Stream Titus Andronicus' new LP, Local Business

Titus Andronicus as a concept doesn’t make a lot of sense. They’re kind of a Springsteen-revival Jersey billboard, they’re kind of a Pabst-soaked gutter punk outfit, and they yell, a lot. But more than anything else this is a band that loves America unironically and with every fiber. Lead singer Patrick Stickles explained in 2010 “I’ve read a couple of things that refer to some elements of ironic patriotism in our lyrics, which is completely off the mark. I really think America is the greatest country that’s ever existed. Even though we have a lot of problems, we also have the best ideas. We still have the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and all [these] beautiful documents.”

Their breakout album (stream it here), the dirty, angelic, sprawling, outstanding The Monitor struck an enviable balance between historical verisimilitude and hard-rockin’ Beam-swillin’ bombast. New LP Local Business finds Stickles in a more playful mood. These songs call back the teeth-grit-smile punk of The Pogues and The Clash, and the resultant LP feels peppy and accessible without coming off as featherweight. Also there’s a theme song for a food fight… Check out Local Business below.

That's Enough, Neon Trees

In this new segment “That’s Enough”, I’ll be writing an open letter to a band in the hopes that they will take my advice, and stop making music.

Dear Neon Trees,

That’s enough, you can stop. Your popularity makes as much sense as The Detroit Tigers getting swept out of the world series. Your popularity makes as much sense as Brad Pitt’s incoherent soliloquy in that Chanel commercial. Your popularity makes as much sense as the 1980s. Your breakthrough hit, “Animal” was proof positive that a catchy electropop song could become famous. Riding the coattails of Phoenix’s “1901”, you released a track that was similarly shimmery and polished, but lacked any profundity or lyrical heft (“oh oh, i want some mo’, oh oh, what are you waiting fooooooor”… deep.)

Your latest hit “Everybody Talks” makes every song Train has released in the last four years sound excellent by comparison. Each time I am confronted by “Everybody Talks” I repress the urge to seek out and kick a baby animal. I can only imagine your album contains lyrics like “I just want to talk to you, cause baby that’s all I can do” or “come back home, I need your love, I’m nothing without you, how could I doubt you?”, (though that was me trying to come up with the worst lyrics I could, and yours are probably worse).

You’ve done enough, you can stop, you’re making things worse. When a song like “Everybody Talks” becomes a hit, a little part of my overwhelming faith in the human race is bruised. I know that sounds extreme, but where does it end? Need we all don heart-shaped sunglasses and loud suspenders in order to substantiate our banal resentment?

So I’m asking this as nicely as I can. Please, just stop. I’d like to suggest you overhaul your band lineup by removing each of yourselves from the band, and then not being a band anymore. I was thinking I’d suggest that you just try to write lyrics that are self-aware, or maybe find some band that is less popular of which to make your band a shit-stained xerox, but I think it’s just too late. I think it will be best for all of us if you just hang it up. Your music is embarrassing, you’re embarrassing America. Please go work for a non-profit.

Thanks,

Kevin

p.s. I know you’ve probably gotten a lot of these letters, and I want you to know that I’m not trying to be a jerk, but seriously

“Hey honey you could be my drug
You could be my new prescription
Too much could be an overdose
All this trash talk make me itching”

Ke$ha already made a song about that…

Classic – Smashing Pumpkins "Galapagos"

For the week of December 3rd, I’ll be the weekly writer for One Week One Band, a tumblr that gives music writers a week to spend dissecting one of their favorite bands. I selected the Smashing Pumpkins because they were really the first band I ever went head over heels for. I’ll be sharing some of the material in the coming weeks and I wanted to take this opportunity to share “Galapagos”. It’s hard to try to pick a favorite Smashing Pumpkins song, but this one is certainly tied with whatever else is at the top of the list…

“Ain’t it funny, how we pretend we’re still a child?”

As a kid, I spent a lot of time in the back seat of the car with my headphones on.  Albums like No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom, Collective Soul’s Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid, and Salt-N-Pepa’s Very Necessary were records that I lived in.  At a time before one-click accessibility to every song ever, often your favorite albums were just the ones you listened to the most. I look back on those car rides through New Brunswick or down to Philadelphia with a bittersweet nostalgia. I’ll never again be able to experience music that way, and I often wish I could.

“Galapagos,” a somewhat overlooked track from “Dawn to Dusk” (disc one of MCIS), is Billy Corgan at his most searching and composed, as though the subject of the song is too important to yell about.

This is a song that has grown up with me. From when I first heard it and understood love only as an abstraction that people sing about, to my first major breakup, through love and loss to a place where now I look at the song as almost childish, in the most complimentary way.

I’ve an unshakable image that goes along with this song in my mind.  I envision a young couple in love, at a crossroads.  I envision them sitting in an “old oak tree,”  the same in which they’ve come to sit for years, since when they first met as young children;  the same oak tree where they carved out their heart so many years ago.  One of them is crying in the other’s embrace.   The setting sun, bright and brilliant washes everything in a still yellow glow. The wind is calm, the only sound gentle weeping.

“Too late to turn back now, I’m running out of sound.”

I Wonder if Grimes is a Nice Person

It’s Saturday night at burning man. Throughout the day and evening I’ve been taking note of a lot of good looking, if unconventionally attired women. In fact there have been like three different times I’ve been pretty sure I saw Grimes before realizing it was just some woman who cut off half her head of hair. But this time I’m sure it’s her, standing alone, eyes closed, careening to and fro arhythmically.  Apparently the pervasively loud and inescapable music of the festival is NOT what she is hearing. Every 15-20 seconds she suddenly remembers she has a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich in her left hand, and that realization makes her rapturously ecstatic. I decide to approach her and as I get within 10 or 15 feet I begin waving, confident I will be mauled if I startle her. 

Me: Hey, Claire? Is that you?

Grimes: YAAAAAAAAAA it’s Claire duuuude. Zoop zoop zoop! CLAAAAAAAAAIRE!

With each of these “zoop”s she pokes me playfully on the nose

Me: Wow, it’s really great to meet you I love your music!

Grimes: I love your music tooooooo Dan!

My name’s not Dan

Me: Awww thanks! Glad you like it! So what are you doing ou…..

She cuts me off

Grimes: You got some druuuuuuuugs, duuude?

I’m a bit caught off guard here, if I had any drugs, I would totally share them with Claire Boucher. As it is, all I’ve got is a spliff, which I pull out of my pocket

Me: Ummmm, I mean I’ve got this spliff…

She extends her hand toward the spliff cautiously, as though it might leap to life and bite her. Then when her hand gets close enough, she snatches it out of my hand, runs it under her nose like a connoisseur smelling a cigar, then, while looking me dead in the eyes without blinking, puts the entire joint in her mouth and begins chewing. She maintains eye contact with me the entire time she’s doing this, and I stare back at her wordlessly, feeling obliged to do so. She swallows it, and then opens her mouth wide, beckoning my inspection with her non-grilled cheese hand…

Me: You uh, you really ate the whole thing huh?

Grimes: UmmmmmmmmmmmmmmIDID! I ate it aaaaaaaawwwwwwwuul! (she does that last part in a cockney accent)

Me: OK, well it was really nice meeting you, I’m gonna meet up with some friends.

Grimes: Oookie bye!

She resumes exactly what she was doing before. I just met Grimes, and I sure hope she was on a lot of drugs…

Stream Lord Huron's Debut LP "Lonesome Dreams"

In his Pitchfork review of this album Paul Thompson dwelt primarily on how much Lord Huron sound like Fleet Foxes, seeming to imply frontman Ben Schneider should make a conscious effort to change the aesthetic of his music; like it was dishonest (“You know a Fleet Foxes song when you hear one. Unless, of course, you’re listening to Lord Huron”). It would be one thing if Lord Huron were making music that knocked-off Fleet Foxes haphazardly — and it’s undeniable the two groups sound similar — but these songs have substance to spare, and they exist in their own woodsmoke-scented world.

Check out Lord Huron’s debut LP, Lonesome Dreams below:

Mika Returns with "The Origin of Love"

It is impossible to look cool while listening to Mika, trust me. Those drunken college singalongs to “Grace Kelly” and “Love Today” were some of my happiest memories of those years (seriously, hearing a room full of people belt out “I could be brown, I could be blue, I could be VI-O-LET SKYYYEE!”, it’s amazing). We were having a great time, but we were NOT being cool. Mika’s particular brand of bombast is of the unapologetic Freddie Mercury sort. People have compared Mika’s voice with Mercury’s, and there is certainly a resemblance, but what sets Mika apart is his stalwart desire to make things as pretty as possible.

On his second album, the scatter-shot The Boy Who Knew Too Much, he leaned a bit too heavily on the showtuney sound. There’s always been a strong element of the theatrical in Mika’s music, and it’s retained on the new album The Origin of Love, but he reigns it in a bit in interesting ways.

This time around he worked with several producers in the dance realm, and the album definitely has a more radio-ready pop sound. Mika’s songwriting chops and penchant for gorgeous layered harmonies are well served by the studio sheen.

Check out the standout opener, title track “The Origin of Love” below, and stream the full album by clicking here.

I Wonder if Thom Yorke is a Nice Person…

In this new series on hMsM, entitled “I Wonder if ________ Is a Nice Person”, we’ll be speculating on the niceness of various famous musicians. These conversations are entirely fictitious; my speculation on the niceness of these individuals is completely arbitrary and based only on their music, interviews I may have seen or read along the way, and their reputation within the industry.

I Wonder If Thom Yorke is a Nice Person…

I’ve just walked out onto a rooftop deck of a Soho flat during an industry party to get some air when I notice Thom Yorke standing alone at the far end of the deck. I recognize him immediately: short, long unkempt hair, an oddly selected sweater vest. Having been a Radiohead fan for over half my life — and having always wondered if Thom was a nice person — I decide to go and talk to him.

Me: Excuse me, Mr. Yorke, er, Thom?

He turns and regards me warmly with his right eye and suspiciously with his left…

Thom: Hello, yes, I’m Thom… Yorke.

He seems to think it’s funny I led with “Mr. Yorke”

Me: I’m really sorry to bother you, I’m just a big fan of your music and wanted to let you know what an inspiration it’s been in my life.

Thom: Inspiration to do what, exactly?

Sensing I’m already out of my depth, I say the first thing that comes to mind

Me: Inspiration to… be less trite?

Having noticed my self-deprecating response to his previous question, he knows I’m not a complete idiot

Thom: I’ll take that as a complement, what’s your name mate?

Me: I’m Kevin…

I extend my hand for a hand shake, which Thom returns with exacting firmness of grip. He has very small hands, which I find fascinating…

Thom: Nice to meet you Kevin, so what do you do?

Me: Well I’m in the Parks and Recreation field, and I do a bit of music writing on the side.

Thom: Parks and Recreation field eh? Sounds like a fun gig. And what kind of music do you write about?

Me: It’s mostly indie stuff, electronic, pop, hip hop, kinda all over the place, but I did write a review of The King of Limbs last year.

I probably shouldn’t have said that

Thom: And did you like it?

Me: I…. I LOVE “Separator”! One of my favorite Radiohead songs, it’s amazing how completely it evokes warmth and blue water and sunshine, really amazing song.

He knows I know what’s coming

Thom: And what about he rest of the record, did you enjoy it?

I gulp, I’m not going to lie to Thom Yorke…

Me: I thought it was not as strong as your other records, it was very “of a sound” and unified vibe-wise, but I just didn’t think the songs stood up as well as the older albums.

Thom: So you liked Pablo Honey more than King of Limbs?

Me: Ohhhhh…… oh, noo… no. I mean, a lot of people don’t even consider Pablo Honey a real Radiohead album.

Immediately upon finishing this sentence, I regret saying it, but Thom nods his head gently and smiles, or maybe scowls; the lazy eye is really throwing me off…

Thom: I understand that sentiment, it’s hard for us to really consider it our first album, since we all kind of think it’s shit. Most of the songs are about trivial things with no real heft, it’s like we found a label and just decided to wank out 40 minutes of music…

Me: So you weren’t satisfied with how it sounded even at the time?

Thom: I mean, when Pablo came out, we didn’t know if we even wanted to make records, we were starry-eyed and jaded simultaneously, as much as one can be. But listen mate, gonna have to cut this short, I’m off to see a friend for a drink, but it was nice meeting you.

He extends his tiny hand and I give it another shake, once again taking note of how perfectly not-too-loose-not-too-tight his grip.

Me: Really great meeting you man, have a good night.

He winds his way back inside and through the party to the door, the party guests backing away in awed reverence as he walks by. I just met Thom Yorke, and he was a pretty nice guy…

I Wonder if Thom Yorke is a Nice Person…

In this new series on hMsM, entitled “I Wonder if ________ Is a Nice Person”, we’ll be speculating on the niceness of various famous musicians. These conversations are entirely fictitious; my speculation on the niceness of these individuals is completely arbitrary and based only on their music, interviews I may have seen or read along the way, and their reputation within the industry.

I Wonder If Thom Yorke is a Nice Person…

I’ve just walked out onto a rooftop deck of a Soho flat during an industry party to get some air when I notice Thom Yorke standing alone at the far end of the deck. I recognize him immediately: short, long unkempt hair, an oddly selected sweater vest. Having been a Radiohead fan for over half my life — and having always wondered if Thom was a nice person — I decide to go and talk to him.

Me: Excuse me, Mr. Yorke, er, Thom?

He turns and regards me warmly with his right eye and suspiciously with his left…

Thom: Hello, yes, I’m Thom… Yorke.

He seems to think it’s funny I led with “Mr. Yorke”

Me: I’m really sorry to bother you, I’m just a big fan of your music and wanted to let you know what an inspiration it’s been in my life.

Thom: Inspiration to do what, exactly?

Sensing I’m already out of my depth, I say the first thing that comes to mind

Me: Inspiration to… be less trite?

Having noticed my self-deprecating response to his previous question, he knows I’m not a complete idiot

Thom: I’ll take that as a complement, what’s your name mate?

Me: I’m Kevin…

I extend my hand for a hand shake, which Thom returns with exacting firmness of grip. He has very small hands, which I find fascinating…

Thom: Nice to meet you Kevin, so what do you do?

Me: Well I’m in the Parks and Recreation field, and I do a bit of music writing on the side.

Thom: Parks and Recreation field eh? Sounds like a fun gig. And what kind of music do you write about?

Me: It’s mostly indie stuff, electronic, pop, hip hop, kinda all over the place, but I did write a review of The King of Limbs last year.

I probably shouldn’t have said that

Thom: And did you like it?

Me: I…. I LOVE “Separator”! One of my favorite Radiohead songs, it’s amazing how completely it evokes warmth and blue water and sunshine, really amazing song.

He knows I know what’s coming

Thom: And what about he rest of the record, did you enjoy it?

I gulp, I’m not going to lie to Thom Yorke…

Me: I thought it was not as strong as your other records, it was very “of a sound” and unified vibe-wise, but I just didn’t think the songs stood up as well as the older albums.

Thom: So you liked Pablo Honey more than King of Limbs?

Me: Ohhhhh…… oh, noo… no. I mean, a lot of people don’t even consider Pablo Honey a real Radiohead album.

Immediately upon finishing this sentence, I regret saying it, but Thom nods his head gently and smiles, or maybe scowls; the lazy eye is really throwing me off…

Thom: I understand that sentiment, it’s hard for us to really consider it our first album, since we all kind of think it’s shit. Most of the songs are about trivial things with no real heft, it’s like we found a label and just decided to wank out 40 minutes of music…

Me: So you weren’t satisfied with how it sounded even at the time?

Thom: I mean, when Pablo came out, we didn’t know if we even wanted to make records, we were starry-eyed and jaded simultaneously, as much as one can be. But listen mate, gonna have to cut this short, I’m off to see a friend for a drink, but it was nice meeting you.

He extends his tiny hand and I give it another shake, once again taking note of how perfectly not-too-loose-not-too-tight his grip.

Me: Really great meeting you man, have a good night.

He winds his way back inside and through the party to the door, the party guests backing away in awed reverence as he walks by. I just met Thom Yorke, and he was a pretty nice guy…

Catchy, Good or Both – Bruno Mars "Locked out of Heaven"

Alright, here’s how the game works: we’re gonna drink every time Bruno Mars shamelessly lifts an element out of another artists’ song. Hope you brought a 30-rack. Mars, who’s had a good amount of success on the charts has returned with his newest tune “Locked Out of Heaven”. Let’s take a look at whether this track is catchy, good, or both.

We’ll start out with what makes this tune catchy…

-To say this song sounds like the Police’s “Message in a Bottle” is equivalent to saying that “Greensleeves” sounds like “What Child is This”. “Message in a Bottle” is a famously catchy song about isolation, and that’s kind of what “Locked Out of Heaven” is about too. That and sweaty sex.

-There’s a “huhhh” that punctuates the lines in the verses. To say this “huhhh” sounds like the “huhhh” in Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”, is equivalent to saying the beat of “Ice Ice Baby” sounds like “Under Pressure”.

-The “for to lo-oo-wo-oo-wo-ooong” at the end of the chorus makes me wanna sing along while triumphantly clutching my chest hair.

-The line “your sex takes me to paradise”, how has nobody thought to write that lyric before?!

But is it Good?

-It appears we’ve reached a place in popular music where there’s no such thing as theft. Drawing on influence is one thing, but it’s hard to imagine this song existing if it weren’t for the Police. There’s nothing wrong with borrowing, but where does it stop? I’d love to write new lyrics for and slightly alter the melodies of some of my favorite songs. But I don’t, because I’m not this guy, or this guy.

-There’s a number of different melodic lines that run through this song, but none of them really work together, this makes the transition from verse to chorus kind of jarring. And the inclusion of a 1-bar “pre chorus” doesn’t help, at all.

This song is already catching fire and could follow the success of other Mars tracks like “Grenade” and “Just the Way You Are”. As it climbs the charts we raise a Keystone Light and prepare to get schnockered.

Final Verdict:

Pretty Catchy, Kinda OK

This Is a Group Of Children Singing a Tame Impala Cover

Oh you haven’t  heard of the PS22 Chorus? Well they’re a very mysterious group indeed. They appear to be at some kind of school, and possibly young children, but they are about to sing you an amazing cover of Tame Impala’s “It Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”. They learned it today. I am just completely floored by this.