Rolling Teenpop 2007 Thread

2. Re: Michelle Branch - Any teenpop thread opinions on Ms. Branch? I, for one, have always found her inconsistent and have never been a big fan of any of her albums. But, she does have a great knack for kicking out some truly lovely singles (e.g. "All You Wanted", "Breathe", "Everywhere"). "Everywhere" is quite possibly my very favorite single of the decade to this point; it's in a cluster of about 5 or 6 songs that would have a reasonable claim to that title.

Carrie Underwood (American Idol = teenpop automatically, right?) scores the Number 5 single with "Before He Cheats" (shoulda been #1!) and scores as the #3 female vocalist and (incorrectly) as the #3 new artist. Kellie Pickler is the #7 new artist. And there've been plenty of country-folk trying out on American Idol this year too, so...

(Many Xhuxk thoughts on Taylor Swift over on rolling country.)

let's just end with the song of the day for December 6, 2006, Taylor Swift's "Tim McGraw." The subject matter's been run into the ground (memories of first love, coming of age), but her words are exceptionally precise and evocative - no line in particular, just the way the details pile up: little black dress, box hidden under her bed, etc. "September saw a month of tears/And thanking God that you weren't here/To see me like that." Very skillful, makes not-quite-in-the-vernacular phrasing ("saw a month of tears") feel normal in context (ditto for "the moon like a spotlight on the lake"). She's canny in balancing wistfulness and self-assertion. She hopes that when the boy thinks of Tim McGraw he thinks of her favorite song. She leaves a letter on his doorstep to make sure he does.

let's just end with the song of the day for December 19, 2006, Taylor Swift's "Tim McGraw," which I already did a couple of weeks ago, but the song keeps getting richer and richer the more I hear it. She uses the word "bittersweet," and she's not kidding. The first time she sings the chorus, "When you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think my favorite song," it means "I hope you have warm memories of me," but by song's end it also means "I hope I haunt you, fucker, the way you haunted me. Sincerely, your discarded girlfriend, Taylor." It doesn't abandon the first meaning, just layers another one on top.

But this is what I wrote on a comments thread in my livejournal:

Best new lyrics I heard all year, I think. They balance so perfectly that anything I say probably overstates the mood one way or another; but in the first chorus when she goes "When you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think my favorite song" it's simply sweet, but by the third chorus those words carry hurt and bitterness and a whole expanse of sadness, and a hint of aggression, as well (as if to say, "may that song haunt you," though that overstates it) - while retaining the sweetness.

let's just end with the song of the day for December 16, 2006, the Wreckers' "Stand Still, Look Pretty." "You might think it's easy being me/Just stand still, look pretty," sing a couple of gorgeous exteenpoppers. With looks like that they don't know if they have a right to their distress, but they're falling apart anyway. Interesting premise, which they don't take anywhere, so the lyrics feel whiny and empty. But with a quiet rasp in the voice and with the melody hanging around an irresolute "mi" note, the sound delivers some of the sadness that the words aren't up to.

(You can find my MySpace blog here.)

I read this as saying that with Mia Rose, even with Paris Hilton, the critique isn't of the music, but rather of the perceived inauthenticity. I definitely hear in arguments against Paris this assumption that the performance "will be at fault in other ways," even if the Critic can't point out what ways those will be. Obviously this differs from legitimate critiques, in that its merely the assumption of flaw, not the actual perception of it. So Mia Rose isn't who she says she is, so there must be something wrong with what's she doing. She isn't exactly who she purports to be (ie: the cute, young, charismatic girl unattached to corporation who inspired a following on YouTube) because she actually is attached to a corporation. So throwing that image into question assumes there is something wrong across the board. Even if you can't put your finger on it.

Obviously this isn't a justifaction of the critique, but rather an explanation of where it comes from. I'd still much rather hear someone speak directly to the music.

Possibly the most Cougaresque song on Taylor Swift's album (also my favorite at the moment, and the hardest rocking track I've taken note of so far, and a great revenge song, and maybe a good dance song too) is "Picture to Burn," where she lights things (namely a photo of her ex I guess) on fire. So it's her "Kerosene," obviously. And its arson sounded especially swell this morning in the random CD changer, seque-ing straight into Lily Allen telling some club dude "If you play with fire you're gonna get burned" in her probably most blatant disco homage (even though its beat always reminds me of "Abracadabra" by Steve Miller) "Friday Night." (And the melody in her "Littlest Things" sounds exactly like Michael Jackson's "Human Nature," by the way; not sure whether anybody on either side of the pond has noticed that before.) Also, oh yeah, most risque moment on Taylor's album I've noticed so far is the one in "Our Song" where she says "He's got one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on my....[notable pause]...heart." Charlie Feathers ("One Hand Loose") would be proud. (And oh yeah, she doesn't keep him out past curfew per se' in that song, it turns out; he's just talking slow to her on the phone 'cause it's late and his mama don't know. Pretty sexy.)
-- xhuxk (fakemai...), January 25th, 2007.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

...though sometimes that line doesn't hit me as particularly sexy or risque (or especially paused) at all--just, um, regular. (even more regular but sometimes seemingly more so is the line in that other song where she says she's "never been on the outside." could mean a lot, if outside of society is where she wants to be. but i'm hardly convinced it is. apparently it's just {"just"} a breakup song.)
most country tune on lily allen's CD is seemingly "alfie," a sweet slowish one with alpine polka oompah beat. right now it reminds me of abba (who had verging-on-country moments themselves, of course.)

-- xhuxk (fakemai...), January 26th, 2007.

Unless the most country tune [on lily allen's album] is "Knock 'Em Out," with its blatant Professor Longhair second-line Mardi Gras piano rolls at the start. (Has anybody pointed that out? It's really cool. And for that matter has anybody pointed out that the Lady Sovereign album has a track that sounds like classic Les Rita Mitsouko? I haven't been paying attention to the discussion, which always seems to devolve into dumb horseshit about how "real" such artists are. What about their music?)

-- xhuxk (fakemai...), January 27th, 2007.

God I love "Picture To Burn" by Taylor Swift so much. What a catchy, rocking song. It sounds a lot like some other bubble-country gal hit from the past couple years, but I can't place it: Jessica Andrews? Cyndi Thompson? Meredith Edwards? Or maybe Rebbeca Lynn Howard, "Pink Flamingo Kind of Love" or something? One of those people, I think. (Which reminds me, I keep meaning to research this: Did Alecia Elliott ever make a whole album, or just her great "I'm Diggin' It" single? I should just look it up, but I'm lazy today.)

-- xhuxk (fakemai...), January 27th, 2007.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(and a couple other cool things about "picture to burn" are taylor's "burn baby burn" disco inferno section and that out-of-nowhere mandolin-or-whatever break toward the end, which recalls the fiddles coming out of nowhere in britney's wacky hoedown-crunk ying yang twins collaboration "i've got that boom boom" a few years back.)
-- xhuxk (fakemai...), January 27th, 2007.

picture to burn really pisses me off, because it does that whole gay as threatening to masculinity libel thing, i mean its a cute song, but that one line really ruins ti for
-- pinkmoose (anthony.easto...), January 28th, 2007.

The line in "Picture To Burn" Anthony's referring to, which I hadn't noticed because I rarely read lyric sheets unless somebody is holding a pistol to my head (since it's cheating, see) (or I'm just lazy, same difference) and I was busu getting off on the great fast rhythmic rush of words in that first verse instead, is: "State the obvious, I didn't get my perfect fantasy/I realize you love yourself more than you could ever love me/So go and tell your friends that I'm obsessive and crazy/That's fine, I'll tell mine you're gay." Which is...interesting. And may well be libel (well, if he wasn't gay, that is) (sung it'd be slander, but we're talking about a lyric sheet here remember.) Yet I'm not entirely convinced it challenges his masculinity. Off the bat, it reminds me of Tony Basil's "Mickey" or Josie Cotton's "Johnny Are You Queer." I'll have to ponder it some more before I decide if I'm offended.

-- xhuxk (fakemai...), January 28th, 2007.

Taylor Swift album sounds great. Apparently Frank wasn't fibbing. So far my favorite is the song where she keeps a boy out past curfew.

-- xhuxk (fakemai...), January 21st, 2007.

So I assume Frank or Jon Caramanica or somebody must have pointed this out sometime when I wasn't really paying close attention, but it's totally ingenious how the first and last songs on Taylor Swift's albums are actually about themselves, to wit:
"When you think 'Tim McGraw,' I hope you think my favorite song" (from "Tim McGraw")

"I grabbed a pen and an old napkin and I wrote down...'Our Song'"
(from "Our Song").

Is that a historical first?

"A Place in the World" is the most shemo-teenpop-sounding Swift song I've noticed so far, and also my least favorite (though it's fine, really, just not one of her best). "Should've Said No"/"Mary's Song (Oh My My My)"/"Our Song" at the end of the album totally kill.

-- xhuxk (fakemai...), January 22nd, 2007

A little late, but I just remembered an anecdote about J-Lo being the only person ever besides the queen to (demand to) be driven up right next to the BBC building so she wouldn't have to walk to the door.

But it's not like she's a Lily Allen clawing out the fellow's eyes. She's coming across as young and vulnerable, more sad than bitter - deeply sad when she's sad, but also bright and alive, ready for what's next.

Am I reading this correctly?

From the Interview with Linda if you can get past the interviewer.

Other fun facts:

"I was an albino when I was a child. ...Sometimes I look like a [Swedish word for "sausage with dots on it"]."

Last name pronounced "SOOND-blod," not "Sun Blade."

Interviewer's never heard of Max Martin when he plays "Bimbo." (Radio Dude: "So he's the talent behind Kelly Clarkson?" Linda: "Well, yes." ....grrrrr)

"The teenagers are mostly girls...I get messages like 'I listened to your song and now I don't want to kill myself,' you know, really deep things. Over 25, they're mostly men."

"Most of [the album] I've been writin' with a Swedish guy called Tobias...he took me here in his car." (No more info on Tobias, darn.)

"I like to tease people a little bit. I don't want to say 'fuck you' -- I just did it -- I just want to...tease people a little bit. P!nk is doing it good."

Linda: "I'm not saying I don't drink, I'm not an angel all the time...but the world is so fucked up today."
Dude: "Paris Hilton's got an album! That's how fucked up the world is!"
Linda: "That's fucked up. That's fucked up. I have to say though, she's kinda funny. I mean, she's makin' it! That's crazy."
Dude: "For it to be successful, I'm like does anyone in the world have a fuckin' brain?"

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

I definitely like the first McPhee single, "Over It," the "Too Little Too Late" soundalike that's written by Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg, and Ruth-Anne Cunningham, who wrote "Too Little Too Late." Again, McPhee's anonymity pulls the song down (compared to "Too Little Too Late"), though I wouldn't call JoJo so unanonymous herself; but JoJo's song has more ache when it's aching and more zing when it's piercing.

Also like the penned-by-Kara-DioGuardi-all-by-her-lonesome "Home" ("Home" and "Over It" were two of those first four tracks that had misled me into getting excited about the McPhee album.) It does sound very DioGuardi, like Platinum Weird's "Mississippi Valentine"; is a show melody that has swells and troughs but doesn't make you seasick; warm-glowing-sunset piano-n-strings, gratitude in the lyrics, a trace of sadness that's in the melody but not in the words - well, the sadness is suggested by the words: what she's found with the guy is something she'd never found before, implying a lot of sadness in earlier pre-wonderful-guy times. "It's hard to see beautiful, oh it's hard to see beautiful in your own eyes, but you make me beautiful for the very first time." That's very skillful, three different bits of information with the three different "beautifuls," and if it's sappy I don't mind the sappiness - except that this theme was done ten times more effectively on Ashlee's "Pieces Of Me," with pacing and detail and drama and convincing wonder (he puts up with my shit and then he patiently brings me to orgasm!), not to mention the wonderful juxtaposition of fading out at the start and fading into his arms at the end. And though McPhee's singing is flawless and doesn't have Kara's sometimes irritating overclomp, it's still missing whatever it is that McPhee seems to be missing. I wouldn't mind this on the radio but won't find myself compulsively listening for it.

I do like the second "a" in Katharine.

Dave, more Mad Doll (or MaD DoLL, whatever) here. Skip the intro and click the music link.

Q: In what ways are you similar or different to your character, Sharpay?
A: I am not as sarcastic or a diva.

But what a talker!

Interestingly, as far as I can tell, there's nothing "inauthentic" about Paris Hilton - at least not in relation to the album; she's never made claims for herself or for the album that are untrue. But I do get the sense that the haters want to challenge her authenticity, even while having no idea what they might mean by "authenticity."

(Why I prefer the word "real" to the word "authentic": For some reason, in using the former term, people are less likely to evade their adjectival responsibility to say what "real" modifies. They're more likely to say "she's not a real _____.")

Ashley Tisdale's album is streamed at the AOL Listening Party for free. I am listening to it now, will report back on my thoughts after I'm done.

4 new songs from Jordan Pruitt's album are available for play at the myspace for Levosia Entertainment:

"Waiting for You" is a slow tempo acoustic number, more along the lines of "Outside Looking In", except way more boring. Jordan needs some lovin!

"Waiting for the Weekend" is the Target bonus track. Disneyfied R&B lite, consistent with her most recent songs. With a slight Cheetah-esque latin flair though, in the guitar sound, percussion, and horns. Like "Waiting for You" very yawn-worthy.

"Miss Popularity" is the best of the four. Lite-R&B again, but a nice melody. Lyrics talking about a popular girl, not much going on there. But a catchy tune. Probably the second best Jordan track I've heard, behind "Outside Looking In"

Finally, "Over It" is acoustic guitar based kiddie R&B as well, with some orchestral swells, etc. Very generic.

I'm getting less and less excited about this album the more time goes by.

Er, "you can be blunt." (No, she hasn't gone gangsta.)

Bonus ranking of 2007 teenpop "Over It"s

1. Katharine McPhee
2. Ashley Tisdale
3. Jordan Pruitt

I liked "Miss Popularity" as well, but it didn't make me hit replay immediately like "Over It" did.

I took Greg's word for it on the other two Pruitt songs (or rather, I'll wait for the CD to hear them).

A little underwhelmed by Ashley Tisdale, but the first few songs are really great! The first one, "So Much for You," might be my favorite. The ballads are awful, especially "Love Me for Me" which just goes to show that Ashlee could kick Ashley's ass. (Which one of these did Kara write?) I think it peters out around the sorta Lou Bega-sounding one, "Not Like That," which is a "jealous, bitch?" track with no teeth. So Paris could kick her ass, too. "Over It" is closest to bubble-Britney (haven't heard the other "Over It"s but I really like this one), but, yeah, Britney could kick her ass. And Lindsay'd kick her ass on principle for being such a goody goody. She's older than LL, too! That might make her the first Disney star to successfully and uneventfully weather the over-21 transition by default.

Ha.

(Allmusic.com doesn't list full writers credits and I'm not having much luck with Google, but Shelly Peiken (!) wrote or cowrote the boring "We'll Be Together," and Kara cowrote the likable "Be Good To Me." Need to learn more about J.R. Rotem, who keeps showing up on songs I like, this time "He Said, She Said." My favorite is "Not Like That," with Tisdale as cowriter, but I can't get any other credits. Storch is a producer on at least one track, my guess either "Be Good To Me" or "Not Like That." The Matrix did the pretty good "So Much For You." As for Diane Warren...)

So Ashley kicks Buster Poindexter's ass.

Tisdale is my favorite thing on the Suite Life of Zach + Cody, cause I can't stand those twins.

Strongly agree (though I like Brenda Song a lot too). In fact, I don't think there are any current Disney shows that I really enjoy. Hannah Montana the best, but still below the level of Disney's best work.

Yes, and it's therefore a conflicted song, since musically it's fundamentally a club track, it's there for struttin' and bumpin' and showing off, especially those gorgeous bouncing chorus beats: "All the girls in the club got their eyes on me/I can tell by their look that they want to be/be HOT HOT HOT like that/But it's NOT NOT no it's NOT like that."

But it is like that, of course, 'cause she is hot like that, even if she then claims that she's not that girl and it's not her world.

Wonder why she/they think there's a conflict between being the same blood and bone as everyone else and being hot and special.

I could accuse her of bad faith, trying to have her glamour and shun it too, but I think the track makes a case for both sides of her conflict, and she sounds good doing it.

so even if they are completely detached from the process, they are still living and dying by it.

But I think Ashley and Paris (sitcom?) will both do OK whether or not their albums succeed. The stakes are actually quite low for them! Ashley has a giant cross-platform safety net and Paris has being Paris, which is a 24/7 kinda job.

It's incredible - like she's finally ditched all the precious: I'm a little punk rocker - in favor of a much more teenpop approach to relationships. So where Sk8tr Boi was about how her relationships weren't conventional (they had emancipated themselves from the highschool set and were touring professionally) this is set in the standard context of boyfriend -girlfriends. But in doing so, it's the most punk song I've ever heard her sing. It reminds me of Blondie in terms of investing the mundane with attitude.

"Hey, hey, you, you, I don't like your girlfriend. Hey, hey, you, you, I think you need a new one," is far more aggressive. In contrast to Sk8r, where she steals the boy away from his old girlfriend is completely overlooking in favor of the larger tension (he's great, and you missed your chance), here she's actively stealing him. And the opening: Hey, hey, you, you, is almost like a faster: "Ai, Oh, Let's go," without the beat between the noise ("Hey" "Oh") and the narrative ("You, you" "Let's go"). So she's editing out the Ramone's pause in favor of thrusting herself forward. There's huge amounts of pose in here - down to the hand-clapping, which almost sounds as though she applauding herself as she sings. Or maybe even the Stones, singing: "Hey, hey, you, you get off of my cloud," which is probably the more obvious touchstone. Which is perfect! Because she's aggressively pulling you in like the Stone's song chases you away. It's the same attitude, but used to different means.

"Ok fine I want you mine you're so delicious. I think about you all the time you're so addictive. Don't you know what I can do to make you feel alright? (Alright, alright, alright)" Combining the speedy breathlessness of the first two statements, which the echoing 'alright' of the third, it's as though Avril is coming overwhelming the target (and us) by pounding us over and over with the Possibility of Her. By the time it gets to "alright, alright, alright," it sounds like we're responding to the song ourself (also through Avril's voice) agreeing to her. She's puppeting both the predator and the prey - so that she never has to fail.

And then the song launches into the greatest thing I've heard - certainly this year and possibly last as well. "Don't pretend I think you know I'm damn precious / And hell yeah, I'm the motherfucking princess / I can tell you like me too and you know I'm right. (alright, alright, alright)" She simultaneously needs this guy, and doesn't need him at all. She's fine without him - sneering: "You know I'm damn precious." - but she's only saying it because it'll let her get him. And when she sings "I'm the motherfucking princess," she completely slays the entire Paris Hilton album. Just the implicit contradiction of using the word "motherfucking" while describing herself as a "princess" is completely honest, jarring, confusing, and refreshing. It means that a "princess" can use the word "motherfucking." It also means she has a sense of humor about being a "princess." It also means that she's a "princess" /because/ she uses words like "motherfucking," which makes her "precious" which she also understands.

This is thus far my favorite song of 2007. And I predict it'll be in the top 5 if not at the top 1 by the end of the year. I can't imagine anything displacing it. It's much better than the Veronica's 4eva - which was near the top of my list last year.

Just the amount packed into those lines in terms of language V. action, and how pop music mitigates that divide - blows me completely away. I'm smitten.