Monthly Archives: August 2013

My iPod #127: Kanye West – Bound 2

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A FACEBOOK CONVERSATION MY FRIEND AND I HAD UPON OUR FIRST LISTEN OF YEEZUS
14th June 2013 (GMT)
Friend: YEEZUS LEAKED                                                                                               19:19
            OMFGODBOSBFOUSBNCONOSIC

Me: No way, where                                                                                                           19:26

       wtg
       wtf
       show me

Friend: BRO ARE YOU STILL THERE?!                                                                         19:40

            ILL SEND YOU THE LINK
           TO DOWNLOAD
           http://www.sharebeast.com/riate2ihstqp                                          (Link doesn’t work anymore)

 

Me: HOLY SHIIIIIT                                                                                                          19:44

 

 

Friend: I JUST STARTED PLAYING IT                                                                           19:44
           I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF MATHS
           MATHS IS SUCH A DICK

 

Me: I was doing biology                                                                                                      19:52
       OMDZ

 

 

Friend: HOLD MY LIQUOR AND IM IN IT                                                                    20:03
           OMDS
           AND NEW SLAVES IN GOOD QUALITY
           HALF WAY THROUGH
           IM ALMOST CRYING

 

 

Me: MATE I’M ON BLACK SKINHEAD                                                                        20:04
       THIS SHIT IS CRAZY

 

 

Friend: LOOL                                                                                                                    20:04
            I AM GOD IS SO BLASPHEMOUS
           HOLD MY LIQUOR MY CURRENT FAV

 

 

Me: THIS IS SO SICK                                                                                                     20:04
        I’M ONLY ON THE 2ND SONG

 

 

Friend: IT IS SERIOUSLY ONLY GETTING BETTER                                                    20:09
           I HAVE CHANGED MY FAV SONG 3 TIMES

 

 

Me: THIS ALBUM GOES IN SO HARD                                                                         20:09

 

 

Friend: BLOOD ON THE LEAVES                                                                                  20:09
           OMDS
           WE AINT GONNA REVISE FOR ANOTHER HOUR
           LMAO

 

 

Me: IT’S FINE                                                                                                                  20:11
       I HAVE TO SIT THROUGH THIS

 

 

Friend: WE HAVE TO, HAVE TO                                                                                   20:11

            SWEET BABY YEEZUS HAHAHAHAMe: 😀                                                                                                                              20:13

 

 

Friend: I CANT TELL WHO SOME OF THE COLLABERS ARE                                 20:14

 

 

Me: SAME
       THE GUY AT THE BEGINNING OF HOLD MY LIQUOR SOUNDS FAMILIAR        20:15
       I THINK HE’S IN DARK FANTASY

 

 

Friend: OMDS KEEP GOING                                                                                          20:15
            KID MOTHERFUCKING CUDI
            COMING UP SOON
            ITS SO PERFECT
           OH YEAAHHH
           OMDS THE LAST TRACK HAS A BEAT LIKE ITS MIXED FROM ALL HIS ALBUMS
           LOVING THIS

 

 

Me: OH MAN…                                                                                                               20:20

 

 

Me: dude.                                                                                                                         20:40
       that was an experience

 

 

Friend: im pulling an all nighter today                                                                                  20:55

           that is my fuel————-

So as you can see…. we were both very excited.

Looking at it retrospectively, I have no idea why I was typing in caps lock. Yeezus isn’t really that good of an album. That’s right I said it.

I think it was just so unexpected. I was revising for my final exam and then my friend messaged me with that, it was just so sudden.

“OMDS THE LAST TRACK HAS A BEAT LIKE ITS MIXED FROM ALL HIS ALBUMS” refers to today’s blog song “Bound 2”, which is definitely one of the better songs from Yeezus – if not the best one.

It is… kinda like my friend said, reminiscent of the many older songs where Kanye utilised his chipmunk sampling producing on his first two albums.

It’s basically Kanye yelling at us over a sample about his, apparently everlasting love with Kim Kardashian but with similes and metaphors all over the place which I’m not able to explain to you.

Yeezus is a very loudly mixed album – it’s partly produced by Rick Rubin so there’s the explanation, so on a lot of the songs there is clicking and crackling everywhere. This song is no exception. Especially in the first few seconds where you can literally hear the cut and paste of the sample. The way it ends is quite abrupt and anticlimactic with the “UH-HUH HONEY” part. Nevertheless, it is a standout on an otherwise standard album.

Oh yeah, it also features vocals by the man who sings “Ooh wee” in “Signs” by Snoop Dogg ft. Justin Timberlake. Charlie Wilson, that’s his name. What a G.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #126: Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams

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Can you believe it? It has been almost ten years since “American Idiot” was released.

It seems like a few days ago I got the album as a present for my tenth birthday, listened to the story of the son of rage and love and never looked back as Green Day started to become one of my favourite artists ever.

Those of you who have the album should definitely understand what I mean when I mention ‘the son of rage and love’. To those of you who don’t, I can try and explain it to you but it would be better if you listened to “American Idiot” yourselves.

The album itself has a concept. To put it very short the story of a boy named Jimmy, who leaves his hometown to look for better things, but realises the things out there aren’t so great and returns home. That is very basic, but you can search it up.

“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” comes in after Jimmy gets a real adrenaline rush of being away from home and wakes up the next morning to find that everything around him is morose and bleak. He is alone. He walks alone too. He walks alone, he walks alone.

How did “BoBD” become so important to me that it’s had a place on my portable device? I don’t know. I remember liking “Holiday” a lot more. I think it was the time that I realised that the video for “Broken Dreams” is set straight after the “Holiday” video, just like the two songs are on the album. The music videos for the song were shot in the same studio too. That was quite cool to know.

“Dreams” is a proper Green Day anthem. If you are to go to one of their shows, you better be prepared to know all the words to this. You don’t want to be the one mumbling the words and then singing “I walk alone, I walk alone”. That’s not the title of the song. There are other lyrics, people.

Personally, my favourite part of the song is the last minute when Billie Joe sings the last words and the band just rocks out, because the chord progression and the notes are so awesome. It sounds like it comes from out of nowhere.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #125: The Who – Boris the Spider

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One time when I was bored on YouTube, I remembered this cartoon from the nineties that would show on the BBC. The cartoon followed the adventures of a clumsy spider, who played around with his human friend. I completely forgot what the animation was called, until I found the other day that it was simply called “Spider”.

During that time, I typed in ‘spider’ which instead resulted in videos involving real spiders and “Boris the Spider” by The Who. The video above was the one that I clicked onto.

This time, it’s not a song by Pete Townshend. No, no. “Boris the Spider” was the second song on the band’s second album “A Quick One” which is known for being the only album by the rock band to involve songs written by all four members. “Boris” was the first song John Entwistle wrote for the band, and took a tolling time of five minutes to write.

Seems about right. It’s a tale of a black, hairy and very small spider, who crawls up a wall then drops to the floor, heads toward the bedroom door, comes out again, crawls into a ball and is then squashed with a book by the person who sees all of this activity. The spider’s name is Boris too. And all of this is sung over a simple bass line and a haunting bridge where John puts on his falsetto.

This song is also known for being the first in music history to incoporate the ‘death growl’. Betcha didn’t know that, huh?

So that’s the song for today. That fake spider in the video is very similar to one that I saw on my living room floor the other day. I was so freaked out wandering what to kill it with that it disappeared under the sofa. That bastard hasn’t come out since. It’s only a matter of time.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #124: Maxïmo Park – Books from Boxes

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“Books from Boxes” was the comedown single from “Our Earthly Pleasures”, the second album by Maxïmo Park after the high that was set up by its predecessor “Our Velocity”.

I never really got into that song as many other people did. “Our Velocity” was the comeback, it was energetic and quick. After two years, the band was back with a bang. For me, it was catchy but there wasa something about it that didn’t capture me as much as songs from “A Certain Trigger”.

“Books from Boxes” had the complete opposite effect on me. You can tell why it wasn’t released as the first single if you listen to it. Out of all their singles, this is the one that really sinks into you. Especially if you listen to the lyrics and understand what it’s about.

Like yesterday, the subject of today’s song is one that details a relationship. Whereas the one in “Bones” by The Killers sees it being taken further, “Books from Boxes” is from the perspective of one in an relationship that is dead, and the couple involved know it. “Two bodies in motion/This is a matter of fact/It wasn’t built to last” says it all really.

All in all, the song is quite the downer. But one of my favourites by the band. If you like it, that’s cool too.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #123: The Killers – Bones

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After “When You Were Young” became the new hot stuff and its chorus were sung from the mouths of many a Killers fanatic, people were wondering what was going to follow from the LA four-piece. The first single from the band’s second album “Sam’s Town” reached number two in the UK, and has risen to become one of the band’s most popular songs.

Could they match the former single’s success? With a music video directed by none other than Tim Burton, I think they really wanted to. It didn’t. It reached number fifteen over here. But don’t get me wrong, the last thing I’m trying to do is deter you from listening to this song.

“COME WITH MEEEEEEEE”

Why is that sung at the beginning? Is it supposed to be a link between the previous song on the album? Is it a tie-in to the album’s concept? Does “Sam’s Town” even have a concept? Why am I asking you all these questions?

After that short but triumphant opening, “Bones” actually begins with a lovely melody played on the keyboard with accompanying guitar, bass and drums before changing into the minor key as the verse begins. The song is about a relationship where the narrator really wants to ‘get to know’ the other person. Originally, “Bones” was called “It’s Only Natural” reinforcing the biological theme. The music video for the song takes it into creepy, yet comical levels.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.