Monthly Archives: September 2013

My iPod #153: Red Hot Chili Peppers – By the Way

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Well, here I am. The end of another letter. It’s the end of ‘B’. I’ve been doing this since the day I finished my A-Levels, and now I’m in university. That’s crazy. It’s weird to think about. It seems very fitting for it to end on this note.

When will ‘C’ start? God only knows. I wouldn’t say this is the end of “My iPod”, but I can’t see a point in the near future when I’ll start writing about my favourite songs in alphabetical order. It’s a shame. It will be back… soon. Hopefully.

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The video for this song is now censored when it plays on “MTV Rocks” in the UK. It takes out all the best scenes too. Why?! I don’t get it.

“By the Way” was the Chili Peppers’ first single and title track of the band’s eighth album in 2002. The song proved to be very popular in the USA and the UK reaching number one in the many charts they have in the former, and number two in the latter.

The music video features Dave Sheridan (Officer Doofy) who kidnaps Anthony Kiedis with his taxi, a lot of other shit happens, Anthony escapes and Sheridan picks up Chad Smith at the end. It’s action-packed to say the least. If you haven’t seen it, it’s probably one of the best videos that accompanies the tone and mood of the song.

The song initially trolls you with its quiet, Scar Tissue-esque introduction before launching into a pumping combat/style instrumental break driven by Flea’s bass and Anthony’s rapping before launching into the uprising chorus. It’s brilliant stuff to listen to.

I guess that’s it. I’ll see you when I see you. I hope you’ll be waiting for……… me.

Jamie.

My iPod #152: Nine Black Alps – Buy Nothing

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I leave for university tomorrow, and I can’t wait. So many opportunities waiting for me…. But wait.

Where does this leave “The iPod Times”? Is this finished will I ever get back to this. You’ll have to wait for the last song of the ‘B’ series. Which is also tomorrow. I really don’t know what I’ll do.

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“Buy Nothing” was released as a free download from the band’s website, and was the first taste of new material in two years after their second album “Love/Hate”.

I wasn’t a huge fan of that album. The band had completely dumped their post-grunge/hard rock approach they had on “Everything Is” and replaced it with – what I think was supposed to be a more radio friendly sound – which just didn’t work for me. It’s an okay album, but that’s really it.

“Buy Nothing” was the sign that everything had gone back to normal. It has a hell of a riff which drives the song along as lead singer San Forrest tells us to forget about the government, advertising and consumerism are meaningless. BUY NOTHING.

That’s all there is to the song.  It’s one of the heavier songs on “Locked Out from the Inside”, it’s one of my favourite songs by the band too.

Jamie.

(Sorry for the late post. I’m packing, you see.)

My iPod #151: Weezer – Butterfly

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“Butterfly” is the acoustic finisher to Weezer’s cult classic “Pinkerton”.

It’s a slow and solemn number which will make anyone become teary-eyed, especially after listening to the previous nine songs.

“Pinkerton” was written during a period of turmoil for the band’s lead singer Rivers Cuomo, and you will never hear anything that could detail the feelings and emotions that he felt as you do in this album.

You should really listen to the album as a whole before listening to the song. At least that may give you something to lean on. When you’re sad and feeling lonely, you might not want to listen to “Butterfly”. It might make you feel worse.

Jamie.

My iPod #150: Green Day – Burnout

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With two hits of the hi-hat and two quick rolls on the snare, “Dookie” explodes into life with its opener “Burnout”. The album was Green Day’s major label debut and the first words ‘I declare I don’t care no more’, however grammatically incorrect it may be, resonated with many a bummed out teenager of the nineties.

“Dookie” has been in my possession since Christmas 2005 but I never really appreciated it. I’d really only wanted it to hear the transition of “Chump” into “Longview” because I’d read on fan sites that the band liked to do that technique where songs seam into one another. I already owned “International Superhits!”, the band’s singles compilation, so why would I need to hear any more of their other stuff?

That was a bad mistake. In fact, it wasn’t until 2010 when I sat down and listened to “Dookie” the whole way through. The album’s inclusion on “Green Day: Rock Band” excited everyone, and it made me appreciate the instrumentation even more. I knew Tré Cool was a brilliant drummer, but I didn’t know he could do all those fills and rolls, and at such a pace as well. Overall, the songs were quite short but were satisfying in terms of their melodies, structure and quality.

“Dookie” is a fantastic album. Is it my favourite….? It’s up there. This song is one of the reasons why.

Also, next year celebrates the 20th anniversary of the album’s original release, so look out for any Green Day gigs near you. That might just start playing the whole thing in full!

Get Tré to sing “All by Myself”, people.

Jamie.

My iPod #149: Queens of the Stone Age – Burn the Witch

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“Burn the Witch” was released as the third single from Queens of the Stone Age’s fourth album “Lullabies to Paralyze”. That album was their most recent when I started listening to the band’s music in 2005, and I can remember the video for the song being shown multiple times on the television.

“Lullabies” is a much darker album, believe it or not, compared to “Songs for the Deaf”. The guitars are much harsher and there is an overall sense of gloom and obscurity that is built in each song. “Burn the Witch” is no different. The song begins with these harsh whispers before jumping into its ominous stomping beat which carries on throughout the song along with the contrast of Josh Homme’s falsetto vocals with Mark Lanegan and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top’s gravelly, lower tones. The bass line which mimics the vocal melody of the verses repeats throughout too, and all of these combined make up a tune which will disturb you to your soul.

The music video builds this feeling of doom with very freaky imagery. It does look quite cheap and you don’t know whether to laugh because everything looks fake, but who wouldn’t feel a little discomfort if you witnessed a witch with an army of skeletons coming towards you? You wouldn’t just feel a little bit frightened. You’d run away, duh.

Have fun. Sweet dreams.

Jamie.