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lily allen - alright, still

 

what to say about lily that hasn't already been written. well not a lot really. by now i suspect that you all know who she is and what's she's about ? well for those that have been watching too much football recently, lily is keith allens daughter, and in 2006 she has become the pop-dance equivalent of the arctic monkeys via her myspace world domination, the random tracklistings of her mixtapes, and has yet to actually release that much for the punters to actually purchase.

when this 11 track debut album dropped through the letterbox a few weeks ago i became concerned that i had been sent this by mistake as i can't be that privileged?

following this stroke of weirdness, i hammered the album for several days solid. i swooned, i blogged, and i even danced around a little, laughed, and really fell in with the whole hyperbole, but then something strange happened after which i have had trouble with the album. once i got past the overly uptempo happy pop styles of the excellent musical production (5 different production crews are involved ACROSS THE ALBUMS 11 TRACKS including dj to the stars, mark ronson), got over the ska'd up 2-tone styled pop, and baggy grooves,  i began to feel rather uncomfortable with the words that lily is getting so much kudos for. admittedly, she has a style that is bright, fresh and funny in parts, but there is also an element of downright bitchiness within. for example, the put down lines in 'knock em out' come over as snide and rather nasty with repeated listens, AND NOT IN A CLEVER-clever GIRLS ALOUD STYLE, BUT A POST-PUB FISTFIGHT MANNER, then there is the famous crackwhore and pimp line in sunny pop of 'ldn'. in fact, once i started to listen beneath the surface, i became less and less enamored with lily. i realise that i sound like an old fart who should get back to listening to sonic youth, and by writing this, i could  probably get into trouble a la 'shame for you', in which, to a superb big band jazzy riff, she drops the suggestion that an ex gets done over black and blue by her brothers, gangsta role playing in pop music ? whodathunk that ?

of course, to the people that she is TARGETED at, lily is going to be a hero of the year. she is the antithesis of all that is PERCEIVED AS wrong about pop music, she has balls, she has attitude, SHE SAYS IT LIKE IT IS, SHE'S REAL, she does indeed have a way with a lyric and a beat that will win over many, she loves to get drunk and party on, and lets her tongue let rip into those that have hurt her in her colourful past. but, do we really want pop stars washing their dirty personal laundry in public? well i guess in these CELEBRITY WORSHIPPING, big brother, saturated times, people do. WHEREAS, personally, i find it a rather strange new direction for what is essentially a pop music albuM TO GO IN, something feels very AWKWARD hearing such happy easy radio friendly grooves being laced with such emotional anger, and vitriol, THAT BY THE END OF THE ALBUM I FEEL AS IF I HAVE JUST EXPERIENCED A TEENAGE TANTRUM IN MY OWN LIVING ROOM, several YEARS BEFORE THEY ARE DUE IN MY REAL LIFE, and that's not something i really need on a regular basis, thank you, but that's what rap-metal and industrial music is for.

so if you don't mind, i'll step aside while the train steams ahead, as i'm getting off.

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