Tag Archives: my ipod

#768: Supergrass – Lose It

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Wondering where to start with this one. I was given Supergrass’ debut album I Should Coco as a gift for, I think, my fourteenth birthday and I remember taking to it immediately on the first listen. ‘Lose It’ has always been a high point from the album for me even if it may be a song of Supergrass’ that a lot of people might not know so much about.

I think what made me appreciate it at first was how mean it sounded compared to the track that comes before it on the album. It was like ‘Alright’ was just a brief moment where everything’s fun and sunny before things get heavy again. Like a lot of other songs on Coco, ‘Lose It’ possesses very high energy and a bit of claustrophobic atmosphere that makes it feel like the band are just thrashing this performance in a tight room somewhere. It’s a bit intense. There aren’t many lyrics in this track either. If it wasn’t for the short “I don’t want anybody…” verse/(bridge?) – the song would just consist of its chorus. The repetitive nature just makes it all the more memorable.

The song was released as a very limited single in ’95, packaged only in the United States in the form of 2,500 copies of vinyl. Still managed to chart in the UK somehow.

#767: Malibu Stacy – Los AnGeles

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Malibu Stacy are a band from Belgium. Their song ‘Los AnGeles’ – the capitalised ‘G’ isn’t a typo – was part of the soundtrack to FIFA 07, that’s how I came to know it. FIFA was a yearly grab for me; I’d been playing it since 2002 when the 2003 edition came out and the soundtracks on there never disappointed. It was normally the songs that weren’t from the UK that were the best or, at least to me, the most memorable. Here’s the soundtrack for that particular game. Highlights I would recommend are ‘TMCr Grand Finale’ by The Pinker Tones, ‘Was in der Zeitung Steht’ by d.o.c.h.!, and ‘Understand’ by The Sheer. That song will get its own post one day. It’s worth listening to all the songs on that list.

Anyway, ‘Los AnGeles’ played whenever you were on the menus or sorting out transfers. Generally, navigating your way through the game when you weren’t playing matches. The singer isn’t the greatest in the world, but his tone just really matches the instrumental backing. When I was eleven and hearing this song, I was singing along but I had no idea what the guy was saying. Through the years since then, I’ve seen what are considered to be the official lyrics to this song and I’m still not sure he’s even singing those. It’s all about the feeling, though. You can tell they care about what the lyricism is about. Once you’ve got that main keyboard riff in your head, it will pretty much stick there for a while. I’ve also always enjoyed that small part in the instrumental bridge where the track goes into a swinging tempo for a few measures.

I’ve never thought to go into the band’s back catalogue and dig deep into their material. I think this track’s association with FIFA will be as far as it goes for me. The singing probably sounded better to me back in 2006 than it does now but musically, it still packs a punch.

#766: Guttermouth – Looking Good Is All That Matters

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After ‘I’m Destroying the World’ by Guttermouth became a song that I was always looking forward to hearing while playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 back in the day, the band’s album Covered with Ants was a constant request for birthdays and Christmases. I never did get the CD. It took until 2012 when Spotify had just properly got going, that I was able to listen to the album in full. And it wasn’t bad. Not the greatest album of all time, but if you’re into skate punk and like some sarcasm in your music then it’s worth a shot.

‘Looking Good Is All That Matters’ is the fifth track on Covered with Ants, and is a basic criticism of those who have no self-respect for themselves and only motivated by physical appearances. The first verse sets the scene, with the description of a date where the man clearly can’t stand the person he’s with but she looks good so he may as well stay. The second describes a girl who throws up to maintain her slim figure. The whole message is summed up in the sarcastic chorus: “Looking good is all that matters/God bless our society.”

This track got my immediate attention when listening through the album the first time. I always enjoy a bit of humour in the music I listen to, and ‘Looking Good’ runs on that. Nothing like jokingly pointing out people’s insecurities to fast-paced punk chords.

#765: The Band – Look Out Cleveland

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‘Look Out Cleveland’ by The Band is a very fine song. It was one of the first few that really grabbed my attention upon listening to the group’s 1969 album, even though I don’t think it’s one that people give much thought about when thinking about that record. It’s a track with a very simple structure, alternating between its chorus and verses before coming to a close after three minutes, but it’s the energy from all band members involved and the great harmonies between bassist Rick Danko and drummer Levon Helm that raise the performance to another level.

Bit by bit each band member is introduced in the beginning, starting off with Richard Manuel’s screaming boogie-woogie piano alongside Robbie Robertson’s guitar who are then joined by the stuttering rhythm section. The chorus then crashes in with strident chords where Danko and Helm send a warning to the people of Cleveland, Texas (not Ohio) to look out for the storm that’s coming their way. The verses are told from the perspective of a Cleveland citizen who relays to the listener when they found out the storm was on its way, how natural phonomenons like lightning and storm clouds shouldn’t be taken as a joke and if they are, the people will be running for shelter when things really start to go down.

Again, I’ll just say it’s a great performance by The Band. All members seemed to be locked in with one another, getting the right groove, coming in and dropping out at the right moments. Really fine rhythms on show here too. The whole album is anchored by the band’s ability to play with pinpoint precision. Although this won’t be the last song of theirs I’ll cover here, it will be the last from this album. I wasn’t able to write about album opener ‘Across the Great Divide’ and bonus track ‘Get Up Jake’, two songs which are well worth the time.

#764: Blur – Look Inside America

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Damon Albarn spent a good chunk of the 90s making music specially tailored to the British public. After having a not-so-great tour in the United States and seeing that the music from that country, especially grunge, dominated the UK charts he had a vision to remind people how great, and sometimes bad, it was to be from England with the ultimate aim of being part of the biggest band in their homeland. That vision came true to some degree, but the band found they had taken things too far with their 1995 album The Great Escape. They had also fallen hugely out of favour with the general British audience who had grown to prefer Oasis instead.

Their self-titled album that followed in 1997 was remarkably different, inspired by indie rock bands like Pavement and Sebadoh that guitarist Graham Coxon had been listening to. The music Blur was making in these sessions was a lot more aggresive and Albarn’s lyrics were more earnest and sincere. Noting the gratifying effect that this new American influence was having on the band, Albarn wrote ‘Look Inside America’ which is essentially an apology to the country and a song about learning not to care so much about things. In the track, Albarn sings about the better experiences he has while being in America. A good show was had the previous night, the band got an ad on the rock station KROQ, and he got a happier ending to Woody Allen’s Annie Hall by rewinding the videotape. He seems to have found pleasures in the smallest details and his lyrics, mixed with the uplifting music, result in what is probably the most optimistic track on the whole album.

Ironically, the song sounds the most similar to the material they were making on their Britpop trilogy. Only this time, the strings during the verses play more as a backdrop to Albarn’s vocal and Coxon’s guitar. The groove during the guitar solos nearing the end remind me to ‘Mr Robinson’s Quango’. I think it’s all in done in a tongue-in-cheek way though. Just a personal highlight for me is Alex James’ bass throughout the track, that’s very melodic in itself.