What's that? Another new article series? You betcha. "Following in the Footsteps" explores the songs of bands or artists who seem to be carrying the torch lit by a previous band or artist. It's yet another type of playlist featured on One-Mind Tracks (the radio show, not the article series), and you can catch this playlist tonight at 7pm on 97.5 WDIF or streaming online. If you're outside of the timeframe though, let me tell you what you missed.
"Grace Kelly" by Mika
Early on in his career, Mika's voice was often compared to Freddie Mercury, to the point that he ended up referencing the comparison in "Grace Kelly," which definitely has some Queen aires. He wrote this piece about his annoyance with the music industry and their insistence that he change to sell records better, but he also wrote a track about his love of larger ladies entitled "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)." Does that sound like a familiar concept maybe?
"Old Bike" by Rob Cantor
Not that we're just talking about people whose songs deal with similar ideas to those found in Queen songs (although I did toss that idea around for a bit). Rob Cantor's alma mater band Tally Hall often saw comparisons to Queen as well, but you can't deny the similarities in this glammy track with vocal harmonies in just the right places. If you're doubting the comparison, just hold out for the bridge.
"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness
How about a band that wants to be Queen so bad that they hired Rufus Taylor, the son of Queen's drummer Roger Taylor as their new drummer? Kind of like the way The Who wanted to be The Beatles and so they got Zak Starkey for the touring band (I'm joking of course). But seriously, The Darkness has frequently been compared to Queen, and it's not hard to see why. Or...hear why. Either really.
"Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance
Yeah, I know, it's not 2006 anymore. And I'm sure most people got burnt out on this song so much that they don't want to hear it or think of it as music anymore, and the other half of people are being reminded of the embarrassing era in which they shopped exclusively at Hot Topic and dyed their hair black, but this song is still pretty solid. And it's definitely got some Queen vibes going on, so just deal with it.
"At Least I'm Not as Sad (As I Used to Be)" by fun.
One thing to remember about Queen is that they weren't all arena sound. fun. totally could be, but they also have that other quality that made Queen rad; namely "fun" (even when they're a little melancholic). See also: the acapella intro and vocal harmonies in "Some Nights."
"Starlight" by Muse
I know Muse kind of shot themselves in the foot when they got attached to the Twilight series, but they still have a certain polished glam rock feeling to them. It's like a glam-rocker that wears a button-up coat with a scarf covering any troublesome neck that might otherwise show. You can hear a little heterosexual Freddie in there for sure.
"Brighter Day" by Jellyfish Jellyfish have a wide range of influences from all over the musical map, and they blend it all up into their own thing. "Brighter Day" is definitely their most Queen-esque track. Although if you're looking to find the lovechild of Queen and The Beach Boys, look no further than "Sebrina, Paste, and Plato."
"Stuck on the Girl" by Young Beautiful In a Hurry Young Beautiful in a Hurry is a band completely unashamed of the influence Queen has had on them. Lead singer Brendan McCreary has even performed as Freddie Mercury in a Queen tribute show (The Show Must Go On). To find out more, check out the interview I did with him here.
"Unstoppable" by Foxy Shazam Foxy Shazam are honestly probably the closest match on this list. Upbeat lyrics with an arena sound? Check. Lead singer unafraid of running around in tight pants? Also check.
These tracks can all be found below: Know some more Queen-esque tracks? Leave a comment!
Los Angeles-based band Young Beautiful in a Hurry have been around since 2011. Last year, they released a seven-track EP called Royalty, and now they're back in the mix with their funky single "Single Mothers." I sat down with lead singer and songwriter Brendan McCreary to talk about the new single, the band, and music in general.
No More Blood From a Clone: So how would you introduce Young Beautiful in a Hurry to someone who's never heard of them before?
Young Beautiful in a Hurry, Brendan McCreary (center).
Brendan McCreary: Arena rock for the new era? Inspired by Queen, inspired by this total rock and roll feel...But it's not like the way Wolfmother is like "yes, this is for all you Led Zeppelin fans," it's not quite like that, but it's just arena rock with a dash of pop.
NMBFC: How would you describe the personality of the band?
Brendan McCreary: It's a very jovial vibe. The core group has been together (myself, the bassist, and the drummer) basically for like six years. So the three of us...it's like a family, yanno? I don't need to say anything, I don't need to print charts or anything, it's just like I throw a new song at them and it's instantaneous. They catch on like a well-oiled machine.
Young Beautiful in a Hurry. Left to right: Pete Griffin, Brendan McCreary, Bryan Taylor.
NMBFC: The other guys in the band are in other bands and work as session musicians. What kind of experience do they have?
Brendan McCreary: So Bryan Taylor is a wonderful professional drummer, I'm honored to have the pleasure of working with him. Chris Norton is incredible, he's played with Zappa Plays Zappa, that was his old band. Pete Griffin has played with Dethklok, he goes on tour with like these hardcore metal bands. So Pete can play any genre, but his bread and butter is mostly in the world of metal. He recently put on Twitter like "I really like this band's new album"...and like a few weeks later, they wrote him through a private Twitter message and they're like "hey, we looked you up, you're cool, come on tour with us." They're just incredible musicians.
NMBFC: What's your musical training exactly?
Brendan McCreary: I started piano, had a few weeks of formal training, but after that, I basically taught myself everything I know. From guitar to record production to songwriting, I've never had more than a few lessons. Like I've had a handful of vocal lessons, which I quit...I'm pretty much a self-taught guy. It's always been about the inspiration through composing songs. The way Bryan sat down to become a drummer and Pete sat down to become a bassist, I sat down to become a songwriter. It only took me like thirty years. Anything I've learned, I've learned by writing songs and pushing myself and my musicianship on a technical level. I try to make more new and fundamentally challenging things in my own work just to stimulate my own growth. I used to play saxophone and I eventually quit because I couldn't sing at the same time.
NMBFC: What did you do before music or has it always been music?
Brendan McCreary: Yeah, there's nothing else [laughs]. And that's tough for me because I think a lot of people have various hobbies if not other things that they do. You know obviously I read books and I watch movies and I play video games and I like walks along the sunset beach or whatever. But that's basically all there is to it. I don't really do anything else and I really wish I did, because music is so all-encompassing and engrossing but it's also extremely difficult and I wish I had sort of a release like knitting or something else that I excelled at. But it's all music.
NMBFC: Let's just say music falls through, like you suddenly lose all your ability to do music, lose your hands, injure your vocal chords...what then?
Brendan McCreary: Um...I don't know, flipping burgers I guess.
NMBFC: You did some acting in Chillerama?
Brendan McCreary: I mean, there's a good thing, I think if I did actually lose my hands or something I would probably pursue acting...maybe? I would definitely get acting lessons. My raw talent ends with music. But like...I was in this movie and it was awesome, it was so much fun. The director is a good buddy of mine and he wrote this character for me. I actually got a few auditions based off of that movie and a couple of the directors that were involved. I never ended up getting any other roles. But I can't think of a more painful profession (other than music) than acting. I mean, that is not a glamorous life. I know it looks that way...same with music...but acting is not a glamorous life. But yes, I think I would probably go into acting if I couldn't do music.
NMBFC: So you've done a lot of work on soundtracks. How does that compare to Young Beautiful in a Hurry?
Brendan McCreary: It compares. I mean, it's virtually the exact same process. I'm the songwriter on the tv show called Defianceon Syfy network. The season two record is out May 26th (you can order it on iTunes right now) and then season three starts on June 12th. I think the only difference really is that I can take my time with YBH a little more in writing and when I'm writing for soundtracks for tv or film, there's like a hard deadline and there's a whole team of people relying on me to get those tracks in. So basically I just have to come up with something and that's it and then it's out the door. My process for writing for YBH isn't entirely different. You come up with an idea, you explore that idea, hopefully that idea becomes awesome and if it doesn't, it doesn't.
NMBFC: Do you have a favorite song that you've written for the band?
Brendan McCreary: You know, honestly, it would have to be our most recent release, which is "Single Mothers." I think that is my favorite tune and it's sort of the jewel in my crown. I've been writing that song for a very long time and it's sort of my magnum opus. I'm not saying it's the best thing I'll have ever written before or hence, but it's definitely my favorite tune that we've done thus far.
NMBFC: So obviously "Single Mothers" comes from a very personal place. What inspired you to take on this topic in song and were you afraid it would be too personal for mass appeal?
NMBFC: So how do you think having a single mom has influenced your life and how has it effected your views on women?
Brendan McCreary: I think it's influenced my life in as many ways as it can possibly be influential. I didn't have a dad around all the time. You know, my dad is around, he's always been around, it wasn't like a bad situation. My dad and my mom just weren't compatible and they're good friends so in that regard I'm extremely fortunate. I think there's a lot of very unfortunate single mothers and children out there that have shitheads for dads or dads that aren't...whatever, yanno? I don't wanna get all preachy about it.
But like...my mother was an artist. She was an author, is an author. She had a house and she provided for my brother and I, being an author. And every day I saw her put us through school get us breakfast, get us out the door and then she'd be working on her books. So, I lived with an author, I lived with an artist. I mean, that's all there is to it. She allowed me to daydream, she allowed me to be what I wanted to be. I wish she had been harder on me, looking back on it. But I think she celebrated the fact that my brother and I were musicians. She always encouraged us. When she realized that I was never going to be like a professional classical pianist and when I was just pounding on it and singing all of the time she was just like "Alright. You're gonna do this." When I told her I was gonna be a rockstar in eighth grade, she was just like "Okay. You're still gonna go to school." Without my mom, I would be nothing. She did everything for me.
As far as women are concerned, I wonder what it would have been like having a dad around. I remember as a kid, she just put the fear of God in me about women, "you respect women." It took me 'till late in high school and even some into college to realize that women are fallible human beings. I remember her, as a child, lecturing me on women all the time. It doesn't mean that I'm not a total asshole, like I've been a jerk to girls, I've broken up with girls, I've been a butthole like every other man. But I do love women and I do have a very strange way of dealing with them and existing with them. I don't think I'm an average guy when it comes to how I work with and associate with ladies and I definitely know that is all my mother's impact for better or for worse.
NMBFC: Let's talk more about the Royalty EP. My favorite track is the first one, "Stuck on the Girl." What can you tell us about that?
Brendan McCreary: That tune came from a crush that I had and it was completely unrequited to this day. It's such a weird song because at the end of the day it's kind of creepy if you pull it apart. Kind of like in the way that "Every Breath You Take" is a creepy song. Where it's just like "Wait a minute, Sting, what the f*** are you talking about?" Here's this ballad anthem that everyone knows and slow-danced to in the 80s. But then when you stop and look at the lyrics, it's like "this is f***ed up." So it's kind of a fetishized viewpoint from the narrator, which...it didn't get that bad [laughs]. But it's that the girl's very cruel and icy and a sheer person and this guy just can't break through. The tune was also sort of a turning point for me because Royalty was supposed to be a collection of songs that was kind of coherent both in songwriting style and production. It's a very guitar-driven album and that was the first song I wrote for that record.
NMBFC: It seems like "Oh Future" could be addressed to several different people. Who is "Oh Future" a message to?
Brendan McCreary: "Oh Future" is addressed to me and anyone that is extremely freaked out by their future. So anyone in their twenties, any artists: actors, authors, editors, screenwriters. Anybody in their thirties. Life is really f***ing hard for most people, for pretty much everybody. In today's culture, there's just no middle ground anymore. You turn on the tv and it's just f***ing rich people. Rich, privileged people that can pay to do amazing things all the time 'cause they got money. I watch a lot of Bollywood movies, and the other day I saw a movie and it was about poor people. I was just taken aback. If you just stop and think about it, how many Hollywood movies do you see that are about poor people or middle class people? People for whom money is not an option or a solution to their problems, because they don't have enough of it? "Oh Future" isn't necessarily an economic song, but it is basically about fear. It's a song about not knowing what lies ahead and what you can do about it. It's sort of just about throwing your hands up. "Oh future, I'm playing your games//I came in a wild one//and now I'm coming out tame" that's definitely like the line for this kind of uninformed optimism that you have as a young person. There's no other option, of course you're going to make it, of course you're going to be the next Black Keys or whomever. And then you're pushing your late twenties, you're pushing your thirties, and it's like "oh f***! Maybe I've got to come up with a plan b or something. Maybe this isn't gonna happen for me. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to address this? Do I quit?" All these things that occur to people every minute of the day, every day of the week. It's overwhelming and it's depressing and it's stressful. Being an artist, you just have to learn to deal with that. There's kind of a silver lining to that song in the bridge. I don't even know if it's a silver lining, it might be me or the narrator of the song sort of diluting the situation but the whole "and then we'll dive into the sea//we'll fly into the breeze//somewhere we can be free." In that little bridge section there's this moment of relief from the stone cold reality of being an artist and being kind of alone in the world. I'm lucky to have gotten this job with Defiance. When I wrote "Oh Future" I was sort of pre-Defiance, and I was extremely depressed and down and I didn't know what to do. All you can really do is just hang tight.
NMBFC: I noticed with a lot of the songs on Royalty, much like with "Oh Future," that there's this uplifting sound contrasted with kind of sad or downtrodden lyrical narrative. What can you say about that contrast on the EP as a whole?
Brendan McCreary: That's kind of like what I do. I just do it kind of naturally. "Single Mothers" is a great example, I discussed it earlier. You've got this anthemic, huge, celebrational Prince pop rock tune...and the lyrics are like: "24 hours//you've gotta wipe the sweat right off of your brow//there's work to be done and no one else can do it quite like you." That's a really brutal line and it's super sad. It makes me wanna cry just saying it. It's sad and it's beautiful. But it's hard. So, I do that on everything and Royalty is no exception. I just like the counterpoint. As an artist, if you want to convey something dark, it doesn't have to be a "dark song" If you have a sad song, it doesn't have to be a "sad song." Life is very varied and situations are never ever cut and dry and super simple to understand. It just creates (in my mind, anyway) a richness in storytelling. It just creates depth, and if you're not interested in the depth, you don't have to dive in and if you are, it's there for you.
One of the things that I was really shocked by when Royalty first came out, a lot of people were coming back to me and saying "I'm so inspired by this song, it's so positive." And I was like "I'm really glad to hear that" because I was not in a positive place when I wrote it. But I'm glad. A lot of people said that to me and I was shocked. I do think also that instruments and music tell story, it's not just lyrics that tell the story. A lot of times, if you just read lyrics, they suck. But when you pair it with a song, the simplest of lyrics become so powerful. That's kind of where it comes from for me, is just creating a layer and kind of a counterpoint. If you have very sad lyrics, I don't want to necessarily saturate it in sad music because that's just going to be way too sad.
NMBFC: It sort of creates a strength through adversity kind of feeling.
Brendan McCreary: Sure, yeah.
NMBFC: Okay, so cover songs. You've done a lot of really cool ones, including "Say Say Say" and "Don't Stop Me Now." But let's say you were only able to be a cover band from one musical body from now on. Who would that be?
Brendan McCreary: Obviously it would have to be Queen. [The Show Must Go On is] this Queen gig that my brother and I put together for an AIDS benefit. It was the twentieth anniversary of Freddie [Mercury]'s passing. We put together this band of ultimate badasses. I played Freddie for the evening. We had three of some of the best guitarists in the world, most notoriously a guy named Mike Keneally, Brendon Small from Dethklok, and a guy named Rick Musallam, who's a huge session cat out here in L.A. We had four backing vocalists, a bassist, my brother was on keys, and a drummer. Effectively what we put together was...a one night only...Queen festival. We sold out the Roxy. It was all non-profit, we were raising money for AIDS Project L.A. and it was one of the most amazing nights of my life. We never did it again, I've been trying to put it together every year but everyone's so busy. But that was probably the best night of Queen music since Queen broke up and I will f***ing stick by that. It was an amazing night and it was a total love bath.
Brendan McCreary: It was just this wonderful experience and people were coming up to me and embracing me afterwards. It was sold out and after the show had ended, everyone stayed! Just holding each other and loving each other...it was one of the most magical nights of my entire life and I will never forget it. I would definitely do anything to re-live those moments again.
NMBFC: You say you're influenced by Queen obviously, as well as David Bowie, Elvis, and Aretha Franklin. Who are some artists you listen to now?
Brendan McCreary: I don't really have an answer that would sort of represent what I do...My favorite contemporary artist is Major Lazer, honestly. I don't make DJ music, I don't make dance hall music- I f***ing love Major Lazer. I am just like hook, line and sinker addicted to them. I can't wait for their new album. But other than that, I don't have like a band that I like listen to actively. Like, I have my eye on Bruno Mars, I really respect Bruno Mars. I would love to get into the ring with him one day and duke it out. I'm hoping great things come out of Bruno Mars. I think he's getting into that position where like one more album and he'll be able to do whatever he wants to do. Like, he's right there, he can do something awesome.
NMBFC: So what's down the road for Young Beautiful in a Hurry?
Brendan McCreary: A lot of singles. I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the studio this year, we've got two new singles coming out throughout summer. I'm not really interested in cutting a record at all. Records are expensive, they are less effective these days. That saddens me because I think records are awesome. I grew up in a super old school way and I consume music in a very old school fashion. I think there's people like me out there, but I think the vast majority of people are Spotify users and Pandora users and iTunes one-or-two-songs-off-the-album-buyers. So that's why I'm putting out singles. I'm doing these songs that I think will be great and awesome and I'm gonna put them out there so that people actually listen to them. Instead of releasing a ton of great songs on an album and maybe they get the album and maybe they don't. So that's the plan for now is just pumping out singles.
NMBFC: Is there anything else my readers should know about Young Beautiful in a Hurry?
Brendan McCreary: Check us out and spread the word, especially if any of your readers have single moms or moms in general!
NMBFC: Thank you!
If you'd like to check out Young Beautiful in a Hurry, you can find their music on iTunes and Bandcamp.
It's been a while since the last "One-Mind Tracks" here on No More Blood From a Clone. But the journey continues each week on 97.5 WDIF here in Marion, Ohio and streaming online. Since not everyone can clear the 7 o'clock hour on Thursday necessary to hear the show, here's a throwback to the original days of "One-Mind Tracks."
This week, we're featuring songs with some positive messages and attitudes.
Don't Stop Me Now by Queen
One of my favorite Queen songs, this track is full of positive energy, even if it does seem to wind down in a somewhat melancholic manner toward the end.
I Can See Clearly Now By Johnny Nash
It's hard not to think of this song in a positive light, since not only is it about the rain stopping (usually a metaphor for coming out of depression), but it's ingrained into my childhood. Jimmy Cliff covered it for Cool Runnings, a Neil Finn cover was used in Antz, and even the three blind mice sung it in the Shrek: Far Far Away Idol bonus feature. Incidentally, that terrible joke about the three blind mice isn't as bad when you realize the Neil Finn cover was originally recorded to benefit an organization that treats blindness.
Hold on Tight by Electric Light Orchestra
Soon to be featured in an advice playlist also, "Hold on Tight" encourages us to never let go of our dreams. And that's a darned empowering message. Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac
There are too many negative break-up songs, and a few of them can be found as fellow songs on Rumours. But not this one, in which Christine McVie says goodbye to her eight-year marriage with a smile on her face and only thoughts for the future. Bill Clinton used this as his campaign song multiple times, and even convinced the group to reform at his 1993 inaugural ball to perform it.
Don't Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin
The first acapella song ever to reach #1 on the Billboard charts is this easy-going message of positivity. But speaking of what I just mentioned with Fleetwood Mac, and what I've discussed in the past, this song has also been used in a political campaign. It was a slightly less harmonious marriage than the Clinton/Mac one however, when George H. W. Bush decided to use this as his campaign song in 1988. Bobby McFerrin publicly protested the use of "Don't Worry Be Happy," saying that he was going to vote against Bush, and even discontinuing performance of the song to be clear about where he stood on the topic.
Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
This song has always reminded me of the very end of the third Back to the Future movie. Aside from that though, and even though it was the most played song in the U.S. in 2006, I love the positive message of "Unwritten." I hope it doesn't end up lost in the entrails of time eventually.
I Am Woman by Helen Reddy
What's more empowering than the track that became the theme song for the woman's movement? Helen Reddy felt there was a need for an empowering song for women and so she decided to start writing "I Am Woman." It was the first song by an Australian artist to hit #1 in America, and the first song written in Australia to win a Grammy.
Everything is AWESOME!!! by Tegan and Sara (Featuring The Lonely Island)
This collaboration between Tegan and Sara, The Lonely Island, and Mark Mothersbaugh bleeds positivity.
Carry On by fun.
My favorite track off of fun.'s sophomore album Some Nights is about strength against adversity. "Carry On" is a power ballad and pop tune that can't be left off this list. Tubthumping by Chumbawamba
The oft-considered annoying "Tubthumping" drives the point of positivity home. A "tubthumper" is someone who jumps on the bandwagon, and really the song is a political message. But at face value, this song couldn't make me happier.
We Are the Champions by Queen
The be-it end-all of songs about winning, "We Are the Champions" is the champion of positivity songs. It's also the b-side to "We Will Rock You" so...heck yeah!
Find these songs and more on the playlist below:
What song gets you feeling great? I'd love to hear!
Of Montreal have finally come up with an album title that perfectly describes the group and their music. The title, Aureate Gloom could almost be a new name for the genre of glam funk with sad lyrics that the band have become known for. And, of course, this album totally fits the bill. Aureate Gloom picks up where Lousy With Sylvianbriar left off, if we can assume that the latter was created with 1969 in mind and now of Montreal are ready to delve into the early seventies. It's also an obvious successor if we can assume that the mild depression of Sylvianbriar transformed into the complete emotional turmoil of Auriate Gloom.
"Bassem Sabry," named for an Egyptian civil rights activist, is described as the only non-autobiographical song on the album, although it features Kevin Barnes' usual eloquence and the line "I just watched my hero fail//now I'm in a dark and violent funk." Incidentally, the word "funk" also describes some of the sounds on the track, along with drums playing a starring role in the beginning.
Next up, "Last Rites at the Jane Hotel" paints a dark portrait of a couple (or former couple) plagued with infidelity and self-interest. The busy sound is a distant cousin of "Belle Glade Missionaries." "Empyrean Abattoir" is a much more simplistic, yet discoteche-worthy tune with a great deal of bitterness wrapped up in it. It has been suggested that "Empyrean Abattoir" is about Rebecca Cash leaving the band, which seems entirely possible, although it's also as great a break-up song as "Last Rites," even if they represent slightly different outlooks. It's worth noting that many of the tracks on this album deal with bitter separations, perhaps courtesy of the fact that Barnes has parted ways with many band members including not only miss Cash, but longer-standing members of the band, and his wife of eleven years, all fairly recently.
Barnes writes about his separation from his wife on "Virgilian Lots," a dark track with personal and self-searching lyrics. Although most of the sixties sounds from early albums and Sylvianbriar are gone, and it's probably been a while since anyone compared the band to The Kinks, "Apollyon Of Blue Room" definitely brings to mind "You Really Got Me" in places.
One of my favorite pieces of lyricism on the album comes from "Estocadas"; "Your shifty friend gave you a cactus for a gift[...]//Such a stupid offering what's it meant to symbolize//hostile immobility, is that something to prize?"
"Like Ashoka's Inferno Of Memory" is home of a strange, new influence for the band in the form of a sound very similar to Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song." The concept of separation from his wife in "Virgilian Lots" returns for "Memory," poignantly when Barnes references the poem "Having a Coke With You," an ode to how great boring things are with the one you love, as a memory.
Aureate Gloom is very much an of Montreal record. If Sylvianbriar can be removed from the equation, it's definitely the best album since Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? It's a different direction from Sylvianbriar. Of Montreal albums can certainly be perceived as moods, so it's almost like another mood. Barnes continues to write personal and thoughtful lyrics ripe with cultural references and complex eloquence. While I can't say it's the band's best work, it's definitely worth a listen.
of Montreal is the brain child of Kevin Barnes of Atlanta, Georgia.
No More Blood From a Clone has been around for a while now, but it's been a minute since we introduced a new series of articles. So today, I bring you the first installment of "Separated at Birth," in which we explore multiple music-related things that are seemingly unrelated, but share some family traits.
First up, the following are three music videos that (and I'm sure they aren't alone) have a similar nature feel and artistic direction.
In 1985, the somewhat obscure but well-respected group Talk Talk released the video for their song "Life's What You Make It." The video was filmed at the Wimbledon Common and directed by Tim Pope (famous for his work with The Cure).
Now, in case you're unfamiliar with the work of Talk Talk, let me just tell you, videos were not lead singer Mark Hollis's favorite thing. Their original video for "It's My Life," also directed by Pope, was a protest against lip-synching. But for this video, the band obviously did more to embrace the medium, making "Life's What You Make It" the band's strongest music video.
Perhaps that's why, in 2009, the video had an affair with Spike Jonze's rendition of Where the Wild Things Are, and gave birth to Mika's "Rain" video.
The song itself was described my Mika as "an unapologetic '80s pop record," making it a stone's throw away from the sound Talk Talk were in the process of leaving when "Life's What You Make It" was released. The video, directed by Nez Khammal was filmed in the Epping Forest in Essex, but I think it could have easily shared the set with it's half-brother (providing Wimbledon Common even looked the same by 2009).
Just a year later, a brother much more closely related to "Life's What You Make It" was born, in the form of Jamie Woon's "Night Air."
"Night Air"'s video is very similar in artistic direction to the Talk Talk single, complete with close-ups of the creatures crawling in the night.
While there is seemingly no other link between these three songs, I think the videos are a crazy connection. Stay tuned for more musical artifacts that were separated at birth.
Mark Ronson's ever star-studded albums just got a new little brother in the form of Uptown Special, an album which has already seen a great deal more success here in the states than anything Ronson has performed on in the past. "Uptown Funk" became Ronson's first American #1 as a performer last week (previously he was one of the producers on Bruno Mars' #1 "Locked Out of Heaven").
Uptown Special kicks off with an introduction piece, the short "Uptown's First Finale," which features not only Stevie Wonder himself, but the classic Stevie Wonder sound circa the early 70s. "Uptown's First Finale" gives way to "Summer Breaking." The lyrics (as with many songs on the album) are by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Michael Chabon. As terrific as the collaboration is on "Summer Breaking," which paints a fantastic picture of a heart-hardened girl and her summer exploits, one has to wonder if this will become a recurring partnership between Chabon and Ronson, much like the one between Ben Folds and author Nick Hornby.
"Feel Right," of course, is completely different from the soft, floating sound of the first two tracks. The seventies sound is still present, but the drums and wind instruments bring to mind Version more than Record Collection. Mystikal provides an aggressive yet playful rap on this track for which Bruno Mars is credited as one of the many writers.
Of course, what can be said about "Uptown Funk" that hasn't already been covered?
The feminine voice on the album, "I Can't Lose" features the vocals of brand new artist Keyonne Starr, whose voice is completely on par with the rest of the seasoned musical veterans. It's a shame to see so many fewer women working on this album, since Ronson's work generally features women much more heavily.
One of the standout tracks is "Daffodils," which features vocals by Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. The mesh of funk and psychedelia with poetic lyrics makes the piece a dreamy dance tune. Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow comes to the forefront for "Crack in the Pearl," which also offers a lyrical reprise of "Uptown's First Finale."
"In Case of Fire" is a smooth, falsetto-laden track with vocals by Jeff Bhasker. Chabon's lyrics give the song an incredible flow that may have been missing on the tracks of Record Collection.
"Leaving Los Feliz" is the Beatles-esque track on the album. The first eleven seconds bring to mind Paul McCartney's "We All Stand Together," while the rest of the song, including Parker's vocals and the echo production seems to channel the solo work of John Lennon. Los Feliz is the so-called hipster area of Los Angeles, and the track is about a hipster who realizes he may be getting too old to continue partying in Los Feliz. It's definitely a track that's worth a listen.
And of course, the album is bookended with "Crack in the Pearl, Pt II," another song on which Stevie Wonder guests, reprising the Wonder sound and "Las Vegas" lyrics.
The entirety of Uptown Special has a seventies throwback sound. Inclusions of things like the harmonica and Stevie Wonder vocals merely cement the core sound, which, oddly, isn't disturbed by the album's sole rap track, "Feel Right," which sounds as though it's rapped over a James Brown song. As with any Ronson work, there are many styles of music represented, yet much like Record Collection, no song is the lonely kid standing in the corner. Somehow, all of the styles come together in a cohesive manner, not only because of the central sound style, but because they have a flow that only a good DJ like Ronson could provide for an album with so many varying tempos and styles. As wonderful as Record Collection was, Uptown Special does not disappoint. In fact, there are fewer "weak" tracks on Uptown Special, making it quite an exciting album.
2014 was more about singles than albums. Much as it makes me cringe to think about, it's entirely true. That's not to say there weren't any good albums, but there was nothing that measured up to the top 10 albums of 2013.
So, the year was about singles. In addition to that though, it was about women. Women dominated the charts and the airwaves. We're talking Taylor Swift being the first woman to knock her own #1 single to #2 so she could occupy the two positions simultaneously. We're talking about the sheer variety of female acts topping charts, from the aforementioned Swift to Meghan Trainor, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea, Selena Gomez, Tove Lo, and Jessie J, just to name a few! Chrissie Hynde released her first official solo album, Lily Allen and Ingrid Michaelson each put out new albums, and, once again, Taylor Swift broke tons of records with 1989.
While I'm a little sad that there weren't more standout albums, I wasn't entirely displeased with some of the singles. And also, girl power. Anyway, below are fourteen of my favorite singles of 2014.
14. "Earth is the Loneliest Planet" by Morrissey
It was nice of Morrissey to release this track as a single on my birthday. It's also pretty cool to see that he's still got that Morrissey musical sadness. This might even be the best track he's done since the mid-nineties (in my opinion).
13. "Where No Eagles Fly" by Julian Casablancas + the Voidz
From Tyranny comes this gem of a track. The rest of the album was impressive as well, particularly the overall production. I love how perfect all of the visuals are for this Julian Casablancas + the Voidz project, from the videos to this exaggerated retro single cover. If you missed it, you should really check it out.
12. "Foil" by "Weird Al" Yankovic "Weird Al" Yankovic had his first #1 album with Mandatory Fun this year, and it's no surprise that the album did so well (although it is a surprise that none before have). The original songs and parodies are all spot-on, and even this parody of "Royals," which begins like a run-of-the-mill Weird Al food song, but takes a darker and funnier turn.
11. "I Won't Let You Down" by OK Go
The band that's known for their videos makes some awesome music too. That said, the video for this one is a Busby Berkeley musical number on Honda personal mobility units. I love the inventive way they're always coming up with new things for videos and not just recycling the treadmill gimmick over and over. I also love the touches of the 70s, which remind me of "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5.
10. "Air Balloon" by Lily Allen
Lily Allen's Sheezus was a lot more hip-hop influenced than I had expected (the title failed to clue me in), but at the same time, the album had a great deal of variety. Take this worldbeat-infused pop tune for example. It's been compared to "Paper Planes" by M.I.A., and you can hear the similarities, but it's also got its own thing going on in an infectious earworm way.
8. "Be Reasonable, Diane" by SPEAK
You don't need a gimmick to sell a song, but I won't deny that it helps. SPEAK released a game to go along with "Be Reasonable, Diane." I'm sure it's not the first time it's been done, but it definitely works. Meanwhile, I'm perplexed by the recent surge in the name "Diane" in songs. I only know one Diane, and she's my aunt, yet Vampire Weekend also released "Diane Young" (a pun, I know) last year.
7. "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift
The biggest album by a female artist since Carole King's Tapestry, 1989 has been shattering records like no one's business. But this one is more than just a record-breaker in my opinion. "Blank Space" is a playful and mature look at both Taylor Swift's heartbreaks and the way the press treats them. She takes the blame herself as in "I Knew You Were Trouble," but also professes the "we all hurt each other" sentiment as in Ingrid Michaelson's "Girls Chase Boys," and the whole thing has that sort of fairytale feel of her earlier songs ("Love Story"). I just wish the producers had gone for a cleaner sound right before "and I'll write your name."
6. "Tell the World" by Eric Hutchinson
Constantly teetering on the edge of the mainstream, Eric Hutchinson released Pure Fiction this year and, while the tracks weren't as strong as some of his previous ones, songs like this one really stood out. The first single off of Pure Fiction was this feel-good tune, empowering in both sound and lyric.
5. "Girls Chase Boys" by Ingrid Michaelson
Ingrid Michaelson's most successful single since "The Way I Am," "Girls Chase Boys" is both a breakup song and a statement that "no matter who or how we love, we are all the same." She tackled gender inequality and the universal nature of heartbreak in the video for this catchy tune. It serves as both a tribute to Robert Palmer and a fun political statement.
4. "All I Need Is You" by Rob Cantor Rob Cantor may not have broken the internet, but he sure used some fun new techniques to sell the great songs on Not a Trampoline. With his viral video of celebrity impressions set to "Perfect," and this video made up of gifs, he's like the OK Go of internet memes. And the song is pretty great too!
3. "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
While I'm disappointed that it's not another Mark Ronson and the Business International record, I certainly can't complain about the quality of this #2 hit. Watch out Taylor Swift, this fast-rising funk and soul track might just de-throne you.
2. "Swimming Pool Blues" by Miniature Tigers
Another great summer-soundtrack tune from Miniature Tigers. The rest of Cruel Runnings is sparse competition for "Swimming Pool Blues," which was definitely one of my favorite songs released all year. I even love the cheesy "underwater" sound editing bridge.
1. "Dark Sunglasses" by Chrissie Hynde
If there's one track I played on repeat this year, it was this one from Chrissie Hynde's very first solo album. I know, it's a fine line, "Chrissie Hynde solo album vs. any other album she's worked on," but man, did this single get it right. You can sing along with the backing vocals, and that cowbell...Totally my favorite track this year.
It was almost two years previous to the day that Carbon Leaf took the stage at a Columbus venue. But last Wednesday, the band returned, this time taking the A&R Music Bar.
At about 8 p.m., the opener, Daniel Champagne,took the stage. The crowd, while polite, was not nearly silent enough to reflect his talent. Champagne came all the way from Australia, and started off by playing "The Nightingale," the first preview of his impressive guitar technique. Though Champagne took the stage alone, he created the auditory illusion of a full band with just himself and his guitar. His quick-moving hands played the guitar in the traditional sense, used it as percussion, and created a unique sound by tuning and untuning the guitar as he went.
He continued to play a total of six songs, showcasing his clear, crisp voice. "Same Enemy" featured very handy guitar work, sometimes strumming from the bridge, sometimes plucking with the fingering hand on the fretboard so that he could use the other hand on the body of the instrument as percussion again. Another song, "Fade to Black" was a cover of the blues-ey Dire Straits song that he performed with a great deal of energy.
His final piece was very impressive, with the rapid hand movements almost at their peak, and never a misstep. Unfortunately, customs had confiscated the copies of his CD or I probably would have purchased one.
Carbon Leaf took the stage around 9 p.m., after being introduced by an audio clip from The Muppet Show. They launched immediately into a piece from one of the two albums they released last year, Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle, "A Song For the Sea."
The tour was officially the "Indian Summer Revisited Tour," owing to the fact that it's the tenth anniversary of the album (they also rerecorded the entire album in order to reclaim it from their old record label). To celebrate the album's birthday, they played many songs from the great album, starting with "This is My Song!" and a version of "What About Everything?" much closer to the album version than the performance they gave last time I saw them.
Barry Privett.
The crowd involvement was quite impressive, with Barry Privett holding out his microphone to allow the audience to sing a section of "One Prairie Outpost."
They closed the selection of Indian Summer songs with "Life Less Ordinary," and launched into more tracks from Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle. They began with the instrumental "Februaery Detailles," featuring Privett on electronic bagpipes, and the audience participation piece, "She's Gone (...For Good This Time)."
"Bloody Good Bar Fight Song" was followed by its successor on the album, and a favorite track of mine, "The Donnybrook Affair." "The Donnybrook Affair" may have been the best performance of the evening, although it was followed by the almost equally terrific "American Tale" (from "Ether-Electrified Porch Music").
Carter Gravatt on violin during a song from Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle.
Carter Gravatt shined throughout the evening once again, notably on the extended guitar intro for (and throughout) "Grey Sky Eyes" and an extended break in "Raise the Roof."
Jon Markel
The band then moved into an amp-free semi-circle for "Comfort" and "Ragtime Carnival," both of which sound amazing as acoustic pieces.
They closed the set with "The Dancing Song," "Desperation Song," and the fan favorite "The Boxer." The crowd remained entertained and engaged to the end.
Carter Gravatt and Terry Clark reflected in the garage door windows of the A&R.
The band returned to the stage for an encore of "Let Your Troubles Roll By," and then moved into the center of the audience for another acoustic semi-circle of "Learn to Fly."
Carbon Leaf put on another great show. It wasn't free of mistakes, but it was a truly excellent show of skill and rapport with their audience. I eagerly await the next time they come around, and encourage anyone to check them out.
Let me start off by saying that it's impossible for me to discuss this album without comparing it to The Strokes or the former solo work of Julian Casablancas. This isn't to say it's due to similarities, but rather vast differences.
So here's a quick run-down: The Strokes formed in 1998, and and kind of a gruff rock and roll sound (like a post grunge indie thing). They took a break a few years back, and frontman Casablancas released a stylized 80s-sounding solo album with lots of synths. The Strokes regrouped and made two decent but very synthy albums reminiscent of some stuff Casablancas did as a soloist, but still with touches of the old Strokes.
This album is not like any of that.
When "Take Me in Your Army" kicks off, you feel like you might have stepped into a real-life retro horror video game. The song doesn't stay that way for long, but it does go on to remind you of something you can't quite put your finger on. All parts of the song blend together perfectly, but with something deliberately just a little off, so it's unsettling. Is it the attacking beeping synths? Is it the way the title line "take me in your army" goes for both a word and a note that wasn't what we might have expected? Or is it the fact that the coming and going of the vocals altogether isn't something you can predict?
We have the perfect amount of time to ponder all this, but not come up with a solution, before the next track, "Crunch Punch" breaks in in a completely different manner. It's bookended with found audio samples from old radio programs. "M.utually A.ssured D.estruction" is one of the hardest pieces on the album, yet there are touches of Casablancas' signature vocal style peeking out from under all the sound. It's also the shortest track on the album, leaving you only time to ponder its purpose, and it never really "gets going." Of course, "M.utually A.ssured D.estruction" gives way to the longest track on the album, "Human Sadness."
"Human Sadness" is just over ten minutes, with rough sounds and synthesized strings living harmoniously together with cliche Strokes guitar and Casablancas rambling vocals. The change comes in at almost exactly halfway, and it's as though you're listening to a battle take place. The lighter sound seems to win out in the end, possibly indicating the end of human sadness. The track doesn't seem as long as it is, despite the lyrics being all but impossible to understand.
The lead single "Where No Eagles Fly" has the only truly killer hook on the album, and certainly functions as the most accessible song on the album. The only hook that comes close to "Where No Eagles Fly" is "Business Dog," which is still as odd a number as the album gets, including a self-censor in the first minute of the song.
"Nintendo Blood" almost sounds like it will be a reprise of "Take Me in Your Army," but comes into its own soon enough. The album closes with the dreary "Off to War..." which has less musicality than many of its' cohorts on the album, but is a quiet enough, it almost acts as a fade out for the album.
The way many of these tracks mesh together sounds like they weren't created as an album. So much so that I don't think it was an accident. I think each closing and intro is meant to be jarring, to let you know who's in control, to tell you the track has changed and there's nothing you can do about it. It's almost as though it's to wake you from the notion that you might have found some security even in the nonsense of the previous song.
Tyrannyis gritty and unique in a way nothing Julian Casablancas has ventured into before has been. At just over an hour long, this has to be one of the longest albums I've listened to in years too. But it's worth the time.
Julian Casablancas + The Voids are a rock group side project of Julian Casablancas.
.jpg){kind=spacer}
.png)
