Thursday, October 23, 2008

Musical Thumbs Up and Down

Welcome to the second installment of the regular(ish) feature, Musical Thumbs Up and Down. Where I give some pretty random thoughts on some pretty random songs.

Thumbs Up to "Lonelily" by Damien Rice!! Fans of Mr. Rice will know that this song has been out for several years now, but I have recently rediscovered it, and completely fallen for it this time. I absolutely love the story about not wanting to be alone that you'd sacrifice anything, even your integrity. That kind of loneliness is something that is so incredibly easy to identify with, making this song just perfect for dealing with those kinds of feelings.

Favourite Lyric: "In a way, I've lost all I've believed in, and I never found myself so alone. And let me down"

(Not an official video)



Thumbs Down to "Gotta Be Somebody" by Nickleback!!! If you are a fan of Canada's most boring musical export, then I advise you to scroll down, because this will not be kind.

Still here? Good, that means that you have some sense. This song completely blows!!!! These guys are the absolute pure epitome of sell-outs. Their first album had some decent songs and a bit of a rock edge, but since then it's been bad, really bad. "Just like a paperback novel" ranks among the most one dimensional and forced rock similes, which is a shame given the potential they showed with such songs as "Leader of Men". But I guess record sales are all that matter, and Kruger and co. will still be able to sleep at night on their piles of money, even if nobody remembers their work for producing anything of substance a few years from now.

With this song, Nickleback have neared, or perhaps eclipsed a new low for generic boring lyrics with some passable at best music thrown in there.

Least Favourite Lyric: "Someone to love with my life in their hands. There has gotta be somebody for me Ohhhhhh."

(Not an official video)



Thumbs Up for "Family Tree" by TV on the Radio!!!!! Another amazing song from a simply amazing band. Their new album Dear Science has got to be considered one of the best of 2008. In the spirit of "Ambulance" (which I have mentioned two different times on this very blog), they produce another amazingly romantic song. As they describe the often-described-indescribables of love in new and exciting ways, this time talking about getting together underneath a family tree. I mean coudl you have any more powerful of an image?

Favourite Lyric: "It’s echoing moonlight on to the blue nightmare of your heart. In cosy red rainbow, it’s shaking off halos,
and the memory of our sacred so and so’s"

(Not an official video)



(For the record I wanted to find "DLZ" off of this album, but had no luck. Should you have the chance to hear that song, be prepared to be amazed)

Thumbs Down for "Hot n' Cold" by Katy Perry!!!! Uggh....I hate this woman, she tries to be subversive and edgy, but is really just as prepackaged as the Jonas Brothers. She seems like she's writing the rest of the song around such cutting edge lyrics as "PMS" and "bipolar", which completely makes them lose their power and seem insignificant.
On top of that, the cheesy 90s pop beats are not-yet-nostalgic, so they just seem bad.Italic Do yourself a favour and skip this one, although I doubt you will be able to...

Least Favourite Lyric: "You change your mind, like a girl changes clothes"

(The official music video!!! For "Hot" by Avril Lavigne....with this song dubbed over)






Thumbs Up for "Disturbia" by Rihanna!!! Man this girl is talented!!! When she first debuted, she seemed like she may be another flash in the pan songstress, but she has proven any of her detractors wrong by producing some legitimatly fantastic work. After suffering through all that is Brittney, Christina et al., it was easy to discount the genre of girl pop, however Rihanna proves time and time again that there can be substance to go along with the style.

I simply love this song, not only for it's solid beats, but for the incredible story that Rihanna is able to tell. She sings a song about losing her mind, but as her paceing gets more erratic as the song progresses you get the legitimate feeling listening to it (not to mention watching the video) that she may actually be doing losing it.

Favourite Lyric: "It's a thief in the night to come and grab you, it can creep up inside you"

(Actually an official video)




Thumbs Down for "Paper Planes (Remix)" by Lil' Wayne!!! This really just doesn't do it for me. Partially because of my ambivalence for ego-rap, but mostly because I adore the original version of this song and this one just doesn't feel right. It includes the incredibly unique chorus, but all of Lil' Wayne's lyrical masturbation just takes away from any of M.I.A.'s original, and poignant lyrics. While I am not against remixes as a rule, I feel that they need to add something to the original, this one clearly robs the original of its intelligent.

Least Favourite Lyric: "Banana in ya ass, its what you hear right behind ya"

(Yet again, not the official video)



Thumbs Up for "Paper Planes" by M.I.A.!!!! After raving about it in the last song, it only seems natural that I talk about this one. The major difference here, is that this song is never really about the artist, it's about her actions. It's about her living a life of crime. Plus this song is just so original and poignant, something that the remix, by its very definition, lacks.

Favourite Lyric: "We pack and deliver like UPS trucks, already going to hell, just pumping that gas."

(Sorry, yet another unofficial video...and the audio kind of sucks too)



Hope you enjoyed that as much as I did...

Until next time,

G

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