― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 05:03 (seventeen years ago) link
Could you say more about "I Live For the Day"? I assume by "structural shapes" you mean chord shifts and harmonic mood changes and the like. The basic song pattern is standard enough: verse, second part of verse, chorus; verse, second part of verse, chorus; break, chorus, finale. Of course, as Lex says, it's MAGNIFICENT (streamed on what seems to be her actual MySpace page), and her "Oh-oh, wanna see you CRAWLin'" at the end is right up there with Jagger's "Black as night, black as coal, I wanna see the sun, blotted out from the sky" in the fadeout of "Paint It, Black" as one of the all-time great song cappers. There are interesting ways that the song throws her from the first part of the verse into the second, or after the first chorus throws her right back into the verse (as opposed to having clear demarcations). And what I call "break" above is actually these extraordinary wails that foreshadow the rocketworks of the finale.
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 05:58 (seventeen years ago) link
The Veronicas are all business--killer intro; catchy verse; maybe a fake-out feedback thing; reapeat-o girl chorus--back to work.
Lohan demands a certain amount of attention paid. "Live for the..." sets a mood, the verse a situation, Lohan's voice fills with her sense of betrayal, and then the chorus comes not so much as catchy, sing-in-shower pay-off, but as an escalation and first indication of how she feels about what was set up in the verse. (And yes--the chorus repeats the signature line, but each sentence complicates it.)
the first time I heard it, my reaction was, What the fuck was that?
― Grey, Ian (IanBrooklyn), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 13:39 (seventeen years ago) link
― nameom (nameom), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:26 (seventeen years ago) link
― nameom (nameom), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:28 (seventeen years ago) link
― nameom (nameom), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:32 (seventeen years ago) link
Still searching for Platinum Weird? Best Buy has 'Make Believe' (the '74-style album) packaged along with a disc that is identical to the advance of the '06-style album. Could probably help you locate a copy.
― nameom (nameom), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:50 (seventeen years ago) link
― nameom (nameom), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 17:19 (seventeen years ago) link
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 18:17 (seventeen years ago) link
There's a new trend that I don't really understand these days, albums being given limited releases initially and then broader releases later - though I doubt that that's what's happening with Platinum Weird. The Teddybears got a release through indie retailers in late September, but are due to get the release through major retailers in early '07.
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 19:05 (seventeen years ago) link
The rhythm is pretty much in clave throughout. And the way the vocals are low pitch at the start and given talk-like emphasis (rather than wails and melismas and such) seems very r&b.
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 19:33 (seventeen years ago) link
The lyric sites have this as "on a city street," but now I think I'm hearing "on a certain street," which makes a little more sense, since you can interpret the line as "Like [being in] a neighborhood, [like being] on a certain street..."
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 19:37 (seventeen years ago) link
But Jesus isn't just their Savior, he's their Bestest Friend!
― nameom (nameom), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 20:03 (seventeen years ago) link
The rhythm is pretty much in clave throughout. That is:
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/8482/clavesongc4.png
(Bo Diddley does a lot of variants on this, too, even though he's not Cuban.)
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 20:12 (seventeen years ago) link
― Grey, Ian (IanBrooklyn), Thursday, 19 October 2006 03:03 (seventeen years ago) link
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Thursday, 19 October 2006 20:53 (seventeen years ago) link
― nameom (nameom), Thursday, 19 October 2006 21:26 (seventeen years ago) link
I like it, but not as much as "Outside Looking In"
― Greg Fanoe (JustFanoe), Thursday, 19 October 2006 23:19 (seventeen years ago) link
― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Thursday, 19 October 2006 23:59 (seventeen years ago) link
Babelfish translation:
Composition: (Edson Carvalho [which according to Babelfish means "Oak"])
Crying the ice that you gave to me Finding that you already it forgot me I do not know if she was you or if I, girl, girl Were I you being with a sensation That I was the track and you, the airplane You it train and I it station, girl, girl I remember kisses, blues and poetry. The salt in the skin, you licked me and I said: "Oh baby, I love you" I remember the face that you made Will be that I remember what I did not exist? You he said: "Oh baby, I love you" Tô in the Bahia and tô feeling cold Beach tá full; in me all emptiness I tô for a wire, girl, girl Broke the rope, I look for to you until not being able more In the InterNet, bars, in periodicals. Trombar you is what I want more, girl, girl I remember kisses, blues and poetry the salt in the skin you licked me and I said: "Oh baby, I love you" I remember the face that you made, I I remember day and night, night and day You said: "Oh baby, I love you... Baby, I love you... Baby, I love you... I love you "
So...this is like conceptually halfway between M2M and tATu? With some Wreckers thrown in?
― nameom (nameom), Friday, 20 October 2006 00:51 (seventeen years ago) link
"Tem Dias (Que A Noite É Foda)" (more rockabilly, less fetching)
"Experimento". The new wave. Good tune.
The lipsynch.
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 20 October 2006 02:58 (seventeen years ago) link
OK. Question. If I'm writing a review for readers who don't know anything about ninths and subdominant chords and relative minors, is there any way to give them this information without boring them and getting in the way of everything else I want to say? Or even if the reader does know what those technical terms mean, does using them really communicated anything that's essential to what the song does? I made this the Song Of The Day over in the left column of my MySpace profile, and I left out the technicalities and just wrote this: "gentle and pensive, uses complex jazz chords, which don't turn this into 'smooth jazz' but rather keep the flow just unsettled enough so that it is flow, a quiet push in the music. This is the one soft song in a hundred that maintains its emotion throughout." Still might not mean a whole lot to people. I don't know.
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 20 October 2006 22:03 (seventeen years ago) link
I meant to write: "G (do), which is the ninth note in the F-minor chord."
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 20 October 2006 22:07 (seventeen years ago) link
― Grey, Ian (IanBrooklyn), Saturday, 21 October 2006 03:19 (seventeen years ago) link
― Grey, Ian (IanBrooklyn), Saturday, 21 October 2006 03:24 (seventeen years ago) link
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Saturday, 21 October 2006 12:06 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Saturday, 21 October 2006 12:54 (seventeen years ago) link
Also, I really really really really really need to tell someone how awesome '1980' by Pascal Obispo & Melissa Mars is. It's in the French charts too - again, not exactly teenagers, but she looks about half his age, so, y'know.
Soddit, while I'm at it - Najoua Belyzel's 'Je Ferme Les Yeux' is still bloody amazing. And she's possibly teenaged too. I bet she bloody isn't, but she's got better odds than Pascal Obispo.
So yeah, in summary - French chart-pop: not half bad, sometimes.
― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 21 October 2006 20:47 (seventeen years ago) link
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Sunday, 22 October 2006 10:53 (seventeen years ago) link
"This Christmas card is so contrivedA mannequin looks more aliveHaven't meant a word I've written hereThe page is full not one thing sincere"
It's the third line I'd not taken in, which changes the whole meaning for me. It's not a pre-printed card she's calling phony, but her own words.
(*I have no idea which voice is Aly's and which A.J.'s. In fact, looking at them in their videos I don't know who is who either, never having seen their respective TV shows. I suppose I should google their album cover; presumably, Aly'll be on the left and A.J. on the right.)
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Sunday, 22 October 2006 11:16 (seventeen years ago) link
The Teen Cultural Revolution
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Sunday, 22 October 2006 11:17 (seventeen years ago) link
2) Do any older-time listeners of Radio Disney know if Hoobastank or Maroon 5 got any plays on RD at the time?
3) I've been watching the WB Summerland lately which has implications on the teen singer/actor discussion thread above as it stars Jesse McCartney and Zac Efron, and also features Sara Paxton as a regular guest star. Zac and Sara were good as alyways, but I have to say I thought Jesse McCartney was surprisingly very good as an actor. Don't care for his singing though. I will probably post my full thoughts on my blog soon.
― Greg Fanoe (JustFanoe), Sunday, 22 October 2006 12:58 (seventeen years ago) link
― Greg Fanoe (JustFanoe), Sunday, 22 October 2006 13:07 (seventeen years ago) link
I saw them do "Chemicals React" on the Megan Mullally show, seemed like their voices were distinct (Aly's voice was stronger and less pinched), but on record it's not clear.
― nameom (nameom), Sunday, 22 October 2006 15:15 (seventeen years ago) link
― nameom (nameom), Sunday, 22 October 2006 15:23 (seventeen years ago) link
― nameom (nameom), Sunday, 22 October 2006 15:37 (seventeen years ago) link
"Silent Night"
"Joy to the World"
"Let It Snow"
"Deck the Halls"
Links for "Greatest Time of Year," "I'll Be Home for Chistmas," and "Not This Year" >here.
("Greatest Time of Year" and "Not This Year" are very good, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is pretty good, "Silent Night," is not so bad, the other three are adequate, I guess.)
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Sunday, 22 October 2006 20:35 (seventeen years ago) link
UK chart notes:
1. Meat Loaf & Marion Raven made the UK Top 10 this week. Quite possibly the last time Marion will ever reach such giddy heights over here, but you never know.
2. My Chemical Romance have the #1 single for second straight week (and the LP, released today, is sure to follow it to #1). MCR are pomp-emo but have a large teen girl following here judging by the crowd that attended their gigs in London (one of them a matinee!) a year or so ago.
― Jeff W (zebedee), Monday, 23 October 2006 10:06 (seventeen years ago) link
Aly of Phil of the Future adopted all sorts of crazy hairstyles, practically a new one every episode. But yeah, I agree that she looks best with just the normal straight hair.
― Greg Fanoe (JustFanoe), Monday, 23 October 2006 11:26 (seventeen years ago) link
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Monday, 23 October 2006 15:03 (seventeen years ago) link
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Monday, 23 October 2006 15:54 (seventeen years ago) link
― nameom (nameom), Monday, 23 October 2006 17:09 (seventeen years ago) link
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Monday, 23 October 2006 18:49 (seventeen years ago) link
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Monday, 23 October 2006 18:53 (seventeen years ago) link
Just checked out Matthew Gerrard's pre-Disney history, bass player before featuring on a Mandy Moore album and producing Eden's Crush (unknown early DioGuardi track on that one, not very good) and Nick Carter. But his breakthrough was Lizzie McGuire --> Hilary Duff. Otherwise he seems to be the producer equivalent of a Disney-bred star, doesn't stray too far.
― nameom (nameom), Monday, 23 October 2006 19:13 (seventeen years ago) link
― Jeff W (zebedee), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 10:35 (seventeen years ago) link
― nameom (nameom), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 21:53 (seventeen years ago) link
― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Thursday, 26 October 2006 03:37 (seventeen years ago) link
― Grey, Ian (IanBrooklyn), Thursday, 26 October 2006 05:15 (seventeen years ago) link
83% of you say Paris Hilton does not deserve to be a popstar.
Those who think Paris does deserve to be a popstar are less likely to have a problem with popstars miming, less likely to demand that popstars are interesting, and less likely to believe that popstars should be able to sing.
Almost half of you think Kylie should keep her hair short and that Girls Aloud are better than The Beatles.
17% of you want your popstars to be hairy, and 15% think that being able to sing is unimportant.
Only 3% of under-18s want a Spice Girls reunion.
44% of Lily Allen's MySpace friends think her next album will be shit.
Full report available there.
― nameom (nameom), Thursday, 26 October 2006 16:04 (seventeen years ago) link