Category: electronic

The Faint – Desperate Guys (Wet From Birth, 2004)

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I’m not sure weather it was my Uncle Steve that first introduced me to The Faint, or if it was my brother. But ever since I heard Danse Macabre, I was in love. They often get a lot of flack from the punck-rock community for trying to be punk, or being too mainstream. Which is purely ridiculous, because if you pay attention to a lot of their songs, they are punk as hell.

Danse Macabre has always been my favorite of their albums. So much so that I own it on vinyl. But lately I’ve been listening to their third album (Wet From Birth) and enjoying it quite a bit too. One of my favorite tracks is Desperate Guys, the first track off the album. So, lets get down to it, shall we?

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We are played in with a brief little violin intro. Then we get into the vocals and a little bit of bass syth, and drums.

Was it more than attraction and a physical lust?
Her loins, my imagination, that first inconceivable touch,
That I was planning, er, I mean wishing, uh..
How embarassed I’d been if you knew what I was thinking of.

Her loins? Nice! That verse is followed by this really cool bass snyth part that sounds something like “Ooo Ooo wah wah wah” Which I really like, and we move on to the next part.

And whoa, when it started, my first thought was love,
Not just lust, because when I heard you speak, I felt warm.
In the evening I saw you, you were warming the bass up.
Your hair covered your face up,
I was acting indifferent at the merch booth, putting on makeup

For some reason, it works really well with the rest of the song it cram that last line in, despite the fact that it’s a bit too long to fit in.

The prechorus, and then we move into the chorus, where the drums get a little more intense, and we get a little more orchestral action.

I crossed my fingers, but I didn’t beg, no ,
Cause I knew you knew,
Cause I knew you knew I liked you.
I knew you knew I liked you,
I knew you knew it,
But I figured desperate guys,
Never had a chance with you.
I figured desperate guys,
Never had a chance with you.

We get another prechorus and the chorus repeats a few more times. Finally we end with a cool little break-down outro.

All in all, this songs is really a pretty good one. I’d highly advise that anyone out there that’s tantalized by it, should investigate the rest of this album, and, indeed, the rest of their work. Except for the remix album, which is, in this man’s humble opinion, not really that good.

-James out

Animal Collective – My Girls (Marriweather Post Pavillion, 2009)

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I’ve been agonizing over weather to do this song or not. I mean, as it is, I’m not sure I really have a lot to say about it. Not because it’s a bad song. But more that it’s all built around layering, repeating sections over and over, and building on them. Similar to what we heard in David Gray’s Please Forgive Me. Only, instead of being fairly simple stuff being added, this is awash with arpeggios, synthesizers, and fun little drum parts.

But actually what I really wanted to point out is the lyrics. After hearing it once (or maybe you’re listening to it right now?) I think you’ll see that it’s really easy to just get caught up in the music and energy of the song, without really paying attention to the lyrics. When I first started listening, all I could really pick out of it, is the bridge/break which goes:

I don’t mean to seem like I care about material things like a social stats

Let me just pause to say, on it’s own, that’s a pretty great line. There’s another part after that, but I could never really make it out. Luckily for us, the internets provide us with the answer. However, we’ll address that later. Anyway,what does it all mean? How does it fit into the rest of the song? Well dear readers, that’s what we’re going to talk about today. So, let’s look at the first verse, which gets repeated bunch.

There isn’t much that I feel I need
A solid soul and the blood I bleed
With a little girl, and by my spouse
I only want a proper house

Oh. Okay. So he’s talking about wanting a house for his wife and kid. That makes sense! Wouldn’t really catch that from the song. After that it moves on to what can be considered the chorus part.

I don’t care for fancy things
Or to take part in a precious race
And children cry for the one who has
A real big heart and a father’s grace

So he’s telling us that really all he wants to be, is a good father! Man, what a sweet guy. Okay, now remember the bridge/break part?

I don’t mean to seem like I care about material things like a social status
I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls

Ahhhh. He’s reassuring us that it’s not actually the possession of the house that he’s worried about. More the fact that he wants a place for his wife and kids to live. Who saw that coming?

Anyway, the fact that this song is so… emersive, that you can totally lose track of what the lyrics are, is a real credit to the amazing songwriting ability of Animal Collective. I strongly encourage you all to check out the rest of the songs on this album, as they are equally as good.

-James out

Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream (Walking on a Dream 2008)

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How totally excited would you be if I told you that Empire of the Sun, is basically the Australian MGMT. Because that’s exactly what they are. Except the members of the band, look kinda like the guys in Fischerspooner. Anyway, every since Sam alerted me to their existence, I’ve been hooked. And after hearing this song, I’m sure you will be to. Anyway, on to the analysis.

It starts out with a simple little Yamaha drum synth hi-hat, and keyboard part. Then Bam! You get thrown into the song, with these really solid lyrics.

Walking on a dream
How can I explain
Talking to myself
Will I see again

Then the music gets a little bit more intense, and we move straight on to the wonderful chorus, which is arguably the best part of the song.

We are always running for the thrill of it thrill of it
Always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it
On and on and on we are calling out and out again
Never looking down I’m just in awe of what’s in front of me

Just the imagery in it is really cool. And epic sounding. “Running for the thrill of it”, and “pushing up the hills”, both resonate really strong with me. And then “Never looking down, just in awe of what’s in front of me” God. It’s just really powerful. The rest of the song just continues in a similar manner, with verses and choruses. But man, I could seriously listen to this song forever. It’s the perfect thing to wake up to. I would strongly encourage anyone that likes it, to investigate the rest of the album. You won’t be disappointed, “I guarantee it” Like the Men’s Warehouse guy.

-James out

Owl City – Super Honeymoon (Maybe I’m Dreaming, 2008)

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This is my first post. A daunting thing to be sure. I was concidering maybe going with a strng classic track. Something that lots of people would see and be like “OH yeah. James really knows his music” But then I considered that the whole point of this blog is for people to discover new music. And so, with that in mind, I’ve settled on this amazing song, by Owl City.

There are tons of reasons I love this song, the least of which is the awesome job of instrumentation, and really good synth choice. Imagine this, if you will: if Colin Malloy (of The Decemberists) wrote a crazy sci-fi song, and it was performed by The Postal Service. In essence, that’s what this song is. I know that’s a pretty ambitious description, but it’s the truth.

Before we even jump into the lyrics of the song, let me take a second to talk about the opening section. It starts off with a cool little metallic bit and some basic syth percussion. Then, wasting no time, you get this really cool little bouncy synth lead part, back by a pretty simple bass syth. It’s very strikingly Postal Service-esc. Especially the drum parts remind me of Jimmy Tamborello (the other half of The Postal Service. Part of Dntel and The Figurines) Anyway, lets not get bogged down. Moving on.

This song is formatted really well. Starting out, like a story, with the background. Cool and very image invoking disctiptions of life in Denver.

Glamour and fashion
Models and magazines… a striking runway entrance
Beauty and passion
Stardust and high class scenes of popular teens

Then we move quickly on to the meat and subject of the song.

When I lived in Denver, I met a millionaire
With ribbons in her blonde hair
I still remember
She was like a princess straight from a dreamy castle in the air

Man. All I can say, is what a solid opening for a song. We move back to the little opening lick, and then power stright into the chorus. Which I absolutely love. Because before we were talking about just normal stuff. Meeting girls, and falling in love. But then we hit,

We played golf on the moon
And tennis on the sun
Like athletes of the afternoon
The solar flares burned my arms
And made her makeup run
On our super lunar honeymoon

Whoa, what? Now we’ve totally moved on into some crazy sci-fi universe, where there are sports happening on the moon and sun! Awsome!

Finally, the last verse gives you a little bit more description. But what I really like are the lines

I was the youngest son of a congressman
And everything was my fault…
She was a gymnast, happily swinging
On the uneven bars, tucked in a somersault

I don’t know why. But for some reason, those are both really simple, but really amazingly descriptive. And then it just falls back into the chorus, and repeats the opening synth lick a few more times.

All in all, one of my favorite songs that I’ve recently heard, by far.

-James out

 

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MIA – Jimmy (Kala, 2007)

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The drum machine percussion is solid, as it is on most MIA tracks – a nice bouncy bassline, breathy female vocals, and then, at :23 – the string sample! Each phrase is punctuaed by a little ‘pew!’ spacey sound effect, and in the middle you get to hear a neat little bloopy arpeggio sting that always reminds me somehow of Final Fantasy 8 music.

When you go Rwanda Congo
Take me on ya genocide tour
Take me on a truck to Darfur
Take me where you would go

Got static on ya satellite phone
Got to get you safe at home
Got to get you some where warm
So you get me all alone

As usual, the song’s simplicity is offset by its extreme catchiness – it’s easy to find yourself humming the chorus:

Time and time and time and time again
You keep pushing that button but I don’t know what your sayin
You hit me on AIM tryin’ flip me on some game
Are you coming are you going are you leaving are you staying

You told me that your busy
Your loving makes me crazy
I know that you hear me
Start acting like you want me

You told me that your busy
Your loving makes me crazy
I know you can hear me
Start acting like you want me

In short, the song is about trying to get ahold of a guy – but it’s the bouncey disco groove, the string sample, and the vocals that make it all worthwhile. It’s actually a cover of a bollywood musical number – here’s the original:

(and on a related note:)

MIA – Bucky Done Gun (Arular, 2005)

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MIA is quite an artist – her music is strikingly simply, yet unavoidably catchy. There are hooks that are just impossible to ignore.

Take for instance Bucky Done Gun, a song about child soldiers. Right off the bat, you get slapped hard with snappy snares, rumbling bass, and spunky female vocals – and then that iconic horn sample.

Bucky Done Gun
What you want
The Fire Done Burn
What you want
Bucky Done Gun
Get Crackin’ Get Get Crackin’

The breaks are repetitive – tom, tom, glitchy kick, snare, horns – but so satisfying! The cut up and remixed version at 1:53 really milks it to get the most out of the sample and sequence. It’s simple, short, but man – oh so very satisfying. Good for blasting when you’re stuck in traffic.

!!! – Myth Takes

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I’m trying something new – rather than pointing out particular songs that I like, I’m going to go through my music library. Hopefully this’ll give me an excuse to post a little more regularly, instead of only when I decide that any particular track is worthy of ‘favorite’ status. Also, this’ll probably result in me reviewing stuff that I don’t actually like – maybe even things that are better off being deleted from my collection.

Myth Takes always plays first by default on my car stereo, by merit of ‘!!!’ (pronounced as making a clicking sound three times in a row, e.g. ‘chk chk chk’) being the first artist name alphabetically. The titular first track is catchy, with percussion that’s precise enough to be attention-grabbing, but there’s enough grittiness that it blends well with the rest of the instrumentation. The low whispery vocals alternating with wide guitar solo lines build anticipation, even though you could argue that the payoff never comes on this track – it’s the next one where you get a climax.

‘All My Heroes Are Weirdos’ is arguably better in the first 20 seconds then in the entire rest of the song – the guitar gets a little too crazy, I think, and it makes it tough to listen to for very long – it’s nothing like the driving intro.

‘Must Be The Moon’ settles into a nice almost disco-y groove as soon as it starts, and holds onto the kick/snare/tambourine pattern throughout the rest of the track – and it’s good stuff. The vocals are interesting too – there’s just enough there to keep things interesting, but they know when to pull back and let the instruments have their turn. The electronic stuff that elbows its way in towards the end of the track is also much appreciated.

‘A New Name’ has some interest growly bass and what might be some bells, as well as occasionally cool  percussive elements, and a neat establishing guitar line, and sort of reminds me of Damon Albarn’s vocal stylings at some points.

I almost feel like ‘Heart Of Hearts’ is sort of a bridge song, I don’t want to say ‘filler’ because that sounds negative, but it just doesn’t work for me out of the context of the album – but within that context, its inclusion was fairly insightful, since it feels like it really ‘fits’ there between the first and second half.

‘Sweet Life’ isn’t all that exciting either, and I guess it kind of continues the ‘bridge’ section.

‘Yadnus’ on the other hand, starts out with a nice ragged synth lead, and one of my favorite percussion patterns – ‘Like It Or Not’ off of Confession On A Dance Floor by Madonna, for instance, sports the same 3/4 rhythm. Something about that sort of swaggering configuration always sounds really good to me. The rest of the song sort of swings around between staccato falsetto and guitar, then back to nice sparse guitar picks, and has a pretty neat finale ending.

‘Bend Over Beethoven’ is like 8 minutes, which is crazy, and it’s pretty standard !!! stuff – it does a good job of exploring all the possibilities that the song’s time affords it. I’ll bet it’d be fun to watch this song performed live.

Not a whole lot happens (apart from some interesting horns and synths) in ‘Break In Case Of Anything’, and I almost wonder if the song’s title is a reference to this track acting as a ‘break’ after the previous one.

‘Infinifold’ is the final track – and it fits in the last slot nicely. The eerie grungy guitar echoing around behind the piano and hushed vocals sound like an ending. Finally, things start to build back up at the end, about three and a half minutes into the song… but it never peaks again, it just fades out. A good way to end things.

 

It’s tough to pick my favorite song, but I’m gonna say that all three of the first tracks (Myth Takes, All My Heroes Are Weirdos, and Must Be The Moon) plus Yadnus are probably tied for first – Must Be The Moon might be slightly ahead, though, so here it is, for your listening pleasure:

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Rammstein – Zwitter (Mutter, 2001)

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I like Rammstein a lot, and there’ll probably me more tracks by them here eventually, but Zwitter is one of my favorites right off the top of my head.

Things start off nicely – guitar riff phased back, nice blippy little techno beat, serious rock drums, and then the same riff, this time front-and-center. “Zwitter, zwitter!” You get the idea.

Next, the first verse, over a momentarily placid version of the guitar, moved back to the back burner as a bassline. The guitar comes back during the second half of the verse, building back up the chorus, which we’ve already become familiar with.

The second verse features another higher synth line, which helps keep things fresh, while the lyrics grind onwards – but we’re coming to the best part of the song. It’s the transition that first happens at 1:47 – bam, we jump up to the bridge, higher vocals, a neat phased effect, and an overall epic ‘peak’.

Things drop back down, of course, for another verse, and then another chorus. There isn’t much more to the song musically.

However, there’s some interesting lyrics to be examined, in particular, the bridge. The song’s title and chorus line, ‘zwitter’ means ‘hermaphrodie’ in German, and here’s the bridge and (supposed) translation:

 

Eins für mich (One for me)
Eins für dich (One for you)
Gibt es nicht (Is there not one or ‘is not how it is‘)
Für mich (For me)

Eins für mich (One for me)
Eins für dich (One for you)
Eins und eins (One and one)
Das bin ich (That’s me)

I love how the words fit together in german – ‘me’ and ‘you’ rhyme, and a few other phonetic similarities (‘für’ and ‘for’, ‘mich’ and ‘me’, ‘es’ and ‘is’, ‘ich’ and ‘I’) make it almost possible to understand the words if you know the context.

And of course there’s the (roughly translated) line:

I am not even downhearted then
When one tells me “fuck yourself”

 

Yuki Kajiura – Key Of The Twilight (.hack//SIGN OST, 200)

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No, that’s not a glitch – .hack//SIGN is a pretty sweet anime series that revolves around a (fictional) MMO called The World. The art is well-done, and while the story tends to drag a little, and features surprisingly little action for being set in an online RPG, it consistently includes incredibly good music. This track, for instance.

First a little phased white noise, quickly joined by a catchy buzzy bassline, reflective acoustic guitar, and spacey vocal pads.

Come with me in the twilight of a summer night for awhile
Tell me of a story never ever told in the past

Take me back to the land
Where my yearnings were born
The key to open the door is in your hand
Now fly me there

I always imagine these words being spoken by a younger sibling to an older one – it’s a hot summer night, two boys are lying sprawled out on top of the sheets, savoring each slight breeze that floats through the window and offers momentary relief from the heat. One boy turns to the other, and begs him to tell the same stories, the old stories that they used to tell each other. “Come with my in the twilight of a summer night for awhile.”

This is powerful stuff, it seriously gives me shivers. Something about the instruments, and the clearly worded vocals – seriously evocative stuff. And then the strings break in – lilting, with an ethnic quality that I’m not able to pin down, a bit like western fiddle, a bit like an irish jig, which is almost like a ‘cue the montage’ moment – the older boy begins his story, conjuring a fantasy world of characters and conflict.

Fanatics find their heaven in never ending storming wind
Auguries of destruction be a lullaby for rebirth

Consolations, be there
In my dreamland to come
The key to open the door is in your hand
Now take me there

Is this epic or what? ‘Augury’ is a good word – it has to do with prophesy or folk-magic concerning birds, sometimes migratory patterns, sometimes ritual sacrifice. Storms are brewing, fanatics follow the birds looking for signs, and all of this will rebirth the world. Then, the listener’s repeated reflections on how powerful these stories are to him. Then, a declaration:

I believe in fantasies invisible to me
In the land of misery I’m searchin’ for the sign
To the door of mystery and dignity
I’m wandering down, and searchin’ down the secret sun

The door and the key are important images in the anime, but they’re vague enough references that they don’t stick out amongst the lyrics – I think of the bridge as jumping ahead to see the younger boy as a grown man, or perhaps teenager, now without the presence of his older sibling to guide him, making his way through the world while the stories flit on the edge of his consciousness, driving him to always look for signs of the fantasy world in the mundaneness of every day life. He can’t help thinking about that night, lying in bed, begging for just one more story:

Come with me in the twilight of a summer night for awhile
Tell me of a story never ever told in the past

Take me back to the land
Where my yearnings were born
The key to open the door is in your hand
Now take me there
To the land of twilight

Powerful stuff. It seriously give me shivers to listen to this song. The final ‘twilight’ is drawn out, and fades into an almost Enya-like outro.

The Magnetic Fields – I Thought You Were My Boyfriend (‘I’, 2004)

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Once again, songs by The Magnetic Fields are steeped in clever lyrics. This track is also notable for being a distinctly gay song – the line “I thought I was just the guy for you” makes the gender of the singer undeniable.

A plaintive little piano line makes for a great start, followed by a nice clubby dance beat and a slightly-grunged bouncy bassline. Occasional orchestral strings, backup vocals and harmony, and a nice flange effect on the accompaniment keep things interesting while the lyrics unfold – percussion enters and the music swells appropriately as the chorus plays out.

You told me you loved me
I know where and when
Come sunrise, surprise surprise!
The joke’s on me again
I know you don’t love me
You know I don’t care
Keep it hidden better
Did I say the world was fair?

I thought I was just the guy for you
And it would never end
I thought we were s’posed to be like glue
I thought you were my boyfriend

Love or not, I’ve always got ten guys
On whom I can depend
And if you’re not mine, one less is nine, get wise
I thought you were my boyfriend

“Where and when,” “Sunrise, surprise surprise,” and “I know you don’t love me, you know I don’t care” are tasty literary treats, and the rhymes don’t sound forced at all, despite their proliferation. The story starts – bitterly, the narrator establishes that the relationship that he hoped “would never end” is over. Interestingly, his comeback is that “Love or not, he has always got ten guys on whom he can depend,” which is either just an example of bitter bragging, or maybe a little bit of insight into his situation: maybe he really did have ten guys before this one left. Either way, the line “if you’re not mine, one less is nine” is incredibly clever, as is the repeated accusational rejoinder, “I thought you were my boyfriend.”

I just hope you’re happy
Stringing me along
While you’re stringing
I’m here singing
This, my saddest song
I wish I could see you
I wish I could sleep
Should I freak out?
Should I seek out
Someone I could keep?

Bitterness! Regret! He’s trying to guilt trip the other guy with this passive-aggressive behavior: “I just hope you’re happy,” obviously a lie, and “I’m here singing this, my saddest song.” Plus the alliteration of ‘stringing’ & ‘singing’, ‘freak out’ & ‘seek out’ are more genius.

I wanted you tonight
I walked around a lot
Wishing you were here
To keep me from sleeping
With anyone who might
Want me or even not
Some guys have a beer and they’ll do anything
Anything, anything

In the bridge, I almost start to wonder if he’s actually talking to the titular ex-boyfriend, or if it’s all to himself – something about “Some guys have a beer and they’ll do anything – anything, anything.” makes me think that it could either be a taunt, or an attempt at self-reassurance.

The fade-out at the end of a string of chorus repetitions almost feels like an early-pop sort of move – think of ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ by The Beatles, for instance. I guess this isn’t a rule, but it still reminds me of that. Also, I really want this song to be a metaphor alluding to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas in christian mythology – especially because the ‘ten guys on whom I can depend’ could stand for Jesus’ disciples, although there are traditionally twelve disciples, not ten.

If we’re willing to forgive this numeric inconsistency, things actually fill in pretty nicely. Either one could feel betrayed by the other – I’ve always liked the interpretation that Judas’ betrayal of Jesus had more to do with conflicting ideology then greed; After a heated argument, Jesus made it clear was not going to start a revolution (at least not in the violent terrestrial sense), and Judas, ashamed and enraged by being so let down by the man he had thought was the Messiah, rationalizes that if Jesus won’t start the revolution himself, he’s worth more as a bounty then he is alive – at least 30 pieces of silver can buy some weapons! Also, as the group’s treasurer, he might have suspected that Jesus was merely taking advantage of his celebrity status, especially considering the story of Mary Magdalene using an expensive bottle of perfume to wash his feet, instead of selling it and donating the proceeds to charity.

Finally, upset over his falling out with Jesus, Judas wanders off drunk into the night, and meets the people to whom he will betray his former teacher. He marches off, leading them right to the place where Jesus has gone to pray, and gives him a vindictive kiss – but his vengeance sours when Jesus reproaches him, “Judas, have you come to betray me with a kiss?”

Anyway, I think the verses could work very well with either Judas or Jesus singing lines, sometimes a duet, sometimes back-and-forth, or it could work equally well with just Judas. Anyway, if you listen to the song with that in mind, it makes for a really neat story idea – which is © matt lohkamp 2009, by the way.