It astounds me that even though bouncy pop music constitutes roughly 79% of everything I think about, “Roscoe” by Midlake is my most listened to song of 2006. Indie Americana from Denton, Texas, isn’t exactly my thing. But, for lack of a better word, and because when it comes to music I really am quite inarticulate, the song is just gorgeous. The melody is gorgeous, the arrangement is gorgeous, the guitar solo is gorgeous, the voice is gorgeous, and the harmonies are gorgeous. Even the vaguely nonsensical lyrics are gorgeous: “Whenever I was a child I wondered what if my name had changed into something more productive like Roscoe, and born in 1891…”
Last night, I saw them play at the Razzmatazz here in Barcelona. Them Catalonian hipsters were out in force because even though the room was quite small, it was extremely packed and boiling. It wasn’t exactly the liveliest of concerts, although it did inspire a drunken interpretive hand dance from the guy next to me. However, the songs were entrancingly great: the room went crazy when they played “Roscoe,” “Head Home” went on forever and more but I didn’t want it to end, and “We Gathered In Spring” was a wonderful closer. With the screen showing clips from period dramas, and lyrics about the simple country life, it felt like I was being transported back to the 19th century. It was lovely.
Oh, and I love my job, by the way. In the mornings and afternoons, I teach highfliers at La Caixa, the bank of banks in Barcelona. I have had a few lessons in a boardroom on the 21st floor (skyscrapers are non-existent in these parts), which had an amazing view of the city. The students are all quite advanced, so most of the classes end up being discussions about politics. I go from this to either 4 year olds or 13 year olds. In the case of 4 year olds, I have to do lots and lots of singing, writhing around on the floor, and taking crayons out of their mouths. They are quite adorable, but they seem to be just discovering their ability to spit. I wonder if they actually grasp the concept of languages or if they just look at me and think I just talk funny. Nevertheless, I am constantly amazed whenever they are able to produce any word or phrase in English. My class of 13 year olds is in a sleepy village in the hills, which is a welcome contrast to the city. At nights, I teach adults, beginners and intermediate. This is perhaps most rewarding, because some of them will come up and say how much they’ve enjoyed the class. Sometimes, of course, they will appear to be deathly bored. I, however, haven’t been bored yet.
I taught 8 year olds today. That wasn't so good. I'm so used to twentysomethings who don't have to go to the bathrooms every 5 minutes. Twentysomethings who shout proudly "present perfect continuous" when you write a sentence on the board: that, my friends, is music to my ears. Twentysomethings with whom you can plan and solve murders, in English, of course. The thing is I think I might be teaching a class of 5 year olds until June next year. I'm sure they'll be lovely, as children inevitably are, but right now I've got butterflies in my stomach. Oh god, I'm talking in idioms.
And so, I go and console myself with pop. Always reliable. Always shiny. Always stunning. This year, as I've asserted a few times already, it's been even more stunning than usual. So much so that even artists who I have disliked have produced some of the most glorious pop songs that I can do nothing but obsess about.
Beyoncé - "Irreplaceable" Confession: The much-loved "Crazy In Love" did nothing for me. Solo Beyoncé, in my humble opinion, does not hold a candle to the triumphs of Destiny's Child. Her new album is an exhibition of the ferocity of Beyoncé's pipes in all sorts of over the top frenzies, most notably jealous rages, which is entertaining at first but quite tiring after awhile. Thankfully, it is saved by the gorgeous ballad "Irreplaceable" with the readymade "to the left, to the left" dance. It was written and produced by Ne-Yo and Stargate - who also did the infectious "So Sick" and the surprisingly moving Rihanna ballad "Unfaithful" which nonchalantly equated infidelity with murder. But it is Beyoncé's performance which really takes the cake - she relaxes her pipes, melisma and emoting to give a nuanced performance in which she tries to deny her love for the man who thinks he's irreplaceable. She beseeches him not to ever think that he's irreplaceable. Of course the implication of the song is that he is irreplaceable to her. The complexity of it all blows my mind.
Omarion - "Ice Box" Omarion. HA. One of the boys last year at Children's Village thought Omarion was the greatest singer on earth. As much as I wanted to impart to him a musical education, I was supposed to be reading with him, and I really had no idea how to convince him that the greatest person on earth was not Omarion out of B2K, despite the fact he was in "You Got Served." I don't think I can remember any of B2K's songs and I'm usually quite good with the boybands.
But Jesus, how many times have I listened to "Ice Box" in the past 3 days? Zillions. "I GOT THIS ICE BOX WHERE MY HEART USED TO BE!!! I GOT THIS ICE BOX WHERE MY HEART USED TO BE!!!" is a most ridiculous lyric but it's so much fun to scream along with. Omarion is so great on it - he breathlessly handles clumsy and verbose lines like "girl I really want to work this out cos I'm tired of fighting / and you really obviously want me the way I want you" while exuding the perfect amount of heartbreak. Omarion has been pouring his heart out to me every night before I go to sleep about his troubles with a girl. And it's so great that I've even been inspired to download his previous single "Entourage" and I feel like buying the album and sending it to Jermaine wherever he is. Timbaland, who chimes in with "I'm so cold, I'm so cold, I'm so cold" because, you know, an ice box is cold, has had an amazing year producing Justin and Nelly Furtado (6 awesome singles and counting from her album alone) but really tops it off with this. download
Robbie Williams - "Lovelight" Robbie Williams is like the biggest popstar in the world outside of the United States, as it is often explained to Americans. He has created some great pop songs in the past - "Angels," "Old Before I Die," "No Regrets," and "Rock DJ"- but he's been coasting it for a while now, having created nothing but boring crap since 2000. His new electro-heavy album though has confused fans and critics alike - people either seem to love it or hate it. I mean, he raps on the album's first single "Rudebox". I found it quite endearing actually, but the followup "Lovelight," I'm pretty positive is going to set the world (minus the US) alight. It's got an 80s groove and George Michaelesque vocals but it all comes together in an amazing way that makes me want to do a twirly dance. It's actually a cover of a song I've never heard of. Robbie has roped in ultrahot right now Mark Ronson to produce it. Ronson and Timbaland are in a fight to be producer of the year, having also worked on the lovely "Littlest Things" from Lily Allen, Xtina's new album and...
Amy Winehouse - "Rehab" Amy Winehouse is a little scary-looking but we'll let that pass, but she's got a voice and demeanour that's been nurtured by years of ciggies and drinks and drinks and drinks, and drugs, most probably - hence the title of the song. She never did have the songs in the past to match her frankly quite fascinating persona. But with a chorus that goes "try to make me go to rehab, I say NO NO NO" + brass + blast from the past vibe = Brilliant.
I'd even add The Fray's cable car song except it's pretty old now and Fergie's "Fergalicious" to the list if it didn't completely fly in the face of my theory that everything that is wrong in pop music today can be attributed to one of the members of the Black Eyed Peas, but that song is just so marvellously bonkers that I have to admit I love it. Toodles.
Hello and welcome to my blog. That's me right above, on top of, reflected in, superimposed onto, intertwined with, infused with, what have you, with that lovely little plane there. It was in the Hong Kong airport. I love airports. Anyhow I'm in Barcelona right now, teaching English. But that's enough about me. Let's talk about Jamelia.
Jamelia has come a long way since the oddball opera-sampling "Money" came out in 2000. Since then, she's been through motherhood a few times, stood Usher up, worked with Chris Martin before Timbaland and Jay-Z said it was fashionable to do so, and now she is back. Well she was back about a month ago when her lite-rock single "Something About You" was released but now she is truly back because "Beware Of The Dog" is hopefully finally going to lay those oft-tossed around "2nd rate Beyoncé" dismissals into the ground where they belong. Rihanna might have started this trend of pilfering from 80's electro with "S.O.S. (Rescue Me)" but Jamelia has taken it to somewhere else altogether with her nicking of the "Personal Jesus" riff. She is unrelenting on this, as she bangs on to her ladiez about some skeezy man who is "dirty to the bone," and boy does it pay off, because it is a stomper that is all kinds of awesomeness.
The video was finally released yesterday, it's a bit "Maneater"ish + sleaze. I quite like it, although the beginning is a bit like the hilariously banned Cassie video. OK back to lesson planning and job interviews for me.
Posts
