There’s not much I can say about “Head Around You”. I remember trying to watch the video on Windows Media Player from the band’s official website circa 2004. It was in terrible quality, which made the multi-camera concept much worse.
It’s a short but sharp song – only two and a bit minutes long – but it always feels a lot longer when I listen to it. I don’t know what it is about it that makes me feel that way. It’s probably the riff, it virtually plays throughout the whole thing bar two times. It is a simple punk rock song, that’s what it is.
I do also like the wah-wah effect during the instrumental break, that gets a special mention.
The song was released as the second single from the band’s 2003 album “Splinter“.
Another wonderful vocal performance by Paul McCartney. Sings it right from the gut. It was almost ear-piercing when I was always messing up the audio in Audacity and amplifying their tracks to ridiculous levels. I used to like my music very loud; I know now why audiophiles exist.
The first time I heard the song, The Beatles weren’t singing it. It was a cover version that played in a Simpsons episode. From what I recall Bart and Lisa volunteer to work at the Retirement Castle and they persuade the old folk to have fun outside or whatever, which leads to a montage very similar to the original video by The Beatles which you can see above all of this.
That occurred when I was a child. I didn’t see “A Hard Day’s Night” until I was fourteen, so that whole montage was something that I thought was silly and comedic, rather than a parody.
“Can’t Buy Me Love” is a joyful and bouncy song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, but mostly by the latter. You cannot listen to this song and feel sad at the same time. When Paul sings money can’t buy him love, he sings it like he believes it. You want to believe him when he sings it too. This is all very cliché, but it is true. Money’s bad. Love is good. Money does help a bit…. but compared to love it’s nothing. Love is all you need.
“Calm Down Dearest” was his third single and was released a week before Jamie T’s debut album “Panic Prevention” dropped in early 2007.
The song describes the antics one gets up to on a night out, and details the advantages and disadvantages of getting wasted.
The video has nothing to do with the song’s lyrics, as we see some paranormal activity taking place at Jamie’s home. It’s very funny. It’s a good tune too. Listen to the album version all the way through, as we also get to hear Jamie’s resentment of “fuckin’ cunts doin’ wheelies on bikes”.
“Comedown Machine” was The Strokes ‘comeback’ album released earlier this year in March. “One Way Trigger” was the first song to be released to the world to be given the reception of “Why the fuck is Julian singing so high?” and “Am I listening to “Take on Me” by A-ha, what’s going on?” Then most people were very excited when “All the Time” was revealed as the first official single. A lot of talk on how the band had ‘returned to form’ erupted; a lot of people dismissed it as boring.
Then the album was actually released and received very mixedreviews. Though it was unfairly judged in comparison to “Is This It” and on how the band just didn’t sound the same anymore. In an earlier post I merely dismissed it as an “Angles Part II”, but I haven’t even listened to that album in full anyway, so I didn’t know what I was talking about.
That was when I had just heard the album when it was available on Pitchfork. After multiple listens I finally came to the conclusion that it is not as bad/disappointing as reviews made it out to be. Sure it’s different, this song clearly shows one of the reasons why, but I see that it is wrong to assume that a band’s sound will always stay the same. You’ve got to change things up a bit. Look at Arctic Monkeys. Look at AlexTurner! That’s just the way it is; things will never be the same.
“Call It Fate…” is the last song on the album and is one that I did not like for quite some time. It’s like the soundtrack to a silent 50s film. It did take a while for me to understand whether Julian was singing, or what instruments were being played. The falsetto was a bit too much too.
It’s one of my favourites from it though. It’s so mellow and quiet. Close your eyes as you sail away on a tropical breeze during the chorus and then be scared as your boat drifts the wrong way and you end up surrounded by a menacing jungle when the coda begins and Julian starts wailing “I neeeeeded someoonnnnnnne….” It’s very creepy, and unnerving. It ends the album on quite a menacing note.
The title track from the band’s seventh album in 1999. It is a very serious and observational song, detailing the ‘dark side of Hollywood and the export of culture through the movie industry’ according to Wikipedia. Its minor key does not make things sound better either. Especially when the Frusciante’s guitar and Flea’s bass play off one another in the breaks between the verses and the chorus. It sounds very lonely and bare.
With that being said, have you seen the video for this track? It is so amazing. The first time I saw it I did not take in the message of the song at all because I was so immersed in the animation. I want a game like this. I want to play as a Chili Pepper and swim through seas, fall through the earth and watch the world pass me by on a giant dragonfly. One can only dream.
Of course it may not seem as cool now, but I imagine that when the video first came out a lot of people were impressed. Kudos to Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who have directed many other videos by the band.
The Music in My Ears 
