Are we just revising history now? 2014 was the year without a summer song, I'm pretty sure that was established fact. I don't wanna clog up this space with links but if you Google (or Bing, if you so prefer) "no song of the summer 2014" you'll find multiple articles about why this was. The prevailing theory was something about fragmented listenership due to streaming, and there's a very good chance there will never be another "song of the summer" ever again. I mean there have barely been any "big" songs in 2015 to date. "Uptown Funk" is for sure one, and maybe a couple Taylor Swift singles, but that's it. Nothing else has thoroughly permeated cultural consciousness.
Let's face it folks, music is no longer valued commodity.
"If you’ve been following their progression over the past three records, then what they have in store for the fourth may be a bit of a surprise."
haha James Rettig are you on some kind of "herb"? Their progression has been pretty clearly leading this way. They started out as danceable math-rock, got darker and more post-punk on their second one, got bigger and more brash on their third one, and now have gone even more raw.
The song is not really my thing, but I admire that they didn't go the minimalist-dance/ "Get Lucky" sound everyone else is doing.
For another song that's on the "Get Lucky" bandwagon, it's pretty great.
I was worried when the pre-chorus came in and the drums dropped out that we had yet another anti-climactic bomb on our hands but then the actual chorus came in and it was big and catchy and good. I'm glad Beck remembers that choruses are supposed to be the loud part of songs. The song structure in general sounds pretty old school, which I totally appreciate.
ha ha James Rettig are you on some sort of "herb"? The original isn't stuck in second gear, it has a clearly defined verse and chorus, with the chorus louder (in "third gear", as you might say)- as it should be in an upbeat song. It's not a masterpiece, but it is a solid, cohesive, acceptable pop song. The remix on the other hand, is missing drums for half the track, has annoying messed up vocals, and has no defined structure. And is generally just awful.
Kinda disjointed, poor structure and no real hook. Where's the verse? Where's the chorus?
Though I do find it kind of admirable he's going the "real instrument" route, I definitely thought he'd be the kind of guy to jump into synth patches and loops.
I don't get how he can simultaneously make a song like "In the Night" and "I Can't Feel My Face". In ITN he nails the pop structure, solid melody, and gives us a payoff of a chorus, as songs should. But then in ICFMF, he builds it up dramatically...and then nothing. The chorus is minimalist and starts out on a wrong chord, completely draining momentum and ruining the song. Why are all the artists doing this now?
"Honestly, it looks pretty good!"
No, it doesn't. It looks like whimsical twee millennial bait about goin out and havin adventures cuz u only live once so u might as well go on a totally cray road trip and vape.
Song is boring, no big chorus. Even more insipid than Charli XCX's Boom Clap.
ugggh promoters are the worrrrrrrst kind of people. They act totally sincere and shake your hand and are all friendly but that is literally just their job. At the end of the day if you're not offering some sort of value to them, they don't remember your name. Their entire life revolves around "networking".
uggghhh another artist falls victim to the "unconventional" song structure that everyone's trying. So all that build-up amounts to what, 10 seconds at the end there? What a waste of a song. Hey bands, you know that verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus still works pretty well, right?
Shoot, that's a bummer. I would have thought the lead singer got his electro-pop urges out with Apparatjik so he could go back to prog with Mew. Sounds like this is another Twin Shadow debacle. This has been a really disappointing year for new music.
I think most of UTIOG are in AWOLNATION, they just morphed into them gradually.
But this is totally weird- I bought And the Glass Handed Kites and UTIOG's self-titled album on the same day in 2006.
spoOoOo0oOoky
The new Walk the Moon album is ok, but it's disappointing considering their debut was so much better. I know this sounds "rockist" or whatever, but the new one is just so disposable, with basic 4-chord songs and lazy hooks. Good for parties but so unsubstantial. Their first album had a whole bunch of legitimately great songs that showed actual musicianship, especially "Iscariot", which is one of the most underrated melodramatic power ballads out there.
Well it's sonically better than the first single, but there isn't a single hook in there. It's like they traded urgency for melody....still awful. Where the first one was a Fray-knockoff, this is third-tier Foo Fighters copycattery.
This sounds like Angels & Airwaves.
No but really it does. With the intro and the way the verses are sung.
Just imagine Tom Delonge singing it and you'll see what I mean.
I'm usually against snarking on these kinds of bands, but Lifehouse are very much one of the worst bands in the world. If you hate Hanging By A Moment, just imagine how bad their output has gotten 15 years AFTER that. They actually are worse than Nickelback, because at least the 'Back stick to their butt-rock roots. Lifehouse are genre-hoppers that turn every style they try into a watered-down AOR nightmare. I'm surprised the passengers weren't hanging by an airplane wing.
Man, that is one of the bleakest statements I've ever read here. The guy is literally giving up on his dreams. Just goes to show you that only a lucky few will get to do what they love in life, despite what those optimistic platitudes on Buzzfeed tell you.
Sediment is such a good song.
Because of comedians like this (and well known lawsuits like Satriani vs. Coldplay), the go-to defense of the layperson when it comes to pop songs ACTUALLY ripping off older songs is "it's just the same chord progression". People are so dumb.
I think there ought to be musicians present in cases like this to break down what exactly the similarities are and whether it merits legal action.
I also think that Jimmy Eat World ought to sue whoever wrote that Kelly Clarkson Heartbeat song.
Okay, but if all those meticulous, tiny sounds don't have a good song built underneath them, then it doesn't really matter how cohesive they are. This song is very good...up until the chord progression change in the second half of the chorus. Why didn't they just keep the first four chords? They were fine, they sounded good! But then it just goes flat in the second four. There should also be some more punch in the chorus to give it power, give the song some dynamics.
On the plus side, this song is way, way better than Satellites.
No More Stories... was my favorite album of 2009 as well, and I'm holding out hope for +/- because Introducing Palace Players and Repeaterbeater weren't great singles either, but then came Beach and it was fantastic.
meh, Get Lucky and Call Me Maybe were both dropped in March, so it's not that uncommon. Commercial culture is all about the rush-rush now, it's why Old Navy is already blarfing about swimsuits and beachwear.
Yeah these write-ups are starting to get a little bizarre, especially with this newly popular "rockist" term that seems to be strangely loaded and angry. Everyone's tripping over themselves to fawn over Kanye, Beyonce and Rihanna and if you dare criticize any of them you are OUT OF TOUCHHHHHH.
ugh, that AWOLNATION song goes full zeitgeist with the anti-climactic chorus. That awful aggro-rapping doesn't help either.
I really liked My December, especially the song "Sober". "Never Again" was alright too, the attitude reminded me of Alanis Morrissette. Of course the masses wouldn't like music with a little negativity, everything has to be "YO YO PARTYYYY EVERYTHING GOOD FUN ALL THE TIME IGNORE PROBLEMS".
Oh boo. Mixed Emotions was an absolutely incredible album and I've been looking forward to their next record ever since, but this is disappointing. Jangly zeitgeist guitars and upbeat tempo ready for a Kia commercial....honestly it just sounds like a more artistically inclined version of the Bravery. Or like everything else mainstream radio is blasting right now.
I don't get it, what's the problem? That SOME pop music isn't raunchy, crude Rated-R material? As much as I hate delving into tumblr-speak, this post reeks of prude shaming. Why are you even complaining? I'm sure you can find other popstars that are singing about butts and weiners in our hyper-sensualized culture. For people who have never been on a date like myself, this kind of song is a nice innocent daydream of a track that doesn't need dirtying up.
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