We’re going to savor this. This is the release of the week.
After their last album, there’s no way we’re listening to it all in a day. We just went
ahead and bought it. We trust this band and doubt there will be a sophomore
slump. If there is, we’ll warn you off of it next week. If you don’t know
whether you want this album or not, you must not have heard their first one,
Sigh No More. Get it, then decide if you need more. Pay special attention to
the lyrics, which are extra good.
Taylor Swift-
Being Again, single
One of us is annoyed that We Are Never Getting Back
Together was a pop song and think Swift sold out with that one. Man, that song
is lame. Catchy though. The other blogger has no problem with the sound and
likes the song. With this single, Swift reclaimed her light country sound, so
both of us are happy. This is a slow one and it’s not as catchy as the
aforementioned single, but it’s sweet (and maybe a little boring?). It’s always
nice when Swift doesn’t hand out yet another break up song. This song is nice
and sure to please fans, but it doesn’t sound like a hit. Of course, since it’s
Taylor Swift, it shot to the top of the charts anyway. It’s time for that
album, Taylor. Stop teasing us. And stop making us sob with that Ronan
business.
Song grade: B-
No Doubt- Push and
Shove
If you want their old sound back (the one from ten years
ago and back), look elsewhere. We know lots of people are saying it’s reminiscent
of that 80s New Wave sound, but we don’t hear it as much as we did in past albums.
This album reflects this beat-driven decade. There’s a ton of synth. It’s party
music and pure pop, like usual. We don’t like the first single, Settle Down. It
annoys us. Push and Shove, the most popular song on the album, is a little better.
It’s got some ska, so it’s at least memorable. We like the verses on Easy, but the
chorus falls flat and sounds generic. Gravity sounds radio friendly. We liked Undercover
too. There’s a lot of variety here, which is nice. Gwen sounds good. As a whole,
this is a solid album, but we don’t think we want any of the tracks on our iPods
or mixes.
Album grade: B-
Enrique Iglesias-
Finally Found You, single
We’ve already heard this on the radio. It sounds like most
things on the radio. There is synth, beat, and autotune. It’s catchy, especially
the chorus. It will be great at the clubs, but for personal listens.
Song grade: B+ (for
what it is, not because we like it)
Pitbull- Don’t
Stop the Party, single
Ugh, no. What is this? Gross. Please stop. We just know it’s
going to be in our heads and everywhere else in a month or so.
Song grade: D-
Matthew West- Into
the Light
This album is in the “Christian and Gospel” genre. We listen
to that genre too, because very occasionally there is something good, like Jennifer
Knapp, Jenny and Tyler, Jars of Clay, Jon Foreman. It looks like you’re safe if
you stick to the “J’s”, haha. West’s new album sounds a little too Christian, if
you know what we mean. That CCM sound is kind of lame. We have a level of respect
for Matthew West though. He has good lyrics and he’s had some decent songs for the
genre. This album will please fans of Christian radio. That’s not usually us, and
this is no exception. If you love most Christian music, you can do a lot worse than
this. If most of it makes you groan, you’re not going to want this album.
Album grade: B-
Ciara- Sorry, single
This bored us. It’s nice, she sounds good, and the lyrics
are honest for the genre/artist. But we don’t want the song. Sorry, Ciara.
Song grade: D
Tegan and Sara-
Closer, single
Whoa, this song is way more pop than we are used to from these
two. What happened to the hipster sound? This song shows they are going in a different,
catchier, more electronic direction. The song is addictive, we’ll give them that.
We wanted to hear it again after it was finished. It’s very upbeat. We think we
like it, but we like the old stuff most of the time too.
Song grade: A-
Dragonette-
Bodyparts
We know this band from the catchy song Pick Up the Phone,
released a few years ago. We liked that song and thought we’d check out this new
album. This CD should have been pleasant, catchy, and fun, but we thought it was
too overproduced this time. It reminded us of No Doubt’s new CD, and not in a good
way. Oh well. At least we have that one song we liked.
Album grade: C
A ton of metal came out this week, if you're into that. We can dig Iron Maiden but not much else. Do you have any favorite releases this week or anything on repeat on your iPods?
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