Itunes Top 50 11/18/06 15-11
15. My Chemical Romance- Welcome to the Black Parade
TKG: Did these guys also start as a fake New Order? Cause well I never much cared for Smashing Pumpkins either but , really enjoying this bubblegum Smashing Pumpkins. Unlike Corrigan, it sounds like the songwriter may have been raised on Burt Bacharach instead of being raised on Robert Smith and Queen. Sometimes you listen to music and you complain that the artist hasn't really internalized his influences and instead comes off just studied record collector. But I like bubblegum once in a while. Corrigan always felt like a guy who internalized Jaques Brel due to his grandmother dressing him up like Edith Piaf and forcing him to lip synch. There is a real sense that the guys in My Chemical Romance have some more distance. Like they only listened to the records without putting on the make up.
PAS: I am really enjoying this trend of New York bands doing fun versions of 90's bands I hate. Is Interpol's next album going to be re-imagined B52's? Is Bravery going to all They Might Be Giants stuff?
14. Weird Al Yankovic- White and Nerdy
TKG: Their are a couple amusing lines in here, and for white rapper Yankovic may have better flow then Sage Francis. But for social commentary Yankovic seems even less biting than Mark Russell. I hate Doctor Demento. And thought Chamillionaire's original was brilliant. Really "want to roll with the gangstas" completely misses the point.
PAS: I liked this a bunch more then Tom did. I thought he had some really funny lines "MC Esher is my favorite MC" as is "I don't have a grill but I still have braces." I think Tom just fancies himself a member of the Chamilitary and needs to defend his general.
13. Christina Aguilera- Hurt
PAS: I am assuming Alicia Keyes is the reason that pianos are all over the the top 40 now. This sounded less like Alicia Keyes then Billy Vera, "At this Moment" didn't have the superfluous strings.
TKG: Umm..Phil it's Alicia Keys not Alicia Keyes. she wears her make up poorly but she isn't Alan Keyes lesbian daughter. Apparently there is still a market for piano ballads about self blaming girls. I mean maybe I would enjoy Franz Ferdinand doing re-imagined Tori Amos. But Aguilera isn't Franz.
12. John Mayer- Waiting on the World to Change
TKG: I guess having to listen to fake Curtis Mayfield is better than having to listen to fake Tori Amos. But this is really shitty remake of Curtis Mayfield. I mean I can't listen to this without singing People Get Ready. And this is no "People Get Ready". This type of derivative Mayfield really demands that your paralyzed from the ankles down. This wasn't good enough to be paralyzed any higher. If you're going to do this close of a copy, just do a cover. Doesn't Mayfield have some relatives who could use royalties?
PAS: It is amusing to me that fake Curtis Mayfield is so much worse then fake R.E.M or fake Smashing Pumpkins. Maybe the better the artist the worse the current pop remake. I am living in fear of Nick Cannon doing a Jermaine Dupri Papa's Brand New Bag pastiche.
11. Akon- Smack That
TKG: Akon's parts of this really rule and then Eminem comes in and just fucks it up. Akon is pulling off this really serious sexual eroticized rap. And Akon does that well. Then Eminem spits his guest verse.Eminem can only do two things well comedy and serious stuff about his family. Eminem really only can do serious when he's talking about Hailey. And well she has no place in this tune. Eminem can do comedy verses well. But really guy cracking jokes while Akon is trying to seduce feels like a cockblocker fucking up Akon's game. Eminem has no place in this tune. Wrong choice of guest rappers.
PAS: Yeah for white comedy rapper, current Eminem doesn't have the flow of current Weird Al Yankovich. He also doesn't really have the punchlines either. "Looking like one of those Puddy Cat dolls/ trying to hold my woody back in my draws" is not "I memorize Holy Grail really well/I'll recite it and have you ROTFL." Akon deserves better.
posted by Phil @ 7:18 PM
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TKG: This is just a bad idea all around Using the second person is grammatically difficult but also demands that you only do it with one character. Song starts with singer telling how " He sees whats going on" and then he shifts to telling the story in the second person. "Cover yourself up with make up in the mirror, you cry, you tell yourself it will never happen again" followed by "Do you feel like a man when you push her around". I guess this could be a song about a lesbian BSDM relationship gone bad or it could be about an abusive boyfriend who brushes on foundation to cover the bruises on his knuckles. but more likely its just poor song craft. You can tell the story of abused girlfriend in second person, you can tell the story of abusive boyfriend in second person. But you can't do the two at the same time. There can only be one "you" in a song.
One of your last statements says that there can only be one "you" in a song? Who decided that. A song holds the writers feelings and ideals and should not and cannot be limited to one "you." If the singer or writer wishes to write in different points-of-view he or she can. You cannot add a rule such as that. This is just my opinion, but many others must agree with me.
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