Monthly Archives: May 2015

My iPod #495: Fleet Foxes – He Doesn’t Know Why

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“He Doesn’t Know Why” was the second single released from by indie-folk band Fleet Foxes from their self-titled debut album in 2008.

A mid-tempo track with a general soothing atmosphere, choral church-like vocals and varied instrumentation, it is written from the point of a person whose brother has returned from who-knows-where, looking a very different person from what he was once before. The narrator is clearly concerned with the brother’s well-being and feels that the family will do anything to help him return to his ‘original mind’, but regretfully acknowledges that there is nothing much that he can do to change things.

There’s not much else I can say for this track. That pun wasn’t intended. Fleet Foxes aren’t one of my favourite bands, but they make good music. I can’t deny that. “He Doesn’t Know Why” is a prime example of their brilliant work.

My iPod #494: The Offspring – Have You Ever

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Is it right to say that The Offspring’s fifth album Americana is underrated? Granted it is one of the band’s most commercially successful pieces of work, but I feel that it wasn’t represented that well by the singles released from it. Especially “Pretty Fly” and “Why Don’t You Get a Job?“. A majority of people will only listen to the band for those two songs and never delve further into their material, missing out on what is – to put it crudely – some good shit.

After an introductory nine second skit, “Have You Ever” really begins the album with stabbing palm-muted power chords and crashing cymbals before a drum roll sets the track’s frantic tempo and singer Dexter Holland wails the first desperate lyrics: “Falling, I’m falling”.

The track is about feeling misunderstood, knowing that sometimes we have no control of our own lives, and generally feeling out of place at certain moments. The constant existential questioning is reinforced by the frenetic backdrop of guitars and drums until about halfway through when the whole song changes, the narrator becomes more confident, sees how this corrupt world really works and pledges to do something about it.

My iPod #493: Pink Floyd – Have a Cigar

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“Have a Cigar” is the second track on Pink Floyd’s great album Wish You Were Here concerning Roger Water’s cynical takes on the music industry. Whilst “Welcome to the Machine” focused on the band’s disillusionment with the whole thing , “Cigar” is from the perspective of the sleazy, hypocritical businessman who is only interested in the money, having no idea as to what the band stand for, what they trying to say with their music, or even who the names of the members are.

The track is the most rock-oriented from the album, beginning with groovy guitar licks amidst a mix of sliding synthesizer phrases and electric piano which provide the back-bone for its duration before concluding on an electric guitar solo by David Gilmour. It is also noted for being one of only two songs which are sung by other vocalists apart from Gilmour and Waters. The story is that Waters had strained his voice singing on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and could not sing to his full potential, and Gilmour was unhappy with the results when he did his take.

Up stepped folk singer Roy Harper who, “for a price”, carries it out with great aplomb, a hefty weight behind his voice and a unique delivery that I don’t think would have been the same had Waters or Gilmour done it instead. The voice crack on ‘just greeeEEEEEn’ at 2:40 makes me laugh every time I hear it, but within the context of the entire song it sounds very fitting.

My iPod #492: The Streets – Has It Come to This?

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“Has It Come to This?” was the first single from Original Pirate Material, the debut album from 2002 by English rapper Mike Skinner under the alias The Streets. Emerging from the UK garage scene that occurred during the late 90s, the tracks on the album deal with everyday occurrences and relatable issues such as love, getting drunk, and going out and manage to capture those little moments that many young people go through. The album was, and still is loved, to this day thanks to Skinner’s delivery, humour, observational lyricism and good beats.

“Has It Come to This” is the second track on the album after Skinner starts things off with brutal confidence on “Turn the Page”, and it is on it that the observational lyricism that runs throughout the entire album really begins. With calming vibes and a chilled piano sample, the song is Skinner’s invitation to the listener to sit back, relax and enjoy the album whilst also giving us a wealth of information about himself and what he sees around him on a daily basis.

Constantly reminding us of his name and album title in the choruses Mike Skinner demands us to get acquainted with what you are about to experience. This was only the beginning.

My iPod #491: Nick Drake – Harvest Breed

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Before closing his third album on a note emphasising a positive outlook on life, Nick Drake provides us with “Harvest Breed”, a track which – though only lasting a minute and a half and containing four different sentences – describes a person in need of help, is not able to find anyone who can provide it, and enjoys the beautiful earth one last time before supposedly accepting his mortality. A rather eerie song, which would have brought a morbid end to Pink Moon had “From the Morning” not directly followed it.

Despite its foreboding subject matter, “Harvest Breed” is another typically entrancing performance by Drake. Consisting only of his acoustic guitar playing a circular riff which he simultaneously sings along too with his calm, soothing vocal, the song sounds just as vulnerable and empty as the other ten that accompany. Maybe even more so as it is the shortest one on the album. But it is the one that is the most haunting, especially considering Drake’s own depression and his sad death.