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 |
