here they are:
"Holocene" by Bon Iver: Of all the songs I'm reviewing this week, this is by far the most serene, bittersweet, and just plain awe inspiring! Earlier, in June of this year, their latest album was released, and the song "Calgary" became the first song off of the album to get airplay on adult alt stations. Though I love Bon Iver dearly, "Calgary" seemed like their attempt at a pop song (albeit with Bon Iver's trademark icy yet ethereal emotional quality attached to it). The most recent song to get attention in Bon Iver's catalog, "Holocene", is a much better song, I think, due in large part to how stark, yet still hauntingly beautiful its instrumentation is. Justin Vernon's high pitched but breathy vocals also add a unique touch to to this song, and his echoing in the chorus of "I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles" might even outdo Pete Townshend's similarly worded chorus to The Who's "I Can See For Miles" (though probably not many people will agree with me on this).
"Knots" by Lisa Hannigan: The artist formerly known as Damien Rice's backing vocalist first made a name for herself as a solo artist about two and a half years ago, with a charming, lighthearted folk-pop ditty called "I Don't Know". In Lisa's latest song, "Knots", the folky part is still there, but the pop part? Well, not so much here, as "Knots" delves into more thought provoking sounds and more complex chord structures (especially how she goes from a regularly used chord and immediately leaps into a more exotic one afterwards during the verses). The music video for this song REALLY makes it stand out, though! It is a synesthetic treat, in which Lisa makes various colors in a paint set come to life as musical instruments, resulting in a fun, artsy mess!! The video for "Knots" can be viewed here (http://www.twentyfourbit.com/post/10447707906/lisa-hannigan-knots-video-weve-seen-this-new)
"Same Mistake" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: With "Same Mistake", the cumbersomely named indie-pop group, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, brings catchy, buoyant, somewhat Beatlesque three-chord pop 'n' roll to the table. Though it's obvious from listening that "Same Mistake" is a recent song, I can't help but feel like CYHSY are using 12-string guitars (which were more popular in the '60s than in other decades) in it, even though I know they really aren't (and that the trick they are using to make this song sound so "retro" and 12-string-ish is using the third fret of the thin "E" string for each chord, as well as the groovy distortion this song has). Vocally, "Same Mistake" also seems to be a time twister, in that, although the vocals sound too "modern" to have come from, say, Ray Davies, Roger McGuinn, Brian Wilson, or Paul McCartney, the way the harmony of the vocals flow in this song does seem to be influenced by such performers. Though sunny, happy songs like this seem to be getting increasingly more common within the indie world, there's really nothing wrong with 'em, and "Same Mistake" is certainly NOT a mistake, as far as I'm concerned!
"Simple Girl" by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.: Before I get to reviewing this song, let me inform you, you are NOT hallucinating, and I did NOT make a typo, his name really IS Dale Earnhardt "Jr. Jr.", with the word "junior" repeated twice! And now, back to the song. "Simple Girl" is a simple song. In a good way, though, since it's one of the many indie-pop songs that have come out in the last couple years with an irresistible, somewhat childlike ambiance to it. It is also simple in its length, at slightly less than two and a half minutes. And the vocals are (here comes that word again) SIMPLE, with the repeating, infectious, "ba-da-ba, ba-da-ba-da-ba-ba-ba"'s in the chorus. This song totally fits its title, but like I said earlier, in a good way! I can only assume that the lyrics are, well, simple (but hopefully also somewhat clever).
Showing posts with label overly long gags. Show all posts
Showing posts with label overly long gags. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
new songs for August 10th, 2011
here they are:
"Calamity Song" by The Decemberists: From the epic indie-folk band's latest couple of songs they've released, I've come to the conclusion that at least one (if not all) of the members of The Decemberists are HUGE R.E.M. fans!! "Down By the Water" had almost identical chords to R.E.M.'s "The One I Love", and in "Calamity Song", traces of quite a few early R.E.M. songs ("Catapult", "Talk About the Passion", "Gardening At Night", and "7 Chinese Brothers", to name a couple), can be heard. Interestingly, R.E.M.'s own Peter Buck plays guitar on BOTH of the aforementioned Decemberists tracks! Since this is a new song in which the lyrics are sung at a rather fast pace, I don't know if I can analyze the lyrical aspects of the song well quite yet. But the song itself is fantastic! R.E.M. is my absolute fave band, and this is a great imitation!
"Hearts On Fire" by Scars on 45: One of the very first songs of 2011, "Give Me Something", was released by Scars on 45, and has since become one of THE most successful adult alt/indie pop songs of the year!! Now, in the second half of the year, Scars have come back a second time around with "Hearts On Fire", a remarkably similar song to "Give Me Something" with its melancholy, yearning sound, acoustic guitars in the forefront, and smooth vocals. The piano in this song (and the guest female vocalist during the second verse) help to distinguish this song from Scars biggest (and previously, their only) hit. Somehow, it seems to help when melodic, moody British alt-pop bands use guitar instead of piano (the latter of which is pretty much now defined by Coldplay and Keane). In "Hearts On Fire", Scars manage to pull off the use of both instruments, and STILL make their song sound sincere enough for an audience whose taste for British alt-pop bands runs closer to Travis than it does (later) Coldplay!
"Na Na Nothing" by Mike Doughty: Na na no, this is na na not Mike Doughty's debut children's song about how "nothing" starts with the letter "N", and na na nor does it indicate that Doughty has trouble saying the word "nothing" (both comments that Doughty himself would probably appreciate given his wry, off-the-wall sense of humor). Doughty, the former lead singer for quirky '90s alt-pop band Soul Coughing, has made a surprisingly successful solo career for himself on adult alt radio ever since the mid 2000's, and deservedly so, too! Most of his solo songs have a sound that somewhat suggests what it might be like if Beck (of "Loser" fame) fronted The Dave Matthews Band. An odd sounding combination, to be sure, but Doughty manages to make it work each time, and his latest, "Na Na Nothing", is na na no exception!! It's a na na negative song lyrically, about Doughty feeling cheated in a relationship, but musically, it's very na na nice!! Chances are I'll na na never find a song quite like this one!
"Calamity Song" by The Decemberists: From the epic indie-folk band's latest couple of songs they've released, I've come to the conclusion that at least one (if not all) of the members of The Decemberists are HUGE R.E.M. fans!! "Down By the Water" had almost identical chords to R.E.M.'s "The One I Love", and in "Calamity Song", traces of quite a few early R.E.M. songs ("Catapult", "Talk About the Passion", "Gardening At Night", and "7 Chinese Brothers", to name a couple), can be heard. Interestingly, R.E.M.'s own Peter Buck plays guitar on BOTH of the aforementioned Decemberists tracks! Since this is a new song in which the lyrics are sung at a rather fast pace, I don't know if I can analyze the lyrical aspects of the song well quite yet. But the song itself is fantastic! R.E.M. is my absolute fave band, and this is a great imitation!
"Hearts On Fire" by Scars on 45: One of the very first songs of 2011, "Give Me Something", was released by Scars on 45, and has since become one of THE most successful adult alt/indie pop songs of the year!! Now, in the second half of the year, Scars have come back a second time around with "Hearts On Fire", a remarkably similar song to "Give Me Something" with its melancholy, yearning sound, acoustic guitars in the forefront, and smooth vocals. The piano in this song (and the guest female vocalist during the second verse) help to distinguish this song from Scars biggest (and previously, their only) hit. Somehow, it seems to help when melodic, moody British alt-pop bands use guitar instead of piano (the latter of which is pretty much now defined by Coldplay and Keane). In "Hearts On Fire", Scars manage to pull off the use of both instruments, and STILL make their song sound sincere enough for an audience whose taste for British alt-pop bands runs closer to Travis than it does (later) Coldplay!
"Na Na Nothing" by Mike Doughty: Na na no, this is na na not Mike Doughty's debut children's song about how "nothing" starts with the letter "N", and na na nor does it indicate that Doughty has trouble saying the word "nothing" (both comments that Doughty himself would probably appreciate given his wry, off-the-wall sense of humor). Doughty, the former lead singer for quirky '90s alt-pop band Soul Coughing, has made a surprisingly successful solo career for himself on adult alt radio ever since the mid 2000's, and deservedly so, too! Most of his solo songs have a sound that somewhat suggests what it might be like if Beck (of "Loser" fame) fronted The Dave Matthews Band. An odd sounding combination, to be sure, but Doughty manages to make it work each time, and his latest, "Na Na Nothing", is na na no exception!! It's a na na negative song lyrically, about Doughty feeling cheated in a relationship, but musically, it's very na na nice!! Chances are I'll na na never find a song quite like this one!
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