It’s good to hear that people are liking Weezer’s new album. Or at least they feel like it’s the best the band has done in many years. But we all know that Weezer were so much better. There are those that completely disregard Weezer’s work after “Pinkerton“, that’s how offended they’ve been. I am not one of those people. Though I have to agree that the band’s second album is the last jaw-dropping thing the band have done.
It is in this track, after eight songs where the narrator has no idea why he’s so shitty when it comes to relationships, that an actual relationship finally begins – only for it to end in the next and last track.
Noted for being the first track the band worked on after guitarist Richey Edwards’ unexpected disappearance, “A Design for Life” was the first single released from Manic Street Preachers’ fourth album “Everything Must Go”.
I watched its video a long time ago having no idea who the band was and still left in wonder of the thing. That James Dean Bradfield is an astonishing singer. The vocals on this track are delivered with pure passion and power, and both the pre-chorus and chorus themselves are nothing short of shiver-inducing with those dramatic string arrangements. I will go on to say that it’s not my favourite MSP song. But my god you can’t say that it isn’t epic. Finding out that it was the first song the band released after a time when the band members weren’t sure if they were even going to continue makes it that bit more special too.
It has been a year since I started doing this. Feels like it’s been a year too.
I did actually start posting on the 22nd February last year which I completely forgot about until I checked earlier on today, but it was two days later that I took on the challenge of writing about (almost) every song that I have on my iPod. Click on here to start all the way from the beginning.
Since I last posted, nothing much has gone on. Just living life and listening to a lot of music too.
So here is the return of ‘My iPod’ and the Ds. For how long, I don’t know. But I’ve seen the number of songs I have that begin with the letter ‘D’. There are many. A lot more than ‘C’ for sure.
But we begin with the third song from Arctic Monkeys’ second album “Favourite Worst Nightmare” – “D Is for Dangerous”.
I remember that this was the track when I first bought the album in 2007 that caught my ear straight away. “Brianstorm”- I had obviously heard many times before and “Teddy Picker” took me a few listens to get into, but it took me that first listen for “Dangerous” to sink in.
It probably isn’t even the best song on the album. It’s pretty short and quick, only 2 minutes and 20 seconds long if you round it up, but everything is delivered with such slick execution. Cool guitar playing, a great bass line by the then-new Monkey Nick O’Malley and vocals by both Alex Turner and Matt Helders. Pretty much all I can say.
Whether they thought of the name of the album before writing the song or vice versa, I’m not sure. But it is in there. Also watch out near the end, when it sounds like the track begins to skip. I thought something had gone wrong with my computer the first time that happened.
That album by the band is my favourite of theirs. It’s probably the last one they’ve released that I can listen to the whole way through and not become….. bored? I don’t think that’s the right word. Basically, I haven’t been as hyped for Arctic Monkey albums since then.
For many it just doesn’t compare to “Whatever” or possibly even “AM” now, knowing that a lot of people are liking that. But “Nightmare” is just really solid. Maybe it’s the production or something, but there’s something in all twelve tracks that makes we want to carry on listening to them. Can’t really say that for the albums that followed. Hate on me if you want.
To put it simply, everything in the song is from the poster. The horse’s name wasn’t Henry though. It was actually “Zanthus”. I don’t think “Zanthus the horse dances the waltz” would have been as good of a lyric though. Mind you, if they had used that lyric it wouldn’t have been banned on the BBC for supposed “drug references”. Silly BBC.
If you own the vinyl version of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, this song closes the first side of the album. To emphasise the circus theme of the song, their renowned producer George Martin asked the engineer to chop up recordings of various faiground organs and calliope music, throw them in the air and reassemble them at random. These are the noises used for the instrumental break, and also during the outro of the song. It took five days for the band to make this, and is regarded to be one of the more complex songs on the album.
It’s used in this epic mix on the LOVE album from 2006 too.
Until tomorrow.
Jamie.
Kings of Leon – “Supersoaker”
Alright! So Kings of Leon are back, and this is their new single “Supersoaker”. There’s the audio-video right up there.
It premiered yesterday on Zane Lowe’s radio show on BBC Radio 1. I missed the first time it played.
But then it played again later….. and I was quite pleased! Only a few posts ago was I talking about how I didn’t like the new sound that they were going for now and how I was dissappointed that they had sold out or whatever. But this song is like a mix of that sound and their “Aha Shake Heartbreak” material. Reminds me of “Taper Jean Girl” in particular. This is what I wanted. They’ve gone back to where they once belonged. You can hear their roots in the song. The only recent song I can think of when they have done this is “Back Down South”, and that’s not even a bad song. I find myself singing that from time to time. Stick to your roots, KOL.
It’s a thumping four-on-the-floor western rocker with Caleb’s crooning vocals over the relentless guitars and jumpy bassline in the verses and everything. Yeah… I can dig this. This is a good first single.
Their new album “Mechanical Bull” is released in September.
That was meant to be the introduction to the song, by the way.
Hi everyone! I’m in a good mood. I am now a free man, exams are finished, nothing’s gonna change my clothes until results day. Until then, I should probably get started with this again. It is time… for the B SERIES. YES! YES! COME ON!
So System of a Down…. what can I say?
In 2005 it had been three years since the band released their third album. I didn’t follow the band so much, so I had no idea that this album was even out. However, “Chop Suey!” and “Toxicity” were two songs of the band that I saw on MTV2 and, although the former’s video was quite weird and I was quite confused by the actual song, the band really rocked and I guess I wanted to hear more from them.
“B.Y.O.B.”, acronym for ‘Bring Your Own Bombs’, was released as the first single from Mezmerize, the first half of a double album that would be out by the end of the year. It is considered to be yet another of System of a Down’s trademark songs due its fast pace, contrasts between quiet and loud in the verses and chorus, and lines that you are able to shout out at the top of your lungs.
This was also their first single where Daron Malakian had lead vocals in the part of the song. I remember seeing the video when it first came out, and again I was confused at how the song randomly changed in the middle. They were singing about “having a real good time” and “going to the party” and then it was “BLAST OFF IT’S PARTY TIME, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!!!!!!”. It was crazy. But it makes it that much awesome.
This is another song out of the hundreds in the world that are anti-war. I think this song depicts the message quite clearly. It is about how the government chat shite most the time and how much they suck. George Bush had been re-elected as president the year before, which I guess no one understood back then. So people were pissed. I’m thinking Serj and Daron pretty much felt the same way.
Why do they always send the poor? Why? WHY.
That was alright. It’s good to be back.
Until next time.
Jamie.
P.S. I WAS LOOKING THROUGH MY POSTS YESTERDAY AND I REALISED I MISSED TWO BLOODY SONGS IN MY ‘A’ SERIES.
How did I do that? Yeezus. I might as well do them pretty quickly, and without focus.
George Harrison – Apple Scruffs
That is not the album version, but it’s pretty close.*
Another song from ‘All Things Must Pass’. Not much to say about the song. I listened to the album back in 2011, and this song was one that caught my ear. Great harmonies in the chorus by Harrison, and a delightful tribute to the ‘Scruffs’ who would hang outside Abbey Road when The Beatles were there.
Very nice.
11/06/2020* It is now the album version.
Nine Black Alps – Along for the Ride
OK, Nine Black Alps are one of my favourite bands ever.
They released their newest album “Sirens” last October, which you can listen to here.
“Locked Out from the Inside”, the album this song is on, was released in 2009 after the second album “Love/Hate”. I was dissappointed by the second album, because their first album was so good. So good. It’s one of my favourites. “Love/Hate” was just so mellow, and indie and using acoustic guitars. It was such a bore compared to “Everything Is”.
“Locked Out from the Inside” for me was a return to form. Their crunchy, rough Nirvana-esque sound was back, no acoustic guitars in sight. It just felt like everything was back to normal.
“Along for the Ride” is the penultimate song from the album. I think it’s about wanting a relationship, or being interested in someone. I don’t know, I don’t really look deep into lyrics. Even though I typed the lyrics up for every song and got them up on the Internet.
If you don’t know Nine Black Alps, listen to their stuff. Please.
The Music in My Ears 
