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  • The Top 100 Songs of the ’00s, #91: “Spiralling”

    Keane

    …in which a band previously known for somewhat sleepy piano ballads discovers synth-pop with a vengeance.

    I mean, I liked Keane before. They were as good as any Coldplay knockoff band could have possibly been, and that no-guitars angle was pretty inventive as far as those sort of angles go. But for their third album, 2008’s “Perfect Symmetry”, Tom Chaplin and his boys must have located a bunch of Duran Duran and Tears for Fears albums, because not only did they discover guitars (!), but they also got all “Wild Boys”-on us. “Spiralling” uses Chaplin’s drama student voice to create a PERFECT Brit dance-pop anthem, the likes of which haven’t been heard since the days of King, The Blow Monkeys and Curiosity Killed the Cat. Well done, boys. Let’s party like it’s 1985.

  • First Listen: Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed”

    Obsessed

     

    Barely a year after her last platinum success, Mariah Carey’s back, and she’s gunning straight for a certain Marshall Mathers. “Obsessed” is the name of the song, the first release from her upcoming “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel” (ohhh-KAY), and while it’s certainly sharper and more aggressive from a lyrical standpoint than the average Mariah single, musically it’s more of the same ol’ same ol’ she’s been putting out since she officially switched all the way over to Hoodrat Mariah a couple years back. Neither I nor my compadre GG is especially impressed with the track, which was touted as a return to “old school” Mariah. This sounds nothing like “Vision of Love” or “Dreamlover” to my ears. Perhaps I need Q-Tips? (actually, I think I need Q-Tip. I’m putting on “The Renaissance” now).

    This should, at the very least, make for an interesting video…and perhaps another tired response from Eminem?

  • First Look: Beyonce & Kanye’s “Ego”

    Well, if you’re gonna make a song called “Ego”, why not get Kanye West to make a guest appearance, right?

    Aside from Mr. West’s lengthy opening verse, there’s nothing different about Beyonce’s “Ego” video, but I’m sure the guys in the audience don’t mind the fact that they can watch that booty shake one more time.

    I still don’t especially care for the song, but I’ve gotta admit, Beyonce puts together some very interesting visuals for her records.