A Year In Pop: 48

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Like a terrifying rogue planet the awesome gravity pull of WOBS is warping the charts - now we see what the all-downloads rule is really about.

[Poll #1099584]

Almost there though!

Comments

[koganbot]

Once again had to overthrow my "No reissues or re-entries rules," but the previous time I did so was to vote Elvis so that I could vote all of the tracks (symbolizing something or other to me); this time I voted Mariah so I wouldn't have to vote "Don't Like Any." Actually, all the rest are "any good at all," but that's never been my criterion.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

MARIAH

That is all.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Apparently it is because some people performed it badly on X Factor last week. Honestly, the British public.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I didn't include Hurt because it was in one of last year's polls, I think.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The pendulum track piratemoggy submitted for the Pop Open was rly great so I am actually looking forward to hearing this one.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

The voice, though.

And it sounds a bit cheap anyway.

[koganbot]

The Elvises I'm not voting 'cause they're reissues, and I don't know one of them anyway (guess which); also not voting Pogues, but I think you guys vastly overrate that song anyway.

Shayne Ward. This was my nearest to a tick. Hated the first song I ever heard by Shayne, thinking his voice was ridiculous rather than moving in its passion. And now I've started to like him, and I wonder if I were to go back to Original Song (whatever it was) whether I might not like that too. He seems like a stupid version of Timberlake - Timberlake knows more than simply to rely on the sweet sound of his voice; but Ward's voice is sweet. His problem here is the song itself, which is just kind of ordinary.

Sean Kingston. Pleasant enough. A lightweight (musically, that is). Hard to care about this. Could tick, but why?

The Editors. Hmmm. His voice has a basic gravelly, overdramatic tone, but strangely there's no pace or drama to the song. I don't hate this, but the accompaniment needs to be less rich, as it seems to be neutralizing everything. I can imagine how this guy could do well with this voice, but I've heard the Editors now and then without remembering anything about their music, so my guess is that it's not too likely to have happened on the tracks I haven't heard. But I haven't really explored their oeuvre.

Pendulum. Strange instrumental environment with a touch of Asia, and then a quasi-psychedelic song, with feints in the direction of both metal and techno. Another "Hmmmm" track. Borderline, but on the boring side of the line.

Sugababes. Shrug to this one.

[koganbot]

Yes, I liked that other Pendulum track.

Rationalizing my policy shifts

[koganbot]

Also, as far as my reissues policy goes, I voted for the Four Seasons because the remix added significant things and it is great and has never been an overplayed classic and the Four Seasons have never been the recipient of much nostalgia or even much retrospective attention. Also voted the Hi_Tack remix of "Let's Dance"; again, the remix did significant things with it and opened my ears to the song.

All I Want For Christmas Is For You To Ache Like I Ache

[koganbot]

Why Lex should read my book:

As far as I know, I am the only person ever to compare Courtney Love to Mariah Carey.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Tom apropos of nothing except a v boring chart, have you read this (http://janedark.com/2007/11/the_five_paragraph_essy_its_br.html) Jane Dark piece on Britney? It's very good I think, hadn't noticed that particular angle before.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I haven't no, I'm a bit "thought out" on Britney but I will remember to give that one a read - it's the S&M one, right? Zoilus was talking about it I think.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

It is yes - it's not a PIECE as such, just a few paras, it will take you 5 mins. And the S&M thing is pretty much its only thought (but it's a good thought).

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

This is the best Mariah song too, in my opinion. Absolutely brilliant, and definitely better than "Fairytale of New York" (which I also ticked).

Re: All I Want For Christmas Is For You To Ache Like I Ache

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

In my opinion, the best essay in the book.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

'We Belong Together' is my favourite Mariah but this is magnificent, one of the few Xmas songs I like.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

Prepare to be disappointed... this is very poor Pendulum. Certainly the weakest track I've heard by them. Didn't go down very well at the gig last week either. Pendulum have gone a bit NINDIE. Meh.

[koganbot]

Has there been a Mariah canon? I think so, and it came out badly because most of you don't really like (or know?) the early stuff. Anyway, my favorites are "Make It Happen" and the live Unplugged "Can't Let Go." I like her as an immature showoff.

Re: All I Want For Christmas Is For You To Ache Like I Ache

[koganbot]

I quote Chuck saying that the Mariah Unplugged EP reflected his rage "à la '60s punk rock." (Lex take note: punk is like Mariah when it's done well.)(Er, some punk, anyway.)

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Should we have some sort of sweepstake on which traditional wobs classic is going to end up highest up the chart between now and the end of the month? They're all going to keep reappearing in the chart every single year now, aren't they?

(I think Fairytale in New York might actually be it)

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Shayne - Despite his lovely creamy voice this stands up really poorly next to No U Hang Up and If That's OK With You (similar plodding filth'n'b to the former but without the awesome chorus). The falsetto at the end is kind of gut churning! Also the lyrics are SHOCKINGLY BAD. However, good luck Shayne - if you are successful even with a crap song like this then you'll do well.

Elvisx2 - tick for AOMM but not AAT according to my standard Elvis ticking rules.

Mariah - always awesome, ticketytick.

Editors - HANG ON THIS ISN'T CHRISTMASSY AT ALL. If you like boomy voiced dudes singing over weedly-woo guitars and heavily high-hatted drumbeats then I'm sure this is lovely but it just sounds very boring to me. Perhaps it would sound good in a 'stadium'?

Pendulum - Video full of alien sightings that seems very mismatched with the song. Hmm, I'm not sure about this one. It's very upbeat, the main riff is catchy, the vocals are good. Perhaps it requires better bass than my work headphones & youtube can supply? No - actually it's the drum sound. I don't like it. Borderline non-tick tho.

Sean K - way less good than Beautiful Girls, in terms of catchiness/pleasant plinking noises/comedy lines. No tick.

Pogues - PLUS 24 REMIX U+K KTHX

Sugababes - This is growing on me! It's upped from 'slow plod' to 'aww quite sweet actually'. NB this has ZERO to do with Heidi being a fox.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Mariah Canon (http://community.livejournal.com/poptimists/187264.html)

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Shayne is totally being marketed as a soppier nu-Timberlake - mainly because his performance of Cry Me A River halfway through the X Factor series totally sealed Shayne's victory. I wish he would do more non-ballad stuff like If That's OK With You though, he can dance and everything!

Re: Rationalizing my policy shifts

[lisa-go-blind.livejournal.com]

the Four Seasons have never been the recipient of much nostalgia or even much retrospective attention

Other than Jersey Boys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Boys), you mean?

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

This predates my time on poptimists! I was bored during lunch so I voted on it.

Re: Rationalizing my policy shifts

[koganbot]

Hah! Didn't even know this existed. So much for nonnostalgia. In any event, the Four Seasons haven't gotten as much attention as the Beach Boys or Spector.

[poptasticuk.livejournal.com]

Interesting that Elvis only got 12 votes when the PSBs version won the best of Now CDs thing a while ago.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I think there are quite a few people ignoring the stream of Elvises on principle - I like both Elvis songs here but am firmly against the whole idea of the organised reissues.

[andthatisthat.livejournal.com]

I always picture Shayne Ward as being on the cover of Lisa Simpson's Non-Threatening Boys magazine; his record company have emasculated him so.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Wow she is really divisive. People who say she is shit = more wrong than anyone has been before or since.

[andthatisthat.livejournal.com]

YES. It is never Christmas until I hear that song. I hold slim hopes of it somehow generating enough downloads to keep whoever wins The X Factor away from No.1 this year, but I'm sure I'll be disappointed.

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

¤ Shanye (yes I know, it is just payback for all the "Kayne" misspellings): no thx
¤ Elvis I+II: my reissue rules say no.
¤ Mariah: A new song is a song I haven't heard (a Lex and any others are free to point and laugh at my impoperacy), so reissue rules BEGONE. This is simply ossum. Major tick.
¤ Editors: the first minute and a half, singer sounds like younger Nick Cave! Has to do not only with timbre, but also breathing and attack I think. Generally sounds like he thinks AN LOT about use of voice, but might still be offended if you called him "affected" which is not necessarily a bad word in my book (see also The Killers maybe). Latter half of song (because of video + said vocal affectations) put "Black Hole Sun" into my head. Oh right, the song: nah, no tick.
¤ Pendulum: starts out well (when is the trip-hop revival scheduled again? I have some Nordic orgafun entries lined up), continues with equally good wheewhee riff, then just follows up with fair-to-really-good elements failing to gel. No tick, but willing to listen more to The Small Weight.
¤ S Kingston: is there winter trouble with songcraft or something? The chorus is supposed to be more exciting than the verse. In addition to this one, I think both Editors and Pendulum would stand a chance of a merklich tick if they didn't get less interesting and fun at you know the minute mark or so. No tick.
¤ Pogues vs <3 <3 Kirsty: reissue rules apply. No tick. I probably do still love it though, but generally avoid Christmas songs, at least at or near Christmas.
¤ Sugababes: well here at least the chorus is an amplification on the verse, thus creating the correct heightening in the proceedings. This may not have been enough for me in itself, but what in addition gives this a Tick is the rather audacious pedal point (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedal_point) being held for a very long time (to the rather late "middle" eight actually), which to Formalists R Us (Prank Divsion) makes the title "Change" even better. Krautrockpop!