411 Music Buy or Sell 01.19.11: I Do, I Hate

Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 01.19.2012

Does Young Jeezy's "I Do" sound like a hit to us? Is Florence + The Machine's "No Light, No Light" worth picking up? Is Shinedown's "Bully" just a bunch of hot air? 411's Jeremy Thomas and Jeff Modzelewski listen to these tracks and more!


Greetings and salutations, Music Zone readers! Welcome to your top choice in music single opinion columns, 411 Music Buy or Sell! I'm your host Jeremy Thomas, and 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 Jam Central Station's, Jeff Modzelewski, taking on me, myself and I, Jeremy Thomas!

All right, enough of the introductions and rules…let's hop to it!

1) Young Jeezy (ft. Jay-Z & Andre 3000) - "I Do" From Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition (Corporate Thugz/Def Jam) Released January 10, 2012
Jeff Modzelewski: SELL And it started out so promising... The song has a pretty good intro and the music is a throwback to some of the epic 70's pop hits, but then Young Jeezy comes in. Really nothing to say and nothing to set him apart from other rappers. Andre 3000's flow is more interesting than either Jeezy or Jay-Z, but he certainly can't save the song.
Jeremy Thomas: SELL I didn't like this pretty much from the first moment. The retroesque sound is an overused trope in hip-hop and then it comes into another completely average and forgettable rap track by Jeezy. Andre 3000 is okay and Jay-Z isn't bad, but neither are doing their best work by a long, long shot. This is one of those song that I would change the station on because I wouldn't recognize it no matter how many times I heard it and woule go searching for something more interesting. This is definitely a dud.
ANALYSIS: SELL

2) Florence and the Machine - "No Light, No Light" From Ceremonials (Island) Released January 16, 2012
Jeff Modzelewski: BUY Yep, I've bought into Florence + The Machine. Not quite as much as I've bought into Adele, but it's definitely good stuff. First off, her voice is powerful and emotional. This isn't pop fluff, this is meaningful. This isn't my favorite Florence song, but it's very good. There's a great build up from the verse to the chorus, and the song closes well. Florence is one of those artists that's going to help adjust my thinking musically.
Jeremy Thomas: BUY I do enjoy me some Florence + The Machine and Ceremonials was one of my favorite albums of the year, just outside of my top ten. I prefer the first single to this but that doesn't take anything away from how good this one; it has that Annie Lennox feel that Welch does so well, but still fits in her own distinct sound. I like the lyrics and the sound has a lot of emotion behind it. This is one of my favorite tracks off an album I really enjoy.
ANALYSIS: BUY

3) Laura By Spruke - "I Hate" From Katana & Tonic (Independent) Released December 5, 2011
Jeff Modzelewski: BUY Yeah, this is pretty cool. I'm not sure if this is a joke or serious, but I enjoyed it, and I definitely can relate to it. Musically it's a little too electronic, and it's hard to understand at times. I even almost missed the Zelda reference (which makes this song even cooler). It's some weird mix of indie-chick pop with a dubstep background, but it works.
Jeremy Thomas: BUY Thanks to Chris Lansdell for bringing this one to my attention, by the way, for inclusion in a Buy or Sell. I really dug this, it's definitely not a top 40-friendly track but it brings back that feel of 90s alt-rock and I appreciate that. I don't know much about these guys but this definitely had me interested in finding out more.
ANALYSIS: BUY

4) Gym Class Heroes (ft. Neon Hitch) - "Ass Back Home" From The Papercut Chronicles II (Fueled by Ramen) Released November 15, 2011
Jeff Modzelewski: SELL I don't hate all hip-hop, I swear. But it's another song that really just doesn't do anything for me. It's not bad, but it's nothing I need to listen to more than once. The rapping is OK, the female vocals are decent, and the music is OK, but OK isn't enough for me.
Jeremy Thomas: BUY I'm a big Gym Class Heroes fan and I really liked this one. It's not as good as, say, "Peace Sign/Index Down" or "Faces in the Hall" but I really like the sound and it's nice to hear Travie be back to form after getting obsessed with Katy Perry after they broke up. Neon Hitch has a great voice that fits the sound and feel of the song beautifully. Again, it's not my favorite of their songs but I find myself nodding along to it and that's always a winner for me.
ANALYSIS: SPLIT

5) Fun. (ft. Janelle Monae) - "We Are Young" From Some Nights (Fueled by Ramen) Released September 20, 2011
Jeff Modzelewski: SELL It started out interesting and got repetitive. It's a little too produced and tries a little too hard. "Tonight, we are young, so let's set the world on fire" isn't very imaginative either. Finally, what's up with the video with the girl peeling an apple? I understand metaphors, but this one is way over my head.
Jeremy Thomas: SELL I actually like this version better than I did the Glee one and I wavered back and forth on this, because it is very listenable and I could see it playing in the back of my head while I worked but the chorus annoys the ever-living shit out of me when I pay attention to it and that's what ultimately sinks it. It's not even the lyrics, it's just trying way, WAY too hard to be hip and a hit. It's a nice try by Fun, but I'm not biting here and I hope they have something else to offer or they'll be a one-hit wonder.
ANALYSIS: SPLIT

6) Shinedown - "Bully" From Amaryllis (Atlantic) Released January 3, 2011
Jeff Modzelewski: SELL Yawn. Is this Nickleback? Oh, it's Shinedown? Same difference. Pop music set to rock-ish riff. Even the main riff sounds cliche. It's bands like this that are rock music's problem. There's definitely some talent there, at least enough to do something original. Instead it's a cookie-cutter track with faked aggression. Music for the masses right now with zero staying power.
Jeremy Thomas: SELL At least Nickelback is distinctive and sometimes halfway fun, if not good. This isn't even either of those. Shinedown has had a couple of good songs--I won't deny that I like "Diamond Eyes" from The Expendables--but this is not one to fit in that category. It's exceedingly generic and it wants to be cool and badass, but to be cool and badass you have to actually have some level of originality. This has none and I would have been happier if I'd never heard it.
ANALYSIS: SELL

Laura and Florence get Buys this week and Gym Class gets a split, while the rest are No-Gos! Thanks to Jeff for his participation this week; that will do it us! What do you think of the singles we covered? Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments!