#7

Happy May Day everyone! I have some reviews in the new issue of REAX Magazine that came out today. I reviewed the new Decemberists, Camera Obscura, and St. Vincent albums. Make sure to grab your copy, and if you have the time, write in and let me know what your take on these albums are. Thanks!


"I Got Lost" - Loney, Dear

Forgive me. This issue of 5SIAR will not be as lengthy and interesting as previous ones. Something called “studying for finals” got in the way. At least my brain power went to something constructive and not the uselessness that Billy Corgan seems to be bringing to the table lately. Speaking of which, if anyone hasn’t read my rant on him then I invite you to do so here. Anyway, on with the show.

Emil Svanängen, the Swedish multi-instrumentalist going by the pseudo-name Loney, Dear (this guy loves the comma), has been creating that dreamy type of indie-folk akin to Sufjan Stevens for quite a while now. Yet, as with most music from overseas, it takes a while to catch on here in the states. It helps to tour with someone like Andrew Bird, which Svanängen did for the most recent tour for his 2009 release, Dear John. He began recording where most young musicians do, in their parent's basement. I can't help but picture him trying to record his first song and his mom calling out for him to come to dinner or take out the trash. Still, that first basement recorded album garnered enough attention just by word of mouth to get him a record deal and a ticket to move out of ma and pa's house.

The album is worth a listen or two, but it's nothing to write home about. The scene seems to be flooded with Loney, Dear's reverence to indie. It does deserve some credit though. While the album is reminiscent to most other indie albums of past or present tense, it does a good job on not stepping on the toes of those albums. I can't say the same for that band Crystal Stilts. Can we say Iggy & The Stooges' Raw Power?

I Got Lost - Loney, Dear

"2 + 2 = 5" - Radiohead

If you didn't see them on their tour last year, then I'm sorry, you missed quite a show. Thom and fellow droogs put on one hell of a display of musical genius, even in a shitty amphitheater venue. The sound was good, the setlist was great, being around thousands of fellow Radiohead fans was phenomenal, and not hearing a lot from Hail To The Thief was appreciated. Let's face it, HTTT hasn't been their strongest release. I think even the most die-hard fan can attest to that. The album seemed to have stirred up enough malcontent in some people to give them the excuse to stop listening to the band completely. When I say completely I mean they didn't even give In Rainbows a chance, which in my opinion, is a great album, but I guess it wasn't great enough to bring back some of the fans that set sail.

I think maybe some people get tired of all the hype Radiohead always gets. Not to sound cruel or judgmental, but people, fans or not, do tend to raise an ear every time one little iota of Radiohead news is spilled out onto the internet. Even Pitchfork, the most staunch when it comes to real music news, started salivating after one little mention of recording a new album that Johnny gave recently. I mean, yes, it is nice to know an artist is in the studio working on their next release, but I really don't care to hear anything about it until at least near post-production and mastering. I'm picky. I like to not know that way it seems like less time between albums. Don't judge me.

Again, to reiterate, not my favorite, or anyone's favorite Radiohead album. I don't think it's in contention at all. This track, and the very last track "Wolf At The Door" are probably my only favorites. The rest is just an example of the band's frustration with themselves. They went through a rough patch for a while, and it certainly shows with the quality of tunes during this period of time. We can't blame Bush for that one, or can we?

2 + 2 = 5 - Radiohead

"Include Me Out" - Young Marble Giants

It's a 5SIAR first. A track that is from someone's random mix that was made that I took a liking to and threw on my iPod. The mix- The Top Of Damon's Charts. Last issue's Cyndi Lauper song was also from the very same mix. So now with that being said, this song isn't the first from that mix to make it to 5SIAR. Oh well. It is still a random song, therefore it fits the bill.

OK, I'll confess now that the only reason I stole this mix was to have that Cyndi Lauper song. You caught me. However, now that this song has popped up and I am forced by the laws put in place by the 5SIAR gods (me), I kinda have to listen to it. Fine by me because now it makes me want to go listen to more Young Marble Giants. The song is a tease clocking in at 2:01 so by nature I'm curious to find out if all their songs have the same length or does their minimalist post-punk go a little deeper down the rabbit hole to end up in the land of "something more." As of right now, with this song, I can see why YMG were an influence to the early 90's grunge via Nirvana and Hole. Both bands covered another Giants song from the same album called "Credit in the Straight World."

Young Marble Giants are another perfect example of a band being ahead of their time. Now that I've listened and not skipped this track I can hear their influence on not only the music of the 90's, but also new bands making their debut right now in the present. I believe this is why many bands of yesteryear are reuniting again. So far we've seen My Bloody Valentine come together again, Dinosaur Jr., and now Young Marble Giants have followed suit to perform at various UK festivals. They want to show the newbies how it's really done. My only question is: When will Hum reunite for a new album?

Include Me Out - Young Marble ...

"She Is Beyond Good And Evil" - The Pop Group

Wow, yet another early 80's post-punk band that seems to have influenced every single other present day band those Pitchfork dudes and dudeettes are telling you to listen to lately. Pitchfork, I love to hate 'em. Yet sometimes they do have some fairly witty and smart commentary that I agree with. Last year they came out with a book highlighting their top 500 songs from 1978-2008. It's in chronological order and not numbered so there isn't a specific #1 song. It is more like a nice little reference guide to the past three decades of music genres and sub-genres. For those who don't have it I suggest getting it. Makes a good Christmas gift, which was how I received it (thanks again, Edward).

I'll go ahead and give the excerpt from the book about this song since I am so pressed for time I don't have any to begin research about The Pop Group. Pitchfork can do the talking for me on this one. Meh, I felt a little queasy as I typed that. I promise not to slack on next issue.

"After an opening swell of distortion that recalls Jimi Hendrix circa "Foxy Lady," the femme fatale of the title is invoked as a spiky Venus. The band struggles to catch up to her, diving into dubbed-out foxholes dug by reggae producer Dennis Bovill. Frontman Mark Stewart stops the show with a shrieked "I hold you like a gunnnnnnn" that triggers a cavernous clang, then landslides into an anti-guitar solo of fantastically rude physicality. Crooning that "Western values mean nothing to her," the Pop Group earn their Nietzschean name-dropping with music that suitably Dionysian, ruthless, and ecstatic." -From the book The Pitchfork 500

Translation: I guess it's good, or else we wouldn't have put it in our book.



"Let Forever Be" - The Chemical Brothers

As soon as this track came on and I started listening to it, I couldn't help but think of "Blue Monday" from New Order. But not New Order's version, Orgy's version. Ugh, I feel sick again.

When was the last time you or someone you know jammed out to The Chemical Brothers? Yeah, I don't remember either. In fact, I don't think I ever have. I don't even think I've had any friends or acquaintances who have. Are we missing out? If there is a Chem Bros fan out there reading this then please leave a comment explaining, in detail, why I should listen to them. I believe the only redeeming quality to this song is the fact that Michel Gondry directed the video to it. Let's watch!!



Survey says: Your song will automatically be better if you can get Gondry to make the video for it. Take "Fell In Love With A Girl" from The White Stripes for instance. It's a good song, but the Lego block video makes it that much better. When it came to The Chem Bros, it was Gondry's use of the video camera and post-prod effects that gave this song some gerth. It certainly wasn't Noel Gallagher's voice.

#6

Top 5 most played songs on your iPod in a row. Go!


“This Tornado Loves You” – Neko Case

For this issue of 5SIAR I felt the need to break the rules a little bit for the sake of the theme I’d like to concentrate on. Everyone has a top five song list. Maybe it isn’t the top five of all time, but it is the top five songs with the most plays on your music player of choice. These are the songs that you can’t get out of your head. They mean something to the point of you playing them over and over and never getting sick of them no matter how many times you press “repeat.” The notes and the words burrow into your head and stay there for a good amount of time. Long enough to start making connections to the songs to what may be going on in your life at the time. For me each song represents a scene from my past or present that includes a noun— a person, a place, or a thing.

I wasn’t surprised when I sorted my iPod to find that “This Tornado Loves You” had the most plays. This new track from Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone has taken me over. From the moment I first heard it there hasn’t been a day that I haven’t played it at least once. It was the lyrics that captured me. Neko explains that this person would do anything to find this love in the grim words “I left the motherless fatherless. Their souls dangling inside-out from their mouths, but it’s never enough.” I can relate and so can anyone else that has tried so desperately to have that one love back into your life-- A love that’s worth “smashing every transformer with every trailer” for.

This song also serves as a giver of perspective for me. I don’t necessarily have to continue searching for something or someone I know I can’t obtain, so why persist? I’ll give everyone a fair warning and say that the next four songs are equally has heart wrenching as this one. Brace yourself for the melancholy that is the rest of my top five most played. They are sad, but undeniably empowering.

This Tornado Loves You - Neko ...

“When You Were Mine” – Cyndi Lauper

I know what you’re thinking. “Nick, why is there a Cyndi Lauper song on your iPod? Is there something you’ve been meaning to tell us?” No, there isn’t, but hear me out because I know some of you are a bit stunned at the fact that A: Cyndi Lauper is on my iPod, and B: that it would have the second highest play count. Well for one, it isn’t even a Lauper song; it’s a Prince one. And two, Cyndi does a much better job at portraying the song and what it’s about with her distinguishing voice. It’s almost as if Prince wrote it just for her.

Cyndi lives in that realm bordering obscurity and semi-fame. The 80’s were kind to her with hits from the same album She’s So Unusual including “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and the uber prom popular “Time After Time.” But who can forget the timeless classic “The Goonies ‘R Good Enough?” I still can’t believe there are people out there who have never seen that movie. The Goonies is on that list of 80’s movies along with The Breakfast Club and Back To The Future that you have to watch. It’s mandatory. Period.

Simply put—“When You Were Mine” is a jam. It’s the kind of song you can play in any kind of situation and it would be OK to just put it on repeat for a while. Maybe not weddings because of the subject matter, but you catch my drift. The song serves itself well in a bar when you’re piss drunk, not thinking clearly, and need a song to play on the jukebox because you just saw your ex making out with another dude. Do you think Prince ever had to deal with that? I mean, c’mon, he’s fucking Prince!

When You Were Mine - Cyndi Lau...

“Let’s Get Out Of This Country” – Camera Obscura

Infatuation with this song started immediately after hearing it. Hence the third highest play count. I don’t even remember who turned me onto Camera Obscura. It seems so long ago, like back in the days of when Underachievers Please Try Harder came out. Of course back then I wasn’t as savvy to the indie world as I am now so I probably scoffed at it. Fast-forward a few years later to when the album of the same name of this song was released. I was a bit more open minded than I was in my naive past when I thought indie was synonymous with patchouli. Boy, was I wrong. It was the words of the song, and the entire album, that struck a nerve with me. They were sad, but not in an annoying self-deprecating way, and they were inspiring as well.

“What does this city have to offer me? Everyone else thinks it’s the bee’s knees” sings Obscura-ite Tracyanne Campbell to an uplifting chamber pop orchestration of mellow rock riffs and synthesized strings in a song that’s all about grabbing your lover and moving on to another city to escape. I can relate. I think about doing this on a daily basis. Sometimes I just want to kidnap my friends and family and just move away to experience something greater and something more stimulating than my normal day-to-day drag. This song helps to remind myself of that awesome, yet slim possibility.

It’s through Campbell’s wonderfully crafted lyrics that the listener can really get a sense of the insecurities she may have with not only her town, but her own image as well. The line, “We’ll find a cathedral so that you can convince me I am pretty,” sets the tone of old age not necessarily meaning ugly. Everyone reaches a split second point in their life when they look in the mirror and gasp at a gray hair or a wrinkle. No one should ever feel conquered by his or her age though. Certain body parts may be sagging a little, but that doesn’t mean you have to be vain about it. Age brings not only wisdom, but extra beauty as well. This can also be said about the band’s new album My Maudlin Career due out on the 21st of this month. I’ll let it be known now that it’ll most likely be on my top 10 for the year.

Somehow Lala got the order of the songs mixed up. It says "The False Contender" but it's really "Let's Get Out Of This Country."

The False Contender - Camera O...

“Knocked Up” – Kings of Leon

Who died and suddenly made these guys the “kings” of the airwaves? I can’t turn the radio on without hearing “Sex On Fire” or “Use Somebody” at least once as I’m scanning through the stations. They blew up so damned fast out of nowhere with just one hit. I thought something like that was only reserved for the Britneys and Beyonces of our time, but not Kings of Leon. They have paid their dues though; I will give them that. Some people have enjoyed them ever since Youth & Young Manhood, but as for me, I didn’t particularly care for them until Because Of The Times came out and even then I was still skeptical. That is until one night I sat in solitude with a beer and put the album on. It was track one, this song, which got me hooked.

“Knocked Up” is so mellow, even during the heavier portions of it. Almost like the first sip of a good whiskey. It’s smooth, but there’s some bite to it too. Not only did the music of “Knocked Up” make a believer out of me, it was Followill’s line “always mad and usually drunk, but I love her like no other” that hit a soft spot. I kept playing this song just so I can hear him say it again and again. I still do. However, I’m not so sure this band will stand the test of time. I don’t want to think of them as wasting away into pop culture hell with their newly found fame tailing behind them, but the signs are there.

It’s something in my gut. It appeared there after about the 100th time listening to Only By The Night. It was some kind of knot that was telling me, “This will be the last good Kings of Leon album.” I want to have faith, but that knot is holding me back. Maybe I’m just skittish. Everything I love goes away. Great bands (I miss you Hum), great television shows (damn you HBO for canceling Carnivale!), and great food (that sandwich shop down the street from my office with the to die for cheesesteaks needs to come back into my life). But who knows, there’s always that slim chance KoL will pull a rabbit out of their hat and give us another great album similar to that of Because Of The Times.

Knocked Up - Kings Of Leon

“Sounds Better In The Song” – Drive-By Truckers

Mike Cooley wrote, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful songs ever to be written by a human being. I don’t know what to say beyond that. The song leaves me speechless. Even now as I’m writing and listening to the song I can’t think of anything. Everything about it is big. The words, the way the slide guitar kicks you in the balls, the borderline lo-fi vocals, all of it makes it something more than what I’m sure it was intended to be. But aren't all the best songs usually that way? They always sound so simple and effortless, but you know deep down the song could've been one of the hardest ones the person has ever written. So if a song was a pie chart, the creator's soul would probably have the biggest piece of the circle.

Decoration Day is without a doubt my favorite Truckers album. I must give credit to a former roommate and now good friend of mine for turning me onto them. As I stated in the last post on the Emmylou song-- I’ve never been a big fan of country until people started giving me suggestions on what I should listen to. Another favorite is, of course, Lucero. I’m still kicking myself in the ass for not seeing them when they came around a few weeks back.

Go ahead and leave a comment with your current top 5 most played songs. And while you’re at it, and if you haven’t done so already, go here to leave a comment for your random 5 songs in a row. If your list is picked I’ll do a small write up on your songs on Tampa Calling. You might even win a little something too.

Sounds Better In The Song - Dr...

#5

“Enlightenment must come little by little- otherwise it would overwhelm.” - Idries Shah


“Fitz & Dizzyspells” – Andrew Bird

When was the last time you had a lightbulb come on above your head when you found that certain kind of enlightenment that comes along with finding a new band or artist? To reach music nirvana is something that cannot be accomplished. It is impossible to know everything, yet Pitchfork already has a pretty decent grasp of it. Still, they are not infallible. You can’t rely on them to always bring you what you want to hear about your favorite artist. They are brutally honest, and it’s something you must accept even if you can’t get over that they gave the new Kings of Leon album a terrible score. Yes, you can go to Pitchfork for your music comprehension and wisdom, but there’s nothing like discovering an artist on your own or having a friend just hand you a CD saying, “You should be listening to this.” Such is the case with me discovering the tortuously wonderful music of Andrew Bird.

Mr. Bird, a classically trained violinist and an overlord of whistling, has been around in the music scene for quite some time. His footsteps can be traced back to the days of the revival of swing and old-time jazz in the mid to late 90’s, and the band that was at the centerpiece of that movement the Squirrel Nut Zippers. After the Zipper’s disbandment, Bird had formed the band Bowl of Fire and continued on with the traditional folk and jazz that made SNZ a name for them. Later on Bowl of Fire also disbanded and Bird went on to a solo career that carries him to present day. I could go on and on about the twists and turns in Bird’s musical direction throughout his career, but that’s not the point of this issue’s post. The point to his music is the feeling it expresses. How Bird’s music captures the essence of so many good and bad memories through his lyrics, the cadence of his voice, and, of course, his ability to turn the violin into an instrument capable of setting the perfect soundtrack to those memories.

Music is a gateway to feeling. You hear a song and it emits a signal to your brain to conjure up a memory that was once forgotten. Suppressed even. There’s always music to help you to remember. But what if it was not only a song but also an entire catalog from an artist? What if every song you heard, no matter which one it was by someone, it compelled you to either turn the volume up to bask in the memory, or just skip to the next album entirely to escape the pain it once caused? Anyone that’s deep into music has at least one band or singer that they can’t bare to listen to, and yet, still, no matter how much we don’t want to hear a song or an album by that harbinger of grief, sometimes we can’t not skip the track. It takes us over. The memory pokes its head out, gnashes its teeth, latches onto us and says, “Hold on, this is going to get messy.” We stop, we listen, and we remember no matter how bloody the situation gets. That’s all part of the discovery of music. One thing will always lead you to another.

Fitz and the Dizzyspells - And...

“Wait” – The Kills

Enlightenment is about discovering new things, things that may be in your life already, but hidden in a veil of darkness. That is why I created 5SIAR in the first place. There are plenty of bands I haven’t really taken the time to get to know. I’m always in a hurry to skip to the next track without giving a band a chance. The songs sit patiently on my ipod until that moment that I decide to let one or a few measures play of a song. There’s always a 50/50 chance that I’ll either love it or hate it. A person is always going to have a finite decision with music. However, there may come a time when that band that you thought you’d hate and always skipped over becomes the eventual possibility of loving them. A band may also give you a doorway to a new sub-genre that exists outside your comfort zone. The Kills are the perfect example. Forgive me ahead of time for tossing around the sub-genre of garage/blues rock; that is if you have no idea what I’m talking about.

The Kills, made up of Florida native Alison “VV” Mosshart and Londonite Jamie “Hotel” Hince, are pretty much The White Stripes for people who don’t like The White Stripes. Why you ask? Because they don’t sound like The White Stripes which is kind of a big deal if you’re a White Stripes hater. Their main influence: blatantly To Bring You My Love era PJ Harvey. I’m OK with that. What I’m not OK with is the fact that in the past every time they have come up during my daily ipod shuffle I would skip them. Their music reminds me of walking down an endless desert road without any idea where you are or where you’re going. So, if ever you need a band to add to a desert driving mix then my suggestion would be The Kills.

The path to enlightenment and finding new bands should not be rushed by any means. Take your time in your quest to discover. Please don’t deem it necessary to constantly follow what your friends are listening to just so you can join in on their conversations. Ease yourself into it. Make a goal of listening to one new artist a week, or two weeks, or whatever you’re comfortable with. That is, of course, you’re a music nerd like I am.

Wait - The Kills

“If You Find Yourself Caught In Love” – Belle & Sebastian

A friend told me recently that there are better Belle & Sebastian albums than Dear Catastrophe Waitress. At the time I felt like any other music fan defending my opinion with angst and a loud retort. But after careful consideration I have to say that I agree with him. Though there are no real memories that make themselves known to this song or album, but I do have a memory of first hearing the albums Tigermilk & If You’re Feeling Sinister for the first time. It goes back to a time when my knowledge of music was contained within the realm of mainstream. I have dubbed that period in my life the “dark ages” since I hadn’t achieved enlightenment yet. I still don’t think I have, but I’m closer now at least and not stuck in some kind of bad dream where I’m in a bar and all they play is Slipknot and Disturbed.

Yes, there was a time when I didn’t know the first thing about “good” music. In my youth I was attached to everything that was MTV, you know, when they still played music. I was never able to stay up late enough to watch 120 Minutes so all of what I listened to came from my daily ritual of coming home from school, grabbing a bag of chips, and watching MTV for my favorite Tool videos which they didn’t play during the day anyway. I was pretty screwed. With age though comes wisdom. You experience more, you meet new people, and those people turn you on to the bands they listen to. This unfortunately did not happen until my mid-twenties. So yeah, I kind of jumped on the bandwagon a little too late. I used to have a bad habit of that, but thanks to well-educated friends that listen to great music I am no longer stuck in Hot Topic land.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the Scottish do a few things better than the rest of the world. They can make a damn good beer and they can churn out some damn good bands. Hell, Belle & Sebastian even won the top spot on the 50 Best Scottish Bands Of All Time list. That’s got to mean something, right? And let us not forgot all of those other Scots that are mention worthy such as Camera Obscura, Mogwai, Franz Ferdinand, Idlewild, Arab Strap, and Frightened Rabbit, etc., etc., etc. Their whiskey, however, still needs some work.

If You Find Yourself Caught In...

“I Know It’s Over” – The Smiths

Who better to talk about break-ups than King Breakup himself? Him being Morrissey. I’m having a bit of déjà vu so bear with me on this song. Everything that I’ve attempted to write so far has come out sounding like the song from a few posts ago. No one needs to hear more about the self-deprecation and loneliness of Morrissey. But what you do need to hear is the album The Queen Is Dead at least once. Maybe someone has already told you to go listen to it? Can you remember if they did or not? I did, and truthfully it wasn’t until last year that I listened to it. I know what you’re going to say, “But Nick, you’re pretty savvy when it comes to picking up on good bands whether new or old. How could you have never listened to one of the most influential albums of our time?” Hey, nobody’s perfect, so cut me some slack. As stated before, I'm still on my path to discovery.

The only memories The Smiths and Morrissey bring to the surface are, again, ones of still being in my infant stages of gathering knowledge about today’s and yesterday’s music and culture. Nevermind that the song is talking about an ex of someone (most likely Morrissey) getting married and the person (Morrissey) can’t let go. Pretty obvious scenario when you’re reading the lyrics. Has Morrissey had any good memories in his life? I can’t help but wonder if Morrissey’s complete and utter lack of sunshine goes back as far as, let’s say, kindergarten, or whatever the British equivalent to it is. Perhaps this is what happens to rock stars from the UK. It’s the inevitability of either writing depressing songs for the rest of your career or just offing yourself because of the depression. Sorry to harp on that, Ian Curtis. Which leads me to the question; why hasn’t Oasis died yet? Or for that matter, Keith Richards.

I am convinced by not only my peers but by the battery of music columnists that The Queen Is Dead is indeed essential. If you’ve come across this blog and you’ve never listened to it, then please do. Allow me to be that person that has passed on the torch to another generation of music lovers and admirers. I mean, c’mon, there has to be someone out there that hasn’t listened to it yet.

My apologies. Lala didn't have this specific song on their website. So instead you get the next best thing which is my favorite song from The Queen Is Dead.

Bigmouth Strikes Again - The S...

“Wheels” – Emmylou Harris

Growing up I despised country music. My first taste of it wasn’t until riding the school bus in high school. The bus driver would always put the country station on because the amount of kids that were “country” outnumbered the kids that were “not-country.” So there were many afternoons spent listening to Garth Brooks, Dwight Yoakam (I kinda like him now), and George Straight. Of course I didn’t dare to ask the bus driver to change the station. To do that would’ve meant verbal, or possibly physical abuse. And since during this time period I was listening to Tori Amos a lot that would’ve given the cow hounds (as I liked to call them) even more reason to beat me up. But such is the life for an introverted nerdy teenager.

Fast forward quite a few years and quite a few cow tippings later. A certain album named I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning by a certain fellow named Conor Oberst made its way to my ears with a certain guest vocalist named Emmylou Harris. Being the nerd I am I quickly started finding her albums and listening to them. What came next was a bit of a shock to me. This was country music that I liked and could stand to listen to for an extended period of time. I didn’t feel like gouging out my eardrums with some kind of metal prod. The first Emmylou album was this one, Elite Hotel. It’s a fine example of how her voice can be like velvet while unpolished and coarse at the same time.

Emmylou brought the light to shine the way to other country and alt-country artists new and old that I’ve grown to love. The journey of discovery and enlightenment never ends. Even when you feel like you’ve earned your wings you are never truly done. It is an ongoing process because there is obviously always new bands coming out and always old bands that someone suggests to you. As the quote at the beginning of this post says, you should never feel overwhelmed by your path in life. Take small steps because when you do that you’ll find that the lightbulb turns on a lot more than it shuts itself off.

Wheels - Emmylou Harris with J...


I’d like to take the time to thank Scott Harrell for putting a couple of my album reviews in this issue of REAX Magazine and to TheFrontLoader.com for adding 5 Songs In A Row to their website. Thanks guys!