Umlauts:

More pop, two updates in one month, whatever next.

Skyrabin - Xaj Bude Tak Yak Xochesh Ty

Interesting conversation with Chris of SoS fame about why the Ukrainian charts are so great. I still don't know why, but apparently Alexander Bard thinks it, and that's a man you can trust, isn't it? Anyway, I spotted Skryabin in their top 10, liked the single, and thought I'd sample the album, and buried toward the end of it, found this absolute gem.

I'm not entire sure if it's folk-rock, a Ukrainian New Order, but I love those keyboard wails, and the way that the female backing vocals become louder and more prominent throughout as the track goes on. And listen a few times, because the voice that sounds annoying at first really gets under your skin. I am actually going to say something more about this in a bit and update the entry, so consider this a work in progress (though not Work In Progress, as they're not good.).

Hind - Give Me A Sign

Listen to it and try not to think about Eurovision 2005 with all those blend-of-east-and-west songs. For Hind have been doing this for a while, indeed, their 2003 hit "Summer All Over Again" was almost great - the arrogantly lush production nearly made up for a relatively slight tune, but on this, they've absolutely blown Javine, Helena, that Albanian lass, and everyone else out of the water with this dense, exciting song. It's belted out diva-style, the very last line of the chorus would be worthy of Beyonce - it's absolutely a snip to think of this as a fabulous Euro-R&B song given fabulous pop heft with the Arabic and Eastern European lilt without once seeming forced.

And the emotion. Pure and believable! A final chorus that explodes out of the tinny speakers on my work computer. And yet, a kind of inner deadness, like none of it matters after it's over - "Shout out the words with no fear!", and there is none, even though the drama suggest that's all it should be. I've said many times that great pop should be great theatre too, and you can almost visualise elephants, bastard princes, hot sand, sword-fights and betrayal while this plays. A hodge-podge in the absolute best way.

And, lastly, my favourite song of the month:

Simone Cristicchi - Studentessa Universitaria

The point being that you should always listen to Dom Passantino, who was completely right about Simone's first single, which I only liked at the time, but now love. But I'm getting in first on his magnificent second. Acoustic bubblegum in feel, but with some variety of beating heart to provide emotional affect.

Does anyone know that quote that goes something like French being a language to do business in, Italian to cook in, and Spanish to make love in? Or something like that? I read it somewhere. Because I've decided that Italian is officially the language to be slightly rueful and lamenting in. Well, unless you're Gabry Ponte or Caparezza.

Apparently about being in love with a depressed university student, and certainly the only pop single in recent memory to feature the word "jurisprudence", the language is, as ever, no impediment to the sheer degree of felt-ness that Simone crams into this story. It's not as light-hearted as "Vorrei Cantare Come Biagio" - even in another language wit and whimsy can come across loud and clear - was, in fact, the strummed, lolling guitars are perilously close to beanie-wearing tosser buskers, but the sheer euphony of the half-Italo-rap in the verses (Caparezza is a vague reference point, if only because they both have black curly hair), and the enunciation on the syllables in the chorus place the exact right amount of emotional hit on the subject. And that chorus melody, god, something about it tears me up ever so slightly inside. She's pathetic, and he loves her. His portrait of her sounds both sympathetic but ever so slightly damning at the same time. She waits for her philosophy class, her father sends her money, she takes photocopies, she mopes, you identify ever so slightly with both narrator and subject.

I mean, it's practically folk rap isn't it? That's an accordion, isn't it? That's your heart breaking ever so slightly now, isn't it? Caparezza's wordplay, Tyler James' strut, only successul, and the attraction to doomed girls worthy of Jarvis Cocker. Officially my new favourite pop star on the entire planet.

Later, my thoughts on Shelley Poole and some Pay-TV album tracks.

posted by Edward O @ 7:21 PM