Post by No Personality on Dec 12, 2010 0:22:45 GMT -5
While the world continues to wait in agonized constipation for Lady Gaga's next album (note to Gaga's people: if the reason we're still waiting is that you're worried about overexposure- it's a bad sign when the parodies and smacktalk on TV keeps going and, yet, there isn't anything new the artist is doing to warrant the flurry), Ke$ha's been capitolizing on her musical silence. Only 3 months (if that) after Animal's last single, Ke$ha's back like she never went away with follow-up Cannibal and a new hit rap-pop single, "We R Who We R" that is scoring parodies left and right. But I'd be bored if we were talking about that. Right now, I want to deal with Ke$ha's single choices.
"Take It Off" is one of the album's lesser tracks, clearly. It's not nearly as bad as "Kiss N Tell," "Stephen," or "Backstabber." But the auto-tune is stupid, the lyrics are not interesting, and the music (while it might make your stereo happy) really sounds familiar. The Key of Awesome have already cited that Katy Perry and Ke$ha have similar-sounding songs and now, you won't be able to tell this song apart from some kind of childhood rhyme that drove you insane. A jingling somewhere in the song's mix and the back and forth of Ke$ha's almost chipmunk-like vocal performance here just sound like a kiddie song.
But apart from all that, this video is incredible. A pop masterpiece. Don't get me wrong- it's still every bit as phony and fake as Ke$ha is. As in, well... Key again parodied Ke$ha's sincerity as a drunk party girl and made her excess look like a contractually obligated front. But still, it's the kind of cheap and plastic pop-punk that can actually make a dent in the industry. It's the most moving of Ke$ha's work, artistically (pause for laughter... but actually, I'm serious - pause #2). And a far more compelling call-to-arms than her videos for both "TiK ToK" and "We R Who We R."
With the video taking place at a mountain-front motel, with her group of seemingly homeless club friends dressed in shredded Warriors-wannabe gear and at times almost looking as though they're trying to channel the energy of a Native American tribe... their bodies begin to transcend physical form. Turning to dust and bursting / floating into the wind in an eruption of glitter-grease. If Ke$ha has to keep putting on a show for people, this is the way it should be. It may look like nothing more than a dance... and it might only be that, but it's an effective piece of entertainment (just look at the pretty colors!). If Ke$ha pukes glitter, she also apparently bathes in it too.
Regardless of the song's weaknesses, this should have been Ke$ha's first video. It makes quite an impression!