Friday, May 16, 2014

Everything We Touch by Say Lou Lou

Dear Poptastic Readers,

I recently found out about the Swedish/Australian duo called Say Lou Lou on Scandipop, the website that inspired me to make Poptastic Confessions. Anyhoo, Say Lou Lou is made up of twin sisters and they have a new song called "Everything We Touch."


Say Lou Lou

At first the song sounds a little slow. But just wait until you get to the chorus. It is amazing and you will be wanting to hear the song again as soon as it is done. You know it is good song when the chorus gets easily stuck in your head.




The video is lovely. Have a look ...



"Everything We Touch" will be released on June 1. So you have about two weeks. It's OK, you can bookmark this page until then.

Check out Say Lou Lou on Facebook and their official website.

Cheers then,
—Davearama



Eurovision Winner Conchita Wurst

Dear Poptastic Readers,

Sorry it has been so quiet lately. I'm still loving the new album from Rebecca & Fiona as well as "Moving On" from Alice Dallin-Walker. I have a bit of a list of new songs that I want to share with you. So I'm going to try and get through that list within the next week. 

Up first is the Eurovision Song Contest winner, Conchita Wurst (aka the Bearded Lady) from Austria. Eurovision happened last weekend so this is a bit of old news. But I'm sure some of our readers out there don't know about it.




Who is Conchita Wurst? Conchita's website says this about her: Because of the discrimination against Tom in his teenage years, he created Conchita, The Bearded Lady, as a statement. A statement for tolerance and acceptance — as it's not about appearances; it's about the human being. 'Everybody should live their lifes however they want, as long as nobody else gets hurt or is restricted in their own way of life.'

Conchita's song that won Eurovision is called "Rise Like A Phoenix." It is like a gorgeous James Bond theme song. Actually, it is better than most James Bond theme songs! It's a power ballad that has lots of drama and a big crescendo. 

The video is amazing. You can watch it here ...



Or you can watch Conchita's live vocal performance at Eurovision.



Amazing voice, eh? "Rise Like a Phoenix" is available on iTunes. Buy it now!

Cheers then,
—Davearama




Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Introducing Alice Dallin-Walker

Dear Poptastic Readers,

We have a new singer to shine a spotlight on and her name is Alice Dallin-Walker. And lucky for you, she has a new two-track EP out with musician Oscar Scheller. Plus, it has been mixed by the extraordinary Ian Masterson.


Alice Dallin-Walker

The first song on the EP is called "Love No More." This is an original song written by Alice and Oscar. It starts off with a high-pitched vocal being cut up and mixed about. The song is a mid-tempo affair. It has a nice chorus. And the verses are nice, too. Alice sings with a lot of emotion and her voice is really nice. Did I say nice? Listen here ...





The second song on the EP is called "Moving On." It was also written by Alice and Oscar. To me, this is my favorite song of the two. I can't stop listening to it. The music is more upbeat. And the melody is ACE! It will have you grooving in no time. It makes you want to get up and dance around the room. The chorus is very catchy. I absolutely love this song. It is amazing! I hope Alice makes a video for this song! Listen to the demo here ... Beware, you might want to listen again as soon as it is over!





Now you might notice that Alice's first last name sounds familiar. Alice is the daughter of Sara Dallin from Bananarama and Bassey Walker, who in the late 80s and early 90s was one of the hottest backup dancers for Bananarama. Bassey also dabbled with pop music career, and he even co-wrote a song for Bananarama. 

Yes, it is true that I found out about Alice through Bananarama. But it seems Alice will make her own pop music path. And if the rest is as good or better than the Alice EP, I am happy to continue promoting her work.

Oh yeah, the tracks were mixed by Ian Masterson, who produced Bananarama's 2009 album "Viva" as well as their 2012 EP "Now Or Never."

The Alice EP is available on iTunes everywhere. Click here to buy the 2-track EP. You won't be sorry! Don't delay! Buy it today!

Cheers then,
—Davearama

P.S. Interesting fact. Bananarama have a song called "Movin' On." And I can't help but think Alice's song "Moving On" is a nod to that. Especially since the chorus is similar to The Spag-A-Nana Dub of "Movin' On." I could be wrong. But both songs are FABulous!




Friday, May 2, 2014

Beauty is Pain by Rebecca & Fiona

Dear Poptastic Readers.

The fabulous Swedish DJ/Pop/Dance duo Rebecca & Fiona released their second album called Beauty is Pain this week. And it is deeply FAB. You're going to love it. Check it out my review ...




"Saga" is the first track. Not a lot here. It's almost like a ballad that never takes flight. This just seems like an extended intro track.


The first single "Candy Love" is the second track, and the song is definitely a grower. I'm liking it more and more. Check out what Poptastic Confessions wrote about it by clicking on the song title.


The second single "Holler" is up next. And I absolutely love this song. It just keeps getting better and better. Click on the song title to see what we wrote about it earlier.


"Stockholm" starts off quite promising. The verses have a nice melody. The lyrics are a bit dark for me. I'm really not crazy about this line: "A plastic bag over my head so tight." The chorus song sounds like a distant cousin of "Union." Overall, I like the song, I just wish the lyrics weren't so dark.


"Jamie" is an amazing and throbbing dark little gem. And it has an wonderful chorus. There are really good songs here that need better titles. It's hard to refer to a song by a title that isn't in the chorus. I think a good title might have been "Jamie (Freedom is a Prisoner of Love)" or perhaps just "Prisoner of Love." The first album had the same thing, though.


"Machine" is also a dark throbbing number, but the beats drop out from time to time. "You will kill me and I patiently wait" is one of the lyrics. Rebecca & Fiona said the album would be darker. And it is so. Having said that, this is a really nice song. The song title could have been a bit longer like "I'm a Living Machine."


"Hit the Drum" gets the longest title. It's an interesting the song for sure. But the melody isn't as catchy as some of the other tracks. Still, not bad.


"Dreams" is a very upbeat track and from the first listen, it was an early favorite. Probably because the beat is faster and the lyrics are upbeat and dare I say happy. It's a really nice song.


"Letters" is a fine song. A bit trancey with some beats. It is good.


"Clara" is another song that use a different title. Sure the lyrics are about someone named Clara, but I maybe would have called it "Clara (Diamonds in the Rough)." The song has a funny lyric … "Drunk as the Sunset." That might have been a fun title, too.


"Burning Empire" is a highlight of the album and would make a great single. It's got a awesome chorus. I love it!


"All Eyes" is another great song. The chorus is basic, but brilliant! And there is a male vocal singing with them on the chorus, so that is a pleasant surprise as it adds something a bit different.


"Cold Heart" features Duvchi, a Swedish musician who on his Facebook is described as the "singing conductor." I guess he is singing the second verse. I doesn't sound like a man singing, but oh well. That's OK! It is a dark electro ditty. I quite like this song a lot, too. 


"Heavy" is distant cousin of "Taken Over." And that is brilliant. Not so in your face as "Taken Over" but just as fabulous.


Overall, this is a great album. It's not full-on dance. And it is quite a mature sophomore outing from the duo. They aren't the greatest singers and sometimes it sounds like Fiona is the only one singing. But that is part of their charm. I think they are wonderful. So go out and buy Beauty Is Pain. The music is great. You will love it!

Beauty is Pain is available on iTunes and other digital stores. Don't delay, buy it today!

Cheers then,
—Davearama

P.S. If you want to make the album a bit longer. Add "Hot Shots", "Union" and "Taken Over" to end. All are available on iTunes.