To start, I must unfortunately state that this is not actually the cover of the most recent Girls Aloud release, Tangled Up,
I first discovered Girls Aloud through my buddy Stu last year; which led to the best of Girls Aloud making my 2006 best of list. Needless to say, after my first listen, I was in love with this campy girl group. Formed from a TV show called Popstars: The Rivals in the UK, these girls have gone on to become an insanely popular and famous girl band in the UK and throughout other parts of the world. However, most American’s would be shaking their head and saying “Girls A-who?” if you mentioned them, but not this one; after everything I have heard, I am a tried and true Girls Aloud fan.
I will openly admit that I was super excited when I heard that they were releasing a new CD this year, especially after hearing the more “rock guitar” driven single “Something Kinda Oooh”, last year; in hopes that this would be the direction that they were moving with their sound. When the first single, Sexy No No No! was released, my suspicions were confirmed; this was going to be a record that moved fast, and rocked the pop. While I admit that I really did like Sexy No No No!, it wasn’t quite the hit that Something was, so I chomping at the bit to hear more from this power girl group. The second single, Call the Shots, did everything that the near perfect Sexy did not; it showed me that this was going to be a consistently good album, and I am hear to say that it definitely is.
If you have been a fan of Girls Aloud in the past, you will find your old friends up to their usual selves with this album; the pop doesn’t stop, and the bubblegum girls are putting it all out in full force from the first beat of the first song. There are a lot of really great tracks, most of which will get you moving in your seat, and overall, the disc is a solid effort from the girls. You’ll notice that most of the tracks carry out the same “rockish-pop” feel, which serves to unify the disc as a singular statement of manufactured pop done right. It also speaks of the vision of a handful of producers getting to go to bat with an entire record; and the result is a successful pop record.
What’s somewhat refreshing, is that this record represents itself as nothing more, and nothing less than pure “for the fun of it” pop. It is masterfully produced, and the manufacturing couldn’t be more pristine, which must have you wondering why I couldn’t give it a perfect 5 star rating. The fifth star is missing first and foremost, because of the strength of previous Girls Aloud hits that unfortunately, greatly overshadow more than a few of the tracks on Tangled Up. Secondly, the final song feels included for the sake of someone feeling that they needed something to close the record; which speaks to its lackluster, and out of sync feel (I think they should have just forgotten about Crocodile Tears all together). Finally, of the hard to ignore, tacked on bonus tracks, the remake of Teenage Dirtbag is downright painful to listen to. I don’t know what went wrong there, but it is really, really wrong. I do, however, feel the need to praise these girls for listening to their managers, and their producers, because the results they have delivered really do deliver in a big way; this really is pop at its best, and it is great to hear in an era that seems to miss the mark with pop so often, and so disastrously. Many times, you will have a hit or two thrown on a sloppy and downright pathetic album, but Tangled Up manages to highlight singles among many other potential single-worthy hits and other fun, well produced, backing tracks; (almost) all of which work.
Sure, there may be some critical “down the nose” view of “manufacturing pop”, but what better way to produce the best of something that is MEANT to be produced and manufactured? I can’t think of many groups better to do it than Girls Aloud; and with Tangled Up, they show us that they are more than capable of doing just that… delivering that pop that is just so, so good to my ears.
Song Highlights from Tangled Up:
Call The Shots, Black Jacks, Girl Overboard, and Damn.
Rating:
Nice to see some Americans know of our pop princesses. I love them. And I mean really love them. There really is something extraordinary about this group. The genre-bending, the originality, just the sheer fun. The ridiculously consistent high quality songs they continually release is breath-taking. I realize that in Xenomania, they have an amazing production team behind them and some people still say that this is the sole reason that they are successful; that they are merely puppets. But what these people rarely seem to acknowledge is that Xenomania write songs for several big U.K. acts but it’s only with Girls Aloud that the material goes stratospheric. In other words, this is a true collaboration. I honestly think that Girls Aloud are one of the best pop groups of all time. And this is from somebody that wouldn’t hesitate to name The Velvet Underground, Throwing Muses and Pixies as some of his all-time favourite acts. But, you know, Girls Aloud just somehow get under my skin in a way I am not entirely used to.
But, hey, I’m rambling. Liked your review but I actually think that Tangled Up is the best GA album to date. Sure, it arguably doesn’t have a song to rival the best of the previous releases (think Sound of the Underground, The Show, Biology & Something Kinda Ooooh). But it works better for me as an album. There is no let up in pace, as there are no dreary ballads (never their forte) or misguided covers (our version doesn’t have Teenage Dirtbag). The record has a great inertia from start to finish (although I still am not yet sure about Can’t Speak French).
As I say I love these chicks. I actually LIKE the fact they were formed on a TV talent show. It just makes them all the more unique. I mean, I myself have a good hearty laugh as each reality TV pop star fails miserably to be any good out-with the TV show environment - but I, perversely, like the fact that GA have entirely went the other way. I do still encounter the odd incureable cloth-eared dissenter or, far worse, the musical snob - a deeply tedious type who will just refuse to ever acknowledge them because, you know, ‘they’re a reality TV band, and that’. I managed to (quite easily) convince three female friends to go along and see them in the Glasgow leg of their Greatest Hits tour. Not one of us below the age of 30 and we all had a great time. And that’s another thing, the audience at that show was more across the board than I had ever seen in 20 years of gig-going - from little kids with their parents to groovesters a lot older than us. As I probably said earlier - unique.
Cheers, Frazer.
Thanks for your comment, Frazer! I think that GA are awesome; I have had my eye on them ever since I heard about them, and totally agree that they have got it going on. These girls totally deliver, and the fact that they were discovered through a format that required live singing is just a testament to the talent they have in singing.
And I am totally jealous that you went to see them! I would love to go!!!
No worries man. There has to be a possibility that you will see them maybe. A Stateside push is possible - I’m quite surprised that they haven’t been pushed your way. But it’s maybe because so very very few of our groups do well over your side of the pond. It’s really hard to say if GA would fare any better. I know the Spice Girls did really well internationally but they were a marketing dream with each group member having it’s own label. Music-wise I don’t really think there is any doubt that GA outstrip the Spice Girls easily. But because they sometimes actively revel in their sameness (how often do they all wear the same outfits in videos?) and because their voices sound similarish, they aren’t quite as easily defined. Would the music itself sell itself to the Americans? Again I’m not sure. This isn’t me slating American musical taste, no, all I mean is maybe there is something too British about them for mass U.S. approval. I’m really not sure, who knows.
I suppose from a selfish point-of-view, it’s better for us that they’ve stayed at home. It’s allowed them to do loads of stuff in their 5 year existence (5 albums, 4 big tours, etc) that would not have been possible if they went over to America for a proper assault. But, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if they made a visit one day. But, in the meantime, get yourself a cheap break over here next May and while you’re at it catch them on the Tangled Up tour!