Category Archives: Music

My iPod #34: The Offspring – Americana

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I got this album for Christmas 2005.

‘Americana’ is a good place to start if you’re just getting into The Offspring. A few of their most popular songs are on it, and the hard punk rock sound that they had had for many years was still present but it was also with this album that they started to explore punk with a bit of pop on the side.

The song is sandwiched in between the light, hey-hey-hey, na-na-na-nanah, upbeat song of ‘Why Don’t You Get a Job?‘ and the trippy and eventually epic climax ‘Pay the Man‘, and is the real last short and sharp burst of music that you hear by the band before the final song starts. The introduction takes up one minute of the song. Little by little, the instruments build up. First you hear a simple 4/4 bass kick, then some toms, a killer riff is then overdubbed, the rhythm section joins in with the background vocals, (Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.), on and on it continues like a tribal chant. Until Dexter barges in with the first line, ‘NOW I’D LIKE TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT MY DREAM, IT’S A PLACE.’

Then the song really kicks in. It’s energetic, it’s strong, the word ‘fuck’ is mentioned about five times on here. I have no idea what the song is about but seeing as it is the one the album is named after I would say that it is probably the centerpiece of the running theme of American society that is common throughout. I think the narrator is frustrated by what he lives in, what he is surrounded by and how he is defined.

‘My future’s determined by thieves, thugs, and vermin
It’s quite an excursion but it’s okay
Everything’s backwards in Americana my way’ 

How the narrator is brought up is only because ‘Americana’ made him that way, and this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. HE HAS BECOME ONE OF THEM. ‘Woh oh oh, woh oh oh, woh oh oh
My nightmare has come true.’ That’s just my interpretation anyway.

Then there’s a key change which would not be expected, but it’s pretty cool to hear. It adds a bit of something extra to the song. Otherwise it could have been a bit to repetitive.

This song’s a really good one. It’s one of my favourites of the album. It hits you hard after listening to the previous song.

Until next time.

Jamie.

My iPod #33: Simon & Garfunkel – America

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Ah Paul Simon and Arthur ‘Art’ Garfunkel. What can I say about them?

Not much really. I’m not a massive fan.

It was in late 2011, that I listened to a full song by them. I knew ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, but I had always thought that was a hymn or something. I never knew it was an actual song.

A documentary on the BBC was shown once in October, a brief snippet of it is can be viewed here. This song played on it when the duo started talking about the conception of their ‘Songs of America’ documentary and the controversy that surrounded it and everything.

Hearing it then, I thought I had heard that song somewhere else before. In an advert, or a film, or another various medium.

It doesn’t matter though. I listened to the song, liked it and put it on my iPod.

‘Bookends‘ is the album that the song is on. ‘Save the Life of My Child’ is my favourite song on it, but you could say that ‘America’ is the centerpiece of the first ‘side’ of the album.

Of course there are no sides on a CD but the first half of the album has a concept of life starting from birth to death which is pretty cool. It’s always nice to have a concept album once in a while. Even though it’s only the first six songs.

Like I said, Simon & Garfunkel isn’t really my kind of thing. ‘Bookends’ and ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’ are both great albums though.

Until next time.

Jamie.

My iPod #32: Razorlight – America

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In the late spring of 2006, I was eleven years old and in the final weeks of my last year at primary school.

A highlight of that period of time was the trip to the Isle of Wight where I, most of my ‘bestest’ friends (and a few kids from year 5) stayed for a week in ‘Friends’ Hotel and basically spent the last trip I would have in primary school not giving a shit about anything. It was all about having good times with my friends, and making the most of the time we had left.

However, a week away from the house meant a week away from the Internet or MTV2. The World Cup was being held at the same time, and we watched England vs Trinidad and Tobago on ITV, that was pretty cool. But that did not get rid of the fact that I was missing out on my music.

Friday 16th June – I come back home, switch the TV to my favourite music channel, and see Razorlight’s new video for their ‘new single’ In the Morning. That got repeated almost every day during that time. It’s not a bad song though, so I never got annoyed. I liked Razorlight anyway – Up All Night is good stuff.

‘In the Morning’ was their second highest charting single in the UK, getting to #3. ‘Somewhere Else’ had peaked higher at #2 a year before. And then they released this song.

‘America’ got straight to number one – in it’s first week of release too! I didn’t think it was that captivating of a song that it could ever get to that position. It was there for only one week though, then The Black Parade marched into town.

The funny thing is that the song was actually written by the band’s drummer Andy Burrows. Johnny Borrell still got recognition in the song’s credits though, you’ve gotta keep stacking up those pound sterlings.

I like America. The song isn’t too bad either.

Seriously though some fans don’t like Razorlight’s self-titled album, they found that the band were raising their butts towards the radio and waiting for a pounding. (Sorry for the imagery.)

For me, this is Razorlight’s last album where they actually made good songs. Those that I could listen to. ‘Razorlight’ and ‘Up All Night’ are the ones you want to listen to.

And then, in 2008. They released the video for their new song ‘Wire to Wire’, and I could never take them seriously as a band again.

They haven’t released an album since.

Razorlight aren’t even Razorlight anymore. Johnny Borrell is the only original member left.

Until next time.

Jamie.

My iPod #31: Blink-182 – Always

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Ahh… the first video by Blink-182 that I can actually remember watching on the TV.

I must have been about nine or something. You know when you’re a child you have the tendency to wake up at times of the day which would seem ridiculous to any adolescent. Getting out of bed and watching music TV at six in the morning to watch TV were some of the best times I had before my mum and my sister woke up and didn’t let me watch anything.

I don’t know how I started watching MTV2 and being interested in music, but it’s a good thing I did. It was both that and football that made up my childhood.

I’m sure that I’ve made clear how I came across Blink-182 in previous posts. So I don’t really know what else to say to you.

One thing that may be interesting is that I recently listened to the band’s self-titled album. I had read many times from various reviews that it was a change from their ‘toilet-humour stuff’ to a more personal and darker approach to their music. That is something I can definitely agree with.

Another thing that I noticed was how Tom seemed to dominate the album. Most songs are solely sung by Tom; Mark comes in with a few backing vocals here and there, and has a few songs which only have him at the lead. However from listening to their past material, you can tell that it was pretty much a tag-team thing and the albums had a much more equal contribution by the two.

It was the last single from that album, and then the band broke up a few months later in 2005.

‘I’ve been here before a few times, and I’m quite aware we’re dying.’

Until next time.

Jamie.

My iPod #30: Supergrass – Alright

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Supergrass was a band that was at its most prominent during the Britpop era. Although that scene quickly died out around 1997, the band still managed to stay pretty relevant and their last album ‘Diamond Hoo Ha’, released in 2008, entered at 19 in the album chart.

I miss Supergrass. 😦 They are one of my favourite bands too.

Britpop was a fine time for British music. New bands were thrust upon the scene; Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Suede and various others dominated the charts. Who could forget ‘The Battle of the Bands’, which saw Blur and Oasis go head to head for the number one spot, which Blur eventually won?

I talk as if I was 20 years old around this time, although really I had only just been born.

Supergrass were relatively new at the time. ‘Alright’ was released as the last single from their debut ‘I Should Coco’ in 1995, and became somewhat of a youth anthem here and in America too after being featured in the film ‘Clueless’.

You can’t be sad to this song. The intro is unforgettable, as soon as you hear that piano tune you know that you won’t be disappointed. The band was young at the time of writing the song and so the youth of the time were able to empathise with what the band was feeling. I guess it wouldn’t have been so popular if it was some old man singing about being young when he clearly wasn’t.

And watch that video too! It’s all so happy. Oh man. Why do you need a video with a concept when you could just be messing around on a beach, or fooling about with bicycles? Steven Spielberg even wanted to do some sort of ‘Monkees’ documentary based on them, but they declined in order to start work on their second album. That’s dedication.

This is considered to be Supergrass’ signature song. It’s not my favourite, probably because it’s the one that will always be played on a holiday advert, or the one Supergrass video that will always be played on a music channel. Supergrass have many other great songs. Not just this one. Find them.

Come back Supergrass. Please!

Until next time.

Jamie.