Thursday, January 15, 2009

Singles Review

I was sitting earlier with a bit of time to kill so checked out a random selection of new releases/hits fron Virgin's music on demand. Here are my thoughts.

Beck - 'Youthless' : - Not one of my favourite tracks off the latest album (a record that I have come to like a lot in the past few weeks - it should have been in my top 25 for 2008) but still a goood tune.

Cancer Bats – ‘Hail Destroyer’ : - Here’s a band who have listened to too many Slipknot records. Sadly they came away learning nothing on the evidence of this dirge. Shouty vocals.Poor.

Municipal Waste – ' Magician' : - Unlike Cancer Bats, this band not only know their old school thrash/speed metal, but they know that even in this genre a sense of melody is important. Not the greatest record ever, but it’s not bad.

Prodigy – ‘Invaders Must Die’ : - A return to (mostly) instrumental dance rock by the band. They are not doing anything they have not done before, but this is still an enjoyable few minutes, that sets up the new album nicely.

Franz Ferdinand – ‘Ulysses’ : - FF are back with their much vaunted ‘new sound’, which sounds a lot like their old sound to me. Whether you think that is a good or bad thing will depend on whether you liked that sound. I was always a bit indifferent, and so that is how I feel about this.

Katy Perry - 'Thinking of You' : - Lacking the fun of Kissed a Girl, and Hot and Cold, this is just unintersting filler.

Tv on the Radio - 'Dancing Choose' : - I quite like this. Whilst I still think the band are one of many that are over-hyped by the music press (esp in the UK) this is both fun and inventive pop. I like.

Lady Ga Ga - 'Just Dance' - Tipped to be someone you wont be able to escape in 2009, this is good slice of Christina-type pop. The type of song you'll fight humming the chorus too. Not sure about the pointless male prat singing inthe middle of it though.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Single of the Year?

Yes, I know the year is ony a couple of weeks old, but I have spent it with one song continuously going through my head, and it is probably the last kind of thing I would have expected to just have fallen in love with. What is my January guilty pleasure? Taylor Swift - 'Love Story'. I think this came out in the states in October, but it has only just got a release in the UK.

I keep sitting thinking that I should be finding the lyrics twee and so packed full of sugar that it makes me want to throw up - "Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run. You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess It's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.' - but every time I hear this song I end up grinning like and idiot and feel happy and uplifted. I may need help.

The track is off Swift's second album - which I believe is perched atop the US album charts, and is set to outsell her debut album, which itself shifted quite a few copies. I have had a listen to the album, and it is a well crafted collection of country pop songs, but Love Story is - for me the stand out track: It just has a great, catchy hook, that all great pop tunes should have.

Oh, and she also happens to be pretty damn sexy too.

Ladies and genglemen I give you Taylor Swift