Well, the magic of "A Thousand Lives" as stated before is that it doesn't have a message. Normally when The Herd don't have a message in their music, they go batshit crazy, trying new things which normally don't work. This song is rather different. They use their skills in both rap and instrumental music as well as their ability to weave an interesting and enthralling world through lyrics to tell the story of a member of The Herd. I'm not going to analyse this song, but I recommend you go listen to it. Worst case scenario, you give it a few hits on Youtube. You're not wasting money or anything.
After "A Thousand Lives" this album suffers a terrible problem: none of the other tracks stand out. I'm not sure if this is a strength or weakness of the album, but it certainly makes it difficult to review. Sadly, I think the rest of this review is going to have to be a general overview.
Actually, one song that stands out to me is the title track, "Future Shade", which is to date the only song I've heard in English about the Arab Spring. I admire The Herd greatly for just basically spending a song complimenting change. It's nothing groundbreaking or a new concept, but I'm glad to see that The Herd is able to react positively to a political action which follows their policies. Listening to too much of their music can leave people thinking they'll never be happy, but this song is The Herd going out of their way to say otherwise.
The rest of the album is a mix between personal anecdotes, many of them tragic, fictitious tales with morals and others which lack the story and focus more on passing on a message, more like the previous work of The Herd.
Honestly, there isn't that much to say about this album which it can't say by itself. It's a change, a revelation and a fantastic piece of music. There is little more I can say.
The album I'll discuss either tomorrow or next weekend (schedule rules presently) is an album by a solo British artist. Can anyone guess it?
H. Rourke
Saturday, 28 July 2012
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Stumblin' Home
I will continue (if not conclude) my albums list over the weekend, but I wish to make just a quick observation. It feels nice waiting for actual inspiration to write something rather than just making cookie-cutter articles.
Now, over the past two evenings, I've been playing around with StumbleUpon, or however the hell it's written. Now, I have no problem with the site. I doubt I'm using it how it's meant to be used, by just clicking every interest and going with it, but I've come across several things I'd like to comment upon.
Firstly, SoundCloud. On paper, it's a brilliant idea. Like Youtube without the visuals, allowing lovers of music and sound to have a site all to themselves, in which to listen and comment. The "comment" is where I have my problem. I'm aware there are a million and one ways to fix this problem (from go into the settings and turn it off (I presume), to turning off my monitor, to just shutting my eyes), but I still feel it's an irritating aspect of the site. That problem is the fact that every redneck from Canberra to Caledonia can put their opinion directly on the video. WHY? Did someone think "We should make this like Facebook, except the people writing comments have no idea who you are?" or some other vaguely popular site? To be perfectly honest, I'm not on Facebook or Twitter or any site more social than this one (with that one comment I'm still so proud of), so perhaps the majority of web-goers enjoy having people with no spelling or grammatical ability placing vague, uninformative comments on music (well, readers of this blog clearly show they just might). The worst part, possibly, is the fact these comments are placed at specific points in the song. How am I supposed to know if the comment "ben folds iz a nob" is in relation to his entire career, this song only, or this specific piano solo? More importantly, it encourages people to comment on parts of the song before the song has even finished.
I'm more than aware I do a little too much research into my song reviews (especially "3 Songs") and I can expect everyone to wish to do research on the back-catalogue of the artist, the song's background and context, subtle lyrical hints and other such considerations but (and I want this phrase to stick out)
Now, over the past two evenings, I've been playing around with StumbleUpon, or however the hell it's written. Now, I have no problem with the site. I doubt I'm using it how it's meant to be used, by just clicking every interest and going with it, but I've come across several things I'd like to comment upon.
Firstly, SoundCloud. On paper, it's a brilliant idea. Like Youtube without the visuals, allowing lovers of music and sound to have a site all to themselves, in which to listen and comment. The "comment" is where I have my problem. I'm aware there are a million and one ways to fix this problem (from go into the settings and turn it off (I presume), to turning off my monitor, to just shutting my eyes), but I still feel it's an irritating aspect of the site. That problem is the fact that every redneck from Canberra to Caledonia can put their opinion directly on the video. WHY? Did someone think "We should make this like Facebook, except the people writing comments have no idea who you are?" or some other vaguely popular site? To be perfectly honest, I'm not on Facebook or Twitter or any site more social than this one (with that one comment I'm still so proud of), so perhaps the majority of web-goers enjoy having people with no spelling or grammatical ability placing vague, uninformative comments on music (well, readers of this blog clearly show they just might). The worst part, possibly, is the fact these comments are placed at specific points in the song. How am I supposed to know if the comment "ben folds iz a nob" is in relation to his entire career, this song only, or this specific piano solo? More importantly, it encourages people to comment on parts of the song before the song has even finished.
I'm more than aware I do a little too much research into my song reviews (especially "3 Songs") and I can expect everyone to wish to do research on the back-catalogue of the artist, the song's background and context, subtle lyrical hints and other such considerations but (and I want this phrase to stick out)
If you have not heard the song, you don't have an opinion on it.
This is not to say that the "reviewer" has a bad opinion of the song, or not one worth reading, but his/her opinion is not an opinion of the song, but rather an opinion of the portion of the song that they have heard.
Now, I'm sure that many people on the site listen to the song repeatedly and carefully spellcheck their well-written, insightful and unique review, but I am yet to read one of those. What most people are doing is just judging a song on a small part of it. To give an example, imagine if I went and reviewed every album due to come out over the next year on the title alone. Would that be insightful? Accurate? It would be incredibly entertaining, but that is somewhat beside the point. In the end, it would be like the people who think they know a genre based on only a few songs.
Moving away from SoundCloud, as I wish to do, this brings up a very important point regarding my own reviews. This is not to say I do vague reviews on work I'm only vaguely familiar with (as that goes without saying), but to address my generalising. Everyone does it, but like being an irritating prick, that is no excuse.
1. "American hip-hop is angry and materialistic"
2. "Metal is pointless noise without value"
3. "Mainstream music has less value than obscure music"
Firstly, these three statements are all false, at least as I'm aware. Secondly, I'm guilty of almost outright stating and generally believing these things. I'm aware none of these are all round accurate, and probably aren't true for even the majority, but they all have a little logic behind them, and although no-one has brought any of these points up to me (as no-one gives a shit) they are things I feel guilty for believing. The 2nd statement is more a matter of taste. I don't enjoy several elements common in Metal, such as obnoxiously loud music, screamed vocals and a sense of repetitiveness, but I honestly can see the appeal, to people who view music in a different manner.
1 & 3 actually have a lot in common. In regards to 3, my logic is that music that is widely enjoyed is often easily digestible, containing no actual value, but merely one factor that everyone can enjoy. Popular music like that normally has few redeeming factors for me, but can still produce a few goodies. The problem I have with some popular songs is that good groups that only have one really big song both spend the rest of their careers attempting to re-create that song and being judged for that one song. I don't like the goldfish memory of pop. What I do like is when an artist who manages to be so good everyone can enjoy them comes along, and allows a brief but memorable moment when I know the groups everyone is talking about. Then the goldfish memory kicks back in and they're gone.
In regards to 1, I refuse to accept that this in not true for a large number of songs. I've heard them, they exist. On the other hand, I know for a fact many American rappers can do and have done things unexpected and spectacular. However, my knowledge of American rap is limited to what is popular, and what is popular is what is expected, and what is expected is what I don't like. The reason I don't like American rap, and this is far more frank than I expected to be here, is that I don't like the people making the music. The entire goal of the industry seems to be attempting to have yourself seen as the most threatening, angry and violent individual available, and why would I want to listen to that person's music? Give me a popular rapper who is like able, humble, calm and good, and I'm sold.
Now, I've attacked and defended in this post, but there is a problem.In this post I've addressed three generalisations I've made that may offend some and reaffirm the fact I'm no music expert to others. The problem is that in this post alone I've probably made half a dozen assumptions more offensive and obnoxious than these three that I'll never notice. I'm sorry for that, and although I wish to be informed and even-handed in everything I do, I'm afraid I'm merely human. My deepest apologies.
H. Rourke
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Top 5 Albums: Part 4
As we approach the half-way point (soonish anyway) of this project, I want some feedback. Does anyone want more of this? I know I've always said this blog is for my own entertainment above all, and I stand by that, but if at least one person is enjoying this perspective of my favourite albums, which is far more personal than most of my reviews, I'd be more than happy to do more. Top artists, songs or even more of my top albums are all options. I'm not deluded enough to think anyone will respond to this, but I can still asking, as I'm aware at least a few people are glancing at these posts (thus why this plea is at the start of the post and not the bottom, as usual). Anyway, a return to the albums.
Asa prelude to this album, I must state that this is the most recent release of all of my albums on this list. The release years of the five in order are 09, 09, 11, 10, 10. I know this sounds unrealistic, five albums that are my greatest ever being released within 3 years, but that's just my opinion. Overall, I do call 2009 the greatest year of music, but I'm sure very few will agree with me. Well, last post I called Nirvana overrated, so why stop alienating people now? My next album is the fifth and most recent album of one of my all time favourites. Although none of my top three songs by this group is on this album, it's what led me to respect them as much as I do now, as it broke them out of the genre they had been placed in by society. The album?
Future Shade by The Herd (2011)
I'm aware many will consider this the second hip-hop album on my list, and from the reputation The Herd have, I'd understand that. But one thing must be made clear: This is not just a hip-hop album. Yes, there are two or three hip-hop tracks. That's to be expected from a group containing two well-known rappers. This album defies genre. And I fucking adore it for that. I love this album for exactly the same reason I dislike parts of the Hilltop Hoods' album. This is the perfect ammunition for any argument involving the Australian hip-hop genre. MC's can't do anything but rap? All hip-hop groups are the same? Hip-hop isn't art/music? I don't like the Herd? This single album will combat all of those statements. Of course, the exact same people will just re-phrase it to exclude The Herd. This album is one word: Organic. I can't explain it in words. Everything about this album screams the artists are doing exactly what they want to do. This is a celebration of a decade of freedom, living in a world they love, living a career they adore. I've heard solo albums by Ozi Batla, Unkle Ho & Urthboy (and would kill for Jane Tyrrell to release a solo album), and this album was so very clearly an artistic collision that ended with the best possible album. Previous albums had been clearly been dominated by hip-hop with the work of Unkle Ho being pushed to a corner, being released on the album, almost as if he had been making his own tracks while everyone else was doing their thing. This album solved this.
I don't know where to start with this. I suppose the music will be the starting point, and if anything else needs to be mentioned, so be it.
Looking at the track listing for this album, there are very few songs I want to isolate and discuss, and this is a sign of a fantastic album by my standards. A good album should not be a drawn out wait for that one song you like to play. That is not an album, but more a single with too many B-sides. This album is an experience, and I do not use the term lightly. This is the only album on this list I would use such a term with, even in regards to the other two albums on this list. They are fantastic, but they are mere collections of songs. This album is a single entity, and I feel that the singles are nowhere near capable of conveying that entity, which is unfortunate.
Let's begin at the beginning. Upon my first listening to this album I was honestly rather disappointed. I was expecting a fun, anger-fueled dig at Australia's problems. I hate that that was my first impression. Then the album ended and I listened to it again, aware that this was not Summerland. I had goosebumps all over me at that stage. This album is a revelation in my musical experience. Only one artist has ever completely remade their image like this, and they will be discussed later in this series. Spin Cycle is the first track, being about the political process. polling, advertising and propaganda. There is brilliant wordplay, humor, emotion and just an overall sense of desperation. This desperation, or perhaps frustration, is present throughout the album, It doesn't feel like the usual desperation you hear in music: desperation to sell, to stand out, to be different, to be like someone else, to be someone else or even just a desperation to be finished. These are not the kinds of desperation this album conveys. This album conveys an exhaustion with attempting to make change. The Herd had been releasing politically motivated, inspiring and critical music for an entire decade upon this album's release, and they had changed. Some might say they had lost their energy, and I'd understand how you could reach that conclusion, but I would never agree with it. I think The Herd have gotten the volatile emotions out of their system. The seemingly endless rage, the noise, the impulse to scream as loud as you can until someone hears you. These are all emotions which can be artfully articulated by the hip-hop genre, and that is how The Herd conveyed their thoughts until Future Shade. In Future Shade, it is clear they have evolved. The sounds are more sophisticated, the lyrics more intelligent and less upfront about what they are saying. The Herd learnt that the best way to convey a message is not to shout until people hear, but rather to draw the people near with beautiful sounds, only to explain what they feel when these people inquire. The Herd learnt subtlety. And this subtlety is exactly what I missed upon first listening. I was expecting what the Herd had always done: easily digestible noise, with a message neatly presented to all who happen to hear so much as a single one of their lyrics. I still enjoy this music, and it certainly has a place in the world, but there is plenty of it. Not much of it as good as The Herd, but still there is plenty out there. This album was The Herd realising that they needed to be different to attract an audience that had always felt alienated by their politics, anger and even just their genre. The album was as heartfelt as any before, but just less obvious. Anyway, Spin Cycle is a fantastic song, with the haunting backing vocals of Jane Tyrrell (please release a solo album. Please!), the clever wordplay and storytelling of the MC's and all to the fantastic sounds of the remaining Herd.
The next track on the album is my favourite by far, despite my inability to find a message in it. Although the song tells a fascinating story about the lives of several members of The Herd, this song is probably the closest you can find for a parallel to "Zug Zug" on this album. putting the music before all else. How the fuck this wasn't the lead single will always mystify me. "A Thousand Lives" is the name of this track, and I'll most certainly explore it more in depth in my next post.
This part of the album list is rather short, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to post next. My apologies.
As a final piece of information, today I alphabetised my album collection, and found that I have albums by only three artists that begin with the letter "H". I challenge any reader to guess the name of the one that does not appear on this album list.
All feedback welcome.
H. Rourke
Asa prelude to this album, I must state that this is the most recent release of all of my albums on this list. The release years of the five in order are 09, 09, 11, 10, 10. I know this sounds unrealistic, five albums that are my greatest ever being released within 3 years, but that's just my opinion. Overall, I do call 2009 the greatest year of music, but I'm sure very few will agree with me. Well, last post I called Nirvana overrated, so why stop alienating people now? My next album is the fifth and most recent album of one of my all time favourites. Although none of my top three songs by this group is on this album, it's what led me to respect them as much as I do now, as it broke them out of the genre they had been placed in by society. The album?
Future Shade by The Herd (2011)
I'm aware many will consider this the second hip-hop album on my list, and from the reputation The Herd have, I'd understand that. But one thing must be made clear: This is not just a hip-hop album. Yes, there are two or three hip-hop tracks. That's to be expected from a group containing two well-known rappers. This album defies genre. And I fucking adore it for that. I love this album for exactly the same reason I dislike parts of the Hilltop Hoods' album. This is the perfect ammunition for any argument involving the Australian hip-hop genre. MC's can't do anything but rap? All hip-hop groups are the same? Hip-hop isn't art/music? I don't like the Herd? This single album will combat all of those statements. Of course, the exact same people will just re-phrase it to exclude The Herd. This album is one word: Organic. I can't explain it in words. Everything about this album screams the artists are doing exactly what they want to do. This is a celebration of a decade of freedom, living in a world they love, living a career they adore. I've heard solo albums by Ozi Batla, Unkle Ho & Urthboy (and would kill for Jane Tyrrell to release a solo album), and this album was so very clearly an artistic collision that ended with the best possible album. Previous albums had been clearly been dominated by hip-hop with the work of Unkle Ho being pushed to a corner, being released on the album, almost as if he had been making his own tracks while everyone else was doing their thing. This album solved this.
I don't know where to start with this. I suppose the music will be the starting point, and if anything else needs to be mentioned, so be it.
Looking at the track listing for this album, there are very few songs I want to isolate and discuss, and this is a sign of a fantastic album by my standards. A good album should not be a drawn out wait for that one song you like to play. That is not an album, but more a single with too many B-sides. This album is an experience, and I do not use the term lightly. This is the only album on this list I would use such a term with, even in regards to the other two albums on this list. They are fantastic, but they are mere collections of songs. This album is a single entity, and I feel that the singles are nowhere near capable of conveying that entity, which is unfortunate.
Let's begin at the beginning. Upon my first listening to this album I was honestly rather disappointed. I was expecting a fun, anger-fueled dig at Australia's problems. I hate that that was my first impression. Then the album ended and I listened to it again, aware that this was not Summerland. I had goosebumps all over me at that stage. This album is a revelation in my musical experience. Only one artist has ever completely remade their image like this, and they will be discussed later in this series. Spin Cycle is the first track, being about the political process. polling, advertising and propaganda. There is brilliant wordplay, humor, emotion and just an overall sense of desperation. This desperation, or perhaps frustration, is present throughout the album, It doesn't feel like the usual desperation you hear in music: desperation to sell, to stand out, to be different, to be like someone else, to be someone else or even just a desperation to be finished. These are not the kinds of desperation this album conveys. This album conveys an exhaustion with attempting to make change. The Herd had been releasing politically motivated, inspiring and critical music for an entire decade upon this album's release, and they had changed. Some might say they had lost their energy, and I'd understand how you could reach that conclusion, but I would never agree with it. I think The Herd have gotten the volatile emotions out of their system. The seemingly endless rage, the noise, the impulse to scream as loud as you can until someone hears you. These are all emotions which can be artfully articulated by the hip-hop genre, and that is how The Herd conveyed their thoughts until Future Shade. In Future Shade, it is clear they have evolved. The sounds are more sophisticated, the lyrics more intelligent and less upfront about what they are saying. The Herd learnt that the best way to convey a message is not to shout until people hear, but rather to draw the people near with beautiful sounds, only to explain what they feel when these people inquire. The Herd learnt subtlety. And this subtlety is exactly what I missed upon first listening. I was expecting what the Herd had always done: easily digestible noise, with a message neatly presented to all who happen to hear so much as a single one of their lyrics. I still enjoy this music, and it certainly has a place in the world, but there is plenty of it. Not much of it as good as The Herd, but still there is plenty out there. This album was The Herd realising that they needed to be different to attract an audience that had always felt alienated by their politics, anger and even just their genre. The album was as heartfelt as any before, but just less obvious. Anyway, Spin Cycle is a fantastic song, with the haunting backing vocals of Jane Tyrrell (please release a solo album. Please!), the clever wordplay and storytelling of the MC's and all to the fantastic sounds of the remaining Herd.
The next track on the album is my favourite by far, despite my inability to find a message in it. Although the song tells a fascinating story about the lives of several members of The Herd, this song is probably the closest you can find for a parallel to "Zug Zug" on this album. putting the music before all else. How the fuck this wasn't the lead single will always mystify me. "A Thousand Lives" is the name of this track, and I'll most certainly explore it more in depth in my next post.
This part of the album list is rather short, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to post next. My apologies.
As a final piece of information, today I alphabetised my album collection, and found that I have albums by only three artists that begin with the letter "H". I challenge any reader to guess the name of the one that does not appear on this album list.
All feedback welcome.
H. Rourke
Saturday, 21 July 2012
Top 5 Albums: Part 3
Well, after my short rant about why "State Of The Art" sucks, perhaps I should explain myself a little. Unlike the previous album (for those who inexplicably started on my third entry, "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum by Kasabian), I know exactly why this album didn't make my original top five list. There are two reasons. The first I have discussed, but can basically be summed up by saying that the Hilltop Hoods insist on staples of their genre: party anthems and rage filled, somewhat sexist rambles and, above all, unoriginality. The other reason is that I love this album for a single track. This is partially true for Kasabian, but not nearly as much. When I put this CD in my discman, I always have to skip right to the last track first, then return for the rest (if I feel like it). Although the rest of the album doesn't hold up to the final track, that isn't to say it doesn't hold up in general.
As with the previous album, I'm just going to pick and choose tracks to discuss, with no set amount of discussion. Now, I've discussed the first track on this album, The Return, in one of my 3 Songs posts, so I'll skip that. After that, the next song which ha always sparked my fascination is the best seller off of this album, "Chase That Feeling", the third track.
Chase That Feeling was amongst the highest rotated songs on Triple J in 2009, and as a result, I feel I've fallen into a "Love it because it's just fucking everywhere" mentality (which is almost identical to my theory on why Nirvana is so popular, but that can wait for another time). Despite this feeling, I do truly enjoy this song. The violin is the thing that truly sets this song aside for me. To be perfectly honest, it feels like this is the only track on the entire album the group put a lot of effort into on every front. The majority of the Hilltop Hoods work falls into the "Good lyrics, good music, good rapping: pick two" category, but this has all three, and it shows in the popularity this track has obtained. There's nothing specific I have to say about this song, but it's one I feel will have a lot of nostalgia value for Australia's youth down the track.
Track 4, She's So Ugly has been discussed much more than it deserves, so let's move right along to the 5th track, "Still Standing". Perhaps it's the fact it shares a title with an Elton John song, but this song is really likable. A lot of hip-hop seems to be challenging the listener to like it, almost seeming to enjoy alienating the audience. It may just be the genre's history and connotations, but it seems to have a "don't like me? I don't care!" mentality, but actually just end up being irritatingly harsh. This song is, by Hilltop Hoods standards, very gentle. It's almost like the Hilltop Hoods are trying to make a pop song without dropping any part of their style. This song is among the best for introducing people to hip-hop, as it isn't offensive, has an obvious narrative and moral, and is just an overall enjoyable song. A definite highlight for me on the Hilltop Hoods discography.
The next three songs aren't my thing, really. "Classic Example" and "Chris Farley" are both party songs, and "The Light You Burned" is an attempt to combine sentimentality and emotion with the Hilltop Hoods on "pissed off" mode, which ends up being sort of a mess which says very little. I absolutely despised this song upon first hearing, but it has grown on me, to the degree I can give or take it, and will enjoy it if it plays.
Song 9, however, is just plain awesome. Hip-hop is possibly the least nerdy of all musical genres, with jazz being a possible exception. In "Parade Of The Dead", however, the Hilltop Hoods show their love of all things zombie, detailing each of their survival techniques for getting out of or surviving in a zombie infested city. I love the lack of pretense, and the fact that the Hilltop Hoods just show their love of something that is not a hip-hop cliche. Like Kasabian's album, the thing about this song that shines through the most is how much fun it must have been to create. To refer back to my previous post, I discussed how I felt "She's So Ugly" was a garbage way of celebrating leaving Obese Records and starting Golden Era. This song says it so much more. The Hilltop Hoods are doing what they love, how the like, and are having the time of their lives doing it. I wish this entire album had had a more celebratory tone, rather than one of anger and regret. But perhaps that's just my own thoughts on the matter. Fuck it, this entire blog is my own opinion. Anyway, this song is what defined the zombie genre for me, throughout my introduction to the fantastically dark world of Max Brooks, at least until Jonathan Coulton's "Re: Your Brains" screwed it over in the best zombie song category.
This leads to the final track of the album. Oh, there are two tracks between Parade of The Dead and this, but I'm not going to talk about them. I have talked about this track before, but only in short and with a link to someone else talking about it. Here, however, I'm abandoning all pretense of organisation and I'm just going to blurt what I think of this song . Firstly, "Fifty In Five" is the greatest song of all time. Done. This is my favourite song ever. There is no debate in my mind, with no song approaching it in any way. This song is so fantastic, it is what propelled an otherwise ordinary album into my top 10 albums, and on a better album (such as Drinking From The Sun) would have easily topped all of my other albums. Before I discuss this song, I must mention it's history. The song was written in response to an obscure song released in 1960 titled "2010" which asked repeatedly "What will the world be like in 2010?" (my apologies for being unable to remember the group. The song itself is nothing special anyway). "Fifty In Five" was written in response to this. Although it does have a very Australian slant (I doubt many outside the country would understand a reference to the politicians Abbott and Costello (lucky bastards, every one of you)0, this song basically recounts important events and world changes to have occurred in the past fifty years. Also, the song goes for 5 and a half minutes, thus the name Fifty (years) in Five (minutes). Also worth mentioning in a really minor irritation of mine, this song was released in 2009. Nothing in the big picture, just a personal problem with the song. Probably my only problem with the song, in the end.
The song begins with a slow almost pulsating beat, which is actually taken from the original 2010 song. The first event they mention is 9/11, which is a pretty damn good place to start. If you were going to sum up big events from 1960-2010, that would damn well be one of them, no matter who you are. I'm not going to talk about every part of this song, but I will make a short list of events which, from an Australian view, are among the most important to be discussed in regards to the missing 50 years.
Vietnam, Gulf Wars, assassination of King & Kennedy, Internet, environmental problems, credit cards, Thatcher, Princess Di, Australian politics, Children Overboard controversy, deaths of Lennon & Elvis, various genocides, MP3's & piracy, population growth, Berlin wall, end of Cold War, Waco, Enron, AIDS & Mandela.
Of course, opinions will vary over what the most important things would be, but that's just me. The reason I'm looking at things in the "if someone missed the past x years" manner, is because I was reading a Doghouse Diaries comic that addressed exactly the same issue. This sums up the past 50 years pretty damn well, give or take. Also, being able to use the phrase "various genocides" is possibly the most depressing thing I've ever typed.
The music of Fifty in Five slowly swells, in a way only possible due to the incredible length.By the end, the song has reached a sense of intense pressure, with the song and the singer shouting at you that things need to change. I've heard "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division, and it's very depressing, but if I were to pick which sounds like the last work of an individual on the brink of suicide, I'd pick this in an instant.
The song presents not even the slightest hope for the future. Every thing is said without much bias, but still showing the narrator to have given up. If I were to hear the concept for this song on its own, I certainly wouldn't have picked hip-hop as the genre to deliver it. This is the kind of song I would imagine an alternative group, who no-one had ever heard of , writing and performing. The fact that the Hilltop Hoods, a group I cold very easily have written off as as bad as pop music managed to deliver this magnificent track shows that they have much more talent than I have ever given them credit for, and fro that I deeply apologise.
On that note, I shall end both this post and my discussion of State Of The Art. Stay tuned probably tomorrow for the reveal of album No. 3.
Feedback and best album lists wanted.
H. Rourke
As with the previous album, I'm just going to pick and choose tracks to discuss, with no set amount of discussion. Now, I've discussed the first track on this album, The Return, in one of my 3 Songs posts, so I'll skip that. After that, the next song which ha always sparked my fascination is the best seller off of this album, "Chase That Feeling", the third track.
Chase That Feeling was amongst the highest rotated songs on Triple J in 2009, and as a result, I feel I've fallen into a "Love it because it's just fucking everywhere" mentality (which is almost identical to my theory on why Nirvana is so popular, but that can wait for another time). Despite this feeling, I do truly enjoy this song. The violin is the thing that truly sets this song aside for me. To be perfectly honest, it feels like this is the only track on the entire album the group put a lot of effort into on every front. The majority of the Hilltop Hoods work falls into the "Good lyrics, good music, good rapping: pick two" category, but this has all three, and it shows in the popularity this track has obtained. There's nothing specific I have to say about this song, but it's one I feel will have a lot of nostalgia value for Australia's youth down the track.
Track 4, She's So Ugly has been discussed much more than it deserves, so let's move right along to the 5th track, "Still Standing". Perhaps it's the fact it shares a title with an Elton John song, but this song is really likable. A lot of hip-hop seems to be challenging the listener to like it, almost seeming to enjoy alienating the audience. It may just be the genre's history and connotations, but it seems to have a "don't like me? I don't care!" mentality, but actually just end up being irritatingly harsh. This song is, by Hilltop Hoods standards, very gentle. It's almost like the Hilltop Hoods are trying to make a pop song without dropping any part of their style. This song is among the best for introducing people to hip-hop, as it isn't offensive, has an obvious narrative and moral, and is just an overall enjoyable song. A definite highlight for me on the Hilltop Hoods discography.
The next three songs aren't my thing, really. "Classic Example" and "Chris Farley" are both party songs, and "The Light You Burned" is an attempt to combine sentimentality and emotion with the Hilltop Hoods on "pissed off" mode, which ends up being sort of a mess which says very little. I absolutely despised this song upon first hearing, but it has grown on me, to the degree I can give or take it, and will enjoy it if it plays.
Song 9, however, is just plain awesome. Hip-hop is possibly the least nerdy of all musical genres, with jazz being a possible exception. In "Parade Of The Dead", however, the Hilltop Hoods show their love of all things zombie, detailing each of their survival techniques for getting out of or surviving in a zombie infested city. I love the lack of pretense, and the fact that the Hilltop Hoods just show their love of something that is not a hip-hop cliche. Like Kasabian's album, the thing about this song that shines through the most is how much fun it must have been to create. To refer back to my previous post, I discussed how I felt "She's So Ugly" was a garbage way of celebrating leaving Obese Records and starting Golden Era. This song says it so much more. The Hilltop Hoods are doing what they love, how the like, and are having the time of their lives doing it. I wish this entire album had had a more celebratory tone, rather than one of anger and regret. But perhaps that's just my own thoughts on the matter. Fuck it, this entire blog is my own opinion. Anyway, this song is what defined the zombie genre for me, throughout my introduction to the fantastically dark world of Max Brooks, at least until Jonathan Coulton's "Re: Your Brains" screwed it over in the best zombie song category.
This leads to the final track of the album. Oh, there are two tracks between Parade of The Dead and this, but I'm not going to talk about them. I have talked about this track before, but only in short and with a link to someone else talking about it. Here, however, I'm abandoning all pretense of organisation and I'm just going to blurt what I think of this song . Firstly, "Fifty In Five" is the greatest song of all time. Done. This is my favourite song ever. There is no debate in my mind, with no song approaching it in any way. This song is so fantastic, it is what propelled an otherwise ordinary album into my top 10 albums, and on a better album (such as Drinking From The Sun) would have easily topped all of my other albums. Before I discuss this song, I must mention it's history. The song was written in response to an obscure song released in 1960 titled "2010" which asked repeatedly "What will the world be like in 2010?" (my apologies for being unable to remember the group. The song itself is nothing special anyway). "Fifty In Five" was written in response to this. Although it does have a very Australian slant (I doubt many outside the country would understand a reference to the politicians Abbott and Costello (lucky bastards, every one of you)0, this song basically recounts important events and world changes to have occurred in the past fifty years. Also, the song goes for 5 and a half minutes, thus the name Fifty (years) in Five (minutes). Also worth mentioning in a really minor irritation of mine, this song was released in 2009. Nothing in the big picture, just a personal problem with the song. Probably my only problem with the song, in the end.
The song begins with a slow almost pulsating beat, which is actually taken from the original 2010 song. The first event they mention is 9/11, which is a pretty damn good place to start. If you were going to sum up big events from 1960-2010, that would damn well be one of them, no matter who you are. I'm not going to talk about every part of this song, but I will make a short list of events which, from an Australian view, are among the most important to be discussed in regards to the missing 50 years.
Vietnam, Gulf Wars, assassination of King & Kennedy, Internet, environmental problems, credit cards, Thatcher, Princess Di, Australian politics, Children Overboard controversy, deaths of Lennon & Elvis, various genocides, MP3's & piracy, population growth, Berlin wall, end of Cold War, Waco, Enron, AIDS & Mandela.
Of course, opinions will vary over what the most important things would be, but that's just me. The reason I'm looking at things in the "if someone missed the past x years" manner, is because I was reading a Doghouse Diaries comic that addressed exactly the same issue. This sums up the past 50 years pretty damn well, give or take. Also, being able to use the phrase "various genocides" is possibly the most depressing thing I've ever typed.
The music of Fifty in Five slowly swells, in a way only possible due to the incredible length.By the end, the song has reached a sense of intense pressure, with the song and the singer shouting at you that things need to change. I've heard "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division, and it's very depressing, but if I were to pick which sounds like the last work of an individual on the brink of suicide, I'd pick this in an instant.
The song presents not even the slightest hope for the future. Every thing is said without much bias, but still showing the narrator to have given up. If I were to hear the concept for this song on its own, I certainly wouldn't have picked hip-hop as the genre to deliver it. This is the kind of song I would imagine an alternative group, who no-one had ever heard of , writing and performing. The fact that the Hilltop Hoods, a group I cold very easily have written off as as bad as pop music managed to deliver this magnificent track shows that they have much more talent than I have ever given them credit for, and fro that I deeply apologise.
On that note, I shall end both this post and my discussion of State Of The Art. Stay tuned probably tomorrow for the reveal of album No. 3.
Feedback and best album lists wanted.
H. Rourke
Friday, 20 July 2012
Top 5 Albums: Part 2
Continuing my discussion of the artwork of Kasabian's West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, we arrive at the liner notes. "Liner notes" hardly covers what is in the small booklet, with the majority of the booklet being dedicated to images of rather unsettling material. Among them, for a brief and incomplete run-down are a visual illusion, a series of statements in a document that is to look as though it is from the location the album is named after, a provocatively dressed woman with some kind of material completely covering her face and images of each member of the band superimposed over each other. Amongst other things.
I will now return to the music. As this album is in my top five list, it should go without saying that the music as a whole lives up to many of my standards, but several songs stand out. I discussed Underdog, which is a fantastic opening track, but the next song which deserves some discussion is Swarfiga, the third track on the album.
The actual song is good, but nothing overly special compared to the rest of the album. What really fascinates me is the name. Now, I'd like to mention the band "Slipknot" here. I'm not overly familiar with this group's work and don't really wish to be, but the fact that the name of this group simply is in reference to an easily untied knot is fascinating, as the groups genre and marketing make the name sound ominous and dark when it really isn't. Kasabian is probably the reverse, a simple name actually in reference to a member of the Manson Family. Swarfiga, however, is similar to the Slipknot example, to me at least. The dark sound of this name may have completely been avoided had I ever lived in the UK, as the meaning of the name is actually a cleaning product. Although this is a little bit of a let down, considering my thoughts on dark and vicious potential meanings of the phrase, is does show the skill of Kasabian, in giving such foreboding meaning to a cleaning product. What idiot named that product, anyway?
The next song that really deserves discussion is Thick As Thieves, track 6. This track is one of the biggest in how I perceived Kasabian. Although I believe they have released better songs, this is certainly among the most memorable, just due to the music, which is simultaneously dark and cheery, always making me thin of a character unknowingly heading to a grim end. The vocals just have so much personality. Throughout the song, the singer seems to switch from reminiscent to cheery, to philosophical, to proud, to very condescending, to angry ending in what seems to be almost homicidal to my ear. I'm not certain of the exact plot, and actually prefer the BS explanation I've cooked up. I think it's a discussion between two Victorian pickpockets, bragging about their exploits to a third party before one of the pickpockets realises that the other one isn't pulling his weight. Luring him out to a secluded location under the pretence of discussing their successes, the pickpocket kills the other, singing the most memorable part of the song (La la la la la, la la la la, la la la la la laaaaa) whilst digging the former friends grave. But maybe I'm just kind of nuts. The beginning of the next song, West Ryder Silver Bullet, is the downright creepiest moment on the album, with a strange woman talking about her friend, the maniac and his "electronic graffiti". Holy shit, that is disturbing.
A song which deserves just a passing note is track 10, Secret Alphabets, which just sounds like the grittiest, darkest track to ever see the light of day, losing any cheery exterior held by the other songs. This is a glimpse into what Kasabian can do, and thank holy Jesus that they hold off for the most part.
Now, my favourite song off of this album, which I have mentioned several times before, is Fire, track 11. The vocals are what draws me to this. Although the lyrics are somewhat bizarre and make no sense from a narrative angle, they show a disturbed mind, one which is incapable of seeing anything in the same manner a regular individual might. The vocals give this character life. Clearly handsome and charming in the exterior, seemingly up for anything, he quickly is revealed to be push and out for the thrill of events, to the degree he doesn't care who gets in the way of his next kick, even willing to put his own life and sanity on the line. When the thrill is achieved, the character moves along, unable to give event the slightest thought for the mess he has made of the lives of those who assisted him. But again, I might just be nuts and creating my own theories about these songs, but the band did claim that each song was designed to be about a person in the asylum, so my theory may hold just as much water as the next.
Overall, this album creates a much darker feel for Kasabian's work, one that they are yet to match in my opinion. One thing that really comes from the album is how old the music Kasabian is making seems to be. Every song seems to be out of a decade or century that is not the same as the release of this album. Underdog sounds like a 90's rock band gave the microphone to a lunatic. Thick As Thieves sounds like a deluded pick-pocket took over a folk band from the 70's. West Ryder Silver Bullet sounds as if a British Invasion era rock group met Satan. Fire? I can imagine a crooner and his backing group looking into the void.
Now, I don't know why this strange, dark album appeals to me so. I discussed the when earlier, but that still leaves severe gaps in the why. I think the thing to know about this album is that I don't feel it represents who I am. This may seem obvious or silly a thing to state, but this album represents something I am not. Also important to state is that I do not want to be anything like the emotions on this album. I don't want to be cool and disturbing, or slightly off-centre and dark. I'm happy to be the dreary but enjoying it person I am. I think the thing that appeals to me about the album is what separates it from "emo-rock". I'm sure you know the kind of music I'm talking about. The music in which everyone takes themselves completely seriously, nothing is "fun" and every single event discussed in the music is harsh and cruel. Kasabian is completely different. Sure, their music on this album is dark, but they don't take themselves seriously. Honestly, I think what appeals to me is the glee this group is surely taking in knowing just how strange and disturbing their music is. In such a eerie album, the joy the band must be taking in it is what I like. The other thing is that they don't ever resort to actually describing things. I'm aware of several groups who feel "dark" means describing gory and horrific events, often becoming almost comedic with the degree of emphasis they put on these events. Kasabian has everything reliant on steering your train of thought, connotations and associations, creating bizarre thoughts for you by carefully directing what you think about. This is clever, strange, new and just worth so much praise. I honestly don't know why this album didn't make my original list, looking at it in retrospect.
Although I'm probably close enough to enough ranting to justify ending the post, I'm going to carry on to the next album. This album was also originally not in the top five, but due to 5 & 3 not fulfilling my "qualifications" for a Top 5 album, this one shot up the list. This album was my true introduction to Australian hip-hop. Although I was familiar with groups such a Bliss 'n' Esso, The Herd and the like, I didn't know that this genre had as much talent in it as it did. The album is:
State of the Art by the Hilltop Hoods (2009)
2009 is starting to look like my year, isn't it? Anyway, this album has very similar context to the Kasabian album, so I won't repeat myself. I was actually attempting to work out which I obtained first to make this list: "An Elefant Never Forgets" by The Herd or this. This won out by just a few months.Now, I'm not going to go into the artwork of this album, as it just doesn't carry the same emotions as the Kasabian work. What this album does have, however, are enough fantastic lyrics to write a book of poorly received poetry.
There are two songs on this album which I feel just do not live up to the Hilltop Hoods canon: "She's So Ugly" & "Chris Farley".
She's So Ugly is the main problem song, representing everything I hate about hip-hop of any nationality. Before I start ranting, I am aware that this song is a metaphor for the record industry. That doesn't make it any better. If a song is going to have multiple layers, they better be fucking sure that every layer works.
My first problem is the sexism. I know that "she" is a metaphor, but still.... "You been used by too many guys and know I can't look you in the eyes"? What the fuck is wrong with you?
My next problem is the music. The opening bars have something to offer, but otherwise it just sounds like someone is just hitting a piece of metal repeatedly. Horrid, monotonous and just utterly pointless.
Finally, the sampling. They just sample a bunch of dickheads laughing like hyenas at insulting someone. This seems like a pointless piece of media to include.
Finally, the general metaphor. I understand the Hilltop Hoods are celebrating leaving Obese Records and starting their own recording company, Golden Era, but why the blatantly sexist and graphic use of a woman for a metaphor, or any person for that matter. I'm not going to offer any alternatives, but I'm more than certain there are a ton out there.
The real problem I have with this song is not how it makes me feel. Do you want to know why? Because every single conversation I get into about any genre of music eventually ends with me defending hip-hop against the world. I don't know many hip-hop fans, and I imagine anyone in the same situation has similar instances. Try defending tracks of the same calibre as "Toorali" by The Herd or "Fifty In Five" by the Hilltop Hoods when these artists are releasing the nails in their coffin. In the end, I spend most of my time defending The Herd because I'm sure they haven't released anything that will embarrass me in an argument.
"Chris Farley" I have less of a problem with, but it's just a really pointless party song, which feels incredibly out of place on this album. Although "She's So Ugly" is a hideous song, metaphor and anger are pretty much par for the course here.
Well, it may seem like a really strange move to open a rant on one of my favourite albums by telling you how sit it is, but tomorrow I'll give the other side of this argument, and just why I love this group and this album.
Feedback embrassed like a long lost friend.
H. Rourke
I will now return to the music. As this album is in my top five list, it should go without saying that the music as a whole lives up to many of my standards, but several songs stand out. I discussed Underdog, which is a fantastic opening track, but the next song which deserves some discussion is Swarfiga, the third track on the album.
The actual song is good, but nothing overly special compared to the rest of the album. What really fascinates me is the name. Now, I'd like to mention the band "Slipknot" here. I'm not overly familiar with this group's work and don't really wish to be, but the fact that the name of this group simply is in reference to an easily untied knot is fascinating, as the groups genre and marketing make the name sound ominous and dark when it really isn't. Kasabian is probably the reverse, a simple name actually in reference to a member of the Manson Family. Swarfiga, however, is similar to the Slipknot example, to me at least. The dark sound of this name may have completely been avoided had I ever lived in the UK, as the meaning of the name is actually a cleaning product. Although this is a little bit of a let down, considering my thoughts on dark and vicious potential meanings of the phrase, is does show the skill of Kasabian, in giving such foreboding meaning to a cleaning product. What idiot named that product, anyway?
The next song that really deserves discussion is Thick As Thieves, track 6. This track is one of the biggest in how I perceived Kasabian. Although I believe they have released better songs, this is certainly among the most memorable, just due to the music, which is simultaneously dark and cheery, always making me thin of a character unknowingly heading to a grim end. The vocals just have so much personality. Throughout the song, the singer seems to switch from reminiscent to cheery, to philosophical, to proud, to very condescending, to angry ending in what seems to be almost homicidal to my ear. I'm not certain of the exact plot, and actually prefer the BS explanation I've cooked up. I think it's a discussion between two Victorian pickpockets, bragging about their exploits to a third party before one of the pickpockets realises that the other one isn't pulling his weight. Luring him out to a secluded location under the pretence of discussing their successes, the pickpocket kills the other, singing the most memorable part of the song (La la la la la, la la la la, la la la la la laaaaa) whilst digging the former friends grave. But maybe I'm just kind of nuts. The beginning of the next song, West Ryder Silver Bullet, is the downright creepiest moment on the album, with a strange woman talking about her friend, the maniac and his "electronic graffiti". Holy shit, that is disturbing.
A song which deserves just a passing note is track 10, Secret Alphabets, which just sounds like the grittiest, darkest track to ever see the light of day, losing any cheery exterior held by the other songs. This is a glimpse into what Kasabian can do, and thank holy Jesus that they hold off for the most part.
Now, my favourite song off of this album, which I have mentioned several times before, is Fire, track 11. The vocals are what draws me to this. Although the lyrics are somewhat bizarre and make no sense from a narrative angle, they show a disturbed mind, one which is incapable of seeing anything in the same manner a regular individual might. The vocals give this character life. Clearly handsome and charming in the exterior, seemingly up for anything, he quickly is revealed to be push and out for the thrill of events, to the degree he doesn't care who gets in the way of his next kick, even willing to put his own life and sanity on the line. When the thrill is achieved, the character moves along, unable to give event the slightest thought for the mess he has made of the lives of those who assisted him. But again, I might just be nuts and creating my own theories about these songs, but the band did claim that each song was designed to be about a person in the asylum, so my theory may hold just as much water as the next.
Overall, this album creates a much darker feel for Kasabian's work, one that they are yet to match in my opinion. One thing that really comes from the album is how old the music Kasabian is making seems to be. Every song seems to be out of a decade or century that is not the same as the release of this album. Underdog sounds like a 90's rock band gave the microphone to a lunatic. Thick As Thieves sounds like a deluded pick-pocket took over a folk band from the 70's. West Ryder Silver Bullet sounds as if a British Invasion era rock group met Satan. Fire? I can imagine a crooner and his backing group looking into the void.
Now, I don't know why this strange, dark album appeals to me so. I discussed the when earlier, but that still leaves severe gaps in the why. I think the thing to know about this album is that I don't feel it represents who I am. This may seem obvious or silly a thing to state, but this album represents something I am not. Also important to state is that I do not want to be anything like the emotions on this album. I don't want to be cool and disturbing, or slightly off-centre and dark. I'm happy to be the dreary but enjoying it person I am. I think the thing that appeals to me about the album is what separates it from "emo-rock". I'm sure you know the kind of music I'm talking about. The music in which everyone takes themselves completely seriously, nothing is "fun" and every single event discussed in the music is harsh and cruel. Kasabian is completely different. Sure, their music on this album is dark, but they don't take themselves seriously. Honestly, I think what appeals to me is the glee this group is surely taking in knowing just how strange and disturbing their music is. In such a eerie album, the joy the band must be taking in it is what I like. The other thing is that they don't ever resort to actually describing things. I'm aware of several groups who feel "dark" means describing gory and horrific events, often becoming almost comedic with the degree of emphasis they put on these events. Kasabian has everything reliant on steering your train of thought, connotations and associations, creating bizarre thoughts for you by carefully directing what you think about. This is clever, strange, new and just worth so much praise. I honestly don't know why this album didn't make my original list, looking at it in retrospect.
Although I'm probably close enough to enough ranting to justify ending the post, I'm going to carry on to the next album. This album was also originally not in the top five, but due to 5 & 3 not fulfilling my "qualifications" for a Top 5 album, this one shot up the list. This album was my true introduction to Australian hip-hop. Although I was familiar with groups such a Bliss 'n' Esso, The Herd and the like, I didn't know that this genre had as much talent in it as it did. The album is:
State of the Art by the Hilltop Hoods (2009)
2009 is starting to look like my year, isn't it? Anyway, this album has very similar context to the Kasabian album, so I won't repeat myself. I was actually attempting to work out which I obtained first to make this list: "An Elefant Never Forgets" by The Herd or this. This won out by just a few months.Now, I'm not going to go into the artwork of this album, as it just doesn't carry the same emotions as the Kasabian work. What this album does have, however, are enough fantastic lyrics to write a book of poorly received poetry.
There are two songs on this album which I feel just do not live up to the Hilltop Hoods canon: "She's So Ugly" & "Chris Farley".
She's So Ugly is the main problem song, representing everything I hate about hip-hop of any nationality. Before I start ranting, I am aware that this song is a metaphor for the record industry. That doesn't make it any better. If a song is going to have multiple layers, they better be fucking sure that every layer works.
My first problem is the sexism. I know that "she" is a metaphor, but still.... "You been used by too many guys and know I can't look you in the eyes"? What the fuck is wrong with you?
My next problem is the music. The opening bars have something to offer, but otherwise it just sounds like someone is just hitting a piece of metal repeatedly. Horrid, monotonous and just utterly pointless.
Finally, the sampling. They just sample a bunch of dickheads laughing like hyenas at insulting someone. This seems like a pointless piece of media to include.
Finally, the general metaphor. I understand the Hilltop Hoods are celebrating leaving Obese Records and starting their own recording company, Golden Era, but why the blatantly sexist and graphic use of a woman for a metaphor, or any person for that matter. I'm not going to offer any alternatives, but I'm more than certain there are a ton out there.
The real problem I have with this song is not how it makes me feel. Do you want to know why? Because every single conversation I get into about any genre of music eventually ends with me defending hip-hop against the world. I don't know many hip-hop fans, and I imagine anyone in the same situation has similar instances. Try defending tracks of the same calibre as "Toorali" by The Herd or "Fifty In Five" by the Hilltop Hoods when these artists are releasing the nails in their coffin. In the end, I spend most of my time defending The Herd because I'm sure they haven't released anything that will embarrass me in an argument.
"Chris Farley" I have less of a problem with, but it's just a really pointless party song, which feels incredibly out of place on this album. Although "She's So Ugly" is a hideous song, metaphor and anger are pretty much par for the course here.
Well, it may seem like a really strange move to open a rant on one of my favourite albums by telling you how sit it is, but tomorrow I'll give the other side of this argument, and just why I love this group and this album.
Feedback embrassed like a long lost friend.
H. Rourke
Thursday, 19 July 2012
Top 5 Albums: Part 1
Now, as even the newest reader can probably tell, I have many differing views on music, and almost as many views on reviewing things. This is why it's rather embarrassing to admit I have no idea how I'm going to do these posts. All I've figured out is that this article is going to be portioned out into several parts, each containing no guaranteed amount of albums of words. For example: I might outline all five albums in this post and spend 3 more discussing them, or I might just discuss albums in general for a good 2-3000 words without revealing a single of my favourites. I'll just write until I stop. I can give no ideas.
I want to say something else before starting this list: This is not the list I would give if someone asked me my all-time favourites. There is a simple reason for this. I casual conversation, you can talk only a little about any album you don't know about and you aren't expected to be able to discuss each album off-hand. On-line? No such excuse. I don't intend on talking about every track in a style akin to my traditional album reviews, but I do want to talk very in-depth about each. This entire series is to try something new and avoid my usual cookie-cutter reviews. I'm not saying I don't enjoy them, but I wish to try something different. Going back to my point, two albums, originally holding the positions of 3rd and 5th respectively have been replaced for the simple fact I do not own them, and as such, despite adoring many aspects of them, are unable to write extensively, accurately and passionately about them. These two albums receive the highest of honourable mentions:
Former 3rd Position: Everything Is True by Paul Dempsey (2009)
Former 5th Position: Ragged & Ecstatic by Yves Klein Blue (2009)
I shall discuss both of these albums extensively with the other five at the end of my review, as well as how I was introduced to them and why I have failed to possess them.
The information I have included about both albums will introduce my audience to something that will soon become apparent amongst all of my favourite albums: They are all from the 2000's. This may dissuade many readers from looking into my list further, but it is the truth. I adore the music released recently, and believe it is to be among the best to have graced my senses. I do not wish to state music from any other era lacks value, or that I do not like any music from outside of this era, as both of these tracks are horribly inaccurate.
As I will only be covering years beginning with 2 in my actual list, it is worth noting two albums from before this time which I adore, and which would certainly have made a longer list:
London Calling by The Clash (1979) & Ben Folds Five by Ben Folds Five (1995)
London Calling has received much praise, more than enough for me to not need to type a word regarding its contents, but not as much as it deserves. Ben Folds Five, on the other hand, has not received as much praise as it deserves. Many apparently put this album behind the other two BFF albums (two as of July 2012, anyway). Although my favourite BFF song does reside on another album, both "Jackson Cannery" and "Philosophy" manage to remind me why I love Ben Folds work and why I continue to check for updates on his new album three times a day, all in less than 10 minutes.
A final honourable mention must be given before this list begins, so that my honourable mentions list matches the length of my actual favourites list. This entry is technically two separate albums, but screw it:
Songs from the South - Volumes 1 & 2 by Paul Kelly (1997 and 2007)
Paul Kelly is one of the greatest musicians in Australian history, and the tragic truth is that this is the only album of his that I own, and I despise "Greatest Hits" compilations, for reasons that I will discuss in another article. So, my problem is being unable to put any of this fantastic man's albums n my list as I haven't heard any, but still wishing to tell the few who pass by this entry that he is more than worth the time or money which you would invest in listening to Kelly's music. I can't put the talent exhibited in Kelly's music into words, but his skill in conveying story, character and overall talent are nothing compared to his skill in conveying the most important aspect of music in my opinion, emotion. Through whatever means he feels is necessary, Kelly can give his songs an emotion impact that would rival events I've experienced myself. Love or loss, pain or joy, a lesson for the future or a exasperated joke, Kelly can convey anything he wishes to, and that is a skill I can appreciate, acknowledge and envy with ease.
Well, I've talked enough about other topics. Before I give away the title of the album which opens the list, I should give a little background to why I appreciate it so. When the lead single from this album was being circulated like a virus, I was going through one of the largest upheavals in my life, completely changing my city of residence. Although I adore Canberra, the move was none the less painful. I can't say that the music from this album made the move easier by any means, but it has meant that every track has memories woven throughout them.
And with that introduction, I introduce:
West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum by Kasabian (2009)
I'm not going to do my typical track-by-track analysis, as a lot is unnecessary to describe, as well as being impossible to describe. The opening tracks is among the most memorable to me, "Underdog", of which I can only remember a single line:
"I got my cloak and dagger in a bar-room brawl..."
This line just seems to describe the entire album in a way. Strange and bizarre, with many elements seemingly misplaced or shoehorned in, but soon reveal themselves to be vital to the sound this album creates. I'm not even going to discuss the stranger elements, but the best I can do is to say that the entire concept for this album is based around an old asylum, which should say more than I ever could.
Although I try not to like albums just because of a single track, I must say there is a definite stand-out in this album: "Fire". Whether its the cool, almost distracted vocals, the disturbing imagery and ideas, the shouted single line chorus or a combination of all three, "Fire" is one of my all time favourite tracks.
I'm sure I'll return to the actual music of the album, but I'd like to take a moment to discuss several aspects associated with the album which give it the bizarre and almost disturbing atmosphere so many other groups would give entire members for.
Let's start with some names. The mane of the album? Based on a series of asylums from the 1880's. Strange, but not what I was thinking of. One of the strangest ways in which this band associates itself with the dark and disturbing is the name of the band. Kasabian is taken directly from a character central to the activities of the Manson Family, Linda Kasabian. Again, dark, but not that bad. The word Kasabian, however, is derived from an Arabic word meaning slaughterer. All those factors put together, and the eeriness of the band has been established, without them so much as picking up an instrument.
Next is the artwork of the album. I'm neither an artist nor a good photographer, so much is probably missed on me, but there is a hell of a lot of symbolism and elements which are just a little...off.
Firstly, the main feature of the photo is the four members of Kasabian in costumes. From left to right, the first man appears to be dressed as a historical ruler. My first thought is Napoleon, as he has a symbol on his chest coloured red, white and blue (you know, those three colours that seem to make up the flags of a fairly large portion of the world). The man next to him is dressed as priest, with dark circles around his eyes. First guess is Rasputin, but no real factor carrying that supposition. Next is a man dressed in thick furs, staring intently into a large golden ball. Nostradamus, perhaps?. The final character has a red piece of cloth wrapped around his lower face, with a glass ball in his mouth. He seems to be wearing clothing all with white and blue stripes. He is also holding a book, which I'll discuss in a second. I have no idea who this man is supposed to be, but the impression is disturbing all the same. Now, the book is "Labyrinths" (and anyone who's mind went first to David Bowie should slap themselves), which is a collection of short stories of an author named Jorge Luis Borges, an author I am unfamiliar with. The title of this book makes it suddenly apparent that the entire cover work is taken in a mirror, with the shoulder of the man dressed as Napoleon clear in the left side. The golden ball of the fortune-telling chap reveals a strange view of the room, with the mirror only being a small part of a sprawling area of bookcases and blank walls.
I will continue more with the third Kasabian album tomorrow, but I feel this is enough for anyone to digest for tonight.
As always, any feedback is welcomed and longingly wished for, and I'd love to see some Top 5's of readers. Ah, dreams...
H. Rourke
I want to say something else before starting this list: This is not the list I would give if someone asked me my all-time favourites. There is a simple reason for this. I casual conversation, you can talk only a little about any album you don't know about and you aren't expected to be able to discuss each album off-hand. On-line? No such excuse. I don't intend on talking about every track in a style akin to my traditional album reviews, but I do want to talk very in-depth about each. This entire series is to try something new and avoid my usual cookie-cutter reviews. I'm not saying I don't enjoy them, but I wish to try something different. Going back to my point, two albums, originally holding the positions of 3rd and 5th respectively have been replaced for the simple fact I do not own them, and as such, despite adoring many aspects of them, are unable to write extensively, accurately and passionately about them. These two albums receive the highest of honourable mentions:
Former 3rd Position: Everything Is True by Paul Dempsey (2009)
Former 5th Position: Ragged & Ecstatic by Yves Klein Blue (2009)
I shall discuss both of these albums extensively with the other five at the end of my review, as well as how I was introduced to them and why I have failed to possess them.
The information I have included about both albums will introduce my audience to something that will soon become apparent amongst all of my favourite albums: They are all from the 2000's. This may dissuade many readers from looking into my list further, but it is the truth. I adore the music released recently, and believe it is to be among the best to have graced my senses. I do not wish to state music from any other era lacks value, or that I do not like any music from outside of this era, as both of these tracks are horribly inaccurate.
As I will only be covering years beginning with 2 in my actual list, it is worth noting two albums from before this time which I adore, and which would certainly have made a longer list:
London Calling by The Clash (1979) & Ben Folds Five by Ben Folds Five (1995)
London Calling has received much praise, more than enough for me to not need to type a word regarding its contents, but not as much as it deserves. Ben Folds Five, on the other hand, has not received as much praise as it deserves. Many apparently put this album behind the other two BFF albums (two as of July 2012, anyway). Although my favourite BFF song does reside on another album, both "Jackson Cannery" and "Philosophy" manage to remind me why I love Ben Folds work and why I continue to check for updates on his new album three times a day, all in less than 10 minutes.
A final honourable mention must be given before this list begins, so that my honourable mentions list matches the length of my actual favourites list. This entry is technically two separate albums, but screw it:
Songs from the South - Volumes 1 & 2 by Paul Kelly (1997 and 2007)
Paul Kelly is one of the greatest musicians in Australian history, and the tragic truth is that this is the only album of his that I own, and I despise "Greatest Hits" compilations, for reasons that I will discuss in another article. So, my problem is being unable to put any of this fantastic man's albums n my list as I haven't heard any, but still wishing to tell the few who pass by this entry that he is more than worth the time or money which you would invest in listening to Kelly's music. I can't put the talent exhibited in Kelly's music into words, but his skill in conveying story, character and overall talent are nothing compared to his skill in conveying the most important aspect of music in my opinion, emotion. Through whatever means he feels is necessary, Kelly can give his songs an emotion impact that would rival events I've experienced myself. Love or loss, pain or joy, a lesson for the future or a exasperated joke, Kelly can convey anything he wishes to, and that is a skill I can appreciate, acknowledge and envy with ease.
Well, I've talked enough about other topics. Before I give away the title of the album which opens the list, I should give a little background to why I appreciate it so. When the lead single from this album was being circulated like a virus, I was going through one of the largest upheavals in my life, completely changing my city of residence. Although I adore Canberra, the move was none the less painful. I can't say that the music from this album made the move easier by any means, but it has meant that every track has memories woven throughout them.
And with that introduction, I introduce:
West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum by Kasabian (2009)
I'm not going to do my typical track-by-track analysis, as a lot is unnecessary to describe, as well as being impossible to describe. The opening tracks is among the most memorable to me, "Underdog", of which I can only remember a single line:
"I got my cloak and dagger in a bar-room brawl..."
This line just seems to describe the entire album in a way. Strange and bizarre, with many elements seemingly misplaced or shoehorned in, but soon reveal themselves to be vital to the sound this album creates. I'm not even going to discuss the stranger elements, but the best I can do is to say that the entire concept for this album is based around an old asylum, which should say more than I ever could.
Although I try not to like albums just because of a single track, I must say there is a definite stand-out in this album: "Fire". Whether its the cool, almost distracted vocals, the disturbing imagery and ideas, the shouted single line chorus or a combination of all three, "Fire" is one of my all time favourite tracks.
I'm sure I'll return to the actual music of the album, but I'd like to take a moment to discuss several aspects associated with the album which give it the bizarre and almost disturbing atmosphere so many other groups would give entire members for.
Let's start with some names. The mane of the album? Based on a series of asylums from the 1880's. Strange, but not what I was thinking of. One of the strangest ways in which this band associates itself with the dark and disturbing is the name of the band. Kasabian is taken directly from a character central to the activities of the Manson Family, Linda Kasabian. Again, dark, but not that bad. The word Kasabian, however, is derived from an Arabic word meaning slaughterer. All those factors put together, and the eeriness of the band has been established, without them so much as picking up an instrument.
Next is the artwork of the album. I'm neither an artist nor a good photographer, so much is probably missed on me, but there is a hell of a lot of symbolism and elements which are just a little...off.
Firstly, the main feature of the photo is the four members of Kasabian in costumes. From left to right, the first man appears to be dressed as a historical ruler. My first thought is Napoleon, as he has a symbol on his chest coloured red, white and blue (you know, those three colours that seem to make up the flags of a fairly large portion of the world). The man next to him is dressed as priest, with dark circles around his eyes. First guess is Rasputin, but no real factor carrying that supposition. Next is a man dressed in thick furs, staring intently into a large golden ball. Nostradamus, perhaps?. The final character has a red piece of cloth wrapped around his lower face, with a glass ball in his mouth. He seems to be wearing clothing all with white and blue stripes. He is also holding a book, which I'll discuss in a second. I have no idea who this man is supposed to be, but the impression is disturbing all the same. Now, the book is "Labyrinths" (and anyone who's mind went first to David Bowie should slap themselves), which is a collection of short stories of an author named Jorge Luis Borges, an author I am unfamiliar with. The title of this book makes it suddenly apparent that the entire cover work is taken in a mirror, with the shoulder of the man dressed as Napoleon clear in the left side. The golden ball of the fortune-telling chap reveals a strange view of the room, with the mirror only being a small part of a sprawling area of bookcases and blank walls.
I will continue more with the third Kasabian album tomorrow, but I feel this is enough for anyone to digest for tonight.
As always, any feedback is welcomed and longingly wished for, and I'd love to see some Top 5's of readers. Ah, dreams...
H. Rourke
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Full Circle
Explanation time. Firstly, what happened.
Again, my internet failed me, but I'm used to that. The more serious issue is that my trusty laptop (named Thomas, if anyone cares) passed away. I've had Tom for less than a year, but he was showing signs of age already, as he was a second-hand gift. This means I have returned to my trusty Linux, where this very blog began...thus the full circle.
Now, the other reason I have called this post "Full Circle" is to draw attention to a fantastic series of videos by ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com reviewer Paw Dugan, also called Full Circle. The show explores his life through music, what he grew up with all the way to his current tastes. This is an absolutely fascinating idea, which is executed perfectly. He also achieves much respect from me by including a fantastic Australian group, The Presets, in both Full Circle and his Top 50 Albums list.
The only problem I have with the series is the name. Full Circle? There are few premises that are more open-ended. Perhaps it's a reference I just don't get, or a joke. Anyway, please look at some of his work as a reviewer or his musical autobiography. In regards to his other projects, he seems to flit from project to project, leaving much to say, but look at his Musical Movies reviews, which are hilarious.
Now, my next project will be a discussion of my own top 5 albums. Part of this idea was taken from Dugan's work, as well as several other reviewers, but I'll see how I go in doing something different. Along with my Top 5 Albums, I'm going to look at my top albums for several categories (the three I have so far are Music, Lyrics & Vocals). I would love some more to think about, as well as any fantastic albums I should listen to before making my list.
Until tomorrow, hopefully.
H. Rourke
Again, my internet failed me, but I'm used to that. The more serious issue is that my trusty laptop (named Thomas, if anyone cares) passed away. I've had Tom for less than a year, but he was showing signs of age already, as he was a second-hand gift. This means I have returned to my trusty Linux, where this very blog began...thus the full circle.
Now, the other reason I have called this post "Full Circle" is to draw attention to a fantastic series of videos by ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com reviewer Paw Dugan, also called Full Circle. The show explores his life through music, what he grew up with all the way to his current tastes. This is an absolutely fascinating idea, which is executed perfectly. He also achieves much respect from me by including a fantastic Australian group, The Presets, in both Full Circle and his Top 50 Albums list.
The only problem I have with the series is the name. Full Circle? There are few premises that are more open-ended. Perhaps it's a reference I just don't get, or a joke. Anyway, please look at some of his work as a reviewer or his musical autobiography. In regards to his other projects, he seems to flit from project to project, leaving much to say, but look at his Musical Movies reviews, which are hilarious.
Now, my next project will be a discussion of my own top 5 albums. Part of this idea was taken from Dugan's work, as well as several other reviewers, but I'll see how I go in doing something different. Along with my Top 5 Albums, I'm going to look at my top albums for several categories (the three I have so far are Music, Lyrics & Vocals). I would love some more to think about, as well as any fantastic albums I should listen to before making my list.
Until tomorrow, hopefully.
H. Rourke
Sunday, 15 July 2012
3 Songs: Ben Folds vs. Urthboy vs. Blur
I'm back!
Song #1: One Down by Ben Folds (Fifty-Five Vault, 2011, Track 36)
Now, I'm perfectly aware this song was released on "Ben Folds Live", but on the Fifty-Five Vault was the way in which I was introduced to it. It was also the B-Side to "Rockin' The Suburbs", but that's just trivia.
Music first, as always. The song is a little too slow for my taste. What really takes away from my opinion on any aspect of this song is the lack of effort, which I'll tackle in lyrics. Anyway, there is tragically little piano in this track, instantly preventing it becoming anything close to a Ben Folds classic in my mind. There a little tastes of piano here and there, but the song is dominated by guitar, which I really feel doesn't work well with the lyrical content of the song.
Vocally, Folds goes a route I really wouldn't expect regarding the lyrics. He puts a lot of sentimentality into it, with slow and steady complaining taking up the majority of the song. Pretty average.
Lyrically, this song is about fulfilling contractual obligations by writing songs, demonstrated by writing a song just about how he needs to write more songs. Besides being delightfully meta, this just doesn't cut it for me. Why on earth does a slow, sentimental song need to be written about this. Songs need meaning and emotion, and that emotion needs to be shown through the song. If you're angry, write another "Rockin' The Suburbs". That is what's going through my mind. If Folds was doing more than just complaining (which he actually states he isn't doing), he would put some effort into this. It's a short, sweet tune if you just ignore the lyrics, but the laziness and bitching so tightly wound all through this song pisses me off.
Song #2: The Wrong One by Urthboy (Feat. Ozi Batla & The Tongue) (The Signal, 2007, Track 8)
Musically, this song seems to sample some sort of sporting event, or is at least attempting to use a sporting motif, with crowds chanting, drums,a whistle at one point and several lyrical references. I sort of understand it, attempting to follow the concept of "backing the wrong one", both in the sporting context, as well as in underestimating the artists on the song.I don't get the random guy shouting something incomprehensible every now and again, as it just gets irritating very quickly.
Vocally, this song is excellent. Ozi Batla is one of my two favourite MC's, and Urthboy isn't too far behind. I'm not overly familiar with the work of The Tongue, but I've heard a little here and there. The dynamic of the song confuses me a little. Are they insulting each other or the audience? Or is it the public in general? Overall, the talent excels, despite strangely hectic pacing and other strange musical effects in the background.
Lyrically, this song is nothing special. The three MC's are just discussing how they have been underrated (true) and how the general public has put their support in other undeserving musicians and rappers. I can't really fault the message, but as previously stated, the focus of the statements seems rather unspecified. Nice, but not great any way but vocally.
Song #3: Bad Day by Blur (Leisure, 1991, Track 5)
Musically, this song is pretty good. The strange lead in sets a slightly mysterious mood, which is redirected into morbid energy by the introduction of the guitar. The music takes a back-seat to the vocals for the rest of the song, but some electric guitar pops up here and there, as well as the tambourine (I think). I like the mood set and maintained by the music, and I think it says more than any other aspect of the song.
Vocally, Albarn has never appealed to me. No matter what he's singing, he just seems to be whining. Better than most of modern pop though, where the opposite seems to be true. Again, the vocals do a lot for the mood, showing misery and mystery, but with a strange sort of energy behind it.
Lyrically, I'm not 100% sure I know what the songs about, but I think it just seems to be discussing how every aspect of your life seems completely rubbish and irreversibly miserable when you just have a single bad experience. The character seems to be giving up on their life goals, just being difficult. No overall, life-changing message, but an intelligent little observation.
Winners:
Musically, Blur wins this one easily. Neither of the other songs appealed to me much in any way, but I think Folds choice musically was a little kinder to my ears and my sensibilities than Urthboy.
Vocally, Urthboy brings in one of my favourite Aussie rappers as well as some new talent, and although they weren't fantastic in this piece, they certainly win vocally. Folds has a better voice than Albarn, which is the only reason he is getting a place in the winners section.
Lyrically, Blur seems to just want to make a simple observation in an interesting way, and I cannot fault them any way. Urthboy is getting second place here out of pure spite. Why? Because Folds has really pissed me off with that "One Down" shit. Before I say anymore, Folds is one of my favourite artists of all time, and from all interviews I've heard or read, he's a nice guy, but he's treating listeners like shit. This song is basically saying "I could write anything and you'd listen". Tune is falsely sentimental, the lyrics dull and pointless. There needs to be a reason for a song. If Folds was complaining about unreasonable contractual obligations, fine. But he isn't. He outright fucking states this. What he is doing, however, is making pointless observations to music. Again, that could be done well. Instead, he just seems to get bored and singes the lyrics to a seemingly completely different song for a verse. This song is a pointless, insulting, insincere, detestable mess. This is not what I expect from someone with the proven talent of Folds.
Overall:
1. "Bad Day" by Blur
2. "The Wrong One" by Urthboy
3. "One Down" by Ben Folds
Now, this review was brief and angry. Folds really pissed me off with that song. I'm aware it's not a very well known song and every artist deserves at least one embarrassing mess to show some human weakness, but this song just put me in a bad mood for the entire process, even though it spanned a good 20 hours or so. I apologise to anyone expecting better, and I shall attempt to return tomorrow.
H. Rourke
Song #1: One Down by Ben Folds (Fifty-Five Vault, 2011, Track 36)
Now, I'm perfectly aware this song was released on "Ben Folds Live", but on the Fifty-Five Vault was the way in which I was introduced to it. It was also the B-Side to "Rockin' The Suburbs", but that's just trivia.
Music first, as always. The song is a little too slow for my taste. What really takes away from my opinion on any aspect of this song is the lack of effort, which I'll tackle in lyrics. Anyway, there is tragically little piano in this track, instantly preventing it becoming anything close to a Ben Folds classic in my mind. There a little tastes of piano here and there, but the song is dominated by guitar, which I really feel doesn't work well with the lyrical content of the song.
Vocally, Folds goes a route I really wouldn't expect regarding the lyrics. He puts a lot of sentimentality into it, with slow and steady complaining taking up the majority of the song. Pretty average.
Lyrically, this song is about fulfilling contractual obligations by writing songs, demonstrated by writing a song just about how he needs to write more songs. Besides being delightfully meta, this just doesn't cut it for me. Why on earth does a slow, sentimental song need to be written about this. Songs need meaning and emotion, and that emotion needs to be shown through the song. If you're angry, write another "Rockin' The Suburbs". That is what's going through my mind. If Folds was doing more than just complaining (which he actually states he isn't doing), he would put some effort into this. It's a short, sweet tune if you just ignore the lyrics, but the laziness and bitching so tightly wound all through this song pisses me off.
Song #2: The Wrong One by Urthboy (Feat. Ozi Batla & The Tongue) (The Signal, 2007, Track 8)
Musically, this song seems to sample some sort of sporting event, or is at least attempting to use a sporting motif, with crowds chanting, drums,a whistle at one point and several lyrical references. I sort of understand it, attempting to follow the concept of "backing the wrong one", both in the sporting context, as well as in underestimating the artists on the song.I don't get the random guy shouting something incomprehensible every now and again, as it just gets irritating very quickly.
Vocally, this song is excellent. Ozi Batla is one of my two favourite MC's, and Urthboy isn't too far behind. I'm not overly familiar with the work of The Tongue, but I've heard a little here and there. The dynamic of the song confuses me a little. Are they insulting each other or the audience? Or is it the public in general? Overall, the talent excels, despite strangely hectic pacing and other strange musical effects in the background.
Lyrically, this song is nothing special. The three MC's are just discussing how they have been underrated (true) and how the general public has put their support in other undeserving musicians and rappers. I can't really fault the message, but as previously stated, the focus of the statements seems rather unspecified. Nice, but not great any way but vocally.
Song #3: Bad Day by Blur (Leisure, 1991, Track 5)
Musically, this song is pretty good. The strange lead in sets a slightly mysterious mood, which is redirected into morbid energy by the introduction of the guitar. The music takes a back-seat to the vocals for the rest of the song, but some electric guitar pops up here and there, as well as the tambourine (I think). I like the mood set and maintained by the music, and I think it says more than any other aspect of the song.
Vocally, Albarn has never appealed to me. No matter what he's singing, he just seems to be whining. Better than most of modern pop though, where the opposite seems to be true. Again, the vocals do a lot for the mood, showing misery and mystery, but with a strange sort of energy behind it.
Lyrically, I'm not 100% sure I know what the songs about, but I think it just seems to be discussing how every aspect of your life seems completely rubbish and irreversibly miserable when you just have a single bad experience. The character seems to be giving up on their life goals, just being difficult. No overall, life-changing message, but an intelligent little observation.
Winners:
Musically, Blur wins this one easily. Neither of the other songs appealed to me much in any way, but I think Folds choice musically was a little kinder to my ears and my sensibilities than Urthboy.
Vocally, Urthboy brings in one of my favourite Aussie rappers as well as some new talent, and although they weren't fantastic in this piece, they certainly win vocally. Folds has a better voice than Albarn, which is the only reason he is getting a place in the winners section.
Lyrically, Blur seems to just want to make a simple observation in an interesting way, and I cannot fault them any way. Urthboy is getting second place here out of pure spite. Why? Because Folds has really pissed me off with that "One Down" shit. Before I say anymore, Folds is one of my favourite artists of all time, and from all interviews I've heard or read, he's a nice guy, but he's treating listeners like shit. This song is basically saying "I could write anything and you'd listen". Tune is falsely sentimental, the lyrics dull and pointless. There needs to be a reason for a song. If Folds was complaining about unreasonable contractual obligations, fine. But he isn't. He outright fucking states this. What he is doing, however, is making pointless observations to music. Again, that could be done well. Instead, he just seems to get bored and singes the lyrics to a seemingly completely different song for a verse. This song is a pointless, insulting, insincere, detestable mess. This is not what I expect from someone with the proven talent of Folds.
Overall:
1. "Bad Day" by Blur
2. "The Wrong One" by Urthboy
3. "One Down" by Ben Folds
Now, this review was brief and angry. Folds really pissed me off with that song. I'm aware it's not a very well known song and every artist deserves at least one embarrassing mess to show some human weakness, but this song just put me in a bad mood for the entire process, even though it spanned a good 20 hours or so. I apologise to anyone expecting better, and I shall attempt to return tomorrow.
H. Rourke
Saturday, 14 July 2012
The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind
The artwork of the new BFF album, as well as the all important title (which is the title of this post) has been unveiled. Although this isn't as important as the actual release of the album, it's a hell of a stepping stone.
Also, questions may arise regarding my location over the past week and a bit. Short answer: My internet died. Long answer: After slaving over a slow, frustrating browser for nearly a month, the internet died. Yeah. I decent internet on Thursday, but it had been over a month since I was on TGWTG.com, so I spent nearly three whole days on that site (side note: If anyone else has been unable to view Blip video due to malfunctioning Volkswagen advertisements, please leave a comment, to make me feel less like my computer hates me. Also if you have a solution.).
I will return to my post-a-day status until the 23rd, when my regular irregular postings will return to those poor souls who wonder these dark, dank corridors of both my mind and the internet.
To the posting!
H. Rourke
Also, questions may arise regarding my location over the past week and a bit. Short answer: My internet died. Long answer: After slaving over a slow, frustrating browser for nearly a month, the internet died. Yeah. I decent internet on Thursday, but it had been over a month since I was on TGWTG.com, so I spent nearly three whole days on that site (side note: If anyone else has been unable to view Blip video due to malfunctioning Volkswagen advertisements, please leave a comment, to make me feel less like my computer hates me. Also if you have a solution.).
I will return to my post-a-day status until the 23rd, when my regular irregular postings will return to those poor souls who wonder these dark, dank corridors of both my mind and the internet.
To the posting!
H. Rourke
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Webcomics
A smart man once said that if you don't think what you're making is that interesting, just link to something guaranteed to be a time sink (far from an exact quote). With this in mind, and 23 minutes until tomorrow, I'm going to give links to some of my favourite webcomics. All links will be to the very first comic released, and all will be reasonably PG. Please give it a good look, even though all of these comics first pages are far from what they have achieved.
Firstly, my favourite: Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. This is a comic full of wit, charm and decent art.
For a comic in a similar vein, but less to look at and slightly more intelligent, see xkcd. Another hilarious, witty piece of work.
In a slightly different direction is Something Positive. Somewhat more adult, but just as witty. Whereas in the other two comics, you could just click the random button, this comic is a story. Beginning to most recent. It's the only way to read it.
Finally, in a completely different direction is Irregular Webcomic. Although I'm not as big a fan as the other ones, this is a completely different experience. Lame puns, childishness and just general fun. Wit? Not really. Plot? More than I expected but still not much. Worth a look.
Finally, DM Of The Rings. This comic has actually concluded, but it is brilliant.I received a link to it one afternoon and had it finished by the same time the next day. I must admit, I've never read any Tolkien books other than The Hobbit and have not really seen the movies, so this is really the most attentions I've ever paid to Lord Of The Rings. The premise of the comic is Lord Of The Rings as if played through as a role-playing campaign. Shamus Young, the author of both this comic and the only blog I frequent (other than this one) on a daily basis, actually set of this as a genre. I have been addicted to the same premise applied to Star Wars and One Piece, if anyone is interested.
Of course there are many more, but I have only six minutes until I fail my self imposed challenge. Please give feedback if you wish for more recommendations in the same vain as any of these
H. Rourke
Firstly, my favourite: Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. This is a comic full of wit, charm and decent art.
For a comic in a similar vein, but less to look at and slightly more intelligent, see xkcd. Another hilarious, witty piece of work.
In a slightly different direction is Something Positive. Somewhat more adult, but just as witty. Whereas in the other two comics, you could just click the random button, this comic is a story. Beginning to most recent. It's the only way to read it.
Finally, in a completely different direction is Irregular Webcomic. Although I'm not as big a fan as the other ones, this is a completely different experience. Lame puns, childishness and just general fun. Wit? Not really. Plot? More than I expected but still not much. Worth a look.
Finally, DM Of The Rings. This comic has actually concluded, but it is brilliant.I received a link to it one afternoon and had it finished by the same time the next day. I must admit, I've never read any Tolkien books other than The Hobbit and have not really seen the movies, so this is really the most attentions I've ever paid to Lord Of The Rings. The premise of the comic is Lord Of The Rings as if played through as a role-playing campaign. Shamus Young, the author of both this comic and the only blog I frequent (other than this one) on a daily basis, actually set of this as a genre. I have been addicted to the same premise applied to Star Wars and One Piece, if anyone is interested.
Of course there are many more, but I have only six minutes until I fail my self imposed challenge. Please give feedback if you wish for more recommendations in the same vain as any of these
H. Rourke
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
3 Songs: Hilltop Hoods vs. Urthboy vs. John Schumann & The Vagabond Crew
Well, a belated congratulations to myself upon reaching 50 posts. This is about the 53rd, but considering the amount of post apologising for not writing anything, it probably works out about right. Well, as you may have gleaned from the title, this is a return to 3 Songs format. Deal with it.
Song #1 The Return by The Hilltop Hoods (State Of The Art, 2009, Track 1)
My spelling is terrible. I hope this isn't obvious, as I spellcheck rather thoroughly after every post, but there are some situations in which my spelling gets frustrating. This is evident on my MP3 player. The computer I use to put songs on it doesn't have the internet, so I fill in every song myself. So far I have one song called "Wings Of An Angle" and a second named "Th Return". Anyway, actually looking at what I've looked at so far, besides "High Seas" by The Herd, there really hasn't been any hip-hop in the 3 Songs posts. Time to remedy that.
The music of this song creates quite an atmosphere. I can't say I'm aware of what tracks are being sampled throughout the song, but there is a slow, mysterious instrumental track that mainly is played throughout the beginning and end of the song, with the middle being more filled by a decent, but rather generic guitar track. There actually seems to be a male vocalist at some points, and I don't know which of the two tracks he's part of. This creates a feeling of mystery before and after the track, creating the impression that what featured throughout the track was passing and was not to be repeated.
As with most hip-hop, the vocal ability of the MC's is a good portion of the appeal. As always, the Hilltop Hoods. As I'll discuss a little more in the lyrics section, this track is a good way to open to the album. There is certainly a great deal of skill involved with everything the Hilltop Hoods are involved with, but that doesn't guarantee a fantastic song. This track has skill, good music and good lyrics, which reflects accurately on the album. Yes, there are some fantastic songs, such as "Parade Of The Dead", "Still Standing" and, of course, "Fifty In Five" (which is my favourite song of all time). At the same time, there are track like "Chris Farley" and "She's So Ugly", which although they have redeeming features, are far from good tracks. Skilful and experienced are the two words that describe the vocals of this song.
Although there is no overall narrative in this song, it brings a few connections to mind. Death seems to be a running theme in this album, or perhaps returning from the dead would be more accurate. Anyway, the entire point of this track is basically a drawn-out intro. This isn't to say it's lacking at any point, it just plays the same role. Many albums have short "skits" as intros, outros and interludes. This is most often done very poorly, with obvious exceptions. This was the first album by the Hilltop Hoods I heard, and the fact they didn't use those ridiculous skits earned them a lot of respect from my view. For an example of a poorly placed skit, look at "DJ Ballbreakers" from "Choose One" by 1200 Techniques. A fantastic album, overall, except for that one piece. Now, individual lyrics. I enjoy Aussie hip-hop because it doesn't go out of its way to alienate people, or outright offend them, like the majority of US rap seems to be trying to do. The Hilltop Hoods are a fantastic example of this. This entire song could have been used to list everyone the Hilltop Hoods think sucks, throw a few references to them committing felonies or objectifying women and they would sell well in the states. Instead, they use pop-culture references to show how they've changed, improved, and wish to perfect their art (thus the name of the album). Some lines, such as "The return of the motherfucking motherfuckers" seem pointless, gratuitous and overall just there for drunk twenty-year olds to loudly sing along with. I'm aware that I'm most likely either preaching to the converted or the unconvinced, but it was worth a try of spreading what I consider a fantastic genre of music from a country that really doesn't have many genres to call its own.
Song #2: Nothing That I'd Rather Do by Urthboy (The Signal, 2007, Track 2)
As soon as I say I haven't discussed much hip-hop yet, of course I need another track from the genre. I really hope the last song isn't something like The Kinks, or else this is going to be one hell of a weird marking system at the end. Urthboy, by the way, is a member of The Herd. Also worth mentioning is the participation of two other artists on this track: Hau (of Koolism) and Muphin ( of Muph & Plutonic).
Musically, this song is nothing outstanding. A simple, enjoyable, down to earth track that seems to base itself around a piano, drums and guitar track, with the occasional use of claps that really emphasise the simplicity and the unpretentious Urthboy seems to excel at. The music is very pushed to the back throughout the verses, seeming almost like an afterthought, but really takes off through the chorus.
In regards to the vocals, this track is fantastic. I know of no genre that has as many artists featuring on other artists tracks. This is because each artist brings their own style, lyrics and skills to the track. I adore both the groups, but if you swapped the guitarists from Franz Ferdinand and Kasabian, who would really notice? Unlike most genres, the vocalist is both supplying lyrics and using their vocals as the main instrument, as everything else falls back. Urthboy has simple, inoffensive style, emphasising the role of the past and the future in many of his tracks. I can't say I'm familiar with that much of Koolism's work ( despite the fact I share a city with them), but Hau seems to have a much more powerful voice, putting the flow of the lyrics over the actual content, although both are well thought out. Muph has a much smoother voice, seeming much calmer and relaxed. The combination of the three artists creates a memorable track.
In regards to the lyrics, the track has the common thread of discussing why the three MC's are rapping instead of following other dreams. First note: It took me a depressingly long time to find out what the reference to Laxman and Dravid was about. It's cricket. Fucking cricket. Honestly, Ozi Batla places much better references in his tracks, but I suppose that explains the variety or The Herd. There are actually a large amount of references to sport, as all three of the rappers seem to have wanted to be sportsmen at some point. All the references are surprisingly revealing and emotional, considering the genre, premise and artists. If I was given the artists, premise and era on paper, I would just expect the artists saying how awesome they are for nearly four minutes. I was pleasantly surprised. Also, bonus points for the Discman reference.
Song #3: Scots Of The Riverina by John Schumann & The Vagabond Crew (Lawson, 2005, Track 8)
Okay, before I go into how fucking hard it's going to be to compare this to the previous songs, I just want a moment to point out how damn awesome it is to finally have an all-Aussie 3 Songs. The Hilltop Hoods are from Adelaide, as is John Schumann, while Urthboy (or Tim Levinson) is from Sydney. Another name is worthy of mention here, but I'll get into that soon. Now, this comparison is going to be tricky. Schumann is a great musician, but it is going to be a bloody tricky job comparing this song to hip-hop. I beg your patience in understanding this one.
Musically, the song suits the lyrics for the most parts. When I explain the lyrics, which involve a man being killed in WWI, I would like for you to think, "Is an electric guitar solo really necessary here?" It just really does not match for me. The rest of the song is slow, gentle and I do like the use of a violin. That really does suit the mood of the song, and I'm not really one who makes many connotations for the placement of instruments. Aside from this, no real comment to make.
The vocals for this song are surprisingly good. I don't listen to Schumann for his voice, which is almost grating in some performances, but it really works here. I think the subject matter wouldn't be sufficiently covered by most of the musicians I listen to, but Schumann gives every note of music a feeling it is important and worth listening to (which is rather irritating in some songs with lighter tones). Now, Schumann is best known for the song "I Was Only 19", which was performed with the band Redgum. Anyway, the song is briefly broken up by the vocals of a woman, who I'm afraid I can't name. She presents a pleasant rest from Schumann, and her presence really makes the song.
Lyrically, I have little to complain about. Why? Because the lyrics are taken directly from a poem by the great Henry Lawson (thus the name of the album), the poem also being the name of the song. I'm not going to critique the poetry of Lawson. What right does Schumann have to translate his poetry to music? I'm of two minds. Firstly, it feels as if the song is taking all of its strength from the poem, almost stealing its power. This feels just plagiaristic. On the other hand, I'm sure Schumann is a fan, and what right do I have to say that he shouldn't have made the song. Anyway, the poem tells the story of a son who walks away from his family, who live in the Riverina (an area of New South Wales) around harvest-time, which is apparently unforgivable, the father refusing to speak of the boy again and takes the son's name from the family bible. The son promptly goes and gets himself killed when WWI comes along, and the father adds the boy's name to the family bible before dying himself. A fantastic piece of Australian bush poetry. What more can I say?
Winners:
First Category: Music:
This is a tricky one, as none of the songs are that good musically. Overall, I've got to give it to Urthboy, for keeping it simple and being the most appropriate to the subject matter, which I actually think is very important for any song. I've got to give the runner-up position to Schumann, as they try to give the poem some relevant sounds, while the Hilltop Hoods were just doing what they thought sounded cool.
Second Category: Vocals:
Okay, this is going to be tricky, but at least Schumann is out of the running for any position. I just don't like the man's voice, no matter what. Although Urthboy does some great things with the inclusion of two other big names in Aussie hip-hop, the Hilltop Hoods just do it better. There is no better way of putting it. They have a better flow, a snappier pace and sound much more professional. There is a reason a Hilltop Hoods song was once voted the best Australian song of all time. Not saying Urthboy hasn't excelled in his own right, but the song by song comparison just favoured the Hilltop Hoods.
Third Category: Lyrics:
I resent the position Schumann has put me in. Either give him credit for a poem superior to 99% of the work he will ever do (I'm so very much not going to compare "I Was Only 19" and anything by Lawson) or claim that Lawson's work is not as good as it is. I think my only choice is to award this one to Schumann, but resentfully. Second place goes to Urthboy, as although the Hilltop Hoods have clever wordplay and certainly talent, they don't actually have anything to say, as compared to a much more meaningful song by Urthboy.
Overall:
1. "Nothing That I'd Rather Do" by Urthboy
2. "The Return" by the Hilltop Hoods
3. "Scots Of The Riverina" by John Schumann And The Vagabond Crew
I'm perfectly aware that all three songs tied in the scoring, and the overall rankings are pretty random, but they reflect how I feel about the musicians more than anything. I really still do not know how to feel about a song of a poem, especially when it doesn't do it justice. At least it was a poem by an Australian, completing the All-Aussie theme. Feedback always welcome.
H. Rourke
Song #1 The Return by The Hilltop Hoods (State Of The Art, 2009, Track 1)
My spelling is terrible. I hope this isn't obvious, as I spellcheck rather thoroughly after every post, but there are some situations in which my spelling gets frustrating. This is evident on my MP3 player. The computer I use to put songs on it doesn't have the internet, so I fill in every song myself. So far I have one song called "Wings Of An Angle" and a second named "Th Return". Anyway, actually looking at what I've looked at so far, besides "High Seas" by The Herd, there really hasn't been any hip-hop in the 3 Songs posts. Time to remedy that.
The music of this song creates quite an atmosphere. I can't say I'm aware of what tracks are being sampled throughout the song, but there is a slow, mysterious instrumental track that mainly is played throughout the beginning and end of the song, with the middle being more filled by a decent, but rather generic guitar track. There actually seems to be a male vocalist at some points, and I don't know which of the two tracks he's part of. This creates a feeling of mystery before and after the track, creating the impression that what featured throughout the track was passing and was not to be repeated.
As with most hip-hop, the vocal ability of the MC's is a good portion of the appeal. As always, the Hilltop Hoods. As I'll discuss a little more in the lyrics section, this track is a good way to open to the album. There is certainly a great deal of skill involved with everything the Hilltop Hoods are involved with, but that doesn't guarantee a fantastic song. This track has skill, good music and good lyrics, which reflects accurately on the album. Yes, there are some fantastic songs, such as "Parade Of The Dead", "Still Standing" and, of course, "Fifty In Five" (which is my favourite song of all time). At the same time, there are track like "Chris Farley" and "She's So Ugly", which although they have redeeming features, are far from good tracks. Skilful and experienced are the two words that describe the vocals of this song.
Although there is no overall narrative in this song, it brings a few connections to mind. Death seems to be a running theme in this album, or perhaps returning from the dead would be more accurate. Anyway, the entire point of this track is basically a drawn-out intro. This isn't to say it's lacking at any point, it just plays the same role. Many albums have short "skits" as intros, outros and interludes. This is most often done very poorly, with obvious exceptions. This was the first album by the Hilltop Hoods I heard, and the fact they didn't use those ridiculous skits earned them a lot of respect from my view. For an example of a poorly placed skit, look at "DJ Ballbreakers" from "Choose One" by 1200 Techniques. A fantastic album, overall, except for that one piece. Now, individual lyrics. I enjoy Aussie hip-hop because it doesn't go out of its way to alienate people, or outright offend them, like the majority of US rap seems to be trying to do. The Hilltop Hoods are a fantastic example of this. This entire song could have been used to list everyone the Hilltop Hoods think sucks, throw a few references to them committing felonies or objectifying women and they would sell well in the states. Instead, they use pop-culture references to show how they've changed, improved, and wish to perfect their art (thus the name of the album). Some lines, such as "The return of the motherfucking motherfuckers" seem pointless, gratuitous and overall just there for drunk twenty-year olds to loudly sing along with. I'm aware that I'm most likely either preaching to the converted or the unconvinced, but it was worth a try of spreading what I consider a fantastic genre of music from a country that really doesn't have many genres to call its own.
Song #2: Nothing That I'd Rather Do by Urthboy (The Signal, 2007, Track 2)
As soon as I say I haven't discussed much hip-hop yet, of course I need another track from the genre. I really hope the last song isn't something like The Kinks, or else this is going to be one hell of a weird marking system at the end. Urthboy, by the way, is a member of The Herd. Also worth mentioning is the participation of two other artists on this track: Hau (of Koolism) and Muphin ( of Muph & Plutonic).
Musically, this song is nothing outstanding. A simple, enjoyable, down to earth track that seems to base itself around a piano, drums and guitar track, with the occasional use of claps that really emphasise the simplicity and the unpretentious Urthboy seems to excel at. The music is very pushed to the back throughout the verses, seeming almost like an afterthought, but really takes off through the chorus.
In regards to the vocals, this track is fantastic. I know of no genre that has as many artists featuring on other artists tracks. This is because each artist brings their own style, lyrics and skills to the track. I adore both the groups, but if you swapped the guitarists from Franz Ferdinand and Kasabian, who would really notice? Unlike most genres, the vocalist is both supplying lyrics and using their vocals as the main instrument, as everything else falls back. Urthboy has simple, inoffensive style, emphasising the role of the past and the future in many of his tracks. I can't say I'm familiar with that much of Koolism's work ( despite the fact I share a city with them), but Hau seems to have a much more powerful voice, putting the flow of the lyrics over the actual content, although both are well thought out. Muph has a much smoother voice, seeming much calmer and relaxed. The combination of the three artists creates a memorable track.
In regards to the lyrics, the track has the common thread of discussing why the three MC's are rapping instead of following other dreams. First note: It took me a depressingly long time to find out what the reference to Laxman and Dravid was about. It's cricket. Fucking cricket. Honestly, Ozi Batla places much better references in his tracks, but I suppose that explains the variety or The Herd. There are actually a large amount of references to sport, as all three of the rappers seem to have wanted to be sportsmen at some point. All the references are surprisingly revealing and emotional, considering the genre, premise and artists. If I was given the artists, premise and era on paper, I would just expect the artists saying how awesome they are for nearly four minutes. I was pleasantly surprised. Also, bonus points for the Discman reference.
Song #3: Scots Of The Riverina by John Schumann & The Vagabond Crew (Lawson, 2005, Track 8)
Okay, before I go into how fucking hard it's going to be to compare this to the previous songs, I just want a moment to point out how damn awesome it is to finally have an all-Aussie 3 Songs. The Hilltop Hoods are from Adelaide, as is John Schumann, while Urthboy (or Tim Levinson) is from Sydney. Another name is worthy of mention here, but I'll get into that soon. Now, this comparison is going to be tricky. Schumann is a great musician, but it is going to be a bloody tricky job comparing this song to hip-hop. I beg your patience in understanding this one.
Musically, the song suits the lyrics for the most parts. When I explain the lyrics, which involve a man being killed in WWI, I would like for you to think, "Is an electric guitar solo really necessary here?" It just really does not match for me. The rest of the song is slow, gentle and I do like the use of a violin. That really does suit the mood of the song, and I'm not really one who makes many connotations for the placement of instruments. Aside from this, no real comment to make.
The vocals for this song are surprisingly good. I don't listen to Schumann for his voice, which is almost grating in some performances, but it really works here. I think the subject matter wouldn't be sufficiently covered by most of the musicians I listen to, but Schumann gives every note of music a feeling it is important and worth listening to (which is rather irritating in some songs with lighter tones). Now, Schumann is best known for the song "I Was Only 19", which was performed with the band Redgum. Anyway, the song is briefly broken up by the vocals of a woman, who I'm afraid I can't name. She presents a pleasant rest from Schumann, and her presence really makes the song.
Lyrically, I have little to complain about. Why? Because the lyrics are taken directly from a poem by the great Henry Lawson (thus the name of the album), the poem also being the name of the song. I'm not going to critique the poetry of Lawson. What right does Schumann have to translate his poetry to music? I'm of two minds. Firstly, it feels as if the song is taking all of its strength from the poem, almost stealing its power. This feels just plagiaristic. On the other hand, I'm sure Schumann is a fan, and what right do I have to say that he shouldn't have made the song. Anyway, the poem tells the story of a son who walks away from his family, who live in the Riverina (an area of New South Wales) around harvest-time, which is apparently unforgivable, the father refusing to speak of the boy again and takes the son's name from the family bible. The son promptly goes and gets himself killed when WWI comes along, and the father adds the boy's name to the family bible before dying himself. A fantastic piece of Australian bush poetry. What more can I say?
Winners:
First Category: Music:
This is a tricky one, as none of the songs are that good musically. Overall, I've got to give it to Urthboy, for keeping it simple and being the most appropriate to the subject matter, which I actually think is very important for any song. I've got to give the runner-up position to Schumann, as they try to give the poem some relevant sounds, while the Hilltop Hoods were just doing what they thought sounded cool.
Second Category: Vocals:
Okay, this is going to be tricky, but at least Schumann is out of the running for any position. I just don't like the man's voice, no matter what. Although Urthboy does some great things with the inclusion of two other big names in Aussie hip-hop, the Hilltop Hoods just do it better. There is no better way of putting it. They have a better flow, a snappier pace and sound much more professional. There is a reason a Hilltop Hoods song was once voted the best Australian song of all time. Not saying Urthboy hasn't excelled in his own right, but the song by song comparison just favoured the Hilltop Hoods.
Third Category: Lyrics:
I resent the position Schumann has put me in. Either give him credit for a poem superior to 99% of the work he will ever do (I'm so very much not going to compare "I Was Only 19" and anything by Lawson) or claim that Lawson's work is not as good as it is. I think my only choice is to award this one to Schumann, but resentfully. Second place goes to Urthboy, as although the Hilltop Hoods have clever wordplay and certainly talent, they don't actually have anything to say, as compared to a much more meaningful song by Urthboy.
Overall:
1. "Nothing That I'd Rather Do" by Urthboy
2. "The Return" by the Hilltop Hoods
3. "Scots Of The Riverina" by John Schumann And The Vagabond Crew
I'm perfectly aware that all three songs tied in the scoring, and the overall rankings are pretty random, but they reflect how I feel about the musicians more than anything. I really still do not know how to feel about a song of a poem, especially when it doesn't do it justice. At least it was a poem by an Australian, completing the All-Aussie theme. Feedback always welcome.
H. Rourke
Monday, 2 July 2012
Song Meanings
I'm taking yet another break from regular reviews today to discuss the meanings of songs. Now, the reason I'm writing this is because in researching a number of songs for 3 Songs posts, I've found people who do two things with songs which I'm beginning to disagree with: Firstly, many people write songs off as meaningless. Secondly, people take songs much more literally than they probably should be.
The first problem, people writing songs off as meaningless, is fair enough. I've been known to do this myself. There are several causes for this. The first is lack of effort. In many of my album reviews, I have written songs or even entire groups off as meaningless due to the fact that they seem to be meaningless upon first impression, and with 10-20 songs, I'm not going to scrutinise each and every lyric until I come to a conclusion, especially with many songs either being truly meaningless or basing themselves around a tired concept or often around an Ice Cream Koan.
Aside from lack of effort on behalf of the reader/listener, the next most common reason is that the song is needlessly abstract, to the point of just seeming to throw random phrases together in the hope someone will take something away from it. The song that pops into my head first here is "Cousins" by Vampire Weekend, which takes much more effort to understand than is necessary or fair. When the moral of your song seems to be "Fuck you, critics" there are most likely a million and one different and easier ways of writing a song about it. A lot of songs are a little abstract in essence, but this just is to make the song more interesting, rather than make it more difficult to understand. Rather than effort, the key word with this problem seems to be communication.
Now, songs that are truly meaningless. I absolutely believe there are songs that fall into this category, but I think much more common are songs with dull or rather idiotic meanings. With many of these songs, the pull is the music rather than the lyrics, which is enough for many people. I'm not judging people who don't mind stupid lyrics for good music. I'm about fifty-fifty myself. I don't demand perfection in either element, but I do insist upon a certain level of coherence and quality. Anyway, songs about relationships seem to go in this direction quite often. The problem with writing songs about relationships, especially relationship collapse, is two-fold. Firstly, many musicians inexplicably seem to think they're the first to make particular observations or feel certain ways about someone. They aren't. The second problem is that there always seems to be a market for this kind of song which thinks the musician is the first to make these connections and sing about these feelings. I will state this right here and now: There is no emotion or impulse in the history of man which has not been represented in music. None. This doesn't make writing a song for this reason less important, but everyone needs to realise this isn't new.
Moving on, let's have a look at taking songs too literally. I'm perfectly aware I'm in the complete opposite camp in regards to 3 Songs. I give songs a great deal of meaning when they probably don't deserve such treatment in a few cases. The opposite is about as frustrating, but is much more understandable. I'm not saying my strategy is superior, I'm just saying I seem to have a little more faith in songwriters. The problem with taking songs too literally is both that the individual songs become meaningless and that the artist as a whole loses status.
A lot of artists seem to use excuses akin to "My song is not to be taken literally" to cover sloppy songwriting. Both Ke$ha and The Rolling Stones have claimed that they were making "parodies" of other songs. I have never called bullshit as loudly in my life. In the time of the Rolling Stones, they wrote a rather controversial song that managed to be simultaneously sexist and racist. You can't write things like that and call parody. Same with Ke$ha, who wrote a song named "Tick-Tock" in which she describes the life of a ridiculous teen party-girl. Rule of Thumb: If your "parody" can be used as the anthem for the people you are attempting to "parody" you are doing it so fucking wrong, I don't even know where to start. When was the last time god-damn Weird Al wrote a sexist or racist song? Artists claiming that their songs are being interpreted incorrectly should be taken with very little notice most of the time, unless they have a good back-catalogue of music with interesting, worthy lyrics.
Finally, the main problem with songs that are taken too literally is that it's easy to do. A metaphor revolving around comparing something simple to something complex done well could easily be confused with a song about only the simple thing. No blame can be given to those who write these songs off as simplistic. If there isn't even a hint that your song is a metaphor, the listener is not to be blamed. At the same time, if a group writes a song about a car and claims it's about world peace, there are going to be people like myself who do give it more credit than it deserves. In the end, I suppose my conclusion is that it takes all types. Those more jaded then myself weeding out the poorly constructed and simplistic songs, with the over-analytical types giving good, thought out music the discussion and dissection it is worthy of. I'll be fucked if it ever works like that, though.
In the end, the only advice I can really give is to give songs a good deal of though before you discuss them in any capacity, as the worst things to bring to a conversation are mis-information and poorly thought out arguements.
H. Rourke
The first problem, people writing songs off as meaningless, is fair enough. I've been known to do this myself. There are several causes for this. The first is lack of effort. In many of my album reviews, I have written songs or even entire groups off as meaningless due to the fact that they seem to be meaningless upon first impression, and with 10-20 songs, I'm not going to scrutinise each and every lyric until I come to a conclusion, especially with many songs either being truly meaningless or basing themselves around a tired concept or often around an Ice Cream Koan.
Aside from lack of effort on behalf of the reader/listener, the next most common reason is that the song is needlessly abstract, to the point of just seeming to throw random phrases together in the hope someone will take something away from it. The song that pops into my head first here is "Cousins" by Vampire Weekend, which takes much more effort to understand than is necessary or fair. When the moral of your song seems to be "Fuck you, critics" there are most likely a million and one different and easier ways of writing a song about it. A lot of songs are a little abstract in essence, but this just is to make the song more interesting, rather than make it more difficult to understand. Rather than effort, the key word with this problem seems to be communication.
Now, songs that are truly meaningless. I absolutely believe there are songs that fall into this category, but I think much more common are songs with dull or rather idiotic meanings. With many of these songs, the pull is the music rather than the lyrics, which is enough for many people. I'm not judging people who don't mind stupid lyrics for good music. I'm about fifty-fifty myself. I don't demand perfection in either element, but I do insist upon a certain level of coherence and quality. Anyway, songs about relationships seem to go in this direction quite often. The problem with writing songs about relationships, especially relationship collapse, is two-fold. Firstly, many musicians inexplicably seem to think they're the first to make particular observations or feel certain ways about someone. They aren't. The second problem is that there always seems to be a market for this kind of song which thinks the musician is the first to make these connections and sing about these feelings. I will state this right here and now: There is no emotion or impulse in the history of man which has not been represented in music. None. This doesn't make writing a song for this reason less important, but everyone needs to realise this isn't new.
Moving on, let's have a look at taking songs too literally. I'm perfectly aware I'm in the complete opposite camp in regards to 3 Songs. I give songs a great deal of meaning when they probably don't deserve such treatment in a few cases. The opposite is about as frustrating, but is much more understandable. I'm not saying my strategy is superior, I'm just saying I seem to have a little more faith in songwriters. The problem with taking songs too literally is both that the individual songs become meaningless and that the artist as a whole loses status.
A lot of artists seem to use excuses akin to "My song is not to be taken literally" to cover sloppy songwriting. Both Ke$ha and The Rolling Stones have claimed that they were making "parodies" of other songs. I have never called bullshit as loudly in my life. In the time of the Rolling Stones, they wrote a rather controversial song that managed to be simultaneously sexist and racist. You can't write things like that and call parody. Same with Ke$ha, who wrote a song named "Tick-Tock" in which she describes the life of a ridiculous teen party-girl. Rule of Thumb: If your "parody" can be used as the anthem for the people you are attempting to "parody" you are doing it so fucking wrong, I don't even know where to start. When was the last time god-damn Weird Al wrote a sexist or racist song? Artists claiming that their songs are being interpreted incorrectly should be taken with very little notice most of the time, unless they have a good back-catalogue of music with interesting, worthy lyrics.
Finally, the main problem with songs that are taken too literally is that it's easy to do. A metaphor revolving around comparing something simple to something complex done well could easily be confused with a song about only the simple thing. No blame can be given to those who write these songs off as simplistic. If there isn't even a hint that your song is a metaphor, the listener is not to be blamed. At the same time, if a group writes a song about a car and claims it's about world peace, there are going to be people like myself who do give it more credit than it deserves. In the end, I suppose my conclusion is that it takes all types. Those more jaded then myself weeding out the poorly constructed and simplistic songs, with the over-analytical types giving good, thought out music the discussion and dissection it is worthy of. I'll be fucked if it ever works like that, though.
In the end, the only advice I can really give is to give songs a good deal of though before you discuss them in any capacity, as the worst things to bring to a conversation are mis-information and poorly thought out arguements.
H. Rourke
Sunday, 1 July 2012
3 Songs: The Cat Empire vs. The Clash vs. The Herd
Here we go again.
Song #1: Down At The 303 by The Cat Empire (Cities, 2006, Track 9)
I've been wondering how long it would be before The Cat Empire turned up here, the same way Blur, Redgum and Alex Lloyd have all been oddly absent. Anyway, the song.
Musically, this is a Cat Empire song. Need I say more? Well, the beat is lively, yet laid back enough to make dancing completely optional. Unlike many Cat Empire songs, there are not so many strange instruments, more relying on drums and guitar, with the usual use of trumpets, which is an enjoyable use of the usual Cat Empire ability to make any instrument do anything for them. Less of an insanely fast beat, which seems to show some maturity of the group, and also shows that this is one song they really wish for the lyrics to be heard on.
The vocals are fantastic as usual. Riebl has the unusual ability to have a very dynamic voice, but is still able to maintain a calm, listenable rhythm in his singing. The second half of the song seems to be almost a rap, with some absolutely fantastic lines presented with incredible speed, rhyme and clarity. Fantastic.
The lyrics here are among the best for any Cat Empire song, with a clear message. Firstly, the name of the song is taken from a pub called "303". It is located somewhere in Victoria (the band's home state) and has been supporting live music, which is very good. Why it's the name of this song? Possibly just a shoutout, but I think I can make a loose link in a short while. The lyrics describe the music industry, and how it seems to consist largely of people who don't deserve to be there. There seem to be throwbacks to several other songs, such as the concept of remaining positive, from songs such as "Days Like These" and the concept of likening the music industry to a war, akin to the song "The Chariot". Overall, the song is attacking various aspects of the music industry. There is a lot of powerful language, such as calling other groups "terrorists", but the obvious inability to reference other groups which they are talking about robs the song of a lot of impact, leaving only a pleasant song with a lot of unaimable anger. The link to the 303 may be that the establishment supports the kind of music The Cat Empire approves of, thus being an example of a saviour from bad music...or it might just rhyme with TV. I don't know. Also, this song has the strangest comparison I have heard in music in a long time, with a reference to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I don't know why they thought that was necessary.
Song #2: Rock The Casbah by The Clash (Combat Rock, 1982, Track 4)
They don't get much bigger than this, do they? Short of perhaps London Calling or Lost In The Supermarket, this is the biggest song by The Clash. Like a song discussed yesterday, this song is somewhat open to interpretation when it really should not be.
The music is what makes this song a classic in my mind. Although the lyrics are important, the music is what grabs people the fastest and keeps this song on as many playlists as it's on. Guitar, piano, drums, watch alarm. You know, the usual tools of a great song. The watch alarm actually really irritated me during this song. On a regular Clash song, or any song by the majority of the artists I listen to, it would fit, as the song is a cacophony of sound, and the watch alarm would only emphasise the noise and spontaneity of the track, but "Rock The Casbah" is a polished and well-formed song that doesn't deserve to be treated as a different kind of song.
The vocals are the weakest part of this song. Strummer is a great musician, and The Clash deserve every bit or praise they receive and more, but fuck me is that man difficult to understand most of the time. This song is reasonable, but I think it's only thanks to the backing singers in the chorus that I know what the fucking thing is called.
Lyrically, this song tells the story of an unspecified Middle Eastern leader banning rock music, resulting in mass opposition to his actions by the majority of his citizenship. There may be an actual historical setting for this song, but I don't think it really matters. The moral of the song is that attempts to abuse power and change a regular part of people's lives will eventually result in failure. Knowing The Clash's style, I'd say this is a response to something happening in Britain at the time, but I'm not going to sit here taking wild guesses as to what. The problem with the song is that it can be taken far too literally. Somehow, the US managed to interpret this song as backing US intervention in the Middle East. Huh. Only the US government can hear a song about unreasonable and unnecessary abuses of power and think it advocates invading a country. Just...wow. How can.... I don't even....gyuh. That's right. I'm ending this on the phrase "gyuh".
Song #3: High Seas by The Herd (An Elefant Never Forgets, 2003, Track 13)
For the sake of keeping these posts honest, the track that I actually should be looking at was Ben Folds intro to one of his live albums, which consisted mainly of him talking and applause. I can bullshit about any song, but that is really pushing it, so I skipped it. I beg your forgiveness, non-existent audience.
Musically, the entire album is a little odd by my more modern impressions of The Herd. At this stage in their careers they seem to have been doing individual tracks, then throwing them on the same album. This may be a wild accusation, but it sounds exactly like that. This track is a good combination of hip-hop and sampling, which seem to make up the majority of the other tracks individually. The sampled track in the background really makes the message being conveyed confusing. The music seems something more akin to a Massive Attack album with a drum machine played over it than something out of an old school Herd track. Interesting, certainly, but still somewhat confusing. And then at the end of the track, it switches to an acoustic song, with singing and guitar over the sound of the ocean. I do not know. I am aware the whole goal of the album was basically to play around with music (I hope this wasn't their idea of polished) but this is a really weird switch.
Vocally, the rappers have pretty good rhythm, although it is a little bit difficult to understand them at points, though, as at one point they seem to attempt to rap over a sampled speech, which is a bloody stupid thing to do, as in the end, no one hears either of the two sounds. Good, and you can definitely hear the first steps into what will develop later in The Herd's career.
This song has brought me a fantastic moment of amusement in searching for the lyrics. For those who don't know, there are actually two groups called The Herd. One is an Australian hip-hop group, who I am currently talking about, but the other is British rock group from the 1960's. The website which I use for lyrics did not know there was a difference. I cannot wait for the next person who is seeking "I Don't Want Our Loving To Die" ends up reading the lyrics of "77%". Moving along, though, the lyrics for this song are pretty vague, but with The Herd, it's pretty easy to make an educated guess. "In other ports they've mutinied and the guards can't quell them." So, politics. Or "This circle is dominated by money...", making it about corporations. Or considering the time and the concept of criminals operating at sea, I'd be willing to say this is a go at the government's handling of the Tampa Affair. In the end though, it's probably a mix of the three.
Winners:
First Category: Music:
Although "Rock The Casbah" is probably the best Clash song musically, it cannot hold up against pretty much anything by The Cat Empire. The Cat Empire clearly wins this, with The Clash coming a close second. The Herd really aren't doing anything with the music of their song to even suggest they care, considering it clashes completely with the topic of the song or the mood it seems to be trying to create.
Second Category: Vocals:
Again, this is a hands-down win for The Cat Empire. The other two groups are pretty damn close, but I can make out more by The Herd than by The Clash.
Third Category: Lyrics:
Although all three of the lyric sets seem to be open to interpretation, The Clash have the most direct message, and that is very enjoyable. The Herd and Cat Empire both lose me a little in their lyrics, as The Herd don't really seem sure who they're attacking, while The Cat Empire seems to be, but doesn't elaborate. Overall, similar problems. In the end it comes down to a single question: TMNT simile vs. pirate analogy. How in sweet holy fuck did I go from two of my favourite Australian groups to pirates vs. ninjas!? Normally, I'd say ninjas win, but the simile comes from nowhere, while The Herd based their entire song around it, so The Herd is the runner up.
Winners:
1. "Down At The 303" by The Cat Empire
2. "Rock The Casbah" by The Clash
3. "High Seas" by The Herd
I'm starting to think I should award more points to lyrics, as I honestly think "Rock The Casbah" is superior to pretty much anything by The Cat Empire. It's my broken system, but I think I'll stick with it.
Feedback more than welcome...I'm so lonely.
H. Rourke
Song #1: Down At The 303 by The Cat Empire (Cities, 2006, Track 9)
I've been wondering how long it would be before The Cat Empire turned up here, the same way Blur, Redgum and Alex Lloyd have all been oddly absent. Anyway, the song.
Musically, this is a Cat Empire song. Need I say more? Well, the beat is lively, yet laid back enough to make dancing completely optional. Unlike many Cat Empire songs, there are not so many strange instruments, more relying on drums and guitar, with the usual use of trumpets, which is an enjoyable use of the usual Cat Empire ability to make any instrument do anything for them. Less of an insanely fast beat, which seems to show some maturity of the group, and also shows that this is one song they really wish for the lyrics to be heard on.
The vocals are fantastic as usual. Riebl has the unusual ability to have a very dynamic voice, but is still able to maintain a calm, listenable rhythm in his singing. The second half of the song seems to be almost a rap, with some absolutely fantastic lines presented with incredible speed, rhyme and clarity. Fantastic.
The lyrics here are among the best for any Cat Empire song, with a clear message. Firstly, the name of the song is taken from a pub called "303". It is located somewhere in Victoria (the band's home state) and has been supporting live music, which is very good. Why it's the name of this song? Possibly just a shoutout, but I think I can make a loose link in a short while. The lyrics describe the music industry, and how it seems to consist largely of people who don't deserve to be there. There seem to be throwbacks to several other songs, such as the concept of remaining positive, from songs such as "Days Like These" and the concept of likening the music industry to a war, akin to the song "The Chariot". Overall, the song is attacking various aspects of the music industry. There is a lot of powerful language, such as calling other groups "terrorists", but the obvious inability to reference other groups which they are talking about robs the song of a lot of impact, leaving only a pleasant song with a lot of unaimable anger. The link to the 303 may be that the establishment supports the kind of music The Cat Empire approves of, thus being an example of a saviour from bad music...or it might just rhyme with TV. I don't know. Also, this song has the strangest comparison I have heard in music in a long time, with a reference to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I don't know why they thought that was necessary.
Song #2: Rock The Casbah by The Clash (Combat Rock, 1982, Track 4)
They don't get much bigger than this, do they? Short of perhaps London Calling or Lost In The Supermarket, this is the biggest song by The Clash. Like a song discussed yesterday, this song is somewhat open to interpretation when it really should not be.
The music is what makes this song a classic in my mind. Although the lyrics are important, the music is what grabs people the fastest and keeps this song on as many playlists as it's on. Guitar, piano, drums, watch alarm. You know, the usual tools of a great song. The watch alarm actually really irritated me during this song. On a regular Clash song, or any song by the majority of the artists I listen to, it would fit, as the song is a cacophony of sound, and the watch alarm would only emphasise the noise and spontaneity of the track, but "Rock The Casbah" is a polished and well-formed song that doesn't deserve to be treated as a different kind of song.
The vocals are the weakest part of this song. Strummer is a great musician, and The Clash deserve every bit or praise they receive and more, but fuck me is that man difficult to understand most of the time. This song is reasonable, but I think it's only thanks to the backing singers in the chorus that I know what the fucking thing is called.
Lyrically, this song tells the story of an unspecified Middle Eastern leader banning rock music, resulting in mass opposition to his actions by the majority of his citizenship. There may be an actual historical setting for this song, but I don't think it really matters. The moral of the song is that attempts to abuse power and change a regular part of people's lives will eventually result in failure. Knowing The Clash's style, I'd say this is a response to something happening in Britain at the time, but I'm not going to sit here taking wild guesses as to what. The problem with the song is that it can be taken far too literally. Somehow, the US managed to interpret this song as backing US intervention in the Middle East. Huh. Only the US government can hear a song about unreasonable and unnecessary abuses of power and think it advocates invading a country. Just...wow. How can.... I don't even....gyuh. That's right. I'm ending this on the phrase "gyuh".
Song #3: High Seas by The Herd (An Elefant Never Forgets, 2003, Track 13)
For the sake of keeping these posts honest, the track that I actually should be looking at was Ben Folds intro to one of his live albums, which consisted mainly of him talking and applause. I can bullshit about any song, but that is really pushing it, so I skipped it. I beg your forgiveness, non-existent audience.
Musically, the entire album is a little odd by my more modern impressions of The Herd. At this stage in their careers they seem to have been doing individual tracks, then throwing them on the same album. This may be a wild accusation, but it sounds exactly like that. This track is a good combination of hip-hop and sampling, which seem to make up the majority of the other tracks individually. The sampled track in the background really makes the message being conveyed confusing. The music seems something more akin to a Massive Attack album with a drum machine played over it than something out of an old school Herd track. Interesting, certainly, but still somewhat confusing. And then at the end of the track, it switches to an acoustic song, with singing and guitar over the sound of the ocean. I do not know. I am aware the whole goal of the album was basically to play around with music (I hope this wasn't their idea of polished) but this is a really weird switch.
Vocally, the rappers have pretty good rhythm, although it is a little bit difficult to understand them at points, though, as at one point they seem to attempt to rap over a sampled speech, which is a bloody stupid thing to do, as in the end, no one hears either of the two sounds. Good, and you can definitely hear the first steps into what will develop later in The Herd's career.
This song has brought me a fantastic moment of amusement in searching for the lyrics. For those who don't know, there are actually two groups called The Herd. One is an Australian hip-hop group, who I am currently talking about, but the other is British rock group from the 1960's. The website which I use for lyrics did not know there was a difference. I cannot wait for the next person who is seeking "I Don't Want Our Loving To Die" ends up reading the lyrics of "77%". Moving along, though, the lyrics for this song are pretty vague, but with The Herd, it's pretty easy to make an educated guess. "In other ports they've mutinied and the guards can't quell them." So, politics. Or "This circle is dominated by money...", making it about corporations. Or considering the time and the concept of criminals operating at sea, I'd be willing to say this is a go at the government's handling of the Tampa Affair. In the end though, it's probably a mix of the three.
Winners:
First Category: Music:
Although "Rock The Casbah" is probably the best Clash song musically, it cannot hold up against pretty much anything by The Cat Empire. The Cat Empire clearly wins this, with The Clash coming a close second. The Herd really aren't doing anything with the music of their song to even suggest they care, considering it clashes completely with the topic of the song or the mood it seems to be trying to create.
Second Category: Vocals:
Again, this is a hands-down win for The Cat Empire. The other two groups are pretty damn close, but I can make out more by The Herd than by The Clash.
Third Category: Lyrics:
Although all three of the lyric sets seem to be open to interpretation, The Clash have the most direct message, and that is very enjoyable. The Herd and Cat Empire both lose me a little in their lyrics, as The Herd don't really seem sure who they're attacking, while The Cat Empire seems to be, but doesn't elaborate. Overall, similar problems. In the end it comes down to a single question: TMNT simile vs. pirate analogy. How in sweet holy fuck did I go from two of my favourite Australian groups to pirates vs. ninjas!? Normally, I'd say ninjas win, but the simile comes from nowhere, while The Herd based their entire song around it, so The Herd is the runner up.
Winners:
1. "Down At The 303" by The Cat Empire
2. "Rock The Casbah" by The Clash
3. "High Seas" by The Herd
I'm starting to think I should award more points to lyrics, as I honestly think "Rock The Casbah" is superior to pretty much anything by The Cat Empire. It's my broken system, but I think I'll stick with it.
Feedback more than welcome...I'm so lonely.
H. Rourke
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