Pop Open Group G - Revealed!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Here's what you've been listening to (and what I thought of them).

Track 1. Derrick Harriott - "Black Skinned Blue-Eyed Boys": Spacious and spacey funk, I'm assuming early 80s tho I don't know anything about Harriott (could look it up but where's the fun?). This is good - long, but when I want to hear it I'll want to hear all of it. I like the interplay of drums, syndrums, house piano, whooshing noises, rubbery bass, good soupy mix of things going on. Injusticewatch: pleasingly cross.

Track 2. Luke Haines - "Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop": Hadn't heard this but Luke Haines is very recognisable. He's a terribly weak singer but usually knows how to craft his material to use that rather than let it limit him: generally this means being sibilant and nasty, a slick of malice on top of whatever he's cooked up musically. This has grown on me since I first heard it - the music is a good, skew-wiff take on dance-rock - and it might be wrestling with tracks 1 and 3 for my second pick. Can't shake the feeling though that he's more pleased with the title than most listeners will be. Would quite like to hear Sophie Ellis-Bextor doing this! Injusticewatch: somewhat baffled.

Track 3. Siobhan Donaghy - "12 Bar Acid Blues": Pretty, rambling, does what it says on the tin. My problem with it is that I'm much much more interested in the squelching acid noises than in the shaggy dog story, which could do with being leaner, so from the second minute I want her to shut up. Remix anyone? Injusticewatch: this is mostly bad luck, surely?

Track 4. Kirsty MacColl - "Wrong Again": The only song I knew, though I hadn't heard it since 2000. Like track 3, this could stand to be shorter by a good minute or so - after a bit it just becomes a bit of a whinge. Very attractive voice but I prefer it a bit livelier and less mopey - the music is terribly pretty, though. Injusticewatch: fair enough.

Track 5: Ms Dynamite - "Don't Stop": The easy, EASY winner here - who knew she could still pull this stuff off? Well, she did obviously, and reminds us of the fact. Frank dead right to single out the violins, tho I love the sample at the beginning, and the balance of pride and desperation in Dynamite's voice is awesome - you really get the feeling this is her last chance. Terrific track. Injusticewatch: erm her last album flopping was NOT INJUSTICE!

My opinions are as nothing compared to YOURS though - you can still vote here: http://community.livejournal.com/poptimists/397904.html and are encouraged to do so!

Next week's group: we have Death ready to go, but Passion is now only one off, and Love too. In fact I think we're down to our last half-dozen holdouts on track submission. Will post reminders tonight probably (if I can stop playing SPIDER PATIENCE).

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I got the impression that Ms D wasn't complaining about her album flopping - it's "just the name of the game" as she points out - but more about people she knew personally letting her down after it flopped.

I know 'Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys' from the re-edit on the new Map Of Africa album - the credit though is to Eddy Grant so this must be a cover of some sort. Great song.

Agree w/ Tom about Haines.

Donaghy was a surprise - I have tried to like her! But even after repeat plays, it was as if both 'Don't Give It Up' and the other single were REFUSING to stay in my head - they're just so insipid. (The Carl Craig rmx of DGIU = omg, though.) This is much much better - I like the stop-start arrangement, keeps things moving in a way that Donaghy can't by herself.

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

For my money, the two SD singles are the worst things on the album by a long way. I listen to that album, I basically start at track 4, "Sometimes" which is fucking glorious in a kind of Kate Bush minus the bits Tori Amos appropriated style-ee. The rest of the album v good, but those two singles are BORING BORING BORING BORING.

Curate's egg?

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes" was in the League of Pop. It was one of my 'keepers' from that. I've also heard "Ghosts" (i.e. the title track) which is pretty good too. The mixed reviews all round have put me off getting the album though.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Really? That's promising - I like this song LOADS more than the singles, it has a vestige of personality and oomph to it. Have you heard the Mutya incidentally, is it good? Bearing in mind that I like the single - better than either SD single - but only in a 6/10, 7 if I'm generous, way.

I've seen the Kate Bush comparisons - I got really annoyed at them actually, it seems like a whole load of wishful thinking.

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

The other REALLY GRATE songs on the Siobhan are "Medevac" and ESPECIALLY "Goldfish" which is pretty astonishing.

I found the Mutya album to be INCREDIBLY boring. If I were reviewing it Stylus-style, it'd get a C-, maybe even a D+.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I'm basically just not convinced by Donaghy's voice. It seems a bit colourless even on good songs like this one. Whereas what I've heard of Buena's material is nothing to shout about so far, but her voice is definitely one I'm feeling.

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

I think she had more emotional connection on the first album even though she didn't do as many technically "interesting" things on it. But the first album was more consistent.

Buena's voice has always been better but the songs are shit.

[koganbot]

This is good to hear about Donaghy - of the three tracks I'd had on my computer, I kept only "Don't Give It Up" for the weirdly religious music in the middle; but the voice sure wasn't dominating the space. The thing about "12 Bar Acid Blues" is that it sounds like a totally naff early '70s country novelty track that went pop (as such things were wont to then) and that someone decided to add '00s beats to half-way through. A fine combination.