Summer Jam Week 12: Lucky Parties

It's another lazy Summer Monday, so it's time of course to recount the greatest, hottest jams of the week. It's really turning upside down this season as we close out July and get into our final Sunny Month. In just a few more weeks it will be Labor Day and our search for the steamiest Summer Jam will be at an end. In the meantime, enjoy this week's Winners:

Hot Jam of the Week: "Safe and Sound" by Capital Cities



This is a peppy song with a trippy video that adds a bit to the idea that the Summer of 2013 is truly the Summer of Funk. It's a fairly competent pop rock track that had a nice upsurging week, though it is a bit too bland to really break out at this point.

Shippin Across the Border: "Cruise (REMIX)" by Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly

This track manages to stay alive because even though I'm not really hearing the actual song as much, I'm still hearing people everywhere sing and hum this jam. It would seem that this truly has had an influence in pop culture - everyone knows this damn song. And it's just gotten to the point where it's pretty irritating to listen to. As "Cruise" hits its nather, what does that portend for its chances as Jam King? It's caught on for sure, but there are just more loved options out there - even though everyone has heard of "Cruise," everyone kind of hates it.

Reflect This: "Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake

I have been somewhat avoiding "Mirrors" all summer, despite its consistently good Billboard rankings. I just never thought it really caught on or got all that much airplay. That changed this week, though - suddenly this jam was everywhere. JT has another terrible new single out, too, but nothing in the next couple weeks is going to match his "Suit & Tie" from earlier this year.

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

This will go down as one of the more significant videos and songs of 2013 for sure, whether or not it's really the King of Summer will be another debate, even though it's got a damn good argument. Half thanks to the most infectious beat of 2013, half thanks to the smooth crooning of the Son of Alan Thicke, and just about all thanks to Emily Ratajkowski, this song, regardless of its rapey feel, is a cultural phenomenon. Considering the misogyny, that really is a bit of a shame.

Homo Much: "Same Love" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert

Is that Arrested Development reference too obscure to the point of perceived homophobia? This is still a great song, and when contrasted with just about anything else on this list, deserves to be more prominent. It's hopefully a good sign of progressive change that this song is getting well known and wide airplay. It's hard to even fathom that homophobia could exist anymore - it's so widely accepted. Of course, I live in the North.

Like Kaiju Blue: "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons

I can't believe this jam is still crawling and scratching its way towards cultural significance, but it's turned into one of the cooler hits of the year. I blame those big brash drum smacks and the surreal muppet video that really doesn't match the passion and intensity of the song at all. Well, it does actually, but muppet intensity just seems a strange juxtaposition. Who cares, this song rules.

Smiley Miley: "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus

Miley could have put out a jam like Carly Rae Jepsen last year, or something else that would play well with her built in Disney Crowd Fanbase. Instead she's dropped one of the strangest videos with some of the least classy lyrics ever. I really want to see her go toe to toe with Ke$ha at this point, who narrowly missed appearing on the list this week. The fact that we're even mentioning Miley as a solid Ke$ha competitor should attest to her successful re-branding. Whether or not that re-branding will turn out to be a good move for Miley is another debate entirely, but for now, this is a solid summer jam.

Like Lionel Ritche: "Get Luck" by Daft Punk ft. Pharrell

We're finally giving the Robots the top spot on the week's Jam list, because this track really still can't go anywhere but up - and we're pumped about that. Considering how long his has been fuddling around here and how enjoyable this track remains, that's quite an achievement. This still can only really succeed even more, and as one of the smoother, nicer tracks around these days that can literally be played at any Summer occasion, this could have a late season run to take it all.

Next week...

It was regrettable to leave off "Treasure," but there were just so many other deserving candidates this week. Don't count Bruno out of the race yet, though. I was also considering Anna Kendrick's "Cups" which has flirted with the list for a long damn time. Finally, considering the premiere of Smurfs 2 (2013), will Britney Spears' "Ooh La La" come back here? I can't believe I really wrote that. No, no one above the age of three cares about the Smurfs.

The Road to a Blockbuster: SNIKT!

We're getting into the last throes of July, and so the real Blockbuster Season is nearly done with. Every Friday all Summer Long we've been examining the critical, commercial, and cultural potential of each big movie that has hit the Box Office. We're not only concerned with whether or not a film's going to make any money, but whether or not we still be loving it ten or twenty years on down the line. Where is our next Ghostbusters (1984), Back to the Future (1985), or Jurassic Park (1993)? It is interesting enough that these really great Blockbuster films seem to have been canonized, without any new entries allowed. Do the films coming out today have what it takes? What do you say, Wolvie?

Logan took the red pill.

That The Wolverine (2013) exists at all is a strange phenomenon. Wolverine was already basically the star of the first three X-Men movies when he got his own spinoff, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). While that movie did OK at the Box Office, it's also generally accepted as one of the worst superhero flicks of all time, and not just because will.i.am has a major role. The bloated plot made no sense, it butchered longtime fan favourite characters like Deadpool, and it was somehow laced with worse CGI effects than the first X-Men film, which dropped nearly ten years prior. This movie angered me so much, that to date it's still the only film I've ever reviewed that I didn't see in theaters, because I felt so compelled to trash it.

So why am I still kind of jazzed for The Wolverine? It's the kind of experimental movie that can only come from a franchise as experienced as X-Men. By this point X-Men (2000) has almost become the grandaddy of the modern Superhero movie. Out of the three core franchise movies, two are pretty good, and after that they've been free to flex their muscles. After X-Men Origins: Wolverine tried to be a solo flick (which was really just still a team-up pic, crammed with a ridiculous number of mutant cameos), X-Men: First Class (2011) went back in time as the first period super hero film (coming out a few weeks ahead of Captain America: The First Avenger [2011]). Now, the main series is able to mix and mash up its characters in the first time-travelling superhero film in the form of the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). This franchise is able to bend and buckle itself unlike any other modern series of films. So of course we can take a journey to Japan with no A-list supporting cast members, no mutants, and from the looks of it, no powers. Right?

That's why I'm excited about The Wolverine. It's the exact opposite of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It's a stripped down story focused on character instead of an excuse to have lots of explosions and mindless action. This also makes it a bit harder to market, but it should ultimately pay off. Could it become the greatest X-Men movie out there? The franchise is 3 for 5 on good flicks right now, which isn't too awful. Wolverine as a character is always overexposed, this happens in the comic world, too. Seeing him with a bit of depth and without the Amnesia Monkey on his back is quite refreshing.

Apparently Hugh Jackman is challenging
Matthew McConaughey for the title of
"Most Time Spent on Screen without a Shirt On"

In the best of worlds this will really be an anti-superhero movie. A closed off, contemplative experience that focused on Wolverine dealing with the massive amounts of nonsense he's graced in the previous five films. Or it will just be more of the same crap. If it's the same crap, this film is going to be a drop in the pond, especially during a summer where it has become more and more difficult for any action film to break out. In fact, no action film as really done that well since World War Z (2013), and that only did well by normal standards, not really in terms of how huge its budget was (it's about barely breaking even right now for the studio, once you factor marketing costs and theater takes). To be fair, that was only a month ago, but there has been so many others that have come in, tried, and failed since then, from White House Down (2013) all the way through to R.I.P.D. (2013). I'm feeling like we still need a little breather - here's to Elysium (2013) premiering on a clean slate. If, however, The Wolverine is actually a solid movie, it can rise above a lot of the other crap that has dropped this summer. It can be the movie it needs to be.

There are also two smaller comedies debuting this week. The To-Do List (2013) seems to be an attempt to give Aubrey Plaza a starring vehicle, but I get the sense that she's a much better supporting actress than a lead actress. It also makes me think of this really weird and awkward moment from the MTV Movie Awards a few months back. The To-Do List seems like a fairly typical teen sex comedy, which we haven't seen all that much of lately, to be honest. I'm not sure this can become a cult hit, which it really needs to be if it wants any kind of long term success.

The other comedy film, which is expanding a bit this weekend, The Way, Way Back (2013), does seem to have the makings of a cult hit, which is good. It's got a dream cast of Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney, and Maya Rudolph among others. It's also directed by the Oscar winning duo who wrote The Descendants (2011), Nat "Beerfest Germon" Faxon and Jim "Dean Pelton" Rash. It's got kind of an Adventureland (2009) summer growing up movie kind of vibe, and that shit is usually legit, especially with this kind of talent involved. Of course, its marketing has really miffed on this, but if it's solid, it'll find a way into the hearts and minds of the people who want it. Long term, broad success, though, is out of the picture.

So will you be unsheathing your claws this weekend? I feel like The Wolverine has been such an afterthought. This summer was all about Men of Steel and Iron, not Adamantium. We'll see what the pup can pull off. Stay bloodthirsty, my friends.

Summer Jam Week 11: Treasure Can't Stop the Party

We're hitting some peak vacay time in the middle of July, and the race for the most Jamworthy Track of Summer is really heating up. There were a tremendous amount of debuts this week, and it was tough to narrow it down. Be sure to check out the preview for next week for more:

Hot Jam of the Week: "Holy Grail" by Jay-Z ft. Justin Timberlake



Magna Carta...Holy Grail really isn't that great. Neither is this song, which is kind of all over the place, from smooth JT lyrics to a little "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for some reason, to intense break downs, then Jay- going "uh uh uh." It's completely schizophrenic and no part of it is that catchy. Still, it's doing OK, though I can't imagine this taking off. It's certainly no "Suit and Tie."

Chernobyl Style: "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons

It's safe to say by now that this track has put Imagine Dragons on the map and is here to stay for the summer, even though every week I think it has overstayed its welcome. To be honest, it's not all that stale yet somehow, which is a testament to the throbbing beat, the passionate vocals, and the completely boffo music video.

Need Somebody: "Love Somebody" by Maroon 5

Maroon 5 is getting good at cranking out the most generic alt rock / pop tracks imaginable, and this one is no exception. It's so bland and forgettable, although it seems to be catching on a little bit. The rad music video helps. Still, this is such innocuous, mind-shutting down music, nothing stands out. Maybe that makes it a bit better for party background music. In that case, no where to go but up I suppose.

Crank the AC: "Cruise (Remix)" by Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly

This track is starting to have a bit of cultural cache, connecting hip-hop and country fans alike. That said, it hasn't really caught on entirely like it needs to or could have considering the possible market for big country crossover hits. My guess is unlike Lady Antebellum, the country parts were way too country (they are severely twangy), and the Nelly parts were too Nellyish for it to really fly up and away. It's become a pretty widely known song, but far from a Summer King.

Robots in Paradise: "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk ft. Pharrell

If you haven't yet had the chacne to read the Rolling Stone interview with Pharrell, where he ruminates at length about how "Get Lucky" was inspired by philosophical concepts of capturing the moment of the present as opposed to the past or future, you should definitely read how crazy this dude sounds. It's also apparently clear that Daft Punk are robots and Pharrell is a vampire. It's still a groovy track and worthy of all its Summer Praise and electro crossover appeal.

Titties Everywhere: "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke ft. Pharrell and T.I.

In what is probably the most iconic video of the year so far, I'm still not sure how Robin Thicke got three topless models on YouTube. From the smut and chauvinist perspective, filming this video also looks like the funnest experience ever. From a female empowerment perspective, probably not so much. The most iconic video of the year is also the most controversial, for no reasons that are really legitimate. It is sad that three popular music stars can shoot a video with three topless broads like this and have it become one of the forerunners for Summer Jam of 2013 but what can you do? I suppose we need a team of lady artists to come up with some Banana Hammock-themed monster hit next year, right? I'm not sure that would work. Demeaning or not, this song is catchy as hell, and it'd take a heady upset to properly derail its Summer King chances.

All Twerk and No Play: "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus

Speaking of super crazy music videos, welcome to the party, Miley. I'm not sure which part I like best - the money sandwich, the faux finger slicing, the teddy bear dances, or just the massive amounts of twerking and mugging at the camera. I just want to listen to Miley sing more about standing in bathroom lines. And doing lines in the bathroom. It's this crazy aggressive assertion of her maturity and sexuality, but it's kind of amiss because it's totally immature and really confused sexually. That could be intentional. I hope so. Party on, girl.

Funk City: "Treasure" by Bruno Mars

With Sad Mouse no where to be found, Bruno gets the #1 spot with "Treasure" this week. The track is really popping out loud and is become the kind of ubiquitous song a true Summer Jam needs to be. For the first time in many years the real Summer Jam isn't totally obvious, with many contenders all vying for the crown. There a still a few weeks left though - can "Treasure" hold on? "Get Lucky" and "Blurred Lines" are probably the best competition right now, unless Macklemore can get back into the game. Stay tuned, folks!

Next Week...

Okay, folks, in addition to Jay-Z, competitors for the Hot Jam of the week included songs such as Demi Lovato's "Made in the USA," which is a fairly awful song that could have benefited at least somewhat from being released a few weeks prior during Independence Weekend.There are also new songs breaking from Of Monsters and Men and Imagine Dragons that are no where near as good as the big songs each band is known for. Finally, Bowie dropped a single this week. Not sure why this didn't drop in January or February, but whatevs. "Valentine's Day" is about as good as any other aging Rock Star's modern track is. And that guitar riff does feel a lot like Ziggy. Will any of these Jams crawl up the charts to be considered for a Summer Throne? Unlikely - but check in next week
 as we wrap up July!