YAYIP Supplement February 2009

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

Eight February chart entries stayed south of the #40 border, with only one of them managing more than one chart week. Proper videos are getting a bit thin on the ground it seems; still, here are your selections for this month...

[Poll #1369938]

January's four contestants elicited a clear MEH from the collective, with a DON'T LIKE ANY score of 50%. The Game and Fleet Foxes were the least disliked, with 18.1% each.

Entrywatch (in which we examine whether the downward trend in the number of chart entries continues): 2009's first 11 weeks have yielded 71 chart entries; the number for 2008 was 89 and for 2007 126. (So apparently it does.)

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

So baffling and terrible that 'Do You Mind' stalled outside the top 40. Really just can't imagine disliking it, assume that anyone not ticking it just hasn't heard it. It's just so dreamy and sun-kissed - the piano, that gorgeous wandering all-enveloping synth line, the warmth of Kyla's voice, the melodic resolutions, the amazing break...this was special.

'Silver & Gold' is OK. (Parenthetically, I found Sway's album last year to be a huge disappointment, 'F Ur X' apart - it just doesn't have much of the personality and humour which are Sway's main selling points.) 'Method Of Modern Love' goes in one ear and out the other - as with PSB, I just can't bring myself to care about St Et's musical output these days (though I did randomly cane some of their old stuff the other day - I think that might be why MOML annoys me more than it should, b/c if the standard you set is 'Pale Movie' or 'Join Our Club', why even bother with making a totally MEH track like 'Method Of Modern Love'?).

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

all i can think with 'Do You Mind' is that as it's unusually "sad" for a big club tune these days that may have held it back. not much of a reason really but doesn't seem to be widespread interest in vocal dance tracks of that mood (plus it's relatively subtle and deep for the market).

did you hear that Nia Jai track 'Hey Boy' ft. Sway last year? he was better on that

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

"vaguely wistful" rather than sad, though I think it's less melancholy than dreaminess. I don't think any of that should have held it back though, I mean 'With Every Heartbeat' got to No 1 and that's far less obvious a dance crossover hit. It just seems odd that a track which was so huge within its scene failed to cross over à la 'Heartbroken' or 'What's It Gonna Be?'

Plus, looking at club tracks which have gone top 40 this year...the September and Rudenko songs are SO much more anonymous and blah than 'Do You Mind', yet they were somehow able to chart...

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

'With Every Heartbeat' does have characteristics that fit the dance hit profile better tho e.g. greater sense of build and release. Presumably it got a lot more support from Radio 1 than Kyla too, for whatever reason.

September and Rudenko are working with more proven/established formulae. 'Do You Mind' doesn't really have the same precedents in terms of commercial success. At least that's what chart influencers may have thought ("there's nothing much like this out there doing well...so it probably won't be a hit...so we probably shouldn't bother trying to push it" - maybe).

I wouldn't be surprised if 'Do You Mind' did enter the top 40 in the Summer tho - with added remixes.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

and yeah I heard the Nia Jai album but don't remember anything about it really.

[mcarratala.livejournal.com]

I was annoyed by your "can't imagine disliking it" line, which suggests a lack of understanding of different tastes... then I went and listened to the song and decided actually it isn't bad at all and gave a tick. So chalk one up to the Lex.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

wrote "can't imagine disliking it" for two reasons -

1) I genuinely can't - this isn't some random niche interest, it's a song which is as huge as an 'Umbrella' or 'Crazy In Love' for most people I know who've heard it
2) was hoping to goad some of the people who don't like it/haven't ticked it into saying why, precisely to try to understand different (mental) tastes or provoke some conversation. no dice yet though

but I am glad you like it!