A kung fu fighter in a disco

I just downloaded the first zipfile Google threw at me which claimed to be Blackout - am getting sent a copy but won't get it until Monday night! But I can't listen to it because of illness, everything sounds underwater right now :( Am really looking forward to it though.

The dance-pop direction might impress USians MORE than Europeans as something they haven't heard done by GA, R Stevens et al for years now. And it's not as if the USA is kneejerk anti-electro sounds - it just takes an artist of sufficient stature (eg Madonna, Kanye; not eg Hilarity) to make them pay attention.

AP's review did make me realise that both Justin and Xtina's last albums, while I enjoyed them at the time, just haven't stood up to repeated listens in the way that Britney's last two have.

How much tabloidy meta humour is there on the album? The more the better for me obv, which is why I luv luv luv 'Hot As Ice'.

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Petridis is right basically: it's absolutely all about shagging except for "Piece Of Me" which is a dark electro paranoia song about the paparazzi (self-indulgent but also quite funny).

Funniest title of the year: "Get Naked (I Have A Plan)"

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atommickbrane.livejournal.com

I thought it was "Get YOU Naked (I Have A Plan)" but either way yes shared roffles all round. Haven't heard it obv.

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There's something v defiantly shameless about someone whose looks have been pilloried for two years and counting devoting an entire album to how hott and sexxxy she is!

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Arrg god if anyone compares this negatively to Justin's album I'll be annoyed. Not cos JT's album was bad - it wasn't at all - but compared to Blackout it's so earnest and eager to please.

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I just googled blackout site:zshare.net and lo and behold there it was.

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celentari.livejournal.com

YES! Aside from the pop, this is why I love her, the brazen minx.

(Although I don't love her enough to pay for delivery, thus Amazon cheap-skate rates will see me listening to this no sooner than Wednesday 31st.)

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I think the angle is more "I really like fucking" than "Look I'm hott and sexy" - I haven't really homed in on the lyrics tho cos they don't leap out at you much and I've only listened twice. I have never been remotely convinced by breathy sexy Britney before though and this is definitely a step up.

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OK I have just popped triple the dose of cold medicine and I am listening to it and OMG PIECE OF ME OMG

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jeff-worrell.livejournal.com

I wonder if the Guardian is simply playing catch-up. The Times got the "exclusive" "first review" on Wednesday (Paphides, 4 stars, basically saying the same thing as the editorial + drops in 'The Lex meme' for good measure). This week, it's de rigeur for the broadsheets to praise Britney? [/cynical]

Jeez louise, the first half dozen comments on that editorial... :(

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My very favourite thing about Piece Of Me is the noise at the start that sounds like someone strangling a pteranodon.

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fwiw so far (I'm on 'Freakshow' which has a DUBSTEP BASSLINE) I think this album is sonically far more out there than any pop item since 'Die Another Day'...this is incredible.

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Maybe I've just been listening to too much shonky electro bloghouse remixes and have deluded myself that all pop sounds like them now!

"Freakshow" is pretty great. The last few tracks slip from my brain a bit so I'm interested in what you make of them.

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Haha they've completely re-recorded the 'Hot As Ice' vocal! OK THEY HAD BETTER NOT CENSOR ANY OF HER SWEARS (3!) ON THE CD.

The martial beat on 'Toy Soldiers' is siiiiiick. NU BRITNEY IS ON A MISSION!

Every song so far has had at least one moment where I've gone OMGWTF.

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Clearly "Get Naked (I Has A Plan)" would be better!

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carsmilesteve.livejournal.com

wait, whut? "the lex meme"????

lex is a meme now?

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"Blackout - an unfortunate choice of title, given the nature of Spears' recent travails"

Whuh? It is a GREAT title!

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(bvgger pressed 'post' before I'd finished)

Even tho I haven't heard Blackout yet, the title seems extremely fitting: it doesn't strike me as a 'noes I have fallen unconscious due to my latest binge', more of a 'batton down the hatches and prepare for WAR' even tho I'm sure Brit doesn't have that frame of reference.

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koganbot

an unfortunate choice of title, given the nature of Spears' recent travails

A TREMENDOUS title, given the nature of Spears' recent travails. We had a long convo on rolling teenpop a while ago about who is being the better rock star - Lindsay, Paris, or Britney - and

girlboymusic argued convincingly for Britney. I'd have to say that Britney wins it (even though this album, good as it is, isn't as good as Paris).

The album sounds way more hip-hop inflected than anything I've heard by Rachel Stevens or Girls Aloud.

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koganbot

xpost

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Maybe so but it sounds a lot less hip-hop inflected than Britney did - I'm registering it as dance-pop not hip-pop.

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Yeeah it's a great, great title, though I am still disappointed she didn't use the Lohan one.

Also: OMG 'HOT AS ICE' WAS WRITTEN BY T-PAIN

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koganbot

OK THEY HAD BETTER NOT CENSOR ANY OF HER SWEARS (3!) ON THE CD.

They had better not engage in such fuckery.

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He cites the kidz on the bus!

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Though looking at the Britney tracklist I have NO idea where I'm getting that from.

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That was SENSATIONAL. Well done Britney! Album of year, popstar of year, rockstar of year, media presence of year, person of year. Round of applause!

And now I am going to listen to it all over again.

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koganbot

Also, though it's not in the same genre, its scratchy murk reminds me of Kelly Clarkson's My December (a mostly excellent album which got relatively savaged from the reviewers, like shouldn't Kelly know better than to challenge her listeners!). I was saying to

skyecaptain over on Bedbugs that if Britney'd ended with a coda of her mellower lounge-blues outtakes (which were also quite good) this and the Kelly album'd be a nice match.

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Times review here (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article2718710.ece). They do seem to be writing this off as her swansong, scarily.

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carsmilesteve.livejournal.com

a-haaaaaaa, that lex meme :)

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the fuck-you all-over-the-place defiance and unexpectedly sharp wit I'm hearing on Blackout is making me think of America's Sweetheart - except a thousand times more listenable than most of that.

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koganbot

And you look to the news links on the right and the first hed says "Humanity's very survival at risk."

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koganbot

You see. I was right in my interpretation of her Webpage. (Unfortunately she's taken down the brilliant anti-Hilary jibes and the umbrella fake apology, just has a link for advance orders of the album.)

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Was it Dave who said that analysis of Kelly C on My December depends on which songs the record company wanted her to ditch, and which they wanted her to keep? About half is brilliant, but the other half isn't so much challenging as just...soggy and puddingy.

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koganbot

I think it flags a bit towards the end, though that's hardly a big problem; given that I always end up reordering and choosing what I play from albums. Insomniatic is still easily in my top spot (and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend number two, but I haven't listened in several months). I still don't own the Tisdale - I remember it as very uneven from the AOL listening party back in February, but having two of the great singles of the year certainly puts it in contention, even if she isn't remotely as interesting as Britney. (Depending what they choose next, Britney too could have two of the great singles of the year.) Also, surprisingly good new Veronicas album has just leaked, with only one bad song at the most, though ultimately I'll probably find them too shallow to compete with Britsky or A&A.

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koganbot

Well, challenging doesn't always mean good. But in general I just end up pretending the stuff I don't like doesn't exist. I think the Brit album is more consistent than the Kelly.

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blue-russian.livejournal.com

I feel a bit like I'm fourteen chasing the cool kids in school by d/l-ing this... oh well. guess there's no question who'll top last.fm charts this week :)

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