Thirty Days of Music Day 02 - Your Least Favourite Song

I made a small change to the rules for this category, and decided to choose only from songs that are in my music library.  I admit, there was a large selection of songs in my library that really disgusted me for various reasons - from the period in my life they represent, to the values they hold, to the pure ugliness of their sound.  I spent a long time debating all of these songs, toying with the idea of putting up some Slipknot, some Nightwish and 50 Cent, but in the end I couldn't help but choose Operation Ground and Pound as my least favourite song.

This isn't because I have an unquenchable hatred for Dragonforce or because I hate the actual song - in fact, I quite like the song as a stand-alone track - but because I hate what the song represents.  I have great respect for the sheer skill it requires to play such ridiculously fast guitar and drum parts, and I know that I will never be able to attain that level of proficiency, but I feel that it is putting forward an ideal that suggests music can only be good if it is extremely difficult to play.  Dragonforce seem to only write songs that require mind-numbing finger speed, and don't even try to play anything else.  While this is a commendable ambition, I find it bordering on elitist and it suggests to budding young musicians that the skill of being in a band lies solely in technical skill.

This, of course, is not true. 

If we look at bands such as The XX and Foals it is clear that good songwriting and originality are the keys to success - these bands play songs that aren't particularly challenging, but that have pushed the boundaries of modern music and that are musically coordinated and coherent.  Bands like these are both critically acclaimed and widely popular and show that raw finger speed isn't everything.

Furthermore, Dragonforce epitomise the idea that if you like or play a specific type of music then you must look a certain way.  In the same way that emo bands encouraged this a few years back, and indie is to a certain extent now, it almost forces listeners into social stereotypes regardless of whether these suit the person's character.  This is not the way that music should affect its listeners - it should be a release from any kind of social constraints, a chance to escape (to a certain extent) the conformity of day-to-day life.

I'd like to reiterate the point that I'm not trying to personally attack Dragonforce, and I don't want to suggest that they have limited songwriting ability and that they aren't original.  I just feel that they have been producing the same kind of music for far too long and they are too stereotypically representative of the stereotypical metal/ power metal band and listeners.

Thirty Days of Music Day 01 - Your Favourite Song

Heartbeats shot Jose Gonzalez into fame in 2005 when it was used in the Sony Bravia ad (above).  A cover of Swedish band The Knife's 2002 release, it is a beautiful two-and-a-half minute lament over a lost night of love.  I have spent many hours in wonder of the sheer genius of the guitar part that Gonzalez composed for the cover - it's honestly one of the best acoustic guitar phrases I have ever heard.  Unlike other songs that have tended to occupy my attention in phases - coming and going within weeks - this song has remained a favourite of mine for the last few years and now reigns supreme ,with 153, at the top of my most-played list.

Veneer, the album from which Heartbeats is taken, was Gonzalez's debut released in late 2005. It's a melancholy, tricklingly timid collection of songs that embody the style of a true singer-songwriter.  Gonzalez's gentle, placating voice is perfectly suited to this style of music and I can't stress enough how great this album is.  It may not be groundbreaking or experimental, but it's easy to spend hours listening to it.  Veneer is the perfect album to be woken up by on a lazy Sunday morning - it will coax you ever-so-delicately awake - or to chill out to after a busy day.  It's one of those albums that honestly feels like it does your soul good as you listen. 

Sony Bravia are almost single-handedly responsible for Heartbeats' fame - their famous San Francisco bouncing balls is an absolute masterpiece and is as good as the song itself.  Without using any special effects, Sony made one of the most beautiful ads of all time - the images and audio work perfectly together.  If you can't appreciate the beauty of this song, and this video, then I don't think I want you reading my blog...

Thirty Days of Music

I saw this challenge on the My Music Geek blog and thought I'd have a go.  Bearing in mind that lots of my choices for these categories change weekly, here's the list of days:

Day 01 - Your favorite song
Day 02 - Your least favorite song
Day 03 - A song that makes you happy
Day 04 - A song that makes you sad
Day 05 - A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 - A song that reminds you of somewhere
Day 07 - A song that reminds you of a certain event
Day 08 - A song that you know all the words to
Day 09 - A song that you can dance to
Day 10 - A song that makes you fall asleep
Day 11 - A song from your favorite band
Day 12 - A song from a band you hate
Day 13 - A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 14 - A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 15 - A song that describes you
Day 16 - A song that you used to love but now hate
Day 17 - A song that you often hear of the radio
Day 18 - A song you wish you often heard on the radio
Day 19 - A song from your favorite album
Day 20 - A song that you listen to when you're angry
Day 21 - A song you listen to when you're happy
Day 22 - A song you listen to when you're sad
Day 23 - A song you want to play at your wedding
Day 24 - A song you want to play at your funeral
Day 25 - A song that makes you laugh
Day 26 - A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 27 - A song you wish you could play
Day 28 - A song that makes you feel guilty
Day 29 - A song from your childhood
Day 30 - Your favorite song at this time last year

Laura Marling Cover

This is mine and Emma's attempt at Laura Marling's song Blackberry Stone.  The video and audio quality is pretty poor, but it could be worse (I hope).  We gave it our best shot.

The Age of Adz - Sufjan Stevens

I have been a big Sufjan Stevens fan for a long time and I am yet to dislike an album he has released. The critically acclaimed Detroit-born artist has long been a cult favourite, and to me (being part of the aforementioned cult) has been unwavering in his high quality output of music. The Age of Adz only consolidates his position in my mind, as it is another album of immense scope that he has pulled off immaculately.

Taking elements of the banjo-laden, acoustic tracks of Michigan and the orchestral grandeur of Illinoise he has mixed them with a myriad of electronic beats and synths - creating probably his most experimental album to date. It is very different to his previous work and even though you can still pick out trumpets, violins, guitars, piano and the other instruments we expect from him, they are often carefully layered or hidden behind an electronic haze. This dramatic change could shock some die-hard fans, but if you invest your time generously into listening then you will see the true beauty of the songs and arrangements.

Lyrically, Sufjan has taken a different approach to his previous albums - before, the emotion in the songs would be rooted in geographical or historical context, whereas in Adz we tend to see the raw feeling untempered by context. This is neither enhancing nor depreciating to his music - it is just, perhaps, a hint as to how he is evolving and experimenting. How he is not willing to stay static for too long.

The first single I Walked is an electronically emotional lament with Sufjan’s gentle voice rising and falling over the beat. It’s catchy yet meaningful, each layer combining to drive the song (gently) forward. However, there are some album tracks that far surpass it. The title track is a writhing, dramatic number where you see all of the usual orchestral components combining with heavy beats, cascading synths and a catchy chorus-sung hook. I Want To Be Well maintains a swift tempo yet slowly builds into an emotional crescendo - the chorus repeating the title and Sufjan, as far as I know, swearing for the first time on a track : ‘I’m not f***ing around’. There is something so earnest about this that it seems to exude emotional charge.

Impossible Soul, a twenty-five-minute tour de force at the end of the album sums up the collection as a whole. It may seem like a large investment at first, but you will find yourself more and more willing to return - each listen granting you new revelations.

Ardour - Teebs

The first I heard of California-based producer, painter and skater Teebs’ (Metendere Mandowa’s) debut album Ardour was the warning that it would make me want to pee. An apt analysis it seems, as Mandowa has produced a fluid, aqueous, intangible collection of songs that quickly lull you into a relaxed state with their deluge of sound. Even if you’re not rushing to the bathroom every ten minutes then it’s extremely easy to lose track of your time whilst listening.

Teebs manages to create an almost perfect synergy between the pulsing, undulating layers of sound and the slick, simple, low-key drum loops that characterise his unique style. The tracks are so carefully arranged that neither of the two ever dominates, and the frequent waxing and waning of sounds seems to coordinate to give the songs an almost tidal nature. Furthermore, he has clearly taken great pains to create his tracks, utilising not only his ambient, floating synths, but a variety of sounds from coins dropping, to birds singing, to chimes and piano. Almost all the songs are reminiscent of scorching sun and blue skies, and Teebs manages to effectively transport you back to summer. There are singing birds, euphoric synthesisers and gentle arpeggios that, although electronic, bring to mind walks in the country, empty fields and nature in all its forms. Tracks such as Lakeshore Ave., You’ve Changed and Humming Birds epitomise this uplifting style and really are the cream of Teebs’ crop.

He has produced an extremely accomplished album of escapist electronica but I do feel that the album as a whole is lacking something. It’s like listening to Zero 7 without Sia, or Portishead without Beth. You just feel that the music is slightly sterile without a voice to add passion and variety into the mix, and this means it lacks any emotional depth. There is a certain satisfaction to be gained from filling in Teebs’ blanks with your own emotions, but this can only get you so far and if you’re looking for something more meaningful you might have to go elsewhere.

However, Ardour is still an extremely intelligent and carefully crafted piece of work from a multitalented pioneer of the arts, and will appeal even to those who haven’t listened to much electronica before. Furthermore, if you’re getting depressed by the sight of winter looming down upon us, listening to Teebs could be the perfect way to escape all the stress and gloominess and take yourself back to summers past.

Mercury Prize

I've been away for a while so this post is a bit late, but I just wanted to talk about the Mercury Prize from a few weeks back.

 For me, the highlights of the nominations were Laura Marling, Foals and The XX.

 20 year-old singer-songerwriter Laura Marling's second album I Speak Because I Can is her second to be nominated for the Mercury Prize.  It is a mature, dark, brooding record - unexpected from someone of her age - that contrasts with her previous nomination Alas, I Cannot Swim.  She fully utilises her voice's primitive punch in this album, teaming it perfectly with ominous backing and her characteristic trickling fingerpicking.  These songs seem more melancholy than her previous offerings, and they take on mammoth subjects - life, death, heartbreak, responsibility.  It's as if, to me, the album reeks of history - songs such as What He Wrote, Made in Maid and Devil's Spoke all hearken back to a more uncomplicated time without losing any of their own sophistication.  All that's brought to mind is costume dramas, witches and denied love.

 Marling expertly emulates an old traditional folk style, and uses great contrast in her instrumentation.  The single, Devil's Spoke, sees running, rolling guitar and Marling's singing keeping pace whilst album highlight Blackberry Stone is much more gentle - you are lulled as you listen by the simple guitar, lamenting violins and her soft vocals.

 Oxford indie band Foals' second album also saw them depart from their debut's style.  Antidotes was filled with uncompromisingly stubborn math rock - barked vocals, odd time signatures and jerking, awkward guitar.  Total Life Forever, on the other hand, is an ambient, aquatic, synthesised masterpiece that even sees lead singer Yannis move into the unexplored realms of gentle melody and falsetto.

 First single, This Orient, is an uplifting, emotional web of carefully arranged sounds - multiple voices, synths, guitar, bass and drums all combine to create a beautiful end product.  The rise and fall found in This Orient is characteristic of the album - the band have created a perfect mix of gentle and loud music, and they masterfully transfer between the two.  Spanish Sahara is an escalating riot of the sound and singing that builds from near silence, Alabaster is an almost perfect synergy between vocals and instruments that creates a lamenting, uniquely structured song.  Every song seems to have a natural, catchy beat and the hooks are far more accessible than those in Antidotes.  They still retain a penchant for high, jerking guitar but it is rendered so much more subtly.  Total Life Forever is my album of the year so far - buy it if you can and see them live if you can.

 The XX, who won the award, are the hipster band of the moment.  Famous for their incredibly stylised, minimalistic approach to music, their debut album XX received critical acclaim.  Now I don't intend to oppose all those critics who think the album is quality, because it is.  They take a refreshingly different approach to music, and both Oilver and Romy have incredible voices.  Single Crystalised is a work of art, and the two vocalists always combine perfectly both live and on recording.  However, I feel that the other two albums I have talked about are better.  The minimalistic style of The XX is not condusive to putting great emotion into their songs, and this can lead to a sterility in their music.  Furthermore, the lack of variation in the album let it down.  Intro, possibly the best song on XX, is a faster piece - the exception in an otherwise slow album.


I'm not trying to take anything away from The XX, because the album is great(especially for a debut) and in a way they do deserve recognition for their acheivements.  However, like Nihal stated on the Mercury Prize show, I feel there's better stuff to come from them.

 Top Songs:
Foals: Alabaster, This Orient, 2 Trees, Spanish Sahara
Laura Marling: Devil's Spoke, Blackberry Stone, Made in Maid, I Speak Because I Can
The XX: Crsytalised, Islands, Infinity