Rolling Teenpop 2007 Thread

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And before someone rubs my nose in "Nothing in This World" (I can do what she can do so much better), I'd argue that the song is much more complex than that, as much about the longing as the boyfriend-stealing. Whereas you get everything you need to know in "motherfuckin' princess"...and she kinda spoils that one early, doesn't she? Megan McCauley lets the tension build a little before she shows her hand (and then she gets shy again in the next section, which does something similar to the Avril build-up with a harmony instead of a higher-pitched shout "maybe we could do something that sometimes leads to other things").

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Have you read this take on Paris yet? I don't think the album (after the first three tracks) is particularly ironic in the way you're suggesting (deja vu, think I said that last year, too), and that you have to project wink-wink into "Heartbeat" or "Screwed" or "Not Leaving without You" or even "Nothing in This World," in the same way I'm probably projecting humorlessness onto the new Avril (except I do think it's kinda one-note when it could be like one-and-a-half note).

But the palpable shift back to undergroundist values has been facilitated by the fact that overground pop is not coming up with the goods at the moment. Oh, you still get lone loonies claiming merit for Paris Hilton's CD while conscientious generalists urge us to check out modern country, but overall there's been a return to a default-mode rockism that prizes substance, complexity, edge.

-- Haikunym (zinogu...), February 7th, 2007. (later)

Et al. I could probably write a dozen more meanings. With Paris I feel like you get one or two. When you're lucky, two. You get the straight-forward meaning and the wink-wink. You don't get much emotion. You don't get much sincerity. (Even if it isn't ironic, though I believe it's very, very ironic music.) With Avril you get a whole range of meanings.

Upon reflection, I still like Katharine McPhee's "Over It" best, because it's going for a more wistful "I'm over the pain", while Tisdale and Pruitt are more confident and assured "I'm totally over this guy and will NEVER take him back" songs. A matter of preference I guess, but I like the melodrama of the former rather than the cattiness of the latter. Plus, McPhee has the music to back it up. It won't make my top 10 and probably won't make my top 20 singles of 2007, but it's probably one of my 5 favorite songs of 2007 released so far. (Umm, below "With Love" and "Catch You" and maybe one or two Tisdales).

I doubt it.

Avril's playing the cheerleader, inviting us to join her in her jump and stomp. A totally different feel.

Like Abby, I thought of "Hypocrite," since both "Girlfriend" and "Hypocrite" are power pop that's heard the Ramones. But Toni Basil's "Mickey" is "Girlfriend"'s obvious reference; deliberate, I presume.

The energy of "Girlfriend" is too much, too heavy (I had the same problem with Megan McCauley's "Tap That"). And overall, the track feels like a genre exercise. That may not ultimately be a flaw, but it puts me at a distance. What may save it for me is the prettiness of the harmonies. Chants usually aren't so pretty.

I'm trying to take in an awful lot of music right now; Ashley Tisdale's "Not Like That" seems the most comfortable in its bounce. Even though it's rock 'n' roll (or rock 'n' soul, since the rhythm feels a bit Holland Dozier Holland to me) rather than reggae, it has the same lift as "Pon De Replay," but attached to a bright bubble sound.

I sort of agree. What genre, though? "Exercise" is maybe the key term, anyway - I don't hear it as an inspired song in the least.

I do think the wit that Mordy sees in it is there, and the beauty in the harmonies that I perceive in it is there; but it's not taking me over the top. A good little song, though.

Seriously, though: And now I'm reading Avril's current song in the context of her last two albums - hasn't Avril always been the anti-Cheerleader? Sk8r Boi (or however you spell it), for instance. And I remember a Spin Magazine article that called her the anti-Britney. Is it the clapping that makes it fun sing-along? And it's fun for me, but I wouldn't say it's fun for Avril. There's a lot of tensions in the song. I think the sing-along part is just a smokescreen.

i find it bizarre to think that avril is MARRIED these days.

simon reynolds is insufferable, seriously. he only annoys me particularly because so many people i know and like still respect him from whatever good stuff he did fifteen years ago, but every word i've ever read by him has been smug, condescending, wrong-headed and completely phony.

i just heard the jessica simpson album which came out in the states last year - apart from 'a public affair' which is amazing, the rest is kind of...very bad. her voice really is peculiarly charmless and grating. also, she looks well rough on the cover.

overall, the track feels like a genre exercise

"Hi, we're Spinal Tap. Hope you like our new direction. This is JAZZ ODYSSEY"

It's funny how some acts carry more baggage than others. I too like the new Avril single, but knowing that it IS Avril means I'm asking myself: why this song, why now?

By contrast, all Girls Aloud singles are genre exercises in a way, but that's what I think a lot of people like about them. The only expectation of them is that they surprise us. I also remember a lot of poptimists - can't remember if Lex was one of them - saying the 2nd Rachel Stevens album was great because she was a blank canvas upon which producers could paint exciting ideas. (As it happens, I didn't agree with that take, but whatever.)

I thought the girls have split up, but then I saw that "walk this way" cover yesterday. so what's the deal?

i liked 'fired up' (storch!) and 'i don't want to care', but the former suffers from being an inferior version of paris's 'turn it up' (jessica even interpolates the melody of it) and the latter isn't quite as abject and nihilistic as it needs to be.

i really dislike everything else, the 80s production steez seems laid on a bit too thickly, she never convinces as a performer...as for the slightly mad country songs, it might be that i don't like country, but when she keeps yelling "yee-haw!" i just get this sense of TRYING TOO HARD.

(gave the album two stars in the end.)

Completely fail to see the appeal in this. Who freaking cares?

contra paris who IS the motherfucking princess and therefore doesn't need to say it - avril isn't any sort of proper princess, she's a punky brat who's staking an entirely illegitimate claim to princessdom (ie she is the kind of girl who says "motherfucking").

Is that Paris is the type of girl who says "motherfucking" (and more), and I don't see how her claim to princesshood is any more legitimate than Avril's. If anything, Avril's a better princess than Paris--she gets to spit on the paparazzi and then laugh about it, while Paris just thanks them for filling up her gas tank. (Plus they sell tiaras at Claire's now, and everybody's got a Balenciaga; "princess" as a female identity is commonplace; see My Super Sweet Sixteen for details.)

My favorite part of "Girlfriend" is the instrumental push at :09 and again at :21. The rest doesn't live up to that power for me. I can't feel her fully committing to anything within this track--the scrawly vocal is an affectation, and she doesn't seem entirely comfortable with the singsong and chanting, too halting or something. And the lyrics are dumber than usual ("she's like, so whatever"), to the point where this strikes me as a parody of...somebody. Not sure who. The opening shout and the instruments at :09 act like she's about to be a big deal, but they lie--she stays light and bratty through, vocally and lyrically.

Whatever. Now I'm just repeating myself.

I'm referring to her self-entitlement in the song. The fact that she's trying to steal someone's boyfriend. The very words: "I'm a motherfucking princess." Etc.

yeah, she's hanging out w/ the (can't quite make up her mind) the sk8er punks... unless it's the artsy fartsies she's hangin' out w/... or the singer-songwriters, the freaks, the quasi-intellectuals [it does get all mixed up].

But... OK, "Girlfriend" is generic "cheerleader" from 25 to 45 or 55 years ago; actual nowadays cheerleaders are going to be shakin' tushes to modern-day r&b. ("Girlfriend" draws on a long-ago r&b.)

(Hard to talk about being anti-mainstream when being anti-mainstream is so mainstream.)

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As for Avril, she's another teen-pop star I've never really got on board with, but I'm extremely surprised to find I may soon be changing my stance. What I don't understand is how she can sound younger and more fun now that she's grown up and married? Now she sounds about 12, like she's taken cues from Shebang, Kim-Lian, Shampoo or Blog 27! Certainly not what I expected from her new material. I don't know if any of you at all are familiar with Shebang, a female Swedish teen duo from a few years ago, but look them up if you like this. Romeo and Temple Of Love are amazing. How is she going to combine this with her new grown-up image? It's confusing but I'm not complaining. All singers should follow Avril in ditching all serious musicianship in favour of music aimed at the under-10s!

Damone - Out Here All Night
Young Love - Discotech (amazing song, surely has to be huge?)
The Hush Sound - Wine Red (old-ish but good)