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2008-12-25 04:05 pm

A Year In America December 25, 2008

Only two new ones, but I'm writing up the Montgomery Gentry as well because I confused myself several weeks ago when one Montgomery Gentry track was rising and another was falling and I rated the wrong one.

ExpandPussycat Dolls )

ExpandPink )

ExpandMontgomery Gentry )
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2008-12-18 08:23 pm

A Year In America December 18, 2008

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.

ExpandBrandy )

ExpandAll-American Rejects )

ExpandThe Veronicas )

ExpandThough times are hard, Year In America gives you a special bonus for Wobs )
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2008-12-12 10:45 am

A Year In America December 11, 2008

New Britney jumps into the top five, surprise.

Britney Spears didn't exist for me as a human being until she shaved her head. I loved some of the music but never paid attention to the person. Which doesn't mean that once I knew what to look for I couldn't look back and find all sorts of personality. But that's a process I've only half gotten started on, which is why Britney comments from [livejournal.com profile] girlboymusic and [livejournal.com profile] alexmacpherson tend to have more depth than mine.

ExpandBritney Spears )

ExpandAkon )

ExpandMontgomery Gentry )
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2008-12-04 09:08 pm

A Year In America November 27 and December 4, 2008

Good girl gone better with every listen.

ExpandThe Fray )

ExpandJim Jones )

ExpandRihanna )

ExpandLudacris )

ExpandKanye West )
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2008-11-21 02:27 am

A Year In America November 20, 2008

Thought on my mind today, as the stock market plummets another five percent and credit freezes up again: in 1933 "race records" pretty much disappeared, as its audience got too poor to buy. I don't yet expect a depression, and I know that r&b and hip-hop travel beyond demographics, and its core demographic reaches into the middle class. But I do wonder what genres will be hit hardest by the slowdown.

ExpandTaylor Swift )

ExpandGuns N' Roses )

ExpandNickelback )

ExpandJazmine Sullivan )

ExpandT-Pain )
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2008-11-13 11:00 pm

A Year In America November 13, 2008

Week is more strange than dominating, but has a lot that's intriguing.

ExpandKanye West )

ExpandTaylor Swift )

ExpandParamore )

ExpandBeyoncé )

ExpandO.A.R. )
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2008-11-06 08:30 pm
Entry tags:

A Year In America November 6, 2008

In the words of Billboard, T.I. replaces himself again atop the Hot 100. And that's the basic chart news, not much movement, though Taylor leaps in with a track that finally is making me not so pessimistic about the album that comes out in five days. And suddenly, after hanging around for months and months, the Lady GaGa song rockets into the Top 40. Why's that? Not that I object, but was there some external event that finally gave it the push? Only one other newbie, and it's one that we heard and discussed ten days ago when it hit in Britland, but it's choice. So a week that's three for three.

ExpandTaylor Swift )

ExpandLady GaGa )

ExpandJohn Legend )
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2008-10-30 10:58 pm
Entry tags:

A Year In America October 30, 2008

This week brings good news for fans of the subjunctive.

ExpandBeyoncé )

ExpandShontelle )
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2008-10-23 11:59 pm

A Year In America October 23, 2008

As the thrilling fall retail season moves into gear, two new releases hit the top 40, and all of four - yes, 4! - other singles rose or fell by more than five spots. Or to say this another way, 34 singles in the Top 40 moved five or fewer places. Moribund.

ExpandTaylor Swift )

ExpandZac Brown Band )

ExpandT-Pain )
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2008-10-16 09:54 pm

Year In America October 16, 2008

Britney jumps to number one, Carrie and Abel make the long trek to the Top 40, and Akon and Weezy finally have a week where no one invites them in as guests, so they invite each other.

ExpandBritney Spears )

ExpandSaving Abel )

ExpandCarrie Underwood )

ExpandAkon )
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2008-10-11 04:29 pm
Entry tags:

Year In America October 9, 2008

I'm a couple days late here, getting engrossed by the financial brouhaha. Meanwhile, chartwatchers wonder whether it should be T.I. at number one or Rihanna at number one, but that just shows the poverty of their either/or thinking.

ExpandT.I. )

ExpandChristina Aguilera )

ExpandNickelback )

ExpandDavid Cook )

ExpandThe Killers )

ExpandPitbull )
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2008-10-02 10:20 pm
Entry tags:
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2008-09-25 07:24 pm
Entry tags:

Year In America September 25, 2008

T.I. rises back to 1, Kanye enters at 3, Archuleta gets a second wind, M.I.A. hangs onto her bullet, and Jennifer Hudson sits at 41, still unable to kick the door in. So, really, is anything new? Barely.

ExpandKanye West )

ExpandThe Rock Heroes )
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2008-09-19 01:08 am

Year In America September 18, 2008

The Top Five is all T.I. and M.I.A., in a glorious feat of initials. Well, not quite: Pink is 1 and Rihanna is 3. But T.I. is 2, M.I.A. is 4, and there they are together holding hands and smashing feats at number 5. And five new tunes tick for the full circuit, Jazmine finally pushing through to the Top 40 from her base in the urban leagues.

ExpandT.I. & Jay-Z )

ExpandTaylor Swift )

ExpandFall Out Boy )

ExpandKevin Rudolf )

ExpandJazmine Sullivan )
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2008-09-11 10:52 pm

Year In America September 11, 2008

T.I. still number one, and [livejournal.com profile] girlboymusic will be vindicated to read that the song still hasn't registered in my memory despite my writing it up last week*; M.I.A. still at number five, still hasn't lost her bullet or her bang bang bang bang; only two new tracks in the Top 40; and Jennifer Hudson and Jazmine Sullivan still under the border, not able to break in, which will drive Lex nuts in frustration.

ExpandArtists Stand Up To Cancer )

ExpandLil Wayne f. Bobby Valentino )

*Two weeks ago, actually. How time flies when nothing's happening.
koganbot: (Default)
2008-09-04 09:04 am

Year In America September 4, 2008

P!nk jumps into the top five and M.I.A. returns to it, Archuleta fades quickly, while a couple of old pop-grunge loveboys reappear and whole hunks o' country loll about between forty-one and fifty. A few newb tracks achieve OKness.

ExpandKaty Perry )

ExpandNe-Yo )

ExpandGavin Rossdale )

ExpandJimmy Wayne )

ExpandDarius Rucker )
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2008-08-28 09:41 am
Entry tags:

Year In America August 28, 2008

[livejournal.com profile] poptimists has evidently GONE ON STRIKE against the British charts (fwiw I go Biffy borderline NONTICK, the Automatic less borderline NONTICK, Gabriella Cilmi borderline TICK, Alphabeat remix MEGATICK, Metallica deep snoring NONTICK, J Majik further even into the stupor NONTICK), but America rolls on! T.I. jumps to number one, Kardinal Offishall makes his first journey into the top five, Pink leaps top ten in one week rather than taking the usual six months, M.I.A. holds at six while keeping her bullet, David Archuleta's "Crush" crashes from two to fifteen, Jazmine bubbles under.

ExpandT.I. )

ExpandP!nk )

ExpandHit Masters )

ExpandMetallica )
koganbot: (Default)
2008-08-21 11:59 pm

Year In America August 21, 2008

Olympic platitudes from Chris and Taylor, David warms up the studio, Yung Berg satisfies Casha but not me.

David Archuleta "Crush": Combo of sugar and anguish similar to Jordin and Chris on "No Air"; his lower register has more feeling than it did on AI; this is generic but far better than he gave us on Idol. Easy TICK.

Taylor Swift "Change": A wave of guitars and cymbals, her tenuous expressive voice as fetching and biting as ever, but the lyrics are boring abstractions - "These walls/That they put up/To hold us back/Will fall down" - and the chorus is a nondescript wash. A TICK for sure, but disappointing.

Chris Brown "Dreamer": His voice is precise against a choppy rhythm, but layered-in African harmonies give this a Kumbaya feel. This is worthless piffle. NO TICK.

Yung Berg f. Casha "The Business": "You know just what to do/You give me the business," sings a delighted Casha. At this point, all r&b sex lyrics sound like parodies. Song takes interesting form, all intros and curlicues, but the result is still dumb and dull. NO TICK.
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2008-08-14 10:23 am

Year In America August 14, 2008

Rihanna's "Disturbia" finally knocks Katy Perry off the top spot, M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" jumps into the top five, both "Disturbia" and "Paper Planes" charting on the basis of huge downloads - "Disturbia" gets relatively few airplay points, as radio is still high on Rihanna's previous track, "Take A Bow"; probably pulls extra download numbers, however, since there are over a million people who bought the alb before "Disturbia" became a bonus track, and I can't imagine a lot of them are going to shell out for the alb all over again. "Paper Planes" has a small amount of airplay on the Top 40 and alternative rock stations, and almost nothing anywhere else - except of course on the TV commercials for Pineapple Express. All of which is more interesting than this week's new crop.

ExpandJonas Brothers )

ExpandThe Game )

ExpandLeona Lewis )

As a bonus for Year In America's intrepid readers, here's the trailer for Pineapple Express:
koganbot: (Default)
2008-08-07 02:59 pm
Entry tags:

Year In America August 7, 2008

Katy holds off Chris and Rihanna once again, but the latter's downloads build and build. Estelle rises to 12, M.I.A. jumps to 16, and only two new tracks find their way to the top 40:

Jonas Brothers "Tonight": Singers strain to emote while guitars chug along doggedly. Their worst song ever? NO TICK.

T-Pain f. Lil Wayne "Can't Believe It": The Quirk brothers attempt a sentimental ballad. Not credible. A solid win for DON'T LIKE ANY.