Great! Now just send me your rankings.
And now, my turn:
Christina Aguilera - Ain't No Other Man
Well, at least the opening is iconic. I go back and forth with this song: sometimes, I'm immediately hooked into DJ Premier's blazing sonic skills, othertimes, it sounds like Slaggy Aggy is ATTACKING ME WITH HER UNPLEASANT TONE. She really is screaming, isn't she? Like, we all know she must have some serious scar tissue now, right? Unlike the great vocalists of the past (Aretha, Gladys, Nina, Ella, Dusty) or of today (Amy, Neko) or even the people she is so clearly inspired by (paging Mariah, Whitney and Celine!), most of Christina's runs make NO sense, emotionally, melodically, or lyrically. But something works here? I'm not sure what, but I'm undecided as of now.
3 Doors Down - Loser
For all of Christina's (many) faults, at least she's not (usually) mediocre like these guys. There is nothing special or original about this song - it sounds like something a Nirvana tribute band would do? But it is catchy? But it's not Be Like That, the only legitimately good thing I've ever heard from them. And this guitar break in the middle? WHAT THE EFF.
Kanye West - Gold Digger
Quote:
I know his dude's ballin, and yeah that's nice
And they gon' keep callin' and tryin'
But you stay right girl
And when he get on
He'll leave your ass for a white girl!
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If that doesn't encapsulate Kanye's genius, I don't know what would.
Avril Lavigne - I'm with You
What this song gets right, it gets right. A very studied attempt in making an emo-masterpiece. Every inch feels calculated, but the sort of calculation that teenagers can't see. Well done, the Matrix!
Michelle Branch - Are You Happy Now?
I really do love the way this starts, but then it almost goes downhill? The production is already dated, which is a bad sign, considering it's just FIVE YEARS OLD. But that chorus - man! You Oughta Know for our generation. And the middle 8 remains the best part of the song.
Panic at the Disco - That Green Gentleman
The chorus is very catchy. And Brandon Urie is very goodlooking. But his voice could not stick out anymore if it tried. His "clever" lyrics especially sound atrocious in the sonic space provided. And, really, "she?" COME ON.
Kelis - Millionaire
1:40. That's when Kelis enters HER OWN SONG. Why would her fans do this to her? Especially when Keep It Down was so close to making it?
It's a very
good song, but it's not hers. And I could never hate a song that samples Slick Rick. NEVER.
Nine Inch Nails - Me, I'm Not
=-o
Alanis Morrisette - Underneath
I think this is really promising - but yet again, Alanis's wordiness is her downfall. She'll never be a great (or sometimes even good) songwriter, because, WHO TALKS LIKE THIS? "I've spun my wheels, with carts before my horse?" WHAT THE EFF
.
Lupe Fiasco - Streets of Fire
From what I've heard,
The Cool does not match up to
Food & Liquor - and this song kind of proves my point. Lupe's focus is still there, and he really connects to the material - but I paused the song to watch GAY ROBOT on Youtube. GAY ROBOT. :iwantedtogiveyouahummer:
PJ Harvey - You Said Something
Or, as I call it, the best song of the week. That opening guitar lick gives a hint to the song's greatness, and boy, does PJ deliver. Her vocal - steady, assured, heartbreakingly vulnerable - could teach all of this week's other players (ESPECIALLY AGUILERA) a thing or two. The lyrics -
"Lean against railings
Describing the colors
And the smells of our homelands
Acting like lovers" -
are so perfect it's hard to believe a human came up with them. Perhaps I'm too closely attached to this song - a few months, I was on a Brookyln rooftop, at (almost) 1 in the morning - but man, it's a stunner. What really gets me is the silence - all the things left unsaid, that can only come with experience. Unlike Avril and Michelle's girlish cries, this is a song that means something. For anyone who's ever been left hanging on someone else's words - this song was made for you.
