Aiken Rises Again

Gosh. I loved watching American Idol last night. It is dozens of guilty pleasures packed in one. Taylor Hicks' win was no surprise. The evening only had two big moments for me. One was the divalicious Clay Aiken appearing on stage in his new do singing "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" with a frantic fan. It was an ideal comeback performance for Clay that showed what level of adoration he (still) receives from fans. And in many ways, Aiken represents all that American Idol is about: tacky songs, incredile transformations, controversy and selling lots and lots of records. If you haven't seen the Clay Aiken moment, make sure to check it out here on YouTube. The best moment is when Clay surprises the fan from behind. Priceless.

Another great performance was the one by your purple highness Prince. A true surprise. I wonder how much it took for his management to convince him to do it, because Prince is so much bigger than Idol. But it was a clever marketing move. The show pulled a whopping 35 rating share in the last 30 minutes of the broadcast and was the perfect platform to be seen by the record buying public.

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R�yksopp's Night Out
At Remix in Vancouver I picked up Royksopp's latest EP "Night Out," a live recording from the duo's performance in Oslo late last year that was released on disc a few months ago. The album is a collection of their biggest hits including "What Else Is Out here," "Poor Leno," "Only This Moment" and my favorite "Remind Me."

Based on the electronic aspects of their songs, you might expect a straight up DJ set with lots of pre-programmed loops. But on "Night Out," Torbj�rn Brundtland and Svein Berge are keeping it real. They actually add their own live vocals to some of their tunes (using a vocoder) and also are joined on stage by Bel Canto's Anneli Drecker (and not Karin Dreijer as I wrote earlier) who adds her distinct vocals to "What Else Is Out There." These elements truly create a unique live experience that is worth playing over and over again. The live version of "Alpha Male" is a stand out track. The duo gets in high gear to create a propulsive on stage version that will get your adrenaline rushing. Fans of electronica-based dance music should definitely take a listen to "Night Out" even if you were a little disappointed by the celestial electro-pop on "The Understanding." (Click here to download R�yksopp's "Night Out" from 7Digital in mp3 format.)

In related R�yksopp news, the band announced they will release their next single "Beautiful Day Without You" on June 12. The 12" single will include remixes by Rex The Dog, Cass& Mangan and the Wighnomy & Robag Whruhmes Spekkfakkel Remikks.

Listen to samples of R�yksopp's "Night Out"

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Stream Marie Serneholt Tracks
Check out the sweet pop tunes of 22-year-old Swedish singer Marie Serneholt. Some of you might remember Marie as the hot blond from teen pop sensation Abba Teens. Serneholt teamed up with talented songwriter J�rgen Elofsson and released her solo debut album "Enjoy The Ride" in Sweden in March. Elofsson knows how to write a hit. He earlier wrote music for Kelly Clarkson ("A Moment Like This"), Westlife ("If I Let You Go") and Britney Spears ("You Drive Me Crazy," "Sometimes").

Elofsson was very anxious to collaborate with Serneholt. "There's a lot of talk about the Swedish music export, but in the Swedish pop world the focus is mainly on songwriters and producers," Elofsson says in a press statement. "There is a definite lack of Swedish pop stars."

The statement also describes Serneholt's music as "ABBA meeting Gwen Stefani." Despite the Goldfrapp-ish cover of "Enjoy The Ride," I find the innocent tunes of Serneholt mostly reminiscent of the music Britney Spears put out on her first and second record. Guilt-free and fun. All that good pop should be about. First single from the singer's album is "That's The Way My Heart Goes," but my favorite is the hooky "Can't Be Loved." Also make sure to listen to "I Need A House" that echoes Serneholt's Abba Teens past. The singer also pulls off a decent ballad with "Beyond Tonight."

Stream Marie Serneholt tracks

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Free Download: VioletNine "Images Of Me"
Straight outta Boston come pop rockers VioletNine. The handsome Massachusetts five piece of Ben Consoli (vocals), John Ducharme (guitar/keys), Greg Faucher (drums), Tom Gallo (bass) and Nick Lewis (guitar) first got together in 2002 and has been playing the club scene ever since to develop their fan base. In April, they released their first album "Any Wonder" that was produced by Greg Archilla who previously worked with Matchbox 20, Collective Soul and Edwin McCain.

VioletNine shows off their true colors on "Images Of Me," one of my favorite songs on their debut album. It packs a propulsive, melodic tension in a crunchy alt-rock arrangement that does not wear out after repeated play. At times I find the song reminiscent of music put out by many British pop rockers such as Snow Patrol. A big thank you to the band for allowing me to share this song.

The band writes me that "'Images Of Me' is a message to anyone that holds you down, dulls your shine and drains your inspiration. It's a combination of looking back on your past struggles and moving forward to better things. Sometimes the people that want you to fail drive you further to success."

Download Violet Nine "Images Of Me" or stream it first: