Static Jacks, TOY, Cumulus, Connan Mockasin, & Strange Names...
Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #75!
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. Static Jacks - Wallflowers (from the album In Blue)
TCDroogsma:
When I first popped on this Static Jacks track last weekend it took me two full listens to figure out whether or not I already knew the song. Turns out, no, I didn't know
this song, but growing up in the 90's means I
know this song.
Everything about "Wallflowers" seems like it was crafted to hit straight in the "nostalgia" part of my brain. The rumbling (yet smooth) bass line, the semi-obtuse "relationship" lyrics, that perfect earworm guitar line in the chorus... I've heard it all a hundred times before and it sounded great each time. Frankly, if I was Static Jack I'd go full 90's and film the video in a high school gym in which the "reject" kid finally gets the girl (and, as long as we're spitballing ideas here, I'd make Freddy Prinze Jr. & Julia Stiles the principal & teacher respectively. If you're not going to go full 90's than why even bother?)
MinneSarah:
There was a guitar sound of 1996 that changed my entire perspective - a sound that seemed like the obvious soundtrack to my personal life and the American cultural future in general. As a teenager you think those formative years will go on forever - I had no reason to think that this style would ever leave. However, if you recall, this upbeat guitar rock just sort of fell off the map or morphed into unrecognizable, not-as- straight-forward pop rock. It's beyond impressive to me there is a slice of the younger generation that understands and reveres this sound without ever having lived through it - but I'm thankful for them.
"Wallflowers" is a fantastic example of a straightforward pop rock song with beautiful whiny guitars, dragging bass, and vocals that are feeling without changing the meaning of the song. The nostalgia for me is a driving factor in liking this song, though I'd argue that it holds up under any decade on its own merits.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 4.5/5
MinneSarah: 4/5
02. TOY - Endlessly (from the album Join The Dots)
TCDroogsma:
TOYS was up against some high expectations when they turned up in my iTunes this week. Just two days prior to downloading "Endlessly" I was treating to the giddy Twitter rantings of the one & only Eddie Argos proclaiming his excitement for the new TOYS album. Now, as any art gallery security guard knows, Eddie Argos is prone to over-enthusiasm. Still, it was a ringing endorsement.
Fortunately, "Endlessly" lives up the hype. It's the sort of quintessential five-shades-of-black shoegaze that it seems only the British can pull off, but like all great shoegaze tracks, its heart beats pure pop (My Bloody Valentine excepted). After spending a week with this one I still don't really have any idea what it's about lyrically (some sort of passive-agressive relationship issues?), but it really doesn't matter. While the chorus is the stuff young careers are built of, the highlight of the song spans from 2:07 to 3:30, when TOYS breaks the whole thing down just to rebuild it into a groove that probably sounds incredible in a club. When you can pull off a trick like that it doesn't matter what else you have to say.
MinneSarah:
As stated in my last review, I'm in awe of bands that can recreate the sound of a time they didn't experience firsthand, creating a song that could stand up in the original wave of that genre, yet sound amazing here in 2014. TOY recreates the British shoe-gaze sound perfectly, but strictly as a "best of." If shoe-gaze were always as interesting as "Endless," it never would have slipped off the musical radar.
This singer's breathy vocals echo through the electronic melee of psychedelic guitars, creating a song with an appealing balance of "order meets chaos." The mood is upbeat and ethereal. Couple this song with a recent viewing of a documentary about Creation Records, and I'd venture to say it's a pristine example of a younger generation paying homage to the music that has influenced their sound.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 4.5/5
MinneSarah: 4.5/5
03. Cumulus - Hey Love (from the album I Never Meant It To Be Like This)
TCDroogsma:
Three fuzzed up electric guitar songs in a row!?! From The Current?!? Quick, somebody get ahold of Andrea Swensson & her collection terrible Caroline Smith records stat!
Give those circumstances, I'm not going to complain, but "Hey Love" is pretty easily the least rewarding of these three guitar-centric songs. It's yet another in a series of bland, "quirky," faux-innocent pop-rockers that seem to be all the rage these days. It's possible (read: likely) that I'm just getting cynical with age, but these songs about just wanting to dance or hold hands or share a cream fucking soda with somebody just don't do it for me. At this point (read: 18 months ago) this whole surf-rock revival played every card in its hand.
Pleasant yet incredibly slight, "Hey Love" isn't converting any nonbelievers.
MinneSarah:
The latest batch of West Coast garage surf rock perseveres, and Seattle's Cumulus manages to continue the upward trajectory of this genre. There are plenty of "oooohhhs" and handclaps to go 'round, in case you were running low. The vocals are upbeat and also quite polished, and set the tempo by using pauses and inflection for emphasis. While I'm not entirely sold on this genre, this song is an excellent specimen. I had an album from local band Dressy Bessy while I was in college and loved the whimsical vocal delivery, which is reminiscent of the strengths of "Hey Love."
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 2.5/5
MinneSarah: 3.5/5
04. Connan Mockasin - I'm The Man, That Will Find You (from the album Caramel)
TCDroogsma:
Aaahhhh... nothing sets The Current back on track quite like unnecessarily quirky, confusingly punctuated, New Zealand white boy soul!
I rode a wave fr opinions on "I'm The Man, That Will Find You" this week. Initially I found myself thrilled by that comma. Without the comma, I would have been staring down yet another heartbroken ex-lover song. Pass.
That comma, however, presented the prospect of a vengeance-based kiss off. Not only would this girl miss him, but one day she would come to the realization that he was, in fact, "the man." That would cut deep.
Unfortunately, the comma doesn't appear to play any role in the actual song, which is a shame. After being mildly annoyed by "I'm The Man, That Will Find You" for a couple of days, I did a complete 180. Connan Mockasin may not know how to spell "Conan" or "Moccasin," but he can sure craft an enthralling pop song. Mockasin sprawls his falsetto croon all over some hazy instrumentation, coming off like one of Kanye's vintage "chipmunk soul" beats, but being played in real time. It's a woozy concoction and Mockasin deserves credit: rarely do these SOTD tracks become more intriguing as the week goes on, but he's spun a web of sound that refuses to come undone.
MinneSarah:
There are times when you could never predict how certain influences would go on to create new and interesting music. Connan Mockasin is a shining example of the weirdness and beauty of genres colliding. "I'm the Man, That Will Find You" is smooth, mellow, creepy, sexy, and soulful. Yeah, I said creepy and yeah, I'm giving it four stars.
This young lad from New Zealand has melded the best of soulful heavy music with an electronic vocal technique and sultry lyrics. There is a 70's experimental element to the song (in 2014 would that still be considered an experiment?) Beyond the novel interest in this song - it's catchy enough to enjoy walking down the street. That being said, it's also avant garde enough to transport you to another country, planet, dimension without the usual pretense of manufacturing a song for aural transport.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3.5/5
MinneSarah: 4/5
05. Strange Names - Ricochet (from the album Common Attraction)
TCDroogsma:
I couldn't be more excited about the trajectory of Strange Names. They began life as a semi-interesting (and, conversely, semi-uninteresting) indie rock band in a city full of mildly interesting indie rock bands. Last year, however, brought us the excellent "Potential Wife." That song found Strange Names recalibrating their aim from the head to the hips (though it took an excellent Information Society remix to really push the song there).
The funky, hook-filled workout that is "Ricochet," then, finds the hitting their new target with deadly accuracy. Lyrically, they've taken a page out of the Bernard Sumner "Hey, it sounds fucking good when I sing it" book of songwriting (to great effect, I might add. They bounce syllables around like lotto balls). That afterthought approach to lyrics serves "Ricochet" well, as any attempt at narrative would only distract from the groove. Take Nile Rodgers' "chka-chka" guitar, Franz Ferdinand's rhythm section, and Passion Pit's keyboards and "Ricochet" becomes the best Killers song in years (note: that's a compliment. I'm a huge Killers fan) (follow up note: not sarcasm, I really love The Killers). If the rest of
Common Attraction lives up to its lead single then Strange Names should have their run of the Twin Cities in 2014.
MinneSarah:
The eighties were a fantastic decade. While my stake is driven down smack dab in the middle of the 90's, there are times when I'm watching
21 Jump Street that I'd like to think I have the constitution necessary to wear shoulder pads and use an entire can of AquaNet a day.
"Ricochet" sounds like it came off a lost soundtrack of the 80's, but sounds even better than anything mainstream from that period. Now the 80's gave us a lot of good music in various distinct genres, but Strange Names really nailed the mainstream
Miami Vice version. Then they made that genre increasingly listenable by selecting the very best elements and putting their own spin on them to create something that you'd seek out in any decade because it's so darn good. "Ricochet" possesses an underlying nostalgia - not all the techniques are new, but they come together to make a song that Johnny Depp (and the whole cast of
21 Jump Street) would find hard to switch the dial.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 4/5
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.
For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found right here on Newest Industry hosting our free weekly podcast Flatbasset Radio
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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