Five Most Improved Radio Rant Songs (pt.2: May 2011-June 2012)

Posted on June 30, 2012 by bgibs122

If there’s one thing I’ve learned while running this site–well, other than watch out for certain fanbases–it’s that few opinions stay static. Last April, I did a list on songs I’ve Radio Ranted that I riffed on at the time, but later warmed up to. And lately, I’ve been thinking about songs that I’ve been unfair to before, or where I changed my opinion, and figured that now’s the best time to do another list because 1. I haven’t put things in an order one after another in awhile, 2. This way, the “most improved” becomes an annual thing, and 3. the only 2 new Top 10 arrivals are by artists I don’t feel like talking about anymore, so here are the Five Most Improved Radio Rant Songs from May 2011 to June 2012!

5. Bruno Mars – It Will Rain 
Here’s one from last November that, high Clingy Factor aside, got a pretty positive review from me. I had a few other options for number 5 that fell into the same category of “Well, this ain’t bad“, but what put “It Will Rain” above the rest is that it’s a song I’ve actively sought out to listen to. And that replay factor is the difference between repeatedly spun songs like this, and stuff that’s just as pleasant, but forgettable. It’s still a lyrically needy song, but the distinct production and romantic melody saved this one, at least to me. Bruno Mars, please make better songs.

4. Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera – Moves Like Jagger 
If there’s one thing harder than predicting who’s going to be the next big thing, it’s predicting who gets a second chance, and I never expected the Levine Inquisition like this. If I had to seek out “It Will Rain” to hear it again, “Moves Like Jagger” became inescapable with that sliding guitar riff and unrelenting beat. I still maintain that this song barely sounds like a band’s playing it, but I’ve gotten way more mileage out of dancing to this thing than I ever imagined. Can Maroon 5 follow it up? I dunno yet, their new album’s out this week, but either way, this was an unexpected game changer for them.

3. Britney Spears – I Wanna Go 
Coming back from last August, here’s Britney’s 3rd (and third most successful) single off Femme Fatale, and holy shit did I lay into this one when it came out. Looking back on it, I know exactly why; when this song came out, we were just starting to shake club pop off for real, but I was already so done with it that I’d kick at any sign of life to it. Listening to it now with a ten month buffer or so, I’d call this one of the better club pop tunes from last summer. Sure, it’s not going to go down in history as a brilliant song, but it’s deliriously fun, and this time even Britney sounds like she’s in on it, and there’s something to be said for that.

2. Lady Gaga – You and I 
Ever since I first heard “You and I” on Born This Way, I’ve gone kind of back and forth on it. When the album first came out, I called it one of the best songs on there, but then when it came time for a Radio Rant, this one fell kind of short with me. Most of my problems with the song stemmed from it not holding up very well under scrutiny, but since that entry, I’ve seen “You and I” as a forest for the trees kind of deal. Yeah, it’s overblown spectacle that doesn’t really accomplish much in any genre it throws itself into, but maybe the point was more just to listen to Gaga throw herself at these genres instead of making a coherent statement out of it. That and it’s fun to hear a song not giving a fuck like this.

1. Cobra Starship ft. Sabi – You Make Me Feel…
“You Make Me Feel…” …kind of bad, actually. I feel kind of bad for this song just because I ripped it to shreds during its Radio Rant. I still stand by what I said about Cobra Starship as a quickly degenerating cash-grab, this song not bothering to fill in it’s own lyrics, and being nonchalantly enjoyable, but if the mood strikes me just right, I’ll still give “You Make Me Feel…” a listen. Were it not for that “La la la la la” hook, it’d be a lot easier to write off, but this song doesn’t piss me off anymore like it used to, and I’d call that a massive improvement.

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Album Review: Kitty Pryde – Haha, I’m Sorry (mixtape)

Posted on June 28, 2012 by bgibs122

Skipping the heady intro about about social media subcultures and music, today, we’re looking at Florida rapper Kitty Pryde. Last month, her music video for “Okay Cupid” won the Viral Hit of the Week Award (who even decides this stuff?), and she’s generated some blog-buzz since. Not enough to turn her into a Kreayshawn or even a Lil B, but enough that she was able to release her Haha, I’m Sorry mixtape.

Pryde’s aesthetic runs the middle ground between not caring and stylistic suck with a healthy dose of self-awareness on both sides. How else do you explain the enforced but totally believable tackiness of “Okay Cupid”‘s video (aside from hipster-baiting)? She knows how to give a shit while making sure it doesn’t look like it; hence cruising a yardsale with her friends, the Macbook covered in stickers, and dear God, the PBR.

It’d all be irritating if the music failed.

It’s more than possible that what made “Okay Cupid” stick was that, looking past the video, it’s actually a really good song. Pryde’s a sharp writer with a deft flow (“So call me sober when you’re ready/Not going steady/But babe, I planned our wedding already” comes to mind), and Beautiful Lou’s skittering, hazy production jitters back and forth like a teen coming down from Adderall. She doesn’t rap especially fast, but hones in on her lines, and has a rise and fall cadence that sounds oddly conversational.

Pryde doesn’t venture far outside of  the comfort zone established on “Okay Cupid”, but uses Haha, I’m Sorry to take a stretch within her own confines. And those are more light jogs than full-blown excursions; 5 tracks long and the mixtape never touches thirteen minutes in length. Thankfully, it gets its weakest track out of the way early: after starting with (what else but?) “Okay Cupid” comes “Orion’s Belt” with guest rapper Riff Raff. Pryde takes time to call herself “the rap game Taylor Swift”, and given both’s writing talents and tendencies to write about romance, is pretty apt, but Riff Raff’s dud of a verse sinks the otherwise middling track.

Despite getting touted as being With the Moment and part of the new game, Haha, I’m Sorry indulges in plenty of hip-hop tropes, including the anti-hater track. Although, credit where it’s due, “smiledog.jpg” has to be the weirdest name for a boast track to date. It might also be the most Internet-y boast track ever with lines like “And now I’m all over Google/And I am very YouTube-able” and “Your favorite rapper’s twittering at me”.

Somehow one-uping “smiledog.jpg” at both Most Inane Song Title and Best Non-“Okay Cupid” track is “Aw Shawty: THE SHREKONING!!!!” featuring Dankte. The track could almost pass as an amateur Drake track with its gauzy, reverb-heavy beat and Dankte’s enamored lyrics. After his verse and a simple hook, Pryde comes in with a truly impressive verse. She matches the crush song vibe of Dankte, but brings him back to earth; they’ve never met, and he’s imagining her without complexity.

But, let’s not forget that Kitty Pryde isn’t an entirely serious artist. Closer “GIVE ME SCABBIES” samples “Call Me Maybe” and mashes it with a saxophone performance in a move that’s either brilliant or unbearable depending on how much sleep I’ve had. Pryde has another solid verse about a boy, but spends most of the song competing with the beat to be heard. But even then, enough of her one-liners get through, and when she shouts “Give me scabbies!” while laughing at the end of the track, you know she’s having fun.

As far as attempts by viral artists go, Haha, I’m Sorry is a success in that “Okay Cupid” isn’t all the mixtape has going for it. That said, there’s still plenty of room for improvement; Kitty Pryde’s got the skillset and the freshness for a viable rap career, but needs something to spur her towards success. Well, if she even wants it. Either way, we got a fun mixtape out of it, three and a half stars out of five.

tl;dr: More than a lucky video, 3.5/5.

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Radio Rant: Ellie Goulding – Lights

Posted on June 25, 2012 by bgibs122

Hello, and welcome to Radio Rants. Let’s brush the dust off, and see who’s up today.

Ellie Goulding is…uh, who is she? This song’s been big for forever, and I’ve never heard anything about her other than “she’s the woman that sings ‘Lights'”. A little research shows that she’s British singer-songwriter who began as a critical darling, released her debut album Lights, and has had an EP or two.

All of this was in 2010.

 The fastest way I can summarize Goulding is that she’s from a Gotye-style background: an artist who was kind of a successful thing in their country, but never had enough oomph to break through to America until That One Hit came along. It’s not a perfect analogy, as Gotye is a more established artist working with a more recent album, but it’s close enough to give you an idea of who Goulding is.

Well, now that we have the “who” reasonably squared away, let’s take a look at the “what”, “Lights” itself. After opening with a synth that I’m surprised hasn’t been made into a ringtone, “Lights” blends the organic with the synthetic: that keyboard loop never leaves, and there are synths at the chorus, but those drums and bass sound awful live to me. The first verse builds off the loop, drums, and bass before sliding  right into the first chorus where the synths creep in to fill things out. At some point, some acoustic guitar is able to make its way into the back of the mix.

Instrumentally, the drums are doing the most work. The beat’s always a little different, and the slight touch of hi-hat goes a long way. Overall, I’d call it a well produced song, especially the quick fake out at 2:29 that I fall for every time. But really, what makes “Lights” special is Goulding’s voice; she’s able to stay in her upper register with the slightest rasp, and sounds remarkably stead while doing it.

Also pulling in her favor is the song’s super catchy and singalongable chorus. It trades in pure danceability for a sleek groove, and the lyrics are just cool enough that it’s ok that they don’t quite make sense.

“You show the lights that stop me turn to stone/You’re shining when I’m alone” Ok, that second one is easy to get, but for the longest time, I thought the first line was “the lights they stop me, turn to stone” like they are what turned her to stone.

“‘Cause they’re calling, calling, calling me home” Do you need to phone home first? Because someone’s already taken that metaphor. Or maybe Goulding’s writing the song from an alien’s perspective, which hey, that’d be fun.

But nah, that’s not the case. “Lights” is written with just enough vague artistry that it sounds smarter than other pop songs, but at the end of the day is close enough to self-empowerment. It’s there, but a little hard to understand.

Speaking of hard to understand, I have one question about “Lights”: how is this song this popular?

I know that’s something I say a lot in Radio Rants, but this time I’m saying it without the implicit derision. And I don’t just mean that it’s made its way to the Top 20 with the movers and shakers of today’s pop music scene (and Train), it’s that it’s been there forever. As of writing this, “Lights” has the 9th longest streak of all songs currently on the Hot 100. And it’s not just on the chart, it’s been in the upper-reaches for the last few months; other acts like M83 and Of Monsters and Men have logged more chart time than you’d think, but haven’t cleared no. 60.

The weird thing is that “Lights” has pretty much escaped all of the 21st century ways of getting popular. It’s not by someone judging a reality show. There’s no 200 million plus view count viral video. It’s not by a massive pop star. It hasn’t had a gentrified Glee cover. It hasn’t bludgeoned its way up with deterministic advertising. “Call Me Maybe”, current no. 1 and one of the catchiest songs I’ve possibly ever heard, ascended to the top through sheer exposure. “Lights” doesn’t have that. What it’s got is a pretty kickass dubstep remix, but hell, even that wasn’t a big thing, and it came out a year ago.

Not that I’m complaining that it’s popular because right now, this is probably my favorite song in the current top 20. It’s a nice number that has a lot of replayability, and fits most moods. Goulding’s buoyed the song with appearances on the late night TV circuit, getting it into people’s heads, and it’s consistently good enough to stay there. “Lights” hits just enough from everybody that’s it become one hell of a slow burner, and I hope we get to hear more from Ms. Goulding. Or at the very least, less from Katy Perry.

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New Music: Haley Bowery and the Manimals – Born Strange

Posted on June 24, 2012 by bgibs122

There’s the very distinct idea of a “New York band”: scrappy, distorted guitars hailing from the same town that once hosted CBGBs, the subtle Broadway glitz that’s drifted across the city, a comfortable knowledge of rock’s past, and a don’t-fuck-with-me attitude. That said, Haley Bowery and the Manimals are definitely a New York band, as their debut album Born Strange exudes confidence, hooks, and smarts.

Born Strange roars to life with it’s mission statement of a title track with frontwoman Haley Bowery snarling over a ferocious, Joan Jett style riff. It’s a fiery number with a half-time chorus that keeps things interesting and shows how tight the Manimals are as a band. “Blitzed” has some pop leanings–preppy drum beat, shamelessly major key guitar fills and chord progression, and backing “Ohhh oh whoa oh”s on the chorus–but never loses any muscle. It strikes a solid balance between pretty and pounding, especially thanks to Bowery’s lyrics and a capable solo. Unfortunately, the band’s tendency to go all or nothing comes up short on “29”, a nice enough song that’s just a little too earnest for its own good.

The real meat of Born Strange comes from a trio of songs in its middle. “Undertow” gets closer to balladry than “29” ever did, but the martial drumbeat and the song’s slow build keep it interesting. R&B-y “Lobotomy” is built around a double bass riff that works surprisingly well with the normally crunchy guitars and some keyboard work during the chorus. Rounding out this section is the more forward “Jukebox Dive”, an up and down rock band work out that’s all rise and fall/stop-start dynamics with one hell of a final chorus.

The real strength of the middle section of this album is how well Bowery and the band work with each other. The band has some different but accessible arrangements (“Lobotomy” in particular) that still hit hard and feel just familiar enough to be inviting, while giving Bowery plenty of room to breathe. And she puts it to good use; Bowery’s loaded with charisma, and the pipes to go with it. Combine a powerful voice like hers with whip-smart lyrics and a surprising amount of nuance, and you’ve got one hell of a package.

Born Strange goes out swinging with its last few songs. “Twelve Secrets” would make for a fine single, and “Halloween” works its numerous twists and turns feel free and fun as opposed to stiff and forced. “Dream of the Chelsea Hotel” acts best as a stop-gap between “Halloween” and massive closer “All Lies”, but has an angular arrangement that makes it stand out, not to mention an acid-spitting take by Bowery. “All Lies” goes for the Big Finishing Number; a minute longer than anything else on Born Strange, narrative lyrics about an ex-lover’s new thing, a grand chorus, and a closing guitar solo.

Born Strange is a rock fan’s record, both as a listener, and I assume as an artist. The album drops plenty of references to New York and New York music, and just the way it’s structured feels very traditionalist: opening with a one-two jump start, pushing itself to new areas in the middle, and then ending on a big, concert-closing finish. Play it all summer long, and play it loud.

Check out Haley Bowery and the Manimals on Facebook, and listen to/buy Born Strange on their BandCamp or iTunes!

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