"Perfect" pop songs, and the virtues/vices of pop

Corpsey

bandz ahoy

Songs that get in and out without any noodling about
Songs trimmed of all fat
(Probably, but not exclusively, pulsating with life-affirming, naive joy)

The opposite of ambient?
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Length is where many songs fall down - they are too long, they go back to the well one too many times.

Pop should be short because its about desire - and should leave you wanting more.

At the other end of the scale, will I ever listen to a Wagner opera? Perhaps one day I'll have the patience, but actually I seem to be heading the other way - I want concision, concentration.

The same thing applies to novels and films. Even the best novels are often overlong.
 

Leo

Well-known member
yeah, true pop gems are under three minutes, just enough time for intro, a couple of verses and of course a catchy chorus. I know there are a lot of Beatles haters here but they certainly have a dozen or more classics.

and sometimes perfect pop comes from places far from the mainstream

 

Leo

Well-known member
(Probably, but not exclusively, pulsating with life-affirming, naive joy)

the opposite example, 1:30 of perfect chiming guitars and hooks counterbalanced with not-so-life affirming lyrics.

 

thirdform

pass the sick bucket
my problem with the pop minded aesthetic is that even when it tries to be radical it is still totally quantified by the assemblyline value aesthetic. I guess that desiring thing. It's not very great is it? it's like maxing out ur serotonin after the tonal formulas become so tired.

This is why i agree with blissblogger that darkcore was the avant funk par excellence.

that being said janet jackson rhythm nation album, a lot of timbaland stuff, neptunes etc. but tbh that isn't really white pop.

Wagner is just shit. listen to Schoenberg and ligeti instead corpsey.
 
Last edited:

Leo

Well-known member
you're arguing about what pop "isn't", where it's lacking. more fun to look at pop in isolation, as it's own thing, drilling down on what makes it all come together, unearthing examples of pure pop essence. probably my fault for posting that primal scream song, sorry about that. forget about when pop tries to be radical and let the escapism wash over you.
 

thirdform

pass the sick bucket
i just don't like those baroque influenced chords. they are not jarring like modern classical or deep like soul/90s rnb ones.
 
Last edited:

Leo

Well-known member
they are not jarring like modern classical or deep like soul/90s rnb ones.

LOL, you're still doing it! forget what they're "not", look at them for what they are.

don't mind me, I'm just being a bit of a prick.
 
Top