Jasper sent me a review over IM of the limited edition single "Happy Birthday to You," a cover of the classic Orem and Forman song performed a capella by husband-wife outfit My Parents.
Song: "Happy Birthday"
Voice Mail Records, 2009
Rating: ******** (8/10)
I just listened to a voicemail from my parents. As soon as I saw whom it was from and the length, I knew exactly what was going to be on it. It was 44 seconds long and from their home phone.
They did a pretty good job of it though, sang in approximately the same key. My dad even did a little harmony thing at the end. My mom was not quite prepared to hold down the melody so she dropped out, but still, on a scale with most covers of the song, quite respectable. I guess that is not saying much.
Wow, I think I just wrote musical criticism of my parents singing me "Happy Birthday."
I post this as a cautionary tale for those thinking of pursuing music criticism as career or hobby. Kids, you don't want to end up like this.
Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Single: Bell - "Magic Tape"
Single: Magic Tape
Twosyllable Records, 2009
Rating: ****** (6/10)
Classical trained pianist turned indie-electro vocalist, Olga Bell has received quite a bit of critical praise over the last year. Her dark, atmospheric songs are perhaps what any of the last decade's Top 40 pop stars would sound like if their IQ were magically doubled. In that sense, it's understandable why she's frequently compared to Bjork, the other oddball female singer who has walked the line between pop and "WTF?" (albeit in a rather different direction).
Her new single, "Magic Tape," released this week, will be featured on her forthcoming 7" on Twosyllable Records. The record deal marks important stride for her and her band, whose only album to date was recorded partly in bedrooms, painstakingly produced with minimal resources and finally self-released early last year.
Unfortunately, from this single, it looks like all the praise and progress might be going to the band's head - the song's self-aware strangeness is rather over the top. Bell, you don't need to try so hard! We all get it! You're weird!
On the other hand, you have to admire the band's refusal to stay in any given time signature or key signature for more than a few bars. The song never settles into anything comforting and its repeated jarring is engaging on an intellectual level. It would nice to see this approach with a little more restraint in the sound bank, though, just something to tone it down enough that listeners will be able to focus.
Have some faith in us, Bell! We are paying attention!
Twosyllable Records, 2009
Rating: ****** (6/10)
Classical trained pianist turned indie-electro vocalist, Olga Bell has received quite a bit of critical praise over the last year. Her dark, atmospheric songs are perhaps what any of the last decade's Top 40 pop stars would sound like if their IQ were magically doubled. In that sense, it's understandable why she's frequently compared to Bjork, the other oddball female singer who has walked the line between pop and "WTF?" (albeit in a rather different direction).
Her new single, "Magic Tape," released this week, will be featured on her forthcoming 7" on Twosyllable Records. The record deal marks important stride for her and her band, whose only album to date was recorded partly in bedrooms, painstakingly produced with minimal resources and finally self-released early last year.
Unfortunately, from this single, it looks like all the praise and progress might be going to the band's head - the song's self-aware strangeness is rather over the top. Bell, you don't need to try so hard! We all get it! You're weird!
On the other hand, you have to admire the band's refusal to stay in any given time signature or key signature for more than a few bars. The song never settles into anything comforting and its repeated jarring is engaging on an intellectual level. It would nice to see this approach with a little more restraint in the sound bank, though, just something to tone it down enough that listeners will be able to focus.
Have some faith in us, Bell! We are paying attention!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Split Single: "Stomach Worm" - It Hugs Back and "Wolfie" - Ray Rumours
Spilt Single: "Stomach Worm" / "Wolfie"
Too Pure Singles Club
Rating: ******* (7/10)
Lately, I've been trying to expand my new-music horizons beyond New York City, and it was this endeavour that brought me to the UK's Too Pure Singles Club. Though it sounds like a screwed-up dating service, it is in fact the last surviving fragment of the Too Pure record label, a very small branch that sends its members new music by limited edition 7" vinyl every month and that seems to have a good track record of highlighting promising UK up-and-comers.
This month, the club releases a split single between It Hugs Back and Ray Rumours, each covering other Too Pure bands.
It Hugs Back decided to cover the catchy tune "Stomach Worm" by Stereolab. Stereolab is known for their quirky, pattern-driven pop and IHB's version of "Stomach Worm" matches the original in the rolling, pulsing beat. As a general rule, the best cover versions involve reinvention of a song, so I was initially disappointed that IHB retained so much of the original. That said, if you're going to do a copy-job, Stereolab is not easy music to recreate and this single does an admirable job of capturing the original spirit and complexity of the song.
It Hugs Back
More importantly, there are ways in which IHB makes this song their own. Of course, their slightly-raw indie male vocals stand in contrast to the odd-but-polished female vocals of the original. More importantly, thanks to their guitars, their version is fuzzier, noisier and rougher around the edges. Sure, we've all heard more exciting covers, but by slightly circumventing the bubbly sheen of the Stereolab version, IHB have created a single that's fresh and fun.
Ray Rumours, the indie folk songwriter also know as Ros Murray, selected the song "Wolfie" by Scout Niblett as her contribution to the split. It's not a very risky choice - another female singer-songwriter armed with guitar. (How cool would it have been if she had done the Stereolab cover instead?!) But Murray goes further than IHB at reworking her chosen song - while Scout Niblett's version is aggressive and openly bitter, Murray's interpretation is gentle and more mournful than anything.
Ray Rumours
It's not my favorite pick for a song because it hinges more on its lyrics than its melody, which, while subtly pretty at first, is limited and rather dull by its tenth or so repetition at the end of the song. Murray's version does well given the restrictions of the song, though. Replacing Niblett's sparse electric guitar with a tightly finger-picked acoustic, she delivers the song with a softness, giving the words a sense of introspection that you'll find nowhere in the original. Overall, her unique voice and particular guitar technique makes this "Wolfie" distinctly a Ray Rumours song.
As a split, it's an all-around solid release, and well worth a couple bucks to download (I am under the impression that it will be available on iTunes soon) or even to get on the vinyl if you're into that. For more information, check the Too Pure Singles Club MySpace page.
It Hugs Back - MySpace
Ray Rumours - MySpace
Too Pure Singles Club
Rating: ******* (7/10)
Lately, I've been trying to expand my new-music horizons beyond New York City, and it was this endeavour that brought me to the UK's Too Pure Singles Club. Though it sounds like a screwed-up dating service, it is in fact the last surviving fragment of the Too Pure record label, a very small branch that sends its members new music by limited edition 7" vinyl every month and that seems to have a good track record of highlighting promising UK up-and-comers.
This month, the club releases a split single between It Hugs Back and Ray Rumours, each covering other Too Pure bands.
It Hugs Back decided to cover the catchy tune "Stomach Worm" by Stereolab. Stereolab is known for their quirky, pattern-driven pop and IHB's version of "Stomach Worm" matches the original in the rolling, pulsing beat. As a general rule, the best cover versions involve reinvention of a song, so I was initially disappointed that IHB retained so much of the original. That said, if you're going to do a copy-job, Stereolab is not easy music to recreate and this single does an admirable job of capturing the original spirit and complexity of the song.
It Hugs Back
More importantly, there are ways in which IHB makes this song their own. Of course, their slightly-raw indie male vocals stand in contrast to the odd-but-polished female vocals of the original. More importantly, thanks to their guitars, their version is fuzzier, noisier and rougher around the edges. Sure, we've all heard more exciting covers, but by slightly circumventing the bubbly sheen of the Stereolab version, IHB have created a single that's fresh and fun.
Ray Rumours, the indie folk songwriter also know as Ros Murray, selected the song "Wolfie" by Scout Niblett as her contribution to the split. It's not a very risky choice - another female singer-songwriter armed with guitar. (How cool would it have been if she had done the Stereolab cover instead?!) But Murray goes further than IHB at reworking her chosen song - while Scout Niblett's version is aggressive and openly bitter, Murray's interpretation is gentle and more mournful than anything.
Ray Rumours
It's not my favorite pick for a song because it hinges more on its lyrics than its melody, which, while subtly pretty at first, is limited and rather dull by its tenth or so repetition at the end of the song. Murray's version does well given the restrictions of the song, though. Replacing Niblett's sparse electric guitar with a tightly finger-picked acoustic, she delivers the song with a softness, giving the words a sense of introspection that you'll find nowhere in the original. Overall, her unique voice and particular guitar technique makes this "Wolfie" distinctly a Ray Rumours song.
As a split, it's an all-around solid release, and well worth a couple bucks to download (I am under the impression that it will be available on iTunes soon) or even to get on the vinyl if you're into that. For more information, check the Too Pure Singles Club MySpace page.
It Hugs Back - MySpace
Ray Rumours - MySpace
Monday, November 24, 2008
Single: "Pushover" - Bearsuit
Single: "Pushover"
Fantastic Plastic, 2008
Rating: ***** (5/10)
British popsters Bearsuit, who generated a bit of buzz on this side of the ocean during the CMJ festival in NYC, have released a new single today. The song is called "Pushover" and it's certainly an odd one.
It may be a little over-the-top, and intentionally so, but it's a fun listen. Light-hearted, danceable, and well-arranged, with a nice sing-song part midway through giving some relief from the rockin' but assaulting vocal riff that dominates much of the song. It's not going to win any awards for originality - it could be mistaken for some of Le Tigre's odder tracks, among other things (Le Tigre?! Yes, I'm as surprised as you!). What's more, this song could be dreadfully annoying if you weren't in the mood for it. But I think if the timing is right (like when you want to have a crazy one-person dance party in your bedroom - and admit it, sometimes you do), it could definitely hit the spot!
Fantastic Plastic, 2008
Rating: ***** (5/10)
British popsters Bearsuit, who generated a bit of buzz on this side of the ocean during the CMJ festival in NYC, have released a new single today. The song is called "Pushover" and it's certainly an odd one.
It may be a little over-the-top, and intentionally so, but it's a fun listen. Light-hearted, danceable, and well-arranged, with a nice sing-song part midway through giving some relief from the rockin' but assaulting vocal riff that dominates much of the song. It's not going to win any awards for originality - it could be mistaken for some of Le Tigre's odder tracks, among other things (Le Tigre?! Yes, I'm as surprised as you!). What's more, this song could be dreadfully annoying if you weren't in the mood for it. But I think if the timing is right (like when you want to have a crazy one-person dance party in your bedroom - and admit it, sometimes you do), it could definitely hit the spot!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Five Creepy Songs for Halloween
5. Bela Lugosi's Dead (Bauhaus) - Duh.
4. I Love You But You're Dead (Destroy All Monsters) - This song is about the confusion you feel when you love a person, but they have died and are just a corpse. And how that's kind of a problem in your relationship. Key lyric: "I love you, but you're dead / You make my bed all red!"
3. TIE: Mildred Pierce v. Pacific Coast Highway (Sonic Youth) - Hard to pick the creepier of these Sonic Youth tunes. Mildred Pierce involves a tense, repetitive guitar line followed by shrieking. Pacific Coast Highway features really sweet sounding lyrics (read them first if you can) sung by Kim Gordon in a way that makes them deeply disturbing. I don't think I slept for a week after I heard this one. Sonic Youth runner-up: Dude Ranch Nurse ("Let nurse give you a shot / It's something to do...")
2. Blue Flowers (Dr. Octagon) - The production on this underground rap classic sounds like an old horror film. And it's from an album that chronicles the adventures of a serial killer alien gynecologist. Seriously.
1. Carol (Slint) - This song is completely terrifying.
4. I Love You But You're Dead (Destroy All Monsters) - This song is about the confusion you feel when you love a person, but they have died and are just a corpse. And how that's kind of a problem in your relationship. Key lyric: "I love you, but you're dead / You make my bed all red!"
3. TIE: Mildred Pierce v. Pacific Coast Highway (Sonic Youth) - Hard to pick the creepier of these Sonic Youth tunes. Mildred Pierce involves a tense, repetitive guitar line followed by shrieking. Pacific Coast Highway features really sweet sounding lyrics (read them first if you can) sung by Kim Gordon in a way that makes them deeply disturbing. I don't think I slept for a week after I heard this one. Sonic Youth runner-up: Dude Ranch Nurse ("Let nurse give you a shot / It's something to do...")
2. Blue Flowers (Dr. Octagon) - The production on this underground rap classic sounds like an old horror film. And it's from an album that chronicles the adventures of a serial killer alien gynecologist. Seriously.
1. Carol (Slint) - This song is completely terrifying.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
