We had the misfortune of hearing the Black Eyed Peas single "Meet Me Halfway", and we could have sworn we heard the opening guitar from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps" sampled throughout the track. Further investigation into this shows no official crediting for sampling "Maps", but the possibility that this dastardly group appropriated one of the very best tracks of the last ten years into their wanker of a tune is insulting.
Listen beginning at :45 and you'll see what we're talking about.
Depressing, isn't it?
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Owl City...viewers beware...
We've heard bits of the Owl City album.
To sum things up - what a piece of shit.
Let's place the most poetically banal lyrics imaginable over the same 12 copied-and-pasted synthpop landscapes, and you get this concoction that really should only appeal to 14-year-olds.
The Postal Service mined similar territory years ago to much, MUCH better effect, so in reality Owl City is just frankly insulting.
To sum things up - what a piece of shit.
Let's place the most poetically banal lyrics imaginable over the same 12 copied-and-pasted synthpop landscapes, and you get this concoction that really should only appeal to 14-year-olds.
The Postal Service mined similar territory years ago to much, MUCH better effect, so in reality Owl City is just frankly insulting.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Some new Rihanna for your Tuesday evening.
We're not always entirely on the Rihanna boat, but there's no denying that she certainly gets her pick of the catchiest songs floating in the pop universe.
Rated R is her new album, and from what we've been hearing on the web, it's looking to be anything but disappointing.
"Rude Boy" is one of the new tracks on Rated R, and these ears are loving every bit of it. It's one of those "low slung" midtempo R&B tracks, with a particularly great keyboard riff during the chorus and some rather naughty lyrics about being with a dominating pervert.
Lyrics such as "I like the way you pull my hair" do make things a bit awkward if you take into context some previous Rihanna headlines with a certain ex-boyfriend, but as a pop song it is more than just a little bit listenable.
Rated R is her new album, and from what we've been hearing on the web, it's looking to be anything but disappointing.
"Rude Boy" is one of the new tracks on Rated R, and these ears are loving every bit of it. It's one of those "low slung" midtempo R&B tracks, with a particularly great keyboard riff during the chorus and some rather naughty lyrics about being with a dominating pervert.
Lyrics such as "I like the way you pull my hair" do make things a bit awkward if you take into context some previous Rihanna headlines with a certain ex-boyfriend, but as a pop song it is more than just a little bit listenable.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Well this is interesting.
Heard of Ke$ha? No? Neither have we. Until now.
This is a very peculiar addition to the pop-o-sphere. On the one hand it's complete and utter trash, not in a delightfully Euro-trash way, but in a Gaga trash way. This song "Tik Tok" is the stupider younger sister of "Just Dance", done by someone resembling Taylor Swift's sluttier, electronic alter-ego.
What's even more peculiar is how she's aping an image and sound that bears more than just a few similarities to Uffie or Yelle. Like this is America's tween answer to some hip, indie-ish electro bee-yotch. Except there's nothing hip or indie-ish about this.
All the same, we've certainly heard something worse. It's sort of like Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" the first ten times you hear it- you know it's rotting your brain cells but you can't help that guilty liking you have towards it. A million times later, however, the effect has completely worn off and you're just left with a massive headache and musical nausea.
We have a feeling this Ke$ha character will follow a similar route.
This is a very peculiar addition to the pop-o-sphere. On the one hand it's complete and utter trash, not in a delightfully Euro-trash way, but in a Gaga trash way. This song "Tik Tok" is the stupider younger sister of "Just Dance", done by someone resembling Taylor Swift's sluttier, electronic alter-ego.
What's even more peculiar is how she's aping an image and sound that bears more than just a few similarities to Uffie or Yelle. Like this is America's tween answer to some hip, indie-ish electro bee-yotch. Except there's nothing hip or indie-ish about this.
All the same, we've certainly heard something worse. It's sort of like Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" the first ten times you hear it- you know it's rotting your brain cells but you can't help that guilty liking you have towards it. A million times later, however, the effect has completely worn off and you're just left with a massive headache and musical nausea.
We have a feeling this Ke$ha character will follow a similar route.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Now that we think about it...
Girls Aloud's "The Loving Kind" really is one of the most underrated of their singles. I think at the time it came out, everyone thought to themselves "Christ, a sequel to 'Call The Shots'", but a year afterward its beauty becomes much more apparent and singular. It's a very straightforward, uncluttered paean to modern heartache, and in this day and age, who can't relate to that?
Still doesn't excuse that terrible single cover, though.
In other news, viewers, we're beginning to compile a list of the best songs of the last 10 years. Not very easy.
Still doesn't excuse that terrible single cover, though.
In other news, viewers, we're beginning to compile a list of the best songs of the last 10 years. Not very easy.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Some thoughts on the new "Sugababes" single.
Tomorrow the "Sugababes" are releasing their first post-Keisha single, "About A Girl", and here are some of our thoughts regarding this.
The problem with "About A Girl" lies in the inability to separate the quality of the song with the physical changes in the group and also in the sound. This Euro, electro-R&B sound isn't awful, but nor is it particularly unique, particularly when drawn up alongside previous Sugababes singles that could truly be considered unique ("Freak Like Me", "Hole In the Head", "Push The Button" - none of them sounded much like any other mainstream pop songs at the time).
If this were any other artist's track, we would probably say "All right, fair enough", but when one stamps the Sugababes label over it, it really is a curious and ultimately wholly disappointing affair. Sad, really, that a group regarded a mere four years ago as the UK's most credible and genuinely good pop act have turned into nothing more than a revolving door, whored-out-for-the-masses nonentity.
The problem with "About A Girl" lies in the inability to separate the quality of the song with the physical changes in the group and also in the sound. This Euro, electro-R&B sound isn't awful, but nor is it particularly unique, particularly when drawn up alongside previous Sugababes singles that could truly be considered unique ("Freak Like Me", "Hole In the Head", "Push The Button" - none of them sounded much like any other mainstream pop songs at the time).
If this were any other artist's track, we would probably say "All right, fair enough", but when one stamps the Sugababes label over it, it really is a curious and ultimately wholly disappointing affair. Sad, really, that a group regarded a mere four years ago as the UK's most credible and genuinely good pop act have turned into nothing more than a revolving door, whored-out-for-the-masses nonentity.
Friday, November 6, 2009
A bit of Dragonette to start off your weekend.
Dragonette has given us some rather nice pop songs over the past couple of years, i.e. "I Get Around", "Take It Like A Man", "Pick Up the Phone", and I think we can add "Easy" to the list also. It's from their latest album Fixin' To Thrill, available now on iTunes viewers.
The album version is a nice midtempo, '80s-sounding affair, but you should also check out the Buffetlibre mix. There's not much that separates it from your standard electropop fare, but it's a pleasant, sublime mix, and sometimes that's all you need in life. Nothing terribly groundbreaking, just something that goes down easily.
Album Version:
Buffetlibre Mix:
The album version is a nice midtempo, '80s-sounding affair, but you should also check out the Buffetlibre mix. There's not much that separates it from your standard electropop fare, but it's a pleasant, sublime mix, and sometimes that's all you need in life. Nothing terribly groundbreaking, just something that goes down easily.
Album Version:
Buffetlibre Mix:
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Another run-down of a few things we like, and a few things we don't...
Let's take a moment to discuss this.
Something we like: Mini Viva "I Wish"
This is the duo's next single, and though it did take a couple of listens to catch on, we decided that overall it's a job well done (and really, eight times out of ten you can't go wrong with a Xenomania-produced track). Our only gripe is the girls' rather natty vocals, but production-wise, lyric-wise, chorus-wise (particularly the "Oh no...he could be the one that hits the light inside of my soul" bit), we have nothing but high marks. The video's a bit odd too, but does a nice job of portraying Mini Viva as a rather jolly couple of girls.
Something we don't like: Britney Spears "3"
Oh dear. There are so many things about this song that just aren't right.
Something we like: Annie "Don't Stop"
After leaking a bunch of tracks from her second album Don't Stop last summer, most of which were met rather enthusiastically by pop fans, then deciding after the first single didn't exactly "do business" to push back the release date, we finally have a slightly re-adjusted but official release. Listeners, it was worth the wait. The title track of Don't Stop is one of the new songs not initially on last year's proposed tracklisting, and it is quite good. It's a bit of a '90s-sounding dance tune with some bongo-esque percussion going on in the background, and a piano riff that was commonplace on most '90s dance tunes. Basically anything that sounds like it could have been made in the '90s is typically a good sign in our book. (That explains your shit taste in music, says everyone else.)
Something we don't like: Justin Bieber "Love Me"
Some prepubescent upstart from Canada decided to record this nonsense (it can't even be called a song, not with a straight face at least), and it utilizes a portion of The Cardigans' "Lovefool". We here at Mp3s and Cookies are rather offended when people trash songs by bands that we generally consider to be quite good, and The Cardigans certainly fall under that category.
Oh dear.
Something we like: Mini Viva "I Wish"
This is the duo's next single, and though it did take a couple of listens to catch on, we decided that overall it's a job well done (and really, eight times out of ten you can't go wrong with a Xenomania-produced track). Our only gripe is the girls' rather natty vocals, but production-wise, lyric-wise, chorus-wise (particularly the "Oh no...he could be the one that hits the light inside of my soul" bit), we have nothing but high marks. The video's a bit odd too, but does a nice job of portraying Mini Viva as a rather jolly couple of girls.
Something we don't like: Britney Spears "3"
Oh dear. There are so many things about this song that just aren't right.
Something we like: Annie "Don't Stop"
After leaking a bunch of tracks from her second album Don't Stop last summer, most of which were met rather enthusiastically by pop fans, then deciding after the first single didn't exactly "do business" to push back the release date, we finally have a slightly re-adjusted but official release. Listeners, it was worth the wait. The title track of Don't Stop is one of the new songs not initially on last year's proposed tracklisting, and it is quite good. It's a bit of a '90s-sounding dance tune with some bongo-esque percussion going on in the background, and a piano riff that was commonplace on most '90s dance tunes. Basically anything that sounds like it could have been made in the '90s is typically a good sign in our book. (That explains your shit taste in music, says everyone else.)
Something we don't like: Justin Bieber "Love Me"
Some prepubescent upstart from Canada decided to record this nonsense (it can't even be called a song, not with a straight face at least), and it utilizes a portion of The Cardigans' "Lovefool". We here at Mp3s and Cookies are rather offended when people trash songs by bands that we generally consider to be quite good, and The Cardigans certainly fall under that category.
Oh dear.
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