sounds like
mika - life in cartoon motionimagine freddie mercury, robbie williams, and even a hint of rod stewart.
as if the bastard son of robbie williams and robin thicke, with the pop touch and sensibility of the former and the falsetto twists of the latter, mika sounds like scissor sisters without the droning techno beat, with thoughtful lyrics, a balance of dance-y catch pop tunes (lollipop) and things you can listen to while you're at the beach (any other world) to even the things you can just bop to. the rest of the cd, life in cartoon motion, will be a perpetual appearance in everyone's ipods, if not the radio stations.
and who can't listen to a song with a line that says, "hey big girl, you're beautiful!" points to mika for being british and nondiscriminatory.
extremely enjoyable -- it's an official summer album. driving to the beach never sounded better.
-----
feist - the reminder
you have those moments with artists when you just unknowingly groove and bop to the music, obviously unaware that the background music is blowing you away until it's too late and the moment passes. feist is nothing but those moments.
songs like 1234 and my moon, my man hit the heartstrings so well because it's the stuff you want to listen to when it comes around eleven in the evening and nothing's on except for bad techno or soft rock. feist reminds me of imogen heap with a smack upside the head of norah jones, the perfect wind down, much like david gray's babylon did a few years ago.
she's got a sultry, smoky voice with an alternative sensibility. think along the lines of a toned down karen o, but with a lot more thought in the lyrics. (gold lion was good, but not THAT good.) it's astrud gilberto with a perfect english accent.
if instant classics could still be coined, this would be one.
-----
justin timberlake - what goes around, single
sounds like cry me a river, but just as goddamn catchy, if not catchier, than the hook for sexyback or rock your body. the ex-mouseketeer knows what he's doing, and i think it's clear where he wants to go next.
i like it a lot better than my love, but i have a thing for that pounding, driving beat under jt's falsetto. note to britney: this is how to do it.
as with the rest of futuresex, it's a good step in the right direction; it's making headway where pop should go, in that it makes a distinct impression when you hear it. you can dance to it, you can make it your official revenge on the ex song, or really, just another one you can file under "very good."
-----
kelly clarkson - never again, single
how many times can kelly clarkson talk about breaking up with a guy? let's see... except for one song in breakaway, every song of kelly's basically dealt with getting out of a relationship that was ultimately bad for her. but it seems to be her forte; never again hints at the gist of songs like gone and where is your heart but with an angrier -- and a less melodic -- tone.
chalk it up to her being aggravated (the new album's called my december and i hope there's more representation with the songs that deal with saying "i love you" instead of saying "i loveD you" in this one) or i guess another turn for the cold shoulder.
in any case, i can't hate kelly too much. the next single better be good.
-----
in the next issue: maroon 5, of montreal, and the new version of itunes.
