...and we're back.
Song #1: "First Down" by Fatboy Slim (Better Living Through Chemistry, 1996, Track 8)
Fuck. Well, when I first started the 3 Songs posts, I decided I'd skip instrumental pieces, mainly due to the system I use for marking (music, vocals and lyrics), as only the first would apply to them. The thing is, my most successful review to date has been of a Fatboy Slim album, and I somehow managed to get that to work. If you haven't quite noticed yet, the written word is not the best way to describe the instrumental aspect of music, especially for me. Whoa boy.
Well, "First Down" is an incredibly simple track, but also goes for over six minutes. This is not a good combination. Ever. There is no reason for any kind of instrumental track to go for that friggin' long, and any track of any genre, lyrics or no, better have more than enough to fill that kind of time. Now, this song has drums. A lot of different drums throughout, but not in an overblow way. The drums are a quiet accompaniment at the beginning, as if the song wants to sneak up on you, but just can't quite stop itself from doing something loud. The drums slowly build for about a minute, before being silenced by the implementation of another instrument. I'm afraid I can't name it, but it sounds big and stringed. This is supposed to be a big stop and start moment, but the fact that the drums were hardly loud or even slightly intrusive really loses a lot of this affect. The trumpet is introduced next, which does a good job of classing the song up and really adding some body to the song, as without it the entire track would just be even duller. Around the 3:30 mark, the drums die down and the tune completely changes, becoming a hell of a lot more techno, but keeping that same incredibly slow build pace which bores me to no end. It gets faster and faster, with at least some kind of climax to the build, as some kind of instrument explosion takes place, but I really wish that something a lot more Fatboy happened. I would put nothing past him, but this track makes me feel he had no idea what he was doing. Finally, at the end of the song, the instruments all begin to blend together, creating this disgustingly out of beat meld which melts away to nothing. Now, I understand this was Slim's first album and "First Down" was not a single but really?
Song #2: "Knights Of Cydonia" by Muse (Black Holes And Revelations, 2006, Track 11)
Quick foreword: I've never actually heard a Muse album in my life. This track is taken of the Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time (which I have already done an entire review of), so please remember I'm not overly versed in the music of Muse.
Musically, this song excels. A fantastic, over-the-top sound which sounds like almost nothing else I've ever heard. The music is also clearly the main reason for the songs existence as the lyrics, which I'll get to soon, are nothing really worth noting. I must say that this song has the constant feeling of motion. This may be due to the lyrics, but I feel it is mostly the doing of the music. Despite fluctuating use of instruments, there is a constant, driving drum beat which just seems to be showing the band moving on horseback or by train, heading across a vast emptiness. Very interesting, and certainly worth listening to.
Vocally, the song is fine. Matthew Bellamy does a fine job, inserting the only "human" aspect of the song. Unlike a lot of music I listen to, this song musically sounds very manufactured. Luckily, this fits in rather well with how Muse seems to make their music, so no harm is done. If the vocals had been auto-tuned or put through some other process, I somewhat feel a lot would have been lost in the entire experience, and I personally would have found the song unlistenable in that situation. It would have ended up something akin to the most recent offerings by the Black Eyed Peas. The vocals also seem to be somewhat mournful. I'll discuss how this works with the lyrics in a moment, but it really seems to clash with the musical style presented throughout this song. Muse seems to treat the vocals as just another instrument, when I really feel more could have been done with them.
The lyrics are rather short, and as previously discussed that doesn't automatically make the song lyrically bad (see my Gomez rant), but it doesn't really give any good tidings (see my "You're Lookin' Fine" rant). The lyrics, in short, are epic. I don't mean this in an "it's awesome" way, more in an "overwhelmingly large" way. The music of course adds to this, but the lyrics certainly complete the image, claiming of meetings with Gods and Kings. Overall, I feel the song is about revolution, changing everything. The problem is that Muse doesn't make it clear what they're referring to. With ambiguous songs, especially those which even remotely touch on politics, I look at two things. Can they be perceived to promote the political far left? and Can they be perceived to promote the political far right? The answer to both these questions is yes, so I feel this is just too vague a song to be treated with respect, at least lyrically.
Song #3: "Mysterious Ways" by U2 (Achtung Baby, 1991, Track 8)
Had a good little "All-Brit" thing going again and, of course, I need the only Irish band on my playlist to show up. Honestly, U2 has never grabbed me as much as some people, but I hardly feel they deserve anywhere the criticism they receive from the other end of the spectrum. They're pretty meh rock, but they have decent lyrics, and if you haven't noticed from everything I've written, that's a pretty damn big draw for me. I only have three U2 albums (All That You Can't Leave Behind, Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree), and Achtung Baby is the only one on the MP3 player presently, but I plan on tracking some more down. Now for "Mysterious Ways":
Musically, this song is OK. I mean that in a good way. The previous two songs have had problems from two different ends of the spectrum: One aimed too low and one aimed a little too high, leaving two songs which lacked in different areas. This tune tries to keep it simple, throwing in something new where they feel it is appropriate and will fit in with the rest of the song. I do, truly, respect being aware of your own limitations, as so very many musicians set goals which leave them with a piece of work they aren't happy with. There's some pretty good guitar, decent drum work, but nothing outstanding. Not bad, but not a real standout.
In regards to vocals, Bono does a very good job. Really, to have song released in '91 by a band formed in '76, you'd really be hoping for some mature, well-managed, well-timed vocals, and Bono does not disappoint. He manages to convey enough passion to show a personal involvement in the song, but not enough to make the song feel too sentimental or pained.
Now, lyrics are where this song is the strongest. to date, this may be the most main-stream song I've looked at on a 3 Songs, as even fucking Wikipedia had a lyrical breakdown. As with U2 in general, I don't see any particular "genius" in the lyrics. They are certainly good, I don't claim otherwise, but lack the intense symbolic and emotional depth many people seem to be giving it. Perhaps I'm just narrow-minded, or jaded, or just used to a different kind of song. Perhaps people just have really low standards (and who could blame them?) in regards to meaning in song lyrics. I've only had a quick glimpse of what people think the song means, and that has given me more than any other song on a 3 Songs so far, so here goes. Basically the song is told from the view of an omnipresent narrator, involved in the story by urging the main character, Johnny, to action, mostly relating to his "sister". Now, clearly there is a lot of symbolism here, but still a lot less than I feel the song is granted as having. firstly, the concept of the "sister". The sister, to me, symbolises all women, with possibly a religious undertone. There is also a large amount of symbolism with other aspects of the world related to the sister (such as rain, the moon and the sky in general). These clearly attribute more power and influence to the sister than can possibly be accurate, without her being a deity. This is most likely a discussion of how men idolise women. I like this, as it isn't a message you see in music that much, as much of modern music objectifies or demeans women (whether idolising women leads to their objectification is a debate for another day, and most likely another site altogether. In fact, probably best argued offline).An interesting message, and interesting delivery.
Winners:
First Category: Music:
Muse wins this one. I'm aware I complimented U2's music quite heavily, but I respect a group that aims for the stars and all but gets there just as much as keeping to what you do best. And Muse was kind of incredible in that song. Fatboy Slim's song just sucked. Hard. It won't be getting anything here. U2 are the runners up.
Second Category: Vocals:
Trickier, but far from hard. Although Bellamy does get across a great degree of emotion, it really doesn't fit with the mood of the song. U2 wins, Muse are the runners-up.
Third Category: Lyrics:
U2. They actually seem to have thought of the lyrics as something other than a last-minute part of the song, and although it is somewhat difficult to interpret the exact meaning, I am of no doubt there actually is one, rather than a vague semi-political call to arms that Muse offers. Muse still the runners up.
Overall:
1. "Mysterious Ways" by U2
2. "Knights Of Cydonia" by Muse
3. "First Down" by Fatboy Slim
That was disturbingly easy. I have no idea if that will be fun to read, but that was the fucking easiest comparison I've ever made. The hardest part was attempting to come up with a reason a song might have even had a shot at one of the categories. Just...pathetic, really.
H. Rourke
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