"Banankontakt" with Electric Banana Band

Book tip of the day: "Bananflugornas Herre" ("Lord of the Banana Flies") by Fredrik Eklund

It’s hard to start with a new book when you just have finished such a good book as McCann's "Dancer", but just to make the jump a little bit smaller (well…), I choose Fredrik Eklund’s (alias Tag Ericsson) book about how he decided to be the world biggest gay porn star.
It’s not at raunchy as it sounds though, since it is much more a book about a very unsatisfied and worried soul, a search for identity, and a revenge for being denied a normal childhood by being a homosexual child.
Even if the book feel quite schizophrenic (it feels like Eklund can’t decide whether this story should be told as a drama or by humor), and it is hard to know what is true and what is made up (for instance the names of persons and movies are changed, but are the experiences true?), it is a nice little read and I guess every homosexual will recognize some of Eklund’s anguishes and frustrations.
So, well worth reading!
…but now I have to read something strict heterosexual to pull myself out of the world of decadent gay-clubs in New York for a while…
Ironically enough that would be a book by a guy named Gayle. =)

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Banankontakt" with Electric Banana Band

"Priest of Evil" with Stormwitch

This was the day when a report was published that stated that the hate-crimes against homosexuals in Sweden have risen with 117%, and also the day when it was decided that Åke Green has been right all the time and that it is OK to preach and agitate against us.

...and the snow melted away and was replaced by grey, wet mud which helped us to realize that the world had become an uglier place to live in...

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Priest of Evil" with Stormwitch

"Titta Det Snöar" with Povel Ramel

Today was the day when I once again had to give up a massage due to I started to feel sick.

Today was the day when I found out that the tickets I bought for 420 SEK a piece to see Melodifestivalen will give me the following songs and artists in March:
"Don´t try to stop me" – Laila Adéle
"Invincible" – Carola
"Jag tar det jag vill ha" – Sandra Dahlberg
"Like fire tonight" – Günther & The Sunshine Girls
"Silverland" – Roger Pontare
"Under your spell" – Evan
"Älskar du livet" – Björn Kjellman

Today was the day I returned to the gym after a long absence due to that bloody cold

Today where the day when the first snow fell, and the whole world – at least for some hours - went a little bit brighter and a little bit more beautiful.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Titta Det Snöar" with Povel Ramel

"Life is a Rollercoaster" with Ronan Keating

It’s night
I should sleep.
It has been a evening like rollercoaster.
It started well (my lasagne turned out nice, The Embassy’s new album is great, and the wine was good)…and actually the whole day had been a success previous to the evening with a nice day on the town with Johan and Fredrik.
Then it hit an all time low when this f*ckin’ computer crashed and we couldn’t look at "Americas next Top Model".
Then we fixed the computer and everything where nice again…until Kim was sent out by Tyra. More wine!
…and then it ended well with "Little Britain" and lots and lots and lots of Eurovision Song Contest classics and vanilla Glögg.
I’m so fortunate to have F2 when the computer breaks down…and F3 to keep me calm during the process.
Well. Time to sleep.
I hope the caffeine has lost its grip a bit by now.
God Night!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Life is a Rollercoaster" with Ronan Keating

"Shame Shame Shame" with Izabella Scorupco

My god.
I feel awful.
Today I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten my best friend’s birthday!
That’s a really, really ugly thing to do…and you can never get it undone.
I don’t think Ante is dying for this…but I do.
I’m not a person who forgets people’s birthdays!!
Am I??
When did I become such a person??
Am I too egoistic? Too overwhelmed by work right now? Too stuck in the gay world (forgetting my previous, hetero one)?
I don’t know…
But I know I always dislike when people forget mine, and I take pride in remembering people’s birthdays even if we haven’t met or talked for a while…
…and then I forget the birthday of one of the most important persons in my life.
That’s really low.
And it really can’t be undone.
Shame on me.
Shame.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Shame Shame Shame" with Izabella Scorupco

"You Gonna Want Me" with Tiga

Thank god it’s Friday…and that means chart day!
Madonna keeps her grip of my chart…and even if it’s starting to loosen up just a bit, she’s still at number one, and "Hung Up is still at the top half of the chart for the seventh week in a row.
Newcomers then; Tiga’s "You Gonna Want Me" has been sneakin’ up on me with all it’s air play and in the end I couldn’t resist it anymore - and of course everything that contains Jake Shares from the Scissor Sisters are destined to end up on this chart…
September’s album has grown into one of the most played albums on my iPod, and that reflects on the chart as she now got two songs on it. "It Doesn't Matter" feels like something pet Shop Boys might have forgotten when they visited Östersund, and it oozes of Swedish summer, disco and low-alcohol beer in the bushes.
Girls Aloud’s "Biology" did we desiccated yesterday. Not much more to say. It’s fun for the moment.
I just got my hand on the new album from Bananarama, and it was surprisingly good. It contains everything from soft disco to Bossa Nova (!?), and "Lovebite" is the song which has been stuck in my mind after the first two or three listenings.
At the bottom on the list we have Lene Marlin, with a song that was a tip from a colleague of mine. We had a discussion and he had two solutions for me to choose – both of them illustrated by Lene Marlin songs. I actually choose the other solution, but this was the song I liked the best. I do not now if it is, has, or will be a single – but I do know it is a good tune which makes me feel like I’m in an episode of "Felicity" every time it goes on the iPod…and in my world that’s a good thing!
So, I give you…the chart!

This Week/Last Week/Peak/Weeks on Chart/Artist - Song

01/01/01/03/Madonna - Let It Will Be
02/04/02/03/Madonna - Jump
03/NE/03/01/Tiga - You Gonna Want Me
04/03/01/07/Madonna - Hung Up
05/NE/05/01/September - It Doesn't Matter
06/NE/06/01/Girls Aloud - Biology
07/02/01/03/Madonna - Sorry
08/04/02/04/September - Cry for You
09/NE/09/01/Bananarama - Lovebite
10/NE/10/01/Lene Marlin - Leave My Mind

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "You Gonna Want Me" with Tiga

"Biology" with Girls Aloud

It’s Thursday.
It’s raining like hell.
And it’s time to Flip or Flop the latest single from Girls Aloud.

D-man: Flip
This is a smash hit stompin' away to a rhythmic beat the same way a helluva lot of disco-outfitted elephants would stomp locked up in a Saturday Night Fever disco national park. These are not animated elephants, mind you. These are the raw freakin' fully alive and pooping elephants we are happy to watch on TV but wouldn't wanna get to know any better than that, if you know what I'm sayin', dude. Dude! Sufin' elephants next time, perhaps?

E-man: Flip
Man, I'm too tired. I'll have to keep this short and sweet. Flip. Why? Because I like it. That's all you need to know, goddammit! If it's good enough for me, it should be good enough for you, you spoiled brat!

K-man: Flip
Three singles for the price of one. This might be the most diverting song since Queens "Bohemian Rhapsody", and a song that had been impossible to release if you where a single from a new artist/group instead of a bestselling docusoap-girlyband's second single from their third album. But now it's Girls Aloud, it's a cool video (acknowledging the fact that it's three-songs-in-one)...and even if it's not at all as good as their previous singles...there’s something in it I can't deny that I like. So...since it's just a month to X-mas and I really need a lot of presents I'm gonna be nice. Flip-a-do-do!

Well, well, well.
The girls are flipping like a horny seal on weeds.
Sweeet.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Biology" with Girls Aloud

"Roma" with Cameron Cartio

Yesterday I watched the last episode (of this season) of HBO’s TV-series "Rome". Not surprisingly Caesar was murdered...BUT he didn’t say "Even You My Brutus" as you would expect...
Especially since Brutus really was one of his murderers.
I guess this must be a quote I have misunderstood then.
...or the writer of the TVF-series had it wrong...
But I guess it’s me.
It might be something like the “Play It Again, Sam”-line from "Casablanca", that everybody think is in the movie but which doesn’t exist either.

But it was a good TV-show.
Sex, brutal violence, bitchy women, and dirty men wearing amour.
If you’d added some dildodrinks it would have been a lot like GayStraight2Hell.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Roma" with Cameron Cartio

"När Det Lider Mot Jul" with Carola

This evening I decorated my Christmas tree, warmed a small Glögg, and sat down with my laptop in front of the TV and worked a little.
I guess I’m looking forward a lot to Christmas after all...

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "När Det Lider Mot Jul" with Carola

"Alias Theme" by J.J Abrams

Some TV-news today: From the 7th of December "Alias" will move to Wednesday at 22.00. That means that ABC is pulling out "Invasion" from that slot, and gives "Alias" their old spot (right after "Lost") back!
Good news for an "Alias"-lover as myself, since they where killing the show against "Survivor ", "The O.C", "Joey" and "Smallville".
Now they just have to resurrect Vaughn and bring back Lena Olin, and everything would be dreamy…but I guess I have to be satisfied with the return of Mr Sark for one (?) episode. And that’s OK. He is also an "Alias" favourite.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Alias Theme" by J.J Abrams

"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" with The Crystals

Yesterday I took a trip into town to buy a present for my friend Arne who had a (very fun…and the reason for why have yet another hang-over today) birthday-party later in the evening.
The chock was huge.
The Christmas-rush is already here! And people haven’t got their November salary yet…
Strange.
People everywhere. Loads of them. It wasn’t even possible to go in to Nordstan or on Kungsgatan.
My god. The upcoming weeks are gonna be hell!!
…and I haven’t bought one Christmas-present yet…
Gah!
But this week I will put up my Christmas-tree. That might at least give me some Christmas-spirit and inspiration.
At least I hope so, because right now I feel tired of Christmas already…

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" with The Crystals

"All That She Wants" with Ace of Base

It’s about 2 a.m. and I’ve just seen the new Harry Potter-movie. Quite nice, but since they cut about half of the things in the book, I guess you’ve had to read it before (as I have), because otherwise you might have missed a lot.
I'll give it a 6 or 7 out of 10.
Anyhow; now I’m home at last after a very long, hang-over day (we played virtual bowling yesterday at Hard Rock Café) and want to sleep…
…and then my neighbours upstairs have decided that tonight was a goodnight for partying and playing "All That She Wants" with Ace of Base at a very loud volume.
My god - these guys really must have missed the nineties.
I guess it’s an earplug/sleeping-pill night tonight.
Good night!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "All That She Wants" with Ace of Base

"Super Pop" with Madonna

Back again with a rather strange chart this week, since Mrs Richie dominates 50% of it...

Not much to say about it I guess... Britney is this week’s highest placed new entry, with the new single from her forthcoming remix album, and the other new entry is another Madonna-song – but not from her "Confessions on a Dance Floor" album this time, but a single released exclusively to members of her fan-club. It’s not as good as many other songs on her album (in contrary, it is rather easy to see why it didn’t make it), but it has been played a lot on my iPod... that is what this is all about.


This Week/Last Week/Peak/Weeks on Chart/Artist - Song

01/02/02/02/Madonna - Let It Will Be
02/01/01/02/Madonna - Sorry
03/03/01/06/Madonna - Hung Up
04/07/04/02/Madonna - Jump
05/04/02/03/September - Cry for You
06/06/06/04/Lena Philipsson - Det Ringer på Min Dörr
07/NE/07/01/Britney Spears - And Then We Kiss (Junkie XL Remix)
08/05/03/03/Kent - Vi Mot Världen
09/NE/09/01/Madonna - Super Pop
10/08/05/03/We're from Barcelona - I'm from Barcelona

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Super Pop" with Madonna

"Ugly" with Sugababes

Too much work for it to be healthy, so let’s make this weeks Flip or Flop quick and easy.
The Sugabaes releases their second single from their “Taller in More Ways”-album, and it’s called “Ugly”.

D-man: Flip
Sounds just like Sugababes, perhaps it is? Reminds me of another very politically correct song from TLC (a girl freaks out at a surgery and rethinks her decision of enlarging da boobies). This is similar, with the theme that we're all the same, in a positive way. The radiomix is a flip, but perhaps not the remix I like the most out of the seven that exists. Not a rollercoaster when it comes to the arrangement, but nice easy listening in the office environment or anywhere else, for that matter.

E-man: Flip
Wut?! Me, a pop-hater? Naa, man, I dig! I just hate BAD pop! This is sweet. This is what I'm looking for. Not only is the music, the voices, and the feeling awesome, but the 'Babes also manage to exceed my expectations almost every single time I hear them. And that's impressive, given how much I like "Round Round".
I'll skip the detailed analysis, this is just friggin' honey down my spine.
A-flip-a-WHOOOOO!

K-man: Flop
It’s time to get ugly...literally. This is a nice song and I completely love and adore the Sugababes...but I’m gonna Flop this. Why? ‘Cause I want my Babes to be more disco&party. ‘Cause I think Dallas Austin already written this song (TLC’s "Unpretty") and I don’t understand why he had to write it again. ‘Cause (even if I know there has been a debate in England that the Babes aren’t good looking enough to be pop-stars) I think little girls who have seen Mutya, Keisha & Heidi in the "Push the Button" video will be more than a little confused by this girls singing that people are calling them ugly.
But it’s mainly for the disco-part. Release "Red Dress" as a single instantly and I will Flip you to mega-hit heaven, girls!

It’s a Flip...and even if it’s a 2/3 one, I think we all agreed on that it’s a good song and that it probably will give the Babes some fine new chart-experiences.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Ugly" with Sugababes

"Toes" with Norah Jones

Best gossip of this week (since Runar and Micha Barton wasn't an item): Halle Berry has got six toes on one of her feets!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Toes" with Norah Jones

"He's The Greatest Dancer" with Sister Sledge

Book-tip of the day:
"Dancer" by Colum McCann

As the publisher comments on Powells.com says:

A Russian peasant who became an international legend, a Cold War exile who inspired millions, an artist whose name stood for genius, sex, and excess — the magnificence of Rudolf Nureyev's life and work are known, but now Colum McCann, in his most daring novel yet, reinvents this erotically charged figure through the light he cast on those who knew him.
Taking his inspiration from the biographical facts, McCann tells the story through a chorus of voices: there is Anna Vasileva, Rudi's first ballet teacher, who rescues her protege from the stunted life of his town; Yulia, whose sexual and artistic ambitions are thwarted by her Soviet-sanctioned marriage; and Victor, the Venezuelan hustler, who reveals the lurid underside of the gay celebrity set.
Spanning four decades and many worlds, from the horrors of Stalingrad to the wild abandon of New York in the eighties, Dancer is peopled by a large cast of characters, obscure and famous: doormen and shoemakers, Margot Fonteyn and John Lennon. And at the heart of the spectacle stands the artist himself, willful, lustful, and driven by a never-to-be-met need for perfection. In ecstatic prose, McCann evokes the distinct consciousness of the man and the glittering reflection of the myth. The result is a monumental story of love, art, and exile.

I really can’t put that book away.
A true must-read!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "He's The Greatest Dancer" with Sister Sledge

"Cut My Hair" with The Who

Good-looking guys with short hair:

1. Jake Gyllenhaal (in the movie "Jarhead")
2. Wentworth Miller (in the TV-show "Prison Break")
3. Snickar-Björn (in "Äntligen Hemma" on TV4)
4. Parlamentet-Magnus Betnér
5. E-man (my fellow room-and-Flip/Flop-mate at work)
6. Fredrik Ljungberg


Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Cut My Hair" with The Who

"Son of Dad" with Mando Diao

Today it’s Father’s Day here in Sweden, so the song of the day id dedicated to all the daddies I know; my own (of course), and all my friends who have become daddies in the recent years and are doing a splendid job.
Keep up the good work, dads!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Son of Dad" with Mando Diao

"The Escape" with Lena Ph

I’ve just learned a new thing about oatmeal:
If you try to do it in the microwave while speaking to a friend on the phone - it might explode all over the bloody micro!
*joy*

…and any minute I have to step out in the rain to step into one of my best friends car and go to Vetlanda (the birthplace of the divine Lena Ph, in the deep forest of Småland) to attend and party (with bowling) this evening.

No time for blogging, then.
I have to clean out the micro.
Or maybe I just shall leave it here and take care of it when I get back…

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "The Escape" with Lena Ph

"Fanfanfan" with Thåström

Sorry Siss (she hates my charts), it’s that time of the week again!
And I guess I can’t keep it as a secret any longer – the new Madonna album is out there, and I’m completely in love with it….
….and of course this reflects on the chart!

This Week/Last Week/Peak/Weeks on Chart/Artist - Song

01/NE/01/01/Madonna - Sorry
02/NE/02/01/Madonna - Let It Will Be
03/01/01/05/Madonna - Hung Up
04/02/02/02/September - Cry for You
05/03/03/02/Kent - Vi Mot Världen
06/06/06/03/Lena Philipsson - Det Ringer på Min Dörr
07/NE/07/01/Madonna - Jump
08/05/05/02/We're from Barcelona - I'm from Barcelona
09/NE/09/01/Thåström - Fanfanfan
10/04/04/03/Lena Philipsson - Jag Sover Hellre Ensam

Well, what can I say?
Three new Madonna-tunes this week - it’s a brilliant record…
…and I wouldn’t be surprised if they stay on the list for awhile now, falls out – and the have some glorious returns when they are released as singles (and re-appears in fantastic remixes).
But the song of today is this week’s only "non-Madonna" new entry: Thåström’s new single "Fanfanfan".
My best friend Daniel made me listen to Ebba Grön and Imperiet (and Thåström’s first solo album) when we went to school together, and I have several fond memories from that time, and of course I really liked the music to. After his first solo-album though, Thåström (and Peace Love & Pitbulls) made music that I couldn’t even listen to - in my ear it was clearly horrific; industrial punk-rock with no melodies and so far from his previous work.
But now his back in his old, good ways – and funny enough this single is his first number one hit in Sweden ever! Kind’ a strange for a man that have been in two of this countries most successfully bands (at least domestic) – but clearly a good choice for a song of today. Welcome back Pimme!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Fanfanfan" with Thåström

"Jo-Anna Says" with Son of a Plumber

It’s Flip/Flop-day once again, and my intention of today where to scrutinize the new single from Per Gessle – who has stopped using his own name out of fright of not be able to follow up his major success with the "Mazarin"-album, and now calls himself "Son of a Plumber" (since *it’s a chocker* his father was a plumber!) – called "C’Mon"…
…but since it was impossible to buy this song in some other format than the crappy wma-format, we decided to Flip/Flop the "other A-side" (words taken from plumber’s son himself) on that single called "Jo-Anna Says

Boys! What do ya think?

D-man: Flop
This is Son of a Plumber (SP). SP also stands for Sodding Poop and Source of Pain. The most scary part of this whole thing is that I actually enjoy the song. If I didn't knew this was Per Gessle I guess I would have flipped it. If this was Robbie or Madonna, Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelins, Queen, or any other band I would probably, I say probably, flip this thingie. My left foot danced. But since I hear Gessle's voice I'm thrown into display and press the big red FLOP button.

E-man: Flop
Quite listenable as any half-assed Beatles copy is, but other than that quite a waste of ear-space. I expect it'll get played a lot since this entire country seems to enter a state of mass hysteria as soon as this guy even sneezes, but that doesn't give him any credit in my book at all. He sucks, and so does this song. Ahh, that felt gooooood...

K-man: Flop
At first I thought: "Hey! Let’s not be prejudice. Even if this is Gessle (and you are so tired of him that you could puke) give it a shot!"…and at first I actually like this; It’s so harmless, it’s a little bit (OK, understatement of the year) Paul McCartney; and it is very easy to sing-a-long with while working, driving, masturbating or whatever… But then I suddenly got a very painful "Wallflowers"-feelin' (you know these two Muppets from "Fame Factory" who started a "hey, we can sound like the Beatles"-band and participated in "Melodifestivalen"). And really…that’s not a good grade for one of the most popular and richest men in Swedish pop-history - whatever he chooses to call himself.

It was on its way to be a tiny, tiny Flip…both D-man and K-man liked initially (of course the E-man hated it from the start…it is a lot of pop-music hate in that little man)…but I guess it failed miserably at the end.

Bye, bye Plumber!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Jo-Anna Says" with Son of a Plumber

"B-L-O-S-S-A" from the Blossa Commercial

One of my favourite things about Christmas in Sweden is "Glögg".
Glögg is one of these things that you can’t translate to English, since it doesn’t exist anywhere else (as far as I know) than here in Sweden.
OK, there’s Glühwein…but that’s not exactly the same…
…and my dictionary, if you look up "Glögg", says "mulled and spiced wine" – which really is more of a recipe than a name isn’t it?

Anyway; I adore "Glögg", and I my favourite is the original "Blossa’s Wine Glögg"…but since three years back they (and by they I mean "Blossa" – the major "Glögg"-brand) also releases one special flavour every year (in a very nice looking bottle) called ’03 (spiced with Seville bitter orange), ’04 (spiced with winter apples) and so on.

Today ’05 arrived, flavoured with cloudberry & armangac, and I run to the Systembolaget after work and bought to bottles!

My judgement: It tastes just like "Glögg"….
Nothing more. Nothing less.
I really can’t tell what happened to those poor cloudberries…
…but the bottle is much more expensive than your average "Glögg", though ii contents taste the same.

I guess that’s what the call a typical case of the emperor’s new clothes.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "B-L-O-S-S-A" from the Blossa Commercial

"And Then We Kiss (Junkie XL remix)" with Britney Spears

What do you do when you got a bad cold, to much to do at work, and really have no time to find something interesting to blog about?
You call in the guys and get them do an extra Flip/Flop of Britney Spears upcoming single of course!

D-man: Flip
I like it, a like it a lot (as another famous h-being once sang). I say it just once. Didn't know it was mrs B though. I was totally surprised and stunned to the floor by this revelation. My guess had been Kylie, though it sounds just like Madonna (now K-man has played every song possible with Madonna the last week; I knew for a matter of fact this wasn't she). Soft tune. I'm happy for the new pop-mum. Let's flip/flop Rammstein next time, shall we?

E-man: Flop
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it September? Is it t.A.t.U? Is it a flip? Is it a flop?
All right, I'll stop now. This is nice, a lean-back-and-relax remix of something. I could work late in the office with this playing.
A few problems bother me: It barely sounds like Britney, but not because it's new and innovative. Rather, it's because it sounds as if she's copying the sounds that are popular right now (such as the sounds of, say, September or t.A.t.U).
Also, at some points I am expecting a heavy beat to kick in, but instead face Britney's legendary porn voice (tm).
Hmm, I really don't which way to lean on this. On one hand, it's nice. On the other, an artist of Britney's magnitude (c'mon, whatever you think of her she's HUGE) should deliver more. Shouldn't she?
OK, done now. I'll give this a VERY hesitant flop based on the fact that I don't think it'll get much airtime, and that Britney missed the opportunity at several points to lift this tune onto the dance floor.

K-man: Flip
Britney is back with a remix-album and a new single...and I quite like this. I don't think it will dominate the charts as she use to do in the past, but it has a laidback charm that I can't resist...and I think it's better when she stays to doing pop-songs, rather than moaning R'n'B tunes with some confused rap in the middle. Maybe not a grand comeback, but a comfortable "please, don't forgive me while I'm playing a mum" single.

I guess some things never change…except for maybe the hit-potential of Britney Spears singles.
This is one a little shaky.

Does Dolly Parton sleep on her stomach?
Does the new pope have a funny hat?
Do the gay bear men fuck in the woods?
Is it another "two-flips-and-a-flop-flip"?

Yepp.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "And Then We Kiss (Junkie XL remix)" with Britney Spears

"I Don't Like Mondays " with Boomtown Rats

Oh, it’s just one of these days when you where supposed to stay in bed all day:
It’s pouring down rain outside, you wake up with a cold (that you know will never get rid of since it’s October…and that also mean you will not be able to go to the gym this week…or next….which means I might end up with several extra kilos even before the "Eat! Eat! Eat! It’s Christmas"-period begins), work is totally screwed up as usually now-a-days, and on top of everything it never gets bright outside since the sun isn’t strong enough to reach through the compact, grey clouds…

I guess it’s just so much Monday you didn’t believe it was possible.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "I Don't Like Mondays " with Boomtown Rats

"Stig In och Ta en Cocktail" with Magnus Uggla

I had a fantastic evening yesterday at GS2H – with a lot of dancing, drinking, and tasting the dildo-drink: "Cock-o-Lada" - mostly due to my fab partners in crime; FF, H-babe, and J-man.
Hmmmm. I guess this picture of us having the "Cock-o-Lada" looks rather disgusting and strange for an untrained eye...but I can tell you as a defense that it didn't taste good at all. Wait...maybe that's not a defence at all...eh.

Anyway; Love you guys!
Let’s do it again in December.

Today my life feels harder though…
I’m so tired I can hardly stand up.
But the brunch went nice, so I guess I’ve deserved my right to just lay on the sofa watching TV.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Stig In och Ta en Cocktail" with Magnus Uggla

"Like it or Not" with Madonna

OK. Here it is. The inevitable "Confessions on a Dance Floor"-review.

I have to state right away that even if I am as much a Madonna fan as your average gay guy (I’ve done my share of Vogueing and the movements in "Express Yourself", I’ve seen the "Blond Ambition Tour on VHS so many times the tape broke, and I have all her albums in one way or the other), I can’t say I know every song she’s done, and I haven’t cared much of her albums since Ray of Light"…and before that I guess the last record I bought with her Madgesty where "Dick Tracy"…
…so the complete flow of unconditional love that will flush over you in this review is not some kind of "Madonna is my goddess" type of love…is just my love for pure, danceable pop-music.
Just so you know….here we go:

Hung Up
Madonna, Stuart Price, Björn&Benny
Everybody knows it by now, and I’ve already talked about in this blog. It’s a huge hit, it’s as gay as a tune can be, and I guess its only flaw is that you might get tired of it sooner than you expect. But it is a great start of this album, and a great come-back single for Madonna.
Get Together
Madonna, Anders Bagge, Peer Åström
Not one of my favourite tracks, but I really can’t say why. I guess that even if the base is nice as hell and it is very well produced, I think the song never takes off. It just goes on…which can be nice….but I wouldn’t have put this as number two on the album…it’s more like a number eight or something…and it also has the unfortunate placement between two of the albums best and most catchy songs…
Sorry
Madonna, Stuart Price
…since this is one of the best dance/pop-songs of 2005. It’s the next single, it is pure Madonna, pure pop, and pure fantastic. Once again (last time was "Material Girl") she borrows the base from Jackson Five’s "Can You Feel It" (but this time it’s actually another loop) and the result is amazing. The text is cool (it’s more important to act decent than be an idiot and the say you sorry), and it is impossible to tell what’s most catchy; the verses or the chorus. Your feet can’t possible stand still when you here this, and I can hardly wait for the remixes… The only thing I miss is a "Förlåt!" when she says "Forgive" me in different languages…but I guess you can’t have everything.
Future Lovers
Madonna, Mirwais
I’m not a big fan of Mirwais, but I am a big fun of songs where people talks in the beginning. And even if this song never reaches the heights you might suspect in the beginning, it is a distant cousin of Kylie’s "Light Years" – and you can have a lot worse relatives than that. You just keep on dancing.
I Love New York
Madonna, Stuart Price
The first line ("…I love New York, other places makes me feel like a dork") and the strange decision to sing "F-off" rather that "fuck off" makes this song a little hard to love…and as I read somewhere: this song is more fun than good. But at the same time the beat is fantastic and it grips you by the balls and makes you dance your head off while shouting "Get off my street!"…and oh; I love the siren at the end. That’s really New York!
Let It Will Be
Madonna, Mirwais Stuart Price
You might have guessed that I love most of the songs on this album – but this is one of my three favourite songs among the twelve (the other two are "Sorry" and "Jump"). The strings are fantastic, Madonna almost hisses out the text and sounds incredible, the production is impeccable, and once again there’s a chorus that makes you want to throw your t-shirt off and dance until you get unconscious. This must be a single?? I demand at least three or four fabulous remixes.
Forbidden Love
Madonna, Stuart Price
Madonna tells us a story about forbidden love and manages to revive the voice-coder that Cher killed in the nineties. If the previous songs have been songs you dance yourself to death in clubs at – this one has more of "lets-do-something-very-nasty-while-dancing-to this-how-about-something-as-close-as-sex-as-it-gets"-kind of wibe. And I love the countdown at the end, which leads us right into…
Jump
Madonna, Joe Henry, Stuart Price
…this favourite of mine. This song sounds like Madonna-in-the-eighties meets the production of the 21st century, and it borrows its synth-loops from Pet Shop Boys and adds some well placed hand-claps. I loved it from the first time I heard it…I guess this is how I want my music.
How High
Madonna, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winberg, Henrik Jonback
One of the songs written by Swedes on this album; a disco-march with a heavy beat and a text about success and fortune and if it all matters in the end. Not bad at all, but not the strongest pupil in this school.
Isaac
Madonna, Stuart Price, Yitzhak Sinwani
The song that has infuriated Madonna’s kabbalah-gang (we all know that religious people have no sense of humour or self-distance, so what did she expect?) starts of with a male Ofra Haza and the crashes into something reminding of her previous hit "Frozen". A very intense guitar and a heavy beat lifts this song from just being bizarre to be a favourite that stands out from the rest of the gang.
Push
Madonna, Stuart Price
Slow, oriental, and constantly repeating the line "You push me" makes this my least favourite song of the album…a bit like how Guy Richie (Madonna’s husband, which the lyric is all about) is one of my least favourite directors now a days. What saves it from being a total disaster in my book is the chorus, which in some way reminds me of a slow-beat "Like a Prayer".
Like It or Not
Madonna, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winberg, Henrik Jonback
"Better the devil you know" she sings, but I don’t think that is a tribute to Miss Minouge, more than the lines "…sinner, not a saint" is a tribute to Alcazar… This is just a very nice ending of a marvellous album, and it is a cool, heavy-beated, Swede-written tune about who Madonna is – and that we can love her or leave her; she don’t care. Well, I love you Madge! And if I like this album or not? Well, tuff call…I love it! 10 disco balls out of 10!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Like it or Not" with Madonna

"Vi Mot Världen" with Kent

OK, it is Friday and time for this week’s chart!
But to manage to do this in a good way we have to play a little mind-game:
We have to imagine that I haven’t jet heard the new Madonna-album...
‘Cause if I should list my ten most heard songs on my iPod right now...they would all come from "Confessions on a Dance Floor", and that would be quite a boring list...
Next week I might have cooled down a bit Madge-wise and then I might be able to place two or three songs – it feels like Utopia today - from the album on the list (like I did with Lena Ph last week), but for now the prerequisites are that I have only heard the single...nothing more.
So here’s the chart of the music I listen to this week – or at least what I listened to this Wednesday or something...

This Week/Last Week/Peak/Weeks on Chart/Artist - Song

01/01/01/04/Madonna - Hung Up
02/NE/02/01/September - Cry for You
03/NE/03/01/Kent - Vi Mot Världen
04/05/04/02/Lena Philipsson - Jag Sover Hellre Ensam
05/NE/05/01/We're from Barcelona - I'm from Barcelona
06/09/06/02/Lena Philipsson - Det Ringer på Min Dörr
07/02/02/04/Sugababes - Red Dress
08/04/04/02/Lena Philipsson - Han Jobbar i Affär
09/03/03/04/Andy Bell (feaut. Jake Shears) - I Thought it was You
10/08/02/06/Depeche Mode - Suffer Well

Madonna is still on top, breaking her own record on this chart.
Septembers last single "Looking for Love", which turned out to be a huge flop in the Flip/Flop, has grown a lot the last weeks – but her next single (well, it must be!?) is even better. It’s good for real. An obvious number two.
Kent is one of my favourite bands ever, and new material from them is always a huge thing. Their new EP is very, very Kent, and "Vi Mot Världen" is the first track and the one I think is the best (possible in competition with "Ansgar&Evelyn" which just didn’t make into the chart...but if there had been a number eleven spot it certainly had parked itself there this week).
With Madonna sampling ABBA and paying the millions, Kent being the biggest band in Sweden, and September being more a product than an artist, it is nice to find a song from a guy who just wanted to make some music, gathered some friends, recorded a single, and released it on the internet. That’s the case with We're from Barcelona – new at number five – and it is already a minor hit on Swedish radio. Genuine!
The rest of the chart is still dominated by Miss Philipsson, and notably Gorillaz fall out from the chart after a record-breaking eight weeks (!). Welcome back boys!

Since there might be a possibility that we will need to Flip/Flop September’s tune if it is released as a single (we have to make it up for her...all three of us regrets flopping "Looking for Love"), I pick Kent as the song of the day.
The song is also almost the direct opposite to the Madonna-mood I’m into right now, and sometimes it might be necessary with something complete different!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Vi Mot Världen" with Kent

"You Raise Me Up" with Westlife

I’m sorry but my world is just "Confessions on a Dance Floor" and Madonna right now...
So to focus on something else, the Flip/Flop this week will try to find out if Westlifes 13th number one hit in England where fair or not...

D-man: Flop
Probably a very sweet and likeable tune if you're a 14-year old ugly girl high on hormones, without any boyfriends whatsoever, who’s only companion is a lollypop and a soft cuddly bear, without eyes, of course, that also is very ugly. And probably she has no parents and is crying constantly in front of iTunes every day as the song goes on repeat, since you can't tell when the song starts over again, really. That's not why she cries though, she cries 'cause she is utterly miserable, and since she's ugly she can have that.

E-man: Flop
Pointless, utterly pointless. Regular pretty boy-band style "oh-help-me-I-just-want-to-be-loved-and-why-is-it-always-raining-boo-hoo" but with none of the panache that made this factory-produced music style popular in the 90s (and I didn't even like it when it was fresh). Nah guys, time to call it quits I say. To express it in the lingo of their target audience: "U suck!"

K-man: Flop
It starts slow as a hymn. It includes Irish violins and flutes and sounds like something from a movie soundtrack to Braveheart, the closing track to any Disney-movie ever made, or your average "poor-people-on-Ireland"-flick. Then a quire turns up. My god...this one has all the tricks in the book...no wonder it gave Westlife their 13th number one (which is a record tie with the Beatles). But sorry guys; You've done this song (the other 12 number ones I presume) over and over and over again, so many times it is not funny anymore. And to include "new acoustic versions" of your previous biggest hits on the single just screams "We’re desperate!!!!" It doesn't get to me at all...it just feel fabricated...and by the way: Boybands are so over it is not even fun in an "I feel sorry for you who didn't manage to get a solo career"-way. Where's Madonna?

No question about it; Westlife is over.
Boyband are over.
Boybands singing Disney-ballads are over.
Forget about this tune as soon as possible.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "You Raise Me Up" with Westlife

"B What U Wanna B" with Darin

This is the day when I finally got to hear Madonna’s new album "Confession of a Dance Floor"…
*pure happiness*
…I’ll get back to that some other day.
I guess I have to digest it a bit first.
But it’s clearly a good first impression.

Today is also the day when someone outed the Swedish pop/girl/teen-idol Darin in a blogg. (I got the tip from the fabulous blog of Johan Hilton – a must-read every day!) Rumours say that he has snogged his 30 year old male manager at the TV-house.
…and I surprised my self by thinking: "How could he?"
Not snog a guy.
Almost everybody knew that he would/wanted to do that.
I guess it was one of these George Michael, Ricky Martin, Peter Jöback cases.
No I was upset that this teenaged guy kissed a so much older guy.

…and then I realised that I will be 33 in about four months and got an anxiety attack…

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "B What U Wanna B" with Darin

"All in the Game" with Fame

Why does there always have to be an official song for each sport event there is?

This summer we had an official song for the World Championship in track and fields (a song by Amy Diamond that I never heard), of course every soccer World Cup seems to have at least two different songs (an official and one un-official), and today I heard the official song for the Swedish Winter Olympics team 2006...
It is sung by the melodifestival-group Fame (it's not Fame in the picture - it's the official OS-outfit), it is called "All in the Game", and it is truly awful...
OK, I guess this little song isn't worse than anything else...it is just so mediocre and unnecessary.
Who will be inspired by such a blunt little tune?
Who will ever play it? Buy it?

Or maybe it was written to match the Swedish achievements in the last winter Olympics?
Awful. Mediocre. Unnecessary. Blunt.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "All in the Game" with Fame