Not For Me (Ep.1) :: Muchmusic Countdown

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In listening to an episode of the “Nerdist” podcast, they were talking about the notion of “Not For Me”. The discussion revolved around movies specifically, but I thought it might apply itself to things like the Muchmusic Countdown and the MTV Music Video awards, so here we are Episode 1 of Not For Me.

There was a period in my life where I would actually record and religiously watch the Countdown of the latest videos. Unfortunately, at some point videos were eschewed in favor of a cavalcade of vapid programming and I bid adieu to my precious videos. Now I have tuned in from time to time to see what’s going on, but for the most part it’s a slew of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Headley and Mariana’s Trench with an occasional interloper like Of Monsters and Men or the Lumineers thrown in to appease the adult in the room (which is sadly a category I find myself in these days).

I sat down this evening in the interest of science and maybe at the sacrifice of my sanity to see what’s on the countdown these days. For the most part it’s more of the same that’s been on for months and months, but there are gems such as “Royals” by Lorde, “Let Her Go” by Passenger and “Applause” by Lady Gaga which have made this somewhat palatable. Somehow Massari is still making music and his latest is currently number 14, this perplexes me, as it’s in the same company as the latest Selena Gomez tune (which my daughter loves).

[an aside: while grabbing some things at the local First Lake Sobeys a guy was playing guitar and singing some recent rock tunes such as “45” by Gaslight Anthem, “Wonderwall” by Oasis and “The Scientist” by Coldplay and our little one was enthralled by the “great tunes” (her words, not mine) and was dancing up a storm and elicited a smile from the chap.

Update: the musician playing in Sobey’s last night was Laurie Little (who can be found on FB at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laurie-Little-musiciansingersongwriter/193551130499) ]

As we creep up the chart, the “music” is taking a serious dip in quality as it pains me to say that Maroon 5 is an uptick (barely, but still an uptick). We’re at number 11 thus far, and my remote hand is getting twitchy. Thus far this is proving to be a challenge to endure, but we’ll get there. At least Bruno Mars’ homage to 70’s era Michael Jackson with “Treasure” lies ahead, which is a definite improvement. I can safely say this is a collection of songs that is not aimed at my demographic.

Now entering the top 10 with “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke (w/ TI & Pharrell), which is a silly catchy tune thanks in large part to Pharrell’s production wizardry. Next up One Direction’s “Best Song Ever”, while they seem likeable it’s definitely not the best song ever (it’s pretty much what you expect from these guys). Bruno Mars is in at 8, fun tune this “Treasure” but it’s been played out, but finally something which is a legitimate great song with Tegan and Sara’s “I Was a Fool” (off one of our favorite albums of 2013) this might make it to the top at some point. Next is Hannah Montana (errr Miley)’s “We Can’t Stop” which is a better song than it has any business being (it’s catchy, don’t judge) and the video is moderately entertaining (other adults will judge when you chuckle). It will be a long time before I endure another countdown in its entirety, as my IQ is suffering.

Wow – big (deservedly so) jump for AVICII (f/ Aloe Black) and the folky electro infused tune “Wake Me Up”. Solid tune which should be getting some big airplay, really interesting fusion of sounds.

Hey look it’s Kanye with “Black Skinhead”, good beat, but I’m bored with the current ‘I’m always Angry’ Kanye….next pls! (Three left!)

Also I still don’t buy Liz Trinnear as a legit VJ, I just don’t get the impression that she’d be down listening to the likes of City and Colour or The Lumineers.

I gotta say this top 3 makes me happy, “Thirst” by City and Colour was in at 3. It feels really long in the tooth, but nice way to kick off the top 3. Now we have a re-released tune from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis in “Same Love” in at number 2 a tune which they rocked on Ellen when “Thrift Shop” was just breaking. This has a great message about Equality and shows that these guys are far more than their breakthrough single.

Lastly in at number one is an artist I regret passing on when she was in town and has really been building a name for herself with a solid pair of hit tunes “Stompa” and her number one single “What I Wouldn’t Do”. Serena Ryder is coming into her own and caps off a solid trio of tunes which are more for me than I thought they’d be. I highly recommend checking out these three tunes!

For the most part, the Muchmusic Countdown is meant for an entirely different (read: younger) audience, but there were a few tunes which struck a chord with me. Better than expected, but it won’t be something I’d be watching as a whole on a regular basis.

For the most part – def. not for me.

About the author

Trev

A proud and over-caffeinated husband, father, runner and writer. I've written for the local weekly The Coast for over a decade and have since taken to creating and writing for HAFILAX for even longer. I hope you enjoy the musings of a guy who has loved music for the better part of 4 decades, and has an album of concert tickets to show for it.

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