Example - 'Last Ones Standing'
We've all got friends for whom pop music is not a big thing. They might feel they're above it, or too old to get excited about it nowadays, as if the ears suddenly turn to cardboard once you're past a certain age. They still well up if a song has been used appropriately in a TV drama or a film, and they'll be up on the dance-floor with everyone else if the situation demands it, but otherwise it's not an abiding passion.
I also have friends like this, and we've never really felt the need to discuss or debate the issue. I'm into music, they're into cricket or literature or toast or whatever and that's just the way it is. However, recently there's been a change. Two of my non-music friends, entirely independently of each other, recently admitted to being rather partial to the songs of Example. They didn't even really know who he was, they just heard some tunes and decided they liked them.
Now, from a sample group of this size it is not possible to draw scientifically significant conclusions, but if it was, would that not rather suggest that Example's sonic stylings are stronger than normal music? Strong enough to break past years of indifference and avoidance?
Or would it just mean that he literally makes music for people who do not like music?
(. Can you feel the force?)
It's a tough one to call, isn't it? Because on the surface of it, it's not like this song contains music which is SO amazingly distracting that it simply cannot be ignored, even if you are up to the most exciting chapter in The Expert's Guide To Newt Management. Or at least, not more distracting than other modern forms of popular song.
Mind you, it does start with those stabby synths, an introduction that dramatic has to be an attention-grabber. And once the ear has been pricked, that's a good place to jump in with your little tales of bad behaviour. It's nice that the taxi-driver they've just run away from has the chance to offer a disapproving little grunt too. That's inclusive. People like to feel included.
And he sings the first bit, thus drawing in the rap-phobics, before hitting them full in the face with his lyrical flow. It's like he's saying "yeah, you want to know why we don't sit in the seats when we're on the tube? Well you're gonna have to put up with THIS RAPPING FIRST". So by the time we get to the chorus, he's treated us mean, he's kept us keen, and then, the double-whammy: stabby synths AND singing AND a drunken arm around the shoulder leading us outside for a night of pure silliness.
And it's a very euphoric kind of silly, which is the best sort. The kind of euphoria you just don't get from stamp-collecting, unless you have found a very rare penny black in someone else's library book, and run off with it before they can protest.
Download: September 12th
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
" I caught half of his headline set at a local music festival hoping in vain I'd be treated to some of his early work only to be disappointed."
" I'm just not sure the album makes a big enough statement to make it memorable this time next year."
"Check out this cover [Ed Sheeran has] dropped of rapper Example's forthcoming single 'Last Ones Standing' I personally dig it 1 000 000 times more than the original which is quite cool."
Comment number 1.
At 6th Sep 2010, harrythedog10 wrote:That video was strangely amazing, I would pay good money to see that cop show get a full serious. As for track it's pretty good, not as good as his other singles though so I'll give it 3 Stars.
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Comment number 2.
At 6th Sep 2010, spirit wrote:This is now 4 brilliant singles in a row for Example .
This guy has an ear for a hook and superb pop nous .
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Comment number 3.
At 6th Sep 2010, OddOne wrote:I'll second that spirit!
Example has a seriiously good ear for a great pop hook, and so this gets 4 stars from moi.
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Comment number 4.
At 10th Sep 2010, Anonymous wrote:I third that spirit!
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