"Good" Pop

Screen13 · 01-23-2011, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

I like this list

Pop music DOESN'T have to suck you know! - Rate Your Music

I like that list as well.

For Talk Talk, I always rated It's My Life to be a great Pop album, and a fine continuation of their musical adventures.

I also have the Propaganda album which was something I got a few years after it's release, just when the school of '85 was starting to be a retro memory, although it did bring me back to when I thought Jewel/Duel was a great moment of the time.

loveissucide · 01-23-2011, 02:58 PM

Prefab Sprout
Big Star
XTC
Robyn(2005 and 2010 albums)
Jens Lekman
Scritti Politti
Jellyfish

That should get you started.

Queen Boo · 01-24-2011, 07:09 AM

Big Star and Robyn on the same list?

Kristen01 · 01-28-2011, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heavens101

Good pop songs for me are Justin Timberlake and Usher's songs. They are the ones I'd love to listen to all-day long.

I agree!

TockTockTock · 01-29-2011, 10:26 AM

Frank Sinatra is technically considered classic pop/vocal jazz. He's pretty decent. Scott Walker's not bad either, but he's art pop.

Anteater · 01-29-2011, 12:05 PM

This might just be me, but what would make people think there isn't any good pop out there to begin with? Common sense dictates that such a point of view is wrong to begin with.

Pop, AKA music designed to be relatively catchy (choruses, refrains, bridges, yaddayaddayadda) or easy on the ears, has been fused at one point or another with pretty much every genre known to man. Power pop, jazz-pop, pop metal, prog. pop, industrial, ambient, electronic, etc. If you can name it, then in all likelihood there's somebody out there doing it.

I guess what it comes down to is how interesting and/or catchy a person or band can make a song within the perceived constraints of commerciality, and even that is a rather subjective observation.

Ska Lagos Jew Sun Ra · 01-29-2011, 01:02 PM

Well, I think the biggest problem is what pop is. Pop at one point just meant what was popular. Whether it was classical, jazz, or rock it could pretty much be anything. However, in the 80s it seems like there was sort of a super secretive group or something, I don't know, that decided that pop was a particular sound.

When you really look into it the sound means nothing more than minimalist(in both structure, and instrumental melody) studio based rock n' roll with vocals as the central focus. Tons of music is this way. Some of it necessarily popular, or not. There's both good of it in popular, and non-popular contexts. Ironically, however, from my findings the vast majority of the quality "minimalist studio based rock n' roll" is not popular.

When you look at it meaning what's popular. Led Zeppelin are good pop as are Pink Floyd, Soundgarden, Van Halen, Judas Priest, etc. Things that are poppy in their own regard but not particularly considered pop. Even though, they really are.

Pop itself considered it's own genre always bothers me because it creates a sense that a lot of really poor, untested, music is shoved down our throats because it's the style that is supposed to be popular. IE. minimalist studio based rock n' roll. Which hurts because it makes people assume that all minimalist studio based rock n' roll acts of it's styling are somehow inferior.

Mrd00d · 01-30-2011, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skaligojurah

However, in the 80s it seems like there was sort of a super secretive group or something, I don't know, that decided that pop was a particular sound.

... it makes people assume that all minimalist studio based rock n' roll acts of it's styling are somehow inferior.

It does. I grew up thinking if it's considered pop, it's a lost cause. There would be no real chance that I could possibly enjoy it. None. Well....

I think the very first pop song, radio song that caught my ear was one that featured Santana playing on with Rob Thomas or some other popular act 5-10 years ago. That was very important for me to realize I was wrong. If more pop music had the level of virtuosity on board as Santana playing in the wing, we'd be better off me thinks. But, at least I know it's feasible to enjoy a pop song now.

There's more to the story of the evolution but that was the important bit...

Ska Lagos Jew Sun Ra · 01-30-2011, 10:49 AM

I really wish we could have a more organic pop industry, to be honest. I mean, one could say in the 50s and 60s there was just as much shallow bull****, but at least it wasn't all expected to be popular before it even was at the expense of things that could be popular but are not given a chance.

01-23-2011, 02:58 PM	#22 (permalink)
loveissucide Himself Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Leuven ,Belgium, via Ireland Posts: 1,325	Prefab Sprout Big Star XTC Robyn(2005 and 2010 albums) Jens Lekman Scritti Politti Jellyfish That should get you started. __________________ www.last.fm/user/p-mccusker http://www.mixcloud.com/pmccusker www.valjester.wordpress.com

01-29-2011, 10:26 AM	#25 (permalink)
TockTockTock They/Them Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 1,914	Frank Sinatra is technically considered classic pop/vocal jazz. He's pretty decent. Scott Walker's not bad either, but he's art pop.