Pop Rocks with Dick and Mick

General Manager

WVAU’s central purpose is to enjoy and promote music of the independent variety, but that does not mean we cannot recognize a good pop song when we hear one. Pop Rocks is Mike Creedon and Richard Murphy’s honest bi-weekly assessment of some of the biggest songs in America.

Maroon 5-One More Night (No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100)

Dick: The beginning of this song is pretty concerning for me. I really don’t want Maroon 5 to go in a reggae/dub direction. Adam Levine and his merry band of Marooners should stick to their strengths: catchy hooks, dance beats and strong vocal melodies. To my relief, they mostly do on this track. It’s the strongest Maroon 5 song in recent memory, steering clear of the incredibly bland “Moves Like Jagger” and “Payphone.” It doesn’t reach to the groovy heights of “This Love,” but it also doesn’t completely derail itself with its dub elements. Way better than expected.

Mick: Ever since their debut Songs About Jane, Maroon 5 have ventured farther and farther from the jazz and soul influences that made “She Will Be Loved,” “This Love‰” and “Harder To Breathe‰” so infectious. As they’ve moved away from these influences, they’ve tried their hand at multiple genres. Their latest single, “One More Night,” approaches dub and reggae. Luckily, Adam Levine and company avoid the typical Bruno Mars route in this pop-reggae item. Levine’s vocal line is one of the strongest he’s had in years and the hip-hop influenced drums power the track. However, the song’s static and unchanging structure leave us slightly disappointed.

Dick Grade: B-
Mick Grade: B-

P!nk-Blow Me (One Last Kiss) (No. 5)

Mick: P!nk returns with her faux-slum, 40-year-old Avril Lavigne image. With the title “Blow Me (One Last Kiss),” we see P!nk has discovered how to use parenthesis for middle school jokes. As with most of P!nk’s releases, the most clever thing about it is the title. Sampling the main riff from Modest Mouse’s “Float On,” the melody is initially charming, but descends into a tedious “I HAD A SHIT DAY. YOU HAD A SHIT. WE HAD SHIT DAY.‰” hell. Although some parts are slightly enjoyable, most of the song is drowned in P!nk’s try-hard image and sound.

Dick: There is no reason for this song to exist. We already have a pop song that samples “Float On” (thanks Lupe), and we already have Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” for the subject matter. It’s just a complete mess in which we observe just how many times P!nk can say “shit” in three minutes and 48 seconds. To make matters worse, the production on the track is just horrid, with the chorus devolving into just a throbbing mass of synthesizers with no layer being distinguishable from the other. The song drags on for far too long and the lyrics are comically bad, with P!nk remarking on her whiskey dick in yet another attempt to be even MORE edgy.

Mick Grade: D
Dick Grade: D-

Justin Bieber (featuring Big Sean)- “As Long As You Love Me” (No. 7)

Dick: On paper, this song should be an absolute mess. Justin Bieber, Big Sean and dubstep; three things that should probably stay very far apart. In something of a miracle, the song turned out better than I ever could have hoped. The dubstep elements that are placed throughout come off very naturally thanks to the Darkchild provided production, and the hooks are incredibly catchy. I’m also feeling the dark, brooding mood of the track, something that reminds me of “Climax” by Usher, one of my favorite singles so far this year. Big Sean’s verse is exceedingly average, as expected from Big Sean, but it doesn’t detract much from the track. If Bieber continues to evolve in this direction, the Justin Timberlake comparisons may one day actually be justified.

Mick: After the initial single “Boyfriend,” I had big expectations for Bieber’s “Believe.” However, like most of the album, “As Long As You Love Me‰” just holds place. Although the production’s dubstep influences are not in your face and drastic, they do feel placed in “just because.” Big Sean provides a family friendly verse that feels all too similar to Ludacris’ on “Baby.” Although the song has no truly terrible moment, it also offers no high point. An average and forgettable listen.

Dick Grade: B
Mick Grade: C-

Alex Clare ‰ÛÒ “Too Close” (No.9)

Mick: Dubstep, a singer-songwriter displaying the woes of the friendzone and Internet Explorer 8. Everything about Alex Clare’s “Too Close‰” should be catastrophic. However, by some divine intervention the song offers a great build-up and clever interplay between the two styles. Clare’s voice is a powerhouse that never tries to over-soul itself and slight variations in each drop offer a truly great overall track. There’s not much else to say, it’s unfortunate that Clare will most likely end up a one hit wonder. For now “Too Close‰” is one of the best pop tracks of the year.

Dick: Best pop tracks of the year? I won’t say it’s particularly bad, but there’s nothing here that makes it particularly great. Clare’s singing is powerful, I’ll give him that, but he doesn’t say anything of substance, and the Diplo/Switch backed production, far from their Major Lazer fun, is just generic wub-wubs with no flavor to them. There’s no real transition from the verse to the chorus, the drop just happens. It’s an exceptionally average song, only saved by a reasonably catchy chorus.

Mick Grade: A-
Dick Grade: C

Ellie Goulding- “Lights”(No. 10)

Dick: Okay, so we’re late to the party in grading this song, but that’s appropriate given that everybody was late in coming to enjoy this song, taking well over a year and a half for the track to reach the top of the charts. It’s a damn shame too, given that it’s one of the strongest pop songs that the charts have seen in a while. The twinkling synths which dominate the track are simple, but provide a great base for a fantastic vocal performance from Goulding, who delivers a huge chorus that you just cannot help to belt out from the first time that you hear it. Sure, it may not develop as much as other songs, but the song never drags thanks to its tight play time and hits hard with the time it uses. Goulding’s may not provide club floor bangers in the way her boyfriend Skrillex does, but her style of reserved dance music as exemplified here is dramatic, catchy and danceable, a model for future starlets.

Mick: The first time I heard was through her cover of Bon Iver’s “The Wolves.” Although the outcome was average at best, her ideas and intentions kept me extremely interested. To see Goulding flourish with “Lights‰” is both expected and a surprise. The song isn’t a folky and vocal reliant track, but rather a devastatingly great nu-disco track. From the first listen it feels like a classic track. Despite following current disco influenced pop acts such as Robyn, Goulding still proves her own and creates a brilliant single that should stand the test of time.

Dick Grade: A
Mick Grade: A

By Richard Murphy and Mike Creedon