ARCADE FIRE - Everything Now
Flop is sometimes a byproduct of failed expectations, and not of the album's quality per se. Why are Arcade Fire general disappointment? Over time, Arcade Fire changed from a force to be reckoned with to one of the most prosaic bands. The iconic value of The Funeral is substituted with dance music. It's not like Everything Now was the worst album of the year, it's just that that it confirmed how Arcade Fire is not the same band anymore.. Everything Now come after four years of anticipation. If you were wondering why it took them so long, as you listen to the record, you realize they needed sufficient time to throw abundance of hackneyed sounds that needed to be super polished. Their pre-release campaign was boosted by a condom with the message - Love is hard, sex is easy. And that is how I described their album in my elaborate review - loving it is hard, but you can easily have sex with it on the dancefloor. Creature Comfort, a song that castigated the state of nation in which popularity became more important than authenticity, might be the only song worth the mention. Final verdict will be gentle: Arcade Fire could still kick ass although it doesn't seem they are inspired to show it.
Amy MacDonald - Under The Stars
It's a double-edged sword when an artist changes the style. The audience might like it or not, usually claiming it is not the same artist anymore. On the other hand, when someone's modus operandi is regurgitation same stuff over, it is also not good, unless it is the best musician in the world. Who could satisfy us? Amy Macdonald won't for sure. Ten years ago, Amy was a breath of fresh air, a girl who rocked her pop-rock shtick of folk inspired by the work of The Cranberries. Unfortunately, 2017 revealed that Amy didn't make a substantial progress. Under The Stars is a record that sounds just the same as any of its three predecessors. Sure, the lyrics are different, the accords slightly modified and every fifth song might be decent, but overall, everything came off as stagnant. Macdonald played it super safe, and it was not in her advantage. That's why she is on this lost. Don't get me wrong, some tracks were decent, but they sound like you heard them many times before. The hit-quality of songs made them vacant. Amy, Amy, Amy.
Linkin Park - One More Light
I was thinking whether I should include Linkin Park's effort into the list of biggest flops out of respect for departed Chester Bennington, but I believe he would like me to be objective. When One More Light saw the light of the day, it caused a chain reaction of strong opinions. It was both an indicator that the band is worth something and that they have flopped. Yet, Linkin Park didn’t sell their asses! Selling would mean releasing something that has a high demand on the market, and One More Light was not needed by anyone. Compared to this, Fort Minor seems like underground of all undergrounds. Production team is the same who worked with Selena Gomez, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears and Flo Rida! So, yeah, we had a pop album by Linkin Park. And the fact that One More Light was super polished was not the issue. The problem is like seeing Kardashian sisters wearing Motorhead and Slayer tees. Huge cognitive dissonance, dude! I am sad that this is the last piece of music Chester Bennington has created, but we can all be grateful for what he has left on this Earth in the 2000s.
Taylor Swift - reputation
This place could also easily be taken by Taylor Swift's nemesis Katy Perry. I would say their 2017 albums are disappointments for the same reasons: giving the priority to production over content and boring us with stunts prior to its release. Now, while Perry' Witness was an EDM-driven lyrical nonsense with 90s dance music elements, Taylor Swift's creative army was desperate in aiming to make her sound edgy and cool. In reality, reputation and its predecessor are way more similar than what we thought when we heard bombastic Look What You Made Me Do. Taylor offered nothing more than dance-pop seldomly wrapped up in country and pop-balladry. If Taylor wants to become a prima donna of pop music, she will have to find a way to make her music less saturated with modern ornaments, desperate to infect younger audiences. Mediocre property of Reputation proves yet again that owning a throne has its price.
