(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)
Clinic, Lord Huron, Sera Cahoone, Purity Ring & Still Pacific...
Hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to the 19th installment of Songs Of The Week!
If this is your first time checking in,
let us explain exactly what you're looking at.
Each week we ask two of our regular
contributors to download and review the tracks given away via The
Current's Song Of The Week podcast. For those of you interested in
playing along at home, the podcast is available here. It's free and
it's delicious.
As always, we encourage you to vote
for your favorite Song Of The Day in the poll to the right side of
the page. The winner will receive, well.. not much. The dignity of
being crowned the winner is pretty much all we have to offer.
This week we asked MinneSarah &
TCDroogsma to take a break from wrapping Christmas presents (in
MinneSarah's case) and trying to find the proper balance between rum
and egg nog (in TCDroogsma's case) and tell us what they think.
Kids, what'd you think?
01. Clinic – Miss
You (from the album Free Reign)
MinneSarah:
Usually I find Clinic a little boring.
This song sounds like many a Clinic song, but it is pretty
chill and has enough elements to keep me engaged. The signature
guitar is as present as it is in any Clinic tune, and
the psychedelic electronics are at their peak. The
voice distortion at the chorus works well with the rest of the noises
(at times it sounds like wasps were in the studio) and it flows
pretty nicely together. The rudimentary keyboard background is
a little like the SNL "I Wish It Was Christmas Today,"
sketch, but then again, maybe I just wish it was Christmas today? I
like this song because it is chill and I'm a sucker for British
accents.
TCDroogsma:
I don't know a whole lot about Clinic, but the couple of tracks I've found over the years lead me to believe this is the kind of band I could really dork the fuck out over. They remind me a bit of a less-eccentric Of Montreal. They pack a pile of ideas into each song, but manage to wrap it all up in as a whole much better than those scattershot Of Montreal records.
"Miss You" is definitely packed with ideas. From "Blue Monday" drums kicking off the proceedings to the simple-yet-highly-effective guitar work to the slow burn vocal hooks, there is a lot to to take in, but nearly all of it is enjoyable. When the track ends with a voice just saying, "Turquoise" over and over it somehow makes perfect sense. Definitely a track that will sound better and better each time I hear it.
Final Score: MinneSarah - 3.5/5
TCDroogsma - 3.5/5
02. Lord Huron –
Time To Run (from the album Lonesome Dreams)
MinneSarah:
Well, we've seen a lot of indie
musicians these days try and class it up by using superfluous names
and titles. Unfortunately, friends, this bold move does not
always equate to better music. In fact, you could go ahead and
use it as a measure of the pretentious scale.
TCDroogsma:
As you've probably noticed over the previous 18 SOTW posts, I have very little patience for these shuffling, Americana type songs. To be totally honest, part of me really dislikes this song. The lyrics leave quite a bit to be desired (we've all heard this, "I love you so much you don't even know" bit a hundred times) and the hook is serviceable enough.
I don't know if it's just residue from the Clinic track or the way the empty spaces in "Time To Run" being filled with piano and reverb, but the song has just enough left-of-center, kind of futuristic electronics to keep it from being bogged down in the same rut as so many of these SOTD tracks. I wouldn't necessarily recommend Lord Huron, but it's definitely one of those tracks that will come up on shuffle that'll make me pull my iPod out and say "Who the fuck IS this?" Trust me, that's a compliment.
Final Score: MinneSarah - 1.5/5
TCDroogsma - 2.5/5
03. Sera Cahoone –
Naked (from the album Deer Creek Canyon)
MinneSarah:
Hey, you spelled your name wrong, Sera
Cahoone. I know, because my name is also Sarah - don't worry,
it happens all the time.
This song is a little too
country for me (surprise, everyone!), but as stated above, my
patience for alt-indie is remarkably low this week. I think
there is some sad ukulele, some heart wrenching vocals,
and some background posse violin.
On the subject of the lyrics,
get thee to the thrift store, Sera. Believe me, getting some
new clothes will make you 1.) feel less naked, 2.) make you forget
about that loser who makes you feel bad 3.) get you a new attitude on
those violins and ukulele.
TCDroogsma:
A lovely track. The slide guitar is a nice touch. The vocals are performed passionately enough to make you believe Sera-with-an-E's heartbreak is genuine. A fine song with a video that's could be described as, "intensely vaginal" (copyright: Georgia O'Keeffe via Julianne Moore).
You know what idea became inescapable the more I listened to this song? It's a perfect Rihanna song! Just listen to it! Try to imagine the sound being just a bit cleaner and the vocals a bit more over the top. Place the lyrics in the context of Rihanna & Chris Brown's inevitable second breakup. The psuedo-sexuality of being "naked" being emotional rather than physical (though could certainly be co-opted in one of those tastefully done videos where Rihanna would be classy-naked instead of insane-whore-naked. It would fit right in with her double-entendre baiting style. I mean, it all adds up, doesn't it? Critics would lose their shit over Rihanna finally showing her true self instead of the sex-bot she presents to the public. It would serve as a "mature" track that would help Rihanna make the move from pop star to adult star.... Sera Cahoone, you're a genius. There's no shame in making money. When Ri-Ri's team comes calling, please make my cut of the check out to "Cash."
Final Score: MinneSarah - 1.5/5
TCDroogsma - (Sera Cahoone version) 2.5/5 (Hypothetical Rihanna version) 5/5
04. Purity Ring –
Lofticries (from the album Shrines)
MinneSarah:
This song is so electronic and
trip-hoppy, it transports me back to 1997.
I love just about
everything about this song. It progresses nicely, keyboards
sound like rain inside a pagoda rave, the vocals are perfectly real
vs. surreal. Also there is a part where the music slows down
and goes backwards that actually hurts my brain. This part is
what I imagine robo-tripping is like - and you can experience that
just by listening to this song. Plus, the rest of the time
where your brain doesn't hurt, you can pretend you are in beautiful
Sneaker Pimps video that never happened.
TCDroogsma:
This seems like a fine way to close out 2012. For the past couple years we've all heard a few too many of these giltchy-electro-pop songs. Nearly all of them have been enjoyable and "Lofticries" is no exception. The melody lingers in just the right way, the beats are consistently interesting... It just seems to me that we've pretty much covered every base their is to cover in the genre. Take this as a compliment, Purity Ring: "Lofticries" should be the last of these songs we here until Portishead finally re-emerges. It's been a fun ride and we're going out on a high note.
Final Score: MinneSarah - 4/5
TCDroogsma - 2.5/5
05. Still Pacific –
Speeding To My Death (from the EP Cage Heart Hammer)
MinneSarah:
I'm amazed at this West Coast sounding
phenomenon that is taking the Twin Cities by storm. Well, this
makes sense, we are New Portland. I like the energy in this
song - the vocals are a mix between the British group Lush and
Kathleen Hanna. The guitars are fast, poppy, and really make
you feel as though you are speeding to your death. This band
seems like they would be a blast to see live, and sometimes all you
want is some happy, fast, & well distilled music to brighten your
day.
TCDroogsma:
Maybe it's just me, but this song sounds like an unearthed early Tegan & Sarah track (like they were still trying to balance a love of hooks with a love of Bikini Kill). I'll let you decide if that's a compliment or not. To me that comparison kind of sounds like "meh."
Still, the song has hooks by the bucketful and is delivered with enough energy to make me think of spring. I suppose that's a win. Not great, kinda disposable, certainly enjoyable.
Final Score: MinneSarah - 4/5
TCDroogsma - 2.5/5
There you have
it, music fans! Another week of songs downloaded, listened to,
reviewed, and filed away.
As always we'd
like to remind everybody that Newest Industry & its contributors
are in no way affiliated with any of the artists reviewed, MPR, or
The Current. We're just music fans with keyboards and too much time
on our hands.
For more of MinneSarah's unique brand of Christmas cheer be sure to give her a follow on Twitter (@MinneSarah). She may not tweet frequently, but she makes some mean Christmas cookies.
For more of TCDroogsma's unique brand of Christmas cheer, be sure to follow him on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). We stress the word “unique.” TCDroogsma is also the host of our weekly Flatbasset podcast and can be found prattling on over on his personal blog Flatbasset. He seriously needs to think up a new brand name.
For more Newest Industry, we also live on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importanly, we have a Facebook page here. Trivial as it may seem, stopping by and giving us a “like” is a legitimate, free way to support the blog. All new “likes” will be forwarded to Santa's “Nice” list.
