A Year In Pop: Week 12

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Avril! Hilary! The UK charts turn teenpoptastic this week with a #3 debut for La Vigne (and a #29 cameo from Hilary). Meanwhile the comical relief Proclaimers thing is number one.

[Poll #954743]

*the Pink record was left off last week's poll. I am reasonably sure I have not forgotten any more!

Comments

This week's mob

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there will be much discussion of Avril - I will let someone else start it! Tick, though.

Hilary Duff - had no idea Hilary was doing electropop - not especially good electropop at that, this is a marginal tick really.

Ciara - the Lex's incessant enthusiasm spoilered this one a little, it's good, slick R&B which anybody who has ever enjoyed R&B should probably be ticking, but it's not especially memorable - maybe with more plays...

Tiny Dancers - very ill-advised and clodhopping ska tint to this. No tick.

Seamus Haji - another marginal tick: not even in the same galaxy of good as the original but I liked the brazen-ness of the video: "Old School" (frightful ugly sister style disco queens) vs "New School" (kewl ravers). The lack of reverence appeals even if I don't agree.

Pink - kind of a Go-Go's-y punky girlpop number, quite hooky but like Ciara not immediately memorable. Tick, though.

Re: This week's mob

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Hurrah. Strong week. I've ticked all the ones I've heard. Will try and listen to Tiny Dancers and Seamus tonight.

Agree with Tom about Ciara, though - reluctant tick. That said, it took me a good while to warm to Cassie, so maybe this will grow on after Lex sends me a copy of I finally get to hear the album.

The P!nk=punk grew on me loads after repeat plays of the album.

Re: This week's mob

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

OK, after having heard the two I didn't previously know, maximum tickage this week. Fantastic!

Tom, you're a bit off beam re Tiny Dancers - it's European OOMPAH POP not ska that this is channelling. Which OK is still clod hopping, but that is its nature of oompah innit. Actually, the band's sound reminds me of 70s glam-pop a bit (not T.Rex et al, which = glam rock or glitter) but stuff like this (http://hometown.aol.co.uk/glamrockbear/page9.html). Add in all the tempo changes and their song fully deserves "any good at all" status. Don't much care for their look, though - the video brought to mind raggle taggle bands like The Levellers eek!

Re: This week's mob

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Ciara might well be a grower because its impact for me is 80% in the narrative rather than the sound (though obviously I love that too! classical strings meet slabs of crunk bass meet screeeeewed and choooopped backing vox - a real cauldron of melodrama).

Surprised you don't like Hilarity more :( Her whole album is like this - I'm not sure she quite beats 'Come Clean' or 'Beat Of My Heart' but that's a ridiculous ask anyway - it's a very very good album.

Re: This week's mob

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

It reminded me a bit of the Ellis-Bextor from a few weeks back - second division electro, just not sparking for me.

Re: This week's mob

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

'With Love' is more dynamic and sharp than 'Catch You' though - it's jerkier, and Duff sells it in a way that SEB didn't, oddly by dint of sounding deliberately blanker where SEB was too much...herself.

I didn't think 'With Love' was one of the stronger singles on the album on the first run-through but I'm kind of obsessed with it at the moment.

Re: This week's mob

[koganbot]

Any thoughts about Good Charlotte? Two of them (Joel Madden and Benji Madden) helped write and produce "Beat Of My Heart." I doubt that "Keep Your Hands Off My Girl" would be your thing at all, but it's got a grinding, scraping, gargling sound all its own that's very powerful.

Re: This week's mob

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

REALLY? Oh no, oh no, oh no, this is even worse than finding out the Keane dumpling wrote my favourite new Stefani track. I hate Good Charlotte!

Re: This week's mob

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Oh I completely disagree about the Ciara one - finally after Lex raving about every Ciara single and me not feeling the love, comes this one which I adore, and I feel like it really does stand out from a lot of R&B at the moment. I think it's the classical strings featuring so prominently. It's completely gorgeous and I love it.