A Year In Pop: 46

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Another slowish week and the charts are starting to silt up a bit - labels holding fire on new releases in the run up to Christmas I guess. Some interest this week though: 1. Niche! 2. Has that Spice single not had a physical release yet or is it genuinely a huge flop - first time I can remember a Children In Need track going DOWN in charity week!

[Poll #1091138]

In other news: huge apologies for the continuing non-appearance of the Pop Open. My home internet was down last night though I should of course have done it earlier. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Comments

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I saw the Spicers CD single in Woolworths yesterday, so I guess it must have had a physical release at some point in the last week. A remix of Wannabe is the extra track.

"Headlice" is a borderline non-tick for me. It's no disaster or anything.

I nearly ticked Elvis, then I realised it's the Dusty version I actually know.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I actually haven't heard this Zep track in years - I ticked it cos I've been listening to a lot of their other stuff so speculatively thing I would enjoy it now.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

My views on Zeppelin are becoming entrenched, I think: the 60s stuff is good, Presence is great, everything else is massively overrated. But "Stairway" is certainly any good at all, so I will go back and tick it.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

why IS it in the top 40, anyway? I think it's tedious crap anyway.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

There's a remastered best-of out, and for all I know they've not been available digitally before. Or else it's just people seeing the best of and thinking "Oh I know, I like that Stairway thing."

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Latter doesn't sound v plausible - must be the former.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I hope it is, as it suggests that the anticipated Beatlegeddon won't be quite as dramatic as feared.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

oh dear christ what is this anticipated Beatlegeddon!

(ps if it's not too late i would like to change my pop open track! i can send an mp3 early evening...)

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

OK fair enough!

Beatlegeddon = the supposed 'all-Beatle Top 10' that'll happen when their songs are eventually released on digital.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

You should have it now...

I have a brilliant idea for eg the Pop Open semifinals, when we get there: one semi can be BANGERS and the other can be BALLADS!

[koganbot]

"Stairway To Heaven" goes on boringly for months and months before arriving at a pretty good guitar solo. But I actually think you might possibly like several other Zep songs owing to their total mentalism: "Immigrant Song" for its Tarzan yells and "Black Dog" for dropping and adding beats and in general partying like it's 1925, and Plant sings like a female gospel singer. Did you know that two of their albums got onto the U.S. black music charts in the late '60s and early '70s?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Back when I thought I ought to listen to the canon I listened to a Led Zep best of - 'Immigrant Song' is the only fond memory, you are right.

(It wasn't fond enough to keep or to seek out now though.)

[sbp.livejournal.com]

That's because they hardly ever released singles. And the ones that were released were often without their consent.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Still, only one more needed and we can do a canon on them!

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

We could bend the rules and do a poll based on the Mothership track list. (I'm not particular bothered if we do or don't have a Zep canon tho')

[koganbot]

They had six Top 40 hits in the U.S., however, not including "Stairway," which was never released as a single.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

It's only supposed to get a physical release today, so any copies on sale yesterday must have been put out early by over-eager staff. Still doubt it will go much higher than this though, I think it is by far their weakest ever single :(

[datura800.livejournal.com]

the single was released on physical yesterday (sunday).

Brief Round-Up

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

This is the first Bloc Party I've been tempted to tick - like the lashed-together NRG style backing, find the voice a plod (as ever). Might still ticky.

Runrig ft Tartan Army - this is the first football-related record to chart this year is it not? (It's also a CiN thing I know).

T2 - ABOUT BLUDDY TIME. The long slow gestation of this record as a charting entity has given it plenty of time to creep up my year-end chart tho.

Spicers - dear heaven ladies NO. What were they thinking? "Lady Take That with a side salad of meta" I guess. Worst sequel record ever, girl power reinvented as tupperware party :(

Lahayna - I thought, perhaps jumping to conclusions, that this might be some kind of homegrown R&B girl, rather than TWO MEN WITH AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR playing a song TURIN BRAKES WOULD HAVE REJECTED. Worst YouTube surprise ever.

Re: Brief Round-Up - Lahayna

[bigdave33.livejournal.com]

I posted this msg below as well but felt the need to do the same here about Lahayna.

I feel the need to interject here, I've seen these guys live recently in Shoreditch and thought they were amazing! The gig that Radio 1 plugged when they got in the charts. I did a bit of research on them and saw a few posts here on these guys. I think you're being a bit unfair though. I saw the you tube clip you were on about and yeah I agree thats a bit weak, but have you read up about them? They got in the charts without a record label!!! They went out on the streets with their mp3 players after registering their tracks and people downloaded the tracks! How many bands would put that kind of effort in, certainly not a lot of the ones I know! Fair play to them I say and good luck! p.s they do have a new video up now if you search on you tube, again its not gonna blow you away but what do you expect form a hard working band on a budget. I think the labels should sit up and take notice. :P

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I thought the Spice single was only physically out this week, not that it deserves any better than its got so far.

I didn't bother checking anything out this week and now that I know Lahayna is Not Of Interest, I don't think I will.

HURRAH FOR T2 AND JODIE, anyway! Fashion school, I don't know! TORE THE CLUB UP on Saturday. Maybe...top 10 next week!

Lahayna

[bigdave33.livejournal.com]

you should def check em out ;) I've not seen a live show like theirs for ages. I feel like I need to champion these guys a bit, come on the underdogs!

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Can't really remember what Bloc Party sounds like but as a rule they're alright, despite not having done anything actively good since 'Banquet,' so ticky there. T2 and Jodie gets obvious tick for being ace. The rest of it can fvck right off.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

I actually anti-ticked them for that same reason: punishment for being rubbish after the first LP (ok, 2+yrs was ok)

[ms-bracken.livejournal.com]

I'm amazed by how much I like the Bloc Party, I was all set to dislike them after "A Weekend In The City" was a disappointment. There is no mawkishness at all about "Flux", however.

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Bloc Party - I really like this, mostly the rolling synth obviously but it's definitely a direction I'd prefer to see them go in rather than more turgid urban alienation bollocks.

Runrig ft Tartan Army - I'm just assuming this is rubbish.

Spice Girls - ditto.

Led Zep - Never liked Stairway.

T2 - Still think the vocals sound kind of cheap and weedy but I'm glad it exists.

[ms-bracken.livejournal.com]

"Runrig ft Tartan Army - I'm just assuming this is rubbish."

I can't imagine a world in which it ends well. The word "ft" is the only word in the title and artist that does not make me screw my face up like socks.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Ditto. Plus I see that words associated with this item include "football" and "Children In Need".

*screws up face like socks another four times*

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Bloc Party - A good Godzilla/Power Rangers pastiche video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsIMTwVaGyw), vocodered voice, bibble-bibble synths, done quite quickly. Indie is definitely heading in the right direction, but something's still not quite right. I think it might be just a very boring tune made slightly more interesting by having some wibbly noises over the top. Not quite good enough for a tick.

Runrig - I'm not looking forward to this one AT ALL. Oh is it a Children in Need thing? Hahaha did this chart higher than the Spicers? Aieeee I can't listen to more than 30 seconds of this, slap bass or no.

T2 & Jodie - Lovely and awesome! That "weee-oo-weee-oo-weee-oo, phwump, phwump, phwump" noise is one of the best noises I've heard this year! Jodie's little-girl-lost voice could be very annoying over the wrong song, but chopped-up and overlaid ontop of itself like this, it's just perfect. Tick tick tick.

Elvis - botherd

Spicers - it's growing on me! But I saw the video to Say You'll Be There the other day and nearly cried because they used to be so brilliant and aren't quite so brilliant now. Still worth a tick, anyway.

Lahayna - I can't find the video to this on youtube apart from two dudes in their bedroom? OH GOD IS THIS ACTUALLY THEM? Acoustic nonsense.

Zeppelin - I would have ticked Immigrant Song but not this. Too many wasted hours spent trying to learn this on the guitar as a teenager.

Lahayna

[bigdave33.livejournal.com]

I feel the need to interject here, I've seen these guys live recently in Shoreditch and thought they were amazing! The gig that Radio 1 plugged when they got in the charts. I did a bit of research on them and saw a few posts here on these guys. I think you're being a bit unfair though. I saw the you tube clip you were on about and yeah I agree thats a bit weak, but have you read up about them? They got in the charts without a record label!!! They went out on the streets with their mp3 players after registering their tracks and people downloaded the tracks! How many bands would put that kind of effort in, certainly not a lot of the ones I know! Fair play to them I say and good luck! p.s they do have a new video up now if you search on you tube, again its not gonna blow you away but what do you expect from a hard working band on a budget. I think the labels should sit up and take notice. :P

Re: Lahayna

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Hello BigDave33 - were you the one on the left or the right in that video then? :)

When I was in a (signed but manager-less) band and funding/managing/promoting ourselves for dear life whilst thousands of pounds in debt and trying to hold down a full time job, I used to google myself constantly too. Hence I am heartily behind bands who put in the hard work to plug themselves & get their music out there by touring or youtubing or whatever. However here at poptimists we tend to judge songs on their face value (imagine the song was anonymous and you had no idea how or by whom it was produced - now is it any good?) Why should the music-buying public care whether the singer has one leg or if they've come from Mars? If the song's awesome/uninspiring/wrong in the head/catchy then *that* will determine whether or not I spend my 79p downloading it. Or should I be downloading it because they're really nice guys? Should I take pity on them and award them a sticker saying "I TRIED"? This might sound harsh but personally I'm afraid Lahayna aren't my cup of tea and it's going to take a lot more than earnestness on their part for me to think otherwise. Saying that I'm sure they'll do very well.

Re: Lahayna

[(Anonymous)]

Ha Ha I can see how that looks - no im afraid Im neither I just saw them live the other night after I heard em on radio 1. I work in music failry close to the gig venue and am constantly going to see gigs. I thought I'd see what was out there on them on the net considering they just achieved something quite rare, and yes I agree with you that you shouldn't give them merit just for trying (Or for being nice guys - they could be stuck up little %^$&%*%'s for all I know!). I quite like the song to be honest and thought that your comments were geared more to judging the song on the video rather than actually hearing the song that got in the charts?

Be interesting to see if they follow it up with anything or fade into complete obscurity like so many signed bands ;)

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE 12-STRING WHY DO YOU TAINT MY WORLD

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

stairway = zep's "love has can has tears us apart"

[mooxyjoo.livejournal.com]

what year is this from?!

Only 10 votes for the biggest anthem of the year

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Oh, Poptimists, why must you disappoint me again and again :(

Re: Only 10 votes for the biggest anthem of the year

[koganbot]

I am in a state of shock that "Heartbroken" has only 11 votes. I thought this was a sure 25 votes at a minimum. Is it that, despite people's best efforts here, few have heard it?

Re: Only 10 votes for the biggest anthem of the year

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I dunno, it's very dispiriting! The song itself was first posted MONTHS ago, I posted the official video as well pretty recently, it's been mentioned quite a bit over the months, there really is no excuse for poptimists not to have heard it, so this score is...I don't even know!

As I was saying to Tom earlier today I am finding it v dispiriting that eg a poll on the shittest indie ever gets 50 comments just like that while posts on Trina (and a lot of hip-hop) get roundly ignored and 'Heartbroken' gets no love.

Re: Only 10 votes for the biggest anthem of the year

[koganbot]

Now up to 12 votes, which I believe puts it ahead of either of the JoJo singles, both of which I prefer not only to this but to "Potential Breakup Song" - but I'll admit that neither of those JoJo songs is as distinctive as "Heartbroken" or "Potential Breakup Song." Still, is "Heartbroken" actually low-profile among nontalkative Poptimists? If you're an adult in our general neighborhood of the World Wide Web (general neighborhood being people who go online to talk about current hot Anglo-American music), I'd think you'd be more likely to know "Heartbroken" than "Potential Breakup Song," unless you have an American daughter under the age of 13.

Flux (JFK remix)

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Like stars leaking out of my ears

Came back and ticked