ELLIE GOULDING – Explosions

‘Explosions' is the third single from her latest album ‘Halcyon’, which is out now. Contrary to its title, ‘Explosions,’ is a quiet ballad built around the singer’s emotional delivery.

The only eruptions here are the lyrical ones. Goulding speaks in metaphors and vague phrasing at times, but the song seems to deal with a turbulent relationship. The track begins with Goulding singing a cappella over an operatic vocal loop that falls somewhere between angelic and creepy. It neatly presents a different side of the U.K. singer without sacrificing her quirky style. The song stands out from anything else being played on the radio at the moment.

 

 

ROBBIE WILLIAMS - Be A Boy

Robbie Williams is back this week with his new single Be a Boy, which is the third single to be lifted from his latest album ‘Take The Crown.’ 

‘Be A Boy’ is a bit of an electric/pop gem and it is not very often that the third single lifted from an album is stronger than the first but that is absolutely the case with this track - it really is catchy. There is a very definite beat to ‘Be A Boy’ but it is not one of those beats that dominates the track instead it enhances it and gives the song a bit more oomph.

 

 

SNOW PATROL - The Lightning strike

‘The Lightning Strike’ is a song from alternative rock band Snow Patrol's fifth album ‘A Hundred Million Suns’. The lyrics to the song were written by lead singer Gary Lightbody and the music was composed by Snow Patrol. The original song is composed of three smaller songs, and at sixteen minutes eighteen seconds, the longest the band has written yet. 
 

 

DEMI LOVATO - Heart Attack

As the lead single to her next solo album, ‘Heart Attack's’ arrangement narrowly misses the irresistible panache of its predecessor – ‘Give Your Heart A break’ - and yet, Lovato's performance is even more impressive on this new offering. Backed by the Suspex's crackling wall of percussion and a prodding guitar lick, Lovato allows her fully bloomed personality to carry the song, accenting syllables for added effect on the pre-chorus and belting the bridge without abandon. ‘Heart Attack’ is an electropop love song that employs cardiac arrest as a metaphor for lovesickness

 

 

MICHAEL BUBLE - It's a beautiful day

37-year-old Michael Bublé returns with his first regular studio album in three-and-a-half years, To Be Loved, which is out on April 23. Now, our first taste of some new selections from the album comes via the first single from the effort, a sunny little single called “It’s A Beautiful Day”. This song essentially picks up where “Haven’t Met You Yet” left off, except that now Bublé has met the girl, it sounds like she ain’t all that. She wants to be friends, but he’s played that game before and he’s heard it all. Plus, she ends up running off! Even if this ends up being your new soft rock break-up song, it’s surprisingly cheerful and his voice is as fantastic as always.

 

 

TAYLOR SWIFT – 22

Arguably Swift's most blatantly "pop" song of her career, "22" is all about trying to "forget about the deadlines" and embrace only the most sugary hooks available. Underneath the heel-clicking positivity and shiny production sits the line "We're happy, free, confused and lonely in the best way," a rather stunning meditation on being in your early 20s that's flicked off like a piece of pre-chorus lint. Even when she's having fun, Swift is concisely communicating conflicting emotion.

 

 

TEGAN & SARA – Closer

Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1995, composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin (born September 19, 1980). Both play the guitar and keyboards, and write their songs. ‘Closer’ was written by the duo, for their seventh studio album, Heartthrob, released in 2012. Tegan spoke of the song during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, saying "Although I do imagine that this would be an okay song to make out to, all I intended was to write something sweet. I was writing about my youth, a time when we got closer by linking arms and walking down our school hallway, or talked all night on the telephone about every thought or experience we'd ever had”