Love And Rockets - So Alive

Taking their name from one of the coolest comic books ever, former Bauhaus members David Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins formed Love And Rockets after the split of the band that was rightfully considered "the godfathers of goth". With Love And Rockets they removed themselves from their goth roots and went for a more pop-oriented sound that found its reward in the T. Rex-inspired "So Alive" in 1989 which became a huge hit. It still sounds awesome, more or less as cool as pop music can possibly become.

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My fabulous Prefab Sprout playlist streams now

Prefab Sprout, or rather Paddy McAloon, is back with a wonderful new album called Crimson/Red. To celebrate I have compiled an amazing playlist for Norwegian streaming company WiMP featuring 50 Prefab Sprout songs, including a few from the new album. I have also written an article (in Norwegian), so if you're not fluent in my language you should access Google Translate. Or not. Anyway, click on the link below to go to the actual playlist, featuring close to three and a half hours of some of the most beautiful pop music ever written. It's worth your while.

Playlist

 

Frk. Fryd - Blod & Honning

Frk. Fryd er et ungt jenteband fra Stavanger som spiller dødsfet rock som definitivt flytter på seg. Her er spor av både MC5 og Stooges, Sonic Youth og Pixies, bråkerock fra to tidsaldre altså. Frk. Fryd er derimot bråkejenter av i dag, og den utsøkt melodiøse "Blod & Honning" er i ferd med å få en viss oppmerksomhet. Den er utgitt som digital single, og er dessuten med på jentenes ferske digitale EP Tell dine skritt igjen. Frk. Fryd er for øvrig Urørt-band, og lar deg laste ned noen gratis låter her. Disse jentene får vi høre mer fra!

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Gwen Sebastian - The Fox (Ylvis cover)

Ylvis' comedy song "The Fox" har become a worldwide phenomenon, prompting musicians (and non-musicians) around the world to record their own versions. The best I've heard so far is this bluegrass version by country music singer/songwriter Gwen Sebastian. The novelty aspect is of course intact, but it's interesting and exciting to hear an arrangement like this - so different from the original - that works so well. The video is pretty funny to. This one's a keeper.

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Jimmy Webb feat. Brian Wilson - MacArthur Park

Jimmy Webb's timeless and epic composition "MacArthur Park" must be one of the most unlikely hit singles ever, as wonderful as it still is. But a more than seven minute long love poem set to four different movements of music should not be an easy sell. It was first rejected by The Association, and so the Irish actor Richard Harris recorded it, sending it to number 2 on the Billboard Top 100 in the US and to number 4 on the British singles chart in 1968. In Australia it went all the way to the top. Of numerous cover versions throughout the years, Donna Summer's is probably the most interesting. Aided by producer Giorgio Moroder it was turned into an 18 minute long "disco suite" of songs in 1978.

Jimmy Webb is a fine singer on his own, although he's most famous for his actual songs, sung by some of pop music's greatest voices such as Glen Campbell and Linda Ronstadt to name a few. For his last two albums, including the brand new Still Within The Sound Of My Voice, he's been revisiting old songs, bringing in a number of amazing guests. When Brian Wilson lends a hand, or more precisely his incredible harmony vocals, at a new version of "MacArthur Park", magic does indeed ensue. This is such a beautiful performance.

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Chvrches - The Mother We Share

Scottish newcomers Chvrches released their debut album The Bones Of What You Believe a few weeks ago, and has received a lot of attention for their first single, the beautiful "The Mother We Share" that was first released last November, but has gotten a new life due to its music video that was put out in August. This is a big synth-pop ballad that keeps growing on you, becoming a little better and a little richer-sounding each time you listen to it. These guys, fronted by singer Lauren Mayberry, should have a bright future indeed.

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Lorde - Royals

16 year old singer/songwriter Lorde (born Ella Yelich-O'Connor) is the first solo artist from New Zealand to enjoy a US number one hit single. "Royals" is not only a huge worldwide hit (it debuted on the number one spot in New Zealand as well), but it's her debut single to boot. It's a minimalstic, electronically-driven song that incorporates a bit of gospel here, a bit of hip hop there, at times reminiscent of Lana del Rey, but first and foremost it's a great song that shows you can be quite original and still have a huge hit single on your hands.

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Holy Ghost! - Okay

This is what synth-pop is supposed to sound like in 2013; big sound, jubilant, sing-a-long-friendly chorus and classic Depeche Mode-style synths - and more. Brooklyn's Holy Ghost!, a duo consisting of Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel, has just released second album Dynamics, and "Okay" is the brilliant first single. Serious hit potential in my world, but in real life? Who knows? I love it though!

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Choir Of Young Believers - Hollow Talk

"Hollow Talk" by Choir Of Young Believers is the eerie theme song from the equally eerie Danish/Swedish television series Broen (The Bridge) which is currently in its second season. COYB is the moniker chosen by a Danish singer/songwriter named Jannis Noya Makrigiannis, who arms himself with different musicians depending on his need. "Hollow Talk" is a spooky-sounding minimalistic piece of music featuring a naked piano, a sombre cello and Makrigiannis' haunted singing, and at around the three minute mark it speeds up and turns into something that Icelandic band Sigur Rós could have made. It's featured on the album This Is For The White In Your Eyes, released in 2008. Fabulous stuff!
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Badfinger - Baby Blue

After Badfinger's 1972 single "Baby Blue" was used for the ending of the very last episode of Breaking Bad, possibly the best TV series ever, this Sunday, its popularity on streaming services worldwide has increased thousand-fold. Not only was its use in the series poignant and well-considered, it's also a hell of a rock song in its own right. "Baby Blue" was written by lead singer Pete Ham and featured on the album Straight Up released some months earlier, in December 1971. A true classic!

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