Monthly Archives: August 2013

My iPod #122: Alexisonfire – Boiled Frogs

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“Boiled Frogs” was the second single released from Alexisonfire’s third album “Crisis”, which was released in 2006.

I didn’t know who Alexisonfire was until that year. One of their videos played regularly on MTV2, and I really dug the contrast between the screaming vocals by George Pettit, and the melodic vocals of Dallas Green with Wade MacNeil coming somewhere in the middle. It all worked really well. It took me quite a while to find out how to pronounce their name. It is “Alexis-on-fire”, and not “Alex-is-on-fire”. I thought the latter was quite funny. It doesn’t really matter anymore. The band broke up in 2011.

This song didn’t play so much on MTV2. It was like they threw out the first single, and then completely forgot about the band. I never saw another Alexisonfire video on MTV2 UK again. I had to see “Frogs” on YouTube. I didn’t really appreciate as much then though. I just thought the one song that was MTV2 was enough. I didn’t give it a chance.

I repeatedly listened to it later on when I got the album for my fourteenth birthday, and eventually started to like it more. The term “Boiled Frogs” is an analogy, which is to long to explain on here. For more information on it, you can click here to see what relevance it has to the song.

The only part I can really sing along to is the chorus. I actually do really like the song though.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #121: The Dandy Warhols – Bohemian Like You

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WARNING: INCLUDES SCENES OF NUDITY. It’s only a few shots. But still.

I have heard more songs by The Dandy Warhols. Don’t worry. I’m not that kind of person who’s like “Ah, I listen to [insert band here] all the time” and only know the lyrics to their signature song. No, no. That’s not me. I have two more songs ony my iPod by the band, so :p.

I don’t need to prove anything. I don’t listen to The Dandy Warhols anyway. I didn’t know they were still together until I searched it up whilst typing this sentence. They are though, and that’s all right.

I think I’m correct in saying that The Dandy Warhols are much more popular in the US than here in the United Kingdom. I think the only reason people here know of them is due to the Vodafone advert this song was on in the early noughties. I can’t remember it at all, seeing as I was about six at the time. But thanks to that advert, the song reached number five on the charts. That wasn’t really significant to me either.

In general, “Bohemian Like You” is one of those songs that you know you’ve heard before. Somewhere in someplace at sometime. The problem is you can’t remember what the name of the artist was. Well, if you’re in that situation, here you go. Problem solved.

The nude scenes were censored when they played on MTV2, so being the eager beaver I searched up the uncensored version. I was just curious that’s all. Seeing the guy’s private parts wasn’t so great. That was years ago though. I’m much more mature now.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #120: Sex Pistols – Bodies

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Hi guys.

I’ve been quite ill this week. It started with a sore throat two days ago, and then just escalated into a cold and now I’m sneezing all over the place with a headache, cough etc. etc. It’s not great. Still, I’ve got a song to get through. Let’s go.

Sex Pistols were the source of many a controversy during their original three year tenure in the seventies. The album’s name was at the centre of an obscenity case, and the songs included sparked up even more debate.

“Bodies” is one of my favourite songs from the album. Originally, I didn’t care for “Never Mind” so much. I only downloaded it in 2009 when I had my YouTube channel, where I uploaded albums so other people could listen to them. That was when whole albums couldn’t be uploaded too. I didn’t thing the songs were worth listening to, but I didn’t take the time to actually listen to them anyway. “Anarchy in the UK” and “God Save the Queen” were the two I had heard several times. I probably assumed that all the other songs would sound the same.

I was very wrong. “Bodies” is like nothing else on the album. It’s probably the most intense song out of the other eleven, not just because of the subject matter, but also musically. Johnny Rotten is very graphic in depicting a “screaming bloody mess” of an abortion, and also manages to utter the word ‘fuck’ in only a matter of seconds. Overall, the song’s major key gives of a positive vibe. If you were to hear this in a bar or something, you wouldn’t sit down to analyse the lyrics. You’d be more likely to be screaming them in the face of a random person who’s also singing along to it.

It’s a song that wouldn’t have a chance to be released whatsoever if it was released today. I guess that’s what made the band so notorious in its prime.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #119: They Might Be Giants – Boat of Car

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Probably not the most popular TMBG song, but it just has something that attracts me to it. I honestly can’t say much about it – it’s only 1 minute and a few seconds long. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s more of a transitional thing that sets you up for the next track.

It’s very easy to memorise, the Johnny Cash sample fits in very well (however oddly placed it may sound). It sends off a very mysterious vibe. What is the ‘boat of car’? Why is the narrator following the ‘traces of the fingernails’?

Who am I kidding, it’s nothing to get philosophical about. It probably doesn’t mean anything at all.

Vocals are done by John Flansburgh’s old girlfriend by the way.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #118: Wheatus – BMX Bandits

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You would think that after result success, I wouldn’t be here for quite some time. I would be out with friends. At the cinema, at their houses, anywhere. Nope. It appears that no one is doing anything. I guess they are with their families, which is understandable. It’s a good time for a lot of us. The weather wasn’t very good anyway. Who would want to go out now?

When you see the word “Wheatus”, what do you think of? A lot of people, especially in the society we live in now, would probably have no idea. But you and I remember “that band who had that song…. Teenage Dirtbag! Yeah!” That was released thirteen years ago. The band had another hit with a cover. After that they seemingly dissappeared from the face of the earth.

However, they actually released a few more albums afterwards. But did anyone care? Not so much. Except for Wheatus fans. To be honest I was just content with the two aforementioned tracks. That was until some time in 2005 when “BMX Bandits” came up on Scuzz.

How did I feel when the video appeared? Well I thought the song was great. The animation present in the video was a bit much, but I really liked the melody of the chorus and the quiet-loud-quiet dynamic it had when alternating between that and the verses. Then when “WHEATUS – BMX BANDITS” came up near the end, I was shocked to see that A) It was Wheatus B) A video of theirs that wasn’t “Teenage Dirtbag” was on the TV and C) The song was actually worth listening to.

I took ages for me to finally listen to the song in full on the Internet. What matters is that I eventually found it and saved it on my computer.

The track was the first single from the band’s 2005 release “TooSoonMonsoon”, which went barely noticed by anyone. I haven’t listened to that album, but I’m just going to assume that this is definitely a highlight from it.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.