Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #72!
For those of you who are new to the SOTW column, here's the story: TCDroogsma and MinneSarah are both fans of The Current's Song Of The Day podcast. They're also both opinionated and have access to computers. Seeing an opportunity to let them indulge in their MP3 habit and put them to work writing reviews we created the Songs Of The Week column. Over a year later later and here we are.
As always, we strongly suggest that you follow this link and subscribe to the podcast yourself. It's free and it's fun for the whole family!
To that end, once you've given each song a spin or two, feel free to cast a vote for your favorite song of the week in the poll to the right side of the page. The artist who accrues the most votes wins the validation that comes from winning an anonymous internet poll, arguably the loftiest height to which a modern musician can aspire.
As per tradition TCDroogsma and MinneSarah have not read each other's reviews prior to posting
So... Droogsy, Sarah... thoughts?
01. Kita Klane - Running Circles (from the EP In Love With The Enemy)
TCDroogsma:
Kita Klane's Bandcamp page describes her as an, "L.A. natie & songwriting chanteusse." I'm not 100% certain what that "songwriting chanteusse" means, but it sounds an awful lot like the kind of buzzword that stupid people use to sound important.
With "Running Circles," Klane seems to be aiming for the soft, gooey middle ground between Adele & Amy Winehouse. She hits the mark, but that's not necessarily a good thing. She lacks Adele's "everywoman" charm (to say nothing of her vocal chops) while her "edgy" seems to be more a press-photos-and-artist-description concept than anything that's apparent in the music. Maybe this sort of thing is just better left to the British.
MinneSarah:
The mood of this song is reminiscent of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds with the bell keyboard organs. Kita Klane has a fire in her belly and it's all directed towards her ex in this smoothly delivered, dark and angry song. Her caramel voice calmly describes her disappointment in a guy whose life choices seem to be wrong turns.
Revenge break up songs only live in two camps - 1.) I'm better off without you and the best revenge is living well - think Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" - 2.) You suck and you've always sucked and my condolences go out to anyone who will have to even look at you in the future - think The Toasters, "I Wasn't Going To Call You Anyway" (for instance, strange bedfellows to be sure). This one is in the second camp, but with a tangible sense of betrayal - she's not been off this one for a while and may drunk dial him to sing him this song. Ironically, nothing says running circles like checking your ex's Facebook twice a day.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 1.5/5
MinneSarah: 3/5
02. Wooden Shjips - Everybody Knows (from the album Back To Land)
TCDroogsma:
When I was going through these songs at the beginning of the week and saw that I'd be reviewing a band out of San Francisco that's described as "spacey psychedelic rock" and has little regard for proper spelling, I feared the worst. That's a lot of minuses.
However, proving the age old "Droogsy is usually wrong about everything" lesson yet again, "Everybody Knows" turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The floats along on a guitar riff that seems basic, yet, over the course of five minutes, reveals itself to be a Kevin Shields-esque hypno-riff. It's steady pulse provides the canvas for guitar solos, vocals that push falsetto (but don't force the issue), and the first tolerable use of harmonica to ever appear on the SOTD podcast. Honestly, after a week with this song I still have no fucking idea what they lyrics are. It doesn't matter, though. That guitar sets the mood and never lets go.
MinneSarah:
Distorted guitar saves the homesick harmonica, but that harmonica really drags this song down. The mood of this one is low key, a little Velvet Underground, a little Phishy. The vocals are comforting and carry the song throughout a haze - after several listens, I'm still not sure what any of the lyrics are or what they could be about. When in doubt, add a guitar solo - it also adds a good thirty seconds. Though I don't know much about this band, they seem like they've got a lot going for them in terms of tapping into their artistic creativity. The harmonica really lost it for me, and that's sort of a deal breaker.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 4/5
MinneSarah: 3/5
03. We Are Scientists - Dumb Luck (from the EP Business Casual)
TCDroogsma:
On a scale of 1-10, how tired of reading reviews that start, "Holy shit! We Are Scientists is still a thing?!?" do you think the guys in We Are Scientist are? It's gotta be at least an 8, right?
Well, I'm nothing if not out of date, so holy shit! We Are Scientists is still a thing?
Now, obviously, We Are Scientists have already carved out their niche in early Aughts history with "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt." It wasn't a big hit, but it was definitely the kind of song that would scroll down my television if Time Life every put together a "Best Of The Early Aughts: The Hipster Years" compilation (or if they still sold CD's on television).
So, with that in mind, just enjoy "Dumb Luck" for what it is. It's hardly a redefining single (for the genre or the band), but it has it's charms. Namely: Bitter, bitter anger. I mean, the song opens with, "It took you long enough to figure this out... it should have been hours ago..." At its heart, "Dumb Luck" is a solid, if half-formed rant. However, We Are Scientists use all the veteran savvy they have, dressing the song up with plinking keys, double-tracked guitar solos, echoing vocals, and a stop-start chorus built around one monster riff to turn the song into a fully formed jam.
MinneSarah:
For as much as "Dumb Luck" starts out as a Queens of the Stone Age song, eventually I stop tapping my foot and feel like I'm listening to something at my dentist's office.
The first verse is the best - the vocals are layered, guitar is looping, and the drums keep building the mood. The chorus and beyond is just too much - what I imagine the Wild Onion is like on the weekends. It has all the good elements of a good pop/metal/alternative crossover, but the refrain is just a little too upbeat and out of place compared to the rest of the tune.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3.5/5
MinneSarah: 3/5
04. Courtney Barnett - Avant Gardener (from the double EP A Sea Of Split Peas)
TCDroogsma:
This poor, stupid song.
Let me explain. I listen to these SOTD tracks as I walk to work every morning. Courtney Barnett's rambling "Avant Gardener" had the misfortune of being cut off halfway through everyday (with the second half waiting to be picked up when I went on break). While this didn't do the song any favors, it was doubly disappointing for me, as this break made it seem as if I was slogging through the song twice a day.
I read a blurb about "Avant Gardener" earlier this week in which Barnett claims that this is one of the only songs she's written that began with the music (with lyrics added after the fact). Maybe that's the problem. The music itself is a pretty standard country-tinged shuffle. Perhaps the psuedo-clever lyrics (a story in which Barnett passes out and is rescued by an ambulance filled out by the kind of jokes & references that make dumb people feel smart) seem so desperate because it would take something daring to give the song any color. Barnett aims for "Dylan-esque" (bluntly referenced in the song's video), but comes off like somebody captioning photos on Instagram. If this is the next generation of folk music I pray Mr. Tambourine Man never lays down his guitar.
MinneSarah:
One of the things I dislike about Bob Dylan is that at times his lyrics seem to be recounting or explaining a scenario in excruciating detail. "Avant Gardener" certainly fits this description. Who would have thought someone could write a five minute song about an asthma attack and have it be listenable? The guitar is twangy and distorted throughout, with pops and buzzes fighting through the narrative. There is something endearing about hearing every thought - what do the neighbors think?, they must be wrong, these people sound decent!
After a couple listens, this song seemed like a masterpiece - the vocalist is clever because she plays guitar - or maybe it is just her Australian accent. After about ten listens in and this song is particularly annoying and the guitar and detailed narrative is stale. Hands together for making a song about asthma sound interesting, at least for several listens.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 1/5
MinneSarah: 3/5
05. The Person & The People - I Was Wrong (from the album Big Whoop)
TCDroogsma:
I don't know what they're putting in the water over in St. Paul, but it's leading to tremendous power pop. Somewhere between The Persian Leaps and Panther Ray lies The Person & The People.
Now, a large chunk of the appeal of "I Was Wrong" is that absolutely no aspect of it sounds new. In fact, I could pretty much hum along with the melody as it unfolded the very first time I heard it. Whether that means the songs appeal is in "timeless pop craftsmanship" or "listener nostalgia" is an interesting question, though it's rendered absolutely moot for the three minutes I spent bobbing my head while the song played.
MinneSarah:
You know what the world needs? A good pop song. "I Was Wrong," is a straightforward example of an unapologetic (okay, the song is about an apology) rock pop song. It's a formula that is beyond refreshing. While I'd give my left nut to have a new Superdrag albums, I'm lucky (mostly because I lack nuts) that there is a local band capable of carrying on the torch of straight forward, catchy, pop music.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3.5/5
MinneSarah: 4/5
Well there you have it, MP3 junkies! Another week's worth of songs downloaded, reviewed, & filed away!
As always, please keep in mind that neither Newest Industry nor our contributors are in any way affiliated with the artists above, The Current, or MPR. We're just music fans with laptops and a bit too much time on our hands.
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For more MinneSarah be sure to give her a follow on Twitter (@MinneSarah). She can also be found right here on Newest Industry filing reports out of St. Paul for our Big Day Out column
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