A New Decade In Pop: Week #46

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Rihanna fends off Robbie and the boys, the Black Eyed Peas are having the time of their life, and Ellie Goulding has done a twee cover for John Lewis.

[Poll #1644781]

Comments

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

To explain the fact I think Wagner is Any Good At All; I actually do genuinely think he is Any Good At All, just not as a popstar. However, he could do a fairly amazing (if flagrantly creepy) kids' TV show.

Edit: good l0rd, did Katie dye her horrible roots back in for this week?!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

They should have kept him as a Rhydian esque opera singer. His O Fortuna was pretty good!

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Haha yes; the man just can't sing fast, as far as I can tell. Which is unfortunate, given what he performs. Still, as Adam Ant sa: ridicule is nothing to be scared of.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

"Royal British Legion - 2 Minute Silence" - ha! Does this mean "Cage Against The Machine" is well and truly GAZUMPED?

Take That = zzzz. Supposedly their new record is all spangly electro, going by the reviews. But everything I've heard so far has been the usual dadpop.

[koganbot]

Take That "The Flood": "Standing on the edge of forever." Moon. Stars. Are these words parody? Are they ironic, a critique of such words, weather metaphors literally critiquing other weather metaphors? "Though no one understands, we were holding back the flood, learning how to dance the rain." (By "literally" I mean "figuratively.") The singing is a strange (or maybe not-so-strange anymore) compromise between show-music delivery - clear enunciation, expository timbre - and high extravagance. The soaring isn't terrible, but feels more like an obligation than a release. BORDERLINE NONTICK.

McFly ft. Taio Cruz "Shine A Light": Would expect McFly to try, for better or worse, to add sweat and crunch to Taio's bright dance lite; but for better or worse, they don't. For worse, 'cause this is so insubstantial it couldn't even be sold for scrap. NO TICK.

The Black Eyed Peas "The Time (Dirty Bit)": I love the flimsy silly-putty beat. And with charismatic, strong-voiced Fergie on board, will.i.am and apl.de.ap can fool around without our despairing of emotion ever returning. And I grinned at "Jet setter, jet lagger," and laughed outright the first time will.i.am said, "Dirty bit." But since they have Fergie, they should have given us more emotion still, especially when trying to lift such a leaden melody. I never liked the original. I get the feeling of talent being seriously wasted here. BORDERLINE TICK.

Shayne Ward "Got To Be Somebody": Autotune adds gargle but not glitter to a borderline pretty tune. I don't think Shayne's physique voice is being used to best advantage: This would've been better as '80s soft comfort rock, or even as gargled and strained Nickelback - who overflogged this but nonetheless brought home the chorus. NO TICK.

Pink "Raise Your Glass": Pink is one of those people like Bruce Springsteen and Liz Phair whom I find to be totally lovable, in their different ways, but whose music I often can barely tolerate, even though it's the music that conveys the lovability. 'Cept sometimes the music's lovable too. Not this time though. Pink's marching the tightrope between rousing and pained for the tenth time or so, not as grating as "So What" but not as ingratiating either. While I'm here, though, let me put in a plug for the "So What" b-side, "Could've Had Everything," which jettisons the clatter and stomp and creates a simple mist of sadness, pained but lovable. NO TICK.

Gyptian "Hold You": A love and sex track that has the feel of a half-hummed, half-remembered prayer, sorta what old r&b did, and reggae singers back when they had high voices. Gyptian does it pretty well down in the baritone. BORDERLINE TICK.

Royal British Legion "Two Minute Silence":

My Chemical Romance "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)": Ridiculously forced and posed and enervated garage pop that suddenly becomes whole and amazing when background voices enter and lift everything up in a giant wave. Once the voices happened, MCR should have just kept throwing waves and waves at us, rather than taking time out for the guitarist to whip his hair and the singer to return to his soliloquy. But for a couple of fractional moments there, from 0:46 to 1:09 and again from 1:26 to 1:48, we had greatness. TICK.

Ellie Goulding "Your Song": I'm always looking for excuses not to tick Ellie Goulding, her voice being so prim and precious - and then some haunting arrangement and visceral dance beat comes in to challenge my ticklessness. Not a hint of disco here, so I think I'm safe; then I recognize the song, and not only recognize it, but recall that I vastly underrated Elton John in his day on the basis of his representing the whole big clomp of staid ordinariness that was taking over my formerly beloved rock music. The lyrics are smarter than I'd originally thought: I'd perceived their sentimentality, hadn't gotten the subtext here about privacy, attempting to hide oneself and proclaim oneself at once. Ellie continues too precious for my taste, and this is a small wisp of ordinariness that represents nothing one way or another, but the wispiness doesn't do poorly by the song. BORDERLINE TICK.

[ijgrieve.livejournal.com]

I logged back in to tick My Chemical Romance after months of there being absolutely sod all worth talking about in the UK Top 40...