Singling Out 2008: Cyndi Lauper, CSS, Menudo & more

Time for more 2008 singles that it's my professional responsibility to have an opinion about, seeing how Frank Kogan listed them among his 42 favorites of the year so far -- a list I'd started to pick through in a previous post, though "We Break the Dawn" by Michelle Williams and "Energy" by Keri Hilson have grown on me since then. In this far less cynical round, I actually already like a bunch of the tracks I wrote about! Here they are:

Cansei De Ser Sexy, "Rat Is Dead (Rage)"
Pretty sure I voted for these bubbly Brazilian bohos' "Let's Make Love And Listen Death From Above" among my top ten singles a couple years ago, but I didn't even make it all the way through their new Donkey, despite the afore-mentioned Frank Kogan telling me it has good guitar parts. Maybe I'll get back to it someday. Meanwhile, there's this single, the title of which appears to reference an old Smashing Pumpkins hit. So naturally I hear pumpkin-smashing in the music, whether it's there or not. The singer sounds thin but insistent; she's rambling about a girl breaking glass and screaming at 4 a.m. And yeah, the guitars do seem nifty, though maybe more Johnny Marr than Iha/Corgan. The "rat" turns out to be some dude who she killed, I think, and who maybe attacked her before then. "He will never hurt you again." Good riddance!

Cyndi Lauper, "Into the Nightlife"
If somebody had played this for me in a blindfold test, I would never have guessed that it was Cyndi Lauper. It shows none of her personality, in the song or even in the singing. Though then again, I'm not sure whether any of her music in the past quarter-century (since She's So Unusual) shows much of her personality. Not like I've made any attempt to keep up with her or anything -- and what the heck do I really know about Cyndi's personality, anyhow? Still, what's surprising is that, despite its lack of obvious Cyndi-ness, this is as perfect an anonymous disco single (or "dance," whatever -- the synths are some sort of scritchy post-techno whatsis) as I've heard this year. Just totally pristine and propulsive, even if the syntax of its title makes me cringe a little.

Gabriella Cilmi, "Sweet About Me"
Extremely light reggae bassline, sort of, under a girl pretending to get beatnik-retro-samba-scat-beboppy in a sort of early Nelly Furtado way, though before too long she starts sounding less girly-girl and more throaty -- more Amy Winehouse,  I suppose. So it's....completely competent. And certainly not dis-likable, though not nearly overwhelming hookwise. Also, I bet the singer -- a 17-year-old "multi ARIA-Award-winning Australian," according to her Wiki page -- is sweeter than she says. The video also has an amusing bondage-and-discipline angle, if that floats your boat.

Sway featuring $tush, "F Ur X"
British gender-battle rap, very "Mybabydaddy" (previously discussed here), only without the baby. Not sure whether this counts as "grime" or not, but what's amazing given their accents ($tush sounds more dancehall but they're both very Brit) is that I can actually decipher what's going on, at least 'til Sway's speedy bit about old-school manners evolving into new-school ones. Basically: he claims the girl phoning him is his cool ex; she claims the guy phoning her is her cool ex; both think the other is lying. Simple, catchy, funny. Plus cool dancing (among other things) in the video. How come you never get these everyday sorts of situations in U.S. rap anymore? Or do you?

Menudo, "Lost"
I'm not entirely clear on whether these five kids count as the "real" Menudo (the group was reportedly reformed anew last November), but given that I can't actually name any old Menudos except Ricky Martin, it's probably a moot point. Anyway: Boy band music lives! With funkish basslines! And energetic harmonies! And English words, in case you wondered! Like "my love is like a gunshot, all it takes is one shot"! Generic until it reaches the payoff, where the guy loses his mind. Which is kind of intense.