The Catholic Youth Organization makes its Jukebox debut…
[Video][Website]
[6.50]
Frank Kogan: Starts with a gong of suspense, which is often difficult to live up to, but this song goes much further. In the verses, the singers sound like they’re reciting facts, a small extra weight on each word. Then the chorus, “You touch my heart, baby,” sung as if this is a truth that must be wrestled to the ground. In the meantime, a troupe of professional weeping seagulls, seasoned from years of performing at funeral homes and Catholic Youth Organization dances, operates the synthesizer and acts as the song’s actual chorus, in the Greek sense, the expert, indefatigable pathos serving as commentary on the action. As dancers, Miss A have such precision and control, they can be utterly daunting, when they want to be; except they’ve visibly worked so hard at everything that we in the audience are ready to believe that they think we’re worth all the effort.
[9]
Sabina Tang: The voices are synaesthetic with the scarlet roses and black lace: intensity conveyed in delicacy. What makes it as a pop song, though, is that uphill synth figure wheezing away in the background, like a steam-powered clockwork hidden behind porcelain joints.
[8]
Brad Shoup: The mewling synth is the standout element for me, especially as it almost conquers the overwrought vox. Jia, in particular, tries to carry off a whisper and drops it on the floor. Further, I can’t hear the “touch touch” bit without thinking of “Rush Rush” 2) “Sixth Sense”, which got awesomer the more I listened. At the risk of the same happening here, I’m not taken with such a brittle vessel for such a hopeful message.
[3]
Katherine St Asaph: Too blase to believe; they sing like his touch is just his jostling her as he reaches over to set the studio knobs to cruise control.
[6]
Anthony Easton: Arm is usually code for cock. I have never seen it code for pussy before.
[7]
John Seroff: “Touch” is weirdly avant-garde and uniquely compelling disco; soft, sharp and easily digestible all at once. More please.
[8]
Edward Okulicz: That recurring whining sound clips the wings of this otherwise impeccably sultry number. Not that it’s unpleasant or awful — it just kills the mood a bit. Otherwise, “Touch” draws an excellent mid-point between the cool disco pop and opulent R&B of the early 00s while sounding perfectly modern, the girls coo seductively and the beat prowls.
[6]
Alfred Soto: The girls’ voices are anonymous enough not to assuage the synth whinny that’s supposed to be the hook. A shame, too — that slinky rhythm can reanimate Rihanna.
[4]
Iain Mew: The main three note repeated bit of the synth riff reminds me of will.i.am ft.Cheryl Cole. “Touch” is a slightly better song but has a similar overall feel overall of pop as a soft shuffle and a gentle taunt. Every element gets deployed with a large amount of restraint, touching but never going any further. The results are gorgeous but fleeting.
[7]
Jonathan Bogart: The rubbery bass is a world-beater; the nagging synth whine is a ratchet up of the tension, and your reaction to it no doubt depends on your interest in tension. And then there’s the voice(s): slinky without sacrificing power, massed without anonymity. Sure, maybe it’s the English-language chorus that seals my deal, but it wouldn’t mean anything if it weren’t so carefully set.
[7]