If a guy really liked you in the summer 2007, he’d set J Holiday’s ‘Bed’ as your personal ringtone on his cell. Still, no one can question that song to be one of 2007 absolute best tracks. Not just for the classic, somewhat-tacky-romance lyrics. ‘Bed’ really got a perfect structure. It’s slow, soft and yet it provides a extremely powerful melody. Call me a sucker for popmusic. It wouldn’t be a lie. Read more…

Reviews

Are you one of us that constantly claim we’re not systematically drawn to the fascination of ghetto culture? One of us who tries to define the purchasing of golden chains to the fact that it reflect wealth - not fashion - and just loves The Wire cause it’s so ”real”? We probably have some other things in common too (for starters, we’re not that poor ourselves). This may be a narrow way to describe a curiosity and interest in class - on the contrary it may become exploitation.

The song ‘16 @ War’ by Karina Pasian is not a song that primarily flirts with the phasing-out “ghetto culture”. Karina manage to describe a vivid spectrum of many factors at work simultaneously. The feeling of being sixteen, being a woman, being poor and being unfairly treated. Rather than many others songs with the same focus Karina simply document the brutal reality of many people. Her beautiful, yet massive, voice succeeds to capture the frustrating feeling of being powerless. Forget prior teenage-theme pop songs with contra-productive self-destructive feelings like “sixteen clumsy and shy”. The message Karina broadcast is extraordinarily strong in its own straightness. I hope she keeps on fighting next year.

Karina Pasian - 16 @ War (written by The-Dream, prod. by Tricky Stewart)

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Best of 2008, Songs

Ok - so I have to confess two things. First off, I didn’t consider Joe to be my ideal rnb-artist. With a baggage of great records it’s just a few songs that really has stayed in my playlist, Joe has always somewhat combined the heartbroken gentleman with a banal martyr, nothing without a catchy melody. A bit boring, yet dramatic. My other admission is, however, that Joe has succeeded to make the most beautiful song of this year.

The new record Joe Thomas, New Man did not fail to have highlights. The single ‘E.R. (Emergency Room)’ contains some dirty wishes (authorized by the doctor-pun), and ‘We Need To Roll’ was a great co lab, featuring both Mario and Trey Songz. Compared to ‘I Will Again’, bonus track on the bonus edition, they both fade to mediocre. I didn’t understand this song at first. It all was a still, low profile ambush, kind of classy. Maybe it was the nice pop melody, maybe the rare, self-conscious lyrics. Joe proves however, that he’s far from the flawless idea of an American rnb-dream. To do such a thing with this melody is a great achievement. To borrow a phrase from Dave Eggers, it’s really a heartbreaking work of a staggering genius.
 And Joe, I’m sorry that I didn’t recognize you as a human before this song. I definitely will again.

Joe - I Will Come Again

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Best of 2008, Songs

In the presentation of this countdown, Sebastian predicted that autotune was doomed to lose its position in 2009, since it’s already reached its climax. Kanye West has always had an interesting status in the business- being able to transform small trends or upcoming tendencies into easy listening mainstream hits that even your mother sings in the shower. Therefore the overuse of this robot-voice-effect on his record 808’s & Heartbreaks is a quite surprising. The all-pleasing, getting-hipster-kids-to-love-hiphop-hit-machine released a record with a hysterical narrow theme, both in music and subject.

Overall, 808’s & Heartbreaks is quite fascinating. It’s brave and pleasing at the same time. And yes, it’s too much autotune. And yes, it’s too much self-pity. This guy is confused. But in some of these songs, for the first time, between the non-human robot-voice and the all-human-frustrated lyrics, you really get him. ‘Heartless’ is a outstanding example. I really hope that everyone that found this track boring and pop-ish gives it another chance. Cause in the end, we’ll all sob and blow our noses in last year’s gucciscarf.

Kanye West - Heartless (prod. by Kanye West)

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Best of 2008, Songs

First time I met Jake Oh was at a party, playing a pop quiz. My team needed a helping hand when he came to rescue by singing the songs which names we searched our minds for. Unfortunatly we still lost that evening, but for the next week or so Jake Oh and his voice was all me and my friends could think of. Read more…

Interviews