(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)
Liv Warfield, Big Data, Yellow Ostrich, Quilt, & The Person & The People...
Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #84!
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. Liv Warfield - Why Do You Lie? (from the album The Unexpected)
TCDroogsma:
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," and let me tell ya, Liv Warfield's been scorned. Unfortunately, she's decided to voice her fury over a backdrop of by-the-numbers bro rock and poorly EQ'd horns.
"Why Do You Lie?" is built around the strength of Warfield's powerful voice, which she wields here with convincing ferocity. Both lyrically & musically, however, the song is poorly crafted. Many R&B singers over the years (from Aretha to Beyonce) have tried to go bit with electric guitars and all have failed. Warfield's effort does nothing to dissuade me from believing that the best R&B coming out of Portland right now is being played by white guys with keyboards and beards.
MinneSarah:
My first listen to this song, the guitars sounded extra grungy - think Soundgarden with horns and a soul singer. Then I found out that Prince produced Liv's new album and every questionable note fell into place. The lyrics are serious - dude stole twenty bucks out of her purse - he also tripped when she bought him Jordans (however that is possible).
On the whole, the song is way over the top, though it could sound halfway subdued to a diehard Prince fan. While I've never felt compelled enough to call someone out with full horns and intense guitar solos, the main takeaway is that the words "lie" and "why" really do rhyme.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 1/5
MinneSarah: 2.5/5
02. Big Data - Dangerous (from the EP 1.0)
TCDroogsma:
Speaking of white guys with beards, here we have Big Data. Big Data have two concerns. First, they're concerned that the internet & the government are conspiring to pacify the public, essentially removing people from the human experience. Second, they want you do dance. I suppose the two go hand in hand.
"Dangerous" focuses on that first concern lyrically, but they're obscured by a dominating bass guitar that implores that we stop listening to the lyrics & dance. The end result is the song that would play over the trailer for Baz Luhrmann's hypothetical take on 1984. Bouncy and catchy, Big Data makes their case with their hips.
MinneSarah:
Bass can make or break a song - so lay it on thick. Add some keyboards, and I'm in heaven. While this song is going to make it on my spring mix, no question, it also has some self righteous political undertones.
While it's not a long shot, Big Data writes songs about humans vs. Internet and NSA surveillance. While I was hoping these guys would me my modern day DFA 1979, I just don't find Edward Snowden the least bit sexy. Oh well, I hope the NSA are listening to these guys, they'd be shaking their butts. It's got to be better than listening to my mom and I discuss her neighbors' dogs.
Back to "Dangerous," - this song could be considered perfection of my newest guilty pleasure genre. I'm just going to go ahead and pretend that they aren't dangerous because of trying to stay off the data grid, but rather the old fashioned way - they'll break your heart girls, but at least it's not going to show up on Facebook the next day.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3.5/5
MinneSarah: 4/5
03. Yellow Ostrich - Shades (from the album Cosmos)
TCDroogsma:
I like the ideas being explored in "Shades." The electric guitar loops are an intriguing move. The backwards drums are, um, something... Ah, who am I kidding?
I spent a week with this song and I forget it the second it ends. As much as I want to find something interesting to say about "Shades," it is the living definition of "average." It sort of builds, it sort of lulls, it's lyrics shift between self-centered & non-sensical... it basically just exists for 3:46 and then disappears forever. The Current has given me too many songs like this over the years to pretend that something interesting is going on here.
MinneSarah:
"Shades" features a guitar loop that could hypnotize any listener. It's good to see indie bands taking a cue from hip hop, and layering over a loop. Yellow Ostrich is out of New York, but they fully embrace the West Coast sixties psychedelic with "Shades." However, it's clear that they are adding their own sober ennui to this revival genre - making it one of the most interesting takes you've heard this year. The song loosens up in the final thirty seconds, giving a slightly freer sense of hope.
It sounds a little jam bandy, but whether it is despite of or because of the driving but somber majority,the last part puts the song into perspective. It is encouraging to see bands putting their own mark on their influences, and between mid-2000's indie and 60's psych rock - Yellow Ostrich makes it to the other side.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 1/5
MinneSarah: 3.5/5
04. Quilt - Tie Up The Tides (from the album Held In Splendor)
TCDroogsma:
"Tie Up The Tides" is another song that comes off as brutally average. It's a monotonous, steady-paced song that's given just enough studio tricks to sound "indie." Fortunately, those tricks (the separated guitars, the echoing vocals) give the song a warm, welcoming feel. Lyrically.... I don't know... some new age type shit... who cares? "I point my way back home until my fingertips turn blue, there is no me and there is no you..." Sure, why not? Like I said, "Tie Up The Tides" sounds warm. Maybe the winter has warped my perspective, but this week that's all I'm asking out of a song.
MinneSarah:
"Tie Up the Tides," sounds like a sunny morning. While usually not a fan of cloying vocals - this singer's sweet approach misses all the right notes - the end result is that the song will keep your interest. Another band out of New York embracing the sixties psychedelic genre, but adding their own spin, Quilt produces something mellow yet encouraging.
I have a theory that this generation's parents came of age in the seventies, making the sixties an acceptable genre to embrace without agreeing with mom and dad. Although with a boomer parent and fifty years since the Beatles invasion this year, I can't remember if the sixties were ever not "in." Whatever the attraction, Quilt brings it to the present day and somehow makes it work.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 2.5/5
MinneSarah: 3.5/5
05. The Person & The People - I Was Wrong (from the album Big Whoop)
(Ed. Note: TCDroogsma & MinneSarah reviewed "I Was Wrong" ins SOTW #72. We're reprinting what they wrote for that review below.)
TCDroogsma:
I don't know what they're putting in the water over in St. Paul, but it's leading to tremendous power pop. Somewhere between The Persian Leaps and Panther Ray lies The Person & The People.
Now, a large chunk of the appeal of "I Was Wrong" is that absolutely no aspect of it sounds new. In fact, I could pretty much hum along with the melody as it unfolded the very first time I heard it. Whether that means the songs appeal is in "timeless pop craftsmanship" or "listener nostalgia" is an interesting question, though it's rendered absolutely moot for the three minutes I spent bobbing my head while the song played.
MinneSarah:
You know what the world needs? A good pop song. "I Was Wrong," is a straightforward example of an unapologetic (okay, the song is about an apology) rock pop song. It's a formula that is beyond refreshing. While I'd give my left nut to have a new Superdrag albums, I'm lucky (mostly because I lack nuts) that there is a local band capable of carrying on the torch of straight forward, catchy, pop music.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3.5/5
MinneSarah: 4/5
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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