Noble Pop: The return of smart catchy pop melodies?

BERLIN (dpa) – Hipsters of catchy and elegant pop music, which makes listening to the radio a little nicer, remember fondly: “Weather With You” by Crowded House, “Mr. Jones” by Counting Crows, “I Don’ t Want A Lover” from Texas – those songs were radio tunes 25 or 30 years ago.

They put you in a good mood without looking cheap. Now these three teams (and other former earworm guarantors) are back at the same time. Overview of five welcome return.

Battles from Below: If the return of smart radio sound sets a true trend, Crowded House are its worthy patrons. Because it’s better than The Dreamers Wait (Version: 4.6.), their return after an eleven year break, you can’t do such a thing. Once this noble pop album dropped at least three singles to charts and radio playlists. but today? Let’s wait and see.

Primarily, the song “Dreamers…” performs, especially in the second half, though it is a demanding record for focused listening – with many highlights (“Show Me The Way”, “Too Good For This World”, “Love”). Isn’t Hard at all (“)”) and without any fillers. Since their debut with “Don’t Dream It Over” (1986), this New Zealand-Australian band centered around singer-songwriter Neil Finn has had to compare to the Beatles Over and over again – and I did really well in the process.

The follow-up to “Intriguer” (2010) now includes a song of pearls that would make even Paul McCartney proud. “Playing With Fire,” the album’s horn-adorned masterpiece, honors “easy-to-listen” pop major Bert Bacharach. The fact that Finn was able to beat co-founder Nick Seymour and producer Mitchell Froome as well as his sons, musicians Liam and Elroy for this remarkable feat, decries Crowded House’s success story 35 years later. welcome back!

Radio-Playlist-Tips: “To The Island”, “Whatever You Want”

SOULPOP WITHOUT ANTI-TOUCH: Simply “Hi” (May 28) is the new record name for TEXAS, the band centered around singer Charlene Spiteri, who has been one of the most-characterized bands for nearly three decades with songs like “Say What You Want”. Or “Samar Ibn.” They’ve always mixed strong soul elements into catchy pop rock – nothing has changed, hip-hop isn’t rejected in the title song (with Wu-Tang Clan) or American blues (“Moonstar”) either. Sometimes this looks like a pop surprise bag, but in the end it’s mostly stylish. And of course, as usual in Texas, a number of new songs are the best mainstream radio feed.

Radio-Playlist-Tipps: “Look What You Do,” “Heaven Knows”

ENGLISH MELANCHOLY TO DANCE: With pop music sometimes hitting the dance floor, James from Manchester has gained a regular off-island audience. The band, centered around superstar Tim Booth and guitarist Jim Glenny, who have been consistent personalities since 1981, once again achieved this wonderful blend of sadness and ecstasy on their new album “All The Colors Of You” (4.6), which has already appeared on their top albums (4.6). and radio songs like “Sit Down”). Even at the age of 61, Booth is still an impressively curvaceous singer. The fact that the title song, “Beautiful Beaches” or “Miss America” ​​has socially critical lyrics in no way diminishes the pleasure of listening again. James continues to make world pop music for the brain, heart, and legs.

Radio-Playlist-Tips: “Hush,” “Wherever It Takes Us”

SCHOTTEN-ROCK AND AMI-TOUCH: It’s been a while – more precisely: more than 25 years – since the DEL AMITRI band, founded in Glasgow like Texas, has been a hit. How much I enjoyed as a radio listener at the time, carefully composed songs like “Nothing Ever Happens” or “Roll To Me” enhanced by Justin Corrie’s warm voice. The good news: Everything is back… (The Bad: … except for the huge radio broadcast.). “Fatal Mistakes” (May 28), the Scots’ first record in nearly 20 years, also meets high expectations for songwriters who don’t want or have to choose between the British Beatles and American folk rock. And ‘Close Your Eyes and Think of England’ should be one of the most beautiful and saddest stories of the year.

Radio-Playlist-Tips: “It’s Feelings,” “You Can’t Go Back”

Beautiful sound and disagreement: The title of the 19-minute mini-album “Butter Miracle, Suite One” (May 21) gives hope that American folk rock band COUNTING CROWS, founded 30 years ago in San Francisco, will also make a comeback. Meanwhile, the melancholy voice of 56-year-old singer Adam Duritz hasn’t lost any of its charm. Nor the hypnotic songs, now also reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen, from this band, which is said to have sold about 13 million records in the United States alone. At first only four new songs – aroused anticipation, and with pleasure more of them.

Radio-Playlist-Tips: “Elevator Boots”, “Angel Of 14th Street”