Track 5 - Afraid of Everyone
Oh wow, evidently there was a child involved in the protagonist's relationship on this album. This has gone from failed romance to broken family, depressing. However, a faster drum tempo and more upbeat tone in the vocals actually make Afraid of Everyone less maudlin than most tracks on High Violet. There's a great hint of determination in the face of overwhelming odds that really speaks to me here, and the ending bridge has some great guitar work without the use of The National's well-worn fuzzbox.
Track 6 - Bloodbuzz Ohio
Is this the new Love Will Tear Us Apart? Hopefully there won't be a badly sped-up radio edit that gets piped into the "trendy" sections of Myer, but yes, this is a contender for a classic song. I've already reviewed this, so I won't dwell too long, but in the vein of this album having a concurrent theme, this is the part when you're getting over your ex and flirting inappropriately with someone new.
Track 7 - Lemonworld
Now the older single man is hitting on naive young women whilst drunk at a party said young women are hosting. This is, for me, the worst song on the album. The protagonist is being a buffoon and the lyrics are confusing an nonsensical. Yeah, I've been drunk and slurred bad lines at girls, but I've also had my wisdom teeth out, I don't need to hear songs about either. However, Lemonworld, even as a bad song for this album, would be a good song on many other albums. If Gaga or Katie Perry put out something like this, I would be amazed and thrilled.
Track 8 - Runaway
Yay! The protagonist has found new love and is refusing to back down from his feelings. Stick in there and fight for her dammit! There is an emotional and subtle horn section on this track that makes it rival Bloodbuzz Ohio for my affection. Runaway is touching, soulful and one of the best new love songs I have heard in years. The celebratory tone to this song is tempered with a wonderful melancholy that reminds me of Nebraska-era Springsteen and honestly evokes a lot of emotion in me.
Track 9 - Conversation 16
I'm really not sure to make of Conversation 16. Aside from the obvious lack of Conversations one through fifteen, the song appears to start with traveling to LA and then leaving LA because it sucks. No argument here, I've been to LA, there's nothing there but the film industry, it's boring. Then Conversation 16 goes into a kind of Hannibal Lecter tribute; "I was afraid I'd eat your brains 'cause I'm evil", from here we alternate between leaving LA and excerpts from Hannibal. Is the song any good despite the confusing lyrics? Hell yes. The music is great, the vocals are haunting and evocative and the rhythm line is possibly the best one The National have written to date.
Track 10 - England
Aside from some Coldplay-style piano work, England maintains the standard of the rest of High Violet. Honestly I'm kind of running out of this to say about The National. Yes, all of their songs sound vaguely similar; but awesome sounding like other awesome is not really a problem. I can't understand what message The National are trying to get across, but I don't care, it's all outstanding.
Track 11 - Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks
I'm guessing that by this point, The National have given up all pretense of writing anything clear or concise. This seems to be reuniting of the couple from the start of the album, but lines like "I'll explain everything to the geeks" just muddy the issue. However, like Conversation 16 and Runaway, VCG is stunning and features some apparent Boss influence. You know what? Why are you even still reading this? Go buy this album. If you like New Order, Joy Division, early REM or Nebraska Springsteen, you need to pick up High Violet by The National.
Excuse me while I kiss the sky.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Album Review - The National, High Violet - Part I
For those who don't know The National, they're an American band on the fast track to becoming this generation's Joy Division. How this turns out for them... well, time will tell. Control is not a film that needs a spiritual remake so soon. Bloodbuzz Ohio, the hit single from High Violet was one of my favorite songs to come out in 2010; so I bought the album and checked out what else The National had to offer. So here it is, High Violet, Track-by-Track.
Track 1 - Terrible Love
Terrible love and I'm walking with spiders? Clearly the lyricist of The National was an Art Student at some stage, this is the kind of lyric I expect in an early REM song, the kind with a wonky video of an art instillation. This kind of vague but evocative lyrical poetry is pretty much standard for the National as we'll see throughout the album. Once you can get over the non-literal wording and listen between the lines, this is a beautifully sad song about the end of a relationship. The protagonist is walking away from a person he loves because the love is no longer returned; the love he feels is now a "terrible love". The song builds into a complex crescendo with The National's beautiful piano work and guitars with the fuzzbox cranked up to 11. Having been dumped by someone I loved, I really feel the lyric "It takes an ocean not to break", this song is stunning. Still not sure about the spiders though.
Track 2 - Sorrow
Depression can be a touchy subject for a song, but the hopeful tone in the lyrics of Sorrow manage to prevent it from being something to drink yourself to death to. In some ways a follow-up to the previous track, Sorrow repeats the phrase "I don't want to get over you", and tries to illicit sympathy for its loss. I'm typically not a fan of being sorry for yourself and that makes Sorrow on of the weaker tracks on High Violet for me, but as a follow-on from Terrible Love, it works fine.
Track 3 - Anyone's Ghost
I have a feeling that The National are taking us through the stages of grief caused by an ended relationship. If that's the case, Anyone's Ghost is the anger song. Before I go on a little about me; I'm an angry guy. I don't hide my anger from people and I crank up the Punk Rock to get my blood pumping, I get a kick about being angry. As Johnny Rotten said, "Anger is an energy". The National clearly don't how how to be angry at someone. Continuing the broken relationship theme, the protagonist is remembering the betrayal that I assume ended the aforementioned romance. Mildly annoyed by this, he resolves not to follow the person around like a ghost, even though he "don't want anyone else". I have to admit that thematically, The National are losing me at this point, but everything else about the song is still at a very high standard.
Track 4 - Little Faith
I have to say, fuzzbox guitar and piano is not a combination I would have thought of, but The National do some nice work with it. Little Faith is the "I need to get the hell out and blow off steam" part of a breakup. What? You don't get that feeling? I sure as hell do. But this being The National, getting out and cutting loose is a somewhat maudlin exercise, true release being unattainable and the entire attempt simply being a practical experiment in impotent self-esteem. Not that the song's not well composed, I'm just having trouble getting into it.
Track 1 - Terrible Love
Terrible love and I'm walking with spiders? Clearly the lyricist of The National was an Art Student at some stage, this is the kind of lyric I expect in an early REM song, the kind with a wonky video of an art instillation. This kind of vague but evocative lyrical poetry is pretty much standard for the National as we'll see throughout the album. Once you can get over the non-literal wording and listen between the lines, this is a beautifully sad song about the end of a relationship. The protagonist is walking away from a person he loves because the love is no longer returned; the love he feels is now a "terrible love". The song builds into a complex crescendo with The National's beautiful piano work and guitars with the fuzzbox cranked up to 11. Having been dumped by someone I loved, I really feel the lyric "It takes an ocean not to break", this song is stunning. Still not sure about the spiders though.
Track 2 - Sorrow
Depression can be a touchy subject for a song, but the hopeful tone in the lyrics of Sorrow manage to prevent it from being something to drink yourself to death to. In some ways a follow-up to the previous track, Sorrow repeats the phrase "I don't want to get over you", and tries to illicit sympathy for its loss. I'm typically not a fan of being sorry for yourself and that makes Sorrow on of the weaker tracks on High Violet for me, but as a follow-on from Terrible Love, it works fine.
Track 3 - Anyone's Ghost
I have a feeling that The National are taking us through the stages of grief caused by an ended relationship. If that's the case, Anyone's Ghost is the anger song. Before I go on a little about me; I'm an angry guy. I don't hide my anger from people and I crank up the Punk Rock to get my blood pumping, I get a kick about being angry. As Johnny Rotten said, "Anger is an energy". The National clearly don't how how to be angry at someone. Continuing the broken relationship theme, the protagonist is remembering the betrayal that I assume ended the aforementioned romance. Mildly annoyed by this, he resolves not to follow the person around like a ghost, even though he "don't want anyone else". I have to admit that thematically, The National are losing me at this point, but everything else about the song is still at a very high standard.
Track 4 - Little Faith
I have to say, fuzzbox guitar and piano is not a combination I would have thought of, but The National do some nice work with it. Little Faith is the "I need to get the hell out and blow off steam" part of a breakup. What? You don't get that feeling? I sure as hell do. But this being The National, getting out and cutting loose is a somewhat maudlin exercise, true release being unattainable and the entire attempt simply being a practical experiment in impotent self-esteem. Not that the song's not well composed, I'm just having trouble getting into it.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Mashups, or How I learned to stop worrying and hate Glee
I've just had the misfortune to witness an episode of Glee.
Ok, back from vomiting.
Now, I'll admit that I'm not Glee's intended audience; I'm not a teenage girl, I listen to music that's not on Video Hits and I'm not an overly camp gay man. Seriously though, the programme is a steaming pile of crap. I'm not saying that the kids can't sing, a couple can even without autotune, and there's the occasional joke that makes me chuckle. The problem is the music. Don't Stop Believin' wasn't that great when it was a hit for Journey, it didn't need to be resurrected for a generation that buys Ke$ha albums.
Autotune and well choreographed dance routines (yes, I'll admit this much) are no substitute for actual talent or failure to hold a note. Yes I'm talking to you modern pop artists and every single contestant on Australian/American/Pop Idol! If you can't hold a note, get off the stage, don't warble random crap until there's something in your range again. The cast of Glee have managed to butcher a range of popular songs, even stuff like Alicia Keys, that I don't enjoy myself, I'm still offended by how they're handled.
Men Without Hats are turning in their career-graves.
What? No, I don't give a shit about Rocky Horror. Glee can autotune-rap it for all I care.
But a far worse crime committed by the makers of Glee is their overuse of mashups. I'm not sure weather young people love bad mashups before Glee did one or because they did, but it's still a terrifying trend. As mentioned above, I've just seen an episode of Glee and had the misfortune to see a Thriller/Heads Will Roll mashup. Why? The two songs have nothing in common! One is MJ's crowning MTV pop video achievement and the other is a Yeah Yeah Yeahs b-side club anthem. Yes, they're both great to dance to, but that's it. Well done Glee, you've ruined two great songs by great artists so that you can sell crap CDs to kids who don't know better.
You want a good mashup? Look up Love Will Freak Us Apart. Two songs with a similar theme blended together perfectly to create something awesome. That's how you do a freaking mashup! When you use someone's work in your own, the idea is to do something new with it, not just combing two things you like in any way you see fit.
Actual review soon - Hat Guy
Ok, back from vomiting.
Now, I'll admit that I'm not Glee's intended audience; I'm not a teenage girl, I listen to music that's not on Video Hits and I'm not an overly camp gay man. Seriously though, the programme is a steaming pile of crap. I'm not saying that the kids can't sing, a couple can even without autotune, and there's the occasional joke that makes me chuckle. The problem is the music. Don't Stop Believin' wasn't that great when it was a hit for Journey, it didn't need to be resurrected for a generation that buys Ke$ha albums.
Autotune and well choreographed dance routines (yes, I'll admit this much) are no substitute for actual talent or failure to hold a note. Yes I'm talking to you modern pop artists and every single contestant on Australian/American/Pop Idol! If you can't hold a note, get off the stage, don't warble random crap until there's something in your range again. The cast of Glee have managed to butcher a range of popular songs, even stuff like Alicia Keys, that I don't enjoy myself, I'm still offended by how they're handled.
Men Without Hats are turning in their career-graves.
What? No, I don't give a shit about Rocky Horror. Glee can autotune-rap it for all I care.
But a far worse crime committed by the makers of Glee is their overuse of mashups. I'm not sure weather young people love bad mashups before Glee did one or because they did, but it's still a terrifying trend. As mentioned above, I've just seen an episode of Glee and had the misfortune to see a Thriller/Heads Will Roll mashup. Why? The two songs have nothing in common! One is MJ's crowning MTV pop video achievement and the other is a Yeah Yeah Yeahs b-side club anthem. Yes, they're both great to dance to, but that's it. Well done Glee, you've ruined two great songs by great artists so that you can sell crap CDs to kids who don't know better.
You want a good mashup? Look up Love Will Freak Us Apart. Two songs with a similar theme blended together perfectly to create something awesome. That's how you do a freaking mashup! When you use someone's work in your own, the idea is to do something new with it, not just combing two things you like in any way you see fit.
Actual review soon - Hat Guy
Top 10 in 2010 Music - Facespace Port
Back again with another list. This one took a bit longer because I had to go and do some searching for songs I'd missed last year. As hard as it is to believe, 2010 was an even worse year for music than 2009; Triple J's Hottest 100 in '09 at least featured Them Crooked Vultures, Pheonix and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 2010 didn't even fare that well. I bought 4 albums last year and two were soundtracks, after this I'll be getting 3 more, but still not a great year. 2011 is looking pretty good so far, but we'll have to wait and see.
I'm not going to bother posting youtube links, just copy/paste and find them yourself.
(Song - Artist)
10. The Opposite of Adults - Chitty Bang
Now, I haven't just put a hip hop song on the list to grab me some street cred. The Opposite of Adults is on this list because it's a hip hop song I actually like. Except for Matisyahu and the Beastie Boys there's been really no rap/hip hop I've liked since the first wave died out in the early 1990s. Here is a song with the rap artist apologizing to his mother for not having a real job, no guns, bitches or bling in sight and a sample that actually sounds better than the original. If you think you don't like hip hop, check this out.
9. London Calling - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
This cover was actually performed at a concert in Hyde Park in 2009, but as the DVD was released in 2010, it's going here. During a massive concert at one of London's most iconic venues, the Boss opened with a classic Clash number, he didn't know all the words or all the chords, but it still sounded fantastic. London Calling is not my favorite Clash song, but with the entire E Street Band belting it out, it takes on a new life. The Boss. The Clash. In Hyde Park. This is what Stadium Rock was meant to sound like. If you're a fan of live music, go pick up Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band London Calling - Live in Hyde Park on DVD.
8. Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National
Somber, melancholy and beautiful, Bloodbuzz Ohio is a perfect example of how a good pop song doesn't need to be a dance anthem. I don't know much about The National, but after hearing this I'm going to check them out a bit more. In terms of sound, Bloodbuzz Ohio reminds me of early R.E.M. or The Smiths, pop rhythms with a downbeat feel and subtle vocals. Also there's a fair bit of Joy Division there, think Love Will Tear Us Apart before it was all over pop radio. If the rest of the album is even half this good, it's worth a look.
7. Crossroads - Cyndi Lauper
Apparently, Cyndi Lauper has done a blues album. I don't know how I missed this, but I am pissed. I've copped stick in the past for admitting I like Cyndi Lauper, but seriously, what's not to like? Compare a current pop singer, anyone you like; songs written by computer, voice auto-tuned beyond recognition and tits out for the whole world to see. Now take Cyndi; wrote most of her own songs, an octave range that an Opera singer would be proud of and stuck to her own sense of fashion. Here she does a Blues staple, Crossroads (aka Crossroad Blues), it's a great take on the song, her voice being pretty far removed from the typical, gravely Blues sound. Given her talents and success, it's also not unreasonable to imagine that she really did sell her soul to the devil for music.
6. Cyanide - Bad religion
After touring themselves almost to death in 2008/09, the BR guys crashed at one of their houses for a week and kicked out an album. Sounds like something Bruce Springsteen would do (and indeed has done), but no, one of the oldest and most respected Punk acts has pulled a Segar Session. A common, and often fair, complaint about BR is that all of their songs sound the same, although the last two, New Maps of Hell and Against the Grain have had an increasingly post-produced sound. Cyanide gets away from this, it sounds more like something from The Empire Strikes First with a bit of a country (no, seriously) sensibility. That's right, BR has done a Pop Punk love song with some country riffs, and hey, it sounds great. Hopefully this marks the point that BR actively tried to find a new sound.
5. Mercy Street - Fever Ray
I like The Knife, but I've had trouble really getting into Fever Ray's solo stuff, this Peter Gabriel cover changes that. Haunting, but not creepy like The Knife, this is a great twist on a classic pop number. Maybe not enough enticement to buy the whole album, but a great single from a great vocalist. If you don't know The Knife, check this out first and go from there.
4. TRON Legacy (End Titles) - Daft Punk
Everybody's talking about Derezzed, but the real gem on this debut soundtrack from French Electro geniuses Daft Punk is TRON Legacy. The song builds through a complex electronic introduction before blending in a crescendo with classic strings and horns. Daft Punk have grown up and found their calling, I would be shocked if this is the last soundtrack we get from them, everything about it is perfectly tied in with the film. The end title theme is epic, sweeping and smooth as a light cycle, it may not be a hit single like Derezzed, but as a piece of musical composition, it is by far the superior song.
3. Threshold - Sex Bomb-om (Beck Hansen)
For those that have seen Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, this song appears in the battle of the bands between Sex Bomb-om and the Katanagi Twins. Indie Darling and Futurama guest star Beck was a great choice to compose the songs for the fake band featured in the film and he knocked out a couple of frenzied punk numbers for Micheal Cera to shred a bass to. Threshold is the best song that Sex Bomb-om play hands down, good beat, crazy lyrics and a solid rhythm line make it really stand out.
2. Orphans - The Gaslight Anthem
TGA have gone more Springsteen and less punk on their latest album, but they still sound awesome. Orphans is the hardest rocking song on American Slang, with some beautiful lyric work like "we were diamond Sinatras, like something I saw in a dream" and TGA's signature guitar work. If you're not in to TGA yet, American Slang is probably their most accessible album, start there and work backwards to The '59 Sound and Sink or Swim. Easily the best band you're not listening to yet.
1. March On - Devo
Are we not men? In a world dominated by crap artists mining 80s electro for inspiration, Devo comes back on the scene to show them all how it's really done. March On is as good as Beautiful World or Freedom of Choice, the synth is used properly (a rarity these days) and that drum work is an actual drummer, not a machine. The album Something For Everybody is a fantastic parody of manufactured pop music; Devo showing off their Punk credentials for the whole world to see. If you need a solid pop album, go get Something For Everybody, probably the best thing I've heard all 2010.
I'm not going to bother posting youtube links, just copy/paste and find them yourself.
(Song - Artist)
10. The Opposite of Adults - Chitty Bang
Now, I haven't just put a hip hop song on the list to grab me some street cred. The Opposite of Adults is on this list because it's a hip hop song I actually like. Except for Matisyahu and the Beastie Boys there's been really no rap/hip hop I've liked since the first wave died out in the early 1990s. Here is a song with the rap artist apologizing to his mother for not having a real job, no guns, bitches or bling in sight and a sample that actually sounds better than the original. If you think you don't like hip hop, check this out.
9. London Calling - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
This cover was actually performed at a concert in Hyde Park in 2009, but as the DVD was released in 2010, it's going here. During a massive concert at one of London's most iconic venues, the Boss opened with a classic Clash number, he didn't know all the words or all the chords, but it still sounded fantastic. London Calling is not my favorite Clash song, but with the entire E Street Band belting it out, it takes on a new life. The Boss. The Clash. In Hyde Park. This is what Stadium Rock was meant to sound like. If you're a fan of live music, go pick up Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band London Calling - Live in Hyde Park on DVD.
8. Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National
Somber, melancholy and beautiful, Bloodbuzz Ohio is a perfect example of how a good pop song doesn't need to be a dance anthem. I don't know much about The National, but after hearing this I'm going to check them out a bit more. In terms of sound, Bloodbuzz Ohio reminds me of early R.E.M. or The Smiths, pop rhythms with a downbeat feel and subtle vocals. Also there's a fair bit of Joy Division there, think Love Will Tear Us Apart before it was all over pop radio. If the rest of the album is even half this good, it's worth a look.
7. Crossroads - Cyndi Lauper
Apparently, Cyndi Lauper has done a blues album. I don't know how I missed this, but I am pissed. I've copped stick in the past for admitting I like Cyndi Lauper, but seriously, what's not to like? Compare a current pop singer, anyone you like; songs written by computer, voice auto-tuned beyond recognition and tits out for the whole world to see. Now take Cyndi; wrote most of her own songs, an octave range that an Opera singer would be proud of and stuck to her own sense of fashion. Here she does a Blues staple, Crossroads (aka Crossroad Blues), it's a great take on the song, her voice being pretty far removed from the typical, gravely Blues sound. Given her talents and success, it's also not unreasonable to imagine that she really did sell her soul to the devil for music.
6. Cyanide - Bad religion
After touring themselves almost to death in 2008/09, the BR guys crashed at one of their houses for a week and kicked out an album. Sounds like something Bruce Springsteen would do (and indeed has done), but no, one of the oldest and most respected Punk acts has pulled a Segar Session. A common, and often fair, complaint about BR is that all of their songs sound the same, although the last two, New Maps of Hell and Against the Grain have had an increasingly post-produced sound. Cyanide gets away from this, it sounds more like something from The Empire Strikes First with a bit of a country (no, seriously) sensibility. That's right, BR has done a Pop Punk love song with some country riffs, and hey, it sounds great. Hopefully this marks the point that BR actively tried to find a new sound.
5. Mercy Street - Fever Ray
I like The Knife, but I've had trouble really getting into Fever Ray's solo stuff, this Peter Gabriel cover changes that. Haunting, but not creepy like The Knife, this is a great twist on a classic pop number. Maybe not enough enticement to buy the whole album, but a great single from a great vocalist. If you don't know The Knife, check this out first and go from there.
4. TRON Legacy (End Titles) - Daft Punk
Everybody's talking about Derezzed, but the real gem on this debut soundtrack from French Electro geniuses Daft Punk is TRON Legacy. The song builds through a complex electronic introduction before blending in a crescendo with classic strings and horns. Daft Punk have grown up and found their calling, I would be shocked if this is the last soundtrack we get from them, everything about it is perfectly tied in with the film. The end title theme is epic, sweeping and smooth as a light cycle, it may not be a hit single like Derezzed, but as a piece of musical composition, it is by far the superior song.
3. Threshold - Sex Bomb-om (Beck Hansen)
For those that have seen Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, this song appears in the battle of the bands between Sex Bomb-om and the Katanagi Twins. Indie Darling and Futurama guest star Beck was a great choice to compose the songs for the fake band featured in the film and he knocked out a couple of frenzied punk numbers for Micheal Cera to shred a bass to. Threshold is the best song that Sex Bomb-om play hands down, good beat, crazy lyrics and a solid rhythm line make it really stand out.
2. Orphans - The Gaslight Anthem
TGA have gone more Springsteen and less punk on their latest album, but they still sound awesome. Orphans is the hardest rocking song on American Slang, with some beautiful lyric work like "we were diamond Sinatras, like something I saw in a dream" and TGA's signature guitar work. If you're not in to TGA yet, American Slang is probably their most accessible album, start there and work backwards to The '59 Sound and Sink or Swim. Easily the best band you're not listening to yet.
1. March On - Devo
Are we not men? In a world dominated by crap artists mining 80s electro for inspiration, Devo comes back on the scene to show them all how it's really done. March On is as good as Beautiful World or Freedom of Choice, the synth is used properly (a rarity these days) and that drum work is an actual drummer, not a machine. The album Something For Everybody is a fantastic parody of manufactured pop music; Devo showing off their Punk credentials for the whole world to see. If you need a solid pop album, go get Something For Everybody, probably the best thing I've heard all 2010.
Statement of Intent
Sic vis pacis parabellum... Frank Castle is dead...
Well, maybe not, but I've been thinking about doing this for a few days, and tonight presented itself as a good time to start. Basically, I need to do more writing; I've tried to keep a writer's journal, but it made me feel too much like some wanker writing in Starbucks. So instead, here's something I can write about that I enjoy and may be able to keep my enthusiasm up for.
I'm looking at at least one post a week on whatever catches my interest; music, TV, film, but mostly music.
I'll bring some reviews I've had up on facespace over to start with, but I refuse to be lazy and let them count as a weekly update.
Excelsior! - Hat Guy
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