(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)
Emiliana Torrini, Amanda Shires, Grey Reverend, Alexander Von Mehren, & Actual Wolf...
Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #59!
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. Emiliana Torrini - Speed Of Dark (from the album Tookah)
TCDroogsma:
You know how bands like Duran Duran & Flock Of Seagulls used every modern trick at their disposal to write hit songs? Of course you do. Well, that approach may have led to hits, but it also led to the songs sounding very, very of their time and place (in this instance the 80's).
I bring this up because Emiliana Torrini uses drum machines, keyboards, ironically, even some 80's sounding guitar to turn "Speed Of Dark" into a lovely single, but one that seems destined to sound desperately "2013-ish" by 2014.
With that as a canvas Torrini spins a big, vague, existential yarn about life being, "just a flicker in the universe" and how, "under the stars we're indestructible. Theoretically those sort of lyrics leave enough holes that the listener fills in the blanks and the song takes on a universal appeal. In practice, however, Torrini comes off like a high-as-fuck Taylor Swift.
MinneSarah:
Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini's confident voice carries this song through a delightful background of modern trip-hop beats, keyboards, and guitars. She used to sing for the 90's electronic group Gus Gus, who, while Icelandic, made me long to be be British in previously unimaginable ways while I was in high school.
"Speed Of Dark" has some of these elements, but is contemporary in a way that sounds right at home on The Current. The lyrics are about rekindling a relationship and living life to the fullest because life is short. The beats are what make "Speed Of Dark" catchy, but the vocals give it substance.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 2.5/5
MinneSarah - 3.5/5
02. Amanda Shires - Devastate (from the album Down Fell The Doves)
TCDroogsma:
I'd be lying if I said I was familiar with Amanda Shires any more than knowing she's the scene-stealing gal playing violin next to Jason Isbell as he awkwardly emotes his way through performances on Letterman. After spending a week with "Devastate" I can't help but think she just might be the most talented person on stage.
"Devastate" is a soul-crushing song, with Shires conceding that her man has fallen for another woman. That itself isn't enough to make the song unique. Where she really makes her mark is how she describes the woman in an almost romantic way. "She comes rolling on through like waves..." "She's roaring blue..." This is how the man would describe this woman. The way that she sees what's happening and steals the words from his mouth are, well, devastating.
MinneSarah:
Do you remember when country songs were about being left for another woman? Well, Amanda Shires defaults to the old stereotype, but puts her own twist to it. The lyrics are about seeing her partner long for someone else - and she tells him to just go. The chorus is delivered as a melancholy suggestion rather than angry directive.
"Devastate" is a country song, to be sure, and uses violins to enhance the occasional twangs. The focus is Amanda's vocals, which mirror the sadness of the lyrics. Overall, the song is a downer, but it is a beautiful take on a bad situation.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 3.5/5
MinneSarah - 3/5
03. Grey Reverend - My Hands (from the album A Hero's Lie)
TCDroogsma:
So, Grey Reverend (singer/songwriter L.D. Brown) is sad. Scratch that, he's not sad so much as he's heartbroken. Unfortunately for us, the only way for him to express this sadness is to pick up his acoustic guitar, shush the room, and pour it out for us.
Look, as far as "singer/songwriter" goes, this isn't bad. I mean, it's not good, but in a genre that usually traffics in "reprehensibly bad," this stands up alright. Nearly every man on Earth can relate to Brown's line that, "No one loves you quite the way I do." Sure, it's a ridiculous thing to say (and a particularly ridiculous way to feel), but we all feel it. Sadly, he undermines himself with couplets like, "My back against the wall singing yesterday's lines, I wish that you could see me through tomorrow's eyes." I don't know what that means and I wouldn't be shocked if that kind of nonsensical poetry is how dude found himself alone in the first place.
MinneSarah:
A guy and his acoustic guitar - that's what you are in for on this song. As if that isn't enough (by now you should know this isn't my preferred song formula), the lyrics lament how nobody could like you/love you/stand being around you but Grey Reverend. Take that as a compliment and not the self-esteem slashing desperation that it actually is - with Grey Reverend's smooth vocal delivery it sounds less like a threat.
"My Hands" does introduces some strings to add some body to the minimalist vocal acoustics. If I heard this song in a Starbucks (I'm surprised I haven't already) I would be lip-synching along with this song to my soy vanilla latte and other patrons would nod their heads in my direction in yuppie solidarity.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 2/5
MinneSarah - 2/5 (situational 3 reserved for downtown Starbucks)
04. Alexander Von Mehren - Winter Comes (from the album Aeropop)
TCDroogsma:
It was a pretty well kept secret, but did you know that back in 2005 Sondre Lerche got Stereolab a little tipsy and knocked her up? Don't believe me? Well then you explain just how Alexander Von Mehren came to be.
As somebody who likes Sondre Lerche, Stereolab, and winter (or at least romanticizing winter when it's not actually winter), "Winter Comes" is a real charmer. It's Euro-stylishness doesn't totally jive with my Middle-Western sensibilities ("Wearing fuzzy clothes is fine..."), but with hooks like this I'm more than willing to overlook a bit of culture clash.
MinneSarah:
The weather has gotten a little chilly here in Minnesota, but still it seems a little premature to feature a song about winter. Luckily this song is eerily charming and I can look beyond the poor timing.
From what I can gather, Alexander Von Mehren is a quirky Norwegian youth, and huge Beatles fan. He blends the poppiest elements with stayed strings and Lennon-esque vocal technique. The lyrics are comprised with basic observations about winter to which any Minnesotan can instantly relate.
"Winter Comes" is broken up by a total
Price Is Right interlude, which actually fits the spirit of the song, making it a sure celebration of winter. Toss back some Rumplemintz, find your fleecy mittens, and get ready for the next eight months of ice and snow - this song makes winter sound adorable.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 4/5
MinneSarah - 4/5
05. Actual Wolf - Victims And Things (from the album Actual Wolf)
TCDroogsma:
You can tell a song's been put together well when the first two seconds are the worst moments of the song. Why does that caveman-esque "Ooh! Ah!" have to be here? I don't have any idea, but it's an odd beginning for a song that quickly strays from inclusiveness those sounds imply.
I found myself liking "Victims And Things" more and more as the week went on. It's jangly guitar lives somewhere back in the mid-2000's with James Mercer and the rest of the jangle-pop we all loved before people started banging their dicks on keyboards again. The lyrics, depressing as they may seem, are likely meant to be taken with the upbeat guitar & vocals and presented as just more of life's little problems. The line, "It is happening to me, I pray to God it don't happen to you..." is delivered not as a warning but as a lament to a friend, a "Can you believe this shit?" over a beer. That's a good approach.
MinneSarah:
The tongue in cheek attitude behind this song can be summed up by it's title - Victims...and things. This alt-country masterpiece may have just carved out a new genre - reverse blues. "Victims And Things" lists a litany of hard luck circumstances, however, the singer isn't worried about himself - just pray this doesn't happen to anyone else!
Perhaps the upbeat guitars, tambourines, and handclaps of alt-country were just begging to turn the blues genre on its head, creating more of a public service announcement than a pity party. Whether or not that is the aim of this song,"Victims And Things" doesn't dwell on misfortune, things can help with that. As someone with a lesser constitution than Actual Wolf, I'm grateful someone is absorbing the shock of life's tragedies and condensed them into this song.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 3/5
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.
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 right here on Newest Industry filing reports out of St. Paul for our Big Day Out column
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