Today's song of the day is another one from a band that has split up and gone their separate ways. English Indie-Rock band Air Traffic, who had limited success with their album Fractured Life, reaching 42 in the UK charts. Lead singer Chris Wall is now part of another band who aren't particularly well known, called Soft Bullets. They are more piano-heavy than many indie bands, but that sets them apart from a lot of bands.
This is Shooting Star:
So What's So Good?
Opening on a simple piano tune, Wall kicks in with his stunning voice. His voice is so diverse and pleasant, hitting the falsetto high notes but also the lower notes perfectly. The piano is simple but fits well with his voice, before the guitars and drums kick in.
The crash of the drums and guitars brings the song to life, whilst the drums drive the song along through to the chorus. The guitar work is fairly simple but effortlessly combines with the other instruments. It's a fairly unoriginal love song, but it's still a very good song.
It's a good song all round, but the star of the show has to be Chris Wall, whose incredible voice makes the song such a good indie-rock hit.
Today's song of the day comes from a little-known band called Hunting Grounds, a synth-indie-rock band, although they used to be a punk band called Howl. A bizarre change of genre, but there are times when their punk influence shows through. Hailing from Australia, the six-piece have released an album called In Hindsight, which has not charted at all. The band are not at all well known, so hopefully I can introduce you guys to a new band.
Here is Star Shards:
So What's So Good?
Star Shards has a slightly ethereal sound to it. It's haunting music combined with the slightly ominous lyrics give an unusual and unsettling feel to the song. The vocals have a synth-y sound to them, which help with the haunting feel.
It's not necessarily a bad thing though. It's atmospheric and catches your attention. It's surprisingly soft for a punk style band but signals the new direction the band are taking with the name change too. There are moments, especially with the vocals, where the intensity is heightened and you can tell, but otherwise it's a fairly standard indie-pop track.
Hunting Grounds make some very good music and Star Shards is a terrific, atmospheric and well produced song that everyone should give a chance.
Today's song comes from a band who sadly split up a while back, Scottish fourpiece The Dykeenies. They have been described mostly as an indie-rock band, but some songs have crossed into other genres, such as 'art pop' (I have no idea what this really is) and 'new rave'. Releasing two albums and five individual singles, the band struggled to become as big as they would have liked, peaking at 53 with Clean Up Your Eyes. One (assumedly deaf) reviewer compared lead singer Brian Henderson's vocals to those of Brian Molko, which I think is wildly inaccurate, but maybe you will agree.
Here is Stitches:
So What's So Good?
A fairly melancholy guitar riff to start off, accompanied by powerful drums, giving a sense of sadness but hope. Then Henderson's vocals kick in, softly at first, but as the song reaches the first pre-chorus the vocals become louder and more emotionally charged. Henderson seems to have a habit of sounding really far away from the mic when he sings, which is bizarre, but he seems to strain his voice. This does however make it sound more emotional and bring out his natural Scottish accent.
Lyrically the song is empowering, as though you feel that he has been emotionally hurt before (hence why he needs stitches, though figurative ones) he is going to carry on. This gives a powerful, albeit cliche, message about carrying on in the face of adversity, or as Chumbawumba so eloquently put it, getting knocked down but getting back up again.
This song is not particularly upbeat and is not one which you could describe as happy, but it's not depressingly downbeat. It is a song that feels more punchy and even to some extent sounds better at night, in the dark, but that might just be me.
Sadly The Dykeenies don't exist as of 2011, but this tune remains a classic, at least to me.
Today's song of the day comes from my favourite band, Placebo. Placebo are a 3 piece Alternative Rock band who have been going for 20 years. They recently released their seventh studio album, Loud Like Love, which like all of their other albums reached top 20 in the UK album charts. Placebo are known for their androgynous themes and drug and sex based lyrics. Lead singer Brian Molko is vocal about his drug use but claims it is all in the past, but you can see the influence in many of their songs.
Today's song is particularly angst-ridden, hence the title Teenage Angst:
So What's So Good?
I shouldn't have to tell you, but I will anyway because otherwise this blog would be a little bit more pointless than it was before. An electric guitar starting riff that merges into a slick drumbeat and Molko's distinctive vocals give the song a strong opening, which it carries through the verse. Molko's voice fits the angsty theme perfectly, though I can't help but feel that it's slightly tongue-in-cheek - a self-parody, if you will.
Your view on the song, lyrically, probably depends on your feeling. If you were feeling down you might see it is describing your feelings perfectly. That's why it would be easy to see this song as 'emo', similarly to Radiohead's Creep, which is an attempt at mocking whiny, self-designated 'emos', but was instead seen as an anthem to the outcasts that he was trying to mock. However, I'm not sure Molko is attempting to mock them in any malicious manner, but instead look back at the way he was and mock himself.
The chorus is based on something Molko's mother said to him - 'As soon as you pop out of the womb you start to detoriate'. Whilst a very depressing and pessimistic way to look at the world, it holds some truth. Molko's paraphrases it as 'Since I was born I started to decay', which whether or not is true angst or self-mocking, happens to be one of my favourite lines of any song.
Placebo are a band that are unique who bind together dark themes with love and drugs to make effortlessly powerful yet simultaneously fragile music. Molko's voice is like marmite but personally, I think his voice is absolute perfection.
Today's song of the day comes from LA based Indie band, The Hard Knocks. Another band who are yet to reach the height of popularity, The Hard Knocks have only released a select few songs via Soundcloud and similar sites from their EP ME. The band have drawn comparisons to bands like The 1975, The Neighbourhood and Pacific Air, which is not a bad list to be compared to, all things considered. Very little information about the band has been released, but I'm sure as they gain more and more support it will come out.
Here is Pocket Full of Change:
So What's So Good?
From the first line, I was hooked. Lead singer Drew Vocelka's sultry vocals instantly piqued my interest; fragile yet powerful. The Hard Knocks have been called a rock band, but Vocelka's voice is way too polished to be a true rock song and instead sounds more like a traditional indie-pop singer. That's not to say it isn't good - far from it - but he doesn't have the raw power of some singers, instead relying on dulcet tones and hitting high notes, which he does extremely well.
Musically, the song represents more of a rock track, though it's incredibly easy to listen to. Whether or not you like the song is a different matter; you can listen to the whole song and not ever want to switch it off. The chorus is, as it should be in any song, an earworm, but it's one that you won't want to get rid of.
Pocket Full of Change is a well polished indie-pop track that for a first single is damn good. Big things lie ahead for this band, even if second track Hosana didn't quite live up to this song.
Today's song comes from American Indie-Rock band Darwin Deez. Their most popular single, Radar Detector, reached a lofty 62 in the UK charts, though admittedly reached 5 on the UK Indie charts. Darwin Deez are a very 'alternative' band - none more so than front man Darwin Smith. A man who clearly is just cooler than everyone else in the world (in fact, he has appeared in the top 10 of NME's Cool List), with some slick guitar playing and an unusual voice.
Anyway, enough about that bizarre man (Seriously, look at him:)
and let's get on with the song!
So What's So Good?
An unusual start to a song, yes, but if you persist it does get better. It's quite simple musically, especially in the verses, which are quite uninspiring to be perfectly honest, but the hook in the chorus is fantastic. Catchier than influenza and more emotional than the average viewing of Marley and Me, Darwin sings at the top of his lungs, confused as to why his lover is drifting away. It's heartbreaking yet due to their bouncy sounding music, you don't feel depressed. It's really curious.
Lyrically, Redshift is deceptively clever. Comparing your relationship to the creation of the universe is not always the best idea (at least not on the first date) but Deez does, asking if he just missed a Big Bang, which seems unlikely, to be honest. But it's this quirkiness which sets them apart and it's actually a witty comparison. Redshift is when light is increased in wavelength, shifting it to the other end of the spectrum, which happens to be a part of the evidence for the Big Bang, as it suggests everything is slowly moving away from the centre of the Big Bang.
This analogy fits as it suggests that something happened that made them slowly drift apart. He's not sure what he did and instead suggests that something supernatural is to blame - the ramblings of a man in denial or the observations of a heartbroken man? Who am I to judge.
Darwin Deez are an incredibly bizarre band with some incredibly unique music. Many of you will not like their music but I urge you to listen, at least once.
Today's song of the day comes from a Kiwi who goes by the name of Tom Lark. Though he hasn't quite penetrated the charts and the mainstream media, he has had some fantastic reviews on his self-titled EP. His music flits between overzealous, almost mocking, happiness and self-deprecation, an unnerving yet unique blend.
Lark has quite a few very enjoyable songs, but today's song of the day is the aptly titled Go Get A Job.
So What's So Good?
The electric guitars blend seamlessly with the drums and Lark's unusual vocals to create a jagged melody which is strangely infectious. They create a dark feeling to the song which culminates in a crashing chorus, effortlessly capturing the feelings of unemployment, which, as you may have guessed, is what the song is about. The song is never happy but at times it becomes angry, similar to the symptoms of someone who is depressed, which obviously could come from unemployment. However, the song is sung towards someone who is unemployed, so may be to demonstrate the feelings that Lark has towards someone who refuses to work.
Conflicting with the pessimistic feel of the music, Lark's lyrics are clever and humorous, which mocks the person who is the subject of the song. It gives a light-hearted feel to what otherwise would be a relatively grim song. This juxtaposition is what makes the song so clever, addicting and unusual.
Lark's unique blend of pessimism and humour make for an enjoyable listen. I recommend a listen, at least.
