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Oregon Girl by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
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The Youth by MGMT
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Original:
Underground Sound by Dan D. Lyons
This is a demo that I actually made almost a year ago but I’ve been stuck on it ever since and I can’t quite figure out where I want to go with it next. Oh wells. Here’s hoping that one day inspiration will finish it’s message to me.
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DeVotchKa - “The Winner Is”
The number one word I’d use to describe DeVotchKa’s music is “hopeful.” I don’t know what it is exactly, but something about them makes me feel so damn optimistic whenever listen, especially when it comes to this song. Like me, you might’ve discovered them after they scored the cult classic Little Miss Sunshine, or maybe you discovered them when they went on one of their first tours with pin-up icon Dita Von Teese (They originally started off playing the backing music at burlesque shows. From humble beginnings, as they say.). Either way, their charm is undeniable, and every time I hear their accordions or plucky violins I can’t help but feel content, even if it’s just for the duration of the song. Hopefully you’ll feel the same.
See you next Wednesday!
- Callie
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I’m in Between -Macy Gray
Man I’ve forgotten how awesome this song is.
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:D Four new CD’s
Just Bought:
- The Resistance by Muse
- Congratulations by MGMT
- Viva La Vida by Coldplay
- All Things Bright and Beautiful by Owl City
:D
Expect some album reviews in the near future.
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Very nice warm spacious sound.
Wesley Jensen and The Wildcats “Of Life, Of Love, Of Tears” (by WesleyJensen)
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Just Bought:The English Riviera (album) by Metronomy
Metronomy has always straddled the line between traditional garage band and MPC wielding mad scientists. Many bands have started to straddle this line including Radiohead and MGMT. But Metronomy has always been quite a few steps closer to Daft Punk than Nirvana.
That is until their latest album The English Riviera. The band is hardly even recognizable as the same band. Where before there were odd little Fruity Loops ditties that had hardly any rhyme or reason, now there are what I can only describe as really really strong pop songs. This time around Metronomy has taken great pains to have a mroe fluid sound even to the point where they have avoided recording anything that they couldn’t reproduce in a live show. But don’t let that fool you. This album is not an empty sounding album at all… usually. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite always hit it’s mark. But when it does hit its mark, man is it fun. Let’s check out the album:
The English Riviera:Here we have an effective mood setter. Short and sweet and not overly ambitious about trying to make some amazing idea for a concept idea.
We Broke Free:A decent build-up song. A tad longer than it needs to be but that can all be forgiven. Personally I never would have chosen this as the first song. It’d be a much stronger choice for a song right after a heavy hitter pop single. It’s intro is a little strong but it definitely could be stronger. This is a buildup song which can be great for an opening song but really isn’t necessary after I’ve already heard an intro song. Did we not learn from Plastic Beach by Gorillaz. One intro to an album is enough. We don’t need another.
Everything Goes My Way:The female voice on this song was a nice choice. She is perfectly delicate yet haunting. However it is a little odd that the first true Verse-Chorus song of the album isn’t primarily sung by the lead singer. As an album it is important to establish a sort of identity of the sound of not only the album but also the band. It should be surprising that there’s a female singer in this song, and yet we haven’t yet had a chance to grow attached to the male voice so the female voice isn’t at all surprising.
Some nice touches I loved however were the horn section. Also notice how the female background voices are cut off at the beginning so that they have an unnaturally fast almost percussive attack. Very nice.
The Look:This song basically centers around a deceptively simple keyboard riff. By all accounts we should be irritated by this riff by the end of the song yet somehow we’re not. Perhaps it’s because we’re grooving to the kick butt bass line. Also notice just how crisp the kick and snare sound.
She Wants:I really don’t quite know what to say of this song. I wouldn’t quite say that it’s catchy but I wouldn’t say it’s boring either. Not my favorite but it’s nice.
Trouble:This song is amazing. It’s basically like flying through orange electric jello. That’s all I can say.
The Bay:Clearly a highpoint of the album. Initially I was drawn in by it’s popping octaves bouncy bass line but eventually the harmonies of the chorus took the cake. This could easily be a straightforward club song about how much fun it is to be at clubs and still be amazing but instead the chorus is delightfully creepy.
Loving Arm: Unfortunately this is about where the album tapers off into mediocrity. This song is not horrible but it doesn’t stand a chance against songs like The Bay or The Look. At least in the second half it picks up some speed.
Corrine:From the album’s included interview with Joseph Mount the lead singer we find out that this song is about a man who actually named his gun Corrine. Interesting concept but it’s one of those things I never could have figured out just from looking at the lyrics. Still I really like the bouncy melody in the end especially along with the clean strat part.
Some Written:Yet another song where the intro really doesn’t hook you in very well. However if you’re patient enough you’ll be treated to some fun jazzy jamming.
Love Underlined: I really don’t know how to describe this song other than saying it’s a dub. The first 2 minutes are a creepy blank space. It doesn’t really become something worth listening to until a cliche’d sawtooth wave jumps in. I will at least say that the harpsichord riff is really cool. …it’s not very often that I get to say that.
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Just Heard: Smile by The Family
It’s crazy to think how the simplest most unimportant part of the song can be absolutely vital to the overall sound. When you listen to this song try to imagine that there’s no tambourine part. Without it, the song is passable but ultimately just lacking. It’s missing some kind of magical flair. By itself the tambourine is nothing special. It’s certainly not as interesting as the bouncy bass beat or the gorgeous guitar tone. But the tambourine somehow accentuates everything and heightens the dreamlike feel of the song.
So could you show some love to all them tambourine players please?
