Monthly Archives: October 2014

My iPod #358: Billy Talent – Fallen Leaves

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Ahh. Billy Talent II. What a great album. When it comes to Billy Talent, for me their first two albums can’t be beaten. “Billy Talent III” and “Dead Silence” are cool, but they don’t have that oomph that really came across in the opening couple of the Billy Talent trilogy. Just don’t ask me to choose between the two because I seriously can’t.

I’ve known “Fallen Leaves” before it was even a single. Ha. I honestly can’t remember the first time I heard it. It may have been when the then-new album was on the band’s MySpace profile or whatever. But I’ve listened to it for almost ten years now, and it always sounds as brilliant as when I heard it the first time. It’s not even my favourite on the album, which is saying something.

“Fallen Leaves” came to be one of Billy Talent’s most popular tracks, being released as a single in late 2006 and receiving its own video where the band stumble across a gang of freaks. I still don’t quite get the video; it’s quite weird. But there is a very funny part where Ian looks very very surprised when the four discover a lady a some very large assets.

“Fallen Leaves” will appear on Billy Talent’s greatest hits compilation “Hits“, which is to be released soon. Here are the group’s thoughts on that particular song:

My iPod #357: Franz Ferdinand – The Fallen

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Don’t worry, I am still here. Just been very busy this weekend so I had to hold this off for a while. To make up for it, this is the first of four so here goes nothin’…

I can’t put the official video of “The Fallen” on here. Although the song is of a reasonable length – just under four minutes – the version in the video cuts out the second verse about ‘drinking to the devil and death to the doctors’. Quite strange. Is that supposed to be a censor or something because this is the twenty-first century and everything.

It is not that big of a deal, anyway. “The Fallen” starts Franz Ferdinand’s second album off, a long note in the key of C blares out for a few seconds before the guitar comes in and begins the main riff. The song contains many references to the New Testament of the Bible. The Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, the water into wine stuff. It’s all in there. Alex Kapranos likes that stuff. I have a feeling he has done that sort of writing in another Franz Ferdinand song, but what it is fails to come to me at this moment in time.

Anyway, “The Fallen” is alllright. Probably not my favourite from “You Could Have It…” only because I’ve heard it so many times due its single release. It has to be one of those times when it just randomly appears on the iPod when I really appreciate just how good it is.

My iPod #356: Razorlight – Fall, Fall, Fall

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Here it is. The climactic finisher to Razorlight’s debut “Up All Night”. Excuse the video, it appears to be the only one on YouTube which has the song on there. “Razorlight – Fall, Fall, Fall” as a search entry brings up nothing.

And I lie. It’s not very climactic at all. A long piano interlude from the end of “To the Sea” strikes its final chord at the same time just as the guitar of “Fall, Fall, Fall” fades in. There aren’t any other instruments in this, only one guitar, a few “aah-ahh-ahh” backing harmonies and the wailing sounds of Johnny Borrell’s voice. Whether or not that’s enough to make you listen to this song, I’m not very sure.

The track ends on a rather weak note too, after a few utterances of the last line it all fades out on an unresolved chord and fades to silence. That’s probably meant to symbolise something, what it is is something that I fail to see. It’s a good thing I got the re-released “Up All Night”, where instead the album finishes with “Somewhere Else” – a much better way to finish the album off.

Still, I like the song. It’s alright. It’s not one that I’ve memorised and know all the words too, but it does the job nonetheless.

My iPod #355: Cloud Nothings – Fall In

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After hearing Cloud Nothings for the first time via their most recent album released earlier this year, I was interested in what other stuff the band did. Originally Cloud Nothings was a one man band made of main member Dylan Baldi performing power-pop, happy-go-lucky songs. But I didn’t listen to those. Instead I went straight to “Attack on Memory“, the first album where he expressed his anger and raw feelings into his music, this time with three other people, in order to make us and himself forget about that past.

That’s the album “Fall In” is on. Lyrically, I am not sure what I can say about it. Sure, there are lyrics in it but whether there is real meaning behind them is debatable. Baldi has stated that he doesn’t care for lyrics, and normally writes them the day before recording, which more or less means that the music is the important thing to take note on in this case.

Musically, it’s very fast. And loud. Cloud Nothings has a superb drummer if you didn’t know. Seems to hit them harder and at a more furious pace than any other band I’ve heard of late. It’s the same on this track too. Would think the guy has an extra limb or something. The music during the choruses confuses me a bit too. I can’t count along to it. It sounds like the vocals and guitars are going at a completely different time to the drums. It’s all in 4/4 though, listen to the drums closely enough and you’ll be able to get it soon enough.

Sorry for the late post too, caught got up in some reading.

My iPod #354: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Fall Away

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The track “Fall Away” is on indie rock master Stephen Malkmus’ and his Jicks album “Mirror Traffic“, his band’s fifth album from 2011. The track is very light to the ear with soft guitars, heavenly vocal harmonies for the choruses but is backed up with a bass drum that really packs a punch with over-ear headphones.

As it’s not a single, I can’t say that there’s much of a back story behind the song. It seems to be another one of those ones about being on the road and performing on tour, and the time that a band isn’t touring and is instead writing and rehearsing new songs in the studio that ‘no one else can hear’. The second verse seems to elaborate on this topic, using wordplay and metaphors that could only ever be written and sung by Malkmus.

This is a very good song to listen to when travelling or sleeping, just my opinion.