(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)
Rotary Downs, Nathaniel Rateliff, Sturgill Simpson, & Atmosphere...
Well hello again, MP3 fans! Welcome To Songs Of The Week #95!
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.
Unfortunately, this week MinneSarah took the week off due to what could kindly be called "Current-based fatigue." Trust us, her words were considerably more harsh.
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.
So... Droogsy... thoughts?
01. Rotary Downs - Flowers In Bloom (from the album Traces)
TCDroogsma:
Rotary Downs is a five-piece out of New Orleans, but "Flowers In Bloom" bears little of the Big Easy's trademark musical sounds. Instead we're treated to a galloping indie rock number that sounds a lot like British shoegaze. The song hinges on an enjoyable descending guitar riff that spirals into psychedelics during the chorus. Vocally lead singer James Marier sticks to a calm yet forceful delivery, never flying off the edge, but definitely controlling the tone of the track. When the song finally breaks down with about a minute left, it's a welcome turn, with Marier's vocals finally standing front and center while the band ambles their way out the door.
Final Score: 3/5
02. Nathaniel Rateliff - Nothing To Show For (from the album Falling Faster Than You Can Run)
TCDroogsma:
Kudos to Nathaniel Rateliff. By definition he's a singer/songwriter and a straight reading of the lyrics to "Nothing To Show For" would definitely back that up. In the song Rateliff is confused about both himself and his generation. "A wave could carry you away, leave you somewhere else, leave you in the flames..." is a line that's both vague and completely relateable.
Now, if you've been reading this column for the past 94 weeks you'll know I'm not too high on the singer/songwriter vibe. However, from the first chorus Rateliff abandons the stereotype of "sensitive singer" that such lyrics typically call for. Instead he and his band work up a racket of guitar, drums, and organ. Perched on top of this teetering sound is Rateliff's voice, worn in & angry at the confusion, as if he knows the answer is right in front of him, but he just can't see it. "Nothing To Show For" is a textbook example of a song that plays to its performers strengths, becoming greater than just the sum of its parts.
(Bonus half point for the dog in the picture. Can't argue with that guy.)
Final Score: 4/5
03. Sturgill Simpson - Turtles All The Way Down (from the album Metamodern Sounds In Country Music)
TCDroogsma:
Like Nathaniel Rateliff, Sturgill Simpson is a singer/songwriter by definition. Unlike Nathaniel Rateliff, Simpson steps in every landmine that comes with the title.
Simpson's out of Kentucky and is attempting to carry the torch for the "outlaw country" sound that traces back to Merle Haggard & Johnny Cash (and is thoroughly beloved by the type of MPR jerk-offs who claim to "love old country music" but are disgusted by the actual sound of new country music). Simpson makes references to drugs, the devil, Jesus, & hell, proving that he's at least read the first chapter of An Idiot's Guide To Being A Rebel Country Artist. Unfortunately, "Turtles All The Way Down" loses the plot from there. There's reptile aliens, journeys to the center of the mind, all kinds of other random shit that , "Might make you go crazy...might make you go sane." All the while the song is wrapped up in a very straight-forward country skiffle. Frankly, I kind of wish this song was just about turtles.
Final Score: 1/5
04. Atmosphere - Bitter (from the album Southsiders)
TCDroogsma:
I was a little surprised to find this song waiting for me. "Bitter" came out at least a month before it was posted here as a SOTD track. I remember playing it back on Flatbasset Radio: Episode #33 back in the first week of March. I guess there's no sense rushing to play the new Atmosphere single when you're busy commissioning craft beer & Actual Wolf songs.
As such, I've already spent a week with "Bitter's" parent album Southsiders as an album of the week. I bring this up because the song takes a somewhat different tone within the context of an album as opposed to a stand alone single. As a single a couple of things stand out:
First, the live band is nowhere to be found (and thank God). This is an Ant beat the core.
Second, Slug's taken on an almost sing-song tone with his rapping. Nowhere near the sound of Chance The Rapper, Yung Thug, etc..., but the delivery is more than Slug's previous presets of either "angry" or "celebratory."
And that's the third thing - "Bitter" is a shot at the local scene that's not comfortable with the worldwide success Atmosphere's found. However, in delivering the message that too many other people are bitter about Slug & Ant's success, Slug himself comes off as bitter. He's far too smart of a lyricist not to realize what he's doing here.
Which is why the song works significantly better within the contest of the album. Southsiders is the most autobiographical Atmosphere record since You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having. Throughout the album Slug paints himself as a relatively content 40-something. I realize that sounds like anathema to most rap fans, but to those of us who are easing through our 30's (which I suspect is still a large chunk of Atmosphere's fans), it's a refreshing take on hip-hop. To that end "Bitter" comes off almost as a reminder that you can't please everybody all the time and that no matter how successful you may be at your job, people will still bitch. Much like a young Slug pushed people to choose their own path back on tracks like "The Bass & The Movement," "Bitter" is a song for those of us who chose a path back then and are now faced with the prospect of never reaching that goal and the prospect of abandoning the path for the comforts of adulthood. Slug's reminding us that no matter how far you go down that path, it's never easy.
Final Score: 4/5
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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