Another Year In Pop: 38

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Sorry it's late dudes! This week sees barely anything new going on in the top 10 at all, and me feeling very stupid for not realising that P Diddy was just giffing on over a Jay-Z track instead of being a musical genius etc etc. I blame it all on the fact that I am HORRENDOUSLY busy (which has also meant a rather hasty poll, sorry if I've missed anything out).

[Poll #1265404]

Comments

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Your favourites, Keane, are missing I think. Not that I would have ticked it. Horrendous vocals, and there's far better mumpop out there at the moment than this.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Hang on what is this a different version of 'Swagga Like Us'? How have they relegated TI from being the lead artist to not even being credited?? Is TI not enough of a household name for the UK? God that's annoying esp as Jay-Z's verse is by far the lamest. I don't know whether to tick this or not - I think the use of the sample starts out great but swiftly becomes v grating; Kanye and Wayne are both good on it but nothing I'd listen to over their best work this year; TI is oddly unmemorable, despite him being my favourite rapper around just in terms of how his voice sounds; and Jay-Z is as tedious as all of his new material. Rapping about skinny jeans, dnw, even if he is dissing them.

J-Hud HURRAH, this remains a terrific slow burn of a track. It works in a similar way to 'Bleeding Love' and Ne-Yo's 'Because Of You' - doesn't blow you away at first, but it doesn't need to because the subtleties and nuances inevitably end up getting to you anyway: the way the main vocal line and the backing vox play off against each other, the way the chorus builds, the way the song feels like some kind of pivotal setpiece musical number, the conflict in the lyrics...this is one of my favourite pop songs of the year. OMG, the middle eight is so teary and dramatic! The Quentin Harris remix is also recommended, it's this towering house thing where judicious echo effect transforms J-Hud from meek & mild girl-next-door into EPIC BELTING HOUSE DIVA with tears in her eyes.

Will Young - kind of boring and nothingy? I remember a time when it looked like he'd become a great English eccentric pop star but he seems to have retreated into bland ersatz soul and can now be filed alongside Adele. 'Leave Right Now' is still the only really great song he's done and it's looking more and more like the anomaly in his discography.

The Streets - ughhhhh I hate him so much! His VOICE. His MAWKISHNESS. His ORDINARY BLOKE affectations. Bizarre to remember how much I loved Original Pirate Material - I don't think I could bear to go back to it now.

Sorry, not bothering with Fall Out Boy.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I still do not understand the point of NOT HEARD ANY option. Am I thick?

I do not like 'Swagga Like Us' much at all. Something about that voice effect used by Kanye and Wayne bothers me, it just sounds too strained and gimmicky. Similar effect ran into the ground by T-Pain - time for other ideas (like actual proper singing maybe) imo. Whole thing is ploddy and uninteresting to me. Kanye's new solo single is better (but then all of their recent or forthcoming solo singles are).

Hudson pleasant enough but not something I could get excited about at the same time. Just glad to have something tickable.

What The Streets is doing feel/seems worthy at times - it's just a real shame EVERYTHING about his work musically and vocally sounds bloody awful now.

September is nearly always a lousy month I guess.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

This week is pretty bad.

[koganbot]

Ticked all but one, but could easily have not ticked a couple that I did tick.

Will Young "Changes": He's quite gorgeous in the verse: beauty and yearning in a smooth mix. The chorus lets him down, though. Gives us a pang or two but no tune. So, half a tick, which registers here as a BORDERLINE TICK.

Jennifer Hudson "Spotlight": Strong voice, basic passion, smart lyrics, "Maybe if you treat me right, then you won't have to worry." But the arrangement feels like approximate disco rather than actual disco, doesn't quite flow or stomp or soar enough. BORDERLINE TICK.

Jay-Z & T.I. f. Kanye West and Lil Wayne "Swagga Like Us": The drums and the M.I.A. sample drive this forward and Kanye at the start is driving right with it. Jay-Z is clumsy and T.I. is rote, Wayne is his twirling lil self but is superfluous. The track is raw power nonetheless. TICKA TICKA TICKA.

The Streets "Everything Is Borrowed": The sound is deliberately diffuse, so there's no surprise it doesn't hit me. It's not trying to. Nonetheless it doesn't hit me. NO TICK.

Fall Out Boy "I Don't Care": Big loud dumbboy boogie with harmonies jammed in. I have had days now to get irritated by it, but the bubbliness keeps this solidly in TICKLAND.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Will: The video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCo3ZktD_Nc) is so effing WEIRD. As is the song! What the hell is going on with that chorus melody? It's all wrong wrong wrong, and offends my pentatonic whatsit. And the funk guitar? STOP IT. The verse is lovely and broody though - I'm v fond of Will when he is all emo so he gets a tick anyway. (NB he is so emo he gets STRUCK BY LIGHTNING at the end of the video)

J-Hud: I think Lex posted this when I was on holiday? Anyway, the tune reminds me of George Benson's 'Give Me The Night' (good) and I like that she's singing the song to R Kelly's be-dreadlocked younger brother, but hmmm I'm yet to be convinced. It might grow on me I guess.

TI & co: Yes! Tick! VERBVERBVERBVERB.

I don't want to listen to the other two, I'm sure they will impinge on my consciousness soon enough :(

[ijgrieve.livejournal.com]

Fall Out Boy. It's not fantastic, but compared to every other entry in the top 75 this week it is!