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Aly & AJ - 'Potential Breakup Song'

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Fraser McAlpine | 10:15 UK time, Thursday, 4 October 2007

Aly & AJAlyson Renae (aka Aly) and Amanda Joy (aka AJ) Michalka have sold hundreds of thousands of copies of their first album, played to massive crowds, had interviews in big magazines and their music's been used in films and TV series. You've probably never heard of them. Nothing of their music's been released in the UK until the last few months, when first album 'Into The Rush' snuck its way into stores and now, when their first proper UK single gets a release.

Signings to Hollywood Records (a Disney label) very rarely get released in the UK, often only really getting play on Radio Disney even in the US and yet most of them sell absolute shedloads. The demographic is, theoretically, "tweens" (ie: young teens and younger) and the artists are almost universally young themselves (Plain White T's are the old men of the label) and usually heavily linked to Disney productions.

Aly and AJ themselves were Disney songwriters before they were an act in their own right, writing songs for, err, The Cheetah Girls, among others, which isn't the recommendation it could be, frankly.

So yes, they write their own songs, they really do play instruments and they're cute and blonde to boot. They don't believe in evolution, they release Christian-outlet only singles but then so does Stacey Orrico and we all know 'Stuck' is a blimmin tune, they're clever, adult lyricists with songs about bullying and children in warzones, they're talented and from what I've YouTubed they're ace performers. So haters, stop right there because Lord knows (he really does), I've got a lot of issues with the Disney thing but this is AMAZING.

We already introduced 'Potential Breakup Song' on Back Of The Sofa Tunes pt.2, after I bullied Steve P into listening to it until the poor lad was quite overcome by its brilliance and subsequently forced to bully Fraser into covering it.

Aly and AJ's previous album was rock-pop, some of it light and bubbly, some of it bordering on heaviness. Staccato, often angry pop but still definitely pop. Their second offering, 'Insomniatic,' with this as the lead single seems to have kept the staccato and the venom but added more layers of pop, to create something that sounds like My Chemical Romance going through a blender with some soft-hearted Angry Girl Music.

Don't let the tango at the start fool you, even as the synths and the vocoder cut in, this is a rock song playing with electronics. Chirpy keyboards flag up the growl of their voices as they deliver self-conscious lines like 'it took too long, it took too long, it took too long for you to call back and normally I would just forget that, except for the fact it was my brithday, my stupid birthday', kicking a guy to the curb for being a forgetful loser amid a glorious barrage of seething rhythms, clicky noises and general madness, as the Michalka sisters swing between honeyed murmurs and psychosis, making for the most danceable mental breakdown I've heard in quite some time.

Five starsDownload: Out now
CD Released:
October 8th

(Hazel Robinson)

Comments

  1. At 10:52 AM on 04 Oct 2007, wrote:

    Much as it pains me to agree, I've been punting this video at people for ages, pointing out its utter brilliance, blondeness and cuteness.

    And there's nothing wrong with not believing in evolution. Other things I don't believe in include space (the outer kind), Australia and the ability of large aeroplanes to fly, amongst many, many others.

    Back to the point, I salute your description, which sums up how utterly perky, perfect, poptastic and peculiar this is.

  2. At 04:15 PM on 04 Oct 2007, rebecca wrote:

    its an ok tune but the lyrics are not good!

  3. At 06:02 PM on 04 Oct 2007, Leo wrote:

    Ok as much as this song grew on me, and as much as I hate to admit it, I really don't think it deserves that many stars xD 4 maybe! But five? Jeez oh.

  4. At 07:25 PM on 04 Oct 2007, Kirstin wrote:

    Being a sad myspace addict since i discovered the brilliance of the Jonas Brothers earlier this year, it's heard this TOO much coz myspace & my obsession with Radio Disney!

    It's rumoured to be about Joe Jonas, 18, who ended his relationship with AJ because they were both too busy. I know Jonas Brothers are quite cheesy esp. with their first album (produced by Columbia Records) as some songs are covers of old Busted hits (ooooo the gd old days =P) but they have matured in their second album (produced by Hollywood Records) which released @ #5 on Billboard Charts.

    If anyone would like to check them out
    jonasbrothers.com
    myspace.com/jonasbrothers

    or you can even add my JB myspace fansite
    myspace.com/jb_worldwide

    Luv K xxxxxxxx

  5. At 09:18 PM on 04 Oct 2007, Kat wrote:

    Yay.. I still love this song. Totally worth the 5 even purely because they deserve it, damnit!!! Awesomeness

    Lol, Mr H.. large airplanes fly FINE.. it's when they chuck you on a TINY one going across the Atlantic that you really should start panicking :P

  6. At 09:09 PM on 05 Oct 2007, Rebecca wrote:

    Aly and AJ did NOT write songs for The Cheetah Girls. Ever. Where did you get that from? And before they were a music act they were 14 and 12 years old (they formed at 15 and 13, respectively)...admittedly a 12-year-old would be pretty capable of writing a tune for The Cheetah Girls, but I don't think Disney would allow this and they definitely didn't. Check your facts!
    The rest of the article=good stuff.
    x

  7. At 05:33 PM on 06 Oct 2007, Oxfordshirelass wrote:

    I LOVE THIS SONG!!! i think it has a good basic simple bassline and a good simple tune. i think that that it was a ver bsic idea to come up with and it has made it a brilliant song!! we have been studying this song in my GSCE music lesson and actually what they have done is very good and well done to them most of the girls i know love it!!!

    x x x x x x x

  8. At 05:57 PM on 06 Oct 2007, wrote:

    Hello,

    Cute they are, but what would a potential boyfriend be missing out on if they are creationists? Intelligent conversation? Hardly. They don't believe in evolution after all.

    It's a good song though. And catchy. But please could the UN pass some sort of resolution banning the vocoder. PLEASE. We've had enough.

    John

  9. At 06:01 PM on 06 Oct 2007, Muirne wrote:

    Hey! Ive been into Aly and Aj since their 1st album came out! I saw it in the shop and thought oh cool something different and I was listening to it non stop and insoniatic is their 4th album because there was Into the rush, Then that turned gold, they released an xmas album after that and now insomniatic. Im over the moon that they were on Tmi this morning and hopefully they'll do good every where!
    Peace and Love!
    Muirne
    age 12 xx

  10. At 06:59 PM on 08 Oct 2007, Holly wrote:

    Finally
    I've been telling people about them for ages
    at least now every1 will no who I'm talking about
    do you nt think they're lyk a singin version of mary-kate and Ashley

  11. At 04:54 PM on 30 Oct 2007, chris e wrote:

    i have been a big fan of aly and aj since they made their first album into the rush and i loved their second album acoustic hearts of winter and i like insomniatic the songs are good and i really like them but i like the other 2 better it was much more inspiring this isnt anything like that i wish they would go back to their old style alot of people like it much more listen 2 their songs chemicals react, out of the blue, shine and i am one of them they were so more inspiring than this stuff they brought out now

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