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Seriously though, I love me some girly shit · by Sach O
Euro-Pop for all!
Please don’t hurt me.
Fine, so I don’t like Timbaland. What can I say? I like my Hip-hop rugged and threatening. It’s how I learned to love it. That’s not going to change. But we can still be friends. We can make this relationship work
Together.
So as a peace offering to everyone I’ve pissed off by declaring that Timbaland was Dead (second only to Nas’ autopsy of Hip Hop in terms of controversial obituaries) here’s some light, dancy Japanese and Scandinavian pop music we can enjoy together. It’s a complete 180 degrees from rap music I enjoy so maybe it’ll be enough to appease the pop-crowd before you guys storm our offices (as if we had offices) with torches and pitchforks.
Param Maum – Linda Linda Linda
The title track from a Japanese movie about 4 schoolgirls who form a rock band, this probably won’t have quite the same effect if you haven’t had it drilled in your head by the film. If that’s the case, I really recommend finding a DVD copy of this flick because it’s a lot more fun than it has any right to be. Far from Californian valley girls, the characters in the film are actually enjoyable and the cool, distanced Jarmusch style directing elevates it from empty fluff. As for the song…err…guilty pleasure.
Bertine Zetlitz – Midnight
I randomly clicked on this video while checking out Stylus’ Top 50 singles of 2006 (incidentally, my favorite of such lists) and was pleasantly surprised by what I got: ice cold synth-pop devoid of actual emotion but with nice organic strings in the background. The video itself hovers between wack and boring but in terms of the music, it’s probably the most enjoyable pop song I’ve heard this year that isn’t from a bitch, alcoholic, Premo aided skank or freaky trio of robots. Although potentially evil Norwegian Diva is one hell of a category too.
Marit Larsen – Under the Surface
Umm…ok. I’m not gonna lie: saying Marit’s voice is a little on the saccharine side is like saying Yao Ming is kinda tall for a Chinese guy. The whole song sounds like an end theme for an anime series with huge sweeping quasi-cinematic violins and cliché love lyrics. That said, it’s probably as good as this stuff gets and is enjoyable for what it is and thus deserves a shot. Or to put it another way, this is the kind of stuff that should ideally be followed up by death metal or Mobb Deep from maximum contrast. Just don’t sample it for a States-side club anthem for the love of God.
The Taste of Tea – The Mountain Song
Technically not pop at all, but I’m using this post as a way to unload all of the weird shit that’s landed on my PC in the past 3 months. Another song from a Japanese film that y’all should see, it’s some sort of tango ode to mountains. If you’re as confused I assume you are upon hearing this, you may want to check the accompanying dance on Youtube. (Warning: 2-3 minutes of dialogue before musical sequence in this clip. Sorry.)
Survive Style 5+ – Come Baby
And as my grand finale…this is what these new Timbaland tracks sound like to me. What, you thought I was going to apologise? Never that. Asshole for life like Trae and Z-Ro said baby. Asshole for life.
Peace, Happy Holidays and remember, it’s just one man’s opinion y’all, more overly snarky Ohword content coming before 07!
Survive Style 5+...Some bad sides but can you even criticize a movie that at least tries THIS?
— djeff Dec 19, 07:11 PM
Oh I love the film. The scenes that song is in are awesome. I whole heartedly recommend it.
Just felt like getting one last dig in at the detractors.
— Sach Dec 19, 07:38 PM
Wow, this is… erm, different. I can appreciate the peace offering. Dude, I loved your Timbo post even though I didn’t agree with it in the slightest. Big ups for swimming against the tidal wave.
— floodwatch Dec 20, 01:06 PM
excellent
— Mathew Dec 23, 08:13 PM