Monthly Archives: June 2015

My iPod #510: Kanye West – Hell of a Life

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“Hell of a Life” is the tenth track on Kanye West’s arguable magnum opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, his fifth album released in November 2010. In it, Mr. West thinks he’s fallen in love with a porn star and raps to the listener about the various escapades and sexual shenanigans she and him would get up to.

I can remember it becoming one of my favourites straight away upon first listen. There’s a dark undertone to it that is maintained throughout despite the humorous but graphic lyrics Kanye provides, plus there are so many little things that made it so much more enjoyable for me – like the little arpeggio lick that plays after every chorus or the sudden appearance of the background vocals from “Dark Fantasy” during the final verse. It’s one of those songs where every time you listen to it again, you may always hear something new that you never paid attention to before.  It took a few more listens for me to realise the chorus takes its melody from “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath; that may sound strange because it’s very obvious that it does from the get-go, but I was into the melody that much that it went right over my head.

A song with lyrics with sexual imagery and a hard-hitting beat carried by a fuzzy bass line, “Hell of a Life” probably marks the peak of Kanye’s “fantasy” before reality finally hits him in “Blame Game“.

My iPod #509: Bloc Party – Helicopter

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Ahhh. The very first song by Bloc Party I ever heard; I can vaguely remember watching its music video on MTV2 for the first time. Was around 2004 if I recall correctly. And even then I thought it was unusual seeing a multi-racial indie rock band. Especially one that was fronted by a black man. Being a black boy myself, I thought it was cool. Brought something new to the table. I can’t believe that it has been more than ten years that I’ve known the track.

“Helicopter”, named so (apparently) because of its rapid tempo, the intertwining guitar lines in the introduction and the spitfire rhythm section provided by former members Gordon Moakes and Matt Tong (who will be sorely missed by fans everywhere), is the second track on the band’s stellar debut album Silent Alarm. No one knows what it’s really about. Okereke said it is about himself; though there are many reasons why people think it is about George W. Bush. Looking at the lyrics you can easily see why the interpretation rose.

For me, the song brings a lot of nostalgia. Playing FIFA 06 on the weekends at the age of 10-11 were good times. Plus, it is hauntingly infectious. It is a crazy song with sudden stops and starts, string bends and relentless instrumentation that never seems to end. Well, apart from those aforementioned pauses. A song within the hearts and minds of many a Bloc Party listener.

My iPod #508: Wings – Helen Wheels

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“Helen Wheels” was written and recorded by Paul McCartney and his post-Beatles band Wings during the sessions for the great album Band on the Run released in 1973. Being released as a single prior to the album’s release, the track was not included in the album’s final tracklisting in the UK. It was in the US though, placed between “No Words” and “Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me)“. Good decision by Capitol Records to ask McCartney for the change. To me, the album doesn’t seem as right without it.

The song details a journey from the Shetland Isles near Scotland down to London via Glasgow, Carlisle, Liverpool, and Birmingham. This all takes place in “Helen Wheels”, the Land Rover Paul and his lovely lady Linda once owned and the track is a dedication to the vehicle’s reliability, comfort and overall awesomeness. Set to a shuffling bluesy rhythm, McCartney sings with a Southern state inflection before unleashing his chest voice with the “HELEEEEEN” that begins each chorus. That amongst many other little parts make this one of his most enjoyable songs to listen to. Like those backing vocals which echo the last three words of each line in the final verse, or when Paul forgets to start playing the bass for a second and comes in a bit late at one point. The little guitar licks and improvised fills are satisfying too.

The song is a great rocker, and a very good one to drive to of course.

My iPod #507: Interpol – The Heinrich Maneuver

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“The Heinrich Maneuver” was the first single from Interpol’s third album Our Love to Admire, a work that was also their first to be released since moving to major record label Capitol Records. I remember really getting into the song itself when it started to circulate around the Internet in the early summer of 2007; I wasn’t the greatest fan of the band at the time, though I thoroughly enjoyed their songs via the music videos that aired on MTV2 and I was glad that their ‘comeback’ didn’t disappoint. The video for this one on the other hand… could have been a bit better.  It’s cleverly put together, though I would have liked to see the band in it.

Singer and guitarist Paul Banks gets the song off through singing its first line before being joined by a stop-starting guitar riff and drums. It isn’t long until all the members enter the frame, especially former bassist Carlos Dengler who once again executes yet another weaving and inventive bassline to keep everything together.

It is quite a dramatic track. No doubt the bigger-sounding production has something to do with that feeling, but the song’s overall atmosphere gives it that further kick. That spooky false ending, Banks’ energising vocal take (which I’m sure exhibits a range not shown on any of their previous singles), or those synthesized strings during the song’s climactic ending – those are just a few elements out of many which make “The Heinrich Manuever” one of Interpol’s most thrilling tracks in their catalogue.

My iPod #506: Enter Shikari – Hectic

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Let’s get back to business.

“Hectic” by Enter Shikari is another about the good times of the past – but this time focuses on staying round at the houses of various friends listening to music, playing Sonic and Golden Axe on a Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) and carelessly running and jumping across the rooftops in the town. Like the last song I talked about in this series, the track also wishes to go back to those days of innocence and naivety as those of today aren’t so great in comparison. “Things aren’t right” as it is sung in the bridge before the final choruses, and the dread of today has left the narrator feeling as if they are own their own and nothing will be able to change the situation.

Being the penultimate song on Common Dreads, the track provides the rush of pure excitement containing blaring keyboard blasts, vocal interchanging between singer Rou Reynolds, guitarist Rory Clelow during the singalong choruses and an overall soundscape that will have you lunging around the room in various directions. Though there is a brief but poignant moment in which bassist Chris Batten with his choirboy-ish vocals takes lead in the midst of it all, it isn’t long before the hurrying drums and guitars enter to bring the track to a thrilling end.