Bluejuice's recent album, Company, is by far their best to date. The fun Pop beats and lyrics make for some great songs to dance and party to. For those who've read my "Help Me I hate: Pop Music" article, you know that I can really get into a decent pop song, so Company has had a bit of a workout on the office cd player. And now, Bluejuice:
Shock
Life isn't what you thought it would be and you're getting older, pretty heavy stuff for a four chord pop song, but Bluejuice make it fun to lament your lost youth with this snappy number. The diminished keyboard strings and the backing harmony really sell this song for me as well as the tight writing, fitting a decent bridge in 2:40 and building a real melancholy mood. This perhaps resonates better with those who have grown up just a little and have a couple of regrets, but any lamenting song I can dance to is good in my books.
Vitriol
God I love this video. The song? Not bad, but you can tell that Bluejucie is still trying to find their voice. That said, pretending to be a cult in a Sydney mall is hilarious and the intro makes me laugh every time. I picked this song and video because it demonstrates just how damn FUN Bluejuice can be; I'm told this is present in their live gigs as well, but I'm yet to get the chance to see them in person. So, always remember that the universe is composed of millions of tiny spiders and that the inside of a jar of peanut butter is negative space.
Aspen, New York
There may be way too many songs about New York, but damn it if I'm not a sucker for a good piano riff. Seriously, there's not enough pianoforte in contemporary pop, or really good harmony like in this song. Come to think of it, this song about a long-distance relationship filled with longing and hope reminds me of They Might Be Giant's New York City, and not just because of the name. Man I gotta find more good alt pop...
That's it for this week, enjoy Bluejuice, if you weren't already.
Hat Guy - You keep sayin' all that stuff...
