We LOVE LOVE LOVE the new Magnus Carlsson album! ‘Pop Galaxy’ was released in Sweden this week (and we assume in most other places around the world, like the single ‘The Best In Me’ was last week) and is an album full of Magnus Carlsson doing what he clearly knows that he does best these days – camp disco pop! And utterly unashamed pop, at that. There’s not a hint of pretentiousness on here, only tribute after tribute to the most kitsch and most fun elements of pop, disco, and dance, from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 00’s. It’s an album that you imagine he had fun making, as it’s exactly the sort of album he wanted to make. This isn’t a record for the critics, it’s a record purely for pop fans. And in a way we feel somewhat bowled over in gratitude that he’s actually intentionally alienated so many potential listeners, just so that he can make the album that he wants, and that he knows so many of us want too. Lots of artists try to cater to so many different kinds of people when making a record (understandably, of course). But this is a gift to a certain demographic. And we’re so happy that we’re in said demographic!
It’s a 24 track MONSTER! 26, if you include Spotify and digital exclusives (full tracklisting below). And despite that being a very large number of tracks to have to get right, there’s never a sense that he’s scraped and compromised on quality. There’s the main album on CD1 with 14 tracks, and then a bonus disc as CD2, with 10 tracks of b-sides, single versions, remixes, and singles from the last couple of years that never had a parent album.
CD1 is a joy from start to finish, and despite its length, you don’t ever feel like it’s going on too long or wonder when it’s going to finish. It’s blissfully cohesive too – even the album’s three ballads (‘Doin OK, Doin Alright’, ‘One Love To Give’, and ‘Last One To Stand’) are steeped in eighties synths and are more mid-tempo affairs than actual ballads. CD1 is also home to album’s lead singles from 2010 which you should all know by now (‘The Best In Me’, ‘Feel You’, and ‘A Little Respect’), and also a new version of last year’s single, ‘This Is Disco’ – which is MILES better and packs an amazing punch now too. It also includes the Modern Talking-esque b-side to ‘Feel You’, ‘Take Me To Your Heart’, which presumably was considered just too amazing to be left off the album and consigned to the bonus disc!
Of the new tracks, well we have a few favourites already. ‘Show Me The Way’ and ‘Stronger Than Ever’ are both Pitchline (the album’s production team) at their most genius. The former is them taking on 70’s disco and tailoring it into modern schlager especially for Magnus. The latter is them taking on 80’s disco (think of their work with Velvet), and again – making it into some schlager goodness. Both have phenomenal middle eight sections and key changes – befitting to their schlager credentials. ‘Keep On Dancin’ is the most modern sounding thing on here, less retro than anything else. It’s very club orientated and has proper pulsating beats all the way through. Magnus also provides a beautiful falsetto backing vocal at the end. ‘The Kiss’ has the most dreamy melodies. It’s softer than most of the club tracks on here, but still very much dance music. And in another stroke of Pitchline genius, even though the synths aren’t eighties, the synth programming structures ARE – thus adding to the continuity feel of the album. The strings are gorgeous on it too. Finally, the album’s opener, ‘My Galaxy’ is probably the campest thing he’s done since ‘Walking In My Shoes’ – it’s all absolute drama, intrusive strings, and manic synths! It’s the perfect intro to the epic album that follows.
On the bonus disc, we’re liking his cover of Alcazar’s ‘Crying At The Discotheque’ a lot more than we thought we would. He does something different to it, speeding it up and making it more club than disco. And the bonus disc also contains one of our favourite Magnus songs of all time – ‘Walking In My Shoes’! Although on the digital release, that gets replaced by new track ‘Slave To Love’. The full tracklisting is below. WHAT AN ALBUM!!! You should listen!
CD1: Pop Galaxy
01.My Galaxy
02.The Best In Me
03.Feel You
04.The Kiss
05.Keep On Dancin’
06.A Little Respect
07.Show Me The Way
08.Doin’ OK, Doin’ Alright
09.Stronger Than Ever
10.One Love To Give
11.This Is Disco
12.When Our Love Is Gone
13.Take Me To Your Heart
14.Last One To Stand
CD2: Bonus Disc
01.Crying At The Discoteque
02.Walking In My Shoes
03.Money (Greedy Honey)
04.Flash (French Version of “One Love To Give”)
05.This Is Disco (Single Version)
06.Feel You (Pitchline Club Remake)
07.A Little Respect (Pitchline Remix)
08.This Is Disco (Soundfactory Paradise Anthem)
09.Feel You (Ruff & Jam Club Mix)
10.Keep On Dancin´ (Spotify Exclusive)
