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My iPod #189: They Might Be Giants – Circular Karate Chop

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“Nanobots” is They Might Be Giants’ sixteenth studio album which the band released earlier this year in March. I was already hyped for its release due to being a massive TMBG fan, and due to the fact that the four songs that the band had revealed before its release date assured me that good things were to come.

The band then went on to stream the whole album their SoundCloud account a week before the album was officially released. How swell. My excitement could not be contained. I went onto that site as soon as I heard.

“Circular Karate Chop” is the second song penned by John Flansburgh to appear on the album after “Black Ops”. It is a real rocker in contrast to the latter, which goes for a more… ‘experimental’ approach. By ‘real rocker’, I mean it contains electric guitars, hard-hitting drums and keyboards which remind me of something I have heard in a cartoon before. Maybe Scooby-Doo, I can’t remember.

It is probably my favourite Flansburgh song off the album. Just a cool pop rock track. Sounds similar to something from the “Factory Showroom” album.

My iPod #188: Test Icicles – Circle. Square. Triangle

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One of the best dance-punk band to come from the UK, and before I appreciated their material they had already split up.

I was ten years old when “Circle. Square. Triangle” first appeared on MTV2, and was repeated quite frequently too. I could not stand it. The lead singer’s weird and annoying American accent that was put on when he sang, screaming all the time…. I thought it was terrible.

Then my sister borrowed their album “For Screening Purposes Only” from her friend later in the year. Didn’t listen to it. Why would I have done? I didn’t like them. Why would I have like any of their other songs?

Shows you how much of a shit I was at that age. This song is great, I was dumb. You know when I realised how good Test Icicles were? When I was FIFTEEN. I listened to that album in full, and it took me five years. The band hadn’t been together for four years at the time. Damn.

I miss Test Icicles, even though I was a hater initially. This track is catchy, addictive and groovy as anything. My ten year old self was very foolish.

My iPod #187: System of a Down – Cigaro

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…….. Where could I possibly start? How could I?

This song rocks; its subject matter is humorous as fuck. I don’t understand what is going on.

Still, “Cigaro” is definitely a highlight from “Mezmerize” for me. System of a Down can really produce some crazy material, and this track is up there as being one of the most… ‘special’ pieces that the band has produced.

I got “Mezmerize” for Christmas in 2009 and heard the song when I put the disc into my computer, so there’s not much I can tell you on how it has affected my life or so. It’s just a song that makes me laugh every time I hear it. You need to hear it.

My iPod #186: Green Day – Christian’s Inferno

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I thought “21st Century Breakdown” was a real bore of a first listen. Being available as an exclusive on we7.com, when the site was actually useful, I took the opportunity to hear Green Day’s new album. It was their first in five years, you know.

But I didn’t think it was too great. At least from what I can remember anyway. I already didn’t like “Know Your Enemy” – thought that was quite a disappointing first single – and I wasn’t amazed by anything much on the album. Everything sounded the same production-wise.

I did download it eventually later on in 2009. Feelings improved a bit. I still didn’t think it could be regarded as one of the band’s finest albums though. But the number of songs I was able to memorise did increase.

Then Green Day: Rock Band came out the following year, and that helped me a lot to work out the melodies and ‘guitar patterns’ of the whole album. It made me appreciate the album that bit more.

I am still very confused about what the concept of 21st Century Breakdown is. I probably mentioned this in a previous post. Still not quite sure who Christian and Gloria are, or what they are meant to represent. I am not sure why Christian is so full of wrath in this particular track either.

“Inferno” is a belter though. Not one of the best tracks on the album, with a repetitive chorus and theatrical, maniacal laughter by Billie Joe which doesn’t have any emotional effect on me whatsoever. But…. I don’t know, it’s just something to jump around and go crazy to when no one’s around.

My iPod #185: System of a Down – Chop Suey!

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Ah, Chop Suey… I was confused as fuck when I saw the video for this. System of a Down freaked me out just a bit.

I change the channel and suddenly there are these half-naked guitarists pulling faces at the camera, a singer with a huge beard yelling, screaming and saying gibberish in the verses. Quite creepy. But I saw it again and again and wasn’t so perturbed by it anymore. In fact, the more I watched it the more I understood what the song was about. The more I liked it, too.

Back then, I probably thought the band members were just being weird. But it’s probably the passion they put into performing the song if anything. The video is pretty cool; the song is…… Well, I’ll just say if mood swings were to be composed into music then this is the piece captured in three and a half minutes.

“Chop Suey” was the first single from the band’s second album “Toxicity” in 2001. I did not hear the song until years after.

It is very hard to say exactly how I feel about the song. Only because a lot of things happen in it. If you haven’t heard it, where have you been?

But really if you haven’t heard it then you should watch it above because…. it is something.