The Official Top 40 - Opens In New Window
In order to ensure I don't become trapped within the years I grew up, each week I shall listen to the top 40 in full, express my thoughts and have a fit.
These comments - RE week commencing 27.04.08
I've not heard this at all before now, even though it has managed an eight week chart run and counting. The sound is very retro soul, aka Adele, Winehouse and Duffy. The voice is in a similar vein too, although possibly slightly more accomplished from a professional point of view. Very catchy is this and I may well investigate Grabriella Cilmi as a result. Hey, i've only just started and i've got a result!
A new entry this week at number thirty-five, heavily TV advertised band The Hoosiers manage to sound both energetic and bland at the same time. It's a problem at lot of modern rock bands have, they arrange everything into the ground, removing anything that might sound like a mistake. Classic pop songs often happen by accident, so, keep in those mistakes! For the record, this is decent pop/rock, although will never change the world. The best bit is when the brass parps up during the instrmental break and for a second, everything reaches outwards, aka The Beatles 'A Day In The Life'.
This is where the worry comes in. 'Black And Gold' sounds exactly like the kind of thing Cream and Ministry Of Sound compilations have featured for at least ten years. Has dance music really not changed at all during a decade? Because this type of music is the type of music 'the kids' are growing up with, this is their natural place and their natural style of music, how music 'should' be. Climbing from number three to this weeks number two, Sam Sparro's 'Black And Gold' has spent seven weeks on the charts. The vocal is cool, deep and soulful, the music is dance by rote although not as irritating as this stuff usually is.
These guys worry me. The song is very professional, pretty instantly catchy and also instantly annoying. It sounds too thought about, it's a kind of anemic pop sound where nothing sounds quite real. Almost like a barbie version of The B52's, if such a thing is possible. Music for teenagers, certainly. Sounds like a stupid thing to say, that, but here's hoping Alphabet have more substance displayed on album tracks than this piece of fluff manages to present.
When the thumping bass enters the fray following the vocodered lyrics, of course you'll be worried. Well, this song has been around for absolutely ages, some five months in the charts at the time of writing. It's got elements of trance dating the track back a good ten years in style. There's nothing new here and it's very easy to see why this is a tune big on the dancefloors. In terms of Basshunter, don't expect him to be making any kind of artistic statements, these types of things are purely for the moment, although I do appreciate they attract the same kind of nostalgia for those that like this stuff, in ten years time, as the likes of 'Karma Chameleon' by Culture Club does for me. It's a kind of fascinated, morbid curiosity. 'Now You're Gone' already sounds old though, because no-one has advanced dance music. Talk about going round in ever decreasing circles, talk about going round in ever decreasing circles, talk about going round in ever decreasing circles, talk about going round in ever decreasing circles, etc.