Tag Archives: can’t

My iPod #564: Nine Black Alps – I Can’t Lose

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‘I Can’t Lose’ is one of the many B-sides Mancunian alternative rock/grungy-type band Nine Blacks Alps made during the sessions for their debut album Everything Is, released in 2005, and appeared on the ‘Just Friends’ single. That album still sounds as good today as it did then as an eleven-year-old. I could possibly write a whole article about how much I like that album, how I got into it etc. etc. That would be for another time.

Everything Is is a perfect twelve song package of fast, biting guitar music. Couldn’t get much better. ‘I Can’t Lose’ is very much in the same vein as the songs on the album and wouldn’t seem out of place had the band decided it to be on the final tracklist, but its production doesn’t give it that heavy feel that is present on so many of the songs that did make it.

Not trying to take anything away from it though, ‘I Can’t Lose’ is still very enjoyable. It’s not meant to be a very heavy song at all. It has a self-deprecating vibe to it which I can’t really explain. I mean, the song’s called ‘I Can’t Lose’ but the song’s narrator mentions how they always lose even if they seem to be at an advantage. Whichever way it’s meant to be taken, it’s all good stuff.

My iPod #164: Red Hot Chili Peppers – Can’t Stop

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I used to always become bored before the song started when I saw the video on Kerrang! After seconds of wondering and waiting to see what would be at the end of the yellow tube, just to see Anthony’s face was very disappointing. I would change the channel just as the guitar began to play.

That changed when I finally gave in and decided to watch what followed. A lot of random, surrealistic events occur. Flea plays the bass whilst wearing a fake hippo head, Chad balances a huge container on his finger. It’s all very fascinating. Watch it for yourselves.

“Can’t Stop” was the third single from “By the Way”. The combination of the funky, rap driven verses, reminiscent of the band’s earlier work, and the melodic, sweet choruses which the band had been focusing on for their more recent albums of that time established the song as a favourite for many of their dedicated fans. Including me. I truly enjoy this song too.

Jamie

My iPod #163: The Libertines – Can’t Stand Me Now

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A “hate you but I love you” type of song at its very finest.

Pete Doherty and Carl Barât were not getting along with one another as they did in the years before 2004. Pete was doing drugs, Carl did not like it, they argued and the band split up later.

But what better way to express their feelings to one another than through song? With memorable call and response verses, the two lead vocalists express their feelings to each other. No metaphors or other literary devices are used which may try to place ambiguity on any lines… it’s just pure emotion. Not like soppy emotion. But the truth. Straight from the heart.

The song is the lead track from the band’s last album. It almost got to number one in the charts. It peaked at number two. It got beaten by this.

Jamie.

My iPod #162: The Offspring – Can’t Repeat

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The Offspring, again? Okay…

“Can’t Repeat” was the new song recorded for the band’s compilation released in 2005. The days were counting down to the end of my final year of primary school, and this song hit me hard during that time. Lots of references about time, and getting older and looking onwards to tomorrow did not help. I didn’t want to go to secondary school…. but I had to. So this taught me to make the most of every minute of the present, something I still try and live by to this day.

The video also played on MTV2 a lot. It’s a simple one. No concept. Just the band performing in a dimly lit room, which is fine. More videos should be like that, we never just see a performance video anymore. There is an alternate version of the video with actors looking at photographs and reflecting on memories. But I prefer the one above.

Jamie.

My iPod #161: They Might Be Giants – Can’t Keep Johnny Down

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Last post for today.

It was my sixteenth birthday when the details of They Might Be Giants’ forthcoming fifteenth album “Join Us” were released to the public on Pitchfork. I was so excited. A new They Might Be Giants album? What could be better? Only a link to the brand new single!

Yes, “Can’t Keep Johnny Down” was probably the first song in full that They Might Be Giants fans heard from “Join Us”. The band had been releasing ‘teaser’ videos of work in the studio, but this was the the moment that they had all been waiting for in 2011.

Although it did take a few listens for me to get into the swing of things, “Can’t Keep Johnny Down” was an appropriate choice of song for people to hear. Some may have been worried how the band would sound after they had released children’s albums in 2008 and 2009 with “The Else” being their last ‘adult’ album in 2007. This song proved that there was no need to be worried at all.

I did assume that it was autobiographical, probably just because it has the name “Johnny” in the title. As in “Johnny” Linnell or “Johnny” Flansburgh. But that was until they said that it was from the point of view of an ‘asshole’. Those are Linnell’s words, not mine.

The band then commenced the biggest fan contest to have ever existed. That was to create their own video for the song, and whoever won it received a cash prize. The winner was the entry above.

Jamie.