(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)
The 1975, Cub Scouts, Lady Lamb The Beekeeper, & Hums...
Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #22!
For those of you who are still new
to the Songs Of The Week column, here's the story. Each week we ask
two of our regular contributors to listen to the tracks given away
via The Current's Song Of The Day podcast. They give them a listen
and give us a review of each of the songs. As always, please clickhere and subscribe to the podcast yourself. Start 2013 out right, by
signing up for free music.
Feel free to vote for your favorite
track in the poll to the write of the page. The winner wins the
prize of dignity via anonymous internet election. Every vote counts,
people!
This week we asked MinneSarah &
TCDroogsma to give us their thoughts on the four songs. As always,
they have not seen each other's comments prior to posting.
So, 1982 babies, what'd ya think?
The 1975 – Sex
(from the EP Sex)
MinneSarah:
Normally anything from England turns me
into an obsequious Anglophile. This song starts out good enough
with some distorted guitars, upbeat drums, and full sounding vocals.
However, the lyrics are unbearably emo and every time the
singer whines his defeatist chorus, "she's got a boyfriend
anyway," I wanted to press stop.
But I persevered for
the sake of this blog. What I learned was that the singer is
incredibly jealous of said girl's boyfriend for standing in the way
of the title of this song, and this is a healthy outlet for him to
express his hatred of anyone who wears skinny jeans and dates this
girl (himself excluded). What girl wouldn't fall for this level
of desperation and jealousy and just give in and put out?
TCDroogsma:
Honestly, when I saw that I was going to be reviewing a song called
“Sex” by something called The 1975 I had pretty high
expectations. If a band is going to call a song "Sex" they're going to bring the 'A' game.
After several listens, I'm going to go ahead and admit that I was
wrong. The songs tells a story about fooling around with a girl, but
never actually having sex because, as we're reminded ad nauseum, “she
's got a boyfriend anyway.” Listen, The 1975, I'm not a
psychoanalyst (yet), but the only reason this girl's interested in
fooling around is because she has a boyfriend. Sorry, doe. Life is
never kind.
I'm pretty much incapable of hating any song that's British, hooky,
and filled with guitars. I'm eminently capable of hating a song with
lyrics like, “We've got one thing in common, it's this tongue of
mine.” Sorry, but that's just unacceptable.
Final Score: MinneSarah - 1.5/5
TCDroogsma
- 2/5
Cub Scouts –
Evie (from the EP Told You So)
MinneSarah:
Ever wonder what Of Montreal would
sound like if they weren't as off the wall? This group of
youngsters from Australia does not disappoint. This song is
really pleasant and listenable, bordering on the edge of every other
pop song on the Current right now, but somehow still asserting it's
uniqueness.
Much like the first track this week, the song's
about a girl, but The 1975, this is how it's done. Make it
about her, say nice things, and embrace her flaws. The chorus
is jubilant and makes me want to dance around. During
winter, I could sure use more of this unbridled happiness and
acceptance.
TCDroogsma:
This song aims straight for the pleasure center of my brain. Great
hooks, a charmingly dancy riff, and a smooth delivery all add up to a
thoroughly enjoyable single. Sadly, my opinion of this song hinges
on the lyrical content and these Cub Scouts are making a case for
having a “Cliche” badge sewn on their shirts.
“I know a girl, she's a puzzle of a thousand pieces.” Jesus
Christ. Was Ben Gibbard the scout leader of this troupe? This
“Evie” doesn't sound like a unique and precious woman, she sounds
like every woman ever. The song ends with a lamentable plea to, “Her
name forever on her lips, you'll be whipped, don't close the door,
just let it in.” That, my friends, is the sound of settling.
Final Score: MinneSarah - 4/5
TCDroogsma
– 2.5/5
Lady Lamb The
Beekeeper – Rooftop (from the album Ripley Pine)
MinneSarah:
MinneSarah:
The guitar that starts this song sounds like everything right from every 90's song I've tapped my foot to. Lady Lamb's vocals are powerful yet whimsical, which is quite refreshing. This song is full of unpredictable sound elements, like when she sings about a table, they actually add in sounds like they are throwing flatware. However, it's actually fun. Try and get me to say that about most folky acts. Plus these guys are from Portland – no, the other Portland.
TCDroogsma:
Evidently 2013 is going to be yet another year of jangle-pop.
Fortunately Lady Lamb The Beekeeper (really?) puts the pieces
together pretty well. This one has a sneaky contagious quality that
gives it some redeeming value. “If I'm the cop then you're the
robber” is a pretty terrible opening line, but it does a great job
of calibrating the expectations for the song.
I can't quite put my finger on it. It's not great, but it's not
awful, which is a win when it comes to these Song Of The Day tracks.
Final Score: MinneSarah - 3/5
TCDroogsma
- 2/5
Hums – Digital
Winter (from the album Deep In Swim)
MinneSarah:
MinneSarah:
This song is a sweet little love song, it's very focused on the beginning of a relationship and how simple they seem to start out. The vocals are extremely Feist-like (yeah, that's an adjective now in 2013). There are a lot of building strings in the background of this song, which gives it a lot of depth and keep it from sounding too simple. It's nice in an ephemeral sense that mirrors however long the start of a relationship could stay that pure and sweet.
TCDroogsma:
“Digital Winter” makes me regret making all those “Land Of
10,000 Synth-Pop Bands” jokes. I didn't realize that the other
option was whimsical indie folk songs with wonky vocals (cough...
Southwire... cough).
Hums sounds like they're doing their best to fill the
“flawed-but-endearing singer backed by a bunch of non-threatening
folkies” niche left behind by Roma Di Luna. I suppose someone has
to do it. I'm sure they'll put on a hell o f a show when they play
Music & Movies In The Park before a screening of The Royal
Tenenbaums.
Final Score: MinneSarah - 2.5/5
TCDroogsma
– 2/5
Well there you
have it, everybody, another week of songs downloaded, reviewed, and
filed away!
As always, we'd
like to remind everyone that neither Newest Industry nor our
contributors are in any way affiliated with the artists above, The
Current, or Minnesota Public Radio. We're just music fans
with laptops and too much time on our hands.
For more of the always charming MinneSarah be sure to give her a follow on Twitter (@MinneSarah). She's big on cupcakes and maintaining practical safety standards.
For more of the seldom charming TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found hosting our weekly podcast Flatbasset Radio. He's big on brandy and maintains a loose understanding of safety standards.
Of course Newest Industry also has a home on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, we have a Facebook page here. Trivial as it may seem, stopping by and giving us a “Like” is a cheap and legitimate way to support the blog. We're a bastion of safety standards in the community.
