A Year In Pop: 32

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The UK's Number! One! Pop! Stars! Kleerup (and some Swedish mate of theirs) did quite well last week. This week there's the return of Kanye West with his Daft Punk sample, and some other stuff including the first top 40 hit for sophisticindie croonster Richard Hawley. Why not spend your elevenses ticking?

[Poll #1038904]

(All year in pop polls are open until the end of the year. Your investments may go down as well as up.)

Comments

Stronger

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

This is currently a marginal non-tick for me. At first I thought he'd pulled it off but on subsequent listens it proved a bit of a grind - also I don't really like the way Kanye comes across in it, arrogant but with no flash or flair really to back himself up.

Re: Stronger

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

West is nob but even he can't balls up the best song on Discovery.

Re: Stronger

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Erm he can by SLOWING IT RIGHT DOWN!

Re: Stronger

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

It's Daft Punk ballsing Kanye up more like!

I keep seeing people (Brits, never Americans) dissing Kanye for being "a nob", "arrogant", etc - I don't understand why this is so important? Or indeed how it makes him different to 90% of pop stars?

Re: Stronger

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

i agree. kanye backlash totally in effect right now for me.

Elliott Minor

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I quite like his voice - there's a mournful tone to it I wasn't expecting. Needs a stronger chorus but I like the new-wavey touches, like a less obnoxious Killers crossed with Busted. If I was in a generous mood I'd tick this actually.

Re: Elliott Minor

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Darren Hayes on the other hand has a really crap voice - quavery and breathy and bad delivery of overdetermined lyrics. Clean production and an OK song can't save it.

Re: Elliott Minor

[koganbot]

Opposite on Darren Hayes: the voice is beautiful even when he's not using it well. But he can't save sub-OK song, especially since it's a rather obvious performance.

I ticked Elliot Minor. I know nothing about him. Like the harmonies, even if I wished for a totally different instrumental accompaniment. (Even electric xylophone would have been an improvement.)

[fugitivemotel.livejournal.com]

About six months ago I met a girl called Jessica and she asked me to go and see Elliot Minor with her, because of that damn song. I never forgave her. Arghhh.

in order

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Eve - far and away the leader this week, it's like a caffeinated version of the Kelly R/Eve track (which is itself magnificent) with added tinges of Stefani - clearly Eve has learnt as much from Gwen as vice versa. Love the go-go beat, Swizzy's on fine form, really infectiously catchy, and Eve sounds like she's having a ball - "Pop them bottles, yeah drink that up man, got you feelin' crazy - well that was the plan!" Great fun to dance to obv esp "get low, get low then pick up, pick up". The follow-up is brilliant too - I'm really amped for the album...

Kanye - when I first heard this I was actually repulsed, but I keep coming back to it, ostensibly to see just how much I hate it...watching the video it works much better, the sample doesn't seem quite so intrusive. Ehhhh I dunno, it's so far from Kanye's best but there's clearly SOMETHING there which appeals to me despite myself. I'll be generous and give it a tick for the line "you can be my black Kate Moss tonight".

Mario and Richard Hawley - both have great voices but the songs are pleasant but very unremarkable. Mario is slightly better, but neither merit a tick.

Darren - oh god, I have to review his DOUBLE album. There is good stuff on it but why must he try so hard? If you're going for ecstatic joy it might be an idea to put a chord change or two in there rather than relying on blustery over-emotional vocals.

David Guetta and Axwell - I'm going to stop ticking this bosh now, on the basis that I'll never actually care about hearing it again.

Elliott Minor - die.

Re: in order

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The David Guetta is nasty - rough rhythm, rough vocals. The Axwell has a good tune though I wish it made more of it, the beat isn't all that - enough to earn a tick tho.

Re: in order

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Agree on the Mario - it's almost there, hook just needs to be a bit stronger.

Hawley's voice is OK, yes, nice touches of Merle Haggard - but the song is such awful complacent armchair pop - ohh tinkly crescendoes, how "beautiful" - that he sounds unbearable on it. I'd like him on something nastier.

Re: in order

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Everyone seems to be loving R Hawley - hein?!

Re: in order

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

first time i've heard Hawley. yes to voice, obv. shame the song is such an aimless nostalgic pastiche

Re: in order

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Agree with you on Eve - its brilliant! Noisy, catchy and full of energy. A pleasant surprise.

Re: in order

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

I'm doing a review of the Darren album too. It pisses me off immensely because... um.. about a quarter of it is astonishing and inventive stuff, a quarter of it is quite good for what it is, another quarter is competent but kind of dull and the other quarter is simply some of the most horrific stuff I've ever heard.

I haven't even heard the Hawley yet and I WUV HIM.

Re: in order

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yeah you're pretty much spot on re: the Hayes album - the great stuff is all on the second CD. But Jesus, he tries so hard! It's particularly embarrassing when he tries hard to be Kate Bush :/

Er why do you love the Hawley? He can sing better than Hayes I suppose but it seemed a bit unremarkable.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Kanye = never really rated this DP song but it's growing on me. Kanye seems a bit superfluous but I wouldn't mind hearing this again. Marginal TICK

Elliott = sounds a bit like the Foo Fighters, botherd. NO TICK

Darren = not a bad video but his voice is still a bit rub. Hmm, this isn't as good as that Similou song from a while back and it doesn't really go anywhere. Marginal NO TICK.

Guetta = electrobosh-by-numbers. It's a bit darker but the chorus hook isn't as good and the verse a tiring retread of the Egg thing from last year. NO TICK

Axwell - the original of this is a pretty good oldskool rave-up, I can't find the Max'c remix on youtube but there is a great random tech-house (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoWuQLuOYH4&mode=related&search=) remix and a electrotrancey (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Aj_iNAxHVc&mode=related&search=) Tocadisco mix which are perfectly serviceable. TICK

Eve - blimey this is very good! It makes a change from all the minimal RnB we've been having recently. Techno noises are back! Hooray this is an excellent tune. :) TICK

Mario - soppy handclap slow jam. Supersmooth voice and JEBUS I am so bored already. I want to listen to Eve again. NO TICK

Hawley - arrrgh it's Geordie Racer! Actually this is an interesting video but the song is too twee for me - remember dudes I was never that into Pulp. NO TICK.

Tambourine

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

What is the vocal sample in the Eve song - "Shake your tambourine go and..." ??? - find yourself a muscleman?

Re: Tambourine

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Get yourself a whistle!

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Hm, do hope that "Tambourine" beats Kanye. (By a large margin.)

[koganbot]

Eve - Catchy sing-song ensconced in a perky Swizz Beatz track; listen to this a lot and enjoy it but it never quite breaks through for me, and I'm not sure why. But an easy tick.

Kanye West - The metaphor is funny: what doesn't kill me makes me stronger, and it's my penis that's getting stronger, but I need some cooperation from a receptive female. (Broader metaphor for the world to give him the reception he deserves, I suppose.) A definite tick, but the catchiness and sample seem a bit forced, as does that funny metaphor, actually.

Darren Hayes - Good voice, nice electroprettiness surrounding it, but the tune is nothing but ordinary. Non tick.

David Guetta - Basic disco singing with an electropop accompaniment. The fellow puts out when he sings "Got to find a reason," but this never catches fire.

Axwell - Nice basic mystery house, good Sylvesterish high-pitched vocal brush strokes. Tick, though not one I'm wild about.

Mario - How do I breathe? Slowly? No tick.

Richard Hawley - Strange combination of folk strumming, pre r'n'r crooning, and Spector/Ronettes surroundsound. But the voice - liked by some of you - is raw and unmusical, and the lyrics are dumb. Missed opportunity. No tick.

Elliot Minor "Jessica" - The clonky rock arrangement cuts any dance possibility off at the knees, but not enough to negate the pretty harmonies. Dance remix, pleas. Reluctant tick.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Oh no I just noticed 'Get It Shawty' by Lloyd, which is one of my singles of the year, flop in at a dismal No 72, and it's been physically released :( This is like Lumidee all over again except worse because as great as the Lumi was, the Lloyd is incredible.

What is WITH the UK's hate-on for 'urban' music at the moment?! This country is racist.

[koganbot]

Meant to write "Dance remix, please," but track perhaps could use some more pleas as well.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Mario? As in Mario who did that 'Let Me Love You' song that somehow came across to me as the musical equivalent of one of those 'do you want to dance now or should I go fuck myself again?' badges? He's really releasing a second album? :O