Alphabeat - 'Fascination'
Hey, remember when Same Difference were on the X-Factor and everyone thought it would be amazing if they won, if only because it would break that rubbish delusion some fans of the show have that the X-Factor is good for anything other than a quick cheesy fix of situation-based pop squee...remember that feeling? It sort of reached it's apex when the super-smiley brother-sister duo did their CBeebies version of 'I Don't Feel Like Dancing', and everyone who saw it thought the exact same thing: "Wow, we are in a place which is so far beyond silly that it...could...just...be...cool?"
Well, Alphabeat are a lot like that. Their wholesome, hearty, friendly, upbeat, optimistic pop music exists in a similar musical space to Katrina & the Waves doing 'Walking On Sunshine' or the Feeling doing 'I Love It When You Call' or even ABBA doing 'Take A Chance On Me'. It's the kind of music which will never, ever make you look deep or edgy if you give in to it, but since when was that the only measurement of quality?
I mean no-one despises licky dogs because they're shallow, or eager to please, do they? If you're in a restaurant and the waiter comes over like a member of Snow Patrol, you'd refuse to leave a tip and maybe even complain to the manager.
So, leaving aside the fact that this band will never, ever get the 'real music is for sad people' seal of rocksnob approval, and the fact that the term 'guilty pleasures' is officially banned from your open-minded, giddy-thrill-welcoming ChartBlog, what IS there to say about this song?
Well, it's definitely going to get annoying if you listen to it too much, which is always a hallmark of quality in a pop song. First you love it, then you hate it, then it reminds you of the time when you loved it, and you love it again. Then you dislike it again for a bit. Then you like it, and eventually it becomes like a friend you haven't spoken to in months but you still think quite fondly of.
And really, urgent sunshine pop like this should be taken sparingly, maybe as part of a mix of tunes which includes something dour by Laura Marling, and then a brief snatch of screamy Bring Me The Horizon or Enter Shikari and then Snoop Dogg, of only because you need something groinal in every playlist. It's the law.
Anyway, be warned, this is a song which starts like 'Maneater' by Hall & Oates and contains ecstatic whooping. If this is something you cannot handle and your eyeballs are already rolling skyward, well, that's OK. But it's not Alphabeat's fault, it's yours.
*sigh* Leon Jackson though, really? Is it too late to put in another vote for Same Difference?
Download: Out now
CD Released: March 3rd
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comments
I love this song! I always dance to it when it's on TV!!! HAPPY! And yeah, it gives me the same feeling as when I listen to 'Love It When You Call'
I like it, and not just on the grounds that most NME-ers will most likely hate it, although that is a plus. ;-)
I do tend towards heavier music myself, but I don't see what's wrong with having a bit of fun stuff like this on the old MP3, can't listen to System of a Down forever you know!
It's a fantastic song, and with regards to SarahLH's comment, NME actually like them, claiming they're going to be one of the best bands of 2008.
This song is fantastic, and surprisingly I haven't got sick of it yet, despite racking up a playcount of almost 100.
Also, NME actually like them, saying they're going to be one of the best bands of 2008. So, they're not all 'indier-than-thou' types at the NME offices.
this song is really, really good, and i hated same difference
it's like same difference, but with more depth?
So NME DO like them? Who would have thunk it, looks like they have a sense of humour after all.
Give it 6 months.
I totally agree. And while I love screaming, blood-curdling hardcore and dark and nasty drum and bass, this song's appeal is undeniable. I've listened to it upteen times and I still love it, same with 10,000 Nights Of Thunder. I'm not sure how a whole album would go down, but these two are ace. I love Dancing Days too, is that wrong? I think comparing it to the Feeling is a little unfair, that stuff is MOR meh, this, however, is the best sunshiney pop I've heard and by rights should rule the world.