Another Year In Pop: 36

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

For once there's a reasonable number of new entries this week, phew. Who'd have thought we'd be nostalgic for the turbulent charts of the early 2000s? But are any of these fresh new hits good enough to quench the pop thirst we developed over the summer drought?

[Poll #1255714]
Rest of chart news: Katy Perry's still at number one, and look - what's this? Paper Planes has popped up at no.69! About blimmin' time if you ask me.

Congratulations are also in order to THE TING TINGS who won this year's Lex 20p Indie Prize by a clear margin of 5 whole votes. Why not go and watch their most recent video? I think it's pretty good!

Comments

[koganbot]

The week of restraint and repetition, played for intensity: deny the release and let the song build. And the results are almost all on the borderline, tracks better than the people fronting them.

The Pussycat Dolls "When I Grow Up": Soft gritty voices against a thump, rising anticipation, track sticks to its thump, this is really intense the way the track refuses to resolve. So, will it be intense enough to maintain itself? No, 'cause the singing isn't maniacally compulsive enough. Would still garner a tick but the breaks toward the end are just a distraction. I appreciate the attempt here, might reverse myself later, but right now this is a BORDERLINE NONTICK.

(Here by the way is where pop actually has something to learn from old punk, in that people like Lou Reed and Mark E. Smith really knew how to milk the repetition, had an instinct for when to vary and when to stay put.)

Gym Class Heroes f. The-Dream "Cookie Jar": Well, the lyrics are a goof, but The-Dream - and with his generic sweet vocals you can't predict when he's going to be amazing and when he'll be a bore - is quite mesmerizing, as his sweetness brushes against the beat; and the repetitive rap in the chorus is effective, "can't keep my hands my hands my hands my my my." The problem though is then the rapping in the verses is just awful. HALF A TICK, but that's not an option, so this gets one.

Steve Mac "Paddy's Revenge": Starts like a novelty dance track run through the pickle slicer, but devolves down away from the ethnoid cutesiness and into actual dance intensity and ominousness; problem is that it doesn't do this quite enough. I think the rest of you are being unduly harsh in that this could have been sticky and unbearable but isn't. But I can't say that I'm ticking it myself. BORDERLINE NONTICK.

Duffy "Stepping Stone": Love her voice, and her face isn't so bad either. Another track that's going for quiet intensity, strong in the refrain, though she needs to be more... not sure what, simultaneously more delicate and harsher? (Like Taylor Swift, who's never tried anything like this?) She gets across, even if just barely, mainly because the track sticks to the principle of repetition better than "When I Grow Up" does. BORDERLINE TICK.

Bryn Christopher "Smilin'": Hah, like Kat I thought of Terence Trent D'Arby this week, though in relation to different tracks. Not that Bryn rates with Terence, but this song is the type that Terence would have absolutely nailed: pretty and intense, the voice straining against a good tune that restlessly changes its chords. Best song of the week. Problem however, as some of you point out, is that this guy can't sing. But his effort fits the song, and the song is good, so BORDERLINE TICK.

New Kids On The Block "Summertime": Anemic. NO TICK.

Flobots "Handlebars": Gave this what I suspected was a too generous borderline tick when it hopped on and off the American chart last month. Nondescript at the start, lyrics are obvious while pretending to be subtle - absolute power corrupting the early joy and innocence of kiddie accomplishment etc. - but this manages to build to actual anger and fire even if it does read like a freshman essay. I'm not with it as much this week, maybe 'cause it has better competition. BORDERLINE NONTICK.

Artists Stand Up To Cancer "Just Stand Up": Putting aside the Worthy Cause, this is silly and fun, here's my voice, no my voice, no MY voice, etc., Miley coming across most distinct if not most competent. With an even half-catchy song I'd have enjoyed this a lot, but writer Babyface doesn't deliver. The only thing that hits my feelings is when Fergie brings this down to our theme of the week, which is repetition and intensity, "You got it in you, find it within you," Fergie grinding the words into the floor with her heel. Otherwise, this is strangely amateurish. NO TICK.