The Pop Open Group E REVEALED
Jul. 27th, 2007 01:25 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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jeff_worrell for his comments on this week's tracks. Reveal below the cut - and you can still vote in the poll, which is reproduced below another cut: it closes Monday lunchtime. Tracks streamed here: http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2007/07/pop-open-week-7/
TRACK ONE: Motor - "Black Powder": Pulsating techno tune, with a nicely snarling synth bass line. Still, the feel is more of the threat of violence – a lot of braggadocio – rather than real actual violence UNLEASHED. That’s the nature of techno, I guess, with its gradual builds and recedes, the way it shows you all its moves gradually. But even when all the pieces come together at 6’10”, this earns no more than an ASBO from me.
TRACK TWO: Loretta Lynn - "Fist City": Ms Lynn promises to punch out any woman who feels like stealing her man. Again, we’re talking threats rather than actual violence here, but I’m left in no doubt that she means what she says. Not too surprising given the rocky relationship she had with her philandering husband IRL. Oh and it’s a well-crafted song, superbly sung to boot.
TRACK THREE: James Kochalka Superstar - "Monkey Vs Robot": The singer sets up the conflict nicely, like a barker at a funfair. Conflict is inevitable, he claims. An eternal fight, we are promised. But for all the cheerleading – the dude almost shouts himself hoarse – yet again we don’t see any blows struck. I’m left feeling decidedly short-changed here. Nonetheless I heartily applaud this song’s dumbness. And you cannot have too many songs about monkeys. Or robots obv.
TRACK FOUR: Speedy J - "Patterns (Remix)": This is more like it. After a long-ish, atmospheric introduction, industrial strength beats pulverise the listener. My tolerance threshold for this sort of thing is generally quite low, but this track is full of surprises. In particular, the slide into head-nodding Reichian systems music 4 minutes in. By the end, things have mellowed a bit – but that means you actually get a sense of a conflict taking place and then being resolved.
TRACK FIVE: Pizzicato Five - "One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Barbie Dolls": I’m a fan of Shibuya-kei in general, although you only need to hear so much. But I’m a total sucker for counting songs, and this is firmly in the grand tradition of “Pinball Number Count”, DJ Shadow’s “The Number Song” and in particular Cornelius’s “Count 5 or 6”. I’m not quite sure how this track fits the violence theme at all… unless the person who submitted this had the fight with the army of mutant Barbie Dolls in the movie ‘Small Soldiers’ in mind!
[Poll #1026961]
jeff_worrell for his comments on this week's tracks. Reveal below the cut - and you can still vote in the poll, which is reproduced below another cut: it closes Monday lunchtime. Tracks streamed here: http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2007/07/pop-open-week-7/TRACK ONE: Motor - "Black Powder": Pulsating techno tune, with a nicely snarling synth bass line. Still, the feel is more of the threat of violence – a lot of braggadocio – rather than real actual violence UNLEASHED. That’s the nature of techno, I guess, with its gradual builds and recedes, the way it shows you all its moves gradually. But even when all the pieces come together at 6’10”, this earns no more than an ASBO from me.
TRACK TWO: Loretta Lynn - "Fist City": Ms Lynn promises to punch out any woman who feels like stealing her man. Again, we’re talking threats rather than actual violence here, but I’m left in no doubt that she means what she says. Not too surprising given the rocky relationship she had with her philandering husband IRL. Oh and it’s a well-crafted song, superbly sung to boot.
TRACK THREE: James Kochalka Superstar - "Monkey Vs Robot": The singer sets up the conflict nicely, like a barker at a funfair. Conflict is inevitable, he claims. An eternal fight, we are promised. But for all the cheerleading – the dude almost shouts himself hoarse – yet again we don’t see any blows struck. I’m left feeling decidedly short-changed here. Nonetheless I heartily applaud this song’s dumbness. And you cannot have too many songs about monkeys. Or robots obv.
TRACK FOUR: Speedy J - "Patterns (Remix)": This is more like it. After a long-ish, atmospheric introduction, industrial strength beats pulverise the listener. My tolerance threshold for this sort of thing is generally quite low, but this track is full of surprises. In particular, the slide into head-nodding Reichian systems music 4 minutes in. By the end, things have mellowed a bit – but that means you actually get a sense of a conflict taking place and then being resolved.
TRACK FIVE: Pizzicato Five - "One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Barbie Dolls": I’m a fan of Shibuya-kei in general, although you only need to hear so much. But I’m a total sucker for counting songs, and this is firmly in the grand tradition of “Pinball Number Count”, DJ Shadow’s “The Number Song” and in particular Cornelius’s “Count 5 or 6”. I’m not quite sure how this track fits the violence theme at all… unless the person who submitted this had the fight with the army of mutant Barbie Dolls in the movie ‘Small Soldiers’ in mind!
[Poll #1026961]
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 12:52 pm (UTC)I'm a bit sick of long techno records around here - just about the least 'pop' thing I can imagine - but track four did impress to a degree and was highly dramatic.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 01:13 pm (UTC)I don't think Track 4 is particularly pop mind you, but I don't think it's particularly techno either, its phase-shifts are far too stark. It's closer to metal than anything!
no subject
Date: 2007-07-29 07:45 pm (UTC)I'm thinking I would have submitted Garth Brooks' "Papa Loved Mama" for this week.
Tom, I sent an update on my pick to leagueofpop@gmail.com. Don't know if you are still checking the email on that.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 12:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 01:10 pm (UTC)Excellent week, and I'd be happy to vote for any of these. There's a split between the two that are violent in lyrics and the three that are violent in sound, and its the latter three (Tracks One, Four, and Five) that are pretty much in a dead heat for me as my first choices, and I've already changed my vote once since I can only accommodate two of 'em. (I'm almost positive which is Sally's, and pretty sure which is Jel's.)
Violence One: Good tech, builds drama, and two-and-a-half-minutes kicks it up louder. And I'm thinking "How are they gonna top that" but then they bring the sound down, which disappoints me, subdues the question since now all they've got to do is bring the sound down and up again and they've got variety. And the gimmick where the pitch slides down is a distraction. But these are tremendous violent beats here, nonetheless.
Violence Two: People on Tuesday's thread are calling this country, but it sure feels rockabilly/rock 'n' roll to me (reveals will reveal whether I should add a "neo" prefix to it). This is one of 'em that I'm saying is violent in words more than sound, though actually rockabilly had implicit violence in its sound anyway; different kind of violence from the violence of country, since rockabilly's violence was more cosmic, a violence against the state of the universe, and a glee at smashing through the window into a new universe.
Violence Three: This is actually quite smart, a poppy metal sendup; I love the sound and melody and the hilarious bit where the singer explains that both monkeys and robots have mothers so why can't we just all get along. The singing is totally nondescript, so much as to almost take this out of contention, but something in this veers towards transcendence anyway - transcendentally rock, transcendentally goofy - despite the singer.
Violence Four: Mood face, then murder bosh comes along and bashes it. Best violence of the group. This may be too arty to commit itself to rhythm, but it sure shakes you up. Unfortunately, some Aaron Copeland strings come along eventually, and transport this into sunrise over the old Smokeys, and even a few well-placed gunshots and clan feuds can't dispell this warm bath. Come on thuds, need you to thuddin' save this!
Violence Five: Ridiculous barbie dolls go "boom-bah," while Bo Diddley rhythms beat up on 'em. Thought the ridiculous chicks'd undercut this, turn it into cuteness, but they're amazing. In fact, the problem comes when this subsequently gets all ambitious and decides it's got to, like, give us changes, variety, other sounds, for which the Bo beats can't quite compensate. Stickin' with just chicks 'n' beats would have been perfect.
So, torn between One, Four, and Five. One maintains its violence best, Four has the most violent violence, and Five is sublimely, aggressively, silly.
Track Two
Date: 2007-07-27 01:12 pm (UTC)(I'd lay money that I know who submitted this track.)
no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 01:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 04:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 04:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-28 02:02 am (UTC)