MTV Streaming New Aly & A.J. Album

[koganbot]

MTV streaming new Aly & A.J. album

What I posted on Rolling Teenpop:

I suspect that neither Aly nor A.J. would make as tumultuous an ex-girlfriend as Kelly Clarkson would.

Initial reaction to the MTV stream: bright pop-rock w/ dance touches, not a bad tune on the album, some full-fledged breakup songs and at least one (other) potential makeup song, but sorrow is no impediment to happy tunesmith and joyous wordplay. Epitome of this may be "Division," where the fellow graduates from their relationship by using division - lots of analogy material there, both mathematical and relationship-diploma-after-party-ish. On first listen nothing hits with the gut punch of "Rush" or "Protecting Me" or "Not This Year," though high quality all through might make it hard for anything to stand out. I was expecting and wanting more anguish - yet the two tracks that reach me right away with their passion do so by going quiet not dark: "Silence" and "I'm Here." Excellent on its own terms even if they're not quite the terms I was hoping for. Gobs of good songs.

(And will likely make my year-end top ten.) (And am listening to the song where she likes the fact he doesn't ask for her number, 'cause he's already got her number. Which is a tremendous line, even if I'm not quite sure what it means, other than she likes him.)

Comments

[koganbot]

"Life is good, I can't complain/I mean I could but no one's listening"

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Oh poo, MTV never lets me stream anything. However, that description is very promising and I think I will buy this when it comes out. In fact I might deliberately wait until I've bought it to hear it, so I remain "upspoilered" as it were, because I'm quite excited about it.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Frank, I'm surprised you're not as conlficted as I am about this one. Though you've always been the voice of reason when I accuse them of doing all the crazy shit I accuse them of doing.

But...this album doesn't have any crazy shit on it!!!!! It's all...clever. Brilliant, even. They're bullshitting me. Very well, and the tunes are all excellent. And I was wrong about "Silence." Which does sound like "Titanic" theme at the end. I don't know how I feel about that. I don't know how I feel about this album. My stomach is churning, but it settles down. Not an Aly and AJ lyric, but a fact.

Anyway, my thoughts are at the usual place.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

"Oh man, that guy sure had my number" was how I interpreted it. It's brilliant. They're brilliant. I don't know if I love you anymore, how does it feel when you go into the rush and rush kicks your ass????? They haven't answered this question. They're dodging the questions that they already asked. Which makes sense, but I'm still torn.

[koganbot]

Seems to me I'm conflicted in exactly the way you are, but Aly & A.J.'s releasing an album with 12 top songs out of 12 pretty much puts them on the top of the heap even if they're not creating the conflicts and intensity that I know they're capable of. I mean, if the next Ashlee Simpson album reminds me more of Boney M's Top Twenty Hits than of Autobiography I'll feel that what I want most is missing, but I'll recognize the album's greatness.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

GAH you're right. But it still doesn't beat Hilary or Kelly for me, and that means it's battling with "Hyphy Hitz" (which you don't count) and then it's battling with a buncha dance and indie. So it's my tentative #5-8. I need to think about this.

Well....

[cfbgoespop.livejournal.com]

...I don't think I can get behind them.

AJ doesn't believe in monkeys.*

Alyson

* OK, the actual quote was to do with evolution but when I first saw the quote - AJ: "Monkeys? Nope, not buying it", I genuinely thought she didn't believe in monkeys.

Re: Well....

[koganbot]

Monkeys are a myth perpetrated by the capitalist record industry to distract attention from true primates such as orangutans and bonobos, who write their own songs and play their own instruments.