Celebrate with Nostalgia: February 2014 Update

今天是情人节！(1)

Happy Valentine's Day to those who celebrate it! For the rest of you, happy February 14! Or... February 15 if you're in Asia... or Europe... 'cause by the time I'm posting this... yeah, never mind.

Just goofing around. Listening to music. Preferring blue to red...

Thankfully I am becoming less and less bothered about this particular day of the year. The pressure to have a boyfriend and give out cards to people just because you have to doesn't exist much anymore. Or maybe I hang out with too many people who think that way. Regardless, the fact I'm letting some things roll off my back is a sign of maturing. The superior being(s) know(s) I'm neurotic over everything else.

Other than indulging too much in my music listening, I'm continuing to cool off from my last project here. Nothing else needs to be said about that for a long time. Let me move to other things... like one of the most controversial games of 2012. Or one of the most underrated games of 2013. Or TV shows who use Marilyn Manson's version of "Sweet Dreams" for their pilot episode. (BTW, The Following is pretty awesome. Nothing beats House, but crazy cultists are pretty whacky too.)

The "Best Song Ever"...?

HALT!

I know 99.9% of my viewers will look at this post, shun me from public society, and ensure my blog will crash and burn for even mentioning One Direction. If I have to clarify, the only music group I am a diehard fangirl of is HIM. A Finnish rock band with a steady lineup for over twelve years captured the little girl in me and provided lyrical food for thought can never and will never lose to a British boy band with goofy kids and creepy subliminal messages in their lyrics.

Yeah, if all girls should fall in love with a band in the same way all boys should worship superheroes, robots, and or sic-fi action, then I probably had one of the "safer" options. Still, I was greatly uninterested in boy bands in my childhood. I only heard the of Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way", and the only fact I knew about NSYNC was that Justin Timberlake managed to earn a lucrative career in the after years. This highly contagious, massive 90's genre never meant anything to the immune moi, so One Direction failed to appeal to me in that way.

They never caught my heart since it always belonged to another, but I don't find this group particularly threatening. I can't remember any of these guys' names or whose voice belongs to whom. They're overhyped because no direct or fair competition exists. Justin Beiber comes close, but I'm too busy laughing at that pip-squeak's descent into humiliating obscurity. (By the way, I'm allowed to badmouth him all I want. That toddler, who makes me feel like a 90 year old, is three months younger than me.) Otherwise, no other boy bands have enough presence to start a war.

And I'm at the point when music like this just doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I'm long done with my impressionable years of social insecurity. I'm barely trying to "fit in" just to please the system all the time. Or even in my early twenties I still run into a ton of neurotic men who have no motivation or courage to talk to me like I'm a human being. One Direction's creepy "you're hot enough to be mine and too spineless to ever leave me" undertones in some of their songs ("What Makes You Beautiful" and "Little Things", especially) fail to entice me. I'm not a wide-eyed preteen anymore. I don't have any use for simple love songs with as much depth and description as self-incert fanfiction. At least Ville Valo and the gang reference other and often more interesting bands to help me appreciate rock music and HIM's inspirations. It's just not fair to compare apple pie to a cardboard cutout of an orange.

I know most of them have stupid names...
"Zayne"? "Harry Styles"? REALLY?!

That. Being. Said. One Direction is not completely awful. They just don't have anything going for them that appeals to my oddly inconsistent tastes that sometimes clashes with my sex and age demographics. Well, until this earworm came out: "Best Song Ever".

Opening chords ripping off of "Baba O'Riley" by The Who? That's fine; nothing's original under the sun anymore. But if One Direction were to steal anything from bigger, better groups with far more style, class, and talent, then keep stealing riff from rock music. Anything to ease my depression over the increasingly shrinking presence of that awesome genre. Other than maybe Gotye's odd hit "Somebody I Used to Know" two years ago, the indie scene bores me to tears. And someone please tell me why the frustratingly smug Fall Out Boy and ear-drum assaulting Paramore are back. So to hear One Direction "steal" a melody or riff from something actually good makes my day.

I really like this song more than I have any right to. The whole thing fills a tiny hole in my heart that I missed for so long. Though I never liked boybands, there were a few really dumb, cheesy pop rock songs I used to hear a lot in the early 2000s. I kinda wish Good Charlotte came back for that reason. "The Anthem" was silly, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" was goofy, and "Hold On" was tacky, but they cured my longing for some real guitars and drums blaring. Even the Click 5's really stupid pining over unrequited love in "Just the Girl" was adorable. Though slightly more acoustic at times, I still like Michelle Branch's "Everywhere" and "Breathe" to this day. Soft and pop rock were my childhood, so anything that reminds me of it in the midst of the autotune, country-hiphop, and dub step black hole of suck earns a listen from me.

When I take off my nostalgia glasses, however, this is one of the only One Direction songs that feels authentic and honest. The lyrics paint a story that seems believable. A guy is so into this amazing girl, and even after hanging out and teasing playfully, he didn't "win her over". But the time he spent with her was so wonderfully biased, the other details of that night were blurred.  He can't remember "the best song ever" because he was so focused on just being with her. That's understandable. Yeah, I'm not a guy, but I've had memories and thoughts that were greatly exaggerated and influenced. I was so completely on an emotional high the whole time when I saw HIM in concert that I happily declared that my life was complete. Ah, I was so silly back then... but that concert was AMAZING.

So a band of boys with music that emotionally affects preteens mixed the kind of music I've been missing for years along with a simplistic but sympathetic scenario to create the "Best Song Ever"? And all the boys sound like they are of age to flirt with the listener? And it's so happy, lively, and energetic?

Take that, Justin Beiber! I might've found you mildly annoying instead of just f^%$ing awful if you attempted a feat like this!

On the other hand, I can only call this song the best song ever because that's its name. In reality, it just isn't quality wise. It's very cocky and arrogant, but it makes sense within the context of the story it tells. It's not supposed to be taken seriously; it's supposed to be pure fun. The boys really sound like they had a blast recording it. They're cheering loudly and lively, and the chorus swells with so much life after the tremendous buildup in the verses. To my ears, "Best Song Ever" succeeds in a very surprising way. One Direction, I have to give you some credit for making a song that definitely screams "This is us!".

So guess I can let the Directioners... or whatever the fans are called... have their handful of years worshiping these five kids. At least those girls are finally abandoning the crashing and burning Beilieber bandwagon. One Direction may have one decent song for once, and I don't mind crediting them for it, but I'm not buying the hype. I can tolerate their existence because they are far from the worst thing in pop music. ... And I still can't stand their voices, ranging from okay to flat to boring to screechy. Just saying.

3 out of 5

Good for what it is, "Best Song Ever" is probably One Direction's best and only good song. That's fine. Besides, nothing can replace my love of tall, dark-haired baritone men. @///_///@

I wuv u Ville ^//_//^

... And now Youtube will harass me for all of eternity with One Direction-related videos. I hate my life...

Candy for the Ears

Midterm exams are underway soon and I'm trying to hit the books. On the other hand, I just got a Playstation Vita and I'm trying really hard to not play with it too much. Predictably, I give into temptation easily.

It's been a long time since I had anything to say about my taste in music. Over the past several years, my library has slowly grown and my mood has fluctuated. My Pandora account is in use sometimes, but I only really expand unless I'm really bored. The last musical goldmine I ran into was Bentley Jones.

Covering J-pop, remixing currently popular songs, and overusing autotune might not sound very appealing, but if more pop music sounded more like what Bentley does, then I'd love to turn the radio back on again. Heck, his PHUNKSTR remixes often sound a lot better than their original versions. Or maybe that's my biased ear talking.

Regardless, I've been listening to his new album lately. It took several listens, but it has grown on me. Such a decent voice should not be masked by so much autotune. (TT-TT) At least his melodies are really good.

Yeah, if this blog goes down like the Titanic, I only hope that at least one person that visited here would be interested in this guy. The dude needs more attention. His stuff is on iTunes. Give the guy a buck or two. Or at least five minutes of random music preview samples.

*shrug* I'm used to preaching to the choir.

When I'm not indulging in pop music that only the Japanese are willing to put on their store shelves, I always go back to HIM. No surprise, I know. After XX - Two Decades of Love Metal came out, I decided to go through their entire library again for old time's sake. Whatever comes of Tears on Tape, I really hope their cover of "Strange World" is not them at their best after that post-Screamworks hiatus. They better not be out of juice yet...

At least they have seven other albums to cling to.

Okay, that's enough cheesy-poppy music to make your teeth grow cavities. But heck, it could be MUCH WORSE. All the girls get into Justin Beiber and One Direction, I get into sappy pop-rock with pretty-boy singers that make and perform their own music without as much exposure. So hipster of me.

Anywho, the third piece of musical awesome I'm diving into is good ol' Breaking Benjamin... which are also on hiatus. (Just my luck.) They are probably the only "nu metal" act I still enjoy. Ever since the un-freakin'-listenable A Thousand Suns, Linkin Park just continues to piss me off. Evanescence continues to subconsciously come off as trying to be gothic metal while actively denying any hints proving the statement right. Three Days Grace has some great emotion... with hilariously silly lyrics. Nickleback does not exist on my playlists, and Disturbed is a kiddy meal next to In Flames. I can go on and on...

Breaking Benjamin... I'm not sure why I go back to them so often.

For actual metal music though... hmm... I go back to Moonspell sometimes. Too bad Grooveshark has deleted their entire library of songs. Now how am I to get my fix without commercial interruptions? They just released some new material too. Yet another thing to add to my list of music to listen to before I kick the bucket.

I guess for now a whole assortment of songs are floating around in my head. Some rock, some pop, some video game soundtracks, some obscure, some embarrassingly not. It's kinda hard to pinpoint what exactly I listen to when talking to people. It's even more fun when people have no damn clue what I'm talking about. Try asking some random person on the street what symphonic metal is. Then good luck explaining it without boring the person to death.

Which is why I keep to my self like a recluse. :)

Enjoy [or ignore] the rest of the songs I randomly post here.

And the finale. I have no shame. This song is awesome.

Credit to all the people who worked their butts off on these songs to get a paycheck.

Now... back to studying...

"Payphone"

"Fangirl, why are you reviewing pop music when you despise it with all your being?"

That statement is untrue. Pop music was all I knew for a decent chunk of my childhood. It was easy to find and nearly everyone knew the songs I was talking about. Then I hit a phase when I spent my days bashing everything pop music offered. Now, I'm slowly leaning back towards the genre to the point I can tolerate some songs or artists without feeling too guilty. Maroon 5 is one of them.

My dad and I adore Songs About Jane. Sure, "This Love", "She Will Be Loved", and "Sunday Morning" were played to death back in 2002, but these were strong, versatile tracks full of energy. This was pop music in which I could actually hear guitars, drums, even pianos playing. If I can hear any of these things over the highly produced and polished electronic whines and obvious autotune, I tend to be a happy camper. Songs About Jane felt so organic that it's one of my favorite albums of all time. It easily sits with Smash Mouth's Astro Lounge as awesome albums to blast and sing to on a long road trip.

Then came It Won't Be Soon Before Long. And Hands All Over. Maroon 5 took a completely radical 180 turn that rubbed me the wrong way. Every now and then I get hints of the band trying to be, well, a band again ("Misery" in particular), but they continue to sound like overproduced, processed sludge. At one point they may have been considered funk rock, but by this point, they are exclusively pop. There is hardly any "rock" left in them. And "Payphone" is only solidifying this fact.

The song on its own is decent, but I don't see how it's hit-worthy. The melody is nicer and catchier than most of Maroon 5's recent works, yet it's very... weak. Other than being childishly simple, the lyrics are nothing to write home about either ("One more f***ing love song, I'll be sick" and "I gave you my love to borrow"... really?) Without Adam Levine's higher-than-normal vocals, I could see this being anyone else's song. It's so bland that it sounds like Fall Out Boy's "Me and You" sped up and chipmunk-ed. Or maybe this was a rejected Linkin Park song during the Minutes to Midnight era. Even HIM could make this if Ville was drunk-stupid and suicidal. Besides, Maroon 5 was once so easy to spot in the sea of samey-sounding music. Now they dropped whatever potential for unique flavor they had just to sell out.

"Selling out" is an overused phrase thrown by angry fans once their favorite acts go corporate and fit in with the latest music trend. Arguably, Linkin Park seems to be testing their luck with this to not much success. But with the nonsensical "Moves Like Jagger", Adam Levine in The Voice, and a guest rapper in this mediocre song, I think "selling out" describes Maroon 5 well.

Speaking of the guest rapper, the verse is pointless and forgetable. It needs to fall in a pit and die because it has nothing to do with the rest of the lyrics in the song. Wiz Khalifa, thank you for making Adam's parts sound godlike while thrusting the quality of the song as a whole into a pile of garbage. One minute, it's "I have nothing left now that this is over", then it's "eff u, biatch! I gotz all did $$ w/out u!!!" Way to make "Payphone" a schizophrenic mess.

This is far from Maroon 5's worst, but this continues to solidify my doubts that this band can be interesting again. They don't have to try to be edgy, but they could at least sound like they're trying to have fun. Where's the energy, the passion of the music? Where are the instruments? Clearly they were left to die trapped in a locked box, or executives successfully drowned them in varnish. This sterile piece of "meh" is okay, but from what these guys showed before, this is yet another big disappointment.

Really, I cannot say anything more.

With Rap: 1.3 out of 5

W/out Rap: 2 out of 5

Fangirl's Mini Shots: Sonic Games

Because I can never seem to have any organized thoughts about a particular series of... anything, why not I do so now? With that darned blue hedgehog still in my mind I might as well make my opinion of certain aspects of the Sonic franchise. It might clear up some of the mess from a crappy review made this year, as well as set up any later reviews or rants. When it comes to Rants From a Fangirl, I have no clue where the heck my mind will wander next month. @_@

Just as a quick note, I hopped on the Sonic bandwagon right before Sonic Heroes in 2004. Therefore I am more familiar with "modern Sonic" and the gang.

With that out of the way... begin:

It took skill to save all the critters from the evil Eggman!

It's pretty embarrassing to be a casual fan but have never played the game that started it all. (The mini game version in Sonic Adventure does not count.) And as an owner of a Gamecube, I have no excuse to not buy Sonic Mega Collection. Better dash to it!

Sonic and pals at one of their happiest and finest!

Yay, the game that marked the beginning of the 3D era! Supposedly it's the only one handled right. Character-wise, this is absolutely true: Adventure made me fall in love with the cast. Gameplay-wise, this is the most memorable, albeit slightly dated.

Back when the reflection was not solely a piece of reusable "fanservice."

Being the first Sonic game I ever played, Adventure 2 is tightly knit to my heart. The addictive Chao Gardens, the awesome soundtrack, and Shadow. ...Okay, the Fangirl confesses: it was just Shadow and his story. Still, this was just as fun as its elder brother, even if the gameplay was polarized and split into three styles. These were my good old days...

And thus the bullcrap continues to pile up...

Love to hate it and hate to love it. The only game in this series I have lost all interest to beat. Everything is a humongous pile of "meh." Some cool new characters were thrown in, but severely underused. The gameplay was so repetitive I wanted to throw my controller at my TV. And poor amnesiac Shadow forgot to die. I call bull.

THE "SERIOUS BUSINESS" ATTITUDE IS OVER 9000!!!
That joke's so old...

Say hello to the unkempt black sheep no one will ever stop bitching about. I freaking love Shadow the Hedgehog for the amazing variety in level designs, soundtrack, and storylines (think somewhat-kinda on the lines of Higurashi.) Sadly I cannot defend how the execution was confusing and messy. Even though I now think it would have been fine if Shadow died in SA2, this game gave his story a satisfying resolution. This was the last time a Sonic character ever had decent development though. *sad*

Another hedgehog with a human friend? REALLY?!

Four words: HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?! Glitchy, stupid, buggy, sloppy, glitchy, insulting, broken, pretentious, glitchy, and depressing. It's pretty damn sad that Sonic is the most useless and incompetent part of this game. He pretty much lets his human-phobic rival and a telekinetic kid be the true heroes! The only good thing? "Dreams of an Absolution."

Did I forget to say this game is glitchy? And Elise? REALLY?! Even Maria wasn't as pointless!

Day + speed - entertainment = BAD.

Sonic Unleashed is yet another hair-and-spike-ball of "meh." Say goodbye to whatever made the 3D games likable. This is the Eat Me, Drink Me of the Sonic games: a degraded, disappointing model of what was decent. The 2D gameplay fails to impress and the Daytime stages are mind-numbingly boring. At least the Nighttime stages gave me the chance to let out my frustration! The Warehog - though a stupid concept - was actually fun!

Yet another adventure to stop Baldy McNosehair...
by saving alien critters!

A much better effort to appeal to the classics, but still missed the mark. The music is a bit too cookie-cutter and repetitive, even for very polished, electronic pop. But... so... pwetty... @o@ The dialogue in the Wii version is so hilarious I cried many times. AND NEW VOICE ACTORS! *waves goodbye to 4Kids cast*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that you're all tired out from this topic...

SOMETHING UNRELATED!!!

You're welcome.

'TRANS//LATION 2'

Another new album I can proudly say I thoroughly enjoy.

I hate pop. Wait, that has been established a long time ago... yet I still mention it. This introduction is pointless.

Like a preppy girl is jealous of another girl's pricey skirt, bag, or outfit, I am madly envious of anyone who can speak more than one language. My green jealousy is nearly at the level of deep, pure, black resentment for the lucky ducks. Or maybe I just hate my laziness and impantience...

Back in 2008, Bentley Jones released TRANS//LATION, his bilingual debut album featuring covers of Japanese pop songs. Ben-chan sang most of them in their original language, but he got permission to translate some into English. It was only released in Japan and is yet to officially set foot further west. But that's where TRANS//LATION 2 comes in. This album has a handful of new tracks and re-recorded versions of two songs on TRANS//LATION: "Sunao ni Naretara" (or "FINAL NIGHT") and "GLAMOROUS SKY."

There will be plenty of Japanese for the English-speakers and English to the Japanese-speakers. Consider this a "no duh" warning for the clueless. Moving on.

Anyone who is a fan of the Shakugan no Shana anime might be happy or enraged by this special cover of "JOINT," which is much a more aggressive rock track than the original. After hearing this and the original, Ben-chan's version creates a more epic four minute track of badassness without spilling into unlistenable noise territory. Also, fans of Naruto Shippuden might recognize one of the ending themes: "Michi~to you all." I know I didn't; but my stance on Naruto as a whole is completely irrelevant.

As for English covers, Bentley gives us a hilariously catchy song, "Word Up," which is tolerable for one who dislikes dance music. Despite the somewhat creepy lyrics, "Stay" is very melodic and epic track despite the chorus having only three words repeated over and over. Meanwhile "Running Up That Hill" is a pleasant surprise by not being soft and mellow like Placebo's cover. Oh, no. It gets intense here too.

But probably the most memorable track is "GLAMOROUS SKY." In TRANS//LATION, it was a weak. Now, it is a symphonic, heartbreaking pop rock track whether you listen to it in English or Japanese.

So, take a step back from the information overload and let the nitpicking begin.

On one hand, I praise Ben-chan for singing in Japanese very well. When I first discovered his music a few months ago, I had no clue he was British. Props to anyone who can sing in another language pretty darn convincingly and clearly. Also, each individual song stands on its own enough so not one track sounds exactly the same, even if one cannot understand a lick of Japanese.

Best of all, even though this is considered pop and autotune is used, Bentley Jones's voice is emotional and genuine, giving very beautiful performances when he wants. Even when he jokes around in "Word Up," he doesn't come off as an overconfident party animal desperate to get attention. Unlike some obnoxious artists in the mainstream...

However, releasing a new album with nothing but covers is a bit of a let-down after blowing off steam with Finally Free. In a way the release TRANS//LATION 2 says "Yeah, Bentley Jones can make his own music now that he can do what he wants, but let's stick to the debut album shtick." Sure, now he releases singles and other small goodies, but it would be nice to hear another full album with his own material. Maybe that's what's in store next.

TRANS//LATION 2 is not as good as Finally Free, but this is definitely worth checking out. Like Escape the Fate, this is yet another newly released album that I can proudly love.

FINAL VERDICT: 4 out of 5

'Finally Free'

(CREDIT: fully deserved to Bentley Jones)

RANK: 4.7 out of 5 <-- Just... WOW!!

Electronic music confuses me. This is a sign that I have to dive deeper and recognize the difference between the various subgenres it contains. However, repetition, simple beats, auto-tune, and multiple layers of electronic noise often tend to be very hit-or-miss. Some acts make music that sounds fine with such elements (Hellogoodbye, Julien-K, etc.) and others make eardrums explode (Kesha, Lil Wayne, etc.) With such a thin line to walk on, does Bentley Jones hang on or fall into a pit?

From the above rank he obviously does it right.

My first experience with his music was "Dreams of an Absolution", credited as Lee Brotherton, as a character theme from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). Despite the amount of auto-tune that drives me up the wall, there was something that captured the spirit of Silver as a character. The song almost screamed out raw a emotion I often don't expect from electronic tracks. Completely enchanted, I began immediate research and within 48 hours I bought two of his albums. Instead of jumping the gun, I jumped across the face of the Earth sixty times.

As far as Finally Free goes, it tested my overall doubt for electronic music. I honestly do not know 100% if it is "overproduced" or bathed in auto-tune, but Bentley Jones did not completely hide behind an artificial wall. There are several tracks that are beautifully performed and tempt me to not say anything objectively wrong with them. So I guess that means they... moved me? *gasp!* Some heartbreakingly pretty tracks like "Waiting for Clouds" and "Birdcage" tried to appeal to my "dead" feminine side. (Looks like HIM needs to keep this guy on their radar...) I guess this proved to me that electronic music can be as emotional and touching as anything "more genuine" with "real" instruments and singing.

According to a letter written on his website, Bentley worked on this record entirely all by himself, without a record company telling him what to do. EVERYTHING. That's really gutsy and impressive.

Of course, to keep my reputation as an immature unprofessional reviewer, I have to make some criticism. First, don't think you'll fall in love with it immediately. As a hard rock and heavy metal chick, this was absolutely true for me. Finally Free grew on me modestly after a few listens, when I had to bring out my younger pop-loving self inside. At least a few tracks use some rock elements and orchestration pieces to keep a sense of variety. Next, I can't say Bentley stands out completely as a singer. I watched some live clips of him on Youtube and he has a very nice and strong voice, but at a first listen, he might not stand out in the ears of most. This album might be the most honest work he's ever done, but it does not show one thing that makes him very interesting as an artist. Wait until I tackle TRANS//LATION 2...

What I will say though is that the ninth song sounds a bit silly in the verses. I'll bet it was done on purpose, but this - more than a few others - really sounds like a J-pop act. It's interesting, but strange.

Yet, just like Escape the Fate's self titled album, Finally Free is yet another oasis in my dry spell of jadedness. With only one song that screams "evil girl" ("ST4LK3R"), no song sounds artificial and fake, in lyrics and performance. Because there are only nine songs (not including two/three bonus tracks) I cannot provide too many links to spoil the album for anyone. But seriously, if you like electronic music that might give you a sensation of flying [free - bad pun XD], I seriously recommend this album. No, I recommend this to anyone who is curious.

I strongly admire Ben-chan's honesty and effort in this album; it makes me wonder how many musicians would do something like this... Pop, but yet not very popular - practically unknown! Geez, Bentley Jones confuses me greatly... 4.7 out of 5 since I can't think of a honest rank. My music tastes have been put into question... maybe this is a sign...!

"Rolling in the Deep"

(CREDITS: Adele. Thank god it's not me...)

Rank: 1 out of 5 <-- get me some doom metal...

Sometimes I wonder why I subject myself to such torture... NO. I wonder why I have to be around things that I want dead. I'd honestly love to pull a MCR "Thank You for the Venom" on this song so badly.

On the surface, "Rolling in the Deep" is a bland bluesy song with a woman with good, yet painful vocal skills. Right there, I am at my neck in problems. Maybe I'm very biased and closed-minded at times, but I'll admit this now. Pop can be annoying, but catchy. Rap and hip hop may be shallow, but there are a few decent artists I might respect. But jazz and blues... I HATE THEM WITH A PASSION.

Doom metal makes me dance for joy in comparison: jazz and blues are that mellow and boring as heck. Not one song in that genre has ever caught my ear and consider a new door of opportunities. At least with rap, there was Rage Against the Machine, Linkin Park, and many other acts with rap rock, which was a fun genre while it lasted! But anything bluesy or jazzy in nature has always made me want to leave the room or shut down.

Okay, fine. It's not my cup of tea, but is "Rolling in the Deep" that awful? Oh yes, dear friends, it is.

A few months back, my art teacher played 21 for my class one day, and I didn't think Adele could be an awful musician. But one thing that bothered me was how my teacher claimed she was one of the better singers out right now [... in the mainstream of course]. Honestly, Adele has a range, but her voice is so powerful that it's like a half-god lifting up a boulder and struggling to carry it for thirty feet. The power if there, but it's just awkward. In this song in particular, she cannot hold a note, have power, have emotion, and hold it all together in more than two seconds. Maybe it's all about style, but Lady GaGa can deliver her voice far better if we get rid of that auto tune. Wait...

Adele is not alone in the category of females with powerful, confident, and emotional vocals, albeit their genres are different. Amy Lee is such an example, although she can hold a note better, there are times when I want to saw my ears off. Tarja Turunen is another and far more versatile and controlled than the aforementioned; she can be soft and gentle one moment and booming and epic in another. I could drop Emilie Autumn here too, but her voice doesn't quite have much of a punch as these women. Hell, I could also add Beyonce, but let's not go on.

Subjectively speaking, the style in music and vocals make Fangirl want to sit through Ergo Proxy in a straightjacket than to hear this song again. As for the objective problems, let's see... The song is just plain average in every way. The lyrics are your typical "I'm mad at this dishonest SOB" and it's pretty simple and cheesy despite the failed attempts to sound poetic. They paint no interesting image, even with a "good voice." Maybe my standards are too high for a simple catchy pop song.

Then again, "Rolling in the Deep" is so average, even in catchiness, that I'm shocked that it still is so damn popular. [**WARNING: terms used VERY loosely!**] It's nowhere near as fun**, interesting**, or catchy as "Bad Romance," "Tick Tock," or "Fire Burning," which is also mediocre! Even "Hey Soul Sister," another song I loathe, is far more fascinating** at the least in stupidity! "Rolling in the Deep" might not be like some of the more popular party hits, but it still fits the other bland categories of pop music while bringing nothing groundbreaking to the table.

Overconfident, bland, dull, and annoying as hell. That is "Rolling in the Deep." And the fact that it's not my cup of tea makes it worse. Looks like at this rate I will forever dislike bluesy and jazzy music. At least I don't hate this enough to call it shit...