100511

What's It Called?

The Rolling Stones - Miss You

What's The Story?

You could almost say that their lead singer has moves like Jagger.

Miss You is from their best-selling album, Some Girls.

Who's To Blame?

Either a parent or an uncle. Who else gets at you early enough in life to beat the Stones into you?

Why ♥ It?

That refrain. Case closed. It gets played on the keys, the harmonica, the guitar, and most notably, is sung. There's some great funky bass, and I'm sure there are lyrics being sung or some such thing. But that's not why this song is one of the all-time greats.

This song is so much centered around that one part that, when a band I saw this weekend that covered it, I kept trying to exclaim to friends how much I enjoyed the band and their cover of...

...

...

What's the name of that song again?

You know, that Stones song.

I had this conversation 3 or 4 times before someone actually knew, although everyone knew exactly what song I meant when I hummed it.

It takes a special kind of song to be so ultimately recognizable without any knowledge of the title.

100411

What's It Called?

Cold War Kids - Royal Blue

What's The Story?

Cold War Kids are a four-piece indie rock group from California. Royal Blue is from their most recent & most successful release, Mine Is Yours.

Who's To Blame?

Hardly even know 'er.

Why ♥ It?

Royal Blue is what happens when top 40 rock grows up in the 90s and makes it to & through the Oughts.

For example, the chorus is upbeat and instrument-full like something by Counting Crows or Semisonic. Despite this drawing from standard fare from over a decade ago, this song still sounds like it was made this year. Like a Dispatch tune, the percussion is varied & neat, but you could pull it off in its entirety with a set of bongo drums and still not shame the song. The vocals in the chorus are definitely singable, and the breakdown (2:07) with all the hey-heys is short, but great.

Royal Blue is rock fit for beach bums, the airwaves, hipsters, hippies, mix CDs... whoever. I'm sorta surprised these guys don't get more mainstream radio play, but then again, that means you get to be the one to tell your friends about 'em.

100311

What's It Called?

Spock's Beard - As Far As The Mind Can See, Pt. III: They Know We Know (Youtube link)

What's The Story?

Spock's Beard is a neo prog-rock band, a mouthful that says they play music that'll satisfy prog fans as well as fans of radio rock in the 80s. Formerly Neal Morse's band, he departed after the release of their magnum opus, Snow. This is from the bands eponymous 8th album, the third after Neal's departure.

Who's To Blame?

10 to 1 odds that his finger's in a dyke as we speak*.

Why ♥ It?

Ever hear Andy, You're A Star by The Killers? The chorus of this song is nigh-identical to the verse in that one, except the melodramatic vocals and raw guitar sounds are replaced by a polished, full-band sound.

The verse, on the other hand, reeks of determination. Basic & constant percussion backing upbeat, monotonous vocals with repetitive guitar/bass/keys. Not to disparage it, it's excellent; the strength is in the rigid delivery.

They Know We Know is a ride through the country on a sunny day. Bright, peasant, and mostly unchanging--because that's what you want from it.

* = The stone kind.

100211

What's It Called?

Simian Mobile Disco (feat. Beth Ditto) - Cruel Intentions

What's The Story?

Simian Mobile Disco come from the same school of electronic artists as Justice & Daft Punk. They're a duo, with the more noteworthy of the two being James Ford, a producer who's worked with Arctic Monkeys & Florence + The Machine, among others. Cruel Intentions is from their most recent, 2009's Temporary Pleasure.

Who's To Blame?

According to Anderson Cooper, a hub for illicit pictures of kids on the internet.

Why ♥ It?

Cruel Intentions is great movin' mood music that's powerful despite being quiet.

Picture the opening scene of a film. In this opening scene, a montage of shots of a nightclub are displayed. It's not a particularly wild nightclub, but everyone is dressed well, and it's a nice spot. Lots of colored lights that don't strobe, but gently alter color and intensity. This is the tune that's playing in the background during that montage.

100111

What's It Called?

Porcupine Tree - The Creator Has A Mastertape

What's The Story?

Porcupine Tree are probably the Radiohead of progressive rock: immaculately constructed tunes that sound like emotional damage. The Creator Has A Mastertape is a lesser known track from a better known album, In Absentia.

Who's To Blame?

A designer from Holland who married a different kind of designer from Hong Kong.

Why ♥ It?

Porcupine Tree tends towards heartbreak rather than happiness. This song is upbeat and frequently sounds industrial (think Ministry), but still keeps to the essential brooding Porcupine Tree style.

Like 40% of the songs I post here (at least), the bass line in this song is one of the prime draws. Nothing complex, just constant & driving. The vocals are delivered without emotion by design, and sound like dystopia. The guitar features odd sounds and dissonant chords in otherwise quiet atmospheres and during thrash-friendly rock out sections.

The dynamic is admirable as well: the verses feature the aforementioned brooding vocals, driving bass and bizarre guitar, and this gets more chaotic in the prechorus before the full on headbanger emerges with no vocals, the same (now overshadowed) bass line, and the Ministry-sound I talked about.

Don't mind the prog rock label; if catharsis rock was a thing, I'd file it there. It's worth hearing, especially if you feel like breaking stuff.

093011

What's It Called?

The Bird & The Bee - Love Letter To Japan

What's The Story?

The Bird & The Bee are an indie synthpop-ish duo from Los Angeles. They're perhaps best known for their Hall & Oates cover album. This tune comes from the album that precedes that one, 2008's Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future.

Who's To Blame?

A girl I met while peeling potatoes.

Why ♥ It?

There is so much going on in this tune. It sounds like a blur of neon lights at night while in a moving car. Perhaps it's the song's title that conjures that image, but the music definitely helps the mood; especially during the whoa-whoa parts, its upbeat nature just sounds like movement feels.

The song is also really cute-sy in the way that we stereotype Japanese culture. There's a really high-pitched bell sound to introduce the track that is persistent throughout. The drums are processed and electronic, and there are plenty of high dinging sort of sounds. Inara George's voice is candy sweet, and she's singing about love as an ideal, which goes well with this adorable song.

Love Letter To Japan is perhaps a strange indie pop offering at first blush, but this surface oddity doesn't keep it from being easy to love.