Well, I'm not sure if my one reader is completely sick of me reviewing Triple J compilation CD's, so I thought I'd better make sure. You know the drill. Here goes:
1. (Position 1) Knights Of Cydonia by Muse
I've reviewed this song on a previous Triple J compilation Cd, but I feel that there is enough repetition on this blog to justify me reviewing it again. It has grown on me considerably since my last review of it, but it still isn't my favourite Muse song. The one word I will use to describe it is epic. The song is epic, the vocals are epic, the lyrics are unimportant and the whole experience of listening to this song should be accompanied by something exploding.
2. (Position 7) Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk
It just won't leave me alone. This damn Daft Punk seems to be following me, considering this is the third of their songs I'll have reviewed and I've never reviewed any album of theirs. Anyway, after that, the song isn't that bad for Daft Punk. The one thing that pisses me off is the fact that they sample the exact same phrase from Around The World. This doesn't detract from this song but it does make the song Around The World felt all the more worthless to listen too. Not bad, but not that great.
3. (Position 4) Better Than by John Butler Trio
I know I've reviewed a JBT song previously, but I honestly cannot remember which one. Anyway, possibly contradicting that review or repeating myself exactly, John Butler Trio is a fantastic group and this is one of their best songs. The music is good (as always), the vocals are pretty good and (for the first time in one of my reviews since my aborted Hilltop Hoods review) it has lyrics worth listening to. Hear that, majority of the groups I listen to and review? Good lyrics! ITS NOT FUCKING IMPOSSIBLE, ALTHOUGH YOU NEARLY MADE ME THINK OTHERWISE!
4. (Position 3) On Call by Kings Of Leon
Although I've heard a lot of bad reviews of Kings Of Leon from people I've talked to (or more specifically, overheard in a public space) but I don't know why. They have good vocals, good music and although their major hit, Sex On Fire, was not the best song ever conceived, I don't think that reflects poorly on the entire discography of the group. Somebody and On Call have both shown that the group can do fantastic things. The only thing I find slightly below average is the lyrics, but that hardly means everything in the long run. I was discussing song lyrics with someone today, and they stated that I paid too much attention to song lyrics. Perhaps this is true, but in music where the focus is on the vocals, how can you not? No offense to the person I was speaking to, but how the hell can you listen to a song like On Call and not hear the lyrics? I'm writing a review, eating chips, trying desperately to keep my Discman from skipping and still, I absorb the lyrics almost naturally. For anyone who's wondering, my idea of a song with great lyrics (in a narrative) I'd go for Stopping All Stations by the Hilltop Hoods or the entire album The Defamation Of Strickland Banks by Plan B. Not all lyrics have to be in narrative form and if you want a song with good lyrics with out a general plot, I cite Fifty In Five by the Hilltop Hoods again, or the album Everything Is True by Paul Dempsey. Thank God. I needed some talent to wash the taste of Birds Of Tokyo's lyrics out of my palate.
5. (Position 9) I'll Kill Her by Soko
Oooookay. Huh. This is not going to be easy. I don't like this song, to start with. Huh. Yeah, this is going to be tricky to review. Actually, I'll make it easy. When it comes to good lyrics, I feel betrayed by this song. The focus of the entire focus of this song is on the lyrics. They suck. The entire song is about a woman claiming she'll kill the woman who "stole" her "boyfriend" (by which she means the imaginary woman who she thinks the guy who didn't call her for a second date is going out with). Now, that may make her sound crazy....and I can't really argue with that point, but I do see some of the points the song is addressing. I think this song is supposed to be some kind of bizarre parody of someone's line of logic. This person is thinking too far in ahead, taking too much notice of a small event and generally driving themselves crazy. This is not so bad when you actually think about it. What I would like to point out is: How many people would actually think about that as much as I just did? How many people would actually think out what this Soko woman was trying to say? Think of the last 5 people you talked to today. How many of them do you think would do that? I approve of making intelligent music, but too much attention needs to be paid to this song to find it. This song is just unmarketable. It is very popular however, so I think there are people out there as mentally unstable as the person in this song is.....please excuse me while I buy another lock for my door. Anyway, the music is alright, but keeps far to the background. I think it was scared of the lyrics and vocals, both of which are unimpressive, I enjoy a good French accent. I did not enjoy this particular one. It really isn't worth listening to. The woman can't even sing.
6. (Position 5) This Heart Attack by Faker.
Ah, This Heart Attack. A big stupid, pointless, bouncy pop-song....and I love it. It has a great beat, good music, passable vocals and lyrics that, like Birds Of Tokyo, sound like they are every second line from a poem. I really need to find a quicker way to say that. I'm just going to call it a BOT Poem song. There. Something that makes no sense. Fans of this song should enjoy that. It is a good song however, and it's the kind of song that doesn't really need good lyrics. I'm not a big fan of songs without lyrics (that includes classical. Yep, uneducated bogan I am), so I can see how many songs end up with lyrics that the group didn't really want to distract from the rest of the song. That's absolutely fine. I can understand that. BOT, however, seem to be unaware their lyrics suck. If anyone has a chance, please tell them that, 'kay? You can take the subsequent beating for me too, if you're in the mood. Anyway, This Heart Attack = good.
7. (Position 11) Vitriol by Bluejuice
It's about damn time Bluejuice appeared in this blog. I am yet to hear a Bluejuice song I don't overly dislike, and that's pretty impressive. Vitriol is the first song I heard from Bluejuice, but Broken Leg was the first song I actually identified as a song by Bluejuice. Broken Leg is still my favourite, but Vitriol is a close second. It's a simple enough song. Bouncy, happy and full of life, it has about the same affect on the human body as good old Tubthumping by Chumbawamba (forgive my spelling). The lyrics are only a few lines, but I think they pull off what they were trying to do: deliver a meaningful message to the few who actually listened to anything but the line "Give it a little bit of Vitriol, hey!". Simple, but damned affective.
8. (Position 24) Hunting For Witches by Bloc Party
I didn't know this song was by Bloc Party until I obtained this album this morning. Bloc Party either does it pretty good or just okay. This is one of their pretty good tracks. It comes quite close to Mercury, my favourite song by this group. The songs aren't fantastic, but they are pleasant enough to listen to if they appear on a compilation CD like this. A nice bit of nothing.
9. (Position 16) Snakeskin by Gyroscope
I knew nothing about this song until I got this CD. I'd heard it before, but knew neither the title nor the artist. Gyroscope is one of those groups which you can say I like them, my favourite song is.....erm, what did they do again? Actually, that isn't true. Gyroscope did Chemical Heart (I think). This song is pretty good, especially considering how close it is to the metal end of the Rock spectrum. I say that in passing now, but I'm sure that there is an actual spectrum out there somewhere. The lyrics don't really do anything for me, but after Soko, they could be personally attacking members of my family and I'd still give them a thumbs up. A pretty good song, ust loud enough to get carried away with, but not too heavy.
10. (Position 13) Ruby by Kaiser Chiefs
I mentioned in my first Top 10 post that I was a fan of the Kaiser Chiefs and Ruby was the first song I heard of theirs. It wasn't until either Everyday I Love You Less And Less of Never Miss A Beat that I attached a song to the band. When I first heard Ruby, I wrote it of as a stupid pop song some idiot wrote about their girlfriend. I am as of yet uninformed of the intelligence of the members of the band and what the subject of the song is (although I still think it's a girlfriend. Wiki away...nada. Never mind). The one thing that has changed is that I heard one of the greatest lines in a song ever:
"Due to lack of interest,
Tomorrow is cancelled.
Let the clocks be reset,
And the pendulums held..."
The imagery of that line has stuck with me and I doubt anyone would believe how often I use that line in casual conversation. I honestly recommend triyng it, even if it is just to irritate someone who makes a statement which indicates that they think the world revolves around them. Anyway, good beat, music and vocals and a great bunch of lyrics which say nothing. Good or bad, depending on the point of view.
11. (Position 19) Heart It Races by Architecture In Helsinki
Although I believe That Beep is the best song AIH will ever produce, this song is bloody catchy. The best rhythm...
Sorry, just had a month long holiday mid-sentence. I'll try not to do that any time soon. Anyway, Heart It Races. I came across the album this song is off the other day and may even getting around to reviewing it one day, but Heart It Races is simply the absolute best song off the album. As I was saying, Heart It Races was made with a great rhythm, strange but not unlikeable vocals and an overall strange experience. Architecture In Helsinki (to be called AiH from hereon, for the sake of my own sanity.) have released three good songs in my opinion. This fact is neither here nor there, considering that many bands have had more songs than that which I enjoy and many have fewer, but the three songs are Contact High, That Beep and this. This is the lesser of the three but still a song which is worth experiencing.
12. (Position 21) Salmon Dance by The Chemical Brothers.
Oookay. This song is weird. Veeeeeery weird. And I honestly don't know if in a good or bad way. I..I don't know what this song is bloody on about. They talk about salmon and...there's a decent rhythm...WHAT MORE CAN I SAY? This song is he one I most strenuously encourage people to listen to for themselves, simply for the fact it is very difficult to describe to people. WHY WON'T IT END!?
13. (Position 41) Dashboard by Modest Mouse.
Huh. What do you know? Modest Mouse isn't a one-hit wonder after all. I probably owe someone an apology some way back, but screw them. This song isn't bad, but shows very simply why being a one-hit wonder is a plausible description for Modest Mouse. One thing that is blatant is Modest Mouse's (ahem) "distinctive" vocals...they are terrible. A lot of bands have below-par vocalists who make the band distinctive. This is taken one step too far by Modest Mouse. Their vocalist just isn't good. It's that simple. Anyway, the song has a decent beat and passible lyrics but 41 is a decent position for it...in a very, very slow year.
14. (Position 38) I Thought About You by The Beautiful Girls
I recently got an album by this band out of the library and listening to this song really is making me want to listen to it. The sound of this song is basically the Cat Empire with somewhat gentler vocals, if that makes any sense.
I'm very sorry about this, but I'm (hopefully temporarily) going to have to give up on this review. Why is explained in So... post. Again, I'm very sorry if anyone was looking forward to the end of this review. I really screwed up.
Friday, 23 December 2011
Thursday, 22 December 2011
Day One
Leaving my Hilltop Hoods review to slowly begin to resent me, I move onto a review of a different kind of album. How is it different? Because I know (as of now) nothing. Give me one moment with Wikipedia...
Okay, summing up a summary, this is the first album from Western Australian group Birds Of Tokyo. Released in 2007, my copy of the album (thanks to my local library) looks like it survived the brunt of the nineties. Oh well.
Firstly, because no-one asked, I have nothing against Birds Of Tokyo. I don't believe they deserve anywhere near the amount of popularity they have, but they're better than a lot of other mainstream bands with about the same sized fanbase. Anyway, Day One.
1. Black Sheets
A good opening to the album. A slow but good beat, decent vocals and an all-round decent song. It kind of sounds like a mix between Blur and Ball Park Music, and I'm willing to make a substantial monetary bet that no-one has made that comparison to anything ever (dear God, did I just issue a challenge on the internet? What have I done?). Anyway, this song isn't remarkable in any way, but it is far from unpleasant. A quick note on Birds Of Tokyo songs: They are those songs you hear on the radio and ask yourself "Hmmm, is that song good enough for me to find out the artist?" Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Basically they are filler songs. This is not as bad an insult as it may seem. These songs manage to stand with some of my favourite songs without me thinking that they are incredibly out of place. They just seem to be unremarkable songs. I'm sure there is probably a way in which that is marketable, but it really seems like a lose-lose situation for them and their potential fanbase.
2. Off Kilter.
Sounds a little Fallout Boy, Off Kilter is okay at best. The main thing about Fallout Boy's music is that there seems to be an allround "meh" grade song with one redeeming 10 seconds of music, despite the rest of the song being rather dull. This is a great tactic for roping people in and making people think they like the song more than they actually do (for example, you may find yourself singing the song when you didn't really enjoy it. You may start to think you enjoy the entire song because of only a tiny part). For some people, that may be all you need to enjoy a song. Good for you, you have my envy. I, however, am an SOB with depressingly high-standards. Upon conclusion of the song, I have to say it ends up better than I thought it would. It has at least 30 seconds of good music.
3. Minor War.
Firstly, a very interesting title. Secondly, I'm starting to think that the one constant on this album will be decent voclas. There are better but there are also much worse. I'm happy with what these guys are giving. Okay, this song is okay too, but I regret putting any effort into trying to take in the lyrics. They seem disjointed, utterly randomly placed and just put in there to try to say something. This tactic often works much better when the music drowns out the singer. Huh. Suddenly I understand a large portion of the music produced in the 90's. Drown out the singer when you couldn't write lyrics. Sad, but probably marketable. Anyway, Minor War isn't bad and has the best vocals so far, but the fact I could hear the lyrics and they made no sense ticks me off. Sure, they had the theme of "I'm going to war to save you" (which raises several questions in itself) but all the lines seem like they either cut a hell of a lot out or just couldn't be bothered. I don't really care either way, but it does detract from the whole album, at least in my opinion (which is, if anybody recalls the previous title of the blog, is the entire point of me wasting my time writing. To give people just another opinion. Enjoy it.)
4. Violet
A touch of Coldplay, a touch of (insert any indie rock act with a male vocalist) and you have this song. I think I can sum up the entire lyrics with the chorus line (one line? Jesus...) "You take my breath away. Again". Cliche-tastic.Dear god. The lyrics really are starting to grate. Seriously, there is a section of the song which is " You take my bre- my bre- my breae-" x3. Was there a writers strike in Western Australian music in 2007? Depressingly, I'm starting to see why these guys have a large fanbase. (Screw you Blogger! How is fanbase not a word?) The less effort you put in and the more clichéd you are, the better you sell. I'm going to go cry now, because that started as a joke but is far too accurate for both my tase and for any sentence which comes out of my mouth/keyboard. Oh, there's a song, isn't there? After repeating that one line 1..2....3.....4...5...6...7 more times before being a lovely kind of silent that my pause button can impose. Oh, and there is a very Coldplay-esque something solo. My ability to identify instruments would seem to be failing me, but that would imply I had any talent in that particular field in the first place.
5. Wayside
Okay, I actually know this song. Grinspoon meets John Butler Trio in a decent way, yet again with nonsensical lyrics which would make even the Cat Empire proud. A good beat, good vocals and a decent amount of raw talent (in everything but lyrics) made this song pretty damn popular and I can't even fault it for being so. Hell, I like this song and that is a hell of an accomplishment for an album I ordered from the library on the theory "Well, The John Butler Trio is from Fremantle. So are these guys". At least they're better than Ben Harber, but so is silence. Best song so far.
6. Desperate
First thing first. There is a bit too much electric guitar for my taste. In fact, it ruins the entire song for me. I think that is the first time I have been able to pin-point why I don't like the song to one single fact, although I make no promises to like the song without the electric guitar. Anyway, the lyrics on this track are the best so far (a fact which in itself nearly brings me to tears) but otherwise just is general filler. As a side point, I must say kudos to the group for actually trying something different with the excessive electric guitar. Sure, in my opinion it didn't work out, but the one thing worse than making bad music is making decent but formulaic music. Speaking of which, Mumford & Sons new album is going to come out soon. Hopefully it won't combine both: making formulaic music which sucks. That is a really bad sign.
7. Like Rain
Okay, seriously, what the hell is with those lyrics? They make sense on a really basic level, the kind it takes a lobotomy to acquire, but it sounds like someone took every second line from a poem. Sure, you can kind of get what they are getting at but any tact or wit is removed completely. This sog is like that. Some other song however seem to be more like someone took the second lines from a series of different poems. By different authors. In different time periods. In different languages. I should really stop picking on the lyrics but A. This really irritaes me and B. There isn't much to pick on about this band and just writing how much I love an album is really not as much fun to read or write. I remember writing my revied of Future Shades. Anyway, this song is OK, it tries to have several different styles in one song, which is interesting and innovative (meaning it won't be released as a single) but yat again it doesn't work. In their defence, it is a debut album and it's pretty well developed as such. I've heard some really bad debut albums/EPs. If anyone wants an example, listen to Blow Up by The Presets. The sme group would go on to make the iconic techno album Apocalypso, which ranks among my favourite Australian albums of all time. Seriously, they get better from Blow Up.
8. Get Out
I have 202 witty (a debatable description)comments on this title, had the album been worse. As it is, this is getting near the closing stretch of the album. This is the first song off this album I am certain I have never heard before, and I have no idea why. Lyrics make as little sense as possible whilst actually bing in english. The only thing I can say about this song is that it doesn't work. There are many reasons for this. To sum it up: The vocals don't seem to match the music. This may sond strange, but it makes sense when you actually hear the song. In fact, the main problem is that the vocals and the music seem completely unrelated. Seriously, that seems to be the main problem. There are other things, but I think these are more specific to me and while this entire blog is about my opinion, I like to at least maintain the illusion I'm not trying to alienate people. I just have a natural talent for it. Anyway, the song is so far the worst on the album.
9. Eduardo
If I was more caring, I would cut and paste the last line from the previous song and paste it right here. Do it internally people. I'm lazy! Anyway, this song has music which sounds like it was done by a metal group, the vocals are at a low-point and for my own sanity, I pretended they were speaking a different language to save my sanity from their lyrics. At least the goddamn thing ends eventually.
10. Rest Here My Brother
With a title like that, I fear lyrics which are going to attempt to sound deep. Luckily, they produce voclas which sound like they would have matched with the music of the previous song. The low point is that the song sounds like a mess of sound no-one had the heart to cut from the album. The high point is that I don't have to listen to their god-awful lyrics, minus the chorus. Crap, spoke too soon. My poor, poor, overused sanity. I think Thesauruses have produced more meaningful lyrics. One more song to go. Man, this album is getting worse the further it goes. Maybe I should just end it here.
11. Are You Sure You're Alive?
After listening to the previous song, I honestly don't think so. Or perhaps that is just wishful thinking. The last song. Thank you, Xenu! Okay, first thing. The lyrics are difficult to listen to. I mean that in both ways: The singer makes it a struggle to hear his lyrics. Normally, such a struggle is rewarded with some semblance of a story or at least depth. Instead I am punished for my attempts. I won't make the same mistake again. The stupidity of the title of the song should give some idea of the downright nonsensical slant of the lyrics. Overall, the vocals are decent but the music is a touch too metal for my taste, which seems to be a recurring problem for me on this album. I do realize this a very personal taste, but hell, these are just my opinions after all.
Final opinion: If you obtain this album in any way, don't listen to it. No, that's not fair. Listen to it at such a low volume that you can only hear the beat and not the lyrics. Also, only bother listening to the first half. These tips will protect your sanity. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES....and goodnight.
Okay, summing up a summary, this is the first album from Western Australian group Birds Of Tokyo. Released in 2007, my copy of the album (thanks to my local library) looks like it survived the brunt of the nineties. Oh well.
Firstly, because no-one asked, I have nothing against Birds Of Tokyo. I don't believe they deserve anywhere near the amount of popularity they have, but they're better than a lot of other mainstream bands with about the same sized fanbase. Anyway, Day One.
1. Black Sheets
A good opening to the album. A slow but good beat, decent vocals and an all-round decent song. It kind of sounds like a mix between Blur and Ball Park Music, and I'm willing to make a substantial monetary bet that no-one has made that comparison to anything ever (dear God, did I just issue a challenge on the internet? What have I done?). Anyway, this song isn't remarkable in any way, but it is far from unpleasant. A quick note on Birds Of Tokyo songs: They are those songs you hear on the radio and ask yourself "Hmmm, is that song good enough for me to find out the artist?" Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Basically they are filler songs. This is not as bad an insult as it may seem. These songs manage to stand with some of my favourite songs without me thinking that they are incredibly out of place. They just seem to be unremarkable songs. I'm sure there is probably a way in which that is marketable, but it really seems like a lose-lose situation for them and their potential fanbase.
2. Off Kilter.
Sounds a little Fallout Boy, Off Kilter is okay at best. The main thing about Fallout Boy's music is that there seems to be an allround "meh" grade song with one redeeming 10 seconds of music, despite the rest of the song being rather dull. This is a great tactic for roping people in and making people think they like the song more than they actually do (for example, you may find yourself singing the song when you didn't really enjoy it. You may start to think you enjoy the entire song because of only a tiny part). For some people, that may be all you need to enjoy a song. Good for you, you have my envy. I, however, am an SOB with depressingly high-standards. Upon conclusion of the song, I have to say it ends up better than I thought it would. It has at least 30 seconds of good music.
3. Minor War.
Firstly, a very interesting title. Secondly, I'm starting to think that the one constant on this album will be decent voclas. There are better but there are also much worse. I'm happy with what these guys are giving. Okay, this song is okay too, but I regret putting any effort into trying to take in the lyrics. They seem disjointed, utterly randomly placed and just put in there to try to say something. This tactic often works much better when the music drowns out the singer. Huh. Suddenly I understand a large portion of the music produced in the 90's. Drown out the singer when you couldn't write lyrics. Sad, but probably marketable. Anyway, Minor War isn't bad and has the best vocals so far, but the fact I could hear the lyrics and they made no sense ticks me off. Sure, they had the theme of "I'm going to war to save you" (which raises several questions in itself) but all the lines seem like they either cut a hell of a lot out or just couldn't be bothered. I don't really care either way, but it does detract from the whole album, at least in my opinion (which is, if anybody recalls the previous title of the blog, is the entire point of me wasting my time writing. To give people just another opinion. Enjoy it.)
4. Violet
A touch of Coldplay, a touch of (insert any indie rock act with a male vocalist) and you have this song. I think I can sum up the entire lyrics with the chorus line (one line? Jesus...) "You take my breath away. Again". Cliche-tastic.Dear god. The lyrics really are starting to grate. Seriously, there is a section of the song which is " You take my bre- my bre- my breae-" x3. Was there a writers strike in Western Australian music in 2007? Depressingly, I'm starting to see why these guys have a large fanbase. (Screw you Blogger! How is fanbase not a word?) The less effort you put in and the more clichéd you are, the better you sell. I'm going to go cry now, because that started as a joke but is far too accurate for both my tase and for any sentence which comes out of my mouth/keyboard. Oh, there's a song, isn't there? After repeating that one line 1..2....3.....4...5...6...7 more times before being a lovely kind of silent that my pause button can impose. Oh, and there is a very Coldplay-esque something solo. My ability to identify instruments would seem to be failing me, but that would imply I had any talent in that particular field in the first place.
5. Wayside
Okay, I actually know this song. Grinspoon meets John Butler Trio in a decent way, yet again with nonsensical lyrics which would make even the Cat Empire proud. A good beat, good vocals and a decent amount of raw talent (in everything but lyrics) made this song pretty damn popular and I can't even fault it for being so. Hell, I like this song and that is a hell of an accomplishment for an album I ordered from the library on the theory "Well, The John Butler Trio is from Fremantle. So are these guys". At least they're better than Ben Harber, but so is silence. Best song so far.
6. Desperate
First thing first. There is a bit too much electric guitar for my taste. In fact, it ruins the entire song for me. I think that is the first time I have been able to pin-point why I don't like the song to one single fact, although I make no promises to like the song without the electric guitar. Anyway, the lyrics on this track are the best so far (a fact which in itself nearly brings me to tears) but otherwise just is general filler. As a side point, I must say kudos to the group for actually trying something different with the excessive electric guitar. Sure, in my opinion it didn't work out, but the one thing worse than making bad music is making decent but formulaic music. Speaking of which, Mumford & Sons new album is going to come out soon. Hopefully it won't combine both: making formulaic music which sucks. That is a really bad sign.
7. Like Rain
Okay, seriously, what the hell is with those lyrics? They make sense on a really basic level, the kind it takes a lobotomy to acquire, but it sounds like someone took every second line from a poem. Sure, you can kind of get what they are getting at but any tact or wit is removed completely. This sog is like that. Some other song however seem to be more like someone took the second lines from a series of different poems. By different authors. In different time periods. In different languages. I should really stop picking on the lyrics but A. This really irritaes me and B. There isn't much to pick on about this band and just writing how much I love an album is really not as much fun to read or write. I remember writing my revied of Future Shades. Anyway, this song is OK, it tries to have several different styles in one song, which is interesting and innovative (meaning it won't be released as a single) but yat again it doesn't work. In their defence, it is a debut album and it's pretty well developed as such. I've heard some really bad debut albums/EPs. If anyone wants an example, listen to Blow Up by The Presets. The sme group would go on to make the iconic techno album Apocalypso, which ranks among my favourite Australian albums of all time. Seriously, they get better from Blow Up.
8. Get Out
I have 202 witty (a debatable description)comments on this title, had the album been worse. As it is, this is getting near the closing stretch of the album. This is the first song off this album I am certain I have never heard before, and I have no idea why. Lyrics make as little sense as possible whilst actually bing in english. The only thing I can say about this song is that it doesn't work. There are many reasons for this. To sum it up: The vocals don't seem to match the music. This may sond strange, but it makes sense when you actually hear the song. In fact, the main problem is that the vocals and the music seem completely unrelated. Seriously, that seems to be the main problem. There are other things, but I think these are more specific to me and while this entire blog is about my opinion, I like to at least maintain the illusion I'm not trying to alienate people. I just have a natural talent for it. Anyway, the song is so far the worst on the album.
9. Eduardo
If I was more caring, I would cut and paste the last line from the previous song and paste it right here. Do it internally people. I'm lazy! Anyway, this song has music which sounds like it was done by a metal group, the vocals are at a low-point and for my own sanity, I pretended they were speaking a different language to save my sanity from their lyrics. At least the goddamn thing ends eventually.
10. Rest Here My Brother
With a title like that, I fear lyrics which are going to attempt to sound deep. Luckily, they produce voclas which sound like they would have matched with the music of the previous song. The low point is that the song sounds like a mess of sound no-one had the heart to cut from the album. The high point is that I don't have to listen to their god-awful lyrics, minus the chorus. Crap, spoke too soon. My poor, poor, overused sanity. I think Thesauruses have produced more meaningful lyrics. One more song to go. Man, this album is getting worse the further it goes. Maybe I should just end it here.
11. Are You Sure You're Alive?
After listening to the previous song, I honestly don't think so. Or perhaps that is just wishful thinking. The last song. Thank you, Xenu! Okay, first thing. The lyrics are difficult to listen to. I mean that in both ways: The singer makes it a struggle to hear his lyrics. Normally, such a struggle is rewarded with some semblance of a story or at least depth. Instead I am punished for my attempts. I won't make the same mistake again. The stupidity of the title of the song should give some idea of the downright nonsensical slant of the lyrics. Overall, the vocals are decent but the music is a touch too metal for my taste, which seems to be a recurring problem for me on this album. I do realize this a very personal taste, but hell, these are just my opinions after all.
Final opinion: If you obtain this album in any way, don't listen to it. No, that's not fair. Listen to it at such a low volume that you can only hear the beat and not the lyrics. Also, only bother listening to the first half. These tips will protect your sanity. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES....and goodnight.
Sunday, 18 December 2011
The Hard Road vs. The Hard Road Restung
Well, no prizes go to anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of Australian hip-hop who has hazarded a guess as to what this review is about. To everyone else (i.e. the majority of the human race) this review is comparing and contrasting the two famous Hilltop Hoods albums The Hard Road and their later release, The Hard Road Restrung. Now, the second album is (in theory) the first album with backing by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. But the second album does a bit more than that, enough that I feel justified to add the content of that album to the first.
Anyway, here goes:
Recapturing The Vibe vs Recapturing The Vibe Restrung
Recapturing The Vibe: With a well placed piano, this song actually ends up sounding somewhat creepy initially. This eases a lot when the verses begin, but there is a fair amount of instrumental imput (odd, considering this is the original, not the restrung version). As with the other Hilltop Hoods albums I have heard, this song is basically the most rudimentary way of telling people exactly what they are going to hear. Normally not the best song on the album, it also rarely the worst. Like the songs normally in the first position on a HH album, it has almost no "narrative" (surely you know what I mean by that). Rather it is just a series of rhymes which get little message accross. Nothing wrong with that, but it rarely constitutes the best Hilltop Hoods music. The instrumentals are, once again, well done. Also, without the burden of a theme, the lyrics are well done too.
Recapturing The Vibe Restrung
This song is moved to 13th place on the Restrung album, probably because it doesn't do the same thing as on the previous album. This album wants to both push hip-hop and instrumentals. This song is best for only the hip-hop, even though it already had good instrumental accompaniment So, what's different? Now, I'm terrible at identifying instruments, especially something other than guitar, keyboard or piano. So, take my instrument names with a grain of salt. So, in Restrung, this song is accompanied by a group of brass instruments and perhaps a violin, which makes the song much more powerful and uplifting than on the previous album. The lyrics and core instruments and tune remain the same, but that little addition of more instruments is very noticeable on this track, unlike several others. Overall, the Restrung version is better by a large amount, despite remaining essentially the same in many areas.
Clown Prince vs. Clown Prince Restrung
Clown Prince: This song has never quite appealed to me. It seems a rather obnoxious song, containing rather average backing and lyrics that, as before, mean almost nothing. People who are not fans of hip-hop (who will probably not be reading this) may sneer at me trying to find deeper meaning in Hilltop Hoods lyrics, but I must say that these gentlemen are behind the most powerful and fantastic song I have ever heard, Fifty In Five and I'm unwilling to believe a group that can do that will also make a song about paying for a round of drinks. Perhaps not. Anyway, this song relies almost entirely on rapping and although the Hilltop Hoods are fantastic, this is far from their greatest work.
Clown Prince Restrung: Demoted to position 11 on Restrung (from 2), this is once again exactly the same song given the instrumental treatment. Unlike the first song, the treatment is nowhere near as effective. While not making the song worse, it doesn't make it much better. The aim of the song is still to make people hear the rapping and frankly, giving this song and backing is a waste of time in my opinion. There are 16 songs on The Hard Road. There are 14 on Restrung, including a new song. Why not redo another song? Anyway, Restrung wins again, but it's hardly worth listening to either in my opinion.
The Hard Road vs. The Hard Road Restrung
The Hard Road: Well, it's about time we had a song with some semblance of depth. Here it is. Akin to Left Foot, Right Foot and Chase That Feeling, this is basically the chief song of the entire album. The lyrics describe the youth of Suffa & Pressure, basically saying how they got their lives on track and how screwed up they were before. I may say the subject lightly despite it being a serious tale, but the tone of the song is a bit too upbeat for the subject matter. When reading the lyrics, a song as grim as Left Foot, Right Foot in tone comes to mind, but instead this song gives us a good beat and a slightly irritating sample. Perhaps the whole message is "at least it's over", but it seems too much like they made heartfelt lyrics, put it to an appropriate beat and either realized on their own time or were told that the beat wouldn't sell. I hope not, but it's far from a distant possibility.
The Hard Road Restrung: This track actually opens the Restrung album, which I don't know if I approve of or not. Being the namesake of the album, it is (theoretically) the best song. Now, does it make sense to put your "best" song as your first? If nothing else, it at least puts across "Well, this is the best we can do. Impressed? Well, come listen to everything else!" I don't know. Anyway, the actual song. The instrumental treatment is much more effective than on the second song, This much more matches the tone I feel the lyrics deserve. One thing I feel could have been dropped however is the sample, which says "Going down a long road, don't know where I been" and "My love". Fine. It fits. However, it cheapens the song . Samples can be used very effectively, such as in the song Audience With The Devil, which I'll get to in due course. The Restrung version is what I feel this song should have been from the start. Why do otherwise?
Stopping All Stations vs. Stopping All Stations Restrung
Stopping All Stations: Three parties enter a train. Firstly, an elderly man, former war veteran, widower and confused by the modern world. Secondly, a stripper, drunk and drugged up, with a son to take care of. Thirdly, a gang of rough youth, one of which is wielding a knife. Okay, that is the setup for the song Stopping All Stations. This song is fascinating in the manner it handles both setting up a situation and occurrence from three different angles, all during a fantastic song. From the situation I have described, the youth approaches the old man and puts the knife at his throat, explaining "money or blood is the price of our barter" (or "Give me your cash or I knife you" in somewhat simpler terms. The woman attempts to assist the old man but is beaten down by a youth. The old man tries to help her, but by leaping up he impales himself on the knife the youth is wielding. As the old man dies, the youth steals his wallet and runs, as he has never actually killed anyone before. In a final irony, the wallet contains no more than two dollars and the old man's pension card, making the old man's death truly pointless. I could talk about this song for any amount of time. How it is so very Australian, carries such a colourful narrative through verse or even just how symbolic it is, but my goal here is to review, not babble (however much the two activities seem to overlap). The samples are once again a touch on the unnecessary side, but I could hardly say they get in the way of enjoying the song. For god's sake, stop reading my babble and listen to the goddamn thing!
Stopping All Station Restrung: When I first heard Restrung, I had very high expectations for this song, and they easily surpassed them. The organizers of the album saw this too, as this song was bumped up to second position. The instrumental backing makes the whole experience much more dramatic and they even take some of the samples out, which I do like. Anyway, the reason I like this version of the song so much is that they actually re-write the final verse, changing the outcome of the song.As the old man is being mugged, the stripper gets up to try and help him, only to be knocked unconscious by the youth. In this version, the old man becomes enraged and grabs the boy, smashing him into the railing. As the youth lays crying, the old man delivers a speech, explaining how real men never hit women, and that the boy might as well kill him because this is not the world he would like to live in. This is just a fantastic change on what I was expecting. The description was restrung and I had no idea they would actually change the lyrics of a song, especially a song with such a fantastic narrative. Just fantastic, this song raises a shiver on my spine every time I hear it, which is not a simple task, considering how often I listen to it. I honestly think that in regards to which is the better song, it is a tie. The first version is a dark bleak lok at the world, and the music reflects that. The second version is the same, but with the insinuation that the world is not irrevocably evil and something can be done, and I feel that the music reflects this too. To truly enjoy this song, you need to listen to both versions.
Sorry, but that song was just too incredible to follow up tonight. I'll be back soon with Conversations From A Speakeasy.
Yeah, about that....
I'm putting this review on the backburner for a little while because it's a bit too much effort. Really, my normal review is:
1. Listen to CD
2. Review CD whilst listening to it.
Done. This review however:
1. Listen to one song.
2. Review song.
3. Swap CD's
4. Listen to almost identical song
5. Try to find something else to say about same song.
6. Rinse and repeat.
It may not sound like much more effort, but its really annoying after a while. So, taking a hit to both my ego and work ethic (which I have never been accused of having) and officially (with authority I've never been accused of having) place this particular review on the "To Do" pile.
Anyway, here goes:
Recapturing The Vibe vs Recapturing The Vibe Restrung
Recapturing The Vibe: With a well placed piano, this song actually ends up sounding somewhat creepy initially. This eases a lot when the verses begin, but there is a fair amount of instrumental imput (odd, considering this is the original, not the restrung version). As with the other Hilltop Hoods albums I have heard, this song is basically the most rudimentary way of telling people exactly what they are going to hear. Normally not the best song on the album, it also rarely the worst. Like the songs normally in the first position on a HH album, it has almost no "narrative" (surely you know what I mean by that). Rather it is just a series of rhymes which get little message accross. Nothing wrong with that, but it rarely constitutes the best Hilltop Hoods music. The instrumentals are, once again, well done. Also, without the burden of a theme, the lyrics are well done too.
Recapturing The Vibe Restrung
This song is moved to 13th place on the Restrung album, probably because it doesn't do the same thing as on the previous album. This album wants to both push hip-hop and instrumentals. This song is best for only the hip-hop, even though it already had good instrumental accompaniment So, what's different? Now, I'm terrible at identifying instruments, especially something other than guitar, keyboard or piano. So, take my instrument names with a grain of salt. So, in Restrung, this song is accompanied by a group of brass instruments and perhaps a violin, which makes the song much more powerful and uplifting than on the previous album. The lyrics and core instruments and tune remain the same, but that little addition of more instruments is very noticeable on this track, unlike several others. Overall, the Restrung version is better by a large amount, despite remaining essentially the same in many areas.
Clown Prince vs. Clown Prince Restrung
Clown Prince: This song has never quite appealed to me. It seems a rather obnoxious song, containing rather average backing and lyrics that, as before, mean almost nothing. People who are not fans of hip-hop (who will probably not be reading this) may sneer at me trying to find deeper meaning in Hilltop Hoods lyrics, but I must say that these gentlemen are behind the most powerful and fantastic song I have ever heard, Fifty In Five and I'm unwilling to believe a group that can do that will also make a song about paying for a round of drinks. Perhaps not. Anyway, this song relies almost entirely on rapping and although the Hilltop Hoods are fantastic, this is far from their greatest work.
Clown Prince Restrung: Demoted to position 11 on Restrung (from 2), this is once again exactly the same song given the instrumental treatment. Unlike the first song, the treatment is nowhere near as effective. While not making the song worse, it doesn't make it much better. The aim of the song is still to make people hear the rapping and frankly, giving this song and backing is a waste of time in my opinion. There are 16 songs on The Hard Road. There are 14 on Restrung, including a new song. Why not redo another song? Anyway, Restrung wins again, but it's hardly worth listening to either in my opinion.
The Hard Road vs. The Hard Road Restrung
The Hard Road: Well, it's about time we had a song with some semblance of depth. Here it is. Akin to Left Foot, Right Foot and Chase That Feeling, this is basically the chief song of the entire album. The lyrics describe the youth of Suffa & Pressure, basically saying how they got their lives on track and how screwed up they were before. I may say the subject lightly despite it being a serious tale, but the tone of the song is a bit too upbeat for the subject matter. When reading the lyrics, a song as grim as Left Foot, Right Foot in tone comes to mind, but instead this song gives us a good beat and a slightly irritating sample. Perhaps the whole message is "at least it's over", but it seems too much like they made heartfelt lyrics, put it to an appropriate beat and either realized on their own time or were told that the beat wouldn't sell. I hope not, but it's far from a distant possibility.
The Hard Road Restrung: This track actually opens the Restrung album, which I don't know if I approve of or not. Being the namesake of the album, it is (theoretically) the best song. Now, does it make sense to put your "best" song as your first? If nothing else, it at least puts across "Well, this is the best we can do. Impressed? Well, come listen to everything else!" I don't know. Anyway, the actual song. The instrumental treatment is much more effective than on the second song, This much more matches the tone I feel the lyrics deserve. One thing I feel could have been dropped however is the sample, which says "Going down a long road, don't know where I been" and "My love". Fine. It fits. However, it cheapens the song . Samples can be used very effectively, such as in the song Audience With The Devil, which I'll get to in due course. The Restrung version is what I feel this song should have been from the start. Why do otherwise?
Stopping All Stations vs. Stopping All Stations Restrung
Stopping All Stations: Three parties enter a train. Firstly, an elderly man, former war veteran, widower and confused by the modern world. Secondly, a stripper, drunk and drugged up, with a son to take care of. Thirdly, a gang of rough youth, one of which is wielding a knife. Okay, that is the setup for the song Stopping All Stations. This song is fascinating in the manner it handles both setting up a situation and occurrence from three different angles, all during a fantastic song. From the situation I have described, the youth approaches the old man and puts the knife at his throat, explaining "money or blood is the price of our barter" (or "Give me your cash or I knife you" in somewhat simpler terms. The woman attempts to assist the old man but is beaten down by a youth. The old man tries to help her, but by leaping up he impales himself on the knife the youth is wielding. As the old man dies, the youth steals his wallet and runs, as he has never actually killed anyone before. In a final irony, the wallet contains no more than two dollars and the old man's pension card, making the old man's death truly pointless. I could talk about this song for any amount of time. How it is so very Australian, carries such a colourful narrative through verse or even just how symbolic it is, but my goal here is to review, not babble (however much the two activities seem to overlap). The samples are once again a touch on the unnecessary side, but I could hardly say they get in the way of enjoying the song. For god's sake, stop reading my babble and listen to the goddamn thing!
Stopping All Station Restrung: When I first heard Restrung, I had very high expectations for this song, and they easily surpassed them. The organizers of the album saw this too, as this song was bumped up to second position. The instrumental backing makes the whole experience much more dramatic and they even take some of the samples out, which I do like. Anyway, the reason I like this version of the song so much is that they actually re-write the final verse, changing the outcome of the song.As the old man is being mugged, the stripper gets up to try and help him, only to be knocked unconscious by the youth. In this version, the old man becomes enraged and grabs the boy, smashing him into the railing. As the youth lays crying, the old man delivers a speech, explaining how real men never hit women, and that the boy might as well kill him because this is not the world he would like to live in. This is just a fantastic change on what I was expecting. The description was restrung and I had no idea they would actually change the lyrics of a song, especially a song with such a fantastic narrative. Just fantastic, this song raises a shiver on my spine every time I hear it, which is not a simple task, considering how often I listen to it. I honestly think that in regards to which is the better song, it is a tie. The first version is a dark bleak lok at the world, and the music reflects that. The second version is the same, but with the insinuation that the world is not irrevocably evil and something can be done, and I feel that the music reflects this too. To truly enjoy this song, you need to listen to both versions.
Sorry, but that song was just too incredible to follow up tonight. I'll be back soon with Conversations From A Speakeasy.
Yeah, about that....
I'm putting this review on the backburner for a little while because it's a bit too much effort. Really, my normal review is:
1. Listen to CD
2. Review CD whilst listening to it.
Done. This review however:
1. Listen to one song.
2. Review song.
3. Swap CD's
4. Listen to almost identical song
5. Try to find something else to say about same song.
6. Rinse and repeat.
It may not sound like much more effort, but its really annoying after a while. So, taking a hit to both my ego and work ethic (which I have never been accused of having) and officially (with authority I've never been accused of having) place this particular review on the "To Do" pile.
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Triple J Hottest 100: My Actual Top 10
OK, so as I expected, some songs I ended up voting for in the Hottest 100 were not the same as I indicated. This was due, as expected, to a perusing of the list of the songs released this year. The best new feature of the list is a link for (almost) every song which leads to a Youtube video of the song. This has occupied me for a large portion of the day, and I just finished "A".
Anyway, what changed?
Firstly, All I Want Is You by Ball Park Music was dropped, partially because I thought better songs were out there and partially because I thought it was a bit narrow-minded to vote for three songs by the same group (two is fine though). The song that took it's place was House by Ben Folds Five. Now, in the last post I said that there were no new singles released from Ben Folds newest album. Well, I was wrong. Let's leave it at that. House is a throwback to the classic Ben Folds Five sound, and I couldn't pass up a chance to have that in the list, as it very well may be the last time a Ben Folds Five song to make the Hottest 100.
Secondly, I Love It by The Hilltop Hoods was dropped on the grounds that it really didn't deserve my vote. If it really is good and I'm just too stupid or have my standards set too high to see it, it'll make the list without me. It was replaced by the fantastic track by the Funkoars, Where I Am. The Funkoars have talent, but have a tendency for crudeness and objectifying women. This I can handle from most Hip-Hop groups in small doses, but the Funkoars take it to a whole new level, which normally disuades me from enjoying their music just a slight. This song is a hel of a lot better, and I think its place on my Top Ten is justified. Also, seeing as I replaced one Adelaide hip-hop group with another, I doubt anyone would feel slighted.
Thirdly, Little Shocks by the Kaiser Chiefs didn't make the final vote. Frankly, they were barely in the preliminary Top Ten. They were replaced by the phenomenal Glorious Feeling by Joelistics. How I forgot this track, I'll never comprehend. This track tells a fantastic story about the human race being addressed by God and his abandonment of the human race. I was obsessed by this song for months after I first heard it. I suppose listening to it too much just made me overlook it. Anyway, it most certainly deserved a place.
Finally, the indecisive position was filled by Seeker Lover Keeper's Even Though I'm A Woman. Archetecture In Helsinki has a strong fanbase who will make sure at least Contact High will make it into the Hottest 100. Seeker Lover Keeper does not have the same level of following. Also, Signs Of Life by The Herd was replaced by A Thousand Lives in the end. Well, that list took quite a while, especially considering I had a shortlist of over 30 songs by the end. Jeez, that was a tricky thing.
Anyway, I'll try and keep my reader happy by posting a review of ... something soon.
Anyway, what changed?
Firstly, All I Want Is You by Ball Park Music was dropped, partially because I thought better songs were out there and partially because I thought it was a bit narrow-minded to vote for three songs by the same group (two is fine though). The song that took it's place was House by Ben Folds Five. Now, in the last post I said that there were no new singles released from Ben Folds newest album. Well, I was wrong. Let's leave it at that. House is a throwback to the classic Ben Folds Five sound, and I couldn't pass up a chance to have that in the list, as it very well may be the last time a Ben Folds Five song to make the Hottest 100.
Secondly, I Love It by The Hilltop Hoods was dropped on the grounds that it really didn't deserve my vote. If it really is good and I'm just too stupid or have my standards set too high to see it, it'll make the list without me. It was replaced by the fantastic track by the Funkoars, Where I Am. The Funkoars have talent, but have a tendency for crudeness and objectifying women. This I can handle from most Hip-Hop groups in small doses, but the Funkoars take it to a whole new level, which normally disuades me from enjoying their music just a slight. This song is a hel of a lot better, and I think its place on my Top Ten is justified. Also, seeing as I replaced one Adelaide hip-hop group with another, I doubt anyone would feel slighted.
Thirdly, Little Shocks by the Kaiser Chiefs didn't make the final vote. Frankly, they were barely in the preliminary Top Ten. They were replaced by the phenomenal Glorious Feeling by Joelistics. How I forgot this track, I'll never comprehend. This track tells a fantastic story about the human race being addressed by God and his abandonment of the human race. I was obsessed by this song for months after I first heard it. I suppose listening to it too much just made me overlook it. Anyway, it most certainly deserved a place.
Finally, the indecisive position was filled by Seeker Lover Keeper's Even Though I'm A Woman. Archetecture In Helsinki has a strong fanbase who will make sure at least Contact High will make it into the Hottest 100. Seeker Lover Keeper does not have the same level of following. Also, Signs Of Life by The Herd was replaced by A Thousand Lives in the end. Well, that list took quite a while, especially considering I had a shortlist of over 30 songs by the end. Jeez, that was a tricky thing.
Anyway, I'll try and keep my reader happy by posting a review of ... something soon.
Monday, 12 December 2011
Triple J Hottest 100: My Top 10
Well, Triple J Hottest 100 voting opens on Wednesday the 14th. I encourage my reader to vote and am personally looking forward to the event. Now, because I have an ego the size of Greek national debt, I'm going to offer my own Top 10 for the Hottest 100 of 2011.
1. Little Shocks by Kaiser Chiefs
Okay, first thing I have to mention is the fact that this post is going to be written using my on-screen keyboard, which is (while useful) one of the most irritating devices on my machine, due to the fact the 1 key on my keyboard wants more use than it's getting. Screw this. This goddamn keyboard is like the most irritating and boring flash game ever. I'm going to try and get my keyboard working and get back to this. Also, I'll pick the other nine songs.
Okay, things seem to have calmed down. Now, LIttle Shocks. This is by no means my favourite song by the Kaiser Cheifs, but it is my favourite of their 2011 album, meaning it gets to be on my list for little more than band loyalty.
2. Rich People Are Stupid by Ball Park Music
There are actually several albums I was looking through which were released in 2011. Velociraptor, The Best Imitation Of Myself were up there along with Lotsyx Grottox or whatever Coldplay's new one was.The problems were, respecively, that I am unfamiliar with Velociraptor, The Best Imitation Of Myself is a re-release of old songs and frankly, I don't like Coldplay's new album. The other album that was a bit of a disappointment was Babylon by Phrase. Phrase has done some magnificent work in the past, but Babylon is not amont his best work. Not that bad, but not his best by any means. To give some idea, today I picked it up in the "3 for $10" basket at a local CD store. Not a good sign for a CD released this year (also, if anyone is curious, the other two albums were the far superior Now We Can See by The Thermals and Wolfmother's self titled album). Rich People Are Stupid is the second single off Ball Park Music's first album, but the first released this year (making Sad Rude Future Dude, despite being awesome, being out of the running this year). I don't think I'll go into this song now, as I probably will review the entire album at some point.
3. All I Want Is You by Ball Park Music
The fourth single off of Ball Park Music's first album. Like the previous, I won't review this until a later date.
4. Signs Of Life by The Herd
I've reviewed the album this song is off previously (Future Shades) and frankly, I don't see this as being single material, but I'll still vote for it because it's a hell of a lot better than a lot of the music around nowadays. If the much better A Thousand Lives is finally released as a single between now and Wednesday (I can only hope) it will replace this song on my list.
5. Sing It (The Life Of Riley) by Drapht
Like Babylon by Phrase, I find that Life Of Riley is a sub-par release by an artist as talented as Drapht, but I can still appreciate that he wanted to release an album which was a bit softer and slightly more about him. Sing It is not bad, but no Rapunzel or Jimmy Ricard.
6. Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye
Let me say two things: Firstly, this song will be the best song of 2011. That is just a fact, in my opinion. Secondly, the first thing is not bad. Gotye is an amazingly talented Australian artist and he certainly deserves that position. It's a hell of a lot better than someone like, say, Angus & Julia Stone (who are talented and decent artists, but Big Jet Plane, last years winner was not a good song) winning the top position. A good song, but I wish it winning was a little more uncertain.
7. I Love It by The Hilltop Hoods ft. Sia
There is going to be a new Hilltop Hoods album in 2012...featuring Sia, one of my favourite solo Australian female singers (along with Bertie Blackman). Somehow, I am less than enthusiastic. I somewhat feel this song is somewhat to blame. The song is not bad per-say, just.....the same. The Hilltop Hoods are a fantastic group who have always seemed to know when to change and when to stay the same. This song more feels like something you would find on an old album from before they were famous, not the way to introduce a brand new album. Perhaps I just have standards set too high, but seeing as I call the Hilltop Hoods my favourite group, I somewhat feel I am allowed to have very high standards. Perhaps the actual album will be revolutionary, but I still worry. Who knows?
8. Undecided (Either Contact High by Architecture In Helsinki or Even Though I'm A Woman by Seeker Lover Keeper)
Tell me (literally, I'm basing my vote on comments here), which makes more sense: giving a vote to a decent song by a group which has produced amazing songs in the past or giving my vote to a group who I think will do amazing things in the future? Please, anyone, listen to these songs and tell me who to vote for. This entire list is rather transient, but I would still like some outside opinion.
9. Sum Of It All by The Herd
Not the best song off of Future Shade, but the best released as an album. How can I not vote for this?
10. It's Nice To Be Alive by Ball Park Music
My personal wish for the number one position. As with the other Ball Park Music songs, I'll go into the actual track at a later date.
All in all, this list was far too easy to compile, and not in a good way. Anyway, this is the first time I've picked my votes beforehand. I will probably change it at the last minute, and will update this on Wednesday afternoon on my actual votes (probably accompanied with a review).
1. Little Shocks by Kaiser Chiefs
Okay, first thing I have to mention is the fact that this post is going to be written using my on-screen keyboard, which is (while useful) one of the most irritating devices on my machine, due to the fact the 1 key on my keyboard wants more use than it's getting. Screw this. This goddamn keyboard is like the most irritating and boring flash game ever. I'm going to try and get my keyboard working and get back to this. Also, I'll pick the other nine songs.
Okay, things seem to have calmed down. Now, LIttle Shocks. This is by no means my favourite song by the Kaiser Cheifs, but it is my favourite of their 2011 album, meaning it gets to be on my list for little more than band loyalty.
2. Rich People Are Stupid by Ball Park Music
There are actually several albums I was looking through which were released in 2011. Velociraptor, The Best Imitation Of Myself were up there along with Lotsyx Grottox or whatever Coldplay's new one was.The problems were, respecively, that I am unfamiliar with Velociraptor, The Best Imitation Of Myself is a re-release of old songs and frankly, I don't like Coldplay's new album. The other album that was a bit of a disappointment was Babylon by Phrase. Phrase has done some magnificent work in the past, but Babylon is not amont his best work. Not that bad, but not his best by any means. To give some idea, today I picked it up in the "3 for $10" basket at a local CD store. Not a good sign for a CD released this year (also, if anyone is curious, the other two albums were the far superior Now We Can See by The Thermals and Wolfmother's self titled album). Rich People Are Stupid is the second single off Ball Park Music's first album, but the first released this year (making Sad Rude Future Dude, despite being awesome, being out of the running this year). I don't think I'll go into this song now, as I probably will review the entire album at some point.
3. All I Want Is You by Ball Park Music
The fourth single off of Ball Park Music's first album. Like the previous, I won't review this until a later date.
4. Signs Of Life by The Herd
I've reviewed the album this song is off previously (Future Shades) and frankly, I don't see this as being single material, but I'll still vote for it because it's a hell of a lot better than a lot of the music around nowadays. If the much better A Thousand Lives is finally released as a single between now and Wednesday (I can only hope) it will replace this song on my list.
5. Sing It (The Life Of Riley) by Drapht
Like Babylon by Phrase, I find that Life Of Riley is a sub-par release by an artist as talented as Drapht, but I can still appreciate that he wanted to release an album which was a bit softer and slightly more about him. Sing It is not bad, but no Rapunzel or Jimmy Ricard.
6. Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye
Let me say two things: Firstly, this song will be the best song of 2011. That is just a fact, in my opinion. Secondly, the first thing is not bad. Gotye is an amazingly talented Australian artist and he certainly deserves that position. It's a hell of a lot better than someone like, say, Angus & Julia Stone (who are talented and decent artists, but Big Jet Plane, last years winner was not a good song) winning the top position. A good song, but I wish it winning was a little more uncertain.
7. I Love It by The Hilltop Hoods ft. Sia
There is going to be a new Hilltop Hoods album in 2012...featuring Sia, one of my favourite solo Australian female singers (along with Bertie Blackman). Somehow, I am less than enthusiastic. I somewhat feel this song is somewhat to blame. The song is not bad per-say, just.....the same. The Hilltop Hoods are a fantastic group who have always seemed to know when to change and when to stay the same. This song more feels like something you would find on an old album from before they were famous, not the way to introduce a brand new album. Perhaps I just have standards set too high, but seeing as I call the Hilltop Hoods my favourite group, I somewhat feel I am allowed to have very high standards. Perhaps the actual album will be revolutionary, but I still worry. Who knows?
8. Undecided (Either Contact High by Architecture In Helsinki or Even Though I'm A Woman by Seeker Lover Keeper)
Tell me (literally, I'm basing my vote on comments here), which makes more sense: giving a vote to a decent song by a group which has produced amazing songs in the past or giving my vote to a group who I think will do amazing things in the future? Please, anyone, listen to these songs and tell me who to vote for. This entire list is rather transient, but I would still like some outside opinion.
9. Sum Of It All by The Herd
Not the best song off of Future Shade, but the best released as an album. How can I not vote for this?
10. It's Nice To Be Alive by Ball Park Music
My personal wish for the number one position. As with the other Ball Park Music songs, I'll go into the actual track at a later date.
All in all, this list was far too easy to compile, and not in a good way. Anyway, this is the first time I've picked my votes beforehand. I will probably change it at the last minute, and will update this on Wednesday afternoon on my actual votes (probably accompanied with a review).
Thursday, 8 December 2011
Tell Me When Its Gone
Well, it's that time of the.... yeah, who am I kidding. I post whenever the hell I feel like it. Well, today I have almost nothing to do so I'm going to write about an album. Haven't done that before, have I?
Anyway, I haven't actually put any preparation into this review and I'll review the next CD I pick up (unless I've done it before). What have I got?...erm.. Ben Harper's Give Till It's Gone. Ho boy. This is either going to be a very short or a very long review. I know which one I want.
Ben Harper is (wikipedia, wikipedia...ah) an American singer who did...something and this is his tenth album. Impressive, even if it is in sheer quantity. Anyway, Give Till It's Gone was released in May and, well, let me tell you about it.
1. Don't Give Up On Me Now
OK, before I start on this, I must point something out. Normally I pick at least one favourite ahead of time, but this time I must admit... I haven't actually listened to this album before. So, I'm just going to pick one of tracks before hand and just rant about it, no matter what it sounds like. How about Track 10? Now, this song. OK. Folksy. Can't get past that. Erm... it has lyrics that are... well, they're okay. His vocals are pretty damn good, if nothing else. This song is probably a return to the classic Ben Harper sound all his fans were after...if I had ever listened to his previous work. Wait. Did he do "The Drugs Don't Work"? Okay, this is new stuff then. Yeah, this is going to be a long review for both me and whoever has the misfortune to glance upon this. Yeah, this song is okay, but I certainly don't think this is single materiel. Apparently Harper disagrees, y the way.
2. I Will Not Be Broken
Okay, I'm starting to see that the vocals of Mr. Harper are going to be the undisputed highlight of the song. And I don't know if this is a theme, but so far this song (minus the actual music) is almost the same as the previous song. A mid-range verse followed by a higher pitch chorus. Yeah, that is going to get really old fast. When I saw the words "folk" and "reggae" on this guys wikipedia page (my bad for listening to wikipedia perhaps) I instantly thought this guy would just be a Yankee John Butler Trio. If only, oh if only. Perhaps I should no longer select album based on the fact that I have liked music by another guy called Ben (Ben Folds, if you're wondering). Oh, at least there is some electric guitar (I think) to break up the rest of the song.
3. Rock 'n' Roll Is Free
Okay, finally some spirit! At least in the music. What the hell is with Harper's voice. Yeah, it's very nice but he puts little to no emotion into it. Or perhaps effort is the word I'm looking for. Well, something deep inside warns me that this may be as good as the backing music is going to get. To give some idea, think if The Eagles cut two members of the group (which ever, but not the singer) and then replaced the singer with Ben Harper. It sounds like it was supposed to be a big song, but they should have just paid the extra money for some more musicians (and some more lyrics, if you could. I swear you can make up every line in the song, especially near the end, by rearranging the title).
4. Free Love
Slowing down, this song at least sounds different. Not necessarily good, just different. No, I'll be nice. The song isn't actually bad. Harper sounds like he at least cared enough about this song to put some effort in, which justifies me liking the song. Nothing heart-wrenching, but just replace the simile above with The Eagles to The Fleet Foxes. So far the best song, but a little birdie (2 6-sided dice -1) told me that Track 10 is legendary. Do little birdies lie to you as much as they do to me?
5. Clearly Severely
Well, at first it sounds like they are trying to grate a guitar, but the actual song (whilst grating their guitar) is not that bad either. However, it sounds like Harper sang the song without any music and then some producer (without his hearing aid in) put some music in the background. Not very well. Really, this sounds like the musical comparison of green screen. The vocals just do not match the music. Of maybe I'm just a complete SOB. Both are very possible.
6. Spilling Faith
Well the wikipedia entry on Give Till It's Gone says about this son- wait. Ringo Starr?! Wha-ho....wow. Well, lets see if he can fix this album. This song actually starts off like a song from abetter different Ben, until the vocals kick in. I wonder if Harper is actually getting paid for doing this? It honestly sounds like he just rolled out of bed and someone gave him a microphone saying "Sing of I'll take some object you enjoy having but can live without. Like your television. Or all your soap.". If someone who gave a shit sang this song, I think it would have been awesome. Honestly, I can just imagine Ben Folds Five or The Beatles or even someone a bit different like Kasabian making this song work, even if they took it in a slightly different direction. I can see how Ringo Starr contributed, but even he can't stop this train wreck. Let us sit back and enjoy the carnage.
7.Get There From Here
olds.. How long does this go for? One minute...two minutes...two and a half minutes...OK, so this is an instrumental which goes on for (Wikipedia away) six minutes!? Why? Just...why? Well, I've said everything I'm going to say already, except that for an instrumental, you need music. Not just bloody noise! Moving along as fast as humanly possible...
8. Pray That Our Love Sees The Dawn
Okay, this title is just A. Too long & B. A touch too poetic for what I'm imagining the song is going to be like. Now, Mr Harper should really take a page out of I believe Frankie Valli's book (shouldn't we all?) and make it simple. I think he had a song called "I Don't Want Our Loving To Die". There. That covers what you're saying, and then some. Just go with that. Okay, after the ordeal of song 7 has concluded, there is some tapping and some music, which quickly starts to go Cure-esque. Oh wow,. Harper decided to actually try some real singing today. Might have something to do with other people singing with him. Oh wow, some violin (I think). Don't try too hard, Harper, of someone might notice you actually have some talent (God forbid!). A nice slow song with a titles worth of lyrics. This is the best song so far, so I don't know how the decided the first song should have been a single. Enough said here. Let us move along.
9. Waiting On A Sign
This song actually starts out with some groovy guitar. And some actual effort on the vocals. This is starting to be awesome. Okay, this is definitely the best song on the album so far. Harper puts in real emotion in this performance, the music is both prominent and well played. Also, the lyrics touch on a narrative (nothing I can actually get a grip on, but if you listen to the song a bit more carefully, it wouldn't be that hard to pick up), which is always a big plus in my books. The song goes a touch longer than necessary, but not enough for it to get irritating.
10. Dirty Little Lover
Okay, so I have randomly designated this song the best on the album. I'm not sure how much of the review is going to be sarcasm, desperately searching for the silver lining and outright lies, I think they may start to meld together in one big delicious cynical ball by the end. Now, for the bull! Okay, a deep rhythmic baseline with electronic inspiration. Lyrics that...you don't have too think about too much. Harper actually does put some effort into singing this song,even if it doesn't deserve it clearly because it was the inspiration behind the entire album. The rest was clearly filler just for this little piece of legendary...ness...ism. Well, the song certainly doesn't waste its valuable time with something as stupid as good music of instilling me with the desire to keep listening. Everything in this song comes together to form a single mind that works as one...like a fundamentalist religious cult (in ...a...good way?). After just the first couple of minutes, this song is so awesome it starts hurting my ears no longer needs to be heard. It's just...so...something. Let's get the hell finished with this bloody album.
11. Do It For You, Do It For Us
Well, this song actually has some groove in it, so that one ups a lot of the songs on this album. Again, Harper puts some emotion behind his performance, but by this stage it's a little too late for me to think you really give a rats about the album. All in all, this is a pretty good way to wrap up the album, but I stand by the theory that it is fine to finish off your album with a bang, but first make sure the album starts with something louder than a balloon letting out air at a gradual rate. It just doesn't equal out for me.
There we go. The damn thing is over, and I am certainly returning this to the library tomorrow. That's right. I wasn't stupid enough to buy it. Anyway, I'm glad I had something to purely rage over. Doing everything at differing levels of awesome, or awesome vs suck is fun, but I need a Give Till It's Gone to cleanse my palate with its blandness every once in a while (and if that was not the most pretentious sentence you have heard today, rethink who or what you spend your time with).
As I have in previous posts, I invite anyone who reads Red Television to suggest in the comments what they would like me to review. At my current rate of commenting (1 comment every...ever) I guarantee I will read it and almost guarantee I will review it (if I can find/stand listening to it.
Anyway, I haven't actually put any preparation into this review and I'll review the next CD I pick up (unless I've done it before). What have I got?...erm.. Ben Harper's Give Till It's Gone. Ho boy. This is either going to be a very short or a very long review. I know which one I want.
Ben Harper is (wikipedia, wikipedia...ah) an American singer who did...something and this is his tenth album. Impressive, even if it is in sheer quantity. Anyway, Give Till It's Gone was released in May and, well, let me tell you about it.
1. Don't Give Up On Me Now
OK, before I start on this, I must point something out. Normally I pick at least one favourite ahead of time, but this time I must admit... I haven't actually listened to this album before. So, I'm just going to pick one of tracks before hand and just rant about it, no matter what it sounds like. How about Track 10? Now, this song. OK. Folksy. Can't get past that. Erm... it has lyrics that are... well, they're okay. His vocals are pretty damn good, if nothing else. This song is probably a return to the classic Ben Harper sound all his fans were after...if I had ever listened to his previous work. Wait. Did he do "The Drugs Don't Work"? Okay, this is new stuff then. Yeah, this is going to be a long review for both me and whoever has the misfortune to glance upon this. Yeah, this song is okay, but I certainly don't think this is single materiel. Apparently Harper disagrees, y the way.
2. I Will Not Be Broken
Okay, I'm starting to see that the vocals of Mr. Harper are going to be the undisputed highlight of the song. And I don't know if this is a theme, but so far this song (minus the actual music) is almost the same as the previous song. A mid-range verse followed by a higher pitch chorus. Yeah, that is going to get really old fast. When I saw the words "folk" and "reggae" on this guys wikipedia page (my bad for listening to wikipedia perhaps) I instantly thought this guy would just be a Yankee John Butler Trio. If only, oh if only. Perhaps I should no longer select album based on the fact that I have liked music by another guy called Ben (Ben Folds, if you're wondering). Oh, at least there is some electric guitar (I think) to break up the rest of the song.
3. Rock 'n' Roll Is Free
Okay, finally some spirit! At least in the music. What the hell is with Harper's voice. Yeah, it's very nice but he puts little to no emotion into it. Or perhaps effort is the word I'm looking for. Well, something deep inside warns me that this may be as good as the backing music is going to get. To give some idea, think if The Eagles cut two members of the group (which ever, but not the singer) and then replaced the singer with Ben Harper. It sounds like it was supposed to be a big song, but they should have just paid the extra money for some more musicians (and some more lyrics, if you could. I swear you can make up every line in the song, especially near the end, by rearranging the title).
4. Free Love
Slowing down, this song at least sounds different. Not necessarily good, just different. No, I'll be nice. The song isn't actually bad. Harper sounds like he at least cared enough about this song to put some effort in, which justifies me liking the song. Nothing heart-wrenching, but just replace the simile above with The Eagles to The Fleet Foxes. So far the best song, but a little birdie (2 6-sided dice -1) told me that Track 10 is legendary. Do little birdies lie to you as much as they do to me?
5. Clearly Severely
Well, at first it sounds like they are trying to grate a guitar, but the actual song (whilst grating their guitar) is not that bad either. However, it sounds like Harper sang the song without any music and then some producer (without his hearing aid in) put some music in the background. Not very well. Really, this sounds like the musical comparison of green screen. The vocals just do not match the music. Of maybe I'm just a complete SOB. Both are very possible.
6. Spilling Faith
Well the wikipedia entry on Give Till It's Gone says about this son- wait. Ringo Starr?! Wha-ho....wow. Well, lets see if he can fix this album. This song actually starts off like a song from a
7.Get There From Here
olds.. How long does this go for? One minute...two minutes...two and a half minutes...OK, so this is an instrumental which goes on for (Wikipedia away) six minutes!? Why? Just...why? Well, I've said everything I'm going to say already, except that for an instrumental, you need music. Not just bloody noise! Moving along as fast as humanly possible...
8. Pray That Our Love Sees The Dawn
Okay, this title is just A. Too long & B. A touch too poetic for what I'm imagining the song is going to be like. Now, Mr Harper should really take a page out of I believe Frankie Valli's book (shouldn't we all?) and make it simple. I think he had a song called "I Don't Want Our Loving To Die". There. That covers what you're saying, and then some. Just go with that. Okay, after the ordeal of song 7 has concluded, there is some tapping and some music, which quickly starts to go Cure-esque. Oh wow,. Harper decided to actually try some real singing today. Might have something to do with other people singing with him. Oh wow, some violin (I think). Don't try too hard, Harper, of someone might notice you actually have some talent (God forbid!). A nice slow song with a titles worth of lyrics. This is the best song so far, so I don't know how the decided the first song should have been a single. Enough said here. Let us move along.
9. Waiting On A Sign
This song actually starts out with some groovy guitar. And some actual effort on the vocals. This is starting to be awesome. Okay, this is definitely the best song on the album so far. Harper puts in real emotion in this performance, the music is both prominent and well played. Also, the lyrics touch on a narrative (nothing I can actually get a grip on, but if you listen to the song a bit more carefully, it wouldn't be that hard to pick up), which is always a big plus in my books. The song goes a touch longer than necessary, but not enough for it to get irritating.
10. Dirty Little Lover
Okay, so I have randomly designated this song the best on the album. I'm not sure how much of the review is going to be sarcasm, desperately searching for the silver lining and outright lies, I think they may start to meld together in one big delicious cynical ball by the end. Now, for the bull! Okay, a deep rhythmic baseline with electronic inspiration. Lyrics that...you don't have too think about too much. Harper actually does put some effort into singing this song,
11. Do It For You, Do It For Us
Well, this song actually has some groove in it, so that one ups a lot of the songs on this album. Again, Harper puts some emotion behind his performance, but by this stage it's a little too late for me to think you really give a rats about the album. All in all, this is a pretty good way to wrap up the album, but I stand by the theory that it is fine to finish off your album with a bang, but first make sure the album starts with something louder than a balloon letting out air at a gradual rate. It just doesn't equal out for me.
There we go. The damn thing is over, and I am certainly returning this to the library tomorrow. That's right. I wasn't stupid enough to buy it. Anyway, I'm glad I had something to purely rage over. Doing everything at differing levels of awesome, or awesome vs suck is fun, but I need a Give Till It's Gone to cleanse my palate with its blandness every once in a while (and if that was not the most pretentious sentence you have heard today, rethink who or what you spend your time with).
As I have in previous posts, I invite anyone who reads Red Television to suggest in the comments what they would like me to review. At my current rate of commenting (1 comment every...ever) I guarantee I will read it and almost guarantee I will review it (if I can find/stand listening to it.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Triple J Hottest 100 Of 2001 Part 2
18. (Position 40) Elevation by U2
Elevation starts off in a rather strange way, with a man shouting with a backing of bells and some kind of guitar (I think). The song has good vocals, like most U2 songs I've heard and overall isn't a bad song. I don't really have an opinion on U2. I haven't heard anything (that I can recall) by them that I call "bad", but for some reason I've never had much of an interest in the group. Perhaps they just aren't my style. Anyway, the overall effect of this song is very similar to a Kasabian song. I really can imagine them covering this song with very little difficulty. I can see how this song got to position 40. It's unremarkable, but a lot of people like anything by U2.
19. (Position 16) Say What? by 28 Days/Apollo 440
I have never heard of either of these groups outside of this song, and I can sort of see why. The overall effect of this song is hip-hop meets a watered down metal song (by which I mean raw sound). The end product is much better than I would have expected but not a great song. It actually sounds like an old, obscure prodigy song with different vocals. Not a great song but better than quite a few of the songs on the previous CD. Also, a bit repetitive (speaking of which...).
20. (Position 61) One More Time by Daft Punk
The first thing I have to say about this song is that t has more to offer than god-damned Around The World. After saying his, the song actually isn't that bad. It still sounds like an audio loop, but at least there is more than one line in the entire song. This song is better all in all just because of the other song by Daft Punk which I'm comparing it too. Also, the voice is slightly more emotive than in the other Daft Punk song. Also, please be aware that I know that Daft Punk has made more than two songs....I think. just haven't heard of any of them and if I have, I don't care or haven't identified them as a Daft Punk song. To conclude, this song is the only Daft Punk song I've heard that even comes close to approaching the hype that this group has created.
21 (Position 38) Crystal by New Order
Strangely enough, this is the second time I'm going to pit Daft Punk against New Order on a Triple J compilation from a Hottest 100. Once again I must award the prize to New Order, but it was much closer this time. Firstly, this song does not sound like it was made by the same group who produced Blue Monday. I'm not exactly sure why, but this song makes me think of the Saboteurs (or the Raconteurs outside of Australia) doing a song with the Presets. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking. Who knows? Anyway, this song has good music, interesting vocals and despite the fact the lyrics don't do much for me, I must praise New Order for actually letting me hear their lyrics. Much appreciated.
22. (Position 39) Cocaine by The Cruel Sea
The intro to this song made me think of a Pauline Pantsdown song, but the song actually ends out being... well, if John Butler Trio was a variety of product, this would be a no-name rip off of it. Not to say that is what The Cruel Sea actually is, they just seem to me (not helped by the fact the next song is a John Butler Trio tune). The one thing I must give this group is the inclusion of samples and piano, which end up making his song sound a touch more Cat Empire-ish that John Butler Trio-ish. Perhaps that makes them unique. A good fast-paced tune, which although being a over-the-top at times eventually works out. Although the lyrics don't interest me in any way, there are more uses of the phrase right on than in any other song or conversation I've ever heard. Perhaps this says more about me than Cocaine.
23 (Position 5) Betterman by John Butler Trio
After comparing The Cruel Sea to this group, Betterman is not what I had in mind. Betterman is one of the slower JBT tunes and, like every John Butler Trio song, has great vocals, great music and (if you can pick them up) great lyrics. I wouldn't call this my favourite JBT song, but I do like it. There isn't much to say about this song. It deserves it's position in the list, it sounds fantastic and it shows just how talented the JBT are. Enough said.
24. (Position 96) Fuck Authority by Pennywise.
Well, Blogger didn't like my review for this song and proceded to delete it. Luckily, I kept a backup. In Blogger's defense, if I was going to censor any song on this review, it would be his one, both for the name and the quality of the actual song. Here's my original review:
Well, let's see if this name has Machine Gun Fellatio syndrome (that is sounding worse and worse every time I use that phrase. But I never said I'd stop) or is just a piece of garbage. Or both. Probably not neither, but I suppose Sex & Violence has proved otherwise. It isn't neither, I can say that much 5 seconds in. Okay, it's not that bad, but it does sort of fall into the "piece of garbage" basket. The vocals aren't bad, just obnoxiously loud and... I don't know if this will make any sense, but they just sound unnecessary. They just feel like this song was created to make noise. Not sell well, not make a statement but just to exist. With a name like Fuck Authority (which is just truly pointless and obnoxious in definition. They don't mean "Fuck authority" (certainly not in a literal sense, but more in a "Authority should not exist" way). They mean they don't like one tiny, insignificant part of authority which, justified or not, once rubbed them the wrong way. Sigh. Who buys this crap, anyway?), who really expects a good song or even a song that improved my day by listening to it? If you did, please tell me what reading a blog called Red Television means to you.
25. (Position 7) Island In The Sun by Weezer.
Before I listen to and review this song, I'd like to talk about Weezer. Weezer, in the few occasions I've heard their songs are pretty mediocre. They make "not bad" (eg. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To) and "not good" (eg. Sweater). I don't know whether this song will redefine Weezer in my opinion for the better or worse, or will just offer another song to sit upon the fence. Okay, I actually have heard this song before, but as is so often the case, you just can't identify the artist. Yeah, okay, this song definitely falls on the "not bad" side of Weezer. This is a lazy, rather laid back tune which, for Weezer, is kind of what I was expecting. And then the sound sets in. A very nice touch. A slow steady tune broken up every now and again with an electric guitar or two. Actually, this song is one of Weezer's better tunes in my opinion, but I can't quite decide if it manages to move from "not bad" to "good". So, in essence, this song is on the fence about whether or not it is on the fence. Anyway, not a bad song.
26. (Position 68) Making The Nouveau Riche by Blueline Medic
Unless this song falls prone to anti- Machine Gun Fellatio syndrome (a song made for metal and/or punk fans dressed up like a normal song), I like it already.Okay, it has a good beat, good use of drums, good vocals (or at least decent vocals). And very interesting lyrics, which get a bit difficult to translate at some stages. This song nearly goes outside my definition of the "right" amount of electric guitar and noise in general, but this song is actually pretty good. Nothing as good as the title suggested, but a good song in comparison to other tunes on the CD. I have absolutely no idea who Blueline Medic are and after hearing this song, I still have no desire to know anything about them. Still, a good little song It's the kind of song you put on your play list when you want to impress people with how much music you know/like/own, but aren't ready to just buy a crapload of Beatles and Michael Jackson albums. Well, that made no sense, even by my standards. Sorry about that.
27 (Position 59) Hard To Explain by The Strokes
I'm sorry to go off on another rant before even listening to the song (no, not really. I'm not sorry at all) but I do not get the logic behind how Triple J places their music on the disc. Now, Copyright and personal taste may account for a portion of it, but this is just inexplicably. Okay, so it sort of makes sense to only include each group on the CD once. That I can understand to prevent repetition. However, why on earth would the CD contain the SECOND song on the list by the group. As you can see by words 7 lines above, Hard To Explain is at position 59 of the Hottest 100. They have another song at position 66, and why that wasn't included does not need to be explained to me. What I cannot comprehend is why the first song by The Strokes on the list that year, Last Nite was not included, as it came in at position 12. How does that make any bloody sense? What the hell, Triple J? WHAT? THE? HELL? Anyway, moving on. I enjoy The Stokes music. So much so that I cannot name a single song that I have heard by them. But I think I like them...from....something. Anyway, Hard To Explain (which incidentally is the name of a fantastic Cat Empire song, which I won't go into now) starts off with a good beat, rather dull vocals and, as usual, incomprehensible lyrics. Oddly, the best part of the song for me is the beat. Not to say the song isn't good (which it really isn't), but it just is rather nothing. Nothing stands out, I'll forget it several seconds after hearing it and the vocals are by someone who can't really sing. The part of this song I'll remember the most is where it stops suddenly. Sadly, it carries on. I don't really know what's so poor about this song, but it's like an elderly man on death row. It can either have "death" (a bad review for me) and have it done now or give it "life" (a mediocre review) and let the fact that it's rather dull do it in anyway. There we are. A simile which makes even less sense. I'm on a roll today, aren't I?
28. (Position 31) Planet Earth by Eskimo Joe.
This song does the same thing that I just ranted about on the previous song. This came in a 31, while Wake Up by Eskimo Joe came in at 25. I'll skip the rant because the difference is only 6 this time instead of 47, but it still makes no sense to me whatsoever. Eskimo Joe. Great band, but they don't always get it right. This one isn't too bad, but it's not going on my playlist anytime soon. Planet Earth has a gentle tune, decent vocals and a nothing of lyrics that are supposed to mean something (which is fair enough, as it is a song called Planet Earth. Eskimo Joe is supposed to look into their souls for lyrics, disregard them and make something a person who thinks they know everything about everything (such as myself) who actually is clueless (also like myself) can claim they have found the meaning of life/enlightenment/a way of making some money/the reason their life sucks in the lyrics) but actually means less than any other song with a planet in the name. Not a bad tune, but far from Eskimo Joe's best.
29. (Position 69) Up All Night by Unwritten Law
To say the least, the name of this song does not fill me with hope for a good song. Here goes. Yup. Pointless sound, poor vocals and lyrics. I'm not going to actually pay any attention to the content of the lyrics, but I give the group credit for actually having them. Also, what is it with groups using the line "The more things change, the more they stay the same"? It means nothing, and this group, Corinne Bailey Rae and I think even The Herd use it. Three different genres and nationalities. I might listen out for it in other songs.Anyway, the chorus isn't bad, but not worth slogging through the verses for. Who am I kidding? It's not even worth slogging through the name of the song for.
30. (Position 71) Outta My Head by Spiderbait
Spiderbait. Another band who either does it well or shouldn't have done it at all. This particular tune isn't too bad, but is no Black Betty. The same tune all Spiderbait songs seem to have, nice enough vocals and meaningless lyrics which claim the singer is "going out of their head". I don't know if this is a promise, a complaint or just a statement. I should probably quit this review now and pick it up at a later point when I actually could care, but looking at the remaining four songs, I doubt I would ever return. Let's just hope I start giving a crap.
31 (Position 32) Special K by Placebo
Not a big Placebo fan. In fact, I'm in no way a Placebo fan. May the garbage commence. Sigh. It has a baseline. There, that's the most positive comment I can give. Oh, and it has lyrics. Well, now for the bad stuff. Vocals from a person who sounds like they had their nose not only blocked but removed surgically, dull lyrics, general noise which I don't care for. Sigh. Why won't this song end faster? Well, all I can say is that I have absolutely no queries why the cereal of the same name has never used this song in their commercials. I just couldn't do that to people. I'm listening to this song on headphones and I still feel sorry for anyone within a certain proximity of me.
32. (Position 19) Special Ones by George.
Well, we had a James, why not a George? Anyone ever heard a band called Edward? What about William? Well, the singer of George can actually sing, to say something, and that's an improvement on the majority of the artists so far, even some of the better songs. This song is actually pretty good. I can't quite catch all the lyrics, but I like what I hear and the music isn't that bad. The lead singer (who is female, and that's quite interesting as I think Spiderbait is the only other group so far to have a female vocalist. Oh, there were probably others, but I'm not going to go back and listen for them.) has quite a lot of talent. Her name (thank you, Wikipedia) is Katie Noonan, and although I've never heard of her, I might look into some of her other groups. Not a bad song at all. If this album wasn't ten years old, I'd say to listen for her in the future. Hell, I'll still say it, even though she's probably not performing any more.
33. (Position 36) Pyramid Song by Radiohead.
Despite starting out like United States Of Eurasia, this song in no way approaches the talent of Muse. Honestly, I've heard one good Radiohead song in my entire life (Creep) and I think that is all anyone interested them should listen to. Okay, this particular song may not be that bad, it still contains one problem similar to many Radiohead songs: it's so god-damned miserable. I have absolutely nothing against emotional songs. Besides rage that is. Songs which are jut people taking it out on their poor, defenseless instruments is not pleasant to my ears. Misery, however , isn't the worst emotion to feel in a song. The problem arises when every song you make sounds, while not exactly the same, very similar at the core. The main reason for this is that after too much of exactly the same, the emotion starts to dissipate. For example, one of the saddest songs I've heard in a long time is Miserere by The Cat Empire, mainly because it was by a group I never expected it to come from. Nick Cave is also an artist who has miser at the core of many of his songs (just look at "Where The Wild Roses Grow"). But at the same time, he is able to release songs that are more strange than miserable (look at Dig, Lazarus, Dig). Perhaps this is a minor complaint, but I still think it stands. Like Machine Gun Fellatio, I'm basing this off only three or four songs, so it may just be that misery is popular.
34. (Position 27) Fat Cop by Regurgitator
The end is near! I enjoy 75% of Regurgitator songs. The trick, I find, is to completely ignore the lyrics and enjoy the tune. I will not be doing that during this review (unless my mental health is at risk). This song is not going to be pleasant. Honestly, with a title like Fat Cop, I didn't expect much else. An irritating use of electric guitar, poor vocals and basically the same lyrics in essence as Fuck Authority by Pennywise. If you need my opinion on that topic, I suggest you scroll up. Sigh. I don't like this song, but at least the album is over.
In conclusion, the album as a whole is pretty average. I don't feel much needs to be said. The thing that pisses me off the most is the placement on the album. At least 4 songs on the CD set which contains 34 songs were above position 90 on the chart. That is just ridiculous. What I'm considering doing is going to the actual list and listening to the Top 34 and actually giving my opinion on the real Top 34 songs. Hell, they didn't even have the song which obtained position 3! (actually, that one I understand. Chop Suey by System Of A Down is possibly the worst song (after Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit) to get into the Top 3 of a Triple J Hottest 100. The song I really fell should have been on the D was Ben Folds Five's Rockin' The Suburbs, which is just phenomenal at Position 17). Anyway, after finally receiving a comment (which proves at least one sad individual is reading), I would love, once again to know what CD I should review and/or what anyone thinks of my reviewing the legitimate Top 34 songs of 2001. Also, I have just reached 100 views. Woo!
Elevation starts off in a rather strange way, with a man shouting with a backing of bells and some kind of guitar (I think). The song has good vocals, like most U2 songs I've heard and overall isn't a bad song. I don't really have an opinion on U2. I haven't heard anything (that I can recall) by them that I call "bad", but for some reason I've never had much of an interest in the group. Perhaps they just aren't my style. Anyway, the overall effect of this song is very similar to a Kasabian song. I really can imagine them covering this song with very little difficulty. I can see how this song got to position 40. It's unremarkable, but a lot of people like anything by U2.
19. (Position 16) Say What? by 28 Days/Apollo 440
I have never heard of either of these groups outside of this song, and I can sort of see why. The overall effect of this song is hip-hop meets a watered down metal song (by which I mean raw sound). The end product is much better than I would have expected but not a great song. It actually sounds like an old, obscure prodigy song with different vocals. Not a great song but better than quite a few of the songs on the previous CD. Also, a bit repetitive (speaking of which...).
20. (Position 61) One More Time by Daft Punk
The first thing I have to say about this song is that t has more to offer than god-damned Around The World. After saying his, the song actually isn't that bad. It still sounds like an audio loop, but at least there is more than one line in the entire song. This song is better all in all just because of the other song by Daft Punk which I'm comparing it too. Also, the voice is slightly more emotive than in the other Daft Punk song. Also, please be aware that I know that Daft Punk has made more than two songs....I think. just haven't heard of any of them and if I have, I don't care or haven't identified them as a Daft Punk song. To conclude, this song is the only Daft Punk song I've heard that even comes close to approaching the hype that this group has created.
21 (Position 38) Crystal by New Order
Strangely enough, this is the second time I'm going to pit Daft Punk against New Order on a Triple J compilation from a Hottest 100. Once again I must award the prize to New Order, but it was much closer this time. Firstly, this song does not sound like it was made by the same group who produced Blue Monday. I'm not exactly sure why, but this song makes me think of the Saboteurs (or the Raconteurs outside of Australia) doing a song with the Presets. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking. Who knows? Anyway, this song has good music, interesting vocals and despite the fact the lyrics don't do much for me, I must praise New Order for actually letting me hear their lyrics. Much appreciated.
22. (Position 39) Cocaine by The Cruel Sea
The intro to this song made me think of a Pauline Pantsdown song, but the song actually ends out being... well, if John Butler Trio was a variety of product, this would be a no-name rip off of it. Not to say that is what The Cruel Sea actually is, they just seem to me (not helped by the fact the next song is a John Butler Trio tune). The one thing I must give this group is the inclusion of samples and piano, which end up making his song sound a touch more Cat Empire-ish that John Butler Trio-ish. Perhaps that makes them unique. A good fast-paced tune, which although being a over-the-top at times eventually works out. Although the lyrics don't interest me in any way, there are more uses of the phrase right on than in any other song or conversation I've ever heard. Perhaps this says more about me than Cocaine.
23 (Position 5) Betterman by John Butler Trio
After comparing The Cruel Sea to this group, Betterman is not what I had in mind. Betterman is one of the slower JBT tunes and, like every John Butler Trio song, has great vocals, great music and (if you can pick them up) great lyrics. I wouldn't call this my favourite JBT song, but I do like it. There isn't much to say about this song. It deserves it's position in the list, it sounds fantastic and it shows just how talented the JBT are. Enough said.
24. (Position 96) Fuck Authority by Pennywise.
Well, Blogger didn't like my review for this song and proceded to delete it. Luckily, I kept a backup. In Blogger's defense, if I was going to censor any song on this review, it would be his one, both for the name and the quality of the actual song. Here's my original review:
Well, let's see if this name has Machine Gun Fellatio syndrome (that is sounding worse and worse every time I use that phrase. But I never said I'd stop) or is just a piece of garbage. Or both. Probably not neither, but I suppose Sex & Violence has proved otherwise. It isn't neither, I can say that much 5 seconds in. Okay, it's not that bad, but it does sort of fall into the "piece of garbage" basket. The vocals aren't bad, just obnoxiously loud and... I don't know if this will make any sense, but they just sound unnecessary. They just feel like this song was created to make noise. Not sell well, not make a statement but just to exist. With a name like Fuck Authority (which is just truly pointless and obnoxious in definition. They don't mean "Fuck authority" (certainly not in a literal sense, but more in a "Authority should not exist" way). They mean they don't like one tiny, insignificant part of authority which, justified or not, once rubbed them the wrong way. Sigh. Who buys this crap, anyway?), who really expects a good song or even a song that improved my day by listening to it? If you did, please tell me what reading a blog called Red Television means to you.
25. (Position 7) Island In The Sun by Weezer.
Before I listen to and review this song, I'd like to talk about Weezer. Weezer, in the few occasions I've heard their songs are pretty mediocre. They make "not bad" (eg. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To) and "not good" (eg. Sweater). I don't know whether this song will redefine Weezer in my opinion for the better or worse, or will just offer another song to sit upon the fence. Okay, I actually have heard this song before, but as is so often the case, you just can't identify the artist. Yeah, okay, this song definitely falls on the "not bad" side of Weezer. This is a lazy, rather laid back tune which, for Weezer, is kind of what I was expecting. And then the sound sets in. A very nice touch. A slow steady tune broken up every now and again with an electric guitar or two. Actually, this song is one of Weezer's better tunes in my opinion, but I can't quite decide if it manages to move from "not bad" to "good". So, in essence, this song is on the fence about whether or not it is on the fence. Anyway, not a bad song.
26. (Position 68) Making The Nouveau Riche by Blueline Medic
Unless this song falls prone to anti- Machine Gun Fellatio syndrome (a song made for metal and/or punk fans dressed up like a normal song), I like it already.Okay, it has a good beat, good use of drums, good vocals (or at least decent vocals). And very interesting lyrics, which get a bit difficult to translate at some stages. This song nearly goes outside my definition of the "right" amount of electric guitar and noise in general, but this song is actually pretty good. Nothing as good as the title suggested, but a good song in comparison to other tunes on the CD. I have absolutely no idea who Blueline Medic are and after hearing this song, I still have no desire to know anything about them. Still, a good little song It's the kind of song you put on your play list when you want to impress people with how much music you know/like/own, but aren't ready to just buy a crapload of Beatles and Michael Jackson albums. Well, that made no sense, even by my standards. Sorry about that.
27 (Position 59) Hard To Explain by The Strokes
I'm sorry to go off on another rant before even listening to the song (no, not really. I'm not sorry at all) but I do not get the logic behind how Triple J places their music on the disc. Now, Copyright and personal taste may account for a portion of it, but this is just inexplicably. Okay, so it sort of makes sense to only include each group on the CD once. That I can understand to prevent repetition. However, why on earth would the CD contain the SECOND song on the list by the group. As you can see by words 7 lines above, Hard To Explain is at position 59 of the Hottest 100. They have another song at position 66, and why that wasn't included does not need to be explained to me. What I cannot comprehend is why the first song by The Strokes on the list that year, Last Nite was not included, as it came in at position 12. How does that make any bloody sense? What the hell, Triple J? WHAT? THE? HELL? Anyway, moving on. I enjoy The Stokes music. So much so that I cannot name a single song that I have heard by them. But I think I like them...from....something. Anyway, Hard To Explain (which incidentally is the name of a fantastic Cat Empire song, which I won't go into now) starts off with a good beat, rather dull vocals and, as usual, incomprehensible lyrics. Oddly, the best part of the song for me is the beat. Not to say the song isn't good (which it really isn't), but it just is rather nothing. Nothing stands out, I'll forget it several seconds after hearing it and the vocals are by someone who can't really sing. The part of this song I'll remember the most is where it stops suddenly. Sadly, it carries on. I don't really know what's so poor about this song, but it's like an elderly man on death row. It can either have "death" (a bad review for me) and have it done now or give it "life" (a mediocre review) and let the fact that it's rather dull do it in anyway. There we are. A simile which makes even less sense. I'm on a roll today, aren't I?
28. (Position 31) Planet Earth by Eskimo Joe.
This song does the same thing that I just ranted about on the previous song. This came in a 31, while Wake Up by Eskimo Joe came in at 25. I'll skip the rant because the difference is only 6 this time instead of 47, but it still makes no sense to me whatsoever. Eskimo Joe. Great band, but they don't always get it right. This one isn't too bad, but it's not going on my playlist anytime soon. Planet Earth has a gentle tune, decent vocals and a nothing of lyrics that are supposed to mean something (which is fair enough, as it is a song called Planet Earth. Eskimo Joe is supposed to look into their souls for lyrics, disregard them and make something a person who thinks they know everything about everything (such as myself) who actually is clueless (also like myself) can claim they have found the meaning of life/enlightenment/a way of making some money/the reason their life sucks in the lyrics) but actually means less than any other song with a planet in the name. Not a bad tune, but far from Eskimo Joe's best.
29. (Position 69) Up All Night by Unwritten Law
To say the least, the name of this song does not fill me with hope for a good song. Here goes. Yup. Pointless sound, poor vocals and lyrics. I'm not going to actually pay any attention to the content of the lyrics, but I give the group credit for actually having them. Also, what is it with groups using the line "The more things change, the more they stay the same"? It means nothing, and this group, Corinne Bailey Rae and I think even The Herd use it. Three different genres and nationalities. I might listen out for it in other songs.Anyway, the chorus isn't bad, but not worth slogging through the verses for. Who am I kidding? It's not even worth slogging through the name of the song for.
30. (Position 71) Outta My Head by Spiderbait
Spiderbait. Another band who either does it well or shouldn't have done it at all. This particular tune isn't too bad, but is no Black Betty. The same tune all Spiderbait songs seem to have, nice enough vocals and meaningless lyrics which claim the singer is "going out of their head". I don't know if this is a promise, a complaint or just a statement. I should probably quit this review now and pick it up at a later point when I actually could care, but looking at the remaining four songs, I doubt I would ever return. Let's just hope I start giving a crap.
31 (Position 32) Special K by Placebo
Not a big Placebo fan. In fact, I'm in no way a Placebo fan. May the garbage commence. Sigh. It has a baseline. There, that's the most positive comment I can give. Oh, and it has lyrics. Well, now for the bad stuff. Vocals from a person who sounds like they had their nose not only blocked but removed surgically, dull lyrics, general noise which I don't care for. Sigh. Why won't this song end faster? Well, all I can say is that I have absolutely no queries why the cereal of the same name has never used this song in their commercials. I just couldn't do that to people. I'm listening to this song on headphones and I still feel sorry for anyone within a certain proximity of me.
32. (Position 19) Special Ones by George.
Well, we had a James, why not a George? Anyone ever heard a band called Edward? What about William? Well, the singer of George can actually sing, to say something, and that's an improvement on the majority of the artists so far, even some of the better songs. This song is actually pretty good. I can't quite catch all the lyrics, but I like what I hear and the music isn't that bad. The lead singer (who is female, and that's quite interesting as I think Spiderbait is the only other group so far to have a female vocalist. Oh, there were probably others, but I'm not going to go back and listen for them.) has quite a lot of talent. Her name (thank you, Wikipedia) is Katie Noonan, and although I've never heard of her, I might look into some of her other groups. Not a bad song at all. If this album wasn't ten years old, I'd say to listen for her in the future. Hell, I'll still say it, even though she's probably not performing any more.
33. (Position 36) Pyramid Song by Radiohead.
Despite starting out like United States Of Eurasia, this song in no way approaches the talent of Muse. Honestly, I've heard one good Radiohead song in my entire life (Creep) and I think that is all anyone interested them should listen to. Okay, this particular song may not be that bad, it still contains one problem similar to many Radiohead songs: it's so god-damned miserable. I have absolutely nothing against emotional songs. Besides rage that is. Songs which are jut people taking it out on their poor, defenseless instruments is not pleasant to my ears. Misery, however , isn't the worst emotion to feel in a song. The problem arises when every song you make sounds, while not exactly the same, very similar at the core. The main reason for this is that after too much of exactly the same, the emotion starts to dissipate. For example, one of the saddest songs I've heard in a long time is Miserere by The Cat Empire, mainly because it was by a group I never expected it to come from. Nick Cave is also an artist who has miser at the core of many of his songs (just look at "Where The Wild Roses Grow"). But at the same time, he is able to release songs that are more strange than miserable (look at Dig, Lazarus, Dig). Perhaps this is a minor complaint, but I still think it stands. Like Machine Gun Fellatio, I'm basing this off only three or four songs, so it may just be that misery is popular.
34. (Position 27) Fat Cop by Regurgitator
The end is near! I enjoy 75% of Regurgitator songs. The trick, I find, is to completely ignore the lyrics and enjoy the tune. I will not be doing that during this review (unless my mental health is at risk). This song is not going to be pleasant. Honestly, with a title like Fat Cop, I didn't expect much else. An irritating use of electric guitar, poor vocals and basically the same lyrics in essence as Fuck Authority by Pennywise. If you need my opinion on that topic, I suggest you scroll up. Sigh. I don't like this song, but at least the album is over.
In conclusion, the album as a whole is pretty average. I don't feel much needs to be said. The thing that pisses me off the most is the placement on the album. At least 4 songs on the CD set which contains 34 songs were above position 90 on the chart. That is just ridiculous. What I'm considering doing is going to the actual list and listening to the Top 34 and actually giving my opinion on the real Top 34 songs. Hell, they didn't even have the song which obtained position 3! (actually, that one I understand. Chop Suey by System Of A Down is possibly the worst song (after Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit) to get into the Top 3 of a Triple J Hottest 100. The song I really fell should have been on the D was Ben Folds Five's Rockin' The Suburbs, which is just phenomenal at Position 17). Anyway, after finally receiving a comment (which proves at least one sad individual is reading), I would love, once again to know what CD I should review and/or what anyone thinks of my reviewing the legitimate Top 34 songs of 2001. Also, I have just reached 100 views. Woo!
Triple J Hottest 100 Of 2001 Part 1
Part 1Well, as no-one has made any suggestions for what to review in nearly 24 hours, I'm going to continue reviewing the same old albums. One thing I must say is that someone did comment on my previous post. This has both made me completely review my position that no-one is watching and actually put some effort and thought into my posts. But screw that, this is a blog where I do little else but review albums and talk about controversial books. This blog is made for me, and if anyone else happens to like it, it's a bonus.
Now, before I say anything about the album I'm reviewing tonight, I must point out that I am going to try to review 34 tracks starting at 11:20 pm. Chances are I'm going to either post half tonight and half tomorrow (or sometime in the future) or have a long post of garbled criticism posted at 2 in the morning. I'm hoping for option 2.
Anyway, as I've mentioned previously, the Australian youth radio station Triple J holds a vote for the best 100 songs released every year, a tradition that began in 1989. The list is announced on Australia Day the following year and I always try to put the day aside for just listening to the radio. At least it's better than the TV, but that's still not much of a defense. A quick thing to mention is that it is getting closer and closer to that beautiful day when voting is opened, which normally happens mid-December. For someone who doesn't observe any religious celebration in this part of the year, that may be the single most exciting thing to expect in December. Isn't that depressing?
Anyway, getting back to the CD, which is, as you may have guessed from the title of my post, the compilation CD from 2001. After every Hottest 100, a compilation CD is released, containing about 30 songs, placed in random order for no apparent reason. To the songs!
1. (Position 1) Amazing by Alex Lloyd.
The name of this song does sum it up pretty well. This song is amazing. Extraordinary use of violins (I think), fantastic vocals and just an all-round great song. Sadly, I have only heard one other song from Alex Lloyd, which was only a touch less impressive than Amazing and nothing else. From this song he clearly shows that he has tons of talent and a discerning ear for tasteful backing music. Sadly, I have also never heard any other of his songs played on Triple J. I would also like to point out that I am starting my review with the best song (allegedly) from the CD. Well, you can stop reading mow if that's what your after. It's (supposedly) all downhill from here.
2. (Position 4) Where's Your Head At? by Basement Jaxx
Let the seemingly random placement of songs begin (please note it is not alphabetical. These two songs and the following song just happen to fall into that pattern). I've commented enough on placement in my previous Triple J compilation CD review, so on with the song. I don't know what I think of this song. Basement Jaxx have released good songs before, like Raindrops, which was absolutely phenomenal. When I first heard this song, I absolutely despised it. I have slowly eased myself into appreciating parts of its makeup, but I can still see why I disliked it in the past. The best thing I can say about this song is that it perfectly sums up what it is like to listen to radio at 2 in the morning. There. I just saved anyone reading this the trouble of actually staying up until 2 just to listen to the radio. The whole effect of Basement Jaxx is a cacophony of pointless sound, just pushed together for no apparent reason. I might be a touch more lenient on this song if I wasn't aware of other work by the same group and that this song was so successful and popular. This is one song which deserves a niche of fans, not a position of 4 on the Hottest 100 of 2001.
3. (Position 2) Monsters by Something For Kate.
This is the only song I am familiar with by something for Kate, but it is definitely not the only song I am familiar with by the fantastic Paul Dempsey. Without his vocals, I don't know how this song would go. Luckily, his voice is included and the song is just great. There actual music of the song is very forgettable, but Dempsey's talent is very hard to forget. Oddly, I was not introduced to Paul Dempsey by this song. The first Paul Dempsey song I heard was Fast Friends, which hooked me in when Dempsey claimed in an interview that it was based on The Great Gatsby, which is a sure way to make anything interesting to me. Anyway, Dempsey = good, Monsters & Something For Kate > meh, but not much more.
4. (Position 6) Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm.
Apparently, Blogger is a fan of Alien Ant Farm and decided to delete my review of it. So, suppressing my rage, here I go again. Firstly, this song is a cover of Michael Jackson's fantastic Smooth Criminal. As such, I won't be reviewing the song itself, just the version that was butchered- I mean "remade" by Alien Ant Farm. In essence, this song is the fantastic Smooth Criminal with a touch of metal. That doesn't sound so bad, but it ruins a song like this. The title of this song should not be Smooth Criminal. The song certainly is Criminal, but there is very little Smooth about it. Loud, Irritating and Strangely Popular Criminal is the perfect name for the new version for this song. All in all, I don't like it, if that didn't come across clearly.
5. (Position 9) Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz
Gorillaz, I instantly took a disliking to the band. Looking back, I don't really know why. Many of there songs have fantastic beats and just sound great. I think the fact that my Gorillaz experience started and ended with "Dare" did nothing in there favour. More recent listening has revealed that they actually do posses a fair deal of talent, displayed very well in Clint Eastwood. Firstly, I have no idea why the name is what it is, but I try not to question a lot of the logic behind many things related to the Gorillaz. This is a smooth, even, shilled tune which perfectly matches a laid back tune, varied samples and mixed vocals. I certainly wish I had heard this song long before I heard "Dare" or any of it's kin. I think I would have heard a lot of good music that I feel somewhat robbed of now.
6. (Position 28) Fall Down by Jedediah
I don't know much about Jedediah, nor do I care for much of their music (This may or may not have to do with an aunt who I do not much get along with being lifelong fan). This tune is the best I have heard by them ,which is saying practically nothing. The vocals are mediocre and the music seems to be strangely paced and a general mess. I can see how some people could like this particular song and by extension, the band, but I am certainly not one of these people. What is with the bagpipes?
7. (Position 30) The Girl Of My Dreams (Is Giving Me Nightmares) by Machine Gun Fellatio.
I know nothing about this band. The name alone has been the biggest reason for my lack of investigation. Overly violent AND sexual. Quite a feat. Ignoring the name of the group, the song starts out really well. Smooth, chilled and a pleasant track. The vocals are pretty good and the song does rev up at a few point, but nothing that makes it sound like a song by "Machine Gun Fellatio". The name of this band really just irritates me. OK, it provides "shock, awe and controversy" (or at least was meant to). The problem here is that the name attracts people who like shock, awe, controversy, excess violence and excess sex. And (judging by this song alone, which may not be the most reasoned way to do things, but screw it) this song just doesn't provide that kind of music. Really, I was expecting something between Rage Against The Machine and Nine Inch Nails. Instead, I get a pretty slow, normal song that could be a Whitlams B-side. I think the Fellatio could just be taken off the title and it would make perfect sense. I don't think of myself as a prude or someone that thinks "good grief, it's a dirty word!", but it just doesn't reflect what the group actually sounds like. Then again, I'm basing this entire opinion on one song. For all I know, the rest of their music could be "rape metal" or "death punk" or some other genre that I just thought up that almost certainly does exist.
8. (Position 48) Superstylin' by Groove Armada
This song is nothing if not different. It starts of a touch slow, but certainly picks up. I don't know where I stand with this song. Firstly, I would never listen to this song outside of this review or on a compilation CD. This is one song that wouldn't end up on my playlist. At the same time, I have difficulty in simply declaring this song "bad", because it isn't. It has a nice beat and interesting vocals, but much more. Perhaps it just isn't my kind of thing.
9. (Position 79) Imitation Of Life by R.E.M
This track starts out as a country song, and I have difficulty throughout the whole song shaking the sense that this is what a country song would sound like if they had a bigger budget. The vocals are pretty good and I think the lyrics are pretty decent, but the one problem I have is that, besides the chorus, a lot of the singing is drowned out by the music. This is like I was talking about in my other Triple J compilation review. What is the deal with that? Can that not be fixed in post-production? Are a few rather dull guitar chords really better than the singing? Are they embarrassed with the lyrics? Why would you make a song like that? If I want to know what they are actually saying, I would have to look the lyrics up and, like I imagine the majority of the world would think, I just can't be bothered putting that degree of effort into a song that seems to think that their guitar playing is better than their lyrics. I put effort in when the music puts effort in. I think that's fair enough.
10. (Position 51) Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
Ah, Nick Cave. I need a break from some of the rubbish. The best way to sum up Nick Cave's style to someone unfamiliar with him is that it is the perfect backing music to accompany someone finding out really bad news whilst high. Strange, eccentric and all over the place but still maintaining that core of sadness. Anyway, this particular song maintains the excellent vocals typical to every Nick Cave song, strange lyrics that still somehow manage to get their message across and decent music for anyone who can distract themselves from Nick Cave's voice to listen to it. Just a great song. Perhaps not his best, but I can't think of anything right now that is better.
11. (Position 24) Dust Me Selecta by Gerling
Quite an interesting song. Sounding like a Jamiroquai knock off, Gerling still manages to make a good song. There isn't much to say about this song, but it certainly deserves any popularity it obtained. The one thing that is really weird is the crazy deep voice that appears for seemingly no reason in the middle of the song. It is a touch repetitive, but then again, I have reviewed Around The World by Daft Punk, so it's fine in comparison.
12. (Position 54) The Rock Show by Blink-182
Ah. 2001. It would be another couple of years before it managed to completely shake off the nineties and this is one of the obnoxious leeches hanging on. Not to say that this is a bad song, it just is like walking into a dinosaur whilst walking to the shops. It should have died when the rest of the species did. Otherwise, it gets outrageously popular due to people in their late twenties feeling like they can recapture their teen years be just grabbing onto the music that lingers. Singing at a speed incomprehensible to mankind, a guitar soundtrack that we've heard a million times before accompanied by lyrics about meeting a girl at a rock show... and hijinks. I suppose. I heard the first line and missed the rest. I somewhat feel the content of this song is not going to give any insight as to the human experience, so who really cares what the hell they're talking about. Keep an eye out for this song in a best of the nineties compilation in 20 years. By then, no-ones going to split hairs.
13. (Position 100) Sex & Violence by Endorphin
When I first heard the name of this song, I was scared that it would either be metal of have Machine Gun Fellatio Syndrome, a name designed to draw in fans of a certain genre by having a name that doesn't reflect on the song. Oddly enough, the song is a slow paced, sentimental tune which is really a nice change. Not the best song ever, but to be at position 100, it's better than I expected. Also, as for Machine Gun Fellatio Syndrome, the song actually is about sex & violence, in the sense that it "makes the world go round". This is like what Daft Punk should sound like, from all the hype the receive. (Didn't I say the same thing about Blue Monday?). A touch repetitive, but not a bad tune. My real problem with this song is it's position on the CD. Position 100 in the actual countdown and yet number 13 on the first CD. So, thanks to Wikipedia, I present 10 songs better than Sex & Violence that also ranked higher and did not (and will not) appear on the CD:
1. Since I Left You - The Avalanches (Position 8)
2. Rockin' The Suburbs - Ben Folds Five (Position 17)
3. Weapon Of Choice - Fatboy Slim (Position 21)
4. Drugs Don't Work - Ben Harper (Position 22)
5. Who Sold Her Out - Eskimo Joe (Position 34) (Please Note: Eskimo Joe is on the CD, just not with this song
6. Little L - Jamiroquai (Position 26)
7. Duffy's Song (I Will Not Go Quietly) - The Whitlams (Position 42)
8. There Is No Such Place - Augie March (Position 47)
9. You Give Me Something - Jamiroquai (Position 62)
10. Not The Same - Ben Folds (Position 67)
There we go.
14. (Position 60) Pattern Against User by At The Drive-In
The music of any half-decent rock group meets the vocals of Blink-182 (I'm not saying it's the same person, just a similar style). This song is ....okay. Just okay. The music is okay, the lyrics are incomprehensible (probably for the best) and the vocals are at a speed faster than light. It's the kind of song that will have you saying "Is it over yet?" but is not bad enough to warrant action against it (by which I mean turning off the radio).
15. (Position 33) Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) by James
Before I even listen to the song, I must give this band kudos for possessing the most uninspired name I have possibly ever heard (Upon further research, I take that back. There is a Canadian band called "The Band". Still, James deserves a mention). Unlike the names of both the song and the band suggest, the song is actually not that bad. I can't think of a group that these guys sound like, but I'm sure there is a good comparison. Anyway, the song is slow, well made and actually really nice. I was embarrassingly well prepared to hate this song. Damn misguiding book covers. The one thing this song actually makes me think of is Rolf Harris. I would like to make a plea similar to the one in Palookaville. Palookaville muppets. Palookaville muppets. There we go. Now I'm crazy. Anyway, this is actually a really good song and I think I will look into James a little more. Also, I won't judge before listening to the song.
16. (Position 97) Stay Back by Superheist.
On second thoughts, it's judging bands without listening to them that has kept me from having to listen to crap like this. Metal. What more can I say? Pointless noise, with a strange effect like a robot swallowing something in the background. The vocals in the slower bits aren't that bad, but still, it irritates me quite a lot. I don't know why I hate metal so much, but it just seems like pointless rage and noise combined by middle class kids. Whatever happened to good music?
17. (Position 99) It Began In Afrika by The Chemical Brothers
Despite thinking my Discman was skipping at first (Which it does at the slightest provocation. Really, if you insult the damn thing, it'll start skipping), this song isn't that bad. A good use of samples, a good baseline and a very interesting theme. It does get a little to confused, as many songs of this genre do, but I suppose confused is better than boring. I think. But, for god's sake, do they really need the line Afrika-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka?. I honestly thought the damn device was screwing up. Again. Anyway, not bad for position 99. Oddly, the songs in positions 100 & 99 are better than a lot of the songs on the list. Strange.
Anyway, that's the end of disc 1. I'll have a break and a spell-check and try and have the second disc reviewed before midnight. I make no promises.
Now, before I say anything about the album I'm reviewing tonight, I must point out that I am going to try to review 34 tracks starting at 11:20 pm. Chances are I'm going to either post half tonight and half tomorrow (or sometime in the future) or have a long post of garbled criticism posted at 2 in the morning. I'm hoping for option 2.
Anyway, as I've mentioned previously, the Australian youth radio station Triple J holds a vote for the best 100 songs released every year, a tradition that began in 1989. The list is announced on Australia Day the following year and I always try to put the day aside for just listening to the radio. At least it's better than the TV, but that's still not much of a defense. A quick thing to mention is that it is getting closer and closer to that beautiful day when voting is opened, which normally happens mid-December. For someone who doesn't observe any religious celebration in this part of the year, that may be the single most exciting thing to expect in December. Isn't that depressing?
Anyway, getting back to the CD, which is, as you may have guessed from the title of my post, the compilation CD from 2001. After every Hottest 100, a compilation CD is released, containing about 30 songs, placed in random order for no apparent reason. To the songs!
1. (Position 1) Amazing by Alex Lloyd.
The name of this song does sum it up pretty well. This song is amazing. Extraordinary use of violins (I think), fantastic vocals and just an all-round great song. Sadly, I have only heard one other song from Alex Lloyd, which was only a touch less impressive than Amazing and nothing else. From this song he clearly shows that he has tons of talent and a discerning ear for tasteful backing music. Sadly, I have also never heard any other of his songs played on Triple J. I would also like to point out that I am starting my review with the best song (allegedly) from the CD. Well, you can stop reading mow if that's what your after. It's (supposedly) all downhill from here.
2. (Position 4) Where's Your Head At? by Basement Jaxx
Let the seemingly random placement of songs begin (please note it is not alphabetical. These two songs and the following song just happen to fall into that pattern). I've commented enough on placement in my previous Triple J compilation CD review, so on with the song. I don't know what I think of this song. Basement Jaxx have released good songs before, like Raindrops, which was absolutely phenomenal. When I first heard this song, I absolutely despised it. I have slowly eased myself into appreciating parts of its makeup, but I can still see why I disliked it in the past. The best thing I can say about this song is that it perfectly sums up what it is like to listen to radio at 2 in the morning. There. I just saved anyone reading this the trouble of actually staying up until 2 just to listen to the radio. The whole effect of Basement Jaxx is a cacophony of pointless sound, just pushed together for no apparent reason. I might be a touch more lenient on this song if I wasn't aware of other work by the same group and that this song was so successful and popular. This is one song which deserves a niche of fans, not a position of 4 on the Hottest 100 of 2001.
3. (Position 2) Monsters by Something For Kate.
This is the only song I am familiar with by something for Kate, but it is definitely not the only song I am familiar with by the fantastic Paul Dempsey. Without his vocals, I don't know how this song would go. Luckily, his voice is included and the song is just great. There actual music of the song is very forgettable, but Dempsey's talent is very hard to forget. Oddly, I was not introduced to Paul Dempsey by this song. The first Paul Dempsey song I heard was Fast Friends, which hooked me in when Dempsey claimed in an interview that it was based on The Great Gatsby, which is a sure way to make anything interesting to me. Anyway, Dempsey = good, Monsters & Something For Kate > meh, but not much more.
4. (Position 6) Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm.
Apparently, Blogger is a fan of Alien Ant Farm and decided to delete my review of it. So, suppressing my rage, here I go again. Firstly, this song is a cover of Michael Jackson's fantastic Smooth Criminal. As such, I won't be reviewing the song itself, just the version that was butchered- I mean "remade" by Alien Ant Farm. In essence, this song is the fantastic Smooth Criminal with a touch of metal. That doesn't sound so bad, but it ruins a song like this. The title of this song should not be Smooth Criminal. The song certainly is Criminal, but there is very little Smooth about it. Loud, Irritating and Strangely Popular Criminal is the perfect name for the new version for this song. All in all, I don't like it, if that didn't come across clearly.
5. (Position 9) Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz
Gorillaz, I instantly took a disliking to the band. Looking back, I don't really know why. Many of there songs have fantastic beats and just sound great. I think the fact that my Gorillaz experience started and ended with "Dare" did nothing in there favour. More recent listening has revealed that they actually do posses a fair deal of talent, displayed very well in Clint Eastwood. Firstly, I have no idea why the name is what it is, but I try not to question a lot of the logic behind many things related to the Gorillaz. This is a smooth, even, shilled tune which perfectly matches a laid back tune, varied samples and mixed vocals. I certainly wish I had heard this song long before I heard "Dare" or any of it's kin. I think I would have heard a lot of good music that I feel somewhat robbed of now.
6. (Position 28) Fall Down by Jedediah
I don't know much about Jedediah, nor do I care for much of their music (This may or may not have to do with an aunt who I do not much get along with being lifelong fan). This tune is the best I have heard by them ,which is saying practically nothing. The vocals are mediocre and the music seems to be strangely paced and a general mess. I can see how some people could like this particular song and by extension, the band, but I am certainly not one of these people. What is with the bagpipes?
7. (Position 30) The Girl Of My Dreams (Is Giving Me Nightmares) by Machine Gun Fellatio.
I know nothing about this band. The name alone has been the biggest reason for my lack of investigation. Overly violent AND sexual. Quite a feat. Ignoring the name of the group, the song starts out really well. Smooth, chilled and a pleasant track. The vocals are pretty good and the song does rev up at a few point, but nothing that makes it sound like a song by "Machine Gun Fellatio". The name of this band really just irritates me. OK, it provides "shock, awe and controversy" (or at least was meant to). The problem here is that the name attracts people who like shock, awe, controversy, excess violence and excess sex. And (judging by this song alone, which may not be the most reasoned way to do things, but screw it) this song just doesn't provide that kind of music. Really, I was expecting something between Rage Against The Machine and Nine Inch Nails. Instead, I get a pretty slow, normal song that could be a Whitlams B-side. I think the Fellatio could just be taken off the title and it would make perfect sense. I don't think of myself as a prude or someone that thinks "good grief, it's a dirty word!", but it just doesn't reflect what the group actually sounds like. Then again, I'm basing this entire opinion on one song. For all I know, the rest of their music could be "rape metal" or "death punk" or some other genre that I just thought up that almost certainly does exist.
8. (Position 48) Superstylin' by Groove Armada
This song is nothing if not different. It starts of a touch slow, but certainly picks up. I don't know where I stand with this song. Firstly, I would never listen to this song outside of this review or on a compilation CD. This is one song that wouldn't end up on my playlist. At the same time, I have difficulty in simply declaring this song "bad", because it isn't. It has a nice beat and interesting vocals, but much more. Perhaps it just isn't my kind of thing.
9. (Position 79) Imitation Of Life by R.E.M
This track starts out as a country song, and I have difficulty throughout the whole song shaking the sense that this is what a country song would sound like if they had a bigger budget. The vocals are pretty good and I think the lyrics are pretty decent, but the one problem I have is that, besides the chorus, a lot of the singing is drowned out by the music. This is like I was talking about in my other Triple J compilation review. What is the deal with that? Can that not be fixed in post-production? Are a few rather dull guitar chords really better than the singing? Are they embarrassed with the lyrics? Why would you make a song like that? If I want to know what they are actually saying, I would have to look the lyrics up and, like I imagine the majority of the world would think, I just can't be bothered putting that degree of effort into a song that seems to think that their guitar playing is better than their lyrics. I put effort in when the music puts effort in. I think that's fair enough.
10. (Position 51) Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
Ah, Nick Cave. I need a break from some of the rubbish. The best way to sum up Nick Cave's style to someone unfamiliar with him is that it is the perfect backing music to accompany someone finding out really bad news whilst high. Strange, eccentric and all over the place but still maintaining that core of sadness. Anyway, this particular song maintains the excellent vocals typical to every Nick Cave song, strange lyrics that still somehow manage to get their message across and decent music for anyone who can distract themselves from Nick Cave's voice to listen to it. Just a great song. Perhaps not his best, but I can't think of anything right now that is better.
11. (Position 24) Dust Me Selecta by Gerling
Quite an interesting song. Sounding like a Jamiroquai knock off, Gerling still manages to make a good song. There isn't much to say about this song, but it certainly deserves any popularity it obtained. The one thing that is really weird is the crazy deep voice that appears for seemingly no reason in the middle of the song. It is a touch repetitive, but then again, I have reviewed Around The World by Daft Punk, so it's fine in comparison.
12. (Position 54) The Rock Show by Blink-182
Ah. 2001. It would be another couple of years before it managed to completely shake off the nineties and this is one of the obnoxious leeches hanging on. Not to say that this is a bad song, it just is like walking into a dinosaur whilst walking to the shops. It should have died when the rest of the species did. Otherwise, it gets outrageously popular due to people in their late twenties feeling like they can recapture their teen years be just grabbing onto the music that lingers. Singing at a speed incomprehensible to mankind, a guitar soundtrack that we've heard a million times before accompanied by lyrics about meeting a girl at a rock show... and hijinks. I suppose. I heard the first line and missed the rest. I somewhat feel the content of this song is not going to give any insight as to the human experience, so who really cares what the hell they're talking about. Keep an eye out for this song in a best of the nineties compilation in 20 years. By then, no-ones going to split hairs.
13. (Position 100) Sex & Violence by Endorphin
When I first heard the name of this song, I was scared that it would either be metal of have Machine Gun Fellatio Syndrome, a name designed to draw in fans of a certain genre by having a name that doesn't reflect on the song. Oddly enough, the song is a slow paced, sentimental tune which is really a nice change. Not the best song ever, but to be at position 100, it's better than I expected. Also, as for Machine Gun Fellatio Syndrome, the song actually is about sex & violence, in the sense that it "makes the world go round". This is like what Daft Punk should sound like, from all the hype the receive. (Didn't I say the same thing about Blue Monday?). A touch repetitive, but not a bad tune. My real problem with this song is it's position on the CD. Position 100 in the actual countdown and yet number 13 on the first CD. So, thanks to Wikipedia, I present 10 songs better than Sex & Violence that also ranked higher and did not (and will not) appear on the CD:
1. Since I Left You - The Avalanches (Position 8)
2. Rockin' The Suburbs - Ben Folds Five (Position 17)
3. Weapon Of Choice - Fatboy Slim (Position 21)
4. Drugs Don't Work - Ben Harper (Position 22)
5. Who Sold Her Out - Eskimo Joe (Position 34) (Please Note: Eskimo Joe is on the CD, just not with this song
6. Little L - Jamiroquai (Position 26)
7. Duffy's Song (I Will Not Go Quietly) - The Whitlams (Position 42)
8. There Is No Such Place - Augie March (Position 47)
9. You Give Me Something - Jamiroquai (Position 62)
10. Not The Same - Ben Folds (Position 67)
There we go.
14. (Position 60) Pattern Against User by At The Drive-In
The music of any half-decent rock group meets the vocals of Blink-182 (I'm not saying it's the same person, just a similar style). This song is ....okay. Just okay. The music is okay, the lyrics are incomprehensible (probably for the best) and the vocals are at a speed faster than light. It's the kind of song that will have you saying "Is it over yet?" but is not bad enough to warrant action against it (by which I mean turning off the radio).
15. (Position 33) Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) by James
Before I even listen to the song, I must give this band kudos for possessing the most uninspired name I have possibly ever heard (Upon further research, I take that back. There is a Canadian band called "The Band". Still, James deserves a mention). Unlike the names of both the song and the band suggest, the song is actually not that bad. I can't think of a group that these guys sound like, but I'm sure there is a good comparison. Anyway, the song is slow, well made and actually really nice. I was embarrassingly well prepared to hate this song. Damn misguiding book covers. The one thing this song actually makes me think of is Rolf Harris. I would like to make a plea similar to the one in Palookaville. Palookaville muppets. Palookaville muppets. There we go. Now I'm crazy. Anyway, this is actually a really good song and I think I will look into James a little more. Also, I won't judge before listening to the song.
16. (Position 97) Stay Back by Superheist.
On second thoughts, it's judging bands without listening to them that has kept me from having to listen to crap like this. Metal. What more can I say? Pointless noise, with a strange effect like a robot swallowing something in the background. The vocals in the slower bits aren't that bad, but still, it irritates me quite a lot. I don't know why I hate metal so much, but it just seems like pointless rage and noise combined by middle class kids. Whatever happened to good music?
17. (Position 99) It Began In Afrika by The Chemical Brothers
Despite thinking my Discman was skipping at first (Which it does at the slightest provocation. Really, if you insult the damn thing, it'll start skipping), this song isn't that bad. A good use of samples, a good baseline and a very interesting theme. It does get a little to confused, as many songs of this genre do, but I suppose confused is better than boring. I think. But, for god's sake, do they really need the line Afrika-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka?. I honestly thought the damn device was screwing up. Again. Anyway, not bad for position 99. Oddly, the songs in positions 100 & 99 are better than a lot of the songs on the list. Strange.
Anyway, that's the end of disc 1. I'll have a break and a spell-check and try and have the second disc reviewed before midnight. I make no promises.
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Palookaville
Well, I haven't posted anything for a while, so I thought I would just do a quick (which will probably not be so quick) review of Palookaville, an album by Fatboy Slim. I can honestly say I like at least 80% of Fatboy Slim's work, which is quite a bit more than I can say for many musicians in his genre.
Palookaville was released in 2004 and was Fatboy Slim's 4th studio album and, although I don't consider it the best of his albums (a position held by We've Come A Long Way, Baby) it is not the worst (or actually, it might be. I've only heard three of his albums and this is as good as Dance Bitch, so I suppose it is the "worst" album Fatboy Slim has made, not that that distinction really means anything). Also, interesting fact, this will be the first non-Australian album I have reviewed (The Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time was released by an Australian radio station, so I still count it as Australian, no matter what nationality the majority of the songs).
1. Don't Let The Man Get You Down.
Sampling the first lines of the fantastic Signs by Five Man Electrical Band, which is a great song in its own right. This song is one of Fatboy Slim's more tasteful songs. I think he may have just held himself back from making the song as over-the-top as other songs. I place this song as my third favourite of all Fatboy Slim songs and easily the best of this album. Two things that tie in with this song: Firstly, it has a fantastic music video, which is basically a public announcement spoof against racism, which is well made. Secondly, I question the logic behind putting this as the first song on the album. The entire vibe I get from this album as a whole is a loud, fast, awesome mess and this song and several others go against the majority. I would have put something like Slash Dot Dash which, while not being the same quality of Don't Let The Man Get You Down is both a fantastic song and gives a much more accurate impression of what the rest of the album is like.
2. Slash Dot Dash.
Speak of the devil... Slash Dot Dash is the quintessential Fatboy Slim. Not his best song ever but contains the strangeness, legendary sampling and eclectic rhythm as so many other of his songs. This song contains possibly the best guitar I have heard in quite a while. I'm not quite sure if this is from whatever is being sampled of was played by someone exclusively for this track, but it is goddamn fantastic.
3. Wonderful Night.
To give an idea of Wonderful Night to someone who hasn't heard it (and for some reason accidentally found themselves on this blog), imagine the Cat Empire and Gorillaz doing a song together (and somehow becoming British). This song just exudes smooth, which is a quality I greatly appreciate in any medium. The music video for this song is one of the best I have ever seen, on par with Art vs. Science Magic Fountain, which , if you couldn't guess, is another fantastic song and music video. There is very little about this song I don't like and is very easily the second best song on this album. Well worth a listen, but just don't expect this to portray a typical Fatboy Slim song.
4. Long Way From Home.
The most honest thing I can say about this song is that it well and truly lives up to it's name. I don't know what the hell is going on. It starts off with what sounds like a piece of background music from a Midsummer Night's Dream film adaption, followed by what I could have easily been convinced was a (half decent but) obscure Kasabian song, which recurs throughout the song. There is also a strange auto-tuned voice and a weird "remix wind" sound which seems to keep popping up throughout the album. I don't know if that was intentional, or if Fatboy Slim just liked the sound, but it works pretty damn well. Then there is a drum machine having a sneezing fit and then the next song starts. Erm...yeah. Just go with it. It's like a mentally unstable man in your house is giving you winning lottery numbers. You know you should be more concerned why there is a somewhat strange man in your house, but while he is doing something that awesome, you can't help but go along with it. The first part of this song's review looks critical, but it is a good tune.
5. Put It Back Together.
Well, this song continues on form the previous track by starting off with a strange strumming accompanied by a group serenading with only the words "la" or "do/du". The actual vocals for this song are very interesting, a sort of "lazy" singing style, but one that makes you think there is a lot of effort put into it. I don't know if that goes against the intended effect, but screw it. Also, there is a part in the song which is just the words "yeah,yeah,yeah". I would greatly appreciate if someone who stumbles upon this review would kindly listen to this song and tell me if they imagine it sung by a group of muppets (yeah, I know. I'm deluding myself into thinking anyone actually reads this. Anyway, muppets). Not a bad song, but I feel one or two elements could be tweaked or even removed completely. I do like the Muppet part (or whatever a sane person would call it).
6. Mi Bebé Masoquista.
Well, Blogger didn't seem to approve of my review of this song, so I guess I'll have to do it again. I have no idea why this song is titled in Spanish, but the title translates to My Masochistic Baby and goes on, having nothing to do with Spain in any way. Sorry to make the review for this song so short, but I'm pissed off that a paragraph was just deleted. Up yours, blogger. Pretty lame song, too.
7. Push And Shove.
Starting off with a decent baseline, this song sets up that it will be better than its predecessor, which is pretty simple, as song achievements go. Sadly, the vocals on this track clashes with my taste. This song is sung with the dullest and most mundane voice, one of which I never would have expected someone with the levels of raw talent exemplified repeatedly by Fatboy Slim. This song would have been perhaps not "good" but certainly very interesting if only they had picked someone with the ability to sing with even the most minor projection of effort. Just...no.
8. North West Three.
This song reminds me in the first few seconds of A Distant Shore by Ozi Batla, which as anyone who has incidentally stumbled upon both articles will know, is not a negative comparison for me to make. The vocals are a hell of a lot better than the previous tracks, of at the very least, sound like the singer is trying. The actual song is very pleasant. It reminds you of the seaside on a pleasant day (Please take that observation with a grain of salt. It is coming from an individual who imagines muppets singing of Fatboy Sim songs. Make up your own decisions, dear imaginary audience). As with the first and third tracks on this CD I get the impression Fatboy Slim is holding himself back, using less instruments and samples than usual and it truly works. I think this would be a solid track for many bands to release as a single. Yet, Fatboy Slim makes a song like this as mid-album filler. What is wrong with the world?
9. The Journey
As with North West Three, the vocals improve in quality by very large amounts. The overall impression I get from this song is that it is designed to pack the entire impact of the album in 1/12th the time and it does so quite admirably. If it had been up to me (which it wasn't and most certainly never will) I would have placed this song as the first track on the album. It isn't faster than Don't Let The Man Get You Down, but it serves as more of an overall example of what sort of impression the entire album will have on the average individual. This song also has a very interesting and varied set of samples, only one of which even remotely resembles and variety of inanimate children's show icon.
10. Jin Go Lo Ba
Yahoo Babel Fish, quite understandably, lacks a Nigerian-English option, so in the end, I am to take Wikipedia's word that this song translates into Drums Of Passion. Who cares, really? The song is OK, with more life than most songs on the album and only uses samples vocals, which may or may not be a good thing. Not a bad song by any standard, but rather unremarkable.
11. Song For Chesh
This song starts out in a fashion akin to North West Three, but very poorly. Luckily the song completely changes to something akin to North West three in another way, but still not quite pulling it off. To give an impression just how forgettable this song is, I went back and (poorly) spell checked the review so far. There's...some kind of...."blah" (literally, that's what it sounds like the song is saying)....keyboard (I think. I'm far from the best in spotting instruments in this sort of genre, where everything is a remix of a remix.). I'm just going to leave this song now. It's not unpleasant, but it's like celery. It's more effort to actually consume than the payout from listening to it. If you feel you are listening to too much good, innovative music and want a break from it all, I couldn't recommend this song more. Also, think celery is a bad metaphor for music? Welcome to 1am. May it swallow your soul and leave you for dead.
12. The Joker.
I'll be perfectly honest. This is the only version of The Joker I have ever heard, and although I am aware it is a cover, I'll be judging the song itself, not just how Fatboy Slim has portrayed it. First thing: I like it. Secondly, What the hell is with the music video? Normally I mention the music video (if I've seen it) at the end of a song's review, sort of as a side note. But this music video is weird. It's not overly violent or overtly sexual. It doesn't promote drug use or murder or something akin. It consists only of kittens. There. Kittens. WHAT THE HELL, FATBOY SLIM? WHAT? THE? HELL? As the beginning of the video points out, it is the outcome of a "make a video contest" (I'm not sure which is more disturbing: 1. This was the best video. 2. Fatboy Slim legitimately thought this was the best video. 3. Fatboy Slim wanted to give this song the most irritating , over cutesy, horror of a music video just to screw with the audience. Perhaps Fatboy Slim isn't a fan of money.) But really, kittens? Also, going back, it sort of does mention drug use, at least with the whole "catnip" thing (The entire twisted and weird essence embodied by a kitten purchasing illegal drugs off of another kitten may just be enough to make me see why Fatboy Slim liked this video). What was I talking about before? Oh, right, the song. Erm... not bad, good singer, decent sampling but I do feel that there is far too much going on in the background. It honestly feels like this is being played on top of an entire other song at some points, but I suppose it does work at some other points. Also, I does sort of sound what a kitten would experience if it got high. I'm not sure what kind of experience could give someone the authority to declare what a kitten actually would see while high. A vet, perhaps? I don't know, and I feel I have padded this review out with enough sleep deprived thoughts.
Anyway, Palookaville is not the best album ever, but I have no shame in having listened to it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase it (thank you, public libraries). Also, last thing, if anyone who has read this far down despite the muppets and hallucinogenic catnip may be interested in giving some suggestions of what I could review next. I have a metric shitonne (1.5 imperial craploads) of CD's, but I would honestly like to know A. What the few people who accidentally read this would like to see and B. Why do so many people from Russia view this blog? Nothing against the place, but seriously, that is the largest source of traffic on this blog. So if anyone can answer either of those questions, please comment.
Palookaville was released in 2004 and was Fatboy Slim's 4th studio album and, although I don't consider it the best of his albums (a position held by We've Come A Long Way, Baby) it is not the worst (or actually, it might be. I've only heard three of his albums and this is as good as Dance Bitch, so I suppose it is the "worst" album Fatboy Slim has made, not that that distinction really means anything). Also, interesting fact, this will be the first non-Australian album I have reviewed (The Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time was released by an Australian radio station, so I still count it as Australian, no matter what nationality the majority of the songs).
1. Don't Let The Man Get You Down.
Sampling the first lines of the fantastic Signs by Five Man Electrical Band, which is a great song in its own right. This song is one of Fatboy Slim's more tasteful songs. I think he may have just held himself back from making the song as over-the-top as other songs. I place this song as my third favourite of all Fatboy Slim songs and easily the best of this album. Two things that tie in with this song: Firstly, it has a fantastic music video, which is basically a public announcement spoof against racism, which is well made. Secondly, I question the logic behind putting this as the first song on the album. The entire vibe I get from this album as a whole is a loud, fast, awesome mess and this song and several others go against the majority. I would have put something like Slash Dot Dash which, while not being the same quality of Don't Let The Man Get You Down is both a fantastic song and gives a much more accurate impression of what the rest of the album is like.
2. Slash Dot Dash.
Speak of the devil... Slash Dot Dash is the quintessential Fatboy Slim. Not his best song ever but contains the strangeness, legendary sampling and eclectic rhythm as so many other of his songs. This song contains possibly the best guitar I have heard in quite a while. I'm not quite sure if this is from whatever is being sampled of was played by someone exclusively for this track, but it is goddamn fantastic.
3. Wonderful Night.
To give an idea of Wonderful Night to someone who hasn't heard it (and for some reason accidentally found themselves on this blog), imagine the Cat Empire and Gorillaz doing a song together (and somehow becoming British). This song just exudes smooth, which is a quality I greatly appreciate in any medium. The music video for this song is one of the best I have ever seen, on par with Art vs. Science Magic Fountain, which , if you couldn't guess, is another fantastic song and music video. There is very little about this song I don't like and is very easily the second best song on this album. Well worth a listen, but just don't expect this to portray a typical Fatboy Slim song.
4. Long Way From Home.
The most honest thing I can say about this song is that it well and truly lives up to it's name. I don't know what the hell is going on. It starts off with what sounds like a piece of background music from a Midsummer Night's Dream film adaption, followed by what I could have easily been convinced was a (half decent but) obscure Kasabian song, which recurs throughout the song. There is also a strange auto-tuned voice and a weird "remix wind" sound which seems to keep popping up throughout the album. I don't know if that was intentional, or if Fatboy Slim just liked the sound, but it works pretty damn well. Then there is a drum machine having a sneezing fit and then the next song starts. Erm...yeah. Just go with it. It's like a mentally unstable man in your house is giving you winning lottery numbers. You know you should be more concerned why there is a somewhat strange man in your house, but while he is doing something that awesome, you can't help but go along with it. The first part of this song's review looks critical, but it is a good tune.
5. Put It Back Together.
Well, this song continues on form the previous track by starting off with a strange strumming accompanied by a group serenading with only the words "la" or "do/du". The actual vocals for this song are very interesting, a sort of "lazy" singing style, but one that makes you think there is a lot of effort put into it. I don't know if that goes against the intended effect, but screw it. Also, there is a part in the song which is just the words "yeah,yeah,yeah". I would greatly appreciate if someone who stumbles upon this review would kindly listen to this song and tell me if they imagine it sung by a group of muppets (yeah, I know. I'm deluding myself into thinking anyone actually reads this. Anyway, muppets). Not a bad song, but I feel one or two elements could be tweaked or even removed completely. I do like the Muppet part (or whatever a sane person would call it).
6. Mi Bebé Masoquista.
Well, Blogger didn't seem to approve of my review of this song, so I guess I'll have to do it again. I have no idea why this song is titled in Spanish, but the title translates to My Masochistic Baby and goes on, having nothing to do with Spain in any way. Sorry to make the review for this song so short, but I'm pissed off that a paragraph was just deleted. Up yours, blogger. Pretty lame song, too.
7. Push And Shove.
Starting off with a decent baseline, this song sets up that it will be better than its predecessor, which is pretty simple, as song achievements go. Sadly, the vocals on this track clashes with my taste. This song is sung with the dullest and most mundane voice, one of which I never would have expected someone with the levels of raw talent exemplified repeatedly by Fatboy Slim. This song would have been perhaps not "good" but certainly very interesting if only they had picked someone with the ability to sing with even the most minor projection of effort. Just...no.
8. North West Three.
This song reminds me in the first few seconds of A Distant Shore by Ozi Batla, which as anyone who has incidentally stumbled upon both articles will know, is not a negative comparison for me to make. The vocals are a hell of a lot better than the previous tracks, of at the very least, sound like the singer is trying. The actual song is very pleasant. It reminds you of the seaside on a pleasant day (Please take that observation with a grain of salt. It is coming from an individual who imagines muppets singing of Fatboy Sim songs. Make up your own decisions, dear imaginary audience). As with the first and third tracks on this CD I get the impression Fatboy Slim is holding himself back, using less instruments and samples than usual and it truly works. I think this would be a solid track for many bands to release as a single. Yet, Fatboy Slim makes a song like this as mid-album filler. What is wrong with the world?
9. The Journey
As with North West Three, the vocals improve in quality by very large amounts. The overall impression I get from this song is that it is designed to pack the entire impact of the album in 1/12th the time and it does so quite admirably. If it had been up to me (which it wasn't and most certainly never will) I would have placed this song as the first track on the album. It isn't faster than Don't Let The Man Get You Down, but it serves as more of an overall example of what sort of impression the entire album will have on the average individual. This song also has a very interesting and varied set of samples, only one of which even remotely resembles and variety of inanimate children's show icon.
10. Jin Go Lo Ba
Yahoo Babel Fish, quite understandably, lacks a Nigerian-English option, so in the end, I am to take Wikipedia's word that this song translates into Drums Of Passion. Who cares, really? The song is OK, with more life than most songs on the album and only uses samples vocals, which may or may not be a good thing. Not a bad song by any standard, but rather unremarkable.
11. Song For Chesh
This song starts out in a fashion akin to North West Three, but very poorly. Luckily the song completely changes to something akin to North West three in another way, but still not quite pulling it off. To give an impression just how forgettable this song is, I went back and (poorly) spell checked the review so far. There's...some kind of...."blah" (literally, that's what it sounds like the song is saying)....keyboard (I think. I'm far from the best in spotting instruments in this sort of genre, where everything is a remix of a remix.). I'm just going to leave this song now. It's not unpleasant, but it's like celery. It's more effort to actually consume than the payout from listening to it. If you feel you are listening to too much good, innovative music and want a break from it all, I couldn't recommend this song more. Also, think celery is a bad metaphor for music? Welcome to 1am. May it swallow your soul and leave you for dead.
12. The Joker.
I'll be perfectly honest. This is the only version of The Joker I have ever heard, and although I am aware it is a cover, I'll be judging the song itself, not just how Fatboy Slim has portrayed it. First thing: I like it. Secondly, What the hell is with the music video? Normally I mention the music video (if I've seen it) at the end of a song's review, sort of as a side note. But this music video is weird. It's not overly violent or overtly sexual. It doesn't promote drug use or murder or something akin. It consists only of kittens. There. Kittens. WHAT THE HELL, FATBOY SLIM? WHAT? THE? HELL? As the beginning of the video points out, it is the outcome of a "make a video contest" (I'm not sure which is more disturbing: 1. This was the best video. 2. Fatboy Slim legitimately thought this was the best video. 3. Fatboy Slim wanted to give this song the most irritating , over cutesy, horror of a music video just to screw with the audience. Perhaps Fatboy Slim isn't a fan of money.) But really, kittens? Also, going back, it sort of does mention drug use, at least with the whole "catnip" thing (The entire twisted and weird essence embodied by a kitten purchasing illegal drugs off of another kitten may just be enough to make me see why Fatboy Slim liked this video). What was I talking about before? Oh, right, the song. Erm... not bad, good singer, decent sampling but I do feel that there is far too much going on in the background. It honestly feels like this is being played on top of an entire other song at some points, but I suppose it does work at some other points. Also, I does sort of sound what a kitten would experience if it got high. I'm not sure what kind of experience could give someone the authority to declare what a kitten actually would see while high. A vet, perhaps? I don't know, and I feel I have padded this review out with enough sleep deprived thoughts.
Anyway, Palookaville is not the best album ever, but I have no shame in having listened to it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase it (thank you, public libraries). Also, last thing, if anyone who has read this far down despite the muppets and hallucinogenic catnip may be interested in giving some suggestions of what I could review next. I have a metric shitonne (1.5 imperial craploads) of CD's, but I would honestly like to know A. What the few people who accidentally read this would like to see and B. Why do so many people from Russia view this blog? Nothing against the place, but seriously, that is the largest source of traffic on this blog. So if anyone can answer either of those questions, please comment.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Names
I think I have finally settled on a name for the blog. Basically, I just picked two words and stuck them together. Fourth time's the charm, right?
Monday, 28 November 2011
Cinema
Well, over the past couple of days, I have obtained several great albums: Contra by Vampire Weekend, I Believe You Liar by Washington and (my personal favourite) Happiness & Surrounding Suburbs by Ball Park Music. Sadly, this last album didn't include Sea Strangers, one of my favourite songs by the group, but it's still good to know that such a fantastic Australian band has finally released an album. So, laughing in the face of all these fantastic albums and logic itself, I decided to review another Cat Empire album. I honestly don't know why, but never mind.
So, providing the level of background provided by 20 seconds on Wikipedia, Cinema was the most recent release by the Cat Empire, released in 2010 and it is their 5th studio album. So, starting at the beginning:
1. Waiting
So, seeing as I have already reviewed a Cat Empire album, I don't think I have to give an overview of the Cat Empire's style. Lively, crazy and awesome is all any person fining themselves accidentally reading this needs to know. So, Waiting is (in comparison to previous songs) a slower song. It has a really good keyboard backing and, it almost goes without saying, has great vocals. It is a rather strange way to start off an album in my opinion. Compared to other Cat Empire songs, it's rather sober but still a very easy tune to dance to.
2. Falling
This is my favourite song of the entire album, just to put it out there. Normally, I have a few favourites but Falling stands out well and truly. I don't know if this reflects badly on the rest of the album or just very well on Falling, but it is an extraordinary song. I think the main theme of the song is just getting older, although it does touch on love a bit at the end. Great everything, typical of the Cat Empire, but Falling just has that extra little bit that will have you singing it in the shower for the next week or so. Anyway, the one thing I'm starting to notice about this album is that, although it has as much life and energy as previous albums, it is a touch more withdrawn and "focused" than previous albums. Instead of just making noise (very good noise), they decided to focus on being a bit more mainstream. I honestly don't know if this is a good or a bad thing, but like I said in the last review, it's a very good sign when a band starts evolving on it's own, especially when no-one is forcing it to. Any band (even a good one) which uses the same formula is eventually going to get stale and old (Mumford & Sons is the first thing I think of. Little Lion Man was an incredible song, and The Cave was also an incredible song. And all their of their songs ..are...incredible songs. Oh. When the entire discography of a band is essentially the same song, these songs fall from "awesome" to "not another one". In the end, I regret listening to Mumford & Sons album because it took a lot of the novelty Little Lion Man had away. What was my point again? Oh, that's right: Change is good).
3. Feeling's Gone
Along with Falling, Feeling's Gone was the other single off Cinema. In my last review, I pointed out that Miserere was how a good sad song sounded, despite the fact I wasn't quite sure what point they were trying to make. Feeling's Gone is the same attempt, just not pulled off as well. Feeling's Gone is an attempt at a sad song. That much is obvious, and a step further than a lot of (supposedly) sad songs these days. I never thought I'd say this about a Cat Empire song, but they put too much energy in it. This is truly ironic, as the excessive amount of energy the Cat Empire put into their music is one of the reasons I like the group. But they just aren't cut out for songs like this. If they had tried to capture some other emotion, they would have been fine, and I even feel like this song was half sadness half anger, but that just doesn't come off enough to make this a good song for me. Absolute over-the-moon joy and absolute I'm-about-to-play-single-player-Russian-roulette misery are the two modes the Cat Empire can switch between perfectly. This is possibly the first Cat Empire song I can ever say this about, but everyone (especially the masses of people that read this blog) can probably give this a miss.
4. Only Light
This song is interesting. It goes to disprove a lot of the things I just said. This song shows that the Cat Empire can do a sad song. I wouldn't be surprised if it was revealed that two different members of the band wrote this and Feeling's Gone (research disproves this theory). This song is the right way to do a sad song. Put just enough energy to make the instruments do what they need to do and put some extra in the chorus. Hey presto, a good song. Definitely captures some key elements about the Cat Empire which Feeling's Gone just misses completely.
5. All Hell
This song really backs up my theory that the Cat Empire are holding themselves back during this album. I'm not sure what emotion this song is trying to get across and although it annoys me a bit, it's not a big problem. It has great piano backing and the best vocals of the album so far. I also think the trumpet (?) parts around the second chorus repeat really add something to the song, I just don't know what. Don't know what are key words to this song. It's really good, but misses out on my top three for this album because I don't know what point the group were trying to make.
6. Shoulders
My second favourite song of the album. Like All Hell, Shoulders doesn't make its driving emotion overly clear, but I think anxiety sums it up pretty well. Not sad enough to warrant that or misery as defining emotions, but certainly not a cheery song. I think anxiety also covers the subject matter pretty well. Like All Hell, Shoulders also makes good use of trumpets, which is one defining instrument of the Cat Empire I'm glad to see in this album a couple of times. A good song overall, but I think the other songs on this album take a bit away from it. Some elements of Shoulders just sound better when not between things like All Hell. Not because All Hell is better, just because the two are a touch too similar. The instrumental at the end of Shoulders is very interesting, but seems to be more of an interlude than an actual part of the song.
7. The Heart Is A Cannibal
This song really is a throwback to the third Cat Empire album, Cities (which I haven't mentioned on this blog, but still might review one day) and is very similar to the group Jackson Jackson (which includes a member of the Cat Empire) so much so that I initially thought this was actually a Jackson Jackson song (which is far from a bad thing). The Heart Is A Cannibal is easily the first song on this entire album which I actually would have picked as a Cat Empire song after hearing their first four albums. It has all the energy expected in a Cat Empire song combined with the strange darkness which seems to occupy all the songs on this album. I can't say this song is a bad song, it just makes no sense (as the name may suggest) and isn't really my kind of thing. It does invoke a certain sense of nostalgia, which is always nice for a piece of mid-album filler.
8. Reasonably Fine
In the same way The Heart Is A Cannibal is the most recognisable Cat Empire song as a Cat Empire song, Reasonably Fine is nothing like a Cat Empire song, and I do really like it. It focuses much more on the vocals than many Cat Empire songs, and the singer holds up perfectly. This song ends up sounding like a mix with Yves Klein Blue (with Cat Empire vocals and more trumpet action). I really like this song, mainly because it shows that the Cat Empire can successfully do songs that are different to their norm. If it had been up to me, I would have released this as the single instead of Feeling's Gone.
9. Call Me Home
The child of All Hell and Shoulders, but a standout song all the same, being the final addition to my top three. This song contains just a bit of the energy and life the rest of the album seems to lack. It has an overall theme of camaraderie and (obviously) returning to your roots. I can't give an actual analysis of the plot of this song (I never can with Cat Empire songs) but I feel it would be worth knowing. The trumpet solo near the end really just gives the entire album just a bit more essence of classic Cat Empire.
10. On My Way
This song has some of the nonsensical lyrics and needless energy that embodies The Cat Empire. It's quite strange that the album pushes the songs more akin to previous Cat Empire work to the end. I would have thought they would have been nearer the top for longtime fans of the group. This song has really good vocals (even by Cat Empire standards) and great use of trumpets. This is the song which has made me want to dance the most throughout the entire album, for whatever that's worth.
11. Beyond All
OK, final song. This song is a strange combo at first. It has slower vocals than usual accompanied with music faster than usual. Eventually the vocals speed up...and then slow down again ...and speed up... never mind. The whole song is really strange, curious and basically a very interesting mix of everything the Cat Empire has made. The three things that this song brings to mind are:
1. The musical equivalent to a clip-show (in a good way).
2. The song to accompany an eclectic nightmare (in a good way).
3. The song to accompany an out of body experience (sort of in a good way).
Possibly the strangest way to end a Cat Empire album (with a resounding bell chime or drum note or something) and a truly strange song.
Overall, this album hardly sounds like a Cat Empire album, and I may be slightly biased in the fact that I wanted a Cat Empire album. I don't think going in a new direction is a bad thing, but it just gave no real notice. Also, this album seems much darker and held back than many other Cat Empire albums, almost like the band grew up, bought a suit, accidentally killed a man in a drunken escapade and them released this album. I don't know if the next album will return to the basics or carry on this path, The strange thin is that I don't really mind. The Cat Empire has proven over and over again that no matter what sort of music they make they will make first-class songs, no matter if they are designed for parties or funerals. As long as they don't take too much after The Conglomerate (shudder) they should be fine.
So, providing the level of background provided by 20 seconds on Wikipedia, Cinema was the most recent release by the Cat Empire, released in 2010 and it is their 5th studio album. So, starting at the beginning:
1. Waiting
So, seeing as I have already reviewed a Cat Empire album, I don't think I have to give an overview of the Cat Empire's style. Lively, crazy and awesome is all any person fining themselves accidentally reading this needs to know. So, Waiting is (in comparison to previous songs) a slower song. It has a really good keyboard backing and, it almost goes without saying, has great vocals. It is a rather strange way to start off an album in my opinion. Compared to other Cat Empire songs, it's rather sober but still a very easy tune to dance to.
2. Falling
This is my favourite song of the entire album, just to put it out there. Normally, I have a few favourites but Falling stands out well and truly. I don't know if this reflects badly on the rest of the album or just very well on Falling, but it is an extraordinary song. I think the main theme of the song is just getting older, although it does touch on love a bit at the end. Great everything, typical of the Cat Empire, but Falling just has that extra little bit that will have you singing it in the shower for the next week or so. Anyway, the one thing I'm starting to notice about this album is that, although it has as much life and energy as previous albums, it is a touch more withdrawn and "focused" than previous albums. Instead of just making noise (very good noise), they decided to focus on being a bit more mainstream. I honestly don't know if this is a good or a bad thing, but like I said in the last review, it's a very good sign when a band starts evolving on it's own, especially when no-one is forcing it to. Any band (even a good one) which uses the same formula is eventually going to get stale and old (Mumford & Sons is the first thing I think of. Little Lion Man was an incredible song, and The Cave was also an incredible song. And all their of their songs ..are...incredible songs. Oh. When the entire discography of a band is essentially the same song, these songs fall from "awesome" to "not another one". In the end, I regret listening to Mumford & Sons album because it took a lot of the novelty Little Lion Man had away. What was my point again? Oh, that's right: Change is good).
3. Feeling's Gone
Along with Falling, Feeling's Gone was the other single off Cinema. In my last review, I pointed out that Miserere was how a good sad song sounded, despite the fact I wasn't quite sure what point they were trying to make. Feeling's Gone is the same attempt, just not pulled off as well. Feeling's Gone is an attempt at a sad song. That much is obvious, and a step further than a lot of (supposedly) sad songs these days. I never thought I'd say this about a Cat Empire song, but they put too much energy in it. This is truly ironic, as the excessive amount of energy the Cat Empire put into their music is one of the reasons I like the group. But they just aren't cut out for songs like this. If they had tried to capture some other emotion, they would have been fine, and I even feel like this song was half sadness half anger, but that just doesn't come off enough to make this a good song for me. Absolute over-the-moon joy and absolute I'm-about-to-play-single-player-Russian-roulette misery are the two modes the Cat Empire can switch between perfectly. This is possibly the first Cat Empire song I can ever say this about, but everyone (especially the masses of people that read this blog) can probably give this a miss.
4. Only Light
This song is interesting. It goes to disprove a lot of the things I just said. This song shows that the Cat Empire can do a sad song. I wouldn't be surprised if it was revealed that two different members of the band wrote this and Feeling's Gone (research disproves this theory). This song is the right way to do a sad song. Put just enough energy to make the instruments do what they need to do and put some extra in the chorus. Hey presto, a good song. Definitely captures some key elements about the Cat Empire which Feeling's Gone just misses completely.
5. All Hell
This song really backs up my theory that the Cat Empire are holding themselves back during this album. I'm not sure what emotion this song is trying to get across and although it annoys me a bit, it's not a big problem. It has great piano backing and the best vocals of the album so far. I also think the trumpet (?) parts around the second chorus repeat really add something to the song, I just don't know what. Don't know what are key words to this song. It's really good, but misses out on my top three for this album because I don't know what point the group were trying to make.
6. Shoulders
My second favourite song of the album. Like All Hell, Shoulders doesn't make its driving emotion overly clear, but I think anxiety sums it up pretty well. Not sad enough to warrant that or misery as defining emotions, but certainly not a cheery song. I think anxiety also covers the subject matter pretty well. Like All Hell, Shoulders also makes good use of trumpets, which is one defining instrument of the Cat Empire I'm glad to see in this album a couple of times. A good song overall, but I think the other songs on this album take a bit away from it. Some elements of Shoulders just sound better when not between things like All Hell. Not because All Hell is better, just because the two are a touch too similar. The instrumental at the end of Shoulders is very interesting, but seems to be more of an interlude than an actual part of the song.
7. The Heart Is A Cannibal
This song really is a throwback to the third Cat Empire album, Cities (which I haven't mentioned on this blog, but still might review one day) and is very similar to the group Jackson Jackson (which includes a member of the Cat Empire) so much so that I initially thought this was actually a Jackson Jackson song (which is far from a bad thing). The Heart Is A Cannibal is easily the first song on this entire album which I actually would have picked as a Cat Empire song after hearing their first four albums. It has all the energy expected in a Cat Empire song combined with the strange darkness which seems to occupy all the songs on this album. I can't say this song is a bad song, it just makes no sense (as the name may suggest) and isn't really my kind of thing. It does invoke a certain sense of nostalgia, which is always nice for a piece of mid-album filler.
8. Reasonably Fine
In the same way The Heart Is A Cannibal is the most recognisable Cat Empire song as a Cat Empire song, Reasonably Fine is nothing like a Cat Empire song, and I do really like it. It focuses much more on the vocals than many Cat Empire songs, and the singer holds up perfectly. This song ends up sounding like a mix with Yves Klein Blue (with Cat Empire vocals and more trumpet action). I really like this song, mainly because it shows that the Cat Empire can successfully do songs that are different to their norm. If it had been up to me, I would have released this as the single instead of Feeling's Gone.
9. Call Me Home
The child of All Hell and Shoulders, but a standout song all the same, being the final addition to my top three. This song contains just a bit of the energy and life the rest of the album seems to lack. It has an overall theme of camaraderie and (obviously) returning to your roots. I can't give an actual analysis of the plot of this song (I never can with Cat Empire songs) but I feel it would be worth knowing. The trumpet solo near the end really just gives the entire album just a bit more essence of classic Cat Empire.
10. On My Way
This song has some of the nonsensical lyrics and needless energy that embodies The Cat Empire. It's quite strange that the album pushes the songs more akin to previous Cat Empire work to the end. I would have thought they would have been nearer the top for longtime fans of the group. This song has really good vocals (even by Cat Empire standards) and great use of trumpets. This is the song which has made me want to dance the most throughout the entire album, for whatever that's worth.
11. Beyond All
OK, final song. This song is a strange combo at first. It has slower vocals than usual accompanied with music faster than usual. Eventually the vocals speed up...and then slow down again ...and speed up... never mind. The whole song is really strange, curious and basically a very interesting mix of everything the Cat Empire has made. The three things that this song brings to mind are:
1. The musical equivalent to a clip-show (in a good way).
2. The song to accompany an eclectic nightmare (in a good way).
3. The song to accompany an out of body experience (sort of in a good way).
Possibly the strangest way to end a Cat Empire album (with a resounding bell chime or drum note or something) and a truly strange song.
Overall, this album hardly sounds like a Cat Empire album, and I may be slightly biased in the fact that I wanted a Cat Empire album. I don't think going in a new direction is a bad thing, but it just gave no real notice. Also, this album seems much darker and held back than many other Cat Empire albums, almost like the band grew up, bought a suit, accidentally killed a man in a drunken escapade and them released this album. I don't know if the next album will return to the basics or carry on this path, The strange thin is that I don't really mind. The Cat Empire has proven over and over again that no matter what sort of music they make they will make first-class songs, no matter if they are designed for parties or funerals. As long as they don't take too much after The Conglomerate (shudder) they should be fine.
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