Another Year In Pop: 42

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Pink has hung on to the top spot, fighting off stiff competition from a comedian in drag and last year's X Factor dude (Same Difference were ROBBED why yes I am still bitter).

Probably-X-Factor-related re-entry watch: Boyz II Men's 'I'll Make Love To You' in at no.89, U2's 'With Or Without You' at no. 66.

[Poll #1281810]

Comments

[strange-powers.livejournal.com]

Not a great week, is it? Only The Saturdays is any good at all, and even that looks deeply embarrasing compared to the current gold standard in all-girl pop, Girls Aloud. Their glorious The Promise seems to always be on every music channel immediately after Up.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Anyone care to defend the charts this week then? No? Thought not.

Those responsible for making or buying comedy singles = actually the lowest of the low.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

I really couldn't be bothered to like The Saturdays but then 'Up' was on telly t'other morning and I got sucked in. Goddammit.

[koganbot]

Geraldine McQueen "Winners Song": Maybe this was funny in context, but this guy can't sing. Weak and worthless. AS EMPHATICALLY NOT A TICK AS I HAVE EVER NOT TICKED.

Leon Jackson "Don't Call This Love": Maybe this guy wants to be Rick Astley singing Diana Ross. More power to him, though his voice isn't good enough. I like the song, but even if this had a livelier singer, the arrangement is moribund. NO TICK.

The Saturdays "Up": Faint signs of a pulse, unlike the previous Saturdays song I didn't tick, but is just as characterless and mediocre, the sort of deliberately generic thing I'd imagine a sitcom writer would pen for three actresses in bit parts playing An Aspiring Pop Group - except who's to say that that wouldn't turn out a lot better than this? NO TICK.

Sash! f. Stunt "Raindrops (Encore Une Fois)": I don't have any deep memories, fond or otherwise, of the original, which I heard for the first time last week, but on its own this is a pretty good anonymous melody atop a solid kick-ass house hook. TICK.

Katy Perry "Hot N Cold": I'm warm and not-so-warm on this one; doesn't have nearly the pizzazz and catchiness of "I Kissed A Girl," which means her clumsiness and obviousness and basic blackboard-scratching irritatingness don't come across as forcefully either. But this is catchy enough to be catchy. BORDERLINE TICK.

The Ting Tings "Be The One": Again, a good groove, while Miss Cute And Coy And Uncommitted is even more coy and uncommitted than she was the last three times, and has less of a song to prop her up. FIERCELY NOT TICKED.

Razorlight "Wire To Wire": From the band name, I was expecting tight-crotched and constipated post-grunge-pop à la Nickelback. So I'm pleasantly surprised by the swishiness in the vocals. That's relative to my expectations, however. This is still only half-pleasant stodge rock. NO TICK.

So, the week is half-saved by a German house rehash and an irritating American. Is the moral here that British pop now sucks?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

My enduring memory of 'Encore Une Fois' is that it reminded me of French listening exercises, as "encore une fois" is what our insane teacher would always say when we had one more playback to go. I liked it then but not enough to care in 2008.

Ironically given the state of our charts, the UK has been responsible for my favourite singles of the year - it's just that outside of the UK 'urban' umbrella (ie grime, funky, bassline, dubstep), British pop is basically worthless. It has been ever thus, but now that both Girls Aloud and Sugababes are shit, there's nothing propping up the illusion any more. I mean, the Saturdays...that song is both the closest this week gets to Any Good At All, but also totally mind-bogglingly awful as well.

"Geraldine" is not funny in context, don't worry. British comedy is even worse than British pop, though it doesn't help that both seem to come from the same place in the nation's psyche. I think I am going to emigrate.

[damnspynovels.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard it, nor did i hear Amarillo - because I emigrated to Canada some six years ago and am not subjected to UK radio / telly other than what I choose to download.

I know who Peter Kay is, and so this coupled with what I've read, allows me I think perfectly imagine the type of folks lining up to buy this. I can picture it being played at parties, weddings, where orange people with Julie Critchlow haircuts dance for the first time in years.

I'm so happy I emigrated.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

'British pop is basically worthless. It has been ever thus'

Wrongest thing ever written by anyone ever, the last bit I mean. I don't deny a decline in recent years after punching above weight for so long.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

No, I'm right, it's actually something I've only recently begun being aware of - apart from a few great isolated moments or artists, the lineage of white British pop really isn't one I'm down with overall...it's not something I can really articulate yet b/c I've only recently started thinking about it, but what it values in pop music seems completely at odds with what I look for.

[koganbot]

Well, I don't know if "lineage of white British pop" is a coherent concept. For instance, I'd say that '60s British pop worked itself into the heritage of a lot of late '60s and early '70s American music that you will enjoy when you hear them, e.g., the Four Tops' "Standing In The Shadows Of Love," Sly & The Family Stone's "I Wanna Take You Higher," Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft," The Temptations' "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone," Funkadelic's "Funky Dollar Bill."

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I don't like the idea of Britain having 'set in stone' pop music values but if they do exist i'm not entirely sure what they are now (if ever). obviously you can just look at the charts and base it on that but it's worth noting what has changed and what has stayed the same in the last 10, 30 or even 50 years. I may start a new thread for this as it could be interesting.

Another part of the argument for me is the sense of futility in judging and measuring UK pop against or expecting the UK to compete with certain other nations in various ways. On the one hand I think and would like the UK to produce the same kinds of artists as certain ones I like from US, France, Sweden, Germany and a handful of other places. My big disappointment with UK pop is that this isn't happening (but otoh the UK still has some good pop forced and characters who probably couldn't come from anywhere else...loose definition of pop here tho yes).

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Hopefully you'll be able to explore this a bit on Popular - there's some songs from British pop's 'golden age' on the way I'd be really interested in yr opinion of.

I reluctantly have to admit that this Katy Perry single is one of the few teenpop singles to have grabbed me this year. :(

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I'm still not 100% sure what I mean here, it's still just a feeling, but further evidence was the 'Tainted Love' poll on ILM this week (Gloria Jones vs Soft Cell) - I always thought I loved the Soft Cell version, and then I heard the Gloria original and was like HOLY FUCK this is so ridiculously better, so loose and soulful. And if I'd been the right age, and familiar with the original first, I'd've been really pissed off with the Soft Cell cover.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Ting Tings firmly establish themselves as The Return Of Proper Indie (copyright Carsmile) with this one. I rather like it.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

mmmm, proper indie...

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

they're too self-consciously stylised to be Proper Indie surely. i guess everything is now tho.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Geraldine - is it possible that this is LESS GOOD than the Amarillo song? It's actually sapping my will to live.

Leon - bwahahahah he well reminds me of Darius. This is definitely better than whatever his xmas no 1 was, but his vocal is totally getting swamped by the Uplifting Feelgood Production. Actually his vocal isn't really that exciting either, but he's clearly got some potential if anyone would ever risk giving him a nice meaty song about prostitutes or something. No tick yet.

Saturdays - the budget-tastic video makes me wince a bit but I do like the song and they're nice looking lasses. I mean... it's got both a verse and a chorus that I quite want to hear? There might as well be just one of them cloned five times though in terms of how different their voices are. At least 3/5 of the Pussycat Dolls don't even bother trying! Anyway, definite tick here.

Sash - good bosh-up with a endearingly wobbly extra vocal (ie not dreadful sacrelige that makes me cry in mourning). Also arf they've dressed her up like the girl from Infernal! They've totally speeded it up of course which = u&k in this day and age. Tick.

Perry - Blimey is this really a Max Martin job? Not sure about this at all, boring tune and flat backing.

Tings - Ahahahah they've lifted the intro off the Wannadies! Definitely carsmilesteve territory. Not as good as 'Shut Up & Let Me Go' and she is really starting to remind me of the girl off the Playstation advert whose eyes are really far apart.

Razors - Bosh it up a bit, dress up Johnny B as the lass from Infernal and you have the Sash song all over again. God he's still an ugly fvcker isn't he?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Thing is, someone like Beyonce can make a budget-tastic video (I am quite sure the clip for 'Single Ladies' cost substantially less than the Saturdays one) but can still make it good because she is a GREAT POP STAR and has, like, charisma and class. Whereas the poor Saturdays girls...just, no. Comparisons to the Pussycat Dolls render them even more redundant (NB: new PCDs single is an amazing windswept ballad and the video features Nicole playing a PIANO on a BEACH!)

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I just had a look at it! At one point one of them sprawls herself over a pinball table in the middle of the desert, whilst Nicole's car breaks down and she gets a WOLF to come and fix it???

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

It's quite the video for flora and fauna - I also note a snake, sundry butterflies and a BABY DEER which never actually appears after the wolf arrives on the scene.

[koganbot]

It's half-ballad and half-groove and I think works better than the two full-on grooves that preceded it.

(The YouTube vid I saw of it was followed-on by Lady Gaga. What do you think of her? I haven't heard her album. Jimmy Draper is intrigued by it, though I think there's someone here - was it piratemoggy? - who hates it.)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Don't like Lady Gaga and have no idea why her video's been appended to the PCDs' one - she smacks very much of "I"M SO CRAZEEEE" forced wackiness.

[koganbot]

In "Just Dance" Gaga is clumsy in the way she falls over the music, but it is a tremendous song and can carry her weight. If the album had more like that it could be quite good, but the clumsiness has been why I've not gotten around to it.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

I kind of dislike Lady GaGa as a whole but somehow seem to play 'Just Dance' at least four times a day and sort of really, really love it to death. 'Beautiful Dirty Rich' annoys the pants off me, though.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

WHAT?! THE SONG WRITES ITS OWN (SEASONAL) VIDEO: DRIVING SLOW, THROUGH THE SNOW, ON FIFTH AVENUE. D:

If they'd done what they should have done and released Elevator now and then 'I Hate This Part' as a Christmastide single THEY WOULD BE HERALDED AS OUR NEW GOD(DESSE)S.

This is why we can't have nice things. :(

[ijgrieve.livejournal.com]

Ticked Saturdays, Katy Perry and Ting Tings.

I liked I Kissed A Girl but the new one is better, with a great chorus and better lyrics (apart from the 1 horrible line).
Ting Tings was borderline, it'll either grow or I'll never quite get hooked on it.
Saturdays is average but in a good way.

Razorlight and Leon are dull as might be expected, and as for Geraldine - well, it's a parody I get that - but it's not enjoyable to listen to.

PMS as a verb?

[koganbot]

Curious as to what you're designating as the horrible line. Is it "You PMS like a bitch, I would know"?

Re: PMS as a verb?

[ijgrieve.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's the line. Not only the use of "PMS" as a verb, but the fact that "I would know" is such a crap second half of a jolting line like this.

Re: PMS as a verb?

[koganbot]

Well, obviously it stands out as a "difficult" line or I wouldn't have immediately known what you meant. But it possibly deserves points for audacity, and you need Katy Perry to be jarring somewhere, or she isn't Katy.

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

I've decided I like Katy Perry since the cake thing.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

The cake thing definitely made me hate her even more.

[andthatisthat.livejournal.com]

I was torn with the whole Geraldine thing - I think releasing it as a single completely robs it of any point it may have had, but it does at least function quite well as a song and I don't entirely hate it, and that sort of qualifies it as "any good at all" in my book.