(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)
Parquet Courts, Dan Deacon, Indians, Nightlands, & The Ericksons...
Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #25!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Songs Of The Week, here's the story. Each week we ask two of our regular contributors to download the songs given away each week via The Current's Song Of The Day podcast. They listen to them and give them a review of 1-5. As always, we highly suggest that you the reader click here and subscribe to the podcast. It's free music, people!
As you can see, we always post a poll on the right hand side of the page. Be sure to vote for your favorite song of the week. The winner receives the self-validation that comes with winning an anonymous internet poll.
Sadly, we have some bad news this week. As you can see, we were only able to have one of our contributors (TCDroogsma) review the songs. Unfortunately, MinneSarah has resigned her post as a Songs Of The Week reviewer. We know, bad times.
So, until we find somebody else to review songs each week, it'll be TCDroogsma flying solo. Sorry in advance.
Now that all of that's out of the way, on to the songs! Droogsy, thoughts?
01. Parquet Courts - Borrowed Time (from the album Light Up Gold)
TCDroogsma:
Much like any white guy in his 30's, the words "Parquet Courts" conjure up one image: The Boston Garden floor. Much like any white guy in his 30's who inherently dislikes basketball, the Boston Celtics will always be associated with their mid-80's heydays of Bird, McHale, & Parish.
Why am I bringing up a basketball team from the 80's? Because "Borrowed Time" sounds like it came straight out of 1985. Parquet Courts manages to work up a sweet, no-wave type of groove (complete with noodley guitars and halting stop/start action). The first band that came to mind when I heard this song was The Minutemen. Don't be put off by the wretched Brooklyn-ites in the video above. This song will make you want to pogo around your room until you're a sweaty mess.
Final Score: 4/5
02. Dan Deacon - Guilford Avenue Bridge (Live at The Current)
TCDroogsma:
It seems like Dan Deacon is maturing at exactly the same rate I am. I was 25 when I first heard Spiderman Of The Rings and it's "everything all the time" aesthetic appealed to me.
As I've gotten older, I've become a much bigger fan of Deacon's work since Spiderman. Rather than the hyperactivity of those early works, he's begun to let songs breathe a little bit. "Guilford Avenue Bridge" is still a busy song, but the song is best in its first and final third when the percussion is thinned and the song becomes infected with a deep, fuzzed out bass groove. Sometimes it's best to just slow things down. Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Final Score: 3.5/5
03. Indians - I Am Haunted (from the album Somewhere Else)
TCDroogsma:
We're now living in a post-Vernon world. It's a strange, atmospheric place inhabited by acoustic guitars, reverb, and falsetto vocals. The inhabitants of this world walk a very, very fine line between enjoyable & insufferable.
Fortunately for us, Indians falls on the enjoyable side of the line. "I Am Haunted" is not the most original thing you'll hear all year, but they manage to borrow all the right elements of Bon Iver & Ariel Pink to create a sneakily catchy acoustic jam. Under normal circumstances I'm vehemently opposed to warbly vocals lingering in the background, but somehow they manage to make that work. Throw in a chorus that is beautifully anti-climactic and you've got a song that takes a lot of high-risk pieces and turns out a high-reward product.
Final Score: 4/5
04. Nightlands - So Far So Long (from the album Oak Island)
TCDroogsma:
Boy, you know it's been a solid week of songs when I can get behind two songs that rely on atmosphere & reverb for a big chunk of their appeal. Much like Indians, however, Nightlands makes some moves that could easily backfire and manages to make them work.
"So Far So Long" doesn't change tempo at all. In fact, the drums and bass rarely drop out at all. Somehow Nightlands still manages to give the song a distinctly different feel at each turn with an added guitar strum and a flute (?) turning up during the chorus. There's something enjoyably hypnotic about "So Far So Long." I can't quite put my finger on what makes this song so enjoyable, and that's a good thing.
Final Score: 3.5/5
05. The Ericksons - Gone Blind (from the album The Wild)
TCDroogsma:
Picked guitar lines, assertive female vocals, reflective yet resolved lyrics. The Ericksons stand poised to be Minnesota's answer to... Tracy Chapman? I guess that's something.
"Gone Blind" is not a bad song, merely a dull one. I'm certainly happy that this woman has been able to make her peace with whatever was troubling her and look forward, but a chorus of "I count the seconds in the days..." leaves a lot to be desired. This is more Facebook status post than pop song (though the piano that comes in at the end was a nice touch).
Final Score: 2.5/5
There you have it, folks! Another week's worth of songs downloaded, reviewed, and filed away.
As always, please note that neither Newest Industry nor its contributors are in any way affiliated with these artists, The Current, or MPR. We're just music fans with keyboards and 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 Flatbasset Radio podcast.
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