Ms. Clarkson is so tuff.
When I say I’m super into pop, I don’t just mean the kind that you can only find on obscure CD-R labels run out of a remote corner of Sweden or even stuff on Matador. No sir, I love pop in all of its forms, both respectable and shameful. That means my car radio is sometimes on Z100, and I find myself being laughed at on McGuinness Blvd for not realizing my windows were down when screaming Britney Spears lyrics (“I Wanna Go… is SUCH a jam).
There’s a few songs that are making the rounds on the top 40 radio that I am especially digging lately.
Fun. is a band from NYC that Wikipedia thinks is “indie pop.… I don’t really know about that. I guess they are indie in that they are on an independent label, but their song “We Are Young… is seriously everywhere. I had to use one of those song recognition app to figure out who they are (so obscure) because this song is so catchy and so uplifting and makes me feel less bad about turning 27 in a few months. Apparently this song is featuring Janelle Monáe, but her vocals seem to be super duper buried and I only knew when it was her singing after watching the music video, so it’s a moot point in my opinion. Anyone know of any remixes of this song? I feel like this could be a sick dance jam, no?
Fun. feat Janelle Monáe “We Are Young…
Can I be for real right now and say you forfeit the indie status when your music video is an obvious plug for the Windows phone? The goddamn MICROSOFT phone, y’all. Sell outs. Real alts obviously only use iPhone or Android, but Blackberry is acceptable in the case of a shitty wireless plan or if you’re seeking a vintage feel*.
You know who is not a sell out? Kelly Clarkson. You heard it here first. Kelly is so adverse to selling out, she refuses to change her formula out of fear that someone will misconstrue it as a way to garner more record sales. Clearly she is sticking to the same formula because she is a Woman of Integrity. Fun. take note as you continue on your mainstream career. But really, Kelly Clarkson comes out every few years with a new “Fuck that dude!… jam. No complaints from me, as I can be a bitter, bitter woman, and Heavenly only gets me so far when I need a little uplifting in the dating department. “Stronger,… Kelly Clarkson’s latest fuck that dude hit**, is my favorite since “I Do Not Hook Up… (I don’t even know if she’s had anything out since then). I particularly like to listen to this jam when reading He’s Just Not That Into You.
**Not to be confused with fuck that dude hits, which we leave to Nelly Furtado here.
Kelly Clarkson, “Stronger…
Is Kelly mainstream riot grrrl incarnate? I don’t know.
Speaking of riot grrrl but not at all, did you know that Katy Perry says her new record is gonna be shoegazey? I feel like I need to sit the girl down. Shoegaze does not a broken heart mend, and she’d probably feel better if she listened to some Kelly Clarkson instead. Also, I’d love to make her a mix. I think she’d really dig The Blanche Hudson Weekend.
The Blanche Hudson Weekend, “Crying Shame…
*I really hope y’all know I’m being facetious.
Michelle Matthews writes about pop music at Popminx.com.
