Music

Top 5 Pop Releases: September

by Aaron Zorgel

Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving audience; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, and Dance with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Pop Tracks:
September

B.o.B. – “Strange Clouds” feat. Lil Wayne

If you would have asked for my opinion on Atlanta rapper Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (a.k.a. B.o.B.) even just six months ago, I can tell you that it would almost surely included an audible scoff, and the words “whack,” “lame,” and/or “weak.” Pretty much everything he released last year over-saturated the pop radio market with too-basic flow, bad one-liners, and infuriatingly catchy choruses. So what’s changed? How did B.o.B. cut through my skeptical, cynical, black, black heart? It’s simple—Bobby Ray seems to have gotten really, really angry. Earlier this year, he released a track that was interpreted to be a Tyler the Creator diss. In “Yonkers,” Tyler spits “I’ll crash that fucking airplane that that faggot nigga B.o.B is in.” B.o.B. responded with a track called “No Future,”: “Keep fucking with me and you ain’t gon’ have no future.” Ice cold. “Strange Clouds” is more on the same tip, with B.o.B. addressing his haters with a damaged swagger I didn’t think he had in him. The track owes it’s immense listenability to pop hitmaker and production guru Dr. Luke. Luke’s on-point production, a sick feature from Lil Wayne, and one of the catchiest rap choruses I’ve heard this year have all lent to my newfound respect for B.o.B. He just might have another number one hit with “Strange Clouds.”

Rihanna – “We Found Love” feat. Calvin Harris

Surfacing little more than a week ago, Rihanna premiered “We Found Love” via Capital FM in London. She must have been excited to share new music with her fans, because Rhi-Rhi’s new track came three weeks ahead of schedule. That positive energy is fully warranted, because “We Found Love” is bright, bouncy, and insanely danceable. It’s hardly a drastic departure from 2010’s LOUD, but it’s everything we’ve come to love and expect from this Bajan pop star. Scottish producer Calvin Harris lays down an electro-house foundation for Rihanna’s dreamy vocal melodies, and the end result is a sweet and sappy electro anthem that won’t sound out of place in a club, on pop radio, or even on the most discerning pop music fan’s “Fun Party Time” iTunes genius playlist. During the chorus, Rihanna sings “We found love in a hopeless place.” Given the song’s upbeat nature, the chorus encourages the listener to make the best out of a bad situation. It’s these broadly listenable and thematically positive dance tracks that have skyrocketed Rihanna to the top of the charts, and it looks like she aims to stay there with her new record.

Drake – “Club Paradise”

If you’re familiar with Toronto “night life” at all, Club Paradise should feel familiar to you. Look to the left and note the sexy-lady-bending-over neon sign. Yep, it’s the infamous Bloor & Lansdowne strip club (which happens to be right next door to a church). And people say Drizzy doesn’t show enough love to Toronto. Drake and (producer and hetero life-mate) Noah “40” Shebib have been locked up in a recording studio in Toronto for the past four months or so, and based on selected songs being previewed via their blog October’s Very Own, the end result is a collection of often uncomfortably honest self-reflective, “crooner hip-hop” anthems, featuring lush orchestral synthscapes and minimal but calculated drum programming. Drake & 40 have landed on a unique sound for Take Care, and “Club Paradise” is one of the best tracks we’ve heard so far. Overtop of 40’s synth pads and piano stabs, Drake muses on some of the pressures of his newfound fame, including clashing egos: “A couple of artists got words for me that’s never fun / They say, ‘It’s on’ when they see me / That day don’t never come / I’m never scared, they never real, I’ll never run / When it’s all said and done / More is always said than done.” Even if he’s struggling with aspects of stardom, Drake is refreshingly self-aware for a hip-hop superstar. He’s producing a truly interesting and unique take on R&B and Hip-Hop, which is no easy feat in 2011.

Jason Derulo – “Breathing”

You can’t fault the guy for incessantly singing his own name, because in turn, he effectively made himself catchy. Genius. Now that he’s embedded himself in the collective subconscious of any pop radio listener, Jason Derulo is looking to establish himself as more than just a pretty name. On his new record Future History, the 21 year old R&B singer has more than a few potential hits that should do just that, the best of the bunch being the emotional club banger “Breathing.” The song was produced by DJ Frank E, who’s work you may have heard on “Right Round” (Flo Rida), “Airplanes” (B.o.B. & Haley Williams), “Yeah 3X” (Chris Brown), and even “I Just Had Sex” (The Lonely Island). DJ Frank E has crafted another surefire hit, skillfully built around his signature surging synth pads and a four on the flour foundation. Jason Derulo gets another chance to showcase his chops on some pretty insane falsetto vocal runs. I will say that I wish there was less autotune on his leads, because I know for a fact the dude can sing well without it. Unfortunate aesthetic decisions aside, this track should solidify Jason Derulo as an R&B powerhouse. And he didn’t even have to sing his own name.

Demi Lovato – “In Real Life”

Demi Lovato is consistently impressing me lately. A handful of songs from Unbroken have leaked, and everything I’ve heard so far has been spot on. “Skyscraper” is one of the best ballads I’ve heard this year, “All Night Long” is Timbaland’s best production work in ages, and “In Real Life” is everything you want in a female pop vocal performance. From start to finish, Demi nails it. She’s engaging, and tasteful throughout, and it feels like you’re listening to a seasoned professional rip through a near-perfect pop song. The songwriting is great, and I don’t think any of Demi’s peers (ahem, Selena Gomez) could be trusted with a lovesick song like this. “In Real Life” calls for vocal heroics, and Demi delivers, especially in the song’s climactic bridge section. Producer and songwriter William James “Bleu” McAuley III has worked with Selena Gomez, The Jonas Brothers, and Hanson in the past, but “In Real Life” could be his first big breakthrough hit. Everything from his bitter, disorted organ lines in the verse, to his triumphant massively layered chorus perfectly complement Demi’s vocal delivery. This song is going to be massive, and we’re all going to hate it in 6 months.

Surprises, disappointments and tracks/albums to watch for next month

Surprise of the month: Last month, AUX reported that Katy Perry had tied Michael Jackson’s Billboard record for having 5 #1 hit singles off of one recording. This month, word got out that she would be releasing “The One That Got Away” as her 6th radio single, attempting to break M.J.’s record and moonwalk all over his grave & legacy. The song choice kind of surprises me, because “The One That Got Away” is pretty straightforward and bland in comparison to other unreleased potential singles on the record. I’m surprised that Perry & her handlers didn’t go with the fan favourite “Peacock,” a song that (without a proper single release and promotion) charted at #1 on the Billboard US Hot Dance Club Songs and sold over 400,000 copies according to Nielson Soundscan. “Peacock” could have been the 6th feather in Katy’s cap, whereas I expect “The One That Got Away” will likely be the NUMBER one that got away! Ah, I’m sorry guys. Too tempting.

Disappointments: Did anyone hear the new song by Birdman? It’s called “Y U MAD,” and it’s probably my biggest disappointment this month. I didn’t have any expectations based on Birdman, but it boasts features from Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne, so it should’ve been a YMCMB headliners’ ball. Nicki Minaj puts forward a good effort, carrying the chorus & the first verse, and Weezy does a good job on his feature.  Unfortunately, Birdman is dead weight on the track, and his uninspired flow does nothing to solidify this as the generation defining YMCMB track, as I’d hoped it would be.

Out in October: From what I heard this month, I’m hoping for more singles from both Rihanna and B.o.B in October. It’s also going to be a good month for fans of slick, radio-ready hip-hop. Upcoming releases include J. Cole’s Cole World (The Sideline Story), and the long-awaited sophomore effort from October’s Very Own — Drake’s Take Care finally drops October 24th.