John Mayer - Shadow Days

I pen this review without having heard this song as many times as I would like. So I'm covering my ass here, and leaving open the possibility of changing my views later.

But.
First single of the much-awaited new John Mayer album - out in May.
What do I think?

I think - reassuringly - it's a lot like the John Mayer I know and trust. Simple simple lyrics that are still just enough to be insightful. (Particularly poignant to those of us who are or were in a difficult relationship that we just want to make work out.) Same soft soothing tones. Same interesting guitar-work in the background.

Any surprises? The guitar is surprisingly country. I'm not sure it suits the song - maybe it's just Mayer's way of experimenting a bit. Also surprising that the guitar isn't as much as a hero as I would like in this song.

So overall prognosis is that it's pleasant. But not path-breaking. I hope the album's got more to offer (Mayer's albums usually have quiet little gems hidden in them which aren't obvious at a first listen).

Here's the studio release of the song. Judge for yourself.

The Arctic Monkeys - Black Treacle

Rock meets Indie meets English droll - and you have the Monkeys' new single.

You know what's so great about this track? It's so chilled out! It's so I-don't-give-a-fuck-let's-just-have-another-beer. It doesn't have higher purpose or even (in some parts) coherent meaning. It's whimsical, it's effortlessly sing-along-able and man, I like the guitar riff in the chorus!

(Listen to the track on YouTube here.)

And yet, it's not a synthetic bubble-gum pop song (with all respect to you, Ms Spears). There's a gruffness about, an honestly about it, that warms it to you.

When the Monkeys broke into the big league in 2005, it was an unconventional release of an even more unconventional album ("Whatever People Say, That's What I'm Not). They spent almost no money on promotion, because by the time they signed with a record company and the album released, the internet was flooded with their material, hosted off mostly fan sites.

I think the reason they got so many hits, though, was because in a world of increasingly manufactured music, this was a refreshing change. The Arctic Monkeys aren't trying to look like Madonna, dance like Michael Jackson or sound like Oasis. They're just honest. And I think that's where their appeal lies.

(Of course, I could be completely wrong. This could be a cleverly orchestrated farce, and secretly, they're as manufactured and managed a band as the rest of them!)

Apparently this is the forth single off an album already released last year ("Suck It and See It"). Mental note to self: Download IMMEDIATELY.

I was afraid that the Arctic Monkeys would remain one of those hidden musical treasures that only the island of the United Kingdom would ever know. Lucky for us that that's not the case. May they spread their I-don't-give-a-fuck-ness to many a shore!

Madonna: Give Me All Your Luvin

The hype was palpable, leading up to Superbowl this year. (The fact that I'm not American and yet can use the term Superbowl halftime show with ease should tell you something.) Madonna. New single. Old classics. Nicki Minaj. MIA. Even LMFAO.

And the hype didn't stop after the performance was done. Between MIA's middle finger, Madonna's eye-shadow and lips being smeared with grounded gold, and God know's what else, this performance - and, conveniently, the single - will be in the news for a while to come.

My verdict on the single:
I've heard better.


Maybe it's the fact that when Madonna performed it, it was part of a medley of her other great hits, and in comparison to Vogue and Like A Prayer, it sounded plastic, synthetic and factory-hashed.
(You can watch the Superbowl Halftime performance on YouTube here.)

Maybe it's the fact that Madonna spends the whole time in the music video trying to act like she's 22 instead 53, and the whole I'm-53-but-I've-got-a-killer-body trick is getting a little old. Or even the fact that compared to her, Nikki Minaj looked and sounded fresh and contemporary.
(You can check out the video on YouTube here.)

Maybe it's just that the song is too pop-esque (in all the wrong ways) for my taste, and I don't hear anything original in it, not even Madonna's style of singing.

Sum total: I'm not a fan.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the song will be a tremendous commercial success. I'm sure that the more it's piped on the radio, the more it'll get stuck in people's heads and I too will find myself humming it while loathing myself. And I can guarantee that most people I express this opinion to will think me stupid: It's the new Madonna single, man!

But it's not a good song.
It's factory-produced pop at its worst, and it will only sell because Madonna's singing it.

It's not that I have a Madonna bias. I like her, and I'd recommend a lot of her music (Ray of Light was interesting, Music was fun and Confessions on a Dancefloor was killer). Nor am I pop-hater - some of my favourite music in the world is pop. But even the mighty screw up sometimes - look no further than Hard Candy, Madge's forgettable attempt to inroad into hip-hop). And from the looks of it, MDNA isn't looking much brighter.