Sigh...I had heard clips and a live performance of Dean's (previous posts here and here; he's a born-in-South-Africa, now-Australia-residing, former-Idol-contestant singer) lead single "If You Don't Mean It" and I was prepared to be totally scathing about it, or at least brush it off, point out that even Millsy managed to get someone to give him a better lead single (I do very much like "Miss Vanity," I have to admit)...but, after hearing the whole studio version, I can't. I like it. There are so many reasons I shouldn't, and a lot of people won't--heck, it's pratically only a shouty voice away from being a Daughtry song, you wouldn't be surprised to hear him say in an interview that he grew up listening to Bon Jovi and the Goo Goo Dolls (I do like some songs by those groups, though), and I imagine many people are going to be using the words "dull" and "generic"--but I do. I do have to throw in a comment about his official website, though: while no one could be bothered to put anything in the "Music" section--it says "Coming Soon"--or even mention the single's release date on the front page of the news section (you have to go into "read more"), the "Photos" section is already up and running. Does that say something about the behind-the-scenes thought processes about his music career?
(Edit: sigh again...please ignore any snarkiness! Not the sort of thing I like to do, and it's undeserved, but I'm too tired at the moment to go back and edit things. Basically, good song...and that's all that matters.)
If You Don't Mean It--I don't really know how to describe this song...it's one of those sort of ballads, sort of mid-tempo pop-rock songs, but not pop-rock from the fun Busted and McFly schools. We're getting dangerously close to the whole earnest boy with guitar phenomenon that I'm not so fond of and yet this song works for me. Dean does have a good voice, at least in studio, for songs of this style--I'm not actually talking about reality or technique here, but the way it sounds is smooth and strong, which I think helps this song manage to balance precariously in the acceptable middle ground of this sort of music, with shouty gruff voices (say, Nickelback) on one side and that kind of whispering, intimate voice (say, John Mayer) on the other--by avoiding either of those dangerous styles, Dean's able to get away with a song that could easily be reworked into something I'd have no patience for whatsoever. It doesn't have the sense of fun that something like "Addicted To You" or even "Elevator Love" had, but I guess every now and then you just need a little earnest pop-rock balladeering.
Supposedly the single is out May 5, but I don't know if you can preorder it anywhere yet; however, when it is out, you'll be able to buy it from here (physical). This song will only be up for download for a few days, since the single's not actually out yet.
WAIT! Stop the presses! I was just about to publish this post when I found out one (there are many) of the people he'd worked with on the album: Daniel Jones out of Savage Garden! Suddenly, my interest in the album has just increased an awful lot, even if in all likelihood it was just on one song or something. Dean then went on--and keep in mind, earlier in the interview, he'd said he grew up listening to Bon Jovi and the Goo Goo Dolls--to list other people he'd worked with, and the examples of the acts they'd worked with included the Veronicas, Nick Lachey, Jessica Simpson, and the Backstreet Boys. Do we have a closet pop fan on our hands? They ask him what the album is like, and he says "It's pop"--but then, after a beat, rushes to follow that up with "rock-pop" and "with an edge," but I think he's less "edgy" than his image...not that that will necessarily manifest itself in the music, but it's worth checking out, anyway. And! And! And! "If You Don't Mean It" is, according to Dean, written by a Swedish writer who's name he can't remember...I could start throwing out some guesses, but I won't, in case I'm wrong; I'll just say that suddenly my enjoyment of this song may be starting to make a lot more sense. I'd bet we'll be seeing a familiar name in the writing credits for this song.
Next up: I'm not sure...possibly something teen pop-ish.
This blog seems to be getting more and more random--today will be another conglomeration of news updates and links. I'll try to go through a series of more planned posts after this, though.
The Click Five, who I raved about back in early September, have just finished opening for the McFly tour--I'm sure they did an amazing job, as not only do they have phenomenally good songs, they are also really entertaining live. Their debut album Greetings From Imrie House, when it was released in the U.S., was incredibly good; however, the UK version of their album is even better, practically perfect, though there's only been one small change: "Lies" has been replaced by their brilliant cover of "I Think We're Alone Now." If you haven't already bought it, there's no better time than now; you're missing out on one of the best and most fun albums out there. I am a little worried about their decision to star in the upcoming Christy Carlson Romano movie Taking 5, though.
I don't know what I can do to convince you to go watch Pacific Avenue's Internet TV show, but you have to see it. The episodes are pretty lengthy (20 minutes, roughly), so I haven't made it through all of them, but they are really funny. Not only do Pacific Avenue have a hilarious show (with good music in it), their own music is so classic boyband (but improved/updated/etc. etc. I'm sure their promo materials would say) that I can barely stand it (there may be about a million layered vocals in it, but I actually really like the effect)--in a good (great) way. Go watch their TV show and look at their MySpace--it's worth it.
Speaking of Pacific Avenue, a commenter provided a link to his/her (sorry! I think "his," based on some clips in the show) blog with photos of Pacific Avenue--it is definitely worth a look, not only because I can't get enough of these guys right now, but also because the photos themselves are great--the blog's pretty new, but pop over there and take a look if you get a chance! If the photographer doesn't mind, I'd love to use their photos in future posts about Pacific Avenue--with full credit and citation/links, of course :)
Jim Verraros's official website has been redesigned--very professional-looking, new photos, blah blah blah...when's the new album coming out? Oh...spring 2007--maybe you should say that on the front page and not on the page for the not-yet-open store.
A lot of you probably aren't following Australian Idol, but you really should be. It's worth paying attention to just so you can understand what Scott To Be Certain and CFB Goes Pop are talking about. Scott To Be Certain is, as always, incredibly witty. CFB has an Idol "novel" that you absolutely must read--watch the show, or just read their recaps, so that you can understand the jokes in the novel because it is ridiculously brilliant and hilarious--watching the show is worth it just so you can read what they have to say about it the next day.
Speaking of Australian Idol, I have to return to the topic of Dean Geyer. I mentioned several of his performances a few days ago and, though I was really amused/impressed by him, I said I wasn't sure that he deserved to win. However, there were several amazing things about Dean's most recent performance:
1.) He covered a Ryan Cabrera song! I'm not going to claim that everything Ryan Cabrera has one is genius, but his first album contains some very, very good songs (I've been meaning to post about it--this might spur me to do so).
2.) The contestants were allowed to use guitars. This, of course, proves that they are all "credible" musicians (Jessica Mauboy didn't play a guitar, but the rest did). However! Even after saying that he wanted to make "On The Way Down" rockier and less pop, do you know what Dean did? Halfway through the song, HE THREW AWAY HIS GUITAR! Yes, the precious instrument of the rock establishment, tossed aside in favor of better showmanship. I'm not sure that we can (as the judges did) credit Dean himself for the idea, but whatever--he did it, and that's what matters.
These factors, combined with his consistent improvement (I will concede that Damien's performance was quite good, for that style of music, but we'll have to see what he does next week) and the fact that he can do backflips (I have this thing for backflips--I don't know why, but they fascinate me), mean that I have to revise my opinion from last week. My official vote (even though his voice still doesn't seem that impressive) is...Dean Geyer for Australian Idol 2006! I still can't believe it, though.
Speaking of Australian Idol, I still think that Anthony Callea's latest single is very Disney-sounding. However...I've now succumbed to how absolutely gorgeous his voice is. I know, I know...I'll try to be stronger in the future. At least we have on record that at one point in time I was able to judge it critically...
I've mentioned this site before, but I have to mention it again: blog Digital Technique is really, really great--frequently updated, with the best of old (as in generally 2000's on) and new music. Some unjustly one-hit wonders and artists I probably should have heard but haven't yet--it's definitely worth checking out.
Another new-ish blog worth visiting is Ni Hao Glitter Owl, all about Chinese pop--I don't really know anything about Asian music (that's an entire continent! How can I not know anything?), but I'm finding it fascinating.
Heinz Winckler (whose third album I've ordered but not yet received) is now a married man! Very belated congratulations to him and Alette.
Ben Adams's official website disappeared a few weeks ago, which didn't seem to be a good sign in terms of his album getting released. Now, though, it appears that a redesigned website will be appearing soon, which seems like a good sign--are things moving towards a release? On a side note, all the "for friends only" messages on his MySpace are practically driving me to get a MySpace of my own.
If you visit McFly's MySpace, you can listen to a medley of three songs from their upcoming album Motion In The Ocean (due out November 6, with second single "Star Girl" coming out October 23). I think the first one is "We're The Young" and the second is "Sorry's Not Good Enough," but I'm not sure what the last one is (maybe "Transylvania"? They might say the title at some point, but I can't tell--that guess is just based on the fact that that's a Dougie song and I think that's Dougie singing). At any rate, this looks to be an excellent album (both poppy and not just a return to their first album style--maturer than that), even if I still don't understand some of the song titles ("Bubble Wrap"? Well, maybe I have a guess). I've had an incredibly difficult time getting it to play at all, let alone play the medley without stopping; I know the album release isn't that far away, but, in case anyone else wants to be able to listen to the four-minute medley without waiting for a half an hour for it to load and play, here it is.
Oh, wow--you all had to read all that for just one song, and it's not even a complete one, nor does it have good audio quality. Well...it's got no logical connection to anything I just talked about, but here's another song--I know, since this group is incredibly popular, there's a very good chance people have it already, but since I don't think it's on a regular album (it's from the On The Line soundtrack), maybe some people don't have it:
To buy the On The Line soundtrack, go here (physical).
Next up: maybe a Swedish singer (not Darin, although, in anticipation of his new album, I might do a follow-up to my earlier post about him at some point), or some electronic-ish stuff.
I'm not going to even pretend that there's some theme uniting this post--no particular singer, not just MySpace songs, nothing--just random thoughts and pieces of news.
The amazing Ben Adams is going to be giving away one of his songs as a free download, and he's letting fans choose which one. However, we haven't heard either of the songs, "Red Lady" or "I Messed Up," so choosing which to vote for is a little bit of a random guess. Still, definitely head over to his MySpace where you can read a brief description of the songs and vote for which you'd like to be able to download.
Speaking of amazing, Simon Curtis is planning to release his debut album as a digital download. Whenever and however Alter Boy gets released, it will be a must-purchase; I've said somewhere before that "Broken" is one of the best songs I've heard this year, and Alter Boy just might be the most exciting album I've heard this year (that wasn't released earlier). Go to Simon's MySpace or official site to hear some of his songs.
The video for Josh Hoge's debut single "360" premiered today; you can watch it on his official webite. It's nothing surprising--Josh's girlfriend cheats on him, Josh looks forlorn, band plays, Josh sings, Josh meets a new girl, old girl wants Josh back but he's with new girl--but the song holds up just as well as it did when I first heard it months ago; I can definitely picture it getting radioplay, too; I just hope it does.
On the topic of Australian Idol: Dean Geyer is very pretty. He certainly knows his way around a hair straightener (see below video). And he can do backflips (again, see said video). However, Australia, that does not mean he should necessarily win Idol. This message may be a bit late; also, I'm definitely not saying Dean should be the next to go. I can very well envision him releasing some music I would like--his voice is passable and he just needs to be hooked up with some decent songs (like Millsy and "Ms. Vanity")--but I don't know that he deserves to win. I think his career trajectory will be the same whether he wins or not, though.
However, one of his performances has given us what must be one of the greatest quotations to come out of an Idol show (please don't be offended, anyone):
Judge Kyle Sandilands, after Dean's performance of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name": "That is a sexy song. You haven't had sex; we all know you're the God-loving virgin boy."
Genius, surely?
Anyhow, here's Dean's most recent performance on Idol ("Turn The Beat Around" for Disco Night), so you all have some clue what I'm talking about (and no, that handspring thing at the beginning, though impressive, isn't the backflip I'm talking about); you'll have to go back to the previous episode for that classy quotation, though.
If, for some reason, you'd like an mp3 of the performance, here you go (source, thanks!).
In the midst of all the boyband goodness over at The Zapping lately, there was one group that really surprised me: 365. Proving that I do not automatically like anything that comes wrapped in a boyband package, I had heard their song "That Thing" before and not been impressed. I still can't decide whether or not the original version of "One Touch" (their debut single, out November 6 as a download and November 13 in the physical version) is worthy of excitement (I think it might just barely come down on the right side of "good or not"). However, the Bimbo Jones remix (low audio quality) pushes it into definitely great territory. I'm not expert on remixes, but I always associate Bimbo Jones ones with that sort of steel drum sound. This mix, though, doesn't have that--it's faster and dancey, has electronic beats, but still keeps the original's horns. Go check out their MySpace if you have time.
A band I keep meaning to post about, the Vacancy (who some of you might remember from Popjustice's Singles Club), have taken down all the quirky fun songs from their MySpace and gotten rid of the PureVolume page which had all their older quirky songs. Is this a good sign (they are going to release them?) or a bad sign (they stopped caring? they're going in an entirely new direction?)? I'm not sure, though I really hope it's the former. Visit their MySpace page if you like--the one remaining song, "Catch Your Tear," is quite good, but it doesn't have the fun of their other songs and doesn't really reflect what their usual style is. Instead, you might want to try "Handheld," which you can still get as a free download from Popjustice. Expect a whole post about them at some point. If you like Busted or McFly (or just good music), check them out; they're definitely quite good.
And, finally, it's rather pointless, but I have to mention Anthony Callea again: his new single, "Live For Love," may hit radios this coming Monday. Of course, without listening to Australian radio 24/7, I probably won't end up hearing it until it ends up coming out November 4. Tomorrow (really, today for Australians) he's doing a photoshoot, which means the first official pictures of the new haircut will be appearing...the world (or just me) waits with breathless anticipation.
Next up: probably not Alistair Griffin, but he'll be in the next few days (I'm trying to decide whether or not it would be better to do two days about him; I guess I have more songs by him than I thought). Maybe the Vacancy, then?
(At this point, I haven't seen all of the Australian Idol contestants perform...out of the ones left, it is possible Dean is the best option--anyone have any vote one way or the other?)
Your problems don't exist when music feels like this.
Songs are posted only for promotional purposes (I love them and want others to know about them, too)--if you like them, please "go out and buy the record"! If you are an artist, represent one, or are a songwriter/producer and would like your songs removed, I'll gladly do so (just let me know).
Sigh...I had heard clips and a live performance of Dean's (previous posts here and here; he's a born-in-South-Africa, now-Australia-residing, former-Idol-contestant singer) lead single "If You Don't Mean It" and I was prepared to be totally scathing about it, or at least brush it off, point out that even Millsy managed to get someone to give him a better lead single (I do very much like "Miss Vanity," I have to admit)...but, after hearing the whole studio version, I can't. I like it. There are so many reasons I shouldn't, and a lot of people won't--heck, it's pratically only a shouty voice away from being a Daughtry song, you wouldn't be surprised to hear him say in an interview that he grew up listening to Bon Jovi and the Goo Goo Dolls (I do like some songs by those groups, though), and I imagine many people are going to be using the words "dull" and "generic"--but I do. I do have to throw in a comment about his official website, though: while no one could be bothered to put anything in the "Music" section--it says "Coming Soon"--or even mention the single's release date on the front page of the news section (you have to go into "read more"), the "Photos" section is already up and running. Does that say something about the behind-the-scenes thought processes about his music career?
