Category Archives: Music

My iPod #94: Jimmy Eat World – Big Casino

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Hey guys. I was at my friend’s house for about eight hours yesterday, and when I came back I was too tired to do anything. I couldn’t make a post, but I am awake enough today to make two.

I’m not a huge fan of Jimmy Eat World; I’ve never listened to any of their albums. Their singles are sufficient enough, they are very good. Songs like “Bleed American” aka “Salt Sweat Sugar”, “The Middle“, “Always Be” played on MTV2 when I was younger, and I liked those tracks but not enough to make me want to listen to more material the band made.

“Big Casino” was the first single from their sixth album “Chase This Light” in 2007, I was getting ready to start year 8 of secondary school. The music video was part of MTV2’s “New Singles” segment, and that was the first time I heard the song. It played a few times, and then it barely played again. “Always Be” was probably played more than “Big Casino”. I like the latter more, because it’s a much happier song. It’s got more oomph to it, the chorus is excellent too. I also like the triumphant guitar line that occurs at certain times during the song.

I’ve realised this ‘B’ series is going to be a long one. I’ve got almost 100 songs beginning with the letter. I am determined to get through this. Even if I may be in university still doing it.

Jamie.

My iPod #93: be your own PET – Bicycle, Bicycle, You Are My Bicycle

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Ah… the joys of riding a bicycle. Something I can’t relate to seeing as I’ve never owned one. However, it’s an activity that be your own PET profoundly express their fondness in this song, and in just over two minutes.

The band are a force that ought to be recognised according to the track. The sky will turn brown, they’ll change the eye colour of every lady (which could only suggest that some violence may occur), the sleepyheads will wake up due to their presence, they’ll fuck shit up too! All this because they are on their bicycles, because cars are for idiots.

I didn’t even make that paragraph up, those are all lyrics in the song. These are backed up with a very aggressively shouted vocal by lead singer Jemina Pearl and the rest of the band, and a rapid guitar riff capturing the urgency of theme. The instrumental break fools you for a bit, starting off slow like a train pulling out of a station but it then gradually becomes faster and faster before returning back to its normal velocity and in regards to the song, the final verse and chorus.

They’re on two wheels, baby.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #92: Lostprophets – A Better Nothing

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This was originally going to be the fourth single from “The Betrayed”, but “For He’s a Jolly Good Felon” didn’t do very well commercially. That’s a shame; for me this song is a lot more satisfying and probably would have been a good single.

Unlike “Felon”, there’s no story to tell in “A Better Nothing”. It’s much more introspective, and sure to affect many a person who probably feel like Ian did when he wrote the song. I will take lyrics like “My chest tightens, it brightens the light of the stars, revealing the scars, all the times that were ours,” over “Mikey, where’d you get the Nikes?” any day.

I don’t what to make it a song vs. song post though. It’s all about what’s in the title. “A Better Nothing” is a highlight from “The Betrayed”. It’s not a happy song, and yet it’s not a sad song either. It’s one that’s about determination and finding yourself. I’m no lyrical analyst, so I can’t provide you with anything more than that and, like other songs on the album, the track is full with shrieking guitars and a vocal delivery to admire by Ian Watkins. Even the backing vocals, which I believe are done by him, are good too. Too bad he’s not so good when singing live. That’s always something that’s puzzled me.

The song also seems right into the next song on the album “Streets of Nowhere”, which is more of a Liberation Transmission outtake than anything. Too poppy and cheerful for this album.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

Ooh, and also congratulations to the Royal Family. Whatever the baby turns out to be.

My iPod #91: Radiohead – The Bends

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Something I didn’t mention in my last post is that I am currently in my cousin’s house for a barbecue. The charcoal is not warming up at all however, and it may be a long time before I get anything to eat. I have only eaten breakfast, and I am quite hungry so something better be put in my belly soon.

Now to the song. A live performance of “The Bends” by Radiohead played on vh2 when I was younger. I can’t remember if I liked the song at that moment, but the album (that takes its name from the song) contains some of Radiohead’s most popular songs, including “My Iron Lung”, “Just” and “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” and I liked those songs when I saw their music videos on the TV. For that reason I asked for “The Bends” for one of my previous birthdays – I can’t remember which one.

The song starts quietly with a thirteen second sample of a guy training some kids outside of a hotel where the band were staying. The song is also about ‘knowing who you real friends are’. My favourite part is the last section when the instruments seem to raise in volume, an great guitar solo occurs and Thom starts wailing ‘I wanna be part of the human race.’ It sounds so uplifting.

I’m edging nearer to my hundredth post. Quite weird. I never thought I could keep this up for so long.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #90: They Might Be Giants – The Bells Are Ringing

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Hey everyone.

Again, I didn’t have time to make a post yesterday. Well I did, but I was too tired. I went paintballing you see. ‘Twas my first time too. I knew it would be painful, and it was my first experience of being shot at with something. It wasn’t too bad. It was much better than I thought it would be. The paint balls do sting upon contact, and I’ve got a few bruises here and there. I’m fine though. It was all good fun.

This is the first of the two I’ll do today. So here’s another by a favourite band of mine. Yeah, TMBG.

“The Bells Are Ringing” is the final track on the band’s last album from Elektra Records. “Factory Showroom” is the album’s name.

I first heard the song due to the LAUNCHcast radio/website that Yahoo! owned years ago, it came up randomly one of the genre-assorted radios that were available. I heard it that one time, and so forgot about it pretty quickly. YouTube didn’t exist that time, so to listen to a song in full for free on the Internet was a pretty hard thing to do.

I’m not a Malcolm in the Middle fan – I’ve never really watched the show before – but this song also featured in one episode called ‘Christmas’. For that, I just assumed that the song was a Christmas tune, but that’s only because of the mentioning of bells. Bells are something that are common at Christmas time, right? It’s doesn’t have anything to do with Christmas though. The subject of the song, in my opinion, is about this fad that’s caught on by everyone, with the fad being represented as the bells in the song. The bridge brings light upon ‘a girl with cotton in her ears’ who is oblivious to it, but people go on about it and then begins to appreciate it. It’s got a real ‘1984’ theme about it.

At the end of the song, everybody’s happy and those ‘bells’ (which are sung) keep on ringing amongst an increasing volume in marching drums.

I think it’s a happy song, but with They Might Be Giants I can never really be sure.

Coming back soon.

Jamie.