The Singles Jukebox

Wednesday, for instance…

[Video][Website]
[5.22]

Martin Kavka: People will dismiss this as rapping Dido, but this is precisely the kind of song that leads to a Mercury Music Prize nomination. On the other hand, this is precisely the kind of song that leads people to wonder what the fuck the Mercury Music Prize judges are smoking.
[4]

Alex Wisgard: “Better Days” is a highlight of Speech Therapy but, taken in isolation, Speech’s bad-girl-gone-good lyrics don’t seem to fit the song’s pseudo-trip hop production, and no lines really stand out. Conseqeuntly, until Micachu masterfully mumbles her way through the chorus, the track just sounds kinda aimless.
[6]

Dave Moore: There’s an air of mystery to the whole thing, I guess, but the production and lyrics work at cross-purposes here, as the rap is fairly pedestrian — as best as I can tell it’s a one-note reflection on how it’d probably be better for her life and career if she didn’t drink so much. Kind of an “I Feel Like Dying” for pub crawlers.
[6]

Chuck Eddy: Wordy, but also shy and retiring, and with at least intermittent “Mind Playing Tricks On Me” paranoia arising out of its foggy emo atmosphere.
[6]

Anthony Miccio: This reminds me of the “serious” tracks on Jay-Z’s Kingdom Come, with their sotto voce pleading and hackneyed lyrics of personal struggle (“I’m dealing with the cards I’m dealt/but I’m dealing with different cards”). The only difference between this song and any livejournal post with a “contemplative” emoticon (“I’m trying to get in the gym amongst other things”) is the hushed melodrama of the music and the celebrity-aspiring ego behind “hopefully you can find these things inspiring.”
[3]

Anthony Easton: Surprisingly low energy, but pleasant.
[6]

Martin Skidmore: I guess this is probably looking for a smooth, jazzy, summery feel, but it ends up droney, and Micachu fits depressingly well with this, and is out of tune. Speech’s flow is unimpressive, but I like her thoughtful rhymes well enough. I’m not sure they’re good enough to overcome all the weaknesses on this single, but they are at least distinctly promising.
[4]

Alex Ostroff: Pleasantly drifts in and out of your consciousness without leaving much of an impression. Micachu is far more tolerable submerged under the murkiness. The bittersweet past embraces the tonal darkness of the genre, but the overall hopefulness of the song seems at odds with its texture.
[6]

Michaelangelo Matos: Sounds like something I’d catch on college radio, kind of like, and then forget all about.
[6]