Another month of 2015 has already passed and yet again we were treated with quite some nice new pop tunes. Check out which songs you missed last month!
Florence + the Machine – What Kind Of Man
Of course the single most important music moment this month was the big comeback of Florence + the Machine with the song ‘What Kind of Man’, which serves as the first single from her upcoming album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, to be released in June. The song starts out quite calmly with restrained vocals and minimal instrumentation, not really what we are used to when it comes to Florence. Then, after the first chorus the rocky guitar kicks in and her voice switches to full force and the bombast and intensity Florence is known for are back. The song is a grower, but once you get your head around it, it nothing short of brilliant. The video is gorgeous as well and the dialogue scenes really lead up to all that happens once the music starts. Early contender for video of the year.
Tove Styrke – Ego
One of Sweden’s most interesting pop princesses, Tove Styrke, is back. After her participation in the Swedish Pop Idol she released her first self titled album and after the launch of the Borderline EP last year, she is now ready to bring her second album Kiddo, that will be released in March. She promotes this release with the new single ‘Ego’, an interesting electro pop song with sharp lyrics about a guy whose ego is a bit too big for her to handle. Her vocals are toned down and the chorus is actually really infectious once it settles in your mind. Can’t wait for Kiddo!
Marina & the Diamonds – I’m A Ruin
Marina is back and we are all grateful for that. She launched new single ‘Froot’ in October and already graced us with ‘Froot of the month’ ‘Happy’ in December and ‘Immortal’ in January. In February it was time for the release of the pretty spectacular ‘I’m A Ruin’. Those heartbreakingly honest lyrics in combination with a soaring chorus that builds up into Marina showcasing her vocals in a ‘yeah yeah, uh uh, ooh ooh, yeah!’ post chorus, it’s just heavenly. I would say, lyrically this is one of the best things she has ever written and once again she managed to present it in such a killer melody! Oh, and the video is pretty gorgeous too. It is like Kate Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ had a baby with Madonna’s ‘Frozen’.
Cheryl – Only Human
I haven’t been a big fan of Cheryl in her latest album campaign for Only Human. Both ‘Crazy Stupid Love’ and ‘I Don’t Care’ were disappointing in my eyes, but still both reached number 1 in the UK official charts. Then she launched the album that did not really caught my attention either. Now she decided to release the song ‘Only Human’ as a third single and it is easily the best moment of this campaign so far. It is a beautiful song with a pretty melody and a nice production. Everytime she sings ‘You are the universe, can you see it, do you feel it hurt?’ the melody is sort of enchanting and it really helps that she looks absolutely gorgeous in the video. Welcome back, Cheryl whom I love.
Madonna – Living For Love
Oh Madonna! What a week it was for you. Falling down the stairs during her performance at the BRIT Awards must have been really painful, but the way she stood up and performed the hell out of her new single ‘Living For Love’ was really impressive. Like a boss, she just continued to do what she is good at and that takes a lot of courage. Tons of respect for her after that happened. The single has been out for a while worldwide, but was just released this week in the UK. It is a nice danceable track that shows Madonna is still relevant. Oh and by the way, what is up with those comments about her needing to retire? Do people say that to Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Prince, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen as well? Nope, that is what I thought. As long as she is fit and able to entertain millions of people, let her do her thing. Curious to hear what the album Rebel Heart will sound like.
No, I am not showing you a clip of that fall again.
Say Lou Lou – Nothing But A Heartbeat
In 2013, I already wrote about the Swedish-Australian twin sisters of Say Lou Lou. I predicted them to be one of the biggest new pop acts in 2014. Because they waited until last week to release their debut album Lucid Dreaming, it seems like this year will be huge for them. To promote the album, they launched the new single ‘Nothing But A Heartbeat’ and this might even be their most radio friendly song so far. The chorus is mesmerizing and their vocals and the atmosphere in the track are stunning as always. Lucid Dreaming is a fabulous record as well, go get it when it comes out in April worldwide.
Fifty Shades Of Grey Soundtrack
The movie Fifty Shades of Grey is basically what everybody was talking about throughout the month. The reviews and lots of opinions haven’t been very positive about the movie itself, but there is no arguing about the brilliance of the soundtrack. Ellie Goulding is currently experiencing world dominance with ‘Love Me Like You Do’, but that is not the only hot track on the album.
For example, The Weeknd recorded the song ‘Earned It’ for the movie and this turned out to be a huge hit for him as well. The seductive track with his gorgeous vocals all over it, should be a tune that is playing in everyone’s bed room from now on. Oh, and he also contributed the track ‘Where You Belong’.
Then there is Skylar Grey (what’s in a name) with the emotional and haunting ballad ‘I Know You’. It perfectly captures the emotions that are portrayed by the main characters in the movie (yeah, they have more than sexual feelings). The way Skylar pleads with a high voice during the chorus is really touching and I absolutely love this track.
Sia also recorded an emotional ballad for the movie. I say emotional, because of the atmosphere of the track, because I can’t understand a word she is singing. Really, I love her voice and the instrumentation is beautiful, but start to enunciate woman!
The electronic pop band with a female vocalist called Vaults released a few singles over the past couple of months, but is aiming for a bigger audience with ‘One Last Night’, their song on the soundtrack. The melodically brilliant track can be heard in the movie and it really fits the scene it was chosen for. This could be a great opportunity for them to take their career to a higher plan.
Then there is the always brillant Jessie Ware. She recorded ‘Meet Me In The Middle’, a seductive song with the smoothest vocals you can imagine. Recently, she advised her Dutch fans to masturbate to the track on Valentine’s Day during a gig in Amsterdam. I have to say I did not try it, but it is a slow sex jam for sure!