as i was sitting at the computer this afternoon doing my best to further both my writing career and my carpal tunnel syndrome, i thought i’d try out the new ”hot indie rock” station streamed on yahoo’s launchcast, as much as the name of it makes me cringe on the inside. and then i thought to myself, hey, self, why not quickly review the first 5 songs that play? and i agreed with myself because i like to make me happy when i can.Â
it did take me away from some very important instant message conversations (joiezabel: hey, if you landed on an alien planet where the local intelligent life form tasted unbelievably good, would you eat them? dave: how do you know they taste good unless you’ve already eaten one?) but i did do a quick top-of-mind review of some current tunes. i jotted them down as artist/song/album and it’s kind of stream-of-consciousness so bear with me.
1. the long winters, “fire island, ak,” putting the days to bed (2006)
oh geez, the long winters. i totally forgot they had a new album out…i haven’t even heard it yet. they are one of those bands that i totally SHOULD like but have never grabbed me. judging by this song, i should check it out though. it’s kinda fun, quirky, pop with layers. this song seems a bit more lighthearted than their earlier stuff and that’s not at all bad. note to self.
2. spoon, “i turn my camera on,” gimme fiction (2005)
yay. i love this song because it’s so funky…there is such a lack of good music that is danceable without being vapid and annoying at the same time and this has that sly groove that makes me want to gyrate. britt daniels almost sounds like prince on it.Â
3. tv on the radio, “i was a lover,” return to cookie mountain (2006)
good song but i wish it was something else…i have a weird relationship with tv on the radio. this album was on my list of best releases of 2006 and while i stand by that and think they are incredibly innovative and talented, it’s something that i rarely want to listen to. it takes so much concentration, which is a high compliment to any song but not a good thing when you are trying to write a brochure on illinois tourism. “we had a three volume tome of contemporary slang/to keep a handle on all this jive” is a great line though.
***ok, diamond commercial. god, i hate diamonds. i hate those evil bastards at de beers sitting on a massive pile of them just to increase their perceived value, i hate all attempts to infuse compressed chunks of carbon with elusive emotional meanings, i hate that said ridiculous attempts are getting in the middle of my music streaming experience. ***
4. shiny toy guns, “le disko,” we are pilots (2006)
ok, this hardly ever happens to me - i have never even heard of this artist. and i’m not impressed so far. i find the girl’s half-spoken whispery voice annoying and the techno-y sounds and stuff are like they just got a brand-new ibook and are playing with all the sounds one after another. i think this is trite and derivitive and stuck on itself. i bet this is a total made-for-myspace band…yep, 2,690,080 friends. obviously i’m not one of the cool kids.
5. tahiti 80, “big day,” fosbury (2006)
ok, who are these guys now? lamest name for a band ever. and lamest song ever too…his voice is thin and this is taking the whole 80s retro-pop thing WAY too far. ew. it hurts. i want to skip it so bad but i promised myself i would listen to all the songs all the way through. must…not…hit…skip. oh hell, i’m skipping it.
6. razorlight, “in the morning,” razorlight (2006)
ooh, a song about getting drunk and not remembering anything in the morning. it’s about time somebody wrote one of those. i don’t know if this counts as a confession or not, but i like these guys…this is a good going-out song. i love the drums and the too-cool-for-school retro ish chanting that still manages to sound fresh and melodic. it’s not my favourite thing in the world but i can totally dig on this.
so there you go - a couple of new tunes and my all-important opinion on them. please return to your regularly scheduled programming at this time.
4 Comments »
oh, joie, tahiti 80 is very nice music. you do not remember these french guys from yourtime in České republiky ? you need to listen to music that is not so sad sometimes.
stephanie - i know. i was shocked and appalled when i saw that advertisement for the first time and heard her singing. and a cat stevens song, no less. what could she possibly have been thinking?
martin - ahoj! i don’t remember that song from pardubice. i do, however, remember hearing a lot of mc hammer. tahiti 80 must be big in bulgaria, ne? 
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Comment by Sam E. — December 18, 2006 @ 10:23 pm
I’ve always felt the same way about TV on the Radio. Yeah, they’re good — very good even — but I always feel like I ought to want to listen to them more than I do.
And Razorlight? That’s at least as much of a confession as my Kylie Minogue fixation
I’ve never been able to stand that guy’s voice…