Tag Archives: eyes

#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 #478: Animal Collective – Guys Eyes

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A Panda Bear-penned track that had been around and heard in a much more mellow and calming form circa 2007 with the name “Song for Ariel“, “Guys Eyes” came to be the final result of the Animal Collective treatment the original track underwent and was placed as the seventh track on the group’s 2009 album Merriweather Post Pavilion.

The song sees Noah Lennox singing about his desire to please ‘[his] girl’. She isn’t there. And at the end of the song it is suggested that he has pleased himself instead of waiting for her.

In its new form the track possessed a bouncier 12/8 rhythm, weird pitch-shifted vocals that are buried in the mix, forceful stop-starting bass drums, flickering percussion and glorious counter-melodies. And those are only in the first few verses of the thing. About 1 1/2 minutes in, the song builds into this hypnotizing groove as Avey Tare and Panda Bear repeatedly sing the words ‘need her’. The walls close in all around as the tension continues to build as these two words are burrowed into your mind, until you’re snapped back into reality once returning to the melodies established in the opening verses for the closing moments.

My iPod #426: The Who – Girl’s Eyes

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“Girl’s Eyes” is a song recorded during the making of The Who’s third album The Who Sell Out, which went on to be released in 1967. The song did not make it onto the original album’s tracklist. Though it did appear in the extended tracklisting when the album was remastered and remixed years later in 1995. The track is one of the very few Who songs to be written by the ever-eccentric Keith Moon. He couldn’t sing very well, but you’re still able to hear him take lead vocals in the right channel with bassist John Entwistle singing along with him in the left.

After a false start in which someone blows over the top of an open bottle and Moon hurriedly says “Hello” to the listener (maybe to test the microphone or something), the track eventually gets going and is driven by a delightful piano and acoustic guitars, but Moon and Entwistle do their business on their respective instruments too. The track concerns a fangirl who Moon sees at every show the band perform at, but he clearly doesn’t care about her as much as she about them. He wonders if he could have the audacity of hurting this girl if they were ever to meet, though whether this actually happens is not revealed as the lyrics pretty much end there. I also think that Moon couldn’t think of a true ending to the song’s music, as the band improvise an ending where each member eventually gives up playing after a few reiterations of the song’s chord progression.

This song’s a-okay. Moon was always meant for the drums, of course, but this track shows that he could actually write a good tune as well too.

My iPod #87: Nine Black Alps – Behind Your Eyes

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Hmmm….. so Nine Black Alps. I briefly touched upon them on a previous post – one that was quite rushed, seeing as I had forgotten to do a post on it in the ‘A’ series.

I always go on about my favourite bands on here. There’s They Might Be Giants, and Billy Talent too. Well, Nine Black Alps are another. Let me tell you why.

Why, I must have been ten years old or something when I first saw their video for “Unsatisfied” on MTV2. I always changed the channel when it came on, because the introduction sounded so depressing….. and the lead singer never smiled or anything. He just looked bored all the time. I didn’t wanna watch that. They then released “Just Friends” as a single, and that was a song I didn’t care for much either. For me, it was a much better song but it’s 2 and a bit minutes long, and it goes by quickly. Nope. Nine Black Alps weren’t the band for me

That was until the advert for their album “Everything Is” started airing on the television. It showed a few seconds of the two music videos for the songs I already mentioned. But it was the one for “Not Everyone” which really caught my attention. That’s for another blog. Then their songs started showing up on every EA Sports releases. First, “Cosmopolitan” was part of the EA Trax in FIFA 06, and then another of their songs, “Shot Down” appeared on Burnout Revenge.

Long story short, I got the album as a present for my eleventh birthday. It’s one of my favourites. “Behind Your Eyes” is a song from there.

“Behind Your Eyes” is one of the two acoustic songs on “Everything Is”. It comes after five songs full to the brim with hard-hitting riffs, loud guitars and various lyrics about dying, obtaining weapons and other morbid subjects. The album as a whole has quite a war-like concept to it. I’m not sure whether it’s a concept album or not. It could be.

Anyway, “Behind Your Eyes” introduces a sense of hope. A light, not quite at the end of the tunnel, but one  that shines for a few minutes until it flickers out. But you still manage to find a way through the darkness. That is until the light goes and then everything is dark again. I say that because as soon as “Behind Your Eyes” finishes, it’s back to the guitars and dark lyrics.

Yeah, it’s a pretty song amongst the madness.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.

My iPod #86: The Who – Behind Blue Eyes

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Hi everyone. I’m feeling good. Each day just seems to go into the next so quickly, I don’t know where the time is going.

This is the third song from this album that I’ve done a blog on, and I’ve only got five songs from Who’s Next on my iPod. Oh, well.

For those of you who don’t know, “Who’s Next” is only a compilation of songs that were supposed to be used for a much bigger project that Pete Townshend had worked on. After they had finished “Tommy”, Townshend began work on a rock-opera called “Lifehouse”. However, when he explained the concept to his friends and the other band members they just didn’t get what was going on. They couldn’t handle it.

“Behind Blue Eyes” is sung from the perspective of the villain of the story, Jumbo. It was intended to be his ‘theme song’, but of course “Lifehouse” never happened. “Who’s Next” is still considered to be the band’s best album, even though it wasn’t intended to be made. That’s quite funny. You can listen to the album’s intended tracklist, thanks to this playlist on YouTube.

“Behind Blue Eyes” is the penultimate song – before “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. It starts off with Roger singing alone over Pete’s guitar, John later joins in with the bass and vocal harmonies are introduced. The song then changes into a full rock out when Keith and the electric guitars come in. Keith’s drumming is brilliant on this, listen to them here. The song then ends with a reprise of the first sections. With three cymbal crashes on the last three words, the song fades to a close.

It’s quite of a downer. But then the last track begins, and for the next nine minutes you’ll feel great.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.