Another Year In Pop: 14

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Quiet week this week. What's Fragma doing there?

[Poll #1167133]

Comments

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

It's 'Toca's Miracle 2008'.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Oh I was about to ask whether it was a random re-entry or whatever. Is it...still good? Or have they botched it up somehow?

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

It's certainly not a radical overhaul at all, which makes me wonder why they bothered. Although to my ears they've done just enough to cock it up though, it doesn't sound as good as the original.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Botched (http://youtube.com/watch?v=X9MItHBr6RI). The vocals have had all the meat taken out of them :(

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I guessed as much, oh well then :(

Actually, no sadface. We have MARIAH. Who cares about the rest.

[martinv.livejournal.com]

Rubbish though, isn't it? It's on my list for today's releases. Lacks everything that was good about the original, trying to be too clever.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Kooks - heard this on Hits last week, sadface :(
Mariah - awesome! esp the youtube line :)
Courteeners - sounds like the Killers :(
Radiohead - not one of their best by rather a long way :(
Fragma - they rly shouldn't have bothererd :(

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

YES

Mariah - girliest song ever! tinkling music box coming in and out of the mix is lovely, the whole thing is a big plush cushion of a song. "I will hunt u down" is the best vocal bit, seductive and threatening at the same time. "I'mma treat u like a teddybear, u won't wanna go nowhere" is almost as hilarious as the YouTube bit.

Fragma - well the og was good obv, but I am vaguely opposed to exhuming ancient dance tracks for unnecessary chart action 10 years on though and haven't heard the remix

NO

Kooks - I thought they were meant to be an indie band plus big pop hooks? Where is the big pop hook in this lumpen mess?

Radiohead - goes nowhere, does nothing, Yorke even whinier than usual, kind of unlistenable, aural equivalent of common cold

Courteeners - yeah right like I bothered

[ijgrieve.livejournal.com]

Hmm, looks like my favourite is the least popular song again. But then again, 'Always Where I Need To Be' reminds me of the View, and I know most of you hate the View.

Radiohead's last song AND this one are like his dog has died. How can anyone listen to that whine?

The others are kind of forgettable. Toca's Miracle is a mess compared to the original. Courteeners is OK in an Arctic Monkeys-lite kind of way.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I don't really like the Mariah single - it feels only halfway there to me. She sounds annoying, production is kinda flat and it's all lacking sexy impact. I'm not really looking to be convinced otherwise altho I may give it another go later.

Can't be bothered to work whether or not I like 'Nude' either so sad to not tick any this week.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I have to admit Mariah has slipped a bit in my estimation - the stuff I thought was cute and funny initially has started to grate. Still a tick but more marginal than it was.

"she sounds annoying"

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

dude it's probably the best vocal performance, esp re: how much she conveys, I've heard this year! you probably hate her high notes too though so w/vs

Re: "she sounds annoying"

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I've never really been a fan of her voice - unless you go right back to 'Vision Of Love' but I do seem to prefer it when it's played down as on 'It's Like That'.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

TICK:
The Kooks -it's fun, it's rather cute, idk. I like it a lot.

NON-TICK:
Everything else. Sorry, Mariah.
Also, reheated 'Toca's Miracle' (wasn't Toca's Miracle' originally a reheat of Toca Me and something else or am I thinking of something other thing?) is pants and the video scares me.

[spazhammer.livejournal.com]

argh. when will that yokel fuckwit from the kooks just fuck off and die?

mariah and radiohead are where its at for me :)

[koganbot]

The Kooks "Always Where I Need To Be": I'm torn about this one. Basic assembly-line pop 'n' crunch with an immediately likable guitar riff but much too much rye in the singing. The melody in the verse is rather good. The transition to the chorus is totally blah. The hook is rather tuneful but sort of, you know, "oh, where doing dit-dit-dit-dos, so it MUST be catchy." Irritating. Good enough melodically to merit a reluctant tick, but it's not going to get one from me.

Mariah Carey "Touch My Body": Well-done lushness, nice wall-to-wall squibs of passion in the background, melody steps lightly in the front. But I have trouble caring, despite all this casual beauty. TICK for sure, but I still miss the fiercely flashing of Mariah of "Make It Happen" and "Can't Let Go."

Courteeners "Not Nineteen Forever": Um, crunched and smoothed simultaneously. A manly but ugly voice, inadvertently convinces thousands of youngsters to die before they get old. TICKFREE

Radiohead "Nude": I'm listening to the Scotch Mist version. It starts misty all right, then fades into sadness. More here than meets the ear? Something exploratory in the chord progression? Sticks to its guns (or to its rubber knives), I'll say that for it, but WON'T TICK IT.

Fragma "Toca's Miracle 2008": I gather from the above discussion that many of you believe there was once a good version of this song. I'd have to hear it to believe it. Jagged singing in this dance track, but not much presence or tune. NOT TICKED

Proofed, belatedly

[koganbot]

too much rye in the singing

Must have meant "too much wry"

oh, where doing dit-dit-dit-dos, so it MUST be catchy.

"oh, where"? How 'bout "oh, we're"?

the fiercely flashing of Mariah of "Make It Happen" and "Can't Let Go."

Delete one of those "of"s: "the fiercely flashing Mariah of 'Make It Happen'..."