Britney Spears - Blackout

No Timbaland? Who's going to do the "baby girl" parts then?

I like "Heaven on Earth"

"Get Naked (I Got a Plan)" is a monster club jam -- it almost sounds like a remix of "Gimme More"

In general though MATT DC OTM about the electrosquelch sound seeming a little 2002. Even if I do like that sound. They all sound like Ewan Pearson has already remixed them.

'toy soldier' is kinda ok with its jaxxy ways

and a well deployed trite pharrell song for a change

otherwise charmless

you are mad this whole album is great.

the album is totally mediocre

Blackout: The Ys of the New Era

HAHAHA

I'm really liking what I'm hearing, but I just really wish that wasn't the actual album cover what with the pink flamingo skirt and Croc Dundee hat. Of course the outfit does seem a perfect depiction of the train wreck that her life is portrayed as. To be honest, I'm really pretty amazed she was able to get in the studio and get something this impressive put together in what was seemingly a pretty short time. Should I not believe the press that all she really does is drink Sbux, be a bad mama, shave her head, drive poorly, and flash her cooch?

The album is her most consistent yet, but there's no real high point, and the sounds/beats are a bit too consistent throughout. I really love Get Naked (I Got A Plan). I suppose the darker, grittier sound is a reflection of her growth as an artist/person (hold your laughter, etc) but I miss unapologetically poppy Britney...Brave New Girl, Cinderella, Bombastic Love. And where's the requisite terrible ballad? That Neptunes song will have to do, I suppose.

Overview and some inside stuff

The problem with this is that, bar a couple of tracks, it's all too fucking mid-paced.

it is a bit too consistent but i still really enjoy the sound. and i feel it's a grower, the textures sink in more with listens. that heaven song is greattt

Surmounter, "Perfect Lover," c'mon, boy!

YES, i actually think i might have meant that one --

AWESOME.

weirdly enough, there's a certain Cardigans vibe that comes through no? i mean, not in a bad way at ALL

:)

No, but "Heaven on Earth" is awesome, too. So you're right on both accounts.

u know, i knew Perfect Lover was great the 1st time, but when i heard it the second time i really got it

Yes, exactly.

"Heaven on Earth" sounds vaguely Beatles-y (obvious Moroder references aside).

The real question here is... where is Tim Finney? Tim Finney to thread.

true nuf

I was thinking I hadn't seen Tim lately.

This is indeed amazing. I mean, it's Britney Fucking Spears! and this is still an excellent pop album! Just as great as Annie, Kylie or Bertine at their best really. What happened? I mean, if there is somebody I didn't expect this from, it's her. And particularly not in the light of recent new stories.

Now, the two most positive surprises of the year have been from Britney Spears and Babyshambles. Does this mean we'll see a classic and absolutely flawless pop album from Amy Winehouse before Christmas then?

isnt tim touring europe or something

Is anyone else having difficulty pinning down how much of this is actually Britney singing? There are a host of 'backing singers' credited on the record, including Robyn. Which is weird because before I found this out I'd already been thinking bits of it sounded like Robyn's kind of enunciation, albeit heavily treated - Piece of Me for example.

Maybe it's because I can't quite see Britney managing to spend much time in the studio this year, but I can't shake the feeling of listening to a collage of different, robotised female voices with Britney as the 'face'.

Not that it matters really, as the end product is cracking. Finally clicked with me on the way home yesterday and now I love it.

Is a good album really a surprise? With the exception of her first album, her albums have all been solid.

The first two I would rather consider the most decent ones. The next two were awful "contemporary R&B" crap.

But, really, Britney is whatever her producer/songwriters turn her into, as she herself has no other talent than looks and temptation.
Max Martin was obv. way better than Neptunes, but the people she is working with now seems to know good music better than any of the people she has ever worked with in the past.

how are the melodies?

I was listening to "Piece of Me" earlier today and thinking that it could totally fit on that Felix Da Housecat's Devin Dazzle album.

I am back in Australia :-( but haven't heard this album yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlbLdTxSkV8

This is kind of bizarre.

A Danja Hands produced Britney track, with a very Dubstep sounding wobble.

It makes my head hurt.

Why does this exist?

Robyn is on this album???????

I did find this -

"I've been approached about writing a new song for Britney and I'm cool with that. I've written for her before but it only got to the recording stages, so doing it again would be a good move for me. I'd like to think I could help." -- Robyn

i wonder where this album's silk-pursers were in 06's great paris hilton wars. seems like everything goes out the window when eurodisco is involved.

(ok yes i did personally just get a deckchair, keep shtoom and watch the lex get flayed alive but the album was okay and better than this on pretty much every level including "interesting" or whatever it is floating people's dismal little boats here)

oh sorry i forgot about the stupid robot voice treatment on every track, my bad

Don't know how it compares to the stuff that, like, actually made the album, but "A Song About You" is very nice in a wispy, Janet-esque hyperballad kind of way (that's totally not her singing in the intro though). From what I've read I imagine the album isn't like that at all though.

Actually it's not that good. I got momentarily excited by the resurrection of one of my favourite pop styles.

i will say tho (again) that in terms of assessing the current timbahandz dynasty danja coming out as some sort of glamly perverse rocky horror ringmaster is kinda remarkable! hi dere son of green velvet

Haha this is a million miles better than the Paris album you are on crack.

not today i'm not! how shall we break this down? deliciously ironical lyricky self awareness? 'stars are blind', 'fighting over me', 'screwed'. blithely wealthy industry appropriation of modern musical trends? 'turn it up', turn you on'. fuck you world and you yes you in particular? 'jealousy'. all britney has over paris is a vague hazy rage and people's insane lust for electro-toss and hacky robodiva crit; paris only covered 'do you think i'm sexy' once, not 12 times.

whh-tshh!

haha note to self only think whh-tshh next time do not type

In fairness, electro-toss and hacky robodiva crit is 90% of the reason I prefer this to the Paris record.

Also do the whh-tshh again.

whh-NO I WILL NOT BE EXECUTIVE PRODUCED DAMN YOU PAPARAZZO

Someday, a real rain's gonna come and wash all this bullshit away.

I'm imagining the marketing team standing in the studio and looking at Britney passed out in one corner, saying "So, guys, what are we going to call this record?"

lol

after listening to freakshow and gimme more... doesn't every britney song follow the same formula?? the only difference with these songs is that britney is trying to be darker and more in tune with music trends of recent times (the hiphop beats remind me of every other song).