Caw-Caw Music

Archive for March 23rd, 2010

Justin Bieber is a young man with a sweet voice who has been transformed into a huge entertainment machine. His CD insert lists everyone involved in his career so far, from the studio engineers and executive producers to the legal team and even the lady responsible for “grooming” that perfect hair. There’s no room for lyrics and barely any for photos.

My Worlds is Justin’s debut mini-album My World expanded, incorporating the tracks released as My World 2.0 in the US. It has been released in two halves because of an early, insatiable demand for songs, once his YouTube appeal was translated into a record deal.

Now, for all the talk about this album being by a teenager, for teenagers, there’s not a lot going on here which is unique to modern youth. Most people know what a first dance is, for example. And even the fustiest of grown-ups can work out what an “eenie meenie minie moe lover” is, if they think about it hard enough.

In fact it’s the songs which try to show understanding of the teenage world which fall over easily. Somebody to Love is a straightforward plea for a soul mate; it says something we’ve all felt, whereas I can safely say that no-one has ever compared love to maths homework, as they do in Common Denominator.

But despite the clunky moments, there’s ample proof that Team Bieber know exactly what they’re doing and who they’re talking to. As you’d expect, it’s the ballads that hit the hardest.

Stuck in the Moment is the classic doomed-love tragedy: they can’t be together, but they cannot bear to part. Naturally it mentions Romeo and Juliet, and Bonnie and Clyde. Up is the flipside, in which Justin realises love makes him invulnerable.

That Should Be Me, the grand finale, is going to cause nothing but emotional pandemonium in households and bedrooms all over the land. It’s a sobbing ballad in which Justin pleads the girl who left him behind (how could she?) to take him back.

Gorillaz are a British virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl. The band is composed of four animated band members: 2D (lead vocalist, keyboard), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (lead guitar and occasional vocals) and Russel Hobbs (drums and percussion). The band’s music is a collaboration between various musicians, Albarn being the only permanent musical contributor. Their style is a composition of multiple musical genres, with a large number of their influences including: dub, hip hop, alternative rock, electronic and pop music.

The band’s eponymous debut album, released in 2001, sold over seven million copies and earned them an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Successful Virtual Band. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize 2001, but the nomination was later withdrawn at the band’s request. Their second studio album, Demon Days, was released in 2005 and included the singles “Feel Good Inc.”, “Dare”, “Dirty Harry” and “Kids with Guns”/”El Mañana”. Demon Days went five times platinum in the UK, double platinum in the United States and earned five Grammy Award nominations for 2006 and won one of them in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category. Gorillaz have also released two B-sides compilations and a remix album. The combined sales of Gorillaz and Demon Days had, by 2007, exceeded 15 million albums. The band’s third studio album, titled Plastic Beach, was released in 2010.