Stop acting like some modern Don Juan, drawling lines out of rock'n'roll songs
Songs of November '07:
The Brunettes - Wall Poster Star
I've seen the Brunettes live in November and now I appreciate them even more than I did before. This band isn't just 60s pop and twee aesthetics, it's a great multiinstrumentalist pop group that shows how pop music today can be. Girl/boy harmonies, clever yet playful lyrics and instruments you don't usually expect from this kind of music. 'Wall Poster Star' is one of the songs that stood our instantly the first time I've heard their latest album, 'Structure and Cosmetics'. It's got a darker feel to it than their earlier work, the whole album has, but this song is perfectly made. Heather's and JB's voices blend together in a way that makes you think of old school bands that don't necessarily have to be twee and when Heather sings 'down down the come, wall poster star' it sounds almost sinister in the kind of way you find little girls in horror movies sinister. These guys have deserved a much bigger audience, their 2 EP and 3 albums are an impressive record of how a band that was originally a concept evolved and found a sound they can call their own.
Kevin Drew - Tbtf
Kevin Drew is, in case you don't know, the founder and core member of Broken Social Scene. While his apperance (chubby, bearded guy) and song titles like 'Too beautiful to fuck' (Tbtf, duh), 'Fucked Up Kid' and 'Gang Bang Suicide' could lead one to assume he's a hardrock fella his solo debut 'Spirit If...' is an electrofolky, warm, weird but comforting collections of quite personal songs. If you know BSS you probably know that his lyrics tend to be vague and indistinguishable and while you can mostly hear what he sngs in this song it doesn't tell a story or follow a sharp line, it's more about what it makes you feel than what it really says. And because of that lines like 'you're too beautiful to fuck' don't sound rude and/or cheesy, even if the song does contain porn noises. There's an honesty and softness to his voice and the music that makes me feel right at home and comfortable, so does the rest of the album. If you like BSS or just this song I recommend checking out the album, it's a grower but I'd definitely say it's one of my favourite releases of 2007.
Liz Isenberg - Hello Christmas
Liz Isenberg is a young American singer/songwriter/multiinstrumentalist who I recently discovered. Someone on indie_exchange uploaded her album and I mainly downloaded it because of its name, 'Seaport Seeport Seaport'. I love alliteration, wordplay and everything see-themed so it sounded damn good to me and when I listened to the 20 short (mostly one to two-minute long) songs it reminded me of some female singers that aren't quite the most popular thing right now, but have a magnificent shyness and sensibility that makes you feel as if your best friend or sister was telling you personal stories or secrets. Jena Malone, early CocoRosie and early Laura Veirs come to mind, the quiet ones with the almost whispered, introverted songs. I did not pick this one because of its title, it isn't really about Christmas, but because it's one of the longer songs of the record that grabs your attention a bit more. Also the beginning lines 'we all talk but no one listens, thank God no one listens' reminds me of my own private conversations with my friends that I don't want anyone else to hear and I can't recall many songs that remind me of that exactly. Give this song a couple of gos and you might find it stuck in yout head like I did and love it, too.
The Ronettes - Be My Baby
The 60s pop obsession continues! This, of course, is a classic. I don't think I know anybody who doesn't know this song and most people openly or secretly love, I'm sure of that. Even if phil Spector is a crazy old man he sure knows how to write a good pop tune and Ronnie Spector's signature voice is incomparable. If you like current bands that use 60s pop aesthetics I think you should know where they got it from and this song's very influential. You should get this if you don't already have it, even just because singing along to it with your friends is so much fun!
The Dresden Dolls - Pretty In Pink
I've never seen 'Pretty in Pink'. I'm sure most of you have, but I haven't (I've seen 'The Breakfast Club' several times though, does that count?), so I don't know what the original's like, but I think this is a very good cover. I'm pretty sure Amanda Palmer is allowed to do anything and she'll still be cool. Even though I heard some emo teens are into the Dresden Dolls now I still think they're an incredibly inventive, brilliant band and I can't wait for Amanda's solo album to come out next year. Her voice and expressive vocals are instanly recognizable and she makes every song into her own. Here you can also hear my love for accordions and melodicas, plenty of that in this song, I don't think we've heard Amanda + accordion before, have we? Anyway, she can pull off everything and manages to make this song shine and I love it.
The Brunettes - Wall Poster Star
I've seen the Brunettes live in November and now I appreciate them even more than I did before. This band isn't just 60s pop and twee aesthetics, it's a great multiinstrumentalist pop group that shows how pop music today can be. Girl/boy harmonies, clever yet playful lyrics and instruments you don't usually expect from this kind of music. 'Wall Poster Star' is one of the songs that stood our instantly the first time I've heard their latest album, 'Structure and Cosmetics'. It's got a darker feel to it than their earlier work, the whole album has, but this song is perfectly made. Heather's and JB's voices blend together in a way that makes you think of old school bands that don't necessarily have to be twee and when Heather sings 'down down the come, wall poster star' it sounds almost sinister in the kind of way you find little girls in horror movies sinister. These guys have deserved a much bigger audience, their 2 EP and 3 albums are an impressive record of how a band that was originally a concept evolved and found a sound they can call their own.
Kevin Drew - Tbtf
Kevin Drew is, in case you don't know, the founder and core member of Broken Social Scene. While his apperance (chubby, bearded guy) and song titles like 'Too beautiful to fuck' (Tbtf, duh), 'Fucked Up Kid' and 'Gang Bang Suicide' could lead one to assume he's a hardrock fella his solo debut 'Spirit If...' is an electrofolky, warm, weird but comforting collections of quite personal songs. If you know BSS you probably know that his lyrics tend to be vague and indistinguishable and while you can mostly hear what he sngs in this song it doesn't tell a story or follow a sharp line, it's more about what it makes you feel than what it really says. And because of that lines like 'you're too beautiful to fuck' don't sound rude and/or cheesy, even if the song does contain porn noises. There's an honesty and softness to his voice and the music that makes me feel right at home and comfortable, so does the rest of the album. If you like BSS or just this song I recommend checking out the album, it's a grower but I'd definitely say it's one of my favourite releases of 2007.
Liz Isenberg - Hello Christmas
Liz Isenberg is a young American singer/songwriter/multiinstrumentalist who I recently discovered. Someone on indie_exchange uploaded her album and I mainly downloaded it because of its name, 'Seaport Seeport Seaport'. I love alliteration, wordplay and everything see-themed so it sounded damn good to me and when I listened to the 20 short (mostly one to two-minute long) songs it reminded me of some female singers that aren't quite the most popular thing right now, but have a magnificent shyness and sensibility that makes you feel as if your best friend or sister was telling you personal stories or secrets. Jena Malone, early CocoRosie and early Laura Veirs come to mind, the quiet ones with the almost whispered, introverted songs. I did not pick this one because of its title, it isn't really about Christmas, but because it's one of the longer songs of the record that grabs your attention a bit more. Also the beginning lines 'we all talk but no one listens, thank God no one listens' reminds me of my own private conversations with my friends that I don't want anyone else to hear and I can't recall many songs that remind me of that exactly. Give this song a couple of gos and you might find it stuck in yout head like I did and love it, too.
The Ronettes - Be My Baby
The 60s pop obsession continues! This, of course, is a classic. I don't think I know anybody who doesn't know this song and most people openly or secretly love, I'm sure of that. Even if phil Spector is a crazy old man he sure knows how to write a good pop tune and Ronnie Spector's signature voice is incomparable. If you like current bands that use 60s pop aesthetics I think you should know where they got it from and this song's very influential. You should get this if you don't already have it, even just because singing along to it with your friends is so much fun!
The Dresden Dolls - Pretty In Pink
I've never seen 'Pretty in Pink'. I'm sure most of you have, but I haven't (I've seen 'The Breakfast Club' several times though, does that count?), so I don't know what the original's like, but I think this is a very good cover. I'm pretty sure Amanda Palmer is allowed to do anything and she'll still be cool. Even though I heard some emo teens are into the Dresden Dolls now I still think they're an incredibly inventive, brilliant band and I can't wait for Amanda's solo album to come out next year. Her voice and expressive vocals are instanly recognizable and she makes every song into her own. Here you can also hear my love for accordions and melodicas, plenty of that in this song, I don't think we've heard Amanda + accordion before, have we? Anyway, she can pull off everything and manages to make this song shine and I love it.