St. Paul & The Broken Bones, William Fitzsimmons, Parker Millsap, I Break Horses, & Frankie Teardrop...
Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #82!
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. St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Call Me (from the album Half The City)
TCDroogsma:
As I mentioned a month or so ago when we were reviewing Nick Waterhouse, this white boy soul/R&B revival sound doesn't really do anything for me.
Poor St. Paul's heart seems to have gone the way of the his bones. Now, I'm fine with a good heartbreak song, but this isn't it. "Call Me" swings in all the right places, so much so that I think it would have made a great instrumental. Unfortunately, that's not the case. St. Paul comes off like a Stage 5 Clinger, begging for a phone call (and, sadly, the validation that comes with a phone call). It's time to move on, bro bro, from this woman and from the 60's.
MinneSarah:
As far as funky soul revival, "Call Me" is as listenable as anything I've heard. While deceptively titled "Saint Paul and the Broken Bones," this band is out of Alabama. While the lyrics don't lament what has happened to cause the break up - the man's needs are clearly articulated - he needs a call! The lady's side of this story is left out - and there isn't any detail about what happened. Horns add to the melee, rather than detract from it. As far as persuasiveness - I wouldn't call this guy unless I was feeling the same premature ending and unopened doors. He sure can sing, so probably the less I know about potential relationship drama, the better.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 2/5
MinneSarah: 3/5
02. William Fitzsimmons - From You (from the album Lions)
TCDroogsma:
In "From You," William Fitzsimmons is actually in the same frame of mind as St. Paul. Instead of begging for validation, Fitzsimmons has turned down the volume & turned inward.
Musically, the skittering drums do a lovely job of mirroring the racing mind that comes with taking stock of a breakup. The rest of the song is filled with understated guitar strums, keyboard plinks and border-defining lead lines. Fitzsimmons pledges his love ("I will look for you until they put us both back in the ground"), but, in the songs most crushing line, wonders "When should I concede that the best of my years were apart from you?" It may be personal experience coloring my impression of the song, but I'm intimately familiar with that feeling, and with the feeling that, no matter how good the good times seem, they're still missing something (or someone) that should have been there to share them.
MinneSarah:
Sometimes these songs of the day can sound like they were meant to be on another radio station - Cities 97? "From You" sounds incredibly manicured and easy listening. The ennui of this song makes it sound like it was recorded for the Garden State soundtrack. The 3/4 time pulls the song forward, but gives it a sense of impermanence.
While I've been lamenting the lack of a Duncan Sheik successor (seriously - you try and live my life), William Fitzsimmons is not fitting the bill. "From You" is beautiful, but without the substance that would get me excited about such a potentially guilty pleasure.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3.5/5
MinneSarah: 2/5
03. Parker Millsap - Disappear (from the album Parker Millsap)
TCDroogsma:
Parker Millsap is coming out of Oklahoma playing music that sounds like it could only come from Oklahoma (Sorry, Flaming Lips. Sorry, um, Hanson).
"Disappear" is the same sort of cliche country/blues hybrid that annoyed the hell out of me two weeks ago when Erik Koskinen was indulging in beer & cigarettes. While it's easy to appreciate Millsap's desire to skip out of his small town (it IS Oklahoma), his desire to travel back to the Dust Bowl is a little more difficult to explain (though, in his defense, "Parker Millsap" sounds like a name straight out of Steinbeck). The rustic guitar-and-violin sound that makes up the canvas for Millsap's proposal is straight out of the Woody Guthrie playbook (not a compliment in my world), while the straggled, dueting vocals come off as the Carter Family on moonshine. I'm sorry, but I think we've reached the point where this sort of whispy nostalgia just can't be taken seriously coming from somebody under 30.
MinneSarah:
My goodness. While more than a few times this winter, I've felt that packing up for a vacation and leaving everything behind (temporarily - I'd never just up and leave...again). In this Parker Millsap song, he outlines things that so many of us would be thankful for - coffee, a house, friends - and says he wants to abruptly leave it all behind.
While everyone has fantasized about starting anew, these lyrics come across as ungrateful and irrational. Maybe that's just the acoustic guitar and violin. And it's a proposal song - nothing is more romantic than putting yourselves into poverty. I can tell you one thing - if a guy I was living with tried to propose via this song - I'd truly consider moving abruptly, disguising myself, and cutting all ties.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 1/5
MinneSarah: 1/5
04. I Break Horses - Faith (from the album Chiaroscuro)
TCDroogsma:
I've spent five days with "Faith" so far and I still have no goddamn idea what it's about. Like, none whatsoever. No bother, though. These lyrics could be about just about anything and it wouldn't make much of a difference since I Break Horses work up such a bright, shiny world of synths and drum machines around the vocals. "Faith" is not a song meant to be dissected, it's meant to be injected straight into your frontal lobe. It may be all blinking lights and plastic sexuality, but my goodness is it gorgeous.
MinneSarah:
There's nothing wrong with a little electronic music. While there is not a lot of unique that stands out about "Faith,' its droning beats sound hypnotic - and coupled with a long walk through the white tundra - sounds near perfect. The vocals are a overshadowed by the distorted synthesizer, but vacillate between monotone and heavily emotional. The overall effect is wistful yet upbeat. I will be adding this to my running mix, though clearly I'm missing the message and just enjoying the ride (or rather walk). Music like this makes me sound sophisticated and forward moving, which if any of you have seen me on a walk - basically sums me up ;-) <----(winky face).
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3.5/5
MinneSarah: 4/5
05. Frankie Teardrop - Lines (from the album Tough Guy)
TCDroogsma:
I spent a week with Tough Guy a while back. It's a fine, basically enjoyable throwback sort of record. However, I've yet to see Frankie Teardrop live, which is evidently necessary to totally buy into what Frankie Teardrop's selling.
"Lines" is a perfectly serviceable, straight ahead rocker. That, however, is pretty much it. There's no great chorus to boost the song up, no crazy guitar solos, nothing particularly memorable. It just trucks along for a minute & forty seconds and then leaves. Even Frankie's lyrics about abusing substances and pushing things too far ring a little hollow when delivered in such a workmanlike manner. I don't know if it was MPR or the band that decided to push "Lines," but I know Frankie Teardrop can do better. Try giving "New Beverage" or "Killed A Man" a listen for a more interesting take on just what Frankie Teardrop is capable of doing.
MinneSarah:
While I hate to jump on a bandwagon - I've found myself aboard the Frankie Teardrop wagon. As a live show, Frankie is the best I've seen in a while. As a recording, I'll confess, some of the magic is lost. You may think this band is any old sixties-ish coast rock revival band. Not so, friends. The lyrics are a sage warning about the dangers of fast living, "your heart is way too big to go to jail, kid." This coming from the cutest little dudes in Minneapolis! I love the energy, the street wisdom from likely straight A students, and a pure love of rock and roll. The rapturous shrieks are a testament to how exuberant a song about the dangers of drugs can actually be.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 2.5/5
MinneSarah: 4.5/5
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.
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). In addition to filing reports out of St. Paul for our Big Day Out column she occasionally joins TCDroogsma as co-host of the Flatbasset Radio podcast.
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