I used to have a thing for boy bands. Well, one in particular (Lance Bass will always make my heart sing, gay or not!) But here in the US, they have become a thing of the past as is per our lousy next bigger, better, louder, faster, one-hit-wonder custom. Lucky for me, the US isn't the only country putting out pop music.
I've spent time actually living in other countries. It's a sad fact to state that the US is completely wrapped up in their own music. When I lived in Germany, I heard French pop on the charts. I listened to German pop when I lived in Poland. Trust me, there are borders in Europe, but they are not quite as thickly defined as our own.
So where is the next generation of real pop coming from? Asia.
I've followed the Korean boy band machine that is Super Junior. They began as a 13 member all-boy super group. Due to their popularity (and smart business moves of their label) they have also been divided into smaller sub groups, simultaneously targeting different music industries and audiences. Super Junior KRY target a more mature audience using R&B ballads, Super Junior T use Trot music for their fanbase, and Super Junior Happy is all about the bubble gum pop. (You want to see real bubblegum pop? Check out their video for Happiness. It's so sweet it'll make you sick.) Super Junior M focuses on the Chinese market (they're actually the first international music group in the Chinese music industry to have members of both Chinese and Korean descent.)
What I love most about Super Junior is their simple style. They dance. They sing. Nothing is ever over the top. Story lines in their videos are never complicated or over-sexualized. Their music is fun and catchy. They are truly what pop is meant to be.
Here is the latest video from Super Junior M, Super Girl
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Another Hopeful Fallen Idol
Katherine McPhee...what the hell happened to you?
She was the runner-up on the fifth season of American Idol (sadly losing to Taylor Hicks). Her first single, Over It, did well on the U.S. Billboard charts, and topped the charts in both India and Asia, eventually going gold from digital downloads of the song. McPhee had stated however that it was not "[her] favorite song" and she did not want her "song to be something that [she] was a part of." The video, while cute and singer-centric, is nothing but a few boring shots of her in cute clothes, lamenting or following around her ex-boyfriend.
What I remember most from Cathering McPhee however was that she could sing. The girl had a phenomenal voice and a natural grace and ease to her stage presence.
Her Idol audition:
And who can forget this:
Now, this was all back in 2006-07. She released a video for Love Story which showed off much more of her R&B sound, and while still singer-centric, was much more fun to watch with its Tina Turner/French Beatnik throwbacks.
And here we are in 2009. McPhee has released a new single, Had it All.
What. The. Hell.
She looks like some coked-up blond model. The red lipstick is ridiculous. Her voice sounds like a hot mess. Where is the powerful singer we once knew? Is this new McPhee supposed to be pop or country? What kind of boring cross-over shit is her label making her produce?
'Tis a sad day indeed. The death of a career from McPhee.
She was the runner-up on the fifth season of American Idol (sadly losing to Taylor Hicks). Her first single, Over It, did well on the U.S. Billboard charts, and topped the charts in both India and Asia, eventually going gold from digital downloads of the song. McPhee had stated however that it was not "[her] favorite song" and she did not want her "song to be something that [she] was a part of." The video, while cute and singer-centric, is nothing but a few boring shots of her in cute clothes, lamenting or following around her ex-boyfriend.
What I remember most from Cathering McPhee however was that she could sing. The girl had a phenomenal voice and a natural grace and ease to her stage presence.
Her Idol audition:
And who can forget this:
Now, this was all back in 2006-07. She released a video for Love Story which showed off much more of her R&B sound, and while still singer-centric, was much more fun to watch with its Tina Turner/French Beatnik throwbacks.
And here we are in 2009. McPhee has released a new single, Had it All.
What. The. Hell.
She looks like some coked-up blond model. The red lipstick is ridiculous. Her voice sounds like a hot mess. Where is the powerful singer we once knew? Is this new McPhee supposed to be pop or country? What kind of boring cross-over shit is her label making her produce?
'Tis a sad day indeed. The death of a career from McPhee.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
GaGa does it again
She is the queen of all that is weirdly talented. You know you can't ignore her. She was the musical guest on SNL this past week and honestly, this is just fun to watch.
The thing that really gets me about her though is that she can sing in tune. It's a sad pop state we live in where everything is so mass produced that it doesn't matter whether you can really carry a tune. And here she is, singing, performing, dancing. Doing it all but always the music comes first.
Best of all though...she knows how to have fun. Even with Madge in the picture.
The thing that really gets me about her though is that she can sing in tune. It's a sad pop state we live in where everything is so mass produced that it doesn't matter whether you can really carry a tune. And here she is, singing, performing, dancing. Doing it all but always the music comes first.
Best of all though...she knows how to have fun. Even with Madge in the picture.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Because who doesn't love watching a boy run around in his underwear?
Oh, Mika. You have always had a big place in my heart. Ever since this video, Big Girl (You are Beautiful), I have loved everything about you.
Mika is not one to shy away from going against popular culture. He has this wonderful playful quality to his music and his videos have an almost careless freedom to them. There is no glitz and glamor. It's just Mika being himself. And his newest video, We Are Golden, is exactly that. I mean, who doesn't love to watch a boy in his underwear run around his room like a maniac?
And just for nostalgia's sake, here's his first video, Grace Kelly. It was designed to be a mocking satire of musicians who try to reinvent themselves to be popular. Mika claims the song was inspired after a bad experience with a record company executive, in which he was told to be more like Craig David. The lyric "So I tried a little Freddie" is a reference to Queen's Freddie Mercury, to whose singing voice Mika's has been compared. On at least one occasion, Mika confirmed that he used the main melody from Figaro's famous aria Largo al factotum in the opera The Barber of Seville by Rossini.
Bonus! Here's a great interview interspersed with my favorite Mika song, Lollipop. He actually wrote it for his younger sister which is actually kinda sweet.
Mika is not one to shy away from going against popular culture. He has this wonderful playful quality to his music and his videos have an almost careless freedom to them. There is no glitz and glamor. It's just Mika being himself. And his newest video, We Are Golden, is exactly that. I mean, who doesn't love to watch a boy in his underwear run around his room like a maniac?
And just for nostalgia's sake, here's his first video, Grace Kelly. It was designed to be a mocking satire of musicians who try to reinvent themselves to be popular. Mika claims the song was inspired after a bad experience with a record company executive, in which he was told to be more like Craig David. The lyric "So I tried a little Freddie" is a reference to Queen's Freddie Mercury, to whose singing voice Mika's has been compared. On at least one occasion, Mika confirmed that he used the main melody from Figaro's famous aria Largo al factotum in the opera The Barber of Seville by Rossini.
Bonus! Here's a great interview interspersed with my favorite Mika song, Lollipop. He actually wrote it for his younger sister which is actually kinda sweet.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Once More
These last few weeks of summer school are killing me. So, I'm going to procrastinate for another hour more and give you some more fun things to watch and discuss.
I have a thing for movie and tv soundtracks. I can't get enough of them, no matter what type they are; classical score or alt pop tracks, it's all the same to me, good music that reminds you of a moment, a feeling, or a story.
I'm currently stuck on the Once soundtrack (again). I listen to it when I'm slowly falling down into that depressed I'm-thirty-and-single-again mode. August is always the hardest month for me. It's fitting that the first track off this album is called Falling Slowly.
If you haven't seen this movie yet, RUN to the nearest store and get it. The story line is beautiful (knowing that even if it feels so right, sometimes things just aren't meant to be), the acting poignant (both actors are musicians and very sincere in the story they are telling), and the music some of the best you'll ever hear (composed by the actors). Go, now. I'm telling you.
Here's a scene from the movie where Girl is rehearsing lyrics from Guy's song as she walks home from the convenience store one night. Beautiful and simple, just the way I like it.
Other soundtracks/scores I've been stuck on lately have also included the Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack. It's full of a funky mix of electronic Bollywood pop which makes for some truly interesting listening. There's aren't really any videos released for it (except MIA's Paper Planes), but definitely take a listen to Latika's Theme and O...Saya. You can hear the entire soundtrack here.
The one soundtrack that is my favorite of all time though has to be from the documentary of The Buena Vista Social Club. To see these men at this age performing in front of thousands of people is awe inspiring. They tell so many stories of their lives in Havana, Cuba, at a time when things were simpler. Their music is sensual, playful, and melts my heart each time I listen.
My favorite tracks include Chan-Chan
and Dos Gardenias sung by Ibrahim Ferrer. Here is a small video of him singing it live.
Other great soundtracks to also check out: Romeo + Juliet (it also has a second cd of just the movie score which is also amazing). The Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, and Lord of the Ring scores are always enchanting, and last but not least, there's always whatever is currently on rotation at Grey's Anatomy.
So do you have soundtracks or scores that you love? Comment below! I need more music to listen to!
I have a thing for movie and tv soundtracks. I can't get enough of them, no matter what type they are; classical score or alt pop tracks, it's all the same to me, good music that reminds you of a moment, a feeling, or a story.
I'm currently stuck on the Once soundtrack (again). I listen to it when I'm slowly falling down into that depressed I'm-thirty-and-single-again mode. August is always the hardest month for me. It's fitting that the first track off this album is called Falling Slowly.
If you haven't seen this movie yet, RUN to the nearest store and get it. The story line is beautiful (knowing that even if it feels so right, sometimes things just aren't meant to be), the acting poignant (both actors are musicians and very sincere in the story they are telling), and the music some of the best you'll ever hear (composed by the actors). Go, now. I'm telling you.
Here's a scene from the movie where Girl is rehearsing lyrics from Guy's song as she walks home from the convenience store one night. Beautiful and simple, just the way I like it.
Other soundtracks/scores I've been stuck on lately have also included the Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack. It's full of a funky mix of electronic Bollywood pop which makes for some truly interesting listening. There's aren't really any videos released for it (except MIA's Paper Planes), but definitely take a listen to Latika's Theme and O...Saya. You can hear the entire soundtrack here.
The one soundtrack that is my favorite of all time though has to be from the documentary of The Buena Vista Social Club. To see these men at this age performing in front of thousands of people is awe inspiring. They tell so many stories of their lives in Havana, Cuba, at a time when things were simpler. Their music is sensual, playful, and melts my heart each time I listen.
My favorite tracks include Chan-Chan
and Dos Gardenias sung by Ibrahim Ferrer. Here is a small video of him singing it live.
Other great soundtracks to also check out: Romeo + Juliet (it also has a second cd of just the movie score which is also amazing). The Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, and Lord of the Ring scores are always enchanting, and last but not least, there's always whatever is currently on rotation at Grey's Anatomy.
So do you have soundtracks or scores that you love? Comment below! I need more music to listen to!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Love, Save the Empty
I'm annoyed. Dating in this day and age is no longer the typical you meet, there's a spark, you get to know each other, and slowly something grows. Everything is part of this gimmie, gimmie, gimmie, fast-paced, let's-have-sex-before-we-even-say-hello mentality. I won't deny that I've been caught up in it before. Social networking and dating websites, cell phones, and online chat have made communication so accessible yet people have never felt more alone in their lives.
It's no wonder women have mental issues and men act like predatory jerks.
There is no movie (or book) better suited to explain this dysfunctional phenomenon than He's Just Not That Into You. I watched it. I saw myself in every single one of the womens' situations. I got angry. I laughed. I cried.
And then I simply realized that this is reality.
People do stupid things. Men don't call back when they say they will. Women obsess to the point of being idiots. We're all scared. We all want to take that chance. We're just not as confident as we'd like to be. But we all want the same thing though. To find that one person who completes us, who will love us even with our stupid mistakes.
One major point in this movie that wasn't a mistake however, was the soundtrack. It's beautifully balanced between great nostalgic 80's favorites like The Human League's Don't You Want Me, The Talking Heads' This Must Be the Place, and The Cure's Friday I'm in Love along with newer tracks from Corinne Bailey Rae, The Ting Tings, and Lily Allen. Scarlett Johansson even sings one track herself (wonderful voice in my humble opinion). The small gem of the soundtrack however, comes from a singer-songwriter named Erin McCarley. Her voice has a purity that is not easily found in the pop world today, and her stunning beauty makes her one to watch out for. Her single Love, Save the Empty, actually has two different videos.
The original:
And the re-release for the movie:
While I love the original with its quaint simple charm (and cute girl carrying a fish around town), the re-released version actual had me paying more attention to what the lyrics were saying. There were many more close-ups of Erin's gorgeous face where we can see her singing full phrases rather than the choppy, quick cuts of the first video, and the movie clips are interjected perfectly adding emphasis to lyrics that connect us all in the journey to find the one.
It all just goes to show that sometimes being still is much better than the fast paced that we're all used to taking.
It's no wonder women have mental issues and men act like predatory jerks.
There is no movie (or book) better suited to explain this dysfunctional phenomenon than He's Just Not That Into You. I watched it. I saw myself in every single one of the womens' situations. I got angry. I laughed. I cried.
And then I simply realized that this is reality.
People do stupid things. Men don't call back when they say they will. Women obsess to the point of being idiots. We're all scared. We all want to take that chance. We're just not as confident as we'd like to be. But we all want the same thing though. To find that one person who completes us, who will love us even with our stupid mistakes.
One major point in this movie that wasn't a mistake however, was the soundtrack. It's beautifully balanced between great nostalgic 80's favorites like The Human League's Don't You Want Me, The Talking Heads' This Must Be the Place, and The Cure's Friday I'm in Love along with newer tracks from Corinne Bailey Rae, The Ting Tings, and Lily Allen. Scarlett Johansson even sings one track herself (wonderful voice in my humble opinion). The small gem of the soundtrack however, comes from a singer-songwriter named Erin McCarley. Her voice has a purity that is not easily found in the pop world today, and her stunning beauty makes her one to watch out for. Her single Love, Save the Empty, actually has two different videos.
The original:
And the re-release for the movie:
While I love the original with its quaint simple charm (and cute girl carrying a fish around town), the re-released version actual had me paying more attention to what the lyrics were saying. There were many more close-ups of Erin's gorgeous face where we can see her singing full phrases rather than the choppy, quick cuts of the first video, and the movie clips are interjected perfectly adding emphasis to lyrics that connect us all in the journey to find the one.
It all just goes to show that sometimes being still is much better than the fast paced that we're all used to taking.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Off Topic
I'm going off topic for a minute. It's important.
I live in an amazing city. There is nothing that would ever take me away from this place. Complain all you want about how the winters are crap and the traffic and CTA is a mess. Our city and state government is more than a little corrupt. But there is a spirit of creativity and genuine delight here that I have found nowhere else. People here have the knack of finding beauty in simplicity and that is one of my highest priorities in life.
Enjoy.
I live in an amazing city. There is nothing that would ever take me away from this place. Complain all you want about how the winters are crap and the traffic and CTA is a mess. Our city and state government is more than a little corrupt. But there is a spirit of creativity and genuine delight here that I have found nowhere else. People here have the knack of finding beauty in simplicity and that is one of my highest priorities in life.
Enjoy.
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