GOOD COVER
Metro
System Of A Down
original:
Metro
Berlin
This is what great punk/metal covers are made of in my opinion. All too often artists associated with the 'Rock World' churn out hammed-up versions of 80's songs for comedic effect however in this rare case SOAD have really made this song their own. A fine balance of staying true to the original without compromising on their own sound, as this song easily fits in with the rest of their back catalogue.
The original by Berlin, who I recently found out aren't even German, is a shamelessly indulgent synth-pop masterpiece about some woman being upset about some guy on a train... and something about a soldier... yeah... but I personally enjoy how the line "I remember hating you for loveing me" is abruptly altered in SOAD's version to "F**K YOU FOR LOVING ME!". How sweet.
BAD COVER
Let's Go Crazy
Incubus
original:
Let's Go Crazy
Prince
Don't get me wrong, Incubus were a personal favourite of mine for many years. The early albums harked back to the insanity of Mr. Bungle, until they decided on pursuing the Faith No More direction of quirky pop tunes in a slightly more linear rock environment. Their last few albums, well I can't even tell you to be honest, they've obviously said goodbye to idolising Mike Patton and hello to grunge, experimental, southern rock influences that fly around their newer sounds but they're hardly the manic funk phenomenon they used to be.
Upon releasing a greatest hits album a couple of years back, they included a cover of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" from the "Eighties Pop Bible" also known as "Purple Rain". I'm sorry, but no. Just... no...
Saturday 30 April 2011
Wednesday 27 April 2011
GOOD COVER/BAD COVER #2 - Snoop Dogg vs Lady Gaga
GOOD COVER
What's My Name?
Snoop Dogg
uses interpolations from
Atomic Dog
George Clinton
WEST COAST and all that tomfoolery, this is some classic 90's Hip-Hop courtesy of Snoop/Dr. Dre back when they made records worth giving a crap for. Rich, thick, sweaty grooves. The song is actually made up of two George Clinton tunes, broken down the bassline is a drone version of Parliament's "Not Just Knee Deep" also made popular by De la Soul (see last post) and the chorus line is 'borrowed/stolen' from George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" including some additional "bow-wow-wow-yippy-yo-yippy-yeahs" for good measure.
The original, Atomic Dog is pure 80's electrofunk. It's actually pretty terrible, lacks any kind of definition in structure and drags on as it goes thorough numerous synth experimentations but still, a classic. A terrible classic. Snoop Dogg, a self-confirmed fanboy of all things Parliament/Funkadelic, even went on to duet with George Clinton and Bootsy Collins in later studio albums.
BAD COVER
Born This Way
Lady Gaga
completely rips off
You Dropped A Bomb On Me
The Gap Band
Now don't get me wrong, I could tolerate the first album by Lady Gaga as the production was phenomenal however this new direction of Clubland versions of AC/DC is just cack and the chorus line is stolen from the verses of The Gap Band's "You Dropped A Bomb On Me". Listen carefully and you'll see what I mean.
There is a 13 minute version of this song if you look hard enough. Yes, yes there is a God afterall...
What's My Name?
Snoop Dogg
uses interpolations from
Atomic Dog
George Clinton
WEST COAST and all that tomfoolery, this is some classic 90's Hip-Hop courtesy of Snoop/Dr. Dre back when they made records worth giving a crap for. Rich, thick, sweaty grooves. The song is actually made up of two George Clinton tunes, broken down the bassline is a drone version of Parliament's "Not Just Knee Deep" also made popular by De la Soul (see last post) and the chorus line is 'borrowed/stolen' from George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" including some additional "bow-wow-wow-yippy-yo-yippy-yeahs" for good measure.
The original, Atomic Dog is pure 80's electrofunk. It's actually pretty terrible, lacks any kind of definition in structure and drags on as it goes thorough numerous synth experimentations but still, a classic. A terrible classic. Snoop Dogg, a self-confirmed fanboy of all things Parliament/Funkadelic, even went on to duet with George Clinton and Bootsy Collins in later studio albums.
BAD COVER
Born This Way
Lady Gaga
completely rips off
You Dropped A Bomb On Me
The Gap Band
Now don't get me wrong, I could tolerate the first album by Lady Gaga as the production was phenomenal however this new direction of Clubland versions of AC/DC is just cack and the chorus line is stolen from the verses of The Gap Band's "You Dropped A Bomb On Me". Listen carefully and you'll see what I mean.
There is a 13 minute version of this song if you look hard enough. Yes, yes there is a God afterall...
Tuesday 26 April 2011
GOOD COVER/BAD COVER #1 - De La Soul vs Mariah Carey
GOOD COVER
sampled from
(Not Just) Knee Deep
George Clinton & Parliament
Let's start with "Not Just Knee Deep". No matter what incarnation of Parliament and/or Funkadelic the band may be playing under you can't deny they made a bigger impact on modern music than the dinosaur-ending Chicxulub comet ever could. Okay, a slight hyperbole never hurt anyone but I personally feel as though Parliament/Funkadelic are often overlooked as important and inspirational key players throughout the 70's. They were funk, rock, soul, jazz and their live shows were scarier than anything Black Sabbath could muster up.
Now, you could argue there's very little difference in sound between the De La Soul version however, the song is a hip-hop classic, which is why I've classified this as a 'good cover'. Sure it's just the sampled intro from "Not Just Knee Deep" but when a song manages to split from it's shackles of sampling and becomes an iconic song on it's own terms, that's when you have a classic.
BAD COVER
Fantasy
Mariah Carey
stolen from
Genius of Love
Tom Tom Club
I'm running the risk of sounding prejudiced here, as a small portion of the original has been sampled in the same way as De La Soul did. In fact a lot more has been added in terms of extra melodies, 90's era hip-hop monophonic glides and generally more sparkly but I guess that's why I'm lumping this under 'Bad Cover'. It's almost as if they tried their best to disguise and cover up any traces back to the original song unlike De La Soul who fearlessly sampled their inspiration without shame.
Granted, the original "Genius of Love" isn't the greatest song ever, in fact as songwriting goes it's rather poor but that's it's charm. Tom Tom Club was of course a side project for the husband/wife members of Talking Heads, so naturally being Byrne-less it trips up in it's charismatic failings though it's immediately propped back up onto it's feet again by it's phenomenal groove-laden instrumentation. There is a fine balance of 'bad songs with tonnes of charm', and all too often people try to over-exemplify this 'charm' by killing it with saturated production.
I will probably admit that Mariah Carey has made a better song out of it but that's not the point here. Imagine if Misfits recorded "Die Die Die My Darling" in a proper studio and not (what sounds like) their mum's kitchen? It'd be a different song altogether. I'm talking about stealing charm, bastardising innocence etc. On another note, imagine what "Genius of Love" would sound like if David Byrne had sung it...
...oh my.
Me, Myself & I
De La Soul
sampled from
(Not Just) Knee Deep
George Clinton & Parliament
Let's start with "Not Just Knee Deep". No matter what incarnation of Parliament and/or Funkadelic the band may be playing under you can't deny they made a bigger impact on modern music than the dinosaur-ending Chicxulub comet ever could. Okay, a slight hyperbole never hurt anyone but I personally feel as though Parliament/Funkadelic are often overlooked as important and inspirational key players throughout the 70's. They were funk, rock, soul, jazz and their live shows were scarier than anything Black Sabbath could muster up.
Now, you could argue there's very little difference in sound between the De La Soul version however, the song is a hip-hop classic, which is why I've classified this as a 'good cover'. Sure it's just the sampled intro from "Not Just Knee Deep" but when a song manages to split from it's shackles of sampling and becomes an iconic song on it's own terms, that's when you have a classic.
BAD COVER
Fantasy
Mariah Carey
stolen from
Genius of Love
Tom Tom Club
I'm running the risk of sounding prejudiced here, as a small portion of the original has been sampled in the same way as De La Soul did. In fact a lot more has been added in terms of extra melodies, 90's era hip-hop monophonic glides and generally more sparkly but I guess that's why I'm lumping this under 'Bad Cover'. It's almost as if they tried their best to disguise and cover up any traces back to the original song unlike De La Soul who fearlessly sampled their inspiration without shame.
Granted, the original "Genius of Love" isn't the greatest song ever, in fact as songwriting goes it's rather poor but that's it's charm. Tom Tom Club was of course a side project for the husband/wife members of Talking Heads, so naturally being Byrne-less it trips up in it's charismatic failings though it's immediately propped back up onto it's feet again by it's phenomenal groove-laden instrumentation. There is a fine balance of 'bad songs with tonnes of charm', and all too often people try to over-exemplify this 'charm' by killing it with saturated production.
I will probably admit that Mariah Carey has made a better song out of it but that's not the point here. Imagine if Misfits recorded "Die Die Die My Darling" in a proper studio and not (what sounds like) their mum's kitchen? It'd be a different song altogether. I'm talking about stealing charm, bastardising innocence etc. On another note, imagine what "Genius of Love" would sound like if David Byrne had sung it...
...oh my.
Monday 18 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 30 - Your Favourite Song This Time Last Year
Sleepwalk Capsules
At The Drive-In
This is easy. As soon as the sun comes out, my iPod basically goes on autopilot and worms it's way onto this album. "Relationship of Command" is now 10 years old and it's still incredible. The most awe-inspiring blend of pop sensibilities fueled by intense fist-through-a-wall energy I've probably ever heard, and for me this song "Sleepwalk Capsules" is the apex of the album in that sense.
It was either this album or Death From Above 1979's "You're A Woman, I'm A Man" as the main contenders for my top-drawer albums, but the DFA1979 is younger so I have to award it to ATD-I for their time served as my favourite song this time last year, the year before that, and the year before that...
This marks the end of the 30 Day Song Challenge. WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO WRITE ABOUT NOW?
At The Drive-In
This is easy. As soon as the sun comes out, my iPod basically goes on autopilot and worms it's way onto this album. "Relationship of Command" is now 10 years old and it's still incredible. The most awe-inspiring blend of pop sensibilities fueled by intense fist-through-a-wall energy I've probably ever heard, and for me this song "Sleepwalk Capsules" is the apex of the album in that sense.
It was either this album or Death From Above 1979's "You're A Woman, I'm A Man" as the main contenders for my top-drawer albums, but the DFA1979 is younger so I have to award it to ATD-I for their time served as my favourite song this time last year, the year before that, and the year before that...
This marks the end of the 30 Day Song Challenge. WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO WRITE ABOUT NOW?
Sunday 17 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 29 - A Song From Your Childhood
Piggy
Nine Inch Nails
Not quite childhood, but the prime of my adolescence is when I started to learn how to make music by figuring out how other people made music. The very first bassline I chose to learn the day I got my bass guitar was this very song.
The song is in two parts; the first being a slow-paced industrial lounge track until a barrage of recycled off-kilter drum solos kick in, introducing a gorgeously slick new groove. I must have played that bassline all night until I had no skin left on my supple teenage fingertips. Naturally the tips of my fingers are now so hard that I could hammer a nail into a wall, and so I owe a lot of exhausted sentiments to this particular track.
It's almost 20 years old, and the album "The Downward Spiral" still breaks ground with each listen.
Epic.
Nine Inch Nails
Not quite childhood, but the prime of my adolescence is when I started to learn how to make music by figuring out how other people made music. The very first bassline I chose to learn the day I got my bass guitar was this very song.
The song is in two parts; the first being a slow-paced industrial lounge track until a barrage of recycled off-kilter drum solos kick in, introducing a gorgeously slick new groove. I must have played that bassline all night until I had no skin left on my supple teenage fingertips. Naturally the tips of my fingers are now so hard that I could hammer a nail into a wall, and so I owe a lot of exhausted sentiments to this particular track.
It's almost 20 years old, and the album "The Downward Spiral" still breaks ground with each listen.
Epic.
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 28 - A Song That Makes You Feel Guilty
Save Your Scissors
City & Colour
For anyone who doesn't know, this is the guy with the lovely voice from the Canadian hardcore band Alexisonfire. Beautifully piped folkisms wrapped in cuddly blankets of aaaaaaah. However this album will always be tainted for me with epic proportions of guilt and regret.
I'm not going to go into any details, cause quite frankly you don't need to know, but we all make mistakes, sometimes deliberately and just to punish ourselves. I was basically that little child curiously poking the bottom of the landslide with a stick to see what would happen and I had no-one to blame but myself when it all fell down on me. But I knew that would happen hence why I did these things out of self-deprecation.
Confused? Good... keep your stinking nose out.
And you know that I am sorry.
City & Colour
For anyone who doesn't know, this is the guy with the lovely voice from the Canadian hardcore band Alexisonfire. Beautifully piped folkisms wrapped in cuddly blankets of aaaaaaah. However this album will always be tainted for me with epic proportions of guilt and regret.
I'm not going to go into any details, cause quite frankly you don't need to know, but we all make mistakes, sometimes deliberately and just to punish ourselves. I was basically that little child curiously poking the bottom of the landslide with a stick to see what would happen and I had no-one to blame but myself when it all fell down on me. But I knew that would happen hence why I did these things out of self-deprecation.
Confused? Good... keep your stinking nose out.
And you know that I am sorry.
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 27 - A Song That You Wish You Could Play
Songs For Ghosts To Haunt To
Maps & Atlases
As you can tell just by listening, WHERE DO YOU EVEN BEGIN TRYING TO TAB THAT KIND OF GUITAR WORK? It's ridiculous.
This is a strange band. The first EP "Trees, Swallows, Houses" was an elegant math-folk janglefest. The song "Songs For Ghost To Haunt To" being a ruddy good example of their brand of genius pop. The second EP, "You & Me & The Mountain" slightly less crazy, but still very kooky. Then by the release of their full-length debut album "Perch Patchwork", we were graced by mid-tempo indie-folk-by-numbers chug-a-longs. The annoying thing is, unlike with my recent Foals gripe is the debut album is actually quite good so I can't really fault them for their complete musical detour.
Why do I do this to myself? I get massive hopes for certain bands, then they never turn out the way you want them to. If this is the case, perhaps I should never have children.
Listen to the top song and then listen to what they sound like now. Two great songs, completely apart from eachother;
Maps & Atlases
As you can tell just by listening, WHERE DO YOU EVEN BEGIN TRYING TO TAB THAT KIND OF GUITAR WORK? It's ridiculous.
This is a strange band. The first EP "Trees, Swallows, Houses" was an elegant math-folk janglefest. The song "Songs For Ghost To Haunt To" being a ruddy good example of their brand of genius pop. The second EP, "You & Me & The Mountain" slightly less crazy, but still very kooky. Then by the release of their full-length debut album "Perch Patchwork", we were graced by mid-tempo indie-folk-by-numbers chug-a-longs. The annoying thing is, unlike with my recent Foals gripe is the debut album is actually quite good so I can't really fault them for their complete musical detour.
Why do I do this to myself? I get massive hopes for certain bands, then they never turn out the way you want them to. If this is the case, perhaps I should never have children.
Listen to the top song and then listen to what they sound like now. Two great songs, completely apart from eachother;
Thursday 14 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 26 - A Song That You Can Play On An Instrument
Raining Blood
Slayer
I don't really know how to play many 'actual' songs as I usually just write my own stuff and I've never really had that much of an interest unless I'm altering them into some folked-up acoustic version, however there are a few exceptions where I've had to sit down and thought I need to know how to play this!
"Raining Blood" is just one of those timelessly epic metal songs with a killer riff that's more evil than a kiddy-fiddler at a Swastika factory. It's like a demented version of the Alton Tower's theme-tune that will split your face open.
It even sounds great in 8-Bit chiptuney goodness;
Slayer
I don't really know how to play many 'actual' songs as I usually just write my own stuff and I've never really had that much of an interest unless I'm altering them into some folked-up acoustic version, however there are a few exceptions where I've had to sit down and thought I need to know how to play this!
"Raining Blood" is just one of those timelessly epic metal songs with a killer riff that's more evil than a kiddy-fiddler at a Swastika factory. It's like a demented version of the Alton Tower's theme-tune that will split your face open.
It even sounds great in 8-Bit chiptuney goodness;
Wednesday 13 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 25 - A Song That Makes You Laugh
Holiday Rap
MC Miker G & DJ Sven
This is what happens when you take two songs of the same title and mash them together. Cliff Richard's "Summer Holiday" and Madonna's "Holiday" are haphazardly thrown together as two Dutch white guys 'claim' to rap over the top. DJ Sven, the one who looks like Borat after blowing his dole money on a day out in Scope, and MC Miker G, the 'Timmy Mallet as a Legionnaire' guy offer their take on the hip-hop scene with hilarious results.
The main 'plot' of the song tells a story about how the two friends plan on ringa-ranga-donging for a holiday. Whatever that means, but it's irrelevant as DJ Sven points out that his 'partner', MC Miker G's rap is stronger than any sucker MC, and that's all that matters at the end of the day. If you're struggling to decide whether or not these guys are credible rap icons or just crass parodies of the era, then just listen to the beat-box 'he will play'. The "beat-box" of course, is just some heavy-breathing and some noises from that 'Rainforest' preset that you get on old keyboards once you pass the Timpanis and the Gunshot banks (around #120+).
There is a darker side to all these fun and games however. I'm not an advocate of glamorizing drug use in the media and one line in particular "and we take a little of Amsterdam... riiiight!?" just isn't subtle enough. Frankly, it encourages Dutch teenagers to go on furious drug-fueled Eurobenders and I would probably say this song is responsible for the rise in drug culture surrounding today's modern hip-hop scene. Why this song wasn't banned, I have no idea, if I wasn't 3 at the time, I would have gone all Mary Whitehouse on their pale Dutch asses.
But again I digress, and I'm joking clearly as this song is a full-on rib-tickler. The number of trousers I've soiled from hearing this song is a triple digit figure. If you're already a fan of this then you'll understand how awfully great it is, or if you're just being broken in then ENJOY!
MC Miker G & DJ Sven
This is what happens when you take two songs of the same title and mash them together. Cliff Richard's "Summer Holiday" and Madonna's "Holiday" are haphazardly thrown together as two Dutch white guys 'claim' to rap over the top. DJ Sven, the one who looks like Borat after blowing his dole money on a day out in Scope, and MC Miker G, the 'Timmy Mallet as a Legionnaire' guy offer their take on the hip-hop scene with hilarious results.
The main 'plot' of the song tells a story about how the two friends plan on ringa-ranga-donging for a holiday. Whatever that means, but it's irrelevant as DJ Sven points out that his 'partner', MC Miker G's rap is stronger than any sucker MC, and that's all that matters at the end of the day. If you're struggling to decide whether or not these guys are credible rap icons or just crass parodies of the era, then just listen to the beat-box 'he will play'. The "beat-box" of course, is just some heavy-breathing and some noises from that 'Rainforest' preset that you get on old keyboards once you pass the Timpanis and the Gunshot banks (around #120+).
There is a darker side to all these fun and games however. I'm not an advocate of glamorizing drug use in the media and one line in particular "and we take a little of Amsterdam... riiiight!?" just isn't subtle enough. Frankly, it encourages Dutch teenagers to go on furious drug-fueled Eurobenders and I would probably say this song is responsible for the rise in drug culture surrounding today's modern hip-hop scene. Why this song wasn't banned, I have no idea, if I wasn't 3 at the time, I would have gone all Mary Whitehouse on their pale Dutch asses.
But again I digress, and I'm joking clearly as this song is a full-on rib-tickler. The number of trousers I've soiled from hearing this song is a triple digit figure. If you're already a fan of this then you'll understand how awfully great it is, or if you're just being broken in then ENJOY!
Tuesday 12 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 24 - A Song That You Want To Play At Your Funeral
The Sea & The Rhythm
Iron & Wine
Is there a more beautiful song than this?
No, I think not.
A perfect blend of lo-fi production techniques presented so elegantly and brimming with passion and emotion. The song itself is a seductive little gem, softly sung about two lovers completely alone from the world at peace with themselves by the sea... gittin' it on.
As for why I'd want this song played at my funeral? Well let me tell you my first choice, "Die Die Die My Darling" by The Misfits would have been hilarious if I didn't already have a semi-decent sense of humour. "The Sea & The Rhythm" will be more fitting seeing as I will be having a Viking funeral.
Yep. That's right, I am going to be buried in my 70ft Gokstad and cast off into the night sea in a magnitude of flaming glory. On the beach, it would be selfish to make my loved ones fork out money to hire a PA and a power generator just to play one Misfits song, hence why Mr Ian Enwine will be playing it himself, or at least some Mariachi band doing their own Latino interpretation of the song.
I'm going to keep this one short, as life, death and mortality are all epic topics that I feel very strongly about and which also frightens my brain back into it's mousehole. This isn't the 30 Day Existentialist Challenge after all.
Iron & Wine
Is there a more beautiful song than this?
No, I think not.
A perfect blend of lo-fi production techniques presented so elegantly and brimming with passion and emotion. The song itself is a seductive little gem, softly sung about two lovers completely alone from the world at peace with themselves by the sea... gittin' it on.
As for why I'd want this song played at my funeral? Well let me tell you my first choice, "Die Die Die My Darling" by The Misfits would have been hilarious if I didn't already have a semi-decent sense of humour. "The Sea & The Rhythm" will be more fitting seeing as I will be having a Viking funeral.
Yep. That's right, I am going to be buried in my 70ft Gokstad and cast off into the night sea in a magnitude of flaming glory. On the beach, it would be selfish to make my loved ones fork out money to hire a PA and a power generator just to play one Misfits song, hence why Mr Ian Enwine will be playing it himself, or at least some Mariachi band doing their own Latino interpretation of the song.
I'm going to keep this one short, as life, death and mortality are all epic topics that I feel very strongly about and which also frightens my brain back into it's mousehole. This isn't the 30 Day Existentialist Challenge after all.
Monday 11 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 23 - A Song That You Want To Play At Your Wedding
I Would Die 4 U
Prince
Is it cheating if I use Prince twice during this 30 Day Song Challenge? Who cares though, right?
I'll be honest with you now, I've been struggling with this one. There's a handful of songs that I probably would have liked to play purely based on the mood, such as yesterday's track "Who's Lovin' You" or even "Tracks of My Tears" but like with most of these sombre down-tempo songs, lyrically they don't quite gel into the 'marriage' theme. Other songs that were considered; "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis, "Naive Melody" by Talking Heads and "Reign In Blood" by Slayer.
Yak yak yak, I'm joking obviously, although if you know me then you know how my sense of humour is more like a 'sense of reality' and this will probably happen. My future wife, the mysterious and anachronistic wench herself had better enjoy a bit of Slayer or I'm calling the whole thing off.
Which leads me onto the Elephas Maximas in the proverbial room. re: the subject of marriage. Personally, and this is just the way I think; it's 2011, the only reason to get married these days is so you can get custody over a child or to get slightly cheaper tax. Don't get me wrong, it's not about the commitment, I'm not dismissing that, I just don't see how relevant a piece of paper is in the grand scheme of a unifying bond of hearts. If you know there's something epic between the two of you, why do you need a certificate to reassure you of this information? It's actually crazy.
Besides, I'm not festinating to secure my vast fortunes and proud ancestry down the royal bloodline to worthy successors before I abscond my throne in glorious death.
I could wax lyrical about how the wedding day itself just seems like a largely self-gratifying ego felch, but that will just end in an aimlessly sneering rant. If you both need a flamboyant declaration of love, amassing steep financial losses to set up a huge ceremony just so everyone can see the mistake you're making, then quite frankly you need to take a long look at your lives and re-evaluate what really matters in life.
But then my brain is a nihilist, whilst my heart yearns in optimism that my brain could be wrong, so don't pay any attention to my thoughts as this is all personally directed at me. I know lots of people who are married and soon to be married and I'm happy for them all.
I'm not even ruling out the possibility for myself, if it feels right then I probably will go for it in time and therefore leading me back onto the context of my chosen song, what better way is there to declare your undying love? Dying for them [*]. Simples.
Lyrically, it justifies everything I've been saying/yapping on about earlier. "I'm not your lover, I'm not your friend, I am something that you'll never comprehend" is simply breaking down all these roles that we try to fit ourselves into and just accepting the emotional dynamic you have with someone without questioning it, and celebrating it. It happens quite easily, and just as easily it can be lost as you try to pigeon hole it. Sometimes you will find somebody who breaks the mould, someone who fits into too many moulds and then some who don't fit anywhere at all. If it works, it works and clearly in this scenario, Rogers Nelson would die for them.
Morbid git.
To cheer you up, I've incorporated the Mariachi El Bronx cover of the same song (totally the version I'd like played at the wedding);
[*] please don't take that seriously, I don't need another police investigation/unnecessary death on my conscience.
Prince
Is it cheating if I use Prince twice during this 30 Day Song Challenge? Who cares though, right?
I'll be honest with you now, I've been struggling with this one. There's a handful of songs that I probably would have liked to play purely based on the mood, such as yesterday's track "Who's Lovin' You" or even "Tracks of My Tears" but like with most of these sombre down-tempo songs, lyrically they don't quite gel into the 'marriage' theme. Other songs that were considered; "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis, "Naive Melody" by Talking Heads and "Reign In Blood" by Slayer.
Yak yak yak, I'm joking obviously, although if you know me then you know how my sense of humour is more like a 'sense of reality' and this will probably happen. My future wife, the mysterious and anachronistic wench herself had better enjoy a bit of Slayer or I'm calling the whole thing off.
Which leads me onto the Elephas Maximas in the proverbial room. re: the subject of marriage. Personally, and this is just the way I think; it's 2011, the only reason to get married these days is so you can get custody over a child or to get slightly cheaper tax. Don't get me wrong, it's not about the commitment, I'm not dismissing that, I just don't see how relevant a piece of paper is in the grand scheme of a unifying bond of hearts. If you know there's something epic between the two of you, why do you need a certificate to reassure you of this information? It's actually crazy.
Besides, I'm not festinating to secure my vast fortunes and proud ancestry down the royal bloodline to worthy successors before I abscond my throne in glorious death.
I could wax lyrical about how the wedding day itself just seems like a largely self-gratifying ego felch, but that will just end in an aimlessly sneering rant. If you both need a flamboyant declaration of love, amassing steep financial losses to set up a huge ceremony just so everyone can see the mistake you're making, then quite frankly you need to take a long look at your lives and re-evaluate what really matters in life.
But then my brain is a nihilist, whilst my heart yearns in optimism that my brain could be wrong, so don't pay any attention to my thoughts as this is all personally directed at me. I know lots of people who are married and soon to be married and I'm happy for them all.
I'm not even ruling out the possibility for myself, if it feels right then I probably will go for it in time and therefore leading me back onto the context of my chosen song, what better way is there to declare your undying love? Dying for them [*]. Simples.
Lyrically, it justifies everything I've been saying/yapping on about earlier. "I'm not your lover, I'm not your friend, I am something that you'll never comprehend" is simply breaking down all these roles that we try to fit ourselves into and just accepting the emotional dynamic you have with someone without questioning it, and celebrating it. It happens quite easily, and just as easily it can be lost as you try to pigeon hole it. Sometimes you will find somebody who breaks the mould, someone who fits into too many moulds and then some who don't fit anywhere at all. If it works, it works and clearly in this scenario, Rogers Nelson would die for them.
Morbid git.
To cheer you up, I've incorporated the Mariachi El Bronx cover of the same song (totally the version I'd like played at the wedding);
[*] please don't take that seriously, I don't need another police investigation/unnecessary death on my conscience.
Sunday 10 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 22 - A Song That You Listen To When You’re Sad
Who's Lovin' You?
The Jackson 5
I would recommend that you grab yourself a towel, old newspapers and some detergents because it's going to be tough to clean those stains from your wall after I blow your minds with the next piece of info.
Two things; this song was originally written by Smokey Robinson aka. the man who only wrote "Tracks Of My Tears", and secondly, Michael Jackson was 11 when this was recorded. ELEVEN?! That voice has got more soul than the inside of a Shinigami's digestive tract*.
If I was a drinker, I could imagine this tune fueling the non-diegetic soundtrack to my mid-40's nervous breakdown, crying into a bucket of crusty bleach whilst trying to set myself on fire with the cigarettes that I've attempted to smoke. But that's not likely to happen, so I can only dream.
This version was recorded in 1969, hence why the music is fitting of the era; a bluesy Motown toe-tapper that still gets me every single time. I would say "it makes the hairs on my neck tingle", however that would be lying seeing as i'm about as hairy as an epilated tortoise. Some might say this just means I'm slightly "more evolved" than my hirsute brethren, but I'm straying from the point.
Would I say "Who's Lovin' You" is a sad song? Lyrically, possibly. But on an emotional scale, which I feel is a relevant weighing mechanism, I'm more inclined to say no. Sure, it's a song about regret and mistakes, yet it evokes a vehement burst of euphoria inside me, brickwalling every sense of me with sheer elation. Hence why it's the perfect antidote for the blues.
Try it, you bunch of miserable bastards.
* kudos to anyone who figured out the Death Note reference
The Jackson 5
I would recommend that you grab yourself a towel, old newspapers and some detergents because it's going to be tough to clean those stains from your wall after I blow your minds with the next piece of info.
Two things; this song was originally written by Smokey Robinson aka. the man who only wrote "Tracks Of My Tears", and secondly, Michael Jackson was 11 when this was recorded. ELEVEN?! That voice has got more soul than the inside of a Shinigami's digestive tract*.
If I was a drinker, I could imagine this tune fueling the non-diegetic soundtrack to my mid-40's nervous breakdown, crying into a bucket of crusty bleach whilst trying to set myself on fire with the cigarettes that I've attempted to smoke. But that's not likely to happen, so I can only dream.
This version was recorded in 1969, hence why the music is fitting of the era; a bluesy Motown toe-tapper that still gets me every single time. I would say "it makes the hairs on my neck tingle", however that would be lying seeing as i'm about as hairy as an epilated tortoise. Some might say this just means I'm slightly "more evolved" than my hirsute brethren, but I'm straying from the point.
Would I say "Who's Lovin' You" is a sad song? Lyrically, possibly. But on an emotional scale, which I feel is a relevant weighing mechanism, I'm more inclined to say no. Sure, it's a song about regret and mistakes, yet it evokes a vehement burst of euphoria inside me, brickwalling every sense of me with sheer elation. Hence why it's the perfect antidote for the blues.
Try it, you bunch of miserable bastards.
* kudos to anyone who figured out the Death Note reference
Saturday 9 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 21 - A Song That You Listen To When You’re Happy
The King of Wishful Thinking
Go West
(Apologies for the lame, overly compressed audio/photo montage version - video link in yellow)
I'll lay it down right now, Go West are the quintessential 80's band. They satisfy my lustful and shameless synth-fetishism, whilst writing cracking pop tunes that still hold up with great soulful vocals to boot.
"The King of Wishful Thinking" is one of the last great pop anthems of the 80's[*] for a bloody good reason; it's catchier than gonorrhea in a tampon factory AND for the random pop-up gorilla in the music video.
"What in health are you Tolkien about? The gorilla? What gorilla?" I hear you ask, dribbling through your black toothless gums.
Unfortunately, I can't stream the video through this page so you'll have to follow this link and go to 2:27 mins in.
Trust me, it's worth the hassle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaZaTlcbYxw
Whilst we're on the subject of the video, there are two people in this world who simply cannot rock the white wife-beater look; myself, and Peter Cox.
Irreverence aside, the tune is without doubt a song that I listen to when I'm happy. Listen to it yourself, if you don't like it then you're probably into 'drum & bass' and we all know that you can go jump off a motorway bridge, don't we?
Whilst we're at it, look who else did a cover of this song?!
[*] it was released in 1990, and I'm not getting into another debate about how '90 is in the 90's cause it's not; that's just bad maths/science
Go West
(Apologies for the lame, overly compressed audio/photo montage version - video link in yellow)
I'll lay it down right now, Go West are the quintessential 80's band. They satisfy my lustful and shameless synth-fetishism, whilst writing cracking pop tunes that still hold up with great soulful vocals to boot.
"The King of Wishful Thinking" is one of the last great pop anthems of the 80's[*] for a bloody good reason; it's catchier than gonorrhea in a tampon factory AND for the random pop-up gorilla in the music video.
"What in health are you Tolkien about? The gorilla? What gorilla?" I hear you ask, dribbling through your black toothless gums.
Unfortunately, I can't stream the video through this page so you'll have to follow this link and go to 2:27 mins in.
Trust me, it's worth the hassle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaZaTlcbYxw
Whilst we're on the subject of the video, there are two people in this world who simply cannot rock the white wife-beater look; myself, and Peter Cox.
Irreverence aside, the tune is without doubt a song that I listen to when I'm happy. Listen to it yourself, if you don't like it then you're probably into 'drum & bass' and we all know that you can go jump off a motorway bridge, don't we?
Whilst we're at it, look who else did a cover of this song?!
[*] it was released in 1990, and I'm not getting into another debate about how '90 is in the 90's cause it's not; that's just bad maths/science
Thursday 7 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 20 - A Song That You Listen To When You’re Angry
43% Burnt
Dillinger Escape Plan
I don't really get angry because a) it's just not in my nature and b) getting angry means you've failed at life. However, this track is sheer math-metal aggression with a killer chug-a-thon for an outro; whack this on and you'll be throwing chairs out of closed windows before it's even finished.
This is old Dillinger at their best, Calculating Infinity-era before they went all a bit... well, don't get me wrong, the new singer is an ultimate bad-ass, and I do enjoy some of their pop-sensibilities and Squarepusher influenced newer stuff, but it's a different Dillinger. This is the Dillinger I fell in love with.
I've seen Dillinger a whole heap of times over the years, and still one of the greatest live bands of all time. See the video below to watch the singer running over the crowd to 'Sugar Coated Sour'. THAT'S RIGHT! LIKE THEIR FACES ARE A FLOOR...
Ironically, the song is quite a sweet serenade to some 'whore' of which he speaks of;
"I smell that whore
bring me back
bring me a brick
take my bottle
and break it
pour it all out
i pushed you too far
self absorb that pity
i want to knock you off your horse
i just feel it
everything's fine
spit on yourself
you're so beautiful
crack and chip off
like the sun won't
shine
down
take your medicine like a champ
while that sting can last a million years
self absorb that utopia
so bad
i just feel it"
Lovely stuff.
Dillinger Escape Plan
I don't really get angry because a) it's just not in my nature and b) getting angry means you've failed at life. However, this track is sheer math-metal aggression with a killer chug-a-thon for an outro; whack this on and you'll be throwing chairs out of closed windows before it's even finished.
This is old Dillinger at their best, Calculating Infinity-era before they went all a bit... well, don't get me wrong, the new singer is an ultimate bad-ass, and I do enjoy some of their pop-sensibilities and Squarepusher influenced newer stuff, but it's a different Dillinger. This is the Dillinger I fell in love with.
I've seen Dillinger a whole heap of times over the years, and still one of the greatest live bands of all time. See the video below to watch the singer running over the crowd to 'Sugar Coated Sour'. THAT'S RIGHT! LIKE THEIR FACES ARE A FLOOR...
Ironically, the song is quite a sweet serenade to some 'whore' of which he speaks of;
"I smell that whore
bring me back
bring me a brick
take my bottle
and break it
pour it all out
i pushed you too far
self absorb that pity
i want to knock you off your horse
i just feel it
everything's fine
spit on yourself
you're so beautiful
crack and chip off
like the sun won't
shine
down
take your medicine like a champ
while that sting can last a million years
self absorb that utopia
so bad
i just feel it"
Lovely stuff.
Wednesday 6 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 19 - A Song From Your Favourite Album
Knocks Me Off My Feet
Stevie Wonder
"Songs In The Key of Life" is without a doubt not only my favourite album of all time, but also one of the greatest albums of all time in general. You know you're onto a winner when every track has been covered, sampled, interpolated and/or just rehashed into someone else's back catalogue.
Let's have a look-see;
I Wish - (rehashed as "Wild Wild West" by Will Smith)
Sir Duke - (covered by Har Mar Superstar, and just about most arseholes on American Idol)
As - (covered by George Michael & Mary J Blige)
Past-time Paradise (sampled in Coolio's "Gangster's Paradise")
Ordinary Pain (interpolated into an Alicia Keys' song)
Another Star (S Club 7 live favourite, yeah I know...)
Etc etc.... the list goes on, just go onto Youtube and see the vast array of rip-off merchants who have feasted upon this album like vultures in the desert heat. There is however, ONE song that I don't like, and it's "Isn't She Lovely", as it's one of his 'white people' songs.
By this, I mean Stevie Wonder has two types of songs; his "African-American songs" and his "White People songs". I don't mean to bring race into the equation but this is how I've always separated the two. His early Motown, R&B, funk and soul back-catalogue is simply prodigious, and then you have the other end of the scale with the commercial pop dross he's mostly famous for. It's all bureaucratic record label nonsense trying to tap into the early 80's marketing idea that "white people can listen to black music if it's not too black". But the hip-hop movement would eventually and thankfully destroy these barriers.
Hence why you have these whimsical and opprobriously sugary-sweet cack-tracks that end up on "Stevie Wonder: The Love Collection" purely hurled at white guys to buy for their middle-aged housewives so they have something to tap their toes to, whilst bleaching the stove saying "oooh I know this one".
Which is why when I first heard an actual Stevie Wonder album it blew my mind. I'd grown up hearing on the radio "I Just Called To Say I Love You" and "Happy Birthday" and being generally dismissive towards Stevie and then suddenly I'm thrusted into an entirely different world of insane funk phenomenons of the likes of "Sir Duke", "Black Man" and "I Wish".
You then you have the more deeper, soulful jams like "Love's In Need Of Love Today" and "Summer Soft" all of which are masterful works of genius illuminated by his impeccable vocal stylings and backing band. I fell in love instantly.
The song I've chosen is deliberately one of the less recognisable of the collection. "Knocks Me Off My Feet" is the track I used to listen to and picture myself in 10 years time, playing the piano in the corner of some abominable wine bar, serenading a drunken divorcee to this song.
It's essentially a jazzy ballad; a ballsy pumped-up declaration of one's undying love with the epic line "I don't wanna bore you, but girl I love you...".
Magical stuff.
Stevie Wonder
"Songs In The Key of Life" is without a doubt not only my favourite album of all time, but also one of the greatest albums of all time in general. You know you're onto a winner when every track has been covered, sampled, interpolated and/or just rehashed into someone else's back catalogue.
Let's have a look-see;
I Wish - (rehashed as "Wild Wild West" by Will Smith)
Sir Duke - (covered by Har Mar Superstar, and just about most arseholes on American Idol)
As - (covered by George Michael & Mary J Blige)
Past-time Paradise (sampled in Coolio's "Gangster's Paradise")
Ordinary Pain (interpolated into an Alicia Keys' song)
Another Star (S Club 7 live favourite, yeah I know...)
Etc etc.... the list goes on, just go onto Youtube and see the vast array of rip-off merchants who have feasted upon this album like vultures in the desert heat. There is however, ONE song that I don't like, and it's "Isn't She Lovely", as it's one of his 'white people' songs.
By this, I mean Stevie Wonder has two types of songs; his "African-American songs" and his "White People songs". I don't mean to bring race into the equation but this is how I've always separated the two. His early Motown, R&B, funk and soul back-catalogue is simply prodigious, and then you have the other end of the scale with the commercial pop dross he's mostly famous for. It's all bureaucratic record label nonsense trying to tap into the early 80's marketing idea that "white people can listen to black music if it's not too black". But the hip-hop movement would eventually and thankfully destroy these barriers.
Hence why you have these whimsical and opprobriously sugary-sweet cack-tracks that end up on "Stevie Wonder: The Love Collection" purely hurled at white guys to buy for their middle-aged housewives so they have something to tap their toes to, whilst bleaching the stove saying "oooh I know this one".
Which is why when I first heard an actual Stevie Wonder album it blew my mind. I'd grown up hearing on the radio "I Just Called To Say I Love You" and "Happy Birthday" and being generally dismissive towards Stevie and then suddenly I'm thrusted into an entirely different world of insane funk phenomenons of the likes of "Sir Duke", "Black Man" and "I Wish".
You then you have the more deeper, soulful jams like "Love's In Need Of Love Today" and "Summer Soft" all of which are masterful works of genius illuminated by his impeccable vocal stylings and backing band. I fell in love instantly.
The song I've chosen is deliberately one of the less recognisable of the collection. "Knocks Me Off My Feet" is the track I used to listen to and picture myself in 10 years time, playing the piano in the corner of some abominable wine bar, serenading a drunken divorcee to this song.
It's essentially a jazzy ballad; a ballsy pumped-up declaration of one's undying love with the epic line "I don't wanna bore you, but girl I love you...".
Magical stuff.
Tuesday 5 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 18 - A Song That You Wish You Heard On The Radio
Happiness, Happiness
Klaus Kinski
Come on! Like you wouldn't do it yourself!?
Klaus Kinski is the band I play in when I'm not doing acoustic renditions of 80's songs or battering your face in with nausea-inducing electrospazz. We're a 5 piece no-wave group from North Wales.
Our album "Skelington Horse" was recorded by the phenomenal David Wrench in an old converted church just outside Bangor. By 'converted church', I don't mean a load of Satanists overtook it because that would be inappropriate.
"Happiness Happiness" was the double A-Side single we released with "Caesar" and hence why I wish this was being played during lunchtimes on Radio 1.
We've been likened to The Birthday Party, Arab On Radar and early Elton John and generally play twisted pop songs in any way we feel like. I guess you have to see us live to understand what we're all about, hence the video above documenting a small window of what to expect. This time without any bloodshed unfortunately.
You can hear the album on spotify or you can bloody well buy it from here;
http://ankst.net/product_info.php?products_id=146&osCsid=6fa4f0ba59e5baa4a24af138950db3f2
Klaus Kinski
Come on! Like you wouldn't do it yourself!?
Klaus Kinski is the band I play in when I'm not doing acoustic renditions of 80's songs or battering your face in with nausea-inducing electrospazz. We're a 5 piece no-wave group from North Wales.
Our album "Skelington Horse" was recorded by the phenomenal David Wrench in an old converted church just outside Bangor. By 'converted church', I don't mean a load of Satanists overtook it because that would be inappropriate.
"Happiness Happiness" was the double A-Side single we released with "Caesar" and hence why I wish this was being played during lunchtimes on Radio 1.
We've been likened to The Birthday Party, Arab On Radar and early Elton John and generally play twisted pop songs in any way we feel like. I guess you have to see us live to understand what we're all about, hence the video above documenting a small window of what to expect. This time without any bloodshed unfortunately.
You can hear the album on spotify or you can bloody well buy it from here;
http://ankst.net/product_info.php?products_id=146&osCsid=6fa4f0ba59e5baa4a24af138950db3f2
Monday 4 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 17 - A Song That You Hear Often On The Radio
Just A Dream
Nelly
I don't actually listen to the radio. I don't even own a radio. The only time I get to listen to the radio these days is if I'm in the back seat of a car travelling to play some armpit venue or if I'm sat waiting in the doctor's surgery. Now that I mention it, given my plethora of recent medical issues that's quite a lot of airtime.
However I am sometimes subjected to the occasional music channel every now and then and this particular song did catch the attention of my ear-shaped eyeball a few months back.
It's pop. Nothing else to discuss really, but it's soulful pop and a great song. Vocal harmonies in the chorus reminds me of an old Tony Rich Project tune from back in the day; "Nobody Knows". Probably the reason why I'm so enamored with it.
Nelly
I don't actually listen to the radio. I don't even own a radio. The only time I get to listen to the radio these days is if I'm in the back seat of a car travelling to play some armpit venue or if I'm sat waiting in the doctor's surgery. Now that I mention it, given my plethora of recent medical issues that's quite a lot of airtime.
However I am sometimes subjected to the occasional music channel every now and then and this particular song did catch the attention of my ear-shaped eyeball a few months back.
It's pop. Nothing else to discuss really, but it's soulful pop and a great song. Vocal harmonies in the chorus reminds me of an old Tony Rich Project tune from back in the day; "Nobody Knows". Probably the reason why I'm so enamored with it.
Sunday 3 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 16 - A Song That You Used To Love But Now Hate
Balloons
Foals
My advice to all bands; NEVER support Foals. It will only end in depression and self-deprecation.
Long story short, my old band Jacobi had the good fortune of supporting Foals back in 2006. This was also the very same night we split up. Poignant, as during our set we blew an amp and their set just blew our minds. Foals were without doubt the greatest live band I'd ever seen and heard. And I've seen a lot!
This was in an era when they were JUST a live band; all they had were a few vinyls to sell and a brief array of mp3s scattered around the internet. If you've seen them live, then you'll understand the sheer intensity in their performance. We're not talking about throwing shapes and hurling stuff around, I'm talking about stellar workmanship.
Talking Heads sucking on meth-amphetamine sandwiches with echoes of Q & Not U and The Rapture. They were the Charlie Sheen of the jangly-angular dance-pop scene. #Winning.
Flash-forward a year and I'm at the world's greatest house party of all time. Foals are playing in someone's living room in Withington. Easily 200 people in one room stampeding as they played squashed up in a corner, the floor shaking like a trampoline. Afterwards, I asked Jimmy (the 'handsome one') "When are you going to ruddy release something you git?". He then revealed illustrious tales involving the possibilities of nabbing Erol Alkan and/or Dave Sitek to produce their album.
Double ker-ching!
Well this is all sounding pretty awesome now isn't it? My new favourite band, one of two insanely bad-ass producers. Words could not express how much I wanted to just shove them into a room and lock them up until they recorded something. My mind was on edge just waiting for the day I heard something, just 'anything' by these phenomenal gits.
Then the day arrived. "Cassius" was the first sneak preview of what was to come. Trumpets, eh? Okay, fair enough, but let's not get carried away with overdubs and miscellaneous instrumentation in the studio guys. You're a live band, if you're going to do this album justice, then it has be recorded live.
I then heard the new 'versions' of old favourites "The French Open", "Balloons" and "Two Steps Twice". My heart sank faster than something that sinks very fast.
"Again with the horns? They don't belong here? Why do these songs sound so flat?" I said, to myself in a lonely room. Lifeless, mechanical recordings of songs that I know for FACT kick harder than a pregnant mule. I listened to the rest of Antidotes with a small lit tea candle of hope that the new material was going to outweigh my disappointment. I was quite shocked to find a bunch of mid-tempo ambient experimental tracks that didn't go anywhere.
I do recall an earlier encounter speaking to Jimmy again at The Roadhouse, where he was quite miffed with the NME's review of 'Hummer' referring to them as another 'Klaxxon' wannabe group. Could this have been the reason why they consciously altered their course?
"Balloons" was the song that got stuck in your head for the rest of the night after you saw Foals play. I used to love it, along with the rest of their stuff. Not the dead-horse Dave Sitek version however, and I will always hold a grudge against him for ruining Antidotes. I could have done a better job*.
I listened to their second album, 'Total Life Forever' and I did enjoy it, but only by having to rediscover them for who they are now and not the band they used to be, and the band I (still) want them to be.
* and/or any other classic 'Armchair Football Manager' comments.
Foals
My advice to all bands; NEVER support Foals. It will only end in depression and self-deprecation.
Long story short, my old band Jacobi had the good fortune of supporting Foals back in 2006. This was also the very same night we split up. Poignant, as during our set we blew an amp and their set just blew our minds. Foals were without doubt the greatest live band I'd ever seen and heard. And I've seen a lot!
This was in an era when they were JUST a live band; all they had were a few vinyls to sell and a brief array of mp3s scattered around the internet. If you've seen them live, then you'll understand the sheer intensity in their performance. We're not talking about throwing shapes and hurling stuff around, I'm talking about stellar workmanship.
Talking Heads sucking on meth-amphetamine sandwiches with echoes of Q & Not U and The Rapture. They were the Charlie Sheen of the jangly-angular dance-pop scene. #Winning.
Flash-forward a year and I'm at the world's greatest house party of all time. Foals are playing in someone's living room in Withington. Easily 200 people in one room stampeding as they played squashed up in a corner, the floor shaking like a trampoline. Afterwards, I asked Jimmy (the 'handsome one') "When are you going to ruddy release something you git?". He then revealed illustrious tales involving the possibilities of nabbing Erol Alkan and/or Dave Sitek to produce their album.
Double ker-ching!
Well this is all sounding pretty awesome now isn't it? My new favourite band, one of two insanely bad-ass producers. Words could not express how much I wanted to just shove them into a room and lock them up until they recorded something. My mind was on edge just waiting for the day I heard something, just 'anything' by these phenomenal gits.
Then the day arrived. "Cassius" was the first sneak preview of what was to come. Trumpets, eh? Okay, fair enough, but let's not get carried away with overdubs and miscellaneous instrumentation in the studio guys. You're a live band, if you're going to do this album justice, then it has be recorded live.
I then heard the new 'versions' of old favourites "The French Open", "Balloons" and "Two Steps Twice". My heart sank faster than something that sinks very fast.
"Again with the horns? They don't belong here? Why do these songs sound so flat?" I said, to myself in a lonely room. Lifeless, mechanical recordings of songs that I know for FACT kick harder than a pregnant mule. I listened to the rest of Antidotes with a small lit tea candle of hope that the new material was going to outweigh my disappointment. I was quite shocked to find a bunch of mid-tempo ambient experimental tracks that didn't go anywhere.
I do recall an earlier encounter speaking to Jimmy again at The Roadhouse, where he was quite miffed with the NME's review of 'Hummer' referring to them as another 'Klaxxon' wannabe group. Could this have been the reason why they consciously altered their course?
"Balloons" was the song that got stuck in your head for the rest of the night after you saw Foals play. I used to love it, along with the rest of their stuff. Not the dead-horse Dave Sitek version however, and I will always hold a grudge against him for ruining Antidotes. I could have done a better job*.
I listened to their second album, 'Total Life Forever' and I did enjoy it, but only by having to rediscover them for who they are now and not the band they used to be, and the band I (still) want them to be.
* and/or any other classic 'Armchair Football Manager' comments.
Saturday 2 April 2011
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 15 - A Song That Describes You
glič
Men Are From Mars, Boys Are From Nintendo
A song that describes myself? Well, to date, I have 855 of them but only this one video is up on youtube so it's gonna have to be a glič one.
If you've never heard any glič before then the closest thing I can compare it to would be Jaco Pastorius covering Naked City songs in an Atari Teenage Riot fashion using a Gameboy.. in the 80's. I don't agree too much with the Squarepusher/Venetian Snares comparisons, unless you're just pin-pointing the slap-bass elements or the blast-beats, but even then you need to adjust your perimeters to further afield.
The whole concept behind glič was to redefine something, be it the way you listen to a song/album or just attitudes towards writing and producing music. I liked the hypothetical concept behind putting a collection of 80's synth-pop records through a shredder and then trying to piece a different cd from those shards. Some of it's aggressive, some ambient and sometimes just an ultimate groove; and that can be within just 30 seconds of one track.
Of course it's not to everyone's taste and this is where I start to shoot myself in the foot. People either love it or they just don't understand what it's all about, and possibly my biggest fear of all with glič is that listeners just think it's all random noise.
The obvious clue is in the title "Glitch" but it's not a part of the Glitch genre. "Glitch" is just glorified hip-hop with VSTs that sporadically rehash beats and loops in a random fashion. So here lies the big difference; everything confined within a glič track is deliberate, chosen, 'written' into place. Every illogical time-signature has been created with a heavy amount of logic behind it. Every off-kilter counter-melody has been somewhat deconfigured using a shed load of creative mathematics to a certain degree.
Due to the sheer speed and amount of what's happening upon listening, I know I can't expect everyone to take the time and effort into acknowledging all of this and so I should just be happy that some people love it cause it batters their brains out for recreational purposes.
I guess I could throw it into some dark avenue of "Intelligent Dance Music" if I HAD to, but even still i'm not satisfied with that. It's essentially taking jazz...
(everyone stops reading...)
...as I was saying, it's essentially taking jazz principles and installing them into an electronic environment, using chiptune in completely different ways than intended. Not that i'm a hardcore chiptunist, as they can be more perilous than Radiohead fans (running joke from previous entries).
I'll be happy to settle for Electrospazz.
Obviously, I'm going to take this opportunity to plug myself;
On a final note, I would just like to say to everyone who has bought/stolen albums, played my stuff over the radio, blogged me, reviewed me, stopped me and told me I was a badass, or just heard a track and cracked a vague smile; ULTIMATE THANKINGS! YOU'RE AWESOME-O!
...and to anyone who has recoiled, cried or if these songs have ruined your life in any way; then I am truly sorry, and afraid I cannot give you back those minutes you spent listening.
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 14 - A Song That No One Would Expect You To Love
Skrillex
Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites
Two reasons why no one would expect me to like this;
a) it falls under Dubstep
b) it's the singer from that god-awful hardcore band From First To Last
Let's start with the first one. Dubstep, aka. the "cheese on toast" of music production. Create a mid-tempo drumbeat, hold one note on a keyboard, press record again whilst twiddling your LFO knobs and you're done. Literally no artistic integrity involved and i'm not even gonna argue with anyone on this matter because if you say otherwise you're admitting you're talking out of your arse.
Because of it's single-functioned nature, Dubstep has obviously had to evolve into other genres purely to survive, Popstep, Brostep, [insert word of the week]step, that the amount of sub-genres that fall under the Dubstep umbrella is just becoming ridiculous, and quite frankly irreverent.
But hey! At least it's not drum n' bass, right?
Yak yak yak...
Time for a refresher round; y'all remember From First Til Last yeah? Well if not, well Skrillex is that guy with the big hair hiding his ugly mug behind the microphone.
Yes, I understand that by berating something or someone means that you have failed as a journalist/writer; it's the BIG ONE to avoid but I'm not a journo so I can get away with saying that everything about this band are ultimate cack. I should have picked these guys for Day 12 (song by a band you hate).
So here we have TWO of my biggest peeves, joining forces for what seems like a personal vendetta to destroy me. The bizarre thing is, it's actually brill-bo baggins. Yeah sure, it's Breakstep, Brostep or "TheFrontmanWhoUsedToBeInFromFirstTilLastStep" but it's a frikkin' EVIL tune. I guess this is what happens when you bring a post-hardcore/screamo mentality to electronic music.
It's probably just me, but when I hear dubstep, in my mind I see a rotten horse floating up and down on waves. This song is more like a unicorn in flames, impaling surfacing sharks and blowing up oil tankers with laser-eye-bolts. Doesn't mean I'm gonna start liking Dubstep though.
We're all allowed a one-off.
Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites
Two reasons why no one would expect me to like this;
a) it falls under Dubstep
b) it's the singer from that god-awful hardcore band From First To Last
Let's start with the first one. Dubstep, aka. the "cheese on toast" of music production. Create a mid-tempo drumbeat, hold one note on a keyboard, press record again whilst twiddling your LFO knobs and you're done. Literally no artistic integrity involved and i'm not even gonna argue with anyone on this matter because if you say otherwise you're admitting you're talking out of your arse.
Because of it's single-functioned nature, Dubstep has obviously had to evolve into other genres purely to survive, Popstep, Brostep, [insert word of the week]step, that the amount of sub-genres that fall under the Dubstep umbrella is just becoming ridiculous, and quite frankly irreverent.
But hey! At least it's not drum n' bass, right?
Yak yak yak...
Time for a refresher round; y'all remember From First Til Last yeah? Well if not, well Skrillex is that guy with the big hair hiding his ugly mug behind the microphone.
Yes, I understand that by berating something or someone means that you have failed as a journalist/writer; it's the BIG ONE to avoid but I'm not a journo so I can get away with saying that everything about this band are ultimate cack. I should have picked these guys for Day 12 (song by a band you hate).
So here we have TWO of my biggest peeves, joining forces for what seems like a personal vendetta to destroy me. The bizarre thing is, it's actually brill-bo baggins. Yeah sure, it's Breakstep, Brostep or "TheFrontmanWhoUsedToBeInFromFirstTilLastStep" but it's a frikkin' EVIL tune. I guess this is what happens when you bring a post-hardcore/screamo mentality to electronic music.
It's probably just me, but when I hear dubstep, in my mind I see a rotten horse floating up and down on waves. This song is more like a unicorn in flames, impaling surfacing sharks and blowing up oil tankers with laser-eye-bolts. Doesn't mean I'm gonna start liking Dubstep though.
We're all allowed a one-off.
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