Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga ga ga ga...

Time to move onto part two of three of my Spoon artist review.  This review is for Spoon's 2007 release "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" (great title, I know), the album that made me fall in love with them .  The album received an overall Metascore of 84, with a 91 from Entertainment Weekly and an 80 from Rolling Stone (much better than the 60 Rolling Stone gave "Kill the Moonlight").  Although Spoon's rating from "Kill the Moonlight" drops a bit, they still fall within the "great" standing with "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga".  They still keep their unique style, balancing a rock and ambient styling.  The opening song, "Don't Make Me A Target," really eases you into their style with a slow rock beat that reminds you of the Spoon you heard in "Killing the Moonlight."  The lyrics in this album are still creative with verses such as "Here come a man from the star/ We don't know why he goes so far/ And he keep on marching along beating his drum."  Spoon still manages to keep this song relatively minimalistic with their lyrics.  Its not a huge ballad song, but the song stretches itself out with various instrumental segments (one piano piece in particular that speeds up the tempo of the song) and simple, yet deep lyrics.

The pace of the album keeps sort of a medium pace for the next few songs and then gets a little groovy with "Don't You Evah."  This song for me really expresses who Spoon is as a band.  They have fun playing music; they mess around with their sound, but still keep true to who they are; they care about making music and love it.  Lyrics such as "Bet you never think it feels right/ Famous-sounding words make your head feel light" really express how Spoon feels (or so I can imagine).  They experiment with their sound constantly and some times its sounds a little weird at first; you don't really feel like they're still Spoon; you don't feel like they're keeping true to themselves.  In the end though, its still the same old Spoon I love to listen to and their "famous-sounding words make [my] head feel light" (cheesy, cheesy, I know, I know). 

To really emphasize how much Spoon likes to experiment with their music, you have to listen to "Eddie's Ragga."  At the beginning of the song there's a few sound effects and some synthesizing.  Throughout the song, the sound effects drop out, but the synthesizing creeps in every now and again like a ghost.  Furthermore, Daniel's sings two different tracks instead of having a back-up vocalist which gives the song a sort of eerie feel.  The double voice over of Daniel really bring his style of singing out and this is really his song of emphasis on the album.  "Eddie's Ragga" leads into a trumpet accompanied song, "The Underdog," which really gives Spoon that alternative rock feel.  However, right after this, Spoon plays another sort of "out there" experimental song, "My Little Japanese Cigarette Case."  This song has many voice over tracks with Daniel, much like in "Eddie's Ragga."  This song, if any on the album, has a very minimal amount of lyrics, with only six lines of lyrics that are repeated throughout the song.  The instrumentals within the song are very diverse and include a few instruments that aren't common to the band (a sitar-esque instrument comes in towards the end of the track).  

The ninth track on the song definitely shows that Spoon can be more complex lyrically.  "Finer Feelings" talks about how many people, lacking love in their lives, often look for it in other places.  In concerns to this song, they look for it through commercialism: "Sometimes I think that I'll find a love/ One that's gonna change my heart/ I'll find it in Commercial Appeal/ And then this heartache will get chased away."  This verses make it seem as though this song is really personal to Daniel.  He makes it sound as though he's been looking for love everywhere and then suddenly, when he "was dreaming in the driver's seat/ When the right words just came to [him]/ And all [his] finer feelings came up."  Although commercial appeal could stand for a material love, it may also be the case that "Commercial Appeal" is a sort of code word for a person.  Spoon really pours themselves into this song, much more so than any of their other songs.  The personal tone, however, is not solely within "Finer Feelings," but there is also a very personal touch in the final song of the album, "Black Like Me."  The sole line that expresses this is repeated several times throughout the song: "I'm in need of someone to take care of me tonight."

Although Spoon tends to successfully have very minimalistic lyrics like in "My Little Japanese Cigarette Case," in this album they show that they can also have very personal and complex lyrical songs like "Finer Feelings" and "Black Like Me."  This album doesn't have the same vast diversity in playing style and sound like "Kill the Moonlight", Spoon manages to find a tone that fits them and they seem to not be experimenting around as much.  However, this experimental aspect of Spoon that has really helped them to stand out, has not completely disappeared and can be seen in songs like "Eddie's Ragga" (which would have to be my favorite on the album).  Again, although weaker than "Kill the Moonlight," Spoon still produces a strong album and continues to produce quality music.  Overall,  I'll have to give Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga an 88.

Kill the Moonlight

"One of these days Alice, pow!  Straight to the Moon!"

Let me first start this by reiterating that Spoon is Metacritics band of the decade from 2000-2009.  Now, let me explain to you what they had to do to achieve that standing.  There are three criteria to be in the running for band of the decade: (1) The band must have released at least 3 albums from 2000-09; (2) At least two of those albums must be "great" (a Metascore of 81 or higher); and (3) the average (mean) Metascore for all of their releases from the decade must also be an 81 or higher.  In saying that, Spoon edged out the next closest competitor, Sigur Ros, by 1.8 points.  They released a total of 4 albums within this time, all 4 of them receiving a "great " status.  The last album to my three part review (Transference), however, was released in February of 2010 and is not included within the decade score.  In saying that, onto "Kill the Moonlight."

"Kill the Moonlight" is the best reviewed album of the decade for Spoon, receiving an overall Metascore of 88 in 2002, receiving a perfect score of 100 from Entertainment weekly and an 80 from Billboard.  If anybody has ever heard a Spoon song, its most likely from "Kill the Moonlight."  The song they've heard?  The upbeat, fun-loving, "The Way We Get By".  After hearing this song, most would assume Spoon to be one of those upbeat alternative-rock, slightly indie bands, however, if anyone has ever listened to any of their albums, they would know better.  The thing that makes Spoon so great is not only their variety in song "feeling", but playing style.  

One minute, you listen to "Jonathon Fisk" and definitely get a rock feel from them, with a constant guitar strum in the background accompanied by a four count drum beat. The lyrics "Just like a knife, down on my life/ so many ways to set it right" in particular have that rock feel.  However, if you listen to the song just before that, "Stay Don't Go," you would almost think you're listening to an entirely different band were it not for lead singer Britt Daniel's unique singing style.  "Stay Don't Go" definitely has more of a trance feel with some simple synthesizing and a looping beat box in the background, which, surprisingly, never gets irritating.  When compared to the complicated lyrics of "Jonathon Fisk," the lyrics of "Stay Don't Go" are surprising minimalistic, the chorus consisting of only three lines: "Confession is stay don't go/ ooh it is/ ooh let's stay don't go."  Spoon manages to keep their own unique flavor and radically change their playing style at the same time, which makes them such a joy to listen to over and over again.

Remember the rock feel I said you got from "Jonathon Fisk"?  Well, that changes immediately afterward with "Paper Tiger."  In this song Spoon has a hybrid of "Jonathon Fisk"'s complicated lyrics and the minimalist style of "Stay Don't Go."  There are only two verses and the chorus, the chorus only said twice, once after the first verse and once before the second.  The band gives you a break in between verses with a repetitive, yet ambient instrumental section.  "Paper Tiger" definitely gives Spoon that softer feel that compliments their more upbeat songs like "The Way We Get By" and "Someone Something".  Balancing out the upbeat rock songs is the more ambient, almost dark toned "All The Pretty Girls Go To City" (which is competing with "Stay Don't Go" for my favorite song on the album).  The song definitely has a bouncy quality with the running bass line, the accompanying piano, and Daniel's repetition of "do d-do d-do".  The way Daniel sings the lyrics makes it sound like sort of a fun, bouncy song, but the lyrics reveal that the song is about young girls going out to the city acting older then they are.  Although the lyrics are subtle and simple, they're poetic in the sense that the say so much with so little.

The last song I have to talk about is "Vittorio E."  This song tops out the album perfectly.  It gives you the feeling that you're almost watching the band rehearsing before a show.  Daniel counts out the beat before hand; the guitarist loses count and has to start over; Daniel's voice echos like he's in an auditorium or studio.  The song later picks up a bit and gives a more lighthearted feeling; the choir chimes in late, almost reminiscent of The Beatles "Because".  The song progresses into a final piece, not just some jam session between the band members.  This song really helps to balance their rock vs. softer feel along with "Paper Tiger" and others.

Other tracks that I love that I couldn't get around to are "Back to Life," "Don't Let It Get You Down," and "You Gotta Feel It."  In all honesty, every song on this album is great and I'm sad that I can't talk individually about each song.  However, each song I talked about should give you a good feel for the album and the band itself and hopefully will convince you to give it a listen.  Overall, I give the album a high score of 95.  Its perfect in almost every way.  Here's to Spoon and here's to the first third of my defense as to why they're the best band of the decade.

The Shadow of an Empire

 

"Do you like dags?"

Sorry, I had to quote Snatch there, the guy's Irish.  Irish singer-songwriter Fionn Regan just recently released his follow-up album to his 2006 "The End of Histroy," which was nominated for a Mercury Prize.  Released on February 8th, 2010, Fionn Regan falls into a mess of genres, ranging from rock, alternative, indie, and singer-songwriter.  He received an overall Metacritic score of 82 and a BBC Music score of 80. 

Fionn Regan's new album is a lot of fun.  It starts with the very upbeat "Protection Racket," but he's not just some pop junkie.  He's true to his rock and alternative roots, while maintaining a sort of indie feel.  The one thing that really impresses me about him is that you can tell that he's passionate about what he's doing.  He takes pride in singing the lyrics, playing the guitar tabs, and just creating music overall.  His sound is very original, and I can't manage to really connect him firmly to anybody else.  A few of his songs are a bit reminiscent of Modest Mouse and some of the back beats (guitar and drums in particular) sound a bit like The Fratellis.  

Each song has its own individual flair to it and definitely stands out among the album as a whole.  However, each song isn't so diverse from the one that preceded it that it feels like there's absolutely no connection.  There are no awkward transitions between songs, in fact they all seem to lead into one each other seamlessly, mainly because of Regan's unique sound; that is the one thing that is present in each and every song.  "Genocide Matinee" and "Violent Demeanour" probably have the most radical jump within the album.  "Genocide Matinee" is fast paced and almost furious in its message, whereas "Violent Demeanour" is a more slow paced lamentation.  Although these songs are back to back and one notices a radical change in the pace of the album, Regan manages to make a smooth transition, his unique style and voice as the bridge. 

The album as a whole, if it really conveys anything is his passion for music and how much he wants to stand out from within the music community.  He does this successfully.  He's definitely something new and although he may sound like a lot of indie bands coming out of the wood works right now, he manages to intertwine alternative and rock, with his indie flair, to successfully stand out from the crowd.  Songs like "Lines Written in Winter" and "Lord Help My Poor Soul" really show an insight into the artist's passion for writing his own music and lyrics.  Songs like "Protection Racket" and "House Detective" really show how much fun Regan is having with his music; you can really tell he's doing something he cares about.  Overall, Regan has a really unique style, standing out from what's currently out there, but manages to not change it too radically and to mix genres that are relatively similar to one another.  If you're interested in trying something new that's fun to listen to and is a quick listen, I would definitely recommend this.  The Shadow of the Empire gets an 85 from me.

Take a listen here.

XXXX

No, I'm not reviewing an adult film... I wonder how that would go over though...

The album I will be reviewing today is You Say Party! We Say Die!'s new album "XXXX". We're going up Nort' for this band; they're canucks! They released this album in Canada last fall and just released it here in the US on February 9th, 2010. So far, its received some pretty good reviews: an 80 in both All Music Guide and NOW Magazine, and with an overall Metacritic score of 73.

This band falls all over themselves with concerns to music genres; they can be tossed into rock, indie, alternative, and pop. For me, personally, the pop and rock stand out for me most. When it comes to female vocalists backed by a rock ensemble, its hard not to fall into the idea that all female vocalist rock bands sound the same. Fortunately enough for You Say Party! We Say Die! they bring to mind other successful female bands, reaching as far back as the 1980s with The GO-GOs and more recently to The Donnas. "Glory" is very reminiscent of The GO-GOs hit "We Got the Beat". Almost immediately I thought of The GO-GOs while listening to that song. It has a very poppy, upbeat rhythm to it, that definitely brings out the pop side in YSP!WSD!. Their song "Cosmic Wanship Avengers" draws more from The Donnas with a bit of a more "we're strong, rebellious women" attitude. This song definitely draws up from their rock attitude with a consistently fast guitar line and drum beat, accompanied by the anthem like lyrics that definitely gives the idea that a mob of women are singing the song.

Throughout the album, the rock side of YSP!WSD! is definitely brought out more than the pop side. The song "Make XXXX" is a bit more poppy than some of the other songs, but still has a very strong rock quality. After that, they do start to bring out their alternative side a bit more, in fact, for the whole last half of their album entirely. Whereas the first half was more rock and pop, the last half is definitely more alternative and indie. "XXXX/ Loyalty" seems to be the lone standing "rock" song within the last half of the song. Now, do they do a good job of balancing this? Yes, for the most part, they do. They definitely lean more towards rock and alternative, shying away from the pop and indie side a bit, which is unfortunate because "Glory" is definitely one of my more liked songs on the album. Their last song "Heart of Gold" definitely shows why they can some times fall into the indie category. Its a very soft song and if you didn't know better, you'd would think its an entirely different band, falling somewhere along the lines of A Fine Frenzy or even Enya.

As far as the album as a whole goes, I like it. However, there are some parts I like more than others. Like I said before, this band is literally tripping all over itself in the genre department: they fall into rock, indie, pop, and alternative. This, however, isn't an advantage for them. They do the rock and the alternative really well, however, I think they're rock/pop is almost their strongest factor. If they're still trying to figure out what their sound is, its evident from the album that they're leaning towards rock/alternative. Personally, I think that's unfortunate because I do like their song "Glory" so much and it is so reminiscent of The GO-GOs. "Heart of Gold" although its a pretty song, really doesn't fit into the album; YSP! WSD! really should not venture into the indie realm, especially when the whole rest of the album is rock/alternative. Their pop aspect fits in because they manage to merge it into the rock/alternative, but "Heart of Gold" sticks out like a sore thumb and is a very disappointing end to the album.

Although they draw on many female vocalists, The Donnas and the GO-GOs among them, I think that You say Part! We Say Die! is still really trying to figure out where they fit into the picture. If this were their first album, I would understand more, but its their third. They may catch a break because it is, however, their first album to be released into the US. Also, if anyone decides to give them a listen, in the songs "There is XXXX (Within My Heart)" and "Make XXXX", try to see if you notice a sort of howling noise they make. Its supposed to be a bird, I think, but regardless, if anyone has listened to Shakira's "She Wolf", it definitely sounds like it was inspired by her "howl"; I just thought it was funny. In the end, You Say Party! We Say Die!, although they draw from several female vocally led bands, whether inadvertently or not, they struggle to find their own sound. If they don't find their own sound soon, they'll soon fall into that idea that all female vocal rock bands sound the same and will be quickly forgotten. Overall, I give the album a 74. Give it a listen here.

Coming up tomorrow: "Crazy Heart OST"