All going to plan, I'm afraid tomorrow will be the last post-a-day for a while. I'll still try to post something over the weekends, probably more substantial than a 3 Songs, perhaps even an entire album review again. Hell, it's been a while. I'll probably return to post-a-day schedule in November or December with any luck, and I'd love any feedback for any things readers would like to see. Also, Red Television celebrates one fantastic year on the 16th, and I'm trying to work out something special to celebrate with. Ideas, again, would be incredibly welcome. If nearly three weeks of 3 Songs isn't a big enough hint, I'm pretty low on ideas. Also, 3 Songs are really easy to write and I'm lazy. Speaking of which:
Song #1: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is by Jet (Shine On, 2006, Track 3)
Jet. Okay, I can talk about Jet. Good old Aussie rock, without too much tacked on. This is one of the few groups I feel absolutely confident in saying "This is rock". There are probably some sub-genre's but fuck it. This is rock. How was I introduced to Jet? Well, they were everywhere. When? Always. This song, Are You Gonna Be My Girl?, Shine On, I swear there has never been a time when ads weren't using Jet material. I came across Get Born in the discount section of Flipside, and found Shine On in probably the same place, I don't quite remember. They weren't bad, but I haven't come across any other albums of theirs since. To be fair, I haven't specifically looked. A little bit of enjoyable, not exactly thought provoking Aussie rock. Now, I just want to have quick rant (an oxymoron if I ever heard one). Upon the release of this album, Shine On, an internet music-review site called Pitchfork Media "reviewed" this album, by putting a video of a monkey urinating in it's own mouth and nothing else beneath the title. That pisses me off. Firstly, I really don't get where the reviewer is coming from. Sure, Jet may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they're hardly the kind of group to incite this kind of reaction. Secondly, that is fucking lazy. There was literally no discussion of why the reviewer felt this reaction was appropriate. I get the imagery, this album is recycled, self-congratulatory and pretentious. Fine. Have that opinion. But at least explain why you have that opinion. Sure, with a lot of music I have noting to say and writing even a few sentences is tricky, but if writing about music is that god-damned hard for you, maybe music criticism should not be your field of work. Finally, and this is what really pisses me off, is how rude that is. Sure, any musician who puts their work up for public consumption is expected to deal with criticism, constructive or otherwise, but this is just being a lazy jerk. What gives you the right to dismiss someone else's hard work with such a throwaway, unimaginative act? Think of how any human being would feel if this was someone's response to their art? Fuck off, Pitchfork. Three other things I must acknowledge: Firstly, I know that I review music, and I may say some harsh things, but I at least attempt to justify why I feel the way I do about what I hear, even if I may not succeed. Secondly, I'm not just saying this because I like Jet. There is no musician I would support such an act against. Sure, there are a few I think the sentiment of, but I'd never do that as a response to their work. What confuses me a little is using Jet as the focus here. In regards to professional reviewers, few had problems with this album. This hardly feels like the universally panned album such a review would seem to be in response to. Finally, I'm aware that this happened 8 years ago, but I feel that time hardly makes any of my points less valid. Erm, sorry for that. Let's move on to the song.
Musically, this song has a hell of a lot of life. A good beat, some great guitar and drum work, all showing exactly why this was the lead single. This song is just plain fun, and no matter what some reviewers think, there will always be room for basic, near-generic music that is just a hell of a lot of fun to listen to. There aren't many elements of this song I can actually take out to talk about. Just... pretty damn good.
Vocally, I'm not quite sure what's going on. Is the loud voice and the quiet voice the same person? I'm not sure, but I'm going to proceed as if they are both Cester. If so, that bloke clearly has a great vocal range. OK, now Cester is hardly the greatest singer of all time, but he does exactly what he needs to. The voice during the verses is a little irritating, but not unlistenably so, and is more than made up for in the chorus, when Cester's voice is absolutely ideal for the kind of music he's making, matching the guitar screaming away in the background perfectly. Also, I must say that the backing vocals are great, adding a lot to Cester's performance. I can't imagine the song without them.
Lyrically, I just don't get it. I've read and heard the lyrics to many times to contemplate and I don't know what the fuck Jet is saying. I imagine it's about a girl, because it's a rock song, and that the girl is hard to get, as the chorus seems to be a challenge. Beyond that... there is little. Okay, I think this was sort of meant to be full of clever word play and fun imagery about a woman and trying to pick her up but the whole thing just comes off as hard to follow. I could be completely wrong. It might have been written to be hard to follow, in which case Jet has succeeded. The lyrics probably aren't as incomprehensible as I'm making them out to be, but anything containing the lyric "ya" just turns my brains off.
Song #2: Going Wrong by Little Red (Midnight Remember, 2010, Track 12)
Well, Little Red. I wonder if every group here won't have been mentioned in previous posts. Anyway, I was introduced to Little Red with some of their 2008 hits like Witchdoctor and Coca-Cola, but really became interested with their song Rock It, although It's Alright is still my favourite track of theirs.
Now, this song is much slower than any Little Red songs I'm familiar with, and I had to check several times to make sure that the right artist was labelled, but I'm going to go with it. The music is slow and very, to be quite honest, uninteresting, but I really don't think that the music is really the draw of the song. The music just feels very sentimental and out-dated, which I think is what they were going for, but it doesn't really work.
The vocals. Who the hell is singing this? More importantly, why hasn't he been singing everything? Seriously, this guy's voice is magic, and as the almighty Wikipedia lists three vocalists, I have no idea who he is. But he should be everywhere. Deep, slow, smooth, in control and just fantastic. This guy's voice is legendary and I just adore it. The backing vocals are really good too, clearly trying to add to that older style.
Well, there are no written lyrics for this song, which is a pain in my arse, but I'll do my best. The song seems to be about a couple who has life made. Everything has been perfect, they have no reason to be unhappy, but for some reason they have problems, and the entire song is Mr. Magic-Voice trying to work out what the hell happened between the two of them. A simple story, but one which really reflects the older musical style.
Song #3; Most Wanted Man In The World by Katy Steele (Before Too Long CD 2, 2009, Track 7)
Okay, this is another cover, and I'm familiar with the original, so this is going to be interesting. Katy Steele is the lead vocalist of Little Birdy, who I enjoy but am not overly familiar with.
Musically, this song is very slow, although this cover feels slightly faster than the original, which I enjoy. I can quite remember if the piano is in the original, but it really gives this song a bit of life, which it really needs. When the trumpets kick in, this song really comes to life though, and I have to pick this song over the original.
In regards to vocalists, I've mentioned my preference for female vocalists before, but I can't really profess any real liking for Steele. She's a little bit too loud, a little melodramatic and really draws out every bloody note. However, that is pretty much exactly how this song should be performed, and she does a great job with it. In comparison with Kelly, though, it really comes down to understated or over the top. Which is you preference? Overall, I like Kelly's quieter approach to most of his songs, but this song is very slow and his slower approach really bogs it down for me. I've got to pick Steele here, but it really boils down to which end of the spectrum you prefer.
Lyrically, this song is the same except for the fact that the genders are changed (yes, I'm aware the song should be called Most Wanted Woman, but the CD remains the same as Kelly's version, and I figured if I changed it Kelly fans might not have realised it was a cover straight away). Clearly, gender reversal, like in most songs, has no impact on the plot of the song. The lyrics are pretty dull, and this is not one of Kelly's greatest in my opinion. Man is sad, dull and far too human. Pretty girl make sad man feel better. Yay! Yeah, it might have a lot of emotion behind it, but I always just found it sort of dull. Each to their own though, I suppose.
Overall:
Musically, I have to give this one to Jet, as they just sound like they're having fun making a fun sounding song. Fun! Steele gets runner up, as she gave a little bit of new life into a song which was pretty much completely stale to me from the start. Little Red just sounds so old, and really not in a good way.
Vocally, Little Red wins hands down. I love the sound of that guy's voice, and if anyone could shed some light on who that is, or what other groups he has done vocals for, I would really, really, really appreciate it. It's a tricky one for runner-up, but I've got to give it to Jet. Their vocals match the music ideally, and even though they sound a little strange in the verses, it's not a big thing. I have no real problem with Steele, and if I ever see a Little Birdy album at a good price I'll pick it up, but she isn't really my kind of singer. I have no negative things to say, and she sounds like she's giving the song a good burl, but her voice just isn't for me.
Lyrically, I can't really say much about any of these songs. Really, it's a tie between Kelly and Red. I'm going to have to go with Kelly... because he's Kelly. Although both songs are about relationships, and Kelly is actually being the more cliche, he manages to give the most life to the characters. Little Red is still pretty good, though. Jet? I don't know what the hell they were talking about, and I can't really judge on what I can't understand.
Winners:
On my scales, all of these songs are completely tied. Really, all have one win and one runner-up. I feel that all of these songs are bloody good on their own, and all represent the cream of the Australian crop. None of these artists (bar Kelly's lyrics) have appeared on my blog before, and they all deserve equal attention. I declare no winner.
Feedback welcome.
H. Rourke
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