I'm introduced to a hot producer But I can tell he's just a stuck up loser
It seems Germany's pop groups targeted at younger audiences have taken to "mimicking" Timbaland's style. Of all the songs to have co-opted that style, though, I think "Hot Summer" is probably the best. There's not too much to say about "Hot Summer" except that it's a girl group trying to sound like they're doing an edgy Timbaland track. It's a catchy song, full of filtered and processed noises and with some distant male backing "ohh"s. See US5's "Rhythm Of Life (Shake It Down)" for the less in-your-face boy band version.
So what, what do you want from me? Got no cure for misery And if I go around with you You know that I'll get messed up too with you!
Poor Matt Willis. Living proof that being part of one of the world's best music groups, releasing one of 2006's best singles, making an album with fantastic songs on it, and winning a reality TV show doesn't translate into commercial success as a solo artist. In what was probably a last-ditch attempt to explore the seemingly last possible option towards upping his popularity, Matt (or his record company) decided to release a cover of the Primitives' "Crash" as a tie-in with the movie Mr. Bean's Holiday. Sadly, and despite Matt even looking cleaned-up and presentable on the single cover, the song entered the UK charts at #31, Matt's lowest chart placing yet. Though I thought I preferred Shebang's version at first, I'm relatively sure this is now my favorite cover of the song, essentially making it more modern and a little more pop-rock (I guess most people would say pop-punk, but that phrase generally makes me cringe), a little crunchier. It's fun, catchy (love those swirling guitars in the middle 8, and I always adore repeated nonsense syllables), and yet another case of an underperforming single from my favorite pop-rock artists. Matt's no longer signed, but I live in the most likely vain hope that we hear more music from him at some point in the future.
I still hate the plot parts of this music video, but at least there's dancing and choreographed handclapping.
Hey hey, you you I don't like your girlfriend No way, no way I think you need a new one
Avril, aided by Dr. Luke, finally creates a song to rival the rush and fun of "Sk8er Boi," and not only does she rival it, she surpasses it. A (Toni Basil's) "Mickey" for the '00s, the song is a total sugar rush, all chants and handclaps and CATCHINESS. It's pure undiluted infectious fun, with every element perfectly tailored towards that end but still somehow managing to seem perfectly spontaneous. I'm shocked something this pop and this upbeatly fun (and this in-your-face about it) could go to #1 in the U.S., but I shouldn't be--it's almost impossible to resist, and really, why would you want to?
Sign you up Just to cross you off his checklist One more victim Don't test it Don't you want something more you can invest in?
I know I've mentioned it in comments elsewhere, but that opening siren should be the sort of thing that people hear on the floor and go wild for and the falling "ohhh"s of the chorus are screaming out to be shouted along with en masse. One of the more hip-pop numbers from Blake Lewis's debut album Audio Day Dream, "Break Anotha" has so far failed to capture the U.S. public's imagination, but, to be honest, that's not surprising; much as it might not be brave enough for those people hoping they'd found someone to really bring in some new types of music to American Idol and American music, it's also too out there for the average radio DJ or average listener (that's not a condemnation of the "average" person, though; some songs just don't connect with people--we've all got our own tastes). I love "Break Anotha," though, and even if the live performances Blake's been doing of it have an arrangement that causes it to lose most of its sparkle for me--I think so much of what I love must come from little producer's touches, the back and forth pounding beats, the string falls, the little woops-- I do think it's packed full of hooks in general and is an incredibly exciting debut. I just hope he gets another chance at commercial success, because he's got more than enough good songs songs on his album to justify some.
Ego zitousa tin agapi, epefta se lathi les ke den ipirhe eki Ego den pisteva se kati ki ola mia apati mehri pou 'rthes fos mou esi
Another post, another song I can hardly stand to see enter the list this "low" because I love it so much. Greek singer Elli Kokkinou was rumored to be a contender for Greece's entry to Eurovision in 2008, but now it doesn't sound like she will be. Still, as long as we get songs this great from her, that doesn't really matter. I should say that "Ise oti thelo"(or whichever one of the seemingly countless ways you want to spell it with the Latin alphabet; it's "Είσαι ό,τι θέλω" in Greek, which apparently means something like "You're What I Want") probably shouldn't be on this countdown, but I forgot that the video for it isn't coming out until early 2008 and that I don't know that it's technically a single until then, and by the time I remembered it was too late to change anything. Oh well. Anyway, "Ise oti thelo" is a hard-hitting uptempo pop song with some dance influence, swooshy and catchy with lots of catchy electronic noises thrown into the background but still with a very streamlined feel. I liked Evridiki's "Comme Ci, Comme Ça" a lot, but this is better.
Páll Óskar (best known to most people for his participation in 1997's Eurovision) released three fantastic singles this year. Pretty much no one outside of Iceland noticed, but that doesn't stop him from being one of the artists I've been most impressed with this year; if I had to give anyone a kind of "comeback of the year" award for 2007, it would be him. The openly gay singer (with some artists, I don't think it's necessarily important to mention their sexual orientation, but I think with Páll, given what he's done and how open he's been, it is). "International" (as well as first single "Allt fyrir ástina" and third single "Betra lif" and, I imagine, more) was, as I understand it, written by the same man who wrote Eurobandið's national final entry "Fullkomið líf," and I imagine if it was an entry for Eurovision, it'd be something of a fan favorite. It's a glittering dance-pop song, crisp, sleek, and shiny throughout, as well as, probably most importantly, very very catchy.
Don't even talk about the consequence 'Cause right now you're the only thing thats making any sense to me And I don't give a damn what they say Or what they think, think 'Cause you're the only one who's on my mind I'll never ever let you leave me I'll try to stop time forever Never want to hear you say goodbye
The best strings in pop this year + clap clap clap double clap beat + electro + filtered vocals = AMAZING. The rushed confessional feel of the verses gives way into this big sweeping dramatic chorus (with some "ah la la la"s thrown in for good measure); combined, they mean desperation encapsulated in song form. You know how people talk about dancefloor confessional music? This is it, with a little bite, a little bit of punkiness. "Untouched" meant a revival of my interest in the Veronicas after the second album's lead single "Hook Me Up" had caused me to lose all interest in a band whose first three singles I had adored, and boy, am I glad Pop Trash Addicts featured it. I may have only been listening to it for a few weeks, but I'm relatively confident I won't regret giving it this high a placing on my year-end countdown--if anything, it deserves higher.
Note that the actual music video is NSFW, so I've embedded a performance below (only the first half of the video is this song); should you want to watch the music video, you can do so here.
Hoy no quiero enamorarme sólo estar pegado a ti como el viento con el aire dando lo mejor de ti y de mí
This is a perfect pop song. I love it. So why isn't it higher? I have no idea--could just as easily be #1, depending on...well, the day, I guess, or anything.
Sounding like something straight out of the '90's, "No quiero enamorarme" ("I Don't Want To Fall In Love") was the debut single of Operación Triunfo (the Spanish precursor to Fame Academy and its various incarnations) contestant Daniel Zueras. And it completely baffles me. For the longest time, I was convinced some big names had to be behind it, just selling off songs probably written in English to performers in other countries, but no, it was apparently written by David Santisteban and Marco Dettoni, who, from the other songs I've heard of theirs (which are admittedly not many), have never even done really anything near this good. It's like they woke up one morning and were just like, "you know, it's time to write a great pop song"--and they did. Was it written for Daniel and he's just a particularly inspiring muse? Were they visited in a dream by the pop gods and had the melody bestowed upon? I have no idea. I do know, though, that this song is perfect bouncy poppy pop (maybe with a little dance influence thrown in), way too much fun, and super-catchy. The song may not be about innocent intentions, but the video takes that to a whole new level; I'm not sure if the logic behind it was something like "well, this song won't win Daniel any cred or edge, so let's do something racy and 'controversial' in the video!" or just "let's get some headlines for something" (given the flood of OT contestants in the market now), but regardless, the song playing during it is too good to miss out on.
I just can't refuse it Like the way you do this Keep on rockin' to it Please don't stop the Please don't stop the music
I did not adore "Umbrella." I thought it was...fine, which would be OK, but I'd loved both of the lead singles for Rihanna's previous albums, "Pon de Replay" and "S.O.S.", as well as "Pon de Replay"'s follow-up "If It's Lovin' That You Want." Luckily, her third album (and the first one I own), Good Girl Gone Bad, proved to have more than enough good-to-great songs on it to make up for any less-than-total-love feelings I might have had about "Umbrella" (give me six to twelve months and I'll probably adore it). The Michael Jackson-sampling "Don't Stop The Music" is one of them, a pop-dance track that manages to be something that seems rare for commercial songs in that subgenre: classy.
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).
It seems Germany's pop groups targeted at younger audiences have taken to "mimicking" Timbaland's style. Of all the songs to have co-opted that style, though, I think "Hot Summer" is probably the best. There's not too much to say about "Hot Summer" except that it's a girl group trying to sound like they're doing an edgy Timbaland track. It's a catchy song, full of filtered and processed noises and with some distant male backing "ohh"s. See US5's "Rhythm Of Life (Shake It Down)" for the less in-your-face boy band version.
