Tag Archives: my ipod

My iPod #348: Daft Punk – Face to Face

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I have returned! What better way to start the month of October than with the start of this ‘series’ thing that most followers possibly look at my blog for.

This is “Face to Face”, the penultimate track from Daft Punk’s second album Discovery. If you are watching the album’s visual counterpart “Interstella 5555“, this is the point where – spoilers – Earth finds out the band are aliens and help them get back to their home planet. That’s the first time I heard the track, and I got very positive vibes from it. Watching the film at the same time, I was happy to see that the people of Earth were so adamant on helping the blue-skinned people. It was nice to see.

From looking at the lyrics, the track is from the perspective of someone who feels foolish for throwing their toys out of the pram in a fight, instead of just talking it out face to face, and finding sense in whatever the other person was saying. It may also be about Internet dating or something. But I personally think it’s the former.

The double-tracked vocals are done by Todd Edwards, who more recent Daft Punk fans may know from “Fragments of Time” from “Random Access Memories”. However, the majority of the track has no vocals at all and instead focuses on the different samples of older songs that are used but which Daft Punk never wanted to reveal. We all know that “Evil Woman” by ELO is in there….. but I still have no clue what the female vocal is saying or where it’s from. I’m convinced that it’s saying “-long…. Mr. Furlong” and then “good evening” at some parts too.

The music itself makes me feel good. Why? The positive message, the stomping 4-4 beat, or those cut/copy samples that work so well together. A song to lie back to and feel good about what you have is what this is.

My iPod #347: Green Day – Extraordinary Girl

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Well, well, well. It has come to this. After a month and a few weeks, I have reached the end of the ‘E’ section of My iPod. It has been good fun. I hope I have encouraged you to listen to some of the songs I hear on a regular basis, even if I don’t use any technical language or various adjectives in any of my posts. I write with feeling, you know, so who needs those things?

And so to end it is “Extraordinary Girl”, a track from Green Day’s album “American Idiot” which will have existed on this planet for ten years this coming September. It’s not their best one, but I would say that it is definitely the band’s last great album. “21st Century Breakdown” was ehhhhh…. (some songs from it are cool, but as a whole it’s not brilliant) and the “Uno,Dos,Tre!” trilogy….. not a big fan, I’ll leave it at that.

So anyone who owns “American Idiot” will know that it’s a rock opera and there’s a whole story narrated throughout the tracks. Anyone who doesn’t can look it up for themselves because I can’t be bothered to go through it all now :D.

What I will tell you is that “Extraordinary Girl” comes at the point where the main character has found love in “Whatsername”, the female character in the story, and the track takes on an omniscient narration on how both characters are feeling at this point. It is not going too well, and (spoilers) by the next track the relationship is over. Very sad. I think you have to listen to the album to feel the emotion, ’cause I know I sound like I don’t care at all.

That’s the song story-wise. Musically, it’s very nice to listen to. It begins with some sort of Middle Eastern sounding tribal percussion which quietly gets the ball rolling for 40 seconds until Tré smacks the snare drum and the track properly starts. Billie Joe throws in some alveolar trills here and there, and that along with the high guitar riff that plays during the introduction and breaks makes the song sound a bit Spanish sometimes. With relaxing, simple chord progressions and a steady pace to it “Extraordinary Girl” is a track to chill out to after “She’s a Rebel” and also something to get you eased up before the roller-coaster “Letterbomb”. Real sweet one.

AND THAT’S IT. The E’s are finished. Probably won’t be hearing from me for a while. I will try and think of something to put on here. You know I hate to leave you, but I’ll be back again.

My iPod #346: They Might Be Giants – Exquisite Dead Guy

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“Exquisite Dead Guy” is a weird song. It’s weirdly mysterious and dramatic at the same time even though not a lot happens in it. The only overdubs present are those on Linnell’s voice, and apart from that there some cellos, a bass and drums for most of its duration. As a result the track sounds a bit empty, always feeling like something additional needs to be added. But I like it like that. Maybe that’s what attracted me to it.

There are some thories about the ‘exquisite dead guy’ in question being Jesus Christ, and the ascending ‘ba-da-ba’ vocal line is meant to represent Morse code. Those things go way over my head. The song is one ‘of admiration of a departed hero‘, so that’s what I’ll go ahead and see it as.

It’s quite the unconventional track. If the aforementioned ‘ba-da-ba’ scat vocals are the chorus, then those make up the majority of the two minutes the song lasts for. And when those stop Linnell, in a low register, sings about seeing this dead man wherever he goes. Things become surprisingly introspective during the middle part, but the song then returns to repeat the vocal line twice more before coming to an abrupt end.

On a side note, the ‘E’ section finishes tomorrow. Time has flown. What song is next? Wait and see.

My iPod #345: They Might Be Giants – Experimental Film

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During all the years you are at primary school, you are free to do whatever you want. No exams, or pressures of having to go and work bothered you. Nothing matters. You have all the time in the world. I used that time to watch the television, and go on the Internet. It was on the latter that I found Homestar Runner one day when I was nine. I visited that website for the next five years until production died and the creators went on a hiatus from it. But I was always entertained by its hilarious characters, Strong Bad ‘SBEmails’ and toooons. Good times. I hear activity on the website is gonna start again soon. Can’t wait. Bring it on.

At that point, I didn’t know who They Might Be Giants were. So I pretty much watched the “Experimental Film” without thinking too much about it. It was an alright track, but I thought ‘They’ were just a random band who were friends with The Brother Chaps who asked them to do a video. It wasn’t until later on when it really hit me that my favourite Internet cartoon had collaborated with one of my favourite bands. Pretty weird. But I’m glad it happened.

Away from all the back story, “Experimental Film” starts off They Might Be Giants album “The Spine“. Written by John Linnell, the track is about a guy who is working on an experimental film. Quite obvious. He’s got it all planned out, and nobody knows about it. But during the chorus he reveals that everyone (friends, family, listeners?) will be involved in the making of this film alongside celebratory “YEAH” backing vocals, and is very ambitious about it’s outcome even if the film is beyond his own understanding.

Great way to begin an album. A standard three minute track with a very welcoming and happy tone about it. Homestar Runner has good taste.

My iPod #344: Billy Talent – The Ex

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In the middle of Billy Talent’s first album (at least their first under that name) from 2003 comes “The Ex”, a very angry song – possibly written from personal experience by lead singer Ben Kowalewicz – about suddenly being dumped by a girlfriend and being left alone again after putting so much effort into keep that relationship going. Ben is not happy, and makes it very clear in this track.

If you’ve listened to “Billy Talent” fully, you will know how much a heel turn this track is after listening to “Lies” which is much lighter in comparison. D’Sa’s busy guitar introduction begins the song, the rhythm section kicks in a few seconds later and Ben sings about the sky turning grey and other melancholy things, before shouting the chorus wondering why he has to suffer through the shit.

This song rocks, yeah! Think I heard it when its video was available on Billy Talent’s official website, years ago when it had the yellow and red design. Those were good times. That’s where I heard “Try Honesty” and other songs from the first album for the first time too. But that’s for another time.