Blackout: The Ys of the New Era
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 25 October 2007 01:21 (sixteen years ago) link
HAHAHA
― Turangalila, Thursday, 25 October 2007 02:04 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm really liking what I'm hearing, but I just really wish that wasn't the actual album cover what with the pink flamingo skirt and Croc Dundee hat. Of course the outfit does seem a perfect depiction of the train wreck that her life is portrayed as. To be honest, I'm really pretty amazed she was able to get in the studio and get something this impressive put together in what was seemingly a pretty short time. Should I not believe the press that all she really does is drink Sbux, be a bad mama, shave her head, drive poorly, and flash her cooch?
― matt2, Thursday, 25 October 2007 02:50 (sixteen years ago) link
The album is her most consistent yet, but there's no real high point, and the sounds/beats are a bit too consistent throughout. I really love Get Naked (I Got A Plan). I suppose the darker, grittier sound is a reflection of her growth as an artist/person (hold your laughter, etc) but I miss unapologetically poppy Britney...Brave New Girl, Cinderella, Bombastic Love. And where's the requisite terrible ballad? That Neptunes song will have to do, I suppose.
― musically, Thursday, 25 October 2007 03:58 (sixteen years ago) link
Overview and some inside stuff
― Eazy, Friday, 26 October 2007 15:49 (sixteen years ago) link
The problem with this is that, bar a couple of tracks, it's all too fucking mid-paced.
― Matt DC, Friday, 26 October 2007 15:51 (sixteen years ago) link
it is a bit too consistent but i still really enjoy the sound. and i feel it's a grower, the textures sink in more with listens. that heaven song is greattt
― Surmounter, Friday, 26 October 2007 16:34 (sixteen years ago) link
Surmounter, "Perfect Lover," c'mon, boy!
― Turangalila, Friday, 26 October 2007 18:58 (sixteen years ago) link
YES, i actually think i might have meant that one --
AWESOME.
weirdly enough, there's a certain Cardigans vibe that comes through no? i mean, not in a bad way at ALL
― Surmounter, Friday, 26 October 2007 19:29 (sixteen years ago) link
:)
No, but "Heaven on Earth" is awesome, too. So you're right on both accounts.
― Turangalila, Friday, 26 October 2007 19:41 (sixteen years ago) link
u know, i knew Perfect Lover was great the 1st time, but when i heard it the second time i really got it
― Surmounter, Friday, 26 October 2007 19:43 (sixteen years ago) link
Yes, exactly.
"Heaven on Earth" sounds vaguely Beatles-y (obvious Moroder references aside).
― Turangalila, Friday, 26 October 2007 19:44 (sixteen years ago) link
The real question here is... where is Tim Finney? Tim Finney to thread.
― Turangalila, Friday, 26 October 2007 19:48 (sixteen years ago) link
true nuf
― Surmounter, Friday, 26 October 2007 19:51 (sixteen years ago) link
I was thinking I hadn't seen Tim lately.
― The Reverend, Saturday, 27 October 2007 01:28 (sixteen years ago) link
This is indeed amazing. I mean, it's Britney Fucking Spears! and this is still an excellent pop album! Just as great as Annie, Kylie or Bertine at their best really. What happened? I mean, if there is somebody I didn't expect this from, it's her. And particularly not in the light of recent new stories.
Now, the two most positive surprises of the year have been from Britney Spears and Babyshambles. Does this mean we'll see a classic and absolutely flawless pop album from Amy Winehouse before Christmas then?
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 30 October 2007 23:47 (sixteen years ago) link
isnt tim touring europe or something
― deej, Tuesday, 30 October 2007 23:48 (sixteen years ago) link
Is anyone else having difficulty pinning down how much of this is actually Britney singing? There are a host of 'backing singers' credited on the record, including Robyn. Which is weird because before I found this out I'd already been thinking bits of it sounded like Robyn's kind of enunciation, albeit heavily treated - Piece of Me for example.
Maybe it's because I can't quite see Britney managing to spend much time in the studio this year, but I can't shake the feeling of listening to a collage of different, robotised female voices with Britney as the 'face'.
Not that it matters really, as the end product is cracking. Finally clicked with me on the way home yesterday and now I love it.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 30 October 2007 23:59 (sixteen years ago) link
Is a good album really a surprise? With the exception of her first album, her albums have all been solid.
― musically, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 00:43 (sixteen years ago) link
The first two I would rather consider the most decent ones. The next two were awful "contemporary R&B" crap.
― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 00:44 (sixteen years ago) link
But, really, Britney is whatever her producer/songwriters turn her into, as she herself has no other talent than looks and temptation. Max Martin was obv. way better than Neptunes, but the people she is working with now seems to know good music better than any of the people she has ever worked with in the past.
― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 00:45 (sixteen years ago) link
how are the melodies?
― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 31 October 2007 00:48 (sixteen years ago) link
I was listening to "Piece of Me" earlier today and thinking that it could totally fit on that Felix Da Housecat's Devin Dazzle album.
― jaymc, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 01:03 (sixteen years ago) link
I am back in Australia :-( but haven't heard this album yet.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 07:20 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlbLdTxSkV8
This is kind of bizarre.
A Danja Hands produced Britney track, with a very Dubstep sounding wobble.
It makes my head hurt.
Why does this exist?
― Siah Alan, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 08:45 (sixteen years ago) link
Robyn is on this album???????
― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 11:49 (sixteen years ago) link
I did find this -
"I've been approached about writing a new song for Britney and I'm cool with that. I've written for her before but it only got to the recording stages, so doing it again would be a good move for me. I'd like to think I could help." -- Robyn
― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 11:53 (sixteen years ago) link
i wonder where this album's silk-pursers were in 06's great paris hilton wars. seems like everything goes out the window when eurodisco is involved.
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 12:02 (sixteen years ago) link
(ok yes i did personally just get a deckchair, keep shtoom and watch the lex get flayed alive but the album was okay and better than this on pretty much every level including "interesting" or whatever it is floating people's dismal little boats here)
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 12:05 (sixteen years ago) link
oh sorry i forgot about the stupid robot voice treatment on every track, my bad
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 12:08 (sixteen years ago) link
Don't know how it compares to the stuff that, like, actually made the album, but "A Song About You" is very nice in a wispy, Janet-esque hyperballad kind of way (that's totally not her singing in the intro though). From what I've read I imagine the album isn't like that at all though.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 12:14 (sixteen years ago) link
Actually it's not that good. I got momentarily excited by the resurrection of one of my favourite pop styles.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 12:19 (sixteen years ago) link
i will say tho (again) that in terms of assessing the current timbahandz dynasty danja coming out as some sort of glamly perverse rocky horror ringmaster is kinda remarkable! hi dere son of green velvet
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 12:36 (sixteen years ago) link
Haha this is a million miles better than the Paris album you are on crack.
― Matt DC, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 12:59 (sixteen years ago) link
not today i'm not! how shall we break this down? deliciously ironical lyricky self awareness? 'stars are blind', 'fighting over me', 'screwed'. blithely wealthy industry appropriation of modern musical trends? 'turn it up', turn you on'. fuck you world and you yes you in particular? 'jealousy'. all britney has over paris is a vague hazy rage and people's insane lust for electro-toss and hacky robodiva crit; paris only covered 'do you think i'm sexy' once, not 12 times.
whh-tshh!
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 13:27 (sixteen years ago) link
haha note to self only think whh-tshh next time do not type
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 13:30 (sixteen years ago) link
In fairness, electro-toss and hacky robodiva crit is 90% of the reason I prefer this to the Paris record.
― Matt DC, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 13:40 (sixteen years ago) link
Also do the whh-tshh again.
― Matt DC, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 13:41 (sixteen years ago) link
whh-NO I WILL NOT BE EXECUTIVE PRODUCED DAMN YOU PAPARAZZO
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 13:50 (sixteen years ago) link
Someday, a real rain's gonna come and wash all this bullshit away.
― Alex in NYC, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 14:33 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm imagining the marketing team standing in the studio and looking at Britney passed out in one corner, saying "So, guys, what are we going to call this record?"
― Eazy, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 15:43 (sixteen years ago) link
lol
― deej, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 16:02 (sixteen years ago) link
after listening to freakshow and gimme more... doesn't every britney song follow the same formula?? the only difference with these songs is that britney is trying to be darker and more in tune with music trends of recent times (the hiphop beats remind me of every other song).
― CaptainLorax, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 20:34 (sixteen years ago) link
did Seripop do her cover art? that thing looks better suited to an AIDS Wolf sleeve.
also while this album is surprisingly good, it still takes a backseat to Rachel Stevens' last album in the "soullessly robotic white-girl buying an album's worth of unstoppably insane tracks from worldbeating producers" sweepstakes.
― jamescobo, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 20:42 (sixteen years ago) link
how is anyone liking this album? seriously. whats wrong with people today. I heard Radar and Piece of Me... Its terrible
― CaptainLorax, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 20:46 (sixteen years ago) link
I still love this. "Heaven on Earth" is unusually affecting. Sounds yearning, unrequited.
― Turangalila, Thursday, 1 November 2007 09:00 (sixteen years ago) link
The album would have been even better if the hip-hop beats were replaced with Kylie-style 120 bpm 4/4-beats. But still a pleasant surprise.
― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 1 November 2007 09:42 (sixteen years ago) link
Is there an emoticon for resigned exhasperation?
― I know, right?, Thursday, 1 November 2007 12:30 (sixteen years ago) link
http://i7.tinypic.com/5z50gwk.gif
― StanM, Thursday, 1 November 2007 13:09 (sixteen years ago) link
(a.k.a. "sigh.gif")
― StanM, Thursday, 1 November 2007 13:15 (sixteen years ago) link