Brit Nominations

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Popjustice sums it all up nicely

The list of bands (both UK and International) makes for underwhelming reading, but I think the list of UK singles from 2007 is quite a reasonable reflection of what's been going on in British pop*:

Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love
Mika – Grace Kelly
Take That – Shine
Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby
Sugababes – About You Now
Mark Ronson Ft Amy Winehouse – Valerie
Kate Nash – Foundations
The Hoosiers – Worried About Ray
James Blunt – 1973
Mutya Buena – Real Girl

Personally, I'd have trouble picking a winner out of Take That and Sugababes. The only truly mediocre song on that list is Mutya and her string sample.

*Call The Shots wuz robbed, etc

Comments

[martinv.livejournal.com]

The only truly mediocre song on that list is Mutya and her string sample.


I presume that's the only mediocre one because the James Blunt one is awful, rather than merely mediocre?

Sugababes is the best on there. Fight for second place is between a Zutons cover version and a lady with a very irritating voice. Is this the best Britain can offer? (Answer, no, obviously, where are Girls Aloud on there?)

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

The James Blunt song was surprisingly OK, I thought. Not amazing or anything, but the material fitted his voice and the chorus was hooky enough.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I really liked the Blunt!

Foundations is terrible and ear-wrenching, but it got us talking so it deserves inclusion.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

um, the list has the Khazi Cheese on dude...

i'd *probably* have to go take that i think, despite it's current usage on those bludy morrisons ads...

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Ruby has really grown on me of late! I keep hearing the chorus on trailers for stuff and forgetting who it's by. The verse is terrible, but it's interestingly terrible in that I could yabber on about it all day. Whereas Mutya - why is she even bothering? She is the new Kelly Rowland, ie complete loss of personality as a solo artist now there is no-one to compare her to: she's a cool ice queen up against Beyonce & a naughty sprite when teamed up with Nelly, but on her own she looks totally gormless. Mutya was the bitchy one in S-babes but on her own she's all smiley and bland.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I think Kelly Rowland brought the sass on 'Like This', or "lak theeez" as it should be known.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

'Like This' is a good song, but in the video (which I was watching last night) Kelly tries and fails to do this 'comedy' face the entire way through, and ends up being totally outclassed by Eve.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I think Kelly R definitely has a personality on record! it's to do with all these ideas of dignity and restraint - not glacial by any means, but kind of...almost repressed? It's tied up in notions of social status as well, remember how DC are all posh girls - Kelly has all these emotions simmering beneath the surface but she's *classy*, not a ghetto hothead like Mary J Blige or Keyshia Cole.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

'Real Girl' is like the third best song on that list! (Not the greatest of compliments to 'Real Girl' tbh.) It's utterly dreadful, so...staid and boring. Where is Dizzee Rascal? Where is 'Heartbroken' ffs? Why does all the industry-approved pop in this country sound so conservative and beige these days? Even the two good songs on that list are hardly spectacular in terms of pushing the boat out. And we have so much more of the same to look forward to, oh god I already hate Adele so much, she's nothing but a Joss Stone for people who disapprove of good-looking women because they're a "bad influence" on "society". Why is everything so goddamn polite?? I have a theory which needs developing about all this "great year for women" rhetoric doing the rounds at the moment - sure, there are more autonomous (if dull) women in the charts, but compare them to people like Courtney, Tori, Bjork, PJ - these raging, aggressive geniuses who weren't afraid to SCARE people, to experiment, to actually perform as if something was on the line, as opposed to this boring boring Everygirl bullshit.

'Valerie' is probably the worst (as in, only actively bad) song Amy Winehouse (prob the honourable exception to the above rant) has ever put her name to.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

The Brit awards have never really celebrated the best bits of British music - however they usually do a good job of reflecting what dudes have actually been *buying* in reams. I'm surprised there's no mention of Cascada on International Group though!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

But I don't care what people have been buying! Or at least I do kind of care, but I also already know. It's just another round of back-slappery.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

aw come on Lex, let the record companies have their annual self-congratulatory bash while they still exist

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

So are all award shows! I think it's interesting to see what the music industry thinks compared to what actual music consumers think - cf all this Adele-Duffy nonsense which after having a listen I think Polydor have shot themselves in the foot there.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I get deluged with what the music industry thinks though! I wouldn't mind if the music wasn't SO BAD but this really is a nadir.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

also, is it not a bit desparate having Mark Ronson as british (he's up for alBUM and male SOLO (double hein) as well)? it's like having Slash as "best british guitarist" isn't it?

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Well you could say the same for Mika - isn't he Israeli or something?

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

The Lebanon, apparently.

and it's the opposite innit. mika moved here when he was 9, whereas ronson left when he was 8...

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Ah, fair enough.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

Well, Ronson is semi-British but Winehouse is fully British and it is a cover of the Zutons so it seems fair enough here.

Why has no one slagged off the Hoosiers yet though?

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Because the Hoosiers are good!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

NO

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

it's not the single nom i'm botherd about rly, the british male solo nom is, like, "well one out of three's not great..."

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

There doesn't seem to be much love for Bleeding Love on poptimists but surely it is great? Definitely the standout on this list.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

It is very great, though I prefer 'About You Now'. On my way to NYE party there were girls at the back of the bus singing along to it. I am ashamed to admit that it does evoke images of melodramatic teenagers self-harming along to the chorus though.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

It's a really good song, but nowhere near as great as 'Heartbroken', 'Call The Shots' or even 'Rule The World' - all three of which it kept off the top spot. Perhaps I am bitter towards it because of this?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I was sniffy about it at first but it's grown on me loads.

Proof I hate pop.......

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

My favourite song on that list is TAKE THAT. I strongly dislike Mika, Kaiser Chiefs, Blunt, Mutya and think the rest are all ho-hum. I guess they might have wanted to pick "Tears Dry On Their Own" or "Stop Me" but thought they could kill two birds with one stone (no, this is loads worse than both).

And "About You Now" bores me to tears.