Tag Archives: yellow

#970: Arctic Monkeys – Old Yellow Bricks

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Looking back to 2007, I would consider myself to have been a fully functioning human being. I was 12 years old, so not all there just yet, but I had a sense of what was going on. One thing I remember clearly was the buzz around Favourite Worst Nightmare, Arctic Monkeys’ second album, released not too long after the ground-breaking debut the previous year. ‘Brianstorm’ was the first single. It was a bop, got to number two in the charts (beaten by Shakira and Beyoncé), and I got that album from my nearest Woolworth store not too soon after it was out.

Things changed for Arctic Monkeys in between the release of their first and second albums. Their logo for one, which I remember thinking “Why’d they have to go and do that for?” Didn’t think it fit at all. I learned not too care so much about it pretty quickly. But probably more importantly, original bassist Andy Nicholson had left the band and was replaced by Nick O’Malley. He was only meant to be a temporary replacement, but when it became clear that Nicholson wasn’t coming back, O’Malley was in it for the long haul. And this has been the Arctic Monkeys that a lot of people have grown accustomed to. It’s long been a rumour that ‘Old Yellow Bricks’ is about the whole Nicholson situation. I don’t think it’s ever been confirmed by anyone in the band. But at the very least it addresses a situation where someone wants to leave home for someone that’s supposed to be better, but then realises that that somewhere better isn’t all it’s meant to be and there is truly no place like home. A lot like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.

There was a brief moment when this track was considered to be the fourth single from Favourite Worst Nightmare. At least I remember that the Wikipedia page had been changed to show that it would be an upcoming release, so it may not have been true at all. It was actually that Wikipedia edit that made me listen to ‘Old Yellow…’ a few more times. That, and I think my sister thought it was good too. I sort of remember that first listen of the album and don’t think it made a huge impact initially. But after hearing it again and again, yeah, sure, I don’t see why it couldn’t have been a single. Stomping intro with a memorable riff is a bit of an Arctic Monkeys standard, and that’s here. But I especially like the sort of weeping, swelling guitars that enter the frame during the choruses. Kinda makes things sound sad just for those moments before going into the busier verses. And then there’s the breakdown where things get a bit manic. Slotted in that penultimate placement on the album, it could be one that new listeners may gloss over that first time. But like me, you’ve just got to give it a few more chances. It might just be my favourite on there.

#826: Slowdive – Melon Yellow

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Summer 2015 was a bit of a transitional time for me. I had finished my second year of university and was mainly spending my time at home, but at the same time was urgently trying to find some work to do for the optional year in industry that was included in my degree. A lot of my friends had secured a year abroad for the upcoming period of uni, and obviously I wanted to graduate with them. So, I had to find something quickly. I did, and I may talked about how that went some time in the past. While I was doing those applications and waiting for any results, Pitchfork Media uploaded a documentary on Slowdive’s 1993 album Souvlaki on their YouTube channel. It was based on a record I’d never heard before, but I decided to watch it to kill some time. I suggest that you do too, it’s a good one.

Hearing the members of the band talking about how the album was made, the context it was created in, plus the in-depth commentary on some of the songs on there led me to searching out the album on Spotify. It has been one of my favourites since. It was an instant add to my iTunes library. This blog had been going on for two years by that time, so my personal highlights like ‘Alison’, ‘Here She Comes’ and ‘Altogether’ couldn’t have their posts on here. There’s another left that will have its own post, but it will be a long time from now. The album goes down as one in the trinity of classic shoegazing albums, the others being My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless and Nowhere by Ride. And it’s just so dreamy. Drenched in reverb and packed with pop songs with great hooks. It does have its darker moments though.

‘Melon Yellow’ is one of them. The bass guitar is backwards throughout creating this woozy, unbalanced feel to it all while the sudden hits on the snare echo into the distance. The lyrics don’t tell a coherent story. Seems like they’ve been put together in order to create a feeling or follow the movement of the music, which is fine I have no problems with that. There’s a lot of space in between each lyric allowing the instruments to kind of do their thing during the verses, but then all the harmonies and production trickery washes over you during the “So long, so long” choruses. Another track to get lost in. The two vocalists Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell who were in a relationship broke things off during the making of the album, and I believe this track is another of Halstead’s that just sees him feeling low and wishing things were different. It’s a common theme throughout.