Another Year In Pop: 28

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Dizzee & Calvin still at number one, and the nether regions of the chart are sprinkled with ABBA thanks to the Mamma Mia movie. But the most important high climber news is of course the Sugababes' About You Now jumping 92 places to 47 thanks to Steph singing it at Max's funeral in Hollyoaks OMG.... *sniff*

[Poll #1222999]

Comments

How long will this drought continue?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

That is all.

[miss-newham.livejournal.com]

In fact, Kid Rock is NOT any good at all, but I still like it.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Kid Rock - comes closer to a tick than I'd like but basic obnoxiousness wins in the end: KR himself isn't doing a lot of work here, he's just performing 'rock n roll', it's the new "Summer of '69" tho I like the things/things rhyme.

Kooks - ~I hope the 59% of teen girls who think indie is "in" or "on the way in" enjoy this, I certainly don't. The usual strumalong plonk, makes Kid Rock look like a pioneer. No tick.

Sharleen - Texas used to make good coin out of retro-60s-soul so why shouldn't Sharleen try for a post-Duffy payday? The decision of the video to be, erm, 'subversive' and have the supposed director interrupt all the time - that's rubbish. The song is OK, not memorable enough for a tick but it doesn't offend.

Last Shadow Puppets - their first single was something a little different, but really, this beat pastiche (right down to the 65-vintage suits) is just tedious. Quite like the echo on it. I mean, it's better than the La's, but people should aim higher surely.

So that's a DON'T LIKE ANY then! Oh well.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

aw, i think the LSPs just about scrape a ticky. haven't heard the other three but have seen AT LEAST three interviews with la spiteri over the last week, one of which included her being asked about her views on knifecrime (well done adrian chiles, there).

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

lol middle aged ppl. dudes, the closest you've come to what kid rock's singing abt is playin eagles grtst hits whilst towing the caravan down to newquay each august.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

ALL BAD ALL THE TIME.

Actually I quite like the Sharleen and have ticked it but I had to listen to it 3467798649879 times for reviewing purposes the other week and so it currently makes me want to commit knife crime.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Kid Rock - So THIS is what I heard in Debenhams the other day! Bwahahaha I am amazed that Kid Rock is not drawing his pension yet. I remember taking the piss out of him a good ten years ago! I never much liked Sweet Home Alabama so this is actually a surprising improvement! God the lyrics are hilarious! "We didn't have no internet, but man I never will forget" (the way the moonlight shined upon her hair yadda yadda). Way less annoying than Nickelback but I dunno if this is tick-worthy. OK yes it is - the speedboat has clinched it.

Kooks - they are actually morphing into the La's, but without the tunes.

Sharleen - the more Motown-lite stuff I hear these days the less I want to listen to Actual Motown stuff, which is NOT a good sign. The verse is a bit limp but the chorus is alright and the video looks interesting (proper wooden Diana Ross hip-jiggle dancing!) and Sharleen sounds less grating than on her Texas material. Borderline non-tick, I think.

Last Shadow Puppets - their last one with the Russian tanks was great, this one isn't quite as good but still has merit! I'd much rather have 60s spy adventure soundtrack pastiche than 60s soul pastiche. No ticky though, as when this video had finished I decided to listen to the first single instead of listening to this one again.

[koganbot]

Kid Rock "All Summer Long": Sorta half-assed attempt at the "Sweet Home Alabama" rhythm, with the easygoing Mellencamp nostalgia that's all over country music these days tossed on top (and a sprinkle of early Seger for those in the know). Good-humoredly craven, and I like it, I guess, though I like "I Wanna Fuck You Like I'm Never Gonna See You Again" (a.k.a. "So Hott") a hundred times more. However, my scoring system can't register that opinion, since I'd give this a 6.0 out of 10.0, which would make "I Wanna Fuck You" 600.0 out of 10.0, which is impossible, and anyway it's a 9.0. NOT QUITE A TICK (cause otherwise I'd have to give "I Wanna Fuck You" 100 ticks).

Kooks "Shine On": Good old rocker that fits in better with the generically rueful indie vocals than I'd have expected. Another friendly, half-assed summer song that gets a FRIENDLY HALF-ASSED TICK from me.

Sharleen Spiteri "All Times I Cried": Good old Sixties Spector goes soul, with style and dignity layered on, to its detriment. OK setting, but the song isn't there. ALL THE TICKS I'VE DENIED.

The Last Shadow Puppets "Standing Next To Me": A different Sixties here, a smooth glide across heavy orchestration, while the singer goes for incongruous '00s indie uncertainty. An interesting combination, but I think the humble-fumble drumbeat undoes this. A subject for further research, but NOT YET A TICK.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I assume that my internal out of 10 marking system is logarithmic.

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

To be positive in the face of overwhelming odds, I voted for Kid Rock. I kinda like him, he's a plucky dude.

Re: How long will this drought continue?

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

It's all just too depressing. I think I need to go and listen to No Air to cheer myself up.

[mcarratala.livejournal.com]

Sharleen is guilty of that chronic Scottish pop crime: the belief that reciting the names of esteemed forbearers – in this case, Nancy S, Serge G, Francoise H – in interviews is the same as actually grasping something of their essence. It isn't, and her single is dismal.

Is this a first?

[koganbot]

So far, no one has voted for more than one song. Is this a first?

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

WATE WHUT I didn't notice this yesterday apparently but she sang 'About You Now' at a funeral? Wtf is that about?

[grrl-cake.livejournal.com]

Not 'All Summer Long', for obvious reasons. 'Standing Next To Me' is alright.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

It was so sad! *waaaaah* You see Steph has always thought of herself as a multi-talented superstar actress-in-waiting, and so when she got up to sing a song at her dead husband's funeral everyone groaned but then it was really lovely and everyone CRIED including ME! *sniff* Poor old Steph.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

But... 'About You Now?' As in, 'I know how I feel about you NOW YOU'RE DEAD?' :/

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Well they'd only just got married after loads of umming and ahhing and general faffing about, so yes! Also the bit where she choked up on the line 'I know everything changes' made me go "Blwaaaaah" at the telly bcos I am a HUGE GIRL.

[koganbot]

I know nothing about this but found the vid on YouTube:

[mcarratala.livejournal.com]

I seem to remember an episode of dodgy Anglo-Australian backpacker drama – starring at least one ex-Hollyoaks type*, as it happens – in which there was a poem read out at a funeral that I belatedly realised was Heavenly Pop Hit by The Chills (the dead character being from New Zealand), but they didn't sing. Mores the pity.

*Certainly the actress who played Max's sister, who I now learn is back (I haven't watched Hollyoaks in centuries). It all connects.