today Apple and EMI are releasing two box sets: The Beatles Stereo Box Set and The Beatles in Mono, two epic compilations of remastered stereo and mono recordings of the complete Beatles studio catalog. beautiful. to mark my renewed obsession (sparked by both the box sets and also by seeing the Cirque du Soleil show LOVE in Las Vegas with Adam), i'm making this little post, which falls back on a classic six stars strategy: speechlessness at sheer musical genius.
Lily Allen is serious paprazzi material (in the UK). She's popular because she's young, hot, and she sings about daily things such as boyfriends, fucking, and drugs, and because the music is slick pop with big electro beats. She made it big in 2006 thanks to MySpace, released an album and some singles, one of which, Smile, I think even US kids know, and in 2008 recorded her second album, It's Not Me, It's You, released just this February, 2009.
Anyways, I have this album, and here is what I think:
4.5 stars: 50 years from now, 4.0, but for its daring approach to pop and ridiculous popularity, a strong 4.5, resting largely on her voice and on her lyrics, the former so silky you think she was born singing like this, the latter direct and natural, a good quality in music this poppy. Play it very loudly so you hear all the nuances.
Lily Allen: smarter and more talented beyond either her popularity or her typical fans.
i know it's all about Michael Jackson right now, but here's a dance song i guarantee you haven't forgotten:
before The Field, before Daft Punk, before Michael Jackson, these guys mastered the art of repetition.
lay down a bass drum, thump it, 1. 2. 3. 4. add some hi-hat to the mix for some extra clicks. next, slurp out an irresistible bassline, sidewinding around the four-on-the-floor kicks. it's getting real dancey. then you hit the synths, caressing the keys, remembering this isn't about dominating the song, just keeping it rolling, keeping it fresh. maybe some strings here and there. finally, lay down the vocal track, smooth, funky, rocking, spiraling, spinning, dizzy, and real cool. nothing wild, just simple, to the point, sweet, and beautiful.
anybody who writes a good dance song knows that the key is simplicity and repetition. listen to "Thriller." listen to "One More Time." listen to "Stayin' Alive." ah, you've heard 'em all before...
When Kate Bush was 18 years old, she caught the last 10 minutes of the 1970 film version of Wuthering Heights, and immediately afterwords read the entire book. Then, in a fit of creative passion, wrote this song in just a few hours one night, while watching moonlight stream in through her open bedroom window.
There's something so endearingly girlish about this, that, combined with the infectiously catchy melody and Kate Bush's particularly distinctive high voice, makes this song so delicious.
Apparently, Kate was really adamant about this song being the first single off her first album, The Kick Inside, despite the fact that her record label (who signed her because David Gilmour thought she ruled) wanted to use a different song. She held her ground and, of course, she was right and "Wuthering Heights" was huge.
The way the melody lilts and soars and dips and twirls and the silly bookish drama of the lyrics just... sounds like the way it feels to be a girl caught up in the romantic fancy of a sweeping love story.
I've never read Wuthering Heights, but now I kind of want to.
