Review: Icona Pop – This Is… Icona Pop
Artist: Icona Pop
Album: This Is… Icona Pop
Rating: 10/10
Few pop acts are as good or as infectious as the swedish duo Icona Pop. Their debut major hit single, “I Love It” has been played in clubs worldwide, has been featured in games, commercials and much more but that’s only the beginning. “This Is… Icona Pop” is filled with pop anthems that will have you showing off your best dance moves, even if you don’t know how to dance! I haven’t heard a pop album the likes of this one in years and I’m glad to hear pop in it’s truest and realest form once more! Not since the 90s has pop sounded this good! But what is it that makes them stand out from the others in the genre who have been doing this far longer? Let’s dive in and find out!
First, let’s talk about presentation. You add house beats, infectious lyrics, catchy melodies and throw it all together, you’re sure to find something great! However, when you put these together in the right way, you find something otherworldly. These girls really know what they’re doing when it comes to making pop songs! But even more, this album is all about girls being girls. Going out, having fun and being who they are, not worrying about the consequences. Take “Girlfriend” for instance, “All I need in this life of sin is me and my girlfriend” Now, I could be wrong, and the song seems to have some undertones to lesbianism, but for the sake of argument, let’s say this song is about girls and their best friends and it’s easily a club anthem. A highlight of the album would definitely have to be the track following it, though. The track I’m speaking of is called “In the Stars” which is a love song like no other. It’s got a catchy rock/techno type beat to it and the lyrics are some of the catchiest on the album. Another highlight is “On A Roll”, with it’s catchy “do-do-do-do-dodo-do” intro and outro and then the buildup to the chorus where it climaxes and turns into something completely astounding in the way of the pop genre. There’s just not enough tracks like this around anymore! One of my favorites on the album comes a little farther into the album, which is called “Light Me Up”. It’s a little slower, in terms of instrumentals, but the track is easily one of the most powerful on the album. “I don’t, I don’t care what they say! Even if I go down in flames, light me up, light me up, light me up yeah!” If I’m getting the meaning right, it’s about the fear of falling in a forbidden love, again, I’m sensing another reference to lesbianism here, but I could be wrong. Either way, it seems to be about the fear you feel when you fall in love, the fear of being hurt and the fact that you don’t care. You just want to be with that person, no matter what people think.
Overall, this album is the epitome of what any album in the pop genre should be! There’s too much of this washed-up, “he broke my heart, so I went and messed around with his friend” type of crap on the radios and it has made my distaste for the genre extremely high. That being said, I would DEFINITELY recommend picking up your copy of “This Is… Icona Pop” and take yourself back to a time when there was GOOD pop music being played on the radio! I hope to see these girls make many more albums like this, kudos!
Icona Pop on Facebook
“I Love It” Official Video
“Girlfriend” Official Video
“All Night” Official Extended Video
“In the Stars” (Galaxy Mix)
Buy “This Is… Icona Pop” (iTunes)
Buy “This Is… Icona Pop” (Amazon)
