Thee AYIP Supplement ov March 2008

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

January saw nine lowhitters (peaking at 41-75), and in February there were eight. In March there are nine plus eight equals SEVENTEEN non-smashes from such exotic locations as Jamaica, Sweden, Australia and Coventry. Click the YouTube links, witness the return of N Cave, Supergrass and the ironic OR IS IT? number one cover version, and vote vote vote as your ears see fit.

[Poll #1165087]

February was a weakish bunch, it seems -- Vampire Weekend and J-Lo were the ones standing out from the pack. Disqualified: Gnarls Barkley's "Run" for subsequently reaching #32. If you haven't voted in that poll and/or the January one, just follow the tag!

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I can't believe Alicia didn't make the top 40 :( 'No One' was such a huge hit and I think 'Like You'll Never See Me Again' is even better, rather bemusing that it didn't get anywhere. I totally urge everyone to check it out though!

Sean Kingston, MJ/Akon, MGMT all OK though in a "don't really need to hear this again" kind of way.

Addictive and T2 obv single of the year, shame on the British public for letting it stall (think it'd have done better credited to T2 ft. Addictive though).

isn't it will.i.am ft. Cheryl Cole doing 'Heartbreaker'? not that I can work out exactly what she adds to the track beyond a frisson of "ooh another way to get back at Cashley", I was disappointed that she didn't at least add a verse. It's good, anyway, I like the anonymous lounge lizard mood of the will.i.am album. I think this will probably be a proper hit imminently anyway.

I am going to be very angry if anyone ticks that...thing which is apparently the Manic Street Preachers desecrating 'Umbrella' >>>:-( HOW DARE THEY.

[celentari.livejournal.com]

Off topic, but after reading ur Graun interview with Estelle I felt moved to go and listen to some of her music, having somehow not done so before. And so I did. And it's awesome! Can't get American Boy out of my head. Therefore: thank you. On a related note, I have also been making in-roads into the hip hop discussed last autumn and loving it this time around, so again: thank you.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Excellent! I like to hear stuff like this.

[celentari.livejournal.com]

Not as much as I now like to hear various stuff I would never have listened to a year ago! (Young Buck/Rihanna/Eve/Estelle/Lady Sovereign/Justin/Kanye/Kid Sister and MOARE).

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

OK I actually only had time to listen to first verse + chorus of Umbrella before hurrying to work, but I think it works somewhat better than it has any right to. I suspect this may have something to do with The James Dean of Bradfield having a proper rock voice and not one of your regular indie-style mumbly/whiny/wackyshouty varieties.

MGMT?!

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Do you like the Flaming Lips as well or something?

I sort of loathe MGMT already.

Re: MGMT?!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I hate the Flaming Lips! I dunno, I saw that MGMT video once and it wasn't that bad. No idea why it's leading though, think will untick. Too ill to shout at people for not ticking Alicia or Addictive but SRSLY WTF.

Re: MGMT?!

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

there is quite a difference between this MGMT track and there other stuff. many more ppl here will like this track a TON more than the album

i LOVE the album tho :-p
such a hippie

Re: MGMT?!

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

THEIR other stuff! (oof)

Re: MGMT?!

[redcommieapples.livejournal.com]

Actually "Electric Feel">>>>> "Time To Pretend" and their album is strangely quite varied.

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

isn't it will.i.am ft. Cheryl Cole doing 'Heartbreaker'?

Yeah appears to be right; for archivism I generally go with the polyhex appellation when it first appears. Hence I also have Estelle w/o Kanye etc.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

wait, BWO had that old song out this month?? that's years old right? it's 'any good' but not great :-(

[andthatisthat.livejournal.com]

That Alicia Keys song is horrible. It's sappy and trite with delusions of profundity. (Though apparently the fact that I feel this way makes me a racist (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/chartblog/2008/02/alicia_keys_like_youll_never_s.shtml).) I thought it was going to be the worst song I heard all year, until I heard the new Soulja Boy track.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I love the new Soulja Boy track!

The Alicia one I remember as being OK, from the one time I heard it.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

yeah the new Soulja Boy is awesome. YAAHHH TRICK YAAHHH!

Alicia is always kind of trite, but she really sells it...r&b is often all about selling the cliche.

[redcommieapples.livejournal.com]

The toy piano melody that goes back and forth annoys the heck out of me but the Ludacris remix of "Like You'll Never See Me Again" is the awesome.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

The public are mad. I totally fail to understand how the T2 song wasn't a massive hit, surely just the decision to credit it to Addictive can't be the only explanation? Single of the year so far for me easily.

How did I miss the fact that Cheryl had done a song with will.i.am??? (not that she actually does anything, mind)

dig lazarus dig

[anthonyeaston.livejournal.com]

do i only like nick caves dig lazuras dig because i like rock and roll that combines jesus and fucking? or because it makes the rock and roll instinct towards filth and redemption literal? or because i really love that talking over the guitar thing, and this combines the best of porter wagoner and jim carroll? or because it is so cheap and obvious in its theatrics that it has a carnival charm, its all pistons and levers? or because it almost sounds a bit crazy, but in the wisconsin death trip or the hannibal lector way, in the sense that its too well constructed that nothing really is in danger--or that the nonsense three word chorus has a hook that kylie would envy? or do i just really get off on cheap pop nihilism, and there is so litle going around, that like glitter and tinsel, i will take anything i can get? i know what he's doing there, the same thing that he is doing in grinderman (the same thing he has always done) but if pop is about having a schtick, and teh schtick keeps working, who am i to judge...

(only some of these questiosn are rhetorical)

Re: dig lazarus dig

[koganbot]

On first listen it reminds me of the Butthole Surfers without the bullhorn.

Re: dig lazarus dig

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I found Grinderman a bit grim and too-obviously trying to be funny, but I like this, it seems looser? I've d/lded the album and must get round to it at some point, but I think I only really love Nick Cave in ballad mode (only The Boatman's Call really).

Re: dig lazarus dig

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

I like Nick Cave best when he is ridiculously overdramatic fire and brimstone mode and there's not really enough of it on the album for my liking.

Re: dig lazarus dig

[koganbot]

(I mean the Butthole Surfers comparison as a compliment, I think.)

They were all in love with dying, they were doin' it in Texas

[koganbot]

E.g., "Pepper," which I love.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

well done anatol for putting this together. i breezed thru the yt links and made snap judgements on songs after 5-10 seconds play HURRAH

mainly mercy ticks here tho: for Alicia (because HUBBA HUBBA, and i like the quieter parts of the track) and Tunstall (nice vid! and some nice melodic elements songwise even if it doesn't amount to a great deal) and MGMT (terrible vocals but like the fuzz...btw where is TOM VEK?). Envy & Other Sins = acceptable jang. will.i.am cutting it fine but like his accent.

Nick Cave earned a tick for his funny walk if nothing else.

Addictive/T2 the best thing here surely.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

i gave the t2 addictive another go after previous meh, cos of the level of poptimist love.

still meh. synth trump is a tick, reverse beat bit in the middle is only other bit that's at all memorable.

(loved heartbroken obv)

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

the synth trumpet is the worst thing about it for me. just seems so naff...and i can't be bothered with naff in a good way on this occasion

i find the whole thing weirdly 'aggressive' - in a way that e.g. 'What's It Gonna Be' isn't

i have the MOS bassline comp to digest still - this weekend i hope

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

I quite like MGMT.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Not quite gettin' the T2 love though it was a clear tick -- maybe just not my thing. Actually I think the most overlooked one here might be Sean Kingston! "You wanna go to the tropics or the slums? We can do both!"

Also liked the Supergrass one more than I was expecting. MGMT's album was kind of a slog for me, and none of it lived up to "Time to Pretend," but they've got something like a four-album major label deal(!!!!) so they've got time.

MGMT = most awful new band of 2008

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Official

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

Blimey! A ski-jumping video!