Song #99: Foals - "Spanish Sahara"

With two songs to go, I’ve decided to shut the fuck up for this one. Because, really…how the hell do you describe something that left you speechless on first listen?


Foals are back. And I’m so glad they are

FINAL RATING (/10): 9.5

PLEASE watch this video. It’s insane amounts of goodness.



x
David

Song #61: Pikelet - "Weakest Link"

Pikelet is awesome. I met this one-woman act in April last year, as she (real name Evelyn) played drums for both Jeffrey Lewis and Darren Hanlon. It was rad! She promised to have some new material out soon, and finally now I get to hear it!

Weakest Link has sweet, high-pitched melodies and squealing keyboards that trail along its clickety-clack drumbeat as if they are taking in their tripped-out, reverb-laden surroundings. The harmonies, especially, are lovely and guide the song in the best direction possible - upwards, twiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirllllllllingggg towards freedom! Not a lot else to say, really - if a psychedelic take on indie pop tickles your fancy, give this one a go!

FINAL RATING (/10): 7.5

Weakest Link is up now on MySpace and Pikelet will be touring again throughout the year. Make sure you go and see her!

Song #60: She & Him featuring Tilly and The Wall - "In the Sun"

 Indie squeal! Mrs. Ben Gibbard herself, Zooey Deschanel has teamed up once again with that Monster of Folk, M. Ward, to follow up the She and Him debut, Volume One. It's titled, imaginatively enough, Volume Two.

This is our first taste of what's to come, and not a lot has changed since the first record. It's still kitschy, awkwardly cute and flower-dress happy with its chorus of "It's alright! It's okay!" (which the wonderful Tilly and the Wall provide backing vocals for). It's all very pretty - Deschanel's gorgeous looks aside, the little lady can hold a tune; and Ward's sweet piano line and squeaky-clean electric guitar accentuate the isn't-everything-grand mood of the whole thing. But beyond the song's aesthetic, it couldn't punch its way out of a wet paper bag - it's repetitive, lazy and increasingly more and more dull with each listen. It's not capable of being terrible, but it's the closest Deschanel and Ward have gotten to it in their careers so far. Disappointing.

FINAL RATING (/10): 5

Volume Two is set for release in late March for the U.S. and early April for the U.K.

x
David

Song #55: Rogue Wave - "Good Morning"

Rogue Wave is one band that I've always been interested in, but never really considered myself a major fan of. With the release of this new single, however, I've definitely been converted - I now plan to get everything I possibly can of this very cool little band.

Good Morning is the first single from the band's forthcoming...umm...fourth...album. It's called Permalight and it's due out in March. The track bodes well for Permalight's future: it's a very danceable, incessantly catchy number. Interestingly for an indie rock band like RW, the main instrumental focus is the synthesizer - the guitar appears distantly, if at all. The low-end choppily blurts in time with the brisk beat, whilst the higher pitches shoot arpeggios throughout the song that give an upbeat, slightly-tiwsted sense of joy. It's a really well-written tune, and one (I'm almost certain) that is going to win them a lot of new fans. Bring on Permalight!

FINAL RATING (/10): 9

Have a listen to the track here!

Cheers :D

x
David

Song #51: Peasant - "Well Alright"

Straight back into the Challenge again, and straight back to listening to complete strangers singin' songs I've never heard. Lately the risks have either made me so happy I took it (Social Studies) or made me want to stop the Challenge entirely (The Polyamourous Affair). This is another happy ending, however, so please keep reading!

Peasant is a young twentlysomething bedroom musician from the United States. He has one album out, On The Ground, and this is a two-minute taster from it. Judging purely from this, I think I'd like to eat the whole thing - it's lo-fi, charming and very sweetly written and performed. It's basically piano, some electric guitar and a snare drum that keeps a steady rhythm going - the Elliott Smith meets Brendan Benson vocals simmering lightly atop of it all. I feel like giving him a hug already! A very worthwhile listen.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

Here's a download for you (thanks, No Modest Bear!)

x

David

Song #42: Social Studies - "Weathered White"

 
Right now, we're getting back into the very essence of why I started this project - this is Spinner's free MP3 of the day. I have no idea who this band is. And I find that really exciting - the prospect of experiencing something I've previously never done is something I'm not taking for granted, especially in light of this blog.

But onto the song itself. Two words: How lovely! I've latched myself onto an irrepressibly cute little band, with a very sweet lead vocalist and some very charming keys. Coming across as a Stateside take on what Camera Obscura do (with hints of Regina Spektor and Mates of State), it's the kind of song that you gradually get to know and appreciate over several in-depth listens. I like the drums in the verses, especially how they sound - the snare sound is quick and tiny, the floor tom sounding cavernous. Maybe it's just because I'm a drummer myself that I pick these kind of things up, but what would I know?

The point is this: Weathered White is a gem. I'm so glad I tripped upon it.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8.5

Like what I've described? Get it now, why doncha.

xoxoxoxo
David

Song #27: Hunx and His Punx - "Hey Rocky"

 
Come on! With a band name like THAT, was I really going to pass listening to this up?

I came across the band on a random blog, where the lady blogger in question spoke of an encounter with the band's lead singer. For those of you playing at home, he looks like this.

Mmm-MMM!

Onto the track itself - which is, insanely enough, fucking brilliant. A lo-fi take on Ramones-meets-The Cramps powerpop/bubblegum punk, the track is a homoerotic two-minute sugar rush. The chorus is infectious, in addition to the twangy chord progression and frontman Seth Bogart's buzzing melodies. Yes, the entire thing is paper thin. But it's colourful! And punching through it feels fucking awesome.

FINAL RATING (/10): 9

Close to trash-po perfection. Ugly songs about gay sex have never felt so fucking righteous. God-DAMN I'm loving this challenge - there's so much wonder out there for me!

xxxx
Dunx and His Blungx

Song #26: Vic Chesnutt - "Flirted With You All My Life"

The death of Vic Chesnutt was recently reported, at only the age of 45. I have been reading through a mourning blogosphere, detailing how beautiful and emotional this man's music was, is and forever shall be. Don't I feel like a fool for never before experiencing it.

Better late than never. Flirted With You - from his 2009 album, At the Cut - not only shows where vocalists like Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear and The Decemberists' Colin Meloy got their influences from, but is also a display into a brilliant songwriter. The finger-picking is quaint and well-arranged, the hi-hats sustain an open-road rhythm and the electric guitar paired with the organ is just a gorgeous touch. It's the lyrics here, in particular, that now seem the most eerie. "O death, really, I'm not ready", he howls in the song's sweeping chorus. It's conveyed in a tone that's fearful and uncertain, but now feels more timely and frightening than ever.

FINAL RATING (/10): 10

And, no - it's not because Chesnutt has just died. This is perfect, fragile and irrefutably beautiful music that has sent me into an emotional wreck. I'm off to spend the rest of my Boxing Day in search of all this man's work.

x

David

Song #24: Paul and the Patients - "The Scariest Bar in My Town"

Okay, let's do this one quickly. Here's a little off-kilter Christmas tune for you from a British band I'm not too familiar with (via The Music Slut). I'm going to ignore the fact the singer reminds me a little of Johnny Borrell and enjoy this tongue-in-cheek tune. "I'm spending Christmas at the scariest bar in my town!", he moans as sleigh bells rattle away underneath some subdued electric guitar work. "Another year, another round".

Oh yes, it's depressing. But the sound! It's just so damn appealing! And who doesn't enjoy a twist in the tale of their Christmas tune?

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

Wishing you all a v. merry fucking Christmas.

xhoxhoxho

Daviclaus

Song #19: Girls - "Lust for Life"

On paper, there doesn't appear to be a great deal that's inspiringly original about this band. They're called fucking Girls, for God's sake; and it doesn't help that their album is called Album and that their lead single takes its name from a popular Iggy Pop tune (Lust for Life).

What does help them, however, is the fact they've got a damn catchy little pop tune on their hands. Lust for Life jangles along with an eccentric lyrical wishlist, handclaps and a dancy little rhythm. It might not be ground-breaking by any means, but you'll be damned if you can't get the melody out of your head.

What I can't understand is how this got such great critical response - the site I write for, The AU Review, listed it as their second best song of the year behind My Girls (fittingly enough). It's a nice tune, but, as emphasised, definitely not best of the year.

FINAL RATING (/10): 7

Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong.
Watch for yourself.

Song #9: Shout Out Louds - "Walls"

No kidding! They're back!

I've been wondering what happened to the Shout Out Louds for a long time. It feels like forever since I was infatuated with their jangly, slightly-twee brand of indie pop-rock with tracks like The Comeback, Tonight I Have To Leave It and Very Loud (my favourite). It's been at least a few years since I've heard anything in relation to them (apart from chatting to one of my editors about the time he met them), so it's very relieving to know they didn't die a tragic death like...welll....Dogs Die in Hot Cars?

Walls, which is a taster from their upcoming third album Work, is an interesting beast. The environment in which it finds itself is spacious and lush, yet it's reluctant to explore. The first minute or so is nice enough, but everything feels a little unremarkable leading up to the chorus, and even more so after it's gone - it's a bloody good one. Vocalist Adam Olenius is still doing his best impression of a young Robert Smith, albeit changing up his breathier tone for something a little more scrawny and strangely sounding more Swedish than before (this shouldn't be weird, considering he IS Swedish, but it's actually kind of disconcerting). The piano that tinkers away melodically underneath is lovely, too, but you can't shake the feeling that something's missing when listening to this song.

FINAL RATING (/10): 7

Let's remain optimistic about Work, which is set for release in Februrary 2010. Anything could happen, and this isn't a bad track by any stretch. Still, after a couple of listens, you'll probably find yourself skipping ahead to the chorus part, disregarding the rest.

If you'd like to have a listen, why not download it for free (courtest of Spinner.com)?

XX
David

Song #4: Billy Vincent - "Roses"

So this blog has seeming taken off already - and on an international basis, bizarrely enough. On Thursday afternoon, I received an email from a guy called Joe - who happens to play in a band called Billy Vincent.

As much as we'd like to kid ourselves otherwise, I doubt you'll have heard of us. We hope that will soon change though, and in an effort to help things on their way, we'll use many an excuse to point people in our direction. Hence me, here & now, suggesting you take one of our tracks as part of the project.

Proposition accepted; which lead me to the track Roses on MySpace.

The song has a sea-shanty sway with obvious folk and country influences, making for an interesting listen. The song waxes lyrical on melancholy and lonesome questioning such as "Where do you run to escape from your mind?", all the while keeping up a strangely upbeat catchiness. It's not overtly original sounding - Badly Drawn Boy, The Veils and even The View all come to mind. Even still, for fans of the alt-country movement, there's plenty to like about Roses.

FINAL RATING (/10):7.5

If you like what you hear, the band have put their debut album Stay On Course, No Remorse up on their website for freeeeeeeee! I know there's nothing you like more than free shit, so here you go. Take it. Go on! What have you got to lose?

XX
David

Song #3: The Antlers - "Bear"

When I told my friend Adam - currently in the other room making eggs - that I'd only heard of The Antlers, and had never actually listened to them, he pretty much flipped."ANTLERS! ANTLERS! ANTLERS!", he cried, rushing in to play me a track from their album Hospice.

 

That track was Bear. The album has been critically acclaimed throughout the year, and with my first introduction to them, it's not difficult to see why. In a vein similar to Neutral Milk Hotel, this is indie rock with a bleak, world-weary outlook and a mixed sense of joy, nostalgia, sorrow and letting go. It's wonderfully executed - the vocals are pensive and quietly powerful, the upbeat rhythm a bizarre contrast, and the lyrics paint a tragic picture:

But we'll make only quick decisions
And you'll just keep my in the waiting room.
And all the while I'll know we're fucked
And not getting unfucked soon
When we get home we're bigger strangers than we've ever been before
You sit in front of snowy television, suitcase on the floor

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

Just when I thought that the album of the year race had already been decided, Hospise rears its head. Or antlers; whatever you prefer. Still, this is very much worth a listen. It's bittersweet, heartbreaking and solemn - the exact kind of traits music like this needs. Matter of fact, 'round these parts it's a compliment.

XX
David