A Year In Pop: 20

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I brought this poll forward from tomorrow because I think it'll get quite a few ticks.*

[Poll #988684]

*and because I didn't want to harangue you with only game-based posts today.

Comments

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

Somebody give me a paragraph on exactly why 'Umbrella' is so good because I don't really get it. I don't really like massive soppy ballads but still. It makes me think of Paula Abdul's 'Rush Rush' for some reason - I am using that as a yardstick. I think the only reason I really like 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart' is because it seems ridiculous and OTT - 'Umbrella' is perhaps not OTT enough/takes itself too srsly? I am a robot tho.

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Wait a decade and it'll be on Popular! (sigh)

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I don't think of it as a ballad tho!

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

But it is, surely.

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

It can be if you want!

One aspect of its genius is its malleability, it's a ballad which is a slow jam which you dance to either in a last-dance-at-school-disco romantic way or punching fists in the air with your friends.

I don't think of it as soppy AT ALL! It's totally real & beautiful. And STRONG, nothing this strong and single-minded and unashamed of itself could possibly be just 'soppy'. Evocations of genuine emotion != soppiness.

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

blimey, rocking the genuine vote there.

it is soppy, but in a good way. i.e. what you say viz it's a sentiment of "lean on me" strength but expressed in a new and pleasing way. and the melody is lovely.

what's not to like.

it's not the greatest song ever, and her vocal is a bit bored sounding. but that's not nec a bad thing

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I like the way the song grinds - it's got quite a cold, hard, military sound to it that sits interestingly with the tender feelings.

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

"i'll be all you need and mooOOOOOOOOORRREEEE" = not bored-sounding in the slightest

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

That is the best bit of the song, with the strings suddenly going "bam Bam BAM!"

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

I second the genuine emotion thing; it's very natural sounding and slightly goofy in a way that offsets the sharpness of the production etc. to stop it just sounding like a showcase.

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

realness and beauty aren't the issue as such, i wouldn't care if it was fake or somehow grotesque. in recent years i've come to think of 'my heart will go on' as 'impressive' or 'powerful' just not in ways that make me want to listen to it. i think 'umbrella' is effectively the same for me, tho it is obv. 'hipper', and not as blustery, nor quite as cheesy.

"Evocations of genuine emotion != soppiness"

yes they are/can be! soppy doesn't automatically equal a bad thing tho. it is a word i use to describe all romantic ballads really, no matter how punchy their drums are or how squelchy that one synth sound might be or how real it may all seem.

maybe all the hype has put me off. 'Irreplaceable' has grown on me a little finally after months of indifference so this may go same way yet. i must see if there are any recent ballads i DO like, to compare to this.

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

For me, it's how forceful it is, with the growling synths and the... cymbal or snare or whatever making that slicing noise over the top which gives the lyrics an acceptable and indeed genius face when they would have been absolutely loathesome if it had all sounded anything like the wussy middle eight. It's strangely summery, too, given how it sounds- the ingredients ought to create something late-night-in-a-taxi-watching-streetlights-go-past-through-rain-drops like 'Have You Never Ever' by Margaret Berger but instead it somehow lifts right out. Really though it's all about how ballsy it is and also the production is excellent.

The video is horribly irrelevant, despite being quite pretty.

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[koganbot]

"Vibeology" was way better than "Rush Rush."

"Umbrella" has a tone like quicksand. Since I love the song, I love getting sucked under by it. Anyway, this is a different type of sop from "My Heart Will go On" or "Total Eclipse Of The Heart," neither of which are dragging you down into its tones (and both of which I like). In any event, "Umbrella" hasn't yet taken off on the U.S. charts, but is going to do (almost) as well as "1 Thing" in critics' year-end polls. (Unless I'm all wrong in predicting critics, which seems to be happening more and more.)

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on this. There's just not much to it. The lyrical idea is fine, and she carries the song on basically her vocal alone, so more power to her. But there's virtually no melody there, just those hard beats and lots of her going "elluh elluh eaa eaa eaa." There's this strength there, but its only in the words and the muscle behind her vocal -- you don't really feel any luv. Maybe if there'd been a video with her standing strong to protect her four-year-old daughter and shots of a husband who'd abandoned them or something, but... well, I just don't think it's nearly as good as Bouncy's last batch of singles (and I'm not a fan of hers at all).

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

There's those lovely crunching sounds though and some great blocky chords underneath too - there may not be much of a vocal melody but there's enough hookiness in the music to draw me back again and again.

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Try the Lil' Mama remix for (1) more big blocky synths, (2) less Rihanna melody (except they cut the nice bridge, which Mama now raps over), (3) NO JAY-Z!!!, (4) the words "umbuberella" and "peroxicide." Much prefer it to the orig. version...drives home the musical hook, pares down the vocal hooks, greatly improves the rap section -- which doesn't feel so awkward tacked on right at the damn beginning like a false start or something. Reminds me too much of...I dunno, something forgettable like the semi-wtf first intro track on the Fall Out Boy album shoutout/tie-in-wise and doesn't do the song any good at all.

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Umbuberella (http://youtube.com/watch?v=vvQLZ0vB-T8)

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

OMG Umbrella is TOTALLY a 00s Rush Rush.

("Rush Rush" is like one of my favourite singles of all time, EVER. Maybe my favourite single of 1991 or whatever year it was, god I can't remember now.)

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I know right, I was gonna say, in what universe is "like 'Rush Rush'" not a MASSIVE COMPLIMENT!

Re: Real Actual Pop Injustice

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I don't like Umbrella as much as the new Amerie song (which has an awesome video too!) or even the SEB song which earwormed me for pretty much all of yesterday. SEB video = much better now I've realised it is the Nu-Rave version of Singin' In The Rain.