|
Hooray! This thread has started, that gives me a happy.Alvarez IV posted:I do like Harris a lot; he made me like a Ne-Yo vocal by somehow knocking the treacle out of his voice and making him sound decisive, and he managed to get Florence Welch some airplay while showing off her versatility. You're right about his reliance on traditional EDM song structure as well as his instrumentals, but it's still very clean even if it's comparatively rougher and darker. When I say gritty, I mean like Leftfield gritty, or in a modern sense Deadmau5 gritty (Deadmau5' low-end synths on Professional Griefers sound like fuzzy guitars run through lots of processing). Harris... I feel like with his mainstream success he's trying to emulate David Guetta.... and as a result has turned himself into something of a poor man's David Guetta, and that's saying something. But at least Guetta has a good handling of beat and atmosphere, and his collaboration with Sia didn't feel unnatural (I actually like "Titanium" a lot). This new thing he's done with Florence Welsh just feels thin and strained an unnatural, and a bad use of Welsh. That track wishes it was "Titanum" so hard. Perhaps for clarification/specificity, rename the thread "Hot 100 Megathread" or "American Top 40 Megathread"?
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2013 18:22
|
|
|
|
| # ? Dec 5, 2024 04:39 |
|
|
Benne posted:Here's the latest Billboard Hot 100, courtesy of a Youtube compilation Another random observation: Holy poo poo, there's a lot of country on the charts. Like 1 out of every 3 songs. I guess I always sort of knew the country was popular, but it's a music scene that I literally have zero exposure to, apart from like Johnny Cash and couple of songs from Justified. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 02:17
|
|
|
Bridgit Mendler lifted the chorus from my favorite Fugees song. She tried to channel Lauryn Hill for a summery, tween-orientated slice of cod-reggae.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 04:29
|
|
|
Pirate Jenny posted:Hooray! This thread has started, that gives me a happy. I personally think Harris's recent output is much better than Guetta's. Guetta does have more variety, but nothing he puts out makes any kind of impression on me. I've listened to Titanium several times, but if you asked me to hum it... nothing. At least Harris's songs, despite their predictability, have a little bit of "oomph" behind them I can dance to, some kind of emotional punch. And I thought the Florence Welch collab turned out really well, really fun to shout along with. And I find "pew pew pew" to be a perfectly acceptable sound effect.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 05:32
|
|
|
My biggest problem with "Titanium" is the chrous. You have a great intro, a talented singer in Sia, and a build-up that feels like it's about to tear the house down. Then the climax comes and it's...a generic repetitive beat and the same vocals on repeat for a good 30 seconds. It's a massive letdown and the main reason why I can't embrace that song even though I want to like Guetta.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 06:15
|
|
|
Pirate Jenny posted:Perhaps for clarification/specificity, rename the thread "Hot 100 Megathread" or "American Top 40 Megathread"? This thread seems to be already trending in that direction, but I'd like to keep it to a broader discussion about the pop landscape. And also not restrict it to American stuff--some people have already shared good European songs in this thread that don't have a chance of tracking on Billboard. I don't want to restrict things to a specific topic, is what I'm trying to get at with this thread. All things related to "pop" are welcome here 
Benne fucked around with this message at 08:23 on Jan 30, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 06:19
|
|
|
I will never tire of locked out of heaven. Its such a masterful construct of elements that I always seem to focus on one aspect every time I listen. From the repeated yeps, the cribbed police drum-work, or the journey syths.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 07:36
|
|
|
I have a question for Australians. How big is "Battle Scars" over there? Ballpark it for me, is it like your country's "Call Me Maybe" as far as ubiquity's concerned?
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 13:58
|
|
|
Bruno Mars's voice is weird.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 14:04
|
|
|
Tired Moritz posted:Bruno Mars's voice is weird. It really doesn't help that he's chosen to do a lot of really aching ballad songs that sort of accentuates how weird it is. He really doesn't have the vocals for songs like Grenade or others like it, he needs to stick with stuff like Locked out of Heaven.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 15:53
|
|
|
Oh, and also one thing I like about Harris over Guetta is that Harris has not yet collaborated with Chris Brown/ The more Chris Brown-free I can keep my music collection the better.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 15:55
|
|
|
If you don't already, check out Paul Grein's Chart Watch blog on Yahoo! He's a former long-term Billboard employee, but I think his blog is easier to navigate and sometimes a more informative source for chart followers than the actual Billboard website.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 17:25
|
|
|
The first time I heard Titanium it was at a bar doing karaoke and some girl was doing it off key and man I don't know a better way to ruin a pop song on the first listen.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 18:13
|
|
|
Scorched Spitz posted:I have a question for Australians. How big is "Battle Scars" over there? Ballpark it for me, is it like your country's "Call Me Maybe" as far as ubiquity's concerned? I don't even know what song you're talking about, and it's not like I don't listen to mainstream radio here either
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 22:40
|
|
|
The duet by Guy Sebastian and Lupe Fiasco? It just went 8x platinum over there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mPd_SDAryQ
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2013 23:29
|
|
|
I really like Ke$ha's Out Alive. This is embarassing.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2013 07:01
|
|
|
Tired Moritz posted:I really like Ke$ha's Out Alive. No way! Ke$ha's fantastic. I'm looking at the notes to Die Young right now to try and learn something about writing music, and it's pretty simple I suppose, but it "hits all the right notes" so to speak. I get the notion most of her hits are like this.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2013 11:31
|
|
|
Tired Moritz posted:I really like Ke$ha's Out Alive. What would've been embarrassing is if you had come here and said you liked zoophilia or something. Listen to what you want, give zero fucks, there are no such things as guilty pleasures because if you like it you like it and that is that.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2013 14:30
|
|
|
After waiting over a year for Kesha to put something out (in pop-music time that's like an album's worth of singles), I wound up torn on her new direction. On one hand, the fact that she's taking bits and pieces from multiple genres makes me appreciate her ability more profoundly. Not only is she doing the typical pop-star "I'm going to show how 'real' I am by doing rock/country/forms of music that society deems as 'legitimate'" thing, but she's got a variety of genres within dance music itself; house, electro, dubstep, and many permutations of them. There's something for everyone this time around. On the other hand, when Kesha first came out I appreciated her for her raw sound in a time when everything else on the radio was very polished and shiny, and now that she's cleaned up I miss bits of the old Kesha. Kesha as seen on Warrior couldn't write Tik Tok and even though we already have Tik Tok and many of the attempts she made to duplicate it kinda sucked, I would like to see a bit more of the filth that I came to know her for. Either that or get her to release one of the genre experiments as a single (I know it won't happen but I can dream). Dirty Love wasn't as killer as I thought it would be (I had a very different vision of a Kesha/Iggy Pop collaboration), and Gold Trans Am is amazing but will never happen, even if she censors the language. Sprat Sandwich posted:What would've been embarrassing is if you had come here and said you liked zoophilia or something. Music is a totally subjective thing that we only think is objective because of some very powerful people working for Rolling Stone who say what's okay and not okay to like. They do this because they think if music sounds like it did when they were young, they'll magically become young again, even though they are so old that they won't even reincarnate as young people. Sometimes they also do this because they don't like music made by/for women, blacks, or gays. If you enjoy something, there's no need to rationalize it away as a guilty pleasure or whatever. Do what you want and gently caress haters. Alvarez IV fucked around with this message at 16:45 on Jan 31, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2013 16:40
|
|
|
Really the only time I suppose you could feel guilty about liking music is if it's by someone like Chris Brown or Gary Glitter, but even then you should be able to separate the work from the artist.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2013 21:34
|
|
|
OldTennisCourt posted:Really the only time I suppose you could feel guilty about liking music is if it's by someone like Chris Brown or Gary Glitter, but even then you should be able to separate the work from the artist. I don't really see how anyone could justify listening to Chris Brown, even if we ignore how lovely of a person he is.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2013 04:02
|
|
|
prahanormal posted:I don't really see how anyone could justify listening to Chris Brown, even if we ignore how lovely of a person he is. I quite liked 'Beautiful People'. The one where he is having a wank with Autotune is terrible. Those are the Chris Brown songs I remember. He's a piece of poo poo though.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2013 08:17
|
|
|
prahanormal posted:I don't really see how anyone could justify listening to Chris Brown, even if we ignore how lovely of a person he is. Chris Brown is a hot-headed, aggressive and angry man, but where is it in his music? How can somebody so prone to violent fits of temper, who rises to the tiniest perceived slight or provocation, record music that's so unremittingly dull? Anyway, there's only one musician who comes to mind that I'd be embarassed to admit to liking, and that's Ted Nugent. I appreciate his skill as a guitarist and I enjoy his music (Double Live Gonzo is one of the great live albums of the 1970s), even if he is a complete and utter prick.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2013 10:37
|
|
|
prahanormal posted:I don't really see how anyone could justify listening to Chris Brown, even if we ignore how lovely of a person he is. Forever is a legit good, fun, feel good song. That's also all I really enjoy from him.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2013 13:21
|
|
|
I never really cared for Chris Brown even before all that poo poo happened. He's always been "just there" in my book 
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2013 04:12
|
|
|
I've spent the last few days swamped in Super Bowl coverage for SB Nation. Will get caught up on the latest Billboard chart as soon as I get time. E: Beyonce had the best halftime show in years.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2013 11:05
|
|
|
SynthesizerKaiser posted:No way! Ke$ha's fantastic. I'm looking at the notes to Die Young right now to try and learn something about writing music, and it's pretty simple I suppose, but it "hits all the right notes" so to speak. I get the notion most of her hits are like this. I started a pop music thread a couple of weeks ago, but no one posted! Anyway, Die Young is probably my favourite pop song of the last couple of years. I think it's an awesomely anthemic party track. The most recent release by Charli XCX is really good, and catchy as hell. http://youtu.be/qtrHH1BDlzk
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2013 22:44
|
|
|
Benne posted:I've spent the last few days swamped in Super Bowl coverage for SB Nation. Will get caught up on the latest Billboard chart as soon as I get time. At least Beyonce didn't have LMFAO with her. Yeesh.
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2013 02:15
|
|
|
Benne posted:Macklemore is a weird case to me. He spent years building a devoted fanbase in the Seattle underground scene. I will admit that his actual rapping doesn't do much for me, but he and Ryan Lewis write some pretty drat good beats and he tackles some compelling social issues, as well as his own personal battle with drug addiction. He's a talented guy and I've been waiting for his breakthrough for a while now. I heard thrift shop song on the radio in the car and it really struck a chord with me since I love thrifting and I thought it had a great anti-conspicuous consumption message. I listened to it a few more times and still thought it was great, but then I made the mistake of watching the music video, which, although not horrible by any means, undid a bit of the magic of the anti-consumeristic message for me. Then some weeks later I listened to "Same Love", instantly loved it, and couldn't reconcile that it was the same artist(s). I really have to get around to listening to the whole album at some point.
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2013 02:23
|
|
|
My opinion on Macklemore is as follows: Same Love is cloying, treacly, pandering socially conscious, not-good-enough-for-that-brief-period-in-2010-where-everyone-and-their-mother-had-an-inspirational-song-to-capitalize-on-It-Gets-Better hip-hop, which would all be forgivable if the beat was better than it was. As for Thrift Shop, I only like it if I pretend that he's making fun of Portland types in addition to the conspicuous consumption of his contemporary rappers. My concern is that when he runs out of hip-hop tropes to make fun of, everyone will just realize how much of a big dork he is (and it's not because he's white, it's because he's a dork who can't say "motherfucker" without a rising inflection and thinks that putting the word "honky" in his song will make him as cool as Ice-Cube was when he put the word "friend of the family" into his song). We've had white rappers, we have female rappers, we're ready for gay rappers but we are not yet prepared to handle an uncool rapper as more than a novelty. Rock was over forty years old before Weezer came up (and don't try and cite Elvis Costello or R.E.M., we both know they're cool because they don't try where Rivers tries and fails) and hip-hop isn't quite there yet.
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2013 04:36
|
|
|
Danger - Octopus! posted:The most recent release by Charli XCX is really good, and catchy as hell. http://youtu.be/qtrHH1BDlzk She is one of my favourite pop ladies at this moment. 'Nuclear Seasons' and 'You're The One' are my favourites and people should check them out. It's a bit sad though because it seemed 'You're The One' was supposed to be her big push in the UK and well it didn't really take off and that's a real shame. And you might say that 'hey charting is not important it's about true artistic credibility' or some poo poo like that well gently caress off it feels nice when someone you like charts high and that also means they might actually earn some money and not get dropped after a single which was released 5 months after the previous one which went top 10 and expect that to do well without any promo. Seriously managements are completely retarded sometimes.
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2013 08:43
|
|
|
Sprat Sandwich posted:Seriously managements are completely retarded sometimes. I'm given to understand that very little money goes into artist development in the current industry. I recall reading interviews given by Lou Gramm (lead vocalist of Foreigner) and Steve Johnstad (lead vocalist of Mayday) who concurred that, yes, rock music in the 1980s may have been corporate, but in their experience the corporations were more likely to give bands a chance to grow and didn't always expect them to be a huge hit straight out of the gate. What they essentially suggested was that artists were once investments for their labels, they're on the road to becoming get-rich-quick schemes.
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2013 10:17
|
|
|
Metal Loaf posted:I'm given to understand that very little money goes into artist development in the current industry. I recall reading interviews given by Lou Gramm (lead vocalist of Foreigner) and Steve Johnstad (lead vocalist of Mayday) who concurred that, yes, rock music in the 1980s may have been corporate, but in their experience the corporations were more likely to give bands a chance to grow and didn't always expect them to be a huge hit straight out of the gate. I can see that. The number of artists dropped after their first poorly managed releases is pretty big and, as naive as it may be, I'd like to believe that, yes launching an artist is expensive and a big risk, but at least giving them a chance could turn to a success/profit later on. Surely 10 disappointing/poo poo/write-off attempts cost more than 2-3 proper ones with a chance to be something. Then again the world is a fickle place where no-one can really guarantee what will and what will not do well regardless of marketing and whether the music is there or isn't.
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2013 11:12
|
|
|
At the same time, I think we need to recognise that the music industry in general is not what it once was and some labels simply can't afford to take risks. It's not an ideal situation but it's the one we've got at the moment. Anyway, one thing I've been wondering lately is whether the UK chart should incorporate some kind of airplay and streaming element to emulate the Billboard Hot 100, something the Official Charts Company has resisted for quite some time now. Do any other British chart watchers have any thoughts on this?
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2013 12:03
|
|
|
I can see the appeal of adding streaming, but doesn't adding radio airplay just mean you are counting plays that are nothing to do with members of the public purchasing anything or clicking anything, and is just based on what radio station management/DJs want to play? (Unless "airplay" means public-requested-airplay and I've always misunderstood how that worked)
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2013 20:36
|
|
|
That's the issue with airplay. Its inclusion depends on what the chart in question is trying to measure; in America, the Hot 100 ranks overall national popularity and radio data is a component of that. As far as I can see, the problem with this is freefold: first, it will almost inevitably result in payola; second, it concentrates too much power in the hands of programme directors; and third, one company (Clear Channel) owns so many key radio stations nationwide that it enjoys an effective monopoly. I'm not convinced it would work in Britain, largely for two reasons. First, radio is dominated by Radio 1 and Radio 2 and since the BBC is also responsible for compiling the main chart, this could lead to a conflict of interest. Second, Britain lacks the format-based system which operates in America. To illustrate, when he was asked why Def Leppard became popular in America before Britain, Joe Elliott explained that Britain lacks the necessary infrastructure, whereas America provided an obvious channel for selling their music in the form of mainstream rock radio.
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2013 21:18
|
|
|
Here's a glimpse into the official Finnish (download) charts (week 5) for those interested. As you can see, there's a lot of artists you guys probably are familiar with, but plenty of Finnish flavor, too. I've added links to the Finnish songs and short, very subjective descriptions of the Finnish artists for you guys! 1 J. Karjalainen - Mennyt Mies J. Karjalainen is a veteran (active since the 80s and has had numerous, numerous, numerous hits in his career) Finnish singer-songwriter kind of guy, his sound rooted in blues, rock'n'roll, country and stuff like that - in other words, heavily influenced by American music. He however has a pretty distinct voice and style of songwriting, and while I personally don't really listen to this kind of music, I think J. is a pretty cool dude. 2 will.i.am - Scream & Shout (feat. Britney Spears) 3 Erin - Mitä Tänne Jää Erin (Anttila) is a pop singer who was a part of an incredibly annoying yet somehow terrifyingly popular nasal pop duo in the 90s, Nylon Beat. Hasn't really been active since Nylon Beat broke up, but is apparently relevant again due to appearing on a dumbass TV show where current or once-popular artists get to cry about how hard it's been or whatever. 4 Olly Murs - Troublemaker (feat. Flo Rida) 5 Raappana - Kauas Pois Wow, pretty surprised to see these guys here. A "Suomi-Reggae" (Finnish reggae) band, probably on the list because (Finnish) reggae has for some reason been huge here the last year or two. Saw them live years ago for some reason and I thought they were fun and alright, if unremarkable. Apparently they still are. 5 Nicky Romero, Avicii - I Could Be the One 7 Alicia Keys - Girl On Fire 8 PSY - Gangnam Style 9 Haloo Helsinki! - Huuda! Huuda! A pop-rock band founded by one of the then-teenage band members' dads or something? Light, mostly skin-deep and well-produced pop rock with some electronic influences. I believe they've just recently started contributing to the compositions themselves, so I guess that's a thing. 10 Diamonds - Rihanna 10 Anna Puu - Säännöt Rakkaudelle A pop singer who apparently got some fame in a 2008 Idols competition. Her sound is vastly more interesting than that of your cookie-cutter pop singer's, though. Instead of overproduced club stuff, she's got a more organic, even folksy sound. I really like her vocals, as well. Fun fact: Her name can be literally translated to "Gimme a tree" edit: Another fun (?) fact: My friend who works at a public swimming pool café has seen her titties 12 Cheek - Anna mä meen (feat. Jonne Aaron) Cheek is a rage-inducingly annoying rear end in a top hat of a rapper utterly shamelessly ripping off the American chart rap thing. For some reason he's one of the best-earning artists in the entirety of this goddamn loving country. Every single thing about him drives me loving insane, but you can, of course, make up your own mind. Jonne Aaron, the singer of the nowadays largely irrelevant emo rock band Negative is featuring on this track for whatever reason. I guess it's again because of the TV show about artists crying or whatever 13 P!nk - Try 14 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Thrift Shop (feat. Wanz) 15 Swedish House Mafia - Don't You Worry Child (feat. John Martin) 16 Ellie Goulding - Figure 8 17 The Script - Hall Of Fame (feat will.i.am) 18 Jannika B - Seuraavaan Elämään Yet another Finnish pop singer. I don't actually follow the charts at all so I'd never actually heard of her before. Apparently she took part in the 2007 and 2008 Idols as well as X Factor, but as those didn't work out, she just started making music herself. She released her first album just a couple of days ago on Feb 1st and she's... actually really good? She's got this really dark, melancholy (Finnish?) feel to her music and has some surprisingly evil electronics going on under her ice cool vocals. I gotta say, based on this one track she kicks rear end and I really, really like her! drat! 19 Adele - Skyfall 19 Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch - Sweet Nothing 19 Flo Rida - I Cry edit: Holy gently caress Jannika B is loving amazing aaarghhh???? edit2: At first I didn't feel like doing the rest of the top 30 but there are a couple interesting ones in there, so hey why not: 22 Bruno Mars - Locked Out of Heaven 23 Nicki Minaj - Va Va Voom 23 CMX - Rikkisuudeltu (Spotify link since this song doesn't have a music video) A veteran Finnish rock band active since the 80s. Their style is a melancholy and at times really heavy blend of rock, punk and progressive rock. They've been around for a long time but I can't really say I've ever listened to them that much (probably should, though). They've got a pretty distinctive, very Finnish sound and an unyielding artistic vision they intend to follow to the end without shooting for the charts - really just a bunch of honest, hard-working dudes, which I can always appreciate. They've got a bit of a holy status in the Finnish music field and are pretty much universally revered, for good reason. Especially their singer (and poet) A. W. Yrjänä is a beloved figure. Really liking this new track. 25 Pitbull - Don't Stop the Party 26 Jontte Valosaari - Jos Mä Oisin Sun Mies (feat. Elastinen) Never heard of this guy before, know literally nothing about him. Apparently a new pop/rap singer person. Shameless brostep-influenced club / chart stuff. This track features Elastinen, one of the biggest Finnish hip hop artists and producers, mostly party-oriented. 27 Teflon Brothers - Seksikkäin Jäbä (feat. Stig & Meiju Suvas) What the gently caress is this poo poo. apparently the newest humor-rap thing with a once-popular guest schlager singer. Why are these some sort of thing in Finland 28 Amaranthe - The Nexus 29 Marina & The Diamonds - How to Be a Heartbreaker 30 David Guetta - She Wolf (Falling to Pieces) 30 Kuningas Pähkinä & Setä Tamu - Hei Scully what edit: Actually, this poo poo is brilliant. Too bad most of you are gonna miss the loving astounding lyrics, here's a quick translation of the refrain: "Hey Scully, dump that Mulder's rear end / or there's gonna be another murder / You know, you've got a cosmic derriere / Take it out, take it out / I'd do your black hole even while sober" a cyborg mug fucked around with this message at 09:06 on Feb 6, 2013 |
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2013 21:44
|
|
|
"Thrift Shop" holds at number one on the Hot 100 for a third consecutive week (and if the mid-week update is any indication, it'll occupy a similar position here in the UK on Sunday). I don't know if this is going to be a "We Are Young"- or "Somebody That I Used To Know"-style megahit, but I hope it is, not least because there's this hilarious commenter on billboard.com who rants that "THE NOVELTY SONG" will "FALL FROM GRACE AND LOSE ALL ITS SALES NEXT WEEK" nearly every time it's mentioned in an article. The number one album in America is Justin Bieber's acoustic remix album. It exceeded its expectations but it probably won't be there next week. Album sales tend to be massively frontloaded nowadays, so albums actually staying at number one for more than three weeks is an increasingly rare occurance. Wheat Loaf fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Feb 7, 2013 |
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2013 19:09
|
|
|
Metal Loaf posted:"Thrift Shop" holds at number one on the Hot 100 for a third consecutive week (and if the mid-week update is any indication, it'll occupy a similar position here in the UK on Sunday). I don't know if this is going to be a "We Are Young"- or "Somebody That I Used To Know"-style megahit, but I hope it is, not least because there's this hilarious commenter on billboard.com who rants that "THE NOVELTY SONG" will "FALL FROM GRACE AND LOSE ALL ITS SALES NEXT WEEK" nearly every time it's mentioned in an article. I honestly didn't like Thrift Shop for a while, but after hearing "Same Love" by the same dude I wish that man all the success in the world.
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2013 03:26
|
|
|
|
| # ? Dec 5, 2024 04:39 |
|
|
I'm most curious about the fate of the new wave of British boy bands. What's the going thought on their staying power ? About a year or two?
|
|
#
?
Feb 8, 2013 15:10
|
|