Author Archives: The Music in My Ears (by Jamie Kyei)

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About The Music in My Ears (by Jamie Kyei)

Just one man who's making his way through life one day at a time writing about the songs he has on his phone. And other things at some points.

Another album I’m liking at the mo: Mac DeMarco – Salad Days

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All it took were listens to the minute and a half samples on iTunes, and I knew it was something I had to hear fully.

Always on the look out for new music to listen to, I saw the 8.5 rating and the review for “Salad Days” on Pitchfork again. Can’t really remember what it said, but I thought ‘what the hell, might as well listen to it’. That was a good decision.

“Salad Days” is a sweet album, only half an hour long, filled with eleven enjoyable tracks (or ten discarding the instrumental “Jonny’s Odyssey”) that which are easy to digest and sound very pleasant to the ear. Sometimes when things get a bit rough in life, you need that thing to calm you down. If you’re feeling as if you’re getting to old and life is passing right by you, that is addressed in the very first track. It might be an album for you.

Apart from the relatable subject matter, this album is filled with one of the best sounding guitars I can remember hearing. Every note plucked has a shine to it – it’s quite hard to describe but it certainly makes the listening experience that bit more delightful.

I didn’t listen to any of DeMarco’s older material, but after this… I may just do that.

Track picks: Salad Days, Blue Boy, Let Her Go, Passing Out Pieces, Chamber of Reflection

One album I’m liking at the moment: Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else

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You may have seen this video in this blog’s about page. If not, there is Cloud Nothings’ latest album “Here and Nowhere Else” which was released in the first few days of April. I feel as if I am a bit late to do any kind of review on this, but seeing as My iPod is on hiatus for a while I might as well update my blog with a few sporadic posts.

I found out about “Here and Nowhere Else” and generally the band itself when I found the album’s review on Pitchfork. It got an 8.7. That score sounded good. It also got positive reviews from Allmusic and Consequence of Sound too. Thought I might as well check it out and see if it lives up to the acclaim.

If you are a particular fan of a rock song with fuzzy guitars, torrential drums, and in general music that sounds like it should be played at a very high volume….. that is constant throughout every song on here. This is probably the album for you.

The vocals partially buried underneath all this noise, so it can be hard to understand just what singer Dylan Baldi is actually saying. Unless you’re a person who gets really deep into lyrics, that’s shouldn’t be much of a problem. Maybe it was intentional. But the melodies are simple, yet memorable and satisfying.

I’ve also seen some people say that they weren’t as impressed by this as they were with the band’s last album “Attack on Memory”. Most of those comments I saw in the comment section of the video above. For sure the chord changes may be simple and there’s no sense of interplay between guitars brought on from the lack of the second guitarist who left before album sessions started. The production may not be up to standard to those who liked Steve Albini’s production on “Attack on Memory” too. Honestly, I’m a fan of both albums and it seems like on “Here” more emphasis is put on the guitars than on the former album while still capturing those relentless drums. Maybe that’s just me.

Whatever, I think the album’s great. Have a listen to it and “Attack on Memory” if you have the time. Both albums are a bit short.

My track picks:

Now Hear In, Just See Fear, I’m Not Part of Me

My iPod #305: Blink-182 – Dumpweed

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Well, no one answered my question that I raised in yesterday’s post. Eh, who needs ya anyway? I’ve just taken it upon myself to not do that post, which means that today is the last track from the ‘D’ section. It’s Blink-182 with the song “Dumpweed”, the opening track from their popular album “Enema of the State”.

“Enema of the State” is a good album. Quite a short one too, but filled with fast pop-punk songs about relationships, adolescence and aliens at one point. “Dumpweed” kicks the album off with tremendous pace and urgency. It’s one about a relationship too. The track has Tom detailing the problems of being with a girl who is unpredictable. Cute one time, and crazy the next. He wishes to have a girl ‘that he can train’ which I’m sure has gotten him into problems with some people. But it isn’t meant to be taken seriously, guys. Look at the album title.

The track also marked the introduction of a certain Travis Barker, then the new drummer for the band, who keeps the track’s energy alive with his versatility and rapid drum fills. Certainly a change for the better, I think every Blink-182 fan will agree on that.

So yeah, those are the “D” songs – bar one that I have on my iPod. I normally take a break after covering a letter of the alphabet. When the next one is coming…. I don’t know. But you can take the time to read the rest of the tracks I have on here.

Bye bye.

My iPod #304: Alexisonfire – Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints

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Alexisonfire were alright, man. The contrast between George Pettit’s psycho screamo vocals and Dallas Greens nicer-to-the-ear singing was a dynamic that I’d never witnessed from a band before. And I liked it. I got into Alexisonfire for a bit; and that initial liking toward the group started just as they were about to release their third album “Crisis” which came out in 2006.

“Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints” is the first track on that album, and what a way to start it. There’s no proper introduction, just a yell of “ALRIGHT” and then it charges on from there. I heard it fully on YouTube when someone matched the track along to some fitting scenes from the anime “Afro Samurai”. The video is still on there if anyone wants to see it; it is very well put together.

The track is about the love of sharing their music to anyone – the suits AND the squares – and they’ll carry on doing their thing because they never get bored of it. That was then obviously. Sure, there are some insecure thoughts the band question us on: do we as an audience really appreciate what we’re doing? Are we even listening? Yes, we are Alexisonfire. We continue to even in your absence.

After an onslaught of screams, angelic singing, something sort of in the middle provided by guitarist Wade MacNeil, and an onslaught of continuous guitars the track comes to a noisy ending as the fading notes roll around in feedback, as drums fade in from the distance. Those segue into the next track, but that’s for another day.

As I said, Alexisonfire were alllllright. This track is slick stuff. A brilliant opener to set the tone for the rest of the album.

SIDE NOTE

The next song is a Lostprophets one.

Now, I’ve been thinking on whether to write posts of the songs that I have on my iPod by the band since… well you know. I like those songs, but I won’t do them if people don’t want me to. I probably should have asked this yesterday so more people could answer.

If you still want to see Lostprophets posts, then comment or something. These are the songs that won’t have them if it comes to it: “Dstryr/Dstryr”, “The Fake Sound of Progress”, It’s Not the End of the World But I Can See It from Here”, “Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja” and all the other tracks on “Start Something” that aren’t “Burn Burn” or “Sway….”

So yeah, keep following. Leave a like or something. Tell all your friends.

My iPod #303: The Who – Drowned

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For me, “Quadrophenia” was very difficult to absorb initially. At an hour and twenty minutes fit to burst with long instrumental passages on some songs and the whole concept made the listening process very complicated. Or maybe it was me thinking about it too much. Upon further listens I realised that everything you hear is essential to the story throughout the album. You are taken on a journey with the tragic lead character of Jimmy. In “Drowned”, we find him in a desperate state as he contemplates…. drowning himself in the sea. Although, out of the album’s context it is a tribute to Meher Baba who Townshend admired for his spiritual teachings.

“Drowned” is a great track. A roaring vocal take by Daltrey, that rolling piano phrase throughout, that slick musical reference to 5:15 in the middle…… the final jam at the end which seems to carry on forever before fading into a clip of Townshend singing “Sea and Sand” on the beach…. Those are just the little things I can pick out from memory at the moment. But they are the little things that add to the album’s cohesion. I’m blabbering on a bit; I will leave it there.

All in all, another wall of melodious noise and relentless rhythm provided by The Who.