Winding Down For The Week

Perhaps not the greatest song by this not the greatest band in history, but an entertaining song with simple instrumentals and simple lyrics... None the less I present to you The Four Postmen and their song, "Rabbit Valley."

Not much can really be said about a song about about rabbits in a valley who attack humans other than saying it's humorous and entertaining. Possibly worth putting into your iPod in the future as one of those gag songs for those long car rides.

Welcome to the Big Payoff

Scott and I will probably never see eye to eye on The New Pornographers. Looking at Scott's music tastes on MySpace, I'm reminded of a House episode where a doctor said a person's protein (or something) levels were only off by two percent. House's response "If your DNA was only off by two percent, you'd be a dolphin."

My love for The New Pornographers (aside from Neko Case's voice) is the thing that always sucker punches me: the soaring chorus. I believe the power of an awesome chorus is the reason I have almost every genre of music in my collection. And "Sweet Talk Sweet Talk" has a doozy of one. It starts off like a verse fit for a "Glee" episode. And like a Nirvana song, the volume gets way amped by the chorus. It's a familiar formula, but done right, it lifts you to the stratosphere every time. Ladies and gentlemen, the single to beat in 2010.

I Want A Girl With Lips Like Morphine.

Energy, face paint, and a ton of hair products is this best description for the band from Chicago known as Kill Hannah who took the world by storm when they wanted to be a Kennedy in 2003-2004. The band has always had a way of using great catchy hooks and dream beats to make their music worth listening and so has the lyrics.

So with Sean's Morphine listening going on, it only makes me "...want a girl with lips like morphine; knock me out everytime they touch me." It's a great love song without being one. Sorry Aerosmith, but Kill Hannah has managed to put you down a notch with their electro-rocking glam rock.



Now, I'm off to Hot Topic to go buy some trendy tight ripped pants and some shirts and get my hair styled up. Maybe after that I'll go meet a girl who can "blow a kiss that leaves me gasping. I want to feel that lighting strike me and burn me down."

Oh Gillian Anderson, where are your morphine lips?

Morphine - All Your Way

As I'm typing this, it's about 95 degrees outside, heat index of 110 and a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms later. In short, it's unbearable. Typical summer in Nebraska.

There are a ton of songs that remind me of summer. Recent tunes include Animal Collective's "Summertime Clothes" and The Flaming Lips' "It's Summertime". But the song and group that best conjures up memories of summer is Morphine.

For most people, summer music is supposed to be carefree, party-oriented and light whereas winter music is supposed to be dark, intense and more than a tad isolationist. But obviously a person's mood isn't fully dependent on the weather. Enter Morphine.

The band's minimalist lineup (two-string bass guitar, baritone sax, and drums) resulted in one of the most distinct sounds in rock in the '90s. Sandman's two-string bass and Dana Colley's baritone sax created plenty of spaces where drummer Billy Conway expertly filled in when needed and like all great artists, let the silences occupy as much space as the music.

The best introduction I can think of for a Morphine initiate is "All Your Way." The bass riff perfectly eases into Colley's sax. If you could somehow translate into music the feeling of riding in your car with all windows down on a warm summer night, "All Your Way" would fit the bill perfectly. It also comes from an album with one of the strongest 'Side A's in rock.

Key Notes

One of my favorite finds for the year 2009 is the band 65daysofstatic  - an experimental UK band.

While their songs lack lyrics, they do carry a story, especially if you are prone to daydreaming. This track is off their new album and it keeps the consistency of their older albums. Not much can be said; but the instrumentals of this song are echoing in the back of my mind. A catchy drumbeat and and some piano beats that really key.

Supermarket Music (Jewel 'Standing Still')

It's as prevalent as the rush of air conditioning, the smell of the produce and bakery as well as the florescent lighting. The soundtrack you hear when you enter a supermarket has a similar numbing effect the lighting. It's inoffensive (at least it's meant to be), the audio quality is horrible, and for the most part, it's associated with uncoolness.

But if you're a music geek, you know supermarket music can throw you some severe curveballs. I remember going through the aisles of our local Bag and Save and hearing a deep track from Tori Amos' Boys For Pele. Sadly, the only time I tend to hear any Cowboy Junkies music other than The Trinity Session on the radio is at the supermarket. So, in that realm, I tip my Red Sox cap to supermarket music.

But generally, its main purpose is to lull you into complacency. It can't be too overpowering, because you may zone off on the music rather than keep you buying as much as you can. And the best example of supermarket music I can think of is Jewel's "Standing Still."

I didn't know who sang the song. I didn't know the song title. All I know is that I hear it when I go into almost every supermarket. The only thing I knew from the song is that the chorus sounded something like "or am I standing still." Thank Google for filling in the gaps.

In terms of the song, it's nothing. I respect Jewel - and am amazed about her upbringing (no indoor plumbing) and despite all of her riches, I still won't forget she lived in a van while trying to make it. But the chorus, like much of her music, is absolutely draining. It's catchy enough to remember, but its droney style is sleep-inducing. It's hypnotic for all the wrong reasons. It casts a spell, putting a glaze over your eyes. And at that time, all you know is that even though you came to buy that one thing at the supermarket, you probably need some detergent, and some butter and maybe a pint of Ben and Jerry's.

To quote a line from The Replacements: I'll buy, buy, buy, buy, buy, buy

Twice On Sunday?

Our post for today is two songs that are strikingly close; at least to me when I listen to them. Lyrically and instrumentally, these two songs are like long lost twins who somehow ended up on the same iTunes shuffle list back to back.






Now, Our Lady Peace's song came out a year prior to Thousand Foot Krutch's song. The funny thing is is that I've always felt "This Is A Call" was so close to "Innocent" but perhaps, it's the cancer reference? No, it's the whole song!  

"She fooled all of her friends into thinking she's so strong,

but she still sleeps with her light on,

and she acts like

It's all right on, as she smiles again her mother lies there sick with cancer,

and her friends don't understand her,

she's a question without answers,

who feels like falling apart."

VERSUS

"While she wishes she 

Was a dancer

And that she'd never 

Heard of cancer

She wishes God would give her

Some answers

And make her feel beautiful"

 Yes, I do believe Thousand Foot Krutch's song is pretty great BUT it screams of Our Lady Peace's "Innocent."

So whatever happened to Our Lady Peace anyway? Apparently after some changes and a hiatus, they have a new album in the works; Burn Burn due out later in 2010 or 2011.