A Year In Pop: 16

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

This one made for fairly grim typing.

[Poll #972309]

Comments

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Is this the worst week of the year so far? There is an awful lot to dislike here.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

It's kind of all meh anyway until the ghastly back-from-the-grave triple whammy of OCS/BRMC/Travis at the end.

[strange-powers.livejournal.com]

I felt uncomfortable about ticking Travis, but I must be honest. It is "any good at all". But it's not properly good.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Oh god I'm so glad someone else feels the same!

It's not that good but it's...mildly touching. And it's weird to hear a song like that sung by someone with a tolerable voice, he's bland but he manages to convey a bit of emotion without being pathetic, he's not wimpy like Chris Martin or bereft of basic singing ability like most others.

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Nope, I still think he sound pathetic.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Ha, BRMC was a borderline non-tick for me, I like the verses but the ghastly bombast of the chorus is a right turn-off. Back in "the day" I genuinely liked 'Love Burns' by them. They have polished production + a decent rhythm section + vocalist who's all about studied cool and who doesn't try to hit notes he can't = I don't like them much but I can tolerate them.

The Enemy were the worst thing here by miles (nb I did not even attempt OCS).

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Your tastes are a complete mystery to me. I expected screaming and shouting over the mouldering corpses of dadrock, and here we get one tick and one virtual endorsement!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

As I said, hitting notes and a decent rhythm section go a long way towards making something at least tolerable for me.

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

I was shocked and saddened to see that OCS STILL EXISTED, let alone back on the charts.

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

No band whose name includes 'ft' can be entirely terrible.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Tim Wheeler gets a tick because the verse is good. Chorus needs work.

Matt Willis on the other hand - sort it out, dude!

Not heard the others yet, the only ones I'd bother seeking out would be Meck and Gym Class Heroes just in case this is some new sort of Benassi (we can live in hope!)

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

Only heard Tim Wheeler and his Ashes, Enemy, BRMC and Travis. Only ticked Ash. Worst week of the year. But Ash are back YAAAAAY!

Gash more like

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Ahem

Re: Gash more like

[ms-bracken.livejournal.com]

Since Girl From Mars I have expected Ash to show some kind of consistent improvement, or even progression, and recently I've realised that not only has this not happened yet, it is not going to happen at all. Twelve years is a long time to wait. They get no tick.

Re: Gash more like

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I'm easily pleased then - I really liked Girl from Mars, and even though I acknowledge they haven't realled progressed all that much they still keep knocking out good tunes and I'm happy with that.

Re: Gash more like

[ms-bracken.livejournal.com]

I think I built them up a bit much, really - Girl From Mars is one of my favourite songs ever and every time I listened to it I would think, "and the next album is going to be even better!" I don't dislike their new song at all -it's not 'not a tick' in the way that Ocean Colour Scene is 'not a tick' -it just sounds a bit too familiar.

Re: Gash more like

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

I only came in around Free All Angels, but I think this kind of sums up my view as well. It always seems like there's the seed of something there that's going to bloom fantastically, and it just never does.

[infov0re.livejournal.com]

Worst week of the year, easily. I don't think Just Jack is good enough for a tick, despite ms_bracken owning the album and not hating it. Ash is terrible, BRMC is nowhere near as good as their last stuff, Matt Willis is phoning it in, OCS are never getting a tick ever again in their life, and the rest I haven't heard.

What a stinking week.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I didn't think the pickings could get any slimmer after the last couple of weeks, man alive...

The Enemy - Away From Me = 3
Ash - You Can't Have It All = 2
Gym Class Heroes - Cupid's Chokehold = 4
Matt Willis - Crash = 1
Just Jack - Glory Days = 2
Ocean Colour Scene - I Told You So = 2
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Weapon Of Choice = 2
Travis - Closer = 1
Meck ft Dino - Feels Like Home = 2

Choruses, Classic Or Dud?

[koganbot]

Oh, there have been worse weeks. (That's not an endorsement of this week, however.) Isn't the Enemy song called "Away From Here"? Or are those two separate songs. If so, I refuse to listen to the second one.

I'm opposite to Lex on the BRMC: I think the chorus saves what had been a rather nondescript garage-rock song.

In fact, let's ask the question: CHORUSES: C OR D?

I've barely heard Ash and on this evidence the singer has charisma, or anyway something riveting about him that I can't explain, given that his voice is rather ordinary. When the band pull out the stops in the chorus and go for tunes and harmonies and payoff and shit, they destroy what they'd had previously: a voice holding the floor on a spare stage. A tick for the verse, but dud for the concept of choruses.

Just Jack starts with nice dream funk and a guy talking comfortably with it, then he starts singing in the chorus and ruins the mood. No tick and one more dud for the concept of choruses. On this and the Ash, it isn't just that they didn't pull off the choruses; they didn't need the choruses either, so the requirement of a chorus wrecked what could have been great (Ash) and OK (Just Jack) tracks.

Travis, the voice is pretty but the arrangement is a boring middle ground and while listening I was dreading that it would either stay boring or swell to some godawful "emotional" chorus. Instead, the chorus was a pleasant surprise, a nice tune, a falsetto that is nicely functional rather than irritating. But there's too much nonchorus here to merit a tick. Yay for the concept of chorus, however.

So, a split verdict on choruses: two good and two bad.

Re: Choruses, Classic Or Dud?

[koganbot]

I have gone back and ticked the Travis, which has become quite lovely over the last five weeks. This must be owing to its taking its vitamins and getting its beauty rest and leading a healthy life in general. Perhaps it met a girl.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Gym Class Heroes= proper good although the question of why they are releasing things from their old album, having just released 'As Cruel As Schoolchildren' here still stands...

Matt Willis= sympathy vote. Also, it is very good when he does it live, from Youtube clips anyway.

Roger Hodgson would be turning in his grave, if he was dead

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Not heard any of these yet, but a v. v. brief clip I heard of the Gym Class Heroes suggested this is partially a cover of "Breakfast in America" by Supertramp!!!

Is nothing sacred??!? *mutters under breath for several minutes*

I blame Scooter obv.

Re: Roger Hodgson would be turning in his grave, if he was dead

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

and maybe the Feeling.

Supertramp were JUST A BAND

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

that gym class heroes video is some fun.

Re: Supertramp were JUST A BAND

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Which one? There appear to be two. In one, the singer has a psycho-robot GF and the other he has a succession of GFs.

Actually, now I've heard this a couple of times, I'll admit this isn't bad. But not quite "any good at all".

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

Gym Class Heroes song has been a huge hit in America for a couple months now, so maybe they just wanted to capitalize. I like the song. Ticky tick.

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

Also, if memory serves, I gave Gym Class Heroes a really low score on the Stylus Jukebox but I have changed my mind!

[koganbot]

But the Gym Class Heroes' second album was out before this song (from their first) hit, so I'm not sure what's going on, or if the song has been added to the second album, or what.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Is this going to be the first week that DON'T LIKE wins?

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

I voted "don't like" on the basis that none of them are download-worthy. I actually think the OCS is probably the best thing on offer. "Crash" is v. nearly unruinable, but Matt just didn't do anything with it.

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

Hey, download-worthy is a good criteria for "any good at all" I may have to nick it. Have been using "would rate 6/10 or higher".

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Well no, because it won in week 13, albeit that was a week with only 4 new entries. But this may be the first week it wins AND RIGHTLY SO.