Rolling Teenpop 2007 Thread

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My eighteen-year-old nephew is a huge fan of Rent, and my friend Naomi's daughter posted lyrics from it last year on her MySpace (at age eleven). So I think you're right about this (though again, the term teenpop is confusing - and I'm not even sure how much it's in use anymore - since it's been hijacked to mean not teenager pop but teenybopper pop).

Avril has two songs in the Top 50 right now. So does Fergie. So does Carrie Underwood - those being the first three who come to mind. There might be more.

― Frank Kogan, Monday, 19 March 2007 19:53 (seventeen years ago) link

is known for being the first female to grace the Billboard 100 chart with two songs simultaneously

I think what they mean (or what the writer or rewriter misread) was that Ashley had two songs to enter the Hot 100 simultaneously (i.e., in the same week). Those would be the two Sharpay-Ryan songs from High School Musical.

― Frank Kogan, Monday, 19 March 2007 20:19 (seventeen years ago) link

Is that claim true? Tisdale is the first female artist to have two songs to enter simultaneously? That always sounds really unlikely.

― Mordechai Shinefield, Monday, 19 March 2007 20:21 (seventeen years ago) link

Doesn't seem strange, actually, since it's extremely rare for two singles by the same act to be released simultaneously, and this was something specific to the High School Musical phenomenon, which saw five or so songs enter at once. My guess is the only time it's happened with male acts is, say - this is speculation - the Beatles hit on Ed Sullivan, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" hits along with the TV appearance, and then their old singles on other labels, which had done nothing previously, all come tumbling onto the charts at once. I don't know if this happened, but it seems like the type of extraordinary circumstance in which it could.

― Frank Kogan, Monday, 19 March 2007 21:00 (seventeen years ago) link

Is that claim true? Tisdale is the first female artist to have two songs to enter simultaneously? That always sounds really unlikely.

To clarify: Tisdale is the first female artist to have her FIRST two chart singles enter the chart simultaneously. Drew Seeley was the first artist to do the same (the prior week). Since then, I think Katharine McPhee did it. Hannah Montana/Miley had about 5 songs enter the chart at the same time, but since "Who Said" had entered the chart previously, these were not her FIRST two chart singles.

― Greg Fanoe, Monday, 19 March 2007 21:06 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost (lack of xpost notification on new ILX?)

― Greg Fanoe, Monday, 19 March 2007 21:06 (seventeen years ago) link

Actually, for all I know, Ashley WAS the first female artist to have two songs debut at the same time, but all I've seen reported is the thing about the first two singles debuting simultaneously.

― Greg Fanoe, Monday, 19 March 2007 21:09 (seventeen years ago) link

xp x 1,000,000

cuts selected for legitimate compilations

by which i mean tvt crunk-style comps (in this case their hyphy one) which generally seem to collect singles, to such a consistent extent that even though i can't substantiate that "stewy" and "go dumb" have ever been singles anywhere else i have to assume that they must be, or why are they here?

I've got a certain aversion to synthdance-oriented-rockpop these days

residual electroclash-overkill flashback, still. i should really get over it; it's been a long time, hasn't it? which is to say one of these days i'll no doubt realize what great bands the killers and klaxons and scissor sisters are, but not yet. i mean, i liked bands who sounded '80s new wave in, like 1995 or so. but by 2002 or whenever that was, it seemed like the dumbest cliche on earth. i have nothing against the sound per se. i'm just still sick of it, i guess.

Should be on its way to you by couriers

...who brought it today, as a matter of fact.

― xhuxk, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 01:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Hey Greg, re: your top 10 2007 so far list --
Wasn't Candyman released last year? Also, I wonder what you're hearing on "He Said She Said" that I'm missing. Sure, the video is cute. But as much as I want to like the song - and I really want to like it because I think Tisdale is great (like in HSM) - it seems so bland and formulaic. Formulaic isn't always a bad thing, but here I can barely make out the Tisdale in the song. It sounds like it could've been anyone singing it. Also - I agree with you about 'Babies' - it's not my number 1 quite, but it's totally bananas! (And thanks for pointing out Ellis-Bextor. It's a great song.) At some point this week I'll try to post my list - either here or on the blog.

― Mordechai Shinefield, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 05:58 (seventeen years ago) link

Also, Frank, I'd pick Tim McGraw over Teardrops on my Guitar. (I figure, since Tim McGraw didn't hit the charts till 2007, it's fair game.)

― Mordechai Shinefield, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 06:36 (seventeen years ago) link

Hey Greg, re: your top 10 2007 so far list --
Wasn't Candyman released last year?

That was my top ten, I think, and it hit as a single this year (and even if didn't, there are few things as annoying as folks getting all anal about "literal release dates" on top 10s, especially when it comes to singles. On the other hand, Lloyd is gaining on Christina and I'll doubt she make my list anyway. Though then again, the literal release date for "You" was last year too, right?)

― xhuxk, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 10:27 (seventeen years ago) link

Also, heh heh, "Tim McGraw" (which I prefer to "Teardrops on my Guitar," too, though the latter is growing on me) hit the charts in 2006, didn't it??

― xhuxk, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 10:28 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/43658

http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/magazine_121510.article.jpg

― lfam, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 15:09 (seventeen years ago) link

emo/screamo is teenpop now, right?

heard this band play on the radio this morning (Wine Red). Not bad, but they should cut the guy loose and just let the girl sing.

― milo z, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 19:53 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost See - I decided by that post that if we're gonna be totally fluid with release dates... I'd rather post Tim McGraw than Raindrops. But yeah, Chuck, heh. I'm totally busted.

― Mordechai Shinefield, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 19:58 (seventeen years ago) link

Mordy,

First, for the record here are my top 10 singles of the year so far. I don't think I posted this here yet, just on my blog.
1. Natasha Bedingfield - "I Wanna Have Your Babies"
2. Toby Keith - "High Maintenance Woman"
3. My Chemical Romance - "Famous Last Words"
4. Vanessa Hudgens - "Say OK"
5. Hilary Duff - "With Love"
6. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - "Catch You"
7. Ashley Tisdale - "He Said, She Said'
8. Christina Aguilera - "Candyman"
9. Katharine McPhee - "Over It"
10. Avril Lavigne - "Girlfriend"

Tisdale: First of all, please note that this song is not likely to make my top 20 or 30 singles of the year when the dust settles (probably will make top 50). It is generic, and there is almost no Tisdale in it. I think Tisdale, while a weak singer, can have a lot of charm as a singer (see: High School Musical, though her "Kiss The Girl" was way too sweet). Practically talking melody in the verses, on top of a fairly generic, but catchy R&B beat. The talking gives way to a really bouncy melody, hand clap percussion underlying it. Synthesizer strains build up the tension at the end of the pre-chorus, leading up to something big. Previously, we've just had one clear singer, but the chorus cuts out practically all the instrumentation except the percussion and underlies the vocals with harmonies and multiple vocal tracks, and slows it down. Rather than building up to a HUGE chorus (ala, say "Famous Last Words" or "Catch You") it takes a step back. I love the bouncy melody and the slowdown harmony chorus and the further slowdown harmony bridge. The vocals are nothing special and neither are the lyrics, which is what prevents it from going higher.

― Greg Fanoe, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 23:49 (seventeen years ago) link

OK, that out of the way

Hannah Montana's newest song is "Nobody's Perfect" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSLXHW4I3VU), and I have to say that I did not expect this at all. This would fit right on on Ashley Tisdale's album, and it's a lot more R&B-ish than any of her other songs. At the same time, it also rocks harder than any of her other songs. It's an attempt to take the normal Hannah template and inject different elements on top of it. The "everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days" part is just injected right into the middle of the song, it doesn't sound like it fits at all. This is way more out of the box than traditional Disney fare. OK, you might notice I haven't said anything about the quality of the song--I'm decidedly lukewarm on it (the melody doesn't seem to be to be anywhere near the best on her last album). If it represents Diz trying to expand the Hannah Montana sound though, I'm all for that. [Have been trying in vain to locate the songwriters on this.]

From Aly & AJ's website: "Aly & AJ are currently in the studio working on their third (and most powerful) album! Look for it in the Summer!" I wonder if by "most powerful" they mean musically or lyrically.

― Greg Fanoe, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 23:58 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah. I had seen your list on your blog. Ok - after American Idol tonight (Halley btw - wow!), I'm gonna write up my 2007-so-far list and throw it up here. But yeah, we're in agreement about Tisdale in that song - there's much less of her than in some of her other songs.

― Mordechai Shinefield, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 00:13 (seventeen years ago) link

I've posted my thoughts on American Idol on the AI thread, but I have to say that Jordin Sparks' "I Who Have Nothing" was amazing! One of my favorite Idol performances I've seen to date.

― Greg Fanoe, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 02:28 (seventeen years ago) link

Where's the American Idol thread? Anyway, my top 10 singles so far this year (in no particular order):

1. Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend
2. R Kelly - Flirt
3. Taylor Swift - Tim McGraw
4. Natasha Bedingfield - Babies
5. Fallout Boy - This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
6. The Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone
7. Lloyd ft. Lil Wayne - You
8. D.B.’z featuring E-40 – Stewy
9. Bright Eyes - Four Winds
10. The Stooges - Free and Freaky / The Stooges - My Idea of Fun

The normal all-over assortment of singles. No particular order, though some are more heavily weighted than others. I can't imagine Bright Eyes, Bedingfield, Lloyd, or Bright Eyes making it to the end. Also, if Spring Awakening OST had a single, it would certainly be on the list. Also, I like both Stooge's singles equally, though my preference is for "My Idea of Fun" slightly over "Free and Freaky" but not enough to not list both - also, I don't like either well enough to give them their own slot. Together they earn slot 10. Any other caveats... oh, yeah. Swift is the cheater listing, because it was a single in 2006 - but it didn't hit charts until 2007. So I'm counting it. Na-na-na-boo-boo.

― Mordechai Shinefield, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 03:02 (seventeen years ago) link

Ha. I listed Bright Eyes twice as not making it. I guess that makes it doubly-true. I actually meant to include the Klaxons in my list of songs I can't imagine making it - unless it really starts to grow on me more than it has already.

― Mordechai Shinefield, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 03:09 (seventeen years ago) link

Does anyone have a copy of Jordan Sparks singing "I Who Have Nothing?" I can't seem to dig one up.

― Mordechai Shinefield, Thursday, 22 March 2007 02:03 (seventeen years ago) link

Mordy,

You can always find the performances on Youtube (this one is here http://youtube.com/watch?v=OzkNMiKjrGU). Now you can download the studio versions and video clips (for pay) from the American Idol site too, if you so desire (http://downloads.americanidol.com/). As for some kind of mp3 for download, I cannot help there.

― Greg Fanoe, Thursday, 22 March 2007 03:01 (seventeen years ago) link

Mordy, "Tim McGraw" was all over the country charts in late 2006 (I was hearing it on country radio as early as October if not September) but didn't peak until January 2007, so you can always vote for it on the criterion of its "having its greatest impact" in 2007, though that might be a stretch. I voted for Aly & AJ's "Rush" for 2006, even though it already had over a month of Radio Disney airplay in late 2005; the vid and its presence beyond Radio Disney didn't happen until 2007, so that was one of my rationalizations for voting for it; also that it remained a dominant song on Disney for many months into 2006.

― Frank Kogan, Thursday, 22 March 2007 15:01 (seventeen years ago) link

American Idol Thread hiding over on I Love Everything. But if there are any exceptional performances feel free to link them here. Or talk all you want to about AI over here, I don't mind. I gave up on it several weeks ago, since I didn't think any of the singers was anything special, but Jordin doing "I Who Have Nothing" is nice - not close to being up there with Carrie covering Tiffany and sounding totally Carrie in doing so; but it was a good version of the song.

― Frank Kogan, Thursday, 22 March 2007 15:24 (seventeen years ago) link

Stream the new Hilary album. You might have to enter yr email address, but I'm pretty sure you can give 'em a fake one. Can't tell the sound quality at the moment cuz I'm not on my own computer.

― dabug, Thursday, 22 March 2007 23:58 (seventeen years ago) link

For idol performances, use rickey.org

― Tape Store, Friday, 23 March 2007 00:59 (seventeen years ago) link

Stream the new Hilary album.

They're streaming 24kb/s MP3s, so the sound quality's crummy. Fantastically rippable, though!

On first listen, I'm underwhelmed. Less than underwhelmed. The production starts out all 1997 and meanders back to 1985, and not in a good way.

― Nia, Friday, 23 March 2007 04:16 (seventeen years ago) link

The low-quality stream drove me away; all the bass was coming out cruddy and fuzz-toned (though I think Kara was going for a lot of fuzz-toned bass anyway). Problem is that I compare everything to "Come Clean." Can we rescue John Shanks from mediocre country and dull singer-songwriter adults and bring him back to teenpop?

― Frank Kogan, Friday, 23 March 2007 13:30 (seventeen years ago) link

so far this year I'm way more excited about my top 10 singles than my albums:

01 Grinderman – No Pussy Blues
02 Kleerup ft. Robyn – With Every Heartbeat
03 All Saints – Chick Fit
04 Linda Sundblad – Lose You
05 Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend
06 Natasha Bedingfield – I Wanna Have Your Babies
07 Bloc Party – I Still Remember
08 Katharine McPhee – Over It
09 Amerie – Take Control
10 Sarah Buxton – That Kind of Day

― JoshLove, Friday, 23 March 2007 15:21 (seventeen years ago) link

Only 2 albums this year that I've been excited about so far, Jordan Pruitt's No Ordinary Girl and Fall Out Boy's Infinity On High. Though I haven't listened to any of the indie-approved albums yet (!!!, Panda Bear, Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, etc.)

― Greg Fanoe, Friday, 23 March 2007 16:10 (seventeen years ago) link

strictly pop:

1. Be Good to Me- Ashley Tisdale
2. Over It- Jordan Pruitt
3. Girlfriend- Avril Lavigne
4. So Much for You- Ashley Tisdale
5. Goin Crazy- Ashley Tisdale
6. Cheat- Linda Sundblad
7. Headstrong- Ashley Tisdale
8. Over It- Ashley Tisdale
9. Lose You- Linda Sundblad
10. Oh Father- Linda Sundblad

Honorable mention- Catch You (S.E. Bextor), Over It (Mcphee)

I'm presuming sundblad's record is 2007. Also, R. Kelly's I'm a Flirt might be my favorite single of the year, but I tried to keep this list strictly teenpop/art-pop.

― Matt Armstrong, Friday, 23 March 2007 18:30 (seventeen years ago) link

Greg, Panda Bear = Joanna Newsom circa 2006 = Panda Bear circa 2005. Ie: Screechy annoying indie-kid rock. (And you can take that to the bank.)

― Mordechai Shinefield, Friday, 23 March 2007 19:07 (seventeen years ago) link

Jimmy Draper alerted me to this clip from Entertainment Weekly:

Mr. Simpson tells us Ashlee, Chad [Hugo, of Neptunes], and Kenna were in the studio writing songs earlier this month, and that she's also working with Timbaland, John Legend, and Tim Rice-Oxley of Brit sensations Keane, who teamed up with Gwen Stefani on ''Lonely Winter,'' one of the strongest, most reflective tracks on her recent Sweet Escape album. The bigger shocker? Ashlee's also reportedly collaborating with Robert Smith. Yes, as in the legendary frontman of Alternative Nation icons the Cure. Could their mutual buddy, Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, be the connection? When asked by our west-coast counterpart Shirley Halperin, Wentz demurred. ''I doubt I had anything to do with it, 'cause they were friends since she was performing in Chicago [in London last year]. But I definitely only have good things to say about Ash - I think the collaboration could be great!'' Indeed; whatever these two Lovecats come up with, it's bound to be interesting!

― Frank Kogan, Friday, 23 March 2007 20:30 (seventeen years ago) link

Am liking a lot of what's on this cdbaby CD by Bahaman girl singer Tada. So far, I prefer her in what I'm defining as Lady Sovereign/M.I.A/Lily Allen mode ("OK" and "Tada") and lover's rock mode ("Footprints in the Sand") to her still nonetheless pretty good Rhianna/r&b mode ("Dangerous," though Rhianna is probably not the right reference point -- definitely a Caribbean lilt to the r&b though, so what the heck). The rest of the CD isn't bad, either:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/tada2

― xhuxk, Saturday, 24 March 2007 22:03 (seventeen years ago) link

Can we talk about Esmee Denters?

― Tantrum The Cat, Sunday, 25 March 2007 03:46 (seventeen years ago) link

If we know something about her we can.

(OK, just checked her MySpace. She likes Alicia Keyes, who's a good singer to like but not necessarily to emulate, since Alicia is one of the rare recent soulish singers whose soulfulness hasn't turned into dreariness. Would Esmée's being Dutch protect her from being surrounded by overreverence towards the form? I wouldn't know.)

― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 25 March 2007 21:56 (seventeen years ago) link

Loose ends:

According to Great American Country, Taylor Swift's "Tim McGraw" first hit the country top 40 the week of July 20, 2006.

Other recent singles I'm liking a whole lot: Shaggy "Church Heathen," Ashley Tisdale "Be Good To Me," Silversun Pickups "Lazy Eye," Kleerup f. Robyn "With Every Heartbeat," Thierry Amiel "Coeur Sacre," Calvin Harris "Acceptable In The '80s," Lil Mama "Lip Gloss," Redman "Put It Down," Magnus Carlsson "Live Forever," Mims "This Is Why I'm Hot," Trick Daddy f. Baby "Tuck Ya Ice," D4L "Tatted Up," Modest Mouse "Dashboard," Birdman "I Know What I'm Doing," Stephanie McIntosh "So Do I Say Sorry First?," Miranda Lambert "Famous In A Small Town."

I wouldn't say that many of these are close to teenpop (Tisdale and McIntosh for sure, Lil Mama and Kleerup if you want to count them (why not?), maybe D4L if you want to count snap as bubblegum). I once said that with a better rhythm section and better singers, Sonic Youth's "She's In A Bad Mood" could be a Fleetwood Mac song. Silversun Pickups' "Lazy Eye" might be what I had in mind. Thierry Amiel's "Coeur Sacre" seems to be French sentimental balladeering that interpolates the riff from ATC's great great great Eurodisco hit "Around The World" into its chorus without changing its French-song character except by getting prettier.

Most of the Tada tracks seem likable but in-one-ear-and-out-the-other; the one that stands out a bit is the self-titled "Tada," which, as Xhuxk says, has Lady Sov tendencies.

― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 25 March 2007 23:03 (seventeen years ago) link

I'm intrigued by Esmee's backstory - multiple Dutch TV appearances & a writeup in
Billboard, all on the strength of her Youtube videos. I'd like to see her get signed, as she definitely has a voice, is cute as a button, and judging from her vlog clips (in which she speaks alarmingly good English), she seems like a genuinely nice kid.

― Tantrum The Cat, Sunday, 25 March 2007 23:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Thierry Amiel's "Coeur Sacre" seems to be French sentimental balladeering that interpolates the riff from ATC's great great great Eurodisco hit "Around The World" into its chorus without changing its French-song character except by getting prettier.

Listening to this right now off the myspace - fantastic! In addition to what you mentioned, I'm also hearing shades of Technique-era New Order.

More about Esmee Denters here.

― Tantrum The Cat, Sunday, 25 March 2007 23:14 (seventeen years ago) link

By March 6, she went again to the United States, for writing songs and maybe signing a record deal. She is reported to have signed a deal with songwriter Billy Mann and to have been in the studio with Kelly Rowland.

Billy Mann was one of the writers on the most recent Pink album.

― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 25 March 2007 23:21 (seventeen years ago) link

Something might actually happen, then.

― Tantrum The Cat, Sunday, 25 March 2007 23:35 (seventeen years ago) link

My take on Good Charlotte got posted. Hopefully this explains why I find them intolerably misogynistic better.

― Mordechai Shinefield, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 19:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Good Charlotte's "Keep Your Hands Off My Girl" has a scraping, grinding, gargling sound that's strong and unexpected. Haven't made my way to figuring out what the lyrics are about yet, whether or not misogyny is in the house. Also, think that the track would be more powerful still with some rolling funk embedded in it.

― Frank Kogan, Thursday, 29 March 2007 03:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Hilary Duff's new album is pretty great in my opinion. Lots of cool tracks, "Outside Of You" is getting thrown on repeat a lot.

― r.h., Thursday, 29 March 2007 04:01 (seventeen years ago) link

Ross falls in love with Marit Larsen

Kevin Elliott interviews her in Stylus

I think the most important thing I learned is that when you’re standing on that stage and you’re so alone and so naked, it doesn’t matter that the producer was so stubborn or the record company wanted it to be this way or that way, because all the audience sees is you. They’re going think that it’s your opinion, your choices in melodies, and if it sucks it sucks. People won’t buy it.

― Frank Kogan, Thursday, 29 March 2007 05:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Not sure what to make off the Duff one's new album after first listen. It may end up being in my mind a record with a large number of great "moments within songs" (e.g. the 'Pick it up, pick it up' chant in "Dignity" and the (slightly wtf) 'Were you born in 74?' line in "Danger", the skipped beats in ... whichever song that was) but no outstanding songs as such.

― Jeff W, Thursday, 29 March 2007 13:19 (seventeen years ago) link

P!nk appears to have co-written "Outside Of You" by the way.

― Jeff W, Thursday, 29 March 2007 13:22 (seventeen years ago) link

Avril Lavigne, The Manga

― Groke, Thursday, 29 March 2007 16:53 (seventeen years ago) link

Liking H-Duff more with more listens..."Dignity" should be irking me with its message (I think) but it's a really good song and I don't care so much. And the lyrics aren't as in-yr-face as "Stupid Girls." (Hilary's kind of pissin' in the wind here, trying to position herself in opposition to Lindsay et al -- er, basically just Britney at this point, right? -- like she's got something to prove to somebody...but who's she appealing to, Disney censors? They're barely pushin' "With Love" as it is).

"Gypsy Woman" is great! Would be my favorite if I liked the song as much as the idea of the song...very WTF. Melodic turn-the-can-and-it-moos (or maybe the electronic Baby Jesus on that old SNL commercial) and some snatch of dialogue bookending it and...um, "gypsy" as dark mysterious femme fatale. In 2007. On an American teenpop album. This is like Ch!pz territory. "She can swallow knives/She can swallow lives/Golden black stare/But the night of your demise"...She's "bringing down the family name"(!)

Nice hiccuping track after that, "Never Stop," rollicking, bounds along and threatens to go over the top into a total cartoon but unfortunately doesn't. Hilary's not cool, which is one thing that makes (can make) her music so great (nerdy android trying really hard and sometimes succeeding to move you).

"Outside of You" is kind of Rachel Stevens hard strut til the chorus when it gets about as close as she comes to a confessionalish chorus, nice balance of old with new. Liking the album a lot more. "With Love" is actually kinda weak compared to a few of these. Hard to take the whole album all at once, though...which is actually kinda how I felt about Come and Get It when I first heard it, I guess. Like eating a whole cake (except this cake's not as good). Generally I wish Hilary was as goofy as some of the scenery, though, or did something interesting with surrounding goofiness, like Margaret Berger in "Robot Song."

― dabug, Friday, 30 March 2007 00:00 (seventeen years ago) link

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