3 posts tagged “music”

Listen, I'll admit, I'm late as all hell, but I finally picked up The Killers' Sam's Town on Friday. I've been meaning to since, I don't know, October Third, maybe. (Yeah, who gets that joke? No one. Good.) As I've already told you, I rarely get over to FYE, but if this is where the bar is set for 2007... everyone else has problems.

Sam's Town: It's got a lot going for it. Sets the album up and wins.
Enterlude: I've said it before and I'll say it again. An intro track can make or break an album. I love them. And this has that in spades. (The highest suit. Har har I know how to play Bridge now. It's a skill.)
When You Were Young: Usually a fancy pants single is all frills and fluff to get it onto the Billboard charts. This gets on the Billboard charts anyway. Do your math.
Bling (Confession of a King): Worst track on the album. It's awesome. Do your math again.
For Reasons Unknown: It's got this quirky underbeat to it that's almost country sounding. For those of you that don't know, I like quirky.
Read My Mind: Solid, although it's kinda similar to For Reasons Unknown. Also, that little ...noise he makes at the end is just annoying. It's the third single, so look for it after Bones gets off the airwaves.
Uncle Jonny: The lyrics are semi-forgetable, but that's only because of the mind blowing instrumentals. The radical shift two thirds in is a nice switch, though.
Bones: Yeah, that is as phallic as it sounds. Come hear and let me run my bones on your bones. Rawr. Wait, music? Yeah, s'alright.
My List: If you were waiting for another All These Things That I Have Done, you've made it. The lyrics are repetitive as all hell, but that's okay because they're good.
This River Is Wild: Best. Song. The. Killers. Ever. Did.
Why Do I Keep Counting?: Round out your albums with something soft and sad. Make them miss you. Unless you're a metal band, I guess.
Exitlude: It was certainly a risky move to do a reprise of the Intro track, but these guys still pull it off. It really fills you up with nostalgia.

All in all, this is an AMAZIING album. There is not a single point where I said "This could be better." What really interests me is how little it sounds like Hot Fuss. This could be a whole new band if I didn't know better. I've always thought that the synth stuff in Hot Fuss was overdone, and while that's still there on Sam's Town, its always in the back, letting the vocals hammer everything in. Different, yes. Better? Yes.

By the by, this is part one of a Triple Header of music reviews. I snatched up Cake's Pressure Chef yesterday, and Kazoo Funk Orchestra releases Adventures in Fuzzy Felt Land on Wednsday, so expect reviews of both down the pike.

So, I was fortunate enough to be tipped off a few weeks ago about an aderbat concert set for the 16th. Having not heard them before, but hearing of them, I figured, why not, and procured a ride. About ten friends and I congregate at the Wildflower Café early (good thing too; the place got packed.) and after the best tuna melt I've ever eaten and some acoustic styling by Wailing Waters we got to hear them.

Needless to say, afterwards I made a point to shake Matt Taylor's hand personally while buying a CD and T-Shirt. Pure love.

Album Breakdown:
Get Out: Just one of the many solid tracks, and a good opener.
Bye Bye: Appearently it's pretty popular, but it's not one of my favorites. Alright, but not great.
Spinning: This, however, I like. A lot. Very airy and carefree. In my top three on the album, to be sure.
Many Ways: Another 'big' song. It's pretty good. Not "floored-me-amazing" but pretty darn good.
Rocks: Sure, it's an interlude, but it's got a good sound anyway. Besides, some of my best friends are interludes.
Come Love: Nice guitar work, and nice lyrics. If they ever get signed it'd make a good single, says me.
Hesitate: One of those song that gets overlooked because it's similar but inferior to a single. If it was on the opposite side of the CD I'd call it a B-Side, but that'd be dumb. It's... an A.5 Side.
Pale Drone: ...Next. Serious low point on the album.
I Need Someone: Awesome jazz feel, but not much to make it unique.
Rabbits: Another interlude. This one is pretty eerie sounding. It gives me chills.
Last Dead Honeymoon: Best song on the album. Every piece comes together perfectly: The stock sounds of crickets and cicadas; the simple acoustic guitar, and the causticly witty lyrics all work in tandem for success.
A Star Blew Out: At first I wasn't a fan, but the song does grow on you. It's different from the other songs, but a good kind of different. Sadder, for one.

Also, they're a local band which means attendable live shows for me almost twice a month. As stated, pure love.

[Sandgate] updates, you know. Just throwing that out there.

So, last Tuesday or Wednesday (I can't remember these things.) I picked up Give Up, the Postal Service's album. I can't say I'm a fan of Death Cab (Not to say I dislike them, I just can't get into it. They're honestly not bad.) and hell if I've ever heard of Dntel, but together? It's one of the better albums I've picked up this year.

Well, on par with the only other one, at least. I don't get over to FYE often.

Upon popping the disc into my CD Drive and hitting play, I'm greeted by some seemingly random beeps and whistles. At first I wasn't pleased with 'The District Sleeps Alone Tonight's "crescendo" but in retrospect it really does work out for a better sounding album. I'd be much more disappointed if my bounciness was killed mid way through, so getting it out of the way for 'artistic effect' really is a good call. From there, it was all uphill, save for a few snares.

I probably look at an album as a whole more than the average person, and Give Up's biggest bruises come out of track placement. I might be inclined to like "Nothing Better" or "This Place is a Prison" a lot more if they didn't have to come off the two most upbeat songs of the whole group. (Blah blah blah. Yeah, "We Will Become Sillouettes" is about spontaneous combustion, but the tempo, man, the tempo!) The thing is, this isn't some album you can pop in and make lunch to when you're home alone. (A duty The Cloud Room tends to fill all too often.) It's an album you have to listen to. It commands your attention. A rare few crop of music has that effect on me. As an individual breakdown:

The District Sleeps Alone Tonight: Slow to start, but a solid tune to listen to. I'm probably looking to far into this, but the lyric "DC sleeps alone tonight." may or may not have a dual meaning. My first thought was the obvious, "Oh, like District of Columbia. Duh." But after a few more listens, I figured it could also stand for Death Cab, as in, like, Ben Gibbard? The singer? I find it cool. Double meanings are always neat.
Such Great Heights: "Hey, that M&Ms commercial song!" Not the best of the lot, but certainly worth the listen. The guitar bit 2/3 through is quite the sleek one. Decent.
Sleeping In: Catchy, witty lyrics, fun? What more could I ask for? Quite possibly best song on the album.
Nothing Better: Opposite end of the spectrum. See above for my theory on this, but I might just plain not like this song. The duet was interesting, but not a selling point.
Recycled Air: Nice and mellow. I'd maindeck it, but probably not a four-of. Ouch, Magic metaphor. What a nerd I am.
Clark Gable: Just when you think you've got these guys figured out, they whip out hand claps and horns. Refreshing.
We Will Become Sillouettes: With lyrics like "Then our bodies will explode...and it won't be a pretty site." it's pretty hard not to grin at this one. I'd love it if this ended up on the soundtrack for a movie adaptation of Left Behind, since it fits like a glove, but given Left Behind's backround, it'd be caked with whiny Sonicflood and Kurios garbage.
This Place is a Prison: I want to like this song, but I just can't get into it. Doesn't suit me, but give it a second chance.
Brand New Colony: This is the song that originally got me into the band, and even with the competition it holds its own. Feel-good lyrics and stock sound from NES games is a recipe for success.
Natural Anthem: Pretty much undescribable. Not a high point, but centainly not low either. It's like the album's Uncle Fester. You really can't compare it to the others very well.

All in all, it really reminds me of Dresden Codak for some reason. It's just... epic. That's the only word that comes to mind.

Of course, Checkerboard Nightmare always comes to mind when I hear the Talking Heads and Panic! At The Disco gets me thinking about Magic Pengel every time, so don't trust those hunches.

Speaking of Dresden Codak, give that a second look. It's like A Lesson Is Learned, but with punchlines! Amazing, I know!

(When I said less frequent updates, I meant it. No more Eureka Seven one liners, even!)

I miss whore Talhoe.

(There we go!)

[Sandgate]