Ace Audio: "Royals" - Lorde

You know, looking at the whole spectrum of music, the 2010s have actually been a really good decade for music, in fact I'd say it's the second best just below the 70s. I mean, we not only have a whole lot of awesome rock and metal, but many groups from the past have released new material like Megadeth, Disturbed and Iron Maiden. We may be hit or miss with the pop music, but the stuff that is good can actually be really good like "Lights", "Locked Out of Heaven" and "Rolling in the Deep", and a lot of the time we've been getting weird and unusual stuff randomly appearing on the Pop Charts. Why is that?

I mean, when you look at songs that make the pop charts you get your pop princesses, the pretty boy sell-outs, those weird vine songs and internet crazes and other stuff that really doesn't appeal to anybody except for the pop music fans, and yet we get songs like "Pumped up Kicks" and "Somebody That I Used to Know" not only making the charts, but topping them. "Somebody that I Used to Know" was the number 1 song of 2012 and "Pumped up Kicks" topped the Alternative Charts. So, how do these kinds of songs not only make it on to the charts, but stay there?

Is it that these songs are reaching a broader audience because of the internet? Is it because of a fluke in the system? Or is it because they are all just damn good songs? Okay, I doubt it's the second one, but then again "The Fox" made the Hot 100 and by all accounts that song shouldn't even qualify for the list. So, I'm going to find an answer, and I'm going to look at "Royals" because, even though I prefer "Team" myself, "Royals" was the bigger song.

Something that I notice right off the bat is that the beat is much less techno than songs from Katy Perry. I mean, I don't doubt that it was made with some kind of software or mixer, but it doesn't have the faux-dubstep sound, and the drum beats are really nice on top of that, setting the tone for the song.

The song itself is a kind of satirical look at those kind of pop and rap songs, you know the ones like "This is How We Do" that say that this is a good life and something you should have, yeah f*ck those kinds of songs. I can say that the theme of the song is not lost on the lyrics, as the chorus does name a lot of luxurious products and then says "We don't care", pretty much saying "This is not the stuff we need."

Lorde also has one of best singing voices from any pop star I've ever heard. She has good control and range. Whenever I complain about a Katy Perry song where she can't hit high notes, I often compare her to other female singers and Lorde is one of them. "Team" is my favourite song by her because it really does showcase what a talent she is better than "Royals" does.

And I really think that answers most of it. Maybe this song really did make the charts from just being really good and different. I mean, what else reached the top spot in 2013? "Roar", "Wrecking Ball", "Blurred Lines" really boring stuff, so why can't a song like this slip in every now and again? I mean, it's different, and quite frankly it's better than a lot of the things that actually hit the hot 100. I also asked a friend about it and he said that it was because it was easy for enough people to grab on to, and I can definitely hear that, I mean, it's soft but not Chicago levels, it's catchy but not an earworm and it's fun but not mindless.

These kind of non-pop, pop songs are getting much more attention and I'm glad, but then again, do we really need more artists like Lorde and Gotye on the pop charts? I know I would love to have more of their things but at the same time, the rarer a gem the more valuable it is.

I'm the Entity of Darkness, and I have nothing to say here. See you next time!