A Year In Pop: 26

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Whoa-oh, we're halfway there! And here's Bon Jovi to mark the occasion.

Expect a special halfway report later this week or start of next.

[Poll #1013930]

Meanwhile - Kate Nash???? Srsly???

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Whaaaaat, Kate Nash at No 2???? But it's...actually the worst thing I have heard since, well, that last retarded Kate Nash single. What? People like her? What on earth is there to like? She can't sing or even speak. She's not funny. Her songs aren't catchy. And how can anyone BEAR that accent?? I mean she is single-handedly making Hadouken NOT THE WORST NEW ENTRY and I did not think that was possible because they are the WORST THING EVER as well!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I don't really have an opinion yet about Kate Nash - I heard the single, it sounded like someone whinging at me in a bar, except I'm too old and large to go to the sort of bars where that sort of someone would whinge at me. But I was really surprised to see her at #2 - as surprised as I've been about anything this year.

I R out of touch.

[strange-powers.livejournal.com]

I don't know anything about Kate Nash and I didn't hear her first single. But I saw the video for Foundations on Fizz the other day and I liked it, I liked the song and I liked her. She's no Gwen obviously, and it does all seem a bit post-Lily Allen, but I can't see anything wrong with it. Unlike, say, that Fergie single which is threatening to undo all the good grace she earned from me with Glamorous.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

"Foundations" is awful. I quite liked "Birds" (or whatever it was called), the B-side to "Caroline's a Victim". I think Nash has a great song in her, but this ain't it.

[mippy.livejournal.com]

I know someone who kept telling me Kate Nash was Great, before I'd heard a note. I don't trust him these days.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Kate Nash exists so that I can find a point of compromise and accord with people who hate Lily Allen - "Hey, let's not fight - we can both agree Kate Nash sucks, right?"

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

ANYWAY the rest, in order.

Fergie Ferg - brilliant heartfelt ballad ft. "I'm not gonna miss you like a child misses its blanket" - who knew Our Ferg could, you know, sing properly? She is a revelation.

Timbaland - the only song on the album I'm feeling - this is pretty much entirely down to Keri Hilson, whose glacial melancholy is very appealing. I've got a couple of her own tracks, 'Hands & Feet' and 'High Heels' - they're both EXCELLENT, I am eagerly anticipating her solo album. I think the rave synths work loads better here than in 'My Love', fwiw. Incidentally the 'Hands & Feet' chorus goes "Boy you got big feet, and you got big hands/So I already know what's up in your pants/Where'd you get that from, your daddy?", and 'High Heels' goes "I HATE HEELS! I HATE HEELS! Love how they look but hate how they feel" = HURRAH

Gwen Stefani - nicely understated ballad. Not as good as 'Early Winter' though HINT HINT.

That's it for the ticks. I like a couple of songs on the Robin Thicke album but not this one - I dislike him, generally, he's smarmy and smug and his lyrics are a bit creepy, this is one of the worst offenders - "baby you're the perfect weight", stfu boy.

Everything else is pretty much beneath contempt. Ronson/Allen notable only because halfway through I did a double take b/c I thought she sang something about coming on like a "powered-up black man", I googled the lyrics and it's NOT that but the fact that this was actually plausible says a lot.

I have still never heard an Arctic Monkeys song :D

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Yeah I was tempted to withold my tick for Gwen because releasing this means that Early Winter surely won't be a 'proper' single :(

[fathands.livejournal.com]

You have to be joking about the Fergie song, right?! It's fucking terrible.

Thicke

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I like this Robin T single! Another example of recent playlisting by Radio 2 leading me to get to know a song and warm to it.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Oh b0ll0cks, I thought Hadouken was something else - must go back and untick.

Ronson/Allen - vast improvement on KC version, my attitude toward M.R. has softened since Glasto where I could hear the New Bands stage from my tent & it was quite pleasant listening. TICK

Fergie - "I'm not gonna miss you, like a child misses it's blanket." TICK

Gwen - reasonable effort tho not as good as Sweet Escape. TICK

Timbaland - been spectacularly unbothered considering his awesomeness last year. I own the album and have listened to it 0.3 times. NO TICK

Not heard the rest.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Hadou Ken vs Afro Ken?

re Ronson/Allen

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I never thought I'd say this but COME BACK KAISERS ALL IS FORGIVEN.

God I hope "crap 80s soulboy covers" aren't the new "sensitive indie covers".

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I quite like the Wombats - they're like Arctic Monkeys filtered through C86, very "12.00 at the New Bands Tent". The lyrics are pretty dreadful though. I might tick them.

[mcarratala.livejournal.com]

By which you mean: like the Wedding Present?

[mcarratala.livejournal.com]

I like the Kate Nash single (and the video), and that's after having been totally baffled by the first one – couldn't tell whether it was a joke or not (although the beats reminded me oddly of Schoolly D). But Foundations is English kitchen sink pop, somewhere between Dubstar's No So Manic Now and Mike Skinner, I reckon. Nice tune, plausible way of talking about the situation. I can see how the bits where she splits a word – "bit-ah" could grate, and I'm not anticipating loving everything she does.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

It reminded me a bit of Squeeze so yes, "kitchen sink pop". Except I like Squeeze.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

God yes it is very Streets isn't it. I think English kitchen sink pop is prob my least favourite thing ever, it seems to all be based on the assumption that a key English trait is to be mediocre at stuff, and that this is hilarious and something to be proud of, hence deliberately shitty rapping and stupid comedy accents and crappy production. I find that a really awful attitude.

[maura.livejournal.com]

that fergie song is the worst piece of garbage to hit the radio this year. she can't enunciate if her life depended on it, making it even more difficult for me to believe that the Fergie-Ferg Persona is able to feel pain about anything not involving a really expensive shoe not fitting.

and extra points off for the use of parentheticals in the song title, which should really be banned after the floppage of lohan's second album.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I had completely failed to notice her weird enunciation AT ALL until now. This is like when someone told me in 2001 that the reason they didn't like Tori Amos was because she mangled her pronunciation, and I was like, what are you talking about, no she doesn't. And then I relistened and for the first time in a DECADE of listening to Tori I realised just how mangled every WORD was!

I think this kind of mangling actually heightens the emotional effect for me, though.

Timba delayed reaction?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I remember the last Timbaland single doing bizarrely well here considering it had v little in the way of subject matter/tune/personality/charm. And now when he releases something with all of those, no one likes it?

Re: Timba delayed reaction?

[strange-powers.livejournal.com]

I like it! Obviously, it's no Say It Right but it's the second best thing here behind Gwen.

[the-roofdog.livejournal.com]

Borderline tick for Kate Nash - I quite like this and it would be a pleasant enough indie one-hit wonder type thing (do these even exist anymore ? every single band/artist seems to get to at least "difficult second album" stage before being shown the door these days) but as she is being touted as "nu-Lily" I can see her really starting to grate in a few months time.

Also a tick for Cherry Ghost because my Mum used to teach the lead singer. This song is not great but 'Mathematics' was OK, it's all a bit radio 2-friendly, I don't suspect they'll get much love round here especially if I reveal that even their band-name is taken from a Wilco song.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Cherry Ghost has indeed been playlisted by Radio 2. I don't think Wogan has played it yet though, which is the only way I'm likely to hear it.

That said, I wish The Bees' new single (also R2 playlisted) had charted instead.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

I like Hadouken. I know no one else does and they're essentially just a novelty band but still, they sound like they'd be fun on a night out.

[mippy.livejournal.com]

NO 2 WHUT?

Extra ticks

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Robin Thicke - this is really lovely! Like if Justin laid off the sechsy. Awww. Not quite mum-pop but close.

Wombats - lively intro and slightly-above-annoying-threshold vocal, but ultimately botherd.

Enemy, Cherry Ghost and Scouting For Girls - what a waste of bandwidth.

I had heard the Kate Nash before - borderline non-tick due to my inner Nash turmoil (ie I should approve in principle but I don't want to hear this again). The music and melody are fine (though nothing particularly astounding) but her vocal delivery totally spoils the brew. Aiee.

Had a proper listen to the Timbaland - the synth reminds me of Salt n Pepa's 'Push It'. Lex is right about the rave bleeps but they're not good enough to hold my interest right now, what with this bland melody/video/lyrics/god I'm boring myself here.

Bloody hell, Bon Jovi have 'Living On A Prayer' on their myspace! That seems so... weird! They would have to pull off something spectacular for me to tick a ballad of theirs though, however mum-ified I have become. I am still a little flabberghasted that Bon Jovi have a myspace at all.