Listening to Colic tonight by Then Thickens. Very solid album, although not as great as their debut album. The frontman is Jon-Lee Martin, who some may know from the Manchester post-hardcore/noise rock band Kong (not to be confused with the much more popular Dutch band of the same name), although the brash and loud sound of Kong could not be any further from the sound of Then Thickens, which is more influenced by 90's jangly indie bands.
p.s. The last track of this album has some evocative and very specific lyrics. Did some searching on the internet and learned the song is about Jon-Lee attending the CMJ music festival in Manhattan in 2003 when he encountered a shrieking and crying woman who said she had just been told a good friend of hers died from multiple stab wounds in the chest. He later learned that the woman was Mary-Lou Lord, and the man who died was Elliott Smith. Jon-Lee said he's been haunted by that incident ever since.
I have to go old school now and then because I rarely feel much when I listen to modern music. Now and then, great artists and great albums, but it's so few and far between. Here's a few artist I've been listening to a lot again lately:
Elvis Costello.
Never has someone combined such dark and disturbing lyrics with such up-beat, poppy punk music. Music comes and goes, but great lyricists change the world (See: Cohen, Leonard).
Just an example of this-Oliver's Army. Where he discusses the phenomenon of young and impoverished men conscripted into the military because there are no other options for them financially. Could say the same thing about what happens here in the States. Check out the high energy and upbeat sound that accompanies this song.
Talking Heads.
Art rock meets punk meets new wave. The Talking Heads had so many sounds in their career, and they rarely fit a mould. I always appreciated the song Psycho Killer both for the stripped down yet interesting music, but more for the daring lyrics at a time when it wasn't cool to talk about mental illness.
Thelonious Monk.
This one is purely musical since there is no lyrical content. However, you can infer so much of the mood from the bebop stylings of Monk. You don't need much more than the frenetic hammering of keys from him to discern what he's trying to get across to the audience on In Walked Bud. On certain tracks you can hear him muttering in the background of the track as the inspiration for the jazz comes to him.
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Originally Posted by ResAlien
If we can't fall in love with replaceable bottom 6 players then the terrorists have won.
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I read a good review of this the other day. What are your thoughts?
It's beautiful, heartbreaking, passionate, and joyous all at the same time. Each song is about a specific person in his life, so the lyrics are very intimate and personal. Much more than on any previous Downie/Hip release. It's a little jarring at first, like you're peering into this guy's head during a very private moment. The music is pretty bare-bones: mostly guitar, bass, keyboards/piano, the odd drum track here and there, and Gord's voice, which was in fine form when he recorded it. I'd say it's one of the best vocal performances of his career.
A few of the songs will hit you hard ("Bedtime" just destroyed me the first time I heard it.) However despite the grim circumstances surrounding the writing of this material, many of the songs are actually quite upbeat and catchy, and a general theme of love, reflection, and wistfulness run through the album.
One of my favorites is "Love Over Money", which is a touching tribute to his bandmates in the Hip.
Last edited by direwolf; 11-23-2017 at 11:16 AM.
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In particular, "Oliver's Army" sounded like a hit waiting to happen; it had hooks Abba would envy carried by a buoyant piano line from Steve Nieve, and it boasted an almost jubilant-sounding vocal from the traditionally dour (or threatening) Costello, who even embellished himself with some tight vocal harmony overdubs. "Oliver's Army" was a 45 that radio could hardly refuse -- that is, until programmers listened closely to the words and discovered it was a bitter screed about how impressionable youth were being used as cannon fodder by Tory leaders whose political agendas had little to do with the concerns of the man on the street. - All Music.
Matthew Good's newest Something Like a Storm is pretty good. He can be a tough listen sometimes (my neighbour calls it sad bastard music) but this one's almost upbeat after only a few listens.
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Listening to I Wanna Be Your Noise by Otori tonight. They are no doubt influenced by the art-rock / no-wave scene in Tokyo during the 80s. Recommended for fans of bands like Sonic Youth, Live Skull and Suicide. They were also part of the Next Music from TOKYO showcase that toured Canada a couple years ago. The video below is from their stop in Toronto.
Listening to Travels With Myself and Another by Future of the Left tonight. I also pulled out a couple of eps (Human Death and To Failed States and Forest Clearings) earlier as I gave them both the short shrift the first time around. For those not familiar, the frontman for Future of the Left used to lead the band Mclusky in the late 90s and early oughts. Mclusky, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated great bands ever.
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Listening to Ride's Going Blank Again tonight. Great album. They've reunited recently and released an album. Below is a video of Ride playing the lead-off track to Going Blank Again after they had reunited.
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