Because those are both perfection and 3 Spoons is meh?
So far so good but something is gonna get eliminated soon that hurts, I can feel it. My poor heart can't take it!
The Sugababes Discography Rate
- Thread starter beyoncésweave
- Start date
So far so good but something is gonna get eliminated soon that hurts, I can feel it. My poor heart can't take it!
#85
Back When
Score: 6.420
Highest: 10 x 2 (@DJHazey, @scottdisick94)
Lowest: 2 x 1 (@AlexD, @BeingBoring)
My score: 6.5/10
––
Let’s begin with a hysterical acl (2) who gasps “Oh god.” Blayke (3) is here with the fainting couch: “This song sounds like they went with a Carpenters song, beefed it up into a 2007 pop song. It’s like they ran out of ideas. The song is just bland. The chorus is a bit much and I’m not really here for this song like I was in 2007. Keisha’s part in the middle-8 deserves the 3 points I’m giving it. This should have been a B-Side.” Filler (4) gets all kinds of messy: “I think the album cover colours my perception of Change, because this song sounds way too yellow to me. Fuck this yellow-ass shit.” That wasn’t some coded racistry, was it? Lost In Japan. (4) declares that these are “Not the kind of guitars I want from my Sugababes songs.” “So schmaltzy,” blares Chanex (5). “MOR dirge,” gripes mrdonut (5.5). CasuallyCrazed (5) takes us to the Island Records London Office parking lot: “Sounds like it was written during Amelle’s 5 minute cigarette break, but sweet and uplifting in a basic sort of way.”
Mina (9) meanwhile appears to have had a sweet and uplifting ciggy break as she really enjoys “enjoy the vocal harmonies in the chorus.” “This is quite a sweet album track,” trills londonrain (8). Runawaywithme (7.5) lauds that they “actually like this, the lyrics are really good and remind of times gone by again, but the production doesn’t really make the song sound out or sound very original, it’s still very pleasant and the key change is a nice moment, it reminds me of a less good “Breathe Easy”. Constantino (7.5) appears to have been listening to a different album: “This is ADORABLE. On such a strong album [Ed: ???] it doesn’t quite stand out, but for a mid-album cut it’s really strong. The conceptual cohesion going on with this album is incredibly satisfying, I must admit.” I mean it is true that Change is very cohesive, but it’s not exactly satisfying is it? Uno (7) recounts that “I sometimes mindlessly skip the song because of the annoying "Do, da-do, da-do" intro it has, but when I don't skip it, I remember what a cute little song it is. The middle-8 is surely the best part."
Ironheade (5) meanwhile middles “Hmm… how does this one go again? Oh, it doesn't go. Fair enough. Well, actually, no, I'm being completely unfair. It's somewhat different to the other Sugaballads, with some almost rootsy lead vocals from Amelle and its stargazing chorus, and Keisha's vocals on the chorus are very nice indeed. But the melody is overglossed and unctuous, particularly the string and piano parts that intrude during the chorus, the "doo doo" vocals are an annoyance, and the mixing is oddly saccharine. Sounds like something that would turn up as filler on an adult alternative station. And ultimately, it doesn't really feel like the Babes put their heart into this one. Pretty in the abstract, but it's like a fake rose instead of a real one.”
On that note, fresh from laying down some cuts for his début album Rosebuds and Fleshlights it’s Solenciennes (9) who finds this “bloody brilliant. The harmonies are fantastic, the chorus is an album highlight and it ends with such a euphoric bang. They should have been touring every TV and radio station that would have them with this song, just displaying their vocal talents and not being so image obsessed. I think this would have been a great single either before or after ‘Denial’.” Or never. “Reminds me of ABBA,” says P'NutButter (9) rather inexplicably. Hëwm would be Queen Agnetha and hễwm would be Queen Anni-Frid? (Actually it would be Heidi. She’d be both).
After being admirably restrained until now, DJHazey (10) finally shows his basic stanning true colours “Okay so this chorus is fucking massive and I've apparently overlooked this song for far too long. Let me change that real quick and start stanning now.” Voodoo (7) describes both the song and his taste with “basic but cute”. While kal (6) gets sucked in: “Really saccharine but I’m a sucker for that powerful chorus.” A “Lovely chorus although a bit cheesy and beige,” is enough for an 8 from PCDPG and a good place to sign off.
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ohnostalgia
Staff member
She/her
He/Him
Most of the lyrics on Change (the album) were quite off, weren't they? Even gems like Surprise had 'Why you calling me late at night expecting me to wanna die?' Seriously?? The lyrics in One Touch (when they were actually teenagers) has more maturity to them...
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He/Him
Solo Babe intermission time!
Back When is a bit simliar to Ugly (afterall its the same producer) but it has a lot more powerful chorus and its better at transiting the emotions and nostalgia that surround this song (perfect for this time of year by the way) while Ugly has some great lyrics but it always felt a bit dry to me. 9/10
Solenciennes
Staff member
Rosebuds & Fleshlights will be out soon. Not as soon as Back When was out, but still soon.
Solenciennes
Staff member
In all seriousness, I like this but it's definitely been made out of cringe tinted material and I get why that's worked against it. Still, I can't help but feel it should have outlasted Mended By You which is the apex of beige nothingness on the Change album; it's inoffensive and fine with no outstanding features, which to me is a bigger offence than being experimental or a little bit cheesy.
We have our first track to break the ten 10s barrier, and it's...
After many unnecessary and distasteful detours, let's finally leave Sweet 7 with one track remaining. I'm not sure this deserves the dishonour of being the only non-"About A Girl" track remaining. "Crash & Burn" in my mind was still done wrong by y'all. In the context of the horrors of the album, this is fine. The electro production really doesn't suit mid-tempo ballads like this. Vocally, Jade does most of the heavy lifting to the point where the others disappear to mere murmurs on the choruses. Leaving her to lead both verses and choruses was probably not a good idea as it comes across almost as a solo track, and worse as one where she's straining to pull it across the line. The melody on the chorus is too underdeveloped, and the attempt to shoehorn a double chorus in comes off as especially laboured, particularly after the first instance of it when there's a hilarious jittery synth effect afterwards. Let's just celebrate this nightmare being almost over.
The commentariat focused a lot on the different versions. “The Keisha version is better,” finds VivaForever (8). kal (10) agrees: “I’m rating the Keisha version because it’s the better one. They managed to make this their own which is admirable.” Is it though? Noted Amelle hater Blayke is “rating Keisha’s version with a 5. She saves the song from being a 1. Amelle sounds awful and Heidi is hardly featured. Jade’s version is not as good because of the that awful noise made mixing the autotune and her vibrato and off-key singing in the pre-chorus, but her input is far better than Amelle’s.” One day we’ll run out of Amelle tracks and all will be right in Blayke’s world. HRH gives it a 9 and thunders that it’s for the “KEISHA VERSION ONLY”. The Keisha-libs do add a certain something to the song. Jade unfortunately can't replicate them all, or add the necessary soul to try and make this work.
Going in to bat for Jade on the other hand, is Constantino (7): “DDDD COME ON JADE! Make your presence known! This sounds like a late Pixie Lott single but the chorus pops off and they really tried so let me be generous here.” I still haven’t bothered to find out what a Pixie Lott is but y’all aren’t really compelling me to, teebs. acl is also generous with Jade’s payment plan: “This is still actually quite the bop when the pre chorus comes in even with the new vocals. The “original” K one would get an 8 but this one is too shrill so 6.” “Jade sounds beautiful on this song. It’s really catchy,” says PCDPG giving it an 8. While it’s “One of the few Sweet 7 songs that actually even remotely suits Jade’s voice,” finds xondus (6.5). londonrain (8.5) is also here to prop Jade up: “This is a bit more like a regular Sugababes song than most of Sweet 7. Jade does pretty well with it, given she's basically re-singing someone else's part.”
Chanex(4) gets specific and correct: “It sounds like one of those "club mixes" of a top 10 ballad that came out 10 years ago where they couldn't afford to use the original vocal. Having said that, some of those aren't that bad ... and the ending is kinda pretty.” Nope, it’s still ugly. CasuallyCrazed (6) reports back from the netherworld: “Straight out of 2009 EDM hell with Taio Cruz, Jason Derulo and the rest of the forgettables. Jade Scherzinger’s vocals feel simultaneously anonymous and overdone. The Keisha vocals were the only thing saving the original.” ΝΝΝ Jade Scherzinger! (cc: Mr.Arroz). Don’t hold your breath for taste from Mina who despite thinking “Sure it's basic pop of that era and sounds dated in 2016, but it's still a guilty pleasure,” gives it a damn 10.
uno (6.5) also finds it dated but scores accordingly: “I remember thinking this song was a pure bop when it first came out with the Keisha album sampler. It might've been back then, but it's definitely dated by now.” Solenciennes (4) has checked out by this point: “it’s another faceless, aimless album track that works in the context of them producing a party album but as an end product is a bit rubbish. Amelle’s opening vocals remind me of “Chase The Sun” by Planet Funk… that would have been a better sound to copy. The chorus is alright, the production isn’t good enough for it though.” mrdonut (5) says “I’d quite like this if it was released by a Eurovision contender but it’s dispiriting to know this features on the final ever Sugababes album”. But it was released by a Eurovision contender, hunty! “Meh, don’t get why people love this so much,” mehs Voodoo (6).
Meanwhile tylerc904 (10) is back to his old tricks: “A stone cold jam, Keisha or Jade on the lead. Felt like a true Sugababes moment.” Not to me it didn’t. Sprockrooster (7.5) gets shady but I’ll allow it cos I hate this song: “I probably quite like this, because I did not play this much.” Oop! Ironheade (4) somehow still has enough in the tank to go in: “OK, who let a Saturdays filler on this album? Really, I could leave it there, but I feel like this song deserves a bit more of a beating. The production exemplifies a lot of awful trends, with the overly loud drums that somehow sound flat and textureless, and the bass that gets processed into an obnoxiously noisy blur. Can't have subtlety in a dance song, can we? No, we need to hit the lowest common denominator, and then go lower! Not to mention, Heidi and Amelle both sound so awkward trying to grapple with this ludicrously elephantine beat - Jade's a bit more comfortable, but she still gets no chance to go beyond technically strong but soulless rave diva. I've heard a million iterations of this formula, and it's never been good yet.”
Is Saturdays Filler a tautology? Discuss! And speaking of Saturdays filler, here’s DJHazey (7): “Okay this structure is there for basic bop that I can love unashamedly, but even basic bop lovers can be scholars [Ed: kii] that know this failed in nearly every aspect. I love the overall sound, so I'd low-key bop, but I know how much better it could be and that bothers me.” Let’s end with Filler (3) who observes correctly that “God, ballads are tough going when your group has lost all of its most characterful vocalists, aren't they?”. Indeed. Sweet 7 really exposed the band’s balladeering weaknesses as a unit resulting from its personnel changes. It was especially horrible given that Catfights had basically recorrected the band’s course in this regard, charting out a character which suited Amelle, Heidi and Keisha’s strengths as vocalists without invoking the need for Mutya. Sweet 7 done went and undid all this, plunging into a soundscape both unsuited for the band’s vocalists and laying bare some harsh comparisons with its past iterations.
#84
Wait For You
Score: 6.440
Highest: 10 x 10(!) (@GhettoPrincess, @kal, @tylerc904, @Methyn Marquis, @Mina, @Terminus @supersoon, @High Heel Feminist, @Conan, @Jam)
Lowest: 1 x 0 (@Black Topanga)
My score: 4/10
––
Wait For You
Score: 6.440
Highest: 10 x 10(!) (@GhettoPrincess, @kal, @tylerc904, @Methyn Marquis, @Mina, @Terminus @supersoon, @High Heel Feminist, @Conan, @Jam)
Lowest: 1 x 0 (@Black Topanga)
My score: 4/10
––
After many unnecessary and distasteful detours, let's finally leave Sweet 7 with one track remaining. I'm not sure this deserves the dishonour of being the only non-"About A Girl" track remaining. "Crash & Burn" in my mind was still done wrong by y'all. In the context of the horrors of the album, this is fine. The electro production really doesn't suit mid-tempo ballads like this. Vocally, Jade does most of the heavy lifting to the point where the others disappear to mere murmurs on the choruses. Leaving her to lead both verses and choruses was probably not a good idea as it comes across almost as a solo track, and worse as one where she's straining to pull it across the line. The melody on the chorus is too underdeveloped, and the attempt to shoehorn a double chorus in comes off as especially laboured, particularly after the first instance of it when there's a hilarious jittery synth effect afterwards. Let's just celebrate this nightmare being almost over.
The commentariat focused a lot on the different versions. “The Keisha version is better,” finds VivaForever (8). kal (10) agrees: “I’m rating the Keisha version because it’s the better one. They managed to make this their own which is admirable.” Is it though? Noted Amelle hater Blayke is “rating Keisha’s version with a 5. She saves the song from being a 1. Amelle sounds awful and Heidi is hardly featured. Jade’s version is not as good because of the that awful noise made mixing the autotune and her vibrato and off-key singing in the pre-chorus, but her input is far better than Amelle’s.” One day we’ll run out of Amelle tracks and all will be right in Blayke’s world. HRH gives it a 9 and thunders that it’s for the “KEISHA VERSION ONLY”. The Keisha-libs do add a certain something to the song. Jade unfortunately can't replicate them all, or add the necessary soul to try and make this work.
Going in to bat for Jade on the other hand, is Constantino (7): “DDDD COME ON JADE! Make your presence known! This sounds like a late Pixie Lott single but the chorus pops off and they really tried so let me be generous here.” I still haven’t bothered to find out what a Pixie Lott is but y’all aren’t really compelling me to, teebs. acl is also generous with Jade’s payment plan: “This is still actually quite the bop when the pre chorus comes in even with the new vocals. The “original” K one would get an 8 but this one is too shrill so 6.” “Jade sounds beautiful on this song. It’s really catchy,” says PCDPG giving it an 8. While it’s “One of the few Sweet 7 songs that actually even remotely suits Jade’s voice,” finds xondus (6.5). londonrain (8.5) is also here to prop Jade up: “This is a bit more like a regular Sugababes song than most of Sweet 7. Jade does pretty well with it, given she's basically re-singing someone else's part.”
Chanex(4) gets specific and correct: “It sounds like one of those "club mixes" of a top 10 ballad that came out 10 years ago where they couldn't afford to use the original vocal. Having said that, some of those aren't that bad ... and the ending is kinda pretty.” Nope, it’s still ugly. CasuallyCrazed (6) reports back from the netherworld: “Straight out of 2009 EDM hell with Taio Cruz, Jason Derulo and the rest of the forgettables. Jade Scherzinger’s vocals feel simultaneously anonymous and overdone. The Keisha vocals were the only thing saving the original.” ΝΝΝ Jade Scherzinger! (cc: Mr.Arroz). Don’t hold your breath for taste from Mina who despite thinking “Sure it's basic pop of that era and sounds dated in 2016, but it's still a guilty pleasure,” gives it a damn 10.
uno (6.5) also finds it dated but scores accordingly: “I remember thinking this song was a pure bop when it first came out with the Keisha album sampler. It might've been back then, but it's definitely dated by now.” Solenciennes (4) has checked out by this point: “it’s another faceless, aimless album track that works in the context of them producing a party album but as an end product is a bit rubbish. Amelle’s opening vocals remind me of “Chase The Sun” by Planet Funk… that would have been a better sound to copy. The chorus is alright, the production isn’t good enough for it though.” mrdonut (5) says “I’d quite like this if it was released by a Eurovision contender but it’s dispiriting to know this features on the final ever Sugababes album”. But it was released by a Eurovision contender, hunty! “Meh, don’t get why people love this so much,” mehs Voodoo (6).
Meanwhile tylerc904 (10) is back to his old tricks: “A stone cold jam, Keisha or Jade on the lead. Felt like a true Sugababes moment.” Not to me it didn’t. Sprockrooster (7.5) gets shady but I’ll allow it cos I hate this song: “I probably quite like this, because I did not play this much.” Oop! Ironheade (4) somehow still has enough in the tank to go in: “OK, who let a Saturdays filler on this album? Really, I could leave it there, but I feel like this song deserves a bit more of a beating. The production exemplifies a lot of awful trends, with the overly loud drums that somehow sound flat and textureless, and the bass that gets processed into an obnoxiously noisy blur. Can't have subtlety in a dance song, can we? No, we need to hit the lowest common denominator, and then go lower! Not to mention, Heidi and Amelle both sound so awkward trying to grapple with this ludicrously elephantine beat - Jade's a bit more comfortable, but she still gets no chance to go beyond technically strong but soulless rave diva. I've heard a million iterations of this formula, and it's never been good yet.”
Is Saturdays Filler a tautology? Discuss! And speaking of Saturdays filler, here’s DJHazey (7): “Okay this structure is there for basic bop that I can love unashamedly, but even basic bop lovers can be scholars [Ed: kii] that know this failed in nearly every aspect. I love the overall sound, so I'd low-key bop, but I know how much better it could be and that bothers me.” Let’s end with Filler (3) who observes correctly that “God, ballads are tough going when your group has lost all of its most characterful vocalists, aren't they?”. Indeed. Sweet 7 really exposed the band’s balladeering weaknesses as a unit resulting from its personnel changes. It was especially horrible given that Catfights had basically recorrected the band’s course in this regard, charting out a character which suited Amelle, Heidi and Keisha’s strengths as vocalists without invoking the need for Mutya. Sweet 7 done went and undid all this, plunging into a soundscape both unsuited for the band’s vocalists and laying bare some harsh comparisons with its past iterations.
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D
Deleted member 3416
Actually I'm not mad with that ranking, I love the song personally but it's done well to get there. Hopefully About A Girl will do well enough as it's truly the best song on Sweet 7 but we'll see.
Do people actually read these rather exhausting elimination posts because without the customary likes for them I can't tell halp.
"Back when we used to talk about everything... now it seems you're not listening"
I bloody love the vocals on that line so much!
I normally "like" the post first then go back and read the full thing. (or is this just you fishing for "likes"... hmmm)
I bloody love the vocals on that line so much!
I normally "like" the post first then go back and read the full thing. (or is this just you fishing for "likes"... hmmm)
Solenciennes
Staff member
Same here, I like in acknowledgement and then go back and read properly when I'm giving my thoughts if I don't have the time to read and digest at first.