Sugababes: Classic Or Dud?

It's too soon, really. My instincts tell me they're going to crap out. Still, though, I'm really liking the tracks I've heard. SERIOUSLY liking - it's like I'm listening to Radiohead or Ida or Ken Vandermark or something. Perhaps I'm finally wearing down that shield of hipster shit that doesn't allow me to unconditionally love anything that screams "pre-fab teeny bopper piffle". ("What a Girl Wants" excluded, of course.)

But, then, stuff like "Overload" doesn't sound like pre-fab teeny bopper piffle. That song sets the bar kind of high, but the other tracks I've heard don't embarrass themselves, either. And, there isn't an excessive media blitz taking hold of the US. Yet. There should be, though. (Of course, the last mechapop single I fell for - "The Call" - fell off the Billboard charts faster than an elephant without a parachute.)

But, yeah. So far, classic.

Tom, the charts only exist as a "capitalist marketing tool" to steal pocket money from kids and teenagers - and you know it pall!

I really loved Overload when I first heard it and thought Sugababes really were something but all that "We're not like other pop groups because when we dance we have really blank expressions on our faces and in fact we hardly dance at all and we certainly aren't going to waste our time by dressing nicely just because we're on telly" shit really bored me

putting aside all the reasons for hype, the SONGS (remember those?) are a) catchy as all get-out (i've found myself singing 'lush life' and 'promises' as well as 'overload' at inappropriate moments), b) remarkably understated sonically which only serves to increase their eventual insidiousness into that part of the skull that holds on to hooks and doesn't let them go, c) remarkably mature (not 'slutty' which seems to pass for 'mature' here in the states) in a convincing way. sure there are songs that aren't great, that could be construed as filler, but come on! understated, cool catchiness is something that shouldn't be taken lightly today.

so. classic. whoever said it's going to tank in the US was sadly right, though. unless someone comes up with a vocoder-heavy trendy american remix for 'overload' -- but NO NO NO that must not happen.

Like "Overload" - they're not talking about pop music (thank god) or love or ... love. They want to get out of school early & take a break, unwind. The other songs, too, are rooted more in the minutae of their situations, instead of just tossing out fire/desire claptrap.

That's probably why "The Call" stuck with me - it's an atypical song, going somewhere that other songs of its sort haven't gone before. Yes, it's just a song about some boys playing off their infidelity via a cell-phone bombing out. But compared to "..Baby One More Time" or "Candy" or "I Turn To You", it's Randy Newman.

"Pop band Sugababes denied claims that there is a clause in their contract forbidding them to smile on stage"

Classic. Must get album.

Emma, have you seen the new video? How can people with skin so shiny not be considered babes?

Nah - only that Irish one looks like P00. Those 2 remaining look quite tasty to me.

so what do I know" Someone please put some music &/or beatz behind this!!!

best etc.

is this allowed???

I was looking forward to this (arguably the greatest girl band hits album of the 2000's), but not so now that they've airbrushed out sugababes 1.0 in such a stalinist way.
has any other act done this...?

i'm not entirely sure I'd notice the change, but Dammit Jim! its the principle.

yes. this happened within about a WEEK of mutya leaving - I was v impressed with their efficiency.

I probably prefer all the originals, because I've got used to how they sound, and because I really love Mutya's voice in particular (still not heard Amelle's!), but I can't see any point in getting het up about re-recording, especially now that it's been established that this endless cycle of members is What Sugababes Do.

http://s8.invisionfree.com/sugababesuk/index.php?showtopic=4195&st=0

I have the Amelle version of "Red Dress" and it's really not that different. I've heard the original version many times so I'm sensitive to little changes, like her timing is different in places and stuff like that. It's subtle. I've never heard of groups rerecording already-released songs...I don't think Destiny's Child ever did that, and they went through their fair share of switching.

I hadn't noticed before either how Mutya and Keisha's vocals on "Ace Reject" follow completely different melodies, they could have almost made it into two songs. It's like [verse a] [bridge a] [verse b] [bridge b] [chorus] [Heidi's middle eight] [bridge b] [chorus]. But so subtly done!

Sugababes mk 1 = classic
Sugababes mk 2 = classic
Sugababes mk 3 = we'll see

i was talking with frank kogan about how much potential the sugababes had for US crossover - he thinks not much, what with the teenpop market drying up and the sugababes not being quite r&b enough. i really don't know!

that new album cover makes them looks like banarama.

how could that be a bad thing?

its not - the new girl looks hot, keisha looks quite sexable, although heidi looks oddly concerned.

that new album cover makes them looks like banarama.

-- titchyschneiderMk2, Friday, 5 October 2007 10:59

TOTALLY otm. i thought exactly that. SURPRISE is your winner off the new album.

Sugababe arrested over 'attack'

Sugababes member Amelle Berrabah has been arrested after an alleged attack on a car in Aldershot, Hampshire.
Police confirmed a 23-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage and a public order offence after an incident on 9 January.

She was bailed to appear at Aldershot police station on 21 February.

The pop star joined the successful girl group in 2005. Her boyfriend Freddie Fuller is recovering after being attacked with a machete last month.

The group claimed the number one spots on both the singles and album charts in the UK in October last year, with their latest album Change and single About You Now.

HATE HER

MUTYA 4EVER

http://possumblog.mu.nu/images/basil_fawlty.jpg

'Girls' (as in Here Come The) sounds like it was produced by Fatboy Slim

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a135316/sugababes-glad-to-ditch-electro-image.html

once Classic,

now Dud.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8548338.stm

Mow Mutya want the name back!

she shd call herself the sugababe aka, imo

irl fistpump for mutya, she got the name back!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2195267.stm

I'm a big fan of the Bucks Fizz feud.

http://www.capitalfm.com/artists/sugababes/news/deny-losing-name-mutya-buena/

Oh well. Looking forward to the gift wrap!

"First she came for the wallpaper..."

BACK BACK BACK

blasting one touch in celebration. what a fucking amazing album though!

2-step beats on "same old story" <3 <3

Oh yes!

http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/jan2012/8/5/sugababes-reunion-pics-rex-getty-image-1-158705373.jpg
http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/jan2012/0/1/sugababes-reunion-pics-rex-getty-image-2-234862336.jpg

weird.

They should call themselves Buchanan Donaghy Buena, then next year get all six together to make an album called 'Coalition'

those were both in the first article i googled when i looked to see what people were talking about in this thread, btw. it seems like a depressing progression as regards 'what female figures in the public eye are expected to look like'. but i can't tell if that's really a genuine thing or if it's an artifact of the second photo being a far more staged occasion; or, if it is a genuine thing, whether it's because the original band was kind of an oddity, & then whether one could imagine that case cropping up these days. hrm.

so so so excited for this! one touch was so formative in my mid-teens.

intruiged to see how they'll go about this, considering what worked so well for the original trio was their youth and precociousness.

not being the other 3 shd work out fine for them this go round

Heidi looks downright terrible in that photo. One Touch is so classic, as good as some of their later singles - esp off Angels + "Push The Button" are - I'm not sure they ever topped the Overload/Run For Cover brace.

it seems like a depressing progression as regards 'what female figures in the public eye are expected to look like'

cf pictures of girls aloud when they first emerged and in their latter days

d'you think it's true as a general thing, lex, or do you think that it was a deliberate and calculated move on the grounds of marketing/record companies/whoever that sugababes and girls aloud circa 2001 had a "look" that was 'resembling actual human beings'

i'm just heading out now so can't expand - i think "looking like ordinary girls" was broadly true in the early 00s, certainly across UK girl groups; but there's also the vexed question of how young pop acts evolve or mature or "grow up", and one of the laziest but most common ways to visually signify that a teenage pop act has grown up is by "going sexy", and this happened to both sugababes and girls aloud (but no "ordinary girls" came along to fill that niche) (until...little mix?!)

They should call themselves Buchanan Donaghy Buena, then next year get all six together to make an album called 'Coalition'

― Peas, Ants, Pigs & Astronauts (PaulTMA), Friday, January 6, 2012 1:09 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Sugababes... the Yes of pop! :D

BACK

they look AMAZING and i am hyped

https://twitter.com/MKSOfficial/status/226256172368396288/photo/1

http://cdn.umg3.net/mutyakeishasiobhan/holding/assets/images/mutya.jpghttp://cdn.umg3.net/mutyakeishasiobhan/holding/assets/images/keisha.jpghttp://cdn.umg3.net/mutyakeishasiobhan/holding/assets/images/siobhan.jpg

YES.

I am scared shitless that the result will be less than amazing tho.

also: v poor lack of piling in here ILM (it were all sugababes round here when i were a lad)

First Sunship radio edits, now Sugababes? Is it really time for the early 00s revival? Am I really that old already?

All hail the new Suga overlords.

Now if they need a producer/songwriter I'd just like to volunteer my services... oh wait.

xxp OMFG

My ideal for their return (which probably won't be achieved but there's always hope) is that they combine all the lessons learnt from the various eras - e.g. I think Mutya and Keisha really hit their stride with the third and fourth albums in terms of knowing the best way to deploy their vocals (although perhaps it's as much that Xenomania in particular had such an insight on that point) and I would love to see those qualities combined with Siobhan, who was the standout singer on the debut IMO.

i'm excited atm because i really don't know what direction they'll choose to go in: i have to say i do trust the opposite poles of mutya and siobhan to put a stop to anything too awful (plus the motivation of differentiating themselves from whoever is currently recording under the actual sugababes name).

xxp OMFG

― Jeremy Clarkson Sex Face (snoball), Saturday, July 21, 2012 2:08 AM (18 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^^

I am scared shitless that the result will be less than amazing tho.

Not to worry:

http://www.popjustice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/mkscontract-535x667.jpg

BEST.

They should have asked Björk to join them and call themselves Sugarbabes³

(yeah, way too far fetched, sorry)

thinky, like it

tbh a popjustice contract = the first uh-oh sign but whatever pleases you lot?

Posts very much in character, I see.

But srsly I always got the impression that sugababes was one case where popjustice was at least in the ballpark of being otm? Am I forgetting some egregious case of preferring amelle to mutya or something? Or not liking R&B leanings?

First google search of "Sugababes Popjustice" brings up a post celebrating "Ace Reject" as one of their finest songs, which makes up for a lot IMO.

OTOH google also reveals they thought "about you now" was the best sb single since "round round", which is ridic, so maybe you're correct on this point.

That Popjustice contract means nothing. They haven't listened to anything afaik.

*anything yet

That contract makes me smile.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugababes_discography
singles between round round and about you now:

stronger
angels w dirty faces
shape
hole in the head
too lost in you
in the middle
caught in a moment
push the button
ugly
red dress
follow me home
easy
walk this way

i'd side with that claim. Push the Button and hole in the head are close, but I *really* like About You Now.

not looking to defend popjustice (i agree that its approach to pop music is mostly utter bollocks) but they always overhype a new single, especially when it's an exclusive to them and feel they have to big it up - I doubt they'd stand by that "about you now" claim now, or ever really believed it beyond the hype of the moment. of course it nearly always makes them look ridiculous in hindsight, but if it keeps big exclusives coming in i doubt they care.

clearly "too lost in you" >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

though looking at that list their singles are probably on the whole less great than I remembered (quite a few dud choices of singles to release), in that they were much better album artists for their first two lineups.

though to be fair overload > new year > run for cover > soul sound > freak like me > round round > stronger is completely imperious.

"about you now" tends to get underrated, it's sort of flawless despite being massively derivative and unimaginative. but the idea that they had any sort of dip in between "round round" and "about you now" is just weird. "too lost in you" is a towering pinnacle of their discography, better than either, "angels with dirty faces" and "follow me home" are up there too - though perhaps it's true that their absolute best songs in the three/taller eras were the deep cuts.

Agree with the above, though I prefer "Caught In A Moment" (and also "Sometimes"!) - I love "About You Now", I just dislike the implied dismissal of many of the amazing songs in between ("Stronger"! "Hole In The Head"! "Red Dress"! "Follow Me Home"!).

Best songs on Three: "Situation's Heavy", "Maya".

Best songs on Taller: "Ace Reject", "2 Hearts".

agree re: three, would choose "bruised" ahead of the others on taller

Haha "bruised" was my number three.

prolego otm though some people here take what Popjustice says way too seriously.

...I mean basically they've always had a very spontaneous approach to pop. When Peter's excited about something he doesn't care to hype it to ridiculous proportions. He's not thinking "oh, is this going to sound relevant x years from now?" etc. I don't really have a problem with that. In fact I think it is the right approach. With most pop music, retrospective evaluation is in many ways irrelevant anyway imo.

Agree totally with Lex and Tim on Taller choices, that is probably my favourite album of theirs. Three is mostly great, Conversation's Over was always my favourite album track on there.

I used to value Popjustice a lot more than I do now. They give way too much time to the same few bands. Everytime JLS or The Saturdays have a new single they always give them way too much attention. I get that they are two of the biggest pop bands but their songs just blend into each other and they are not great popstars in anyway.

I remember losing a lot of respect for them when they claimed the last Girls Aloud album was great and put it as their second favourite album of the year, then a year later they claimed the reason they didn't give Electrik Red anytime was beacause their album was too patchy, I mean it just does not compute. They continue to say how they hate Olly Murs (with good reason) but put one of his singles in thier top ten last year and made a post saying they were obsessed with his last single. I get that they want to try and rate songs not based on the artist singing them but can't they spend more time writing about iamamiwhoiami or Dawn Richard? The way they just ignore some artists existence and coninue to write about such average acts just gets so tiring.

Was a lifelong reader until they started saying that The Feeling were good

Yeah, those pics of them are utterly amazing and I am so frigging excited. I LOVED the original line-up so so much.

this is one of those things that I think would be amazing, then think I'm silly for dreaming, then it happens. i love all three of them (siobhan's last solo album was flawless, mutya's last one...wasn't but that's ok) and am glad that they're back and back together.

i also used to subscribe to PJ very closely but agree that when every single and album is PROPER AMAZING POPPERS OCLOCK LITERALLY THE GREATEST PIECE OF RECORDED MUSIC IN HISTORY it makes it challenging to use them as a guide. recommendation exhaustion is a real thing. which is too bad because i heard a lot of excellent music thanks to them.

http://www.popjustice.com/interviewsandfeatures/the-full-length-actual-mutya-keisha-siobhan-interview/99561/

AFROBEATS! EARLY 90S R&B! I knew I could trust them

What do you think people will call you?
Mutya: They’re going to call us the Sugababes anyway. Guaranteed.

:D

If Comic Relief came to you and said, ‘HIYA, we’d like you to do the next Comic Relief single with the current lineup of the Sugababes’, would…
Keisha: (Immediately) No!
Siobhan: What was the question?

…would you do it?
Siobhan: Oh right! When you said ‘the current lineup of the Sugababes’, I thought, “that’s us, right?” (Amid uproar) I got really confused!

:D

awesome

it's great how they can cut a bitch without even trying

Mutya: A big tight ship. A YACHT!

It belatedly occurs to me that they've chosen their current um 'moniker' for the precise reason that it's the only way they can guarantee no change in line-up.

Haha I'm reading the interview now and they admit as much.

Who's going to get them drunk and find out the *real* reasons behind everything?

Sugababes are one of those bands I would pay so much money to read a proper "Behind The Music" style expose of everything that went on behind the scenes.

It's just like.... BAND POLITICS is fascinating and terrifying. And GIRL POLITICS is fascinating and terrifying. So put together BAND POLITICS and GIRL POLITICS and it's a story I want to read.

http://www.popjustice.com/songs/mutya-keisha-siobhan-boys/

HARMONIES
MUTYA'S VOICE

so ace

lack of interest in new sugababes is irrefutable proof of ilx's decline imo

in other news "run for cover" still blows me away every time i listen. IT'S MY NEED TO BE FREEEEEE~~~~~

I still don't know who is who in this group

L-R in the video: Mutya, Keisha, Siobhan

video is badass btw, I love watching ppl who are completely in synch with each other musically sing together (a big reason why Destiny's Child could sing some of the stupidest words ever written and still be amazing imo)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GWNEgxJcXo

weirdly enough a random celebrity big brother clip is one of the best testaments to mutya's ability. like, how effortlessly does she nail that?

technically speaking, that sounds like it's squarely in the comfort spot for her singing voice (and based on the little bit I hear of her speaking voice in that clip, it's also where she talks so she's permanently warmed up on those notes); it also shows she has an excellent ear because there isn't any quavering or sliding off the pitch

btw how badly does Coolio want to record a song with her

yeah her control is insane and her timbre is even greater, it's so easily my favourite voice in the past decade of british pop

that being said it's really exciting how far they've all come vocally since one touch, and each member feels totally essential in bringing something key to the group. it feels the most evenly balanced - and dare i say talented - lineup to date i think which is really promising.

oh, I'm super excited even though i completely missed out on the first wave of sugababes and only know a handful of singles.

i'm just waiting for the full song before i flip out / have something to say?

but I'm psyched.

was "Hole in the Head" the Mutya/Keisha/Siobhan lineup and did they appear in that order on the song?

No, it was Mutya/Keisha/Heidi (the longest lasting lineup), can't recall what order they appeared in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf0tUnUB27I

Keisha Buchanan
‏@keisha_buchanan
I think we've made a BANGER people #studio with @devhynes #talentedbeyond http://instagr.am/p/VnXBzshd0P/

trolling Lex, very mean.

^ properly excited now!

hiya it's mutya keisha and siobhan on kendrick lamar

http://soundcloud.com/bloodorange/lay-down-in-swimming-pools-by

um holy shit

there's pretty much no excuse for me not to go get the entire Sugarbabes back catalog, right

nope

there is a reason not to get their last two albums cuz they're kinda bad

first three are varying degrees of excellent, though, then just grab "about you now" off the fifth and you're sorted

can't believe dan of all people hadn't done this already!

*first four

I kind of got stuck on "Hole in the Head" and never really moved past it

"hole in the head" is great but i don't think it'd be in my top 10 sugababes songs

... wau

my number one all-time favourite sugababes song is "run for cover"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBAXKYIBZ60

that was done when they were like 15; when they were grown, they did my second favourite song by them, "ace reject"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_yX57yrLao

seriously their harmonies under the second chorus and through the ad libs afterwards are slaying me

TOO MUCH
TOO MANY
TOO LITTLE
TIIIIIIIIIIME

if i was POXing my fav sounds in the whole of pop music ever mutya's voice would be in there without hesitation

"lay down in swimming pools" has such a great sense of build - the way they hold the main hook back until three minutes, until just after siobhan's ghostly bridge, and then you've got keisha triumphantly telling you how i'mma show you how to turn it up a notch

this is just an incredibly great piece of music

"flatline" is imminent

"imminent" a little misleading but it is here at last https://soundcloud.com/mutyakeishasiobhan/flatline

Not sure I'm massively keen on the song, but the girls sound gorgeous.

I prefer Lay Down in Swimming Pools TBH

unsurprisingly I am very into this - particularly enjoying Siobhan's sublime middle eight replete w/ hounds of love drums, and the wonderful couplet "THE CHANGE WAS OBVIOUS / SO MISCELLANEOUS"

this is more pop MKS than r&b MKS...I like both but I can see why people who liked the Lamar thing won't like this. It's kind of Florence-y I suppose, only instead of her horrible hollering you have three of the finest pop voices ever harmonising gloriously

It’s…hmm, well it‘s good to hear Mutya singing again. Ugh at the brickwall limiting, I got fatigue just listening to the first minute.

Good to have them back, but hopefully this is one of the weaker ones.

The guitars and drums sound a lot like Foals or something (I don't mind that at all tbh). Voices sound great!

lol there are two Sugababes: Classic Or Dud? threads, a fact only brought to my attention by reviving the other one just now.

I'm not sure about this yet. Everything up to before the chorus is great but then... I don't know, there should be a solo part and then backing vocals, but all three Sugababes harmonizing is a bit too much. Plus the melody is a little weak, just on the chorus.

their voices sound so good, i think they might be even better vocalists now than in their first incarnation. the song isn't a disappointment, will have to see if it grows on me more though...

I was expecting a little bit more from this. The production is nice and their vocals do sound great but it's a bit forgettable. I feel like Sugababes have done something like this before with better results, maybe something like Ace Reject?

I agree with Monotony the Hounds of Love drums and the middle eight are the best part of the song.

agjhshjkajhakskj their gig tonight

TRIUMPHANT

tom wrote a really excellent thing about the lineup for maura mag http://www.mauramagazine.com/article/5203be6fc873d929805a36f5/one_way_ticket

this performance is so goodddd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2atW3VRJddY

it really is

that said I'm not sure i've ever seen such aggressively placed ads on a YouTube video in my entire life

That was a total blast. <3