It's strange how the smallest thing can make a song. I've often latched on to what could be considered a relatively minor element of a track and proclaimed it the source of all the song's greatness (or something suitably grandiose). I'm not talking about the obvious things, like the hook or the lyric, but something small which only occurs once or twice, and probably only for a second or two. A drum fill, a guitar/bass lick, the pronunciation of a certain word... maybe I'm getting terribly geeky here, but I seem to keep noticing them.
Click the readmore for a few examples of what the hell I'm talking about.
The song that made me think of this now is a timeless classic, but one which I've always thought has a definitive 'best bit'. We all know that the solo in Something by The Beatles is awesome, but there's a tiny flourish towards the end which is the absolute king of throwaway guitar flourishes. It happens twice, and then slightly differently a third time, but the first one is so effortlessly perfect that it gets me every time.
The Beatles- Something
...and the little thing
Bon Iver's Creature Fear is a juxtaposition of subdued verses with choruses that seem to want to explode with emotion. At the end of each chorus the bass seemingly can't take it anymore and spills into a funky little lick. It's awesome.
Bon Iver- Creature Fear
...and the little thing
I'm quite a fan of the Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium, and typically, most of its highlights come courtesy of the godlike genius that is John Frusciante. When 21st Century slows down for a few bars it's Frusciante's guitar that teases the chorus back in. I might be overstating it's greatness here, but it's possibly the greatest two seconds in the history of guitar playing.
Red Hot Chili Peppers- 21st Century
...and little thing
Another example of a lead-in to a section turning out to be the highlight of the song: I've always thought the bass in Glass Danse by The Faint was great- simple yet effective- but apparently the bassist couldn't resist getting a bit funky just before the second verse kicks in. Thank god for the irresistible power of funk.
The Faint- Glass Danse
...and the little thing
I can't seem to think of any more of these offhand, but no doubt they'll jump out again when I hear them. Am I being reeeeally over analytic, or does anyone else pick apart songs into minute fragments like this?
It's The Little Things...
Justice NOT Producing Next Red Hot Chili Peppers record
As was reported here and else where on the net last week that Justice where set to produce the next Red Hot Chili Peppers record , this turned out to well just be a rumor and seems to have stemmed from of all places the Sun newspaper (we should have know it was false) and a picture of Anthony Kiedis wearing a Justice tshirt.
Mixmag.net had the skinny on the facts and had this quote from Ed Banger(the lable Justice are on) boss Pedro Winter
"This is what actually happened: I was recently in touch with Anthony Kiedis by phone. He wanted Justice to perform at a festival he's curating in the US. He said "Justice is the best album of the year". So I sent him some Ed Banger goodies and last week we discovered this amazing photo of him and Diddy at a Lakers game. I've been saying for a while that my dream is to see Justice producing albums for other artists like Justin Timberlake or the Chili Peppers."
So it looks like this was just a rumor that a few people got carried away with and well you know the rest. With Justice still to produce an album for anyone yet i think they could do better then the R.H.C.P for their first.
MP3>Justice - D.A.N.C.E. (MSTRKRFT Remix)
Justice To Produce New Chili Peppers Album?
Busy P, the main man at Ed Banger records, has 'let slip' in an interview with datatransmission.co.uk that Justice are set to produce the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album.
This excites me.
There's yet to be any word from the Chili's camp as to whether or not this is true (the band are supposed to be on a year-long hiatus, presumably to allow John Frusciante to record & release 50 to 100 solo albums), but we do know that Anthony Kiedis is a long time Justice fan. Just this month he was pictured at an LA Lakers game sporting a Justice shirt, so chances of this story's validity are good.
I'm a fan of the Chili's recent output, and would love to see what Justice would bring to the table. Can you imagine Flea's playing with that trademark Justice fat bass sound? Wow.
Not being one to pass up an opportunity to post some Justice tracks, here's what it would have sounded like if Justice had produced the music for Star Wars:
Justice vs John Williams- Imperial Stress (Beloki Mashup)
Click for mp3
When is a band 'THE' and when is it 'NOT THE'?
You might see this as an indication of my increasing anal-retentiveness but sometimes it gets to me when I see a band being referred to with the 'The' word put in front of when in fact their actual name contains no such word. Pluralisation of a word does not necessarily mean that a the pre-fix should be added. For instance: Rabbits. In sentence: Rabbits are all around us. Can also be used as: The Rabbits are all around us. Depending on the context entirely. So whether a band has a 'The' at their start of the name depends entirely on what context the band themselves want to present themselves in.
To wit I bring you a list of bands that aren't a 'The' band but that most people think are and a few bands that actually are 'The' bands but that you didn't know.
Click down for more
'The' Ramones
Forerunners of US punk movement. Made same variation of song 100 million billion times. Members largely dead. Surviving members now selling condoms.
'The' or 'Not The':
'Not the'. Album covers figure largely in the evidence for this piece. If a band is not choosing to call themselves 'The' on the album then you can be damned sure that they don't want a 'The' in their name. Ramones had 14 albums. One featured 'The' on the cover. Not in the band name. In the title End of the Century.
'The' Red Hot Chili Peppers
Former funkmeisters who wore socks on their cocks. Currently stadium-filling, virtual soft-rock writing dullest band on the planet. I say dull because they were fucking awesome circa 1991 and now they're like watching paint dry. On your balls. Which is uncomfortable as well as boring.
'The' or 'Not The':
'Not the'. They ARE Red Hot Chili Peppers. They're not THE Red Hot Chili Peppersm for one can only assume that there are many red-hot chili peppers.
'The' Smashing Pumpkins
Grungers turned psychedelic rockers turned double-album-writing-art-rock wannabee's turned gothic-industrial types turned broken up turned reformed who-knows-what types.
'The' or 'Not the':
'The'. They are THE Smashing Pumpkins. Smashing in this case is used the way that the Brits use it, as in 'Amazing' or 'Wonderful'. No Pumpkins are being harmed in the making of this band.
'The' Pixies
Punky grungey whatevery Nirvana-inspiring tunesters, once defunct now-reformed (supposedly). Frontman plays spontaneous performances in Dublin city parks before being moved on by Gardaí like common busker.
'The' or 'Not THe':
'Not The'. It actually sounds cooler if you say it as 'Pixies' rather than 'The Pixies'.
'The' Sonic Youth
New York avant-garde noiseniks turned New York avant-garde noiseniks turned...well...New York avant-garde noiseniks.
'The' or 'Not The':
'Not The'. Never been much debate over this except with the release of their arguably greatest (in my opinion) album Sister which included the 'The' on the front cover. All albums before and since have not.
'The' Pink Floyd
60's psychedlic masters turned 70's and 80's Prog-rock masters turned band that people want to see reformed the most.
'The' or 'Not the':
Both. The band started life as 'The Pink Floyd Sound' before dropping the 'Sound' but retaining the definite article. The 'The' didn't just go with the Syd Barrett era either as two albums in the new 'Gilmour' era (More and Ummagumma) also included the word on their original releases. By the time of Atom Heart Mother in 1970, however, the word was gone.
'The' Beastie Boys
1980's comedy rappers turned 90's and 00's serious musicians/rappers. Currently trying to excise their rap sound by playing Jazz oddysseys on stage which, as anyone who has seen This is Spinal Tap can attest to, can result in playing second fiddle to a puppet show.
'The' or 'Not The':
'Not The'. They are Beastie Boys and are never THE Beastie Boys. Presumably to escape from the ire of all the other beastie boys that are out there.
'The' Eels
Late 90's alternative type band who...ah fuck it can't think of a description really. They make music and its good (except when they play at Oxegen).
'The' or 'Not The':
'Not The'. Album cover evidence aside, the one second ad for the superbowl should be evidence enough.
'The' Verve
Early 90's Brit Rock, turned broke up, turned reformed, late 90's Brit Oasisalikes, turned broken up, turned biggest prick in the world, turned reformed Brit Oasisalikes.
'The' or 'Not The':
'Both'. Started life as just plain and simple Verve, named after the hangover cure. Added the definite article just in time for their last album before they broke up for the first time: A Northern Soul.
Other ones that I thought of but couldn't be bothered with are Wu-Tang Clan, Editors, Manic Street Preachers, Mc5, Kings of Leon, Queens of the Stone Age, Kaiser Chiefs, Deftones, The KLF.
Cases of people adding 'The' when there shouldn't be one are more common than people taking away a 'The' when there should be one. Let me know if you notice any glaring omissions of either case.
Oxegen Extended To Three Days
It seems Oxegen feels it is capable of depriving decent festivals (Elec Pic) of yet more acts that would be more suited to playing the latter. So in order to fit in as many of these acts as possible, this years Oxegen fest will be extended to three days. This does kinda make sense, as most Oxegen goers seem to get down to punchestown on Friday anyways, and are always left arsing around with nothing to do all night. Other than steal things. And set fire to anything they can't steal. But that's Oxegen for ya.
Hopefully the Picnic is gaining enough of a rep that it'll still be able to pull at least some of the acts it wants to, unlike last year's Arcade Fire debacle. Still, it was the small acts that made the picnic for me (and the unique Picnic charm), and I can't see MCD fighting the Picnic organisers over the likes of Final Fantasy.
Lets just hope a mainstream act don't pull a masterpiece out of their asses and leave me forced to come crawling back to MCD, like the infamous Stadium Arcadium year.
Talented bastards.
Chili Peppers Don't Watch Much TV
The band aren't too impressed with Showtime's new David Duchovny vehicle. Not that they're discerning drama critics or anything, the show has taken the title 'Californication' from the Chili's 1999 album.
This irks Anthony Kiedis. So in great American tradition, he's taking the network to court seeking damages.
I hope he is successful, as he clearly needs the money to buy shirts.
2006 Recap: Top 10s Are Fun
Albums Of The Year: 2006
Having not been able to stop listening to 'The Flying Club Cup', and knowing that it'll more than likely be on my end of year honors list, I figured I'd do a recap of last year's top albums.
Here they are (in order):
10. ISLANDS- 'Return To The Sea'
This album is a total gem- any band that can make a chirpy feel-good pop song about conflict diamonds deserves credit.
There are at least four standout tracks on 'Return To The Sea', ranging in style from recorder led pop, to dark rap-rock, to the downright unclassifiable.
Listen:
Where There's A Will There's A Whalebone
9. Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'
Saw what you will about the Arctic Monkeys, the fact that this album is packed to the brim with smart, catchy & edgy pop songs is undeniable. This record stayed in my stereo for months after it came out.
Listen:
The View From The Afternoon
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- 'Show Your Bones'
I'm truly a shameless pop whore. My criterion for good music include pop-sensibilities as an essential. Yeah Yeah Yeahs took the character and visceral energy of their debut and to this added the pop that I so love. 'Show Your Bones' was the result, and damn was it good.
Listen:
Cheated Hearts
7. Final Fantasy- He Poos Clouds
Apart from having the album name of the year, 'He
Poos Clouds' has a handful of beautiful and disturbing tracks (each based on one of the different schools of magic in Dungeons & Dragons- nerds rock!). On this (his second album) Owen Pallett wrote each piece for a string quartet, resulting in a deeper, fuller album that it's predecessor 'Has A Good Home'.
Listen:
This Lamb Sells Condos
6. Fujiya & Miyagi- 'Transparent Things'
This genre-bending album from the Brighton three-piece is the best electro-funk-indie-chillout-dance album I've ever heard.
Enough said.
Listen:
Photocopier
5. Cansei De Ser Sexy- 'CSS'
Every once in a while an album comes along that is destined to become a staple of parties everywhere (Thriller, As Heard On Radio, Danse Macabre, Crossroad..), CSS is such an album.
It's as dancy as it is rocky, and it has eleven tracks of non-stop wholesome goodness- no fast forwarding needed.
Listen:
Off The Hook
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers- 'Stadium Arcadium'
It's often said about this album, but this is a band on the top of their game. To produce an (almost) flawless two disc album at this stage in their career says only one thing: the Chilis are in this for the long haul. This collection has nods to their earlier 'funky monk' stage (Animal Bar, Storm In A Teacup), the standout hit singles the band have become known for (Dani California, Tell Me Baby) and a handful of songs on which the band digress from the formula to tread relatively new ground. For me, it was this latter category which proved most rewarding. Tracks like '21st Century' and 'Strip My Mind' promise a lot from what I hope will be a very long future for the Chili Peppers.
As long as they don't get Navarro back.
Listen:
Strip My Mind
3. TV On The Radio- 'Return To Cookie Mountain'
To hear an album full of as many original ideas as 'Cookie Mountain' is a rare and precious thing. From the arrangement to the production, TVOTR have painted a wild and vivid picture that sucks you in from the get-go. It's hard to pick a highlight, as different songs seem to resonate with different moods, but as a lead single and a first plunge into the world of TVOTR you could do much worse than the thumping, howling 'Wolf Like Me'.
Listen:
Wolf Like Me
2. Joanna Newsom- 'Ys'
'Ys' could be a folk opus; it could be a classical suite; it could be an epic poem. It is certainly unique, and it is certainly a overpowering masterpiece. These five tracks are woven tight with layer upon intricate layer of strings composed by the legendary Van Dyke Parks, held together by Newsom's precise plucking of harp strings, and a voice so much more mature than on her previous effort. I can honestly see this album being studied in years to come, or being sought out on vinyl and played with the reverence that's right now reserved for the likes of 'Dark Side'. An absolute classic.
Listen:
Cosmia
1. Cursive- 'Happy Hollow'
With 'Happy Hollow' Cursive have delivered everything that you could possibly want in an album. The concept allows for Tim Kasher's lyrics to explore small town ignorances and hypocrisies through the most cutting and insightful compositions of his career. Reading these words alone sent shivers down my spine, only to be repeated tenfold when they were put to music. From the first passionately urgent chord, Cursive have the listener is in the palm of their hand. Personally, I must admit I wondered where the band would go after the departure of Cellist Gretta Cohn. She had without a doubt contributed to the dynamic of the fantastic 'The Ugly Organ' and I worried about hole she would leave. Fortunately that hole has been plugged with passion, Wizard Of Oz fueled dementia, distortion and a messed-up brass section. Oh, and when this record rocks it fucking rocks. If you don't already own this, get on it.
Listen:
Dorothy At Forty
Notable Mentions:
Knife: 'Silent Shout'; Broken Social Scene: 'Broken Social Scene'....more? Probably....
Click here for 2007 albums of the year list
Ill-Advised Career Moves
Cracked have compiled a list of the 15 most Ill-Advised career re-inventions in rock history, and I am DELIGHTED to report that included in the list is Dave Navarro's brief stint as a Red Hot Chili Pepper.
As most people who know me will be aware, the argument of Navarro or Frusciante has been a recurring one with me over the years, particularly in the face of the blind ignorance and shameless denial of THIS MAN.
The writer of the cracked piece rightly comes down on the side of Frusciante, pointing out that Navarro was a "metal-inspired possible trannie" who had probably never heard the Chili Peppers before.
Frusciante, on the other hand is clearly some kind of demigod.
Observe:
