4. Ace Of BaseHappy Nation
I mean, they sound so fucking weird! A lot of the time, with the stuff I like or the stuff I make, people will be like “it’s really dark” – and I’d always be surprised and kind of upset, because dark is one-sided, and I never thought of my music as dark. But maybe some kind of anxiety does seep through, and to me Ace Of Base have a bit of this. It doesn’t just feel good as a pop song, I was a kid when I heard this and it was the first record that made me dance. I would lead all this dance choreography in the schoolyard, and it was always to Ace of Base. When I listen back, it never really settles – there’s a tension in the music, always. It’s not like a lollipop, which you’d think would be the kind of music you’d be into at that age. Instead it has a little twist that’s not all the way comfortable. I like how they place their rhythms and lyrics, and there’s something in their songs that keeps you on the edge always, and that’s stayed with me.
