Seemingly random things like this happening quite often spark off a bigger reaction. I can appreciate that people might not like him/the song, but it could be the first sign of an opening back into the charts for 'guitar music'. He's absolutely huge with people aged between about 14-25 and they're the ones that control the charts these days - if somebody like him can help to gradually steer teens away from the constant generic stream of US club bangers then surely that's a good thing.

 

Like others have mentioned, the crowds he's been hanging around with have done him no harm as it's got rap and urban fans on side, but I wouldn't exactly call him 'urban' even if he does feature a lot on 1xtra. I'm expecting his album to be a singer/songwriter acoustic guitar type affair mainly. He seems to be opening the genre up to people who probably wouldn't have bought into it beforehand, so it could be the crack of light that the genre needed to cross back to the mainstream? Quite clearly, as soon as he's had his inevitable #1 album 'boys with guitars' will be the in thing again for new record company signings who are aiming to capitalise.

This has nothing at all to do with guitar music.

 

All I can see happening is a lot of pasty faced copycat dull as dishwater singer songwriters being signed up until we're all (even more) sick of this.

 

This is more likely to be seen as a continuation of the folk trend started by Mumford & Sons (who I am absolutely sick of now) and others of their ilk.

 

 

Great, a slew of bland, indie-pop boys making bland singer/songwriter music that's played in shopping malls everywhere (though granted with the likes of Train/Jason Mraz there's always a market for that in the US). Music like this almost annoys me more than anything because it's often marketed under the guise of 'real talent' and 'credibility' because he can play guitar and write his own music (I'd honestly rather have a ton of club bangers because I can at least get down to those when I'm drunk). And, yes, that is valuable I suppose, but there's just something so annoying about music like this, so politically correct. Cute boys with cute voices playing cute songs. I think the problem is a lot of great pop/r&b tracks are definitely written with 'big hit' in mind which can sometimes make for just a huge song, but when a label pushes an 'indier'/more acousticy type for the mainstream it's most likely just a bore and it all comes off as really insincere. Bloc Party are one of the better indie bands to get mainstream success, off the top of my head...maybe Phoenix.

 

I mean I don't really care about this kid or anything and his music is definitely harmless, no reason for me to hate it. But in terms of top 10 stuff, give me Rihanna or Katy B over this any day.

Quite a different response to this here than in the chart forum I see!

 

I personally really like this. I thought it was a bit dull on first listen but it's grown on me a lot so I'm pleased to see it doing well.

I mean I don't really care about this kid or anything and his music is definitely harmless, no reason for me to hate it. But in terms of top 10 stuff, give me Rihanna or Katy B over this any day.

 

Exactly. It's a bit frustrating when something different goes top 10 it's worse than those who occupy it all the time.

I'll definitely agree to disagree with a few posters in here.

 

I'm not saying he's the second coming and yes I'd still personally rather put on a Rihanna album, but if he's inspiring young people and introducing teenagers to something a bit different then it can surely only be a good thing imo.

 

Quite a different response to this here than in the chart forum I see!

 

I personally really like this. I thought it was a bit dull on first listen but it's grown on me a lot so I'm pleased to see it doing well.

 

Because the chart forum is frequented by his exact target audience, the indie forum isn't :lol:

 

I have to agree with Gooddelta that at least it's something different.... It's been a while since anything like this has been decent and he's got to be better than the previous bunch of male singer songwriters with not much more than a guitar. His music is nice for something easy to listen to and just chill out to, nice simple songs with decent simple melodies, not overly interesting no, but still catchy enough to not be totally boring. I haven't liked anything that fits that description as much since 'In Between Dreams'...

 

 

My flatmate has been listening to 'Number 5 Collaborations Project' all year, him and UK grime artists. For some reason I think they complement each other really well.

 

 

 

I just find it annoying when the public/radio decide to get behind a song that isn't the usual "in the club" type affair, they choose something as unremarkable and shit like this. There's so much good music out there that deserves recognition.

Edited June 14, 201114 yr by ▲▲▲

I hate this idea, it's just the same idea as Bruno Mars / Jason Mraz etc. just being slushy-pop that girls swoon over... and he has SUCH a weird face lmao.

I just find it annoying when the public/radio decide to get behind a song that isn't the usual "in the club" type affair, they choose something as unremarkable and shit like this. There's so much good music out there that deserves recognition.

 

Exactly. If Lykke Li or someone similar was Top 10 right now, I'd be ecstatic. I just don't care about this kid at all and I don't think he's really inspiring anyone to do anything that different. This is still manufactured pop music even if he's playing a guitar.

I'm not saying he's the second coming and yes I'd still personally rather put on a Rihanna album, but if he's inspiring young people and introducing teenagers to something a bit different then it can surely only be a good thing imo.

Bland is bland is bland. Like Ben says if Lykke was Top 10 then there would be parties in the streets (or something... )

 

This just smacks of record company scamming rather than a bright new future. It's not even as though I hate the song. It's just so boring.

Maybe this will lead some teenagers to find something really interesting but I don't see that happening much.

 

This is occupying the same position in the charts that Noah and the Whale had a few months ago, a token "indie" record that piqued some interest and then over.

And to me it's got that same sound, sort of indie/folkie that said kids will lap up at Glastonbury/V/whatever.

 

Essentially unchallenging wallpaper music.

(not that there's not a place for that, only it's down the local Asda)

Each to their own I guess, I don't personally think that it's manufactured pop considering the song is years old and he's only recently got a record deal. As far as 'indie' goes, he was pretty much the most successful independent artist around in the past year before a record company inevitably snapped him up. But that's not a bad thing - at least they can give him the push and promotion that he needs to crossover, I don't think that his album will be any the worse off for it - I expect most of the songs on there will be his already established live favourites such as 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You'.

 

What other people find bland I find enjoyable - I love Noah & The Whale too :lol: I think these artists/songs have a bigger market than just festival hogging indie kids - I mean I'm not one of those for a start!

 

But I do echo the sentiment that I'd prefer to see Lykke Li in the top ten than this.

'The A Team' is general dirge but parts of YNMIDNY are excellent. I'd prefer him to cut a bit more rap into the mix and we'd see a more credible/interesting artist though I'm sure Atlantic are dead set against that...

'The A Team' is general dirge but parts of YNMIDNY are excellent. I'd prefer him to cut a bit more rap into the mix and we'd see a more credible/interesting artist though I'm sure Atlantic are dead set against that...

 

I'm a little worried that after the huge success of this single, the record company will try to mould him into some nu James Blunt type character, which as somebody who's been following him for about a year and a half, really isn't what he's ever been about. He's a much more interesting artist than 'The A Team' suggests - hopefully he'll get the chance to release one of his more interesting/hybrid songs next because this single is a bit of a red herring as far as the rest of his material goes. He's certainly not bland for the most part, far from it.

 

I remember watching him on Jools Holland when PJ and Lykke and The unthanks were on. He played the A-team and we just looked at each other and shrugged.

If the pop crowd want this guy then they're welcome to him. His music (and I have listened to other tracks including some of the collabs) sounds like it comes from 1974 (with some beats on.)

I know it's not aimed at me but since when does that stop anyone having an opinion?

Good god I would rather listen to Destroyer's Kaputt again. At least that produced a reaction in me!

Come to think of it... The A Team really suits today's climate after remarkable hits by Adele, Bruno Mars (TLS), Noah & The Whale and Birdy. It was bound to happen sometime this summer so it's not that different really.. It's just surprising it's charting so high.

 

And yes I'd be ecstatic if PJ Harvey or Lykke Li ware in top 10.

Edited June 15, 201114 yr by SKOB

I remember watching him on Jools Holland when PJ and Lykke and The unthanks were on. He played the A-team and we just looked at each other and shrugged.

If the pop crowd want this guy then they're welcome to him. His music (and I have listened to other tracks including some of the collabs) sounds like it comes from 1974 (with some beats on.)

I know it's not aimed at me but since when does that stop anyone having an opinion?

Good god I would rather listen to Destroyer's Kaputt again. At least that produced a reaction in me!

 

You're quite entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine. I don't usually feel the need to justify my personal taste but he's got such an overwhelming 'bland, boring, uneventful' response in this topic that I felt that I should express why I like it/him and have been a fan for a while now. I find what he's doing to be interesting for the most part and I'm quite happy to be alone in that opinion, because it won't be changing any time soon, at least not until he signs up with SyCo and dons a suit :lol:

 

My comment regarding who he is aimed at is in response to Bray wondering why he's had such a good reception in Chart Chat - which is by and large populated by his target audience. I made a topic on him last year and put it in the R&B/soul forum! The last thing I'd have called him this time last year was 'alternative' although I can see how The A Team doesn't fit the R&B bracket whatsoever hence why he's ended up in here now.

 

It's hard to understand how he's manufactured pop though, the songs he's singing and releasing now are the same ones he was playing to half a dozen people in $h!tty pubs in Norwich three years ago.... He's managed to make it by touring his arse off (over 300 gigs in one calendar year) and managed to become friends with people like Example and Devlin. He's got a massive following from people who like that type of music because it's something different to them and he's clearly got the talent of writing his own music. I know loads of people who like him who would never really touch anything like it, my flatmate got really into him after meeting him supporting Example last year, I know someone who booked him to play a club night in Bournemouth in February, booked him about 6 months previous and when I saw him in January he said they buzz was unreal, so many people who usually listen to dubstep/grime getting behind this ginger kid with a guitar!

Come to think of it... The A Team really suits today's climate after remarkable hits by Adele, Bruno Mars (TLS), Noah & The Whale and Birdy. It was bound to happen sometime this summer so it's not that different really.. It's just surprising it's charting so high.

 

And yes I'd be ecstatic if PJ Harvey or Lykke Li ware in top 10.

 

Bruno Mars has had remarkable hits?

 

Also, he's not so much 'manufactured' as he is just following the mold of every other bland acoustic/indie-pop artist (Jason Mraz, Mumford and Sons etc.) who's hit the top 10. 300 shows in one year is pretty crazy but that just makes him hard-working, not talented/great at music. I'm just underwhelmed. Only reason I'm saying anything is because people are saying he's bringing something different to the mainstream which I disagree with. He sounds Top 10 to me. Otherwise I don't really care, it probably is better than some of the stuff out right now.

By remarkable I basically meant "big".. My English might not be the best at times. But yea it sounds like it's meant to hit the certain nerve of the moment.