Song Reviews
page last updated: Monday, August 30, 2010
Autolux – Plantlife
Couldn’t resist inserting the “Yoda Theme” in the intro, to introduce the Yoda character (mask) into the concerts. Autolux is a neo-shoegaze band from Los Angeles. This song really reminds me of My Bloody Valentine, but the singer also reminds me of Billy Corgan. The vocal melodies, with the very heavily barred guitars create a real surreal and quite creepy atmosphere. By the bridge, the song seems to tire, and it becomes sort of a delusion. For some reason, the singer repeats “shut your mouth” on the bridge. And then the song suddenly ends with a bunch of randomized percussion. They have a girl drummer by the way, which is rare and rocks actually (lol).
Burning Airlines – Wheaton Calling
Burning Airlines was the band that formed after Jawbox broke up. It’s the same singer. And they carry the same post-hardcore/alternative rock vibe in this song. The chorus is catchy, there’s no other way around it. I just wish it were longer. Note the guitars going on in the background and how they play along with the vocals, it actually works extremely well. This turns out to be a tight little song, with that dark Jawbox post-hardcore edge.
Castor - Moving Backgrounds
written 8/29/10
This was mentioned on the concert articles as a song closely tied to memory from the 2009 Deutsche Bank day. It still is. There is something I can't get my head around with this song as to why it makes me feel the way I do when I listen to it. There's something magical about the guitar work in this song. It's slidey, it's bright, it's tingling. I've played this song only twice in concerts and each time it didn't get a very vibrant review, and has even been called "scary" by the observer! (haha). But that reaction to this song sort of let me down because whenever *I* hear this song, it really draws some pretty vivid, and positive mindscapes. It really reminds me of those late August and early September afternoons, and days spent at the Deutsche Bank. I like the melody the song brings over the vocals singing the melody. Castor is not a band that is in a genre that thrives on vocals. This is more of a listening genre, and this is a listening song, and one of the best of it's kind.
Failure – Moth
There are some really strange things going on in this song if you read the lyrics to the song in the CD booklet. This is one of the best songs off their first album Magnified, and is one of their best choruses. I really enjoy the pounding drums on the chorus, as the music gets turned up to high levels, and then gets low on the verses. The hook of “no one’s ever gonna find out” is both good and devilish.
Failure - Small Crimes
written 8/28/10
This is the last song on Magnified. The song is about an arsonist. I think it's underrated on how cryptic this band really is, but they are not depressing. I think that's one reason to take a taste of the the band's viewpoint in their music, because they are sort of neutral with their vibes, and don't make things personal or forcefed. In other words, they don't really care what the audience is or what their listeners think, they just write and produce on their own and the material comes out as "it is what it is, take it or leave it". The chords are so thick in this song that I thought my speakers were broken when I first heard it. There's no chorus to the song, it's merely a dark string of verse lines held together. The chord that rips after the second set of lines is heavy and frightening. All Failure songs are tuned down a half step, but I believe this one may be in Drop-B. For some reason, this is a good Sunday night song.
Failure – Smoking Umbrellas
This was the first Failure song I ever downloaded, and the strange thing was, I played this song before the Space debut on September 13, 2008. I played it, innocently, in a regular concert on Thursday, September 4, 2008. I really like the reggae-like guitar on the intro and verses. The verses are catchy how they are sung. Again, the lyrics are really robust and speak of almost criminal endeavors. I’ve always found the chorus to be very catchy, but this mostly comes from the intenseness of it. The guitar on the chorus, if you follow it, its pretty head-banging and quite heavy. It’s tough to know what this song’s about, but in listening to it many times, it’s likely about getting caught at home with possession of drugs.
Failure – Wonderful Life
The best part of this song is the bridge through the ending. The guitar gets very heavy and very intense at this part, and really catches you off guard. The main song line is decent, but it’s cynical and sarcastic.
Hum – Ms. Lazarus
There’s something really pretty about this song. Maybe it’s the magic guitars going on at different parts. For some reason, this song seems random to me when I listen to it, as there’s no real verse-chorus definition anywhere. The heavy part that comes in always scares the heck out of you because it comes without warning. But I find this song more enjoyable than other Hum songs because it is short (for their standards), and it’s relatively low-key. By song’s end, like most Hum songs, it begins to wane a little.
Hum – The Inuit Of Promise
If I ever heard a creative riff in a song, this song would have it. The riff is so creative that it’s almost corny. The percussion continues to be impressive, but again this song suffers from taking an almost random route throughout the song. The lyrics are unbelievably interesting during most of the song. If you read the lyrics online and then listen to the song again, you’ll find yourself liking the song a lot more. That happens with some of their material. But you cannot underestimate the pure power that this song and this band brings, its guitar magic. The most interesting line of the song goes “glad you kept your hands warm so my arms can feel like trust again”.