Yes, we stay in Spain to meet our second
position. We should be really proud to have had a band like La Mode, because in
many other countries they would be recognized as they deserve, however, in
Spain, we never appreciate genious even when we have it under our nose. La
Mode, formed by El Zurdo after his previous band Paraíso, published only four
albums with some of the best songs that emerged from La Movida. It has been
really difficult to choose only one, but this is one of my favorite. As we can
see, the lyrics are still up to date.
Sweden
had to be in our top ten, and Club 8 had to be in one of our blog adventures.
Formed in 1995 and consisting of Karolina
Komstedt and Johan Angergård, one curious point about this band is that their
musical career started when they were signed to a Spanish record label (Siesta).
Since then, their thrilling and beautiful pop songs have accompanied us
throughout seven excellent albums. This track was their second single and shows
their most electronic side.
Here
begins the final countdown for this blog, and I have chosen one of my favorite
songs of recent years for it. Mark Ronson is an English DJ, musician, producer
and co-founder of a record label, and moreover, he is the mastermind behind a
lot of fantastic tracks clearly influenced by 80`s sounds. This one, featuring
the rapper Q-Tip and the singer of MNDR, is a perfect example of his influences
and his abilities creating good tunes (and a great videoclip too!).
Strange
Talk are a Melbourne-based Australian electropop band with only some singles
and one EP published (their first album will be out this year 2013). However,
in their few songs they have shown a particular skill for the creation of genuine
and catching pop tunes. I´m sure we will hear of them in the near future.
2012
draws to a close, so it´s a good time to choose one of the best songs this
year. Both coming from Germany (a country that surely will be visited again in
the final stretch of this blog), Missent To Denmark and Christian Strove joined
forces last summer to create this new vision of such a refreshing song. For
those who miss summertime.
Time
to go back to Spanish language. Matilda is a duo from Rosario, Argentina, who has published four albums since their first reference in 2002. Their relationship
with music has always been very close, as they have worked organizing
concerts and producing records for many years. However, they also have time to
create their own songs, and, as we can listen below, they are really good at
it.
My first selected country for this exciting
blog was Croatia, and I think it´s time to go back there. Lollobrigida (also
known as Lollobrigida Girls or VIS Lollobrigida) is a electro-pop duo from Zagreb
with three albums and thirteen singles to their credit. This track was their
first single and it is a crazy delight.
We
make a new visit to Slovenia. Born in Ljubljana and educated in classical and
jazz music, Torul released his first EP in 1995, showing his interest in
electronic sounds. Since that year, dozens of EPs and some albums have followed
that first reference. From the last one, released in 2011, we have drawn this
track, which reminds me of classic electropop.
Back
to Greece. I have to admit that I first knew this duo, formed by Marianthi
Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou, because of their covers of popular songs like
Popcorn (Gershon Kingsley), Pure (Lightning Seeds) or The Promise (When in
Rome). However, apart from their covers or from their collaborations with bands
like OMD, they have shown that they can compose good songs in their four
published albums. This track is a proof of that.
If
we talk about the most important bands in the History of electronic music in
England, it will clearly come to our minds the name of New Order. Well, The
Other Two is precisely a project formed by two former members of the mythic
band: Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert (although recently they have joined the
return of New Order). The sound of The Other Two leaves no doubt about the origins
of these musicians, and this brilliant song is a good example.
We
stay in Northern Europe, in Denmark, to be precise. There we find Alphabeat, a
young band formed in 2007 which we can define as genuine hit-makers. From their
first pop songs (like Fascination or 10.000 Nights of Thunder) to their
current more electronic style, they have always kept a taste for catchy pop
tunes. Nor must we forget the great voice of their female vocalist, Stine
Bramsen, who has become increasingly important in the band.
This
is now. This is Australia. And this is one of the most exciting new electronic bands from that country. Although Future Unlimited could be compared to some
other 80s-style electronic pop bands in
recent years, they add a special touch with their space sounds and their approach
to future pop (as suggested by their name). This track begins with dirty sounds
but it evolves towards a great and dreamy electro pop tune.
Let´s
listen now to my favorite band from Puerto Rico: Calle 13. This very popular band, formed by two
stepbrothers known as Residente and Visitante, released their first single in
2005 and since then their success has increased exponentially. Their eclectic
style features elements from jazz, salsa, cumbia, tango, electronics or reggaeton, but always cultivating an unmistakable sound and taking risks in
their music proposal. This time we can enjoy their most electro side.
We
visit a really tiny country now, Luxembourg. There we find Superjams, a young band
which has the honor of having one of the very few electronic songs that can be
considered a hit in their country. Please forget the embarrassing video clip and
the simplicity of the lyrics, just enjoy the great tune.
Back to Europe, we land now in Austria. Ping Ping are Hubert Mauracher and Loretta Who, a duo whose first album was released two years ago. The delicate sound of their songs, along with the warm voice of Loretta, is a joy to our ears and our minds, but this song highlights the powerful final crescendo.
We travel this time to Portugal, very close to our home country. One of the most successful and international bands from that country is The Gift, which even today sells lots of albums and tours worldwide. I, like many others, discovered them in 2004 with their album “AM / FM”, released eight years ago. There, we could find their great hit single Music, but I have chosen another song from that album more in the line of this blog. Enjoy it.
Iran is not exactly a country known for its music, but there we find the origin of Zedbazi. This band was the first one in Iran that used explicit lyrics in their music. Descriptions of sexual encounters, consumption of narcotics or violence are some of the usual topics that the five members of this band include in their lyrics. The best of their sound is the effective mix of rap, pop and electronics that characterizes their songs. A good example is Zamin Safe.
Now we take a big leap and land in Finland. Regina is a three-member band from Tampere, a largely industrial town that is often called "the Manchester of Finland" due to the disproportionate number of rock bands it has produced. They released their first album in 2005, but we have chosen a warm song from their second album (called “Oi miten suuria voimia!”).
We turn now to Norway to meet one of the most respected bands of European electronic music: Röyksopp. Since their 1998 debut, this duo from the city of Tromsø has gained critical acclaim and popular success around the world with his continued musical evolution, crossing genres and experimenting on each album. In this wonderful song, they collaborate with the popular Swedish singer Robyn. Such a combination could not fail.
We travel now to Chile to meet the first Spanish-language track on this list. We are talking about one of the best electro-pop bands from that country: Lulu Jam! Led by Sofía Oportot (whose subsequent solo career is also full of good songs), this band was formed in 2002 in Santiago de Chile and released their best and most popular album in 2008, from which I have chosen Superhéroe, a lively song that invites dance.
Yes, we stay in Spain to meet our second
position. We should be really proud to have had a band like La Mode, because in
many other countries they would be recognized as they deserve, however, in
Spain, we never appreciate genious even when we have it under our nose. La
Mode, formed by El Zurdo after his previous band Paraíso, published only four
albums with some of the best songs that emerged from La Movida. It has been
really difficult to choose only one, but this is one of my favorite. As we can
see, the lyrics are still up to date.
