Rolling Teenpop 2006 Thread

I don't really know what in Evanescence other than the opening to "Bring Me to Life" sounds like "Fly," which generally flies to undark regions.

Let the rain fall down and wake my dreams
Let it wash away my sanity
'Cause I wanna feel the thunder, I wanna scream
Let the rain fall down, I'm coming clean

However, the remix of "Come Clean" on Most Wanted does have a short break that vocodorizes the vocal and moves into a techno pound-pound-pound that could propel you into the dark romantic sublime if that's what you are absolutely set on. It functions similarly to ye olde Yardbirds rave-up or a James Brown gospel vamp. (This, in fact, is what a lot of techno is shooting for.)

So, anyway, for the time being (until someone thinks of a better term), I'm thinking of calling "Hear Me" and ilk "secular goth," the word "secular" not just meaning without religion but also without all the mists and shadows and bright-side/dark-side salvation angst. Or, more accurately, the shadows and bright-vs-dark salvation angst is appropriated by pop romance for its s/he-loves-me, s/he-loves-me-not, I-am-free, I-am-trapped stories. Musically the "dark" chord intervals and progressions are less prominent but still there.

(Avril's "Naked," by the way, is another song in which the music isn't quite willing to listen to the lyrics, which are about finally getting someone to love and trust. The sound won't altogether let go of its menace.)

(Jeez, I'm just losing it as a proofreader.)

>Lots of catchy tough glammy post-Runaways girl rock songs on the *Rollergirls* soundtrack (apparently there's a TV show, though I never heard of it since I never watch TV except *Everybody Hates Chris* these days) - the obvious Donnas, but also gals I never heard of called Angie Heaton ("Rollerskate," copyright 1988), The Addictions ("Rollergirl," copyright 2004) and the Sweethearts ("Never Give Up," copyright 2004.) Also some good country and disco stuff.

(george explains the TV show on the metal thread, if you're interested)

And 'Break Me Shake Me' was the underrated gem of that album!

I might buy a Savage Garden comp!

Rolling World Music 2006 Thread

I dunno. I am kind of liking "Animal Song" (especially its Diddley/glitter drum rumble start) and "Love Can Move You" (fast beautiful high-register electro disco building momentum toward rock and at least partially about New York) and maybe "Affirmation" (long list of stuff they say they believe in though they're probably lying about a lot of them) and "Hold Me"s boy-band prettiness and the funk and Jesus references and Calvin Klein Obsession references and train rhythms on some of the other B-sides on this new best of. Seems like a smartly chosen selection, and in general I'd forgotten how weird these guys' words could be. I'll always have a sentimental attachment to the debut, but if Anthony's gotta buy one or the other, I can't swear that the best-of wouldn't be the better long-term investment. (Debut's more *manageable* at 11 songs not 17, though, and it's got their best ones.)

So...

With a name as common as Dan James googling didn't get me anywhere immediately, though I may try again when I have more time. Googling Leah Haywood, however, I got a young Australian singer who hit in 2001 in the Antipodes with a dance pop album, some of which had input from the Cheiron Swedes, some of which was recorded in Los Angeles, little of which sold in the States. I don't know if this is the same woman as the Aly & AJ Haywood, and I never heard the Haywood album. Any info?

"Truly Madly Deeply" was maybe my second or third least favorite on the first album, though I haven't listened this century. I think I've got a promo cassette of it somewhere. Hayes has an amazing voice.

Last week 'Breaking Free' by Zac Efron & Vanessa Anne Hudgens debuted at number 84 on the Hot 100. This week, when it moved to number 4 it rewrote the history books as no single has ever jumped from such a low number to the top in one week. Also, last week Zac Efron was the first artist to ever have two singles debut simultaneously. This week that record was tied by Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Gabreel with 'What I've Been Looking For' and 'Bop To The Top.'

Billboard Hot 100

4. Zac Efron & Vanessa Anne Hudgens - Breaking Free
23. Zac Efron - Get'cha Head In The Game
28. Zac Efron & Vanessa Anne Hudgens - Start Of Something New
34. High School Musical Cast - We're All In This Together
35. Ashley Tisdale & Lucas Gabreel - What I've Been Looking For
43. High School Musical Cast - Stick To The Status Quo
62. Ashley Tisdale & Lucas Gabreel - Bop To The Top

There's also the input of "C. Michalka," who as far as I can tell is their mother. She (co-)wrote the one about kidnapping that, not surprisingly, hasn't made it to RD yet.

According to Allmusic, it's the same Leah Haywood (worked with Jorgen Elofsson and Andreas Carlsson...interesting). Dan James did random production work in "world" music (again AMG's words, not mine).

I was actually asked to pitch a version of the rollergirls soundtrack. Looks like the one that made it was better than mine in that it had actual rollerskating content.

http://youtube.com/w/don?v=ISBzaPPURvI&search=miranda%20don

[Oops, clicked submit too soon]

nameom, you seem to know your way around allmusic better than I. I tried Dan James and all I got was his name. (They really did make that site difficult to navigate, even if it does contain a lot of info.)

So, has anyone here heard the Leah Haywood album? Tim F.?

http://img.epochtimes.com/i6/5082342541470.jpg

I'm halfway through the album and it's disappointing. Not enough guitar or drums, bleeps too laid-back. Ah well.

"Checks & Balances" US Secret Service-ready teenpop, sung by guy who looks like a homeless person. Simple Plan/Yellowcard, if they were protest bands. Amusing, catchy. If he were famous he'd be a demon on Fox or wiretapped, both probably.

http://myspace.com/jaikwillis

I also noticed that Ashlee's "Boyfriend" sounded way muddier than it does on CD or on Launch Yahoo, which may indicate that Smash Hits have a defective track, or may indicate that you can't trust the fidelity on anything they play.

In any event, here are my notes:

Anastacia "Sick and Tired" - My Anastacia album from a few years back is strong-voiced disco-soul with almost all boring songs. This track, though, is sweet-tuned pop, Anastacia's voice giving the music a bright-rough "character" (not unlike Alanis) without sabotaging the sweetness. Not totally great on first listen, but a nice surprise.

Friday Hill "One Night Alone" - Blah '90s harmonies. [What did I mean by "blah '90s harmonies"? Not sure, since the track didn't stay in my mind. Similar to the harmonies in "Hey Jealousy" if "Hey Jealousy" had been blah instead of nonblah?]

The Cribs "The Modern Way" - Affected Brit sadboy voices: I don't always hate 'em, but I never love 'em.

Sugababes "Ugly" - No, not ugly, just plain, and really disappointing compared to "Freak Like Me" and "Blue" and "Round and Round." My one Sugababes album is unique in being the only one I've heard that goes from great on the first few tracks to not-so-great on the next few and continues on a perfect gradual decline through mediocre, tepid, barely tolerable, and, by the last track, terrible. On that album they get worse the closer they get to "real" r&b. "Ugly" isn't r&b but still lands in "tepid." I don't remember why I think so, actually; something about the harmonies having been through the wash once too often.

[Track order on U.S. alb may not match up with that on the British.]

McFly "Ultraviolet" - Band already denounced on this thread, but I enjoy this. '60sish Yardbirds or Hollies–type harmonies but with no '60s zing, which can be a drawback if you insist on zing in you sing, but likable nonetheless.

Shayne Ward "That's My Goal" - Agh! Gawd! Horrible! I'll go for ten of Robbie Williams to avoid one of these. Amazing that human beings choose to listen to this. It's a ballad, but it's not even "safe" and "gentle" and "comfy" in its zinglessness. It's loud and slow and pelts and pummels you with feeling.

Rachel Stevens "Sweet Dreams of My LA Ex" - Damn, maybe she's as good as the Poptimists say. [But I was so busy tracking down the performer name and song title - the Smash Hits site doesn't show the title of the song being played so I have to do a quick google on the lyrics while a song runs - that I didn't attend to what it sounded like or why I loved it so much. Maybe love it 'cause an ex of mine is from L.A.]

Girls Aloud "Biology" - My first Girls Aloud song! And it's... tuneful... and OK, I suppose. It's a fuller-sounding Robyn-type number, strong beat, but not a melody in the class of "Be Mine!" You think maybe Robyn knows what she's doing in her slightness?

"We Think It's Love" - I hated this at the time, it represented everything I disliked about Australian pop at that point, very much in the mould of Bachelor Girl (who were themselves like Savage Garden with all of the manic energy, the oddness and the expansive production removed, replaced by unthreatening mushy guitar backdrops derived from 90s Tina Arena), but even more straightforward and anonymous in feel. Quite memorable chorus though, but maybe it's just that I used to send it up a bit.

"Taking Back What's Mine" - this definitely sounded like Cheiron, a sort of hard juddering plastic pop groove in the vein of N'Sync's "It's Gonna Be Me" or Britney's "Stronger" or (perhaps closest) Britney's "Don't Go Knocking On My Door". But - and maybe this was just my biases at work - it seemed unconvincing, a really awkward chorus and a general tinge of desperation obscuring the pop dynamics. Soon after this local boyband Human Nature also went down this route with similarly lacklustre results.

But otherwise, yes to what you said.

News to me: Lacuna Coil covered Dubstar's plum trip-hoppy confection "Stars." before my hyphen key wears out--trip-hop-secular-teen-goth?

(LC is playing with Rod Zombie. I'm sorely tempted to go, for the Coil, I mean. Has anyone seen them?)