(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Solar Year, Bad Cop, Volcano Choir, & Step Rockets...
Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #54!
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. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Better Days (from the album Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros)
TCDroogsma:
Fun fact: I once drunkenly convinced my girlfriend that I owned a gun once by claiming, "I own one gun and two bullets. One says "Andrew Bird" and the other says "Edward Sharpe." This was in response to that wretched whistling song that was inescapable a couple of years ago coming on the jukebox.
Why do I bring this up, to show you just how far behind the 8-ball Edward Sharpe starts this review. Throw in the fact that I actually caught him and his aptly-named ensemble of Zeros shuffling around the Letterman stage like the worst hipsters you've ever seen and "Better Days" was going to have to be a hell of a single to overcome strikes 1 and 2.
Well, it doesn't. It's not quite as bad as I thought it would be, but that's only because I'm comparing it to the aforementioned whistling song. On it's own merits "Better Days" is incredibly average. It shares the exact same bounce and message as that Man Man song from last week except that where that song went "Full McCartney," Sharpe goes full Brian Wilson, adding layer after layer of unnecessary group vocals, bells, whistles, and other assorted indie rock flotsam. How this guy became a "thing" I'll never understand.
MinneSarah:
This is the same group that had that mega-hit, "Home"? Yeah, that makes sense. I was surprised to hear this song on the Song of the Week podcast, as I've already heard it more than a few times on the Current, so if you aren't sick of it yet, here it is for free!
The strength and weakness of this song is that it aims to be epic - think Polyphonic Spree levels of "Please look at me, c'mon, there are 28 of us over here, you can't miss us!" Forgive me, I just googled Edward Sharpe and in addition there are 11 Zeros! Akin to the Bosstone's dancer guy, this group appears to have a guy who just screams "HEY" on a loop. Also, why not add sleigh bells? I'll give the band credit for shaping the sound of the 2010's and creating catchy transitions, but I don't know that it's something I would listen to one eighth as much as I hear it.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 1.5/5
MinneSarah - 3/5
02. Solar Year - Seeing The Same (from the album Waverly)
TCDroogsma:
The older I get (and the more reviews I write), the more I've learned that genres rarely improve with popularity. Remember back in the 90's when we needed the Candlebox's of the world to appreciate just how good Nirvana & Pearl Jam really were? Well, we're rapidly approaching that point with this whole "electro-pop, PBR&B" sound. A couple of weeks back it was that dreadful Standish/Carlyon song and now we have Solar Year.
Solar Bear does there best on "Seeing The Same" to capitalize on the murky, glitchy sound-du-jour, and it's not so much that they fail as they give off the vibe of being being populist genre-hoppers. The song has all sorts of cut & paste vocals and percussion, but they live up to that adjective so well that you could literally cut & paste the moments of this song into any order you saw fit and you'd end up with the exact same song. It doesn't rise, it doesn't fall, and, most disappointingly, it fails to create the atmosphere that songs of this genre require to stand on their own.
MinneSarah:
Everyone knows I sort of love Canada - this duo from Montreal falls into the same category. It's Crystal Castles party with Enya, and as a guest, you wouldn't be able to tear yourself away.
When I lived in Canada, I lamented that such a majority of new music was just electro...well something. This song, at least is a perfect balance, a hypnotic chant, and a highly enjoyable 4 minutes. While this song is 10 years too late for the Garden State soundtrack, it definitely has that same "cusp of crawling out of limbo" vibe. But any activity while listening to this song will instantly give it enhanced meaning - cook some beans, spy on your neighbors, sing to some majestic Celtic trees.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 1/5
MinneSarah - 4/5
03. Bad Cop - My Dying Days (from the EP Light On)
TCDroogsma:
Is that an electric guitar I hear? Oh my lord, it is an electric guitar! Based on the way this SOTW podcast usually plays I was almost certain that the government had gone door to door taking them away and replacing them with synths & samplers! What a time to be alive!
Much like I dismissed Speed's The Name's track "Circles" a few weeks back in part because of context (another synth-pop song on the podcast), I'm rewarding "My Dying Days" for blowing through my headphones like a sweaty, Chuck Taylor-wearing, shaggy-haired breath of fresh air.
The song itself is quite enjoyable, a fuzzed-out pop tune in the vein of JEFF The Brotherhood or, if you're a little older, Sloan. I'm not particularly sympathetic to a singer lamenting, "I just can't take all off these dying days no more..." I mean, life's tough, bro bro. Fortunately, they've taken the advice of noted crack enthusiast Pete Doherty: "If you get tired of just hanging around, pick up a guitar and spin a web of sound." A lovely stupid, shaggy single for the end of summer.
MinneSarah:
Low-fi summer fun. Enough said, go download this!
This song is fantastic - I dare you not to tap your foot a lot. The sound is poppy rock and roll - think Nashville's answer to King Tuff or Ty Segall. The only reason this song doesn't get that extra half point is the annoying vocal effect that makes the singer's voice sound like several voices at once - a little shakey, but with more body. The lyrics are about living hard and regretting what's gotten you to what feels like the end. However, it's the most upbeat song about regret I've ever reviewed. Get this on your summer playlist before summer withers away - and don't worry about having another gin and tonic - Bad Cop is worrying enough for you and they aren't any worse for wear.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 4/5
MinneSarah - 4.5/5
04. Volcano Choir - Comrade (from the album Repave)
TCDroogsma:
Alright, I'm just going to lay these cards on the table: I'm a 31 year old Midwesterner who's skinny, bearded, beginning to bald, has had some ups & downs when it comes to women, and loves Kanye West. Basically, I get very excited about new Justin Vernon stuff. "Comrade" shows that that excitement is justified.
So, that being the case, I think "Comrade" is fucking brilliant. Where that first Volcano Choir album tended to linger in the mist, never committing to anything more than atmosphere, "Comrade" aims for the rafters while still feeling unique. Call me crazy, but I can't help but think the time that Vernon has spent with Kanye West & Ryan Olson has rubbed off on him. Those two are artists who consistently aim for bigger, Bigger, BIGGER, without sacrificing the little details that separate the average ones from the special ones and that tact seems to have found it's way into Vernon's work. "Comrade" is exciting in its own right, but is perhaps more exciting in that it's continuing the forward progression Vernon's shown since the Blood Bank EP. His career has quickly become one of the most interesting and most rewarding in music.
MinneSarah:
This song starts off like a broken music box, and transitions into a stable folky beat. Then, when you most expect it, Justin Vernon starts some falsetto stuff and you think," I wonder if this guy could back up Frank Ocean?" Okay, maybe that's just me.
I'm seeing a trend with folkey music taking it to the next level - this one goes to 11. However, if you think Bon Iver on the loudspeaker of your local co-op is enough to make you want to plug your ears with dried chickpeas, there is no mistaking Volcano Choir's resemblance to his solo work and you may not enjoy it. I can appreciate how this song builds with a sense of urgency that makes me wonder what will come next. I don't want to give the ending away, but the most interesting and rather unexpected part of this song is the slowed down vocal auto-tune segment. The streets of Wisconsin are hard, and that's how you end a song, Frank Ocean.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 4/5
MinneSarah - 2/5
05. Step Rockets - Kisser (new single)
TCDroogsma:
Folks, I say this every week or two and I'm going to say it again right now: I love hooks. My brain is hardwired for the simple pleasures of a great hook. The lyrics can clunk, the people can be inherently awful... if it's got that hook I'm almost certainly buying what the artist is selling.
I bring this up because "Kisser" just might be the catchiest song we've reviewed this year. The guys in Step Rockets clearly have their hearts in the world Jeff Lynne & Billy Joel (both in kinda-ridiculous lyrics and hooks for days). The first time I listened to "Kisser" I thought it sounded like Mark Mallman had written a song for Night Moves (to use a couple local references). It's a great song that continues to get better the more plays it gets. Hell, it took me four days to even become aware of the full-on Ace Frehley guitar solo. A fantastic single from an intriguing group.
MinneSarah:
I know you are all sick of my simplistic comparisons, but how else can I make you all understand what I'm hearing in a single paragraph? What if George Michel sang for MGMT?
Now that we are on the same page, who's going with me to Step Rockets's show at Cause Spirits and Soundbar on August 25th? The lyrics are sexy, the vocals are sexy, the guitar is pretty sexy - all in all basic components of how I judge music. For anyone who is a sucker for poppy synthesizers and thick basslines - check this song out!
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 4/5
MinneSarah - 4/5
Well there you have it, folks! Another week's worth of songs downloaded, reviewed, and 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 here on Newest Industry filing reports out of St. Paul for our Big Day Out column.
