Post a day continues!
Song #1: Superweeds by The Herd (An Elefant Never Forgets, 2003, Track 4)
I'm really hoping that 3 Songs starting with a song from An Elefant Never Forgets is not going to be a recurring trend. Quite honestly, I don't like very many of them. Music is this song's biggest problem. The music is loud, borish, repetitive and so very dull. Imagine Hunter's Theme but with someone talking over it. I just think this song could be massively improved by cutting out the backing beat.
Vocally, the female vocalist (who I presume is Jane Tyrell) is the clear standout, although her singing clashes violently with the beat, in a way which is repellent to the senses. The rapping is decent, but is a little amateurish.
Lyrically, the song is an anti-globalisation anthem, listing reasons why globalisation is bad, as well as shoehorning the occasional statistic in there. This isn't a song. This is a high-school student's Global Relations assignment, and I'll treat it as such. B-.
Song #2: The Wonder by Alex Lloyd (Alex Lloyd, 2005, Track 7)
I don't believe that I've really mentioned Alex Lloyd here before beyond Amazing, but the man has released several albums, and I've liked all I've heard. Musically, this song is representative of most Alex Lloyd songs, based around a guitar with various other instruments thrown in for atmosphere. When the chorus kicks in, the music swells, only to settle back down, very much following the vocals rather than forcing them, which is what I like.
Vocally, Alex Lloyd excels. He has a fantastic voice which manages to carry emotion and strength without being whiny or irritating. Lloyd's vocals are very simple, the name being representative of the man's style. Fantastic.
Lyrically, I can't say much about this song. The lyrics seem to be about appreciating the moment, which is a little too vague for my tastes, but there is some good imagery in the song. There are, however, some moments when I feel various metaphors and similes are rather forced, unattached to the rest of the song. Still, not too bad.
Song #3: Best Imitation of Myself by Ben Folds Five (Ben Folds Five, 1995, Track 9)
I have no idea if this is going to be a recurring thing, but this is the second The Herd vs. BFF 3 Songs in a row. Anyway, musically, this song is pretty bare-bones. Basic drums, guitars and, of course, piano. Music is simply not the focus of this song. You really notice when the music kicks in at 0:35 (by my count), but it pretty much dies out from there until the big return in the middle.
Vocally, what can I say that hasn't already been said? Ben Folds, just being Ben Folds. This song is, by Ben Folds standards, pretty average. It has high points and low points, but nothing that makes it great or terrible.
This song clearly means a lot to Folds, as he named his retrospective after it. There is no clear plot to the song, but it discusses the basic concept of feeling like you are not who you used to be, exactly as the name suggests. If I recall correctly, this song was inspired by Folds' managers not liking his new songs because they didn't sound much like older songs. A nice little tune, but nothing spectacular.
Conclusions:
Musically, there really wasn't that much impressive in this lot. The Herd is out instantly, so it's really between Lloyd and Folds. I've got to give it to Lloyd, just because BFF sounds so muted in their song, and I have no idea why.
Vocally, a similar situation arises. I'm going to give this one to Lloyd, mainly because his voice in this case is just so much stronger than Folds.
Lyrically, I don't like any of these songs. The Herd are shoehorning facts into a message, or possibly visa-versa. Lloyd is using bizarre imagery to discuss "the moment". Folds is talking about how he wants to be different to himself. Really, I'm going to give this one to The Herd, as they at least know that they're saying something, even if it's in a really ham-handed manner. Folds is the runner up here.
Winners:
1. The Wonder by Alex Lloyd
2. Superweeds by The Herd
3. Best Imitation of Myself by Ben Folds Five
I really would like a really strong Ben Folds song to get on one of these lists one of these days.
Feedback welcome.
H. Rourke
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