A Year In Pop: 17

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The last poll of April.

[Poll #976589]

As ever you can go back and tick etc etc (or untick). Just follow the tag!

Comments

My views

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Sunblock - this is terrific, it has the most oomph of all the holiday house I've heard in the charts this year. Supposedly it's a cover of the Coronas, who I've never heard of. Easy tick - best thing this week I suspect.

Manics - their mutation into a Bluetones tribute band is possibly more listenable than their pomp rock phase but somehow more depressing. No tick at all.

Amerie - I like the niggling guitar figure more than the so-so tune. Marginal tick.

Groove Armada: Nowhere NEAR as good as the Mutya one, but it has Stush on it and who doesn't love Stush? Doesn't use her well though. Marginal tick.

The View: only video I could find on YT doesn't have any words! Surely an improvement. Based on the music alone this is some more Britpop retro nonsense. No tick.

Lostprophets: I feel sorry for him losing his closest friend and all but on reflection he's probably only been dumped. Horrible, no tick.

Shirley Bass: Good to hear her again! Why don't they put the Get The Party Started version out I wonder? "Let me dance till my shoes cry" - arf! Wouldn't hear it again but this is a marginal tick.

Amy W: Interesting contrast to Bassey - better production but a worse, more affected, less affecting voice - stop sounding like a hen, woman! Same problem Beth Gibbons used to have. But if Shirl gets a tick so must this - what a generous week.

Re: My views

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Actually no, Amy W is doing quite well enough for herself anyway, given that it's a pretty boring record.

Re: My views

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

sunblock cover seems pointless. unless point = make a filthy video :-(

Re: My views

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

In itself that is a good point! Cover or no it still has more gumption than anything else here.

Re: My views

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

That's Corona (who had a big hit with the 'The Rhythm of the Night' in about 94 or 95), not The Coronas, which sounds like a rubbish indie band.

Re: My views

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

I always preferred "Baby Baby" to "Rhythm Of The Night" and I think that over here, BB was the bigger hit too. The video made me uncomfortable for some reason. Too much plastic.

Re: My views

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Try Me Out (the third single, and also a UK top 10 hit) was easily my favourite. Especially the way she sang the word 'yours' in the line 'Take a chance on me coz I wanna be yours'.

Re: My views

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

'Supposedly it's a cover of the Coronas, who I've never heard of.'

?

Re: My views

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Haha blame my non-existent swedish! But I still don't know the Corona original (I know "Rhythm of the Night" of course!).

Anyway it's a disgrace the Sunblock isn't doing better.

Re: My views

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised you don't know the original 'Baby Baby' - it was Corona's second or third biggest hit (there were so many! ;)

Re: My views

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Will undoubtably tick it when I get round to listening! Unless someone can zshare it?

Re: My views

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I assumed it would be bobbins so didn't bother to check a clip of it on itunes.

Re: My views

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

ha ha what if it had been Amy Grant's 'Baby Baby'?

Re: My views

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

The Groove Armada/Mutya song is pretty good but not as GREAT as people have been saying - GA's production is so clunky and awkward! Mutya is in v good form on it, she is everything which is great about it and single-handedly makes it good despite the ineptitude of her producers. Sad that Stush couldn't do the same here, I listened to 'Dollar $ign' on the bus this morning and it still sounds so fresh and alien.

Re: My views

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

really really REALLY have to stop using 'clunky' and 'awkward' as descriptive terms for pop dance, people.

(i've not heard 'Song For Mutya' yet tho)

Re: My views

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Why? It is clunky! It goes stop-start zig-zag all over the place and I'm just like STOP IT AND FOCUS.

Re: My views

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The GA/Mutya record doesn't work at all as a dance track I'd guess but it's a really good bit of 80s-ish pop and the lyrics and delivery are MAZIN. GA still get some credit because of the synth figure that comes out of the chorus and lifts the track up.

Re: My views

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

yeah the lyrics are great - really want to listen to it again, I got the album just before I moved house and don't know where it is now!

Re: My views

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I've never actually heard of Stush I don't think - what is she best known for?

Re: My views

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Getting into fights with Lady Sov.

Re: My views

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

"Dollar Sign" - pop-grime-garage produced by Sticky.

Re: My views

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

we've had stush on the FT podcast twice. 2nd time was on this GA track

http://freakytrigger.co.uk/poptimism-podcast/2006/08/poptimism-lesson-ten/
http://freakytrigger.co.uk/poptimism-podcast/2007/03/poptimism-lesson-thirty-three-and-a-third/

Re: My views

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

She did a brilliant song with Sticky during the era of Garage, whatever that really was etc. I can't remember what it was called but it was shouty and insane.

Re: My views

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

bluetones? that's harsh dude.

If You Tolerate This Catatonia Will Be Next

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Worth pointing out also that the Cardigans were shit, are shit and always will be shit.