(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)
Bombay Bicycle Club, Vertical Scratchers, Black Lips, Lake Street Dive, & Web Of Sunsets....
Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #83!
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. Bombay Bicycle Club - Luna (from the album So Long, See You Tomorrow)
TCDroogsma:
"Bombay Bicycle Club" is one of those names I've been hearing buzzing around music blogs/actual humans for a while now. Up until this week, however, I'd never taken the time to find out what the buzz was about. For one, "Bombay Bicycle Club" is not a very good band name. Two, I'm a very lazy man.
Now that I've spent a week with "Luna," I'm don't think I've been missing much. It's a charming song, sure, with a nice, upswinging melody and the type of boy/girl harmonies that are usually my Achille's heel. Unfortunately there's just nothing new going on here. Girl isn't necessarily interested in boy, boy is sad, boy writes bad poetry, boy sings bad poetry over unnecessary keyboards. Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before. At least the rhythm section shows up in the latter third of the song to jar some life into this one.
MinneSarah:
It's hard to tell if Bombay Bicycle club is responsible for making 2010's indie music more mainstream, or if they are in the middle of the bandwagon. "Luna" is an easily palatable indie song with a bit of a Caribbean groove. While I think of Paul Simon, in fact the song is fairly generic. The chorus is impassioned and the female backup vocals carry the song forward and are a contrast to the male vocals which are annoyingly trembley, but I suppose anything goes now a days. It sounds like a jam session with a sense of urgency on a commercial during prime time.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 2.5/5
MinneSarah: 2.5/5
02. Vertical Scratchers - These Plains (from the album Daughters Of Everything)
TCDroogsma:
Vertical Scratchers is made up of John Schmersal & Christian Beaulieu, two guys known well for being in bands that were not known well. I don't know what these guys were up to in their previous incarnations, but with "These Plains" they've certainly made an impression on me.
In just 1:37, "These Plains" comes ricocheting from the speakers like a lost Bob Pollard classic (y'know, if Bob Pollard ever left something on the cutting room floor). Over a rattling bass & guitar strum they rattle off some sort of garble about a spaceman that requires singing in falsetto. Admittedly, that last sentence sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the boys pull it off by keeping the hooks sharp and the accelerator down.
MinneSarah:
Vertical Scratchers features John Schmersal, formerly a member of Braniac and Enon - incredible 90's bands. I've been itching to hear what his new project would sound like, and based on "These Plains," I think it's safe to say it is fantastic. Lighthearted and sounding retro yet familiar, "These Plains" features fuzzed guitars and keeps a fast upbeat tempo. The silliness of a song about a spaceman, adds to the carefree nature of the song. Pop music doesn't get a lot better than this.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 4/5
MinneSarah: 4.5/5
03. Black Lips - Boys In The Wood (from the album Underneath The Rainbow)
TCDroogsma:
Black Lips have long been one of my favorite SOTD bands. Over the years we've been treated to "Not A Problem," "Cold Hands," & "Short Fuse." Each of those songs stands on its own as punky/psychedelic rave up that's simultaneously tight, yet always in danger of going off the rails. They're all fantastic.
It should be noted, however, that "Short Fuse" (the last time they appeared on the podcast), was in March of 2009. Five years is an awfully long time for a band that relies on energy and sneering to sell their songs. "Boys In The Wood," then, is the dreaded "grown up" single. The short, punchy hooks have given way to a bluesy dirge and, sadly, the young & feisty lyrics have given way to a sort of faux-Southern gentleman storytelling. This is a genuinely sad turn of events. When the horns turn up at the end of the song, it's less "Paul Westerberg maturing into 'Can't Hardly Wait'" and more, "Hey, this will really hammer home the point that we're mature now." Hopefully this is just them puffing out their chests rather than a permanent development.
MinneSarah:
Though of course they are different, I can't always keep straight the Southern Rock stylings of the Black Keys vs. the Black Lips. Obviously, they are quite distinguishable from one another, but the world must need more sultry southern rock with the word "black" in the title. Personally, I'd be excited to hear what a potential future side project, The Key Lips would sound like.
"Boys in the Wood," couldn't sound more like it was from the South - a whiny drawl references whiskey drinking and car stealing. The back up singer croons away as they make reference to their Southern roots every chance imaginable. The horns are an unexpected twist, and I wouldn't be surprised if this song was written and performed under the influence.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 1.5/5
MinneSarah: 3/5
04. Lake Street Dive - Bad Self Portraits (from the album Bad Self Portraits)
TCDroogsma:
Try as I might, I just couldn't resist "Bad Self Portraits." Maybe it's Rachael Price's voice, maybe it's the hooks, maybe it's the universal appeal of the song's lyrics (who isn't haunted by some stupid inanimate object from a past relationship?), but I couldn't help but be charmed by this one.
The titular portraits are being taken by Rachael Price as she tries to find uses for the camera she bought to "take pictures of (her) love." Obviously he's gone, but she presses on with the camera. Over a Broadway-esque jaunt, Price struggles to find peace of mind. Yes, I know, this sounds like a rom-com waiting to be written. It's corny and over the top, but so what? Sometimes life is corny and over the top.
MinneSarah:
Lake Street Dive has a lot going for them. The lead singer has an amazingly powerful voice and the guitars sound earnest. However, rarely have I heard such extraordinarily bad lyrics. They made me feel bad about myself and bad for the woman narrator. Now that her sweetie left her, she's using her camera (that she bought to take pictures of him) to take bad self portraits. While I'm all for get-up-and-face-the-world spunk in the face of a breakup, the lyrics take a detour into wallowing in solitude and trying to find yourself. Somehow, I feel that taking a pottery class to get over a guy isn't the answer. The rest of the song is pleasant enough, but I was so turned off by the lyrics I wasn't willing to research them further.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3.5/5
MinneSarah: 1.5/5
05. Web Of Sunsets - Wildflowers (from the album Room Of Monsters)
TCDroogsma:
I've been following The Current long enough to know that the reason they're pushing Web Of Sunsets (three SOTD's in just under a year) is because they've deemed them "the next big thing" and are hellbent on making that point. Which is really a shame, because with each track released Web Of Sunsets makes the case that they deserve the attention they're garnering (whether MPR has their backs or not).
"Wildflowers" follows "Fool's Melodies" and "Foreign Bodies" on the SOTD list and, while not straying far from the acoustic-strums-and-breathy-vocals model set forth by those songs, manages to deliver with their most succinct punch yet. The vocals are more confident, the guitars are richer, and the song just has an atmosphere to it that makes it stand out. It also has a guitar solo in the middle that recalls the coda of "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want." So it has that going for it, which is nice.
Up until now I thought this was just The Current pumping a band that fit nicely into their defined style of "local & palatable." With "Wildflowers" I'm finally coming around to Web Of Sunsets on their own terms.
MinneSarah:
Somebody get these gals a bass! Acoustic guitar is not my favorite musical element, and in the interest of keeping the vibe simple and their voices the main focus, that's almost all you get in "Wildflowers," and indeed is the signature sound of Web of Sunsets. The singer(s) have ethereal voices, and I may have made this comparison last time I reviewed one of their songs, but they remind me of Mazzy Star meets Tegan and Sara. There's no denying their musical talent, but as far as listenablility, it leaves me wanting more.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 4/5
MinneSarah: 2.5/5
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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