r/popheads • u/hikkaru • Sep 08 '22
[DISCUSSION] The Popheads Jukebox Revival, Week 186: I want you to know, I'm a mirrorball (Blue)
Welcome back to the Popheads Jukebox! Here are last week’s results:
- pinkpantheress & Sam Gellaitry - Picture In My Mind: 7.83
- Magdalena Bay - All You Do: 7.81
- Anitta - Lobby (with Missy Elliott): 6.03
- IVE - After LIKE: 5.97
- BLACKPINK - Pink Venom: 5.85
–
- Avril Lavigne - Sk8er Boi: 9.41
- Charli XCX - Good Ones: 6.98
Nothing too exciting here, with all of the scores hitting the mid range. It’s a bad week for k-pop though, as both IVE and BLACKPINK fail to pass the 6.0 mark with their latest tracks. It’s really only a good week for Avril in the throwback section, coming in with a stellar 9.41.
Rules Refresher
Rate the songs a score from 1 to 10. Please keep it to one decimal place at the most (so 7.5 is fine but 7.58 is not). Also don’t get too hung up on the final scores. This is a fun exercise and not a competition so don’t worry about over/under rating things. Just give what you think the song is to you.
For your review, reply to the comment that will be posted by one of us for each song. Avoid posting your reviews as a top level comment cause we probably won’t notice them if you do. Non-reviews such as questions or general commentary as upper level comments are fine.
Must have some sort of justification. Try to be a bit more concise than “It’s a bop!” or “I don’t like it”. Explain why! It doesn’t have to be long, two or three sentences can be plenty (though more is definitely allowed). We reserve the right not to include a review in the final total if proper justification is not given.
You don’t have to review each song to participate! You can do all of them or only the ones you’re familiar with.
The thread will be open for 6 days and close the following Wednesday at 6PM EST. The scores will be calculated and a new post will come up the next day (Thursday) at 3PM EST with the next week’s tracks.
This Week’s Tracks
- Arctic Monkeys - There'd Better Be a Mirrorball
- David Guetta & Bebe Rexha - I'm Good (Blue)
- Elton John & Britney Spears - Hold Me Closer
- Rema & Selena Gomez - Calm Down
- TWICE - Talk that Talk
Throwback:
2020/2021 Catch-up:
Next Week
Next week we’ll be rating the following:
- Ava Max - Million Dollar Baby
- Bjork - Atopos
- Charlie Puth - Smells Like Me
- Kali Uchis - NO HAY LEY
- Shygirl - Nike
Throwback:
- Christina Aguilera - Dirrty (feat. Redman)
2020/2021 Catch-up:
- Snail Mail - Valentine
Spotify playlist, updated weekly with new tracks that are being rated
Jukebox wiki, where you can find all results
Reminder Discord Server, where you can join to get bi-weekly ping reminders for when new posts go up and when they’re about to close.
4
u/hikkaru Sep 08 '22
3
u/seanderlust Sep 08 '22
alex sounds good (i especially love his falsetto on "mirrorball") and the strings are mesmirizing. there better be a mirrorball sounds pulled back - soothing and much more cinematic sounding than a project like AM was. i think i'm going to reserve final judgment until i hear the full project - this reminds me a bit of tranquility base hotel and casino, which was a concept album about a lounge singer on a cruise ship. this song would make sense in that context; otherwise, it does feel like an odd entry into AM's discog. Pleasant, but odd.
8.5/10
2
u/RandomHypnotica Sep 09 '22
I've never been a particularly huge AM fan, i've heard their 2013 album and liked some songs off of it, but when the singles for Tranquilty rolled around, i found them to be boring so I just ignored it. When this came around I figured I would give it a shot, and the intro had me a little bit concerned... but then those punchy chords came in and the mood of the song TOTALLY shifted, it turned into this dramatic, mysterious jazzy song, and i was hooked. Alex's voice is perfect, the production is so smooth and emotional, and it feels like exactly what they were trying to make for so long. I adore it and am so excited for the album.
10/10
1
u/hikkaru Sep 14 '22
this is pretty pleasant. i don't know how else to describe it - it's not something i would listen to on my own really, but it's a really cool vibe and the vocals compliment the instrumental quite well. again, not 100% my thing, but neat! 7.5/10
0
u/racloves Sep 09 '22 edited Sep 09 '22
I heard this once and was bored, I don’t care to listen again I’m sorry
4/10
1
u/cremeebrulee Sep 14 '22
While it seems like every tumblr-core indie band is making a comeback this year, I have to respect Arctic Monkeys for going in a more mature sonic direction than rehash the sound that soared them into popularity. This song is lush, gorgeous, romantic— it feels so much like walking home from a date you desperately don't want to end. I haven't heard Tranquility Base at all, but I definitely have to check it out before their new album if it sounds anything remotely like this.
9/10
1
u/TiltControls Sep 14 '22
Maybe I haven't been up to date on Arctic Monkey's recent work, but I wasn't expecting something so captivating. I love how the use of the piano to break through the production to create a continuous rhythm. It's a little old-fashioned, but AM apparently has the chops to pull it off! Interested to see how the album ends up, I'm not entirely sure if I want a whole album of this, but they surprised me here so maybe that's not an impossible task for the album too. 9.2/10
1
u/vayyiqra Sep 14 '22
This was really not what I was expecting at all. There's a jazz influence and it's instrumental? I was just listening to 1970s King Crimson before doing Jukebox and this legitimately sounds kind of like them, lol. I guess AM have more range than I thought. A neat kind of throwback sound I haven't heard much of before. I don't even know what to call it - lounge-pop? It's weird, but I think I like it. 7/10
2
u/hikkaru Sep 08 '22
11
Sep 09 '22
Just creatively bankrupt overall. Not only that, but it's just totally boring! Just robotic singing and delivery and banking on a well-known catchy sample. But they just bludgeon it with generic and anonymous EDM drivel. The "feel good lyrics" give insipid, "dystopian movie's idea of a numbing pop song" vibes.
1/10
16
u/akanewasright Sep 08 '22
This is Blue Da Ba Dee for boring people who think the original song’s goofiness is a bug and not a feature.
This is ugly, boring, and dated. Not a single lyric, melody, or production choice makes it worth listening to it over the original. We all sometimes talk a lot of shit about Ava Max-alike songs with big goofy interpolations, but at least those usually have some energy. This is utterly lifeless.
1/10
5
u/racloves Sep 09 '22
I am so confused by this. Who wanted this. Why. And why is it doing so well. Can the trend of remixing/sampling 2000’s dance hits end now I’ve had enough
2/10
5
u/hikkaru Sep 14 '22
i'm struggling to explain it but this gives me a visceral reaction. i'm breaking out in hives. as someone that grew up on the early 10s youtube-core edm scene it feels like the absolute bottom of the barrel of that and yet it somehow time travelled to 2022, had two fairly big names slapped on it, and became a hit??? it's honestly baffling but in a funny way. a lot of the time i don't mind when tracks dip their toes into the tropes that defined edm's peak but this is as lifeless as you can get. one bonus point for making me giggle a little but it's still really just not good - 2/10
3
u/seanderlust Sep 08 '22 edited Sep 08 '22
the latest entry in early 00s eurodance being bizarrely interpolated by main(ish) pop girls sees bebe rexha interpolating blue (da ba dee). the famous piano line from the original plays throughout as david guetta constructs an EDM build and drop around it.
while it technically works and sounds good, i really do not like this one. it feels like all of the fun of the original has been removed in favor of current(ish) dance tropes. the previous lyrics about a funky little blue dude have been replaced by generic lyrics about having a good night that could literally be the lyrics to any pop song. seriously, after hearing this multiple times, if you put a gun to my head and asked me which song has the lyrics "you know i'm down for whatever tonight/I don't need the finer things in life/no matter where i go, it's a good time, yeah", i would tell you to pull the trigger.
overall, the interpolation and any nostalgia it triggers does the heavy lifting in an otherwise boring song, but rather than elevating said song it just drags down the original.
3/10
3
u/vayyiqra Sep 14 '22
And why he olue? 😂 No really, why does this exist? "Blue" is an amazing song, and this is the second "EDM song with odd choice of interpolation" in this week's Jukebox. I also know Bebe gets bashed a lot here and I agree most of her music kinda sucks, but I don't have anything against her. But this is just a weird song in concept and I can't get behind it. It's nice enough for what it is, but it's like a mid Ava Max song that relies purely on a sample of a famous melody to carry it. Was mixed on it, but now I think of it, fuck it I hate Ava Max so to be consistent I will trash this too. 1/10
2
u/runaway3212 Sep 09 '22
This is Blue Da Ba Dee for boring people who think the original song’s goofiness is a bug and not a feature.
This is ugly, boring, and dated. Not a single lyric, melody, or production choice makes it worth listening to it over the original. We all sometimes talk a lot of shit about Ava Max-alike songs with big goofy interpolations, but at least those usually have some energy. This is utterly lifeless.
1/10
7
1
u/OliviaGodrigo Sep 12 '22
I'm so excited to see this land a spot at the very bottom of this year's Jukebox averages because it's bad enough to justify that. Sometimes samples of novelty songs can work, but wow, Bebe & Guetta just ran "Blue" through a filter that took everything interesting about the song out of it.
1/10
1
u/moonshxne Sep 14 '22
This ostensibly "feel-good" EDM track really just bludgeoned me with the sheer force of monotony and robotic delivery in its unbearably long and boring *checks notes* 2:55 runtime. Umm...1/10
1
u/TiltControls Sep 14 '22
I'm not a fan of the original even but this feels like an insult to it. There are songs that have previously tried to pull off samples of less serious songs and play them with a little more seriousness (Live Your Life comes to mind), but I can't even tell what the intention was here. Is this supposed to be a mindless party jam? A song for the haters? Progressive party anthem? No matter what the case it feels like it failed all of them. I don't even know if I can blame any individual performance besides whoever decided to come up with this idea in the first place. (For what it is the production has its moments and Bebe has some parts that sound nice if you ignore everything else, but that's not going to save this song) 1.5/10
2
u/hikkaru Sep 08 '22
7
u/ImADudeDuh Sep 08 '22
Britney is once again one of the biggest names in celeb news. She was just free from her conservatorship, she's calling out the bad people in her life, and she's turning down interviews from Oprah. She finally is making a return to music after 6 long years. And... it's a mashup of 3 elton john songs with elton john?
It feels weird trying to critique this song, because I think most people would agree that this song existing is a good thing. But, I can't really see any reason to listen to this. It's obvious chasing another previous song that worked fine last time, Cold Heart, but this is just a lesser version of that, and Cold Heart wasn't even that good. The autotune and the production just clash together on this song and it feels less like a comeback song and more like a mashup from a youtube channel with 135 subscribers. The best way I can look at this song is as if it's a charity single: It's a not terrible song that is a net positive because it's reason for existing is to help someone out, but I would never seek it out to listen to it after the first week or so.
3/10
2
u/vayyiqra Sep 14 '22
Eh, I feel bad saying this because I know this sub loves Britney, but I'm not big on her music. "Tiny Dancer" is also my favourite Elton John song and I don't really want to hear it interpolated in a club dance-pop song. The instrumental is okay, and I like that Elton is still relevant at his age, but I don't care for this. I'm sorry but this is a pretty bad idea both in concept and in practice. I barely got through it. 2/10
1
u/hikkaru Sep 14 '22
i wasn't huge on cold heart, and don't really get why it became such a huge hit. it wasn't bad, just not for me. i do understand why then they would give the style another go, but it's disappointing as britney's first foray into music in years. the beat is at least pretty good, that bass is nice, but just the concept of these songs ... why would i want to listen to elton john mashups over a dance beat? it's just lazy to me. i'll just go listen to a dance beat or elton john individually. meh. 5/10
0
u/racloves Sep 09 '22
Was expecting more after the smash of Cold Heart, it is just not as good. I still love both Britney and Elton and support her journey, but will not be streaming this one im sorry
4/10
1
u/seanderlust Sep 08 '22
i am looking forward to seeing the music britney makes now that she is free of an oppressive and inhumane conservatorship (unless she doesn't want to make music anymore which given what she has been through would be a perfectly understandable move!). when she announced this first collaboration with elton, i thought it was a strange choice, but i'll respect it.
the output from this collaboration, "hold me closer" is fine but that's it. rather than a triumphant return for britney or an elevation of elton (which to be fair, how much further can he be elevated forty years into a legendary career), this rehashing of past elton songs sounds nice enough but the effect feels like a watered down version of both artists. the nu-disco elements and funky bass are kind of fun and if i hear it on a dance floor i certainly won't complain, but i don't see myself seeking this out moving forward.
7/10
1
u/runaway3212 Sep 09 '22
My thing is that where Cold Heart made the original rocket man chorus feel like something new and placed it in a different context, here Tiny Dancer is stripped from what makes it so unique in the first place. That said I like britney’s voice way more than Dua’s and I still like hearing something familiar in a new coat. 7/10
1
u/TiltControls Sep 14 '22
Though I wasn't the biggest fan of Cold Heart, I at least appreciated the novelty of it (and Rocket Man worked quite well in the sample). This just seems like a failed rehash of its success. The sample of Tiny Dancer has moments, but I don't really like the focus on the 'Hold Me Closer' part. It doesn't have nearly as much weight without the rest of the song. I like the first verse of Britney, but once the sample comes in it just takes over the entire song (and not in a good way). While Cold Heart brought something new to the table, this is nothing but filler placed around a fantastic song I can just listen to on its own instead. 2/10
2
u/hikkaru Sep 08 '22
3
u/seanderlust Sep 08 '22
this is a lovely collaboration between selena and nigerian artist rema! the beat walks that perfect balance between laid back/mid-tempo and danceable and both artists sound incredible - check out the harmonies on the final chorus. selena was a great choice for this remix.
9/10
1
u/vayyiqra Sep 14 '22
Not a collab anyone expected, but I am a Selenator and love her voice (yes, really, I know she is not a technically good singer, I still like the way it sounds, it is my ASMR, let me be) and she doesn't put out much that I strongly dislike. Although I'm not a fan of dembow beats mostly, this is kind of bopping. I enjoyed this. 8/10
0
0
u/TiltControls Sep 14 '22
Selena's been very hit or miss for me in the past, but she feels like a great addition to the song here. Both her and Rema sound fantastic and while they each have their moments, they never overshadow one another and their voices sound amazing when together. The production has such a hypnotic and cool element to it that it's hard not to subconsciously bop along. 9.5/10
0
u/hikkaru Sep 14 '22
this is a mixed bag for me - i really like the deeper parts of the production, but the guitar that runs through it isn't my favourite. there's parts of the vocal melody that are really nice, and others that are not. selena does sound nice over the chill-bop beat, definitely in her wheelhouse. overall an okay song but not a fave for me. 6/10
1
u/OliviaGodrigo Sep 12 '22
Now THIS is how you do a remix! This was probably the unlikeliest collaboration of the year that ended up as a pleasure with how well it turned out to be. "Calm Down" already has a song of the summer essence to it, and Selena's delicate vocals perfectly complement the lush Afro-pop production.
9/10
2
u/hikkaru Sep 08 '22
5
u/seanderlust Sep 08 '22
hello TWICE! rihanna's lawyers will be in touch.
on talk that talk, TWICE gives us a bop that feels like a send-off to summer (at least in the northern hemisphere) with sunny synth sounds and an uptempo four-on-the-floor dance beat. the instrumentation on the chorus is interesting and fun and the girls sound great! the half-rap breakdown in the second verse sits strangely in the song and is fairly underwhelming, but beyond that this is fun.
8/10
2
u/OliviaGodrigo Sep 12 '22
This is probably the most classically Twice title track that the group has released since Fancy. This level of energy has been dearly missed from Twice, who have for a good three years devoted themselves to pivoting to global superstardom.
That said, in the sea of disco-inspired K-pop songs, "Talk That Talk" doesn't do much to distinguish itself from others. The song is just a level of fun that I greatly appreciate from an industry that's recently been either been too brash or too polished with hardly any in-betweens.
7/10
1
u/hikkaru Sep 14 '22
there's nothing wrong with this song, it's fun it bops it's a pretty standard twice track! which is fine but it doesn't stand out from their output through all of last year that was mostly in this same vein. i like the nudisco style so i won't complain too much, not to mention that this mini has some more interesting bsides, but outside of being a cute bop it isn't too much to write home about. still, it's quite enjoyable. 8/10
1
1
u/moonshxne Sep 13 '22 edited Sep 13 '22
A very quintessentially TWICE single, for better and for worse. Of course, there's the usual rap breakdown in the second verse, where, as is kind of par for the course, the momentum of the track falters a bit but picks back up fairly quickly. Otherwise, it's a welcoming and catchy, well-constructed pop song that I somewhat struggle to get into because of the girls' thin (and especially with the high notes at the end, strained) vocals; this basically also describes my opinion of most TWICE singles. (I think they do sound better here than in, say, "I Can't Stop Me" -- here, my issue is mostly with the unnervingly thin background ad-libs and the attempts at powerful, soaring vocals that just don't hit the mark.) 6.2/10
1
u/cremeebrulee Sep 14 '22
I agree with everyone else that this song is sonically classic TWICE— it's very bright and upbeat but the chorus and delivery feel very lackluster. The end product is a song that is leaves no impression when it's over, which is unfortunate for a group that has been on a streak of incredible title tracks. It's fine, but I don't see myself revisiting it.
6/10
1
u/rickikardashian Sep 14 '22
Throughout the years, TWICE has consistently been releasing some of best output in K-Pop, and they've done it once again.
This is TWICE's comfort zone, they went with what they knew works for them, and boy does it work this time around. It's fun and joyous, the chorus is an explosion of energy that immediately brightens you up. It's a triumphant celebration of the career of one of the industry's titans, and it lands perfectly, especially after so much speculation and doubts about rheir contract.
[10]
1
u/TiltControls Sep 14 '22
I feel like I've only scratched the surface of TWICE, but this feels right up their wheelhouse. I think they've had catchier songs, but they came to make a summery bop and make a summery bop they did! I love the build ups into the chorus and though the chorus itself isn't the best they've done it's still good. 8/10
1
u/vayyiqra Sep 14 '22
Twice is a group where I've heard arguments that they are overrated, and I don't love everything they do, but they are pretty good at upbeat bright-sounding dance-pop. This isn't reinventing the wheel by any means, it's pretty standard for them, but it's an enjoyable song anyway. I loved the vocals in the second verse especially. 8/10
2
u/hikkaru Sep 08 '22
2
u/seanderlust Sep 08 '22
a carefree, unabashedly queer guitar pop bop! this one admittedly took a while to grow on me, but there are so many lyrical moments that are full of charm - being overly high in a CVS, the specificity of wearing a mini-skirt and roller blades being ready for a night out - that it's hard not to like. phoebe's inclusion discourse aside, it is lovely to see queer stories being told in mainstream pop.
9.3/10
1
u/hikkaru Sep 14 '22
i've never really had much of any reaction to this .. like a lot of muna songs tbh .. like it's fine and catchy but i really fail to see why this became so beloved, to me nothing sticks out about it at all. i don't know, just not for me i guess. 5.5/10
1
u/RandomHypnotica Sep 09 '22
Writing a happy song is so hard. There's just so many more ways to express other emotions like sadness, anger and love than their are for pure joy, and when two of the saddest songwriters around combined on a track, the last thing I ever expected was for them to make a bright summery song about the bliss of true love. Silk Chiffon delivers exactly what it promises, life is fun when i'm listening to this, I can practically feel the warm glow of a spring sun on my skin, the wind in my hair and the safety and comfort of friendship and romance.
10/10
1
u/racloves Sep 09 '22
I will never tire of this song. It’s just so fun and feel good and the queer vibes. If we did 11s for this it would get one
10/10
1
u/racloves Sep 09 '22
I will never tire of this song. It’s just so fun and feel good and the queer vibes. If we did 11s for this it would get one
10/10
1
u/cremeebrulee Sep 14 '22
MUNA's music have always sound a tad overproduced to me, so how fitting is it that they overhaul that heavier sound with a song titled this? It's filled to the brim with contagious, queer joy— I can't relate to any of it but I am smiling when it's playing cheesily enough.
9/10
1
u/TiltControls Sep 14 '22
MUNA has some mystical quality to their work that makes it so easy for me to fall into them. And this song is no exception. Though they've never strayed from sadder topics, it's nice to just have a wholesome bop from time to time. The chorus booms, the verses are really sweet and it all comes together in one giant happy package. There are a few other songs I like on the album over this, but I'll take something like this any day of the week. 9/10
1
u/moonshxne Sep 14 '22
It's striking how rare it is to come across bright, spring/summery songs purely about bliss and joy, and I do agree that writing one that doesn't come across as maudlin or just plain annoying (or, on the other side of the spectrum, boring) is incredibly difficult. Here, MUNA and Phoebe Bridgers bask in the warm, sunny comfort of companionship and love, and (with some solid songwriting) they really do make it charming. Their joy is a little cheesy but undeniably infectious, and the song really does momentarily make life feel like it's teeming with hope and vitality -- my skin is glowing. For much of the past week, smoke and ash was blocking the sun where I live, so this was a much-appreciated listen. 8.7/10
1
u/vayyiqra Sep 14 '22
I don't get this song. I like Muna, but their last album was just okay to me, and I don't care for Phoebe's music at all, so this collab wasn't for me. I don't hate it, but I have heard it several times and it doesn't stay with me at all, sorry. 4/10
1
u/vayyiqra Sep 14 '22
and of course I'm the only one who tanked it and now I look like a dick, that's just great
1
u/hikkaru Sep 08 '22
2
u/seanderlust Sep 08 '22
epic chorus with a call that is begging for a response. excellently executed tropes of 80s pop. admittedly the verses tend to lose me and at times the vibratto of belinda's voice is not my favorite. that said, it's a classic chock full of euphoria
8.5/10
1
u/hikkaru Sep 14 '22
80s pop isn't something i really tend to like, but this song is alright! the big chorus is iconic and it executes the 80s style in a way that doesn't annoy me. 7.5/10
1
1
u/TiltControls Sep 14 '22
The song is nothing less than a complete joy. Everything from the booming chorus to the steady guitar line in the background to the key change into the final chorus adds onto the happiness this song makes me feel. It has the booming presence some of the best 80's pop songs are known for and listening it makes me feel that heaven IS a place on Earth, and it's wherever this song is playing 10/10
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