Monday, April 04, 2011

Good, Bad, Ugly, Empty

Somehow wedged between watching Conference and a game of Mafia (most Mormon morning ever? Quite possibly) we ended up watching Colbert and Fallon doing their version of Friday. Turns out some people hadn’t seen Friday, so then we had to contribute to the 80 million views of the video by watching it.



Friday is old news on the meme circuit, but for what it’s worth, I think it’s kind of a remarkable song. It’s just so empty. It’s not bad per se, there’s just nothing there. Yes, the lyrics are ridiculous; you shouldn’t write a song about choosing between sitting in the front seat or back seat. But all things considered, they’re not that much more ridiculous than most pop. The major difference is this is just some girl who’s parents have bought her a music video: ie, she has zero stage presence. Keisha is annoying and talentless, but she has some modicum of stage presence. The lyrics of Friday are only a bit worse than Party in the USA, but the presentation is just nonexistent.

I bring up Party in the USA, because it was cowritten by Jessie J. I really wanted to like Jessie J. She’s attractive, British, and she writes her own songs. But it turns out the songs aren’t very good. I do find this video kind of fun, but the best part of the entire song is her spiky lips. And if your makeup is the best part of a song, that’s a problem.



But if you shouldn’t listen to Rebecca Black, Miley or Jessie J, what else is there to listen to?

1. The Go! Team

The Go! Team provide you with a awesome retro wall of sound. Need some workout music? Just try not to accelerate to this.



2. The Civil Wars

I think with the popularity of Mumford, we're going to be getting some more of these ube-retro bands. Which is a good thing provided they're this good. Sorry Decemberists, you don't get your own genre anymore.



3. Oh Land

Points for being Danish. Points for being the lovechild of Splashdown, Lady Gaga and Bjork. Points for being awesome. This whole album is great, and I couldn't decide which song to post, so here are a couple.





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