surfy
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Post by surfy on Jan 29, 2015 20:08:37 GMT -5
West Coast has a hauntingly beautiful thing about it, I don't mind the tempo since Lana pulls it off for me! :)
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Jan 29, 2015 20:16:20 GMT -5
I only don't really like Gooey so far. Never heard Paris and Aviation High in full yet.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Jan 31, 2015 21:37:24 GMT -5
94 "Sound of Change" The Dirty Heads Peak: #24 | Weeks on: 10*
On this album cycle, it seems as if The Dirty Heads completely lost any sense of genre whatsoever. They used to be a reggae/rap/rock hybrid, becoming every stoner's wet dream before streamlining their sound so much that their material is just a big pile of nothing. "My Sweet Summer" may have been the beginning of their poppification, but "Sound of Change" took it one step further. Now, it is a better song than "My Sweet Summer", but sonically it's the closest to a pop song they've ever made. The lyrics are also pretty cheesy as well.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Jan 31, 2015 22:57:37 GMT -5
93 "I Believe" Basic Vacation Peak: #36 | Weeks on: 3
So yeah, this is pretty much your generic indie pop non-hit, but what makes this stand out in awfulness compared to the rest are the lyrics. "I believe in me and you, no matter what they put us through, or what they try to do." Was this written by a fifth grader professing his elementary-school love to some prepubescent sweetheart? It's so generic and lame that the standard indie instrumentation isn't even noticeable. All I believe is that this song sucks.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Jan 31, 2015 23:03:48 GMT -5
92 "Mess is Mine" Vance Joy Peak: #20 | Weeks on: 7*
The main problem with "Riptide" was that it was incredibly boring and lacked any sense of emotion or spark whatsoever. Joy's followup suffers from the same issue, although it's a bit more musically interesting and sounds a bit like Phillip Phillips' "Raging Fire" (that's not necessarily a compliment, but hey, it's better than "Riptide"). It's generic, by-the-numbers indie folk that does nothing to stand out from all the other songs in the genre.
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Lordef†ones
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Let's drown underneath the stars
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Post by Lordef†ones on Feb 2, 2015 8:32:52 GMT -5
Though I like "Sound of Change" and "West Coast", the rest fit the range of okay-to-horrible.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 5, 2015 18:42:30 GMT -5
91 "Black Out Days" Phantogram Peak: #32 | Weeks on: 12
Simply put, the cure for insomnia. There's nothing appealing to me about these trip-hop revivalists who don't even come to close to recreating the glory days of Portishead and Massive Attack. It may not be as snoozy as "Fall in Love", but blackout days is what happens whenever I try to listen to more than one Phantogram song at a time.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 5, 2015 18:47:27 GMT -5
90 "All of the People" Panama Wedding Peak: #37 | Weeks on: 5
Just your average, everyday indie pop tune. Nothing too horrible about it, it just drowns in the sea of genericness that defined the indie pop sound of 2014. The synths are a bit nice, but it doesn't have much else going for it.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 5, 2015 18:52:39 GMT -5
89 "Till It's Gone" Yelawolf Peak: #25 | Weeks on: 11*
So, yeah, this is a rap song. And it's not a good rap song. Neither is it an "alternative" rap song, whatever that term is supposed to mean, because Yelawolf is in no way, shape or from, the successor A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots and Black Star. Although he is on good terms with the boys from Blink-182, perhaps the only person to still be. With that said, Mr. Wolf's rapping is clunky with average flow, the rhymes are below average and the beat is generic. He also sings in the chorus too, and his pipes aren't all that impressive. "You handle your own when you become a man, and become a man when you handle your own" is a pretty neat lyric, but beside from that, there's not much to do till it's gone. And speaking of things till it's gone...
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 5, 2015 18:53:49 GMT -5
88 "Work It Out" Knox Hamilton Peak: #37 | Weeks on: 5
Another generic indie pop tune with not much to say about. The definition of average in 2014.
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Post by somelikeitwhen on Feb 5, 2015 20:49:06 GMT -5
So I take it around the 30s we'll get to the "mildly like"s?
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 7, 2015 12:00:59 GMT -5
87 "Do or Die" Thirty Seconds to Mars Peak: #20 | Weeks on: 20
I will rep hard for anything 30STM did from 2002-2010. Their debut was a great space-prog-metal adventure that featured a guest spot from Maynard James Keenan, for fuck's sake, and then A Beautiful Lie contained the hits we all grew to know and love. But then This is War happened, and even though it wasn't horrible, it seemed a bit too pretentious and stuck up its own ass to enjoy. And that's where we are today, the day where Thirty Seconds to Mars have been reduced to shambles. I was rooting for this to do well still, mainly because more Thirty Seconds to Mars in the top 10 over what we have today is still preferred even when the song kinda sucks. "Do or Die" is just so lazily written, with the walls of synths coming down similar to an EDM track, and Jared just doesn't have this energy anymore. It all feels so hollow and fake, and the strings are just more cheese.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 7, 2015 12:17:32 GMT -5
86 "Gold" Sir Sly Peak: #27 | Weeks on: 16
I don't hate this, but it sounds like nothing but a more upbeat version of AWOLNATION's "Sail". It's a bit monotonous without much substance behind the fat synths that boom on and on. The singing is a bit weak, and the lyrics can get a bit repetitive - repeating the same word three times consecutively does not work unless you're Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. When he says his mouth is made of metal, does that mean he's a robot?
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 7, 2015 12:21:50 GMT -5
85 "Beware the Dog" The Griswolds Peak: #18 | Weeks on: 14
This song has a rhythm that sounds like it came straight from Hawaii. Aside from its tropical vibe, there's really not much about this song that makes heroin withdrawal sound interesting. Chasing the dragon only works if you're weak and powerless, which is exactly what "Beware the Dog". It's desperate and ravenous, it's fucking crazy, and it's completely lifeless.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 7, 2015 12:29:36 GMT -5
84 "Waves" Sleeper Agent Peak: #27 | Weeks on: 11
So yeah, this is pretty much generic indie pop 2014 all over again, but this one is slightly better than the others. Sleeper Agent's vocalist at least is a bit more enthused about singing than the others, and the instrumentation is captivating enough to not make me want to fall asleep midway through the song. With all that said, it's still generic and the chorus isn't too hot.
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Lordef†ones
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Let's drown underneath the stars
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Post by Lordef†ones on Feb 7, 2015 16:52:39 GMT -5
Aww.. I love Black Out Days! Also like Beware the Dog and Waves. The rest are meh-to-bad.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 11, 2015 18:26:19 GMT -5
83 "Mother & Father" BROODS Peak: #36 | Weeks on: 9
Okay, so this isn't as bad as the clusterfuck that "Bridges" was. In fact, I think the verses are pretty decent. The vocals are harmonious enough, and the synths build nicely to create a rather ethereal atmosphere. The problem is that chorus is a bit of a letdown. The notes are too shrill and high-pitched for my liking. The bridge (pun very intended) also is a bit on the snoozier side. Half of it is a decent song, but the other half just ruins any momentum it had going. The ending that has her belting over the chorus is pretty nice, though. Maybe I like this more than I'm willing to admit.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 11, 2015 18:33:33 GMT -5
82 "Until It's Gone" Linkin Park Peak: #19 | Weeks on: 12
"Oh, you don't know what you got until it's gone." An overused cliche, but Linkin Park recognized the power of words on this album cycle. They took all their constant top ten finishes and six-consecutive-#1s-streak for granted, and now that alternative radio no longer wants to play them, they realize that they're missing something that they cared deeply about: success on the format. They're also recognizing that this new wave of indie pop acts are nothing more than "Disney commercial music", taking down CHVRCHES, Haim and Vampire Weekend all in one fell swoop. Then again, maybe they should assess themselves, given the second single The Hunting Party was worse than anything those aforementioned acts made. This is repetitive, cliched tripe that should have stayed in Shinoda's box of indie-pop demos that originally made up Linkin's sixth album. Chester Bennington's vocals sound tired and lack any sense of spark, save for that final scream with five seconds left to go. Predictions were made that this lame sack-'o-shit could bring back the band's alternative success. Unfortunately, those predictions were wrong.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 11, 2015 18:39:37 GMT -5
81 "Forever" HAIM Peak: #40 | Weeks on: 1
So, speaking about HAIM. Shinoda might have knocked them down, and I might have said that their song was better than "Until It's Gone", but the sad truth is they're both ehhh. "The Wire" was a cool song that was tailored for Pop radio, and yet it failed to do any damage. The second time was the charm, as "Forever" managed to peak at #35 on CHR, and in between it also peaked at #40 on Alt for one little week. The verses are alright, but that chorus is just boring. Like many other songs, a bad chorus can make a huge different between a great song and an average one, and for HAIM, that worked against them.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 11, 2015 18:43:01 GMT -5
80 "This is Gospel" Panic! at the Disco Peak: #25 | Weeks on: 12
Panic! at the Disco have been eternal Fall Out Boy clones, stealing their brand of radio-friendly pop-punk back in 2005. In 2014, when Fall Out Boy are simply a pop band without any sense of punk left in them, it only makes sense that Panic would do the same. "Miss Jackson" became the band's first top ten hit in six years, and it was also one of the worst songs they ever made, sounding just like "My Song Titles Are Too Long Because I Am Too Pretentious (Light 'Em Up)" by Fall Out Boy. The follow up was a bit better, but the synthesizers and effects on Brendan Urie's voice were just unneeded. They managed to still keep a slight shred of punk in them unlike Fall Out Boy, but this song is just average.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 11, 2015 18:43:44 GMT -5
79 "Coming of Age" Foster the People Peak: #4 | Weeks on: 17
"Pumped Up Kicks" was one of those songs that forecasted the indie boom on Alternative and Pop, and Torches became one of the most successful album cycles of the 2010s. So how would Foster the People, one of the first indie pop bands to get crossover attention, fare on their second time around? Well, let's just say the one-hit wonder tag won't be stripped away just yet. "Coming of Age" not only fizzled out after a promising start, but plummeted down the chart towards the end of its run, not even making it to recurrency. The reason why? Well, it's not all that great of a song. I say this a lot, but a bad chorus can kill a song, and that's what Foster fell victim to here.
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shakermaker
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Post by shakermaker on Feb 12, 2015 8:27:59 GMT -5
Love the FTP, Phantogram, Sir Sly and Haim tracks (but ??? at "The Wire" being described as "tailormade for pop radio", I can't imagine a straight-up "Heartache Tonight" rip getting beyond top 50 on the format if "Forever" only made #36), also dig the Yelawolf track (which is pretty much the closest thing to "fits on alternative but still distinctly hip hop" as you're going to get in 2015 since every other white rapper has taken the pop radio route).
Everything else listed in this page ranges from pleasant but not great to mediocre. Worst is by far "Do or Die", another entry in the heap of overpretentious garbage Leto and co. seem to be intent on making for the entirety of their career
(on another note, cringing at the possibility that "Car Radio" may very well make the top 50 of this list)
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Lordef†ones
6x Platinum Member
Let's drown underneath the stars
Joined: April 2013
Posts: 6,271
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Post by Lordef†ones on Feb 13, 2015 9:39:50 GMT -5
Love "Mother & Father" and like "Until It's Gone" everything else is appropriate water garbage.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 13, 2015 18:40:45 GMT -5
78 "Shepherd of Fire" Avenged Sevenfold Peak: #34 | Weeks on: 6
I used to be an A7X hater. "Bat Country", "Beast and the Harlot", "Nightmare", no matter what you threw at me I would toss it right back. Then I heard "Almost Easy" on Rock Band 2, and I later admitted that "Afterlife" wasn't too bad either. But then I heard Hail to the King, and they were back at their standard mediocrity. Even more bizarre is what the artsier Active acts can't chart multiple singles on Alt nowaday, but the standardbearer for generic Active-lite metal can? It's not even that good of a song. It's just boring. At least it's better than the other singles from this album.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 13, 2015 18:43:16 GMT -5
77 "Invisible" U2 Peak: #28 | Weeks on: 3
Before pissing off iCloud users with the release of Songs of Innocence, U2 released a one-off single for (RED) Foundation, with every download of the song giving a dollar to AIDS research. While it's a nice gesture, the song isn't all too great. Maybe that's why it was relegated to B-side status of an album that was pretty much B-side quality.
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surfy
Diamond Member
Irreplaceable
learning and growing
Joined: September 2013
Posts: 18,094
Pronouns: (she/they)
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Post by surfy on Feb 15, 2015 16:15:50 GMT -5
I cannot at the hating of Panic! At the Disco...
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 15, 2015 21:16:51 GMT -5
76 "Family Tree" Kings of Leon Peak: #33 | Weeks on: 6
"Sex on Fire" and "Use Somebody" propelled Kings of Leon to stardom, but Only By the Night was seen as a sellout album by critics and diehard fans alike. Come After Sundown and Mechanical Bull were just mediocre. "Supersoaker" was a great lead-off, but that barely peaked at #9. Their success is dwindling, and when they release boring shlock like this, I guess it's inevitable. This just isn't very memorable at all.
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Lordef†ones
6x Platinum Member
Let's drown underneath the stars
Joined: April 2013
Posts: 6,271
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Post by Lordef†ones on Feb 16, 2015 1:10:39 GMT -5
Completely forgot that "Family Tree" was a thing lol. I actually kinda liked their singles too, but that one was just bad.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 22, 2015 19:49:35 GMT -5
75 "Heaven Knows" The Pretty Reckless Peak: #20 | Weeks on: 19
There were only a few Active crossovers to Alt this year, and why did this have to be one of them? Out of all the Active hits in 2014, this one was so forgettable, but it spent five weeks at #1 and became the #1 Active hit of the year. It's just lifeless and forgettable. The vocals are alright, but the instrumentation is so generic.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Feb 22, 2015 19:50:39 GMT -5
74 "Take It As It Comes" J. Roddy Walston & The Business Peak: #16 | Weeks on: 20
"Heavy Bells" was awesome. This was not. It was utterly boring and forgettable.
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