Posts tagged good listening
the history of apple pie
Jun 12th
Ok. This is a music post (not about pies & desserts).
Part of getting older (and music) is you find your favorite music and favorite bands and … well … they are your favorites. And finding new bands to like gets tough.
But.
You keep listening and keep hoping. And with that all said. Along came The History of Apple Pie.
I will begin this by saying “I like their potential.” A very young band with a neat sound. My kinda sound. But they are just beginning and time will tell.
I know. I know. I admit that I am typically drawn to Britpop bands. For some reason they seem to write great poppy kooks (see my Scars on 45 post). And they seem to master the art of multiple singer melodies. So I often look to the Brits t give me some new young bands to listen to.
The History of Apple Pie is shameless indie pop. Fuzzy guitars, laid back melodies and relatively lo-fi production. They are favorites of Yuck (another band with potential but not exactly my type of music).
They have a really interesting line up: Stephanie Min (vocals), Jerome Watson (guitar), James Thomas (drums), Kelly Lee Owens (bass, backing vocals), Aslam Ghauri (guitar).
It helps that Yuck has been getting rave notices and then the History of Apple Pie enters into a similar vein of music. In fact, they’re seemingly friends of Yuck, or anyway Yuck have been saying nice things about them, and like their London counterparts they appear to have a similar reverence for late-80s US and UK rock. The band claims to be influenced by Blur and Pavement (another reason to like them) and Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and My Bloody Valentine.
Now.
Given that information it isn’t quite clear when you hear their debut single You’re So Cool. An awesome song which seems to nod more to 60s girl groups.
On the other hand on B-side Some Kind you finally get the burst of guitar that uses Dinosaur Jr’s pre-grunge generation model to near perfection.
Best review I saw? “Gloriously melodic slice of lo-fi noise-pop” – musicfansmic.net.
Best band quote? “Some of the songs are written about mine and Jerome’s own experiences,” says Stephanie, “But I prefer writing about hypothetical, sugar-coated situations, a soundtrack to situations we wish we were in but weren’t really at all; American sounds bursting through grey England. It’s more exciting that way.”
the song: Compliments from Band of Horses
Jul 27th
Okay. So this will complete my “bearded songs I suggest you listen to” week. Compliments from Band of Horses from their new cd Infinite Arms.
While I have always liked their sound I also have thought their music has been a little uneven in listenability. But they have such a distinct sound if you like one song (and No One is Gonna Love You Better is as good as it gets) you keep on coming back around for more. Compliments has a slightly more upbeat and bigger sound than many of their other songs.
In addition. The video for his song is awesome. Really interesting in its use of morphing ad photography. The technique they use is fascinating and you will be tempted to slow down or pause in sections just to see what they do (although the entire video can give you a headache if you watch it too closely).
Here is the video (I wasn’t smart enough to figure out how to link to it so my friend Brad was kind enough to send it to me):
URL: http://vimeo.com/10566868
To be honest with everyone this isn’t brilliant songwriting. The music certainly doesn’t push the envelope and true musicians will probably suggest it is mainstream mediocrity (that doesn’t make it any less fun to listen to).
And the lyrics can be a little trite.
(chorus): “if there is a god up in the air, someone looking over everyone, at least you’ve got something to fall back on.”
But.
It is feel good nonsense. And really good listening feel good nonsense. And it is good enough to remind you that Band of Horses is a better than average band. And it gives you hope that somewhere in their songwriting future portfolio is something truly iconic.
Oh.
On top if it all. Beyond the well crafted hooks and beautiful jangly rambling melodic chords there is Ben Bridwell. Looking past his healthy beard you will find a vulnerable clear voice that raises above all the music with a pureness that makes band of horses …. Well … band of horses.
I would imagine the cd is a good listen. I know this song certainly is. Enjoy.
