Crazy Zany Radio Sunday - 'Momma's Place' by Roisin Murphy

Yes sir, the Crazy Zany Sunday Radio column is back! Every week our contributors get one song which they will then voice their opinion of! It’s a simple as that. A warm welcome to Craig Cady (Mog.com/resignedly), who for his first time starts with a nice in depth opinion! So check that out. Also welcome to Ilse van der Spoel and her first contribution. The more the merrier, so people are always welcome to join in.

Track of the week: ‘Momma’s Place’ by Roisin Murphy (listen here)
Average grade: 5.7

Anna: I have a natural tendency to snob songs that wreak of 80s disco and electro... however, Murphy's voice is so grand and the beat is so infectious that I enjoyed this thoroughly. If it was lacking its mainstream electronica moments it would get an 8, but as it stands I'm not going higher than a..... {drum roll}
{more drum roll.....}
7/10

Linda: The lack of any musical subtlety and the way she really belts out the lyrics in this track remind me more of Moloko than of any of Róisín Murphy's solo work. And I do like Moloko, although I'm not so sure how relevant they would be these days.
6.3/10

Jon: I've always enjoyed Roisin's vocals but I can't really say I'm digging the direction she's taking here, it's all a little Janet Jackson-esque eighties electro poppy for me.
4.1/10

Ilse: Does the beginning of this song resemble the beginning of ‘Acceptable in the 80s’ by Calvin Harris, or is it just me? The song has a nice beat and I can imagine quite a few people dancing to this, even though I probably won’t be one of them. I’ve never been a fan of Roísín Murphy and this song doesn’t exactly make me change my mind. Her voice in this song mostly annoys me, but I have to admit I find the second part of the song slightly more appealing than the first. Overall the song seems a little bit too repetitive to me though, both in lyrics and music.
5/10

Stef: Be aware little hipster girls with your cute dresses and tiny synths, ‘cause momma is back and ready to throw a real party.
8.8/10

Craig: A redundant beat, industrial hits, a 90’s diva-esque vocal track—I don’t see anything particularly special about this song. It’s too repetitive and canned, something that could just as easily come from the vapid disco-house world of C+C Music Factory and Paula Abdul.

I’ve never heard of Róisín Murphy before this assignment, and this song is not a very appealing introduction. Is this supposed to be ironic or some kind of (Ishuddertothink) retro 90’s throw-back? The melody is catchy but only because of its repetition, and the rushed feeling the thunky synthetic bass intones makes it too hollow to take seriously. Is this a serious endeavor, or is it a bad attempt at being tongue-and-cheek? Did she mean to sound this corny or not?

I’m serious. Does she want her audience to grin and think, “yeah, that’s how my mom would sound if she wrote a pop song admonishing my wild ways?” I tried to see it at least from that angle, but it doesn’t even accomplish that. Sadly, I feel like I’m supposed to take her inauthentic song composition and painfully didactic lyrics to heart. The “industrial” quality of the sound feigns an attempt to mirror the edge that Murphy claims she used to have. She may indeed have gained respect and overcome a delinquent past to live a responsible life now, but I’m not convinced. Besides, a life of crime almost always makes one’s music better.

I give this song a 3/10 due to its slight danceability.