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freakytigger.livejournal.com posting in

What happened on Poptimists last month?

Context and Anticontext - I get theoretical
Facebook - the terrible truth
Why Music Sucks
Sugababes, Gnash, etc in a "year in pop" commentaganza
Lex gets enthusiastic
Pulp revisited
Why Aly and AJ don't sell (and is radio the problem?)
Black and white unite not fight! (and dubdobdee talks centre and periphery)
Duet suet
Soundeylikeys
Albums
and Britney! Britney!!
BRITNEY!!!

MOST VITAL YET OVERLOOKED THREAD OF THE MONTH: This one.

Wow, we've been busy.

Here's the monthly poll, too.

[Poll #1080950]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

freakytigger.livejournal.com

I knew I shd have appended a (not counting Britney) to the poll!

From:

jeff-worrell.livejournal.com

...well, I'm happy to buck the trend.

But the Britney alBUM is v. good (bought it last night). Thoughts:

1. As

awesomewells said on ILM it feels, especially in the first half, like 'The Best Album of 2004', picking up from where Annie and Rachel Stevens and Bertine Zetlitz left off.

2. But that feeling only lasts until 'Get Naked (I Has A Plan)'. It remains to be seen whether repeat listens will retain the WOAH factor, but I think there is some serious enevelop-pushing going on here. And, after that, if anything the record shifts UP a gear. Contrary to some comments I've read, I don't think there's any filler at all in the second half. Tracks 6-11 are probably the strongest segment of the album. (Only 'Piece of Me' in the first half matches these.)

3. Ha! The Neptunes' track at the end rips off the chords and melody line from Stereolab's "The Flower Called Nowhere". I remember about 5 years ago seeing a documentary about The Neptunes (made for a Dutch TV channel) in which Pharrell was banging on about how great that song was. Nice to see he's finally found a way of incorporating it into one of his productions! :)

From:

freakytigger.livejournal.com

Yeah I think my early impressions were of second-half filler but that was completely wrong - it's pretty much all great.

From:

alexmacpherson.livejournal.com

u&k: dubstepforums on 'freakout'! (http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=31252) divided roughly in half between "ugh, crossover" and "big up britney, crazy bitch!"

(dissensus, less interestingly, have also noted it.)

I kind of agree - the 'Freakout' thru 'Hot As Ice' section is really amazingly enevlope-pushing, but I'd throw 'Piece Of Me' (obv) (omg the PENNY WHISTLE ENDING) and 'Radar' (those vocals!) in there as well - 'Ooh Ooh Baby' is great but maybe the most Rachel Stevens of all, 'Perfect Lover' is the only one I can never remember and 'Why Should I Be Sad?' is great but no 'Everytime'.

What on EARTH is going to be the next single? I mean...I have heard rumour that it'll be 'Piece Of Me' but I can't imagine that on the radio at all.

From:

jeff-worrell.livejournal.com

The sticker on my copy said: "Includes 'GIMME MORE'" and then in smaller writing underneath that "'Piece of Me' and 'Radar'". So possible clues there.

From:

alexmacpherson.livejournal.com

'Radar' doesn't seem like a great choice...'Hot As Ice' must be a single! And 'Toy Soldier'.

The only disappointment re: Blackout is that "eat it, lick it, snort it, fuck it" remains merely a phrase that Britney shouted in a COURTROOM rather than a chorus of a song.