If I Said This Song Is Horrible, Would You Hold It Against Me?

Ok so for my first music review of 2011, none of the songs are actually horrible. However, in the last few weeks after reading and hearing the line "if I said I want your body, would you hold it against me?" from Britney Spears' latest single over and over again via friends, Facebook, or Twitter statuses, I thought I would hop the bandwagon...in my own way of course.

In the world of mainstream music, the first few weeks of the new year have brought some amazing tracks by well established artists in the industry. On the apparently lucky day 1/11/11, Britney and Kanye fans struck gold with brand new singles from their forthcoming albums. The following week, one of my own wishes came true as Jennifer Lopez premiered her debut single from her upcoming album Love? on the Ryan Seacrest show. Although these artists have proven themselves and dominated at some point during the last decade, with the arrival of new artists like Lady GaGa, Drake, Kesha, and Nicki Minaj to name a few, as well as the constantly evolving sound of pop music, it seems like these artists have to reinvent and top themselves to stay...well...on top.

Here's a brief review on each track:

Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me

Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of hype surrounding Britney's debut single from her upcoming album. From Facebook to Twitter, there has been much buzz created not only by fans for the song, but Britney and her team as well. When the song was released on 1/11/11, despite the hype, and despite breaking quite a few records after its release (the song debuted at #1 making Britney one of the few artists with most #1 debuts, it was most played song on the radio in one week, and shifted 411k legal digital downloads in its first week), I feel the song is just mediocre at best.

Produced by her long time collaborators Max Martin and Dr. Luke who have been by Britney's side since ...Baby One More Time, the song follows the continuous trend of mainstreaming dance and electronic music. In fact, this song goes one 'step' further and features a dubstep breakdown in the middle of the song. Of course, many Britney fans probably haven't heard of dubstep music before so for them its a bit of a new revolution. Apparently, the whole album is said to take a more dubstep route, which I'm not extremely happy about. I mean, its not that I don't love dubstep, I actually love it, but its the fact that its going to become mainstream like every underground gem of the past, and will eventually get overused, overplayed, and then irrelevant. Kind of like Timbaland.

The song is a fun listen, and after hearing it plastered on the radio and somewhat enjoying the breakdown, its kind of grown on me. However, that doesn't necessarily mean the song is good. That just means she accomplished what she wanted to do and yes, she has another #1 under her belt. I wouldn't say the song is horrible, because its not, but its not amazing either; it lies somewhere in between.

3/5

Kanye West & Jay-Z - H-A-M

Released on the same day as Hold It Against Me, H-A-M by Kanye West & Jay-Z from their upcoming joint album Watch The Throne, dropped unexpectedly. After being a little disappointed in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, H-A-M brings me back to the reason why I love both Kanye and Jay-Z. The song is a collaboration between two of the most amazing rappers in the industry and instead of just being a feature track, it is evident that both artists meshed their brains together to create this monster track. From its production to its lyrics, the song is just as superb as it is intense. The intensity builds up throughout the song and it feels as if you're listening to a rap opera. The song ends leaving you wanting more. Here's hoping they release a music video for the song; it could be very epic.

4.5/5

Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull - On The Floor

Jennifer Lopez's album Love? has faced many push backs and delays within the last 2 years but it seems like its finally going to be released this year. The first official single from the album just premiered on the radio a few days ago and there's only one word to describe it: HOT. The new song called On The Floor is a dance record (following the current trend of top 40) produced by RedOne (PokerFace, Bad Romance) and featuring Pitbull. Although a dance record, this one feels uniquely catered just for J.Lo; it contains Spanish influences as it samples the 1989 song Lambada by Kaoma, has an infectious and thumping club beat, and it maintains her signature urban style with Pitbull's feature. All these together create a hard hitting track that is one of the first Jennifer song in years that has the potential to do well. With proper promotion that could be assisted with her being a judge on American Idol, this song could be exactly what Jennifer needs to get back on top.

4/5

So far January hasn't done too shabby for mainstream music. Its nice to see some veterans back in the industry, especially since lately we've been caught up in one album wonders that come and go. I'm looking forward to all of the forthcoming albums from the respective artists above and see how well they put out (especially Jennifer Lopez).

Until the next review...

The Postman Always Rings Twice?

The other night I fell asleep really late with the intention of sleeping in since I didn't have any classes till later...

...that plan failed.

Come morning time around 8:30-ish, my appartment phone starts ringing. Since I don't have a landline and live off my cell phone, I knew the ring meant someone was downstairs trying to get buzzed in. Having slept late the previous night, I was so tired I didn't feel like getting myself out of bed to buzz someone in.

"Perhaps it was a surprise visitor?" - I argued with myself to get me out of bed.

"What kind of surprise visitor would visit you this early in the morning?" - I argued back to myself.

Good point.

Cell phone underneath my pillow, I take a look to see if anyone texted me that they would be coming in the morning or that they were downstairs.

Nothing.

The phone kept ringing. I still had no desire to get up and answer it.

"Maybe its the postman delivering an oversized package?" - Another thought I pondered to myself.

This was a huge possibility and I actually almost got myself up to go answer it. I argued with myself again, "that would mean you'd have to put clothes on, go downstairs, pick up the item, come back up and your whole sleep would be ruined".

Good point.

The postman could just leave a pick up slip on the door, and I can pick it up when I go to school later. The phone stopped ringing. I went back to sleep.

A FEW HOURS LATER

I wake up and get ready to head out of the house. I was still wondering who the caller at my door was in the early morning but believed that it was probably the postman. I go downstairs, and check my mailbox.

No mail. Odd.

I go to the lobby and check for a package pick up card stuck on the entrance doors. Nothing.

Odder.

That meant it hadn't been the postman in the morning. Who could it have been? I checked my phone once again incase I perhaps missed a text or call.

Nothing.

Ugh, I should've woken up.

The mystery still remains; I will never know who came to visit me at 8:30 in the morning. For all I know, it could've just been someone trying to get in so they buzzed my apartment. But then again, my last name is in the middle of the alphabet so why me?

I declared to myself that next time I hear my apartment phone ring, despite how lazy and tired I might be feeling, I should make the effort of getting myself out of bed and answering it.

The title from James M Cain's classic noir tale, The Postman Always Rings Twice, holds true as the person who buzzed that morning only rang once.

The Music of 2010: Makes Me Wanna Die?

As per tradition, I always compile a list of my favorite albums and singles of the past year, and this year will be no different. 2010 was another good year for music with some pretty amazing debut artists releasing albums like Drake, Nicki Minaj, The Pretty Reckless, as well as anticipated sophomore efforts from artists like Katy Perry and Kid Cudi and so much more! Compiling my list this year was harder than most years, especially for the singles where I shortlisted to about 100 songs and found it extremely difficult to cut that down to 30. As for albums, it was a little bit easier to create that list, but by the time I shortlisted to about 20 albums, it became very difficult as well. Thus, the honorable mentions list is a bit larger than normal this year!

Top 10 Albums of 2010

1. The Pretty Reckless - Light Me Up

The Pretty Reckless, fronted by Gossip Girl’s Taylor Momsen released their debut effort this year. When I first heard Taylor Momsen started singing, I was very skeptical as that seems like the thing to do for TV stars lately, however with her band’s debut album she not only proved that she has an amazing voice, but amazing writing skills too. The whole album was co-written by her and her band and the lyrics are pretty amazing for a then 16 year old when writing the album. On top of that, she doesn’t go for the generic pop sound every other actress-turned-singer does, instead she produced a solid rock album that is a great compliment to the genre.

Must hear tracks: Make Me Wanna Die, My Medicine

2. Drake - Thank Me Later

There has been much hype regarding Drake’s debut album since he first started releasing mix-tapes after his role on Degrassi. This year, he finally dropped his first single from the album, Over, followed by the album in June which was an amazing debut! Sticking true to the rap genre, Drake has a variety of different songs on the album that make the album amazing...none of which use the popular effect of auto-tune. The album is amazing, both lyrically and stylistically and is one of the best rap albums I’ve heard recently. On top of all that, he’s Canadian and from Toronto. Can’t get any better than that.

Must hear tracks: Over, Up All Night, Find Your Love, Fireworks

3. Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday

Like Drake, Nicki Minaj has had a lot of hype around her this year, especially after her string of amazing features with high profile artists before even having an album out. From Mariah Carey to Kanye West she had some amazing featured singles this year which built more and more hype around her debut album, Pink Friday. The album dropped in November and it was everything a debut album should be. First of all, to me she’s the best female rapper that has come into the industry since Missy Elliott and her technique is amazing. Secondly, she doesn’t only rap but she sings as well showing a lot of versatility on the album. That being said, the only thing that I didn’t like about the album was the fact that there were more singing tracks than there were rapping tracks. Her singing is good, but she is better known for her rapping and that’s what a lot of people were anticipating on the album. On that note, for anyone that loves her for her rapping, make sure to download the bonus tracks from her album; some of those were actually better than the album tracks!

Must hear tracks: Roman’s Revenge, Muny, I’m The Best.

4. Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager

Kid Cudi released his debut album last year, Man On The Moon, and this was his second part to the album in a planned “album trilogy”. Kid Cudi, like Drake is a fresh rapper who has his own unique and distinct style. A commendable thing about Cudi is his versatility and his mass appeal that isn’t limited to just listeners of top 40, rap and hip-hop. The album is very mellow, conceptual and a great follow up to his first that makes it feel more like a sequel than a sophomore album, per say.

Must hear tracks: Scott Mescudi vs. The World, Mojo So Dope, Ashin’ Kusher, Erase Me.

5. Bring Me The Horizon - There Is A Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It, There Is A Heaven Let’s Keep It A Secret

I’ve never been a fan a huge fan of Bring Me The Horizon, but their latest album is so deep lyrically its hard not to like them. The metal band has been around the scene for quite a few years now, and to me they were just another metal band that didn’t really catch my attention. This year turned things around with the release of There Is A Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It, There Is A Heaven Let’s Keep It A Secret. The album is filled with amazing, deep, and lyrics lyrics, and there is so much depth and emotion in the lead singer Oliver’s voice that you feel his pain when he sings. Top it all off, there are two songs on the album that feature Canadian pop singer, LIGHTS, which are unexpected but amazing collaborations!

Must hear tracks: Crucify Me, Don’t Go, Blessed With A Curse

6. Danny Fernandes - AutomaticLuv

Probably one of the most underrated artist and underrated album of the year, Canadian R&B artist Danny Fernandes’ sophomore album AutomaticLuv was not only a great a second album, but was also a change in musical direction for Fernandes. Contrary to the R&B/Hip-Hop sound of his debut, this album went for a more dance/club sound but at the same time maintaining hints of R&B. He has some collaborators on the album which include Belly, Mia Martina (from the Canadian version of Stereo Love by Edward Maya), his brother Shawn Desman, and an unexpected feature from Josh Ramsay, lead singer of rock band Marianas Trench.

Must hear tracks: Automatic, Hit Me Up, Dream Catcher, Take Me Away

7. Eminem - Recovery

A lot of hype came around Eminem’s latest effort, Recovery, especially after the lackluster “comeback” with 2009’s Relapse. Eminem acknowledged (quite a few times actually) on Recovery the mistakes he made on Relapse and provided a solid and triumphant return with this new album. Quite frankly, poking fun of celebs and dissing Mariah Carey just didn’t do it on Relapse, but Recovery takes a whole different route and is far more deep and personal and is a true Eminem album. It can officially be said he made a proper come back with this album.

Must hear tracks: No Love, Cinderella Man, Love The Way You Lie, Won’t Back Down.

8. deadmau5 - 4x4=12

deadmau5’s popularity went up a ton this year after appearances on Gossip Girl, the MTV VMA’s and radio’s constant playing of Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff featuring Rob Swire. With his latest effort, 4x4=12 deadmau5 delivers a modest house album. It did feel a little bit dissappointing compared to Random Album Title, and For Lack Of A Better Name, but was still a solid album.

Must hear tracks: A City In Florida, Some Chords, Sofi Needs A Ladder, Raise Your Weapon.

9. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

I was never really a huge fan of Katy Perry, but with her latest album, Teenage Dream, she definitely changed my view on her. Backed up with 3 consecutive #1s (California Gurls, Teenage Dream, Firework) the album is a great pop record that has all the ingredients to be succesful. With only a few tracks that are skippable on the album, its a solid album that is a huge improvement from One Of The Boys, and compared to a lot of the other pop these days it avoids the use of auto-tune as well as trashy lyrics. With vibes from both the 80s and 90s, the album is amazing and won’t be easily forgotten.

Must hear tracks: Teenage Dream, E.T., Circle The Drain, California Gurls.

10. Semi Precious Weapons - You Love You

Popularly known for being the openers for Lady GaGa’s The Monster Ball Tour, Semi Precious Weapons are a glam-rock band from New York that really cover the genre well via sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Their mainstream debut came this year with the release of You Love You, and although an acquired taste, the album is very addicting. With crazy lyrics like, “I Can’t Pay My Rent But I’m F**kin Gorgeous” that start of the album, it is a rock and roll party from beginning to end with some nice ballads thrown in their as well. Lead singer, Justin Tranter has an amazing voice, and if you ever catch them live, they definitely put on a killer show. There is a reason they open for Lady GaGa.

Must hear tracks: Put A Diamond In It, Statues Of Ourselves, Semi Precious Weapons, I Could Die.

Honorable mentions that didn’t make the cut:

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

A good album with some killer tracks, but to me nothing he has done has lived up to the incredible Graduation.

Taylor Swift - Speak Now

The album has its moments, and has some great songs as well (especially Back To December, Haunted, Innocent, and Sparks Fly) but then it also has its filler tracks which bring the album down. The theme of writing about exes is also getting redundant in her music.

Rihanna - Loud

A good return after the disappointing Rated R, but still not amazing. Like Taylor Swift’s, although it has some amazing moments (Only Girl, What’s My Name, Cheers) it also has a lot of filler that brings it down. On top of that Rihanna mentioned in an interview that she wanted this album to be one where you don’t have to skip any tracks...I think she failed in that attempt.

Ciara - Basic Instinct

Like both Rihanna, and Taylor, Ciara also produced an album that has some great tracks (Gimme Dat, Girls Get Your Money) but at the same time the album begins to feel redundant with not only its sound but its lyrics as well. On top of that, the horrible marketing and multiple push backs, definitely negatively affected the potential success of the album.

Christina Aguilera - Bionic

Christina’s latest album had a lot of hype around it before it came out, and though it is an amazing album, she went a little over board by having 24 tracks on it of which only 12/13 were good. 13 tracks are enough to make a solid pop album, but by adding an extra 11 fillers, the better moments of the album are soon neutralized with the worse and the album goes from being an amazing record to mediocre.

Other worthy albums that didn’t quite make the cut include Enrique Iglesias’s Euphoria, Abandon All Ships’ Geeving, and Attack! Attack!’s self-titled albums to name a few.

Top 30 Songs of 2010

1. Make Me Wanna Die - The Pretty Reckless
2. Over - Drake
3. Stereo Love - Edward Maya feat. Vika Jigulina
4. A Year Without Rain - Selena Gomez & The Scene
5. Take One Last Breath - Abandon All Ships
6. Roman's Revenge - Nicki Minaj feat. Eminem
7. Bottoms Up - Trey Songz feat. Nicki Minaj
8. Just A Dream - Nelly
9. Grenade - Bruno Mars
10. Perfect - Hedley
11. I Like It - Enrique Iglesias feat. Pitbull
12. What's My Name? - Rihanna feat. Drake
13. Back to December - Taylor Swift
14. Deuces (Remix) - Chris Brown feat. Drake, T.I., Tyga, Kanye West, Fabolous, & Andre 3000
15. Find Your Love - Drake
16. Dynamite (Remix) - Taio Cruz feat. Jennifer Lopez
17. Love The Way You Lie - Eminem feat. Rihanna
18. The Time (Dirty Bit) - Black Eyed Peas
19. Lil Freak - Usher feat. Nicki Minaj
20. Alors On Danse - Stromae
21. Alejandro - Lady GaGa
22. Second Go - Lights
23. Stuttering - Fefe Dobson
24. Up Out My Face (Remix) - Mariah Carey feat. Nicki Minaj
25. Airplanes (Part 2) - B.o.B feat. Hayley Williams & Eminem
26. Don't Go - Bring Me The Horizon feat. Lights
27. Shots - LMFAO feat. Lil Jon
28. Raise Your Glass - P!nk
29. So Over You - The Mission District
30. Teenage Dream - Katy Perry

Honorable Mentions

Hit Me Up - Danny Fernandes feat. Belly & Josh Ramsay

F**k You - Cee Lo Green

XXXO - M.I.A.

No Love - Eminem feat. Lil Wayne

Hole In My Heart - Alphabeat

Don't Talk To Strangers - Hedley

Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars

Please Dont Go - Mike Posner

Tonight (I'm F**kin' You) - Enrique Iglesias feat. Ludacris & DJ Frank E

Sing - My Chemical Romance

The Only Hope For Me Is You - My Chemical Romance

Mirrors - Natalia Kills

Hands - The Ting Tings

Here’s hoping 2011 brings another great year of music! I’m definitely excited for albums from Lady GaGa and Jennifer Lopez this year, and hopefully many others. What were some of your guys’ favorite songs / albums this year?

A Beginning of a New Era!

Ok, ok, so I’ve been MIA from this blog for pretty much half a year and I don’t really have a good excuse as to why I stopped blogging. Yes, I did get pretty busy during the second half of 2010 but that wasn’t an excuse to stop blogging; in fact, that should’ve been an excuse to share some of those busy experiences on my blog. Eventually, I kept giving myself dates and deadlines to “revitalize” my blog and give it a new life but those kept getting pushed back to the point where I decided that I will re-start the blog fresh in 2011. And here it is, the start of a new year, the start of new beginnings, the start of new memories and experiences, and the re-start of an old blog.

Calling this blog old seems a bit odd, but just a few months ago it turned 2! It really doesn’t feel like I’ve had this blog for that long, but time really does fly. While planning my whole “comeback” to my blog, I was analyzing my blog thus far thinking about ways I could change it up and critiquing myself on what I would write. It was funny seeing how some of the stuff I wrote about just felt like an open journal at times, while other posts were completely different and were reviews on concerts, music, and films. The blog grew from a personal journal that I intended to be private and read by only my close friends I wanted to give the access to, to a blog on reviewing concerts, music, films, and a look at some of the experiences and “adventures” I was having in life. My style in writing changed, they way I would organize the posts and how I chose to express myself also changed as the blog progressed and I feel that as I grow older, the blog grows with me and I (even you) can probably see that in the posts. That being said, 2011 shall be another interesting chapter in the Khizerlicious blog.

A LITTLE REFLECTION ON THE PAST YEAR

2010 was a crazy yet amazing year for me. I did some things I never thought I would do, and went places I didn’t expect to go so soon. It wasn’t a typical year for me in terms of how things went down, and in that sense, I feel 2010 will forever be a unique and memorable year...in both good and bad ways. A lot of 2010 wasn’t really documented through blogs, and I did plan to post all about it at some point, even if it meant me posting things months later...then I decided that maybe there was a reason I never posted them when I should’ve (asides from laziness and procrastination) and that they will either be a memory forever in my mind, or I will find some creative way of posting them later on in future posts, let’s see! In a nutshell, I held two internships, travelled extensively (4 different countries, 2 different provinces, and migrated between 2 different cities), made new friends / became closer to people I never thought I would, experimented with different choices in life and tried to pretty much figure myself out. In the words of Hilary Duff, this year was almost a “metamorphosis” for me and reflecting back I think it definitely helped me learn more about myself, and life in general. 2010 was most definitely a unique year and an interesting way to start a new decade.

On the flip side, 2011, I want to be completely different. I feel that I lived 2010 as a nomad while I want to live 2011 as a settler. It is an odd comparison, but its the best way to describe it without going into details no one cares to read about. On that note, I do want 2011 to be a continued metamorphosis, which may sound redundant since change is constant, but I do feel the next few years of my life are those crucial years of transition from one type of lifestyle to another. Let’s see what happens!

Back to the topic of the blog, I always promise changes, growth, and development, and I do have a lot planned. First off, I know this is something I’ve promised before, but I will start blogging more constant...I promise. Secondly, I have started a few side projects, one being a YouTube channel I started with a close friend where we review episodes of Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives, and Glee every week. Another is a YouTube channel I started to be a parallel companion / addition to this blog, so let’s see what happens with that. Lastly, I have another YouTube channel in development with another close friend that should hopefully be launched early this year. Thirdly, I am planning on changing around the layout of this blog a little...I’ve already started a little and originally planned to do that on the blog’s second birthday, but I will definitely have some changes coming soon so keep an eye out for that. Last but not least, the blog itself will go through various changes, in terms of posting, styles of posting, topics blogged about. This blog has traditionally been a place where I describe what’s going on in my life, or reviews on music, concerts, and movies, and it will still focus on those but it will be approached in different ways and will discuss different things. I too am not exactly sure how to describe it, but let’s just say I do plan on blogging more often than I used to.

I’m excited to see what 2011 brings, and am excited to start blogging again! I hope everyone has an incredible year!

Cheers,

Khizer