Tag Archives: black

#971: The Fratellis – Ole Black ‘n’ Blue Eyes

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The Fratellis were quite a big thing back in 2006/07. At least in the UK. That period of time was one of transition for me as I was moving from primary school into secondary and in the full swing of watching MTV2 in the mornings to see what was going on in the rock music scene. Fratellis came about with ‘Creepin Up the Backstairs’. ‘Henrietta’ followed as the first official release from Costello Music. 11-year-old me thought that was one of the best tracks he’d heard in recent times. Didn’t know when that album was coming, but I knew I had to get it just to hear that song more than however much it appeared on TV. Then ‘Chelsea Dagger’ arrived and blew the walls open. Not particularly for me, never been that a big a fan of it. But its wordless chorus is one you’ll hear at any sporting event or potential drunken night out.

A couple other singles followed. And when ‘Baby Fratelli’ had had its day, it seemed that it would be all until anticipation for the next album got going. So it came as a surprise to me when I saw the video for ‘Ole Black ‘n’ Blue Eyes’ on the TV. I don’t think I ever saw that video played on the air again after that one time I saw it. Maybe the network realised they left it uncensored, the lyric “Just-get-me-fucked eyes” was broadcast as clear as day, and pulled the plug. But even then I can’t remember the track making a huge impression on me after I did the get Costello Music as a present. Or did I buy it myself… Not asking you, it’s hard to remember these things sometimes. It was in my possession at least in 2007. That it was even given a music video and recognised as a single made me revisit the song. Maybe I was missing out on something.

I was, it’s true. ‘Ole Black…’ is the closer on the band’s debut album. Not that the record’s a concept album or anything, but there are plenty of instances where track’s narrators are involved in different situations with women, relaying things they’ve done or said back to the listener. ‘Ole Black…’ is no different, the track concerns the titular character who seems to be down on her luck and the narrator wants to help her out even if he doesn’t really like her that much. But with its slow-rocking acoustic feel and reference to ‘Chelsea Dagger’ the song possesses a real conclusive tone to it. Plus, you gotta love that guitar riff during the outro. That might just be my favourite part of the whole thing. The music video is unlike anything the band were making visually during that time, though once you really understand what’s going on in there you’ll see it actually tells a story with a really heart-warming end.

My iPod #108: Dananananaykroyd – Black Wax

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Hey everyone!

That was the name of Dananananaykroyd’s first album , released on April 6 2009. One day after I turned fourteen. I had not heard the song at the time. I do remember hearing the band’s name one time on MTV or something and working out how to pronounce it. That was about it really.

It was months later when I had started Year 10 in autumn 2009. A video for one of their other songs played on MTV2, I liked that. So I went on YouTube to see the video and listen to that song again. It was then that I found the video for this song.

Looking at the video then I think that I may have seen “Black Wax” on TV, but I changed the channel for some odd reason. Bad mistake. It’s a good thing I came back to the song. It’s one of the most joyful ones I have on my iPod collection. According to Wikipedia, “The song’s lyrics, written by vocalists John Baillie Jnr and Calum Gunn are about a dream John had about the thrill of having sex on a bus made of drums (with another musician, but he won’t say who) in an underground world in Paris, and trying to conserve the feeling by sealing it in a wax lined tin.” Now I know that Wikipedia can be edited by anyone, but that actually seems legit. I don’t know what the lyrics are about, but the music is upbeat and feel good as anything. Especially the last part when guitars roar in with a triumphant shout of ‘here we are’ by the two vocalists before fading out with the guitar. It’s beautiful stuff.

The song was then chosen by EA Sports to be included in FIFA 10. Whether or not that did anything to the band’s popularity is beyond me.

Dananananaykroyd were one of the happiest bands I’d ever witnessed. Instead of a ‘wall of death, they embraced the concept of a ‘wall of hugs’ at their shows. They always looked like they had a good time in their music videos, as well as their home videos they uploaded on their YouTube channel. Look at their cover of “Whip It” by Devo. You can’t help but smile to it. They split up though. That’s a shame.

I may never see you Dananananaykroyd, but thank you for the music anyway.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #107: Arcade Fire – Black Wave/Bad Vibrations

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Evening everybody.

Feeling good? Yeah, me too. Results day for my exams is in nine days. It’s pretty scary. I’m trying not to think about time though. Next Thursday determines the rest of my life. Or at least the year that’s to come. Let’s hope that I get good ones.

Today is the fifth song on Arcade Fire’s second album “Neon Bible”, released in 2007. To summarise – for those of you who don’t know who Arcade Fire are – they are a Canadian band which practically every critic came to love after they released their fist album “Funeral” in 2004. They rose in popularity, gained a lot of fans and have currently finished their fourth album which is due to be released in Autumn.

Neon Bible’s release was probably as hyped as “Favourite Worst Nightmare”, so everyone was waiting to see what the band would do next. My sister bought it when it came out. We listened to it on Windows Media, that’s when I first heard this song.

I say that today’s post is one song, but it’s actually two sections just merged together to make a full product. I will guide you through them as best as I can.

First section: Black Wave
Régine Chassagne, occassional lead vocalist, sings the first part. The whole song is quite chilling and very haunting. This first part has a lighter mood than “Bad Vibrations” though. It tells the story of a couple, supposedly on the run from the law, and set sail on the ocean to lead a new life. She also sings in French for some lines too, that’s cool. And mysterious.

Then everything comes to an abrupt end, and with a few strikes on a xylophone the second part then starts with a boom.

Second section: Bad Vibrations
Impending doom. That’s really all I can think of when I listen to “Bad Vibrations”. Weirdly, the phrase “Black Wave” is used in this and not in the first. The “bad vibrations” are only alluded to in the final lines, “The sound is not asleep/It’s moving under my feet”, but are also emphasised by the dark tone, Win Butler’s perishing vocals and the various “oohs and aahs” in the background. It’s pretty scary. The song slowly comes to a halt, and segues into the next song.

So there you have it. Another post is done.

Hope you like the song as much as I do. Listen to it. Comment if you want.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #106: Kanye West – Black Skinhead

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“I just talked to Jesus, he said “What up, Yeezus?”
I said, “Shit, I’m chillin’, tryin’ to stack these millions.”
I know He the most high, but I am a close eye
Mi casa es su casa, that’s our Cosa Nostra HUH?!
I am a god.”

That’s probably one of the funniest verses I’ve heard in a long time. Kanye West, at the moment, feels like he cannot be touched. He’s got a hot wife, he’s a father. Things are looking up for him.

What better way to show his good life off to everyone then, by writing about that (amongst other topics that interest him) in his new album, “Yeezus“?

I like Kanye West’s music. Seems like forever ago when he first came out with “Through the Wire” and seemed like a modest man who, after surviving a life threatening car crash, wanted to show the world that he wasn’t just a great producer but could handle his own material. With an album title such as “Yeezus”, we now see how far this ‘modest man’ has come.

“Yeezus” came as a real surprise to me. Let me tell you why. I knew it was his next album title, and then found reports about his new song “New Slaves” being shown on the sides of buildings around the world. That was around Springtime/early Summer. So I thought, “Well, it must be next year that the album will come.” That was until my friend told me that it would be released in only a few days time. Oh…. SHHHIIIIIII-

No way! The new Kanye album’s coming! Ah man. I couldn’t wait. That was until the album leaked, and the same friend sent me the link through Facebook. I was all over that shit. I couldn’t handle it!

That’s where “Black Skinhead” comes in. After being impressed by “On Sight”, “Black Skinhead came in with those thumping tom-toms and I knew that some hard stuff was about to go down. One thing that struck me about the album was how loud it was, but it came to good effect on this song. This song has to be played loud. It’s Kanye’s theme song.

After listening to it multiple times now, it doesn’t feel the same as it did on that first listen. It’s definitely a highlight though.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #105: The Darkness – Black Shuck

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Now, it takes time for a person to find that certain artist that will determine their musical taste for the rest of their life. Some people may listen to The Beatles, Michael Jackson… I don’t know. Those recognisable artists that change people’s lives.

I was eight years old in 2003, and I didn’t really listen to a specific genre. Mostly, it was music that was in the charts. At the time, music in the charts was bearable stuff. I wonder if people my age in 2003 hated chart music as much. Hmm. I wonder.

So in 2003, I was young and foolish. I had no idea what music was out there, where was the song that would actually make me want to get that artist’s album. That, my friends, is where The Darkness came in.

I have to say, if it wasn’t for this band, I probably wouldn’t be watching MTV2. I would probably still be listening to chart music thinking it was good. Even if I was in Year 4, I thought “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” was the best song ever. And that was when I thought “Crashed the Wedding” by Busted had that title. My friend also listened to Busted and The Darkness too, and we thought they were the best bands ever. But The Darkness were so much cooler. Busted eventually split later on too. So The Darkness was the better band.

Then they released more songs – which I’ll talk in months to come – and I made up my mind that I had to get the album. My first album ever with a “Parental Advisory” sticker on the cover. I never knew about the word ‘cunt’ until I saw the lyrics for “Get Your Hands off My Woman” in the liner notes. “Permission to Land” was the first rock album I got. For what occasion, I don’t know. I think it was from my cousin though.

The Darkness got a lot of flack. I think a lot of people saw them as some ‘wannabe/joke’ band that were living in another decade. Their music videos didn’t help them so much either. That’s not cool. People are so close-minded. “Black Shuck” starts things off on the album with a thrilling riff, and what I guess is some polyrhythm before launching into actual 4/4 and rocking about some pimp-ass beast dog (Black Shuck) that is said ‘to roam the coastline and countryside of East Anglia’. Wikipedia does not lie.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.