let's talk tunes

when i was younger, i used to find it embarassing to admitt to my sister that i liked hilary duff's 'so yesterday'.

Some people who are into rock scorn people who listen to pop(no kakak, not you :p). Some people admonish others who go crazy over top 40 hits and think its better to listen to unmainstream music. well, that's all bollocks, i think. it's almost inevitable to like pop, simply because pop it's an abso-freakin-lutely humongous genre. And what should it matter whether a song is mainstream or unmainstream?

But wait, let's evaluate here. There IS a good reason why some people would scorn pop. There was this one time in GP class, we were discussing music, and my teacher was mentioning how some portions of pop music can often be a bit too simple, and quite empty-headed in terms or lyrics. I agree. I recently heard the new song by Vanessa Hudgens, which had lyrics like these:

When you call I don't know if I should pick up the phone every time,
I'm not like all my friends who keep calling up the boys, I'm so shy

BWAHAHAHA, who makes up this stuff? it's bad, and i bet they used it only because they couldn't find any better line to rhyme with the first one. And of course, you have Paris Hilton, whose music is mostly made up of synthesised studio alterations built around her, ahem, voice. Yeah, well.

You know who i think is a perfectly adequate example of quality pop? Mariah Carey(or is she r&b, i don't know). I personally think the 'Emancipation of Mimi' album should have won more Grammys. Oh, have you listened to the song 'Breakdown' from her old album? That song alone accounts for why i have her listed under my most played artists list.

One of my pet peeves concerning songs is when people who don't actually have a good voice sing songs that i like. Prime contoh? cassie(ala, yang nyanyi lagu 'me and you' tu). I don't like that me and you song, but i do dig 'long way to go'. It's catchy, nice beat. could do with better lyrics, though. anyways, the song is ok, but she can't sing! She keeps in tune, yes, but her voice is so weak, i don't understand. is she sengaje tak nak show off her vocal capabilites or is it that she really can't sing powerfully? Why did they sign her up in the first place? Sebab die lawa, is it? Bleargh.

I have more respect for people who write their own songs, but then again, if we only depend on artists to write their own songs, who will sing the nice songs songwriters who can't sing come up with,ey? yeah.

Oh, and about the whole mainstream thing, i think there is a certain appeal to listening to unmainstream music. for one thing, there's a whole bunch of superb songs out there that you probably won't find on the radio and have to look for yourself, so when you find one, it's extra nice, a personal treasure. And it's twice as fun when you find another person who knows the song too. Mainstream music can get annoying when a song you like becomes a song everyone adores and becomes the most overplayed song on the radio until whenever you hear it, you run away screaming. yeah. but really, at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter, does it. if you like it, then listen to it. habis cerite.

I was, and probably still am, a bit of a teeny-bopper. After the disaster that was Beyonce's 'Dangerously in Love', my teeny-bopperism fell a bit, i guess. but still. you'll catch me crooning along to Jojo whenever it comes on the radio. But please, don't confuse me with someone who will sing along with Akon and ask people to smack that or do tai bo or whatever. I despise that song. or any song by Akon, for that matter. but that's just my opinion.

oh,oh! and what about the whole malaysian music versus indonesian music thingie? hot fm was criticized once for playing too much music from indonesian artists rather than malaysian ones. hmm. well, all i can say is, indonesian bands have better videos. i'm not a fan of the drippy malay band songs with the singer singing in the really, REALLY whiny voice moaning about lost love and the video always shows them kat tgh2 padang or tempat berpasir and all the other members look like their playing their instruments semi-comatose or what. How come local music videos(save for a handful) usually have dreadful quality that makes it look so tacky? is it that we can't afford it or what?

Yeah,well. whatever. just listen to whatever you want to, ok? don't be intimidated by other peoples' musical preferences, and don't let other peoples' opinion of what constitutes 'good music' deter you from liking any song whatsoever. i'm saying this as a reminder to myself too, go figure.

well anyhoo, i am currently crazy over this song. the yeah yeah yeahs are cool. a bit weird.