(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)
Holy Ghost!, Johnny Flynn, Tristen, Califone, & Strange Names...
Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #62!
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. Holy Ghost - Okay (from the album Dynamics)
TCDroogsma:
It's kind of funny that just a few months ago Depeche Mode released Delta Machine, a peculiar album that found Martin Gore & Dave Gahan exploring blues sounds. Of course nobody really wanted this album, but Gore & Gahan know that they'll be crucified if they just keep returning to the same old synth-doom-pop well over and over again. And yet when someone like Holy Ghost! comes along and basically writes a Depeche Mode song everybody loses their shit. Hardly seems fair, eh?
Fair or not, it's obvious why people love this one. "Okay" starts off like an update of another classic NYC song, The Walkmen's "The Rat." "Surely, you're joking, calling me this late..." greets us with the sort of polite anger that requires a wall of synth-perfection to seem realistic. Sadly, instead of the decisive rage of Hamilton Leithauser we're treated to a sob story of Brooklynites at their most insufferable, getting drunk & trying to figure out if their broken up or not. The synth-hooks of "Okay" will remind you of "Enjoy The Silence," the lyrics will make you long for it.
MinneSarah:
Holy Ghost! basically ruled summer of 2011 - in my mind, they are the Smash Mouth of indie electronic. It takes a little getting used to for me to fully embrace their music in the fall, but "Okay" does the job of subduing the poppiness but losing none of the charm.
The song opens with electronic noises reminiscent of early Depeche Mode, but the rest of the song is more downbeat than Martin Gore's idealistic start. Holy Ghost! adds their own hipster cynicism to the tried and true equation. The lyrics reflect disappointed capitulation - Holy Ghost! isn't happy, but they're not going to sweat it too hard, there's always tomorrow. As far as indie electronic, Holy Ghost! does not disappoint and this song could easily help usher in the fall.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 3/5
MinneSarah - 4/5
02. Johnny Flynn - The Lady Is Risen (from the album Country Mile)
TCDroogsma:
Googling Johnny Flynn provided me with the following information: He's typically backed by a band called "The Sussex Wit." He's an actor, poet, & songwriter. And he cites Yeats & Shakespeare as an influence.
"The Lady Is Risen" is pretty much just what you'd expect based on those facts and the picture above. It's a folky, strummy number that opens with the couplet, "She loves full & true, as a fighting bequest/she was given her earth by a sea come to rest..." If that's what having Yeats on your side is like then god bless Morrissey.
The song fleshes out nicely (specifically the keyboard line that sounds like it was beamed in from an old AM radio broadcast). Flynn barbles along in this overly poetic style for most of the song, but redeems himself by cutting through his own pomposity with one knowing line: "Y'know, life isn't always like the end of your novels. Oh, things might wind up, but they always unravel" Ain't that the truth.
MinneSarah:
Leave it to the Brits to add horns to folk music? I'm not a fan of folk, but at least as an American, I can call it like I see it.
This young lad may have been influenced by American folk and apparently mariachi horns, but that's a tall order to combine into a single song. The horns actually help the song move forward, and Johnny's voice is more robust than first anticipated. However, there is some background "ooh-ing" as similar and yet out of place as Donna and Maddie's love circle backing vocals in season two of Twin Peaks. The lyrics may be "too personal" to make sense to a lay-listener, but pressed to explain I'd say there is a love story in there somewhere. As far as Folk Nouveau goes, this song is putting an interesting new twist on a trend that our generation should never have embraced.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 3/5
MinneSarah - 2/5
03. Tristen - No One's Gonna Know (from the album Caves)
TCDroogsma:
I don't really know what's going on over at The Current with regards to this Southern Woman Renaissance. This month it's Tristen, last month it was Amanda Shires, a month before that it was Cheyenne Mize... It's not that their bad songs (though, as the reviews have shown, I wouldn't describe them as "good songs" either), I guess I just didn't realize that this was going to be the next big sound.
Compared to those artists I found that I liked Tristen a little more. "No One's Gonna Know" skews less country and more indie, though it does lose some personality in the process. Oddly it combines the attempted poetry of Johnny Flynn ("You were always with care, a run up to the shoe...") with the ADD hooks of Holy Ghost! Tristen splits the difference between those two in a way that would likely leave both Holy Ghost & Johnny Flynn offended by the comparison.
MinneSarah:
This song starts out with a bass-y electronic, almost tropical beat. "No One's Gonna Know" is segmented to the extreme. If you get bored easily, this song drifts between luau to spooky luau to Olivia Newton-John to hymn-like seriousness during the course of the song. There is nothing to bridge the incoherent parts together. Tristen's voice is strong and clear, albeit pouty. However, I became annoyed by the lack of focus and cavalier transitions.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 2/5
MinneSarah - 1/5
04. Califone - Frosted Tips (from the album Stitches)
TCDroogsma:
Based on "Frosted Tips" I'm left with the conclusion that Califone is the second-best dad rock band to call Chicago home.
As a 31 year old I find "Frosted Tips" enjoyably cynical. The refrain of, "watching the new world die" is delivered with a smirk instead of malice. Hell, even the title "frosted tips" seems like a reference to the kind of thing nobody's mocked since the late 90's. The song suffers a bit from the non-descript vocals, but more than makes up for it with feedback & tape loops that sound like the first generation of Mission Of Burma disciples.
MinneSarah:
Hooray! A song with horns and strings that is well done and not gimmicky. This low-fi, alt-rock gem reminds me of everything that was good about the world in 1997. "Frosted Tips" is layered with horns, strings and electronic noises, but at its base is a good rock song with guitars, bass and drums. It sounds down to earth, but still catchy and modern. While the lyrics are repetitive, they still manage to sound sincere. This song could easily be the main song for Wes Anderson's next film!
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 3/5
MinneSarah - 4/5
05. Strange Names - Potential Wife (Information Society Remix)
TCDroogsma:
I remember back in the 90's when remixes really started being a legit thing. I'd hear that some song that I liked (invariably something British) had a remix, seek it out in the semi-old fashioned manner of ordering a CD single of CDNow.com, and, 12-15 days later, be disappointed when it was essentially the exact same track with all the guitars removed and a drum machine pulsing a double-time beat where the drums used to be.
All of this is to say that this remix of "Potential Wife" leaves me disappointed. The struggle for the Information Society may be that the original was a stone cold jam, with all the hooks anybody could want. Hell, the original was even plenty danceable at its pace. Adding some pulsing synths, bells, and vocal effects just isn't doing much for me. It's difficult to improve on "Awesome!"
MinneSarah:
As fall gets drearier, the importance of upbeat music cannot be understated. The original version of "Potential Wife" stands on its own and brings out all the best in indie music right now. "Ooohs" and "ahhhhs," to be sure, but also upbeat guitar and prominently guiding bass. The lead singer's voice perfectly carries the song, mixed with aloofness and enthusiasm.
As if that isn't enough, Strange Names had the rare privilege of getting mixed by Twin Cities finest electronic group, Information Society, for this version! As Information Society work their magic, the tempo is increased, the drum machine is cued up, and the vocals are massaged with well placed electronic effects. The partnership adds energy to the song and strives to improve an already excellent song.
Final Score: TCDroogsma - 2/5
MinneSarah - 4.5/5
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.
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