The Pop Thread
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- Start date
JudasMyGuide
The resident reactionary recalcitrant
Now, I admit that I'm more of a "pop" ethusiast in that regard that I love music that's supposed to be popular, not the one that is. Case in point - I understand completely how ELO or Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark songs get popular - they're just catchy, accessible, they really drill into your head. The melodic approach is really clearly after your attention, it's all just brilliant in that regard. No contest there.
Nowadays - and I know I'm simplifying this discussion a lot - there's more accent on the atmosphere, the rhythm, the production... those songs really aren't memorable all that much. That's why I often struggle with the current pop music - I find it not "pop" enough. Of course, there are exceptions, both from the Latin world, of course, but also from bands like this
Sure, it's kinda clichéd in its approach, but still, it fulfills the "pop" requirement I have of the popular music.
Which brings me to Ariana Grande. Her stuff is reeeeeeeally bland and unmemorable, to be honest - though there are exceptions -
but in general, the stuff she does is not really even on the Backstreet Boys meter of memorability (and those songs were killer, back in the day). I actually saw her YT videos before she had an album out and back then I thought she has a killer voice (let's not talk about how she mumles everything like Elmer Fudd, so that I really can't hear the chorus in NASA like "I'mma need space" and keep hearing it like "I'mma deep space"), but her output was really disappointing to me. Just more of that current pop blandness.
And despite that, I admit that I deeply, deeply like the thank u, next album.
No, the songs aren't miraculously more memorable, catchy or melodic, in fact, the whole album is probably supposed to be more of this "atmospheric", "intimate", "lights-low", "bedtime" type of an album (like Kylie Minogue did with her Body Language after the upbeat, lively sounds, feels and singles of both Light Years and Fever or like Madonna did with her... well, Bedtime Stories), but it totally works. This is one current pop album that I totally understand, appreciate and put on a spin regularly. It just gets me under its spell and feels like one of the more attention-worthy albums of 2019 in general, your liking of its main singles notwithstanding.
Nowadays - and I know I'm simplifying this discussion a lot - there's more accent on the atmosphere, the rhythm, the production... those songs really aren't memorable all that much. That's why I often struggle with the current pop music - I find it not "pop" enough. Of course, there are exceptions, both from the Latin world, of course, but also from bands like this
Sure, it's kinda clichéd in its approach, but still, it fulfills the "pop" requirement I have of the popular music.
Which brings me to Ariana Grande. Her stuff is reeeeeeeally bland and unmemorable, to be honest - though there are exceptions -
but in general, the stuff she does is not really even on the Backstreet Boys meter of memorability (and those songs were killer, back in the day). I actually saw her YT videos before she had an album out and back then I thought she has a killer voice (let's not talk about how she mumles everything like Elmer Fudd, so that I really can't hear the chorus in NASA like "I'mma need space" and keep hearing it like "I'mma deep space"), but her output was really disappointing to me. Just more of that current pop blandness.
And despite that, I admit that I deeply, deeply like the thank u, next album.
No, the songs aren't miraculously more memorable, catchy or melodic, in fact, the whole album is probably supposed to be more of this "atmospheric", "intimate", "lights-low", "bedtime" type of an album (like Kylie Minogue did with her Body Language after the upbeat, lively sounds, feels and singles of both Light Years and Fever or like Madonna did with her... well, Bedtime Stories), but it totally works. This is one current pop album that I totally understand, appreciate and put on a spin regularly. It just gets me under its spell and feels like one of the more attention-worthy albums of 2019 in general, your liking of its main singles notwithstanding.
I listened to a bit of the Sweetener album the other day, still holds up as a pretty interesting slab of pop. It's a bit out there but still accessible enough for mass audiences, which I can appreciate. Haven't listened to Thank U Next, but it's on my list.
I went through all of Taylor Swift's discography a couple weeks ago. Some quick observations:
I went through all of Taylor Swift's discography a couple weeks ago. Some quick observations:
- Reputation is her best artistic statement and has the most staying power for me. I was meh on it when it came out, but since then several of the songs on there have risen to my all time favorites. Not very many weak songs either.
- 1989 is still the best album overall. Just an incredible and timeless piece of pop. My generation's Thriller.
- Her albums are way too long
- Folklore isn't very good, and isn't even really a folk album despite being branded as such. But there are some really nice intimate moments. The Last American Dynasty is easily the best song, major radiohead vibes on that one.
- Fearless has a ton of songs that are pretty much classics at this point.
- Overall, her discography is enjoyable because each album is so different, but most of her albums are pretty bloated with only a few standout tracks on each. 1989 and Reputation are the exceptions here. I've grown to really respect her as an artist and businesswoman though. She is really powerful but also seems like a genuinely good person who deserves her success. Highly recommend the Miss Americana movie too.
Midnight
The Ever-Present "It"
I might as well give it a shot, then, seeing as Look What You Made Me Do has been stuck in my head for a week.
I don’t really hang in pop circles, so I don’t have anywhere else to post this even though I’m not sure how relevant it is to anyone here:
www.cnn.com
I wasn’t a big fan of her music, but hearing about young artists dying so early is always really sad. The one album she made was a really unique piece of pop and represented a new trajectory for the style that combined normal pop sensibility with really out there soundscapes and more avant-garde sensibilities. It’s a combination I really dig and it’s a shame that we’ll never get to hear how Sophie would go on to develop as an artist. I hope pop artists continue to follow along the paths that she established. I get the feeling that in a few years she’ll be seen as really ahead of her time.
Sophie, Grammy-nominated artist, dies aged 34 | CNN
Grammy-nominated experimental pop artist and producer Sophie Xeon -- publicly known as SOPHIE -- died in a "terrible accident" on Saturday morning aged 34, according to a statement from the musician's record label Transgressive.
www.cnn.com
I wasn’t a big fan of her music, but hearing about young artists dying so early is always really sad. The one album she made was a really unique piece of pop and represented a new trajectory for the style that combined normal pop sensibility with really out there soundscapes and more avant-garde sensibilities. It’s a combination I really dig and it’s a shame that we’ll never get to hear how Sophie would go on to develop as an artist. I hope pop artists continue to follow along the paths that she established. I get the feeling that in a few years she’ll be seen as really ahead of her time.
What a banger.
Cristian1980
Prowler
Did you see the list of performers on Christmas New Year Eve 2022?? Around the end of the year, we will have a chance to see some of the top live music events and decide which ones are perfect for your type of pleasure. What do you think, any kind of other music events that are worth to attend on New Year's Eve?
Cornfed Hick
Ancient Mariner
Anyone watched her movie?
____no5
Free Man
Anybody likes Adele here? She just released a new album which I find very good. There are 5 songs over 6 minutes, 3 of them being being the very last on the album. A bit of Maiden touch 
Title is 30, more or less her age (33), similar as her previous albums 19, 21 & 25.
1. Strangers by Nature
2. Easy on Me
3. My Little Love
4. Cry Your Heart Out
5. Oh My God
6. Can I Get It
7. I Drink Wine
8. All Night Parking (With Erroll Garner) Interlude
9. Woman Like Me
10. Hold On
11. To Be Loved
12. Love Is a Game
Up to now I like the second half of the album better and I Drink Wine is my favorite track:
How can one become so bounded by choices that somebody else makes?
How come we've both become a version of a person we don't even like?
We're in love with the world, but the world just wants to bring us down
By puttin' ideas in our heads that corrupt our hearts somehow
When I was a child, every single thing could blow my mind
Soaking it all up for fun, but now I only soak up wine
They say to play hard, you work hard, find balance in the sacrifice
And yet I don't know anybody who's truly satisfied
You better believe I'm tryin' (Tryin', tryin')
To keep climbin' (Climbin', climbin')
But the higher we climb feels like we're both none the wiser
So I hope I learn to get over myself
Stop tryin' to be somebody else
So we can love each other for free
Everybody wants somethin', you just want me
Why am I obsessin' about the things I can't control?
Why am I seekin' approval from people I don't even know?
In these crazy times, I hope to find somethin' I can cling on to
'Cause I need some substance in my life, somethin' real, somethin' that feels true
You better believe for you, I've cried (I've cried, I've cried)
High tides (High tides, high tides)
'Cause I want you so bad, but you can't fight fire with fire, oh
So I hope I learn to get over myself
Stop tryin' to be somebody else
Oh, I just want to love you, love you for free
Everybody wants somethin' from me, you just want me
Listen, I know how low I can go, I give as good as I get
You get the brunt of it all 'cause you're all I've got left
Oh, I hope in time (Hope in time)
We both will find (We'll both find), peace of mind
Sometimes, the road less traveled is a road best left behind
Well, I hope I learn to get over myself
Stop tryin' to be somebody else
Oh, I just want to love you, love you for free, yeah
'Cause everybody wants somethin' from me, you just want me
You better believe I'm tryin' (Tryin', tryin')
To keep climbin' (Climbin', climbin')
But the higher we climb, feels like we're both none the wiser
The only regret I have
I wish that it was just at a different time
A most turbulent period of my life
Why would I put that on you?
That's just, like, a very heavy thing to have to talk about
But because of that period of time
Even though it was so much fun
I didn't get to go on and make new memories with him
There were just memories in a big storm
Title is 30, more or less her age (33), similar as her previous albums 19, 21 & 25.
1. Strangers by Nature
2. Easy on Me
3. My Little Love
4. Cry Your Heart Out
5. Oh My God
6. Can I Get It
7. I Drink Wine
8. All Night Parking (With Erroll Garner) Interlude
9. Woman Like Me
10. Hold On
11. To Be Loved
12. Love Is a Game
Up to now I like the second half of the album better and I Drink Wine is my favorite track:
How can one become so bounded by choices that somebody else makes?
How come we've both become a version of a person we don't even like?
We're in love with the world, but the world just wants to bring us down
By puttin' ideas in our heads that corrupt our hearts somehow
When I was a child, every single thing could blow my mind
Soaking it all up for fun, but now I only soak up wine
They say to play hard, you work hard, find balance in the sacrifice
And yet I don't know anybody who's truly satisfied
You better believe I'm tryin' (Tryin', tryin')
To keep climbin' (Climbin', climbin')
But the higher we climb feels like we're both none the wiser
So I hope I learn to get over myself
Stop tryin' to be somebody else
So we can love each other for free
Everybody wants somethin', you just want me
Why am I obsessin' about the things I can't control?
Why am I seekin' approval from people I don't even know?
In these crazy times, I hope to find somethin' I can cling on to
'Cause I need some substance in my life, somethin' real, somethin' that feels true
You better believe for you, I've cried (I've cried, I've cried)
High tides (High tides, high tides)
'Cause I want you so bad, but you can't fight fire with fire, oh
So I hope I learn to get over myself
Stop tryin' to be somebody else
Oh, I just want to love you, love you for free
Everybody wants somethin' from me, you just want me
Listen, I know how low I can go, I give as good as I get
You get the brunt of it all 'cause you're all I've got left
Oh, I hope in time (Hope in time)
We both will find (We'll both find), peace of mind
Sometimes, the road less traveled is a road best left behind
Well, I hope I learn to get over myself
Stop tryin' to be somebody else
Oh, I just want to love you, love you for free, yeah
'Cause everybody wants somethin' from me, you just want me
You better believe I'm tryin' (Tryin', tryin')
To keep climbin' (Climbin', climbin')
But the higher we climb, feels like we're both none the wiser
The only regret I have
I wish that it was just at a different time
A most turbulent period of my life
Why would I put that on you?
That's just, like, a very heavy thing to have to talk about
But because of that period of time
Even though it was so much fun
I didn't get to go on and make new memories with him
There were just memories in a big storm
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
I have liked all of Adele’s previous albums, but this one felt off for me. It’s pretty overwrought and/or tuneless in some places and the backing vocals are overbearing.Anybody likes Adele here? She just released a new album which I find very good. There are 5 songs over 6 minutes, 3 of them being being the very last on the album. A bit of Maiden touch
Title is 30, more or less her age (33), similar as her previous albums 19, 21 & 25.
1. Strangers by Nature
2. Easy on Me
3. My Little Love
4. Cry Your Heart Out
5. Oh My God
6. Can I Get It
7. I Drink Wine
8. All Night Parking (With Erroll Garner) Interlude
9. Woman Like Me
10. Hold On
11. To Be Loved
12. Love Is a Game
Up to now I like the second half of the album better and I Drink Wine is my favorite track:
How can one become so bounded by choices that somebody else makes?
How come we've both become a version of a person we don't even like?
We're in love with the world, but the world just wants to bring us down
By puttin' ideas in our heads that corrupt our hearts somehow
When I was a child, every single thing could blow my mind
Soaking it all up for fun, but now I only soak up wine
They say to play hard, you work hard, find balance in the sacrifice
And yet I don't know anybody who's truly satisfied
You better believe I'm tryin' (Tryin', tryin')
To keep climbin' (Climbin', climbin')
But the higher we climb feels like we're both none the wiser
So I hope I learn to get over myself
Stop tryin' to be somebody else
So we can love each other for free
Everybody wants somethin', you just want me
Why am I obsessin' about the things I can't control?
Why am I seekin' approval from people I don't even know?
In these crazy times, I hope to find somethin' I can cling on to
'Cause I need some substance in my life, somethin' real, somethin' that feels true
You better believe for you, I've cried (I've cried, I've cried)
High tides (High tides, high tides)
'Cause I want you so bad, but you can't fight fire with fire, oh
So I hope I learn to get over myself
Stop tryin' to be somebody else
Oh, I just want to love you, love you for free
Everybody wants somethin' from me, you just want me
Listen, I know how low I can go, I give as good as I get
You get the brunt of it all 'cause you're all I've got left
Oh, I hope in time (Hope in time)
We both will find (We'll both find), peace of mind
Sometimes, the road less traveled is a road best left behind
Well, I hope I learn to get over myself
Stop tryin' to be somebody else
Oh, I just want to love you, love you for free, yeah
'Cause everybody wants somethin' from me, you just want me
You better believe I'm tryin' (Tryin', tryin')
To keep climbin' (Climbin', climbin')
But the higher we climb, feels like we're both none the wiser
The only regret I have
I wish that it was just at a different time
A most turbulent period of my life
Why would I put that on you?
That's just, like, a very heavy thing to have to talk about
But because of that period of time
Even though it was so much fun
I didn't get to go on and make new memories with him
There were just memories in a big storm
View attachment 18094
What a fucking song.
____no5
Free Man
Not sure if Lana qualifies as pop but I'm listening this again and again today. What an artist. She's Tom Waits of Pop Music, I'd say. For a reason that song never clicked before. There are some very strong and melancholic lyrics here and this signature Del Ray cinematic melancholy, I'm sold!
Have you changed your mind at all about this one? Agree for backing vocals but I like the album more and more. I Drink Wine has been one of my best songs in 2021 and this album might be her best ever. I'll need some more time to say that for sure though.
Have you changed your mind at all about this one? Agree for backing vocals but I like the album more and more. I Drink Wine has been one of my best songs in 2021 and this album might be her best ever. I'll need some more time to say that for sure though.
I don't mind The Weeknd but I don't like him in this song at all.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner