies often make poor choices when it comes to single selection. Sometimes a band will let fans have the rare chance of selecting the next single themselves!

I'll start with a song I LOVED back when I heard it a few years ago. You may remember Lee Ryan from Uk boy band - Blue. His solo album was released back in 2005 with mild success and a bunch of boring singles were released that no one will ever remember.

This song is probably the best track on the entire album and was never released! His voice, the melody, the lyrics...

Lee Ryan - Jump

It Shoulda Been a Single!

*If you have any songs that you feel should have been a single lemme know!

Play It For The Boys?


I loved Dannys first single 'Tokyo,' I bought it when I was in Sweden and danced to it in the clubs...

But I've finally had a chance to hear his second single "Play It For The Girls" and I'm really dissapointed. The track isn't very catchy, the lyrics are boring and I find the whole thing to be a little annoying. Not to mention how immensely gay he is and yet he talks about Paula and all the other girls he's gonna set free with his love. I think I'm gonna be sick.


Judge for yourself...



For those of yu who hadn't had the chance to hear his debut single I'll include a link to it as well...

Danny - Tokyo

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Loud Pipes Save Lives


I was just about to post the new single from E-type - True Believer ... But i've just been introduced to a new blog and he already has it here at PopUnlimited.

So head over to my new friends blog and check out 'True Believer' which has already stormed up the charts in Sweden

While this track definitely isn't as good as some of his past singles, ie. Life & Paradise, it's still good; I think. I'm not sure what I think about it really. I need more time with it! It would have been nice to hear him try something different. this one seems to sound too much like everything he always does. Nevertheless it's still an upbeat euro-dance track that is already storming up various Swedish airplay charts.


Here is another E-type single for you to enjoy as well!

E-type - Life

Stand By For... Mans Zelmerlow


The wait is over... Mans has arrived! This album is on my MUST BUY albums of the year... So while I will post three tracks from the album for a limited time only, I implore you to purchase his album if you like what you hear.








Purchase the album - HERE
OOohh Check out MANS new single LIVE!


If The Stars Fell From The Sky... I'll Be Here With You Forever...

First off sorry for my lack of posts lately... I was sick and lazy, but i'm all better now!

Yesterday I went online to discover that pop music has taken two more hits with the break up of two more bands this week. Today I dedicate a post to one of them...

Liberty X


I know most people won't care about the break up of Liberty X, but this is a band who deserves some respect for their achievements.

The band was formed back in 2001 on the Uk tv show - Popstars. The show that formed 'Hear'Say.' Liberty X were actually the runners up, coming in 2nd place. After the show the 5 decided they would stay together and form 'Liberty,' the bands original name. The name referred to the fact that they were free from the contractual restraints that 'Hear'Say' would be placed under.

Soon after 'Liberty' began releasing music the problems started. After 2 singles the band were sued by another band who had been popular in the early 90's who were also called 'Liberty.' After a court case the judge agreed that the new 'Liberty' would have to change their name. After 5 months out of the spotlight the new name was announced and the 5some went on as 'Liberty X.'

As a positive, in the 5 months that the court case went on, Liberty X had a chance to record their next three singles! When 'Just A Little' was released at the start of 2002 it went on to become one of the 10 best selling singles of 2002 in the Uk.

After 5 hit singles from their debut album, the band soon released their 2nd album and the first single 'Being Nobody' which was a collaboration with immensely successful producer Richard X. Being Nobody reached number 3 in the charts and the second single 'Jumpin' reached number 6.

Soon things began to change. Despite being their strongest album to date, the album stalled in the charts at #12 and the 3rd single coming in at #13. It became clear that the record label 'V2' was unhappy with the results of the last album and the group went on hiatus.

For the next year each of the band members focused on solo projects. Perhaps this did more to tarnish their image as band members took part in cheesy reality shows like "The Games," "Celebrity Wrestling," and "Come Ice Skating."

In Mid-2005 the band announced they had split with V2 and as a result had lost the rights to songs they had recorded for their 3rd album, including a song with Richard X. The band had to write new material for the 3rd album. The first single was the amazing 'Song 4 Lovers' which was still owned by V2 and was a duet with Rev Run of Run DMC. The song was an immediate hit and was another top 5 hit for the band.

Unfortunately the success didn't last. The album which included 4 old singles, the new single and a previously released b-side was ravaged by critics. The album peaked at #27 in the album charts. The band refused to give up and soon released "A Night To Remember" as the official Children in Need single for charity. The track was another top ten for the band.

Despite the lack of album sales the band were convinced they still had a chance at success. The band took a 6 month break and re-launched in July with a fan-favorite single - 'X.' Unfortunately, while the single was spectacular, the track received little or no airplay and the video was entirely made up of cheesy computer effects. The song failed to even make the top 40, their worst charting in 5 years. Unknown to the public, the album was re-released with the singles 'A Night To Remember' and 'X.'

On May 21st the band announced they would be splitting up and would not record together as a band again.

It's dissapointing that a band with so much talent and promise has to end on such a low note. Once one of the biggest acts in the Uk, most people won't even care about the split. It's clear that pop music has changed and unfortuntely not for the better. So while most people won't even notice the loss of Liberty X, I'm taking a moment to remember the good times and celebrate this band for what they did in the 6 years they were together.


The song that exploded their career and made leather and canes hot.


This song is hard hitting and the lyrics are extremely catchy. The band plays the girls off the boys perfectly. The track has an anthemic feel to it. While this song was their worst performing single to date, it was one of my all time favorite Liberty X songs.


This was recorded with Kool & The Gang for Uk television show 'Discomania' and was also released as a single in France.


This track is beautiful. I remember being put off by the rapping bits in the middle, but I think it's really interesting how you can take such an uplifting track and put so many different elements in it and still make it work. "There's a song 4 lovers you can hear all the time..." I love the breakdown at about 2:50 when they slow things down and add the choir and the hand clap.


An album track from 'Being Somebody' it was always one of my favorite tracks. I found that ever track experimented with really unique sounds for a pop song. You'll know what I mean when you listen to this one.


This is the perfect song to end a post on the split of Liberty X. Again it was an album track from their 2nd album and probably the best slower track they ever did. Again I love the unique sounds that are used in these songs. I also love the guys vocals on the second verse. The guys in Liberty X are extremely talented.

Monday, May 14, 2007

From London to Berlin... Helsinki on To Prague... Don't Matter Where We Are...


Many blogs and magazines continue their critisism of the the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest. While the winner prepares her tour across Europe various countries start to plan for 2008. For some countries the question isn't who will represent them, but whether or not they will even bother to enter.

Fans of the ESC have spent the last 5 months getting excited about the event. Personally I had the chance to go to Sweden and watch Melodifestivalen live at the Globen in Stockholm. It's been a great year and although there has been some dissapointments along the way there is always next year.

So to commemorate the end of Eurovision 2007 I'll leave you all with this AMAZING version of one of the best entries of the year.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Don't Deny Yourself... Come As You Are...

Beverley Knight
I've had the pleasure of seeing Beverley Knight open up live for 'Take That' on their reunion tour in the Uk last year and seeing her at Party in the Park in 2004. I had heard of Beverley Knight back in 2002 when she released Shoulda Woulda Coulda but was never really interested in her until I heard "Come As You Are." The song is a high energy pop/rock track that has a big hand clapping section right at the bridge! Who doesn't love a good hand clapping!

Most people would be suprised to hear that Beverley Knight has been around for 12 years now! She released her debut album back in 1995! The album was released on a small independent label and was called 'the best British soul album ever' and resulted in Beverley winning a handful of music awards in the Uk. Despite the ciritcal success the album only managed to reach #145 on the charts!

In 1997 Beverly parted with the record label and signed with Parlophone records in an attempt to achieve commercial. Her second album was released in 1998 and peaked at #42 in the charts. Again Beverley was hailed by critics everywhere. Her album was given reviews like 'A joy to hear...' and Beverley continued to win awards eveywhere.

In 2001 Beverley finally achieved the commercial success that had been eluding her. Her 3rd album 'Who I Am' was released soon after the single "Shoulda Woulda Coulda" which reached #10 on the singles chart. The album was so successful it ended up being re-realeased twice! While the critics were divided on their response to this album, Beverley continued to be nominated for many presigious awards in 2002.

In 2003 Beverly attempted to break into the mainstream market by working with pop producers like Guy Chambers. The album and single were released in 2004 and became her biggest to date with the single entering at #9 and the album at #11! The single 'Come As You Are' was a much more mainstream pop sound that alienated Knight's largely urban fan base and the song was not well received by urban radio. Compared to her previous albums, 'Affirmation' was panned by urban critics. Magazines accused Beverley of selling out and being manipulated by her record label. Beverley responded by saying 'Everything I've done musically has been completely me. I write my own songs so I'm not just a vocalist who can easily be dictated to."

Since then Beverley continues to branch out. She released a greatest hits album in 2006 and joined Take That on their reunion tour. This week Beverley releases her 6th album to date.


-Amazing Pop/Rock track with a fun hand clapping section in the middle!
-The infamous Robyn cover
-Live from her Greatest Hits tour, this is a touchign Robbie Williams cover


Wednesday, May 09, 2007

I Save My Pride


The first time I ever heard of BWO was when a friend of mine sent be the mp3 for 'Conquering America' back when it was a single acouple years ago now. Immediately I looked up information about the band that was 'Bodies Without Organs.'


I remember watching all their videos online and being mesmerized by how odd each of their videos were and how each track was even more catchy than the one before. It wasn't long before I had ordered their debut album! From there, after a name change to the simple BWO, all of the world watched as they competed in Melodifestivalen 2006 with the amazing 'Temple Of Love.' That was followed by their 2nd album 'Halcycon Days.'


What I love about BWO is that this act has real talent; they write and produce their own music. They're unapologetically camp and not afraid to be un-cool! And like I mentioned before, their music videos are really really weird!!


This year BWO return with their 3rd studio album and a brand new single. 'Save My Pride' is actually an Alcazar cover which they made MUCH better, but you can hear it now for yourself!

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

This Is The Remix - Part 2

Hopefully you all enjoyed Part. 1 of my favorite remixes.
Now I'll post the second half. Hopefully you'll find a few new favorites to add to your lists!


This is what happens when you take a boring album track and turn it into something really special. The lyrics to this song are amazing! This definitely should have been released as a single.

I know what you're thinking... Nick Lachey?! But honestly this remix is fun! It spices the track up a little bit.

I don't know much about these guys. They're a dance act that have done a lot of remixes for other artists in the past. This track really makes me want to get up and dance.


After Eric Prydz hit the top of the charts with "Call On Me," sampling 80's tracks has become an international phenomenon.

I LOVE THIS SONG! Rachel's second album was pure pop perfection. I can't wait to see if she returns to music soon. She deserved so much more success than she saw as a solo artist.

Does anyone else remember this song? Released back in 1997/1998 it was an international hit for Robert Miles and vocalist Maria Nayler. This track brings back memories of me listening to "The World Chart Show" on my radio as a teenager. Before the internet, that was the only way one had to find out about music in other countries.

What a voice!

Still one of my favorite songs of 2007! This is a great remix. Sanna is going on tour this summer in Sweden with fellow Melodifestivalen contestant Sonja Alden!


This remix makes this song 10 times better. If you ever liked the original, you'll love this!
Remixing a dramatic track like You Raise Me Up? I had doubts when I heard they'd remixed it... but they did a nice job!

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Mes Courants Electriques...

Alizee

In 1999 Alizee was discovered by french superstar - Mylene Farmer after winning a french talent show. Since her launch in 2000 she has become a huge success in France and internationally. In 2001 she was the best selling french female singer in the world. To date she has released two albums, her debut "Gourmandises" and her second album "Mes Courantes Electriques."

Since her marrige in 2003 Alizee has stepped out of the spotlight but a comeback is curerntly in the works. In late 2006 it was announced that she has cut ties with Mylene Farmer and is currently working on a 3rd album with her husband.

On her 2nd album Alizee translated 4 tracks to english in order to reach new markets. Personally I feel like the tracks lose something in translation. First of all, whoever translated the lyrics did a direct translation and the lyrics end up being complete nonsense... and the songs just dont sound as good in English. Below are some of my favorite Alizee tracks; select tracks are also in english for you to compare.

Alizee - J'en ai marre! or in English: Alizee - I'm Fed Up

Alizee - J'ai pas vingt ans! or in Enligh: Alizee - I'm Not 20

Alizee - A Contre-Courant

Alizee - L'Alize

Alizee - Moi... Lolita

Alizee - Hey! Amigo!

In 2004 Alizee embarked on a massively succesful tour and released it on cd/dvd. Below are some ACE excepts from the tour! This girl can sing! Seeing the songs live makes me like her even more!






Tuesday, May 01, 2007

DA BUZZ ARE BACK!

Da Buzz
Today is a HAPPY day!

If you don't know Da Buzz you've been living under a rock somewhere. This band has been around for over 7 years now! Their cd's are pop treasures filled to the brim with hard hitting tunes. Their summer tours are historic across Sweden!

Summer 2007 Da Buzz will kick off yet another summer tour and release their 6th studio album! I seriously can't wait!

Their new single is being released tomorrow and has already hit the chart based on downloads alone... now you get to hear it first here at 'You Don't Know Pop'

This new track is spectacular. One of the biggest arguments I've heard against Da Buzz is that all their songs sound the same. While I admit their songs have a distinct "Da Buzz" sound, they are all different in their own way. Luckily this new single is different from anything I've ever heard from them! A perfect song in tiem for the sun and beach!