Music Review: Aly & AJ "Like Whoa"

Aly & AJ

Like Whoa

Album: Insomiantic

Year: 2008

          Aly can’t contain her excitement when she thinks of her crush in the underappreciated    “Like Whoa.”

         A toe-tapping guitar opens the single, setting a ready tone. She has a great job she enjoys. She gets along with her family and her friends are there for her. Some days, her hair won’t curl the right way or her mom gets on her nerves. Nonetheless, people aren’t going to care. Then she thinks of her crush while at work and driving home from class. He’s has left a permenant mark on her. (“Life is good I can't complain/I mean I could but no one's listening/Your image overwhelms my brain/And it feels good, good, good/Now I'm rolling my window down/I love the wind but I hate the sound/You're like a tattoo that I can't remove/And it feels good, it feels good, it feels good.”)

          In the chorus, she isn’t sure if he likes her or not. Every day she analyzes her interaction with him. His smile was a bit different. Does he see her as a friend? But then he said he liked her outfit.  (“Like a roller coaster ride/Holding on white knuckles like/Whoa, whoa/Can't believe I'm like/Whoa, whoa [Got me feeling like]/Up and down and side to side/Every inch of me is like/Whoa, whoa/Got me feeling like/Whoa, whoa [Got me feeling like.”)

               She wakes up and her mind starts going. She has to think of what to wear if she runs into him. Then, she practices conversations, taking out whatever sounds lame. She can’t breathe. She likes the butterflies. (“In the morning it begins again/Feels like I'm falling better strap me in/I think I'm running out of oxygen/And it feels good, it feels good, it feels good.”)

           The chorus is sung again.

             In the bridge, she says she’s comfortable with showing her emotions. She’s never fallen so fast before. She has become obsessed with him but she’s ok with it.  (“My inhibition are beginning to let go/This situation I can't help but lose control/You're an affliction that I cannot seem to break/It feels good, it feels good/I'm holdin' on/Holdin', holdin', holdin', holdin', holdin'/Holdin'.../I'm holdin' on.”)

          A extended variation on the chorus ends the single. (“Like a roller coaster ride/Like I'm runnin' a red light/Like a rocket ship in flight/Every inch of me is like/Whoa/Like a roller coaster/Whoa/Holdin' on white knuckles/Whoa/Once you let your love in/Whoa/Every inch of me is like/Whoa/Got me feeling like.”)

         Aly and AJ’s charismatic vocals draw people right in slowly, conveying a cool sensuality. Considering they are sisters, it doesn’t end up being icky. They make an excellent team, taking turns in the verses and letting each other have their moments.

            Aly Michalka is also an underrated actress. She’s great in Bandslam. Sometimes the larger-than-life personality displayed in the videos doesn’t come across in movies/television. However, she makes what could’ve been an unlikeable character complex.

         The  awesome “Like Whoa” flies right by that multiple listens are necessary