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05 August 2013

Summer Jam Week 13: Blurred or Clarity?

Heloooooo August! It's time now for another edition of the Summer Jam, our weekly countdown of the greatest hottest Jams trying to become true Summer Royalty. As Shark Week dawns, where are the hot jams at? In an exceptionally pop-y week, they're right here baby:

Hot Jam of the Week: "Choe (You're The One I Want)" by Emblem3



Boy bands rule, obvi. Emblem3, the latest in a long line of boy bands like the Jonas Brothers and One Direction, who really haven't gone anywhere, actually, will seek to emulate this horrible popular style. Now, the Backstreet Boys at least had a completely boffo reunion in This is The End (2013), can we expect the same from Emblem3? No. This is the last time anyone on the Internet will talk about Emblem3.

Sunny Blues: "Summertime Sadness" by Lana Del Rey

This jam actually came out last year in Europe, but didn't really hit the U.S. until a few months ago. Still, because that's a bit old, we're highlighting the Cedric Gervais remix, which we can only assume is some kind of combination between Cedric the Entertainer and Ricky Gervais. It's a nice thumper of a Summer Track, though, even if it's more an ode to a Bummer Summer than a Boomer Summer. Lana Del Rey remains one of the more brilliant pop acts out there, if only from her apparent complete lack of interest of being a pop star. Good on you.

Booty Indeed: "Treasure" by Bruno Mars

This Jam is still hanging around, although it's dropped a bit more than I expected it to. I would take its refreshing retro video over the smut of "Blurred Lines" any day. Maybe not. Those chicks are pretty hot. Anyway, this is an epic jam that's getting a little over-muscled by anything Pharrell is doing this summer, which is a shame.

Schizophrenic Pop Rap Jam: "Holy Grail" by Jay-Z ft. JT

There are parts of this track that I really like but other parts that are awful. It's really all over the place. From Justin crooning and building intensity to Jay-Z doing his random mafioso thing and the non sequitor "Smells Like Teen Spirit" breakdown, this track tries to be everything at once and can't quite pull it together. Jay-Z in particular should be better. He was a bit crispier and more coherent on "Suit and Tie" for goodness sake. Who is this song targeted to anyway? Is it pop? R&B? Gangsta? Who knows. About half of it is worth a Summer Jam so here ya go.

Fuzzy Dashes: "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell

I'm ready for "Blurred Lines" to fizzle out. Among all the Jams on this list and this summer though, there is perhaps no song that has made a bigger cultural splash, which is exactly what a Summer Jam needs to do. Its domination may have passed, but this is still going to kick around for a while and even with four more weeks of Jamming, it's just about a done deal that these dudes become King.

Better or Worse? "Clarity" by Zedd ft. Foxes

This is the kind of random upsurge that makes Summer Jams fun. You've never really heard of this track before this week, and maybe you won't hear it ever again. But for the 13th Week of Summer, "Clarity" was everywhere. It's got a really crazy music video full of these big building moments that are kind of boring yet hypnotizing. The lyrical ascension reminds me of an Ellie Goulding track, which is only a good thing. Maybe it'll stick around.

Till You Get Enough: "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus

Miley has gotten tot he point where you really have to double check whether or not she has brain damage. I'm down for a Disney chick like her who completely shakes off her family friendly image to just go nuts. Of course, the extent of her going nuts hasn't reached dangerous Amanda Bynes-like levels yet, but that's another story. It's actually a fairly enjoyable song, and pretty sweet for any Summer Party. Just no lines in the bathroom, girl.

Robots Rule All: "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk ft. Pharrell

For the second week in a row the winner is no contest: "Get Lucky" is quietly taking over all of Summer, although it's not getting the word of mouth that "Blurred Lines" really has. Can it match their cultural cachet? It's the ultimate battle between an infectious widely seen music video and a song that doesn't really have a music video. "Get Lucky" is where it's at - we'll just see now if it an close out Summer on top to make a good case for its Kingliness.

Next week...

The battle is really coming down to "Get Lucky" and "Blurred Lines" in August, but there are still a few hits to be seen. I mostly want to seee how the star studded Mumford & Sons video "Hopeless Wanderer" does a few years into the Folk Pop Rock Revolution.

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