Another Year In Pop: 12

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Tick rate on these polls has been down a little recently but I sense that may change this week as two of the most hotly-tipped new releases share chartspace. Yes, Guillemots and One Night Only are back! Back!! BACK!!!!

[Poll #1160081]

Comments

[koganbot]

Estelle f. Kanye "American Boy": Vocal character halfway between Amy and Lily, given a Sade arrangement; lyrics are disappointing in that there's nothing remotely like the romance you get from, say, the Stones' cover of "Route 66," where all the strange town names had great mystery. And the track has nothing like Sade's glide through the lushness. Estelle's singing on this is too flighty for me. Borderline NONTICK.

Madonna f. Justin "4 Minutes": Slamming track, Timbo finally having learned from the shitty rock he attempted on his own album. This'd be the monster Lex thought it was except that Mad's singing is strangely superfluous. Britney's ace this. Hell, even Stump'd be good, or Michael Jackson. Not what it could be, but a definite TICK.

Guillemots "Get Over It": This is a mess; it would like to be rollicking and swishing, would have a chance if it were less ambitious, had been content to be a Billy Joel-style straightup stodgy rock-soul. But all the weirdo sine waves and sound blips just add clutter. Guy doesn't have much of a voice, and forcing the vocals out isn't a good way to use it. NONTICK.

Sam Sparro "Black and Gold": OK dance throb, blah singing. Needs a soulboy or emoboy, instead falls into a vague middle. Not terrible. NONTICK.

Natasha Bedingfield f. Sean "Love Like This": Hasn't this been out for months? Maybe only in the U.S. Nice sun in the sound, and the voice has nice cracks in it for more light to shine through. Just wish the song were better. Sean's a bore. NONTICK.

Gnarls Barkley "Run": This is really disappointing. A bit of 1970 soul, Stax and Motown and psychedelia colliding, a style that was great in its time; this track ups the sense of collision but the result is merely hectic. NONTICK.

Gabriella Cilmi "Sweet About Me": Another retro girl pastes on the same quirky old-style Amy etc. vocals as scores of others do. (Scores? Hundreds? Thousands?) But the voice is reasonably good, and there's a song here, hurrah. Not astonishingly great, but I'd be happy to hear it again. TICK.

[koganbot]

Britney's ace this

Birtney'd ace this, that is.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Frank did you ever hear '1980' (http://youtube.com/watch?v=k0ODOYNAuGM), Estelle's debut (proper) single over here? I think this is probably one of the best five songs to come out of the UK this decade.

[koganbot]

Hadn't heard this. I like it a LOT more than "American Boy," which I thought was the worst track on her MySpace.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I was going to reply along the lines of "oh, this is my favourite bit" then I realised I couldn't choose any line at all...it all just fits together and flows so elegantly.