FT hasn’t entirely retired its cutting-edge pop reporting (*cough*), but we’re perhaps getting slow in our old age. So feel free to find out more about Margaret Berger from older posts on say Dirrrtypop or Popjustice. Summary:
* “runner-up on the second series of Norwegian Idol in 2004”
* in the Annie/Kylie/Girls Aloud/Rachel Stevens/Xenomania/icy electro model of things (i.e. hideously out moded now if you are ‘hip’)
* “The album will probably never be released in the UK”
:-( oh noes. Well you can hear brief bits of the best two tracks from this (her second) album on our poptimism podcast and you can find mp3s here (160z) and here (alienhits) of two other great songs. Below is my track-by-track take…
The weakest track on this album (IMHO) is the first (title) track ‘Silver Fairy’. It’s got something going on, some nice beats, but is curiously flat and tuneless (to my ear) for an opener (what an old fashioned and rockist idea that sounds like). Once you are past it though, every track shines and has something special to offer.
“Seek I’ll Hide’ is all bass-beaty and numanoid squeals. ‘Will You Remember…’ is a tremendous Annie’s ‘My Hearbeat’ esque song of teen love in the moment. ‘Samantha’ (the stand out track for many) is a kylie-pulsed ‘you go girl’ standard, but it really gets hold of you.
There’s a pause in the pace with the more lounge-floaty ‘I’m Gonna Stay After Summer’ which could be a ‘chilled’ summer dance anthem, given a killer remix. Then we’re back to the straight-up sexy electro bleeping of ‘Physical’, before relaxing back into the Mint Royale-ish reel of Naive. Hmm I see that last description is not going to be a great recommendation to a lot of people. (Nor is Dirrtypop’s ‘Lily Allen’ attribution doing it justice i suspect).
Which brings us to my current obsession “Robot Song” (check the alienhits link). This song is so strong. When the conventional “noes, my family disapproves of the one i love” narrative hits the heartfelt anguish in the lyric “I’m in love with a robot”, even though the song’s title is a bit of a spoiler, and even though this is such a worn cliché in electro, you are wormed inside such patent ridiculousness. You are ready to believe her. It’s in the step-up in the bridge, “You’re the only one who makes me feel a thing”, a warm wash of melody that gives me goosebumps.
‘Pretty Things In Life’ is a more familiar scando, er, euro, pop squelchy electro song. The chorus is reminiscent of some of Alexander Bard’s (BWO/Army of lovers) ‘nicer’ tracks. Then finally we end on the shimmery ‘Have You Never Ever’ which plays out on an echoed piano-riff with a gorgeous “maxed out” clipping effect on it. (I thought it was my crap earphones at first, but I was pleased to find out it’s MEANT to sound that way.)
The album isn’t available on iTunes (she’s from NORWAY ffs) or from Amazon I’m afraid. I got mine from cdon.com.