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!

[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

[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]

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]

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.

[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.

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?

[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.

[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.