Well, genius that I am, I managed to use all my rechargeable batteries simultaneously, so that I cannot listen to my Discman for another couple of hours. So...filler!
Well, it would be filler if anyone were reading this and I didn't want to let them down. So, this is more writing for the sake of writing, with no apparent goal...as usual.
Please note that these are not the "best" songs of the 2000's (as I am sure that in less than an hour after posting I will think of another "best" song. So this is most likely going to be part of a series I update every now and then.). You may have noticed that there are very few albums reviewed by me that are earlier than the 90's. Honestly, this is because I believe that music reached its pinnacle in the 00's. The 90's were pretty good and there isn't anything terrible about the 10's, but I don't think either are quite as good as the 00's. This is not to say that music from every other decade is horrid just because of the fact it was from an era other than the 00's, but the 00's music is my favourite so far.
Anyway, in no particular order (also, dropping the ratings for these. They would all be between 95 and 99 anyway.):
1. "Toorali" by The Herd (2008)
As I'm going to try and avoid mentioning songs by the same band twice in this look at the 2000's, these songs are going to be a look at the band as well as the track. Well, The Herd was formed in 2001 as a combination of many musicians represented by the recently formed Elefant Traks. I have never heard the first Herd album, but going by the second, The Herd started as more of a compilation album: each artist contributing a track. By the third album, however, this had changed completely and over the next few albums, The Herd truly became a single musical entity. The album "Summerland" was the last released by The Herd in the 00's, their fifth being released in 2011, and I must say that the tracks of both of these most recent albums have really shown the world what The Herd could do. Before Toorali, a few honourable mentions. Firstly, the best lyrics would definitely have to have been "77%". Although I have mentioned the lyrics of this song before...in reasonable length.. the beat of the song was not The Herd's best, and it simply wasn't catchy enough. The best music video by this group was definitely "2020", taking the concept of the song much further whilst still being lively enough to entertain. The Herd's cover of "I Was Only 19" is one of the greatest covers I have ever heard. I must also mention "A Thousand Lives", as it is one of the greatest tracks released by The Herd, but in 2011. Now, "Toorali". Unlike all of the other songs I just mentioned, "Toorali" was never released as a single, and that is a shame. Although both of the singles off of "Summerland" ("The King Is Dead" and "2020") were fantastic songs, I think this song should have joined them, as, to be very frank, it is catchy. The sampled verse from the song "Botany Bay" is well placed, the choruses are short, sweet and to the point, with Jane Tyrell's verse being a great break from the rest of the song. "Toorali" is about the treatment of prisoners in (if not, something very similar to) Guantanamo Bay. Well worth a listen for Australians seeking a sense of nationalism perverted or for anyone else after a generally fantastic song.
2. "Panama" by The Cat Empire (2007)
I'm starting to think that this list is going to feature no singles, only "album-filler". Some of the best songs I've ever heard were only on the album. Now, when it comes to The Cat Empire, it is hard to draw any lines. "One Four Five" is still probably the liveliest track, "The Wine Song" and "Falling" tied for catchiest. "Sly" probably has the best video. I can't talk about The Cat Empire as much as The Herd, because The Cat Empire is a group which has the most fame from its live shows, which I really couldn't care less about. They come from Melbourne, and basically make fantastic noise. Now, "Panama" is here because it is the Cat Empire song which enters my mind with the most frequency. Unlike several Cat Empire songs, I've never learnt the words, and often forget the tune, but it just keeps coming back. This is because it starts off the calmest, most relaxed song I have ever heard. I don't know how it does it, but the entire first half of the song is just cool and calm. It turns a little bit more Cat Empire near the end, but still a remarkable song.
3. "The Ascent of Stan" by Ben Folds (2001)
Now I'm actually going out of my way to not pick singles to talk about. Almost all of my favourite songs from Ben Folds in the 00's has been released as a single: "Bastard", "You Don't Know Me" & "Rockin' The Suburbs". This is not my first pick, to be perfectly honest, as I still think that Folds' best work has been done both before and after the 00's, with the Ben Folds Five and Nick Hornby. Anyway, "The Ascent of Stan" is a song with just a great story and beat. The song revolves around Stan, a hippie turned businessman. My favourite thing about the song is the way it seems that at first the "narrator" of the song must be a close friend or a rival taunting Stan about his choices in life, but as no other person is mentioned, it must be Stan's mind criticizing him, which adds a whole new aspect to the song, showing how he hasn't left his past behind as clearly as the song first implies. Also, the chorus is very catchy. Apparently being catchy is a very important part of my taste in music. I never noticed that.
4. "Eucalyptus" by The Presets (2008)
Well, I don't think I have mentioned The Presets yet on this blog. They are one of my all time favourite groups, and their 2nd album, "Apocalypso", is one of the best I own. There were six singles taken from that album, to give some idea how successful it was. Although "My People" is my favourite Presets song (closely followed by "Are You the One?", "Kicking and Screaming", "Down, Down,Down" and "Steamworks"), "Eucalyptus" is one of the best not released as a single. I actually really enjoy the song "Steamworks", but as it lacks lyrics and I'm no good at talking about music, "Eucalyptus" it is. I've never really understood the name.The actual song seems to be about rejecting an untrustworthy individual from a group and facing the consequences of their actions.I suppose there isn't anything more Australian to call a song, though. Really worth a listen.
5. "Thick As Thieves" by Kasabian (2007)
After "Fire", "Underdog" and "Shoot The Runner", "Thick As Thieves" is my favourite Kasabian song. Although the lyrics don't do much for me (Kasabian either has great lyrics or almost meaningless lyrics), they sort of tell the story of a pair of thieves who achieve fame and one feels the other is holding him back. Simple enough. Where this song is fantastic is where it comes to vocals and music. Smooth, calm, this song is just as collected as "Panama" when it boils down. Truly worth a listen, even if Kasabian doesn't sound like your kind of band.
6 . "Cemeteries of London" by Coldplay (2008)
Yeah...so after spending the last post bagging out a Coldplay album, they still end up here. I'm not that big a hypocrite, really! Anyway, "Cemeteries of London" is one of the creepiest songs I have ever heard. Like most Coldplay songs, the lyrics lack a large amount of coherency, but it really works here, just a lot of strange phrases describing the world this song is set it. The use of backing vocals is fantastic and so it the music of this song in general. I have a lot of good things to say about "Viva La Vida", which is undoubtedly the best Coldplay album so far, bar none.
7. "Thanks for Your Time" by Gotye (2006)
I don't know much about Gotye's work, but I am currently trying to track down a cheap copy of one of his albums. Anyway, of the four Gotye songs I know, one just happens to not be a single. "Thanks for Your Time", like Urthboy & Jane Tyrell's "Shruggin'", is all about phones. This song contains great vocals (as with every Gotye song I've heard), great music, and has a great use of samples, including some classical music in the middle of the song, to portray being put on hold. Another aspect of the song I adore is the fan-made video, which I believe was adopted as the official video. It is just terrific.
8. "Inspiration Island" by Drapht (feat. Layla & Downsyde) (2005)
When it comes to Drapht, it is really hard to pick a good non-single from the 00's. "Life of Riley" is the best of his albums, but it was released in 2011 (also, the copy I tried to borrow from the library contained a Hi-5 CD. Who the hell got the two musical entities confused?!). Picking a Drapht song out of his previous work which wasn't a single is difficult not because they are the same (they aren't as formulaic as some groups, but still a touch repetitive, but the sentiment is often very similar. I picked "Inspiration Island" for two reasons. Firstly, the fact the lyrics are a little different to what I'm used to. How are they different? I can't find them! Really, I find it hard to believe that a song from a reasonably mainstream Australian artist does not have the lyrics online, especially when it is considered that it is featuring two (slightly less, but still) mainstream Australian artists. I challenge you. Type in "lyrics Drapht "Inspiration Island"" and see how long until this very blog comes up. Anyway, the other aspect is the featuring artists, both of who ad something to the song. Downsyde is just a change of pace, a bit calmer than Drapht, while Layla sounds like the most pissed off individual on the planet. I have not heard such an angry guest verse in quite a while. But anyway, this song is a good way to be introduced to Drapht, rather than one of his singles. His singles are very good, certainly, but not very representative of the majority of his work.
9. "Cosmonaut" by Wolfmother (2009)
I don't know what appeals to me about this track. Perhaps it's the strange name. Maybe it's just the lyrics which depict the classic cliches of rock music. Maybe the chorus is just that awesome. Most likely its the combination of all three. Considering that Wolfmother has managed to release ten singles off just two albums, there aren't many songs left for me to discuss, but it was a close one between "Cosmonaut" and "Apple Tree". I think that "Cosmonaut" really deserves a listen.
10. "Que Onda Guero" by Beck (2005)
Firstly, the title translates to "That Guero Wave" (Guero meaning a person of lighter skin and fair hair). Secondly, this from the only Beck album I've ever heard ("Guero"). Thirdly, Beck is a great musician. I honestly just felt like throwing something a little different and none of the previous songs contain any foreign languages (even the song named after a foreign country or the song named after a person from a specific country). This song just has a great beat, the good vocals Beck has in a lot of his music and bi-lingual lyrics to ensure that the lazy people without access to Babel Fish have no idea what the hell is going on.
Anyway, that's the first ten of my Great Songs of the 2000's series. I may never do another one, and the next might just be full of exactly the same groups I used here (I tried not to use the same group or artist twice on this list, but no guarantees in future lists.). A quick tally for those interested:
Australia: 6
U.K.: 2
US: 2
2000: 0
2001: 1
2002: 0
2003: 0
2004: 0
2005: 2
2006: 1
2007: 2
2008: 3
2009: 1
A pretty even spread, I think.
H. Rourke
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Saturday, 7 April 2012
X&Y
Next time you get home from a long day of anything, do me a favour. Get a glass, go up to a tap and fill it. If the weather is warm, so should the water be. Now, drink it. The whole thing. Was that satisfying? No? Well, you shouldn't be thirsty any more, though. This sums up X&Y by Coldplay:
I honestly feel I could sum up the album like this:
It's not bad, just unsatisfying. The music is great, the vocals are passable and the lyrics are stupid.
75/100
Good day.
But clearly that would be far too sensible. OK, so X&Y was the third release by the band Coldplay, and is almost certainly the most popular album I have reviewed. This worries me. It might end up with someone actually reading the blog! The fact this album is from 2005 and has been followed up by two more albums (both of which I possess, incidentally) lessens this fear to a degree, but I don't plan on making extremely popular albums a forte of mine. Give me completely obscure any day of the week. Anyway, let us push on:
1. Square One
A fitting title for the first song. I'm going to warn you now. I'm going to be going off on some random rants throughout this review, some of which have nothing to do with the album (or Yahtzeeing a review, as I like to call it) just because it is so friggin' samey. Take my comment of the music, vocals and bloody lyrics and place that in the briefs for each song unless I say otherwise. The music Coldplay makes is absolutely fantastic, and is what keeps me coming back every time. The vocals are the definition of meh, but the lyrics...I have never seen that many half formed, poorly thought out metaphors and similes in my life, and I did high school poetry like the rest of the world. The lyric website I use (actually, I just use whatever comes up first on Google) described one line as [incomprehensible]. That sums it up pretty well. The song is about living life (I think). Normally, I'll use the (I think) to describe instruments, because I cannot pick individual instruments for shit, but with Coldplay, I need to use it on the lyrics, because I have no idea what the hell they are trying to say. They mention a compass, a map, ice, a catapult... those four words randomly listed makes a hell of a lot more sense than the song itself does.
It's going to be one of those reviews, isn't it?
75/100
2. What If?
The fifth single off the album. Yeah. This is just another song about "What? You're leaving me? I can be better!" (I think). Now, continuing on my spiel about lyrics. I'm aware that another group with oft questionable lyrics, The Cat Empire, normally gets a pass from me just because of good music. This plays a part, but the main thing is that The Cat Empire don't focus on their lyrics, more on their music and vocals, which move at an extraordinary rate. Coldplay makes very good music, but they focus on their lyrics very much, enunciating clearly and making a point of saying the lyrics like they were Ginsbergian poetry. IT FUCKING ISN'T. There is a line in this song, which sounds a little sensical when you hear it at first:
"You know that darkness always turns into light."
First thought is, of course "just because things look hard now..." and so on, but then you notice the previous line is "Take a breath, we'll jump over the side."
These two things are not related. You cannot make them related. They are very different concepts. And they most certainly do not rhyme, in any sense of the word.
...
75/100
3. White Shadow
Sorry, just took a four day break mid-post. I've got to stop doing that. Or stop mentioning it, so people won't notice. Anyway, music. Now, this song was released as a single, being the sixth single off the album. Holy hell. The only other album which I can think of that did that off the top of my head was Wolfmother's first album, and that was bloody fantastic. Now, I read some reviews of this song on Wikipedia (one stop shop for the lazy researcher) and they seem to put a hell of a lot of thought behind the lyrics. Now, this brings a very important issue to the surface. You can assign meaning to literally any set of lyrics. I mean, theoretically, I could review a Butterfingers or Funkoars album (both fantastic groups with questionable lyrics) and talk about how their lyrics are a clever parody on the over-sexulisation of society. But I would be stretching the hell out of a thin premise. Really, unless a lyric is meaningful on its own, why would you bother assigning meaning to it? I admit, I'm sure there are songs which are my personal favourites, which I am sure I give more meaning to than they may deserve, but I at least try to think about what they are trying to convey. Now, White Shadows.This is one Coldplay song I am not very familiar with, especially for a single release. As this was released as a single, I'm going to look at the lyrics which may have been seen as meaningful. Throughout this song, Coldplay repeatedly refer to a "system"that they are part of. One reviewer wrote that this reflects on their style, seeming to reflect a much grander sense. Frankly, this band's music is extraordinary, being on a scale only a few musicians can meet with.I will never deny that of them. The "system" sounds like it fits in perfectly with the style of music. I do, however, draw the line at the review which claims that lyric is a reference to Capitalism. I don't doubt that politics is mentioned in music,and that Coldplay are somewhat political, but I don't see them portraying the "system" as good or bad, so why would you bother mentioning something political if you aren't going to make a point about it? This is the first song of the album which really uses BOT style lyrics (look at the Day One post if you don't understand the phrase). Some lines are pleasantly descriptive, but come out of nowhere without context. Another thing to clarify: I am not necessarily looking of narrative in the lyrics of these songs, nor am I necessarily looking for poetry, rhyme, emotion or clarity, but I am looking for something which justifies the success of Coldplay. Now, I've been told by some people that I look too much into lyrics, but I also have met people who look into lyrics much more than I do, so I think my judgement is, while not entirely comprehensive, it is reasonable.
All in all, this song was missing much of the grand music I like Coldplay for,but the lyrics were improved. Just to shake things up a bit:
76/100
4. Fix You
This is the second single off the album, and one of the songs I am very familiar with. Although this song is a return to form musically from White Shadows, the lyrics do not maintain the brief flash of poetry. I have two problems with this song. Firstly, the emotions. This is the saddest of the Coldplay songs I can think of off the top of my head, and I don't approve, personally. I think the one thing that Coldplay can put into their songs is a sense of size: songs which seem much larger than the individuals playing the music or those listening to it. I don't know if you would call that an emotion, but it fills the place emotion normally would in other music for me. Although the song keeps the majority of this sense of size, adding sadness makes this song seem much too human. The whole appeal of Coldplay's music to me is that is something almost magical, beyond human emotion. Anyway, that's a minor complaint, but the other is slightly larger. This problem is that the entire premise of this song seems to be "there is something wrong with you.". Now, it is more than possible that I am understanding this song in a way no-one else has because I am missing something. But the very concept of "fixing" implies something is broken. The very first line, for example is "When you try your best, but you don't succeed". Trying hard but not succeeding is not proof that something is "wrong" or "broken" with you. It is a normal part of life. To re-emphasise, I may be taking the music completely wrong, but that is just the message I keep getting from it. Which is a pretty crap message, all in all.
Ho-hum.
75/100
5. Talk
Dear god, we're only at track five? Damn. Anyway, lyrically, this is my favourite so far. Firstly, though, this is the third single off the album. To give some perspective on the amount of singles: there are six singles from an album with 12 (non-hidden) tracks. So, half of the songs on this album were released as singles. Anyway, content. This song is pleasantly simple in its lyrics.Why can't they do this more often. The core theme of the lyrics is just about a person who feels uncertain of the future. Bravo, Coldplay! It took you until halfway through the album to work out that good lyrics are based around very simple concepts! Do you know why? Because people are much more likely to emphasise with a song which represents problems they are dealing with! So...bloody...simple! Besides the lyrics touching on the issue of sibling inferiority complexes, there is not really anything else to say.
It wasn't that bad now, was it Coldplay?
85/100
6. X&Y
I want to talk about a particular topic, but first, this song. Amazingly, not released as a single. This song has unusually goo vocals for Coldplay. Normally they just exist, but this time I think they really meld well with the music. The main theme of the lyrics is "trying to fix something". This is vague, but far too vague. I think the concept was make it simple so more people can relate, but it ends up lacking in meaning for being just too vague. Not bad, musically, but the lyrics just really do nothing for me. Anyway, the thing that has always confused me is naming a song off an album the same thing as the album itself, but not releasing that song as a single. Several bands have done it, most notably (for me, anyway) the Herd, with the song Future Shade off the album Future Shade. All is does is makes the song very hard to google and just makes the entire concept rather forgettable, especially if the song is particularly good and you only associate it with the album. This isn't done that often. but I still don't quite know what they are going for with it.
Among the best music and vocals of the album, but the lyrics bring it down like a Coldplay branded lead weight.
75/100
7. Speed Of Sound
This is the very first Coldplay song I ever heard, not actually by Coldplay, but being covered by...another...artist (cough...most definitely not from a Weird Al Polka compilation...cough, cough). Now this is the first single off the album, and it is not difficult to see why. This is probably the most famous Coldplay song out there. Although the first Coldplay song I heard that I actually associated with them (and still my favourite of their songs) was Violet Hill (which is off their next album), but to put it in perspective, Speed Of Sound is the only Coldplay song located on my Singstar games (and I own a depressingly large amount. The PS2 is the superior console to the "present generation" consoles!). Now, after reading the reviews from publications placed on Wikipedia, I have one comment which I truly agree with, and one which is utter (what's an underused British term?...ah!) chunder. Now, the good comment is that this song is formulaic. Yes. Yes it is. As is every single Coldplay song I have ever heard. I imagine the only Coldplay song which is not formulaic is the very first one, which developed the formula. Luckily for Coldplay, this is not a bad thing, as not many other bands are making the same kind of music, so they will probably always have a place in people's music libraries as long as they keep producing songs. The comment I do not agree with is that the lyrics to this song are "cryptic". Read: "Lazy". Although these lyrics may hold a meaning deep down, I am honestly not interested enough to spelunk them.These could be anything from an argument to oppose Capitalism, but it also could be just as much an argument for the international use of Esperanto. I don't bloody know, but much more importantly, I don't care.
Looking at these lyrics, this song certainly does hold a place in a Weird Al song...not that I am familiar with such things (cough, cough).
75/100
8. A Message
This song is about telling someone that you love them, but phrase in the most round about way possible. Really, unless they actually didn't use the word "love" or any similar terms, it is impossible to beat around the bush any more without completely changing the subject of the song to "procrastinating about telling someone you love them". This song epitomises Coldplay at their most average. Not good, but decent. Not bad, but forgettable. Just so very meh.
I wonder if it is possible to make an entire song using only the word love or other words containing the word love without it being comedic?
75/100
9. Low
Another not single, the music for this one is very slightly above average. Now, the lyrics for this are very interesting, almost like a parody of Fix You, where everything is going to alright. Now some of my favourite lines:
"You think you'll never get it right. But you're wrong. You might."
Not "you will" or "You'll be alright" (for rhyme's sake). The most uncommitted line in human history, in a non-parody song.
"But all you ever wanted is love. But you never looked hard enough."
Yeah, that's right. It's your own fault that you never fell in love. You clearly never wanted it hard enough!
"But you mean more, mean more to me, than any colour I can see."
Do I really have to comment on that one? Nothing says affection like saying someone is superior to your favourite shade of off-white.
Yeah, I don't have any constructive criticism here. Sometimes I just like making fun of stupid lyrics. So deal with it.
What is it with Coldplay and names that everyone else uses in song titles?
75/100
10. The Hardest Part
This song is very interesting because of what it reminds me of, but I'll talk about that in a bit. Firstly, lyrics. Now, there are a couple of lines which are open to interpretation, but I'm going to talk about the theme which appealed the most to me, which was the concept of not getting involved ("But the hardest part, was letting go, not taking part"). This is interesting to me because the vast majority of music is about taking chances, leaping at opportunity. It is very refreshing to hear a song about just not doing anything about something (and not in a whiny "Damn, I missed out on something" way (a la You're Beautiful by James Blunt)). The music is very interesting both because it is somewhat out of the usual Coldplay mould and because of who it reminds me of. Apparently it takes inspiration from R.E.M, and I'm sure that if I was more familiar with that particular group, I'd be smacking my forehead in recognition, but as is, this style of music (not the vocals, though) rings very similar to Paul Kelly. I was unfamiliar to this particular musician until I got my hands on "Before Too Long", which was a three CD set, two CD's being of musicians covering his songs, and one CD of the original tracks. I can't put my finger on a particular tune this is reminiscent of, but it certainly sounds like something straight out of his repertoire. The other artist this reminds me of for several reasons is Megan Washington. Now, the first thing to say is that the music really does not resemble hers in any way (if anyone was reading this, I wouldn't want confused comments I'd have to deal with). Three things tie Washington to this song. Firstly, she also released a song called The Hardest Part, which is my favourite of her songs (tied with I Believe You Liar). Secondly, the fact that she did several covers during that Kelly concert, most notably In The Middle Of The Air. I will say no more on that song, but just google it. By anybody, really. Tripod did a good job of it. Thirdly, the lyrical theme. Washington has released some very interesting songs, and I think a song about letting things go by and living without regrets would fit perfectly on a Washington album.
My hands and ears are getting sore by this point.
75/100
11. Swallowed In The Sea
Another truly fantastic song musically and above average vocally, but before I say anything else I have one statement to make:
"Line" does not rhyme with "I". No. They do not. Never have. Never will. Forget it. Drop the entire verse if you must, but don't try to pull that shit.
Now, this is another song which has no narrative or emotion to speak of, but it is made up of interesting poetic metaphors (as opposed to those no-nonsense metaphors). The best, which I originally wrote of as stupid and weird is:
"And I could write a song, a hundred miles long,"
Now, I first thought that was a really weird lyric, until I realised it perfectly sums up what I've been trying to describe about Coldplay's style of music. Everything is large, long, high, "embiggened" (if you'll please excuse me using a rather cromulent word). It perfectly sums up Coldplay's music and I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who can see it.
Not much else to say, regarding lyrics.
75/100
12. Twisted Logic
It is not a positive sign when a group releases a song about technological development and how the human race is just going in circles and I don't see anything worth discussing in the lyrics. Really, the lyrics are pretty upfront. I enjoy that. There is nothing overly wrong with album filler just being really simple. Anyway, The music is decent, the vocals are a bit sub-par, but, again, album-filler. Not really worth talking about (but, to be fair, since when has that stopped me?)
I think I'm getting stuck in a rut here.
75/100
13. 'Til Kingdom Come
Super secret track! This song is like if John Butler Trio, Paul Kelly, Megan Washington and the Finn brothers did a song together. Please note the complete lack of Coldplay in that description, and for a reason. I would never have picked this as Coldplay, and I think that is both a good way to end the album and good content for a secret track: something that you would never do normally. A decent song lyrically about doing anything for someone.
No comment.
75/100
Well, that cup of lukewarm water ended up being slightly more refreshing than I expected, but just about as hard to write about. Over 3000 words is pretty good, considering I didn't Yahtzee nearly as much as I expected I would.
P.S. I always try to spellcheck these posts, but if you have come across a very strange error, it could be because on this new laptop I'm using, the shift and up buttons are exactly the same size and right next to each other. Thus, often when I wish to capitalise something, I end up writing in the middle of a previous sentence. I imagine I'll get used to it.
H. Rourke
I honestly feel I could sum up the album like this:
It's not bad, just unsatisfying. The music is great, the vocals are passable and the lyrics are stupid.
75/100
Good day.
But clearly that would be far too sensible. OK, so X&Y was the third release by the band Coldplay, and is almost certainly the most popular album I have reviewed. This worries me. It might end up with someone actually reading the blog! The fact this album is from 2005 and has been followed up by two more albums (both of which I possess, incidentally) lessens this fear to a degree, but I don't plan on making extremely popular albums a forte of mine. Give me completely obscure any day of the week. Anyway, let us push on:
1. Square One
A fitting title for the first song. I'm going to warn you now. I'm going to be going off on some random rants throughout this review, some of which have nothing to do with the album (or Yahtzeeing a review, as I like to call it) just because it is so friggin' samey. Take my comment of the music, vocals and bloody lyrics and place that in the briefs for each song unless I say otherwise. The music Coldplay makes is absolutely fantastic, and is what keeps me coming back every time. The vocals are the definition of meh, but the lyrics...I have never seen that many half formed, poorly thought out metaphors and similes in my life, and I did high school poetry like the rest of the world. The lyric website I use (actually, I just use whatever comes up first on Google) described one line as [incomprehensible]. That sums it up pretty well. The song is about living life (I think). Normally, I'll use the (I think) to describe instruments, because I cannot pick individual instruments for shit, but with Coldplay, I need to use it on the lyrics, because I have no idea what the hell they are trying to say. They mention a compass, a map, ice, a catapult... those four words randomly listed makes a hell of a lot more sense than the song itself does.
It's going to be one of those reviews, isn't it?
75/100
2. What If?
The fifth single off the album. Yeah. This is just another song about "What? You're leaving me? I can be better!" (I think). Now, continuing on my spiel about lyrics. I'm aware that another group with oft questionable lyrics, The Cat Empire, normally gets a pass from me just because of good music. This plays a part, but the main thing is that The Cat Empire don't focus on their lyrics, more on their music and vocals, which move at an extraordinary rate. Coldplay makes very good music, but they focus on their lyrics very much, enunciating clearly and making a point of saying the lyrics like they were Ginsbergian poetry. IT FUCKING ISN'T. There is a line in this song, which sounds a little sensical when you hear it at first:
"You know that darkness always turns into light."
First thought is, of course "just because things look hard now..." and so on, but then you notice the previous line is "Take a breath, we'll jump over the side."
These two things are not related. You cannot make them related. They are very different concepts. And they most certainly do not rhyme, in any sense of the word.
...
75/100
3. White Shadow
Sorry, just took a four day break mid-post. I've got to stop doing that. Or stop mentioning it, so people won't notice. Anyway, music. Now, this song was released as a single, being the sixth single off the album. Holy hell. The only other album which I can think of that did that off the top of my head was Wolfmother's first album, and that was bloody fantastic. Now, I read some reviews of this song on Wikipedia (one stop shop for the lazy researcher) and they seem to put a hell of a lot of thought behind the lyrics. Now, this brings a very important issue to the surface. You can assign meaning to literally any set of lyrics. I mean, theoretically, I could review a Butterfingers or Funkoars album (both fantastic groups with questionable lyrics) and talk about how their lyrics are a clever parody on the over-sexulisation of society. But I would be stretching the hell out of a thin premise. Really, unless a lyric is meaningful on its own, why would you bother assigning meaning to it? I admit, I'm sure there are songs which are my personal favourites, which I am sure I give more meaning to than they may deserve, but I at least try to think about what they are trying to convey. Now, White Shadows.This is one Coldplay song I am not very familiar with, especially for a single release. As this was released as a single, I'm going to look at the lyrics which may have been seen as meaningful. Throughout this song, Coldplay repeatedly refer to a "system"that they are part of. One reviewer wrote that this reflects on their style, seeming to reflect a much grander sense. Frankly, this band's music is extraordinary, being on a scale only a few musicians can meet with.I will never deny that of them. The "system" sounds like it fits in perfectly with the style of music. I do, however, draw the line at the review which claims that lyric is a reference to Capitalism. I don't doubt that politics is mentioned in music,and that Coldplay are somewhat political, but I don't see them portraying the "system" as good or bad, so why would you bother mentioning something political if you aren't going to make a point about it? This is the first song of the album which really uses BOT style lyrics (look at the Day One post if you don't understand the phrase). Some lines are pleasantly descriptive, but come out of nowhere without context. Another thing to clarify: I am not necessarily looking of narrative in the lyrics of these songs, nor am I necessarily looking for poetry, rhyme, emotion or clarity, but I am looking for something which justifies the success of Coldplay. Now, I've been told by some people that I look too much into lyrics, but I also have met people who look into lyrics much more than I do, so I think my judgement is, while not entirely comprehensive, it is reasonable.
All in all, this song was missing much of the grand music I like Coldplay for,but the lyrics were improved. Just to shake things up a bit:
76/100
4. Fix You
This is the second single off the album, and one of the songs I am very familiar with. Although this song is a return to form musically from White Shadows, the lyrics do not maintain the brief flash of poetry. I have two problems with this song. Firstly, the emotions. This is the saddest of the Coldplay songs I can think of off the top of my head, and I don't approve, personally. I think the one thing that Coldplay can put into their songs is a sense of size: songs which seem much larger than the individuals playing the music or those listening to it. I don't know if you would call that an emotion, but it fills the place emotion normally would in other music for me. Although the song keeps the majority of this sense of size, adding sadness makes this song seem much too human. The whole appeal of Coldplay's music to me is that is something almost magical, beyond human emotion. Anyway, that's a minor complaint, but the other is slightly larger. This problem is that the entire premise of this song seems to be "there is something wrong with you.". Now, it is more than possible that I am understanding this song in a way no-one else has because I am missing something. But the very concept of "fixing" implies something is broken. The very first line, for example is "When you try your best, but you don't succeed". Trying hard but not succeeding is not proof that something is "wrong" or "broken" with you. It is a normal part of life. To re-emphasise, I may be taking the music completely wrong, but that is just the message I keep getting from it. Which is a pretty crap message, all in all.
Ho-hum.
75/100
5. Talk
Dear god, we're only at track five? Damn. Anyway, lyrically, this is my favourite so far. Firstly, though, this is the third single off the album. To give some perspective on the amount of singles: there are six singles from an album with 12 (non-hidden) tracks. So, half of the songs on this album were released as singles. Anyway, content. This song is pleasantly simple in its lyrics.Why can't they do this more often. The core theme of the lyrics is just about a person who feels uncertain of the future. Bravo, Coldplay! It took you until halfway through the album to work out that good lyrics are based around very simple concepts! Do you know why? Because people are much more likely to emphasise with a song which represents problems they are dealing with! So...bloody...simple! Besides the lyrics touching on the issue of sibling inferiority complexes, there is not really anything else to say.
It wasn't that bad now, was it Coldplay?
85/100
6. X&Y
I want to talk about a particular topic, but first, this song. Amazingly, not released as a single. This song has unusually goo vocals for Coldplay. Normally they just exist, but this time I think they really meld well with the music. The main theme of the lyrics is "trying to fix something". This is vague, but far too vague. I think the concept was make it simple so more people can relate, but it ends up lacking in meaning for being just too vague. Not bad, musically, but the lyrics just really do nothing for me. Anyway, the thing that has always confused me is naming a song off an album the same thing as the album itself, but not releasing that song as a single. Several bands have done it, most notably (for me, anyway) the Herd, with the song Future Shade off the album Future Shade. All is does is makes the song very hard to google and just makes the entire concept rather forgettable, especially if the song is particularly good and you only associate it with the album. This isn't done that often. but I still don't quite know what they are going for with it.
Among the best music and vocals of the album, but the lyrics bring it down like a Coldplay branded lead weight.
75/100
7. Speed Of Sound
This is the very first Coldplay song I ever heard, not actually by Coldplay, but being covered by...another...artist (cough...most definitely not from a Weird Al Polka compilation...cough, cough). Now this is the first single off the album, and it is not difficult to see why. This is probably the most famous Coldplay song out there. Although the first Coldplay song I heard that I actually associated with them (and still my favourite of their songs) was Violet Hill (which is off their next album), but to put it in perspective, Speed Of Sound is the only Coldplay song located on my Singstar games (and I own a depressingly large amount. The PS2 is the superior console to the "present generation" consoles!). Now, after reading the reviews from publications placed on Wikipedia, I have one comment which I truly agree with, and one which is utter (what's an underused British term?...ah!) chunder. Now, the good comment is that this song is formulaic. Yes. Yes it is. As is every single Coldplay song I have ever heard. I imagine the only Coldplay song which is not formulaic is the very first one, which developed the formula. Luckily for Coldplay, this is not a bad thing, as not many other bands are making the same kind of music, so they will probably always have a place in people's music libraries as long as they keep producing songs. The comment I do not agree with is that the lyrics to this song are "cryptic". Read: "Lazy". Although these lyrics may hold a meaning deep down, I am honestly not interested enough to spelunk them.These could be anything from an argument to oppose Capitalism, but it also could be just as much an argument for the international use of Esperanto. I don't bloody know, but much more importantly, I don't care.
Looking at these lyrics, this song certainly does hold a place in a Weird Al song...not that I am familiar with such things (cough, cough).
75/100
8. A Message
This song is about telling someone that you love them, but phrase in the most round about way possible. Really, unless they actually didn't use the word "love" or any similar terms, it is impossible to beat around the bush any more without completely changing the subject of the song to "procrastinating about telling someone you love them". This song epitomises Coldplay at their most average. Not good, but decent. Not bad, but forgettable. Just so very meh.
I wonder if it is possible to make an entire song using only the word love or other words containing the word love without it being comedic?
75/100
9. Low
Another not single, the music for this one is very slightly above average. Now, the lyrics for this are very interesting, almost like a parody of Fix You, where everything is going to alright. Now some of my favourite lines:
"You think you'll never get it right. But you're wrong. You might."
Not "you will" or "You'll be alright" (for rhyme's sake). The most uncommitted line in human history, in a non-parody song.
"But all you ever wanted is love. But you never looked hard enough."
Yeah, that's right. It's your own fault that you never fell in love. You clearly never wanted it hard enough!
"But you mean more, mean more to me, than any colour I can see."
Do I really have to comment on that one? Nothing says affection like saying someone is superior to your favourite shade of off-white.
Yeah, I don't have any constructive criticism here. Sometimes I just like making fun of stupid lyrics. So deal with it.
What is it with Coldplay and names that everyone else uses in song titles?
75/100
10. The Hardest Part
This song is very interesting because of what it reminds me of, but I'll talk about that in a bit. Firstly, lyrics. Now, there are a couple of lines which are open to interpretation, but I'm going to talk about the theme which appealed the most to me, which was the concept of not getting involved ("But the hardest part, was letting go, not taking part"). This is interesting to me because the vast majority of music is about taking chances, leaping at opportunity. It is very refreshing to hear a song about just not doing anything about something (and not in a whiny "Damn, I missed out on something" way (a la You're Beautiful by James Blunt)). The music is very interesting both because it is somewhat out of the usual Coldplay mould and because of who it reminds me of. Apparently it takes inspiration from R.E.M, and I'm sure that if I was more familiar with that particular group, I'd be smacking my forehead in recognition, but as is, this style of music (not the vocals, though) rings very similar to Paul Kelly. I was unfamiliar to this particular musician until I got my hands on "Before Too Long", which was a three CD set, two CD's being of musicians covering his songs, and one CD of the original tracks. I can't put my finger on a particular tune this is reminiscent of, but it certainly sounds like something straight out of his repertoire. The other artist this reminds me of for several reasons is Megan Washington. Now, the first thing to say is that the music really does not resemble hers in any way (if anyone was reading this, I wouldn't want confused comments I'd have to deal with). Three things tie Washington to this song. Firstly, she also released a song called The Hardest Part, which is my favourite of her songs (tied with I Believe You Liar). Secondly, the fact that she did several covers during that Kelly concert, most notably In The Middle Of The Air. I will say no more on that song, but just google it. By anybody, really. Tripod did a good job of it. Thirdly, the lyrical theme. Washington has released some very interesting songs, and I think a song about letting things go by and living without regrets would fit perfectly on a Washington album.
My hands and ears are getting sore by this point.
75/100
11. Swallowed In The Sea
Another truly fantastic song musically and above average vocally, but before I say anything else I have one statement to make:
"Line" does not rhyme with "I". No. They do not. Never have. Never will. Forget it. Drop the entire verse if you must, but don't try to pull that shit.
Now, this is another song which has no narrative or emotion to speak of, but it is made up of interesting poetic metaphors (as opposed to those no-nonsense metaphors). The best, which I originally wrote of as stupid and weird is:
"And I could write a song, a hundred miles long,"
Now, I first thought that was a really weird lyric, until I realised it perfectly sums up what I've been trying to describe about Coldplay's style of music. Everything is large, long, high, "embiggened" (if you'll please excuse me using a rather cromulent word). It perfectly sums up Coldplay's music and I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who can see it.
Not much else to say, regarding lyrics.
75/100
12. Twisted Logic
It is not a positive sign when a group releases a song about technological development and how the human race is just going in circles and I don't see anything worth discussing in the lyrics. Really, the lyrics are pretty upfront. I enjoy that. There is nothing overly wrong with album filler just being really simple. Anyway, The music is decent, the vocals are a bit sub-par, but, again, album-filler. Not really worth talking about (but, to be fair, since when has that stopped me?)
I think I'm getting stuck in a rut here.
75/100
13. 'Til Kingdom Come
Super secret track! This song is like if John Butler Trio, Paul Kelly, Megan Washington and the Finn brothers did a song together. Please note the complete lack of Coldplay in that description, and for a reason. I would never have picked this as Coldplay, and I think that is both a good way to end the album and good content for a secret track: something that you would never do normally. A decent song lyrically about doing anything for someone.
No comment.
75/100
Well, that cup of lukewarm water ended up being slightly more refreshing than I expected, but just about as hard to write about. Over 3000 words is pretty good, considering I didn't Yahtzee nearly as much as I expected I would.
P.S. I always try to spellcheck these posts, but if you have come across a very strange error, it could be because on this new laptop I'm using, the shift and up buttons are exactly the same size and right next to each other. Thus, often when I wish to capitalise something, I end up writing in the middle of a previous sentence. I imagine I'll get used to it.
H. Rourke
Thursday, 5 April 2012
St. Elsewhere
Well, since my last review, I've been spending too much time online and too little time doing everything else. So, to make up for that, I'm going to spend more time online.
Tonight, I'm going to talk about (as the title may have suggested) the album St. Elsewhere, by Gnarls Barkley. Gnarls Barkley is a duo formed by Cee-Lo Green (who has done some phenomenal work) and Danger Mouse (who I am unfamiliar with). They have released two albums to date, this being the first and the only one I've heard. It was released in 2006.
I picked this album up in either December or February and have only listened to it two or three times, which I shall remedy by trying desperately to explain in to a reading audience (ie., myself).
1. Go-Go Gadget Gospel
Firstly, it is a bad sign when the very first sound on this album (an old movie reel sound) instantly reminds you of the Escapist Magazine plug before a video. I honestly expect Yahtzee to start talking as soon as the song begins. Now, this song is all but an intro. It's just a short song which gives you a taste of how the album is going to play out. Bloody hell, it works. This song is fast paced yet controlled (in contrast to The Cat Empire, which is rarely controlled) and shows off the vocal talent of Cee-Lo Green. Now, unless you've been living under a stone for the last two or so years, you've probably heard the song "Fuck You" (or for the more "sensitive", the toned down "Forget You". I understand perfectly why the title and principle lyric was changed, but I still think it takes a hell of a lot of the impact away from the meaning of the song). This song was possibly the most famous example of Cee-Lo Green's vocal abilities, if you want some point of reference. Now, the one thing that irritates me about this song is the length. This beat and style could and, more importantly, should be a much longer song. Actually looking at the run down of the length of all the songs, this is only a few seconds shorter than most of the songs, if not longer. I don't know why it seems so short when it isn't, but I doubt it was on purpose. The beat is fantastic, the vocals set the perfect expectation for what the album is going to be like and although I can't take any direct meaning out of the lyrics, they work perfectly for Green's vocal style and setting the enthusiastic and slightly eclectic tone for the album to come.
Also, I loved the cartoon Inspector Gadget as a kid, if that relates to anything. Even if it doesn't, I've been wanting to say that all day.
82/100
2. Crazy
Well, I can't accuse Gnarls Barkley of pulling any punches. They bring out the big guns straight away. Crazy is how I was introduced to the group, hearing the song on a lazy Saturday airing of Video Hits (you are missed, VH. Please come home!), but missing the name of the group. I found out the name of the group about two years later, and have loved them ever since. If any possible readers haven't realised by now, this review is not going to be another "Day One", but me fawning over a brilliant musical product. And you're not reading anyway, so what do I care? Anyway, Crazy. Well, this song is going to go for a while, so I may as well start with the negatives. Sorry, negative. The only thing that strikes me about this song is how Cee-Lo Green is not at his vocal best, but that is far from saying he is bad in this song. Now, fan-boy time. Firstly, the music. The beat is great, forming a simple, repetitive line for Green's vocals to form around. The subtle use of violins (I think) is also to be applauded. Now, the lyrics. At the end of the previous song, I mentioned "enthusiastic and near eclectic tone of the album". This song is lyrically proving that I am full of absolute bull. This song is about as depressing as you can get without being sad. Now, listen to this lyric:
"Ever since I was little, it looked like fun."
Happy, right? It is in reference to people bravely giving their lives for a cause. That line is followed soon after by:
"And I can die when I'm done."
Perhaps these two lines are the most grim, but I must say that the song is a very interesting look as exclusion and mortality, seeing exclusion the fault of perception and intelligence and mortality something that is far less serious than normally taken. This is my opinion anyway. Looking at an interview during which the album was discussed, I couldn't find anything other than "trying to screw with people" as the motivation for this and many other songs. So, it looks like everyone who will ever read this post (ie. myself) is going going to have to live with my interpretation of the lyrics alone. Also, the music video is perfect, balancing artsy without being boring and entertaining without being stupid.
The best song Gnarls Barkley has ever done. Bar nothing.
96/100
3. St. Elsewhere
OK, what I'm doing with this review that I've never done before is listening through the entire song whilst reading the lyrics to get a better understanding of what the song is about before going on a random rant about something I may or may not have actually heard. After saying that, I'd like to talk about the lyrics of this song before any other elements. Now, despite the very heavy atmosphere created by this song, one thing just comes to mind instantly. Now, I don't play many computer games, half due to having Linux on my main computer and a craptastic laptop. The three games I have are Rise of Nations, the original X-Com and Minecraft. Minecraft is what I normally play when I want to listen to an album, but don't feel it can hold my attention alone for half an hour. Anyway, there are some songs which I absolutely swear are designed to be listened to whilst playing Minecraft. The Rockafeller Skank by Fatboy Slim, Future Shade (the song, not the album) by The Herd and A Distant Shore by Ozi Batla are all in this category in my mind. Some for their lyrics or atmosphere, others for no discernible reason. St. Elsewhere is absolutely the perfect song for trying to live on an island with everything trying to kill you. The lyrics aren't as explicit as those in Crazy, but I feel that combined with the strange haunting music in the background, this song is clearly about escape and loneliness, both of which the "character" in the song is simultaneously terrified of and desperate to maintain. The use of a "saint" who is declared absent in his name alone shows the abandonment the character feels, perhaps not in a sense of belief or religion, but in a person or group which they felt they could always find, perhaps a death or actual abandonment. The music, as mentioned, is haunting and creates a great atmosphere, akin to a boat moving through thick fog, but trades off beat for atmosphere, losing the fantastic simple beat that was so good in the previous song.
A strange, but not bad song.
84/100
4. Gone Daddy Gone
Apparently, this is a song originally by The Violent Femmes, but since (as previously done with Fatboy Slim's cover of The Joker on Palookaville) I am unfamiliar with the song from any other artist, I'll judge both the song and the presentation. Firstly, the beat and vocals are great. I think this is the first song so far where I thought more of Danger Mouse's role than Green's. The vocals are at their best, strong and emotional. The lyrics, however, are the let down. "Happy lovey" should cover it pretty well. Meh. Just meh. Also, I think this is the first time I've mentioned the music video in a negative light. The theme is a group of bugs attempting to climb a woman's leg. The style and premise irritate me, as well as the overall execution. Just listen to the thing, don't watch it.
I really should listen to the original to judge if it got better or worse in the hands of Gnarls Barkley...but that involves a slight amount of effort. Surprisingly, one of the singles from the album.
75/100
5. Smiley Faces
Once again, I'm going to look at lyrics first. The overarching themes of the song are resilience and happiness, and finding the secret to sustaining both. That is pretty simple. What I keep coming back to is the title. Now, if you wanted to do a song about genuinely happy people, you'd call it "Smiling Faces", but Gnarls Barkley didn't. They called it "Smiley Faces". Y'now, :] (I just did one of the three things I swore never to do on this blog. If I start giving regaling people with the "cutest things" my household pets do (something made even more worrisome by the fact I own no pets (I call the mice and cockroaches "vacuum cleaners" rather than pets)), please stop reading this. For my own good. Actually, I think everyone started doing that already.) Now, someone as a "Smiling Face" is a hell of a lot different to calling someone a "Smiley Face", which is a false, simplified reference to actual happiness. So, in the end, I have to think this song is more about the concept of happiness, rather than being actually happy. Moving on, this is actually the second single from the album, and I can't say I disagree. The vocals are pleasant, the music is still great, except for one thing. I don't know why it irritates me so, but I can only describe it as "the meows of space cats". I'm not going to deny both sleep deprivation and possible insanity, but it makes more sense when listening to the song. Sort of.
A good song overall, but a little bit forgettable.
86/100
6. The Boogie Monster
I have not even listened to the song yet, but unless it is the next "Fifty in Five", I'm still going to give this name a good bagging out..........OK. Well, does everyone remember that one line that basically ruined the entire Cat Empire album for me? The one I published last week and unless the site has been reconfigured should be a short scroll up? No? Well, god-damn read it! Done? No? Sigh. Anyway, there is one of those lines in this song. The basic premise is the old "Holy shit, a monster!", eventually culminating in the mandatory "I was the monster?!" (so basically "Planet of the Apes" for those "mature" among the readers, but basically the twist at the end of 50% of "Goosebumps" books, for those with the same mental age as myself). This is stupid, but passable. What is a song killr for me is literally the very last line in the song:
"The only thing that could bring it alive, woman, is some good, good head."
I'll let that sink in....
Now, if the only association with Cee-Lo Green is the song "Fuck/Forget You", this might seem like something he does in a lot of songs. It is not. It is stupid. I understand this song is camp and silly, but a line like that is not good. I am awae that both the members of Gnarls Barkley have hip-hop backgrounds, and in hip-hop, an occasional sexual throwaway is fine. When you're making music that is far more "soul" than "hip-hop", you need to learn to grow the hell up! People (such as myself) are attempting to find a meaning to your music, and all you give us is a "joke" about oral sex? What the hell is wrong with you? I want to re-emphasise: I understand the song is silly and an odd thing in the album, but this line has no place in this album. Full stop. Anyway, the vocals for the chorus are amazing, and I figured all of the song would be like that, but the verses are sung in a way that is both idiotic and irritating. It took me a while to remember what it reminded me of, but I eventually pinned it down: The Salmon Dance by The Chemical Brothers. It's not a terrible song, but it is not the sort of thing I would like to be drawing parallels with Gnarls Barkley. The music does manage to fit the song however, overblown and camp.
Sigh.
56/100
7. Feng Shui
Okay, we're back with half decent music. Now, Feng Suei is what I have to call "easy hip-hop". Although a lot of people claim Australian hip-hop is watered down, this song show it better, but it is certainly not worse for it. I think the actual song has a message about belief and order, but I truly don't think that it is meant to be over-analysed (which, sadly, is one of my fortes). The lyrics are fantastic and as soon as it becomes clear that the vocals are meant to be in a hip-hop fashion, it meshes well with the rest of the song. The music is restrained, but the only thing that I could think is how this song just screams to be the theme for a television show. the one that instantly came to mind was a book called the Feng Shui detective I'd read a couple of years ago. I can really imagine that. I don't know who would play the detective, but I think that Molly Quinn (Castle's daughter from Castle) would be great as his assistant. Considering WIN is now airing a show called "Marry My Boy", where mothers plead desperately for young women to marry their sons (I think), I might have a chance with this show...
Oh, right. I was talking about a song there, wasn't I? Creative, and well pulled off. Interestingly, the shortest song on the album at only 1:26
87/100
8. Just A Thought
OK, well this song is just begging to be analysed. For this song, I completely refuse to take "just screwing around" as an acceptable excuse for this particular tune, due to the fact there is just so much it explores. The main theme is contemplation of suicide. That is the "Thought" in the title, the main theme of the music video (which I think does accentuate the song very nicely) and is a very interesting theme. The way the song approaches it is fascinating. It is not in the "Life is pain" style, or a story of a character killing themselves. It is a look at the human psyche. It is a look at the thought of suicide, without any kind of plan to enact it. There is not a human being alive who has not contemplated suicide. Not necessarily thought about committing it, but something as simple as the logistics: "Would the beams in the roof hold if...?" or "I wonder if 30 of these tablets...?". There is nothing to be ashamed of about it. It is natural human thought. The line at the very end of the song confirms this:
"But I'm fine."
This shows that the "character" in the song has not actually committed suicide, nor is he mentally unstable. He's just an average Joe thinking of suicide in a very basic fashion. The other issue brought up is human aggression, talking about being an animal and questioning what to do with aggression, which is a very closely tied point to suicide. "I'm angry...but who with?". I honestly can't remember who said it, but someone once said that some of the most spite filled writings they had ever read were suicide notes, which makes perfect sense. Haven't you ever thought: "If I died, that'd show 'em!". The logic here is capable of holding up little but air, but for many people caught in a passionate rage, it makes perfect sense, and writing a suicide note with bile on your tongue is a natural association. Now, the rest of the song. Well. The vocals are Ok and the lyrics are excellent. That;s all that needs to be said right? That's everything that makes up a song? Lyrics and vocals? Well, I'm done.....fine. The music is horrid. It sounds like the music is repeatedly running into a metal door in an attempt to get away. The music is jerky, loud, harsh and completely unpleasant. I understand how it fits with the mood of the song, but I still dislike it.
Perhaps just read the lyrics. Don't listen to the music.
89/100
9. Transformer
This song sucks. There is not much to say about this. The music sounds like it's trying to achieve the speed of sound and the entire song is basically Green playing around with all the functions on the voice modifications. I'm not learned on the "Transformers" franchise, so the best I can do in analysing this song is to think of the classic condition of "I can completely change at the drop of a hat. I just don't want to", where people think they only are who they are to get through day to day life. This is great for maintaining sanity, I must say. Listening to this song is not.
The only good line is :
"A Microchip off the old block".
But its still not worth listening to.
58/100
10. Who Cares?
Well, it looks like Green worked out those pesky voice modulators, but man did he work them out well. Who Cares? is the final single off the album, and it certainly deserves to be. I would definitely have to place this just underneath Crazy as the second best song off the album. Firstly, lyrics. The overarching theme, if you haven't quite gotten it yet, is the concept of sanity. This is explored through many ways throughout the album. Just A Thought and Crazy being an exploration of the "character" in the song's worries that he may have an unstable grasp on reality and his own sanity, while Transformers and The Boogie Monster are attempts to make the listener question their own sanity, in having purchased this album. Who Cares? does talk a little bit about apathy as the name suggests, but I think it is more about the concept of normality. The line:
"I'm afraid 'cause I have no fear."
shows just how much people worry about being anything outside the norm, even when the change is a positive on. The other major point this song explores (or I will make it explore) is personality. The line:
"But I'll be at least 2 people today"
is a comment on how we act as different people around people. You may be loud and boisterous around family, calm and quiet around friends and aggressive around strangers, although some traits shine through all of these. Anyway, the music and vocals are absolutely astounding, truly taking the cake and showing that even bad tracks have a silver lining, if it helps artists achieve these kinds of songs.
Although the sample of "But who cares?" breaks immersion in the song a little bit, it does change the pace a little. Personally, I would have dropped it.
93/100
11. Online
The title of this song has two meanings explored in the song. The first is obviously Internet, shown in the line:
"I'm with everybody, but I'm still alone."
If I need to go into that line any more, I will lose a lot of respect for my audience (Yeah, yeah, like I have an audience). The second meaning is in regard to boundaries, as in "line in the sand". "Online" is a metaphor for on the edge of your comfort zone, doing what is uncomfortable, forcing you to stand on your self imposed boundaries. Very interesting. The vocals are very interesting, with a strange haunting sample used in the background. The music is a little too separated from the theme of the song, but that is a very small complaint.
The song seems remarkable short. I wonder why? There must have been much more to discuss in relation to the topic. For god's sake, this was the first album to become a UK number 1 based on downloads alone (making it the most popular album I've ever reviewed on this blog). This surely means it appealed to internet users.
84/100
12. Necromancer
OK..............................................................................................................I quote from the song:
"It's naughty, very naughty necrophilia"
..................I can do this. This week I managed to convince someone that a song about arson and drugs was actually a metaphor for a parliamentary double-dissolution. So... this song is...clearly a metaphor....for....possessiveness? Challenging societal norms? Our death focused society? I don't fucking know! This song I am more than willing to believe is part of the "just screwing with us" set of songs. I...really don't know what to make of these lyrics. I would greatly appreciate anyone looking up the lyrics (the music doesn't mean mush) and telling me what to make of this...if anything. OK, the vocals are fine and the sample of the organ in such a disturbing piece is a great move. The piano sample kept reminding me of an old Hilltop Hoods song, but that might just be me.
So......screwing corpses........how about that?......
66/100
13. Storm Coming
.................corpses? Wh- Oh, right, new song. Erm, there is little here. There are no clever metaphors that I can pick up, the music and vocals are pretty par for the course on this album: good, atmospheric but nothing extraordinary. Really nothing worth listening to.
To be fair to this song, I must admit that my Discman decided to give the song a unique dubstep remix at the end of the last verse. I may judge it unfairly because of this, but really, if it took that long to get good, should I really care?
69/100
14. The Last Time
This is a song about dancing. Yes, another. Everyone from David Bowie to Lady Gaga has done it, but I can't hold it against Gnarls Barkley for doing it themselves. There are no really clever metaphors or analogies or topics in the lyrics, so I'm going to go ahead and compare them to the music. The music gives the song a style of modern, brief, stylish hit single, while the lyrics seem to be more timeless, something that could outlast Gnarls Barkley. This is the first time I've noticed a real clash between music and lyrics, and for that to be only on the last track shows the strength of Gnarls Barkley. I don't think it subtracts from the song at all, but it is interesting. The vocals are terrific and this is overall a perfect song to finish off with. Many songs were better, but would have left the audience feeling a bit down. This is a pretty middle-of-the-road point to leave the listeners.
I mentioned on the first song the sound of an old movie reel starting up, and I truly adore the little touch of the sound of the same machine shutting down again at the end of this song. It's the little touches that really make certain albums last as long as they do.
87/100
St. Elsewhere is a fantastic album. It has a few stinkers, but so do all the greatest albums. Some things really could have done with an explanation...or could have been left out completely, but overall, it works fine. The best thing about this entire album is not its lyrics, which are great, but more its ability to establish atmosphere better than friggin' Stephen King.
Well happy Easter to the Christians out there (and a happy "The day we got him" to everyone else).
H. Rourke
Tonight, I'm going to talk about (as the title may have suggested) the album St. Elsewhere, by Gnarls Barkley. Gnarls Barkley is a duo formed by Cee-Lo Green (who has done some phenomenal work) and Danger Mouse (who I am unfamiliar with). They have released two albums to date, this being the first and the only one I've heard. It was released in 2006.
I picked this album up in either December or February and have only listened to it two or three times, which I shall remedy by trying desperately to explain in to a reading audience (ie., myself).
1. Go-Go Gadget Gospel
Firstly, it is a bad sign when the very first sound on this album (an old movie reel sound) instantly reminds you of the Escapist Magazine plug before a video. I honestly expect Yahtzee to start talking as soon as the song begins. Now, this song is all but an intro. It's just a short song which gives you a taste of how the album is going to play out. Bloody hell, it works. This song is fast paced yet controlled (in contrast to The Cat Empire, which is rarely controlled) and shows off the vocal talent of Cee-Lo Green. Now, unless you've been living under a stone for the last two or so years, you've probably heard the song "Fuck You" (or for the more "sensitive", the toned down "Forget You". I understand perfectly why the title and principle lyric was changed, but I still think it takes a hell of a lot of the impact away from the meaning of the song). This song was possibly the most famous example of Cee-Lo Green's vocal abilities, if you want some point of reference. Now, the one thing that irritates me about this song is the length. This beat and style could and, more importantly, should be a much longer song. Actually looking at the run down of the length of all the songs, this is only a few seconds shorter than most of the songs, if not longer. I don't know why it seems so short when it isn't, but I doubt it was on purpose. The beat is fantastic, the vocals set the perfect expectation for what the album is going to be like and although I can't take any direct meaning out of the lyrics, they work perfectly for Green's vocal style and setting the enthusiastic and slightly eclectic tone for the album to come.
Also, I loved the cartoon Inspector Gadget as a kid, if that relates to anything. Even if it doesn't, I've been wanting to say that all day.
82/100
2. Crazy
Well, I can't accuse Gnarls Barkley of pulling any punches. They bring out the big guns straight away. Crazy is how I was introduced to the group, hearing the song on a lazy Saturday airing of Video Hits (you are missed, VH. Please come home!), but missing the name of the group. I found out the name of the group about two years later, and have loved them ever since. If any possible readers haven't realised by now, this review is not going to be another "Day One", but me fawning over a brilliant musical product. And you're not reading anyway, so what do I care? Anyway, Crazy. Well, this song is going to go for a while, so I may as well start with the negatives. Sorry, negative. The only thing that strikes me about this song is how Cee-Lo Green is not at his vocal best, but that is far from saying he is bad in this song. Now, fan-boy time. Firstly, the music. The beat is great, forming a simple, repetitive line for Green's vocals to form around. The subtle use of violins (I think) is also to be applauded. Now, the lyrics. At the end of the previous song, I mentioned "enthusiastic and near eclectic tone of the album". This song is lyrically proving that I am full of absolute bull. This song is about as depressing as you can get without being sad. Now, listen to this lyric:
"Ever since I was little, it looked like fun."
Happy, right? It is in reference to people bravely giving their lives for a cause. That line is followed soon after by:
"And I can die when I'm done."
Perhaps these two lines are the most grim, but I must say that the song is a very interesting look as exclusion and mortality, seeing exclusion the fault of perception and intelligence and mortality something that is far less serious than normally taken. This is my opinion anyway. Looking at an interview during which the album was discussed, I couldn't find anything other than "trying to screw with people" as the motivation for this and many other songs. So, it looks like everyone who will ever read this post (ie. myself) is going going to have to live with my interpretation of the lyrics alone. Also, the music video is perfect, balancing artsy without being boring and entertaining without being stupid.
The best song Gnarls Barkley has ever done. Bar nothing.
96/100
3. St. Elsewhere
OK, what I'm doing with this review that I've never done before is listening through the entire song whilst reading the lyrics to get a better understanding of what the song is about before going on a random rant about something I may or may not have actually heard. After saying that, I'd like to talk about the lyrics of this song before any other elements. Now, despite the very heavy atmosphere created by this song, one thing just comes to mind instantly. Now, I don't play many computer games, half due to having Linux on my main computer and a craptastic laptop. The three games I have are Rise of Nations, the original X-Com and Minecraft. Minecraft is what I normally play when I want to listen to an album, but don't feel it can hold my attention alone for half an hour. Anyway, there are some songs which I absolutely swear are designed to be listened to whilst playing Minecraft. The Rockafeller Skank by Fatboy Slim, Future Shade (the song, not the album) by The Herd and A Distant Shore by Ozi Batla are all in this category in my mind. Some for their lyrics or atmosphere, others for no discernible reason. St. Elsewhere is absolutely the perfect song for trying to live on an island with everything trying to kill you. The lyrics aren't as explicit as those in Crazy, but I feel that combined with the strange haunting music in the background, this song is clearly about escape and loneliness, both of which the "character" in the song is simultaneously terrified of and desperate to maintain. The use of a "saint" who is declared absent in his name alone shows the abandonment the character feels, perhaps not in a sense of belief or religion, but in a person or group which they felt they could always find, perhaps a death or actual abandonment. The music, as mentioned, is haunting and creates a great atmosphere, akin to a boat moving through thick fog, but trades off beat for atmosphere, losing the fantastic simple beat that was so good in the previous song.
A strange, but not bad song.
84/100
4. Gone Daddy Gone
Apparently, this is a song originally by The Violent Femmes, but since (as previously done with Fatboy Slim's cover of The Joker on Palookaville) I am unfamiliar with the song from any other artist, I'll judge both the song and the presentation. Firstly, the beat and vocals are great. I think this is the first song so far where I thought more of Danger Mouse's role than Green's. The vocals are at their best, strong and emotional. The lyrics, however, are the let down. "Happy lovey" should cover it pretty well. Meh. Just meh. Also, I think this is the first time I've mentioned the music video in a negative light. The theme is a group of bugs attempting to climb a woman's leg. The style and premise irritate me, as well as the overall execution. Just listen to the thing, don't watch it.
I really should listen to the original to judge if it got better or worse in the hands of Gnarls Barkley...but that involves a slight amount of effort. Surprisingly, one of the singles from the album.
75/100
5. Smiley Faces
Once again, I'm going to look at lyrics first. The overarching themes of the song are resilience and happiness, and finding the secret to sustaining both. That is pretty simple. What I keep coming back to is the title. Now, if you wanted to do a song about genuinely happy people, you'd call it "Smiling Faces", but Gnarls Barkley didn't. They called it "Smiley Faces". Y'now, :] (I just did one of the three things I swore never to do on this blog. If I start giving regaling people with the "cutest things" my household pets do (something made even more worrisome by the fact I own no pets (I call the mice and cockroaches "vacuum cleaners" rather than pets)), please stop reading this. For my own good. Actually, I think everyone started doing that already.) Now, someone as a "Smiling Face" is a hell of a lot different to calling someone a "Smiley Face", which is a false, simplified reference to actual happiness. So, in the end, I have to think this song is more about the concept of happiness, rather than being actually happy. Moving on, this is actually the second single from the album, and I can't say I disagree. The vocals are pleasant, the music is still great, except for one thing. I don't know why it irritates me so, but I can only describe it as "the meows of space cats". I'm not going to deny both sleep deprivation and possible insanity, but it makes more sense when listening to the song. Sort of.
A good song overall, but a little bit forgettable.
86/100
6. The Boogie Monster
I have not even listened to the song yet, but unless it is the next "Fifty in Five", I'm still going to give this name a good bagging out..........OK. Well, does everyone remember that one line that basically ruined the entire Cat Empire album for me? The one I published last week and unless the site has been reconfigured should be a short scroll up? No? Well, god-damn read it! Done? No? Sigh. Anyway, there is one of those lines in this song. The basic premise is the old "Holy shit, a monster!", eventually culminating in the mandatory "I was the monster?!" (so basically "Planet of the Apes" for those "mature" among the readers, but basically the twist at the end of 50% of "Goosebumps" books, for those with the same mental age as myself). This is stupid, but passable. What is a song killr for me is literally the very last line in the song:
"The only thing that could bring it alive, woman, is some good, good head."
I'll let that sink in....
Now, if the only association with Cee-Lo Green is the song "Fuck/Forget You", this might seem like something he does in a lot of songs. It is not. It is stupid. I understand this song is camp and silly, but a line like that is not good. I am awae that both the members of Gnarls Barkley have hip-hop backgrounds, and in hip-hop, an occasional sexual throwaway is fine. When you're making music that is far more "soul" than "hip-hop", you need to learn to grow the hell up! People (such as myself) are attempting to find a meaning to your music, and all you give us is a "joke" about oral sex? What the hell is wrong with you? I want to re-emphasise: I understand the song is silly and an odd thing in the album, but this line has no place in this album. Full stop. Anyway, the vocals for the chorus are amazing, and I figured all of the song would be like that, but the verses are sung in a way that is both idiotic and irritating. It took me a while to remember what it reminded me of, but I eventually pinned it down: The Salmon Dance by The Chemical Brothers. It's not a terrible song, but it is not the sort of thing I would like to be drawing parallels with Gnarls Barkley. The music does manage to fit the song however, overblown and camp.
Sigh.
56/100
7. Feng Shui
Okay, we're back with half decent music. Now, Feng Suei is what I have to call "easy hip-hop". Although a lot of people claim Australian hip-hop is watered down, this song show it better, but it is certainly not worse for it. I think the actual song has a message about belief and order, but I truly don't think that it is meant to be over-analysed (which, sadly, is one of my fortes). The lyrics are fantastic and as soon as it becomes clear that the vocals are meant to be in a hip-hop fashion, it meshes well with the rest of the song. The music is restrained, but the only thing that I could think is how this song just screams to be the theme for a television show. the one that instantly came to mind was a book called the Feng Shui detective I'd read a couple of years ago. I can really imagine that. I don't know who would play the detective, but I think that Molly Quinn (Castle's daughter from Castle) would be great as his assistant. Considering WIN is now airing a show called "Marry My Boy", where mothers plead desperately for young women to marry their sons (I think), I might have a chance with this show...
Oh, right. I was talking about a song there, wasn't I? Creative, and well pulled off. Interestingly, the shortest song on the album at only 1:26
87/100
8. Just A Thought
OK, well this song is just begging to be analysed. For this song, I completely refuse to take "just screwing around" as an acceptable excuse for this particular tune, due to the fact there is just so much it explores. The main theme is contemplation of suicide. That is the "Thought" in the title, the main theme of the music video (which I think does accentuate the song very nicely) and is a very interesting theme. The way the song approaches it is fascinating. It is not in the "Life is pain" style, or a story of a character killing themselves. It is a look at the human psyche. It is a look at the thought of suicide, without any kind of plan to enact it. There is not a human being alive who has not contemplated suicide. Not necessarily thought about committing it, but something as simple as the logistics: "Would the beams in the roof hold if...?" or "I wonder if 30 of these tablets...?". There is nothing to be ashamed of about it. It is natural human thought. The line at the very end of the song confirms this:
"But I'm fine."
This shows that the "character" in the song has not actually committed suicide, nor is he mentally unstable. He's just an average Joe thinking of suicide in a very basic fashion. The other issue brought up is human aggression, talking about being an animal and questioning what to do with aggression, which is a very closely tied point to suicide. "I'm angry...but who with?". I honestly can't remember who said it, but someone once said that some of the most spite filled writings they had ever read were suicide notes, which makes perfect sense. Haven't you ever thought: "If I died, that'd show 'em!". The logic here is capable of holding up little but air, but for many people caught in a passionate rage, it makes perfect sense, and writing a suicide note with bile on your tongue is a natural association. Now, the rest of the song. Well. The vocals are Ok and the lyrics are excellent. That;s all that needs to be said right? That's everything that makes up a song? Lyrics and vocals? Well, I'm done.....fine. The music is horrid. It sounds like the music is repeatedly running into a metal door in an attempt to get away. The music is jerky, loud, harsh and completely unpleasant. I understand how it fits with the mood of the song, but I still dislike it.
Perhaps just read the lyrics. Don't listen to the music.
89/100
9. Transformer
This song sucks. There is not much to say about this. The music sounds like it's trying to achieve the speed of sound and the entire song is basically Green playing around with all the functions on the voice modifications. I'm not learned on the "Transformers" franchise, so the best I can do in analysing this song is to think of the classic condition of "I can completely change at the drop of a hat. I just don't want to", where people think they only are who they are to get through day to day life. This is great for maintaining sanity, I must say. Listening to this song is not.
The only good line is :
"A Microchip off the old block".
But its still not worth listening to.
58/100
10. Who Cares?
Well, it looks like Green worked out those pesky voice modulators, but man did he work them out well. Who Cares? is the final single off the album, and it certainly deserves to be. I would definitely have to place this just underneath Crazy as the second best song off the album. Firstly, lyrics. The overarching theme, if you haven't quite gotten it yet, is the concept of sanity. This is explored through many ways throughout the album. Just A Thought and Crazy being an exploration of the "character" in the song's worries that he may have an unstable grasp on reality and his own sanity, while Transformers and The Boogie Monster are attempts to make the listener question their own sanity, in having purchased this album. Who Cares? does talk a little bit about apathy as the name suggests, but I think it is more about the concept of normality. The line:
"I'm afraid 'cause I have no fear."
shows just how much people worry about being anything outside the norm, even when the change is a positive on. The other major point this song explores (or I will make it explore) is personality. The line:
"But I'll be at least 2 people today"
is a comment on how we act as different people around people. You may be loud and boisterous around family, calm and quiet around friends and aggressive around strangers, although some traits shine through all of these. Anyway, the music and vocals are absolutely astounding, truly taking the cake and showing that even bad tracks have a silver lining, if it helps artists achieve these kinds of songs.
Although the sample of "But who cares?" breaks immersion in the song a little bit, it does change the pace a little. Personally, I would have dropped it.
93/100
11. Online
The title of this song has two meanings explored in the song. The first is obviously Internet, shown in the line:
"I'm with everybody, but I'm still alone."
If I need to go into that line any more, I will lose a lot of respect for my audience (Yeah, yeah, like I have an audience). The second meaning is in regard to boundaries, as in "line in the sand". "Online" is a metaphor for on the edge of your comfort zone, doing what is uncomfortable, forcing you to stand on your self imposed boundaries. Very interesting. The vocals are very interesting, with a strange haunting sample used in the background. The music is a little too separated from the theme of the song, but that is a very small complaint.
The song seems remarkable short. I wonder why? There must have been much more to discuss in relation to the topic. For god's sake, this was the first album to become a UK number 1 based on downloads alone (making it the most popular album I've ever reviewed on this blog). This surely means it appealed to internet users.
84/100
12. Necromancer
OK..............................................................................................................I quote from the song:
"It's naughty, very naughty necrophilia"
..................I can do this. This week I managed to convince someone that a song about arson and drugs was actually a metaphor for a parliamentary double-dissolution. So... this song is...clearly a metaphor....for....possessiveness? Challenging societal norms? Our death focused society? I don't fucking know! This song I am more than willing to believe is part of the "just screwing with us" set of songs. I...really don't know what to make of these lyrics. I would greatly appreciate anyone looking up the lyrics (the music doesn't mean mush) and telling me what to make of this...if anything. OK, the vocals are fine and the sample of the organ in such a disturbing piece is a great move. The piano sample kept reminding me of an old Hilltop Hoods song, but that might just be me.
So......screwing corpses........how about that?......
66/100
13. Storm Coming
.................corpses? Wh- Oh, right, new song. Erm, there is little here. There are no clever metaphors that I can pick up, the music and vocals are pretty par for the course on this album: good, atmospheric but nothing extraordinary. Really nothing worth listening to.
To be fair to this song, I must admit that my Discman decided to give the song a unique dubstep remix at the end of the last verse. I may judge it unfairly because of this, but really, if it took that long to get good, should I really care?
69/100
14. The Last Time
This is a song about dancing. Yes, another. Everyone from David Bowie to Lady Gaga has done it, but I can't hold it against Gnarls Barkley for doing it themselves. There are no really clever metaphors or analogies or topics in the lyrics, so I'm going to go ahead and compare them to the music. The music gives the song a style of modern, brief, stylish hit single, while the lyrics seem to be more timeless, something that could outlast Gnarls Barkley. This is the first time I've noticed a real clash between music and lyrics, and for that to be only on the last track shows the strength of Gnarls Barkley. I don't think it subtracts from the song at all, but it is interesting. The vocals are terrific and this is overall a perfect song to finish off with. Many songs were better, but would have left the audience feeling a bit down. This is a pretty middle-of-the-road point to leave the listeners.
I mentioned on the first song the sound of an old movie reel starting up, and I truly adore the little touch of the sound of the same machine shutting down again at the end of this song. It's the little touches that really make certain albums last as long as they do.
87/100
St. Elsewhere is a fantastic album. It has a few stinkers, but so do all the greatest albums. Some things really could have done with an explanation...or could have been left out completely, but overall, it works fine. The best thing about this entire album is not its lyrics, which are great, but more its ability to establish atmosphere better than friggin' Stephen King.
Well happy Easter to the Christians out there (and a happy "The day we got him" to everyone else).
H. Rourke
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