Monthly Archives: November 2019

#661: Green Day – Jaded

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‘Jaded’ is the eleventh track on Green Day’s fourth album Insomniac, released all the way back in 1995. That is my favourite album of theirs. You may argue and say “err, Dookie?” or “durr, American Idiot?” I stick with my choice. The tracks on the waste no time. Billie Joe seems to be at his most self-loathing and messed up on here, which for one reason or many others I enjoy quite a bit. It’s just over half an hour in length. It won’t take up too much of your time.

When listening to the album, you will notice ‘Jaded’ launches off like a rocket while the guitars are still fading out from the preceding track ‘Brain Stew‘. This came to good use when the band needed another single from the album. Instead of releasing ‘Brain Stew’ by itself, the band/record label/whoever decided to release it and ‘Jaded’ as a joint single. The long music video for both songs can be seen above, though I set it so it could start when ‘Jaded’ begins.

The track is a minute and a half freak out to contrast with the lazy/lethargic/apathetic outlook of ‘Brain Stew’. It’s a very energetic song that basically tells you to get out there and do something with your life instead of finding yourself doing the same old thing over and over again, whether it be a 9 to 5 job or just sitting at home doing nothing at all. We’re not getting any younger, and you don’t want to get old thinking you could have done so much more with your time. Once you get past the overall jumped-up/tweaked out atmosphere of the track, or not that’s probably the best part about it all, it’s quite serious. It’s a firecracker of a tune, though.

#660: The Sea and Cake – Jacking the Ball

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In 2015 or 2016, one of those two years, ‘Jacking the Ball’ by The Sea and Cake appeared on my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify. I was on my year out of university getting some industry work in, it was nearing the end of the day and there wasn’t much that needed to be done. The last two hours were usually Spotify playlist time. I remember it sounding good when I first heard it. It may have appeared another on the list a few times afterwards. But I guess I forgot about it for a while.

Fast forward to 2017 during my last few months in university and for some reason the fact that it existed popped into my head. I searched for it on YouTube and there it was. I couldn’t listen to it as loudly because my ears had recently started this ringing noise that has gone on to this day. Nevertheless, the track still sounded as good as it did when I was sitting in the work office the previous year.

It’s hard to say what ‘Jacking the Ball’ is about. After listening to The Sea and Cake’s self-titled debut from 1994, which ‘Jacking the Ball’ opens, I gathered that they were the type of band who worked on some grooves and jams and once they got the right instrumental they put some lyrics on top with a good melody. Many of their albums are very groove-based. If you’re into that sort of stuff you should definitely try their discography out. The lyrics here don’t really mean anything but are more about evoking feelings, images and emotions. The guitar riff is definitely the track’s best part. So catchy and relaxed. I’m a fan of Sam Prekop’s vocal delivery too.

I’ve deduced that the track is a kind of ‘us against the world’ track. Hanging out with friends and having the best times and feeling like you’re kings of the world. There’s no lyrical sign that signifies that. That’s just my take.

#659: Manic Street Preachers – Jackie Collins Existential Question Time

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Hello there. Your favourite series is back, this time covering the Js, coming to you every other day until those songs are done. There aren’t a lot of songs I have on my phone beginning with ‘J’. It’s one of those letters that don’t really appear quite frequently at the start of a word. The songs to come are great though. At least I think so. I’ve been okay if you wanted to know. Been learning to drive and steadily getting there. That’s about it. On to the song!

‘Jackie Collins….’ was the first single from their 2009 album Journal for Plague Lovers. Well… it wasn’t really a single. No track from that album was. Nicky Wire joked that just the titles alone for some of the tracks on there didn’t really make them suitable for a commercial release. Though it was this one that made it known that there was a new album on its way. It’s one of the lighter and poppier moments on the album, save for the last minute or so where James Dean Bradfield really lets loose on the vocals accompanied by the thrashing drums and rise in tempo. Those guitar harmonics that serve as the song’s main musical hook are brilliant too. Good musical substance packed into two and a half minutes.

The lyrics were written by Richey Edwards, the band’s former guitarist and lyricist who disappeared one day in February 1995. Despite all hopes that he would some day return, he was officially presumed dead 13 years later in November of 2008. All of the lyrics on the album were written by him, if you hadn’t heard it before, and were taken from a notebook that he had left behind before his disappearance. They’re not the easiest to decipher, though that doesn’t matter really. I’ve always sensed some sort of sarcasm and satire from them though for reasons I don’t understand myself. You’d just have to listen to the song.