The Wrong Side Of Life

Kids On TV “Breakdance Hunx (Market Value Mix)” – The same exchange occurs five times over in this song, and with each iteration, its meaning is transformed. What begins as a creepy compliment and some callous advice mutates into hostility and terror as a grim realization sets in: Even if the guy receiving the advice has a very high “market value,” his worth as a human being depreciates the moment he accepts the price tag that has been slapped on his ass. (This isn’t far off from the major theme of The Wire, or at least the way David Simon explains it in interviews.) As his voice grows more panicked, the first guy becomes increasingly predatory and domineering. Even when he’s screaming at the end, his voice is grotesque in its cheeriness, but it’s only sensible that the character representing the most amoral and barbaric aspects of capitalism would affect the glib tone of a voice over from a bad advertisement. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

Avril Lavigne “Runaway” – Whereas Avril Lavigne was originally presented as a sympathetic Betty in mall punk clothing, her new album finds her fully transformed into a vain, entitled Veronica. Though it’s a bit more difficult to relate to her new music, it’s hard to deny the alpha girl thrillpower of “Girlfriend” and “The Best Damn Thing” — sometimes it’s just more fun to root for the villain, you know? Nevertheless, the album’s best track avoids the arrogance, bullying, and cheap profanity of its more flamboyant cuts in favor of a cathartic rush not unlike that of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.” Whereas “Since U Been Gone” is fraught with extreme drama from the start, “Runaway” slips into its over the top chorus as something of a surprise following its dynamic though fairly low-key verses. It’s a pleasant incongruity, andas a result, each chorus comes across like a new emotional revelation. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)