Ida Maria - 'Oh My God'
["Hey Hazel," I said, hopefully, "do you wanna take a crack at the new single by Ida Maria? It's a re-tweaked version of her UK debut, and I think you'll really like it..."
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... - Fraser]
It's worth reiterating at the start of this review that reviewers' opinions are subjective and all their own and you may not agree with them. Fraser, I know, isn't going to agree with me about this one and like him, many people clearly enjoy the musical works of Ida Maria. Equally, there must be at least a few other people who, like me, want to throw things out the window at the sound of this song.
I'm sure she's a lovely lady and has the best possible musical intentions. What I'm not sure of is why, of all the mind-bogglingly amazing music across all genres (from black metal to electropop) that comes out of Norway, anyone in their right mind is championing something that sounds like a rubbish version of 'Apply Some Pressure' by Maximo Park (and I LIKE Maximo Park).
This is, at its heart, a shonky indie-pop song of the sort that's being produced at a rate of knots in this country. We have as much of this sort of thing as we could ever possibly be bothered with and yet we appear to have imported EVEN MORE. I'd be tempted to accuse this of being the result of indie misogynists panicking and deciding to try and be interested in a girl, so long as she sounded like rubbish indie boy music but I know perfectly well that a lot of the people who like this song are neither indie misogynists nor totally insane so there has to be something I'm missing here.
Still, I feel the non-members of the Ida Maria fanclub need speaking for: her voice is horrible, her delivery is horrible, the tune (such as there is one) is horrible, the relentless pounding of the song is (rather than an atmospheric buildup to a temper-tantrum) merely migraine-inducing and if I ever have to listen to it again in my life I may become quite upset.
It is the sort of noise which is not only repulsive to me but actually makes me incredibly angry in its aggressive badness. Trying to listen to it enough times to properly review it took the entirity of my willpower, the noise is so objectional. There are no circumstances which could in any way mitigate the creation and subsequent release of the song this utterly appalling.
Maybe you love the song, though; it seems like it's probably one of those Marmite-y things and if so then well done to you. Perhaps you find the formulaic three-chord construction and shouted lyrics slightly romantic in a manner that provokes excitement and is evocative of the minor mental breakdown the lyrics appear to be having.
Just, err, don't try and experience any of these things when I'm within hearing distance, please.
Download: Out now
CD: Out now
(Hazel Robinson)
PS: For a slightly different take on the song, and
Comment number 1.
At 26th Jan 2009, XxlivsxX wrote:YAY!! FINALLY, somebody who also holds a strong dislike for this woman with the shouty voice and banal lyrics. I thought I was going mad for a minute there, and I almost did in the summer, having to listen to that "naked" song over and over and over and over again.
It's not often I agree with your reviews Hazel, but this time, it's like you read my mind :)
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Comment number 2.
At 27th Jan 2009, thranjax wrote:I don't always agree with Hazel, but she is quite right, this is awful.
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