Pop Blitz 7/21/2011

Rebecca Black - My Moment
The subversive part of me really wants this girl to carve out a career based solely on her WTF story. However, this song isn't gonna do it. It's neither good enough to leave an impact, nor bad enough to laugh at. C

Selena Gomez & The Scene - Love You Like A Love Song
Selena's got some team surrounding her. It's not like she's a powerhouse singer (at all), but her brand of radio pop keeps getting better and catchier. This is another surprisingly excellent, dub-step influenced, hit. A-

Calvin Harris - Bounce (ft. Kelis)
Essentially a Kelis song wrapped in Calvin Harris production, this is a summer dance tune that certainly goes down easy. It's nothing revolutionary, but the instrumental hook works and Kelis's vocals sound nice. B+

DJ Fresh - Louder (ft. Sian Evans)
More UK dance music, though the aggressive production makes this a little less clubby than the last track. It's grown on me, but I don't think I'll be playing this beyond the Summer. B-

Six D - Best Damn Night
This was featured heavily on American reality show The Dance Scene, and that's probably the only reason I sort of like it. Now that I've heard it more often, though, I'm convinced it is a little too harried and derivative for its own good. C+

Hot Chelle Rae - Tonight Tonight
Every summer, America seems to pick one "rock" song to get obsessed about (last year it was Neon Trees' Animal, btw). This is not as good. It actually reminds me a little of a borderline novelty song from the 90's. It could be a whole lot worse, but it doesn't do a lot for me either. C+

Rizzle Kicks - Down With Trumpets
While I'm not really sold on this song, I think this rap duo has heaps of potential. They do need a better hook, though. This feels just a bit lazy, even with the nice sample and funny lyrics. B-

Pop Blitz 6/17/11

Black Eyed Peas - Don't Stop The Party
I'm not sure that BEP has released any singles from this latest album that I've liked. This definitely doesn't break the pattern. It's not as irritating as a few of the others, but it's not as effortlessly catchy as their best work. The production's better than the hooks. C-

Selena Gomez & The Scene - Bang Bang Bang
Not technically a single (just a promo release), but I wanted to include it because I (surprisingly) have really fallen for this song. It's like a tween version of La Roux's Bulletproof. I LOVE the synth production and the general laid-back coolness of this. She's growing up! A-

Nicole Scherzinger - Right There (ft. 50 Cent)
It's not up there with the prior two singles (particularly the brilliant Don't Hold Your Breath), and I hate the unnecessary 50 Cent feature, but this has grown on me. I like the hook, and that's about it. Problem is, it doesn't have much of an impact when all's said and done. B-

Eric Saade - Hearts In The Air (ft. J-Son)
It's not as strong as Popular, but this is still a decent follow-up. The verses are better than the chorus (which sounds a little too familiar). It's enough to get me excited for the album, though. B+

Shania Twain - Today Is Your Day
It is so GOOD to hear Shania again. This gets instantly higher marks just for that. The song itself is pretty underwhelming... not one of her better ballads. But she sounds great and there's a catchy guitar hook buried somewhere in here. B

Jason Derulo - Don't Wanna Go Home
This is probably the most important single for him as far as longevity is concerned. The multiple samples used make this more of a hodgepodge than an actual original song, but the production's reliably glossy. I think the jury's out. All this has done is confused me. B-

Cher Lloyd - Swagger Jagger
Oh, how I loved Cher Lloyd in X-Factor last year. However, this track is all of her worst tendencies thrown into one song. Whereas I'm not sure about the Jason Derulo song, the sample here (Oh My Darling Clementine? Really??) does not work at all. What the hell did they do to her? D+

Pop Blitz 3/17/11

George Michael - True Faith
Michael comes back with a midtempo track (a cover of the New Order hit) that overuses vocoder effects. He's got one of the best pop voices of all time, so what's with the electronics? And why can't we get something more uptempo (or at least with a better melody)? C-

Glee Cast - Loser Like Me
Glee remains as frustrating as it is entertaining. There's more potential than this radio-friendly track displays, but it's not bad, either. Next time, they need to opt for a more unique sound that capitalizes on their use of choral harmonies. B

Selena Gomez - Who Says
It's a brief (hopefully) pit stop to "uplifting" Taylor Swift-esque material for the Disney star. It's actually not as bad as I feared. The production's catchy enough, but I wish it was in another language so that I couldn't understand the lame lyrics. C+

The Wanted - Gold Forever
They're really building up a strong set of singles. This is the exact direction I was hoping they'd follow -- more electronic, more dramatic and uptempo. It's a promising sign for their second album, whenever they decide to release it. A

Martin Solveig & Dragonette - Hello
If this is what it takes to give Dragonette a world-wide audience, I'm totally okay with it. It's not the band's best track (and yeah, I know it's Solveig's song, but it sounds enough like Dragonette to be classified as such), but even their average material is heads above most everything else. A-

Jessie J - Price Tag
Honestly, isn't the chorus to this exactly the same as Pink's "F**king Perfect" (another song that completely underwhelmed me)? I just don't get the hype over this. It's dull, predictable and forgettable. What am I missing? C+

Black Eyed Peas - Just Can't Get Enough
How can one band be responsible for both some of the worst songs and best songs on the past few years? This isn't close to their low point (that would be previous single, the vomitatious "The Time (Dirty Bit)") but it's no "I Gotta Feeling," either. It's simply alright. B-

Pop Blitz 9/8/10

Alexandra Burke - Start Without You A RedOne production, which in itself is something to be thankful for because he compliments Alexandra quite well. This wasn't on the album, but should have been. It's got a bit of novelty to it with the Caribbean feel, but it's fun late-Summer pop. B+

Cee Lo Green - FU
He's finally found another track to rival Crazy! This is great, old-school soul (though the hook's foul-mouthed lyrics are bound to get him censored). A-

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are
Currently the number one song on US itunes, this is a slightly trancey ballad that's actually better than I expected. The melody's nice, if a little boyband. It sounds very current, in a way that's pleasant now but completely forgettable down the road. B-

Taylor Swift - Mine
And she's regurgitated the same single over again. Each time, the music becomes less charming. This targets her audience perfectly, but it's just grating for the rest of us. C

Rihanna - Only Girl (In The World)
It's back to uptempo dance music for Rihanna. This is a good thing, and this is a great song. There's a danger of this sounding like everything else out there, but she definitely puts her own stamp on it. A promising taster from the new album. A

Selena Gomez & the Scene - A Year Without Rain
Ends her string of great bubblegum pop singles. This is her trying to be serious, which results in a snore of a song that's more mood than melody. Too bad. It's her first big misstep as far as singles go. C+

Olly Murs - Please Don't Let Me Go
He was a consummate song and dance man on X-Factor, but this dials down the showmanship in favor of a Jason Mraz sound. It's not annoying, but it's not interesting either. It's just sort of there. B-

Pop Blitz 7/2/10

Travie McCoy (ft. Bruno Mars) - Billionaire Irritating. From the "cute/funny" Jason Mraz-ish chorus to the ho-hum rapping, this is exactly the kind of novelty summer tune that gets me switching the radio. C-

Selena Gomez - Round & Round
A natural progression from her last single, they've finally discovered how to match her airy vocals to an equally light-weight pop song. Surprisingly, this is a good thing. A-

Enrique Iglesias (ft. Pitbull) - I Like It
I'm actually surprised at how much I like this, since I'm not a fan. It's very "male Lady Gaga," but the melody's strong and fits his voice well. I could've done without the Pitbull parts, though. Shame about the album, which borders on unlistenable. B+

Maroon 5 - Misery
What a limp comeback single. They've done so much better in the past, which makes this forgettable track a big surprise. I trust there's better on the album. I have a feeling they'll need a strong single next because this sounds like a bomb. C

Taio Cruz - Dynamite
Yes, it's pretty much a carbon copy of his other songs, but his sound remains a welcome addition to the radio. This isn't quite as good as his last one, but it's very addictive (especially, the ravey bridge). A-

3OH!3 (ft. Ke$ha) - First KissJeez, is there enough misplaced punctuation in this title? I think both of these artists are about as abominable as you can get and I wish they'd scurry back under the rocks they came from. That being said, this isn't as terrible as I expected it to be. It's still nothing that we'll remember in a couple of years. C

Neon Trees - Animal
One of the only rock hits on the radio right now, it benefits from sounding different. Good thing it's a deserving entry in the indie-rock summer hit playlist. That chorus is just great. A

Pop Blitz 1/6/10

Train - Hey Soul Sister
The comeback I didn't think anybody was asking for (yet apparently they were if itunes is any indication), Train are back with something that sounds like solo Rob Thomas or Jason Mraz. It's pretty boring stuff, and that chorus is laaame. I almost kinda used to like these guys. C

3Oh!3 & Katy Perry - Starstrukk
Equal parts catchy and obnoxious, I'm still not entirely sure what to think of these guys. Part of me really just wants them to disappear from Earth. The verses are very, very irritating. The chorus is a bit better, but sounds a lot like their last single. Oh, an getting Katy Perry on here certainly doesn't help matters. C-

The Saturdays - Ego
Picking up where Girls Aloud left off, this is a relatively strong uptempo with a great bridge and chorus but weaker verses. I'm still not sold on this group's potential, but this is a promising step in the right direction. B

Erik Grönwall - Higher
As per tradition, Swedish Idol's winner was saddled with this turgid ballad even though he's got a voice more suited for 80's rock. Loved Erik during the show, but this song pretty much defines crap. They better let him record an album more suitable for his voice. D

Boys Like Girls (with Taylor Swift - Two Is Better Than One
Taylor is everywhere, isn't she? Doesn't matter, as she barely registers here. Seriously, the female vocals could have been anybody. This emo-ballad has grown on me, but there are still so many stronger tracks on the album. B-

Leona Lewis - I See You (Theme from Avatar)
Well, it's no My Heart Will Go On. Like the movie it's supporting, it's quite a pretty experience but lacks any real meat. Leona better start doing better than this if she wants a sustained career. C

Selena Gomez & the Scene - Naturally
I'm actually kind of surprised that this is taking off, not because I don't like Selena (quite the opposite, actually), but because the first (stronger) single pretty much flopped and the album didn't seem to do much better. This is nice in a Hillary Duff sort of way. Fun, throwaway dance pop. B+

Some bits...

Sorry about the lack of a post yesterday. I was at the county fair watching Foreigner (still got it, btw) and eating crap fair food. Today's just going to be a little bit of everything:

Fab Swedish band Dyno have two new tracks on their myspace, the excellent Destroy! Destroy! and Too Close. These guys are like the new Daggers. I hope we actually get an album.

Speaking of great Scandinavian bands, Superfamily have a new track on their page from the third album out in about a week. Super excited about this record.

Another album I am drooling in anticipation for is Muse's new one. You can listen to samples on itunes worldwide and, judging from the clips, this may be the band's best album and candidate for album of the year. I cannot wait.

In the opposite musical direction, Miley Cyrus' new EP also has samples available. I am totally won over by her new single... one of the best she's released and certainly one of the best of the summer. This girl is going places. It always surprises me how much I like her voice.

In other pop news, Selena Gomez's new single is finally out (with her band The Scene). Happily, it sounds like something I would listen to outside of Disney. Quite good.