Fleet Foxes - "Mykonos" (2008)
Off of their second EP, which was recorded after their first album but released before it.
Who is the song about? Possibly lead singer and songwriter Robin Pecknold's brother, but no one is saying. Why is the song titled Mykonos, a Greek Island in the South Agean, halfway between Turkey and Greece? The song does mention the island in the chorus for the first half of the song, but the island is not known for 'snow tipped pines'. It does have quite a lot of coast line, being an island, but I don't know if it can be considered a 'gentle coast' being composed almost entirely of granite.As for the 'ancient gate' mentioned, there is a famous church in the town of Chora on the island that is called Our Lady of the Side Gate, so we may have a match.
The song is two distinct portions with a quiet bridge in between them. The first section is broken up: Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus. The second section is broken up: Chorus 2, Verse 3, Chorus 2, Verse 4, Chorus 2 (repeat until fade). The first section is somewhat straight forward indie pop. A gentle acoustic guitar leads the instruments, and a bass isn't really heard until the first chorus. The drums are predominantly bass drum and tambourine with a few cymbal hits. The rhythm is basic 4/4 time with the accent on the 2 and 4. It begins to fade out around two minutes in and just as you think that this short little song is over it gets great. The bridge is nothing but multi part harmony. The second part of the song is faster, and louder than the first. The bass is more prominent, and you can hear a lot more tom from the drums.
Most of what makes this song great is the transcendent vocals that start at the bridge and continue to the end of the song. Comparisons are often drawn to Simon and Garfunkel or The Beach Boys, but I agree with those that say Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young are the closest antecedent. I saw them play live in 2009 and they were just as tight live as they are recorded. At various points, all five of the members are singing and those strong vocals take an indie/folk/pop group that rivals others based solely on beard quantity; and makes them a really special thing.
Showing posts with label indie pop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indie pop. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
"Can't Be Sure"
The Sundays - "Can't Be Sure" (1989)
You know this band for their second single "Here's Where The Story Ends"
Ethereally voiced Harriet Wheeler can claim the lion's share for this song's , and her band's success. Twenty six years old when this debut single came out, her voice sounds like a teenager, while her lyrics have a bit more bite than that. "/and did you know desire's a terrible thing/ the worst that I could find/" (Wheeler) is a great example. This is someone who is so cynical they have gone out looking for things worse than desire, but can't find anything, so she wrote a pop song about it.
The song starts off with a great little drum beat and then overlaying guitars. But that's about as interesting the instrumentation gets. That's the point of Dream Pop really, it predates Shoe Gaze and is quieter, but has a similar direction: lay down a musical mood, not a driving song. If there is a bass guitar on the track I can't hear it until two thirds of the way through the song. and when it comes in it's like an afterthought. "Oh Paul, sorry we forgot you were hear mate, go ahead and play for a minute or so." Actually, I guess you can tell when the bass player comes in, it's right after the drummer wakes up and starts playing something different. I think her voice is amazing, and the overlapping guitar parts are technically great, and to be honest, the idea of a teen princess who turns out to be in her mid twenties singing a song about twisted desire is pretty great fun. But the sonic landscape that the band is laying down just kind of slowly puts me to sleep.
You know this band for their second single "Here's Where The Story Ends"
Ethereally voiced Harriet Wheeler can claim the lion's share for this song's , and her band's success. Twenty six years old when this debut single came out, her voice sounds like a teenager, while her lyrics have a bit more bite than that. "/and did you know desire's a terrible thing/ the worst that I could find/" (Wheeler) is a great example. This is someone who is so cynical they have gone out looking for things worse than desire, but can't find anything, so she wrote a pop song about it.
The song starts off with a great little drum beat and then overlaying guitars. But that's about as interesting the instrumentation gets. That's the point of Dream Pop really, it predates Shoe Gaze and is quieter, but has a similar direction: lay down a musical mood, not a driving song. If there is a bass guitar on the track I can't hear it until two thirds of the way through the song. and when it comes in it's like an afterthought. "Oh Paul, sorry we forgot you were hear mate, go ahead and play for a minute or so." Actually, I guess you can tell when the bass player comes in, it's right after the drummer wakes up and starts playing something different. I think her voice is amazing, and the overlapping guitar parts are technically great, and to be honest, the idea of a teen princess who turns out to be in her mid twenties singing a song about twisted desire is pretty great fun. But the sonic landscape that the band is laying down just kind of slowly puts me to sleep.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
"How Soon Is Now"
The Smiths - How Soon Is Now? (1984)
How shameful is it that even though I knew it was a cover I still associate this song with Charmed?
Oscillating reverb guitar. Not exactly what The Smiths were known for, but this has become one of the definitive tracks when people bring up the band. Guitarist Johnny Marr wrote the song, then had a jam session in the studio with bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. After adding that brooding slide guitar part, and other overdubbed effects, they were done; and sent a rough cut of the song in the mail to Morissey. All of the massively echoing guitar actually gives the song the perfect feel for a club. It makes you feel drunk and more than a little high just by letting the song hit your eardrums.
Morissey's lyrics have eluded me many times over the years, but none quite so embarrassing as this slip up. I had always heard: /I am the sun, and the air/ Nope. It's /I am the son, and the heir/. Makes the next line make more sense anyway, though it does make it less nature-Wicca-power feeling. I guess that's my punishment for associating the song with a WB network show about witches and sisterhood. That cover version by the way is by Love Spit Love, the "hiatus band" of Psychedelic Furs singer Richard Butler. It was recorded for mid nineties teen witches film The Craft and the producers of the show Charmed thought it would be perfect for their new TV show about witches. The lyrics in the bridge are actually almost painful to listen to. The singer is embarrassing himself to such a great extent. He starts by describing a club, where one invariably ends up going alone, standing alone, and going home alone. Then when he interacts with someone who obviously asks him something like "let's get out of here soon" or "I want to do it now" he reacts with an almost stammering: /When you say it's going to happen"now"/Well when exactly do you mean?/See, I've already waited too long/. Painful.
How shameful is it that even though I knew it was a cover I still associate this song with Charmed?
Oscillating reverb guitar. Not exactly what The Smiths were known for, but this has become one of the definitive tracks when people bring up the band. Guitarist Johnny Marr wrote the song, then had a jam session in the studio with bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. After adding that brooding slide guitar part, and other overdubbed effects, they were done; and sent a rough cut of the song in the mail to Morissey. All of the massively echoing guitar actually gives the song the perfect feel for a club. It makes you feel drunk and more than a little high just by letting the song hit your eardrums.
Morissey's lyrics have eluded me many times over the years, but none quite so embarrassing as this slip up. I had always heard: /I am the sun, and the air/ Nope. It's /I am the son, and the heir/. Makes the next line make more sense anyway, though it does make it less nature-Wicca-power feeling. I guess that's my punishment for associating the song with a WB network show about witches and sisterhood. That cover version by the way is by Love Spit Love, the "hiatus band" of Psychedelic Furs singer Richard Butler. It was recorded for mid nineties teen witches film The Craft and the producers of the show Charmed thought it would be perfect for their new TV show about witches. The lyrics in the bridge are actually almost painful to listen to. The singer is embarrassing himself to such a great extent. He starts by describing a club, where one invariably ends up going alone, standing alone, and going home alone. Then when he interacts with someone who obviously asks him something like "let's get out of here soon" or "I want to do it now" he reacts with an almost stammering: /When you say it's going to happen"now"/Well when exactly do you mean?/See, I've already waited too long/. Painful.
Friday, February 3, 2012
"Time to Pretend"
MGMT - Time to Pretend (2008)
When I grow up, I wanna be a Rock Star!
Debut single of one of the up-and-coming bands of the new millennium. The album Oracular Spectacular that this appears on has been consistently selling since 2008 and this and other tracks remain on modern rock play-lists, commercials and movie trailers. Their second album was a success, and their third is due out later this year, but this track remains in the public consciousness. This song was originally written years before they recorded it for this album and is clearly a wishful-hopeful/mocking-pipe dream version of the rock star life that the two college buddies who formed MGMT talked about before they ever started opening for M.I.A., Radiohead, or Paul McCartney.
I'm not one for synthesizers, but I like the crunchy feedback sounding heavy chords that hold the song up. I also like the drums that alternate between a high hat heavy, metronome-tight beat and the tom and crash cymbal driven section that sounds free and open. There is a lot of other synth sounds going on, and picking each one out would take forever, but there are string parts, horn parts, and they all manage to work, but the only one I really like is around 1:23 and sounds like a vibraphone. It's a catchy songs, and the synthesizers lead themselves to the dream like state of forecasting a rock and roll future, I guess I just miss bass and guitars. Fun lyrics though, gotta give them that.
When I grow up, I wanna be a Rock Star!
Debut single of one of the up-and-coming bands of the new millennium. The album Oracular Spectacular that this appears on has been consistently selling since 2008 and this and other tracks remain on modern rock play-lists, commercials and movie trailers. Their second album was a success, and their third is due out later this year, but this track remains in the public consciousness. This song was originally written years before they recorded it for this album and is clearly a wishful-hopeful/mocking-pipe dream version of the rock star life that the two college buddies who formed MGMT talked about before they ever started opening for M.I.A., Radiohead, or Paul McCartney.
I'm not one for synthesizers, but I like the crunchy feedback sounding heavy chords that hold the song up. I also like the drums that alternate between a high hat heavy, metronome-tight beat and the tom and crash cymbal driven section that sounds free and open. There is a lot of other synth sounds going on, and picking each one out would take forever, but there are string parts, horn parts, and they all manage to work, but the only one I really like is around 1:23 and sounds like a vibraphone. It's a catchy songs, and the synthesizers lead themselves to the dream like state of forecasting a rock and roll future, I guess I just miss bass and guitars. Fun lyrics though, gotta give them that.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
"Consolation Prizes"
Phoenix - Consolation Prizes (2006)
I want you to change it all/I am gonna make it better
A modern pop song in the best sense. Just over 3 minutes, driving locomotive sounding guitars, non stop drums (except for fun hand clapping stops) and clear bright voices singing out a catchy tune. Once you dig in, the lyrics expose that this is one of those songs that sound cheery but really have a darker feel. The singer has clearly been put in second place as a potential suitor. Either that, or the significant other has accepted him as a lover, but forced him to change so that he better suits their ideal.
The band has a great two guitar sound, with neither guitarist really taking the "lead" role, rather both of them work to weave a great snappy pop feel. The band doesn't actually have a drummer. Rather, they rely pretty heavily on Swedish drummer Thomas Hedlund. He plays with several bands in several styles, including indie rock, doom metal, and post metal. He's the drummer of record for most of the tracks on all of the albums by Phoenix.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
"Step into My Office, Baby"
Belle & Sebastian - Step into My Office, Baby (2003)
This song sounds like a TV soundtrack from the 60s. I don't mean that in a bad way. I miss those old themes.
It starts off almost sounding like it was recorded in a garage. A really crappy garage, but by the first vocals breaking in it is a glorious sound quality. Lush strings, Horn, beautiful harmonies, and all woven together wonderfully.
The first 1:30 really does have that up beat happy and yet telling a little story kind of sound that you used to get in a TV theme. The horn is used constantly in this piece and it is amazing. such a versatile instrument. Then the change. We get amazing A Capella that then segues into a lightly instrumented (drum and string) choral segment. Then we kick back to the original up beat for a while. This drags down to a choral section I can only describe as what someone would play when the Romantic Interest in an action movie dies. Then we finish up with the fast beat again. This is a remarkably fun piece. The lyrics are witty and describe an office affair without getting ribald. The video takes it a bit beyond "an" office affair.
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