10 Songs
I think Rhi's trying to find a way to get me to LJ whatever the hell happens, and by poking the music geek in me it of course happens. I'm exhausted and excited and post-ill, which should probably explain the weird slant on this entry. Anyway.
Vienna Teng - Gravity - I'm probably going to hate this song by the end of next year, as I'm planning on recording it for my music tech coursework. I do have one thing to say though - Vienna Teng's voice is gorgeous. Also, it's a piano song (I'm hard-pushed to find a song on this list that isn't a piano song, but hey!) There's been two versions of this - the album version was on Waking Hour, and there's an unreleased 'Lake Version' which is just piano and vocals. While that's lovely, this goes up and down like a real song should. This is probably a real 'me' song... if just for the lyrics these are the scars that words have carved on me and this is the same place / this is the same place / no - not the same place we've been before. Love it.
Phoenix - Rally - This is probably my last Veronica Mars music pick - it was the scene playing in the elevator when it opened on Piz and Veronica kissing. While I hated the scene, the music was brilliant backing. The lyrics are really quite nonsensical in parts, but they're fun! shifty eyes, pay attention / dirty talk talk quiet / just as long as you're gone / it won't happen at all. It's nice and guitary and bouncy (with no major distortion that hurts my head!). My favourite lyrics, though... standing in line I think you're pretty / and lying on your bed I think you're pretty too.
Augustana - Boston - To say this revolves around about 6 notes, it's a brilliant introduction to a song that manages to carry on pretty much all the way through (and we know that works *ahem*Konstantine*ahem*.) The singing style is pretty standard, but the song builds up in a great way. The main thing that makes the song for me is the lyrics - it's quite strange, because California was always my place for running to in songs, not running away from... I'll get out of California / I'm tired of the weather. It manages to do it again, as well.. I think I need a sunrise / I'm tired of the sunset. It seems to be basically about changing completely (I think I'll start it over / where no-one knows my name), which is... it's a bouncy song really, to say it's sad.
Marc Cohn - Walking In Memphis - Now this is a sad song. I remembered about this when it appeared in one of my Music Tech papers, and it's a great song. I missed half of the Memphis references the first time I listened to it, but it's... talking about Memphis. And Elvis. Y'd never have guessed, would you? Nice lyrics, nice piano, nice hooks, but Marc Cohn's voice is what I love about this. I tend to think the gospel choir in the background gets in the way a little, but it's proven in a few points just how much the texture can build - and his voice really makes it. The other thing I love about it is that every time it's really slowed down, and you're convinced it's going to stop... back comes the piano.
David Gray - Please Forgive Me - I picked this album up a few weeks back (my review), and it's great. It was hard to pick a favourite song off it, but I think this is it. There's a really nice mix of seemingly electronic drum sets, piano, and guitar. David Gray's voice is brilliant, even if his songwriting logic is ever so slightly flawed... I got half a mind to scream out loud / I got half a mind to die / So I won't ever have to lose you... yep, that makes no sense. Brilliant song though.
Matchbox Twenty - Bright Lights - This was from Matchbox Twenty's third album - either the peak or very height of their songwriting (it was a lot more piano-focused than the debut, and the second album bombed.) It's typical Matchbox Twenty goodness - piano, guitars, and Rob Thomas vocals. There's so many lyrics I love in it though! I got a hole in me now / I've got a scar we can talk about and She keeps a picture of me / in her apartment in the city. and Some things you don't need until they leave you / they're the things that you miss.... Yes, lots. One thing they were doing quite a lot by this point was putting really different Middle-8s and instrumentals in, and this goes off on a completely awesome guitar solo... all around the lines when all your love is gone / who will save me from all I'm against in this world.
David Bowie - Changes - Hmm... this is one of my favourite 4 or 5 Bowie songs, and I love it recently. This was probably due to this year's Music Tech again (and Sarah). As with most of the other stuff it makes hardly any sense if you read into it... so I'm not really going to read into it. What is there to say? Typical Bowie... crazy textures... crazy vocals... even crazier lyrics. I love this though: And so the days float through my eyes / But the days still seem the same. and These children that you spit on / As they try to change their worlds. Yep. Awesomeness.
46bliss - In A Long Time - I guess this is another related VM music thing. Another of the songs was used on VM, and I saw this on a free music site months ago, downloaded it, and never really listened. I dug it out a few weeks ago, and it's amazing. It's got vocals that sound stunningly ethereal, on some crazy synths. I love the lyrics too - especially And times like this / and those we felt / In a long time / I will see you... It's just really pretty! Listen to it!
Something Corporate - Me And The Moon - This was off Something Corporate's second full-length, North, and it hasn't been one of my favourites until I heard one of the Jack's Mannequin live versions. Andrew McMahon's live introduction to this was "So I was living in some shitty abandoned beach house when I wrote this, and it was a very fucked up situation so it's kind of a fucked up song. It's basically reflective of my thoughts on marriage, and needless to say someone ended up dead." It is a pretty screwed up song - the first line is It's a good year for a murder... The line Seventeen years, and all that he gave was a daughter really rings true with me, though I'm still not entirely sure why. As musical styles go it's typical later SoCo - guitars, piano, and crazy instruments. My favourite two lines in the thing though... You marry a role and / You give up your soul 'till you break down and But what do you say we go for a ride? / But what do you say we get high? / But I'm so tired of days that feel like the night...
Janis Ian - At Seventeen - This is.. well, it's At Seventeen. It's amazing. That's all I have to say. .... okay, seriously. Janis Ian's voice is fantastic, and there's some sort of crazy instrumental section in there that's just a hell of a lot of fun - brass, I think? I could seriously quote every single line from this song as being completely utterly amazing - so just go look up the lyrics instead. It's all true. I think I learnt this a lot earlier than seventeen... maybe at seventeen I'm realising it's not all this bad. Maybe I'm just realising that the world - my world - is pretty amazing. And that's why this song is so stunning.
Vienna Teng - Gravity - I'm probably going to hate this song by the end of next year, as I'm planning on recording it for my music tech coursework. I do have one thing to say though - Vienna Teng's voice is gorgeous. Also, it's a piano song (I'm hard-pushed to find a song on this list that isn't a piano song, but hey!) There's been two versions of this - the album version was on Waking Hour, and there's an unreleased 'Lake Version' which is just piano and vocals. While that's lovely, this goes up and down like a real song should. This is probably a real 'me' song... if just for the lyrics these are the scars that words have carved on me and this is the same place / this is the same place / no - not the same place we've been before. Love it.
Phoenix - Rally - This is probably my last Veronica Mars music pick - it was the scene playing in the elevator when it opened on Piz and Veronica kissing. While I hated the scene, the music was brilliant backing. The lyrics are really quite nonsensical in parts, but they're fun! shifty eyes, pay attention / dirty talk talk quiet / just as long as you're gone / it won't happen at all. It's nice and guitary and bouncy (with no major distortion that hurts my head!). My favourite lyrics, though... standing in line I think you're pretty / and lying on your bed I think you're pretty too.
Augustana - Boston - To say this revolves around about 6 notes, it's a brilliant introduction to a song that manages to carry on pretty much all the way through (and we know that works *ahem*Konstantine*ahem*.) The singing style is pretty standard, but the song builds up in a great way. The main thing that makes the song for me is the lyrics - it's quite strange, because California was always my place for running to in songs, not running away from... I'll get out of California / I'm tired of the weather. It manages to do it again, as well.. I think I need a sunrise / I'm tired of the sunset. It seems to be basically about changing completely (I think I'll start it over / where no-one knows my name), which is... it's a bouncy song really, to say it's sad.
Marc Cohn - Walking In Memphis - Now this is a sad song. I remembered about this when it appeared in one of my Music Tech papers, and it's a great song. I missed half of the Memphis references the first time I listened to it, but it's... talking about Memphis. And Elvis. Y'd never have guessed, would you? Nice lyrics, nice piano, nice hooks, but Marc Cohn's voice is what I love about this. I tend to think the gospel choir in the background gets in the way a little, but it's proven in a few points just how much the texture can build - and his voice really makes it. The other thing I love about it is that every time it's really slowed down, and you're convinced it's going to stop... back comes the piano.
David Gray - Please Forgive Me - I picked this album up a few weeks back (my review), and it's great. It was hard to pick a favourite song off it, but I think this is it. There's a really nice mix of seemingly electronic drum sets, piano, and guitar. David Gray's voice is brilliant, even if his songwriting logic is ever so slightly flawed... I got half a mind to scream out loud / I got half a mind to die / So I won't ever have to lose you... yep, that makes no sense. Brilliant song though.
Matchbox Twenty - Bright Lights - This was from Matchbox Twenty's third album - either the peak or very height of their songwriting (it was a lot more piano-focused than the debut, and the second album bombed.) It's typical Matchbox Twenty goodness - piano, guitars, and Rob Thomas vocals. There's so many lyrics I love in it though! I got a hole in me now / I've got a scar we can talk about and She keeps a picture of me / in her apartment in the city. and Some things you don't need until they leave you / they're the things that you miss.... Yes, lots. One thing they were doing quite a lot by this point was putting really different Middle-8s and instrumentals in, and this goes off on a completely awesome guitar solo... all around the lines when all your love is gone / who will save me from all I'm against in this world.
David Bowie - Changes - Hmm... this is one of my favourite 4 or 5 Bowie songs, and I love it recently. This was probably due to this year's Music Tech again (and Sarah). As with most of the other stuff it makes hardly any sense if you read into it... so I'm not really going to read into it. What is there to say? Typical Bowie... crazy textures... crazy vocals... even crazier lyrics. I love this though: And so the days float through my eyes / But the days still seem the same. and These children that you spit on / As they try to change their worlds. Yep. Awesomeness.
46bliss - In A Long Time - I guess this is another related VM music thing. Another of the songs was used on VM, and I saw this on a free music site months ago, downloaded it, and never really listened. I dug it out a few weeks ago, and it's amazing. It's got vocals that sound stunningly ethereal, on some crazy synths. I love the lyrics too - especially And times like this / and those we felt / In a long time / I will see you... It's just really pretty! Listen to it!
Something Corporate - Me And The Moon - This was off Something Corporate's second full-length, North, and it hasn't been one of my favourites until I heard one of the Jack's Mannequin live versions. Andrew McMahon's live introduction to this was "So I was living in some shitty abandoned beach house when I wrote this, and it was a very fucked up situation so it's kind of a fucked up song. It's basically reflective of my thoughts on marriage, and needless to say someone ended up dead." It is a pretty screwed up song - the first line is It's a good year for a murder... The line Seventeen years, and all that he gave was a daughter really rings true with me, though I'm still not entirely sure why. As musical styles go it's typical later SoCo - guitars, piano, and crazy instruments. My favourite two lines in the thing though... You marry a role and / You give up your soul 'till you break down and But what do you say we go for a ride? / But what do you say we get high? / But I'm so tired of days that feel like the night...
Janis Ian - At Seventeen - This is.. well, it's At Seventeen. It's amazing. That's all I have to say. .... okay, seriously. Janis Ian's voice is fantastic, and there's some sort of crazy instrumental section in there that's just a hell of a lot of fun - brass, I think? I could seriously quote every single line from this song as being completely utterly amazing - so just go look up the lyrics instead. It's all true. I think I learnt this a lot earlier than seventeen... maybe at seventeen I'm realising it's not all this bad. Maybe I'm just realising that the world - my world - is pretty amazing. And that's why this song is so stunning.