Icona Pop

Before I delve into this on-the-rise musical duo, I’d like to note that I’ve observed a trend recently regarding how I have digested and become exposed to music. The progression runs something like this. I listen to Pandora and suddenly, to my surprise, a new single comes on the air that I’ve never heard. Mind you, this is a pretty big deal because most of the time Pandora is pretty monotonous. I screenshot the song so I can remember it later and blog about the artist. When I get around to exploring more about this artist, I see that the song has skyrocketed to the top of the charts (apparently a lot of others are also listening). Weeks later, the song is way overplayed and dominates the airways.

Right now, I’m not sure if Icona Pop is going to have the same fate as some of those other artists without substance or if they’re going to explode into successful artists. While I discovered them just recently, I learned that this synthpop duo has been around for about 4 years now and just recently hit the international and popular stage. While they match other bands in the way that they come out of the underground music scene, I feel that Icona Pop has promise because I observed how their music has evolved and adapted to their audiences. After listening to a progression of samplings from throughout their career, I began to see that they slowly transitioned from their roots and grew into something more “sellable” to the music market. While in doing so, they might have lost some of their edge/depth, I think it shows perseverance in that they continued to strive towards stardom. Their style of synthetically derived music also is on the rise which makes me think that they will fit right into the new staple of music.

This might be a side note as well, but there’s no other place to say it so I’ll say it now. Recently, I’ve noticed two major trends surface in the most recent music scene/underground. The first trend encompasses alternative rock/indie rock. Bands like Mumford and Sons are slowly dominating the more “talent filled” part of the market. The second trend is synthesized music which utilizes technology and computer generated sounds to drive the melody forward. This is where Icona Pop comes in. Music is slowly evolving to meet both of these trends because there has been much positive feedback regarding them. Icona Pop started making music in 2009 and popular culture didn’t catch up with their forward-thinking music until right now. It also doesn’t hurt that their latest hit single, “I Love It”, is really catchy.

Icona Pop is a Swedish DJ/electro duo that has grasped the world with their fresh and captivating style. They fit right in with the rise of the electro-house genre and the computerized age of music as a whole. In the midst of dubstep and electro-house, Icona Pop is definitely on the rise and growing rapidly in popularity. Just viewing various YouTube clips of their singles, I got a vibe of just how much their popularity skyrocketed in the past year. One of their older songs had 70,000 views while the most recent hit single has over 11 million. Needless to say, there must be something attractive about their music.

The vocals of this duo’s songs are full of edge and attitude. The two artists are able to harmonize well together, even if some of it is due to heavy autotune (but, the genre is synthpop so you kind of have to expect that). Through their vocals, I feel a heavy vibe of rebellion and an influence of the punk mentality. Throughout their various songs, the lyrics also add to this. While the lyrics have digressed poetically throughout their career (in my humble opinion), they have maintained the heart and soul of their songs which is the meaning. Their meaning conveys a mindset of defiance which makes their songs appealing to their audiences (probably most likely the youth of the world).

Besides the meaning and lyrics, the countermelodies of Icona Pop’s songs are limitless. When you have unlimited possibilities at your fingertips due to advanced musical technology, anything is possible. No more does an artist have to rely on their ability to play a specific instrument to get a certain sound. Technology has revolutionized how music is not only listened to, but also how it is created. This is greatly appreciated when listening to the counter melodies of songs by such artists like Icona Pop because they are so dynamic and wild. While the rebellious vocals drive the main melody, synthesized guitars and driving beats add spice and flavor to the songs.

To understand what all the buzz is about, you really need to check out their songs. I would recommend watching both of these videos so that you can see how Icona Pop has progressed in their sound. The first song is one of their earlier hits while the second is their latest single, “I Love It”.