MARCUS – “POP MUSIK 2001″

MARCUS – “POP MUSIK 2001″

“hi, my name is marcus and i’m a pop-oholic”

the very idea of a remake of”pop musik” at this particular time in music is a fantastic one. “pop musik” is a celebration of just that and, frankly, there hasn’t been a time more worthy of celebration for the pop fan that the last five or so years, a period in wh ich not only has pop music been unbelievably successful, but it has also made some artistic inroads in large part due to the output of max martin and timbaland . a well-done redux of “pop music,” then, could’ve been to the new pop movement what “last dance” was to disco: the cherry on top, a big pat-on-the-back to all involved, and an exhortation to keep on keepin’ on. not to mention a potential theme song for freaky trigger, for this very page.

and marcus, who sounds like an adenoid-free and parent-friendly eminem, gets off to a fine start with an opening couplet that goes:

“i like that song ‘candy,’ i want some more of mandy”

from there on out, it doesn’t go wrong so much as it goes astray. replacing the familiar “new york, london, paris, munich, everybody talk about pop music” refrain — where have i heard THAT before, says the informed nylpm writer — is one that substitutes in current day pop stars and martyrs, e.g. “new kids, puffy, spice girls, ricky, everybody talk about pop music.” (note: christina aguilera is referred to as “christine” — can she find respect anywhere?) a bit jarring, right? doesn’t quite have the same ring to it and the same can be said of the song itself. what begins as a teen pop fete turns into something hollow, by-the-numbers; it turns, in fact, into a label a & r man’s decision to ride this pop wave for all of its worth, a tactic that shouldn’t surprise the listener when he discovers that marcus is on the same label as o-town, famously formed on a t.v. show by teen pop svengali lou pearlman. a noble idea trampled and a classic song soiled in the name of commercialism: it’s enough to make one sick. but i bet chuck eddy still likes it.

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WEEZER – “HASH PIPE”

WEEZER – “HASH PIPE”

kids can be so cruel, a lesson the boys learned at a younger age than most, but at the very least they had each other: they would always have each other. bonds were formed for the old familiar reasons: the insouciant indifference of the girls; the sting of acne at its most unkind; and a natural inclination to be really, really bad at both sports and dancing, an inclination that served to engender a severe mistrust of both activities. but beyond all of that, there was the music. sure, if you just wanted the hits, you had “don’t be cruel” and “the flame,” but a little digging was necessary if you wanted to truly discover their art: “man-u-lip-u-lator,” “wild wild women,” the whole second side of lap of luxury. and then there was the doctor, widely cited as the reason they wanted to make music. their union began as a tribute to, a celebration of, and an aspiration to the success — critical, commercial, spiritual — of 80s cheap trick (and “only 80s cheap trick,” they’d hasten to add). weezer, then, like cheap trick in their least charitable decade (if one doesn’t count the 90s): bad music, worse jokes.

and so it continues, even though we seemed to be in the clear as rivers cuomo struggled with his sanity, burning master tapes left and right, getting braces, and wowing them at harvard. but they’re back, and as the opening blast of “hash pipe” proves, their influence on modern rock radio cannot be overstated; it naturally follows, then, that the ire directed at them similarly cannot be overdone. the music could be the work of any of your 3 doors downs or that band that does the cover of “smooth criminal,” only as thrash rock, but weezer’s unique contribution can be found in the mannered falsetto, the lyrics about “hash pipes,” and the grunts before each verse — great stuff, fellas.

the song was halfway through and i figured that there was still a second half to go, still time for the heavens to open and for me to finally understand that most inexplicable of all things, weezer fandom. but, if anything, on this single weezer seem to abide by convention. at one point, i was hoping this was only just a joke, until, that is, i realized what i feared more: that it really is a joke, and that someone, somewhere is laughing. i’d love to know if weezer fans think “hash pipe” is any good, but i’m afraid i know the answer to that. to make a gross generalization, i’m willing to bet that many fans are so in love with weezer, with the guys individually, with the idea of them, that they’re willing to love whatever it is the band offers them. me, i’ll take eve 6 any day. at least they mean it. man.

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AIR – “RADIO #1″

AIR – “RADIO #1″

if they weren’t fearful of looking egotistical — and if it also made for a better hook than “ray-dee-ohh num-berrrr one” — the boys from air woulda/shoulda named this single of theirs “radio air,” because musically and lyrically, that’s what it’s all about. radio air, coming straight to you in francophonic sound, can be found east of parliament’s we-funk on the dial, but much closer than most would cede based solely on moon safari. “radio #1″ sports heavy drums and a sludgy bassline that recalls nothing so much as the backstreet boys’ “larger than life,” all of which suggesting that their work on the virgin suicides score taught them how to change gears stylistically, and which is in stronger evidence on the forthcoming album. tune in, turn on, drop out.

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BASEMENT JAXX – “ROMEO”

BASEMENT JAXX – “ROMEO” (MP3)

when modern music looks into the past for archetypal lovers, it usually comes up with two results, men whose individual approaches to amor could scarely be more different: romeo and casanova. casanova was your love ‘em and leave ‘em type, a guy who had many lives, so when a songwriter is looking to portray an individual who knocks gals off their feet, leaves them swooning, but ultimately breaks their heart, they sometimes call him a “casanova.”

on the other hand, romeo is devout, willing to give his life for the one he loves, and let there be no mistake, he loves only one (indeed, quite often, whenever romeo is mentioned in song, his beloved juliet is not far behind). lyricists looking for images of the idealized lover will many times turn to romeo, comparing the protagonist of the song with the pride of the montagues.

in basement jaxx’s “romeo,” however, the romeo detailed in the lyrics is anything but ideal. “you used to be my romeo,” singer kele le roc laments, indicating that, whatever it is he has done or, perhaps, HASN’T done, has led him to fall from grace and, like casanova, to trample over her breaking heart. this leads one to the conclusion that, within every casanova, there is a romeo who has, intentionally or not, led a young woman astray. this lyrical exegesis really tells you everything you need to know about this latest single from brixton duo basement jaxx, a tale of love lost, yes, but one with the promise of new, better love on the horizon.

does this all seem like stalling? like i’m reticent to review this new single by the basement jaxx? if you answered “yes,” then you’re absolutely correct, since first hearing it, i’ve been grappling with what to say about this slippery eel of a record, one that not only eludes your grasp, but gives you a shock when you finally think you have it in hand. what’s eventually going to happen here is that i’m going to compare the jaxx to, yes, you guessed it: daft punk. i know, i’ve been comparing them to everyone: radiohead, the avalanches, the nasdaq, family members, etc., but unlike the last two examples, i think it’s an apt comparison here. here’s why!

with their first album, daft punk released homework which was at times a very good record, and at other times, meandering filler. so when the duo released “one more time,” they did so in a world without expectations, where mixmag was yet to proclaim discovery the greatest album ever. “one more time” is a thoroughly enjoyable single, and while it was rife with their particular trademarks, it remained a genre exercise and gave us no clue as to what to expect on the full-length. the basement jaxx’s remedy, their first lp, immediately established them as not only dance gods, but saviors of modern music as remedy opened our eyes once again to what exactly a dance record could be even if the record itself, as this critic writes it, hasn’t ultimately lived up to all the praise.

emerging in a post-discovery world, a world they very much had a part in — don’t kill me — discovering, the fellas of basement jaxx are expected to knock our heads clear off our shoulders. i personally didn’t know just what to expect, but i knew it had to be something, if you get me and i’m not being terribly vague: something that you can’t quite articulate but you’ll know when you hear it if it is or it isn’t. on first listen, then, “romeo” wasn’t: like “one more time,” it’s straightforward house, though also like that track, it features the trademarks of its creators: shimmering sounds, chest-caving bass, and a pulsing, frenetic energy that’s always threatening to go nova. and also like “one more time,” if early reactions are to be trusted, a good if somewhat puzzlingly innocuous single is no indication of what’s to come.

while “one more time” proves to be quite helpful in bringing to light the similarities shared by daft punk and basement jaxx, discovery shows us just exactly how they differ. unlike discovery which contained one poodle-metal solo too many, i expect both “romeo” and rooty to be embraced by the dance massive and especially the purists. daft punk started out as an indie cover band called darling, their current name a quote from an nme review of one of those old songs. their roots are in pop, as the new album proved, they simply use dance to their advantage, like a groovier, less jaded pet shop boys. even though one of them djed with thom yorke in college, both basement jaxx live and breathe house music and it shows in the finished product: to put it simply, daft punk rock headphones, basement jaxx rock clubs. what both groups do and might do a bit too well is generate expectations, however once one is done lingering on what “romeo” isn’t, the more you appreciate it for what it is as the track reveals itself to you in all of its house-rocking splendor, reminding you that it’s quite often foolish to judge music by your expectations, doubly so when you’re unable to say just what those expectations are.

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tom cruise to star as phil spector

tom cruise to star as phil spector: oi! tom cruise! oi! cameron crowe!! yes, a phil spector biopic would be a good thing, but do we really want it from the team who brought us jerry maguire? and considering crowe’s last foray into making a movie about music…

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let me be the first to say it

let me be the first to say it: if you didn’t happen to notice that garish, that obtrusive and, yes, just a wee bit hopeless message to the right, today is tom ewing’s birthday. i first met him when he was my current age. scary.

a tom moment: our first encounter was in alt.music.techno, nearly four years ago. i posted in a thread about the chemical brothers, how the mainstream media was willfully overlooking their indebtedness to hip-hop. well, apparently, i didn’t know what i was getting into as there was something much larger going on within the thread, and so he brusquely pushed me aside. i hated him then, and i hate him now.

happy birthday, tom!

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DESTINY’S CHILD – “SURVIVOR”

DESTINY’S CHILD – “SURVIVOR”
after selling millions of albums, landing number one singles, gracing magazine covers the world over, winning every award imaginable, and, very likely, earning a healthy living in the process, destiny’s child are back with a new single, letting us know that, despite all this that they’ve been through, they’re going to be okay, they are survivors.

sounds a bit ludicrous, doesn’t it? destiny’s child have veered towards self-parody, not narrowly averting it, no: knocking it off
the fucking road. and it is all the better for that. my initial listen left me remarkably underwhelmed: the production of their tunes have placed them safely in the pop vanguard, and the rather pedestrian construction of “survivor” led me to, yes, dis them on the internet. my momma didn’t know well enough to teach me better than that; no, she never told me that i should give consideration to the songwriting, to the cast-iron, inescapable chorus. because ultimately that’s what makes “survivor” one of their finest singles, perhaps the apotheosis of their raison d’etre.

the lyrics to “survivor” are fabulous. the three that stand out most to me:
- “you know i’m not going to dis you on the internet, cos my momma taught me better than that.”
- “i’m not going to compromise my christianity.”
- “thought i wouldn’t sell without you, sold nine million.”

it’s hard not to read two meanings into the lyrics, and i’m rather certain that that was the point. you can look at this as an “i will survive” type song, a classic conceit in the dc canon (personally, i’m waiting for a single entitled “heartbreaker” that will feature the chorus, “you may’ve broke my heart, but you’ll never break me” b/w “i’m severely put-upon”); but at the same time, it also serves as a kiss-off to all of the former members, and their numbers are legion, of the group, cf. spice girls, “goodbye.” and while beyonce et. al. wish the girls the best, just like the spicies did with geri, “survivor” doesn’t attempt to put a smiley-face on the whole ordeal unlike “goodbye.” the latter’s sincerity is strained at best; the former, while wishing no harm to the old girls, puts forth a middle finger to all who would dare stand in their way, an immense “FUCK OFF” to the world. in a world of friendly, smiling pop stars, it’s reassuring to know that there are still groups out there who don’t take their success lightly, which is why i think destiny’s child will be around for a long time — or at least until beyonce decides it’s time to go solo — and why they’ll keep on surviving.

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JANET JACKSON – “ALL 4 U”:

JANET JACKSON – “ALL 4 U”:

“all my girls at the party, look at that body,
shaking that thing like you never did see,
got a nice package alright,
guess i’m gonna have to ride it tonight.”

thus begins janet jackson’s new single, “all 4 u.” it’s also an infectious hook line that serves as a strong counterpoint
to the chorus melody. but as a guy and a “music critic,” these lines trouble me. why?
- do i object to be objectified? to being reduced to my anatomy?
- does janet’s wispy, “little sister” voice, when combined with the above, sound utterly inappropriate?
- do i just not like the word “package”?

i don’t mind the first one: frankly, i’d love to be used for my body. the second reason is my main problem with it, and essentially with all of janet’s attempts to be sexy. from the rolling stone cover to “anytime, anyplace” to this, i’ve never found her attempts to be some sort of black madonna to be effective. her public persona is far too shy and she always shirks away from discussing sexuality. a great example: on the velvet rope, she covered rod stewart’s “tonight’s the night” and much ado was made of her not changing the pronouns. great idea, sure, but to sell it, you’ve got to talk to the press about it, tell them, i don’t know, that you’ve always been bi-curious. janet went out of her way not to discuss it at all; it doesn’t make her look like a tease, it makes her look like a prude.

there’s something peculiar in the way janet flaunts her sexuality, as if she has something to prove — to us, to herself, to her family — like she is ms. jackson and, oh yes, she is for real. these lines and the chorus, which suggests that janet’s all yours (sexually!) if you just ask, seem to be her most egregious use of sexuality to date. the song itself brings to mind a word that i’ve used far too often recently to describe her word: “pleasant,” as opposed to, say, “good” or “inventive,” and let’s make no mistake about it here, janet’s work with jam & lewis in the 80s was quite inventive and groundbreaking, not so unlike aaliyah’s current partnership with timbaland. there’s a sample of change’s “the glow of love” and you’re in no immediate danger of having the chorus stuck in your head, though the quoted lines above are a different matter. it reaks of laziness, which bothers me as a drop-off in the work of jam & lewis in recent times has become measurable.

imagine if, as tom said to me, robbie williams were to do a similar song where he says a girl’s got nice knockers and he wants to knock her — i’m not a songwriter, obviously. what would the reaction be? it might become a sort of anthem for the fellas — i’m sure he’d love any controversy it’d kick up, love to talk about it to the press, unlike janet — and, so too, maybe this is just a song for da laydeez, and they’re welcome to it. girls, it’s all for you.

oh, and i REALLY hate the word “package.”

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going back to spin

going back to spin, i’d say that, yes, it is a publicity stunt, but it’s also the truth. the timing couldn’t have been any better, what with the napster explosion combined with a dearth of great albums released this year. going over the albums i bought this year, i could only come up with about five that i thought were really good: if the music i have on my hard drive were put to disc, yes, it would be a better album than anything i heard this year. and like i said yesterday, it certainly beats making kid a album of the year, as it almost certainly would have been.

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POP-EYE U.S. 11/17/00

POP-EYE U.S. 11/17/00

this week on the billboard charts, the top three remains solidified with destiny’s child continuing to bitch-slap the competition with “independent women, pt. 1.” creed and 3 doors down stay in spots 2 and 3, 3 doors down seeming particularly comfortable in that position: still — wait for it — i guess it’s better than being #2. ahhh.

madonna and christina aguilera seem to be in an unspoken battle about whom can fall down the chart faster, each dropping four spots this week (madonna to 8, christina to 12). christina’s exit from the top ten makes room for, yes finally, the backstreet boys’ “shape of my heart,” now at 10. with four days until the day their album drops, i’m not getting the feeling that they’ll best ‘nsync’s single week sales mark, but, right now, i don’t think they’d mind: they seem to be going out of their way to distinguish themselves from their would-be nemeses what with their upcoming adult spread in rolling stone, subdued video, and plain album cover (it’s the black & blue album, quite literally).

shaggy’s pleasant “it wasn’t me” makes the biggest leap this week, moving up fourteen spots from 30. his continued success since “boombastic” is very likely confounding to most individuals who would’ve had him pegged as a one-hit wonder, and who could blame them, i mean that voice. also debuting in the top 20 this week are nelly with the quite excellent “e.i.” coming in at 17, displaying further his ability in making a great chorus out of gibberish, and dream with “he loves u not.” the other day, i was wondering what was up with bad boy records because they seem to be in pretty bad shape since b.i.g.’s death and puffy’s last album being a relative flop and no one really taking to either black rob or shyne. well, dream represent his best hope of continuing to make a profit and, surprisingly, it’s an interestingly-produced tune — a marvel in itself given puffy’s predilections — with an agitated, shuffling beat and some fuzzy synths, if just a tad dull in the melody/chorus department.

making moves in the twenties are matchbox twenty, jay-z, and outkast. will any of these break into the top twenty next week? will destiny’s child continue their dominance? will 3 doors down ever leave the third spot? just how far will “come on over baby” and “music” fall next week? answers to these questions and more in the next installment of pop-eye u.s.

FIVE BEST
samantha mumba – “gotta tell you” (5)
backstreet boys – “shape of my heart” (10)
ricky martin – “she bangs” (13)
nelly – “e.i.” (17)
mystikal – “shake ya ass” (19)

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