“The result of all this freestyling, pop culture-savvy experimentation? A different take on traditional covers. The duo has a smattering of their own songs, but the clever remixes made popular by their YouTube segments “Timeflies Tuesdays” are where the real magic happens.” — Danielle Ohl
On Dec. 24, 2001, I received my first Backstreet Boys CD. Like any other girl of the early millennium, I was instantly in love with the crooning pop ballads, the charming smiles, and most importantly, the dance moves.
After that fateful day, I protected my Powerpuff Girls CD player as if it were the answer to all life’s mysteries. In many ways, it was. My very existence depended on hearing Brian, A.J., Nick, Kevin, and Howie D. on a daily basis. I hung posters. I belted lyrics — even though they were mostly wrong.
Since those happy days, no band has ignited my girlish desires for mindless pop music like the Backstreet Boys. No band, that is, until Timeflies.
The Boston duo formed in 2010 after meeting at a Tufts University party. They’ve been making music together ever since. Producer Rob Resnick and vocalist Cal Shapiro make music that’s more than just machine-generated fluff, while at the same time satisfying a listener’s base need for catchy pop music. With Timeflies, the two have done something that — Backstreet, forgive me — warrants a closer look at the artistry behind the group’s pretty faces and charming but forgettable vocals.
Shapiro is no Andrea Bocelli, but it’s his clever, rapid-fire rap bars, not his voice, that deserve acclaim. As seen in the duo’s videos, Shapiro often doesn’t know what he’ll be rapping about until he picks a topic or buzzword out of a container; the ensuing raps, however, are seamless. Impressive? A little. Entertaining? Of course.
Often, he integrates pop culture references into his freestyle lyrics, which segue into enjoyable covers of popular songs. In one cover, Shapiro somehow successfully references “Blurred Lines” and the 2014 Winter Olympics within the same stanza. What’s not to like?
The result of all this freestyling, pop culture-savvy experimentation? A different take on traditional covers. The duo has a smattering of their own songs, but the clever remixes made popular by their YouTube segments “Timeflies Tuesdays” are where the real magic happens.
Last Tuesday, the band released their second studio album After Hours, but here are some gems from their far more enjoyable YouTube videos. Fangirls, rejoice:
5. Pompeii
4. Taylor Swift
And just so a different version gets stuck in your head:
