Northern Exposure
Avril Lavigne is not my favorite, but she's still rockin'.
I remember hearing Avril's first singles around late high school and early college time. I rocked out to them with my college roommate, while also half scoffing at them due to my elitist radio station DJ / music snob guilt. Did I enjoy her songs ? Of course!! The way one enjoys a cold pop tart, so sugary and awesome, but nothing resonates. I expected Avril to go away by now.
But its been over a decade since she released her debut album Let Go with its super pop rock perfection. As predicted the second record still catchy, but not as tight. Then, I believe Avril became the Avril she was always meant to be. Dying her hair bleach blonde and wearing slightly sexier attire / killer heels and releasing "Girlfriend" the best single of her career. The song takes a point of view rarely embraced, at least outright by her contemporaries. The song calls to light the cattiness of girls, "girlfriends", competition for boys, which yes does very much exist in our world, and, well, owning it!!
After this I became convinced that Avril was the best kind of b*tch. Weather it'd be flashing her previous marriage to lead singer of then buzz band Sum 41, and even more obnoxiously flashing her marriage to even more obnoxious to Chad Kroeger lead singer of Nickelback. Hey they're Canadian! She owns raccoon eyes before and even better than Ms. Taylor Momsen of the harder rocking band The Pretty Reckless. Her anthem "Girlfriend" let you know; if you cross her she will destroy you, but if she's on your side you'll have a blast, be showered with super fun pop music, and be a best friend who has the best closet to raid, ever.
Now, she releases her fifth, and first eponymous, 2013 album Avril Lavigne. A hotly anticipated comeback record. With a fabulous album cover display the aforementioned raccoon eyes at their finest and reveling in Avril's fine featured beauty that shines through in the severe and stark looking photo. It is a pretty solid record! Opening track and second single, "Rock N Roll" benefits greatly from a bar rock by way of pop rock casualness. A well crafted song, but not too flashy about it. The second track, and first single "Here's To Never Growing Up" keeps some of that bar rock feel, but somewhat flashier. Ironically, it praises "singing Radiohead at the top of our lungs" and is one of her best singles. Avril credits this rock edge to Kroeger, there's even a duet! The rest of the album is pretty damn catchy and decent, an improvement from her last "growing pain" of an album,Goodbye Lullaby. While I wish there wasn't always an over produced helium pop sheen to every single Avril song, this is our girl doing what she does best and as always, owning it.
So here's to never growing up! And to Avril's enduring career and new album rounding out a year of great pop music. With, "Hello Heartache" a later track on Avril Lavigne she displays stronger vocals than usual and has finally released something that actually resonates...
I remember hearing Avril's first singles around late high school and early college time. I rocked out to them with my college roommate, while also half scoffing at them due to my elitist radio station DJ / music snob guilt. Did I enjoy her songs ? Of course!! The way one enjoys a cold pop tart, so sugary and awesome, but nothing resonates. I expected Avril to go away by now.
But its been over a decade since she released her debut album Let Go with its super pop rock perfection. As predicted the second record still catchy, but not as tight. Then, I believe Avril became the Avril she was always meant to be. Dying her hair bleach blonde and wearing slightly sexier attire / killer heels and releasing "Girlfriend" the best single of her career. The song takes a point of view rarely embraced, at least outright by her contemporaries. The song calls to light the cattiness of girls, "girlfriends", competition for boys, which yes does very much exist in our world, and, well, owning it!!
After this I became convinced that Avril was the best kind of b*tch. Weather it'd be flashing her previous marriage to lead singer of then buzz band Sum 41, and even more obnoxiously flashing her marriage to even more obnoxious to Chad Kroeger lead singer of Nickelback. Hey they're Canadian! She owns raccoon eyes before and even better than Ms. Taylor Momsen of the harder rocking band The Pretty Reckless. Her anthem "Girlfriend" let you know; if you cross her she will destroy you, but if she's on your side you'll have a blast, be showered with super fun pop music, and be a best friend who has the best closet to raid, ever.
Now, she releases her fifth, and first eponymous, 2013 album Avril Lavigne. A hotly anticipated comeback record. With a fabulous album cover display the aforementioned raccoon eyes at their finest and reveling in Avril's fine featured beauty that shines through in the severe and stark looking photo. It is a pretty solid record! Opening track and second single, "Rock N Roll" benefits greatly from a bar rock by way of pop rock casualness. A well crafted song, but not too flashy about it. The second track, and first single "Here's To Never Growing Up" keeps some of that bar rock feel, but somewhat flashier. Ironically, it praises "singing Radiohead at the top of our lungs" and is one of her best singles. Avril credits this rock edge to Kroeger, there's even a duet! The rest of the album is pretty damn catchy and decent, an improvement from her last "growing pain" of an album,Goodbye Lullaby. While I wish there wasn't always an over produced helium pop sheen to every single Avril song, this is our girl doing what she does best and as always, owning it.
So here's to never growing up! And to Avril's enduring career and new album rounding out a year of great pop music. With, "Hello Heartache" a later track on Avril Lavigne she displays stronger vocals than usual and has finally released something that actually resonates...