The Pop Thread

I heard a couple of Chvrches tracks a while ago. They didn't sound anything special to me musically, though the singer does have a sweet voice.

I don't think I've ever heard a One Direction song in its entirety before. No intends on changing it, either, honestly. I've heard the chorus from 'What Makes You Beautiful', which is a decent hook, but their voices are so mediocre that it sounded underwhelming.
 
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I was really into pop in my early teens, but nowadays the only artist that I still listen to from time to time is Michael Jackson. The guy was really talented. He set the bar really high for other pop artists coming after him. His music isn't just pop, it also has elements from other genres, like funk, R&B and rock. Listen to this one for example (btw, it's one of my favourites MJ songs):


And I think his cover of Beatles' Come Together is better than the original. :p

 
Speaking of Michael Jackson, I'm watching his 1993 Super Bowl performance right now, and I'm wondering... will there ever be anyone this big again?

I mean, the guy just stood there and people went wild... he merely turned his head and people went even wilder. And then he didn't even bother to hide that he was doing playback, and people went absolutely nuts.
 
and I'm wondering... will there ever be anyone this big again?

Doubt it. I think the presence of social media has made stars more accessible than they were before. They're still quite inaccessible, of course, but not nearly as much as they were before. I think the level of inaccessability definitely adds to the level of admiration for a star.

With that factor aside, MJ really did have everything. Brilliant songs, immense stage presence and charisma and he was perhaps the best dancer pop has ever seen. Didn't even need to be particularly good looking, which is usually an important part of a build up of a pop icon.
 
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That's true. While there has been a lot of hate for him until his death, I don't remember anybody actually saying they dislike the music.
 
Everybody likes at least one MJ song.

This was the first album I ever owned:

 
That's my favorite Lorde song, whole album is solid.
 
I like that Lorde album as well, the 6 bonus tracks that come with the deluxe edition are well worth hearing too.

For the first review on my blog I decided to review Fearless by Taylor Swift, check it out here.
 
As far as pop goes, I have a confession to make: Even though many people dislike when an "artsy" artist goes "pop", I think they sometimes do it just right. IMHO, this is definitely the case with Mike Oldfield.

(In fact, I was seriously considering starting an Oldfield thread, but let's not get too far ahead)

This (again, IMHO) is a pefect pop song for me (don't laugh):


Yes, it might be overplayed, but to me it just isn't. It has it all - a catchy melody, mysterious lyrics, a strange, "nighttime" atmosphere, Reilly's vocals (which is not that common, as far as pop goes) and - for a pop song - absolutely beautiful guitar solo (and guitar overall). In fact, it was the first guitar solo I've even known by heart, every note.

Also:


And many others. Yes, I prefer Mike when he's being his usual instrumental whatever self. But his wanderings throughout the pop land have always been very special to me.


EDIT: Also, regarding Shadow, I have read somewhere the urban legend it's supposed to be about John Lennon's murder. It's probably not, but the idea of it being sung by a woman that witnessed her lover being killed and having a visions of him at night gives it a new, haunting emotionality, with the lyrics like "see you in Heaven one day", "will you come to talk to me this night", "the night was heavy and the air was alive"... being very strong in that regard. In fact, it's one of the few songs capable of making me actually cry.

Okay, Judas, you're drubl, go to bed already. :facepalm:
 
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Taylor Swift made the cover of the US version of Vogue. Should hit shelves near the end of the month, definitely going to pick this one up. I love the style she adopted for the photoshoot (here). Also here's the link to the Taylor Swift write-up Vogue did, well worth the read; very excited to get this.
 
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As far as pop goes, I have a confession to make: Even though many people dislike when an "artsy" artist goes "pop", I think they sometimes do it just right. IMHO, this is definitely the case with Mike Oldfield.

Hello Fleetwood Mac. From bluesy rock in the late 60s to artsy art rock to big pop/rock arena stars in the 70s....and then they managed to get even poppier in the 80s...Like Everywhere and Little Lies...both songs with great qualities!!


 
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Taylor Swift made the cover of the US version of Vogue. Should hit shelves near the end of the month, definitely going to pick this one up. I love the style she adopted for the photoshoot (here). Also here's the link to the Taylor Swift write-up Vogue did, well worth the read; very excited to get this.

What can I say, I am a Taylor Swift fan.

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Reading the article again was nice, plus I love the style she took on for the photoshoot. Another thing to add to the collection.
 
I could agree with most of that. I think the album is about as close to perfect as you can get though, no bad songs. So good that it set a standard the followup couldn't possibly live up to. I think the production is great. You're right that it's a mixed bag, but their arrangements always fit the song.

I like that Bones is a very dark album while Every Open Eye is a more uplifting, upbeat, light album. There's a yin/yang to them that was really obvious at the concert when they alternated between the albums.

BTW I dunno if I mentioned this before, but my favorite Chvrches song isn't on either of the albums, but the Hunger Games soundtrack. It's called Dead Air and it's awesome.
 
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