Some Albums Through Early November, 2011

[koganbot]

If the Osmonds can make a metal album, so can Feist — though it turns out she merely made a metals album... Best track on the Lauren Alaina alb is "Growing Her Wings," lyrics something of a prequel to Sara Evans' "Suds In The Bucket," which it also sounds like. Incidentally, "Suds In The Bucket" was written by Billy Montana, Randy's dad... If Feist can make a metals album, Sunny Sweeney can surely make one of concrete... Sunny of SNSD survives tractor mishap to return to Invincible Youth. We at koganbot had a discussion a few posts ago regarding her political prospects... How in the world did little teeny-voiced Selena Gomez make a track that reminds me of Judy Torres?

Albums and EPs I like, some I've not listened to in months, more than several I've not yet listened to twice:

1. SNSD Girls' Generation (1st Japan Album) (Universal Music Japan)
2. Britney Spears Femme Fatale (Jive)
3. Dev The Night The Sun Came Up (Universal Republic/Island)
4. Miranda Lambert Four The Record (RCA Nashville)

Watch on YouTube

5. Rainbow SO 女 [EP] (DSP Media)
6. SOOLj Electro SOOLj [EP] (CNH)
7. Various Artists Mr.Collipark Presents Can I Have The Club Back Please? (colliparkmusic.com)
8. T-ara Temptastic [EP] (Core Contents Media)

Watch on YouTube

9. HyunA Bubble Pop! [EP] (Cube Entertainment)
10. LPG The Special (Windmill Media)
11. Selena Gomez & The Scene When The Sun Goes Down (Hollywood)
12. Sunny Sweeney Concrete (Republic Nashville)
13. 2NE1 2nd Mini Album [EP] (YG Entertainment/KMP Holdings)
14. Lauren Alaina Wildflower (19 Recordings/Mercury Nashville)
15. DJ Bedbugs Teen Pop Lock And Drop Vol. 1 (cureforbedbugs.com)
16. Randy Montana Randy Montana (Mercury Nashville)
17. Feist Metals (Cherrytree/Interscope)

Btw, those of us who might vote for the SNSD 1st Japan Album need to coordinate what we're going to call the group's name and the album title. I think I came up with a pretty good solution (SNSD as band name, Girls' Generation (1st Japan Album) as title; SM is calling it 1st Japan Album on their YouTube page, and of course the album's title in Japan is Girls' Generation, not to be confused with the Korean album Girls' Generation, which came out four years ago and has no songs in common with the 1st Japan Album).

Thoughts about the format: Albums haven't gotten less interesting in the last few years, they've just been superseded in importance by singles, songs, tracks, hence I've been paying them scant attention. And no one's been paying me to review them.

A few things in the form's defense: if you put together a number of cuts by the same act, they're likely to resonate with one other. The big whomp of impact Ashlee Simpson had on me mid-decade wasn't just this or that song, but a whole lot of them together. Of course, such an impact can happen across a performer's albums and among her singles, which also happened in a big way with Ashlee (and then I was onto the rejects and one-offs). But getting a bunch of songs all together and listening at once can help the resonances and contrasts to resonate and contrast. (Songs by different performers resonate and contrast with one another nicely too, of course.)

Sometimes interesting oddities show up as album tracks that'd never be allowed if they had to stand in the single spotlight.

In Korea, the album now seems to be the culmination of a promotional push, rather than the start of one. Often only one new track gets to be a single, some or many of the other tracks being older singles. And the single that comes along ten minutes later may well lead off the deluxe edition, which the Koreans call, with greater honesty than we manage, a repackage.

Comments

Miranda

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Glad you're liking the Miranda alb. I think it's much stronger than her last one, but haven't seen much discussion of it, not that I'm looking for it. Seems eclectic in the right way, a song collection rather than cohesive thing. I feel the same way about Dev's (currently my alb of the year), actually, except there's a certain personality fluttering through it that ties it all together.

You should check out Cher Lloyd -- not sure if you'll enjoy it, sort of Lily Allen as Hannah Montana (Hanna Manchester?) and a dash of Nicki Minaj.

Re: Miranda

[koganbot]

The description of the Cher Lloyd makes it sound terrific, though if she's true to form she'll not be true to form: which is to say that she's always spotty and inconsistent.

Miranda could rise; hers is one that I only listened to once ('cept "Fine Tune," "Fastest Girl In Town," and "Dear Diamond," which I've got on my constant-play playlist).

Re: Miranda

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

There's something about "Fine Tune" that's making me imagine Ashlee going in a country-ish direction. Maybe it's the way Miranda's slurring and slight out-of-range singing in it (and the vocal processing) makes her sound more Ashlee-esque.

Re: Miranda

[koganbot]

As soon as I read this I nodded: is a lot like Ashlee on Bittersweet World when she's in '40s pop-blues Vicky Valentine mode, stuff like "Boys," "What I've Become," and "Murder."

By the way, did you ever see this?

Beyond his music and personality, the association with Lambert has helped shape Shelton in fans' minds — even if it was her simultaneously released "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" that kept his 2007 album "Pure B.S." out of the No. 1 country spot, and even though, Shelton says, "musically she and I don't see eye to eye."

He's the obsessive sort of traditional country fanatic who'll "spend $300 a week at Ernest Tubb Record Shop" when he's in Nashville. And where Lambert swears by Ashlee Simpson, Shelton would usually rather listen to John Conlee. "Startin' Fires" concludes with the pair dueting on a spare waltz about teen deflowering called "Bare Skin Rug," with crickets chirping in the background.
--from "Ladies' Choice: Blake Shelton" by Chuck Eddy, Billboard.biz, Nov. 8, 2008

[Error: unknown template video]

Speaking of Ashlee's '40s pop-blues proclivities, I forget if I ever emailed you about Lucy Woodward's 2010 album, Hooked, which is heaps better than her 2007 album, Lucy Woodward Is... Hot And Bothered. That one had some of those proclivities, but got caught in its mannerisms, while this time she's having much more of a blast with the mannerisms, including what sound like Ashlee's Gwennish pouts. Lots of the tracks are streamed on her Website; best are "Too Much To Live For," "Ragdoll" (which makes me think a bit of "Ragdoll" but more of "Boys"), "Slow Recovery," and "This Empty Room." So, something of a return to form, and a return to reminding me of Ashlee (or vice versa), though this time in a different way.

Re: Miranda

[koganbot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cqk44HEhmo

[askbask.livejournal.com]

The Wonder Girls album took me by surprise by being good, both the single and the rest. I'd given up after two dreadful years with only a handful (and barely) that of boring singles. 'Be My Baby' doesn't exactly hide the fact that JYP is re-using some old tricks, but it's a really fun song and fun performance (pr points have been made of hiring the 'single ladies' choreographer). One of the better full-length k-pop albums this year, anyway.

For the comeback performance their fans nearly upstaged them with some seriously impressive fan chants

[askbask.livejournal.com]

And partly because the performance is more fun as a music video, they're not the greatest live act in the world

[koganbot]

I keep running into a mental block with "Be My Baby": I'm continually thinking, "This song wishes it were Miss A's 'Bad Girl Good Girl' but it's not close." It speeds up and lifts attitude from somewhere between the Dixie Cups and Martha & The Vandellas and acts officially "playful," but doesn't quite connect. The performance is fun, on record and onstage.

I too am pleasantly surprised by the album, though it never pushes into, er, whatever it is 2NE1 and 4minute et al. seem to achieve while chewing their morning cereal, a workaday delirium of dance and tunes and sensuality. The Wonder Girls album seems to be tracing old lines, is merely solid, comes across as just okay when it's r&b, better when it's dance, best when it's ridiculous. Well, second best, my second-favorite track being "Act Cool," though I can't always tell when I'm laughing with the track and when I'm laughing at it — so, can't tell when it's a sendup of coolness and when it's simply clueless. It's adorable either way. And I haven't seen a translation yet.

My favorite track is "Stop!" which simply reminds me of the deep post-disco passion of '80s-'90s dance.

[askbask.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it's both tongue in cheek and sort of serious - Lim, the performer, is the newest addition to WonderGirls, replacing a popular member who withdrew. She's been met by considerable scepticicm by certain fans who've feel she's encroaching on their territory. This is referred to ("I joined late, so what?"), she makes the point that "I am a wonder girl", but there's humor as well in prodding at her nice girl image

Thanks

[christophe andersen (from livejournal.com)]

Now is as good a time as any for my first post on your blog. I've been checking out your blog for a few years (found either through the old Singles Jukebox or an Ashlee Simpson search, can't remember), ignored all of your k-pop posts for about a year, finally checked out a k-pop radio station, and now I've been obsessed with k-pop for about 4 months. So, thank you for leading me to all this great music! There is so much to discover it's kind of overwhelming.

I'm glad to learn of this SNSD Japanese release. For the last few months I've been hooked on "Oh! The Second Album" and then was excited to see a US album a few weeks ago. That album is horribly disappointing, though. I have no idea why they think the direction they took on it would be successful here. This Japanese release is much better.

One question: where do you get your k-pop music, assuming you get it legally? I have tried a few sites but am not happy with any of them. Emusic has some stuff but the albums on there are often not official albums. I'd like to be able to purchase downloads but so far it's just easier to download .rar files. I'm also not interested in buying physical products.

Also just checked out the Mr. Collipark mixtape. Who knew crunk could sound fresh and fun again so soon? It's great! I'm thrilled to see the return of Bubba Sparxxx on the record, too! Next I'll check out Randy Montana, mostly because he's so cute. That worked for me for getting into Brad Paisley but didn't work so well for Luke Bryan.

Thanks again!

Re: Thanks

[askbask.livejournal.com]

http://kpop.soribada.com/En/ Some Korean sites cater to international customers, like this one. Selection isn't 1:1 and I haven't tried this site out lately so I don't know how good they are right now.

Big artists show up on itunes, from JYP, SM, YG, you can get your SNSD and 2NE1 on there. It's getting better, I'm surprised by how many of the artists I'm looking for are there.

Re: Thanks

[christophe andersen (from livejournal.com)]

Thanks. I had tried Soribada but I really don't like their website. Or at least my computer does not like their website. Also, most of the items I'd want to download are not available in the US. Thanks for letting me know about iTunes. I'm not sure why I never thought to check there!

Re: Thanks

[koganbot]

Thank you. Now I'm convinced that the hours and hours I put into listening to and posting about popular music (rather than, say, going out and earning money) are well spent! I really do sometimes wonder if more than two or three people ever read my livejournal.

Notice that we now have some Ashlee conversation upthread, between me and skyecaptain.

By the way, Dave Skyecaptain has written what is probably the best piece on Ashlee ever:

"Kill Me, Kill Me, Kill Me: 001/964"

Re: Thanks

[christophe andersen (from livejournal.com)]

I'm happy to reassure you that you aren't wasting your time! My boyfriend might think differently, though, since he has not embraced all the k-pop that is getting played in our house (with the exception of "Bubble Pop" and Mighty Mouth's "Tok Tok").

Thanks for the Ashlee link. That was very good and led me to listen to my 4 and 5 star Ashlee playlist yesterday. Is she working on new music? I saw her on America's Next Top Model as guest judge recently so I have hope that she's going to release something new. I love that there is this online world that takes Ashlee (and Paris Hilton) seriously. I was as surprised as anyone when I discovered I loved her first album and was very surprised that she was able to make 2 more great albums. I guess I shouldn't have underestimated her but my first knowledge of her was from her role on "7th Heaven" where she played the bobble headed Cecilia. That show had a special ability to bring out the worst from even the best actors but even taking that into account my expectations for Ashlee as a singer were very low.

Re: Thanks

[koganbot]

This is what Wikipedia has to say about the next Ashlee Simpson album:

In an interview with Paper magazine, Simpson stated that her new album would have a "folk feel".[66] However, on June 23, 2011, Ryan Seacrest confirmed on On Air with Ryan Seacrest that Simpson had been having meetings with record executives along with previous collaborator, John Shanks, to figure out the exact direction of her next album. Simpson appeared on the second episode of The CW's America's Next Top Model, Cycle 17 as a guest judge. In the episode, she declared that she was still working on her new album. In October 2011, John Feldmann, who previously worked on 2 tracks on Autobiography, revealed via Twitter that he was recording with Simpson.

(Unless I'm missing something, or they're referring to a bonus track or outtake, the only Autobiography song featuring Feldmann is "Giving It All Away.")

Re: Thanks

[koganbot]

A friend writes:

It's probably better now than it ever was, in terms of your requirements — for the longest time there was no way to get legal downloads of any Asian pop music from North America. Ask 10 kids who listen to Asian pop, and 9 of them will tell you they illegally downloaded everything they "owned". The uber-fans bought the official CDs, shipping and inflated prices and all (inflated because 1) that is what the market bears in Japan, the land of the price-is-no-object uber-fan, and 2) the Asian music industries have no choice but to cost in the price of rampant piracy), and to protect that market I think the labels prevented legal downloads more than they enabled them. You could buy Chinatown CDs/DVDs/VCDs, but those were pirated as well, of course. The last option was the fan second-hand market and/or going to Asia to teach English or visit relatives and stocking up there.

Re: Thanks

[christophe andersen (from livejournal.com)]

Thanks. I will no longer feel bad downloading k-pop. I kind of doubt that the singers make much money off of the music, anyway. Emusic is actually starting to get a lot of it but there are weird things too. A few months ago I downloaded this but at the time it was listed as T-ara and HyunA. Now it's changed but it's still incorrect! K-pop has really messed up my already unorganized iTunes library!

http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/Tara-Temptastic-MP3-Download/12871443.html: