Radio notes
Under Pressure. Rob Van Winkle has forced my generation to take the long way to get to this song. But the more I hear it, the more I like it. I'm not a huge Bowie fan, to the point of being annoyed by Pitchfork's worship of him in their best of the '70s lists, but 94.7 The Globe and that commercial where the running urban machine turns into a man have won me over on this one.
Radio Clash. Again, The Globe. I'd been hesitant to go beyond London Calling, but now I'm ready. Unfortunately, the next choice isn't obvious.
Umbrella. Who likes the chorus, really? Who thinks Jay-Z should be there, really? By the second chorus, does anyone remember that he was? Such a waste of beat and verse vibe.
Before He Cheats. The way Carrie Underwood sings "cause she can't shoot whiskey," she makes me want to pick up a bottle. But some of the rhymes work way too hard, and she's not Rod Stewart enough to pull them off.
Girlfriend. If it comes on, I can't turn it off. Yes, the remix too and, yes, sibling U + Ur Hand as well. Lip Gloss is hard to flip too because it's so weird, but I manage.
Summer Love. The singles go from What Goes Around to this? Anyone who says this is a contender for Summer Song are desperate. The entertainment media industry can keep writing the annual trend story, but each year it has less and less to say. With digital music and Crazy in Love, the Summer Song died in 2003.
Rehab. Can hear it on The Globe, can't hear it on Top 40. Sold me the album, which BMG should send soon. More evaluation to come.
I'm a Flirt. Too many people.
Keep the Car Running. All the reviews note Arcade Fire's Springsteen attraction here, but they're slightly off. This song does not follow Springsteen. This song follows John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band's On the Dark Side. Which follows Springsteen.
If it seems like I'm going at these songs with more of a critical take than an enjoyment one, that's about right. There's nothing like dropping all kinds of money on car service to find the next day: an awful shopping trip, a state that gives you ridiculous threats while forcing you to drive to a ridiculous place (bring on the robot cars, a new job or a new city), and a song called Funnel Cake Stand Blues that only namechecks funnel cakes. The metaphor doesn't go unless you do some damn work.
