Published August 17, 2007
in Rock.
Listen to “Let’s Go Steady” here.
The Elephants are knocking on your door. They want to go out with you. They want to go steady–no more fooling around. Come on, now, don’t reject them! Can’t you hear that catchy beat? Hey, don’t be harsh, there was a strong, catchy rhythm line going, there. Still not sold? But they’re the best thing to come out of Tacoma! You don’t even want to cuddle? Oh…well…they tried. I guess they’ll be going, now. Say no more. It hurts too much already. “Let’s Go Steady” is the definition of powerful optimism met with profound ambivalence.
Technorati Tags: The Elephants, Tacoma, going steady
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Published August 16, 2007
in Pop.
Listen to “Elephant Gun” here.
No elephants were harmed during the recording of “Elephant Gun” (from the EP Lon Gisland), but you get the sense that they were called en masse, to a communal bonfire the size of the Empire State Building. From there, they conspired to build a rocket designed to travel to the inner core of all human souls. And after that, the elephants became stock brokers. Beirut comes close to gypsy-covered moth-flights of elephant dances on this song. It is the definition of saying goodbye to the most wonderful dream.
Technorati Tags: Beirut, Lon Gisland, elephants, dreams
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Published August 15, 2007
in Rock.
Listen to “How It Ends” here (click “play” and skip ahead a few tracks).
It ends sadly. Or it doesn’t end at all. “How It Ends”, by the practically-schizophrenic band, Devotchka, never really stops. It is sadness and heartbreak and it will never leave your head once you’ve heard it. At times, Devotchka can seem like a blend of Bar Mitzvah instrumentation and Mexican fiesta music, but on this song they give it to you straight. “How It Ends” (from the album How It Ends) is the definition of impending (but never actualized) doom.
Technorati Tags: Devotchka, How It Ends, doom
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Published August 14, 2007
in Rock.
Listen to “The Way to Market Station” here.
The Aislers Set know how to give you atmosphere. On “The Way to Market Station” (from the album The Last Match) they use their nostalgic rock sense to paint a picture of a rambling group walk to a gigantic hub of a subway depot. It doesn’t matter if you catch the train. This song is the definition of being happily and permanently delayed.
Technorati Tags: The Aislers Set, The Last Match, subway, delay
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Published August 13, 2007
in Pop.
Listen to “Now Now” here.
St. Vincent’s “Now Now” (from the album, Marry Me) is an announcement on the witness stand of the personal courts. St. Vincent delivers a scathing indictment of an all-too-familiar antagonist. The crime: treating a person as if they were nothing. This song is the definition of pointing a finger, righteously.
Technorati Tags: St. Vincent, Marry Me, finger pointing
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Published August 10, 2007
in Rock.
Listen to “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” here.
If The Beatles would have recorded their original version of “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” with as much fierce distortion and insanity as The Breeders were allowed, there would have been a thousand times more mass revolution over the past few decades. The Breeders suffered from mediocre production but benefitted from years of retrospection. Their version of “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” (from the album Pod) is like being on the edge of a tall building as you are about to be shot at, knifed, and bombed. Somehow, through all of this chaos you feel invigorated, because at least you know the truth: that the world is a seriously messed up place. This song is the definition of being aware of misgovernment.
Technorati Tags: The Breeders, The Beatles, Pod, revolution, misgovernment
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Published August 9, 2007
in Rock.
Listen to “Fraud In The 80’s” here or watch the video here.
Mates of State aren’t afraid to rely on simply keyboards, drums, and the beauty and harmony of team-up vocals that only two people of incredible chemistry can produce. Often their lyrics are like dialogues from a movie punctuated with an occasional “wah-oh”. “Fraud In The 80’s” (from the album Bring It Back) is like flying over fields of wheat on the perfect summer afternoon. When they sing “You could surely try to be more alive”, they mean it. And you know they are right. This song is the definition of waking up to that fact.
Technorati Tags: Mates of State, Bring It Back, waking up, wheat
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Published August 8, 2007
in Rock.
Listen to “Cage In a Cave” here.
Rasputina’s “Cage In a Cave” gives you vast English countrysides mixed with dark, blood-on-the-wall dungeons. In tone, there may not be a better example of the term juxtaposition, and Rasputina makes it work. The song (from the album Oh Perilous World) exposes you to a full dynamic, from pleasant melody to bombastic, fierce energy. It is the definition of a vampire playing a flute.
Technorati Tags: Rasputina, Oh Perilous World, juxtaposition
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Published August 7, 2007
in Reggae.
Listen to “Karma Police” here.
You haven’t really heard Radiohead’s OK Computer until you’ve heard it re-made into a Reggae album by the Easy Star All-Stars (they named their version Radiodread). The meaning of “Karma Police” is significantly enhanced when it is placed at an intersection with the way of life of the Jamaican people. This version of the song is the definition of how context is everything.
Technorati Tags: Easy Star All Stars, Radiodread, Radiohead, OK Computer, context
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Published August 6, 2007
in Rock.
Listen to “Cold Cold Water” here.
Mirah captures you with perhaps the most powerful 90 seconds of dynamic-driven songwriting ever. The first 90 seconds of “Cold Cold Water” (from the album Advisory Committee) take you through gentle, ghostly folk music to galloping orchestra work, then from organ infused power crunches with drums like bombs to soft-sung lyrics backed by melodic nylon strings, then from power chord rock rhythms through to a crescendo of a mix of all of the above. The song is the definition of complexity, but it is a complexity that is beautiful and shows you that humanity has grossly ignored its potential, its full dynamic.
Technorati Tags: Mirah, Advisory Committee, humanity, complexity
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