(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)
Gipsy Kings, Jeremy Messersmith, Basia Bulat, Jonathan Rice, & The Chambermaids...
Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #61!
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. Gipsy Kings - Samba Samba (from the album Savor Flamenco)
TCDroogsma:
I'll be the first to admit that it's not totally fair that I'm tasked with reviewing a song by an act who plays a style of music that I have no real affinity for. The fact that Gipsy Kings has been together 4 years longer than I've been alive is the icing on the cake.
However, as a white male between the ages of 21-35 I'm The Current's target demographic and, for reasons I don't totally understand, they think this is what I want to hear. Maybe they think that, as a 31 year old white guy, I need to listen to music in a different language so I can validate myself as a "unique" or "interesting."
Well, as I think we've proven in the last 60 weeks, I'm neither of those things. "Samba Samba" is a brief yet pleasant excursion into flamenco-pop, a genre I know so little about that I can't really tell if it's good or bad. Lack of knowledge notwithstanding, I wouldn't say "Samba Samba" is bad, just curiously out of place.
MinneSarah:
"Samba Samba" is a confusing song. As far as I remember, samba music is Brazilian, yet the guitar sounds Flamenco. Then I research the Gipsy Kings and find that they are the biggest traditional Spanish music band out of France. You would have to be in the right mood for this song to be truly listenable - it does encourage you to dance, but it is also not the style of music you come across everyday.
Although, Gipsy Kings sell out stadiums in Europe, so there is a large enough following outside of Minnesota where this sound transcends themed brunch music. As a huge fan of Arrested Development, the best I can describe this song is a suitable soundtrack to your next BoyFight. Don't worry if you don't know any Spanish - if you can sing the word samba 30 times, you've got this one.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 2.5/5
MinneSarah - 2/5
02. Jeremy Messersmith - Tourniquet (from the album Heart Murmurs)
TCDroogsma:
I've been a defender of Jeremy Messersmith ever since his The Silver City album. Yes, I realize that he's a bespectacled, oh-so-quirky singer-songwriter. Yes, I realize that the local media adores him to a comical degree. Yes, I can't defend those glasses. But that album really stood up as a unique take on growing out of your rebellious days and settling into adulthood. Wrapping it up in a neat little MPLS-based power-pop package certainly didn't hurt.
Sadly, "Tourniquet" makes me look like a fool. The "struggling adult" nuance of "The Communter" is nowhere to be found. Gone are the whip-sharp hooks of "Organ Donor." In it's place we're treated to this hook-less dirge as Messersmith tries to fix somebody. "No I won't let you slip, I'll be your tourniquet..." Yikes. Even Chris Martin, a guy who wrote a song called "Fix You," wouldn't write that.
MinneSarah:
This song is too sad, but Jeremy Messersmith doesn't want you to give up hope. As someone who just put a cat down, I found myself sobbing while listening to "Tourniquet." Perhaps this song could replace that Sarah McLachlan song as the ASPCA tearjerker? The chorus is catchy, there is a dreamy violin interlude, and the song builds to an epic finish.
"Tourniquet" may tempt you invent dire situations to see if Jeremy would come to your door when you needed him most. I'm sure that under normal circumstances, this song would be the motivational ballad it intends to be, but given my current outlook, this baby was a downer.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 1/5
MinneSarah - 3/5
03. Basia Bulat - Tall Tall Shadow (from the album Tall Tall Shadow)
TCDroogsma:
I'll be honest, the equation of folk music + Canadia + autoharp almost rarely adds up to "song I like," so kudos to Basia Bulat for "Tall Tall Shadow." I blame the metric system.
"Tall Tall Shadow" revolves around the premise that you can't outrun the person you are, which could be a depressing prospect for some. Fortunately, Bulat (with no small contribution from her drummer & backup singers) gives the song enough forward thrust to make the concept seem empowering. You should probably embrace it, because you aren't escaping it.
MinneSarah:
Basia Bulat has a strong and unique voice which dominates every second of "Tall Tall Shadow." While one could write her off as another Canadian gal with a powerful voice and an autoharp, Basia has a quality that convinces the listener that she is passionately sincere. The lyrics describe wanting to escape yourself but finding your past following you. Deconstructed, I'll quote Delta Burke in Designing Women, "Wherever I go, there I am."
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 3.5/5
MinneSarah - 3/5
04. Johnathan Rice - Nowhere At The Speed Of Light (from the album Good Graces)
TCDroogsma:
It may have been wishful thinking on my part, but when I checked out the songs I would be spending the week with I initially read this one as "Jonathan Richman." You can imagine, then, how excited I was when "Nowhere At The Speed Of Light" turned out to the type of power-pop gem that a young Richman in his prime would have tossed out.
A lot of times it's one stupid, curious thing that makes a song appealing and with "Nowhere At The Speed Of Light" it's that one little lead guitar noise that pops up. You wouldn't think one little hook could give a song so much character, but it's absolutely essential to creating the sense of just how quickly Rice is speeding toward nowhere. At the very least he sounds like he's having a fine time getting there.
MinneSarah:
The guitars in this song really sell it - painfully upbeat and delightfully distorted. While one could argue that the repetitiveness of this song makes it "go nowhere at the speed of light," at least it is a pleasant way to travel that quickly. The lyrics are a little melodramatic, but what else would you expect from a guy who was introduced to his girlfriend by Connor Oberst? This song was the catchiest this week, and its enjoyable poppy hooks do not exceed three minutes. Nailed it.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 4/5
MinneSarah - 3.5/5
05. The Chambermaids - Electric Sky (from the album Whatever Happened Tomorrow)
TCDroogsma:
By my count this is the fourth song The Chambermaids have released via The Current Song Of The Day since 2007. Each one of those songs has been better than the last one and with its rich, full sound "Electric Sky" continues that trajectory.
The Chambermaids are almost the opposite of my Basia Bulat equation. Boy/girl vocals + Minnesota + fuzzy, shoegazey guitar = Song I will almost always like. With "Electric Sky" The Chambermaids come off like Guided By Voices covering The Mamas & The Papas. The lyrics are a big pile of loopy that I don't get paid enough to figure out, but it hardly matters when they're run through hooks like this. It's been a long time coming, but here's hoping The Chambermaids are ready for their turn in the spotlight.
MinneSarah:
There is a sweetness in this boy/girl garagey ballad. "Electric Sky" has enough "oohs" to go around, and the vocals soak into the guitars, joining the sounds into one entity.
There is a lot going on in this song - two vocal tracks, very loud guitars, pounding drums - the whole shebang can feel overwhelming at times. The effect is like one of my outfits - full of all the things I love thrown in full force and coming together to form a style all its own (at least I'd like to think that's how it works). Opportunities are endless, and the lyrics depict this by asserting that "In California, there's a white horse coming all the time." Hopefully this sentiment rings true here in Minnesota, though you may need to book it to the North Coast before the snow flies to see a white horse parade past an electric sky.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 4/5
MinneSarah - 3/5
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.
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