Consumerism (Follow-Up)

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Bought 3 albums today.

Amerie: first half uniformly gorgeous, love the 86/87 washed-out synth-soul-pop she's using as a template, love the way breaking up songs has become her "thing" post 1-Thing. Second half slows down, I tune out, there's still stuff to like but not itching to hear the back end again.

Dizzee: usual curate's egg - "Pussy'ole" is funny, savage awesome, so is "Where's Da Gs" tho sadly no chicken noises on that one. There is an awful lot of putting ppl down for not being real on this album. DO NOT WANT to know what Dizzee thinks of the state of the world, Lily Allen collab disappointing, enough lust and venom on eg Flex, Bubbles, Da Feelin to make this a "keeper". I'll probably listen to it more than his other albums tbh.

Rihanna - just started listening, very pop but also sounds weirdly thin: where are the BIG ENGINE REVS that have made her number one for eleventy weeks? Futher reports possible. "Breakin Dishes" is good.

What do you think of these PLATTERS? If you've heard them. What else should I be buying in my newly ALBUM-FRIENDLY state?

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Second half of Amerie is v much a grower (though it's not really the second half as such! I've found that a lot of r&b albums - eg JT last year - get criticised for ballad-heavy second HALVES when it's usually only three or four ballads at the end). But anyway the SECRET AMAZINGNESS on Because I Love It is 'Crazy Wonderful': those sensual swells of bass, and "I wanna kiss you all the time...that's how I go through lipstick" is a BRILLIANT lyric.

The Lily Allen track on Dizz's album is the first time I've thought she was worthwile on anything! I really like the bonus proper grime track at the end. "I like to move it move it. You want beef? Prove it."

'Breakin' Dishes' should be so good, I love the lyrics, the song itself I think is a grimly unfun version of 'Maneater' though :(

The Kelly Rowland album is out next week and I would heartily recommend that. Otherwise my favourite albums this year not so far mentioned are Tori Amos (you might like this! Agitated Fleetwood Mac-esque MOR with gorgeous hooks and mental concepts), Björk (if you don't like her yet this won't change your mind), MIA (the German one - elegant and brittle minimal techno, quite jittery, sounds like the soundtrack to lots of late night city walks).

Some good space disco around now too - the Studio album, and Lindstrom & Prins Thomas's Reinterpretations.

The other MIA's album is going to be REALLY GOOD.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

"Crazy Wonderful" is awesome yes - no secret there! I was counting that as "end of first half" (track 8 of 15!).

Rihanna is improving as it goes on, as Moggy promised.

Might try Kelly. Definitely looking forward to MIA - this after disliking her last one, too, but "Boyz" and "Bird Flu" are colossal.

What did you think of Fleetwood Mac, by the way?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Haha I am just parroting "Fleetwood Mac-esque" b/c I've heard it so many times, I've only heard 'Landslide' (which is GORGEOUS). The Fleetwood Mac album I ordered is STILL (STILL!) stuck in the Amazon delivery system.

'Boyz' still hasn't grown on me completely! 'Jimmy' and 'Paper Planes' are the ones to watch out for though...

I'm so glad there are other people who agree that the second half of the Rihanna is better than the first half - I also love the title track (which is really odd and emotionally conflicted, and you can totally tell a man wrote it, and maybe a man should be singing it, I can't get a handle on where it's coming from but in a good way).

There are lots of great break-up songs on the Kelly. The singles apart the theme is v much "looking back on former relationship from every conceivable angle".

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Oh! Not an artist album but if you don't have the Hyphy Hitz compilation (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hyphy-Hitz/dp/B000MV8EGE/ref=sr_1_2/202-2891210-3498241?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1182442076&sr=8-2) you should get it! It is so so much fun.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the reminder! I keep meaning to put this on my Amazon wish list. (Now done.)

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Majorly seconded. Got it for $4 on Amazon and will never regret the decision.

Also recommend "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" by Miranda Lambert (my #1 of the year) and Kelly Clarkson's new one (v. dark, though, kind of a slog but I love it) if you can find it. Someone you know might be able to email you a zip file. (hint)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Mmm. A zip file of the Clarkson album sounds like a good thing indeed.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Whut are MIA (German) techno now? Last time I checked they were guitar-ish pop with a lady at the front like this (http://youtube.com/watch?v=wxC1AtwU6SU).

Or is this another MIA (German)?

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

This probably won't help clear up the confusion (http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=41&threadid=30089) ;)

I think the German techno act has a single full stop after the third letter, thus:
MIA.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

There are a gazillion MIAs, M.I.A.s, MIA.s, Mias, Myas and Mayas working in music. Nearly all of them are great. This one is Michaela Grobelny (http://www.discogs.com/artist/M.I.A.), who is from Cologne and runs her own (brilliant) minimal techno label Sub Static. Last.fm tags her as MIA. (along with the indie band, who I don't like) but discogs has her as M.I.A. and on the front cover of album she is MIA

Here (http://www.zshare.net/download/23711269c47506/) is a song called 'Datalover' by her.