Tag Archives: be

#731: N-Dubz – Let Me Be

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OK, let me explain. From about 2008 to 2011, N-Dubz were everywhere in the UK. The trio of Dappy, Tulisa, and Fazer could do no wrong in the eyes of the British youth. Their debut album Uncle B included hits of theirs that had been known since about 2006 but just about missed out on a top ten position in the charts. But then they got their first number one hit as a feature on Tinchy Stryder’s track, coincidentally titled, ‘Number 1‘, a tune that just takes me back to Year 9 every time. I had a friend in high school who downloaded every song by N-Dubz to his tiny Sony Ericsson phone. He pretty much had every lyric of theirs nailed to a T, but he would rap them in a mocking and strange way which I found hysterical at that age of 13. While I didn’t really care for them – I was more the Linkin Park, Eminem type person at that time – you could never really avoid the hype that came when N-Dubz released a new single or collaboration.

The 00s were coming to a close. And N-Dubz blessed the public with a new album, almost a year to the day that they released their first one. Against All Odds was its name, and it was preceded by the first single ‘I Need You’. Not gonna lie, I thought that was song was banging from the day its video showed up on YouTube. The lyrics didn’t have much depth, but the production was great. It actually had me looking forward to their album release. It came. I listened through it. I got great entertainment out of tracks like ‘Playing with Fire’ and ‘Duku Man (Skit)’. The rest I didn’t care that much for. Except ‘Let Me Be’, which I actually think is their best song and no one can tell me otherwise.

The track got no attention in the UK, but somehow got a music video made for it. I’ve come to the assumption that it was a release in Greece because of Greek rapper Nivo’s appearance where he raps only in Greek. I still have no idea what he’s rapping about to this day.* Oh, and because both Dappy and Tulisa are of Greek ancestry too. On the track, Dappy raps about a girl who’s getting a bit too clingy and even if he does like the sex they have, he’s not sticking around. This then leads into the melodic chorus where Dappy then sings about being watched and followed by everyone now that he’s famous, and comes to a conclusion that this girl probably really likes him because he’s on the TV a lot of the time. Fazer and Tulisa get their verses in nearing the end of the track, the latter gets her iconic ‘ha-ha’ ad-libs in too. What actually impressed me the most about this track all those years ago was how the whole vibe of the track shifted beginning with Fazer’s verse. It just sounds a lot sadder somehow, can’t tell whether it’s a change in key or chord progression but it’s a moment in their discography that I don’t think they ever matched. Not saying it’s some huge musical jump, loads of artists do that type of thing, but from N-Dubz it was quite unexpected.

I can’t believe I’ve typed this much out about N-Dubz. This is the only post on them in this whole blog series that I’ll do so I might as well get it all of my chest. If you want to know what happened to the group, they split in 2011 following the release of their third album. Lowkey, a lot of people want a reunion.

#729: The Chemical Brothers – Let Forever Be

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‘Let Forever Be’ was released as the second single from The Chemical Brothers’ 1999 album Surrender. After taking inspiration from the Beatles’ track ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ and collaborating with Oasis guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher on their previous track ‘Setting Sun’, a song that got to number one in the UK in ’96, the ‘brothers’ decided to do the same thing again here. It didn’t gained the same amount of commercial success but I believe it’s still one of the duo’s best singles.

While ‘Setting Sun’ relies on its pummeling drums to drive the track’s momentum ‘Let Forever Be’ relies on its bassline which mirrors Paul McCartney’s original bass from the aforementioned Beatles song, starting on the lower strings before reaching for those higher notes and carrying out some licks. Noel Gallagher continues his ‘faux-philosophical/actual nonsense’ lyricism style which, in that period of the 90s, was in its prime and worked tremendously well. His voice sounds great on here and, mixed with the psychedelic backdrop from Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons (The Chemical Brothers), it makes from some very easygoing listening.

Its music video (above), directed by Michel Gondry, gained a lot of media attention. I don’t think it’s too bad myself. I did see it a lot back in the day on the television screen though you can’t go wrong by listening to the song on its own.

#651: Ween – It’s Gonna Be (Alright)

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Though Ween have mostly considered to be this joke band who don’t take their music seriously because of the humour they incorporate into their material (which they’re not and they do), there has always been a song on each of their albums (except La Cucaracha probably) that can unexpectedly surprise you with its sincerity. There are a couple I can think of when it comes to The Mollusk; ‘It’s Gonna Be (Alright)’ is one of them.

This track has always been one of my favourites from the album since I heard it back in 2013. Following ‘The Blarney Stone’, an explicit number in the form of a sea shanty, ‘Alright’ slows things right down to darken the mood with its wavey guitar arpeggios and echoing percussion. It’s another devastating track in Ween’s discography concerning the end of a relationship. For anyone who doesn’t know, Gene Ween – lead singer and co-songwriter in the band – has a big heart; when it gets broken he can get really sad. He wrote songs like ‘Birthday Boy’, ‘Baby Bitch’, and ‘I Don’t Want It’ detailing some of the misery he’s been through. However, ‘Alright’ is one of those tracks where although the relationship is no more, there’s still hope that things can still be good between the two of them.

Things get weird again as they follow this with ‘The Golden Eel’ on the album, pretty much about what it says in the title, so it’s almost like the band just drops this serious track to just say ‘everything’s not as well as it seems here but forget about it here’s the silly stuff again’. But that’s all what adds to the charm… of Ween.

#648: Tame Impala – It Is Not Meant to Be

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‘It Is Not Meant to Be’ is the first track on Tame Impala’s debut album Innerspeaker, released almost ten years ago…. If I remember right, that particular was the second of the “group”‘s that I listened to following Lonerism when I was in my last year of sixth form. Compared to that album, it was apparent that there was a lot more focus on the guitars and some good riffs. A lot less synthesizer work. But it was all still some great music for this guy in 2012/13.

Probably down as one of the best introductions to an album in my music library, ‘It Is Not Meant to Be’ grabbed me right away with its thick bassline and phasing guitars that repeat on and on for a minute and 20 seconds before the vocals eventually come in. If that section were its own track I wouldn’t be too upset. It’s very hypnotizing. But then Kevin Parker arrives and tells the listener about a girl he’s had his eye on and who is way out of his league, much to his reluctant acknowledgment. And that’s something a lot of guys have been through, right? I know I have.

But it’s not just because of its relatability that I dig this track. It just sounds so good. When I listen to it, I see…. trees of green, the sun. I sense a summery feeling but its surrounded by a mystic haze. Like I’m lying in a field. And then when the chorus hits I’m lifted to a whole other level. It’s a warm, comfortable listen that carries a heavy weight but won’t do you any harm in the long run. It’s definitely a smooth way to start off a discography.

#647: Blur – It Could Be You

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I may have said this before but just to reinforce it again, I prefer The Great Escape to Parklife. I realise that the latter is recognised as Blur’s first classic album, it was immense for British culture during the time it was released. The former is mostly seen as Parklife‘s weaker follow-up nowadays. It also doesn’t help that none of the bandmembers don’t look on The Great Escape very fondly either. When it comes down to it, I enjoy a lot more songs from that album than I do its predecessor.

‘It Could Be You’ is a track from The Great Escape, released in 1995, and was also released as single – only in Japan – the following year. It is predominantly inspired by The National Lottery, which had recently become a thing around the time the album came out, with its title taken from the initial slogan that was used to promote the whole ordeal. Damon Albarn sings about what he could do if he were to win it, or at least sings from the perspective of someone who wishes to, alongside various phrases and observations on British society that he was prone to during those times.

Like a lot of songs on Parklife, the track is rich in melodies and general catchiness, pepped up with enthusiastic ‘doo-doo/ooh-ooh’ vocals here and there and quite the keen vocal take from Albarn. Actually, a lot of the vocals here seem almost camp in a way…. like it could be a musical number or something. Though it does help that they’re backed up by a relatively strong performance from Graham Coxon’s guitars and the rhythm section of Alex James and Dave Rowntree. Check out the fuzz bass that comes in for a brief moment during the chorus. It took me a while to realise that was even there.