Occasionally I rush to judgement on a song. Either I dislike the artist, so I don't give it chance, or at first glance it's doesn't seem like my kind of song. Sometimes, I judge too harshly and end up regretting it. Here is another song I reluctantly enjoyed.
Danity Kane is prefabricated band formed by Diddy on Making The Band 3. In his attempt to make a girl group for the new millennium, he failed. But in making a one hit wonder (the club banger "Show Stopping") I assumed he succeeded. But it turns out they have another hit in them, the hip-hop variation on the "First Cut Is The Deepest" This time around it's called "Damaged" and at first I thought it was kinda cheesy. But it grows on you, it's a little generic Euro-synth hip-hop, but with a fun beat and lyrics about the need for a post-breakup heart mender. The opening lyric "Do you have a first aid kit handy" is a cool and different way of asking "How you gonna fix what my asshole ex broke?" that every rebound guy has to tackle.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Review: Robyn - "Robyn"
Here is the US, Swedish pop diva Robyn dropped her self-titled album on Tuesday. Over in Sweden, it's been out for over two years, the UK got a re-release last year and US pop-people in the know got their hands on the import as soon as blogs like Sterogum and Perez Hilton started hyping her. I know I did, I've been listening for four months now, even posting a review on my MySpace blog in January. Here's what I wrote then:
Swedish pop star Robyn was in contract limbo when she recorded the first song for what would become "Robyn." So she bought out her contract and made what is the best independent pop record I've ever heard. From the opening track, on which Swingfly lists her many accomplishments (including out-super freaking Rick James) you can just feel the pop music exuding from every note. It's pop music like only Swedes can make: crazy, catchy, beat-heavy, full of strings and synths and insane lyrics that don't make sense half the time but feel so real. She covers the Teddybears ("Cobrastyle"), makes disco magic with Kleerup ("With Every Heartbeat"), comforts a broken robot ("Robotboy") gets her heart broken ("Be Mine!") and breaks yours ("Eclipse") all while making you want to dance and sing along. It's possibly the most perfect pop album since ABBA disbanded.
Now that you can get the album in any record store, you should go buy it. It gets better with each listen, like a modern day "Thriller" or "ABBA Gold" just hot pop track after stunning pop gem after insanely catchy pop single. With Madonna's new album dropping the same day, I know poor Robyn will get overshadowed, but if you love Madonna, you really should try this disc. Track for track, the best album to drop this month, better than Mariah, Madonna and Leona Lewis. Buy it already! Or at least, check out the crazy videos below:
Swedish pop star Robyn was in contract limbo when she recorded the first song for what would become "Robyn." So she bought out her contract and made what is the best independent pop record I've ever heard. From the opening track, on which Swingfly lists her many accomplishments (including out-super freaking Rick James) you can just feel the pop music exuding from every note. It's pop music like only Swedes can make: crazy, catchy, beat-heavy, full of strings and synths and insane lyrics that don't make sense half the time but feel so real. She covers the Teddybears ("Cobrastyle"), makes disco magic with Kleerup ("With Every Heartbeat"), comforts a broken robot ("Robotboy") gets her heart broken ("Be Mine!") and breaks yours ("Eclipse") all while making you want to dance and sing along. It's possibly the most perfect pop album since ABBA disbanded.
Now that you can get the album in any record store, you should go buy it. It gets better with each listen, like a modern day "Thriller" or "ABBA Gold" just hot pop track after stunning pop gem after insanely catchy pop single. With Madonna's new album dropping the same day, I know poor Robyn will get overshadowed, but if you love Madonna, you really should try this disc. Track for track, the best album to drop this month, better than Mariah, Madonna and Leona Lewis. Buy it already! Or at least, check out the crazy videos below:
American Idol Recap - Neil Diamond Week
Hello, Idol worshippers! This week our top five sang two Neil Diamond songs. Yay. I'm not a fan of Neil Diamond, although we always do a rousing round of "Sweet Caroline" to close our kareoke parties. It was an interesting week, and it's not just Paula's confusion over whether Jason sang twice already that made it so.
Speaking of his dread lord, Jason Castro is pretty much over it. Both of his performances were lackluster, no passion, no originality and none of the vocal grit that Neil Diamond brings to his songs. He gets an extra point for wearing blue jeans while singing "Forever In Blue Jeans" but that's about it. He should go home tonight, but he still has a fan base. I just hope they were lulled into sleep by the boringness.
David Cook choose two songs I've never heard before. "I'm Alive" sounded vaguely familiar, but it was only about three seconds long, so I couldn't be sure. It was pure DC, though, rocking and melodic. "All I Really Need Is You" sounded like a lost Three Doors Down track or something, really fresh and modern rock. I say it every week, and I'll say it again: it's his Idol to lose.
I'm not even going to comment on Brooke White's godawful karaoke version of "I'm A Believer" and go straight to "I Am, I Said" which was off the fuckin' chain! Brooke was back in her element, the vocals may not have been amazing, but her warmth and connection to the song was evident. It would make a perfect swan song, but I think she may be safe this week.
OK, I am officially in hate with David Archuleta. I hate his overly earnest child star mugging, his squinty eyes, his screaming fangirls, his stupid laugh. "Sweet Caroline" does not need seventy five runs, and if anyone could have made it work, it was a not a skinny white kid. And "America" is a terrible song, one of Neil Diamond's most obnoxious. He should leave this week, but God knows the world needs a new Jonas Brother for me to hate.
Syesha Mercado is the new Vonzell! Who, you ask? Vonzell was a very talented singer who came in third in the season of Underwood vs Bice. While she came into her own kind of late, but managed to pull out some hot shit towards the end, like "On The Radio" which I still love. Nobody remembers her, but she was good. This season, Syesha had her hottest performance last week, and then upped her game with a sweet, only slightly bland, performance of "Hello, Again" before just ending the show with a bang-up, gospel-tinged performance of "Thank The Lord For The Nighttime"
I think Jason and his bong will be reunited at last this week, when he goes home. Syesha will join him in the bottom two, just because she lives there. If we are back to bottom threes, it'll be Brooke crying her way across the stage. The Davids will be safe... as usual.
Speaking of his dread lord, Jason Castro is pretty much over it. Both of his performances were lackluster, no passion, no originality and none of the vocal grit that Neil Diamond brings to his songs. He gets an extra point for wearing blue jeans while singing "Forever In Blue Jeans" but that's about it. He should go home tonight, but he still has a fan base. I just hope they were lulled into sleep by the boringness.
David Cook choose two songs I've never heard before. "I'm Alive" sounded vaguely familiar, but it was only about three seconds long, so I couldn't be sure. It was pure DC, though, rocking and melodic. "All I Really Need Is You" sounded like a lost Three Doors Down track or something, really fresh and modern rock. I say it every week, and I'll say it again: it's his Idol to lose.
I'm not even going to comment on Brooke White's godawful karaoke version of "I'm A Believer" and go straight to "I Am, I Said" which was off the fuckin' chain! Brooke was back in her element, the vocals may not have been amazing, but her warmth and connection to the song was evident. It would make a perfect swan song, but I think she may be safe this week.
OK, I am officially in hate with David Archuleta. I hate his overly earnest child star mugging, his squinty eyes, his screaming fangirls, his stupid laugh. "Sweet Caroline" does not need seventy five runs, and if anyone could have made it work, it was a not a skinny white kid. And "America" is a terrible song, one of Neil Diamond's most obnoxious. He should leave this week, but God knows the world needs a new Jonas Brother for me to hate.
Syesha Mercado is the new Vonzell! Who, you ask? Vonzell was a very talented singer who came in third in the season of Underwood vs Bice. While she came into her own kind of late, but managed to pull out some hot shit towards the end, like "On The Radio" which I still love. Nobody remembers her, but she was good. This season, Syesha had her hottest performance last week, and then upped her game with a sweet, only slightly bland, performance of "Hello, Again" before just ending the show with a bang-up, gospel-tinged performance of "Thank The Lord For The Nighttime"
I think Jason and his bong will be reunited at last this week, when he goes home. Syesha will join him in the bottom two, just because she lives there. If we are back to bottom threes, it'll be Brooke crying her way across the stage. The Davids will be safe... as usual.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Five Songs On Shuffle, Vol. 8
This is the eighth installment of my weekly blog entry series "5 Songs On Shuffle." I’ll put my iTunes on shuffle and blog about the first five songs that play.
"Almost Lover" - A Fine Frenzy One Cell In The Sea
This heartbreaking song is from solo act A Fine Frenzy, whose poetic lyrics bite into me every time I hear this song. "I cannot go to the ocean/I cannot drive the streets at night/I cannot wake up in the morning/Without you on my mind" and "Now your gone and I'm haunted/and I'll bet you are just fine/Do I make it that easy to walk right in and out of my life" are painful lyrics that any victim of heartache will indentify with.
"Snatch The Crystal Cat Back - Khia vs Dan Deacon" - The Hood Internet Mixtape Volume One
The Khia track is the absolute filthiest thing on my iPod. Lyrics like "I should have never let you s*** this p****/F*** this p****/Thugs love this p*****" and "You'll never find another b**** with a p**** good as mine/That's better than this/Gets more wetter than this" and "D*** for days/and your head so good and you d*** so strong/make a b**** wanna s*** and f*** you all night long" would make Howard Stern blush. And I kinda know all the words, and will sing along to it in the car. Yeah, I'm that whore...
"Mamma Mia" - ABBA ABBA Gold
Aw snap, you know ABBA is my jam! And I just saw the trailer for the movie version of the Broadway show of the same name this weekend, plus someone sang it at kareoke last week, so I am in a ABBA kinda mood. I always put ABBA Gold on when I want a pick me up, just poppy goodness.
"See-Line Woman" - Nina Simone Verve Masters 17
I am obsessed with Nina Simone, I first heard "Black Is The Color Of My True Loves Hair" about 5 years ago and fell in love. This is a jauntier track about a dancer and/or whore who casts a spell over every man. Feist later remade/sampled this song as "Sea Lion Woman" on The Reminder.
"Here (In Your Arms)" - Hellogoodbye Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!
Hellogoodbye confuse me. Are they an pop-punk/emo band who can bang out a dancefloor anthem like this one, or techno-lords who dabble in emoland? Buying this album didn't help me decide, it's a lot of both. But's all good, this track never fails to get my body moving on the dancefloor, and the lyrcis are emotastic.
"Almost Lover" - A Fine Frenzy One Cell In The Sea
This heartbreaking song is from solo act A Fine Frenzy, whose poetic lyrics bite into me every time I hear this song. "I cannot go to the ocean/I cannot drive the streets at night/I cannot wake up in the morning/Without you on my mind" and "Now your gone and I'm haunted/and I'll bet you are just fine/Do I make it that easy to walk right in and out of my life" are painful lyrics that any victim of heartache will indentify with.
"Snatch The Crystal Cat Back - Khia vs Dan Deacon" - The Hood Internet Mixtape Volume One
The Khia track is the absolute filthiest thing on my iPod. Lyrics like "I should have never let you s*** this p****/F*** this p****/Thugs love this p*****" and "You'll never find another b**** with a p**** good as mine/That's better than this/Gets more wetter than this" and "D*** for days/and your head so good and you d*** so strong/make a b**** wanna s*** and f*** you all night long" would make Howard Stern blush. And I kinda know all the words, and will sing along to it in the car. Yeah, I'm that whore...
"Mamma Mia" - ABBA ABBA Gold
Aw snap, you know ABBA is my jam! And I just saw the trailer for the movie version of the Broadway show of the same name this weekend, plus someone sang it at kareoke last week, so I am in a ABBA kinda mood. I always put ABBA Gold on when I want a pick me up, just poppy goodness.
"See-Line Woman" - Nina Simone Verve Masters 17
I am obsessed with Nina Simone, I first heard "Black Is The Color Of My True Loves Hair" about 5 years ago and fell in love. This is a jauntier track about a dancer and/or whore who casts a spell over every man. Feist later remade/sampled this song as "Sea Lion Woman" on The Reminder.
"Here (In Your Arms)" - Hellogoodbye Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!
Hellogoodbye confuse me. Are they an pop-punk/emo band who can bang out a dancefloor anthem like this one, or techno-lords who dabble in emoland? Buying this album didn't help me decide, it's a lot of both. But's all good, this track never fails to get my body moving on the dancefloor, and the lyrcis are emotastic.
Review: The Snoods - "The Snoods"
The Snoods are a local band of high school students from Harrisburg, PA with surprisingly sharp songwriting skills and a small but loyal following. I'd like to be able remove the word "small" from that sentence, because these guys are worthy of a much larger audience. The just started selling their first, self titled, CD. It really is the best rock album I've bought so far this year.
In some of the songs you can clearly hear some of the influences listed on their MySpace, like Led Zepplin and The White Stripes, like the opening of "Harrouka-Fula Part 2 Dynamizer" mimicking the opening of "Seven Nation Army" and an oddly Blue Oyster Cult vibe on others. But what you should be noticing instead is the lyrics: "Talk to me, dictate all my morals/What am I to wear today/What color on my face?" is the cry of a young man easily influenced by his friends or a girl. On "Young Turks Do Mando Jams" the chorus "If it wasn't for this knowledge fruit/in the center of my poison shed/I may as well be stranded/I may as well not see a light again" turns the Garden of Eden story on it's side.
It's not just the songwriting that is to be applauded, but the clever use of unusual instruments, like the mandolin on several tracks, as well as just plain playing good songs well. Acoustic tracks leave less room for error but that doesn't stop The Snoods from giving us ones like "Oh! Sun" one of the best acoustic rock songs I've heard in a while.
Only one caveat, sometimes the vocals could be stronger, they can be a little generic. But they never resort to emo whining or metal screaming, which would have been a real shame. Chris and Zack may not have voices like rock gods Freddie Mercury or Steven Tyler, but they have a honest quality that I enjoyed.
If you can get a hold of a copy, I really do recommend "The Snoods."
In some of the songs you can clearly hear some of the influences listed on their MySpace, like Led Zepplin and The White Stripes, like the opening of "Harrouka-Fula Part 2 Dynamizer" mimicking the opening of "Seven Nation Army" and an oddly Blue Oyster Cult vibe on others. But what you should be noticing instead is the lyrics: "Talk to me, dictate all my morals/What am I to wear today/What color on my face?" is the cry of a young man easily influenced by his friends or a girl. On "Young Turks Do Mando Jams" the chorus "If it wasn't for this knowledge fruit/in the center of my poison shed/I may as well be stranded/I may as well not see a light again" turns the Garden of Eden story on it's side.
It's not just the songwriting that is to be applauded, but the clever use of unusual instruments, like the mandolin on several tracks, as well as just plain playing good songs well. Acoustic tracks leave less room for error but that doesn't stop The Snoods from giving us ones like "Oh! Sun" one of the best acoustic rock songs I've heard in a while.
Only one caveat, sometimes the vocals could be stronger, they can be a little generic. But they never resort to emo whining or metal screaming, which would have been a real shame. Chris and Zack may not have voices like rock gods Freddie Mercury or Steven Tyler, but they have a honest quality that I enjoyed.
If you can get a hold of a copy, I really do recommend "The Snoods."
Improve Your Vocabulary: "Chantpleure"
I just started reading one of the books I bought while I was at Barnes & Nobles last week. It's called "Poplollies & Bellibones: A Celebration Of Lost Words" and it's a very interesting collection of words that are no longer used by the general population. Some I can understand why they went out of style, like "feat" (meaning a lock of hair) but easily confused with "feet" (meaning the things at the end of your legs.) Others are kind of ugly sounding words, like "ilimp" a synonym for "happen" so can see why they are no longer used.
One word I would like to reintroduce to the world, though, is a very pretty French-based word: "chantpleure." It means "to weep and sing at the same time" and since I can't think of another word that means the same thing, I'm not sure why it was ever disused to begin with. Curiouser still, I don't know why musical theatre critics, or any type of music critic, haven't brought it back. It's such a specific meaning, and such a lovely word, I shall be attempting to use it in my writing and I encourage you to do the same. I'm hoping Brooke will chantpleure on American Idol this week, that will make it easy to slip it in, especially since I doubt I'll have a use for it in my reviews of the new albums by the Snoods or Madonna. Maybe if I review the new US release Robyn's album I can make it fit. But I'd rather introduce it organically than shoehorn it in. It's not like "that's hot" or "bootylicious" it's a more sensitive word.
One word I would like to reintroduce to the world, though, is a very pretty French-based word: "chantpleure." It means "to weep and sing at the same time" and since I can't think of another word that means the same thing, I'm not sure why it was ever disused to begin with. Curiouser still, I don't know why musical theatre critics, or any type of music critic, haven't brought it back. It's such a specific meaning, and such a lovely word, I shall be attempting to use it in my writing and I encourage you to do the same. I'm hoping Brooke will chantpleure on American Idol this week, that will make it easy to slip it in, especially since I doubt I'll have a use for it in my reviews of the new albums by the Snoods or Madonna. Maybe if I review the new US release Robyn's album I can make it fit. But I'd rather introduce it organically than shoehorn it in. It's not like "that's hot" or "bootylicious" it's a more sensitive word.
I Liked To Watch: "Baby Mama"
I loved Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live, enjoyed her (and her writing) in Mean Girls and adore her on 30 Rock. Amy Poehler is a scream on SNL and on the ASSScat specials. Really, how I could I hate Baby Mama the new preg-com featuring the duo? Answer: I can't!
Delightfully sharp comic writing and timing make it hilarious. Rachel and I laughed a zillion times, from sight gags, one-liners and an amazing supporting cast, like Sigourney Weaver as a surrogacy specialist who get pregnant the old fashioned way, even when her "eggs are from the '40s" and Steve Martin as the new-age president of Tina Fey's Whole Foods-esque company. But it's the chemistry between Fey and Poehler that sings. When they are sniping at each other, when they are bonding, it doesn't matter. They work off each other like no comedy duo has this millennium. And even when it gets a little sweet at the end, the laughs never really stop. It may not have the quirk of Juno, or the potty humor of Knocked Up, but this movie has nine months worth of laughs.
Delightfully sharp comic writing and timing make it hilarious. Rachel and I laughed a zillion times, from sight gags, one-liners and an amazing supporting cast, like Sigourney Weaver as a surrogacy specialist who get pregnant the old fashioned way, even when her "eggs are from the '40s" and Steve Martin as the new-age president of Tina Fey's Whole Foods-esque company. But it's the chemistry between Fey and Poehler that sings. When they are sniping at each other, when they are bonding, it doesn't matter. They work off each other like no comedy duo has this millennium. And even when it gets a little sweet at the end, the laughs never really stop. It may not have the quirk of Juno, or the potty humor of Knocked Up, but this movie has nine months worth of laughs.
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