Year In Pop 34

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Here is the hotly anticipated year in pop poll for this week, v. sorry it's late; no one told me the other two were away or if they did, I may well have been drunk at the time or something which means it did not happen. Did we do one last week? If not I will sort it out immediately.

Biffy Clyro have somehow swung themselves this week's highest new entry, I still like The Automatic although you may not, Gabriella Cilmi gets another song out quick and Metallica are mystifyingly present in the charts...

[Poll #1249651]

EDIT: B4LLS. I have forgotten the 'NOT HEARD ANY' and 'DON'T LIKE ANY' boxes. If you would like to register either of these opinions then, err, do so in the comments I suppose or I will sort out a new poll in a minute or something.

EDIT: K, DEFO REGISTER THOSE OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS. Will sort out percentages at a later date. Sadly, Livejournal's ridiculous poll system prevents me sorting out the mistake now.

Comments

[koganbot]

Another week on the borderline of blah, but even Biffy and the Automatic come through on the choruses enough to make them bearable if not tickworthy.

Biffy Clyro "Mountains": Starts tenuous and mannered, then the guitar adds crunch but nonetheless sounds attenuated, then finally the chorus commits to power chords and clear pretty vocals that unfortunately never don't suck. Not awful, and the chorus almost abandons itself to the joy of sound, though even so I wouldn't say the chorus is all that. Borderline NONTICK.

The Automatic "Steve McQueen": When I was ten I thought The Great Escape was the greatest movie and that Steve McQueen was the essence of cool. He jumped his motorcycle over barbed wire, and maintained his flair even when caught. This song is about being an escape artist from the self, the singer punningly chasing his own tale. That description is too generous, of course, since the song is typical rueful indie mediocrity, and the lyrics empty angst ("All of my pictures have been erased/Just an extra with nothing to say"), but at least there are ingredients here for a good song, and a potential idea, even. Borderline NONTICK.

Gabriella Cilmi "Save The Lies (Good To Me)": Interesting woman with that rough quirky voice so many are using post-Tashbed, pushing it disco. Chorus doesn't get to the full disco ride, but at least it tries. Borderline TICK.

Alphabeat "Boyfriend": I'm mad at Alphabeat in principle for taking frivolity not as just one of the available moods in life but as the enforced conditions of their pop. Or maybe that's my misreading, and the real problem is that they can't sing. In any event, they'd cuted up "10,000 Nights" to the point of unlistenability, but in retrospect the song was worthwhile had it not been cuted up, and this one's better, with a melody that makes Stine sound half passionate even. And the Pete Hammond Remix, which is one of the versions getting pushed at radio and on video and iTunes, adds the fierceness of beats and riffs and comes near to wonderful, with the song only dragging it down a little bit. TICK. Search for the "12-inch."

Metallica "The Day That Never Comes": Tune has an eastern flavor that itself could be made exciting with a Pete Hammond remix, which it's not likely to get, unfortunately. Hetfield starts off surprisingly weak, and when he puts the effort and agony in his throat he's still weak. And halfway through they forget the doleful easternisms and go into mediocre riffage. Too bad, 'cause at the beginning it seemed as if they had a song. NONTICK.

J Majik & Wickaman "Crazy World": Anona-diva vocals atop a steady thump, with zippy little d'n'b excursions from the beat machine. Done well this could produce shivers and thrills, but this is so average I'm baffled that it charted. NONTICK.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Hetfield doesn't even sound like him on the 'tallica, most disconcerting.

The enforced jollity of Alphabeat inspires nothing but rage in me, to a far more effective degree than the aforementioned metal. Which I would feel pisses off both parties, leaving me the winnar.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

the last one is actually J Majik and not DJ Majick by the way - and it's quite an interesting mix of 90s trance (the backing track sounds like Delerium's Silence) with a drum n bass sound over the top. Boshtastic.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

The BBC have lied to me, clearly. I can't edit the poll but apols for the misspell.

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

Metallica rule!

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

only coz they have guitar solos again.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

They have rather pulled it together for this one, to be fair; Hetfield even sounds a bit like he can actually sing occasionally.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Haha it's another DON'T LIKE ANY, oh wellz. I do like the LL Cool J song at No 63 though.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Or would be had I remembered that option. Whups, will sort it out in a bit.

[koganbot]

We remembered last week. Solange got twenty ticks.

[koganbot]

If you can, you need to add boxes for "NOT HEARD ANY" and "DON'T LIKE ANY" or else the percentages come out wrong.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Biffy Clyro- SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP will this band never stop?!
Automatic- NOM NOM LEAD SINGER err I mean I like this band they say something to me in an 'angry youth' manner that, say, The Enemy definitely do not.
Gabriella Cilmi- thought I didn't like this but found myself singing it in the kitchen the other day, so that's decisive
Alphabeat- see: Biffy Clyro
Metallica- having heard this I am going to have to go back and tick it purely because it would be quality on Rock Band. I have no shame.
DJ Majik & Wickaman- low-rent but quite good.

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

In fairness, there's really good reasons why you can't go back and edit polls once people have voted ("DON'T LIKE ANY" -> "I LOVE HITLER")

[koganbot]

If we added "I LOVE H1TLER" to polls, I wonder how many people would tick it?

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

It'd just attract hipsters.

[koganbot]

I LOVE HIPSTLER, perhaps.

[edgeofwhatever.livejournal.com]

NOT HEARD ANY.

[strange-powers.livejournal.com]

don't like none.

[ijgrieve.livejournal.com]

Ticked Biffy Clyro and Automatic. Neither of them are monsters (if you'll forgive the pun), but both are decent songs that I'd be quite content to hear on the radio. OK, Biffy Clyro has duff lyrics but I like the instrumentation.

Alphabeat missed out, and I really liked their first 2 hits. This one's just too cliched and a bit dull. No interest in the others; Metallica might have been alright but it's about 3 times too long.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Metallica might have been alright but it's about 3 times too long.

V. true. Then again this is also true of 'Through The Fire And Flames' and that is ace.

[andthatisthat.livejournal.com]

I'm weirdly obsessed with that Gabriella Cilmi song. It's completely insane and feels like a cut-and-shut, but somehow I still love it.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

I think it might have been yr review that turned me around on it actually.

[andthatisthat.livejournal.com]

I feel so powerful right now. :D