So true to my word, I am reviewing my mix from Phil. I know it was form Phil in part because it starts with "The Beginning of the Twist" which was his favourite song when the mix was being made. As such I also know the hype machine played a big part in my mix being compiled.
*now with tracklisting*
Disc One
Track One - Futureheads - Beginning of the Twist
Well I love this song and think it is a triumphant return to form for them. Love the intro, love the backing vocals. Great start to the album
Track Two - Screams in a Vacuum - Love You Moon
Starts with quite heavy bluesy guitars and goes on in this vein for a bit too long in my opinion. I liek the vocals, I like the guitar, I like the rough hewn production values. I would like it to be one minute shorter as I was beginning to get bored by the end of it on the first listen and now seem to skip the track when it comes on. Sorry
Track Three -The Goonies R Good Enough - Cyndi Lauper
"Ooh" I thought, "this is very eighties. And a bit electro. Cool. A real change from the last track wiht a really long intro and wait. Is that Cyndi Lauper? Oh that voice is very distinctive - it is!" Catchy and fun in the way that Cyndi Lauper and Madonna (circa true blue) did in the eighties. I find myself humming this one sometimes and it takes me a while to remember what it is.
Track Four -Country/City - The Horror The Horror
Another change of tone as we hit a guitar riff. A really upbeat one at that. And I refuse to look up who this is despite thinking I know. I like the song though. Good riff, great drumming and good vocals. Good bassline too. It would be good for running to I think it really drives forwards. And it uses one or two of my favourite effects pedals. And ends abruptly. I liek that
Track Five - Grenades - Torche
We are now in the relatively heavy section of the mix. In fact this was what made me have doubts as to whether Phil was the person who made my mix. This again has a good riff and good vocals. Sounds very early nineties, a bit grunge and lot of long notes in the vocals over scuzzy guitars and the like. With a build up section in the bridge. Formulaic but to a formula I like and am quite familiar with. Again with the using some of my favouritte guitar effects (I used to date and know lots of musicians so am quite geeky about the technical stuff).
Track Six - Treat Me Like a Dog - King Kahn & BBQ Show
Return to fairly bluesy guitar here. Which is nice. Much better vocals. Sounds a bit like it might be a pshychedelia band doing something more bluesy. Which is cool. There is howling on it. Which makes me smile lots. Again good pace. This is a real wake up CD.
Track Seven - Elbow - Grounds for Divorce
Not my favourite Elbow song but works well with the bluesy vibe of the CD up to this point. Good beat. Like the repetition on some of the lines in the song which gives it along with what the music is doing the effect of being looped back, like a scratched record, which works well with the production which is nice and not too clean.
Track Eight - Jock-A-Mo - Sugar Boy Crawford
Mambo! I wish I knew how to mambo as that is the dance to do to this. I could imagine dancing Phil dancing to this. Not much more description is needed. This is straight up mambo, let's dance here is a horn breakdown, we live in the 1940s/50s did I say let's dance? stuff. And great for being that.
Track Nine -Kamphopo - Esau Mwamwaya
This has a great intro and sounds vaguely familiar which is bugging me. It features chanty vocals, stell drums and hand claps which not enough songs do. It shimmers and shines and sounds like summer. I still can't shake the idea it might be a cover though or something as it sound sso familiar. Love it though and want to know more about it and how to get more which meant that if the rest of the mix had been rubbish this song would have achieved what the exchange needed by being something that made me sit up and take note.
Track Ten - Century Eyes - Shearwater
Faltering sounding start to this which then shows itself to be deliberate. This is so flat after the last song though. I think most things would be as it is a return to guitars and more trad rock style singing. I will listen to it again I'm sure but in the context of the album it seems a bit 'meh'
Track Eleven - Breaking Standing - ¡Forward, Russia!
Is slightly helped by being after track ten. It also does things with guitars that I like, and make me happy with the vocal depsite it being the kind of vocal I really need to be in the mood for sometimes. This song was more of a grower than the other songs but I quite like it now. I think we are hitting the stage of the album where I was often very sleepy when I first gave it a listen. So the reviews may have less of my immediate response from now on.
Track Twelve - Staying Alive - Tragedy (a BeeGees Metal Cover Band)
And a return to rock. It is a cover of "Staying Alive" which reminds me of some of the metal parodies on the Popbastard christmas album "Merry Bastard Christmas" a free Cd that came with one of thier gigs. Entertaining and plays to my love of covers but did not set my world on fire. Which is shame. It does make some of the lyrics sound a bit darker though and make them more in keeping with the attitude of the film (Saturday Night Fever) than the camp image it has come to have.
Track Thirteen - Countdown - Jupiter One
Hello electro. A bit itali disco but less shimmery than that. Not much less shimmery though but has a male vocal which is not as pretty as the female vocals usually preferred by that scene (from what I have heard). I'm not sure about this. I like some of this kind of stuff for listening to at home but generally prefer to listen to stuff like this when I am somewhere sweaty and dancing. So am not sure if the setting where I listened to it did it justice. I also think it was a bit too long. It did not follow the formula like it should as there is a formula to this kind of song. It wa sonly thirty seconds too long though. So not too bad.
Track Fourteen - Nightforce - Power Glove
Ooh this one starts all dark and broody sounding, and keeps the more electronic vibe going with synthesisers and keyboards and gets a bit eighties as it really starts to move (I think we may be sensing a theme here). I was not so sure about the sound effects over the top. Possibly a bit creepy for my fraidy cat tastes? I don't know. Oddly though I like a lot of cinematic music (like Amon Tobin for example) I found this left me cold. Like the x-files movie it managed to be scary and dull at the same time. Quite an achievement though if you think about it.
Track Fifteen - Comic Book All Stars - PG13
This one starts with an electro voice but then skips into a more nineteen sixties kind of vibe. That mix of times reminds me of Pitzicato 5 who I loved. The sort of song IKEA would have encouraged you to get rid of a few years ago wiht thier "chuck out the chintz" campaign, it uses a lot of the same effects and tropes as the last song but has a better base tune which means it is less boring, but it does get a wee bit repetitive after a while as well.
Track Sixteen - Kill Me Now - Dreadful Yawns
In fact it was so repetitive that when I heard guitars I did a little dance of joy. And this song does deserve a little dance. It still features synths and so on but has male/female vocals and is much more upbeat and joyful in terms of the tune. Again it is a bit eighties but then a lot of scandinavian pop is now. And that is not such a bad thing. It also has a very definate ending, which is good as it is the end of disc one.
Before I get to disc two, I will say the cover was really pretty as you would expect from Phil with lovely quality paper and a drawing which links well with the bluesy emphasis on disc one. I shall review disc two soon. Monday probably.
Today is Monday
Disc Two
Track One - Stay (Just A Little Bit More) - The Dø
This song is just incredibly cute and summery. It starts with cute guitar and the then the vocal starts and there is whistling and it makes me feel like a Disney heroine but in a good way. Like birds would help me get dressed. It is that cute.
Track Two - Sunshiner - Lacrosse
We're sticking with cute for now. And I'm sticking with refusing to look up the songs despite being fairly sure who they are and who they are by. This is again the sound of sunshiney days and picnics and continues the cheery vibe of this disc.
Track Three - The Real Sheila - Game Theory
Did I also mention that this disc has more of a nineties brit-poppy/ scandinavian vibe? Or at least up to this point? Well it does. But this song is a bit weaker than the opening two and kind of feels like filler. Which is a shame as the band sound quite interesting, just not this song.
Track Four -Moving Clocks Run Slow - We Were Promised Jetpacks
Ah drums and strummy guitar. It could be reminiscent of the bad indie/emo bands of six years ago, or it could be reminiscent of some good instrumental bands of now. Oh it is neither really. Vocals but not emo style vocals. The guitar is pretty, the vocals forgetable. The lyrics not of that much importance I guess. I like this but it is a bit predictable, but as I said up there formulaic is not always the worst thing to call something.
Track Five - Whiskey Jingle [demo] - Margot & The Nuclear So and So's
And here is the change from summery and shimmery to more sad. This song is a bit gloomy. Good but gloomy. Interesting effect use don the vocal to make it sound more tortured and like it being sung from a bathroom. The instrumentation is relatively sparsely used but to good effect. This song really does drop the mood though.
Track Six - Cath... - Death Cab For Cutie
Oh I like this intro. I don't like doing band comparisons so I wont say the beginning of this intro is very million dead on a slow song. Also it is very clearly not million dead as that is not frank singing. It is not quiite as good as the intro though. I like it but...
Again I used to know people who wrote songs like this and I think this is one of the ones they would have asked me to check if it sounded like someone else for them. Um that is all I can say on this one.
Track Seven - Hacienda Motel - Voxpop
This is back to me feeling like it is the nineties. Like the time when Sleeper and Rialto were bands to watch. Not that this sounds like them, it just sounds like it would have been a hit then. The synths are kind of cool and the vocal is clearly trying to tell a story. Which is nice.
Track Eight -Britches Blanket - My Education
For a second I thought this was going to be sunburn but no, it is far more chilled out and less histrionic. Which is almost a shame. Almost because this song is lovely and perfect for a wet Monday in August (which this is). In fact it makes more sense listening to it now than it did before. This is an instrumental number with strings gently fading in and out, a little piano and some long notes and so on from the guitar. Lovely and it builds too, like many of the best instrumentals do.
Track Nine - Come In Out of the Rain - Engineers
This song has vocals and reminds me of Ride. I'm not sure that it is Ride though. And if it is not I have made another comparison with a band. Ick. So what does this sound like beyong Ride. Well it is slow soft and epic. With big swooping bits and many layers of sound with a very spaced out sounding vocal.
Track Ten -Even The Sunbeams - From Bubblegum To Sky
This intro is so cute it slightly scares me and makes me think something bad will happen. Yes my mind works like that. Fortunately the vocal is not sugary sweet. The song is though. Hard to describe beyond that though. So am not going to. This sounds more like evening on a sunny day though. The day is ending because the plinky plonky keyboard says so.
Track Eleven - California - Rogue Wave
The day is definately ending. Now we have folksy guitar in the song circle we have formed at the festival we are clearly at. The sun has not yet gone down but is very nearly there and we are drinking lemonade by a campfire. This is very pretty guitar and vocals stuff - very peaceful.
Track Twelve - Random Rules - Silver Jews
I think we are still at the campfire and here is someone else who has somehow got a plugged in guitar. His voice is less pretty but he is far more about telling a story. So much so he has attracted his own brass band to help out with the sound. Again I think I know who this is but am leaving it blank.
Track Thirteen - How Deep Is Your Love - The Bird And The Bee (originally the BeeGees)
I think this is enough to make me like the song how deep is your love. This is yet another beegees cover. But I like this one more. If we were continuing the festival analogy this would be night now and some serious "tent time" with someone. Maybe playing this from a little ghetto blaster bought just for that purpose.
Track Fourteen - I Started A Joke - Low (once again, originally the BeeGees)
The "tent time" did not go so well. We are now listening to "I started a joke" and all I know is that this does not sound like the faith no more version. But something went wrong for my analogy person. This song and version are good but not compatable with "tent time" I think. More with being sat outside your tent at four am in the rain crying. But in a cathartic way.
Track Fifteen - The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson
Help is at hand for our crying festival-goer. Here is a song to comfort them. It has a great bassline and is pretty and lovely. But very chilled out. They have been found crying and brought into a tent where they have been given hot chocolate or chai and hugs. And maybe other things that rhyme with hugs. Either way they are now filled with a feeling of contentment. This is helped by the handclaps, the light female vocal and sweet guitar.
And so it ends with our protaganist full of joy.
Friday 15 August 2008
Wednesday 13 August 2008
The Wind Cries Rory
I'm flattered. I'm pretty sure I've never had an album named after me before. Not counting the ones I made myself at any rate. This is clearly an album of firsts, and it continues to be such when I start to listen to it.
For the most part it's the first time I've ever heard—or even heard of—these artists. That's pretty much the point of this exchange. But I'll be honest that it was something that almost stopped me from participating. When it comes to music, I am not a neophile. In the end though, I shouldn't have worried. There's so much variety in this album that I'm sure anyone could have found something they like.
I have a confession to make. I didn't just listen to this album and decide if I liked it without knowing what was on it. I can't do that. I need to be able to give a song a name before I can properly decide if I like it. Anyone else get that? I used certain tools that shall remain Google to find out what these songs were. I managed to compile a listing for 13 of the 15 tracks. Since the other two proved undiscoverable I'll just have to pretend that they don't really exist.
So here's the track listing:
Wikipedia tells me that there's a surprisingly Scandinavian tone there. A clue about the album's compiler? I have no idea. Frankly I couldn't begin to guess who this is from.
Ok, enough lead up. Let's get to what the review is meant to be about. Is it any good?
Well like I said, it's got something for everyone, so what's it got for me? I really like the cover of Digital Love. Maybe that's cheating, because I already know the song (though not this version) and this exchange is meant to be about new music.
So then I offer Kiss with a Fist. Brilliant song. I really like it. I even thought it was good before I knew anything about it beyond the name, "Track 7", and as I already noted that's not something I'm usually capable of. Best song about domestic violence all year. Did I imagine it or have I since heard this in a TV advert?
Those are the best two, but they're not the only good here. Tracks 2, 6, and 12 have also happily worked their ways onto my iPod.
After several straight-through listens (more than any other non-Pixies album this year, in fact) I find the rest of the album doesn't grab me quite as much. Some parts are quite lyric-focused, so I imagine whoever made this collection is the kind of person to pay a lot of attention to what's being said. I'm the opposite I'm sorry to say. I rarely know what the singer is saying when I listen to music.
Still, even the tracks that don't entirely hit the spot for me are perfectly listenable and will have a happy place in the big music rotation I call iTunes. With the exception of Leonard Cohen, who shall never know that honor. A single miss, and five hits. That's about as good as any album I've bought myself recently, so I'd say a it's a big success for an album crammed with entirely new (to me) music.
Thanks, mysterious stranger. :)
For the most part it's the first time I've ever heard—or even heard of—these artists. That's pretty much the point of this exchange. But I'll be honest that it was something that almost stopped me from participating. When it comes to music, I am not a neophile. In the end though, I shouldn't have worried. There's so much variety in this album that I'm sure anyone could have found something they like.
I have a confession to make. I didn't just listen to this album and decide if I liked it without knowing what was on it. I can't do that. I need to be able to give a song a name before I can properly decide if I like it. Anyone else get that? I used certain tools that shall remain Google to find out what these songs were. I managed to compile a listing for 13 of the 15 tracks. Since the other two proved undiscoverable I'll just have to pretend that they don't really exist.
So here's the track listing:
- King Creosote—Cockle Shell
- Lacrosse—You Can’t Say No Forever
- Guillemots—Cockateels
- Jay-Z—Change Clothes
- Cansei de Ser Sexy—Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above
- The Rapture—Whoo! Alright, Yeah... Uh Huh
- Florence and the Machine—Kiss with a Fist
- …
- Alphabeat—Digital Love
- Shout Out Louds—Tonight I Have to Leave It
- Lykke Li—Dance, Dance, Dance
- Operator Please—Other Song
- …
- Laura Marling—Failure
- Leonard Cohen—Suzanne
Wikipedia tells me that there's a surprisingly Scandinavian tone there. A clue about the album's compiler? I have no idea. Frankly I couldn't begin to guess who this is from.
Ok, enough lead up. Let's get to what the review is meant to be about. Is it any good?
Well like I said, it's got something for everyone, so what's it got for me? I really like the cover of Digital Love. Maybe that's cheating, because I already know the song (though not this version) and this exchange is meant to be about new music.
So then I offer Kiss with a Fist. Brilliant song. I really like it. I even thought it was good before I knew anything about it beyond the name, "Track 7", and as I already noted that's not something I'm usually capable of. Best song about domestic violence all year. Did I imagine it or have I since heard this in a TV advert?
Those are the best two, but they're not the only good here. Tracks 2, 6, and 12 have also happily worked their ways onto my iPod.
After several straight-through listens (more than any other non-Pixies album this year, in fact) I find the rest of the album doesn't grab me quite as much. Some parts are quite lyric-focused, so I imagine whoever made this collection is the kind of person to pay a lot of attention to what's being said. I'm the opposite I'm sorry to say. I rarely know what the singer is saying when I listen to music.
Still, even the tracks that don't entirely hit the spot for me are perfectly listenable and will have a happy place in the big music rotation I call iTunes. With the exception of Leonard Cohen, who shall never know that honor. A single miss, and five hits. That's about as good as any album I've bought myself recently, so I'd say a it's a big success for an album crammed with entirely new (to me) music.
Thanks, mysterious stranger. :)
Monday 21 July 2008
Aubergines, Monkeys & Nico
So...
The mix arrived a few weeks ago, a two disc wonder!
The main disc is called "Aubergines:Purple AND Good for you (Who'd have thunk it?)". The cover is reminiscent of the famous velvet underground album cover with the banana, but obviously with an aubergine. "The Joinee Mixchange & Nico" :)
Track 1 - Starting off a with a lovely piano driven ditty by someone i don't know. The drummer is a bit frantic, seems as if they have somewhere to be. Kind of reminds me of Ben Folds but i don't think it is him. Nice way to start off.
Track 2 - Another one that is unknown to me. Follows on well from the last track and is really growing on me after all this time listening to it. Has a nice upbeat feel and an almost 60's vibe going on.
Track 8 - Louder, distortion aplenty, off-key vocals and just altogether more noisy. Though there is a trumpet solo in there for good measure. It can only be Neutral Milk Hotel with Holland 1945. Great song(and album for that matter), but perhaps not a band for everyones taste. There is quite a lot going on in this song and the relentlessness of it makes it a bit of a relief once it is over. Excellent way to spend 3 minutes 14 seconds! The lyrics are rather intense, which could be a bit of a shock as they seem to bounce along merrily with the myriad of instrumentation.
Track 10 - This acts almost as an interlude of sorts. Think Treefingers by radiohead and you get the idea. It is very Sigur Ros but i couldn't say for sure who it was. The song is awash with sustain and the childhood playground chatter in the background creates a strong chillout soundscape. Nice track, a couple of minutes to chill out. The musical equivalent of the sorbet course...
Track 11 - Is that bongos and xylophone i hear?! Super voice, in keeping with the overall style of mix. Really like this one, will be glad to find out who it is and go find some more stuff by them. Not got much else to say about it other than it's awesome!!
Track 12 - Not sure who this is. A very mellow track, with sombre whispered vocals over what appears to be final fantasy VII 'wandering aimlessly' music. Calming, soothing, does what it says on the tin as it were...
Track 13 - Another track that reminds me of Frank Zappa, glad to see his influence is still strong as ever. The similarities come from the jittery stop start rythym and backing vocals. A good tune, can't think who it could possibly be but will definately check out the rest of their work.
Track 14 - Squeeze! Though for the first few seconds i didn't recognise it and was wondering who gave Abba a les paul. The song is Up The Junction, survey says yes. Haven't heard it for ages, quality tune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDRLW748j68
Track 17 - Sigur Ros. Staralfur. Without doubt one of the most beautiful songs i've heard. Worth a place on any mix and it's placing on this one is just about perfect. Second to last track it provides a chillout after LCD. Frees your mind, relaxes the soul.
Overall - The song choice really created a solid tone for the whole album. No track seemed out of place and there are several bands i'll have to investigate further. 27 tracks and not a bad one. Can't imagine mixer and mixee taste in music matching up so well very often.
Thanks to whoever made them, they've provided several hours of music to get lost in!
The Bonus Disc comes with a story in rainbows written on the cover and a warning not to digest it because "this is an insert"!
Track 1- It kicks off with a lovely live version of my favourite jens lekman track "the opposite of hallelujah". It is a great version and is also the first time i've heard mr lekman live. I like the way he makes comments during the song.
Track 2 - A beautiful cover of REM's "This one goes out to the one i love" by unknown (though it sounds like it may be sufjan stevens). The fingerpicked guitar sounds great, will have to try and learn it.
Track 3 - Wow! An instrumental piano cover of Britney's "Hit me baby one more time". As nice as this version is, it is the reason i realised that i know every single word to that song...
Track 4 - My favourite artist of all time. Possibly his greatest song. The greatest show he ever played. The greatest track from that show.
Jeff Buckley, Live at L'Olympia - "Lover you should've come over". Beautiful, heartbreaking, perfect.
Track 5 - Thom Yorke covering Bjork's "Unravel". The original is fantastic and Thom Yorke seems to impart an extra beauty upon it. Hadn't heard this before, thank you so much!
Track 6 - A Live version of "Sao Paulo" by the Guillemots. Hadn't heard a live version of this before either, it's unbelievable. At this stage of listening i sent a message to someone professing my love for whoever made the cd, but i suspect the person who made it is male so they will have to make do with my complete respect instead haha
Track 7 - So how can you follow up that sequence of tracks?! A hilarious song about monkeys breaking out of the zoo, awesome!!
Tracks 8 & 9 - The album cover had mentioned that the bonus disc was to contain 7 tracks, so it was an additional bonus to get two extra. Especially when the two extra are the best Guillemots and Idlewild songs, "We're here" and "American English".
The mix arrived a few weeks ago, a two disc wonder!
The main disc is called "Aubergines:Purple AND Good for you (Who'd have thunk it?)". The cover is reminiscent of the famous velvet underground album cover with the banana, but obviously with an aubergine. "The Joinee Mixchange & Nico" :)
Track 1 - Starting off a with a lovely piano driven ditty by someone i don't know. The drummer is a bit frantic, seems as if they have somewhere to be. Kind of reminds me of Ben Folds but i don't think it is him. Nice way to start off.
Lyric "They never taught us how to sing, we learned to follow the drum inside, Go!"
Track 2 - Another one that is unknown to me. Follows on well from the last track and is really growing on me after all this time listening to it. Has a nice upbeat feel and an almost 60's vibe going on.
Lyric "If you don't want to be with me, how do you expect me to be?"
Track 3 - Ok so i know this one, but only heard it just before the mixtape. This is Lacrosse with "You can't say no forever". In keeping with the tone of the other tracks, but adds a cute male/female singing duo. The trumpet solo is fantastic and makes me smile every time. Great track.
Track 4 - Continuing on with the knowing tracks, this is a superb track from Why?, off of an album recommended to me by Steve, Elephant Eyelash. The song is Gemini(Birthday Song) and is one of my favourites. This guy is a lyrical genius and only rivalled recently by dan le sac.
Track 5 - Soft acoustic guitar, cute xylophone and a beautiful female vocals. It might be called "you're no god" but not sure who it's by. Really liked this one, it's cheery despite the lyrical content.
Track 6 - Not sure who this one is by, though i think i should because i have definately heard them before somewhere. Uptempo but with a complete stop half way through, then slows down for a bit. If this song doesn't make you smile then you are a robot. Lovely female voice backed up by a gang of backup singers/shouters. Reminds me of Frank Zappa in some ways, which is never a bad thing!
Track 7 - The best of Ed Harcourt! She Fell Into My Arms is great. Not got much else to say except that the tone of the mix is extremly consistent up to this point. Another good track choice.
Lyric "I know i'm not so clever, no no no no, but you're not the picky kind"
Track 4 - Continuing on with the knowing tracks, this is a superb track from Why?, off of an album recommended to me by Steve, Elephant Eyelash. The song is Gemini(Birthday Song) and is one of my favourites. This guy is a lyrical genius and only rivalled recently by dan le sac.
Lyric "When I ask you to kiss my pulse you offer to start the shower. I want a verb and you give me a noun. What do you dream up while I tongue you down?"
Track 5 - Soft acoustic guitar, cute xylophone and a beautiful female vocals. It might be called "you're no god" but not sure who it's by. Really liked this one, it's cheery despite the lyrical content.
Lyric "Until your old and broken bones are laid into their resting place, just like the rest of human race"
Track 6 - Not sure who this one is by, though i think i should because i have definately heard them before somewhere. Uptempo but with a complete stop half way through, then slows down for a bit. If this song doesn't make you smile then you are a robot. Lovely female voice backed up by a gang of backup singers/shouters. Reminds me of Frank Zappa in some ways, which is never a bad thing!
Lyric "Save our second wind for sentimental warm weather"
Track 7 - The best of Ed Harcourt! She Fell Into My Arms is great. Not got much else to say except that the tone of the mix is extremly consistent up to this point. Another good track choice.
Lyric "And if you need to kiss me then you'll most definitely miss me when I'm gone"
Track 8 - Louder, distortion aplenty, off-key vocals and just altogether more noisy. Though there is a trumpet solo in there for good measure. It can only be Neutral Milk Hotel with Holland 1945. Great song(and album for that matter), but perhaps not a band for everyones taste. There is quite a lot going on in this song and the relentlessness of it makes it a bit of a relief once it is over. Excellent way to spend 3 minutes 14 seconds! The lyrics are rather intense, which could be a bit of a shock as they seem to bounce along merrily with the myriad of instrumentation.
Lyric "But then they buried her alive one evening 1945 with just her sister at her side and only weeks before the guns all came and rained on everyone"
Track 9 - Back into the unknown, another male singer i don't recognise. Initially i though it might be jimmy eat world, but after a few listens it probably isn't. It's a good song but doesn't really stand out. Mixes in well with the others. The singer is obviously very conscious of there being a lack of sunlight as he spends the best part of 3 minutes pointing it out. The lyrics are nice enough, but nothing that really jumps out at you.Lyric "no sunlight, no sunlight, no sunlight..."
Track 10 - This acts almost as an interlude of sorts. Think Treefingers by radiohead and you get the idea. It is very Sigur Ros but i couldn't say for sure who it was. The song is awash with sustain and the childhood playground chatter in the background creates a strong chillout soundscape. Nice track, a couple of minutes to chill out. The musical equivalent of the sorbet course...
Lyric "*inaudible children*"
Track 11 - Is that bongos and xylophone i hear?! Super voice, in keeping with the overall style of mix. Really like this one, will be glad to find out who it is and go find some more stuff by them. Not got much else to say about it other than it's awesome!!
Lyric "if it's ever gonna get any better, it's gotta get worse for a day"
Track 12 - Not sure who this is. A very mellow track, with sombre whispered vocals over what appears to be final fantasy VII 'wandering aimlessly' music. Calming, soothing, does what it says on the tin as it were...
Lyric "I no longer need your lawyers to be free"
Track 13 - Another track that reminds me of Frank Zappa, glad to see his influence is still strong as ever. The similarities come from the jittery stop start rythym and backing vocals. A good tune, can't think who it could possibly be but will definately check out the rest of their work.
Lyric "Working to work, ooh ooh ooh oh ooh ooh"
Track 14 - Squeeze! Though for the first few seconds i didn't recognise it and was wondering who gave Abba a les paul. The song is Up The Junction, survey says yes. Haven't heard it for ages, quality tune.
Lyric "I put away a tenner each week to make her better"
Track 15 - A hint of background banjo, a dose of bluesy guitar, a light sprinkling of xylophone and male and female vocals. Might be my favourite track on the mix. Pity i don't know who it is, enlighten me please? Starts off sounding like it was hot off the press in the late 60's, but the singing says Bright Eyes more than "Hypnotised by your Gypsy Eyes"...Lyric "rich man bought our wandering world"
Track 16 - LCD Soundsystem. All My Friends. Fantastic. The name Death From Above seems to be a mark of guaranteed quality. Really great song, everyone should listen to ithttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDRLW748j68
Lyric "It comes apart the way it does in bad films, except the part where the moral kicks in"
Track 17 - Sigur Ros. Staralfur. Without doubt one of the most beautiful songs i've heard. Worth a place on any mix and it's placing on this one is just about perfect. Second to last track it provides a chillout after LCD. Frees your mind, relaxes the soul.
Lyric *error 404 - cannot compute*
Track 18 - A little countryesque number to close us out. The singer once again has a voice reminiscent of Bright Eyes but i've not heard this track before so i doubt it is Mr Oberst. It only took 18 tracks to get to a harmonica solo, but hey that's not such a bad thing. The song is nice enough, but doesn't really do anything for me much like Track 9.Lyric "every fight presents a new way to lose and i'll never walk around in your expensive shoes"
Overall - The song choice really created a solid tone for the whole album. No track seemed out of place and there are several bands i'll have to investigate further. 27 tracks and not a bad one. Can't imagine mixer and mixee taste in music matching up so well very often.
Thanks to whoever made them, they've provided several hours of music to get lost in!
The Bonus Disc comes with a story in rainbows written on the cover and a warning not to digest it because "this is an insert"!
Track 1- It kicks off with a lovely live version of my favourite jens lekman track "the opposite of hallelujah". It is a great version and is also the first time i've heard mr lekman live. I like the way he makes comments during the song.
Track 2 - A beautiful cover of REM's "This one goes out to the one i love" by unknown (though it sounds like it may be sufjan stevens). The fingerpicked guitar sounds great, will have to try and learn it.
Track 3 - Wow! An instrumental piano cover of Britney's "Hit me baby one more time". As nice as this version is, it is the reason i realised that i know every single word to that song...
Track 4 - My favourite artist of all time. Possibly his greatest song. The greatest show he ever played. The greatest track from that show.
Jeff Buckley, Live at L'Olympia - "Lover you should've come over". Beautiful, heartbreaking, perfect.
Track 5 - Thom Yorke covering Bjork's "Unravel". The original is fantastic and Thom Yorke seems to impart an extra beauty upon it. Hadn't heard this before, thank you so much!
Track 6 - A Live version of "Sao Paulo" by the Guillemots. Hadn't heard a live version of this before either, it's unbelievable. At this stage of listening i sent a message to someone professing my love for whoever made the cd, but i suspect the person who made it is male so they will have to make do with my complete respect instead haha
Track 7 - So how can you follow up that sequence of tracks?! A hilarious song about monkeys breaking out of the zoo, awesome!!
Tracks 8 & 9 - The album cover had mentioned that the bonus disc was to contain 7 tracks, so it was an additional bonus to get two extra. Especially when the two extra are the best Guillemots and Idlewild songs, "We're here" and "American English".
Saturday 19 July 2008
Biophilia - the review
I was able to listen to my mix CD today and after three uninterrupted listening sessions, here are my thoughts, track by track:
No pictures though, sorry!
Track 1
It's raining. Stormy, even. Reminds me of being driven home from Loverpool. Just slower. And if we were all really depressed. And if I were stuck inside a Good Charlotte album.
Also, how do you wrap someone in cold? Cold is not a thing.
And what happened to the rain storm? That should at least be explained in soundbite form like 'the rain is stopping' or 'Oh look, sun birdies', or 'I didn't think this is Kansas anymore'.
Good opener. If you like that sort of thing. Which I don't. Sorry.
Track 2
Suddenly we’re in 1950s America in the Deep South. In what sounds like a speakeasy. Which is odd, as they were in big cities. And in the 20s. And had loads of kids singing in adult voices in them if Bugsy Malone is historically accurate.
Very good voice. I already know it’s Nancy Sinatra due to seeing the tracklist, but this is no bad thing. A quite amazing female vocalist. And quite a nice song. Makes me want to sit by a lake and cuddle my cousin.
Track 3
We’re definitely in the 80s (which now I’ve said that will probably be the 70s…). The background synth gives it away. As does the male/female duo style. The setting is probably the TOTP studios with Dave Lee Travis and Tony Blackburn gyrating in the background, trying to score with the scantily clad, monotonous expressioned women in the audience.
I’m assuming this song is called Big Love. Only because it’s mentioned at least 17 times in the song. Please find some synonyms. Things can be substantially sized too. Unless they had a fixation. Or the guy was overcompensating.
Catchy, if you like 80s pop. Which I kind of do and kind of don’t. But more don't.
Track 4
Back into the US, but not sure where. Maybe somewhere on the outskirts of a city. In a park. Probably taking a shit load of drugs. Because that’s what middle class outer city Americans love to do.
It’s good to know that musicians have clasp of physics. The fact that you can’t fly without wings and that what goes up must come down. Isaac would be proud. If he wasn’t dead, being eaten by the worms that inhabited the apple that never hit him.
Semi psychedelic in the way skittles are.
Track 5
Ouch. This is hot. This abode is very toasty, one might say. Not if you’re Alice Cooper though. He WANTS his residence to be higher than room temperature. So much so that he’s going to build one. A house, rather than a bungalow (I don’t think the song would flow as well) of FIRE. Yes, that’s right, FIRE. And, to make matters more interesting, it’s not going to be built with regular flaming mortar and bricks, oh no, love is going to hold this house up. Obviously, Mr. Cooper didn’t have a background in architecture, as he should know he should at least have solid foundations of earth and wind to build upon first. Only then can he add the fire. Silly man.
I’m not sure why he and his ladyfriend have to pay rent on a house they’ve built himself.
Nice solid late 70s/early 80s (I’m about as good at Alice chronology as that rabbit with a watch was)
I assume it’s called House of Fire, Alice was never very good at original song titles
Track 6
Now, the first track I know the name of myself: The Ascent of Stan – Ben Folds.
It feels like it’s raining again. But more drizzle on a damp day. Stan looks down. Possibly because he’s a hippy. They always look depressed or stoned. Of which he’s probably the latter of when the banjo kicks in.
Doesn’t matter though, as he’s already begun his accent to become ‘the man’. I don’t know whether this means he’s part of police, city hall, or even President. In which case it probably IS quite fun to the man, you get a house all to yourself. I’d love that. Sure, you have to meet some people you can’t understand because President’s suddenly lose their ability to listen to things when they come to power, but hey, free food!
Great song. Good old Ben Folds. Prefer his band stuff, mind.
Track 7
Could this be Rotterdam? Or anywhere? Liverpool? Rome?
Apparently not. Not even the same band. Though they do question obesity and race in the first line. Powerful stuff. Well, not quite. They’re people who go to knocking shops. Yes, that’s right. Knocking shops. Not quite the diversity driven song I’d hoped for. Not a patch on Black or White by MJ. Probably less screaming and children (allegedly) though
And filling songs with Las? Deary deary me.
No idea who this is. Apart from the fact it sounds like The Beautiful South. But then there were lots of bands of this ilk, so could be any. Not a bad track.
Track 8
Back in the States, probably on the mean white streets of LA
If you ever wondered what crossing Foo Fighters with Good Charlotte would sound like, this is your answer. Not that you’ve been asking that question; that would be idiotic. It’d be like asking to be shown what would happen if you trapped your testicles in a vice and turned it.
Though I have to say, not too bad one you get used to it. And you ignore the whiny vocals. Good catchy tune, good guitar work. Seemed to get the best elements from Foos.
Buggered if I could name the song/artist though.
Track 9
Harmonicas! I love harmonicas in songs that aren’t sung by one man band types, anyway. This obviously means the North America. Creative vision for harmonicas is restricted to Stateside after Mr. Dylan made Blood on the Tracks.
This is of course a song about a Heart of Gold, by Neil Young.
How do you mine for hearts anyway? I’d imagine very carefully, mainly as it could get quite messy if the one you’re mining is still wanted by it’s owner. Tip to heart miners out there; go for the already dead. Saves you a lot of hassle in the long run.
Track 10
Belgrade, this is Helsinki calling? Have I stumbled into Eurovision? I can’t see Terry anywhere, though that’s really a help; he’s tiny and probably fell under the table into the foetal position, drunk at the sight of a rapping Croat.
I’m not sure what to make of this. It sounds like Evanescence if they had Lordi as backing. Both make my skin crawl. But this song is catchy. I feel much like Miss Imbrughlia. I want to dislike, but can’t. You can’t really hate Eurovision. It’s all just a laugh after all. It’d be like moaning about the World Cup; it sounds like sour grapes because we never win. But we all KNOW we’re not going to win. It’ll probably be this country. Or Russia. Or Serbia. Or Ukraine. Or Russia. Or Serbia…
Track 11
Now this is what it’s all about. I’m on the Titanic stuck in 3rd class accommodation while they’re having a knees up, but all the people with me are from Muppet's Treasure Island.
That’s all you really need to know. This is BRILLIANT. Go go gadget guitar solo!
If I were really geeky, I’d say that the tune was sort of like a jazzed up version of the battle music from Final Fantasy. But of course, I’m not that geeky. Honest…
This is probably where Latvia got their idea for this year’s Eurovision entry from…
Track 12
No, not Lenny Kravitz?! I thought. Luckily I was wrong. For a start, he wouldn’t be able to sound like a man when he sings. Not sure where we are, but I bet the video is is set with people flying through space. Sort of like the opening titles of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. It’s not, is it? That’s a shame. Because that’s be cool! Especially seeing Knives and forks flying in front of a quiet room.
What IS a quiet room? And why is it all white. He hasn’t gone mental, has he? Oh wait, he probably has, he wants to cut himself. Suddenly the song makes sense. Hoorah for institutionalisation!
Hang on, it’s not Alice Cooper again, is it? That strain is strangely familiar.
Strangely depressing. Well, not strangely, it’s about being depressed for a start. I just meant for Alice Cooper (I am now convinced it was him) It was also strangely good for him. But then anything is compared to School’s Out. Guitar Hero has ruined that song for me.
Track 13
Ah, another one I know smack on the nose. Death Cab For Cutie – I Will Follow You Into The Dark.
To me, this is set in a park on a summer’s night. Not a scary one like in Silent Hill, but the same twee place that We’re Going To Be Friends is set. Only this song is set in the ever so slightly depressing zone. That’d make a good Crystal Maze zone. Where the love of your life dies at the beginning of each 2-3 minute game in the form of a mystery, skill, physical or mental game and you have to decide whether to kill yourself too.
Ok, so the game would be quite easy (The answer: don’t). It’ll be dark. You won’t be able to see anything, let alone her. Unless you buy a lamp.
Great song.
Track 14
We’re on the way to battle. On a boat heading to a beach. Sort of like D-Day, but with less Tom Hanks (thankfully).
We’re with The Decemberists – Sons and Daughters. Another classic. To me anyway. Very good way to end the album.
Though I’ve always had one quibble about this song. And, surprisingly, it’s not about using the word ‘Aluminum’. My annoyance for that has somewhat decayed over the years. We know what they mean. We don’t berate them for calling rubbish ‘trash’ or ‘garbage’. I digress.
Right, I know aluminum and cinnamon is a great lyrical rhyme. But why would you want to fill your mouths with cinnamon. Not even in war time when it would (possibly) be scarce (depends if we’re fighting India or something). The only way I can see it being useful is if you’ve run out of insect repellent and all you have to hand is cinnamon. And your mouth is covered in jam. And marmalade.
Stupid line. A whole mouthful too? You’d choke. Or never want it again. Unless that’s the intention…
All in all a largely good mix. Well done mystery mixer! I have an inkling whoever made this wear glasses. And likes dinosaurs.
No pictures though, sorry!
Track 1
It's raining. Stormy, even. Reminds me of being driven home from Loverpool. Just slower. And if we were all really depressed. And if I were stuck inside a Good Charlotte album.
Also, how do you wrap someone in cold? Cold is not a thing.
And what happened to the rain storm? That should at least be explained in soundbite form like 'the rain is stopping' or 'Oh look, sun birdies', or 'I didn't think this is Kansas anymore'.
Good opener. If you like that sort of thing. Which I don't. Sorry.
Track 2
Suddenly we’re in 1950s America in the Deep South. In what sounds like a speakeasy. Which is odd, as they were in big cities. And in the 20s. And had loads of kids singing in adult voices in them if Bugsy Malone is historically accurate.
Very good voice. I already know it’s Nancy Sinatra due to seeing the tracklist, but this is no bad thing. A quite amazing female vocalist. And quite a nice song. Makes me want to sit by a lake and cuddle my cousin.
Track 3
We’re definitely in the 80s (which now I’ve said that will probably be the 70s…). The background synth gives it away. As does the male/female duo style. The setting is probably the TOTP studios with Dave Lee Travis and Tony Blackburn gyrating in the background, trying to score with the scantily clad, monotonous expressioned women in the audience.
I’m assuming this song is called Big Love. Only because it’s mentioned at least 17 times in the song. Please find some synonyms. Things can be substantially sized too. Unless they had a fixation. Or the guy was overcompensating.
Catchy, if you like 80s pop. Which I kind of do and kind of don’t. But more don't.
Track 4
Back into the US, but not sure where. Maybe somewhere on the outskirts of a city. In a park. Probably taking a shit load of drugs. Because that’s what middle class outer city Americans love to do.
It’s good to know that musicians have clasp of physics. The fact that you can’t fly without wings and that what goes up must come down. Isaac would be proud. If he wasn’t dead, being eaten by the worms that inhabited the apple that never hit him.
Semi psychedelic in the way skittles are.
Track 5
Ouch. This is hot. This abode is very toasty, one might say. Not if you’re Alice Cooper though. He WANTS his residence to be higher than room temperature. So much so that he’s going to build one. A house, rather than a bungalow (I don’t think the song would flow as well) of FIRE. Yes, that’s right, FIRE. And, to make matters more interesting, it’s not going to be built with regular flaming mortar and bricks, oh no, love is going to hold this house up. Obviously, Mr. Cooper didn’t have a background in architecture, as he should know he should at least have solid foundations of earth and wind to build upon first. Only then can he add the fire. Silly man.
I’m not sure why he and his ladyfriend have to pay rent on a house they’ve built himself.
Nice solid late 70s/early 80s (I’m about as good at Alice chronology as that rabbit with a watch was)
I assume it’s called House of Fire, Alice was never very good at original song titles
Track 6
Now, the first track I know the name of myself: The Ascent of Stan – Ben Folds.
It feels like it’s raining again. But more drizzle on a damp day. Stan looks down. Possibly because he’s a hippy. They always look depressed or stoned. Of which he’s probably the latter of when the banjo kicks in.
Doesn’t matter though, as he’s already begun his accent to become ‘the man’. I don’t know whether this means he’s part of police, city hall, or even President. In which case it probably IS quite fun to the man, you get a house all to yourself. I’d love that. Sure, you have to meet some people you can’t understand because President’s suddenly lose their ability to listen to things when they come to power, but hey, free food!
Great song. Good old Ben Folds. Prefer his band stuff, mind.
Track 7
Could this be Rotterdam? Or anywhere? Liverpool? Rome?
Apparently not. Not even the same band. Though they do question obesity and race in the first line. Powerful stuff. Well, not quite. They’re people who go to knocking shops. Yes, that’s right. Knocking shops. Not quite the diversity driven song I’d hoped for. Not a patch on Black or White by MJ. Probably less screaming and children (allegedly) though
And filling songs with Las? Deary deary me.
No idea who this is. Apart from the fact it sounds like The Beautiful South. But then there were lots of bands of this ilk, so could be any. Not a bad track.
Track 8
Back in the States, probably on the mean white streets of LA
If you ever wondered what crossing Foo Fighters with Good Charlotte would sound like, this is your answer. Not that you’ve been asking that question; that would be idiotic. It’d be like asking to be shown what would happen if you trapped your testicles in a vice and turned it.
Though I have to say, not too bad one you get used to it. And you ignore the whiny vocals. Good catchy tune, good guitar work. Seemed to get the best elements from Foos.
Buggered if I could name the song/artist though.
Track 9
Harmonicas! I love harmonicas in songs that aren’t sung by one man band types, anyway. This obviously means the North America. Creative vision for harmonicas is restricted to Stateside after Mr. Dylan made Blood on the Tracks.
This is of course a song about a Heart of Gold, by Neil Young.
How do you mine for hearts anyway? I’d imagine very carefully, mainly as it could get quite messy if the one you’re mining is still wanted by it’s owner. Tip to heart miners out there; go for the already dead. Saves you a lot of hassle in the long run.
Track 10
Belgrade, this is Helsinki calling? Have I stumbled into Eurovision? I can’t see Terry anywhere, though that’s really a help; he’s tiny and probably fell under the table into the foetal position, drunk at the sight of a rapping Croat.
I’m not sure what to make of this. It sounds like Evanescence if they had Lordi as backing. Both make my skin crawl. But this song is catchy. I feel much like Miss Imbrughlia. I want to dislike, but can’t. You can’t really hate Eurovision. It’s all just a laugh after all. It’d be like moaning about the World Cup; it sounds like sour grapes because we never win. But we all KNOW we’re not going to win. It’ll probably be this country. Or Russia. Or Serbia. Or Ukraine. Or Russia. Or Serbia…
Track 11
Now this is what it’s all about. I’m on the Titanic stuck in 3rd class accommodation while they’re having a knees up, but all the people with me are from Muppet's Treasure Island.
That’s all you really need to know. This is BRILLIANT. Go go gadget guitar solo!
If I were really geeky, I’d say that the tune was sort of like a jazzed up version of the battle music from Final Fantasy. But of course, I’m not that geeky. Honest…
This is probably where Latvia got their idea for this year’s Eurovision entry from…
Track 12
No, not Lenny Kravitz?! I thought. Luckily I was wrong. For a start, he wouldn’t be able to sound like a man when he sings. Not sure where we are, but I bet the video is is set with people flying through space. Sort of like the opening titles of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. It’s not, is it? That’s a shame. Because that’s be cool! Especially seeing Knives and forks flying in front of a quiet room.
What IS a quiet room? And why is it all white. He hasn’t gone mental, has he? Oh wait, he probably has, he wants to cut himself. Suddenly the song makes sense. Hoorah for institutionalisation!
Hang on, it’s not Alice Cooper again, is it? That strain is strangely familiar.
Strangely depressing. Well, not strangely, it’s about being depressed for a start. I just meant for Alice Cooper (I am now convinced it was him) It was also strangely good for him. But then anything is compared to School’s Out. Guitar Hero has ruined that song for me.
Track 13
Ah, another one I know smack on the nose. Death Cab For Cutie – I Will Follow You Into The Dark.
To me, this is set in a park on a summer’s night. Not a scary one like in Silent Hill, but the same twee place that We’re Going To Be Friends is set. Only this song is set in the ever so slightly depressing zone. That’d make a good Crystal Maze zone. Where the love of your life dies at the beginning of each 2-3 minute game in the form of a mystery, skill, physical or mental game and you have to decide whether to kill yourself too.
Ok, so the game would be quite easy (The answer: don’t). It’ll be dark. You won’t be able to see anything, let alone her. Unless you buy a lamp.
Great song.
Track 14
We’re on the way to battle. On a boat heading to a beach. Sort of like D-Day, but with less Tom Hanks (thankfully).
We’re with The Decemberists – Sons and Daughters. Another classic. To me anyway. Very good way to end the album.
Though I’ve always had one quibble about this song. And, surprisingly, it’s not about using the word ‘Aluminum’. My annoyance for that has somewhat decayed over the years. We know what they mean. We don’t berate them for calling rubbish ‘trash’ or ‘garbage’. I digress.
Right, I know aluminum and cinnamon is a great lyrical rhyme. But why would you want to fill your mouths with cinnamon. Not even in war time when it would (possibly) be scarce (depends if we’re fighting India or something). The only way I can see it being useful is if you’ve run out of insect repellent and all you have to hand is cinnamon. And your mouth is covered in jam. And marmalade.
Stupid line. A whole mouthful too? You’d choke. Or never want it again. Unless that’s the intention…
All in all a largely good mix. Well done mystery mixer! I have an inkling whoever made this wear glasses. And likes dinosaurs.
people don't dance no more
better late than never, right? you probably know what all the sogns are, im sorry it took me so long!
Talk to the regulars down your local, and they would most likely have you believe that people do indeed not dance no more. This opinion is largely influenced by at least three factors. Namely:
(a) Their low standard of education, hence their poor grasp of English grammar and near-continuous state of inebriation;
(b) Their intoxicated state, which makes them more susceptible to believing such patently ridiculous theories; and
(c) The likelihood that they read tabloid newspapers, and blame such an unlikely state of affairs on knife crime, immigration and Islamic extremists (because, as we all know, Muslims don't know how to have fun).
What I suspect they are trying to inform you, however, is that people don't possess the skills to dance properly any more. Which is a shame, because this compilation offers no remedy to educate the listener in this respect.
1. Thicke - Shooter (a justin timberlake its ok to like. although its also ok to like the actual justin timberlake cause i like him and im still the coolest person you'll ever meet. i watched a 2h long justin concert the other day. he's the sex. thicke to the contrary SO isnt. he sounds sexy though)
It seems to start with someone pressing the "Demo" button on an electronic keyboard. But not a rubbish Casio effort, more like a semi-professional Yamaha job. Sung by a man who was probably frequently scolded at school for shouting out answers (My hands up/My hands up/They want me with my hands up), this song is how I imagine James Blunt thinks he sounds.
2. The Rapture - WAYUH (Whoo! Alright - Yeah... Uh Huh) (you need to love this song more, phil. it's my second favourite dancing song and it's where the title of the mix comes from, as somebody's already told you).3. Goldfrapp - Twist
I'm not sure why, but I have very little to say about Track 2. I like the beat, I think it's a great sound, but that's all I can put down in words. Strange, that. It's then followed by Twist by the ever lovely Alison Goldfrapp, which is the first of three songs already in my collection. Here's a picture of her, just because I can:
4. Beastie Boys - The Test (gotta love 'em beastie boys... *SIIIIIIGH*)The fourth song on the compilation sounds exactly like the Beastie Boys, and I imagine probably is. It features the lyrics, "212, this is just a test", and I imagine it's the follow up to their lesser-known flop, 404, Page Not Found.
5. Mouse On Mars - Wipe That Sound (it's very comforting that english people do get the lyrics wrong sometimes too. on the other hand the guy is german and the song is very glitch-y.)
6. IAMX - Spit It Out (i know its a bit cheesy, but very danceable, innit)
While track 5 encourages me to "wipe that frown", it can't help but return for track 6, which has a very specific delusions-of-grandeur "rock" style that the snobbier regions of my brain don't want to let me like, because they decided at some point in the last 5 years that it's just not cool. The frown comes from the fact that I do actually quite like this track. The confusion is overwhelming.
7. Hot Chip - (Just Like We) Breakdown
I calm down, then, followed as it is by (Just Like We) Breakdown by Hot Chip, the second of the three tracks already in my collection.
8. Patrick Wolf - Accident & Emergency (good guess, title-wise. its also totally endearing that you cannot count. 80's voice? seriously? or did you mean: second most sexy voice ever?)
Track 9 features what I like to call the generic "80s voice". Probably called Accident & Emergency, it seems to be some sort of celebration of people hurting themselves. Sadistic bastards.
9. Spiritualized - Lay Back In The Sun (it IS spiritualized. because j. spaceman is the new jesus and ever mix needs a spiritualized song)
10. TV On The Radio - New Health Rock (my favourite song for dancing. no, not outkast :P )
The next track might, and might not be, Spiritualized. It sounds quite a lot like them, but I'm going with it not being them. I'm positive though that number 11 is Outkast, with the lyrics, "If you don't know now/Then you might not never". Which is about as non-committal and ambiguous as lyrics can get.
11. The Black Keys - Act Nice & Gentle (kinks cover) (i do like the gomez comparison and youre probably right about them being better at it, but theres just something about this song that makes it impossible for me not to listen to it at least 10 times everytime i put it on)
Track 11 is quite heavily Country-influenced (Not Big Country-influenced), but does just make me want to listen to Gomez, who frequently achieve a superior version of this style. I'm banking on this not being Gomez.
12. The Raveonettes - Love In A Trashcan (country? come ON. its more 60s pop meets shoegaze than anything else, especially country :P i do love you anyway.)
Again the next track is all a bit Country, and I'm sure I recognise the band, but I can't think who it is. Which really annoys me. It seems to be about "love in a trash can", which I can't help but think would be really uncomfortable. But then, I'd probably take that over my current lack of action.
13. The Clash - Rudie Can't Fail (my fav clash song and the closest it ever gets to jamaican music for me - im allergic to reggae and ska, but joe strummer could make virtually anything sound supercool)
14. Jens Lekman - Black Cab (he's swedish. he's hot. he's got a picture in kngiht's armor. it's all you need to know before putting him on your celebrity shag list, girls!)
I think Track 13 is The Clash, but it's not one I know. It's then followed once again by a yet-more-Country-sounding crooner, after a brief 60s hippy lead-in. The strange thing is that he says that he "killed the party again", and then sings about the "Black Cab" (presumably the title of the song). Which is not so strange except that the whole thing sounds very American. And he's singing about taking a black cab. Which is British. Hmmm...
15. PJ Harvey - This Is Love
Track 15 is the third and final track I already own, PJ Harvey's This Is Love. Listening to it for the first time in ages made me realise that it has the polar opposite opinion on sexual urges to Because it's not love (but it's still a feeling) by The Pipettes. Could be worth mentioning and encourage debate about on Question Time or something.
16. Spoon - Stay Don't Go (love the mm-uh mm-mm-uh bit/beat)
I can only presume, due to his erratic and heavy breathing, that the singer on track 16 left his inhaler at home on the day of recording. In spite of this, he still manages to put out an accomplished composition, testament to his stoic nature. While he asserts that "truth is the best way out", however, I'd suggest he tries telling this to John Coffey from The Green Mile.
17. The Afghan Whigs - 66 (awwwwww but it's greg dulli! seems like most people need to see him live in action before the appreciate his greatness. and admit he's the god of sex.)Track 17 is probably the only track which I'm really not bothered about. And I take issue with his claim that "You walked in just like smoke". As if smoke could walk.
18. MGMT - Electric Feel (from the 3rd best album of the year so far and definitely the best one in the dance-y department)19. Telepopmusik - Love Can Damage Your Health (from a very good album everyone seems to have forgotten about)
I'm shamed to admit that although I know Track 18 very well, I can't remember what it's called or whom it's by. I'm not so keen though on it's instruction to "Ooh girl, shock me like an electric eel". No thanks. I'm not into that sort of thing. Then the whole thing is rounded off with the beautiful and haunting Track 19.
Job done.
Job done.
PS I do love this compilation. It's awesome.
PS i do love the review, too
Thursday 17 July 2008
I received my CD ages ago, so...
...Here goes:
Track 1
A good start to the album….It starts off kinda spooky - electro background music for Midsommer Murders. Just as you’re expecting John Nettles, a drum beat kicks in and the female vocalist soon follows. She’s got a really interesting, wavering voice that if you were a lazy music reviewer (that’s me!) you’d say was Bjorkesk, if only for the fact that it’s interesting and unusual. Though the song never really threatens to do anything that unexpected, her voice is enough to hold your interest for the rest of the 6 minutes. There are sad tinges to the song and this is always a selling point for me.
Track 2
My favourite song on the album. The intro explodes with guitars, the male vocalist yells angst-ridden lyrics and the chorus is catchy. I love the way the violins kick in half way through the track and I love the quality and energy of the live performance. Who is this band??!!
Track 3
Track 3s a bit country and western for my tastes, but it’s a pretty good song never the less. I’m guessing that this is part of a soundtrack to some western film or other?? If it isn’t then it darn well should be!!
Track 4
I’ve tried a few times with this track but just can’t get excited about it. It ok, but I find it a bit dull and nondescript. So I won’t bother with the descri….snore (I’m sorry)
Track 5
Again, a familiar song!!...and it makes me want to dance around my house. I suppose I would describe it as sounding like an old reggae/soul track but with a few interesting manipulations to the track that make me think that it’s possibly been recently mixed and re-issued. This is only guess work. All I do know is that it’s fabulous!
Track 6
This would be Puretone – Totally Addicted to Base. One of my favourite dance tracks of recent times. How did you know?? Energetic and catchy! I’m dancing like Tyres from Spaced :-)
Track 7
Ah….This would be Natalie Imbruglia – Big Mistake. I know this, cos it’s on the B side of the Torn single that the bro bought. It’s an excellent track and sounds very similar to Alanis Morrisette. One of the rockier Imbruglia tracks and one that made me briefly tempted to buy the album when I first heard it.
Track 8
Funky Stuff!! Again, this track sounds very familiar and I really should know who it is. The only name that comes to mind is Prince. I know deep down that this is waaay wide of the mark, it’s just be the funk factor messing with my head. I like it!!
Track 9
Neat bit of guitar playing in this song. The way the guitar is played shouts 80’s at me but I have no clue who it is!
Track 10
Elbow – Newborn, from the album Asleep at the Back. I’ll be honest, I love some tracks from Elbow (Powder Blue and Any Day Now), I like others but I find most pretty dull. Thankfully, this fits comfortably in the like category.
Track 11
Another 80’s song I’d guess. It’s an ok song, but I can’t really build up much enthusiasm for it. I find it quite chilled but I’m sure the songs aiming for “happy” and "cheerful" rather than “chilled” and it's not really working (i'm just a grumpy guts!). It’s a great song to type and have playing in the background.
Track 12
I like this song and all it’s 80s(??) goodness. The lead vocalist reminds me a bit like Robert Smith the Cure but other than that I have no clue.
Track 14
It’s a lively song, with the guitar and drums kicking in nicely. As the song goes on the guitars and drums fade in and out from being the lead instrument. The lead singers voice is powerful and the song is both catchy and nicely constructed…. This has to be mid to late 90s indie rock. Am I right or am I waaaay wide of the mark??
Track 15
Nice punky edge to this song with excellent high speed drummage! A good track but it’s not got anything particularly exciting that makes me want to go out and buy the back catalogue.
Track 16
I like the song, and this worries me as I keep thinking it might be someone that I shouldn’t admit to liking :-). Ah, the beautiful 80s!! lol (it’s not David Essex is it?? It sounds a little bit like him)
Track 17
Here’s a song that really didn’t excite me in the 2 or 3 minutes of the song but gradually drew me in until I’m dancing the funky gibbon after 4 minutes. I do like the harmonica on this track!
Track 18
Not a bad track, chilled rock which gradually becomes more angsty as it goes along. Quite an enjoyable listen but I wish it wasn’t quite so repetitive. Apparently he’s a “twisted fire starter” though. If this song was made before The Prodigy filled this roll then I’ll let them off. If not, there’s no excuse and the song just grinds at me for that lyric! :-)
All in all a very good compilation. A few songs i could take or leave but isn't this the case with all CDs compiled by someone else?
Track 1
A good start to the album….It starts off kinda spooky - electro background music for Midsommer Murders. Just as you’re expecting John Nettles, a drum beat kicks in and the female vocalist soon follows. She’s got a really interesting, wavering voice that if you were a lazy music reviewer (that’s me!) you’d say was Bjorkesk, if only for the fact that it’s interesting and unusual. Though the song never really threatens to do anything that unexpected, her voice is enough to hold your interest for the rest of the 6 minutes. There are sad tinges to the song and this is always a selling point for me.
Track 2
My favourite song on the album. The intro explodes with guitars, the male vocalist yells angst-ridden lyrics and the chorus is catchy. I love the way the violins kick in half way through the track and I love the quality and energy of the live performance. Who is this band??!!
Track 3
Track 3s a bit country and western for my tastes, but it’s a pretty good song never the less. I’m guessing that this is part of a soundtrack to some western film or other?? If it isn’t then it darn well should be!!
Track 4
I’ve tried a few times with this track but just can’t get excited about it. It ok, but I find it a bit dull and nondescript. So I won’t bother with the descri….snore (I’m sorry)
Track 5
Again, a familiar song!!...and it makes me want to dance around my house. I suppose I would describe it as sounding like an old reggae/soul track but with a few interesting manipulations to the track that make me think that it’s possibly been recently mixed and re-issued. This is only guess work. All I do know is that it’s fabulous!
Track 6
This would be Puretone – Totally Addicted to Base. One of my favourite dance tracks of recent times. How did you know?? Energetic and catchy! I’m dancing like Tyres from Spaced :-)
Track 7
Ah….This would be Natalie Imbruglia – Big Mistake. I know this, cos it’s on the B side of the Torn single that the bro bought. It’s an excellent track and sounds very similar to Alanis Morrisette. One of the rockier Imbruglia tracks and one that made me briefly tempted to buy the album when I first heard it.
Track 8
Funky Stuff!! Again, this track sounds very familiar and I really should know who it is. The only name that comes to mind is Prince. I know deep down that this is waaay wide of the mark, it’s just be the funk factor messing with my head. I like it!!
Track 9
Neat bit of guitar playing in this song. The way the guitar is played shouts 80’s at me but I have no clue who it is!
Track 10
Elbow – Newborn, from the album Asleep at the Back. I’ll be honest, I love some tracks from Elbow (Powder Blue and Any Day Now), I like others but I find most pretty dull. Thankfully, this fits comfortably in the like category.
Track 11
Another 80’s song I’d guess. It’s an ok song, but I can’t really build up much enthusiasm for it. I find it quite chilled but I’m sure the songs aiming for “happy” and "cheerful" rather than “chilled” and it's not really working (i'm just a grumpy guts!). It’s a great song to type and have playing in the background.
Track 12
I like this song and all it’s 80s(??) goodness. The lead vocalist reminds me a bit like Robert Smith the Cure but other than that I have no clue.
Track 14
It’s a lively song, with the guitar and drums kicking in nicely. As the song goes on the guitars and drums fade in and out from being the lead instrument. The lead singers voice is powerful and the song is both catchy and nicely constructed…. This has to be mid to late 90s indie rock. Am I right or am I waaaay wide of the mark??
Track 15
Nice punky edge to this song with excellent high speed drummage! A good track but it’s not got anything particularly exciting that makes me want to go out and buy the back catalogue.
Track 16
I like the song, and this worries me as I keep thinking it might be someone that I shouldn’t admit to liking :-). Ah, the beautiful 80s!! lol (it’s not David Essex is it?? It sounds a little bit like him)
Track 17
Here’s a song that really didn’t excite me in the 2 or 3 minutes of the song but gradually drew me in until I’m dancing the funky gibbon after 4 minutes. I do like the harmonica on this track!
Track 18
Not a bad track, chilled rock which gradually becomes more angsty as it goes along. Quite an enjoyable listen but I wish it wasn’t quite so repetitive. Apparently he’s a “twisted fire starter” though. If this song was made before The Prodigy filled this roll then I’ll let them off. If not, there’s no excuse and the song just grinds at me for that lyric! :-)
All in all a very good compilation. A few songs i could take or leave but isn't this the case with all CDs compiled by someone else?
Wednesday 9 July 2008
I finally got round to reviewing my mix.
Well I got my mix a while ago and although I’ve been listening to it on my computer while I work I didn’t get round to writing a review. Until now. I think I can narrow it down to a couple of possible people, but I don’t know if they’re in this mix exchange or not so I’m not going to say anything!
The artwork is a hand drawn fish in a hat and the album is entitled ‘Pufferfish Presents: Music for Joinees and Stuff’. And now on with the ramblings.
1 – Rufus Wainright – live - ? – not my usual thing but I loves me a big live swing band who know what they’re doing. Might have to go looking for more of his live stuff on t’internet me thinks.
2 – gentlemens samba?! – can only be described as a simply marverlous guide to the finer things in a gentlemans life! Rakishly good humoured and delicately balanced.
3 – Jamie-T? – nice change of style and pace but similar sentiment as first two. Stepping up a gear nicely.
4 – polyphonic spree? – has that ‘big group’ chorus and melody hook that I associate with them.
5 – no idea but I likes it. Has celtic folk/country influences in the guitar and melody I think. Change of theme in lyrics from the other songs
6 – Irish girl singer – I don’t know anything about who it is, quite a nice song with a pretty hook. Doesn’t grab me as much as track 1 and 3 have done so far.
7 - ? – synth and drum led. Reminds me of the Dandy Warhols for some reason but I don’t imagine for a minute that it is them!
8 – Straight Outta Surrey – I have to admit that at this point I googled and found the artist to be Mr B the gentleman rhymer. This track just needs a mix video of classic cricket and the original one.
9 – again, a nice song and not something that I’d turn off, but it doesn’t grab me and make me listen to every little word.
10 – is it wrong that this makes me think of the soundtrack to Team America? Doesn’t really do anything for me this song, sorry!
11 – boogie-woogie bugle boy with jazz trumpet solo - nice change of pace! Back to 40’s swing band style, me likes!
12 - ? – doesn’t do it for me at all this song. A bit too droney-man-with-guitar to get me going. I’m a simple-melody pop-boy at heart it seems!
13 – Patrick Wolf – magic position – the third song on this mix that I know and I’ve watched some of his stuff from festivals last year. I have to say this song is better recorded than I’ve seen him do live. Its quite a fun bouncy piece, a nice change of pace.
14 – kind of Irish folky type thing. Again, not something that grabs my musical bits. Sorry.
15 – not sure who this is, sounds a bit like a cross between dido, kate nash and someone else. Its pretty and quirky though, so I likes.
16 – I’m not too sure what to think of this. On one hand it’s a screamy girl with a very bass-led band behind her. On the other hand its quite a sweet voiced girl with an electro band twiddling knobs and pressing buttons. I like the electro bit mainly, which isn’t something I’d normally say.
17 – divine comedy me thinks –meloncolic story telling with big sweepy strings and horns and harps. Not what I’d normally listen to but I like the band arrangement and the extended instrumental is aces.
18 – no idea who this is or who to compare it to for description purposes. Its quite a vocal-led stripped down bandy type thing. Bouncy and fun.
19 – I’m guessing at Rufus Wainright, both because it sounds like him and it would round the album off nicely!
20 – national anthem! Done by someone who either can’t quite play what sounds like a saxamaphone or a clarinet or can play it and deliberately messes it up.
All in all it’s a great mix. When I get my car CD player fixed it’ll be in there for a while I’m sure. If and when I get the tracklist I’m sure there are a few bands in there that I’ll look into further.
Thanks Joinee ?!!!
The artwork is a hand drawn fish in a hat and the album is entitled ‘Pufferfish Presents: Music for Joinees and Stuff’. And now on with the ramblings.
1 – Rufus Wainright – live - ? – not my usual thing but I loves me a big live swing band who know what they’re doing. Might have to go looking for more of his live stuff on t’internet me thinks.
2 – gentlemens samba?! – can only be described as a simply marverlous guide to the finer things in a gentlemans life! Rakishly good humoured and delicately balanced.
3 – Jamie-T? – nice change of style and pace but similar sentiment as first two. Stepping up a gear nicely.
4 – polyphonic spree? – has that ‘big group’ chorus and melody hook that I associate with them.
5 – no idea but I likes it. Has celtic folk/country influences in the guitar and melody I think. Change of theme in lyrics from the other songs
6 – Irish girl singer – I don’t know anything about who it is, quite a nice song with a pretty hook. Doesn’t grab me as much as track 1 and 3 have done so far.
7 - ? – synth and drum led. Reminds me of the Dandy Warhols for some reason but I don’t imagine for a minute that it is them!
8 – Straight Outta Surrey – I have to admit that at this point I googled and found the artist to be Mr B the gentleman rhymer. This track just needs a mix video of classic cricket and the original one.
9 – again, a nice song and not something that I’d turn off, but it doesn’t grab me and make me listen to every little word.
10 – is it wrong that this makes me think of the soundtrack to Team America? Doesn’t really do anything for me this song, sorry!
11 – boogie-woogie bugle boy with jazz trumpet solo - nice change of pace! Back to 40’s swing band style, me likes!
12 - ? – doesn’t do it for me at all this song. A bit too droney-man-with-guitar to get me going. I’m a simple-melody pop-boy at heart it seems!
13 – Patrick Wolf – magic position – the third song on this mix that I know and I’ve watched some of his stuff from festivals last year. I have to say this song is better recorded than I’ve seen him do live. Its quite a fun bouncy piece, a nice change of pace.
14 – kind of Irish folky type thing. Again, not something that grabs my musical bits. Sorry.
15 – not sure who this is, sounds a bit like a cross between dido, kate nash and someone else. Its pretty and quirky though, so I likes.
16 – I’m not too sure what to think of this. On one hand it’s a screamy girl with a very bass-led band behind her. On the other hand its quite a sweet voiced girl with an electro band twiddling knobs and pressing buttons. I like the electro bit mainly, which isn’t something I’d normally say.
17 – divine comedy me thinks –meloncolic story telling with big sweepy strings and horns and harps. Not what I’d normally listen to but I like the band arrangement and the extended instrumental is aces.
18 – no idea who this is or who to compare it to for description purposes. Its quite a vocal-led stripped down bandy type thing. Bouncy and fun.
19 – I’m guessing at Rufus Wainright, both because it sounds like him and it would round the album off nicely!
20 – national anthem! Done by someone who either can’t quite play what sounds like a saxamaphone or a clarinet or can play it and deliberately messes it up.
All in all it’s a great mix. When I get my car CD player fixed it’ll be in there for a while I’m sure. If and when I get the tracklist I’m sure there are a few bands in there that I’ll look into further.
Thanks Joinee ?!!!
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