Another Year In Pop: 19

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Madge is still at the top, and Coldplay get into the top 10 despite giving their single away for free! Some people have no sense when it comes to economics, do they?

[Poll #1186504]

Comments

[weasel-seeker.livejournal.com]

Sarah Bareilles: Solid chorus, decent voice, although the piano part feels, to my ears at least, like a Sarah Slean rip. Sweet Ones or Lucky Me or something. One of her radio tunez. Maybe a touch of Gavin DeGraw-y production about it all bland-ish pop with guitar piano rootsiness and a bit of swing. Not seeing the TashBed comparison, besides the vague meta nature of the song-about-songwriting thing. My like for this song would increase fivefold if it were addressed not at a beau but instead at her RECORD LABEL. (Not gonna write you a love song. You need one. You tell me it's make or breaking this if you're on your way.) TICK.

Coldplay: I feel like they decided after X&Y it was time to be "challenging" hence guitar fuzz and plodding echo and one melody that repeats over and over and over. The one thing Coldplay ever had going for me was their restraint/fragility vibe on some of their earlier stuff. At their best, the repetitive riffs and/or plodding build can be kind of mesmerizing (see: Clocks, God Put a Smile, Rush of Blood). Not the case here. UNTICK.

Santogold: TICK. The album is still sinking in, but this works in ways I can't quite articulate. Although the red paint attacks in the video are just plain weird.

Ne-Yo: Heretofore unaware of him, except as writer of Irreplaceable and various other pop tunes (that was him, right?). Initial thoughts at video: do we really need another MJ clone? Aren't Usher, Justin, Chris Brown, etc. etc. etc. enough? But, propulsive beat, synthy goodness, and thus, although something about his singing voice feels off to me, TICK. Should be a grower.

Pigeon Detectives: This song is a less propulsive Citizens of Tomorrow by Tokyo Police Club, except without the MASSIVE riff, and instead of being about robots taking over the planet and hilariously killing you in front of your entire family, it's about...well, I'm not sure. How they aren't here to reflect you? And this is an American scene? OH! Emergency. That makes more sense. NO TICK.