411 Music Buy Or Sell 02.08.11: We’re Sorry For Party Rocking
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 02.08.2011
Do we love Trey Songz’ “Love Faces”? Does The Black Keys' "Howlin' For You" rock? Does Ke$ha’s “Blow” suck? 411's Aaron Titan and David Hayter listen to these songs and more in the latest 411 Music Buy or Sell!
Hey again, everybody! Welcome back to your premiere online tastemaker – 411 Music Buy or Sell.
Each week, we'll look at some of the hottest new and hit singles and a couple of our esteemed writers will decide if they want to keep the song (Buy) or drop it like it's hot (Sell). This week's listeners are album reviewer Aaron Titan and fellow album reviewer David Hayter.
Let's get to it!
1) LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock - "Party Rock Anthem"
From Sorry For Party Rocking (Interscope)
Released 2011
Aaron Titan: BUY
The production on this track pretty much makes up for the stock party rap lyrics. I'm planning on going out to do a little more clubbing when the weather turns around and this is the type of shit I'd like to hear. LMFAO doesn't even really need to recruit that many vocalists to be honest, because I think the song would've been just as good without them. The break-down bassy party that jumps in and out is fucking dope.
David Hayter: SELL
Insipid, tedious, indebted, devoid of a single original thought, in short, "Party Rock" is a hit.
ANALYSIS: SPLIT
2) Rise Against - "Help Is On The Way"
From Endgame (Interscope/DGC)
Released January 25, 2011
Aaron Titan: SELL
The riff and melody are cool and all, but this sounds mostly like stock pop rock with punk leanings. What about it begs to be replayed after the listening experience concludes. This is one of those songs that would be pretty fun to play on Rock Band and maybe after enough drunken jams on the ol' Xbox with your best friends, you'd be a bigger fan of this song. That's kind of how "When We Were Young" by The Killers is for me.
David Hayter: BUY
Rise Against have always had lofty aspirations and have always tried to project themselves as intellectual, emotional and important artists. Sadly, they've often fallen short on all three counts, but they've never been less than entertaining and "Help Is On The Way" finds itself in keeping with this tradition. This is cookie cut post-hardcore that's highly enjoyable and sung with enough unique character and bombast to (just barely) poke its head out above an already crowded scene. "Help Is On The Way" therefore receives the mildest of recommendations; it's satisfies whole heartedly, but it never threatens to thrill.
ANALYSIS: SPLIT
3) Trey Songz - "Love Faces"
From Passion, Pain & Pleasure (Songbook/Atlantic)
Released January 11, 2011
Aaron Titan: SELL
This is the Usher-style R&B that all sounds incredibly uninspired to me. There's a lot of girls out there that we all wanna' bang, but you don't have to write and produce a forced "from-the-heart-love makin'" song. NEXT!
David Hayter: SELL
"Love Faces" is a passé slice of R'n'B that at its best is smooth and engaging, and at its worst is as cringe worthy as your average love face. The production is horrendous; any sense of mood or atmosphere is destroyed by the ludicrously loud levels, everything blares obnoxiously and the backing vocals are laughable. If this is your scene, ignore Trey Songz and go pick up a The-Dream record instead.
ANALYSIS: SELL
4) Ke$ha - "Blow"
From Cannibal (RCA)
Released February 8, 2011
Aaron Titan: BUY
Wow, this might be the first Ke$ha song I don't find completely appalling. The production is amazing and her vocals actually sound pretty fucking sick. Now granted, a lot of her vocals are super-produced and effect-laden, but it's pop music, so whatever right?! It's just a fresh, vodka-scented breath of fresh air from Ke$ha when I don't have to hear the teeny-bopper hokey rapping vocals and she actually sings a decent melody.
David Hayter: BUY
I'm actually a fan of Ke$ha, and anyone interested on my mini-thesis regarding her place in the pop culture can look up my Cannibal review. However, as she strains to evolve, she finds herself stuck between two evils. Stay the same and wear out your appeal or move to a more conventional and trendy sound and enjoy transient success. "Blow" sees Ke$ha doing both at once and it works surprisingly well. It's still not sustainable, relying on cheap tricks (okay other people's slightly less cheap tricks) and in the future she will have to find her own path, but for now this is a suitable stop gap while Ke$ha figures out who and what she wants to be.
ANALYSIS: BUY
5) Mumford & Sons - "Little Lion Man"
From Sigh No More (Island/Glassnote)
Released September 28, 2009
Aaron Titan: BUY
This is pretty cool blue-collar folk roots-y rock. I've heard of these guys before but had never heard them. I'm not sure of the Irish tinge was intentional or not, but the accordion reminded me of St. Patty's Day for sure. I'm going to be giving Mumford & Songs another listen really soon!
David Hayter: SELL
While the rise of Mumford And Sons is certainly not surprisingly, I still have little or no interest in it. Their increasingly tiresome pillaging of the 21st Century folk tradition may provide easy pop chorus and emotive highs for festival fields, but on record it lacks spark and artistic integrity. "Little Lion Man" has more bite than most of their work, but it still draws heavily on "the Mumford formula" lacking the quirks, charm and imagination of a truly great or memorable piece. There is some good news though, Fleet Foxes are back soon (I'm counting the days)!
ANALYSIS: SPLIT
6) The Black Keys - "Howlin' For You"
From Brothers (Nonesuch)
Released May 18, 2010
Aaron Titan: BUY
Easily one of the best tracks off of Brothers. Patrick Carney's drumming is funky and tight as a...well, I won't go there. And Dan Auerbach's riff and da-da-da-DA-DA hook melody are insanely catchy. I haven't seen these guys on tour since Brothers came out, but I saw them rock the fuck out of this track on SNL and it was even better then on the record. If you haven't picked up Brothers yet, I highly recommend it. It was my favorite album of 2010.
David Hayter: SELL
I still can't buy into the Black Keys hype, they come welcome recommended and extremely well reviewed but they just haven't clicked with me and "Howlin' For You" does nothing to change my mind. It's fun, it's funky, and it certainly has a loose charisma, but "Howlin' For You" is desperately lacking depth. The Black Keys remain a band whom I respect but who I cannot endorse (although I do accept this track may work better in the context of an album).
ANALYSIS: SPLIT
And that will do it for this week. What do you think of the singles we covered? Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments!
