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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.

My iPod #327: They Might Be Giants – The End of the Tour

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“The End of the Tour” was a track I heard around the same time as I heard “AKA Driver“, “Dinner Bell“, “Ana Ng“, “Destination Moon“, and many other They Might Be Giants songs for the first time. And that was when, if you’ve read my posts on those few songs you will know, when I was on Yahoo’s Launch site.

I’ve never really cared to think about what this song is about, or what it could mean. I feel very sentimental when I listen to it. Even though I wasn’t alive when this song first came out in 1994, it somehow makes me want to reminisce about friends from the past and other unforgettable moments.

This song is about the end of something…. not just a tour. I think the whole ‘tour’ is a metaphor of life, actually. Whatever. Nothing to care that much about.

It’s a very relieving and comforting way to end the hour-long smorgasbord that is “John Henry”, especially as it comes after the monster “Stomp Box” where you wonder where the album could possibly go afterwards.

My iPod #325: The Strokes – The End Has No End

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“The End Has No End” is a track by The Strokes that can be found on the band’s album “Room on Fire“, their second album released in 2003.

Although it was released as the final single from that album and The Strokes had been around for about two/three years by that time, this was actually the first Strokes song I ever heard. I distinctly remember watching its video on MTV2, right around the time that it had probably been released or something.

The song’s music video features appearances from hot ladies Mila Kunis and Eva Mendes, though surprisingly they didn’t do anything much for me as much as Julian Casablancas’ voice did. That sounds very wrong, I know. But his general lower register singing voice as well as the repetitive melody of the chorus got stuck in my head for a while. That was until I forgot it some time later. It was until I was lying in my bed looking outside one of the windows of my house when “The Ennnnd Has Noooooooo Ennnnnnd” silently started playing in my head, and I just carried on singing it over and over again.

I like this track a lot. It’s probably one of my favourite Strokes songs just because it was the first one I heard by them. Was very lucky to be watching MTV2 all those years ago.