Rolling Teenpop 2007 Thread

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Extending on previous post, I should say, that cynically implies that Linsday's music career exists solely as a PR thing. Which, sadly, at this point we at least have to consider that it is. Not that it's not good, because it is.

With Aly & AJ, I see it going in the other direction. As time goes on, I think they will start to incorporate more humor, lightness, and fun into their music, and phase out the acting. Which is a damned shame because Aly is a really great actress.

― Greg Fanoe (JustFanoe), Thursday, 25 January 2007 02:48 (6 years ago) Permalink

In what? "Phil of the Future"? That Disney Channel movie where the girls are rich chicks who have to work on the family dairy farm? She shows no kind of depth, whereas LL was really good in movies a couple of years ago.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Thursday, 25 January 2007 02:51 (6 years ago) Permalink

Oh, I definitely agree that Lindsay is better as a serious actress. Cow Belles is an abomination. But, in my opinion, Alyson IS excellent in Phil of the Future. Just so funny and cute. No depth, of course, but the role doesn't require it. Just as a reminder to those who don't know, I loved all the Disney shows before I ever liked teen pop so I definitely come in from the TV/movie perspective. Anyways, I've loved Aly for her work on the show well before I heard Aly & AJ. And Lindsay's really great at the cute, funny roles too!

But maybe I didn't make my point very well which is that since Aly has more depth as a musician she's probably going to drop acting and since Lindsay has more depth as an actress she'll probably drop the music. Not that they aren't both good at acting and singing.

― Greg Fanoe (JustFanoe), Thursday, 25 January 2007 03:20 (6 years ago) Permalink

Frank, yeah, I think I was thinking of your comment on "have you thrown a wish into the ocean..." from last year's thread. (What is it you don't like about that, anyway? You've only said that you don't.)

I'm wondering if part of the problem with Kara is that she has no identity, not as a a celebrity, not as an artist, not as a person. When Ashlee sings "I was stuck inside someone else's life and always second best," we can fill in the blank with the idea of Ashlee--black-sheep little sister, desperate to be seen and heard, because we've been sold that image alongside the songs. When Kara sings "so many nights I've heard you talk in delight about the promised land," we're left with the blank, because what is Kara beyond the song? You said it right there in your Voice review--there's no story to connect to.

Now, when you find out that Kara was raised by a religious, right-wing Republican congressman, does it make "Avalanche" any better? Or at least give it the possibility of being better? I think it does. We've both brought up "Crying at the Disco" as one of the better songs--is it maybe because it's so clearly tied to who Kara is? Maybe what Kara needs is not someone to turn her words and sounds into her words and sounds, but just a her to begin with.

Of course, at a certain point the music needs to speak for itself, and I do think Ashlee's music is more successful in establishing an actual identity--the story of that girl. But I don't think I would understand just how deeply Ashlee is (or wants to be seen as) that girl from the music alone. And then again, Ashlee is the focus of Ashlee's music, whereas Kara is ostensibly not the focus of PW's, so I'm not sure how much we can/should ask for PW's music to have a coherent personal identity.

Anyway, back to replying to your actual post: I don't know if I'd say Ashlee's a better singer. More distinctive, yes, and more contained (in a good way). Same goes for Lindsay and, to a lesser extent, Kelly Clarkson. But there are times when Ashlee sounds like she's struggling to sing bigger (the end of "Say Goodbye"), to the detriment of the song, and I don't think any of Kara's proteges are capable of, say, the eye-rolling sarcasm of "Is it finally gettin' to ya? Hallelujah!"

I do understand the disappointment with the PW album. I love "La La" about as much as you love Autobiography, and there is no "La La" on this album. But I do think it accomplishes more than you give it credit for, and I'd love to change your mind.

― Nia (girlboymusic), Thursday, 25 January 2007 05:52 (6 years ago) Permalink

xpost

"Take seriously" and "earnest" are becoming bizarre, shifting code words on this thread, and I'm not following. I take Lindsay's singing (and what I've seen of her acting) seriously. And I think she's a lot of fun. I take fun seriously.

Lindsay brings lots of humor and enthusiasm to her singing, when she wants to. Talked about this last year here (scroll down to the third entry) and here and here, and talked about her acting here.

Comic acting is just as rich as dramatic acting; in fact, I doubt that there's much difference, since in good comedies the actors are playing it straight - the characters don't know that they're being funny - and allowing the situations to provide the humor. And in Herbie: Fully Loaded, the scenes between Lindsay Lohan and Michael Keaton (playing her dad) are played absolutely seriously, somberly, even, and they have to be or else there's no way to care about the rest of the movie (both she and her dad are undercutting her calling as a stock-car driver, and you have to believe in their reasons and their uncertainty or else there's nothing emotional at stake, and therefore no exhilaration or release provided when the film gets funny).

Saw one episode of "Phil Of The Future," Aly Michalka was on for maybe two minutes total, and she was absolutely incandescent.

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Thursday, 25 January 2007 06:26 (6 years ago) Permalink

(Nia, may not be able to answer you in a timely fashion. But I won't forget to.)

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Thursday, 25 January 2007 06:44 (6 years ago) Permalink

Where's Chris Hansen when you need him?

― Jack Cole (jackcole), Thursday, 25 January 2007 06:49 (6 years ago) Permalink

I place a far higher premium on comedic than dramatic acting. And you just can't teach a person timing.

When I first saw Freaky Friday, I knew basically nothing about Lohan. Half way through the movie, I was sold--this girl was often wiping the floor with Jamie Lee Curtis, whose no slouch, and doing a better Jamie Lee than Jamie Lee did a Lohan.

Her pratfalls in Mean Girls were brilliant--her delivery of the voice-overs uniquely droll.

The only problem with her in A Prairie Home Companion was that every single person aroud her was at least 30 years older--how could she not seem out of place? And even then, she fully ehld her own against the vets---I got this real sense of her existing within this very well-thought-out chracter space of her own, no small feat considering, again, the competition.

in Bobby--a dire film in every other way--she was the sole element of stillness, of, again, being in that space, that person's skin.

I completely agree with Frank with the Foster/Silence thing. If she gets her shit together, I see no reason for her not to emerge from the teen thing just as Jamie Lee emerged from the slasher queen thing as a highly credible actor.

― Grey, Ian (IanBrooklyn), Thursday, 25 January 2007 07:33 (6 years ago) Permalink

(sorry about typing...long day)

― Grey, Ian (IanBrooklyn), Thursday, 25 January 2007 07:34 (6 years ago) Permalink

(And that sounded like I was relegating teenpop to a lower realm--which isn't what I intended.)

― Grey, Ian (IanBrooklyn), Thursday, 25 January 2007 08:16 (6 years ago) Permalink

Either because of, responsible for, or coincidental to watching American Idol last night - I appear to have gotten sick (symptoms: feverish, stomach, etc). I would like to retroactively excuse any comments I made earlier using this brand new ailment.

On that note: I love Lohan's acting. And Frank, I think words like "sincere" or "earnest" or "authentic," when taken with acting, are absolutely absurd. They condescend to the actress (whether it's Lohan or Ali), assuming that her persona is far less fluid than a "real" "talented" actress. Which relates to Lohan's music career too. If an established actor/actress released a poor album (or a poorly received album), we'd feel comfortable saying that they made a misstep - or that the album is far weaker than their acting. But if Lohan is really an overarching persona, and not an actress, than we can't separate the music from the acting.

On that note: I found Lohan's singing unremarkable and unnecessary. I also found her acting excellent, and enjoyed watching every movie she's appeared in that I've had the opportunity to watch. And I don't feel one feeling necessarily has anything to do with the other.

Now I'm gonna go lie down in the bathroom and moan pitifully. This again has little to do with my enjoyment of Lohan's performances - except in the extant that I may even now be delusional. But that's a bad road to go down.

― Mordechai Shinefield (Mordy), Thursday, 25 January 2007 11:21 (6 years ago) Permalink

The thing about Aly vs. Lohan as actresses is that they both have just an incredible screen presence. Nothing you can teach there, but they both just absolutely light up the screen when they are on there. I tend to focus on the good of actresses (and music too) when I can. OK, maybe Aly has shown no depth (and who knows, maybe she's a killer dramatic actress) but she's so incredibly great at what she has done that it's good enough for me. All I was saying is that it'd be a shame if she let that go. And I hope nobody thinks I was condescending to them, I consider both of them to be among the truly great actresses of the 00s.

I take Lindsay's music seriously too (whatever we want to mean by "take seriously"), I just get the distinct impression that she doesn't seem to care about it too much one way or the other. And unless she shows that she genuinely wants it and she's willing to work her butt off for it, it'll never succeed. That's how JLo successfully made the switch.

― Greg Fanoe (JustFanoe), Thursday, 25 January 2007 13:12 (6 years ago) Permalink

I take Lindsay's singing (and what I've seen of her acting) seriously. And I think she's a lot of fun. I take fun seriously.

For what it's worth, what I was trying to say before (even though what actually I wrote made no sense -- hopefully the change clarifies it) was that very few people do either of these things with Lindsay. They don't take Lindsay's singing or acting seriously (like in the review I linked; it's not so much that Lindsay's a bad actress, but that she doesn't deserve to be considered as an actress at all!) but they also take her, Lindsay the celebrity, VERY seriously, arms crossed, and they don't assume that she's funny or smart or self-aware enough not to be completely literal in, say, "Rumors." Or a magazine interview. "Confessions" is different, but it also isn't a representative example of her music and still needs to be understood in the context of her other work (and, like Lex said, the fact that the tabloid stuff was part of that context in this case can complicate reception of it, too).

― nameom (nameom), Thursday, 25 January 2007 13:27 (6 years ago) Permalink

Heh, relevant to this, Lohan is nominated for a Razzie (the anti-Oscars that go to the worst of the year in film) for worst acress of the year for Just My Luck, which I've never seen. People don't take Lindsay the actress seriously because they don't take comedies and teen movies seriously. They don't take her as a singer seriously because she doesn't seem to take it seriously herself.

― Greg Fanoe (JustFanoe), Thursday, 25 January 2007 13:33 (6 years ago) Permalink

haha, i know what you're saying, but this is ironic because lindsay's vocal srategy is heavily earnest, even when she's being funny - on the second album it's heavily cathartic and, as she tells us, RAW. (more playful on the first album.) whereas j-lo's vocals are the epitome of botherd-about-this can-we-hurry-up-my-car-is-waiting detachment. (both are v good at what they do.)

they also take her, Lindsay the celebrity, VERY seriously

people have odd attitudes towards celebrity - it seems to be treated in common parlance as some sort of prize, which one has to prove oneself for, by either obvious hard graft or obvious talent, and people like lindsay lohan, paris hilton, and jade goody (recently-disgraced-due-to-vile-bullying-and-racism uk reality tv star) are castigated by somehow being celebrities while sailing merrily and uncaringly through a series of parties and public appearances.

("singing teenpop songs" never seems to equate to "obvious talent" unless the singer has xtina-level pipes; lohan's acting DOES but she doesn't do enough of it) (i cannot believe i have yet to see mean girls)

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Thursday, 25 January 2007 13:36 (6 years ago) Permalink

(oh, and the seriously in "VERY seriously" above is not the same as "taking her seriously," hence more confusion! More like...arms-crossedly. Judgmentally.)

― nameom (nameom), Thursday, 25 January 2007 14:04 (6 years ago) Permalink

I just think "Phil of the Future" is a bad show, and I find Aly M.'s farce-based mugging in it to be kind of adorable, because she looks like a cute teenage Muppet, but ultimately nothing special. I might be prejudiced against it because I'm so sick of that show argh kids put it on all the time that caveman character is annoying I hate the fake-Moby teacher Disney on while I'm trying to get someone to set the damn table I'm in the kitchen slaving away after a long day of work and I have to see Ricky Ullman doing that one thing again blah. I like Pim though.

And, for me, LL has only had three and a half good roles. (Granted, I haven't seen A Prairie Home Companion yet.)

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Thursday, 25 January 2007 14:31 (6 years ago) Permalink

3 and 1/2 good roles before you're 18 is pretty goood, no?

Just My Luck was awful--the screenplay was the culprit. But even then, Lohan totally, almos recklessly, invested herself in it.

It was rather charming when she went on jay Leno and did everything she could do NOT to talk about it--her whole vibe screamed 'contractual obligation' and 'God, thos ine sucked'.

― Grey, Ian (IanBrooklyn), Thursday, 25 January 2007 17:35 (6 years ago) Permalink

Posted these last year on the Rolling 2006 U.S. Charts thread, putting them here basically for my own convenience: The links take you to the Mediabase airplay charts covering the previous seven days.

country

country w/ recurrents

mainstream top 40

mainstream top 40 w/ recurrents

Christian AC

Christian AC w/ recurrents

mainstream urban

mainstream urban w/ recurrents

alternative

alternative w/ recurrents

AC overall

AC overall w/ recurrents

CHR/pop (These are now labeled "Top 40" and are basically the same as the "mainstream top 40 lists," which are also labeled "Top 40" but have slightly different totals)

CHR/pop w/ recurrents(ditto)

CHR Rhythmic

CHR Rhythmic w/ recurrents

active rock

active rock w/ recurrents

Limitations of these numbers: Obviously, they only take into account stations that report to Mediabase, and the rankings are based on total plays without regard to the size of the listenership or what time of day a song is played (though info on that is included in the chart).

The basic Mediabase URL is http://w2.mediabase.com/mmrweb/AllAccess.

For KDIS in Los Angeles, click on "7-Day Reports," click on "Station Playlists," tick "Station" rather than "Market," then type in "KDIS" and hit "Go," then click on "7-Day Playlist" on the right. Radio Disney has 51 affiliates, I think, so multiply each song's number by 51 to get national plays.

If you want to know whois playing a song, find it on some list and then click on the song. For instance, if you go to the "mainstream top 40" list you see that Avril Lavigne's "Keep Holding On" is 25th with 2,134 plays. If you click on "Keep Holding On," you get a list of the 50 stations in the genre ("mainstream top 40") that are playing it the most. She's doing pretty well in Salt Lake City, Raleigh, and Wilkes-Barre. (If you want to see who's playing her in different formats, choose another format.)

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Thursday, 25 January 2007 18:31 (6 years ago) Permalink

but they also take her, Lindsay the celebrity, VERY seriously, arms crossed

"Celebrity" being a modern-day analogue to what "juvenile delinquent" was in the the '50s, perhaps? (E.g., mainstream culture didn't take rock 'n' roll seriously as music but did take it seriously as a potential cause of vandalism and crime. And now pop - with the aid of reality TV - is a potential cause of celebrity.)

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Thursday, 25 January 2007 18:47 (6 years ago) Permalink

(But if you click on the blue headers, Mediabase will reorder by that category: e.g., if you click on the blue "aud/mill" at the top left of the top 40 chart, you'll see that Rihanna's "Break It Off," while only eighth in total plays, is fourth in total listeners.)

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Thursday, 25 January 2007 18:58 (6 years ago) Permalink

top right of the top 40 chart, that is

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Thursday, 25 January 2007 18:59 (6 years ago) Permalink

(And Mediabase's home page seems to be down at the moment, so I can't find my way to KDIS.)

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Thursday, 25 January 2007 19:06 (6 years ago) Permalink

ah 'break it off' is wonderful!

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Thursday, 25 January 2007 19:08 (6 years ago) Permalink

(If you go to www.allaccess.com, you get a lot of the same info that you get from the Mediabase site, since All Access and Mediabase are affiliated. You have to register (which is free) to use the site's search engine, which'll take you to KDIS, but a lot of other info is available even if you don't log in. Two new songs in the KDIS top 50: Kyle Massey's "Rollin' To D.C." with 18 plays, and Vanessa Hudgens' "Say OK" with 16 plays. Corbin Bleu's "Push It To The Limit" is number one with 79 plays. Avril Lavigne's "Keep Holdin' On" is a weak 28th, with 23 plays.)

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Thursday, 25 January 2007 19:23 (6 years ago) Permalink

"Say OK" is probably going to go #1 on RD. They were going to put it in the mailbag for about two seconds and then replaced with that Everlife song. But they probably realized that Hollywood-Vanessa doesn't need as much help as Hollywood-Everlife (Vannessa's going top 3 in daily voting, should be in the top 10 this week or next).

― nameom (nameom), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:29 (6 years ago) Permalink

"Celebrity" being a modern-day analogue to what "juvenile delinquent" was in the the '50s, perhaps?

Forget where it was (Poptimists?) but there was a discussion about artists coding male/female, and about the new crop of emo rock stars trying to have it both ways (or something)...anyway, I think the idea was floated, or at least I took from it, that Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton were the only two unapologetic rock stars to make any kind of impact in 2006 (Lindsay maybe tail-end of '05?), with Britney on the back-burner since it's been a while since she recorded anything.

― nameom (nameom), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:32 (6 years ago) Permalink

Lindsay Lohan made an impact on rock music in 2006? That album totally didn't register on me.

― Mordechai Shinefield (Mordy), Friday, 26 January 2007 01:36 (6 years ago) Permalink

I guess I just mean acting like a rock star in public (Paris didn't do so hot with, like album sales). Maybe Britney's not on the back burner at all as far as that goes. One question is what exactly I'm getting at when I use ROCK STAR to describe them. A certain brazenness, a way elevating one's personality to a defiant sort of iconic status (I'm not saying the artists necessarily construct their image as this -- more of a combination of presentation/construction and shared reception), the rebel star. Most male performers I can think of that try to do this are too ironic or too arty or too...dorky. Or trying too hard.

― nameom (nameom), Friday, 26 January 2007 02:14 (6 years ago) Permalink

But according to certain experts,* Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan are the very definition of trying too damn hard to be ROCK STARS.

*Me.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 26 January 2007 02:26 (6 years ago) Permalink

I think Paris and, to a lesser extent, Lindsay are iconic for sure--but I don't think that alone qualifies them as rock stars. The thing about rock icons, Mick Jagger or Debbie Harry or whoever, is that they either present an image of not wanting to present an image ("They're genuine!"), or if they do want to present an image, it's as negative an image as possible.

Paris and Lindsay are too apologetic. Rock stars don't play dumb and then insist they're smart, or confess to eating disorders and then take it all back. Britney comes closest to the kind of iconic, defiant rock stardom you're talking about, Dave, in that she seems to really not give a shit.

― Nia (girlboymusic), Friday, 26 January 2007 03:33 (6 years ago) Permalink

Rock stars can be apologetic, or play the dumb/smart game, or anything they want to -- if and only if they make rock music that a lot of people want to hear. Paris does pop music, and people don't want to hear LL do that thing where she screams a couple times during a pop ballad and thinks she's rocking. Britney Spears is not a rock star just because she flashes some cooch. (She has also apologized and promised to turn over a new leaf, or at least buy some underwear.)

Not that I really value the rock star archetype. I'm just saying. I'm also saying that I have erred by helping to prolong a discussion that is way past its sell-by date.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 26 January 2007 03:44 (6 years ago) Permalink

Wait, are talking rock star as in rock musician, or rock star as in rock persona? Because I believe that's what Dave was getting at--Paris and Lindsay were brought up as the only performers who behave a certain way, not the only performers who make a certain kind of music. (Which, again, I disagree, but still.)

Who are these "people" who don't want to Lindsay do that thing? Somebody bought her album. I'd also argue that plenty of people don't want to hear Mick Jagger, either--is that relevant to whether or not he's a rock icon?

Britney's apology was not really an apology. "Ha ha, sorry I didn't wear panties, y'all! But seriously, I'm just gonna go fuckin' crazy for a while. Laterz."

― Nia (girlboymusic), Friday, 26 January 2007 04:17 (6 years ago) Permalink

...don't want to hear Lindsay do that thing, is what I meant to type.

― Nia (girlboymusic), Friday, 26 January 2007 04:19 (6 years ago) Permalink

1. I know what Dave's point was but I reserve my right to recontextualize it by taking it at face value, god damn it. And I think they're acting like Brat Packers instead of Rock Stars anyway. They don't tour, they don't have to go to shitholes in Flyoverland, they aren't struggling with their muses. They're just airing their ladybits and talking shit about Scarlett Johannson. Hell, even I could do that, if I had ladybits.

2. What was more popular, dance-pop Lohan or emo Lohan, is my point.

3. Check the record, yo. Just neglecting your children doesn't make you Courtney Love.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 26 January 2007 04:49 (6 years ago) Permalink

Teenpop != Rock Star? Or can they both exist simultaneously?

― Mordechai Shinefield (Mordy), Friday, 26 January 2007 05:02 (6 years ago) Permalink

rockstars: David Cassidy, Young Michael Jackson, Avril Lavigne.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 26 January 2007 05:04 (6 years ago) Permalink

Also - what does it mean if Lohan has a 'Rock Star' persona or not. This might be way New Critical of me - but shouldn't the album *also* have to stand on its own? You can ask if the pose is on the songs, I guess.

― Mordechai Shinefield (Mordy), Friday, 26 January 2007 05:05 (6 years ago) Permalink

I think what I might also be asking is: What does 'rock star' mean, and what's its value for understanding the music?

― Mordechai Shinefield (Mordy), Friday, 26 January 2007 05:06 (6 years ago) Permalink

1. Point taken.

2. So if she's not popular when acting rock-y, she's not actually acting rock-y? Also, if you close your eyes, people can't see you. It's true!

3. Yeah, but neglecting your kids and getting lots of plastic surgery does. Dropping a baby is TOTALLY rock-n-roll, dude!

― Nia (girlboymusic), Friday, 26 January 2007 05:16 (6 years ago) Permalink

Meng are endangered species in pop

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 26 January 2007 06:24 (6 years ago) Permalink

Nia I think you are on the verge of making some good points but you are not reading me very carefully on point #2 so I am giving up.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 26 January 2007 12:04 (6 years ago) Permalink

Previous reports were false: the new Hilary Duff album will be called...DIGNITY.

― nameom (nameom), Friday, 26 January 2007 18:11 (6 years ago) Permalink

Razzies noms:

Vying with Stone for Worst Actress will be repeat offender Jessica Simpson (nominated this year for EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH), teen-idol (and terrible role model) Lindsay Lohan in JUST MY LUCK, newcomer Kristanna Loken in BLOODRAYNE and spelling-challenged risible siblings Hilary and Haylie Duff in MATERIALS GIRLS.

― nameom (nameom), Friday, 26 January 2007 18:15 (6 years ago) Permalink

Has anyone heard Youtube girl Mia Rose?

What I heard, I liked. Though I'm not sure what makes her special -- didn't we also make the Arctic Monkeys famous? Or is Youtube more special than Myspace?

― Mordechai Shinefield (Mordy), Friday, 26 January 2007 19:15 (6 years ago) Permalink

Ouch. I botched that link.

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/01/25/youtube-phenom-mia-rose-has-her-thorns/

― Mordechai Shinefield (Mordy), Friday, 26 January 2007 19:15 (6 years ago) Permalink

Mandy Barry, a talent whom Dave Bedbug found on MySpace: best tracks are the third ("bonus snippet) and the fourth, "No More," which she lets you download. Pinkish voice, an r&b bruise in it, she'll sometimes use rock instrumentation but always keeps the vocals rhythm & bruise. Unnecessarily tangles herself up in fire metaphors: "I've been put through the fire/To the point that I'm tired" (which seems an odd use of the metaphor, finding fire tiring)(unless you're a professional firefighter); she's been burned; and the love is ashes, no more flames (but didn't we establish that the flames were exhausting anyway?). But that's little matter (she can always hire a lyricist). The fuzz guitars and bruised voices push back and forth at each other, an insistent rhythm of weariness and defiance.

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Saturday, 27 January 2007 00:45 (6 years ago) Permalink

Mia Rose's persona is cheery and giggly (I go more for Ava Gardner in Mogambo, the wisecracking sharpie with a lot going on inside), but cheery and giggly can be art, and is a reasonable choice. I mean, it takes all types, and I don't find her offensive. As for the music, the soft voice at the end is the best part; she's too bright-voiced earlier, but she can work on that. Or maybe she wants to be bright-voiced. If I were an investor I wouldn't sink money into her, because I don't think she's good enough, but what do I know? (Rest of the online discussion, which I got bored with and only skimmed, was about whether her name's a fake, whether YouTube viewing figures were being manipulated, if they are, whether this undercuts YouTube and the Net [why would it?], whether she's real, etc.)

The Stone writeup on Mia Rose is coyer and more irritating than she is, but in a dull journalistic way that tries to hide its tracks. "In the last few weeks, vlogs from Mia Rose, a disturbingly well-packaged 18-year-old singer-songwriter, have become some of the most-viewed videos on YouTube. Rose is a well-scrubbed but coy girl-next-door with decent guitar skills, a welcome-to-Hollywood worthy voice and a knack for bearing her midriff without seeming trashy (harder than it looks)." "Obviously this girl is manipulating the YouTube system for her own gain, but is there anything wrong with that?" Well, Elizabeth, I don't know, you're the one who called her "disturbingly well-packaged." Why don't you tell us why you think there's something wrong with it, rather than suggesting that there is and then covering your ass by rhetorically implying there isn't, and not giving a single reason one way or another? "And what do you think of the tunes?" Well, Elizabeth, what do you think of them? Pretend social analysis, pretending to rise above the slime sell while being a dull little slime sell all its own. Journalism seems full of this.

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Saturday, 27 January 2007 01:29 (6 years ago) Permalink

Linda Sundblad's excellent "Lose You" has jumped to number two in Sweden. Linda was formerly in unheard-by-me Lambretta. In her previous single, "Oh Father," she asks God if the fact that she touches herself means she won't get to heaven. In this one, she's found a guy who is heaven, makes everything steamy and nice; from this she knows she'll lose him. I also recommend "Cheat," which seems to endorse the right to be murdered for infidelity.

(Writers of "Lose You" are Linda Sundblad, Tobias Karlsson, Alexander Kronlund, Klas Åhlund, the last of whom is in Teddybears STHLM and produced a lot of the most recent Robyn album. Producer of "Lose You" is Tobias Karlsson.)

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Saturday, 27 January 2007 23:09 (6 years ago) Permalink

Thanks, Frank. That was definitely my reaction to the RS piece too. "Disturbingly well-packaged..." What exactly makes being well-packaged disturbing?

Anyway, I enjoyed a couple of the songs that were posted, and didn't like a few others. I think there is definitely something charismatic about the girl - very sincere. And part of why her music is interesting is because of that personality. And I think that her circumventing of the traditional artist/audience divide (which isn't unique, but nonetheless) is very charming. Though I think the question of "is she for real?" is important, just not for the reasons that RS states. I think it's important because a lot of her appeal is her authenticity - not because it's undermining expectations if she's not. (And if it turns out she's not 'real,' whatever that means, she'll be interesting for that reason instead.)

― Mordechai Shinefield (Mordy), Sunday, 28 January 2007 00:13 (6 years ago) Permalink

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