I always have conflicting feelings about the intrusion social media has into the burgeoning careers of upcoming popstars. On the one hand, I can't imagine Wannabe by the Spice Girls would have been such a exhilarating blast of pop gumption had we charted every step of their journey to the pop charts. Then again, on the other hand it's a chance for people to get their music heard by a wider audience than ever before. Kyle Brylin is one such person who is seemingly charming his way across the internet, one person at a time, with his moreish pop gems like The Star, If They Only Knew and Discrepency. His latest single, Committed, is being unleashed across the world on iTunes today (and in the UK here). He once joked that he was raped by Britney Spears in 1999 and has yet to recover - this thumping synth stomper is further evidence of that... It's built around a propulsive drum beat, layered with ice cold synth riffs and a chorus built around the catchy refrain of "love or hate decide/where do you stand on me/for once be committed". Kyle imbues this tale of a frankly half arsed girlfriend/boyfriend/Australian with enough vigor and charisma that kind of makes me think a) I can actually see Britney launching into this after performing Hold It Against Me in concert and b) why is he wasting his time with this numpty? Surely he should dump the supermodel he's with and come home with me so we can discuss the influence of Max Martin on modern day pop?! Anyway, there's a bajillion and one mixes to choose from and just in case you want a visual, Kyle has done a nice promo piece to accompany the song. You should probably nip out and buy the tune now and then read on...
Let's get this out the way first - Kyle looks good in a shirt and tie. You know the way some people wear shirts that are far too big for them? No problem there with Kyle - nicely fitted and toning it down with a pair of trainers. I approve. Plus i love a guy straightening his tie like he means business. Which Kyle obviously does - he is so going to lay it on the line...
I like the black and white of the video. You may think it's just Kyle and the director (Robert Capria) going for arty, but as the chorus (and BOLD LETTERING) declares "love or hate", this is a black and white situation. It's one or the other. Just stop pussyfooting around (whatever that means) sort of thing. So actually the black and white of the video mirrors the internal conflict of the song. This is A-Level English stuff I'm writing here you know :P
The whirling chair stuff is impressive. However, this should only be attempted by professionals. I tried it at home whilst slightly tipsy on red wine and ambien on Saturday night. Not a good idea. Not only did i scuff our hardwood floor but I cannot do anything near resembling the splits and therefore damaged my little general somewhat. So in short, looks marvelous but not a practical dance routine for amateurs.
There are, however, lots of easy dance routines for people bought up on Steps videos. There is a nice pointing at when he sings "you" and a visual representation of standing with his fingers during the chorus refrain. Plus a sort of mild fist/finger pumping to "for once be committed". This is easily achievable even if you have two left feet.
The second verse is basically an excuse for Kyle to show us what brilliant hair he has (he manages to make just got out of bed hair look quite cool, whereas when I get out of bed my hair does actually look like I just got out of bed, ie, shit) and what he can do with a couple of chairs. He would excel at props week on Dancing On Ice.
For some reason I quite like it when Kyle sings "bitch". It just pleases me for no apparent reason and also makes me sing the movie version of Kyle's Mom's A Bitch from South Park. Parents of Kyles across the world must really hate that song...
During the middle 8 Kyle has a bit of a sit down. This is fair enough. it's probably well exhausting having amazing hair, looking good in a suit and dancing around like whirling dervish.
In the final renditions of the chorus there are some nice vocal ad-libs that give the song a bit of depth while Kyle struts his stuff. There are also an inordinate amount of crotch shots as the chairs take centre stage. Please be aware that I am not criticising this at all :P
There are also two backflips (or one backflip shown twice?) towards the last half minute of the video. Perhaps it is this agility that helps Kyle do the splits without a groin strain earlier on? Perhaps if I exercised more than just lifting a Cadbury's Creme Egg to my mouth and took my Bikram Yoga class seriously I would be able to do this type of showmanship. Unrelated but important - at the end of the dance off in Grease (where Danny wins but with Cha Cha - the best dance at St Bernadettes, but with the worst reputation, etc) Vince Fontaine comes in at the end doing a massive flip. He lands but for a split second you can see the terror in his eyes thinking "dear jesus please don't make me do that again". Poor fella. Kyle can be his stunt double OR VINCE FONTAINE should they ever remake it!!
In essence, I fully approve of this video, the song and Kyle. Can we have an album now please - something between Eric Saade and Shayne Ward would be nice. Thanking you.
