Step Right On The Beat

Royksopp “49 Percent (Ewan Pearson Glass Half Full Remix)” – It’s interesting how this guy’s voice is so pretty that it’s actually sort of ugly. This is the Adult Contemporary voice, the kind of singing that generally registers for me as being smug and emotionally vacant in spite of its treacly surface sentimentality. I’ve heard so much of that music over the years that when the vocal style pops up in a genuinely moving song such as this one, there’s a sort of disconnect in my mind that I have to work at to reconcile, especially when that style is so perfectly matched to the melody and general tone of the piece. (Click here to pre-order it from Amazon UK.)

Love Is All “Felt Tip” – Back in February, I posted a different, sparser and more melancholy version of this track. I have no idea what the deal with that recording is at the moment – demo? live radio session? – but this is the officially released single version. The composition loses some of its ambience, but gains a tighter, more dynamic structure that only serves to enhance the essential romance of the song. (Click here to buy it from Smashing Time.)