While last week’s musical journey took listeners’s all around the globe, ending in Australia, this week’s edition travels back to Europe. This week’s compilation is characterized by powerful pop and what is known as the European dance genre, or simply “Eurodance,” including passport stamps from Germany, France and Italy.
This week’s first stop will take place in France. There, singer and songwriter M. Pokora (“Envole-moi”) will inaugurate the journey throughout Europe. His latest single, “Si t’es pas là,” which translates to, “If you are not there,” gives a clear hint as to what the tune’s theme will discuss. The opening lyrics “J’en ai passé, des nuits / À rêver de nous,” which translate to, “I spent nights Dreaming about both of us,” indicate that the songwriter suffered a recent loss and desires to return to where he was previously. On a scale from one to 10, this song serves as this week’s warm up and would earn an eight.
The next stop on the trip takes place on German grounds with singer and songwriter Pietro Lombardi (“Mein Herz”). A winner of Season 8 of Germany’s Idol talent show, “Deutschland sucht den Superstar,” he is known for his R&B-like sound. His latest single, “Es tut schon wieder weh,” which translates to “It hurts again,” is an appeal to the love of the singer’s life. The song, which starts off with the chorus, is characterized by a nostalgic sound. The lyrics, which read “du bist weg und ich sitz’ hier wieder allein/ Augen ständig auf dem Handy, falls du schreibst,” translate as, “You’re gone and I’m sitting here alone again/ Keeping an eye on your phone in case you write,” indicate Lombardi’s current mood. Mixing ballad-like sounds with a beat, this song is a nine.
Ending this week’s journey is the Italian indie band Pinguini Tattici Nucleari (“Italia Italia”), whose stage name translates to “Tactical Nuclear Penguins.” Their latest hit, “Ringo Starr,” is characterized by a catchy beat mixed together with traditional Italian instruments and sounds, and will get music lovers to listen to it on repeat. In terms of the lyrics, this tune more or less discusses love as the two prior songs do, although it adds an ironic angle to it. The track opens up saying “A volte penso che a quelli come me/ Il mondo non abbia mai volute bene/ Il cerchio della vita impone che per/ Un Re Leone vivano almeno tre iene,” which translates to, “Sometimes I think about those like me/ The world has never loved/ The circle of life dictates that for/ A Lion King lives at least three hyenas.” The lyrics almost mock the fact that the vocalist has not found the love of his life whereas those his age are already married. Given the humor and the energy displayed by the tune, this song would top this week’s critique.
Photo from Pietro Lombardi via YouTube
