Of the internet reviewers spawned from the satirical reviewing site That Guy With The Glasses, I consider Todd In The Shadows to be one of the very greatest productions the site offers. While other reviewers on TGWTG mostly focused on movies, video games and anime etc, Todd brought the much needed sector of reviewing popular music to the site.
Todd Nathanson began producing videos on YouTube and eventually was accepted onto TGWTG.com and found new spread popularity on the site and I don't think this could have happened at a better time, due to this being the period when the likes of Lady Gaga, KehSa and The Black Eyed Peas where beginning or already had been dominating the top 40 pop charts. Pop music needed criticism and analyses more than ever, and that's where Todd comes in.
A standard episode of Todd's Pop Song Reviews involves an analyses of a recent U.S Billboard Top 40 pop song, a bad one of course. Each episode begins with piano cover of the song which about to be reviewed, followed by an introduction to the song and the artist behind it. The songs themselves are pulled part, with deep analyses of the lyrics (often pointing out how they don't make sense) and often comments on the music video itself, followed by a final conclusion of the song. Each episode is filled with jokes, gags and one liners mixed in with the review itself but is all perfected flawlessly making Todd's Pop Song Reviews both an hilarious and insightful look into the world of pop music. The guy is one hell of a comedy machine and you can get quite the music education from his show.
However I still have yet to mention possibly the most important aspect of the series. Like many other internet reviewers, Todd has gimmick. The simple genius that we don't know that he looks like due to wearing a hoodie and being unlit within the shadows he inhabits. I love the mystery of not knowing what his physical appearance is and it's also quite a romantic idea in itself. Todd has to communicate primarily through his voice and he certainly has a voice which does just that; clear and audible, pleasant to listen too, and strong enough to get his points across. Todd's Pop Song Reviews is one the finest review shows the internet has to offer. Todd Nathanson isn't a household name but I can call the guy one of my heroes.
