(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)
Tracey Thorn, Mogwai, Thao & The Get Down, Stay Down, & Greg Grease...
Happy New Year, mp3 junkies!
Welcome to the 21st edition of Songs Of The Week!
For those of you who are still
unfamiliar with SOTW, here's what you're looking at: Each week we ask
two of our regular contributors to download the Current's Song Of The
Day podcast, listen to the tracks, and give us their thoughts on the
song. This week we asked MinneSarah & TCDroogsma to do the
honors.
Three quick things about this week's
(and every week's) Songs Of The Week Post:
01. You can subscribe to the podcast
yourself here. It's new, free music. What could be better?
02. MinneSarah & TCDroogsma have not
seen each other's reviews prior to posting.
03. There's a poll to the right side of
the page. Be sure to vote for whichever of these songs was your
favorite.
And that's that. Kids, what'd you
think?
Tracey Thorn –
The Joy (from the album from the album Tinsel And Lights)
MinneSarah:
Now you will read this after Christmas
is over - so I'm guessing your tolerance for Christmas songs is about
as low as it can get. How about just one more from Everything
But The Girl's Tracey Thorn?
This song is pretty barebones,
with Tracey's vocals, piano, and acoustic guitar. The
lyrics talk about fear driving you back to the sense of comfort that
you got from Christmas and that bringing out a sense of joy, even in
the now soulless facades of most adults. If you can find
meaning in any of that sentiment, then you should check this song.
Plus, I'm sure she still misses you like the deserts miss the
rain, so check it out.
TCDroogsma:
This is a Christmas song, right? I sure hope so, because the bar for Christmas songs is set comfortably at "tolerable," which is right where Tracy Thorn lands with "The Joy."
It's an agreeable enough song. The melody is charmingly childlike. The lyrics are pretty damn stupid, but, again, if it's a Christmas song then that's pretty much to be expected. It's nice that Thorn is transported back to her youth each time the holidays arrive, but her focus solely on herself leaves me wondering why I'm listening to this? These lyrics would be better served as a diary entry or a Christmas card. Thoroughly inessential for anybody who's not part of Tracey Thorn's immediate family.
It's an agreeable enough song. The melody is charmingly childlike. The lyrics are pretty damn stupid, but, again, if it's a Christmas song then that's pretty much to be expected. It's nice that Thorn is transported back to her youth each time the holidays arrive, but her focus solely on herself leaves me wondering why I'm listening to this? These lyrics would be better served as a diary entry or a Christmas card. Thoroughly inessential for anybody who's not part of Tracey Thorn's immediate family.
Final Score:
MinneSarah - 2/5
TCDroogsma - 2/5
Mogwai –
George Square Thatcher Death Party (Justin K. Broadrick Reshape) (from the
album A Wrenched Virile Lore)
MinneSarah:
I know I've said it before about other songs, but this is surely in my top five song titles of the year. George Square is located in Scotland and hosted the original Black Friday worker's protest in 1919. I can only imagine that everyone in Scotland hates Margaret Thatcher like hardcore kids hated Reagan, so the imagination is rife with death party antics. However, this song is way too mellow for a death party - unless we are talking about winter.
It is extremely meta having a DJ remix a band like Mogwai, which is already pretty electronic, but we all know it can be done. I listened to the original for reference, and Justin cut all the post-rock guitars and drums out. The vocals sound very computerized and the guitars are distorted beyond recognition. After listening to a few times, it does sound like it all comes together, a trait that I can appreciate in Mogwai and that continues with this remix.
TCDroogsma:
I would say that I've been a serious music fan since about 1998. In that time I've come to hate things I used to love. I've come to love things I used to hate. I've learned to keep a very open mind about music and realized that my opinion of a song sometimes has absolutely nothing to do with the song.
You'd think, at some point over those 15 years, I would have had a phase where I thought Mogwai was great. At the very least you'd think I would have formed some opinion on them other than, "Mogwai, eh?" This "reshape" of "George Thatcher Death Party" does nothing to move the needle of my opinion one way or the other. It's broad and sweeping. The drums are pretty great, I guess. It's kind of atmospheric. In short, it's every Mogwai song ever. Maybe if I knew the original version I'd feel different, but this is nothing special.
You'd think, at some point over those 15 years, I would have had a phase where I thought Mogwai was great. At the very least you'd think I would have formed some opinion on them other than, "Mogwai, eh?" This "reshape" of "George Thatcher Death Party" does nothing to move the needle of my opinion one way or the other. It's broad and sweeping. The drums are pretty great, I guess. It's kind of atmospheric. In short, it's every Mogwai song ever. Maybe if I knew the original version I'd feel different, but this is nothing special.
Final Score:
MinneSarah - 2.5/5
TCDroogsma - 2.5/5
Thao & The
Get Down, Stay Down – Holy Roller (from the album We The Common)
MinneSarah:
Is that a mandolin? This song is perfectly cute and adorable, as signified by Thao's perky vocals. I'm not sure about the lyrics, she's not exactly selling this holy roller, but we all know that love hurts. However, the tone of the song is upbeat and fun and I don't even mind the hipster twang that much! If you're contemplating 2013, the lyrics, "I've got words to keep and lies to make true," will help you set those pesky resolutions.
TCDroogsma:
Have you ever been so thoroughly attracted to an artist that you're opinion of their relentlessly average music is clouded by lust? (Cut to every David Bowie fan nodding). This is the cross I bear when it comes to Thao & The Get Down, Stay Down. Watch this and you'll understand.
Now, if I trick myself into thinking that this song is coming from an artist without a hint of sex appeal (say, St. Vincent), I can admit that this isn't anything special. A little bit of banjo, an OK hook... rabble, rabble, rabble... Still, knowing that it's Thao who just wants "love in the aftermath..." sigh... I get all fuzzy inside. Thao, I'm here for you, honey. We'll get through this.
Final Score:
MinneSarah - 3/5
TCDroogsma - 3.5/5
Greg Grease
(w/Lizzo) – I Still Love H.E.R. (from the album Cornbread, Pearl
and G)
MinneSarah:
These streets have been hard, but at least we've got music now, right? Greg Grease shares the old-school hip hop lyrical credo, with just about every production tool at his disposal in 2012. Despite playing around with some cool electronic toys on this track, the background is quite simple, with a guitar hook and slow drums. It's a very pleasant sounding jam. I love Lizzo's Kanye-esque "hayyyh?" Plus I heard that she is vegan - Minneapolis represent!
TCDroogsma:
Damn, you know you're getting old when you're reviewing a song where I rapper reminisces about his dad listening to Busta Rhymes.
I didn't know much about Greg Grease until I reviewed "C.R.E.A.M. Dreams" for our Singles Mixer column. I thoroughly enjoyed the laid back vibe and modest ambition of that song. "I Still Love H.E.R." brings that same type of energy. The beat is the perfect soundtrack for sifting through 12" vinyl in a record store. Grease, in the tradition of every rapper since about 1992, looks back on where hip-hop is and where it brought him. With his album Cornbread, Pearl And G, Greg has positioned himself to take the baton from the last generation of Twin Cities rappers. "I Still Love H.E.R." stakes his claim that he's aware exactly where hip-hop's been and where he'd like to take it.
I didn't know much about Greg Grease until I reviewed "C.R.E.A.M. Dreams" for our Singles Mixer column. I thoroughly enjoyed the laid back vibe and modest ambition of that song. "I Still Love H.E.R." brings that same type of energy. The beat is the perfect soundtrack for sifting through 12" vinyl in a record store. Grease, in the tradition of every rapper since about 1992, looks back on where hip-hop is and where it brought him. With his album Cornbread, Pearl And G, Greg has positioned himself to take the baton from the last generation of Twin Cities rappers. "I Still Love H.E.R." stakes his claim that he's aware exactly where hip-hop's been and where he'd like to take it.
Final Score:
MinneSarah - 3.5/5
TCDroogsma - 4/5
There you have it, everybody! Another week of songs downloaded,
reviewed, and filed away.
As always, let us remind you that Newest Industry and its
contributors are in no way affiliated with any of the artists, The
Current, or Minnesota Public Radio. We're just music fans with
keyboards and too much time on our hands.
For more the always charming MinneSarah, be sure to give her a follow Twitter (@MinneSarah). 2013 is going to be a big year for her.
For more of the seldom charming TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found here on Newest Industry hosting our weekly podcast or prattling away on his personal blog Flatbasset. He's still hungover from New Year's Eve.
