Well the Norwegian to English web translator is pretty lacking, but I think I was able to cull the important bits:
Spring 2008 (April?) Album is finished and recorded and is about to be mixed Richard X Xenomania
- posted by Shane @ 12:36 AM |
Thursday, October 11, 2007
A 'true test' for Elway
By Michael Knisley The Sporting News September 10, 1984
DENVER -- For this man, the Denver Broncos gave up Chris Hinton, Mark Herrmann and a No. 1 draft choice?
For a man with a 47.5 completion percentage? For a man with twice as many interceptions (14) as touchdown passes (7)? For a man who was the lowest-rated quarterback in the American Football Conference?
For John Elway?
Where is the return on that investment?
It was called the Trade of the Century in May of 1983, when the Broncos obtained Elway from the Colts for Hinton, Herrmann and a first-round pick in the '84 draft. Bob Irsay's pockets got picked, they said. The Broncos got Elway for far less than what other teams had offered the Colts before the '83 draft.
It still may be the Trade of the Century, but the emphasis may switch to the Colts. Hinton was an All-Pro guard in his rookie season in Baltimore. Elway was an all-low quarterback.
"I really don't think it can get any worse than it was last year," Elway said as Denver's 1984 training camp opened.
It began in Minnesota in the last exhibition game of '83, his first as the Broncos' starting quarterback. Elway was sacked five times and was 100 percent ineffective. Denver lost, 34-3.
It ended in Seattle in the AFC wild-card playoff game, Elway standing on the sideline in favor of Steve DeBerg. The long day's journey into night closed with Elway silently leaving town just after Christmas, accompanied by none of the hubbub and clatter that marked his arrival.
In between, there was a trifling of promising moments -- a three-touchdown fourth quarter against Baltimore and a 284-yard day against Cleveland.
That was it, however. There was nothing else.
"I felt like we were both young and had to grow up," said Dan Reeves, Elway's 40-year-old head coach. "Certainly, it was a new situation for me. One thing I got better at as the year went on was that I'd wanted him to succeed so badly. It was almost like your own son, wanting him to do well so badly.
"It didn't work out the way I wanted it to, but there were a lot of positive things that came from it. There's a tendency, if you haven't ever experienced defeat, to forget it can happen. It happened to me in 1982. I'd never been associated with a losing team, and then we went 2-7. It makes you stop and say 'Wait a minute.' John went through that last year, and now it's behind him."
Elway's problems in 1983 -- DeBerg's presence, communication difficulties with Reeves, a baffling offensive system, prodigious pressure to succeed from the media and instant fame around town -- indeed may be behind him. The Broncos and nature seem to have tackled those difficulties one by one during the course of the offseason.
DeBerg is gone, traded to Tampa Bay. There is no competition now at quarterback.
Reeves and Elway have patched together their relationship. No more sideline shouting matches, they both promise.
One season later, Reeves' "backward" numbers (right-side plays are called with odd numbers and left-side plays are called with even numbers) appear to be comprehensible.
And, surprisingly, the pressure on the kid quarterback seems to have lifted. There was no legion of reporters in camp to chronicle every breath he took. The Elway Watch is over.
"It's like night and day," Elway said on the eve of the Broncos first exhibition game, a 16-13 loss to Washington. "I know what I'm getting into now. I feel a lot more comfortable in the position. This whole year so far has been getting back to normal, and that's really a relief.
"I didn't do well last year. But, then, I can look at myself and say, 'Well, I'm not a bad player because of that.' It's just that I had no idea. I was out there, and I was totally confused. I didn't feel comfortable at all out there. I'm not disappointed, but I'm not happy with it, either. I look at the way I played against Cleveland and Baltimore, and I know it's down there somewhere."
Reeves tinkered with his offense in camp. Expect to see Elway throwing more rollout and sprintout passes this season, plays that seem better suited to his talent than straight drop-back tosses.
It isn't a pure run-and-shoot offense, but it looks a little like it. Reeves hired University of Florida run-and-shoot guru Mike Shanahan in the offseason to coach his quarterbacks and wide receivers and then let him fiddle with the playbook.
Line coach Alex Gibbs came in, too, from the University of Georgia, with another new wrinkle that should help: a blocking scheme that will allow Elway's protection pocket to float.
"I think it'll be great," Elway said. "Being able to move the pocket around definitely will help the offensive line. If the defense doesn't know where the quarterback is going, it's got to help. And it's almost easier for me to sprint out than it is to sit up in the pocket. I like the sprintout game, the movement. It's a do-or-die situation. I like that."
Reeves may have erred last season when he handed Elway the starting job over DeBerg. But win or lose, Elway learned more by playing than he would have by watching, according to Reeves, and that experience is expected to pay dividends in 1984.
His early tests this season have been inconclusive. In just a little more than two quarters of action against the Redskins, he threw two interceptions and completed only 11 of 27 passes for 130 yards. There were no touchdowns and, in fact, the Broncos didn't score with Elway in the game. Reserve Gary Kubiak guided Denver to its 13 points.
A week earlier, in a controlled scrimmage against Houston, Elway completed four of eight passes for 41 yards.
Neither outing was a miscarriage of football, but neither game was a Hall of Fame performance, either.
If Elway learned anything last season, he learned he isn't perfect. He learned how to struggle-with his game and with his name. The game is becoming easier for him. The name isn't.
"I'm a celebrity," said. "I'm a celebrity because I was a first-round draft pick and I was drafted by Baltimore and traded to Denver. But I'm not a celebrity in the way I'd like to be a celebrity. The only reason I'm a celebrity is because I'm a quarterback and I was the first pick in the NFL draft. It's not because I've proven anything to anybody. I didn't prove anything last year. That's where it's hard for me. If a kid comes up to me and asks me for an autograph, I want to feel good about writing my name down on that piece of paper. I don't want to give an autograph on the basis of what I'm supposed to be able to do in the future. Once I have a good year and feel good about it, I won't feel as bad about the rest of it."
Elway didn't say things like that last year, but there may be plenty about this season that isn't anything like 1983.
He isn't single any longer, for instance. On March 3, he married Janet Buchan, and he has since settled into a home in Denver. That -- permanent local residence -- was one of Reeves' wishes, and it means the head coach and quarterback were able to work more closely during the offseason.
Reeves was optimistic about Elway at this time a year ago, and his optimism wasn't founded.
But he's sounding the same tune this season.
"He really understands the offense a lot better," Reeves said. "He's still got a long way to go. There's no way you can do it all by the second year. It takes a lot of time. But there's no comparison now to where he was last year, even to where he was at the end of last year. He has much more knowledge now of what we're trying to do.
"In these early (exhibition) games, I want him to play and play well. I think he needs to build confidence that he's making some progress. It's important that he continue to improve each week. But like any quarterback or any player, you're going to have certain games where your performance isn't what you'd like it to be. That's the true test of a player -- coming back from those kinds of games."
Or coming back from those kinds of seasons. That's the true test for Elway.
This is incredible. I'll probably go back into blog posting hibernation again after this, but this got me too excited to resist throwing a link up.
- posted by Shane @ 8:17 PM |
Thursday, July 19, 2007
girls aloud single #16 has leaked. i am pleased.
- posted by Shane @ 8:51 PM |
Ok, it's time for a massive single rundown. I had a pretty easy clinical rotation last month so I had some time to listen to more music than I've been able to in the past few months. So here we go, a quick rundown of every current and future 2007 single I've heard thus far. Like always, songs categorized by "Bad", "Meh", "Good", and "Great", just like my hard drive folders. Singles tapped mainly from Billboard, UK charts, Popjustice, and Stylus. Sorry there's not more hip-hop. Record companies sometimes make those singles difficult to "acquire".
Bad Cooper Temple Clause - "Waiting Game" Cringe as a band tries to write a soaring chorus and fails miserably.
Corbin Bleu - "Push It To The Limit" Disney channel kid whose parents almost named him "Bullet" after U2's "Bullet The Blue Sky". "Push It To The Limit" sounds nothing like that. Based on the lyrics, I think I'm supposed to get pumped listening to this.
Evanescence - "Lithium" Way too melodramatic for my tastes.
The Fray - "How To Save A Life" Coldplay has ushered in a new age of wimpy rock bands with pianos.
Freemasons - "Rain Down Love" There's a whole lot of bad mid 90's Eurodance lurking beneath the surface here.
Guillemots - "Annie Let's Not Wait" Definitely from the new school of overproduced, Postal Service/Decemberists styled indie pop. Let's just use a bunch of different instruments and insert lots of zany sounds because we can. I know I sound like an old man, but whatever happened to craft?
Gym Class Heroes - "Cupid's Chokehold" Downgraded to the "Bad" folder due to the annoying "dah, dah, dah, dah!" hook.
Norah Jones - "Thinking About You" Yawn. Whatever happened to the Norah Jones punk band?
Kaiser Chiefs - "Ruby" After releasing four singles and two re-issues from their first album, they've finally decided to stop milking it and come out with something else. Based strictly on this new single, I think they're going to struggle. "Ruby, ruby, ruby, ruby!" Not a good chorus.
Little Man Tate - "Sexy In Latin" Myspace indie band #4329. How is it I'm so cynical about viral internet rock bands but my favorite band was born from reality TV, the ultimate endpoint of manipulative music marketing? Oh right, because Myspace bands are usually awful. This one's so nondescript it's offensive.
Ben Macklin - "Feel Together" It's probably fair to say I overrate good house music. The flip side of that is I'm extra critical of bad house music, because I don't see how you can really mess it up if you have a reasonable idea what you're doing. "Feel Together" is bad house music.
Mason - "Exceeder" Blips and bloops and "thump, thump, thump".
Musiq Soulchild - "Buddy" Mediocre R&B artist with a pompous name (I thought he was just Musiq now?). Tries to capture an old soul sound, but doesn't quite make it. Obviously wants to sound lush, but fails miserably. Should try to be subtle, but is as discreet as a flashing neon sign. Three "buts" and you're out.
My Chemical Romance - "Famous Last Words" It's too easy to just sit around and bitch about these guys. They've been around for a long time now, so I'll just say I don't get it and leave it at that.
Nickelback - "If Everyone Cared" Generic 90's alt rock > Generic 00's alt rock
Ordinary Boys - "I Luv U" It's like some sick mutant hybrid combining the intent of a Magnetic Fields song with the lyrical complexity of a McFly one. That's not a good combination.
Placebo - "Running Up That Hill" I first heard this song on the season premiere of The O.C. and it confused the hell out of me. Took me a few seconds to recognize it was the Kate Bush song, and a few more after that to realize it was the "Friend in need / with weed / indeed" guys butchering it. Why are they still around? And what was the reasoning behind this travesty?
Eric Prydz vs. Pink Floyd - "Proper Education" Wow, he's really grasping here. I guarantee Eric Prydz doesn't release anything of worth again for the rest of his career. You can quote me on that.
Sasha - "Coming Home" Nauseating how sugary and simple this is.
Shiny Toy Guns - "You Are The One" Nothing worse than super earnest synthpop.
U2 - "Window In The Skies" Is it fair to say that the Top 10 worst U2 singles have all been released in the last six years?
Meh Sadie Ama - "Falling" Undifferentiable, run-of-the-mill R&B.
Beyoncé - "Listen" Dreamgirls song. "Hi, I'm Beyoncé and I can sing BIG too!" When will these people learn that I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THIS.
Bloc Party - "The Prayer" Bloc Party songs are always sonically interesting and "The Prayer" proves the continuation of that trend from the very start. Nice intro with creepy tonal humming transitioning into sinister background guitar noize. Unfortunately, the rest of the song doesn't really go anywhere, and though the chorus is lyrically well written, it doesn't do much for me melodically.
Cheetah Girls - "The Party's Just Begun" Disney girl group that sounds like second rate Destiny's Child.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Satan Said Dance" Indie hype band with an all new single off an all new album. The instrumentation keeps things interesting and the messy, groove oriented rock formula certainly isn't the worst one to adopt. The problem with this song is the same one shared by every CYHSY song, and that's the fact the vocals are irritating as hell.
DJ Shadow - "This Time (I'm Gonna Try It My Way)" I'm thinking that this song's a little too efficient, that something like this should have the time to simmer and build. The main lyrical message doesn't really mean anything in such a singular context; there's no push or pull, no variation. Cleanly detailed coffee table music, crammed into the span of 3 minutes.
Girls Aloud vs. Sugababes (or is it Sugababes vs. Girls Aloud?) - "Walk This Way" An utter travesty. This is not what you expect when the two best pop groups of the past five years get together to record a single together. First of all, what's wrong with an original song? Sure "I Think We're Alone Now" was decent, but usually when Girls Aloud do cover songs, bad things happen. And second, why "Walk This Way"? That song is terrible. Just hearing that horrible guitar riff makes me want to stab myself in the ear with a screwdriver. I know this is supposed to be some Comic Relief tie in single, but why can't they go in with the intent of actually making something good? This song should have been epic. Shame on you Dallas Austin. Shame on everyone else involved. The only good to come from this is it proves you should never take Girls Aloud away from Xenomania. Ever. (I can't bring myself to put this in the "bad" folder, though I want to.)
Jennifer Hudson - "And I Telling You I'm Not Going" Single from Dreamgirls. I remember the raves she used to get on American Idol after oversinging everything. Frankly, I thought she was terrible. Guess she found a suitable platform for her talents.
Jamie T - "Calm Down Dearest" The easiest way to get to the top in the UK these days is to be eclectic. Nevermind that you don't do anything particularly well, just make sure you cite a lot of different influences and try not to sound like anyone else. Bonus points if you have a terrible voice. Because then you'll be seen as a damaged genius.
Camille Jones - "The Creeps" What "Losing My Edge" would sound like produced by the Neptunes. Unfortunately, nice beats and production are all we have here. There's no musical progression to speak of and I seriously get the impression she just decided to throw out random utterances and phrases to fill out time. Not good enough.
Mike Jones - "Mr. Jones" So many rappers are fixated with reminding us what their names are over and over. The fact that this guy's made an entire two year career out of this with the name Mike Jones is bewildering (and genius). Propers. As for the song itself, not as clever as it thinks. Singing kids in hip-hop is so three years ago.
Just Jack - "Stars In Their Eyes" There is absolutely nothing interesting I can say about this one. Is it "Bad"? Is it "Meh"? Do I care? Ladies and gentlemen, last week's UK #2.
Keane - "A Bad Dream" More post-Coldplay dreary piano rock. Not quite as bad as The Fray track. Hell, who am I kidding. This is getting moved to "Bad".
Klaxons - "Golden Skans" I want to like these guys because they complimented Girls Aloud. I'm suspicious of them because the Popjustice guy likes them and when it comes to guitars, he has a tendency to like all kinds of random garbage. This song is built around the vocal hook, which honestly, isn't strong enough to warrant the attention. Their old material must be a lot different, as I've seen them described as "acid-rave sci-fi punk-funk". That's most certainly not a valid description of "Golden Skans".
Kleerup - "With Every Heartbeat (feat. Robyn)" Despite not liking anything she's done, I greet every new Robyn single with high hopes. She is of course the pop blogosphere's reigning hype champion, and well, they were so on with Annie, right? This one is just another in a long line of disappointments for me. Synth twinkles, strings, a firm house beat, emotional singing...this SHOULD work, but it just...doesn't. My theory? I think pop aficionados just assume that if something's from Sweden, it's quality.
Koopa - "Blag Steal And Borrow" I have to say, it's hard rooting through all these new singles, mostly because of all the nondescript indie, pop-punk, and alt-rock. So when I saw the name Koopa, I started to get excited. What could this be? Just a generational Nintendo reference, or does the name give any insight into the sound? Electro-pop? Cartoon style hip-hop? Nope. Just more pop-punk.
Lady Sovereign - "Love Me Or Hate Me" I was genuinely surprised about a month ago when I walked into a Best Buy and saw a Lady Sovereign album sitting next to all the usual featured artists and albums. Is she actually popular here now? When did this happen? I may just be making this comparison because she's white, but half her songs really do seem like second rate Eminem tracks with a female MC. I mean, seriously, just look at the title of this one. If that's not perfect name for an Eminem song, I don't know what is. I think you have to have a strong personality to pull off these ego-driven confrontation tracks. Let's just say she has Tatum Bell level charisma and leave it at that. If you want to hear a good Lady Sovereign single, this one's not it. You should go track down "Hoodie" instead.
Mika - "Grace Kelly" Pop music with street cred bags yet another chart #1. Mika seems to be the next in a recent line of "personality" based UK pop artists. I suppose that makes him the male Lily Allen. People have this idea that "different" is automatically good, but in most cases (like this one) it's nothing more than just another neutral descriptor, like "brown" or "rectangular". Though this song has quite the sunny disposition, it just doesn't supply any of the emotions that typically go along with that. Completely forgettable.
Nerina Pallot - "Learning To Breathe" Mid-90's radio singer-songwriter comback! Most I can say for this is that it isn't actively bad. This is the kind of song they'd use to soundtrack a movie scene where a woman is running around the streets in broad daylight with outstretched arms embracing life or something.
Natasha Ramos - "So Sick (feat. Clipse)" "Drop It Like It's Hot" set a dangerous precendent showing that hip-hop minimalism can be uber successful. Ok, I liked "Mr. Me Too", but I think we've already hit the creative endpoint of this particular thread. Last thing we need is people trying to copy this stuff.
The Shins - "Phantom Limb" Pleasant and polite. That's all I can think to say about this. There's a tambourine too. Wikipedia says this resembles Psychocandy. Yeah sure, minus all the sonic wonderment, which was mostly the point. Stupid community driven information depot, don't you know anything?
Sloan - "Who Taught You To Live Like That" Catchy. I suppose. If this song suddenly ceased to exist, nobody would care.
Gwen Stefani - "The Sweet Escape" Again, yet another case of building a song around something that doesn't quite deserve it. Sorry, "woo-hoo, yee-hoo" NOT as cute or funny or crazy as you think it is. And just as an aside, is Gwen Stefani the least fun pop star of all time? Her whole post No Doubt career is like a step-by-step exercise in legacy building.
Ania Szarmach - "Silna" Slice of Polish pop. Thanks Stylus, for the cultural enlightenment, but please expose me to just the European pop singles that matter from now on. I get enough of this cookie cutter R&B pop from my own country, ok?
Teddybears - "Punkrocker (feat. Iggy Pop)" Swedish rock band somehow teaming up with Iggy Pop. Enjoyment of this song is entirely dependent on your appreciation of the chorus; how you reconcile the whole "old man rock legend"/punkrocker dichotomy and whether you find that funny, ironic, interesting, or whatever.
The View - "Same Jeans" Hey, let's rewrite "Brimful Of Asha"!
Good 8 Ball & MJG - "Relax And Take Notes" Fright night hip-hop. Sinister bass, drama chords, church bells, all included. While not entirely memorable, good enough in the moment to be worth a listen.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - "Catch You" Debut single off new album Trip The Light Fantastic, written by Cathy Dennis and Greg Kurstin. Her last set of singles from the previous album were too casually performed, too non-chalant for my tastes, so I'm glad she sounds like she actually gives a damn again. The Blondie comparisons aren't as accurate as you'd like them to be, which I attribute mainly to the difference in vocal personalities. Still, lots of sudden guitar rev ups, which give it enough musical angst and forward burst to keep this a step above many of her previous offerings. Decent for a comeback single, though slightly disappointing.
Jarvis Cocker - "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" First proper single from perhaps the most proficient songwriter in the history of popular music. I read something touting him as the next Morrissey, which I think is apt. His solo output thus far has been up to snuff, perhaps a little too comfortable musically, but still finely written and well regarded. The problem starts when you begin making the direct comparisons, and really, this new material pales next to the glowing brilliance of Pulp's catalogue. Which is hard to figure, because all the usual elements are still there. We have the distinct voice, well crafted lyrical structure, good musical ebb and flow. The problem lies in the message, mainly that what he has to say today just isn't as interesting as what he was saying just 5 years ago, let alone 10. And perhaps even more important is the nagging sense that Jarvis understands this just as much. Ambition or musical curiosity, I don't know which, but something definitely is missing here, and I'm not sure it'll ever be back. Don't let all this dissuade you from giving this song a listen though. Just keep in mind, you're not entirely getting the real deal here.
Fall Out Boy - "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" Urg, I can't believe I'm actually feeling this. I have no idea what they're going on about, but the title lyric is both funny (perhaps intentionally so, though probably not) and assertive enough to properly reach the anthemic heights they're aiming for. And the choir part is awesome in a "bunch of nu-emo hacks desperately trying to write the alt-rock equivalent of "Bombs Over Baghdad"" kind of way. I don't really believe in "so bad it's good", so the only way I can explain my enjoyment of this is likening it to the highly underrated film XXX. It's just so ridiculous and uninhibited and honest about what it is that it's difficult not to like if you even minutely buy into what they're selling.
The Good, The Bad, And The Queen - "Kingdom Of Doom" Damon Albarn's new band. Sadly, right when the Gorillaz were starting to get better too. I haven't thought enough about it to decide whether the lyrics are crap or not, but the song is similar enough to early-mid era Blur, what with the detached, observational poetry kind of feel to it, that it gets a thumbs up from me regardless.
Kelis - "Lil' Star (feat. Cee-Lo)" I was all ready to give up on her, because frankly, her "I'm not just a Neptunes puppet" phase wasn't her best. This is probably her best single since "Young, Fresh n' New", which was what, 5 years ago? Nothing particularly notable here, just nicely performed and cleanly produced. Cee-Lo has really made a name for himself as a writer/producer in the past year; I think I've liked pretty much everything I've heard from him. A real knack for melody. I don't think it'd be a stretch to say he might be best non beat based R&B songwriter today.
Regina Spektor - "Fidelity" Apparently well known singer-songwriter type who I've not heard before. Normally something so precious sounding would annoy the crap out of me, but the end of this song is sung well enough to give it some real emotional meat. And the stuttered vowel thing is cute.
UGK - "The Game Belongs To Me" Texas hip-hop veterans who I know of only because of "Big Pimpin'". But as for the song... I'm as guilty as anyone when it comes to falling back on that old lazy criticism, "generic", when I can't think of anything else to say. Well, this is actually "good generic". Lazy, so confident "I can't be bothered" sort of delivery and some fat, punchy bass. Sometimes that's all you need.
Amy Winehouse - "You Know I'm No Good" Didn't much like her before, until "Rehab" turned the tides. The style of "You Know I'm No Good" is much in the same vein, a little pop, R&B, and jazz. Interesting to see this was co-produced by Mark Ronson, whose probably best known for last year's cover of Radiohead's "Just". The guy clearly has a horn fetish.
Great Amerie - "Take Control" Alright, enough with all the faint praise. The songs in this domain are all the real deal. Another Cee-Lo production here, and let me tell you, it's amazing. Why this has only hit #66 in the Billboard charts, I have no idea. Insidiously catchy guitar riff that ingrains beneath the skin, exciting brass intrusions, a vocalist who knows how to properly work a nice rhythm. I didn't think she'd come close to "1 Thing" ever again, but in less than two years' time, she may have released something better. The new album out in the spring might be one to watch.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - "Me And My Imagination" Confirmed second single after "Catch You". This is more like it. The style of her previous album was mostly cold, precise, and clinical. I think her particular vocal traits, the posh accent and tight haughty tone, work best when contrasted with warm, inviting sounds, otherwise it all comes across as sort of distanced and impenetrable. "Me And My Imagination" gets everything right. Tidal synth haze and flittering strings accompany a playful disco beat while Sophie extols the process of love, a celebration of mystery and fantasy. Perfect.
Justin Timberlake - "What Goes Around Comes Around" I like that Justin is a now a bonafide A-grade solo star, because people can finally admit how moving and heartwrenching some of his songs are. I can't remember the last time a male artist has been able perform something so emotionally bare and revealing without it devolving into eye-rolling pap. There's a certain respect for the message in this song, where he lets the usual pop star image crafting take a back seat. You almost forget who's singing this partway through the song, though it's not because he gives a bad performance. It's seamless integration of voice as instrument and it's absolutely gorgeous.
- posted by Shane @ 11:23 AM |
Ok, I originally saw this posted on Kotaku a few days ago, but didn't have a chance to watch it until today. Seriously, this is classic beyond words. Er, at least part 1 is.
Not really sure why I'm linking to this. I guess I just like to point out articles that are completely on the money (as opposed to paritally on the money, or not on the money). Don't remember Insignificance very well, but I can certainly vouch for the other of his first five, which are all aurally impressive, defining records. In the past few years I've learned not to recommend records to people unless I'm in tune with their tastes or they specifically ask, which I think is a good approach to things. Fully engaging an album takes a long time and most people just aren't interested or don't have any time for it. With that in mind, I'll just go ahead and say, if you're ever on the search for an interesting listen, there's a lot of sonic pleasure to be found in these. Best of all, even if you don't end up liking them, they're still worthwhile experiences from a standpoint of pure aural intrigue.
(This is my new way of telling people what to listen to. I would have liked that lame Garden State quote if they had replaced "The Shins" with one of these. Especially Spiritualized.)
- posted by Shane @ 9:52 PM |
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Some random posts from a Team 17 spokesperson on the official Worms board:
"A few things here:
Firstly, XBLA titles are currently capped at 50mb. I think the content on the PSP version (low definition) was something like 700mb (all audio, voices and levels). All the art in the XBLA version is high definition for a start (the images are huge) and 4X the size of anything else - if you see the swollen size of things like Defender (a 16k arcade game was 30mb on XBLA!) then you must understand that it's pretty impossible for us to pack everything into 50mb as we have to provide the base game and cater for 5-6 languages. That said, we will release a good mix of content later on, some will be free and some will be chargeable - but you won't need it to continue playing the game. Note: On PS3, our Lemmings title is about 300-400mb (I can't recall the exact figure) in size, since there is no cap on the download size - such is the size of the high-def artwork (even after compression).
Secondly, the price of the game. As you'll find out when it's launched, it'll provide stunning value for money - particularly compared to some other offerings on Live Arcade. At least you'll have the choice if you want anything or not and charged offerings will be good value given the price people charge for phone Ringtones! As for "everything should be free" then I suggest you go to the trouble of developing video games on a professional level with 70+ staff and see how long you can survive as a business with those tactics.
Thirdly "what version of Worms is this and what weapons will it have?" - we're going to be a little coy on feature set until nearer the time. It's safe to assume though that we've got a version that's hopefully casual friendly as it is hardcore-player friendly, so it's positioned as such given XBLA is a pretty casual game-space. It's a pretty pure, more strategic version (rather than crazy, kitchen-sink insanity) and we hope the lure of -secure- weekly, monthly and all-time leaderboards will prove fairly exciting for all."
"Well, the most popular (in terms of sales) version of Worms was the first one. It's chief humour angle was really the Sheep and also banana bombs as well as just the game providing hilarity.
Having too many power weapons DOES saturate the game-play somewhat and we'd like people to play competitively and see the game for what it is, rather than pressing a few buttons and game over. LOL instances on the weapons are a bit short-lived, we want people to really enjoy the tactics and the game which is what's been polished.
Too many options, too many weapons and control aspects do cripple the casual players, so it's a little more streamlined. That said, it had the testers queuing up in lunch-breaks to play... so it can't be all that bad - the competition on the leaderboards may be a little intense"
"BTW I wouldn't say "there are very few" and that there aren't powerful weapons. It's just a case of it being more core Worms than, say, Armageddon. People still have the choice to play maxed out games if they wish, with loads of bananas, sheep and dynamite."
"I can't announce the date right now (I do know it) but the game is still in the various certification stages (final code testing right now, followed by a full localisation testing stage and then another one...) Once that's all passed it's free to go.
It'll be soon here. I will know more about what and when I can say anything after this week since the US is on holiday right now (Thanksgiving week)."
By far my most anticipated game of next year. And unlike Street Fighter, it's almost impossible for them NOT to make this work correctly online. Even more encouraging is the fact the official rep is saying all the right things about gameplay. All I'm really waiting for now is word that they canned the jetpack and airstrikes. Shotguns and ninja rope, oh yeah.
Here for your perusal...the top ten greatest worms of all time: 1. The Doctor 2. Walker Bow 3. Can Bank Man 4. Jefferson 5. The Natural 6. Zzyyx 7. The Beauty 8. Steve Jones 9. Doug Boy 10. The Unnatural
And the top five lamest: 1. Can Bank Mam 2. Goku 3. Bono 4. Dough Boy 5. The Egg
- posted by Shane @ 11:05 PM |
Friday, November 17, 2006
Here's an interview I found...
MASTER OF MELODY ENJOYS LIFE AT THE TOP
With a Girls Aloud number one album in the bag, Brian Higgins talks about the art of creating hits
So, how did Xenomania come about? I spent many years writing, recording and programming songs at a piano or a keyboard - that is where I learnt about song craft and arrangement. Then, prior to setting up Xenomania I spent two years as a session musician, programming lots of dance remixes, which taught me about record making. Xenomania was my attempt to combine all of these skills into one focused attempt to have a lot of hit records.
What do you think are your biggest skills? I can write and hear a hit melody. When I met Miranda [Cooper, fellow member of the Xenomania production team], she had a take on lyric writing that I could never had and, as a result, I am not really a lyricist any more. She deals with all of that. I can hear a tiny bit of a musical idea and develop it musically until it is right.
For example? It may be a beat and it may be a set of chords or a particular melody. For example, with [Girls Aloud's] Biology, I heard the intro and I knew that was a hit, although it was only five seconds.
A lot of the songs you write attract quite an adult audience. Does that surprise you? I have no idea who buys the records I am involved in. You tend to view the world as you see it as an individual. I think I hear music now exactly the same way that I heard it when I was 14 years old, so I guess I am committed to trying to achieve that same rush of excitement or emotional connection that I identified with then. Generally speaking, I want to make music that young people love, but I can only hope that is being achieved.
Despite having written songs for lots of different artists, from Cher to Frank, you will always be associated with Girls Aloud - does that bother you? It does not bother me in the slightest. I am very proud to be associated with Girls Aloud. That is just the way it has turned out. We have had a lot of success with Sugababes, but they were always a multi-produced entity. The bottom line is that Girls Aloud went around the same blocks [of songwriters] in order to find the second single. They came to us last and we delivered No Good Advice. At that point our relationship became permanent. Colin Barlow [who signed Girls Aloud to Polydor] said to us very clearly that we had the ability to deliver an indie sound for a pop band. It is now 13 Top 10 hits and has been the longest of our relationships.
Would you agree that your music is very British? Virtually all my influences are British. I love The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations was a big influence on me - but they weren't a patch on The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. I wouldn't understand a modern R&B record if it bit me on the arse. I like things that are up-tempo and exciting. [Cher's] Believe was an international smash, but when it was initially written I was into The Stone Roses and Madchester - that very British scene helped influence the writing of the song. Girls Aloud have a quintessentially English sound that is defined through the band.
Do you like any R&B songs? Crazy In Love was an amazing record. The best of R&B is fantastic, but that is because they are melodically pop. [Justin Timberlake's] SexyBack and [Nelly Furtado's] Maneater are like European electronic records. I don't hear that much of a traditional US record; I hear them as electronic pop. To me [Outkast's] Hey Ya is a Eurocentric drum & bass record.
What is your favourite of the tracks you have done? Biology. We were chasing the soundtrack of a film [with Girls Aloud] and doing that disrupted us creatively. It was making us miserable. Something had to come out and that was Long Hot Summer. It was made in a panic. It was a disaster record. I can't stand it. The reaction that set about resulted in Biology and I think that it is a wonderful record - so uplifting. It meant so much to us and it really set Chemistry up well.
How do you feel going into 2007 and beyond? I have been with Miranda [Cooper] for 10 years, Nick [Coler] for seven and Tim [Powell] for 11. I admire these people enormously and they are my friends. If we are going to continue to be successful it is because we will stick together. Next year there will be a drive in the US, hopefully a new Girls Aloud album and a new Sugababes record, plus anything else inspiring. We are also moving down the road. With the Girls Aloud and Sugababes greatest hits, the new publishing deal with Warner/Chappell and moving, it is a new era. We see ourselves as wanting to be back at the beginning and to let go of what has happened to date. The minute we think that we have nailed it we are probably finished in this business.
Brian Higgins is part of the Xenomania production team - which also comprises Miranda Cooper, Nick Coler and Tim Powell - that has produced songs for artists including Kylie Minogue, Texas, Sugababes and Girls Aloud. Higgins also co-wrote Cher's international hit Believe. He has just extended his publishing deal with Warner/Chappell.
- posted by Shane @ 7:24 PM |
Friday, November 03, 2006
This might be the killer app that finally swings me toward Microsoft. Game of the year?
- posted by Shane @ 7:52 PM |
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
After months and months of searching, I've finally found them!
Nobody cares, but here's an update anyway. Greatest Hits out next week. If you can ignore the covers, the tracklist makes this look like the single greatest collection of songs in the history of recorded music (sorry Discography, 69 Love Songs, and Too Young To Die). New track "Money" sounds fantastic from early clips. Christmas single is a cover of "I Think We're Alone Now". Ummm, yeah... Read about the master plan in the link above.
The success of "Something Kinda Ooooh" has totally saved their bacon.
- posted by Shane @ 10:14 PM |
Sunday, October 22, 2006
I don't know if I've ever said so before, so I'll say it now. I love the DFA. Love the first Rapture album, love the remixes, love most of the early singles from their artist stable. For a couple years there, they were on fire like nobody's been before. For me, the first dip in quality came when the LCD Soundsystem album dropped (though everyone else loved it), and since then, it's all been a bit "meh" for me.
Let's just say my faith has now been renewed. Easily the best thing I've heard all year. Just follow the links. 12
I think this is only officially available on iTunes as a Nike promotion or something right now. Screw that. I'll wait for the vinyl, thanks. (or CD comp in like four years by their rate)
- posted by Shane @ 1:42 PM |
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Never really been much of a Ludacris fan. I think I have to be now.
I would have posted the mp3, but the video mix has the fun ending. Lots of early comparisons to Kelis's "Trick Me". This is so much better.
- posted by Shane @ 11:49 PM |
Friday, September 15, 2006
Looking forward to this more than any release this year, especially since I refuse to believe that the Clipse record is actually going to come out. Also note the words "Chris Martin" in that article so you can look as bewildered as I do.
- posted by Shane @ 1:53 PM |
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Last night I had a dream about downloading the new Girls Aloud single. Then I woke up and actually did it. Radio rip like always.
Alan Moore interviews are always insightful and this one is no different. I'm actually really interested in picking this up now. In the current climate, it's hard for me to imagine anything this progressive developing from any other relevant visual medium. Or actually, maybe I'm wrong on that and I just don't see anyone in film or television being able to pull off something like this as intelligently as Moore.
I also have my eye on this, which under normal circumstances, I'd avoid like the plague. I mean, do we really need yet another tired take on the Iraq war? Not that I'd necessarily disagree with the political stance, but I'm just sick of being beaten over the head by the same old regurgitated arguments and perspectives, right or wrong. BUT, I think I will give this a chance just because it's Vaughan, who's proven he can write politically slanted comics without giving you the sense that he's telling you how to think. Oh yeah and it has talking lions. Let it be said that cartoon lions straddle the line between cute furry critter and vicious badass mauler like no other animal can.
- posted by Shane @ 9:03 PM |
Geoff Barrow is kind of a dick even though he's right that Danger Mouse producing a Portishead album is a terrible idea. Honestly, I find it more interesting that people actually think there's going to be another Portishead record. This thing is the biggest piece of vaporware since the SNES CD-ROM.
- posted by Shane @ 12:53 PM |
Yes, I know Radiohead is very popular, but I still find this kind of amazing.
- posted by Shane @ 6:23 PM |
Thursday, July 06, 2006
You'll probably be hearing this all over the place in the next couple months. It's turning out that all the best songs this year are being made by the same three or four people. I don't know if this is good or bad.
- posted by Shane @ 10:40 PM |
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Repackaged Mania song, due out at the end of the month. Questionable band. Clumsy lyrics. Somehow still pretty great.
- posted by Shane @ 11:42 PM |
"I’ve been very lucky, I’ve been working with some really brilliant different UK writers and artists. I did a song with Liam from the Sneaker Pimps and some stuff with a French guy called Dimitri, who’s a bit more alternative. Cathy Dennis has written one and Brian Higgins, who’s part of Xenomania, and that was lots of fun, he’s a very talented pop writer. There’s a brilliant girl called Hannah Robinson who I ended up doing a lot of stuff with, we got on really well. I’ve also done some songwriting with Dan from The Feeling. I’ve just been enjoying the fact that there wasn’t any time pressure so I could write with lots of different people, and sometimes we got lots of brilliant stuff and other times we tried things out and they didn’t really work, but it’s just nice not to have to keep looking at the clock and going, ‘OK, we’ve got to come up with a hit by the end of the day!"
Hint: "In interviews I seem really nice and amicable, though whenever I invoke my performance persona I come across as bored and disinterested, as if I believe that what I do is beneath me somehow. This would be ok if my songs were strong enough, but unfortunately for me, I've only released two great singles in the past six years. Having been away for so long, I've somehow let Alison Goldfrapp steal my "pop for people who think they're too cool for pop" gimmick. It's good that I'm an articulate/interesting person and am working with so many quality songwriters now, because it would be nice to show that I belong on the same sub label as Girls Aloud." (not a real quote)
- posted by Shane @ 4:21 PM |
There were so many quality selections that I just had to mention this. Revel in the sheer bombast of "B.O.B." and and the U.K."Relax". Watch Björk and Vitalic exploit the cuteness of animals like nobody's business. But if you're only willing to take a few moments out of your day, be sure load up the emotionally charged, incredibly brave for 1984, "Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat. Or of course, Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights", which is somehow alluring, charming, and unintentionally comedic all at once. I should probably also mention that it's the greatest music video of all time by an extremely wide margin, just in case that's the kind of thing that'll motivate you to watch it.
Note: "Bad Cover Version" is of course genius, but I've been trying to temper my Pulp worship as of late, so I'll say no more.
- posted by Shane @ 8:41 PM |
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Nelly Furtado, the entirety of the next Justin Timberlake album, now this. Timbaland is such a producer whore.
- posted by Shane @ 9:57 PM |
I guess this bombed at Cannes, and is supposedly just a sprawling, self-indulgent mess of a film. The thing is though, while negative, that review makes this sound totally amazing.
- posted by Shane @ 1:07 PM |
"Is the sloth slothful? Or is he willing but simply not very able? The Tirler family took one of the surprising little creatures into their home to see.
In Brazil, where the Tirlers live, the animal is called an A-i for the tiny sigh which is the only noise he is capable of making, even in times of direst stress. After the Tirler A-i was transplanted to domestic life and named Nepomuk, he soon settled dreamily into the family's garden and allowed them to study his few natural habits: fifteen hours out of every twenty-four for sleep, the rest for eating.
The sloth has a ridiculously small heart for its weight and a very low metabolism, which no doubt explains the peace-loving trance of its ways. But Nepomuk's gently permanent smile and affectionate disposition caused him to become a much-loved member of the Tirler family and a regular guest at their Sunday lunch--though if rain had fallen and the sloth was wet, he was first hung up on the clothesline to dry.
After the Tirlers and the A-i grew more used to each other, the Tirlers found a bride for Nepomuk, and before long they were able to announce a baby sloth in the family. The baby proved good sport, amusing to the Tirlers and a source of pride to its parents in their few waking hours each day.
This delightful account of the Tirler foster-sloths is illustrated with thirty-two color photographs that convey the rare charm of the A-i."
- posted by Shane @ 1:59 PM |
I saw "V For Vendetta" last week and I guess it was alright. While I didn't think it deviated from the spirit of the original as much as Moore claims, I have to admit some of the attempts to shoehorn the story to better fit American politics were pretty clumsy. And the Wachowski "knife porn", which is probably the main draw for most audiences was stupid and unnecessary, though thankfully brief.
Though I think the achievement was diluted somewhat when Soul Calibur got it. Still, I'll now be watching this with a lot more interest than before.
- posted by Shane @ 3:35 PM |
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
And just an addendum to the last post... I browsed through the current charts and noticed recent entries by Cascada and Daniel Powter. Let's just stick to the R&B/hip-hop dominance over here, because seriously, WE ARE IMPORTING THE WRONG MUSIC.
Ok, I'm good now. No more complaining about things that have absolutely zero impact on me.
- posted by Shane @ 9:41 PM |
I haven't been listening to the radio lately. Is this actually all over the airwaves now? Why couldn't it have been Natasha Bedingfield? Or anyone else for that matter? I really do not understand what dictates success in this country. Limpest #1 EVER.
- posted by Shane @ 9:35 PM |
Yet another reason I'm out of touch with new school gaming.
- posted by Shane @ 8:29 PM |
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Three hours ago in Chicago!
Lightning Strikes Twice Sylvie Who Do You Think You Are Don't Back Down Oh My Good Thing Split Screen Side Streets Last Orders for Gary Stead Spring Stars Above Us Teenage Winter
Encore: Like a Motorway Nothing Can Stop Us
Too short! Not even close to sold out! And another bad Metro crowd full of mocking hipsters. Damnit, what is wrong with people? This place doesn't deserve the best band ever. Still, definitely the highlight of an otherwise dull midwest winter. The new songs translate well live and they brought Debsey over for a stellar "Who Do You Think You Are". Thought it was strange when the crowd went nuts for "Like A Motorway". How do people here know this song so much better than anything else that they've released? Has it been on a soundtrack or something? Weird. Anyway, here's hoping this isn't the end like all the rumors are saying, because I need them to come back. At least so I can hear "Avenue" one more time.
- posted by Shane @ 12:34 AM |
Remember that Arctic Monkeys article I posted a few months back? Well, with how the U.K. album charts have gone this week, it's all kicked into overdrive obviously. It's not that I want to help feed the machine or anything, but they've sort of forced my hand. Again, let me restate, upon hearing the songs originally, I felt pretty indifferent about it all. It's just that I have a young, impressionable mind and taking some recent events under consideration, the tide may be turning.
A lot of people hate Robin Williams for all the overly sentimental, manipulative dross he's put out over the years, but I think he's awesome. And here's the reason why (besides Hook of course). "Battlefield 2 - the 2 stands for 2 in the morning."
The man is a Gamer with a capital G.
- posted by Shane @ 7:08 PM |
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Here are the rest of the "great" singles of 2005 in super condensed form. School's kept me from finishing this and well it's almost the end of January, so it's time to throw this up, clean up my hard drive, and move on. Remember, these are all GREAT.
Architecture In Helsinki - "Do The Whirlwind" This sounds like the sort of thing I'd try to make if I were a musician and knew a lick about such things.
The Cardigans - "I Need Some Fine Wine And You, You Need To Be Nicer" KILLER INTRO. I loved this song so much I bought one of their old albums used on a whim. Like most everything else I've heard by them, it was underwhelming.
Benjamin Diamond - "Let's Get High (Alan Braxe remix)" On par with the Soulwax remix and Stonebridge song in cheesiness. Just drown me in a wash of synths and all will be forgiven.
Do Me Bad Things - "What's Hideous" The clash of styles is bewildering.
The Field - "Thought Vs. Action" Hypnotic exploration of tension/release. Best single this year by someone not named Girls Aloud.
Freeform Five - "No More Conversations (Richard X remix)" The vocal hook reminds me of "Windowlicker" though it really sounds nothing like it.
Girls Aloud - "Biology" I was unsure about this at first, but I guess you listen and learn. Best single of 2005.
Girls Aloud - "Long Hot Summer" Shining example of why Miranda Cooper is today's top pop lyricist.
The Go! Team - "Ladyflash (Hot Chip remix)" Ancient, I know. I just saw them perform the original song on Top of the Pops. They're like a less Euro, slightly more inhibited Junior Senior, which is still good.
Interpol - "Evil" Sorry, this one has been around forever as well. Released as a single January 2005.
Kaiser Chiefs - "I Predict A Riot" If I had to listen to this regularly on U.S. radio, I think I'd probably hate it. I don't know if liking this constitutes admitting my own bias or just forcing myself to be fair. Anyway, this is a "great" song, and despite what anyone says, NOT BRITPOP.
The Killers - "Mr. Brightside (Thin White Duke remix)" Don't like The Killers much, but I must admit, the singer does have a flair for the dramatic. The vocals and keyboards really are the best parts of "Mr. Brightside". If you strip out everything else, especially the dumb lullaby riff, and tweak it to give it a little more gravity, "you've really got a chance to do something special". Sorry, invoking my inner Mike Shanahan again.
Justus Köhncke - "Elan" I wouldn't mind having this on vinyl.
Lethal Bizzle - "Forward Riddim 2" Like the kinetic energy of The Mask transduced strictly to sound.
Low - "California" The most affecting guitar band around.
Kylie Minogue - "Giving You Up" / "Made Of Glass" A couple of highly underrated Xenomania tracks that make it here partially on their A-side/B-side status. It sounds crazy, but I would actually shell out the ten dollar import price for this. There's something to be said for finding that perfect two side release.
The Mogs - "Kelly Blame (Electric Light Version)" The guitar bits remind of Saint Etienne's "Girl VII". The rest of it is just the usual repetitive synth noodling that I always fall for. What can I say, you like what you like.
Out Hud - "One Life To Live" Twitchy and spastic, it sounds like someone should be dancing to this, but I can't imagine how anyone would actually go about doing it.
Rachel Stevens - "I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)" The thrills in the beginning were so obvious and immediate I was convinced that a month down the road this would inevitably end up sounding pretty pedestrian. Not the case.
Sway - "Call My Name (feat. Wonder)" Pushes the "suffocating paranoia" sort of sound as far as it can go without crossing over into the "so sinister it's laughable" department.
Three 6 Mafia - "I Gotta Stay Fly (feat. Young Buck, 8 Ball, MJG)" Strip away the vocals and this kind of sounds like the final level of an 8-bit side scroller.
Trick Daddy - "Sugar (feat. Ludacris and Cee-Lo)" I read a review for this that marveled at how pretty the harmonies are. I fully concur.
Vitalic - "My Friend Dario" A total badass lightning storm of a song.
Will Young - "Switch It On" The male version of "I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)" in that whenever hearing it again, I'm always surprised I still love it. Bonus points for the video, which is a wildly entertaining homoerotic Top Gun spoof.
- posted by Shane @ 11:41 PM |
As far as I understand, the entire Juliet album is Stuart Price's pet production project. With "Avalon", he never reaches the same transcendent highs of his usual remixes, ignoring those achingly wonderful slow builds for a more immediate payoff. This is of course the world of pop music, and nobody is going stick around long enough for you to build tension for six minutes. Fortunately, though the package is different, the results are still just as thrilling. While the chorus is pretty inconsequential, the real power lies in the transitions, especially following the intro and breakdown, where the beat suddenly transforms from a limp little mouse of a thing into this unstoppable throbbing juggernaut. Better than anything off the Madonna album.
- posted by Shane @ 11:35 PM |
4-Ize - "Ron Artest"
I don't give a rat's ass about basketball, but I'm glad the whole Ron Artest thing went down because it was funny and it made the world a better place. I happen to like the song for the same reasons. It shoots for that uninspired, hasn't sounded hard since the early 90's rap style, the type of thing they use to soundtrack ironic movie scenes where the square white kids are jammin' to ghetto music. Ridiculous subject matter + ridiculous sound + ridiculous lines like "Throw a drink on ME, we'll see what happens" and "I'll turn your adam's apple into apple juice" = Comedy Record Of The Year.
- posted by Shane @ 11:34 PM |
R. Kelly - "Trapped In The Closet Chapters 1-12"
Ok, this isn't really a single either, but it came in a tight little DVD package, so it's like a video single. According to the useless (yet hilarious) bonus commentary, "Trapped In The Closet" is all about "cliffhangers", suggesting that Mr. Kelly would not want me spoiling the story for anyone. So without discussing anything that's happened so far, here are 12 (because there are twelve chapters so far ho ho) possible future characters and plot points, in ascending order of likelihood.
12. Aliens 11. Circus bear 10. Venereal disease 9. Polygamy 8. Secret identical twin 7. Road accident 6. Transvestite 5. Fire 4. Private investigator 3. Blackmail 2. Someone inadvertently sleeps with somebody else's mother, father, or sibling 1. Dialing the wrong number
Take that as you will.
- posted by Shane @ 11:32 PM |
Amerie - "1 Thing"
Here's an odd one. This song really doesn't seem to do much of anything. It's certainly not the sound of someone trying to take over the world with a new career defining hit single. It's just this messy, directionless beat with a coldly professional vocal navigating the waters. While it's totally without pretense, it's also devoid of ambition, as if this kind of thing has been done a million times before, saturating the charts for God knows how long. The trick is, it hasn't been done a million times before. And unless it's 2010, there's a ways to go before we hit "YAWN I'm bored of this" critical mass. Genre exercise from the future.
- posted by Shane @ 11:31 PM |
I always kinda saw Mutya as the lead personality of the band. With just 1/3 of the original lineup left, I think they should probably just end it. The new girl better be amazing.
- posted by Shane @ 11:12 AM |
Friday, December 16, 2005
Sugababes - "Push The Button"
Another in a long line of A-rate Sugababes leadoff singles and Reason #482 why British pop groups are better than American ones right now. If you're going to go the raunchy route, at least bring a modicum of tact. ("My sexy ass has got him in the new dimension. / I'm ready to do something to relieve this mission." = GOOD vs. "My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump / My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump." = THE WORST EVER) There's so much to love about this song ("Push The Button" not "My Humps"): the no nonsense straight to business intro; that deliberate pulsating beat, very much like well, pushing the button over and over again; single line "He came on through and aksed me if I wanted to get with him", which frankly, with apologies to mature artist Keisha, is adorable; synth squiggles in the chorus; and of course the gauntlet throw-down spoken word bit that's undoubtedly the best you'll find this year aside from "Swinging London Town". So wonderful it makes me woozy.
- posted by Shane @ 12:08 AM |
Thursday, December 15, 2005
I'm probably not going to get through all of these, but finals are over now, so I may as well give it a shot... Junior Senior - "Take My Time" also Junior Senior - "Itch U Can't Skratch", which is I still love.
Sometimes when I try to envision myself making the slow, unpleasant crawl towards adulthood (adolescence doesn't end until you're 30 now didn't ya know) I get the sense that everything isn't quite adding up right. I'm a 26-year-old grown man - lord is it ever painful to write that - who's working toward a careerist type occupation, one that most see as running hand-in-hand with, I don't know, simply being a grown-up, yet here I am getting my kicks from songs that sound as if they were written for children. I mean, if I happened to see one of my old grey haired professors or some stereotypic businessman driving down the road blaring Junior Senior, it would certainly seem a bit out of place. I guess what I haven't quite worked out yet is whether the peculiarity of it all stems strictly from age, or if it's more the clash between unbridled joy/fun and the kind of professional stoicism that you normally expect (sometimes wrongly) out of people of that sort. Not that it's THAT big of a deal...I've made a whole life out of not giving a crap about stuff like this, but it certainly does make you wonder. Am I in the right place, like maturity wise? Do people who stop next to me at red lights think I'm an idiot when my windows are rolled down? And most importantly, am I going to have to listen to really boring music when I'm 50?
- posted by Shane @ 11:48 PM |
Monday, December 05, 2005
Hell, let's make it three posts in a row.
Merry Christmas! aka album of the year supplement. The non-covers are good!
- posted by Shane @ 5:55 PM |
This wasn't exactly a single, but er, it sort of was, so forgive me if you take exception. For those that don't know, Kidz Bop is this strange hit repackaging outfit that releases contemporary chart and rock covers sung by children. Usually the results are just harmless fun, inferior versions of songs that are redeemed through cuteness alone. This time however, the new version just unequivocally blows the original out of the water. I don't know what it is exactly. I think the effect is similar to what Bill Callahan's child recruitment does for Smog songs, extracting a bit of fun from something that would otherwise be wallowing in sobriety. Even the Isaac Brock soundalike brings a little something to the table. His singing style borders on parodic, but what really matters is that he sounds like a giant talking forest animal. Good fun. I thank the blogs for this one.
- posted by Shane @ 12:22 AM |
Kelly Clarkson - "Since U Been Gone"
Pop, real pop, is practically dead in this country. Artists have to be sneaky and dress it up in a rock or hip-hop or R&B costume to get anywhere near radio these days. Ok, it is possible to ride the path trailblazed by Britney and find success as a Disney teen queen, though nowadays that entails feuding over Aaron Carter, releasing crap songs written by b-rate producers, and accepting that the music will have essentially zero cultural impact, serving solely as a means to promote multimedia celebrity status, so this doesn't really count. Or you can be Gwen Stefani, but again, she is very much an exception and certainly not the rule. Now surely this whole mess isn't the end of the world, but you know, variety=good, right?
As pop enthusiasts well know, "Since U Been Gone" marks the welcome return of one man hit factory Max Martin, who had seemingly been in deep hibernation for the past three years. The return though, wasn't quite THE RETURN, because times are different now and the likes of "Oops!...I Did It Again" and "Shape Of My Heart" no longer do it for people. In their stead, we have every-girl Kelly Clarkson flinging bitter reproaches at exes with angry session guitars in tow. Quite the sad trend now, enlisting guitars because people somehow see them as more "real", but, as explained above, that's what it takes these days. The story goes that Kelly was actually the one to suggest the change, not quite feeling the standard Swedish pop instrument workup. As much as I yearn for the glory days, it's easy to see that this was pretty savvy on her part. Few instruments can hurl the abuse like the good old guitar and that's exactly what's needed here to set the scene for some hardcore adolescent emotional fronting. The plan works, due mainly to Kelly's voice, which is well suited to express the controlled, targeted rage that the song demands. I find it hard to believe that any other contemporary singer could pull this off believably; most others that spring to mind either seem too sweet or have too weak of a voice. On to the song itself, it's vintage Martin: build and build, get to the chorus, reach the loftiest of heights, bust it up, repeat and enjoy the ride. This is of course what every songwriter tries to do, but as we know, nobody does it as well as those dirty Scandinavians. So at the end of the day, what we have here is the perfect combination of voice, style, and writing. Wool successfully pulled over the haters' eyes. Pop is back in America, people are lapping it up, and everything is again right with the world. (Choose to believe this reality as you may.)
- posted by Shane @ 12:04 AM |
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Saint Etienne - "Side Streets"
I don't know if I've ever expressed as much before, but I kind of like this band. Saint Etienne singles are always class and this one is their best since 2000's "How We Used To Live". There was a period when they struggled with these stripped down throwback pop shorts. However, this record says less about the band's musical progression and more about why Sarah Cracknell is such an effective (and affective) singer. If there's one thing that nobody ever talks about, it's pronunciation, and here, her's is absolutely immaculate. I think I could listen to an entire album of Sarah articulating nothing but s's and t's and be completely thrilled with it. It's also fair to say that as long as she stays within her vocal range, nobody emotes as effortlessly as her, as every smile, every wink, every sideward glance shines through with her voice. I really cannot believe how much I underrated this one.
- posted by Shane @ 10:23 PM |
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Bloc Party - "So Here We Are"
I know that this is an atrociously lazy perspective and I'll probably regret spewing this forward, but I find most hype bands these days tend to fall in one of two categories. There are those that become so fixated on sounding clever and unique it becomes a point of distraction and the bottom falls out. Then there are those that have perfected the art of nondescription to such a level that nobody can actually figure out if they're any good or not. Nobody seems able to find the middle ground and just sit down and write a pretty guitar song in a way that sounds fresh, minus all the unnecessary bells and whistles. The few who try usually end up failing miserably (ahem, Coldplay...yes, the potshots never stop). End useless rant.
So all that was solely a way for me to justify my enthusiasm for this Bloc Party song, when really, all it accomplishes is sounding pretty. And I fully admit to getting swept up in the sentimentality of it. I like how patiently the song progresses, how steady the sound is throughout, until they reach the climax, where there's that sudden, though not entirely dramatic, upward shift in dynamics and busyness. It's quite the opposite of "rocking out" and serves to keep all the emotion internalized, taking you from a state of appreciative placidity to one of not-quite-but-near release, more of an emotional swelling or pleasant burn. I can't really pinpoint if it makes me feel joy or sadness or what, perhaps it's more of a warm aesthetic admiration. I'll just say it gives me the sort of glow inside that only pop music has seemed to offer these past few years, and for that, I offer these guys a pat on the back.
- posted by Shane @ 12:20 PM |
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Annie - "Heartbeat"
I don't see how anyone could NOT be moved by this. The backing vocals that convey that sort of wistful yearning, those cymbal rushes that bring about that extra emotional surge at all the right moments, the drum beat as heartbeat...it's all such a perfect expression of sadness and love. The quality of her voice is particularly delightful, sweet, yet gentle and unassuming, much like her instruments. Her accent adds a slight air of naivety to the proceedings, which I think helps a bit, seeing that matters of the heart always seem so much more substantial in the innocent than the world weary.
- posted by Shane @ 10:39 PM |
Spoon - "I Turn My Camera On"
I'm not all that familiar with Spoon, but from what else I've heard by them, it's safe to say this song isn't exactly representative of what they do. I think I'm pretty burned out on guitars in general at the moment, so I'm grateful when rock bands take the occasional detour and dial it down a bit. There really isn't much to this, just a slinky funk groove with a nimble falsetto croon thrown on top. The key to this song is definitely its offhandedness. I supppose the counterexample would be Beck, who while showing an acceptable degree of competence with his Prince knock-offs, always seemed like he was trying too hard with his kitchen sink production and exaggerated vocals. For this sort of thing, minimalism and nonchalance beat out flash and ambition any day of the week.
- posted by Shane @ 11:33 AM |
Monday, November 28, 2005
Björk - "Who Is It (Vitalic mix)"
Björk has a distinctly off sense of timing when she sings, like she's got the length of the vowels all wrong or something. That, along with her unusual syllabic stresses serve as the framework for a vocal approach that can be exceedingly beautiful, but more often than not just comes across as confused and hyperextended. I think I like her least when she tries to establish the peaks of her songs strictly through her voice, you know, by going for the high notes or singing with power. This mix allows her to play to her strengths during the chorus, weaving through the music in her usual stylized way while letting the blips and bloops do the gruntwork of giving the song that extra kick. The shoot-for-the-stars wailing synth that she gives way for is particularly inspiring, instilling an air of importance that would have otherwise been lost in the whole robot nerd sound of it all. I should probably say that aside from that video with the giant dancing cat, this is the only Björk release that I've ever really, really loved.
- posted by Shane @ 4:15 PM |
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Xzibit - "Hey Now (Mean Muggin')"
One of the early problems I'd found with placing so much emphasis on producers and songwriters is that it introduces a weird critical bias. "This song is pretty bad. Oh wait, what's that? Max Martin wrote it? Maybe I just need to listen to it 500 more times before I get it." "That sounds like a hot new Neptunes single. Oh what do you mean it's not really them? Yeah this is really nothing but a cheap imitation." I know that I have a tendency to do this and I've consciously been trying to avoid it as of late. So why should anyone care? BECAUSE I KNEW "HEY NOW (MEAN MUGGIN')" WAS SHIT HOT LIKE THREE MONTHS BEFORE I EVEN KNEW IT WAS PRODUCED BY TIMBALAND.
- posted by Shane @ 11:33 PM |
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Mylene Farmer - "Fuck Them All"
I don't usually go for these bitter, canned rage sorts of songs and it's not like sticking "fuck" in a pop song is a particularly shocking proposition these days, so why should I have any interest in this at all? Well, I like the ugly sentiment / pretty music contrast despite it's obviousness. The middle eight is perfect in its progression from a recollection of past indignities into a scathing release of repressed vitriol and contempt. And the ending, with those manic strings and plinky piano is awesomely climactic in a way that justifies the degree of anger up to that point.
- posted by Shane @ 10:08 PM |
Luciano - "Octogonal"
I'm nowhere near knowledgeable enough to talk about this within an electronic music scene or artist based context, so I'll just try to explain what I think it sounds like. Minimal. Aquatic. Hollow, but with superficial punch. A sense of movement and progress without much variation. Wow that's not going to mean anything to anybody. Maybe how it makes me feel? Sedated. Attuned? I know. This still isn't working. I find it impossible to describe this stuff without having a sound working background or something to compare it to. Let's keep this elegantly simple. I like it.
- posted by Shane @ 7:37 PM |
Stonebridge - "Take Me Away (feat. Therese)"
Standard fare dance pop checklist: Diva vocals, strings, 4/4 house beat, floating synth backdrop, brief spoken word bit, well placed chords that allude to some kind of higher calling in a mysteriously abstract kind of way. Yes, it's vilely unimaginative in its construction and utterly predictable, but let me let you in on a little secret. When done correctly, this is the most potent, unassailable formula in all of music. And what isn't there to love? Grand sweeping gestures, a warm sense of contentment, the search for an artificial state of bliss... Sure, if you're really paying attention, this isn't going to hit the emotional home run that you'd like it to. You just have to submit and let it envelop you in its own little fantasy bubble. "All I wanna do is dance and have fun." Despite it all being so conspicuously fabricated, this is hedonism at its finest.
- posted by Shane @ 7:31 PM |
Soulwax - "E Talking (Tiga's Disco Drama remix)"
The key word in the title is "drama". I imagine this doubling as the soundtrack to some extended frightscare from a bad PG-13 eighties flick. Sure the beat is a little more current, but deep, sinister, reverbed to hell Dr. Claw speak and those perverse high-pitched specter shrieks belong to an age of lesser critical faculties. We're talking really, really cheesy stuff here, but when surrounded with the right sounds, it definitely starts to edge into cool territory. Goth organs and a daring fuzz attack top things off.
- posted by Shane @ 5:02 PM |
Franz Ferdinand - "Do You Want To"
"Sorry Rachel. But the irony is that people like you, Rachel, made it difficult for real bands for a long time. Rachel Stevens is right. There has been a swing to real exciting bands, thank God. I looked at the charts the other day and it was amazing. Do You Want To was in the Top 40 along with records by The Test Icicles, The Arctic Monkeys and The Kills. Four Domino bands in the Top 40. I was like, 'Yes. Nice one.' "And it's great to see other bands like Arcade Fire doing well too." -Alex Kapranos in response to Rachel Stevens complaining about guitar bands suffocating pop
A big ball of confusion, that's what these guys are. The REAL irony is that the Franz Ferdinand credo seems to run more in line with the designs of usual Top 40 pop acts than with those of your typical indie guitar band. I mean, I thought these guys were all about trying to make rock music more danceable and fun, a revolt against its recent ingrown staidness, and now here they are shilling for the likes of Arcade Fire. Sure there's still the authenticity vs. fakeness contention, but seriously, does anyone really care about that anymore? You can't have it both ways, whoring to the pop gods for inspiration and then burning bibles when the cool kids walk by. Anyway, since I've neglected to say so already, "Do You Want To" is a fantastic song, catchy, geeky, and even a little bit camp. As much as I dislike how two-faced they are about it, I must say that there probably isn't another high profile rock band in the world that could get away with something like this and maintain their level of perceived artistic integrity. It's their best song yet by a mile.
- posted by Shane @ 4:42 PM |
Monday, November 21, 2005
Tweet - "Turn Da Lights Off (feat. Missy Elliot)"
For a song with such romantic designs, it's surprising how reliant it is on lonely ambiance. I'm far too young to properly set this in time in place like I want to, but the crackly vinyl static and shrill violin suggest a sort of clouded early to mid 1900's nostalgia, not rooted in experience, but the learned kind, like depicted in movies or old documentaries. There's a rare air of magic about this, a patient, warm intimacy that's lacking even in the music most wanting of soul. A review I read suggesting this emblazons a sort of raw sexiness is a little off the mark, as the sound implies a more tender love. The Missy guest bit in the second half of the song makes me smile every time I hear it, the perfect "unrefined woman trying to sweeten it up" moment. This is easily my favorite R&B single from this year.
- posted by Shane @ 8:15 PM |
Ok yeah, it's time to update with something. I've been organizing all the singles I've listened to this year in folders on my hard drive based on quality. Appropriately, these folders are named "bad", "meh", "good", and "great". From here on out, until the end of the year, I'm going to tell you about all the singles that ended up in "great", in no particular order. At this moment, there are about fifty that have made it to the promised land. Seeing as I've been somewhat lacking in time as of late, I'm going to do my best to keep everything brief, yet entertaining (hopefully). I apologize if the writing ends up kinda crap. Sacrifices must be made and frankly, quality control concerns have never stopped me before. We'll see if I can crank these out at a reasonable pace. A few were already written for my aborted 2005 singles list, so that may help. Here we go.
Most of these singles have been culled from blogs, pro-pop web circles, the UK and Billboard singles charts, indie review sites, ILM, and personal interest. I am an internet fiend. If you're interested in hearing any of these and can't find them, you know where to find me on Soulseek.
- posted by Shane @ 7:45 PM |
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
If first impressions are anything to go by, the new Kate Bush album is really, really excellent.
- posted by Shane @ 12:19 AM |
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
I'm not exactly a huge fan of Rachel Stevens, but being on the X Producer Watch 24/7 means I have to follow her output and support her whenever I can. Lately some people, including myself, have been bitching about her version of Alexis Strum's "Nothing Good About This Goodbye". Well guess what? They fixed it! Sort of. Despite what some of her fans are thinking, it certainly DOES sound different from the early promo leaks. For the album version, they've reinserted the original intro, added a pretty piano melody at the end, and constructed a clever little drop out from the first chorus. It seems the rhythm has a bit more punch to it now and the bass has some extra bite, giving it a slightly more sinister presence. There's still nothing good about her vocals (sorry, a little harsh, couldn't help myself), but hey, I'm happy I can go back to liking this song without the shameful denigrating.
As for the album, I'd say it's solid and purchase worthy, though not spectacular. As far as quality 21st century pop albums go, it's better than Justified and the first three Sugababes albums. We're probably somewhere in the same ballpark as the first Girls Aloud album or Kylie's Fever, perhaps just a grade below, for whatever that's worth.
- posted by Shane @ 12:21 AM |
Thursday, October 06, 2005
This post is going to be about music. That means, if recent trends are to believed, there's roughly a 50% chance this will be about Girls Aloud. Strange, seeing that I've listened to a wider variety of artists in the past year than at any other time in my life and all I can write about is one band.
Girls Aloud - "Biology"
So anyway, a radio rip of "Biology" just leaked today and it's pretty weird. It sounds like four songs in one, as if someone invented a time machine and decided to indulge in some era-jumping genre tourism. Things kick off with a spiffy late 50's/early 60's piano boogie complete with commanding show tune diva power singing. It then quietly transitions into something reminiscent of the buildup in one of those old Meatloaf rock epics. While not totally oversung like those, there's a similar excessive build in drama and earnestness that borders on the ridiculous. I actually don't mind this bit, as I see it more as humored role playing rather than dumb reckless songwriting. In a bit of a swerve, instead of bursting into a huge, massive chorus like we'd expect, the song now devolves into this expressionless "let's all sing like we've been lobotomized" Bananarama pastiche. We don't actually get to a real chorus until well over halfway in (!!!) and when we do, it's Nadine belting out lines about biology and magic numbers and stuff. It's not really apparent on first listen, but there's something inexplicably odd about this song. I can't think of anything else that seems so out of left field and yet still sounds so superficially derivative. Honestly, I wouldn't fault anyone for completely dismissing "Biology" as a ramshackle, haphazard mess, because it is. But it's also ambitious, creative, and different. When all is said and done, I'm either going to see this as blinding genius or the worst non-cover Girls Aloud single ever.
(disclaimer: evaluating radio rips is always sort of jumping the gun)
- posted by Shane @ 9:40 PM |
Biggest band since Oasis? According to this, the Arctic Monkeys are going to be huge whether you like it or not. Better jump on the bandwagon before it fills up. From what I've heard, I don't think I'll be needing a seat.
- posted by Shane @ 10:15 PM |
For some reason or another I've had a renewed interest in comics over the past year. So when I saw this, I took it as one of those weird when-worlds-collide type of deals. The question is whether I want to pay the import price for it. I think it's been something like five years since his last great single, so it's definitely not a no-brainer. As for Morrison/Quitely, anyone who likes a carefully planned mega swerve should read their New X-Men run. Or if superheroes aren't your thing, WE3, an odd, dialogue-light tale of escaped killer animal cyborgs just trying to get home was somehow both very cute and disturbing.
- posted by Shane @ 11:28 PM |
Sometimes I feel like I've metamorphized into some kind of involuntary promotional tool for Girls Aloud over the past couple years, yet when I really think about it, I find no compelling reason to change that. "Long Hot Summer" is the best single of the year by such a very wide margin it isn't even funny. The fact that the initial general reception to this was kind of lukewarm is just utterly batshit insane to me. What everyone needs to remember is that "Love Machine" (of all songs) was the one that nobody really "got" in the beginning, but judging from radio play and eventual popular response, that one looks like it may stand the test of time better than any of them. But let's get back to "Long Hot Summer", because this song is close to perfect in every regard. I read someone describing this as sort of a compacted Girls Aloud greatest hits, and I don't think there's a more accurate description really. It has the charming accessibility of "Love Machine", the spirited tambourine and spoken/sung outro bit of "No Good Advice", the bass groove of "Jump", a mid-song "rap" like in "Graffiti My Soul"...plus all the standard Xenomania swirling synths and guitar hooks. It's just this amazing amalgamation of so many of their best moments. Lyrically, they're on top form as usual, presenting a fucking highlight reel of catchphrases, graceful rhymes, and playful metaphors. As far as innuendo goes, it doesn't get much funnier or more tongue-in-cheek than "Baby, baby, watch the needle when you're headin' south!". PLUS, Xenomania have seemingly kicked back their achilles heel and written a chorus that not only stands up to the rest of the song, but may even be its selling point. I truly cannot express how fantastic I think this single is. A good barometer for evaluating A-rate singles is the tolerance (or lack thereof) you have for listening to other songs. Let's just say that in the past week I've lost count of the times I've thought to myself, "Why in God's name am I listening to this when I could be listening to "Long Hot Summer?", while frantically mashing the skip button.
Following Sound Of The Underground, Brian Higgins said that the third Girls Aloud album would be the real bombshell. Yup, I'm once again in full-on album anticipation mode, and until it arrives, not much else musical is going to matter.
- posted by Shane @ 3:04 AM |
Saturday, July 23, 2005
If you've ever been interested in watching what is perhaps the worst movie ever, you now have your chance.
- posted by Shane @ 12:03 PM |
I'm normally of the opinion that the U.S. pop charts would be better served to embrace novelty songs like the U.K. charts do. That said, you've got to trust me when I say that this is bad news for us all. I love the fact it smashed Coldplay and I'm thrilled the kids love it, but I'm very much hoping it doesn't crossover to a point of pop culture ubiquity over here, mainly because it's annoying as hell. Download at your own risk.
- posted by Shane @ 2:13 AM |
