“I don’t care, I like it!” the two Swedish popstresses of Icona Pop sang into the ether, catapulting a simple electronic dance track into the mainstream. ?And now all eyes are on what they will do next. Their?debut EP, Iconic, had quite a few tracks worth looking into (like “Top Rated”), but their new single is what may very well continue their stomping domination across radio stations nationwide, and who knows, possibly the world… “Girlfriend” is the type of simplistic, sing-along jaunt that made Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” so successful. ?It’s cute, it’s fun, it’s easy to remember, and it isn’t muddied with complexities like “melody” or “harmony.” ?Simple beats, simple synths, simple lyrics. ?Clearly, it’s going to be the summer anthem of 2013.
The British/Canadian duo Koishii & Hush are having fun jumping around the decades. Their last single “C’est Tout Est Noir” was a modern take on synth-pop on which they enlisted the vocal talents of Duran Duran bassist John Taylor. For “I’ll Be There,” they jump to the ’90s with a modern take on big beat circa The Crystal Method/Chemical Brothers and bring baby-voiced enchantress Donna Lewis back to the microphone. Yes, the “I Love You Always Forever” singer is channeling her inner Saffron (Republica) with a vampy yet playful vocal performance. The remixes stay true to the original, just adding a bit of a different flavor – electro with a taste of atmosphere (Jayeson Andel), hands in the air (Musearctic), and progressive (Jeff Barringer). I wonder if Koishii & Hush will be tackling the ’00s with their next track… I can’t wait to hear their take on that random decade.
Jessie J is an amazing singer/songwriter known for her powerful voice as much as her intelligent, well-written, and catchy lyrics. Off her first album, she achieved six top 10s in the UK for songs which varied in tempo, mood, and singing style. Clubs were treated to solid remixes of the pop hit “Domino” as well as quite a few bootlegs of her collaboration with the masterful David Guetta. It was pretty obvious that she was going to launch her second album with a dance track, and her performance in “Wild” gives you everything you could possible want in a pop song – a multidimensional vocal ranging from rough and aggressive to fragile and pretty singing of a well-written, expressive song over a track that seamlessly blends a powerful, staccato marching band feel with a soft-and-sparse yet pretty and uplifting chorus. This could well be one of the best pop songs of the year – except that someone made the horrible misstep of featuring not just one but two raps that add absolutely nothing to the song. There is nothing wrong, inherently, with adding a featured rap if it brings a new different feel, an extension of the song’s meaning, or even a strong counterpoint to the song. For “Wild,” Big Sean’s rap is sloppily written, haphazardly performed, and just a lazy addition that feels like it was thrown on in the last minute. Dizzee Rascal, one of the most insightful and talented rappers (who is woefully underexposed in the US) contributes the typical (though atypical for him) bragging lines. The two raps literally add a minute of dead weight to what is already an incredible strong with a powerful message. Rather than these raps, a “Do It Like a Dude” flavored-rap by Jessie J herself would be so much better and even more empowering to women that they can hold down the fort on their own, rather than calling in a man to save them (and fit the message of the song so much better). Here’s hoping that if remixes are commissioned that rap-free versions are included (which, of course, would not be a bad idea for the new Jennfier Lopez “Live It Up” song, either).
