THIS IS NEXT...

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Last week, we took a look at the contemporary pop charts as compiled on a CD series entitled “Now That’s What I Call Music.” Although this disk (#25 in the series) did an adequate job of representing a cross-section of America’s pop charts, it also left us feeling that something was definitely missing. Why did it feel as though virtually every one of the pop songs we covered felt shallow, or even worse, juvenile? Today, we take another look at contemporary pop music, but from a different perspective. “This Is Next” is a new CD series that focuses on some of the most promising and/or popular independent artists. The difference is immediately apparent, but can these songs compete in an open marketplace with Avril Lavigne, Keith Urban, Fergie and Kelly Clarkson? All of these songs are aiming at the same potential audience, so why are some rewarded with financial success and airplay while others flounder and disappear?
Listen to see what you think. Here’s a list of songs featured in today’s program.
1) Bloc Party - The Prayer
2) Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cheated Hearts
3) Sonic Youth – Do You Believe in Rapture?
4) The Shins – Phantom Limb
5) Spoon - Underdog
6) Bright Eyes – Four Winds
7) Neko Case – Hold On, Hold On
8) Cold War Kids – Hang Me Up to Dry
9) M. Ward – Chinese Translation