Yet Another Year In Pop: 15

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

We have a new number one - Mr Harris's gothical wailings have been deemed most acceptable by the Great British Public. But what do you poptimists think?

[Poll #1383323]

Lower reaches watch: Heavy-eyebrowed rockers Fightstar get a no.46 hit, while Eoghan Quigg manages no.96. Bless.

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yeesh, that Calvin Harris single is EVEN WORSE than I was expecting. The voice, the lazy stab at trance, the hooklessness...he is such a pointless hack. Why on earth is he popular? Genuinely don't understand it. Maybe it's the recession, he does seem to be a pound-shop James Murphy. Honestly, it should be The Juan Maclean up there instead.

Ciara obv as amazing as ever. V pleased this is turning out to be a big hit for her after the interminable delays. Wonder just how much its success is down to Justin's presence - it's grown on me loads but 'Work', 'High Price' and especially 'Echo' seem like much more ear-catching lead singles, and I wonder how they would've done. Best of this week's bunch by miles, anyway.

The Liverpool thing is football, right? Brr.

Depeche Mode - why do they even exist in 2009.

Britney - I only really play two tracks off Circus any more, this is one of them.

Bat For Lashes - sorry, I know she gets a lot of love based on her obvious influences, but she is REALLY POOR. Her songs are badly written, her voice is characterless and thin, all you've got is a bunch of Kate Bush signifiers. And, not that this should need saying, she is no Kate Bush.

James Morrison - ignore.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Hm, I've gone back and unticked "Daniel," which was a borderline for me, upon relistening. The performance is just really, really weak. This deserves a lot more melodrama than she's giving it -- it sounds like demo vocals, or the idea of a melody that someone else will eventually sing. And with such a no-brainer chorus it feels like a real waste (takes it into non-tick territory).

I'm liking the Depeche Mode song more now that I know that it's not very well liked! It's certainly weird.

[koganbot]

Calvin Harris "I'm Not Alone": The singing is so blah that to call it "precious" is to overstate its energy level by about a hundred. Synth riff and walking dance beat are decent, but can't come close to redeeming this. NO TICK.

Ciara "Love Sex Magic": I've been on the borderline with this for over a month; Ciara sounds strangely reduced, which gives her a dogged intensity, but then Justin coming in and being poignant and pretty undoes the intensity. BORDERLINE TICK.

Liverpool Collective/KOP Choir "Fields Of Anfield Road": Well, yes, Lex, the latter is football, but commemorates a day of astonishing incompetence and tragedy (which doesn't make the music any more interesting to listen to, however). NO TICK.

Depeche Mode "Wrong": This is a gross caricature of their exaggerated super-angsty moody doominess, which had been pretty extreme in the first place. To make things even less subtle they rev up the rock and kick you in the stomach with it. All of which I find visceral and catchy. TICK.

Britney Spears "If U Seek Amy": What? This is new on the charts? (Searches.) Hmmm. I guess it is. It's probably the track on Circus that fits most into the hedonism/desperation of Britney 2007, "Gimme More" part nth, coming onto the listeners at the same time she's calling 'em leeches - we feed off of her (and of Amy and ilk), she's a vegetable - the la-la-la being yet another attempt at nyaaah nyaaah nyaaah (the attempts touching 'cause they're always a failure). The swing rhythm is perfectly suited for a nyaaah nyaaah nyaaah. Easy tick, but do want more, without figuring out what more I want. TICK.

(Wonder why "Unusual You" and "Kill The Lights" aren't considered single-worthy, the former being beautiful and sad, the latter tough and snarling without forgoing the sadness.)

Bat For Lashes "Daniel": Warm atmospherics are suffocated under the weight of Natasha Khan's dead, dull whispering. NO TICK.

(Amazed at how well "Daniel" did on Jukebox; it just seems so pseudo, empty. Of course, so does "Wrong," which I gave an 8.0.)

James Morrison "Please Don't Stop The Rain": I ticked him last time up for the passionate "Broken Strings," but I'm just not getting anything out of "Rain": standard soul-pop that his restraint makes inoffensive, but the song is devoid of affect. NO TICK.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

I think the difference might be that "Daniel" is asking for your heart & awe, "Wrong" is only asking for your interest. The former doesn't come close to getting what it asks for, the latter achieves it provided that's what you're looking for in it (which most Jukebox reviewers weren't).

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Calvin- Yes you are, matey.
Ciara & Trousersnake- Boring, boring, boring eighties pastiche RELEASE HIGH PRICE NOW, WOMAN
Hillsborough charity single- not a lot you can say about this other than there must have been a lot better ways to mark a genuine and awful tragedy than with a minor and irrelevant crime.
Depeche Mode- ACE.
Britney- this is probably one of the most rubbish things I have heard so far this year. And there's been a lot of rubbish. :(
Bat For Lashes- I do like this quite a bit but then I enjoy gothic melodramatics, so y'know.
James Morrison- He hasn't stood at a bus stop for awhile has he?

[lastclearchance.livejournal.com]

I gave "Daniel" a tick even though I don't really go for it as a single just because I really like that record. Maybe I should just go back and listen to The Sensual World, but whatever.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Only tick so far is for Depeche Mode. Now that's what I call 'wonky pop'.

I've heard C Harris and Ciara exactly once each on the radio. Wasn't paying much attention to "I'm Not Alone" but it seemed alright - and certainly much better than his previous, dismal efforts. (Lex's points are well made though.) By contrast, I was listening carefully to "Love Sex Magic" and was disappointed; very formulaic and not a patch on "High Price". Will give both of these another go, nonetheless.

I really want to like "Daniel" but have heard this dozens of times now on Radio 2 and the criticisms upthread are spot on. I'm still tempted to give the album a try, however.

Still not heard the Britney.