A Year In America December 18, 2008

[koganbot]

Beyoncé and T.I. trade places at 1 and 2, up a spot into third is the undeniably catchy Lady GaGa track the catchiness of which the rest of you want to deny, and the Veronicas enter the American Top 40 for the first time with the tenth-best song on Hook Me Up.

Brandy "Right Here (Departed)": Lyrics speak the power of Brandy love: "When you're trapped and there's no key and you can't breathe, I'll breathe for you." She makes such extremity seem a normal thing in her world of song. TICK.

All-American Rejects "Gives You Hell": Toy keybs at the start and a half-emo half-ruefulness in the singing give this a pleasant demeanor, though brief bits of guitar crunch suggest some heavy weaponry to come. And it does come, of course, without undoing the pleasantness, or the dullness. NO TICK.

The Veronicas "Untouched": Deep guitar throbs, while the V's sing with their usual end-of-the-world desperation tied to their usual cheery sing-song. TICK.

As a bonus to my stalwart readers, here's the Miss Universe Swimsuit Competition from last summer; note the charmingly inept dancing from the contestants near the start, especially Miss Norway at 1:15:

[Aw, YouTube killed the account of the person who posted this. I think the contestants were dancing to "Just Dance."]

Comments

[koganbot]

Songwriters on "Right Here (Departed)": E. Kidd Bogart/Victoria Horn/Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins/Erika Nuri/David Quiñones.

Songwriters on "1st & Love": Christopher "Lonny" Breaux/Chauncey Hollis/Rick King/Jesse Woodard.

So, either they're choosing extremity for her or she's choosing songs for their extremity, or for some reason we notice standard pop normal extremity more when Brandy does it.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

The extremity is all over the album - it's very consciously "deep" and serious - and it seems like a natural outlet for all the turbulence in Brandy's personal life, so I guess it's what she was going for (has she ever written her own material? I don't recall her doing so...). I think the understatement probably helps us notice it more, though - Brandy's voice is so soft and understated, but it really pulls you in.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

I noticed this too -- a lot of What Does It All Mean in a dippy sort of way. WHAT IS IT TO BE HUMAN?! (Or are we dancer?)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Also, a perusal of the inlay reveals that she has dedicated the album to the memory of the GUY SHE KILLED in that Car Crash of Tragedy, whose family are currently suing her for squillions of dollars.

Cognitive dissonance

[koganbot]

What I feel being a human being is, having the freedom to be yourself... and not bein' afraid. 'Cause if you're not yourself, who are you? (Track One)

Save me, save me from myself. (Track Ten)

Re: Cognitive dissonance

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Well, the last sentence of your first quote plus the second quote = some kind of essence of confessional music, doesn't it? (Fear is always a red herring with these things, anyway. "I am not afraid to be myself." Well, yeah, OK, fine. But there are other emotions to choose from. Are you happy to be you?)

Note to self: Write song about being afraid to be yourself.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

(I have a fever today hence the disorganisation of thought...)

[koganbot]

Seems well-organized to me.

(I hope you listen to the Mauboy/Flo Rida track I posted on Poptimists.)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I definitely will, but am waiting until my head is not pounding/burning quite so much. Mega-fever = not the ideal conditions to experience "ft. Flo Rida" I feel, I am turning instead to the ELGAR CELLO CONCERTO.