Tag Archives: out

My iPod #389: Graham Coxon – Freakin’ Out

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I believe “Freakin’ Out” was Graham Coxon’s breakthrough solo single. The Blur guitarist had actually been releasing albums by himself for years before “Happiness in Magazine” came out whilst also fulfilling duties for the band. This time, Blur had been no more for about a year and Coxon released this storm of a track to remind people that this is what he’s all about.

I don’t think anyone really knows how good a guitar player Graham Coxon actually is. Well, he’s very good. Pretty underrated if you ask me. He can play all these intricate guitar phrases in a split-second which weave around a song’s main melody. He does that here too, but it’s all at a very fast rate.

Got no clue what the track’s about, never cared that much, all I know is that I dug it from the moment I heard it. Very heavy and loud. Especially for a guy who helped write “Parklife”. I like that song too…. but you know what I mean.

My iPod #370: Gorillaz – Fire Coming Out of the Monkey’s Head

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Looking through my iPod before I started this I found that, to my embarrassment, I have accidentally missed out a song. Silly me. I thought I had the order sussed out too. I’ll get to it one day. For now, the series must continue.

“Fire Coming Out of the Monkey’s Head” begins the “End of the World” track trilogy at the end of the “Demon Days” album with “Don’t Get Lost in Heaven” and the title track coming after. Listen to those three songs in succession. I also don’t think they have an official name together, “End of the World” just seems like the most appropriate thing to call it.

The track is essentially a story, narrated by the late and great Dennis Hopper, about the ‘Happyfolk’ who live under the great mountain called Monkey. Monkey eventually explodes, consuming the Earth in a great wave of fire after the ‘Strangefolk’ dig deep into its centre, stealing the jewels that lie within it. A menacing, repetitive bassline plays with deep humming backing vocals and clicking guitar licks setting the tracks mysterious and creepy tone during the verses. Damon Albarn (2D) comes in with a few verses too, accompanied by a sole acoustic guitar.

I read an interesting comment on there that suggested that this track was the main track of the entire album. Every track preceding has essentially been parts of the narrative that is told in this one song where everything comes together. Kinda makes sense. The happyfolk being the “Last Living Souls” and everything, and “Feel Good Inc.” being that point where the happy people seem to realise that something is going amiss but try and block it out to all they’re might. It’s very long to describe. But I can see it. Can’t remember where I saw that comment though, must have been years ago. Oh well.

My iPod #202: The Offspring – Come Out and Play

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I was born a year after “Smash”, The Offspring’s breakthrough album came out. I first heard “Come Out and Play” when its video played on MTV2.

One main thing went through my head whilst watching it. That was why Dexter Holland thought that having dreadlocks was a good look. All the time I saw an Offspring video, he had spiked up hair and to see the previous hairstyle he had before was a bit strange.

Apart from that the song was much different to any Offspring song I had heard before. I was a big fan of songs like “Pretty Fly”, “Hit That” and “Original Prankster” to name a few, and they were all songs with quite comedic and sarcastic subject matter.

“Come Out and Play” is more menacing in tone, but is made cooler by the Arabian-sounding guitar that plays during the instrumental break. The song is simply about gang culture, I can’t say anymore on that. It is a song of a very serious matter, no matter how engaging the song’s title is.

My iPod #192: Eminem – Cleanin’ Out My Closet

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“Cleanin’ Out My Closet” was the bitter, and brutally blunt second single from “The Eminem Show” after the humorous chart-topper “Without Me” in 2002.

Up until the album’s release Eminem’s previous albums contained lyrics alluding to his mother’s incompetence as a parent and his crappy childhood, but this track is the culmination – basically a direct verbal attack at her. Do not worry though, it’s all for justifiable reasons which he makes very clear in the song.

He has now apologised for the song, and has confirmed that he won’t perform it at shows and cringes when it comes on the radio.

Every rapper really loves their mum.

My iPod #174: Beastie Boys – Ch-Check It Out

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“To the 5 Boroughs” was the Beastie Boys’ long awaited release after a six year wait from 1998’s “Hello Nasty”. “Ch-Check It Out” was the first single to be released from it, and is probably the song that introduced me to the group.

There is nothing better than three old guys who could rap very well and act silly in their video when you are nine years old, and I watched it over and over again on the Windows Media Player. After a few more listens, and a look at its lyrics I was able to memorise the whole song. Something I can, just about, still do to this very day.

Very sad that we may never hear new material by the group due to the passing of “MCA” Adam Yauch, and if there unexpectedly is it definitely wouldn’t be the same.