#20: "Royals" by Lorde
Re-review!
The music for this song is quite minimalistic. Essentially, the opening just has snapping fingers and drum bass. Once the bridge starts, however, there is a drum cymbal riff, and the chorus has a synth buried in the mix. It's not much, but at the same time, it gives this song a unique sound. Vocally, Lorde has a very strong voice, sounding at least 5 years older than she actually is.
This song is essentially tearing down the modern pop scene, basically calling out how all of the modern pop singers, while acting as if they are just ordinary women, live in luxury. Lorde is basically saying "You know nothing about being average at this point. Let me remind you."
This is a song that is quite a bit more vicious than its tone might lead you to believe. Lorde's voice never sounds angry, just sounding matter-of-fact, but that just makes the lyrics cut all the more. She's not rich, and she doesn't really care about being rich. At the same time, she's calling out all the modern pop singers for bragging about how rich they are, reminding them of the average state of being that their listeners are living in. Do I like this song? Yes. In fact, I think I like it more than I did last year, partially because everything I've seen of Lorde since this song made it big makes it seem clear that she was being totally honest with this song. She really doesn't care about the money, the fame, any of that. She just felt like pop singers should keep in mind what kind of life their target audience is in. Nothing wrong with that.
#19: "Let Her Go" by Passenger
Re-review!
The music for this song isn't too bad, but it is a bit standard for indie folk. The piano is a bit of a different touch, but the acoustic guitar is Folk 101. Again, the music does sound nice. Vocally...well, this guy sounds like a poor man's Bob Dylan, and Bob Dylan wasn't the strongest singer.
This song is basically a "the one that got away". Passenger is basically saying that you only miss some things after they are gone, saying he only realized he loved her after he let her go.
I don't dislike this song nearly as much as Todd did last year, but it's definitely one of the weaker re-listens so far. The music isn't too bad, and Passenger makes up in passion what he lacks in technical ability, but the lyrics are pretty cheesy at best, and cliche at worst. Overall, this song just sounds like a poor man's version of "Don't Know What You've Got (Till It's Gone)" by Cinderella. I don't fault songs for tackling the same subject matter as each other, but if you are going to do something this specific, you should do something better. I didn't really get that here. It's just personal preference, but for me, the mostly standard music and passion couldn't make up for the cliche storm of the lyrics.
#18: "Team" by Lorde
Repeat artist!
The song opens acappella, which is not a bad idea. Once the music kicks in, it has clapping, drum bass, and a synth line that sounds sort of like an organ, with a more standard synth line in the chorus. It's a bit unique, but does get a little repetitive. Vocally, Lorde sounds a lot like she did in "Royals" on the verse, but she shows a fair bit of range in the chorus.
This song is basically Lorde's tribute to her friends and country of New Zealand, by her own admission. Lines such as "We live in cities you'll never see on screen" are pointing out the fact that she and her friends come from small cities. At the same time, she does get in a dig at modern music, saying she's tired of being told to put her hands in the air, as well as a more direct reference Miley Cyrus's song "We Can't Stop". Compare "we sure know how to run things" (Team) to "we run things, things don't run we" (We Can't Stop), which has the effect of showing that while she has issues with pop music, she does have a fondness for it.
I liked this song quite a bit. The music is quite different, sound somewhat like a blend of alternative pop and EDM, and the lyrics are quite strong and sweet. Lorde does touch on some of the same aspects of "Royals", but almost incidentally, focusing instead on showing her love for her country and friends. It's a nice tribute, and shows that Lorde has not lost touch with where she came from. A lot of artists claim that they haven't forgotten their roots, but Lorde's one of the few to really show it through song without seeming out of touch. Yes, Drake, I'm looking at you. "Started From the Bottom", my ass.
#17: "Say Something" by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera
A Great Big World is a duo from New York. While this is their biggest success, their first success was in 2013, when their song "This Is The New Year" was featured in Glee, and reached the Mainstream Top 40 as a result. As for Christina Aguilera, she is one of those 90's female pop singers who has somehow stayed around. To be fair, she's been a lot more stable than Britney "*****" Spears.
Oh, boy! A song with piano. That's so rare! OK, to be honest, this isn't a bad piano line. It's a little simple, but it puts focus on the singer, and the string section sounds quite good as well. Luckily, the singer has a pretty good voice. He doesn't show a wide range, but he does demonstrate passion, and connects quite well with the lyrics, making you believe what he is saying. As for Christina Aguilera, she does surprisingly little for being a duet, just echoing his words on the chorus. She does quite well, though, sounding better than she has in years.
This song is essentially a break-up song, but it's quite different. Rather than calling out their loved one, or taking place after the break-up, this song shows the lead singer begging their soon-to-be-ex to "say something" that will make them change their mind, but without success. They still love each other, but realize that that isn't enough and, without putting the blame on either party, accept that the relationship isn't working and move on regretfully.
I'm going to be totally honest here. This song hits me hard. Both singers absolutely nail the emotions of this song, making you believe the lyrics, while showing off strong voices in the process. The lyrics are incredibly touching, and the music, while a bit cliche, are the perfect backing to hold this song together. This song honestly makes me tear up, and it's not a very common pop song that can make me feel that strong of an emotional connection. I've always been the first person to criticize Christina Aguilera, but she made the perfect choice when she heard the original solo version and asked AGBW about recording a duet version, because she delivers big-time on her part. It's a minimal contribution, but it pushes this from a pretty good song, to a great song.
#16: "The Monster" by Eminem feat. Rihanna
If you don't know who Eminem is, you probably have not touched any sort of radio in years. Also, repeat artist!
The song opens with Rihanna singing over a piano line. Surprisingly, that piano sticks around for the rapping section, blending R&B and hip-hop music together quite well, giving this a unique song. As for Rihanna, I think that without having a solo hit, she's benefited from having a breather, because she sounds quite good on the hook, while Eminem's rapping is...well, there are some words that I can usually use to describe Eminem. "Emotional" is not always one of them, but this song is a definite exception. He doesn't let his skills go to waste, but the emotion in his voice is the biggest strength.
What this song is about changes between both of them. Rihanna's hook/chorus is basically describing her coming to terms with inner demons, comparing them to the monster under her bed, while Eminem's verses are about him coming to terms with the negative side of fame.
This song...is very good. The music is perhaps a bit similar to "Love the Way You Lie" in composition, but the overall feel of it is much more high energy, both artist fully deliver on both a musical and emotional side, and the lyrics are surprisingly thoughtful. If I had to fault this song on anything, it's that it sounds a bit much like "Love the Way You Lie", but both artists sound stronger here than they did on that song. If you want a rap song that will make you actually ponder the words, and perhaps think a bit after you hear it, this is a good choice.
Wow. It's been a while since I've actually needed to actively calm down after listening to a song. The next three sets are going to have to work hard to impress me after #17.
Previously: #25-21 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.868877-2014-Billboard-Top-100-25-21]
Next: #15-11 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.869164-2014-Billboard-Top-100-15-11]
Re-review!
The music for this song is quite minimalistic. Essentially, the opening just has snapping fingers and drum bass. Once the bridge starts, however, there is a drum cymbal riff, and the chorus has a synth buried in the mix. It's not much, but at the same time, it gives this song a unique sound. Vocally, Lorde has a very strong voice, sounding at least 5 years older than she actually is.
This song is essentially tearing down the modern pop scene, basically calling out how all of the modern pop singers, while acting as if they are just ordinary women, live in luxury. Lorde is basically saying "You know nothing about being average at this point. Let me remind you."
This is a song that is quite a bit more vicious than its tone might lead you to believe. Lorde's voice never sounds angry, just sounding matter-of-fact, but that just makes the lyrics cut all the more. She's not rich, and she doesn't really care about being rich. At the same time, she's calling out all the modern pop singers for bragging about how rich they are, reminding them of the average state of being that their listeners are living in. Do I like this song? Yes. In fact, I think I like it more than I did last year, partially because everything I've seen of Lorde since this song made it big makes it seem clear that she was being totally honest with this song. She really doesn't care about the money, the fame, any of that. She just felt like pop singers should keep in mind what kind of life their target audience is in. Nothing wrong with that.
#19: "Let Her Go" by Passenger
Re-review!
The music for this song isn't too bad, but it is a bit standard for indie folk. The piano is a bit of a different touch, but the acoustic guitar is Folk 101. Again, the music does sound nice. Vocally...well, this guy sounds like a poor man's Bob Dylan, and Bob Dylan wasn't the strongest singer.
This song is basically a "the one that got away". Passenger is basically saying that you only miss some things after they are gone, saying he only realized he loved her after he let her go.
I don't dislike this song nearly as much as Todd did last year, but it's definitely one of the weaker re-listens so far. The music isn't too bad, and Passenger makes up in passion what he lacks in technical ability, but the lyrics are pretty cheesy at best, and cliche at worst. Overall, this song just sounds like a poor man's version of "Don't Know What You've Got (Till It's Gone)" by Cinderella. I don't fault songs for tackling the same subject matter as each other, but if you are going to do something this specific, you should do something better. I didn't really get that here. It's just personal preference, but for me, the mostly standard music and passion couldn't make up for the cliche storm of the lyrics.
#18: "Team" by Lorde
Repeat artist!
The song opens acappella, which is not a bad idea. Once the music kicks in, it has clapping, drum bass, and a synth line that sounds sort of like an organ, with a more standard synth line in the chorus. It's a bit unique, but does get a little repetitive. Vocally, Lorde sounds a lot like she did in "Royals" on the verse, but she shows a fair bit of range in the chorus.
This song is basically Lorde's tribute to her friends and country of New Zealand, by her own admission. Lines such as "We live in cities you'll never see on screen" are pointing out the fact that she and her friends come from small cities. At the same time, she does get in a dig at modern music, saying she's tired of being told to put her hands in the air, as well as a more direct reference Miley Cyrus's song "We Can't Stop". Compare "we sure know how to run things" (Team) to "we run things, things don't run we" (We Can't Stop), which has the effect of showing that while she has issues with pop music, she does have a fondness for it.
I liked this song quite a bit. The music is quite different, sound somewhat like a blend of alternative pop and EDM, and the lyrics are quite strong and sweet. Lorde does touch on some of the same aspects of "Royals", but almost incidentally, focusing instead on showing her love for her country and friends. It's a nice tribute, and shows that Lorde has not lost touch with where she came from. A lot of artists claim that they haven't forgotten their roots, but Lorde's one of the few to really show it through song without seeming out of touch. Yes, Drake, I'm looking at you. "Started From the Bottom", my ass.
#17: "Say Something" by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera
A Great Big World is a duo from New York. While this is their biggest success, their first success was in 2013, when their song "This Is The New Year" was featured in Glee, and reached the Mainstream Top 40 as a result. As for Christina Aguilera, she is one of those 90's female pop singers who has somehow stayed around. To be fair, she's been a lot more stable than Britney "*****" Spears.
Oh, boy! A song with piano. That's so rare! OK, to be honest, this isn't a bad piano line. It's a little simple, but it puts focus on the singer, and the string section sounds quite good as well. Luckily, the singer has a pretty good voice. He doesn't show a wide range, but he does demonstrate passion, and connects quite well with the lyrics, making you believe what he is saying. As for Christina Aguilera, she does surprisingly little for being a duet, just echoing his words on the chorus. She does quite well, though, sounding better than she has in years.
This song is essentially a break-up song, but it's quite different. Rather than calling out their loved one, or taking place after the break-up, this song shows the lead singer begging their soon-to-be-ex to "say something" that will make them change their mind, but without success. They still love each other, but realize that that isn't enough and, without putting the blame on either party, accept that the relationship isn't working and move on regretfully.
I'm going to be totally honest here. This song hits me hard. Both singers absolutely nail the emotions of this song, making you believe the lyrics, while showing off strong voices in the process. The lyrics are incredibly touching, and the music, while a bit cliche, are the perfect backing to hold this song together. This song honestly makes me tear up, and it's not a very common pop song that can make me feel that strong of an emotional connection. I've always been the first person to criticize Christina Aguilera, but she made the perfect choice when she heard the original solo version and asked AGBW about recording a duet version, because she delivers big-time on her part. It's a minimal contribution, but it pushes this from a pretty good song, to a great song.
#16: "The Monster" by Eminem feat. Rihanna
If you don't know who Eminem is, you probably have not touched any sort of radio in years. Also, repeat artist!
The song opens with Rihanna singing over a piano line. Surprisingly, that piano sticks around for the rapping section, blending R&B and hip-hop music together quite well, giving this a unique song. As for Rihanna, I think that without having a solo hit, she's benefited from having a breather, because she sounds quite good on the hook, while Eminem's rapping is...well, there are some words that I can usually use to describe Eminem. "Emotional" is not always one of them, but this song is a definite exception. He doesn't let his skills go to waste, but the emotion in his voice is the biggest strength.
What this song is about changes between both of them. Rihanna's hook/chorus is basically describing her coming to terms with inner demons, comparing them to the monster under her bed, while Eminem's verses are about him coming to terms with the negative side of fame.
This song...is very good. The music is perhaps a bit similar to "Love the Way You Lie" in composition, but the overall feel of it is much more high energy, both artist fully deliver on both a musical and emotional side, and the lyrics are surprisingly thoughtful. If I had to fault this song on anything, it's that it sounds a bit much like "Love the Way You Lie", but both artists sound stronger here than they did on that song. If you want a rap song that will make you actually ponder the words, and perhaps think a bit after you hear it, this is a good choice.
Wow. It's been a while since I've actually needed to actively calm down after listening to a song. The next three sets are going to have to work hard to impress me after #17.
Previously: #25-21 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.868877-2014-Billboard-Top-100-25-21]
Next: #15-11 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.869164-2014-Billboard-Top-100-15-11]
