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My iPod #364: Dinosaur Jr. – Feel the Pain

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“Feel the Pain” is a track I swear I’d heard in an advert somewhere, way before I actually saw its music video on the television one day. As I witnessed J Mascis and Mike Johnson play golf using what appears to be the whole of Lower Manhattan as their golf course, the guitar phrases between each verse sounded very familiar. Wherever I had heard it before – which I’m starting to think I didn’t as time goes on – at least I knew who the music was performed by.

The track is the opener to Dinosaur Jr.’s 1994 album “Without a Sound”, one where Mascis handled most of the instrumentation after the drummer and bassist left. He does a good job though. After a few seconds of what sounds like something being plugged in (or sucked out?) of something else, the actual track starts slowly with the main riff panning from one ear to the other. Mascis lazily slurs out the song’s main refrain during the quiet parts, and volume rises during the breaks where the guitars go wild. In the last few lines, a guitar solo begins under J Mascis waiting for the correct time to leap in and really get to work. The last line finishes, and straight after he bursts one out that I can only nod my head to in appreciation. And whip out some air guitar.

My iPod #357: Franz Ferdinand – The Fallen

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Don’t worry, I am still here. Just been very busy this weekend so I had to hold this off for a while. To make up for it, this is the first of four so here goes nothin’…

I can’t put the official video of “The Fallen” on here. Although the song is of a reasonable length – just under four minutes – the version in the video cuts out the second verse about ‘drinking to the devil and death to the doctors’. Quite strange. Is that supposed to be a censor or something because this is the twenty-first century and everything.

It is not that big of a deal, anyway. “The Fallen” starts Franz Ferdinand’s second album off, a long note in the key of C blares out for a few seconds before the guitar comes in and begins the main riff. The song contains many references to the New Testament of the Bible. The Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, the water into wine stuff. It’s all in there. Alex Kapranos likes that stuff. I have a feeling he has done that sort of writing in another Franz Ferdinand song, but what it is fails to come to me at this moment in time.

Anyway, “The Fallen” is alllright. Probably not my favourite from “You Could Have It…” only because I’ve heard it so many times due its single release. It has to be one of those times when it just randomly appears on the iPod when I really appreciate just how good it is.

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.

My iPod #332: Supergrass – Evening of the Day

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While being a fantastic bass player, probably one of the most underrated during the Britpop era, Mick Quinn of Supergrass was also a decent singer. He did occasionally take on lead vocal duties on many Supergrass songs such as “You Can See Me” and “Sometimes I Make You Sad” from “In It for the Money“, “Beautiful People” and co-lead vocals on “Mary” from their self-titled album. But it is on the 2002 album “Life on Other Planets” where fans get to hear a lot more of his singing, as he takes on lead vocals on four of the twelve songs on there including today’s track “Evening of the Day”. I asked the man himself if he did take the lead on this one, thinking that he wouldn’t reply……. and to my surprise he did only a few hours later.

Positioned right in the middle of the album, “Evening” begins with some smooth bass and piano. Sounds really laidback, and cool. There’s a very lounge-y/jazzy tone about it all. Quinn enters with his lower register vocal (which is what got me confused about who was singing it in the first place) and goes on to sing about how, during the evening of the day, he waits somewhere (possibly a location of a high altitude) for a person who is very important to him. While he looks at the view, all he can think about is that person. The song’s chorus is a line from a Spinal Tap track “All the Way Home” which is as follows: “If she’s not on that 3:15, then I’m gonna know what sorrow means.”

It is at 3:15 of “Evening of the Day” when what I have described to you above finishes in a minor and rather messy fashion. I can’t tell whether it was supposed to be a different song altogether and the band decided combine it with the first three minutes or if it was all planned. But in this particular part, the band members sing about someone being stoned and not knowing what they’re talking about. Whether they’re referring to the ‘narrator’ of the first part of the song, I’m not sure, but it does bring a light and comedic end to a very good song.

My iPod #331: The Streets – The Escapist

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“The Escapist” was the first single released from The Streets’ fourth album “Everything Is Borrowed“, from 2008.

At that point in time, Mike Skinner hadn’t been heard from for about a year and a bit, so when that opening shot of the video came on MTV2 one day and the words “The Streets – The Escapist” appeared onscreen I was pleasantly surprised. What would the wordsmith from Birmingham pull out this time?

Well, what came next were five and a half minutes of wonder. This was like no other Streets track I’d heard before. This was something much more introspective and reflective. I’m very sure I watched the video without moving or blinking once. It isn’t even that interesting, it’s just Mike walking through France until he reaches a beach. But the music and lyrics were really something to admire and absorb. Makes you wanna think about life, how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of it all and how you just want to escape from it all sometimes.

Or maybe that’s just me.