HTRK, Architecture In Helsinki, The Family Crest, The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger, & Actual Wolf...
Well hello again, MP3 fans! Welcome To Songs Of The Week #94!
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.
Unfortunately,
this week MinneSarah took the week off due to what could kindly be
called "Current-based fatigue." Trust us, her words were considerably
more harsh.
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.
So... Droogsy... thoughts?
01. HTRK - Blue Sunshine (from the album Psychic 9-5 Club)
TCDroogsma:
Australia hasn't had a great run here on SOTW. Most of the song's coming out of the land down under have been clunkers (Alpine, Connan Mockasin) while only a couple of stellar entries from The Veils really leveling things out.
Enter HTRK. HTRK evidently stands for "Hate Rock" though initially I held out hope that it perhaps stood for "Hat Trick," a turn of events that would have easily garnered "Blue Sunshine" another half point. As it stands, "Blue Sunshine" is the sort of atmospheric electro-jam that's all the rage today. The best of those songs either lean on a heavy hook at some point or on some sort of fragility. Unfortunately "Blue Sunshine" doesn't go either direction. It's strengths lie in some very well put together, slow burning synths and a just a touch of reverb. The lyrics, however, bring nothing to the table, which is no sin if there's a good hook. Unfortunately, not only is the hook not very good, it's essentially non-existent. I can't give the song less than 2/5 because it's clear that it would be a thoroughly enjoyable downbeat instrumental. However, the most prominent part of the song (the vocals) are also its weakest link. Kind of a shame.
Final Score: 2/5
02. Architecture In Helsinki - I Might Survive (from the album Now + 4Eva)
TCDroogsma:
I saw Architecture In Helsinki at the 400 Bar back when "Heart It Races" was all the rage. They put on such an ubpeat, positive, energetic show that it was almost a little sickening. Maybe the fact that I'm a dyed-in-the-plaid Midwesterner who bleeds cynicism kept me from throwing myself into the show, but it was all just a little too much.
Here on "I Might Survive," the band is still pretty damn upbeat, though the hook of, "I'd rather be with you than alive..." certainly has some dark undertones. The band has evidently abandoned the "kitchen sink" approach to their songs, however, as "I Might Survive" is a slick, streamlined poppy number. The song glides along enjoyably with some technicolor horns providing the real punch. I can say with 85% certainty that I won't see the band live again (as they're clearly still just too damn happy), but at least they seem to have settled into crafting songs that stand on their own, without five shiny, happy people giving them the hard sell.
Final Score: 3/5
03. The Family Crest - Beneath The Brine (from the album Beneath The Brine)
TCDroogsma:
According to the internets, The Family Crest is the brainchild of Liam McCormick (the one up above that looks like Pete Wentz & Win Butler procreated). His idea was to write a few songs and then put out ads for musicians, with the goal being to get as many musicians as possible. Evidently it didn't matter if these people could play instruments or not. The idea was to create an operation that was wholly inclusive no matter how rudimentary somebody's musical knowledge may be.
On the one hand, then, "Beneath The Brine" is surprising in that it's a very well crafted, well performed single. The song features a whole orchestra's worth of dramatic string turns, percussive flourishes, and group vocals. Unfortunately, all of that work is in the service of a song that is just not very good to begin with. McCormick's vocals aim for "sweeping & epic" and land at, well, Pete Wentz meets Win Butler. It's comically dramatic. McCormick's lyrics are a pretty straightforward want-the-girl, can't-have-the-girl tale that would likely sound kind of insufferable regardless of the musical style they were wrapped around, but hearing them built into this sort of symphonic grandeur leaves the whole thing sounding like an exercise is excess more than a genuinely exciting idea.
Final Score: 1/5
04. The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger - Animals (from the album Midnight Sun)
TCDroogsma:
There are several certainties in life. Death. Taxes. The fact that it's completely unfair to compare Sean Lennon's work to his father's. This is all just part of the deal. Unfortunately for Sean, he seems to go out of his way to make music that bears all the hallmarks of his dad.
Now, let me note first that "Animals" is clearly a Sean Lennon jam. Back in the late 90's he built some nice songs out of heavy, fuzzed out bass and solid hooks (as was the style at the time). Here we are some 15 years later and he's still got the bass cranked to 11 (which is a compliment). The chorus' hook hits loud & heavy. Unfortunately for poor Sean, he spends large chunks of the song using his voice to produce nasally "Aaaahhhh's" which, I hate to say, sound
exactly like his dad's work on "A Day In The Life." Throw in the fact that he plays the same sort of half-assed mysticism card ("Do you believe what you read in the tea leaves? Messages from Jesus in the crease upon the grilled cheese?") and the song starts to sound like the work of somebody who's genuinely trying to write a John Lennon parody song. Sorry, Sean. I know you can't choose your parents, but you don't have to seek out their shadow to stand under either.
Final Score: 2.5/5
05. Actual Wolf - Thinking Of You (from The Current's Beer EP)
TCDroogsma:
The last time we reviewed Actual Wolf was in
SOTW #59. Both MinneSarah & I thought that "Victims & Things" was a pleasant, though inconsequential song. Since then Actual Wolf (Eric Pollard) has taken the time to slowly pull his dick out of The Current's mouth & decamped to Nashville. At the time it seemed like a bold move for an artist who was genuinely starting to build an MPR-sponsored following here in the Twin Cities.
Well, turns out their isn't much risk involved when The Current continues to pump you up as a "local artist" when you don't actually live here. Evidently you can have your country-fried cake and eat it too. Savvy move, Wolfy.
"Thinking About You" comes hand in hand with The Current's new custom-brand beer (which reminds me, stop asking me for money you custom-beer-creating bastards) and that seems appropriate. "Thinking Of You" is straight autopilot for a Nashville tunesmith. The song skiffles along on the same country twang you've heard a thousand times while Pollard wades slowly into the shallow end of country music history for the melody. Frankly, I can't imagine a song being as slight as "Thinking Of You." And that's really the word for it: slight. Pollard opens the song by singing, "I woke up from a dream," and that seems appropriate because I'm sure he could toss off shit like this in his sleep.
Final Score: 0/5
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
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