Guilty Pleasures

Britney Spears
Album: In the Zone
Toxic

Hurra Torpedo
Album: Kollossus of Makedonia
Toxic

Right.  This one ain't gonna be easy.  Sorta like admitting to inveterate nose-picking.  Or professing a love for Stephen Harper.  No matter which way I parse it, it's gonna seem more than a bit creepy.

Soooo....yeah.  Britney Spears.  Poster-child for all that is wrong in popular music.  Style over substance.  Corporate over DIY.  Dumbness over smartitude.  A self-sabotaging train wreck.

We all know the story.  But while it seems like everyone over the age of 25 and the vast majority of media luxuriate in Schadenfreude-esque excess at her misery, I can't help but feel a twinge of sadness and a certain amount of empathy for Spears.  I mean, she was only a kid when she implored us, repeatedly, to "hit me baby."  Sure, it might be argued that she was old enough to know better, but when the world is being offered to you it's hard to say no, even if it means being labelled a dumbass sexpot.

There's something fragile about her.  Spears has created a monster that she is completely unable to control.  It's tragic, in a way.  I really do feel sorry for her.

But none of that has anything to do with her kickass single, "Toxic."  I mean, let's be fair about this.  Spears' arena is entirely big business and in particular big media, but that doesn't mean that she isn't surrounded by supremely talented artists.  The production here is flawless.  It possesses a sort of over-the-top indulgence which is rarely my cup of tea, but which in this setting works completely.  Crisp percussion.  Driving rhythm guitar.  An appealingly exotic melody.  And, well, c'mon.  She looks great too.  Doesn't hurt, right?

A guilty pleasure.  Sue me.


For something completely different, Hurra Torpedo are a bunch of badass Norwegians with a love of pop culture and household appliances.  They're best known for their splendid punk take on the otherwise wholly insipid Bonnie Tyler-penned "Total Eclipse of the Heart."  Watch that and tell me you aren't in the presence of genius.  I dare you.  Their cover of "Toxic" doesn't approach that level of absurdity, but I thought you'd enjoy it anyway.  It's a nice counterpoint to Dame Spears at any rate.

Question of the day: Parody or satire?