Tag Archives: my ipod

My iPod #381: The Beatles – For No One

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A slow song about the gradual ending of a relationship, “For No One” written by Paul McCartney and performed by The Beatles is one of the saddest tracks in the group’s catalogue.

McCartney was going through a rough patch with a girlfriend many many years ago, and this is one of many songs that he wrote about that point in time. This seems to detail the eventual end of that ‘patch’ ‘cos from “Sgt. Pepper” onwards he didn’t write those types of songs anymore. In fact, it seemed to be getting so much better for him from that point onwards. Still, “For No One” is details McCartney’s regret and sadness caused by the situation.

Accompanied by only by drums (courtesy of Ringo Starr) which you can barely hear and a mournful French horn that gets its own solo and appears again near the song’s conclusion, “For No One” is the one track from “Revolver” that will have you tearing up and feeling Paul’s pain. John Lennon was a fan of this one too, but probably not because of that reason.

My iPod #380: Big Boi ft. Vonnegutt – Follow Us

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Honestly, I got nothing to say about this track. I heard it when I was listening through “Sir Lucious” for the first time, and it sounded like a highlight to me.

On a lot of tracks on the album, Big Boi is very boastful and is always eager to tell you just how sick he is. It is no different on this one, going on to compare his rhymes and rapping to a vicious pitbull attack and sending a message to those who thought he wouldn’t do so well solo without his Outkast partner André 3000. Well he proved them wrong, and along with fellow label act Vonnegutt (or at least that group’s lead singer) he calls to you to follow him and listen to this song and other good music in general, because that is the only way you will learn.

This is a good hip-hop song, from a great hip-hop album. Admittedly, I don’t know all the words to the verses and only sing along to the chorus…. but I still know good music when I hear it. This qualifies.

My iPod #379: Pavement – Folk Jam

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I like “Terror Twilight”. I like it a lot. It’s my favourite Pavement album – I don’t care what you think. The whole album has this airy, breezy production to it which acts as a great hangover cure, and generally the songs on there aren’t too shabby.

The album includes “Folk Jam”, a steady number where the band play over a groove that is established from the first hit of the crash cymbal. The track has a bit of a country/folky vibe to it, probably because of the appearance of a banjo that is played by one of the members. Stephen Malkmus also mentions the manner of his birth, bemoans his ancestry and states a fear of Irish folk tales. So you can probably tell that the song won’t necessarily mean anything just by looking at that. But at least Malkmus doesn’t lie, this is a tune about his folks and another type of folk that scares him. Pretty clever, didn’t really think about that until now.

There’s not much of a chorus or a change in dynamics; it may come off as a bit repetitive for a new listener. However, it doesn’t have ‘jam’ in the song’s title for no reason. But I’m just saying, if you get bored listening to the track (which you shouldn’t)…. what you see is what you get.

My iPod #378: Biffy Clyro – Folding Stars

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I haven’t listened to this song in a while, actually. Not because I don’t like it as much as I did when I first saw it on the television all those years ago in 2007, but only because it hasn’t been in my mind lately. Nothing to make me sad or upset has occurred within my life to make me want to play this track. I’m a very happy person, you know. But it’s one that a lot of people can connect with, especially because of its subject matter.

Simon Neil wrote it as a tribute to his mother who passed away in 2004. The track is one of the slower and quiet ones on “Puzzle” and probably the most emotional. The track guides the listeners through Neil’s emotions around the time that his mother’s condition was deteriorating and sums his current feelings with four simple words – ‘it’s not getting easier’.

Although admitting that it was a tough song to record, “Folding Stars” is definitely a highlight from “Puzzle”. A very sweet song indeed.

My iPod #377: Late of the Pier – Focker

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The video for “Focker” is strange. In so many ways. The first time I heard the track was when I watched its video on my television’s interactive music video service; I was left confused, astonished, and perplexed by what I had seen. But it does fit the music perfectly, which is what every music video should aim to do.

I think it’s right to say that “Focker” is made up of three parts. The first consisting of the song’s two verses and wailing chorus (“I wanna be your frieeeeeeeeend oh yeaah”), the second being the instrumental breakdown accompanied by manipulated, onomatopoeic vocals and the final coming as a surprise synthesizer onslaught that pans endlessly around the headphones until halting to a stop, bringing the track to a close.

It’s a thrill to listen to. Very crazy. Very good though. Are they still together?