Review: Rebecca Black - Friday

Much has already been said about internet phenomenon Rebecca Black. Time Magazine has named her the most influential person in music in their newly released list, ahead of Bob Dylan and The Beatles. Rock Sound called her the saviour of rock and roll, while NME hailed her as the Lady Gaga-killer. But one question remains, why has she suddenly transformed from a virtually unknown preteen to one of the biggest commodities in the music industry?

Read the rest of the review after the jump.

One listen to Friday, her debut single that came out in February, and it's too easy to list the numerous reasons why. As Ark Music Factory CEO Patrice Wilson has stated, Rebecca Black is way ahead of everyone in terms of innovation, songcraft and experimentation. Every beat, every note, and every lyric is thought out and carefully crafted, in what is an honest perfectionist's quest for absolute beauty. Many have witnessed Rebecca Black's obsessive controlling iron grip over her musical output. A producer who has worked with her reveals that Rebecca Black is not one to go for cliched routes.

Though her music may sound similar to much of what you hear on the radio, rest assured the way she recorded it is by no means the tried and tested methods that have served luminaries such as Justin Bieber and Rick Astley so well. That almost robotic voice that she sings in? If you guessed auto-tuned, you could not be more wrong. Rebecca Black reportedly went through months of groundbreaking vocal chord surgery that fused her larynx with that of a South American poisonous frog. This was chronicled in a documentary/expose that claimed that Rebecca Black is, amongst other things, a Satanist who is also a Freemason while being the new head of the Illuminati.

Strong claims, but that doesn't detract from the fact that Friday is this generation's Who Let The Dogs Out. Just like Baha Men's masterpice, what keeps everyone hitting the replay button for Friday is the intelligent, poetic lyrics that would have put Bob Dylan and John Lennon to shame. Who else but Rebecca Black could put so much tension in a chorus that lists days of the week in quick succession, all the while commenting on the state of a society so eager for progress that time goes by them like sands through a timeglass. Not since Craig David's seminal 7 Days has a song so beautifully captured the very essence of the urgency of modern life by using something as simple as the days of the week.

But in truth she is not the only tween capable on making sharp social commentary. In fact she's only one of many in a new wave of young teenagers unhappy with the shallow nature of their peers' obsession with the superficial. Take Jenna Rose for example. In 'My Jeans' she provides a damning critique of the fashion industry and celebrity culture. As biting as anything that comes out of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and as catchy as the plague, many have argued that Jenna Rose will soon take Rebecca Black's mantle in this newly-born agit-pop movement.



But I digress. This was supposed to be a review of Rebecca Black's Friday. A review meant to focus on the music, and nothing (or no one) else. But it's almost impossible to discuss Friday without elaborating on its social significance. Its commentary complements the music in a way Dylan couldn't. To talk about the music and only the music is betraying the very essence of the song itself. This is why I will never be able to write this review with only an objective mindset focused on the music and only the music.

Because of that, I am sad to say this will be my last post on the blog. I have found the ultimate song, and there is no reason for any other type of musical pursuit. I announce my retirement from blogging, and from listening to music in general. Thank you for reading, and for the final time ever.

Signing out

Over and out