The Pop Open Group E REVEALED
Big big thanks to jeff_worrell for his comments on this week's tracks. Reveal below the cut - and you can still vote in the poll, which is reproduced below another cut: it closes Monday lunchtime. Tracks streamed here: http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2007/07/pop-open-week-7/
TRACK ONE: Motor - "Black Powder": Pulsating techno tune, with a nicely snarling synth bass line. Still, the feel is more of the threat of violence - a lot of braggadocio - rather than real actual violence UNLEASHED. That’s the nature of techno, I guess, with its gradual builds and recedes, the way it shows you all its moves gradually. But even when all the pieces come together at 6’10”, this earns no more than an ASBO from me.
TRACK TWO: Loretta Lynn - "Fist City": Ms Lynn promises to punch out any woman who feels like stealing her man. Again, we’re talking threats rather than actual violence here, but I’m left in no doubt that she means what she says. Not too surprising given the rocky relationship she had with her philandering husband IRL. Oh and it’s a well-crafted song, superbly sung to boot.
TRACK THREE: James Kochalka Superstar - "Monkey Vs Robot": The singer sets up the conflict nicely, like a barker at a funfair. Conflict is inevitable, he claims. An eternal fight, we are promised. But for all the cheerleading - the dude almost shouts himself hoarse - yet again we don’t see any blows struck. I’m left feeling decidedly short-changed here. Nonetheless I heartily applaud this song’s dumbness. And you cannot have too many songs about monkeys. Or robots obv.
TRACK FOUR: Speedy J - "Patterns (Remix)": This is more like it. After a long-ish, atmospheric introduction, industrial strength beats pulverise the listener. My tolerance threshold for this sort of thing is generally quite low, but this track is full of surprises. In particular, the slide into head-nodding Reichian systems music 4 minutes in. By the end, things have mellowed a bit - but that means you actually get a sense of a conflict taking place and then being resolved.
TRACK FIVE: Pizzicato Five - "One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Barbie Dolls": I’m a fan of Shibuya-kei in general, although you only need to hear so much. But I’m a total sucker for counting songs, and this is firmly in the grand tradition of “Pinball Number Count”, DJ Shadow’s “The Number Song” and in particular Cornelius’s “Count 5 or 6”. I’m not quite sure how this track fits the violence theme at all… unless the person who submitted this had the fight with the army of mutant Barbie Dolls in the movie ‘Small Soldiers’ in mind!
Poll Pop Open Group E: Violence
TRACK ONE: Motor - "Black Powder": Pulsating techno tune, with a nicely snarling synth bass line. Still, the feel is more of the threat of violence - a lot of braggadocio - rather than real actual violence UNLEASHED. That’s the nature of techno, I guess, with its gradual builds and recedes, the way it shows you all its moves gradually. But even when all the pieces come together at 6’10”, this earns no more than an ASBO from me.
TRACK TWO: Loretta Lynn - "Fist City": Ms Lynn promises to punch out any woman who feels like stealing her man. Again, we’re talking threats rather than actual violence here, but I’m left in no doubt that she means what she says. Not too surprising given the rocky relationship she had with her philandering husband IRL. Oh and it’s a well-crafted song, superbly sung to boot.
TRACK THREE: James Kochalka Superstar - "Monkey Vs Robot": The singer sets up the conflict nicely, like a barker at a funfair. Conflict is inevitable, he claims. An eternal fight, we are promised. But for all the cheerleading - the dude almost shouts himself hoarse - yet again we don’t see any blows struck. I’m left feeling decidedly short-changed here. Nonetheless I heartily applaud this song’s dumbness. And you cannot have too many songs about monkeys. Or robots obv.
TRACK FOUR: Speedy J - "Patterns (Remix)": This is more like it. After a long-ish, atmospheric introduction, industrial strength beats pulverise the listener. My tolerance threshold for this sort of thing is generally quite low, but this track is full of surprises. In particular, the slide into head-nodding Reichian systems music 4 minutes in. By the end, things have mellowed a bit - but that means you actually get a sense of a conflict taking place and then being resolved.
TRACK FIVE: Pizzicato Five - "One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Barbie Dolls": I’m a fan of Shibuya-kei in general, although you only need to hear so much. But I’m a total sucker for counting songs, and this is firmly in the grand tradition of “Pinball Number Count”, DJ Shadow’s “The Number Song” and in particular Cornelius’s “Count 5 or 6”. I’m not quite sure how this track fits the violence theme at all… unless the person who submitted this had the fight with the army of mutant Barbie Dolls in the movie ‘Small Soldiers’ in mind!
Poll Pop Open Group E: Violence