"lock and key" || lilofee || 2009

When Outkast released the single "Hey Ya" in the first part of this decade, my dad told me, "Your generation now has its theme song." I agreed with him until I heard this song on the radio this morning.

It's always seemed to me that generations before mine were so easy to define! Kids of the '60s / Vietnam era were hippies and flower children, there were new wave kids and preppies in the '80s, and you had Generation X in the '90s. Our generation just seemed too ambiguous to define.

The singer proclaims herself (himself? it's hard to tell) a member of "generation sexually ambiguous," then goes on to describe the nightly process of swapping clothes before hitting the party / club scene. There's even talk of sharing eyeliner, and a nod to the fact that it's more than okay -- in fact, normal -- for girls to kiss other girls.

This generation is sexually liberated, but it's not what defines us. Lilofee seems to have used, perhaps unintentionally, the idea of sexual ambiguity to describe a generation that is difficult to define. A generation defined by its ambiguity, if you will. I can only thank them, and ask where I can buy the CD.

Listen

Current Country :: What's Awesome And What Blows

It's no secret that I'm a country radio deejay, so I'm very much in tune with what's current in that market. Here are a few hits and several misses from the last couple of months:

AWESOME:

• "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift



This is a really great little tune! Swift has grown on me a lot as an artist in the last year. "Tim McGraw" and "Teardrops On My Guitar" were high school heartbreaker ballads, so I didn't pay too much attention. "Our Song" made me raise an eyebrow as an above-average attempt at high school cuteness, but was still too lyrically naive for me to take seriously."

"Should've Said No" impressed me. Quite truthfully, I haven't heard such poignant (and relevant) youthful angst since Alanis. "You Belong With Me" intrigues me in the same way, tapping into parts of the adolescent brain that aren't usually so well articulated. ("You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset / She's going off about something that you said / Cause she doesn't get your humor like I do")

I honestly haven't a clue whether Taylor will have staying power in the music biz, but right now, I'm enjoying her contributions.

Listen




• "Big Green Tractor" by Jason Aldean



His best song since "Amarillo Sky." It's a redneck slow jam, but for Aldean, it just works. The lyric toward the beginning where he actually recounts telling his dogs, "y'all get down," is hilarious.
I'm not sure exactly what's so thrilling or romantic about riding around on a big green tractor, but Aldean manages to make it seem that way. I think that's pretty cool.

Listen




• "Sissy's Song" by Alan Jackson



Ordinarily, the mention of religion in songs immediately makes me lose interest, so I really didn't give this song a fair chance on the first listen. After a second spin, though, I realized that moments of raw, unguarded emotion in music are, when genuine, very rare. This is one of those moments.

Jackson wrote the song about a housekeeper that passed away, and his love for and attachment to her sit softly in your ears during this song. I really like that the song is a bit shorter than most radio singles; it serves as a reminder that pain from death is often very quick and very direct, as are the song's lyrics.

Songs like this do not come along often, but they always become massively successful when they do, because they reach very personal areas of the heart.

Listen

SUCKS:

• "Love Remembers" by Craig Morgan



Country radio is still playing the crap out of this song, and I honestly can't figure out why. Much like Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts, Morgan oversings almost every one of his songs. Toward the end, he crescendos so dramatically singing the song's title that he sounds like an old wolf in the throes of an orgasm. It's disgusting.

I will note what I see as this song's one redeeming quality: It reminds you not to take any moment with your lover for granted.

Listen




• "One In Every Crowd" by Montgomery Gentry



My finger cannot move fast enough to turn this song off every time it comes on. It's a salute to being that loud, drunk guy at a party who thinks everyone loves him, when in reality, they want to light him on fire with their minds. I wouldn't hate the song so much if I thought that MG got the joke, but I know they didn't. They have no clue that everyone hates this guy. The result is just plain annoying.

Listen

I'm still here!

Poor Traxx...I've been so neglectful.

Actually, I just haven't felt much like writing about music lately.

But, I'm back! I'm going to pick up right where I left off.

Single reviews to follow soon...

"that beep" || architecture in helsinki || 2009

Australia has done it again!

Brunswick's Architecture In Helsinki has stolen my heart with this cute little song about being hopelessly devoted to a crush. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what "that beep" is that she so desperately wants. Is it a phone call? Even better, a ring on the pager? (If she still has a pager, no wonder no one is "beep"ing her -- no one remembers how to use them.)

I'm not going to ramble this time about well-hidden meaning in a silly pop song, because if it exists here, I haven't found it yet. It's really just an insanely cute song, and the world needs more of those.

Listen for some awesomely '80s drum and synth samples.

Listen

MySpace

"undress to the beat" || jeanette || 2009

I don't know much about Jeanette, or why she apparently hasn't been making music for the last few years, but I do know that I'm glad she decided to return to the studio.

Jeanette Bidermann, aged 27, is a German electro-pop singer. She reminds me of a more club-oriented Annie. I like that I can't decide whether or not her music is good pop or good club, so it must be both.

This new single, just released today, hooked me in about 15 seconds. It's got great synth, an excellent baseline, and sexy lyrics. You honestly can't ask for more.

I'm now looking very forward to her new album!

Listen

"my life would suck without you" || kelly clarkson || 2009

Upon seeing the cover to the single release of this song about a month ago, Kelly Clarkson finally got my attention. I wasn't ignoring her per se, in fact, I think she has one of the top 5 voices in current pop music, but I never found any of her songs relatable as a college-aged male.

I waited with bated breath to hear the actual song, though, since amusing single covers don't necessarily make good songs. Luckily, this was most definitely not the case.

The song delivered, and I'm very pleased. It only takes one listen to figure out the feeling that Kelly is describing, and if it's something that you've seriously felt before, you already know what she's talking about just from the song's title.

The music is very effective in carrying the lyrical buildup. The lyrics and music both begin with a soft, pensive and almost disappointed tone, as Kelly's lover has just re-entered her life. She seems frustrated. When the chorus hits, the music builds up and the lyrics convey an internal emotional explosion. It's perfect sync.

Nice work, Kelly, and since you've named your new album after this track, I have high expectations. Don't let me down!

Listen

traxxlisting #4 :: top 11 of 2008

I've been putting off this post in the interest of debating which songs earned these chart positions. I'm now happy with my list, and proud to share it with you!

11. "Euphoria" by Hydra Productions



This album hasn't yet earned the recognition it deserves, which is a shame, because it's very cool for a couple of reasons. First, it includes vocals from numerous '80s pop tarts: Tiffany, Gioia Bruno (Exposé), Jade Starling (Pretty Poison), and the queen herself, Stacey Q. Canadian pop singer Kim Esty also appears. (A few of them even collaborate on the last track!)

The seriously cool thing about this record though, is that the two musicians who put it together have never been in the same room with one another. In fact, they did it from different continents Shane Condo is a musician who lives in Australia. Shawn Winstian is a songwriter who lives in Pennsylvania. They met on a website. Then they released an album together.

"Euphoria" is my favorite cut on the album not just because Stacey Q does vocals in the chorus. It reminds me of roller rinks from the early '90s and the skating parties that I went to as a kid. When I hear it, I feel like I'm in a dark roller rink, lit only by a rotating disco ball, and I can hear the faint clicking of joysticks on the arcade machines that are positioned near the rink. In fact, if this song had been released in 1993, it probably would have been Top 40 material. For now, it can live in obscurity and make the people who are smart enough to notice it smile.




10. "Can't Shake It" by Kate Miller-Heidke



I have super high hopes for this lady. This song should be a total floor filler at clubs and college parties alike, and sadly it hasn't gotten much US attention at all.

Perhaps it will live in obscurity as a college radio classic, but it's definitely one of the best pop songs I've heard in a long while, and I look forward to the US release of her album so I can snag a copy.

She kind of reminds me of a young, Aussie version of Kate Bush. Maybe that's why I like her so much.






9. "Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" by Lady Gaga



Lady Gaga exploded this fall, and not without reason. She's a pop music guru. A listen through her album is proof enough that she's studied pop trends very carefully, and she certainly knows what makes a quality pop song. It's no wonder her album is so successful; she's brilliantly blended elements that equal success into a smorgasbord of cheerful yet dirty pop.

This is my favorite song on the record, because it's pure pop. Every single element of this song, from the hear-it-once-sing-it-the-second-time hook, to the spry melody, to the opening "cherry cherry boom boom," is deliberately placed, and the result is a song that's sweeter than vanilla frosting. This is ironic, too, because the lyrics to the song are quite biting, but masked behind a playful beat, much in the manner that they would be delivered in a real-life situation.

I wish Ms. Gaga the best on her way.






8. "Makeup Artist" by Marching Band



Ah, glorious college pop. Everyone has songs that take them back to a specific moment and place in their lives, and I can say that this will, without a doubt, be one of those songs for me. I'll think of being a college radio deejay in the fall of 2008 every time I hear this song, for the rest of my life.

Personal meaning aside, it really is a great song. Who can't relate to a tune about a lying bitch? The play on words is just icing on the cake. (I'm really into the whipped topping references tonight, huh?)






7. "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me" by Annie



The wait for Annie's new material was worth it. I fell in love with this track as soon as I heard it, and if you love pop music, how couldn't you? It's great stuff!

Annie has a knack for singing bitchy pop songs in such a cute voice that you don't even realize that they're bitchy. Her 2005 single "Chewing Gum" was a knock at someone who "thinks they're chocolate when [they're] chewing gum." I mean, it's an insult, but would you really be hurt if a cute girl said that to you?

"Girlfriend" is more of the same stuff. It's a direct shot at someone for having a shitty girlfriend. Annie manages to demean the chick and give the guy reason enough to ditch the dead weight and be with her, all in under three minutes. That's impressive.






6. "Dino Damage" by Miniature Tigers



Not since Steve Miller's "The Joker" has the world heard such a cool instance of a talking guitar. In the former, Miller used his guitar to wolf whistle. Charlie of Miniature Tigers uses his to emulate a baby dinosaur. Cute, right?

Well...sort of. The song is actually about how you should release your pet dino before he gets big enough to mutilate you in various grotesque ways, all of which are spelled out in graphic detail. It was probably written as a profound allegory for releasing something that you love and letting it off into the world to grow and be itself, but to me it's a precious song about not getting your fingers chomped the fuck off.





5. "Shake It (Lenny B.'s Radio Edit)" by Metro Station



I love love love love love love love love love this remix. It's a kickass floor filler, equally suited to nights driving around town, shaking it in clubs, or kicking it in cramped apartments with friends.

The original was an okay song, but it's targeted toward Hot Topic sceney-boppers. No thanks.

Lenny B.'s reworking of this song steals the show. Good remixes don't lay vocals over a completely different beat; they amplify the good elements of a song and expand upon them. That's exactly what Lenny B. did, and the result was one of this decade's best dance songs.

Listen




4. "Funplex" by The B-52's



They're back!

Gosh, it makes me so happy that The B-52's can still write songs like this. They've grown so much as a band in the last 30 years, but they have always been true to their signature sound, and this latest record is absolutely no different.

The members of the group have always been caricatures of themselves, which lends itself to a sense of self-parody. This track is about being old and cranky while trying to shop (or work in) the mall. It's a perfectly logical next step in their career: Noting their age, but not backing down a single step.

The only other thing I can think to say is that I hope I'm still that cool when I'm angrily pushing my way through the mall one day.






3. "Sounds So Good" by Ashton Shepherd



Until I took a job at a country radio station in June, I didn't know a thing about country music, except that Garth Brooks was like Michael Jackson to fans of the genre. Artists like Toby Keith and Trace Adkins had always repulsed me from bothering to give any country music a fair shot.

After forced exposure to country for a few months, I figured out that there is true artistic merit to be found in the genre, and it lies within the songwriting. Some of the greatest storytellers can be found in country music lyricists. (Jamey Johnson's "In Color" and Reba McEntire's "Fancy" are both great examples, if you're interested.)

You don't necessarily have to tell a story to write a great country song, though, and thus is the case here. Shepherd is 22 years old, and her songwriting ability is at an amazingly seasoned level.

There is something infectious about this song. I can't tell you what it is. I can tell you, however, that it was good enough to make me purchase the first and only country music CD in my music library, and that all my friends, to whom country music is a complete joke, love it just as much as I do and will sing along to it in the car.

Okay, okay, it sounds like she says "cooter" in the chorus. Hardy har. It's still a great song.

Listen




2. "Crimewave" by Crystal Castles



There's simply no denying the originality of Crystal Castles. They've created a unique sounds that hipsters, geeks, and sorority chicks alike simply can't get enough of.

"Crimewave" is without a doubt their masterpiece thus far, and it'll remain an underground dance classic forever. It's another classic example of a song that you'd have missed unless you 1.) paid attention to college radio, or 2.) hung out with people who pay attention to college radio. I'm honestly kind of surprised that the hipster garbage scene latched onto this group. I think the draw to that crowd is probably the band's noise-oriented tracks like "Alice Practice," whereas dance music nerds like myself latched onto the cuts like "Untrust Us" and "1991." "Crimewave" is a perfect blend of both the bands sounds, guaranteed to make anyone dance.

It's totally hilarious to me that even though nobody can get enough of this song, no one can sing along with it, either.



I would like to note that lots of cool music came out of Canada this year, and even though this was the only Canadian act that made my list, I was very impressed with many other Canadian bands. So you, up there, keep up the good work.





And the #1 song of 2008 is...




1. "Boyfriend" by Alphabeat



It's a perfect pop song, off of a very impressive, solid album. The lyrics are perfectly simple, and the beat is undeniably danceable. It's cutesy enough to get played on TV screens in trendy clothing stores, but indie enough to be called "college pop" by me. It's simply a perfect song.

Most people I've played the song for assume that it's from the '80s, which I don't really understand. The song definitely has a retro feel, but I'd never have mistaken it for an older tune. (Perhaps that's due to my own knowledge of music from that era, though.) I suppose the song just has a timeless sound.

This album is a super fun journey through various areas of pop, much like Lady Gaga's record, but without overlap. These Danes explore europop and indie pop, all without being cliché or unoriginal.

This band has an amazingly bright future in pop music if they keep up releases like this one.

That's the list! Here's to lots more great music in 2009!