Norwegian electropop newcomers Musique Le Pop combine soft Say Lou Lou style vocals with Charlie XCX style newtro beats to get their feet in the door of Scandinavian electro.
With only 247 Facebook fans but a haunting electro sound reminiscent of this music era’s other Scandinavian musicians such as Mr. Little Jeans of Norway, The Knife of Sweden, Mø of Denmark, Musique Le Pop is sure to start getting more indie famous.
Here’s another song comparison: “Lost Kitten” by Metric vs. “Red Light District” by Midi Matilda
The topic of comparison: Being More than Fuck Buddies
While walking to the BART station to get to work last week, “Lost Kitten” by Metric shuffled on. The “I was looking for a hooker when I found you” part stuck out and immediately made me think of “Red Light District” by Midi Matilda.
As I explained before, I feel as if “Red Light District” is about fake love affairs in the form of rebound flings and fuck buddy-ing. The singer basically describes a prostitute but also states that he could fill the supposed void in her heart by being her lover. He, however, also immediately contradicts the power he initially claims to have in this “relationship.” His power being that he can be the one to offer (or withhold) his love to this woman. The contradiction occurs when the line “hold me ’til the next one at least” reveals he is actually bargaining to get what ever he can from this woman. This prostitute (assuming because it’s the “red light district”) is supposed to be a strictly sexual partner, but the singer seems to want more.
Then again, the singer could be a lover scorned – with the woman accused of acting in a whorish manner. (Hence the prostitution extended metaphor.) In fact, the singer states “She is a woman, and a woman won’t bring my spirits down” as if reminding himself that this woman and this situation cannot and should not hurt him emotionally.
“Lost Kitten” relates to “Red Light District” both in the surface level through their respective mentions of prostitutes and through their discussions of deeper relationships (with prostitutes and potential prostitutes).
“I was looking for a hooker
When I found you.
You’ve got my eyes. You’ve got my eyes.
You’ll never be mine, but you’ve got my eyes.
When you lie, I’ll cover it up.
When you hide, I’ll cover it up.
When you cry, I’ll cover it up.
When you come undone, I’ll cover it up.
So pent up, I was coming home to you.
Happy in the nighttime, howlin’ at the moon,
Sippin’ on a cocktail, drinking in the loo
There’s something about you I hold on to.
You’ve got my eyes. You’ve got my eyes.
You’ll never be mine, but you’ve got my eyes.”
The prostitutes/hookers in both songs are most likely just metaphorical ones – with both singers meaning that they were just looking for a hook up but found more. Or… In Midi Matilda’s case, looking for something more but being okay with just a hook up.
Both singers display an initial acceptance of their searches for these sex-only relationships (for lack of a better word) with their songs’ respective audiences. However, as each subsequent lyric is placed in its track, the relationship builds as “something more” for each singer. The initial glance – the originally intended sexual encounter develops into something with more substance for each singer.
It’s no longer just sex.
Emily Haines can’t look away from the “you” she’s found. In fact, she progresses toward such a caring relationship with “you” that she wants to protect “you” despite the lies, disappearances, sadness, and vulnerabilities.
Emily Haines even goes as far into this “relationship” that she’s “coming home to you.” However, there’s something holding her back from realizing this completely through her repetition of the bridge “You’ve got my eyes. You’ve got my eyes. You’ll never be mine, but you’ve got my eyes.”
Midi Matilda’s Skyler Kilborn shows that his stereotypical “rough exterior” of just wanting sex from this woman (prostitute or his scorner) is, as cliche as it is, a facade. It hides that he is wants a feeling that is more than just sex, even for one evening (“hold me ’til the next one at least”).
Makes me wonder if Emily Haines and Skyler Kilborn (or at least the people [characters?] they represent in their respective songs) would’ve fallen in love had their lyrical paths crossed.
Today, I was being a sappy dork and linking my friend Shahla to “West Coast” by Coconut Records because I never got to visit her in the East Coast and then never got to see her when she was back home on the West Coast before going abroad.
While listening to the song again, I noticed the part that goes “So pack up my bags to beat back the clock. Do I let her sleep or should I wake her up?”
This instantly reminded me of a part of “Dreamers” by Savoir Adore. In the bridge, Deidre Muro sings “You can stay where you are. I will wake you. I will wake you in the morning. You can stay where you are, so don’t you worry. Don’t you worry. Keep on sleeping.”
