Fickle Jades

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

There was a time, a couple of years ago, when a new GA and a new Sugababes single within a week or two of one another would have caused mass fizzing and rejoicement among the "online pop community". No longer it seems - "Sexy No No No" got a warm but not really thrilled reaction and "About You Now" seems to have snuck out without much trace.

This is maybe grist to thenipper's theory (sassy early-mid 00s pop has been superseded by Allen/Nash/Harris indiefied pop (Amy W. now seems a difft. k of f)) but what ARE you getting excited about at the moment? What are you looking forward to, o Poptimists?

(&, as importantly, what do you see other people getting excited about?)

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Calvin Harris comes across as ever more reprehensible every time I think about him.

Anyway it might be because both GA and the 'babes are such veterans these days - I love both new releases but they're basically doing what we expect - I mean they are on the fourth and fifth studio albums respectively! That is a hell of a lot - both have more than doubled the Spice Girls' output already. I think real enthusiasm - in most genres, not just pop - is reserved for new blood (as in first/second album) rather than familiar faces (excepting people like Madonna). And basically there is NO NEW BLOOD along the lines of GA/Sugababes. This is why the hottest topics on Poptimists this year have probably been MIA and Aly & AJ.

Personally the rapid turnover of new faces in both minimal and r&b really keeps me interested - it means the scene itself is fertile. This seems to be the case with US teenpop as well. But let's face it the British pop scene is really, really stale at the moment.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I wanted the question to expand to take in everything in music, not just "British pop", which I don't agree is stale, there's a definite forward momentum but I just don't like any of it (and nor do you).

And similarly you could say that a rapid turnover of faces means a scene is flailing around a bit, if nobody's ideas are strong enough to let them sustain a career longer than a couple of hot singles!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Having said all of that if any of you lot actually like Kate Nash or Calvin Harris, I really have no words for my level of disgust.

Good Ideas and Positive Trends In Pop aka Stuff I Like

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

To answer my own question...

YAY:
- The expansion in range, discofication, hip-hopification etc of emo and pop-punk: they've got the kids ears and they want to revel in that. I dislike a lot more of the results than I like but there's usually something interesting going on.
- Pop-hop is back! (led mostly if not entirely by the Black Eyed Peas solo careers but I'm sure there's more about)
- Akon, Lloyd, um some others I'm sure - really smooshy male R'n'B, again a lot more potential than is being actually realised!
- and yes MIA :)

All of these are potential excitement rather than actual excitement though - green shoots that could go either way (just as I'm interested but not 'excited' in what happens in US teenpop and in Myspace pop for that matter). So lukewarm praise there I guess.

I could do a NAY post too obviously.

Re: Good Ideas and Positive Trends In Pop aka Stuff I Like

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

is MIA pop?

Re: Good Ideas and Positive Trends In Pop aka Stuff I Like

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure pop-hop or male r&b ever went away!

Re: Good Ideas and Positive Trends In Pop aka Stuff I Like

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

smooshy male R'n'B is and always has been the part of the genre that I loathe the most. So that is most definitely a NAY for me.

Re: Good Ideas and Positive Trends In Pop aka Stuff I Like

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Amidst all of this, we have had a pretty fucking great run of No 1s. 2007 started off msierably, then we had a couple of decent-ish ones...

1056 28 Apr Beyonce & Shakira Beautiful Liar 3
1057 19 May McFly Baby's Coming Back / Transylvania 1

...and then JUST LOOK AT THEM keeping on coming!

1058 26 May Rihanna featuring Jay-Z Umbrella 10
1059 4 Aug Timbaland featuring Keri Hilson & DOE The Way I Are 2
1060 18 Aug Robyn with Kleerup With Every Heartbeat 1
1061 25 Aug Kanye West Stronger 2
1062 8 Sep Sean Kingston Beautiful Girls 4

I can't remember the last time we've had NINETEEN consecutive weeks of greatness at No 1.

Things I am excited about right now

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Róisín Murphy album
Fantasia - When I See U (Polow Da Don rmx)
Various minimal

Re: Things I am excited about right now

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

Tell us more about Roisin, Stevie was getting excited about it too iirc!

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

There seems to be interesting stuff going on upthread, but just to answer the original question: what ARE you getting excited about at the moment? What are you looking forward to, o Poptimists? (&, as importantly, what do you see other people getting excited about?)

the answer to part 1: is *nothing*, actually. I keep hearing good things about the minimal / electronica world and although nothing seems to quite live up to the excitement plotted for it this is the one area I keep buying things in. But I wouldn't say I was excited, really. Radio pop sounds good actually -- I've kind of got used to the shonky indie, as long as I don't hear anyone making great claims for its vitality or originality. Most of the stuff on Zane Lowe sounds ok. But can't say I'm waiting for or looking for anything in particular. I think I'm at a bit of a low tide for new music, TBH, but I've learnt enough to know that this doesn't mean there's anything wrong with new music!! This may well be connected with the fact that I don't see anyone getting excited about anything, apart from the interweb alt-rock hordes, since excitement is infectious IRL so I might be excited if anyone else I knew was!

Things I (and others?) am (are?) excited about

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Nu-Disco still going strong I think (latest good-to-great releases: the Sorceror album, the Milky Disco compilation on Lo, although the latter covers the entirety of the 00s) - and perhaps better still, the 'movement' is unearthing loads of great, long-forgotten disco records of the late 70s and early 80s. Not keen on re-edits in general, but if that's the price to pay to find out about the originals, so be it.

Library music seems to be back in vogue - cf. the rash of KPM reissues - which is obv a good thing. The contemporary equivalent - the Daniel Pemberton TV Orchestra CD - is in my Top 15 albums of the year so far.

None of the above is likely to trouble the singles chart, I realise.

Re: Things I (and others?) am (are?) excited about

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Oh yes that Milky Disco comp is great, as is the Studio album (and do A Mountain Of One fit in here? That comp is great). I'm kind of loath to mention space disco and minimal here though b/c they're so obviously not for the charts (though having said that 'Heater' by Samim looks like it will actually be a crossover hit!).

[datura800.livejournal.com]

You know, it's not very poptimist, but I'm stupidly excited about the new Joni Mitchell and Annie Lennox.

And on a more poptimist note, apart from aforementioned GA and SB, Britney and new Kylie.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Haha if I'd looked at this thread at 2pm I SO wouldn't have got any work done this afternoon. I have lots to say but no time to say it! Stupid first day back at work.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Although there have been things here and there that I've been happy about, honestly I don't see/feel any big wave of goodness (or badness really, although a lack of goodness is badness, innit?) out there. But then the pleasure of both Justin and Nelly F. wore off rather quickly for me. I'm happy enough having a listen to stuff that other people talk about.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't say I'm excited about a particular sub-genre or new sound. The last few BLIMES THIS IS AMAZING songs I've encountered were Enrique and his Ping Pong (hur hur hur), MIA's Jimmy, and Aly & AJ's Potentially Breaking Up. I love Robyn's Every Heartbeat too but not in the same 'OMG!' way.

However this may be because I haven't actually been listening to much new pop at all (CSI wins over Hits!TV). I left my mp3 player at home by mistake today, and rifling through the CDs on my desk I found Sophie Ellis Bextor, covered in dust. It's still a great album but I just haven't been in the mood for RnB or Mumpop much in the last month or so (so no Rihanna, Amerie, - it's all about the whooshy apocalypse minimal and pounding pounding buzzsaw techno.

The rise of emo/buskers/lite electro*/kitchen sink just doesn't do anything for me :(

*Heavy electro = just fine though!

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

I am looking forward to:

Guns'N'Roses - Chinese Democracy
Coheed & Cambria - No World For Tomorrow

I've not really kept in touch with things this year.

MY QUESTION

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

Is there anybody in the world who actually likes Rufus Wainwright? He seems to be everywhere, but has he ever had a hit single? I call him "old man sufjan".

Re: MY QUESTION

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

I'd quite like to hear his songs sung by other people - some of them sound like they might be quite good, but are completely ruined by his awful delivery, it makes them almost unlistenable.

Someone must like him - his most recent album got to number 2 in the charts

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I look forward to nothing so that I can only be pleasantly surprised. This applies to not just Pop but My Life as a whole these days :/

Ministry Of Silly Feet

[koganbot]

Silly-feet hip-hop genre called "juke" inspiring insane speed dancing in Chicago; I can imagine the excitement and I love the sound, though it's not my excitement yet. I'm quite happy with the Dude 'N Nem single.

Tremendous tremendous tremendous year for boy slush and girl sass in r&b, which'll be all over my Pazz & Jop/Jackin' Pop, but it's not engaging my heart. But kudos to Lloyd and Young Berg and Natasha and Rihanna and Lil Mama.

Gwen Stefani's "Early Winter" becoming a single.

Miley Cyrus hooking up with Aly & A.J. collaborators Armato & James and finally getting a great song for her warm, rough throat. ("See You Again.")

I go by the name of Carter, I got more plaques than tarter

[koganbot]

Actually, the kudos to Yung Berg (without an o) should probably go to Brit journeyman Junior, featured vocalist.

Lil Wayne's ongoing free association (latest installments, Paula DeAnda's "Easy," Enrique Iglesias's "Push," Kanye West "Barry Bonds"). Inspirational verse: "Baby I can bless you, and you ain't even sneezy."

Nia and Dave tipping me off to "Don't Talk," an actually good and actually freestyle Vanessa Hudgens bonus track from last February.

Keke Palmer

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Excited about this! Not sure if any poptimists I sent the album to had any sorta positive response -- it's got a buncha cheeze all over it, which is endearing to me, but not everyone likes their R&B w/ cheeze. Also, Keke (from "Akeelah and the Bee") is pretty savvy/clever and her subject matter is pretty well age-appropriate (she being 13), so you get an awesome song (http://youtube.com/watch?v=jJe8o3xpJJY) about how she lost her boyfriend to a video game. Which will probably be in my top 10 of the year if it's a single. (Um, that's a very disturbing YouTube comment thread. NSFW.)

Re: Keke Palmer

[koganbot]

And her "Footwurkin" is part of that Chicago juke craze I mentioned upthread.

It's Britney, bitch

[koganbot]

But the only music other than Miley's "See You Again" that really excitedly excited me this summer was Britney's "Gimme More." Is a terrific, powerful, insinuatingly sleazy sex song w/ squirts of venom ("They want more? I'll give 'em more"). I put it in the category "I don't like you but I love you" since it's more a weapon than an embrace, but it's reaching me, and her glazed and wasted stumble at the VMAs just feeds my ambivalence. Poor thing. Alcohol. Idiocy. And her Album Contest was unexpected genius. Brains, fangs. I can't process her.

What I'm excitedly looking forward to:

Britney video.
Britney rerehab.
Britney sanity, maturity, kindness, claws.
(I don't have high hopes, however.)

What I'm apprehensive about:

Ashlee. A nondefaced "Murder" will be a powerful driving r&b-reggae dance track but for Ashlee will just be a holding action. Good news, perhaps, that album keeps getting delayed, in that I imagine the delay is due to her struggling to invent an Ashlee identity for herself within this new music.

Is she a football fan?

[koganbot]

And those of you who unaccountably don't check four day old koganbot livejournal entries to see if there've been new posts on the comment thread missed this Britney ubiquity post from Jack Thompson:

Tired, I was surfing the TV yesterday, and ran across this Alabama vs. Georgia college football game. I don't care ab either school and don't follow college football very closely but I can zone out to almost any competitive sports, the game was really close, and there were only a couple minutes to go. So, I'm watching, and I swear on my record collection, out of the blue, the announcer asks, "What's happened to Britney's career?" So confused by the question was the analyst that he could only reply, "What?" And then, weakly, "Is she a football fan?" "I'm sure she is," asserted the announcer. So it seems concern for Britney is everywhere.

[mippy.livejournal.com]

I can;t post at work and am a bit removed from things of late, but also, I've been listening mainly to The Blue Nile and Stephen Marley. ZEITGEIST.