(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)
Darkside, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ha Ha Tonka, Polvo, & France Camp...
Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #64!
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. Darkside - Golden Arrow (from the album Psychic)
TCDroogsma:
Over the past five or six year I've really gotten to a place in my life where I can sit an enjoy a long instrumental. Beat tapes & instrumental EP's account for quite a bit of the music I've acquired lately. Honestly, I was kind of excited to spend a week with this one.
"Golden Arrow" is an OK song that suffers from mis-formatting. It's made up of three distinct parts, which would be fine if they blended together (or if this were an EP rather than a single track), but these parts literally end before the next one begins, leaving "Golden Arrow" feeling like three different tracks (though it did make my morning coffee & hashbrown preparation seem pretty epic). Unlike, say, that Boards Of Canada song we reviewed a couple of months back, "Golden Arrow" doesn't feel like part of a a larger whole. Rather, it feels like three kinda-sorta ideas placed in order, but hardly "together."
MinneSarah:
It was bound to happen that The Current would post a 12 minute long song to the Song of the Day podcast. Golden Arrow is a an experimental electronic duo out of Brooklyn and the folks over at Pitchfork have an absolute hard on for them. You can tell this act has some chutzpuh, because they are not afraid to leave you on the line for the first 6 minutes of "Darkside." The song picks up, adds some drums ... and then ... vocals that make me wonder if they went back in time and snagged Sting before he had a chance to join The Police. That first six minutes may just be the ambient noise of a time machine. It's one of those songs that draws the listener in as it acquires layers, but be warned, it's a slow grow.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 2.5/5
MinneSarah: 3/5
02. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - No Need For A Leader (from the EP Blue Record)
TCDroogsma:
I feel a little bit strange reviewing this song now that the weather's changed since it's parent album II was one of my favorite's this summer. In my brain "No Need For A Leader" soundtracks super hot strolls downtown. It seems very out of place at the end of October.
I suppose that's my brain's problem, though, and not the song's. I picked up II on the strength of "So Good At Being In Trouble," a Motown-esque pop song masquerading as indie rock. Where that song stood on pillars of immaculate hooks and relatable lyrics of relationship problems, "No Need For A Leader" leans heavily on groove, mood, & psychedelic lyrics. Typically you wouldn't be able to sell me on that formula, but I made up my mind on this one a while ago and I'm on board.
MinneSarah:
Funky and psychedelic sounding, "No Need For A Leader," is a catchy song straight on the cusp of 1972 turns into 2013. The song features a substantial bass solo, and it is certainly the lower tones that drive the song forward in a fun and upbeat way. The vocals are higher pitched and have an echo effect, and the lyrics are as trippy as the rest of the song - "Don't like to fall, but when we go down, we'll tip toe" and "We ate all the bones and wondered why there were no bones left." At nearly six minutes, this song gets a little jam band, but at that point in a song, you are either going back in time or jamming out.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3/5
MinneSarah: 3.5/5
03. Ha Ha Tonka - Colorful Kids (from the album Lessons)
TCDroogsma:
While it's no secret that I'm a fan of power-pop, "Colorful Kids" just didn't do it for me. At it's core it's an honest song with an honest sentiment, but Ha Ha Tonka sounds like they're doing everything in their power to pull the song somewhere else. We're treated to some of indie rock's most exhausted tricks: group vocals, stop/start guitar work, a choir (for some reason)... Spending the whole song trying to hide it's pure heart with every bell & whistle they can find, Ha Ha Tonka leaves me wondering if maybe that "honest" sentiment is just another of their poses.
MinneSarah:
As far as this modern Americana trend, Ha Ha Tonka ain't half bad. "Colorful Kids" is a catchy folky tune ... until they bring in the 2010's folk revival requisite choral accompaniment. However, the bridge is pretty creative, so it comes back from the cliche and goes in its own unique direction. The lyrics are repetitive - they had color until the black and white world sucked it out of them. As would any band from Missouri worth its weight in Provel, they call out Huckelberry Finn to teach them how to run away. You know Mark Twain doesn't get a fair share in literary shout outs in songs these days. #useyourallusion
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 2/5
MinneSarah: 2.5/5
04. Polvo - Total Immersion (from the album In Prism)
TCDroogsma:
"Total Immersion" just might be the most appropriately named single of 2013.
Polvo begins the song knocking a groove back & forth as if they're just warming up. When the lyrics open with line, "The hippie was gone before the lights came on..." I expected a six minute story as to just what happened to the hippie. Evidently, it doesn't matter. Polvo quickly abandons telling us a story and focuses on crafting a shape-shifting groove that resembles what it feels like to drive around in a heavy fog. Every so often a vocal hook or guitar line stands out like a recognized street or a stoplight, which is what makes "Total Immersion" so much fun. It's recognizable (at least to a 31 year old), but also curiously left-of-center.
MinneSarah:
The 90's were the best decade I have had the pleasure of living through. I'm not just saying that out of nostalgia - ask any 19 year old working at Urban Outfitters - it's the truth. While I never heard of Polvo during the 90's, this Chapel Hill band is reforming to let all the 90's enthusiasts know what we missed while we were debating which pair of Docs to wear to Lollapalooza.
"Total Immersion" is guitar driven and dissonant. The vocals barely break through the melee of the drums/bass/guitar, which puts them on par with the other instruments, not out front. Clocking in at just under seven minutes, this song maintains interest by not letting any part get stale - it switches up before patterns form, yet can still be considered a coherent work - well done.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 4/5
MinneSarah: 4/5
05. France Camp - Ghost Town (from the album France Camp)
TCDroogsma:
I spent years and years calling for more Twin Cities bands to let their guard down, pour some whiskey, turn up their guitars, and see what happens. Evidently I wasn't alone.
Acts like Nallo, The Chambermaids, Pony Trash, Fury Things, & Prissy Clerks have helped to re-establish the rock 'n roll side of Minneapolis lately. "Ghost Town" may not have the hooks of some of those bands, but if they're going to sell a song with this much spirit it doesn't really matter. At it's reverb-drenched core "Ghost Town" just the type of fast-and-loose-and-tipsy rock n roll that the Twin Cities were built on.
MinneSarah:
If France Camp were a real place, or at least as real as Rock And Roll High School, I'd visit based on this song,..but I probably can because this song sounds like a live show, and I'm pretty sure they play shows. The band sounds like they are having a good time while playing "Ghost Town" and that brings a distinct charm to the low-fi recording.The vocals move between melodic and screaming, the lyrics sound appropriately accusatory, and the tempos switches will keep you guessing. Jangly California guitar makes this song a modern soundtrack to your next North Shore road trip - bring beer.
Final Score - TCDroogsma: 3/5
MinneSarah: 3.5/5
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). 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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