In the Dark by The Whigs
wednesday, 4/28/10, 21:19
I love epic beginnings. Dynamic first impressions that leave you thirsting for more. Especially if the drums are a prominent facet of said dynamic first impression.
"Shock me into town. Everybody wants to take me down... There's a hundred million people in my mind. Which is me and which is not?" In their third album, The Whigs are taking on the world, an older dog learning new tricks and perfecting old ones. The first track of this album for some reason reminds me of the first track of KOL's Only by the Night: solid band takes the step to a bigger, fuller, more confident sound. And just like Only by the Night, In the Dark delivers cut after cut...
"Free my brain, burn away these chains, there's a light from the sun begging me to come on up and try to unleash the person you see..." Power trio: powerful bass rhythm, drums on lock (wearing cargo pants and filling every pocket), guitar and vox intertwined, simple but diverse, revealing more and more layers with each layer. You could spend each listen of this album paying attention to a different facet of the production and arrangements and find something new every time. "Take my mind and erase it please..."
"Kill Me Carolyne" gets played a lot on the satellite radio station we play at work. It's the deserving lead single from this album, elbowing its way to the front of the line with a catchy chorus, a repetitive guitar hook, verse drums that crescendo to the chorus, and self-deprecating lyrics that focus on that age old subject: love.
friday, 4/30/10, 00:00
Yes... I stopped writing last night to lie down for a little bit... and ended up falling asleep. So sue me...
Where was I...? Ahhh, yes. "Kill Me Carolyne". A love song. A plea for murder. Makes sense if you ask me. If you're in love, you definitely feel like killing someone... at least a little bit... at least... This is a head nodder, a body swayer, an "Ah ha moment" song. "And you give me authority to lie. Heeey, kill me, Carolyne. I know you love me, but you'll feel better if you just suck it up and kill me, Carolyne." Longing and pleading and I'm not worth it and you're everything so I want to die at your hand so I know the last thing emotion I feel on this earth is because of you. "You give me eternity to die." It's coming up on the end of the song, and I'm curious to see if it follows the 2:30-3:00 rule... hahaha... 3:36. But they squeeze in at least 8 "Heeeeey, kill me, Carolyne"s, so it's forgiveable.
In all honesty, "Someone's Daughter" is the true "Ah ha moment" for me on this album. "How did I get back her again? I know what she wants from me. How can I forget that she is someone's daughter?" Bittersweet and bitingly honest and I'll take advantage or let her take advantage but she's someone's sweet, little symbol of innocence. I hope this is the second single because I like this song even more than "Kill Me Carolyne". It's a song full of testosterone with acutely aware lyrics that communicate such an... ambiguity. Who's the victim? The male protagonist or the chick he just slept with? They're both getting something. They're both being taken advantage of...
I like tambourines. Parker Gispert has a knack for guitar riffs and ... "Hey, I don't wanna break down why I'm feeling so lonely when you're around." These songs are so layered, lyrically, musically, emotionally, dynamically, theatrically. Storytelling at its finest. Every song pulls you in and gets you to stay a while, sitting at the foot of that rocking chair, listening to stories around the fireplace. "Put out the fire now. I'ma take it higher." And crescendo to instrumental solo... not really a solo though... more like an instrumental aneurysm.
"Dying" is the departure. We've gotten catchy and guitar hooks and memorable choruses. Now let's take our time, delve into the music a little, add some organ in the distance, layer the lead vocal, add some reverb, shaker, and harmonized "oooooooo"s. And tremolo on the guitar. "It used to be right in front of you but now it's gone". Fleet Foxes feel... and now it starts to build... "Somebody better come speed up your heart cuz it's dying" times 3... and build the drums Mr. Julian Dorio... and pan the lead vox left... and bring in the experimental delayed, flanged, guitar notes, staccato... and tweak the delay knob... and layer the instruments... yeah, now we're giving you a different side... and the song will melt into an acoustic being fingerpicked... and a sitar??
Back to a riff and those sweet pocket drums. This feels like Spoon's "Cherry Bomb", and I love that effin' song. The Whigs have a lot of different tricks up their sleeves. "I don't even care about the one I love, and there's a black heart inside of me." These songs are sad. Road weary, much? Having the time of your life but longing for that stability, that shoulder to cry on, those arms that envelope you when you're at your lowest point... Longing.. joyous longing...
"I won't get caught but I'm runnin' now". Hahaha... Sugarplastic feeling... "I'll take my mother's name and I'll paint it on the back of my arm". Another "Ah ha moment" song. I want to live this hero's life... and at the same time not at all. He's really lonely, but leads an amazing life with adventures and freedom and pressure and expectation and longing... always that longing. This is a great album. It shows tremendous growth but leaves space to evolve even more... I'm gonna stop this session now, but can't wait to come back!!!
Starting with "I Am for Real" next time...
sunday, 5/2/10, 00:22
hmmmm... probably gonna fall asleep before actually getting around to listening to In the Dark again... at least I'm being honest...
sunday, 5/2/10, 08:08
Starting with "I am for Real"... Hmmmm... "I am the Walrus" much? Then the guitars kick in, and it's anything but... The memorable factor of the riffs on this album is through the roof. "I don't need to kill anyone to let them know that I am real. I don't need to walk in your backyard to let you know that's where I stand." It's the hipster beat slowed down, which makes it more masculine, if that makes any sense... Let's add the shaker on the second chorus to set it apart a little bit. "I respect your home and what you say when you're speaking to me, and when it's time to look you in the eye, do you know where I'm coming from?" The dynamics on this album are what make me so viscerally attached. The arrangements begin simply then build a little and by the end of each song, you realize that you've been taken somewhere, lyrically, musically, emotionally... and you may or may not like where it's taken you because the songs are that honest.
God... it's the 10th track and it hits as hard as the typical 3rd track "single"... "How am I gonna see where you're coming from if you keep keeping me in the dark?" Another "ah ha moment"... it's the title track and it deserves every bit of this distinction. Added harmony on the second chorus, again building upon that solid foundation, steady backbeat. This song moves you... and makes you move...
Yessssss... song outro into song intro and added epic-ness... 6:24 for the last track leads me to believe that The Whigs are going for some finale fireworks. "Her naked body shivers cold. She keeps it safe beneath her clothes. A prisoner in her skin she hides. It locks away her bones inside." Very KOL... until the chorus which is vintage Whigs, if a little wordier... I like muted glockenspiels in between chorus and 2nd verse. Parker Gispert's voice fragility on the verses draws you in... I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the chorus after the dynamics of the verse... too many words... but it might just be because I don't focus on lyrics initially... maybe this is an "ah ha moment" in waiting... are those sleighbells on the bridge? And there are some guitar effects that I can't quite place... some sort of modulation... not a flanger or phaser... something that combines tremolo, delay, and, I guess, phasing...? Yeah, I think this track deserves a couple run throughs before final judgment is passed... I do like the piano chords at the end... Annnnnnnnnnd... I'm going back to sift through the choruses...
"In my soul, I feel, I don't think I know I don't think I ever know
I don't think I want my clothes back anymore
It takes time, I think, to make it all the way to make it all go away
I don't think I want my clothes back anymore"
Hmmmmm... the final cut starts off promising enough... but melts into a forgettable track for me... who knows maybe it'll grow on me...
monday, 5/3/10, 21:15
Overall, I absolutely love this album. 'Nuff said.
Next week, I'll be taking on Loveless by My Bloody Valentine. Thanks to my co-worker Liz for the recommendation!!
Showing posts with label music monday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music monday. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Music Monday #3
Contradictions Collapse by Meshuggah
----- tuesday, 4/20/10, 00:10
I'm not a metal kid. I never have been a metal kid. But I admire the precision with which metal is executed. And it is executed. You don't casually play metal. You wood shed and learn your instrument backwards and forwards and sideways and in weird time signatures and over strange chord progressions and you drill until it's second nature and every hammer on and false harmonic squeal and blastbeat is executed to perfection. That's what I admire most about metal. In it's precision, there is a beauty and a frailty. Because any misplaced note is anomalous to the whole.
For the metal albums I review, it seems like it will be easier to focus on moments rather than songs on the whole. Meshuggah for me equals odd time signatures... damn... the bridge in "Erroneous Manipulation" is ridiculous. 2:34... layers of guitars and drums and musical theory that I barely understand but I can feel it, imperceptibly. Drummer Tomas Haake is indescribable. It saddens me to think that people who categorize metal as "the same aggressive jock bullshit over and over again"... if that's all you think metal is... listen to the musicality coming out of the guitar solo at 3:44... dynamic, sparse, thematically transitioning until the song returns to the verse. Meshuggah's instrumental breaks keep me coming back.
A huge part of metal for me is that I can zone out on lyrics and concentrate solely on music. I'm most likely missing a huge part of the point by ignoring lyrics, but I'm okay with that. I nod my head and air drum and lose myself in the inability to articulate but regain composure in the fact that it still makes me feel.
"Abnegating Cecity"... best song title ever. Aggressive, more so than usual. This is a "horse" song... a term I've coined for metal songs that follow a "gallop" rhythm. BadaDUM badaDUM badaDUM badaDUM... There's plenty of group chanting on this album... I'm gonna have to google lyrics. 2:37... more polyrhythms. I wonder how they hell they would keep track of all of this playing live. 3:07... impossibly complicated rhythms meshed with a quickened pace and a more urgent vocal yell. This album has so many moments that take you out of straight forward and bring you back to a smooth head nodding in the groove I could almost choreograph a hip hop routine to this feeling... The outro of this song is beyond description. 4/4 guitars (feels almost like 2/4 guitars) repeating a 4 chord theme with Tomas Haake octopus polyrhythms underneath... Oh, sweet multi-limbed genius-ness...
I'm so happy that I decided to review a metal album. It's been a long time since I sat back and really listened. There's a musicality to all of this aggression. I would liken the poetry of metal to a mama elephant protecting its young by any means necessary. Beautiful violent aggression for the sake of survival. One thing that Meshuggah always accomplishes: under all the polyrhythmic impossibility there are still moments you can just sit back and nod your head to... The dynamics of metal are unparalleled. A lot of times there are upwards of 10-15 musical themes in one song, so you set them apart using dynamics, different strum patterns... Fredrik Thordendal's solos are so distinct and his guitar tone on this album is amazing.
Half past midnight... I should so go to sleep...
----- wednesday, 4/21/10, 23:15
"Qualms of Reality"... Meshuggah is one of those bands that makes me think about math while I'm listening. The time signature manipulation of this band is one of the reasons I love them so much. I'm also realizing that it takes a certain mood for me to really be able to digest metal. I'm not so much in the mood for that tonight so this may or may not be a fair time for me to be reviewing this album. Another thing I admire with Meshuggah is that it never seems to be overkill when they're playing. They're not trying to fit as many notes as possible into a finite space. Their virtuosity and complication serves the songs and the genre. And their dynamics proves this point. They know when to go a mile a minute and when to take their time and flesh out a more musically subtle theme. At 3:45 of "Qualms of Reality" is a perfect example of this. A jazzier, neoclassical feel punctuates the straight ahead aggressive metal in this song. Then when the driving blast beats return, it's that much more vicious, dripping with that much more animal aggression.
"We'll Never See the Day" might have my favorite metal intro ever. And not because it's complicated or catchy, but because it builds so well. It builds steadily with a medium tempo theme, then gradually builds into a more hyper pace. If there was a "poppy" single of a song on this album, this would be it. It's one of the more accessible songs, which means that it maintains the same tempo and time signature for more than 45 seconds. But then at 2:45 it jumps into overdrive and begins to travel the normal Meshuggah time signature shuffle and Thordendal solo work.
And... that's enough metal for today...
monday, 4/26/10, 21:10
Soooooooo... I've learned two things over the last week:
1. Metal albums are hard to review. At least for me they are... Or maybe I just need to be in the right mood... Hmmmm...
2. Vacations make reviewing albums difficult. Especially if the album you're supposed to be reviewing is not particularly liked by the person you're on vacation with...
I'll squeeze in a couple more comments on "Contradictions Collapse"... "Choirs of Devastation" is so schizo, it's amazing. Mellow intro, followed by staccato double kick drum and eerie lyrical reading... There are those polyrhythms again. The guitar solo that begins at 2:16 is perfectly placed. Once again, Meshuggah figures out how to squeeze notes in but not make it seem like overkill. Then the return to the staccato theme... it's really, really haunting. It reminds me of the latin chanting from "Event Horizon"...
"Cadaverous Mastication"... and the award for best song title goes to... Tom intro... I'm pretty sure Tomas Haake also writes all of their lyrics, which is pretty impressive. Drummer/ Lyricist... sweet. Too bad I can't really understand anything sung on this entire album. I did google the lyrics and they were semi-interesting from a metal standpoint. Okay... I'm really just not in the mood for metal right now. Which may or may not dictate future Music Monday review selections...
Fin...
----- tuesday, 4/20/10, 00:10
I'm not a metal kid. I never have been a metal kid. But I admire the precision with which metal is executed. And it is executed. You don't casually play metal. You wood shed and learn your instrument backwards and forwards and sideways and in weird time signatures and over strange chord progressions and you drill until it's second nature and every hammer on and false harmonic squeal and blastbeat is executed to perfection. That's what I admire most about metal. In it's precision, there is a beauty and a frailty. Because any misplaced note is anomalous to the whole.
For the metal albums I review, it seems like it will be easier to focus on moments rather than songs on the whole. Meshuggah for me equals odd time signatures... damn... the bridge in "Erroneous Manipulation" is ridiculous. 2:34... layers of guitars and drums and musical theory that I barely understand but I can feel it, imperceptibly. Drummer Tomas Haake is indescribable. It saddens me to think that people who categorize metal as "the same aggressive jock bullshit over and over again"... if that's all you think metal is... listen to the musicality coming out of the guitar solo at 3:44... dynamic, sparse, thematically transitioning until the song returns to the verse. Meshuggah's instrumental breaks keep me coming back.
A huge part of metal for me is that I can zone out on lyrics and concentrate solely on music. I'm most likely missing a huge part of the point by ignoring lyrics, but I'm okay with that. I nod my head and air drum and lose myself in the inability to articulate but regain composure in the fact that it still makes me feel.
"Abnegating Cecity"... best song title ever. Aggressive, more so than usual. This is a "horse" song... a term I've coined for metal songs that follow a "gallop" rhythm. BadaDUM badaDUM badaDUM badaDUM... There's plenty of group chanting on this album... I'm gonna have to google lyrics. 2:37... more polyrhythms. I wonder how they hell they would keep track of all of this playing live. 3:07... impossibly complicated rhythms meshed with a quickened pace and a more urgent vocal yell. This album has so many moments that take you out of straight forward and bring you back to a smooth head nodding in the groove I could almost choreograph a hip hop routine to this feeling... The outro of this song is beyond description. 4/4 guitars (feels almost like 2/4 guitars) repeating a 4 chord theme with Tomas Haake octopus polyrhythms underneath... Oh, sweet multi-limbed genius-ness...
I'm so happy that I decided to review a metal album. It's been a long time since I sat back and really listened. There's a musicality to all of this aggression. I would liken the poetry of metal to a mama elephant protecting its young by any means necessary. Beautiful violent aggression for the sake of survival. One thing that Meshuggah always accomplishes: under all the polyrhythmic impossibility there are still moments you can just sit back and nod your head to... The dynamics of metal are unparalleled. A lot of times there are upwards of 10-15 musical themes in one song, so you set them apart using dynamics, different strum patterns... Fredrik Thordendal's solos are so distinct and his guitar tone on this album is amazing.
Half past midnight... I should so go to sleep...
----- wednesday, 4/21/10, 23:15
"Qualms of Reality"... Meshuggah is one of those bands that makes me think about math while I'm listening. The time signature manipulation of this band is one of the reasons I love them so much. I'm also realizing that it takes a certain mood for me to really be able to digest metal. I'm not so much in the mood for that tonight so this may or may not be a fair time for me to be reviewing this album. Another thing I admire with Meshuggah is that it never seems to be overkill when they're playing. They're not trying to fit as many notes as possible into a finite space. Their virtuosity and complication serves the songs and the genre. And their dynamics proves this point. They know when to go a mile a minute and when to take their time and flesh out a more musically subtle theme. At 3:45 of "Qualms of Reality" is a perfect example of this. A jazzier, neoclassical feel punctuates the straight ahead aggressive metal in this song. Then when the driving blast beats return, it's that much more vicious, dripping with that much more animal aggression.
"We'll Never See the Day" might have my favorite metal intro ever. And not because it's complicated or catchy, but because it builds so well. It builds steadily with a medium tempo theme, then gradually builds into a more hyper pace. If there was a "poppy" single of a song on this album, this would be it. It's one of the more accessible songs, which means that it maintains the same tempo and time signature for more than 45 seconds. But then at 2:45 it jumps into overdrive and begins to travel the normal Meshuggah time signature shuffle and Thordendal solo work.
And... that's enough metal for today...
monday, 4/26/10, 21:10
Soooooooo... I've learned two things over the last week:
1. Metal albums are hard to review. At least for me they are... Or maybe I just need to be in the right mood... Hmmmm...
2. Vacations make reviewing albums difficult. Especially if the album you're supposed to be reviewing is not particularly liked by the person you're on vacation with...
I'll squeeze in a couple more comments on "Contradictions Collapse"... "Choirs of Devastation" is so schizo, it's amazing. Mellow intro, followed by staccato double kick drum and eerie lyrical reading... There are those polyrhythms again. The guitar solo that begins at 2:16 is perfectly placed. Once again, Meshuggah figures out how to squeeze notes in but not make it seem like overkill. Then the return to the staccato theme... it's really, really haunting. It reminds me of the latin chanting from "Event Horizon"...
"Cadaverous Mastication"... and the award for best song title goes to... Tom intro... I'm pretty sure Tomas Haake also writes all of their lyrics, which is pretty impressive. Drummer/ Lyricist... sweet. Too bad I can't really understand anything sung on this entire album. I did google the lyrics and they were semi-interesting from a metal standpoint. Okay... I'm really just not in the mood for metal right now. Which may or may not dictate future Music Monday review selections...
Fin...
Monday, April 19, 2010
Music Monday #2
Teen Dream by Beach House
-----monday, 4/12/10, 22:36
I've boarded the Beach House train fairly late. This album is the band's third, and it has already made numerous best of 2010 (so far) lists.
I love Victoria Legrand's voice. It's simultaneously youthful and ancient, wise and naive, playful and saddened. The music is perfectly described as "dream pop". I just can't decide if it's a nightmare or a fantasy (and neither conclusion would be a bad thing).
There's that whole full arrangement thing again. How do you make things sound so full? How do you know when it fits? Trial and error, I guess, and from the sounds of it, Beach House has gone through their fair share of trials and errors because they nail the arrangements with apparent ease.
Is it strange that I feel like this would be the perfect "taking a Greyhound bus cross country" soundtrack? Organ and electric guitar and synthesized drums never sounded so good.
Here I go again... picking up my guitar and writing after listening to amazing music. Let's see what ambient noisistry pours out of my brain this time around...
-----thursday, 4/15/10, 01:31
Insomnia is a bitch, but it's manageable when you get to listen to and wax poetic about Beach House. This album is kinda like a "teen dream" in that it makes me fantasize about a girl traipsing around with black and white horses a.k.a. Zebra(s). What does that mean? It means I'm tired and this album makes it bearable to be awake instead of asleep.
Bands with 2 people in them make me wonder how they perform live. And I just went to their myspace and discovered that the only SoCal date they're playing is at Coachella. This second track has a Beach Boys meets Komeda feel. Komeda... now there's an amazing band. Hmmm... if Nico sang for Komeda, it would sound an awful lot like Beach House.
"It's a vision. Complete illusion. Yeah." I can't understand most of the lyrics, and this fact makes me feel inadequate, but isn't that the point of most indie music, nay, the entire "indie scene" anyways? "You don't understand what they're saying? And you call yourself a music aficionado... pffffffffffffffffttttt..."
This album solidifies that I'm drawn to music a little more than lyrics. I only come to find myself connecting with lyrics on the 4th or 5th listen. Seeing a band live helps with the whole lyrical connection, as well.
"It is happening again. It is happening again."
Did I mention that I love when songs have outros that morph into intros for the next song? Well, I do... Silver Soul into Norway is beautiful... a very good transition. "Don't you know it's too old. Norway." I don't know much about Norway, but I think about vikings for some reason... "The beast (feast?) it comes to you." There's some My Morning Jacket residual inspiration here, too.
For the most part, this album occupies the same aural space and keeps the same tone throughout. The first four tracks all have similar feelings: electronic drums, layered organs, picked electric guitar parts, that dreamy androgynous warble that makes lyrics seem unimportant... "In a matter of time, it will slip from my mind." Hmmmm... Ladytron's Velocifero and whatever the first MGMT album was called (you know the one with "Kids" on it) have strong footholds on this album, too. Yeah... Velocifero... that was a good album... this is a good album, too, but I'm struggling with whether it's one of those "take it to the desert island" albums.
"More. You want more. You tell me. More. Only time can (love? loan?) me." Well-said, Victoria.
"You are coming home. Are you still alone? Are you not the same as you used to be? As the sun grows high and you serve your time, does each day seem like another lie?" This song makes me sad. Good sad. Nostalgic sad. Epic. Dynamic. This is the first song where I felt the urge to google the lyrics. And I did. And the song is now that much more beautiful. This song is the "Ah ha" moment. This album is now a "bring it to the desert island" album. As long as you have a way to google the lyrics... "Coming home. Any day now."
Thank you, anonymous commenter on Music Monday #1... I will now examine each song of each album I'm going to review. It's so much better that way...
I'll continue with "Lover of Mine" the next time I sit down with this album... It's really, really good. It makes me want to revisit all the other albums it reminds me of like MMJ's "Evil Urges" and The Deadly Syndrome's "The Ortolan"...
-----friday, 4/16/10, 22:41
Coachella started today. Beach House plays tomorrow. You're lucky if you're there right now.
"Lover of Mine" has a very strong Komeda feel to it. Would not be surprised if Beach House was familiar with Komeda's stuff. "The only thing you've got. You know you're better off without it." If you don't think this describes what love feels like sometimes, you've never been in love. Interesting that in a song about love, the word "fear" is so often used...
I lied. I don't want to review every song. Unless I feel every song warrants mention in the review. To set rules and come up with guidelines is to stifle... ooooo... the guitar riff in "Better Times" that comes in at 0:51 makes me very happy... "My heart stands for nothing, and your soul's too weak." So much longing in these songs. There's an optimism that peeks through sometimes, and the sun is that much more beautiful because it has to fight to break through those clouds... Deep, Glynn. Deep... "How much longer can you play with fire before you turn into a liar?" Accusations fly. The contrast between the music and the lyrics is brilliant. Look! Our organ layerings and sparse guitar riffs over tambourines and synth drums are super peppy... while we sing about being afraid of love and lacking the conviction to stand for anything.
MMJ again... "10 Mile Stereo". Yim Yames would be proud. "They say we can throw far, but they don't know how far we throw". The orchestral crescendo into the chorus (it's really just a keyboard, but it feels like so much more)... The subtle arpeggiation. Beach House is a master of subconscious instrumentation. So curious to see how they would pull this off live...
"Real Love" is the reason I purchased this record. I was driving home from work, listening to KCRW and this song came on. I didn't know who it was so I Shazam'd it with my iPhone (I'm hip like that), and I saw that it was Beach House. I'd heard of the band and the album through the grapevine. They were indie darlings, which, depending on my mood, instantaneously turns me off to a band. But something about this song... Even now, the harmonized "oh"s... I get chills. It's not too surprising to find out that Chris Coady produced this album. He's also produced the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and there's that same sparse, compact, complete-ness on these tracks.
I'll save "Take Care" for the next session... I need to go make things right... right now...
-----sunday, 4/18/10, 00:04
The intro for "Take Care" feels like "Can't Help Falling in Love with You". "I'll take care of you if you ask me to in a year or two." Repetitive doesn't sound repetitive on this album for whatever reason. There's a beauty in the simplicity of Beach House's music. And maybe that's because it sounds simple but isn't. It's very intricately arranged but still feels and sounds straightforward. Once again, kudos to Chris Coady for production.
I listened to the entire album today on a longish drive today. It is strong from beginning to end. A true "album". Sure, you can skip around to specific cuts, but it is almost stronger as a complete body of work. I can already see myself switching back and forth between favorite songs. There are legitimately 4 or 5 tracks, which will battle it out for the title of best on the album. I think my heart will always have a special place for "Used to Be", though, because it was the song that took this album from good to great for me.
I can already tell Music Mondays are going to be one of my favorite features of this blog. Already I've got two weekly features: Saturday Song and Music Monday. Let's see if I can't fill another day or two with weekly content.
Next week, I'm gonna be mixing it up with a completely different genre of music. So far I've gone with: Built to Spill- indie rock. Beach House- dream pop. And next week... Meshuggah's Contradictions Collapse. Good ole metal, baby. Can. Not. Wait!!!!
-----monday, 4/12/10, 22:36
I've boarded the Beach House train fairly late. This album is the band's third, and it has already made numerous best of 2010 (so far) lists.
I love Victoria Legrand's voice. It's simultaneously youthful and ancient, wise and naive, playful and saddened. The music is perfectly described as "dream pop". I just can't decide if it's a nightmare or a fantasy (and neither conclusion would be a bad thing).
There's that whole full arrangement thing again. How do you make things sound so full? How do you know when it fits? Trial and error, I guess, and from the sounds of it, Beach House has gone through their fair share of trials and errors because they nail the arrangements with apparent ease.
Is it strange that I feel like this would be the perfect "taking a Greyhound bus cross country" soundtrack? Organ and electric guitar and synthesized drums never sounded so good.
Here I go again... picking up my guitar and writing after listening to amazing music. Let's see what ambient noisistry pours out of my brain this time around...
-----thursday, 4/15/10, 01:31
Insomnia is a bitch, but it's manageable when you get to listen to and wax poetic about Beach House. This album is kinda like a "teen dream" in that it makes me fantasize about a girl traipsing around with black and white horses a.k.a. Zebra(s). What does that mean? It means I'm tired and this album makes it bearable to be awake instead of asleep.
Bands with 2 people in them make me wonder how they perform live. And I just went to their myspace and discovered that the only SoCal date they're playing is at Coachella. This second track has a Beach Boys meets Komeda feel. Komeda... now there's an amazing band. Hmmm... if Nico sang for Komeda, it would sound an awful lot like Beach House.
"It's a vision. Complete illusion. Yeah." I can't understand most of the lyrics, and this fact makes me feel inadequate, but isn't that the point of most indie music, nay, the entire "indie scene" anyways? "You don't understand what they're saying? And you call yourself a music aficionado... pffffffffffffffffttttt..."
This album solidifies that I'm drawn to music a little more than lyrics. I only come to find myself connecting with lyrics on the 4th or 5th listen. Seeing a band live helps with the whole lyrical connection, as well.
"It is happening again. It is happening again."
Did I mention that I love when songs have outros that morph into intros for the next song? Well, I do... Silver Soul into Norway is beautiful... a very good transition. "Don't you know it's too old. Norway." I don't know much about Norway, but I think about vikings for some reason... "The beast (feast?) it comes to you." There's some My Morning Jacket residual inspiration here, too.
For the most part, this album occupies the same aural space and keeps the same tone throughout. The first four tracks all have similar feelings: electronic drums, layered organs, picked electric guitar parts, that dreamy androgynous warble that makes lyrics seem unimportant... "In a matter of time, it will slip from my mind." Hmmmm... Ladytron's Velocifero and whatever the first MGMT album was called (you know the one with "Kids" on it) have strong footholds on this album, too. Yeah... Velocifero... that was a good album... this is a good album, too, but I'm struggling with whether it's one of those "take it to the desert island" albums.
"More. You want more. You tell me. More. Only time can (love? loan?) me." Well-said, Victoria.
"You are coming home. Are you still alone? Are you not the same as you used to be? As the sun grows high and you serve your time, does each day seem like another lie?" This song makes me sad. Good sad. Nostalgic sad. Epic. Dynamic. This is the first song where I felt the urge to google the lyrics. And I did. And the song is now that much more beautiful. This song is the "Ah ha" moment. This album is now a "bring it to the desert island" album. As long as you have a way to google the lyrics... "Coming home. Any day now."
Thank you, anonymous commenter on Music Monday #1... I will now examine each song of each album I'm going to review. It's so much better that way...
I'll continue with "Lover of Mine" the next time I sit down with this album... It's really, really good. It makes me want to revisit all the other albums it reminds me of like MMJ's "Evil Urges" and The Deadly Syndrome's "The Ortolan"...
-----friday, 4/16/10, 22:41
Coachella started today. Beach House plays tomorrow. You're lucky if you're there right now.
"Lover of Mine" has a very strong Komeda feel to it. Would not be surprised if Beach House was familiar with Komeda's stuff. "The only thing you've got. You know you're better off without it." If you don't think this describes what love feels like sometimes, you've never been in love. Interesting that in a song about love, the word "fear" is so often used...
I lied. I don't want to review every song. Unless I feel every song warrants mention in the review. To set rules and come up with guidelines is to stifle... ooooo... the guitar riff in "Better Times" that comes in at 0:51 makes me very happy... "My heart stands for nothing, and your soul's too weak." So much longing in these songs. There's an optimism that peeks through sometimes, and the sun is that much more beautiful because it has to fight to break through those clouds... Deep, Glynn. Deep... "How much longer can you play with fire before you turn into a liar?" Accusations fly. The contrast between the music and the lyrics is brilliant. Look! Our organ layerings and sparse guitar riffs over tambourines and synth drums are super peppy... while we sing about being afraid of love and lacking the conviction to stand for anything.
MMJ again... "10 Mile Stereo". Yim Yames would be proud. "They say we can throw far, but they don't know how far we throw". The orchestral crescendo into the chorus (it's really just a keyboard, but it feels like so much more)... The subtle arpeggiation. Beach House is a master of subconscious instrumentation. So curious to see how they would pull this off live...
"Real Love" is the reason I purchased this record. I was driving home from work, listening to KCRW and this song came on. I didn't know who it was so I Shazam'd it with my iPhone (I'm hip like that), and I saw that it was Beach House. I'd heard of the band and the album through the grapevine. They were indie darlings, which, depending on my mood, instantaneously turns me off to a band. But something about this song... Even now, the harmonized "oh"s... I get chills. It's not too surprising to find out that Chris Coady produced this album. He's also produced the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and there's that same sparse, compact, complete-ness on these tracks.
I'll save "Take Care" for the next session... I need to go make things right... right now...
-----sunday, 4/18/10, 00:04
The intro for "Take Care" feels like "Can't Help Falling in Love with You". "I'll take care of you if you ask me to in a year or two." Repetitive doesn't sound repetitive on this album for whatever reason. There's a beauty in the simplicity of Beach House's music. And maybe that's because it sounds simple but isn't. It's very intricately arranged but still feels and sounds straightforward. Once again, kudos to Chris Coady for production.
I listened to the entire album today on a longish drive today. It is strong from beginning to end. A true "album". Sure, you can skip around to specific cuts, but it is almost stronger as a complete body of work. I can already see myself switching back and forth between favorite songs. There are legitimately 4 or 5 tracks, which will battle it out for the title of best on the album. I think my heart will always have a special place for "Used to Be", though, because it was the song that took this album from good to great for me.
I can already tell Music Mondays are going to be one of my favorite features of this blog. Already I've got two weekly features: Saturday Song and Music Monday. Let's see if I can't fill another day or two with weekly content.
Next week, I'm gonna be mixing it up with a completely different genre of music. So far I've gone with: Built to Spill- indie rock. Beach House- dream pop. And next week... Meshuggah's Contradictions Collapse. Good ole metal, baby. Can. Not. Wait!!!!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Music Monday #1
My goal for Music Mondays is to take a week and devour as much as I can of an album by one of my favorite artists or an artist I haven't taken the time to become better acquainted with or an artist that has been recommended by a trusted friend. It's basically an excuse to listen to an album over and over again. How sad that I have to formalize that...
Music Monday #1- Built to Spill's "Perfect from Now On"
Monday, 4-5-10, 22:31
Instrumentally, this album has such an ethereal feel to it. Album opener "Randy Described Eternity" feels like time stretching into infinity. Feedback upon guitar solos upon drum licks and a steady beat and a constant bassline. The sparse lyrics punctuate the instruments as the tempo steadily increases. Never rushed. Always with a purpose. Each transitionary phrase building upon the last.
"Every thousand years this metal sphere ten times the size of jupiter floats just a few yards past the earth. You climb on your roof and take a swipe at it with a single feather. Hit it once every thousand years till you worn it down to the size of a pea."
Sways back and forth between relaxation and urgency. A description of heaven or hell or limbo. A sense of longing. A recognition of the need to better yourself. I could spend the whole week on this song. And now I want to play guitar. So I will...
Thursday, 4-8-10, 23:56
This album is musically breathtaking. The soundscape takes you on a rollercoaster of dynamics. But it's more than a rollercoaster; it's more like a tram tour that spontaneously turns into a boat jaunt that morphs into a skydiving adventure. The orchestration on "I Would Hurt a Fly" is beautifully haunting. The cello lends an air of longing. And the breakdown at 4:07 is the perfect climax to an already powerful cut. "There's a mean bone in my body. It's connected to the problems that I won't take for an answer and I won't take that from you because I would hurt a fly..."
I will pull out my Gibson after listening to this album for a bit...
I love when drums are so on point that they feel complicated even though they're completely simple. The perfect backbone to these driving songs.
The first three tracks of this album raised the bar for the indie rock genre. Threads of jam band and classical... equal parts testosterone and estrogen. Shy but in your face... Aggressively passive. Brilliant and stark and authentic. "You don't tell me anything. It's not a dream. It's not a big lie. You're not going anywhere. And you don't care. You think it's fine." (listening to this album, I'm guessing Rogue Wave loves Built to Spill)...
Sunday, 4-11-10, 22:34
This album makes me realize how difficult it is to actually arrange music. I do just fine with melodies and harmonies and root chords underneath played in straight time with what I'm singing. But when it comes to actually "filling the aural space"... I've got so much to learn. Everything feels so full on this album. Music that complements and stands alone and stands in contradiction to and feels completely in accordance with and paints a picture and recites a poem... All of the music on this album is dramatic. But it hits on so many levels, too. Built from the ground up, these songs stand up straight and look you right in the eye, daring you to blink, but you won't, can't, shouldn't... because you're afraid you'll miss something important.
Songs on the longer side (the shortest clocks in at 4:56), but every song is the length it has to be. There aren't any wasted moments. Each phrase has a purpose, every note is placed for a reason.
And listening to this album is affecting my writing. I just recorded a few chords, wrote down some lyrics, and saved it under "Built to spill rip off"...
Music Monday #1- Built to Spill's "Perfect from Now On"
Monday, 4-5-10, 22:31
Instrumentally, this album has such an ethereal feel to it. Album opener "Randy Described Eternity" feels like time stretching into infinity. Feedback upon guitar solos upon drum licks and a steady beat and a constant bassline. The sparse lyrics punctuate the instruments as the tempo steadily increases. Never rushed. Always with a purpose. Each transitionary phrase building upon the last.
"Every thousand years this metal sphere ten times the size of jupiter floats just a few yards past the earth. You climb on your roof and take a swipe at it with a single feather. Hit it once every thousand years till you worn it down to the size of a pea."
Sways back and forth between relaxation and urgency. A description of heaven or hell or limbo. A sense of longing. A recognition of the need to better yourself. I could spend the whole week on this song. And now I want to play guitar. So I will...
Thursday, 4-8-10, 23:56
This album is musically breathtaking. The soundscape takes you on a rollercoaster of dynamics. But it's more than a rollercoaster; it's more like a tram tour that spontaneously turns into a boat jaunt that morphs into a skydiving adventure. The orchestration on "I Would Hurt a Fly" is beautifully haunting. The cello lends an air of longing. And the breakdown at 4:07 is the perfect climax to an already powerful cut. "There's a mean bone in my body. It's connected to the problems that I won't take for an answer and I won't take that from you because I would hurt a fly..."
I will pull out my Gibson after listening to this album for a bit...
I love when drums are so on point that they feel complicated even though they're completely simple. The perfect backbone to these driving songs.
The first three tracks of this album raised the bar for the indie rock genre. Threads of jam band and classical... equal parts testosterone and estrogen. Shy but in your face... Aggressively passive. Brilliant and stark and authentic. "You don't tell me anything. It's not a dream. It's not a big lie. You're not going anywhere. And you don't care. You think it's fine." (listening to this album, I'm guessing Rogue Wave loves Built to Spill)...
Sunday, 4-11-10, 22:34
This album makes me realize how difficult it is to actually arrange music. I do just fine with melodies and harmonies and root chords underneath played in straight time with what I'm singing. But when it comes to actually "filling the aural space"... I've got so much to learn. Everything feels so full on this album. Music that complements and stands alone and stands in contradiction to and feels completely in accordance with and paints a picture and recites a poem... All of the music on this album is dramatic. But it hits on so many levels, too. Built from the ground up, these songs stand up straight and look you right in the eye, daring you to blink, but you won't, can't, shouldn't... because you're afraid you'll miss something important.
Songs on the longer side (the shortest clocks in at 4:56), but every song is the length it has to be. There aren't any wasted moments. Each phrase has a purpose, every note is placed for a reason.
And listening to this album is affecting my writing. I just recorded a few chords, wrote down some lyrics, and saved it under "Built to spill rip off"...
Monday, March 1, 2010
Music Monday- Trapbyall
I've always had a problem with being authentic. It seems like whenever I find out about a musical niche or subgenre or "scene", I try to imitate it. Being genuine is one of my biggest challenges as a musician, and I hope that I can find the strength to establish a voice and confidently stand behind it.
Trapbyall inspires me because he has always been genuine. I've known Jesse since our first year at UCI, and he's always been a passionate visionary, a storyteller, a virtuoso, a revolutionary. We spent 5 years together on an amazing musical journey, playing tons of shows, recording an album and an EP, rehearsing till 4am in a theater that we would sneak into, constantly pushing and pulling each other to musical experimentation, and ultimately parting ways when our differences became too much to bear. Looking back at the time we spent, we were two different types of artists. I was always trying to appeal to everyone. Jesse was always pushing to tell the most genuine story.
Now we're both on our own musical missions, a little bit older, a little bit wiser, and from the looks of things, a whole lot more motivated. We don't talk much nowadays, but I know that the next time we see each other, it'll be like nothing's changed. I know I'm the musician I am today because of the foundation I laid with Girl Down from 2000 to 2005.
Trapbyall inspires me because he has always been genuine. I've known Jesse since our first year at UCI, and he's always been a passionate visionary, a storyteller, a virtuoso, a revolutionary. We spent 5 years together on an amazing musical journey, playing tons of shows, recording an album and an EP, rehearsing till 4am in a theater that we would sneak into, constantly pushing and pulling each other to musical experimentation, and ultimately parting ways when our differences became too much to bear. Looking back at the time we spent, we were two different types of artists. I was always trying to appeal to everyone. Jesse was always pushing to tell the most genuine story.
Now we're both on our own musical missions, a little bit older, a little bit wiser, and from the looks of things, a whole lot more motivated. We don't talk much nowadays, but I know that the next time we see each other, it'll be like nothing's changed. I know I'm the musician I am today because of the foundation I laid with Girl Down from 2000 to 2005.
Do yourself a favor and check out Trapbyall. The world's a better place when music like this happens.
Girl Down- 2000 to 2005
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Music Monday- Hey by the Pixies (LIVE)
Yes, this music monday post is coming to you on a Tuesday. Better late than never, says I.
I've been on a Pixies kick lately, watching loudQUIETloud, listening to Doolittle and Surfer Rosa and Trompe le Monde in the car. I want to write and play music the way the Pixies do. Loose and lucid and dynamic and cool and disinterested and completely engaged and genuine and fun and cool and fun and loud and quiet and ultimately inspiring.
And, I love this song, even more after having gotten to see them perform it live during their tour last year. It's not the whole song, but I love that this performance is from 1988, which was before the album was even released.
I've been on a Pixies kick lately, watching loudQUIETloud, listening to Doolittle and Surfer Rosa and Trompe le Monde in the car. I want to write and play music the way the Pixies do. Loose and lucid and dynamic and cool and disinterested and completely engaged and genuine and fun and cool and fun and loud and quiet and ultimately inspiring.
And, I love this song, even more after having gotten to see them perform it live during their tour last year. It's not the whole song, but I love that this performance is from 1988, which was before the album was even released.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Music Monday- Blood of the Scribe by Lamb of God
This blog is technically being posted on Tuesday. So sue me...
"Blood of the Scribe" by Lamb of God
I'm not a metal aficionado by any stretch of the imagination. I mean, I like me some Between the Buried and Me and Meshuggah and Mastodon, but I'm not a full blown metal head. Oh yeah, The Faceless, too...
Hahaha... but yeah, "Blood of the Scribe". Chris Adler is an amazing drummer. All of his work on the album "Ashes of the Wake" blows me away. YouTube his 2005 Modern Drummer Festival work and sit back and marvel at his live chops. His footwork is ridiculous, but he's not just about blast beats and extended runs. He's one of the more musical metal drummers out there. His parts are intricate and clinical but breathe with the song, too.
My favorite part of this song is the breakdown at 3:30. For some reason, it feels like they were able to infuse hip hop feel into a metal song. If that makes any sense at all...
My drive home from work is about 25 minutes, and for the past couple weeks "Ashes of the Wake" has been in my CD player, and I always happen to end up on track 6. If only I could see how ridiculous I look air drumming and grooving to this song...
On a "set your goals" tangent, I want to try and get Oh Girl onto the Kevin Says Stage for Warped Tour 2011. Yes, that's right 2011. That gives Adrian and I about 16 months to get our shit together. Oh... um... maybe I shoulda checked with Adrian first. Meh...
"Blood of the Scribe" by Lamb of God
I'm not a metal aficionado by any stretch of the imagination. I mean, I like me some Between the Buried and Me and Meshuggah and Mastodon, but I'm not a full blown metal head. Oh yeah, The Faceless, too...
Hahaha... but yeah, "Blood of the Scribe". Chris Adler is an amazing drummer. All of his work on the album "Ashes of the Wake" blows me away. YouTube his 2005 Modern Drummer Festival work and sit back and marvel at his live chops. His footwork is ridiculous, but he's not just about blast beats and extended runs. He's one of the more musical metal drummers out there. His parts are intricate and clinical but breathe with the song, too.
My favorite part of this song is the breakdown at 3:30. For some reason, it feels like they were able to infuse hip hop feel into a metal song. If that makes any sense at all...
My drive home from work is about 25 minutes, and for the past couple weeks "Ashes of the Wake" has been in my CD player, and I always happen to end up on track 6. If only I could see how ridiculous I look air drumming and grooving to this song...
On a "set your goals" tangent, I want to try and get Oh Girl onto the Kevin Says Stage for Warped Tour 2011. Yes, that's right 2011. That gives Adrian and I about 16 months to get our shit together. Oh... um... maybe I shoulda checked with Adrian first. Meh...
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