A Year In Pop: 14

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

After last week's total damp squib (lowest polling numbers ever, too) - this is more like it. Too much more like it you might say with 12!!! new entries as the charts have a big old spring clean. At least 3 tracks here which have had their own poptimists thread! GET TICKING!

[Poll #963576]

Comments

[koganbot]

"Give It To Me." I find the Nelly F. part totally aching and fetching and wonderful. Timbo needs to tape his mouth closed (especially given that his 2006 wasn't nearly as good as Storch's). Timberlake is just a pretty boy taking up space on this one. I'm very conflicted (like, does this make my top ten of the year or does it fall below the top 100?), but they do let the Nelly melody carry the song, so it's an emphatic tick.

"Babies." This is being orgasmed over on the teenpop thread, though I don't share the infatuation. Even going bonkers she's still a well-mannnered debutante. She's not an ungracious one, however. I mean, I'm not insulted that she wants to have my baby. And there is life in her etchings, under the mannerisms. I way prefer "Unwritten," but this gets a luna-tick.

"What I've Done." Tick.

"Thou Shalt Always Kill." Funny pissed-off wankers who think their received ideas are provocative, and this misguided conviction actually carries the song. Only Brits pull this off, in my experience. Solid tick.

"Love Today." This is the glam equivalent of a garage rock - Mika tries to come on stylish but is really just a guy posing with a mic in his rec room. Hated the last one, this one I like, maybe even a lot. Good Tick.

"Stop Me." Catchy, not amazing. Tick.

"Liar." Shakira's got this haunted Asian agony mysteriously in the background at the start; disappointing afterwards, but a tick.

"I Could Fall In Love With You." Good tune; don't know why it didn't grab me. Only heard once so my opinion could improve if I hear it again. Near miss.

"Brianstorm." Don't know what went wrong. I quite liked "Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor" and several others, but this time Turner is lost in a thicket of guitars and beats. A botch not a tick.

"Because Of You." In one ear and out the other. Maybe it'd stick on the 50th play, but I'll do my best not to find out. A nap not a tick.

"This Must Be Love." Rueful alienated vocals could be good yoked to some other melody, but they undo the lilt of this one.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I haven't listened to 'Shock Value' properly yet but i was instantly grabbed by 'Way I Are' and would enjoy that as a single - tho the woman on it does sound v J Lo. Tim is probably still the worst thing on it but not actually that bad having said that. don't care for 'Give It To Me' much at all tho.

[koganbot]

The woman is Keri Hilson (about whom I otherwise know nothing).

The Timbaland album is being streamed at the AOL Listening Party this week. (However, I don't know whether or not the site is accessible from Britain.)