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Where has all the good girl pop gone?

Is there really such a thing as “good” girl pop? Likely no, but at least there has been decent girl pop. Lumped into the category of suckie girl pop are what I like to refer to as the trifecta — actors turned musicians, jealous family members turned musicians, and spoiled rich brats turned musicians. Trust me… there is a wealth of options to create a play list tonight.

To expound a little more on what I mean by “suckie” pop, I’ll give a few examples. First off, we have Lindsay Lohan. Cute child actor, mediocre adult actor and absolutely terrible musician. In her case, it’s not all about the music necessarily, but about what’s behind all the sound, particularly lyrics. I can remember the first time my ears heard, “Rumors”. I felt very peeved at the content of the “wah wah boo hoo” song about people talking crap about her. She’s a stank chick who can’t lay off the sauce and is plastered all over TV while literally being plastered. I can’t think of any reason why that wouldn’t cause people to discuss Ms. Lohan. Or what about Hillary Duff? Super cute as Lizzie McGuire… I loved that show well into my early 20’s. She was adorable and the show was wholesome, yet amusing. Then she had to go and make a record… Did it sell like hotcakes? I don’t have the figures, but if memory serves me correct, it did; doesn’t say much for those so called music lovers out there. Again, music not too terrible for pop, but lyrics very cheesy and Disney-like which would’ve been okay purely marketed on Radio Disney, but if you’re going to show her on MTV or play her on a local pop station, please give me more than pure fluff. I could go on all day about Jennifer Love Hewitt and how much her music blew, but alas, I must not rant so much that people leave.

On to jealous family members… Ashlee Simpson comes to mind. Is she better than her big sis Jessica? Um, worlds better, but again, that’s not saying much considering that Jessica’s fan base was nowhere near what it was before she began the taping of MTV’s “The Newlyweds”. So while Ashlee’s music was never ear poison, it doesn’t rank on the top female pop singers… at all. In fact, I think Kidd Craddock (a morning show radio host) said it best when he asked Kelly Clarkson if “bad sound problems” could explain this… to which he played a clip of Ashlee Simpson’s performance at a bowl game where she sang “La La” and completely boofed it up (that’s right – the performance where she got booed). Pure torture to listen to some of her music, though not altogether the worst female pop singer.

That leaves us with the spoiled brat syndrome category in which we get artists like Paris Hilton. Can she sing? Absolutely not, but it didn’t stop her from turning out a few $$$ to make the album. It’s likely that while laying out by the pool in one of her million dollar mansions, she got bored and thought, “I think I’ll make an album… which features me… that’ll be hot”. Not too hard to imagine is it? I don’t think so. I do believe though that it was an album that Cale gave a well deserved low rating to. It’s artists, nay, humans like her that make people want to ban the genre forever.

Don’t get me wrong now… there are plenty of terrible female pop singers and songs that didn’t make it into these categories, but bear in mind, the crap is out there. The following play list is only a sample, a mere morsel of the complete jokes that are out there in the way of girl pop. Please listen to the following “sounds” as a means to spur some critical thinking and not for enjoyment… if you enjoy any of the following “sounds”, please be sure to leave a comment and let me know. I’ll be interested to see.

Submitting Your Music to Audio Overflow

LAST UPDATED: July 6, 2008

Hey there! My name is Cale, and I am the creator and Editor in Chief of Audio Overflow. That’s a fancy way of saying that I started this blog and run the day to day operations. I appreciate your interest in the site, and I would hope that we share the same goal of getting quality music into the ears of people who may not have heard it otherwise. Below you’ll find Audio Overflow’s policy on music submission. Please read it over and decide whether or not you feel Audio Overflow can be of service to you.

Submission Policy

At Audio Overflow, we try to be as helpful to artists and labels as we can. As such, we offer a variety of services to ensure that your music can be discovered by our readers.

Formal Review – As a general rule, we only offer formal reviews on music contained on a physical medium (CDs, Vinyl, etc.). We do not accept CD-Rs, as all submitted music must be professionally pressed and freely available for our readers to purchase and/or obtain from an online or “brick and mortar” retailer. Out of appreciation, Audio Overflow has reviewed every CD sent to us so far (minus a few that are coming soon), and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Please alert us via email when you send us a CD for review, so that we may contact you if there are any problems. As of July 6, 2008, CDs will only be reviewed if they have been preceded by an email. For an example of a Formal Review, click HERE.

myspace music monday – Every Monday, Audio Overflow casually reviews the songs from an independent artist’s myspace page. This is a great way for unsigned or up-and-coming artists to expand their listener base, and for our readers to discover new music. If you do not have professionally-made CDs to send Audio Overflow, I highly recommend that you get in touch with us to see if we can spotlight your music. In the past, artists have found this feature helpful in determining what works with their music and what doesn’t. Due to the sheer magnitude of artists on myspace, we can’t guarantee that your music will wind up being featured on Audio Overflow, but we will try our best to do so. To get started, send us an email, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. For an example of a myspace music monday entry, click HERE.

MP3 Submissions – We are currently in the process of finding a host for audio files so that we can freely distribute them through Audio Overflow. In the coming months, we will begin hosting free, legal MP3s for our listeners to download. We really do need your help in this endeavor. If you have MP3s that you’d like our listeners to hear, please send them to us in an email as a link or an attachment. They will be featured on our site as soon as we get hosting worked out.

Contact Information

Email: audiooverflow@gmail.com

Mailing Address:

Audio Overflow
Cale Reneau
900 Chateau Woods Parkway Dr.
Conroe, TX 77385

Again, we ask that you always contact us by email before sending a package our way so that we may inform you of any problems. If you have any questions, we’d be happy to answer them. Just send us an email, and we’ll get back to you.

Thanks again, for your interest in Audio Overflow. We look forward to hearing you (Get it? ‘Cause we’ll be listening to your music! You won’t get comedic gems like that at other sites. That much I can guarantee.).

–Cale

"Best New Music" Archive

The following is an archive of albums featured in the “Best New Music” section of Audio Overflow. It will be updated each time an album is added to the list. Selections are listed chronilogically, with the most recent albums listed first. Naturally, they all come highly recommended.

Click on an album title to be taken to its review:

Cansei de Ser Sexy: Donkey
My Brightest Diamond: A Thousand Shark’s Teeth
Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs
Portishead: Third
M83: Saturdays=Youth
Jaymay: Autumn Fallin’
The Wombats: The Wombats EP
Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
Various Artists: Juno, Music from the Motion Picture
Sia: Some People Have Real Problems
Dillinger Escape Plan: Ire Works
The Most Serene Republic: Population
Band of Horses: Cease to Begin
ContraNova: Infinity In All Directions
The New Pornographers: Challengers
Tegan and Sara: The Con
St. Vincent: Marry Me
Metric: Grow Up and Blow Away
Justice: Cross
Bjork: Volta

What You Need For the Holidays

Here is my holiday music complaint: White Christmas. Does anyone not realize how incredibly depressing that song is? Or is it just me?

Let’s face it. Not every holiday is a happy one but why shouldn’t there be music to make it even the tiniest bit better?

Here’s my own personal, non-depressing holiday play list. For baking. For singing along. For gift wrapping. For driving to whatever holiday destination you find yourself on the way to. For holiday cocktails. (“Would you like a Christmas Martini? It’s a Martini only with a lot more Vodka.”) For tree trimming. For…whatever way you chose to celebrate your December 24th or 25th.

A little something to hopefully make you feel merry if you aren’t. Enjoy. And Merry Christmas.

The Top 31 of 2007 – #22

Cale’s Pick

Emma Pollock: Watch the Fireworks

Released: September 11, 2007

There I was just a little over a month ago, standing at the front of a crowd of people, waiting to see Carl Newman and Neko Case do their thing, when up walks this petite little female in a black dress and black knee-high boots. Speaking into the microphone with a thick Scottish accent, I knew almost immediately that I was in for something special. That night, Emma Pollock did more than convince me to pick up a copy of her CD, she totally outshined the headliners (Spoon) and walked away with a spot on my then nearly-completed list. The reason? Because it’s great! Unlike many, I had no prior knowledge of contributions in Delgado (who?) so I was surprised to find that this album was not only well performed, but well wrtitten and completely enchanting. It’s not a monumental album, or anything that would lead you to believe that Emma Pollock is the next big female solo act. But it is surprisingly solid from start to finish, containing a few of 2007’s best tracks and some amazingly catchy songs (“If Silence Means That Much to You,” for example). If you have yet to listen to Emma Pollock, do so. It’s hard to imagine anyone coming away entirely disappointed.

For liking Shiner Bock and (in all likelihood) Haggis (simultaneously), Emma Pollock makes it all the way to #22.

The Top 31 Songs of 2007 – #22

“Don’t Make Me a Target” by Spoon, from the album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

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Jill’s Pick

Kelly Clarkson: My December

Released: June 26, 2007

Straight out guilty pleasure.

No, I didn’t watch American Idol. I don’t think I’ve even seen 2 minutes total of American Idol. I can’t help it that “Since U Been Gone” was catchy and turned me into a Kelly Clarkson fan. It just happened and I’m okay with that. Apparently it was a big risk for Kelly Clarkson to put this album out; Clive Davis (head of RCA, J Records, BMG America) wanted to either fix it or scrap it but she went the Bruce Springsteen “Nebraska” line and declared it an artist’s album. (Meaning, you know, she did it for herself and not everyone else, but she’s going to share it.) He wanted less of a rock edge and more pop but then when it came out and I heard it for the first time, I really didn’t understand why he was so uptight about it. He could have been releasing a far worse album from a less talented former American Idol.

(I think it was a bit of stretch to compare it to “Nebraska” by the way, but I understand why she did.)

There are a lot of different…layers…here and you get this rock vibe, a ballad vibe, and a I’m not really cheesy as television makes me look vibe. It’s dark, it’s bitter, it’s angry. It is in fact my angry chick music album. It’s Alanis for 2007!

My favorite track: “Hole”

Tracks to give a listen to:

–“Never Again”

–“Hole”

–“Judas”

The Top 31 of 2007 – #28

Cale’s Pick

Dan Deacon: Spiderman of the Rings

Released: May 8, 2007

Jill and I didn’t plan to have both our picks for #28 to be albums that released on the same day back in May. It just worked out that way. If you were to ask me back then what the better album was, I would no doubt have answered “Volta.” But after having her start out on my top albums list in the top 10, she slowly but surely moved down the list until she wasn’t in the Top 31 at all (she currently resides at #33).

But of course, this isn’t about Bjork. This is about the genius of Dan Deacon, a guy who finds his instruments in the dumpster and then proceeds to make some of the most intricate electronic music on the planet with them. I’m amazed at how shamelessly nerdy his act is, and yet how anyone who sees it has the utmost respect and admiration for the man! His music is unbelievably quirky, juvenile even! But at the same time, it is awe-inspiring and laugh out loud hilarious. I love Dan Deacon because I spent 4 1/2 years of my life trying to make the same kind of music that he excells at only to come up entirely short. I love Dan Deacon because his music can brighten even the most terrible days. But most of all, I love Dan Deacon because he’s given us arguably one of the most original albums of the last decade in Spiderman of the Rings, an unapologetically crazy album. It may not be as endlessly endearing as some of the higher-ups on this list, but it is definitely something that needs to be heard.

For freaking me out (in a good way), Dan Deacon web-slings his way to the #28 spot on my list.

The Top 31 Songs of 2007 – #28

“A Girl in Port” by Okkervil River, from the album, The Stage Names.

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Jill’s Pick

Bjork: Volta

Released: May 8, 2007

I’m sitting in a Starbucks listening to Bjork’s Volta but my headphones aren’t noise canceling enough to block out the sound of Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song. There’s really nothing to that statement other than odd fact.

Speaking of facts, there are two very concrete ones about Bjork:

1. You either love her or hate her.
2. When it comes to Bjork, you never know what you’ll get.

I read once that Bjork takes all the parts of the world she lives in and creates her own, leaving behind all those things she doesn’t like and/or doesn’t need. There isn’t a single Bjork album that fails to demonstrate this, and Volta is no exception. I listen to it and I don’t know whether I should laugh, cry, dance, play a violent video game, or be in a 1930’s murder mystery where I’m about to discover that my lover is really the cold-blooded killer I insisted he wasn’t.

The best track: “Vertebrae by Vertebrae,” which is just so incredibly stunning I can’t find the words to describe it.

Songs you should listen to at least once:

–“Vertebrae by Vertebrae”

–“The Dull Flame of Desire”

My 5 Biggest Rating Regrets of 2007

I hope you’re sitting down while you’re reading this, because I’m about to drop a bomb so huge that it could very well change your perception of reality itself. Are you ready for it? Here it goes…sometimes I make mistakes. Did I just blow your mind? Well it’s true. Sometimes my initial reaction to an album is a bit off from what it should be. Maybe the album is really strong the first week or so, but after a while it starts to annoy me. Or it could be the other way around. I’m sure you all know the feeling. With this in mind, today’s list (the final Top 5 Friday of 2007) is the top 5 regrets I have when it comes to rating music in 2007. Enjoy!

#5: Dntel: Dumb Luck – Original Rating: 6/10 — Adjusted Rating: 5/10 – Jimmy Tamborello’s long awaited follow-up to his 2001 album Life Is Full of Possibilities was disappointment that I didn’t see coming at all. I am absolutely enthralled with all of Tamborello’s work under the Dntel moniker; even the seldom heard demos and rarities. It’s all great glitch electronic music. But Dumb Luck didn’t even try to recreate any of the magic that its predecessors had achieved. Originally, I gave the album a 6 out of 10 Stars rating because I felt there were a few quality songs on the album and Tamborello’s work as a producer was stellar. Since then, I can’t say I’ve listened to the album once (I’ve listened to his older ones more than anything else). The songs are just downright boring despite Tamborello’s producing skills. If this was an instrumental album, it would be pushing an 8 out of 10. But because it’s a “Hey, look at how many friends I have” album, it winds up earning a 5.

#4: Architecture in Helsinki: Places Like This – Original Rating: 7/10 — Adjusted Rating: 8/10 – I can’t begin to explain to you how much I love this album and how much that surprises me. Architecture in Helsinki was never a band that I could get into, but Places Like This, is absolutely enchanting from start to finish. For me, at least. I’ve actually read very little from other people that would suggest that my feelings are universal, and the more I read the more I realize I just may be alone in my admiration for it. But the fact remains that this is the most fun I’ve had listening to music in a long, long time. It’s the kind of album that gets me pumped up and puts me in a good mood no matter what. Listen to it at your own risk, and expect something entirely unique (and confusing). It originally got a 7, which is a good score, but I’m giving it an 8 because now I know it’s better than that.

#3: The New Pornographers: Challengers – Original Rating: 7/10 — Adjusted Rating: 8/10 – More than any other album in 2007, Challengers has grown on me. The first time I heard it I quickly hit the stop button because what I was hearing was not what I expected. A few weeks later I listened a bit more and could say that I liked the first 5 songs or so. By the time I reviewed the album I liked all but 3 songs. Right now, I like them all. So much, in fact, that I’m debating whether or not I should just come out and say, “It’s better than Twin Cinema” (I’m withholding that statement for the time being). I just listened to Challengers again yesterday, and I’m convinced that it will only continue to get better as I listen to it. I can’t wait!

#2: Bjork: Volta – Original Rating: 8/10 — Adjusted Rating: 6/10 – If anyone reading this actually went and purchased Volta based on my suggestion alone, I’d like to extend my deepest apologies. Volta isn’t exactly awful, but it’s far from great. Let’s call it average. It’s average. And for a Bjork album, that’s not really what you want to hear. The album has it’s moments, like “Earth Intruders” and “The Dull Flame of Desire,” but it’s far from Vespertine or Medulla. Of all the CDs I bought in 2007 (which is a lot), I regret this purchase the most. I think I’ve only listened to it once since I bought it (on the day it released). That’s not a good sign.

#1: Charlotte Gainsbourg: 5:55 – Original Rating: 9/10 — Adjusted Rating: 4/10 – If my review of 5:55 has taught me anything, it’s to not rush out a review and a rating. Sit on it. Think about it. Then rate it. Honestly, I have no idea what I was thinking when I reviewed this album. I make the comment that Gainsbourg can actually sing, when in reality she spends most of the album whispering into the microphone. The instrumentation is great, and the lyrics are pretty impressive too. The problem is that she’s not responsible for a single bit of that. Her contribution to the album is limited to that half whisper that’s cool for all of 5 minutes! That puts her lower than M.I.A. in my book. Now there are some decent songs on 5:55, including “AF607105” and “The Operation,” but there’s also a lot of nonsense going on. It’s just mediocre enough for me to call it bad. And like I said, I have no clue why I gave it a 9 out of 10 Star rating. I promise to never be so flippant again. You have my word on that.

Oh. Hey. Hi.

Apparently, when I do introductions of myself in text form, I sound like some kind of Match.com ad. I don’t know how that happens and I don’t want to know why that happens, it just does. Trying to avoid that here, I’m going to just jump right in to the matter at hand: music. And me. Music + me = an oddly satisfying experience.

Oh, see, that sounds Match.com-ish now, doesn’t it?

Here’s the things you need to know about me, Jill, the new writer here at Audio Overflow:

1. I like to write in list form.

2. (I like to write those after thought type thoughts in here and sometimes I go off on rambles in here.) (I can’t help it.)

3. I love music. I spend a lot of time with music. There’s always something playing and I’ll listen to anything at least once. Twice if someone asks me to. Multiple times if I like it. I assign lyrics and beats to people I know, things they remind me of, specific events. Music is a very emotional thing for me, at times. Deeply personal could be better words for it.

4. I’m okay with file sharing as long as you don’t abuse it. (I admit it freely.)

5. When people get to listen to what’s on my iPod, I get a lot of “Did I just hear … (insert a song here) and am now hearing … (insert a song you’d never expect to hear here)? Really?” And they always laugh because, apparently, they aren’t expecting it.

6. I get wordy. Sometimes. Sometimes I’m brief, blunt, and to the point. (Which is handy when I leave a voice mail. Apparently, I am the queen of them. Which has nothing to do with music, but once in line at Starbucks, this nosy woman said to me “I thought you were recording a podcast the way you were rambling into your phone.”)

7. I like making mixed cd’s. (And I’m always up for a trade.)
7a. I keep each individual mix listed on an index card, in an index card box, on my desk. For handy reference. (I’m that nerdy.)

8. I know things. About music. I can tell you all about how Charles Mingus wrote Pithecanthropus Erectus as a 10 minute tone poem. I can tell you about Carole King and the Brill Building writers. I can, if pressed, give you the entire Tupac catalog off the top of my head. I know lyrics, albums, track times. Like I said, I know things.

9. My iPod is one of those metallic Pink Minis. And it’s on it’s last leg(s). It has been for awhile. There are currently 995 songs on it and 2 Podcasts. And I have a bad habit of skipping through them.

10. I like to sing along. Especially when I’m wearing headphones.

11. I don’t listen to the radio except for those times I’m in the car and there’s no iPod capabilities. Which is rare. People, though, like listening to the radio with me because I am a Name That Tune genius. I can usually nail it within a few opening notes. It’s a gift. I don’t question it.

12. I do not, at all, expect anyone to ever agree with my musical opinions. Ever. This is important to know about me. Because they are my opinions. I like it because I like it and if you don’t, it’s all good. I do ask, though, that you listen to something I suggest at least once simply because I would do exactly that if you said to me “Hey, Jill, listen to this. I love it!”

13. I listen to everything. I’m heavy on the Jazz. Once a month I pick a different Rap artist and listen to their entire catalog. (I to this day, after listening to the Mike Jones album not once, but four times, still don’t know who Mike Jones is.) (See, that’s only amusing if you’ve heard at least two Mike Jones songs. Because the man has this habit…“Who? Mike Jones” … and it’s virtually in every one of his songs.) I like Opera. I like Classical. I like Country. (Some of it. Older Country makes me happy.) Techno, Metal, blah blah blah. You get the point. I listen to it all.

14. I don’t go to live shows often, but I do listen to them online, which is going to be my monthly feature.

15. And to round it off, because I’m sure I’ve been wordy enough already…the first five songs on my iPod when I hit “shuffle song” when I started writing this. Well, six, because the first one doesn’t exactly count…

The Sons of Westwood/8 Clap — the 1965 UCLA Marching Band version (Because I’m a Bruin and it’s UCLA/USC week and it’s a tradition and it’s my ring tone and if you’re not a college football fan you’re not going to get it. But hey, I think it rocks.)

Senorita — Justin Timberlake (I like that whole falsetto thing at the end.)

I Left My Heart in San Francisco — Tony Bennett (One of the saddest happy love songs ever.)

Stronger — Kanye West (“Since OJ had Isotoners” always makes me snicker.)

Headsprung — Keri Hilson featuring Timbaland/Justin Timberlake (Currently on my songs that make me want to dance list)

Dreams — Fleetwood Mac (I grew up with Fleetwood Mac as a musical constant but it wasn’t until I was an “adult” did I learn to appreciate them)

Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect — The Decemberists (It is the only Decemberists song I like. ONLY ONE.)

And with that, I conclude my flagship entry with this: Go vote.

Remember, Remember the 5th of November!

http://thisnovember5th.com/